When I first started playing golf I always wore a hat. It was just something I did because everyone else did it and it greatly helped to keep the sun out of my eyes. For those that do not know, I have terrible vision and I have to wear glasses at all waking hours. I wear prescription sunglasses during the summer months or when the sun is bright in the fall and winter. After playing for a few years I can now say that I never wear a hat.
Wearing a hat is part of the professional game for two reasons – sponsorships and seeing the ball flight. Unfortunately, I am not sponsored by a company like Callaway, Nike or Titleist. I also have very little trouble knowing where my ball is going once it comes off the club face. For these reasons, I have no desire to wear a hat. It is a personal preference for me as I am a guy that rarely, if ever wears a hat. I have extremely thick hair and it is not comfortable.
In the last few years the only pro golfers I can remember not wearing a hat are Luke Donald, Robert Rock and Tyrrell Hatton. I saw Tyrrell Hatton for the first time this weekend when he was playing in the DP World Tour Championship and he stuck out like a sore thumb without a hat or visor. Luke Donald tends to wear a visor but I have definitely seen him play without any type of hat or visor.
I have no idea how much sponsors are paying these guys but it is truly remarkable when it comes to the high percentage of PGA Tour and pro golfers that wear a hat. Heck, there are some players that I have never seen without a hat. Golfers and country music stars that wear a hat all the time lose their hair much quicker. They also tend to have crazy tan lines. One of the funniest tan lines I ever saw was Steward Cink. Check it out:
