Throwing on a quarter-zip and heading out for nine holes on a late summer’s evening is the kind of feeling golfers live for.
In fact, we’d argue the quarter-zip is the best clothing item a golfer can buy. It goes with everything, can adapt to almost any environment, and it’s nearly always useful to have one (even during the height of the summer in the UK, chucking one on in the evening can be a wise move).
They can smarten up any outfit, and translate better off the course than any other item of golfing attire. After all, you can’t wear a stretchy golf shirt to the office, or the pub, but a nice quarter-zip? No problem.
They come in lots of shapes and sizes. Whether it’s a statement piece, or quietly luxurious staples, a thinner summer piece or a warmer number for brisk autumnal rounds, we’ve covered them all here.
Best quarter-zips and midlayers at a glance
- Best for premium option: J Lindeberg Heath Strike Mid Layer - £130, J Lindeberg
- Best for sustainability: Reflo The Open Skerries 1/2 Zip Midlayer - £90, Reflo
- Best for personalisation: Glenmuir g.WICK quarter zip - £75, Glenmuir
- Best for football fans: Club Golf England ’90 Midlayer - £59.99, Club Golf
- Best thermal option: Sunderland of Scotland s.SAHARA Hybrid Thermal Fleece Golf Midlayer - £80, Sunderland of Scotland
- Best for wardrobe essentials: Adidas Ultimate 365 Classic Quarter-Zip - £70, Adidas
- Best for affordable cold-weather fit: Stuburt Men's Winter Evolution-tech Windproof Thermal Golf Coat Hooded Padded Jacket - £32.99, Stubert
- Best thermal gilet: Castore Golf Pinnacle Gilet - £105, Castore
How we tested
We took all of these pieces out for our usual weekend rounds, and on a couple of occasions, on a number of special golf trips. We made sure they didn’t restrict swings while on the fairways, as well as testing how well they’d translate off the course, and making sure they offered continued comfort. We also wore them with non-golf clothes to see how they’d work with more casual fits.
J Lindeberg Heath Strike Mid Layer
Best for: premium option
J Lindeberg has definitely become a status symbol on the course for golfers, but while the Swedish brand’s range is packed with colour and bold print designs, you can find plenty of understated and quiet luxurious pieces in their range too.
For a lightweight fit, the Heath Strike Mid Layer is a fantastic option with a luxurious feel. The ‘honeycomb’ fabric (80 per cent polyester, 20 per cent lyocell) is incredibly comfortable and the structured silicone bridge logo on the sleeve adds a touch of real quality to the whole piece. It’s perfect for cooler rounds, but for something slightly more substantial, go for the J Lindeberg Kendrick Knitted Zip Sweater. This quarter-zip is beautifully soft and stretches more than most sweatshirts, making it truly unrestrictive, with contrast intarsia panels making for a subtle but refined design.
J Lindeberg will be staples for expressive dressers for years to come on the golf course, but we would recommend taking care over the sizing. Pieces from J Lindberg are often fitted, and some may wish to size up.
Buy now £130.00, J Lindeberg
Reflo The Open Skerries 1/2 Zip Midlayer
Best for: Sustainability
Is Reflo the best new brand in golf clothing? Quite possibly, and it’s certainly one with the most admirable approach to sustainability. They produce garments made from high quality recycled materials, and The Open Skerries ½ Zip Midlayer is no exception.
You might know the brand thanks to Harry Kane, who is an ambassador and investor. This year, Reflo celebrated one of their biggest collaborations to date by releasing their Giants Capsule range with The Open – with one of the newest names on the scene combining with one of the oldest tournaments in all of sport.
The pick from the range is the Skerries Midlayer, which comes in a lovely green print inspired by the Giant’s causeway on the coast of Northern Ireland, close to the beautiful Royal Portrush – host of the 2025 tournament.
This is a limited edition, marking one of the nicest designs from a brand which continues to grow in stature all the time. There’s a wide range of golf midlayers and shifts across the Reflo range that offer plenty of variety when it comes to prints and patterns too.
Buy now £90.00, Reflo
Glenmuir g.WICK quarter zip
Best for: Personalisation
Glenmuir has quality at the heart of everything they do, and pieces like the g.WICK quarter-zip will become hardy, go-to items in any golfers’ wardrobe for many a year. It’s made from stretchy, water-wicking material and it’s surprisingly warm for a thinner midlayer, and comes in a huge range of colours too.
As well as offering great quality and heritage (Glenmuir has been making golf gear in the home of golf, Scotland, since 1891 – and there’s a great sense of tradition in their pieces) they offer fantastic personalisation options. The g.WICK piece can be embroidered with a wide range of colours and text styles for no additional cost, making it an ideal present for a fellow golfers, or as a nice gift to yourself - why not?
Buy now £75.00, Glenmuir
Club Golf England ’90 Midlayer
Best for: Football fans
Golf clothing has changed an awful lot over the years, and one brand which personifies this change is Club Golf. This fun, fast-growing brand’s range incorporates classic football shirt designs into fantastic pieces you can take out on the course – and it’s the perfect antidote to stuffy dress codes.
We just love this England ’90 Midlayer, which will certainly catch the eye on the course, paying homage to one of the most celebrated kit designs in the history of football. The quality is very good, too, with a perfect athletic fit.
Other designs include fresh versions of classic Arsenal, Aston Villa, Celtic, Chelsea, Everton, Leeds, Liverpool, Man Utd, Newcastle, Rangers, Spurs and West Ham shirts, as well as other international teams like Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.
So, you won’t get away with wearing football shirts at most courses, but you’ll always look the part with Club Golf’s range of pieces tastefully reimagining iconic designs from the beautiful game.
Buy now £59.99, Club Golf
Sunderland of Scotland s.SAHARA Hybrid Thermal Fleece Golf Midlayer
Best for: Thermal option
For unfussy, incredibly well-made and dependable options in the off-season, Sunderland of Scotland is pretty hard to beat. The historic brand has been producing classic pieces since the 60s, and the S.SAHARA is the kind of garment that will serve golfers for years and years.
Sometimes, unfortunately, a nice thin midlayer just won’t hack it on the links in colder and more testing conditions, and that’s where the s.Sahara comes in. It’s functional and sophisticated in its design, with two side pockets for extra practicality – the perfect place to slip a couple of handwarmers on winter days - and the brushed thermal micro-fleece is nice and toasty.
The s.SAHARA is reliable as it comes for golfers who love playing in the off season, and it also comes with the option of free personalisation - like its sister brand Glenmuir.
Buy now £80.00, Sunderland of Scotland
Adidas Ultimate 365 Classic Quarter-Zip
Best for: wardrobe essentials
Adidas are having another great year in golf and it’s always a help that some of the most stylish on tour are kitted out with Adidas gear - think Ludvig Åberg on the PGA tour and Richard Mansell on the DP world tour.
The latest Adidas Originals range features some of the most eye-catching pieces released all year, full of retro appeal. They’re a little pricier than the core range, though, which is always a great place for golfers to check out.
The Ultimate365 Classic Quarter-Zip is a great example of the staples that Adidas do so well. It does everything you’d want from a great golf quarter-zip, keeping in a surprising amount of warmth when the collar is zipped up, with tapered cuffed sleeves that never gets in the way of the swing and helps provide the perfect athletic fit.
They’re dependable, comfortable and will last a long time - perfect wardrobe fillers for golfers everywhere.
Buy now £70.00, Adidas
Stuburt Men's Winter Evolution-tech Windproof Thermal Golf Coat Hooded Padded Jacket
Best for: Affordable cold weather fit
Sadly, we’re not always going to be blessed with perfect weather in the UK, and golfers are going to need some rugged mid layers and outer layers if they’re going to play in all conditions. That’s where this padded hoodie from Stuburt comes into its own.
Stuburt has gained a reputation for doing the basics well at good price points, and this one is no exception. The evolution-tech hooded padded jacket is nice and warm, and does a good job of being flexible and unobtrusive to the swing. It has a real rugged feel to it, and will keep you warm with its heat-sealed design. You really get a lot of bang for your buck for the price, too.
Buy now £32.99, Stuburt
Castore Golf Pinnacle Gilet
Best for: Thermal gilet
You’ve probably seen Castore decking out teams like Newcastle United and the England men’s cricket team, and it has made a big impact in a short space of time since being founded in 2015. The brand has continued its rise and expanded into golf, and in its range, you’ll find a wide selection of athleisure-inspired fits and versatile pieces.
Our favourite of theirs is this Golf Pinnacle Gilet, which comes with water-resistant Protek™ technology and slips over a really wide range of outfits with ease. It's lightweight but warm, and one of the smartest midlayers we’ve come across yet.
It’s the kind of piece you look forward to pulling on when things get a little chillier in the off season.
Buy now £105.00, Castore
