Under Armour Playoff Polo ReviewWorth it, if you golf often enough to feel the difference
Buy on Amazon

Is the Under Armour polo worth buying for golf?

Worth it, if you golf often enough to feel the difference

4/5
Buy on Amazon

1 of 5

you golf often enough to feel a shoulder seam catch mid swing

Does that sound like you?

Under Armour — Is the Under Armour polo worth buying for golf?
The moment

Why your golf swing fights your shirt

You're mid swing on the back nine when you feel it: the shoulder seam of your shirt catching just as you rotate through, stealing a little speed you didn't mean to give up. That's the moment most golfers start looking at an under armour polo instead of whatever cotton throwback is sitting in the closet. The question is whether the label buys you anything real or just a logo on your chest.

The mechanism

How the under armour polo fabric actually moves with you

Strip away the branding and what you're actually buying is a fabric ratio: 95 percent polyester, 5 percent elastane. The polyester does the moisture work, it doesn't absorb sweat the way cotton does, it just lets it sit on the surface until it evaporates, which is why the shirt feels dry faster than a dress polo after nine holes in July. The elastane is the smaller number doing the bigger job. Thread that much stretch fiber through a knit and the shirt gets stretch recovery, meaning it flexes through a full shoulder turn and then snaps back to shape instead of bagging out at the elbow by the fifth hole. That's the real difference between this and a stiff cotton polo picked up at a department store: cotton fights the motion, this stretches with it. The pull on closure is a small decision with a real payoff too, no buttons means nothing to catch under a golf glove or a seatbelt, and one less thing that can pop loose mid swing. Machine wash care keeps it in the same rotation as the rest of your gym bag rather than needing separate handling like a dress shirt would. None of that shows up on a hanger. It shows up on the back nine, or reaching across a car seat, when the shirt either moves with you or reminds you it's there.

The click

So you're not buying a polo, you're buying stretch recovery and quick dry fabric, dressed up like a shirt. Worth it if you swing hard enough, sweat enough, or move enough for that difference to register. If you're mostly sitting in it, a plain cotton polo does the same job for less.

Who it's for

Who the under armour playoff polo fits, and who should skip it

Worth it if

  • you golf often enough to feel a shoulder seam catch mid swing
  • you want moisture wicking stretch fabric over stiff cotton
  • you prefer machine wash easy care athletic wear
  • you fit comfortably within Under Armour's athletic sizing

Skip it if

  • you want a structured heavier cotton dress polo
  • you rarely move enough to need stretch recovery
  • you're shopping for office or formal wear

People wanting a structured, heavier cotton dress polo.

The verdict

The under armour polo verdict

If you golf often enough, or wear performance gear daily enough, to feel a shoulder seam let go through a full turn, this is a quiet yes. If you want the stiff collar and heavier hand of a classic cotton polo for the office or dinner, skip it, this isn't that shirt. Check the size chart before you order, because the stretch fit runs closer to the body than a standard cut.

The problem this actually solves is the shirt that fights you mid swing, gone. Day one probably looks like pulling it out of the wash still holding its shape, throwing it on for an early tee time, and forgetting it's even there through eighteen holes because nothing's tugging at your shoulder. With over nineteen hundred ratings behind it, the pattern that keeps showing up is buyers noticing the fit and stretch holding up wash after wash, which is really the only thing a polo like this needs to prove. Order it knowing the sizing runs athletic, and you're set.

Amazon shoppers rate it 4.7 out of 5 across 1,931 ratings. That is their number, not ours.

Buy on Amazon

Before you go

Is Under Armour high quality?

Yes, for performance fabrics specifically, the polyester elastane blend and construction hold up to repeated washing and stretching better than basic cotton sportswear.

What is the best quality polo shirt brand?

There's no single answer, it depends on whether you want performance stretch and moisture control, where Under Armour and Nike compete, or classic cotton structure, where brands like Ralph Lauren typically win.

Is Under Armour not cool anymore?

No. Style trends move faster than fabric technology, but performance engineering has nothing to do with whether the logo feels trendy this season.

Is Under Armour higher quality than Nike?

No, not definitively. Both brands use comparable polyester elastane performance blends, so the better choice comes down to fit and sizing rather than one brand outperforming the other.

By the numbers

9%

earn an unconditional yes at full priceOut of 131 automotive products we have reviewed. This one is a yes with a condition attached.

10

other reviews field the same questionWhat is the best quality polo shirt brand? comes up across our automotive coverage, not just here — one of the things worth settling before you choose.

Verdict datasetQuestion indexCC BY 4.0

Full spec sheet
Product Dimensions11 x 8 x 4 inches; 8 ounces
Fabric type95% Polyester, 5% Elastane
Care instructionsMachine Wash
OriginImported
Closure typePull On

Wesley Cole covers automotive for Is It Worth It Reviews. We research products and explain them honestly; we do not test them and we never pretend to.