Haggar shirts, trousers and shorts

Haggar clothing - stylish.

I’ve always associated the Haggar brand with style and a certain amount of drama.

It probably goes back to the 1993 Memorial Tournament on the PGA Tour when Paul Azinger, then a clothes peg for Haggar shirts and trousers, holed his greenside bunker shot at the 18th to beat Corey Pavin and Payne Stewart.

Later that year he won his only major title – The PGA championship in a playoff against another style icon Greg Norman.

Since then the Haggar brand has gone a little quiet in the UK but it’s now back with a new, refreshing range of shirts, while maintaining its traditional understated colours of navy and wine.

Having worn a couple of the shirts and a pair of Comfort Fit trousers in club competitions, they felt very comfortable and lightweight in bright and breezy conditions. No pulling at the collar to keep the shirt from sticking to the back in the golf swing.

The trousers have a flexible waistband to ensure a perfect fit every time you move. They are available in a range of sizes and colours including khaki, string, nickel and navy at £40.

Cool yet traditional.

Haggar golf shirts (all at £30) have a generous American sizing, with the Cool 18 range, available in plain colours including navy, mustard and wine. The makers claim they will keep you cool and feeling fresh even after the hottest of days. Britain’s April temperatures didn’t quite reach those you might find in Florida or the Carolinas but they made their point.

I preferred the Collections range, made from two-ply mercerized (double weave) cotton. the subtle patterns might appear old fashioned to some and worn by more senior Tour golfers, but to this amateur they still looked classy.

Even the youngsters who modelled them for us – teenagers Adrian Ashworth (no relation to another famous clothing manufacturer, incidentally) and Matt Cawte - were particularly impressed by the more traditional mercerized Collection.

Young golfers it seems prefer to be understated in their fashion sense, rather than loud reds, yellows and blues. After all, playing off two and four handicaps respectively their clothing doesn’t have to shout "I’m a golfer!"

Role models - Matt (left) and Adrian.

The Collections range, comes in a variety of tones including teal and forest, grey and sand while the mercerized shirts have subtle combinations of beige/navy and navy/bottle green windowpane checks. In addition there’s navy, wine and white argyle check.

As for shorts black olive and navy, and pleated khaki and navy will fit the bill at around £40 a pair.

The Haggar range of small check mercerized shirts look outstanding value at £30. At Augusta National, where prices are reputed to be moderate, you’ll pay three times that price for similar quality – the only addition, the distinctive logo. The Cool 18 shirts are slightly less impressive though still good value. As for trousers and shorts at £40, department store prices might appear more attractive.