12 Styles of Southern Men

12 Styles of Southern Men

By Paul Landon 

Revised from the original blog from Magnolia League

You see it before the golf round even starts. 

Two men in the parking lot. One just drove from Austin in his Tesla, checking his Slack on his phone; talking shop—something about AI at South by Southwest. The other leans against his tailgate with Alabama plates—smelling faintly of wet mud and gunpowder—easygoing, unhurried. 

They’re both Southern, but couldn’t look more different. Same place. Different ways of showing up. 

That’s the thing many people get wrong about the South. 

They think it’s one place. One way of dressing, talking, carrying yourself—the same from Texas to Alabama and everywhere else in the region. Spend real time here and you realize how quickly that falls apart. 

Even within each state, you’ll find diverse tribes. Take Alabama, for example. You’ve got land stewards and hunters who feel more at home in the field than anywhere else. You’ll find Dandies and Barons getting fitted at their Tiny Kingdom tailors. Old Row collegians make their way from Mobile to the DKE house in Tuscaloosa. PhD’d professionals carrying their laptops to Lockheed Martin in Huntsville.  

Texas is far bigger and even harder to pin down. West Texas roughnecks. Dallas dealmakers. California transplants dipping a toe in Barton Springs. And that’s barely scratching the surface.

Different places. Different characters. Different cues to display it. 

And for all the differences, there’s still a common thread running through the South. A shared way of carrying yourself—looking someone in the eye, a firm handshake, a level of respect that travels well from Oxford to Odessa. 

Our core values remain the same. But over time, you start to notice patterns.

Certain types you see again and again—on the course, the field, and everywhere in between. 

We’ve pulled together a few of them here.

1. The Dandy

• • Also Known As: The Peacock. Southern Charm
  • Habitats: Charleston. New Orleans. Savannah.
  • Alma Mater: Hampden-Sydney
  • Style Staples: Tailored everything, bright colors, Go To Hell pants, loafers sans socks. 
  • Favorite Accessories: Tortoiseshell glasses, needlepoint belt, perfectly flowing hair.  
  • On His Spotify: Talking Heads, Miles Davis
  • Drinking: Negroni 
  • In His Driveway: Beautifully restored Mercedes convertible. 
  • Icons: Sid Mashburn, Tom Wolfe, Alexander Kraft

2. The Hunter

• Also Known As: The Duck Man. The Quail Whisperer.  
• Habitats: Alabama Black Belt. Thomasville, GA. 
• Alma Mater: Auburn 
• Style Staples: Tom Beckbe jacket, Drake Waterfowl vest, Ducks Unlimited camo hat, shades of hunter green and brown
• Favorite Accessories: 12-gauge shotgun, a good bird dog 
• On His Spotify: Turnpike Troubadours, Lynyrd Skynyrd
• Drinking: Wild Turkey 
• In His Driveway: Land Rover Defender 
• Icons: Riley Green, Ernest Hemingway 
  

3. The Professional

• Also Known As: The Corporate Climber. The MBA. 
• Habitats: Atlanta. Charlotte. 4 years in New York to “build career”
• Alma Mater: Georgia Tech & Fuqua MBA
• Style Staples: performance button down, tapered chinos, Patagonia vest with company logo
• Favorite Accessories: Macbook Pro, ergonomic home office chair, Apple Watch
• On His Spotify: whatever Spotify puts in front of him 
• Drinking: Switched from IPAs to non-alocholic beer 
• In His Driveway: Tesla
• Icons: Partners at The Firm. Elon Musk.   

4. The Troubadour

• Also Known As: The Americana. The Singer/Songwriter. 

• Habitats: Nashville. Austin.

• Alma Mater: Belmont (dropped out after two years to focus on music)

• Style Staples: Western snap shirt, denim, trucker hat, vintage t-shirts 

• Favorite Accessories: Beard, longish hair, guitar case, cowboy hat 

• Drinking: Whiskey

• On His Spotify: Jason Isbell, Sturgill Simpson, Townes Van Zandt  

• In His Driveway: Old Ford truck, new Bronco, or old Jeep  

• Icons: Bradley Cooper in “A Star is Born,” Chris Stapleton. 

5. The Baron

• Also Known As: The Patriarch. Augusta National waiting list.
• Habitats: Highland Park. Buckhead. Mountain Brook. 
• Alma Mater: Vanderbilt or Washington & Lee. Boarded at Woodberry Forest.
• Style Staples: Power suit, cashmere quarter zip, custom made cowboy boots or horsebit loafers 
• Favorite Accessories: membership card at Dallas National or Peachtree, Water Buffalo taxidermy, Rolex Daytona 
• Drinking: 25 year Scotch 
• On His Spotify: Phil Collins, Huey Lewis and the News
• In His Driveway: Black Yukon XL Denali. Driver’s name is Cutter.   
• Icons: Jerry Jones, Ted Turner

6. The Old Row

• Also Known As: The Collegian. The Frat Boy. 
• Habitats: Tuscaloosa, AL. Originally from Mobile, AL.
• Alma Mater: RMFT 
• Style Staples: New Balance 993, chino shorts, game day polo, DKE Undertakers’ Ball t-shirt 
• Favorite Accessories: Red Man, bird dog, Machine-backed candidates 
• Drinking: Bud Light, Bourbon and Coke 
• On His Spotify: Alabama, Morgan Wallen, Drake  
• In His Driveway: Chevy Tahoe with Bama and Delta Waterfowl decals 
• Icons: His dad  

7. The Golf Pro

• Also Known As: Shooter. Stick. Sultan of Swing.
• Habitats: Jupiter, FL. Sea Island, GA.
• Alma Mater: UGA golf team. 
• Style Staples: Juniper & James polo and golf shorts with embedded microfiber cloth, rope hat with club logo. 
• Favorite Accessories: Scotty Cameron putter, Masters tickets, range finder.  
• Drinking: Michelob Ultra. Vodka Soda on the 19th Hole. 
• On His Spotify: The Rolling Stones, Tom Petty, yacht rock  
• In His Driveway: Sporty crossover SUV with ample room for clubs. 
• Icons: Davis Love III, Billy Horschel

8. The Country Boy

• Also Known As: The Good Ole Boy
• Habitat: Family Farm
• Alma Mater: Mississippi State, Clemson, or Georgia Southern
• Style Staples: Jeans, basic t-shirts, work boots, Carhartt jacket
• Favorite Accessories: Miles and miles of John Deere green 
• Drinking: Budweiser. Busch Light. 
• On His Spotify: Hank. Alan Jackson. Cody Johnson. 
• In His Driveway: John Deere tractor
• Icons: Burt Reynolds, Morgan Wallen

9. The Wook

• Also Known As: Deadhead. Phish Head. Spreadhead.
• Habitats: Chattanooga, TN. Asheville, NC. Spent 20s in Colorado.
• Alma Mater: CU Boulder
• Style Staples: Steal Your Face everything, Chacos, Aftco shorts, fleece, Bonnaroo ‘08 t-shirt (“you had to be there”) 
• Favorite Accessories: Camping gear, festival pass, nitrous, scruffy beard.  
• Drinking: Sweetwater 420. Liquid Death to stay hydrated. 
• On His Spotify: Do you have to ask?
• In His Driveway: Old Toyota 4-Runner or Subaru covered in bumper stickers.
• Icons: Jerry, Trey    

10. The Literary Lawyer

• Also Known As: King of Torts. Southern Gothic. 
• Habitat: Oxford, MS
• Alma Mater: Rhodes College, Ole Miss Law
• Style Staples: Seersucker suit, bow tie, Oxford cloth button downs 
• Favorite Accessories: Gregory Peck tortoiseshell glasses, leather briefcase with legal briefs and ideas for his novel
• Drinking: Old Fashioned
• On His Spotify: Wilco, The Smiths, Vampire Weekend 
• In His Driveway: Volvo Station Wagon 
• Icons: William Faulkner, John Grisham, Atticus Finch 

11. The Thoroughbred

• Also Known As: The Equestrian. Tally Ho.
• Habitats: Lexington, KY. Aiken, SC. Middleburg, VA. 
• Alma Mater: UVA, Kentucky, or University of Buenos Aires. 
• Style Staples: Barbour jacket, leather riding boots, slim-fit white pants (tucked into boots)
• Favorite Accessories: Polo mallet, Keeneland hat, horse tack 
• Drinking: Kentucky Bourbon, bloodies before morning hunt 
• On His Spotify: Big & Rich, Lainey Wilson, Dave Matthews Band
• In His Stable: Polo ponies 
• Icons: Nacho Figueras, Richard Gere

12. The Lone Star

• Also Known As: The Rancher. The Roughneck. The Cowboy. 
• Habitat: Midland, TX
• Alma Mater: University of Texas, TCU, Texas Tech 
• Style Staples: Ariat boots, cowboy cut jeans, western shirts with pearl snaps 
• Favorite Accessories: Oil rights, belt buckle, rope  
• Drinking: Shiner, ranch water 
• On His Spotify: George Strait, Randy Rogers Band, Casey Donahew 
• In His Driveway: Ford King Ranch Trucks
• Icons: Taylor Sheridan, Tommy Norris from Landman