Surviving East Lake: Golf Style in the South’s Swelter

I was just in Atlanta for both the Creator Classic and the TOUR Championship at East Lake, and I’ll be honest, I was humbled. Out west, I’m spoiled with dry heat, warm falls, and crisp but playable winters. Atlanta was a different planet altogether. Cloudy skies one minute, a wall of rain the next, and all the while, 80-plus degrees with humidity thick enough to chew. It was otherworldly golf weather, and it had me asking a few questions I can’t shake.

First: When will the TOUR finally allow shorts during tournaments? The fact that we’re still holding onto slacks-only feels outdated at best. If caddies can wear them, why are players still suffering? We’re clinging to a tradition that doesn’t add much, and if you’ve ever walked 18 in Georgia’s August heat, you know it’s time.

Second: Why are we playing Tour events in the South in the dead of summer? East Lake is a beautiful course, one of my favorites of the year, but the timing is brutal. Thunder, lightning, sweat dripping before you even place a tee, it’s survival, not sport.

And lastly, what do you even wear in conditions like that? In a 30-minute stretch, I experienced it all: 90 degrees and humid, followed by misty rain, then a full-on downpour that turned the fairways into puddles. Surviving that requires the right blend of tech and cut, lightweight stretch fabrics that breathe when the sun is up but shed water the second the skies open. Think laser-cut seams, quarter zips with venting that don’t cling, and pants or shorts (yes, shorts) in water-repellent performance blends that actually dry while you’re wearing them.

At the end of the day, Atlanta’s summer weather taught me something. Texture in golf style is important, but survival fabrics and smart cuts aren’t just for show, they’re the difference between making it through a round and melting away by the 12th tee.

A brief survival guide for southern summer golf: