The pro shop sells the same five caps everywhere you go, and most of them have a club logo on the front. The good caps on the course these days come from somewhere else: small clothing labels and one-man studios that treat a hat as the main event rather than merch. This is six of them, from Los Angeles, Amsterdam, Manchester and Australia’s Gold Coast, with four or five caps each.
None of these are golf brands, and that is the point. A faded Represent cap, a corduroy short brim from F AND CO. or a racing cap from Engel looks better with a polo than another tour logo does, and every one of them goes to dinner after. The short-brim and unstructured shapes are the ones we would wear for eighteen holes; the heavy truckers are for the range and the drive there.
Most of these brands make caps in small numbers. Engel limits its runs to 150 pieces, Orién makes every cap to order and distresses it by hand, and B.O.T.H. has sold out of three of the five caps here since its first drop. Sold-out caps are marked, because they tend to come back. If you want one, do not wait for the next sale.
If you only buy one, buy the Engel Racing Cap in desert brown, a cream crown with a brown brim. It is cotton twill with a real leather strap and a short brim, and it looks like something you found in a vintage shop. Prices were read on each brand’s own store on 5 October 2026; non-US prices show an approximate dollar figure. For more, see The Hat Edit and our Austin summer hats.
Los Angeles · $80–$90Collin McMannis started Bet On The Horses in Los Angeles in 2026, and the name is about the wager, not the animal: walking away from the safe job to bet on yourself. The clothes pull from American style of the 80s, 90s and 2000s, and the brand is clear that it is “Not cosplay cowboy.” The caps are heavy cotton twill with puff print or embroidery, and three of these five have already sold out. Collection 02 drops on 7 October.
Photography · the brand’s ownB.O.T.H. shoots its caps with black tees and wild horses.
Amsterdam · €59 (~$69)Engel Leisure is designed in Amsterdam and makes caps in runs limited to 150 pieces. Every one is cotton twill with a leather strap and a short brim, and the idea is a cap that gets better the longer you own it. There are only three on the store right now: two racing caps and a washed navy crest cap that has sold out.
Photography · the brand’s ownEngel photographs its caps in the sun, leather strap and all.
Manchester · $60–$110Brothers George and Mike Heaton started Represent in Manchester in 2011 as a college project, screen printing graphics onto blank clothing. It is now one of Britain’s biggest streetwear labels, with shops in London, Manchester and Los Angeles. The caps are the easy way in, and four of these come from its run with ’47, faded and distressed so they look old on day one.
Photography · the brand’s ownRepresent shoots its campaigns in black and concrete.
Made to order · $50Orién is Ben Selby’s studio, and it makes caps slowly, in small batches, each one aged and distressed by hand. The brand puts its idea in one line: “Minimal luxury, to us, isn’t an aesthetic. It’s a filter.” All four caps are $50, made to order and on pre-order now.
Photography · the brand’s ownOrién shoots its caps the way they get worn.
Los Angeles · $39Freddy Tyler Paul is a musician and photographer from Chicago who moved to Los Angeles in 2020 and taught himself to screenprint and embroider so he could sell clothes alongside his records. His hats are the funniest here, every one $39, and one of them tells you to steer to Austin.
Photography · the brand’s ownFreddy Tyler Paul wears his own hats in the brand’s photos.
Queensland · A$69 (~$45)F AND CO. is from Burleigh Heads on Australia’s Gold Coast and only makes headwear, under the line “A Considered Approach to Contemporary Headwear.” Shape and fit come first, and every cap goes through rounds of sampling. The short-brim corduroy, gingham, plaid and pinstripe caps here are the most golf-ready shapes in the post.
Photography · the brand’s ownThe brand takes its caps from the coast to the mountains.
This post covers six: B.O.T.H. (Bet On The Horses) and Freddy Tyler Paul from Los Angeles, Engel from Amsterdam, Represent from Manchester, Orien, which makes every cap to order, and F AND CO. from Burleigh Heads in Queensland, which only makes headwear.
Short-brim and unstructured caps sit lowest and are easiest to wear for eighteen holes. In this post that means F AND CO.'s short-brim corduroy, gingham and plaid caps, Engel's short-brim racing caps and Represent's unstructured Owners Club Cap.
From $39 for any Freddy Tyler Paul hat to $110 for Represent's caps made with '47. Orien's caps are $50, F AND CO.'s are A$69 (about $45), Engel's are 59 euros (about $69) and B.O.T.H.'s are $80 to $90. Prices were read on each brand's own store on 5 October 2026.
Several of these brands make caps in small numbers. Engel limits its runs to 150 pieces and B.O.T.H. sold out of three caps after its first drop. Sold-out caps are marked in the post because they often restock.
