Decoration Guide

Embroidered vs. sublimated golf towels

Both put your brand on a golf towel that will be washed hundreds of times. The right one depends on your artwork and the fabric you want in your hand.

The short answer

Choose embroidery when your artwork is a crest, monogram or simple logo and you want a raised, permanent mark on cotton waffle weave or terry. Choose full-colour sublimation when you want a photograph, a course map, a gradient or a grid of sponsor logos, which requires microfiber. Both start from 12 towels at Get Custom Golf Towels, and the design team will tell you which suits your file.

Side by side

	Embroidered	Sublimated
How it works	Thread is stitched into the towel to form the logo	Colour is bonded into the synthetic fibre under heat
Best fabric	Waffle weave or terry cotton	Microfiber only
Artwork	Crests, monograms and simple logos	Photos, course maps, gradients and sponsor grids
Look and feel	Raised, textured, permanent-looking mark	Flat, edge-to-edge colour with no printed layer
Durability	Stays intact through repeated washing	Colour is in the fibre, so it does not crack or peel
Placement	Corner, centre or panel	Full surface, single or double sided
Minimum order	12 towels	12 towels
Typical buyer	Clubs, societies, pro shops, gifting	Tournaments, sponsors, resorts, commemorative towels

Fabric decides a lot

Sublimation needs a synthetic fibre, so a sublimated golf towel is always microfiber. That is no hardship, because microfiber holds several times its weight in water and dries quickly, but it feels different from cotton in the hand. Embroidery works on cotton, and it sits especially well on waffle weave, where the raised honeycomb gives the stitching something to sit against.

If the fabric question is the real one, the guide to waffle, terry or microfiber covers it in detail.

Artwork: logo or picture

Embroidery is at its best with bold shapes and a handful of thread colours: a club crest, a company mark, initials. Very fine detail and photographic shading do not translate into thread.

Sublimation has no such limit. A course map of your signature hole, a full-bleed photograph or a commemorative championship panel all reproduce properly, and our designers lay out sponsor grids for free. See the full-colour sublimated towels.

How each holds up

A stitched logo is part of the towel, so it survives washing and bag wear for years. Sublimated colour is bonded into the fibre rather than printed on top, so there is no layer to crack, and it survives washing as well.

Care is simple for both: machine wash warm and skip fabric softener, which coats the fibres and cuts absorbency, especially on microfiber.

Which events suit which method

Embroidered suits club and society bag towels on tri-fold towels, pro shop retail, member gifts and large crests on caddy towels.

Sublimated suits tournaments with several sponsors, resort towels, photo keepsakes and championship commemoratives, and it can be single or double sided.

The verdict

Crest, monogram or simple logo on cotton: embroidery.

Photo, map, gradient or many sponsors: sublimation on microfiber.

Not sure which your artwork needs? Send the file and a quantity and Get Custom Golf Towels will recommend a method and return a free mockup within 24 hours. Standard turnaround is about 2 weeks after approval. Request a quote or see how ordering works.

Create your custom golf towels now.

Send your logo, fabric and quantity — you’ll get a free mockup and quote within one business day.

Get a Quote

No fees until you approve your design. Free mockups. Lowest-price guarantee.

GET A QUOTE