FAB 5: Toppers for All Colorado Seasons

When you finally make that golf trip to Scotland, you’re going to want to pick up a hat. But what’s your style? Balmoral bonnet? Tam O Shanter? Glengarry?

Decisions, decisions – but we’ve got some tough ones right here in Colorado, mainly having to do with our weather. Sun! Wind! Rain! Snow! What Tam would survive in any or all of those?

Fortunately, we’ve got our own options from companies including CGA headwear partner Imperial, which started in the hat business in Denver more than 100 years ago, pioneered the first adjustable-size golf cap in 1950 and continues to refine the undisputed pro shop leader, the X210P. Look in your closet, you probably have one.

“If you run a golf shop and you don't have an Imperial X210P in white in there, you're not very good at your job,” says Imperial marketing specialist Martha Hudson, formerly a pro shop buyer. “I hate to say it that way, but it's true.”

In a recent chat with Hudson and Imperial marketing director Jerry Biag, four popular styles for golfers emerged. All of them have variations, which means more decisions. But Jerry simplifies all that: “Golf is supposed to be fun, so look for the hat that makes you feel good. A lot of golf gets played between the ears, right? So make sure that six inches or so is protected with a cool hat and then have a good time.”

See if you can find your favorite among the options here, and then look for it in golf shops – or refine it and design your own on the Imperial website.

As for No. 5, it’s a Molly McMulligan essential for the Colorado golf bag in all seasons.

1. Cap. This is the traditional golf/baseball style hat, ever evolving so that nowadays we have options that include the trucker hat (distinguished by its mesh back, usually with a high crown), the rope cap (with rope trim connecting visor to high crown), the ponytail cap (with a latticed back to create high and low hair holes for women) and the dad hat (ubiquitous, unstructured and with its low, gentle slope and curved visor, very flattering for moms too). The cap is the headwear most widely chosen by golfers of all ages and genders, but with so many variations, colors and designs now that no two need look the same. For 2026, Imperial boasts of caps that mix technical properties repelling sun, stains and heat with a natural feel. The X210P again leads the way.
2. Bucket. As with the cap, the bucket has variations. Popular with Coloradoans for its super-duper sun coverage and ear protection, the Imperial bucket might have a big or small brim on it, a floppy brim, a rounded crown or more structured crown. Imperial’s special touches might include ponytail holes, Coolcore fabric, detachable chinstraps and adjustable sizing. If you’re headed for Bandon Dunes or Pebble Beach, consider the Bandon Water Resistant Bucket Hat. If you’re going classic, try one of the Oxford variations. “I wore it in high school to get recruited because no one else did,” Martha says with a laugh. It worked!
3. Visor. I thought visors lost popularity when Phil Mickelson did, but NO, say the folks at Imperial. They’re staples for convertible lovers and runners, and Jerry says, “I wear one every time I golf. One of our athletes is Keith Mitchell on the PGA. And he wears a high crown visor. It takes a certain someone to pull that off. A lot of people wear the lower crown.” They do look especially great on curly or wavy hair, but many of us might be more deserving of Slackertide’s Double Bogey visor.
4. Beanie. “There’s about a thousand ways to call them – toboggan hats, skull caps, watch caps,” Martha says of this packable Colorado winter must-have. With these, options include pompom on top or not, cable knit or not, fleece lining or not. “I wear one when I play in the snow in Chicago every year in the Eskimo Open,” Jerry says. “And I take them with me when I travel.”
5. Headband. No matter your hat preference, always keep a headband in your golf bag. In the summer, it might be a synthetic headband you can wet for a cooling effect and wear over your cap. In the winter, some fleece or wool will keep your ears toasty and dry. And in any Colorado season, the headband can protect your hat of choice from being whisked away in the wind. You can find this McMulligan essential in golf shops, outdoor retail outlets and anywhere hair and head accessories are sold.

Don't forget, CGA Members receive 20% at Imperial Headwear with code COGA25 at checkout!

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Veteran journalist Susan Fornoff has written about golf for publications including the San Francisco Chronicle, ColoradoBiz magazine and her own GottaGoGolf.com. She provides the voice of “Molly McMulligan,” the CGA’s on-course consultant on golf for fun. Email her at mollymcmulligan@gmail.com.

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