4 Men, 4 Golf Polos: Wall Street Bros Explain the Etiquette

Summer is on life support. No one can agree on a signature cocktail, poolside playlists leave much to be desired, corporate America is already rolling out pumpkin spice, and Labubus are on my last nerve.

So Business Insider is looking back at one of the few enduring fads of the season: golf polos.

Specifically, the kind of finance bro, golf course merch that screams, “I have money,” “I work at a bank,” or “my family and/or friend has access to an exclusive country club.”

The shirts — which sport logos of courses like Winged Foot, Shinnecock Hills, or Sleepy Hollow at breast-pocket level — are the status symbols that sent Wall Street buzzing this summer. My colleague Emily Stewart called out this casual sign of success in July, highlighting how many New York men are wearing them at the office.

As Emily reported, men in the know follow a few sacred golf polo rules: It’s blasphemous to wear the logo of a course you haven’t played; you shouldn’t own two shirts with the same logo unless you’re a member of the course; and it’s sacrilegious to buy one off eBay. Plus, if the shirt has a corporate emblem on the sleeve, it belongs at Goodwill.

So long as you respect the rules and sport a prestigious enough course, a golf polo can earn you the adoring respect of your finance bro peers. Game recognizes game.

Business Insider hoped to find some of the golf polos in the wild, so we visited a few hotspots: the Wall Street stock exchange, Madison and Park Avenue during rush hour, and the Hamptons on a summer weekend. Golf enthusiasts were surprisingly coy — many wearing polos didn’t want to be photographed or share their names. Several “really had to be somewhere.”

Their elusiveness just upped the intrigue. In an era of AI slop and never-ending brain rot, a sparse digital footprint is the ultimate display of luxury.

Those who stopped to talk shared why polos are important to their wardrobe: Some agree they’re a status symbol, others appreciate the comfortable moisture-wicking fabric, or keep the shirts as reminders of a perfect day out on the green. A few described themselves as collectors and buy polos every time they visit a new course. Members were proud to sport the club they belong to, and nonmembers were grateful to have a connection at such coveted locations.

Below are snapshots of golf polos in action.