Staring at a rack of sport coats, I could only think about the thrill of the hunt.

It was a crisp, overcast Saturday morning, and I found myself in line with about fifty other people at the biannual local Church thrift sale. A treasure hunt, for those with the eyes to see what others have discarded.

The broader estate sale scene brings some characters with it. The trendy urban folks, moms with young kids looking for an outdoor activity, and even some elderly couples have made the trip. Central Casting sent everyone.

The line is 90% women. The men's section will be undisturbed.

At first glance, I saw nothing on the outdoor rack, so I went inside. After 5 frenetic minutes examining the indoor offerings of dress shirts, pants, and suits, my fingers touched a familiar fabric. A high-quality, familiar fabric.

I brushed aside the other sport coats to find a vintage, wool Brooks Brothers suit. It appeared to be my size, but even if it wasn’t, they sell for ~$150 on eBay. I bought it for $10.

As I walked out with my $10 suit, I decided to glance at the outdoor rack once more, just for fun.

I’m glad I did, as I stumbled upon a true grail, pictured below. A velvet tuxedo “smoking” jacket. As the writer of a publication called “The Tuxedo Collective”, it was an immediate purchase.

It’s funny how the world winks at you while dropping little breadcrumbs. Sometimes you have to just take a step back and laugh.

Many people ask me for recommendations for brands to wear, and the answer is never straightforward.

The question shouldn’t be “What brand should I buy?”, but rather “What should my shorts look like?” Or, “How should they fit?”

While I touched on many other elements of the golf wardrobe in my 2026 Buyer’s Guides, (Shoes to Wear in 2026 , Clothes for 2026 , Accessories , Bags ) I never fully discussed the art of finding proper golf shorts.

Let’s focus on what the ideal golf short is from the perspective of fit and fabric, and then back our way into some brands which meet the criteria.

Ideally, your shorts will come to rest just above the knee, with ample room for movement. This Peter Millar ad does a good job:

That’s a proper fitting golf short. You could even go a touch longer if you wanted to. Too long won’t get you in trouble, but too short will.

You’ll notice the shorts don’t suffocate the thighs, and the knee is still visible. A well-fitting garment for the model. Your playing partners don’t need to see the striations in your quad muscles through the fabric, but you don’t want to show up in capris, either.

Now, not everyone is built the same. Take Michael La Sasso, for example. He’s short and stocky with large quads. Johnnie O put him in 7-inch inseam shorts, which in my eyes isn’t the best look. It’s why context here matters.

He went viral many times in college as his 7 inch inseam shorts turned into 5 inch inseam shorts because they didn’t fit over his thighs. Good marketing? Sure, I suppose.

Anyway, my philosophy is as follows: your choice of golf short should outline your figure without drawing attention to your legs. This goes for fit, but also fabric and pattern.

Now, onto the brands I like:

Peter Millar. I like the Millar shorts because they skew longer than some of the others. They offer 8” or 9” inseam shorts which feel about right. They offer poly or cotton/poly blends.

Johnnie O. As is the trend with most brands these days, Johnnie O makes a serviceable cotton/poly blend short that was built to appease the demand of poly shorts without sacrificing aesthetic. A solid option.

Duck Head. If you’re looking for a traditional cotton option, Duck Head makes excellent shorts. These are built to fit stockier guys, and they seem to run shorter than the other options, so opt for the 9” inseam.

B. Draddy. Solid polyester option for those prone to sweating.

J. Crew. Not the brand it once was, but they make a solid cotton short. If you know where to look, you can also find plenty of older J Crew pants/shorts at Goodwill and thrift stores that will be much higher quality than the stuff they sell now.

I also bought a pair of the Washington shorts from Arnie McNair. They are lighter than most pure cotton shorts. If you like cotton stuff I’d recommend checking out the website.

I’ve been searching for unique nine-hole golf courses. Dannebrog in Nebraska certainly fits the bill.

As alluded in the Cold Open, I fancy a good thrift store. Upon examining my new tuxedo jacket, I learned it was made by a now-defunct brand called Raffinati. I was curious to learn more about the obscure shop, so I did some digging to learn the story.

It was never one of the ultra-famous “heritage” names like After Six or Lord West, but it was a solid mid-to-upper-tier player in the U.S. tuxedo rental and retail market from the early 1980s through the early 2000s. Today it’s mostly remembered through vintage pieces still circulating on eBay, Etsy, and formalwear rental shops.

Raffinati operated out of New York and focused purely on men’s formalwear (tuxedo jackets, pants, vests, etc.).

In 1984 the company struck a deal with actor Robert Wagner, and Wagner became the brand’s official “glamour boy.” The CEO openly said many customers bought the tuxedos because they wanted to “look like Robert Wagner.” The endorsement was smart marketing. It gave Raffinati a polished, Hollywood-adjacent image at a time when tuxedos were still everyday formalwear for proms, weddings, and black-tie events.

Raffinati made classic black tuxedos (single- and double-breasted, peak and shawl lapels, mostly wool) but also experimented with color and fashion-forward looks. In the early 1990s they were known for bold options like:

They also offered the higher-end Robert Wagner line alongside more affordable everyday rental tuxedos. Vintage pieces you still see online are usually well-made, often 100% wool with satin lapels, and labeled “Made in USA” or “The Formal Wear Collection by Raffinati.”

By the mid-1990s Raffinati had become part of a larger conglomerate. The Chromalloy Men’s Apparel Group (a division of Sequa Corporation) owned both Raffinati and its longtime rival After Six.

Bob Bennett stayed involved as president well into the late 1990s (he was still quoted in 1999 predicting huge millennium New Year’s Eve tuxedo sales).

Like many U.S. formalwear makers, Raffinati faded as the industry consolidated and shifted overseas. By the 2010s it was no longer producing new collections under that name. Today you mostly encounter it as vintage/used tuxedos in second-hand shops, rental inventories, or online resale. Some independent formalwear stores (especially in the Midwest and on the coasts) still carry or rent older Raffinati stock because the quality holds up well.

I talked a bit last week about Old Memorial’s caddie program, but I did a bit more digging to find an old Golf Digest article discussing the booze-fueled antics at the club.

After reading the article from 2008, I’d argue that Old Memorial seems to be one of the most prominent “drinking” clubs in the country.

Some excerpts from the article:

“On any given evening, you might see a member, sans clothes, dancing on a table, or a group trying to debunk the axiom that it's impossible to drink a gallon of milk without vomiting. And never take a member up on an offer to play “pig,” a dice game that, in about 10 minutes, can turn your stomach inside out and have you maxing out the daily withdrawal limit on an ATM.”

“It's a big-boys playground," says member Mark Staples.

While places like this exist, it’s important to know when you are not at a drinking club. Lucky for you, I wrote about some tell tale signs here: Are you Playing at a "Drinking" Club?