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By Terry VanderHeiden
Nobody likes to play golf in the rain. However, our favorite sport is “year-round” in many states and to keep your handicap going in the southern direction, you need keep working at the game, because you know your opponents are. In order to do that over the winter months, you may want to get out to the golf course a few extra times but stay protected from the elements. That’s what golf outerwear allows you to do.
Good golf outerwear will allow you to finish a round when the weather turns on you. It will allow you to start a round in the crisp early morning without getting chilled. Quality outerwear will keep you focused on the game and not the elements. Outerwear could save you from injury, as some golfers can’t keep their muscles warm during windswept round of golf. That alone is the worth the price of new outerwear.
But what kind of outerwear should you get? That is what Golf Today’s Outerwear Buying guide is all about. Use this guide to help choose your new outerwear so you can keep playing through just about anything. The best part about good outerwear is that it’s the only golf related product that you can use as much off the golf course, as on.
Here is a selection of some of the products out there to protect you from the cold, wind and rain:
Sun Mountain (www.sunmountain.com) is a very popular American Company that is
most notable for creating the first ultra-light stand bag back in 1986. However,
Sun Mountain released the first Outerwear jacket for golfers back in 1990, so
they are well versed in creating foul weather gear for golfers.
You may remember that Sun Mountain was at the heart of the controversy on the first day of the 2010 Ryder Cup, where US players were complaining about the waterproofness of the Sun Mountain Rain suits that they were issued. As it turns out, the few players that were complaining about the suits had rainwater getting in through the neckline due to poor choice of headwear. It was later ascertained that Sun Mountain’s rain suits worked just fine.
In this round up of Outerwear, Sun Mountain has the Rainflex LT Jacket. RainFlex
LT is constructed from Sun Mountain’s proprietary RainFlex fabric that offers
guaranteed protection from wind and rain in a knit fabric that is uniquely
stretchable and breathable. The LT collection additionally offers the new
“no-seam technology” which eliminates underarm seams for enhanced freedom of
movement. RainFlex LT has been designed with lighter weight zippers and cuff
adjustments than the standard RainFlex collection, resulting in a lighter over
all garments.
Some of the details of the RainFlex LT line include: RainFlex fabric, tricot liner for a smooth-on-the-skin feeling, RainShield™ fabric protector that repels water and stains, underarm panels for added stretch and comfort, internal chest pocket, external hand warmer pockets, neoprene stand-up collar, locking zipper pulls, drawstring waist, and adjustable cuffs.
Also from Sun Mountain is the Second Layer. The Second Layer is a perfect sporty layer for cool mornings. Sun Mountain chose a stretchable fabric and added 5% spandex to give the garment even more stretch so there is no constriction in your golf swing. It is also lightweight and breathable so you do not overheat out on the golf course and have to keep taking something off and putting it back on. Use the Second Layer and leave on under most conditions.
The Sunice (www.sunice.com) Company was founded back in 1976 in Alberta Canada.
Sunice originated as a maker of skiwear clothing. In the early 1990’s Sunice
took its knowledge of creating athletic wear for extreme conditions and brought
it to the golf world.
This season, Sunice is offering the Tornado collection for golf outerwear to go along with their other collections, Hurricane, Typhoon and Storm golf outerwear.
In this buying guide, Sunice is featuring the Tornado Bowen 2200 Jacket. The Bowen 2200 is built out of Sunice’s new FlexVent™ fabric. This fabric is extremely waterproof. So much so, it comes with a four-year waterproof guarantee! However, waterproofing in clothing does little good if the moisture produced by the body is trapped inside. So Sunice produced a fabric that is not only waterproof but also is extremely breathable.
The next hurdle an outerwear company has for golfers is making the product with stretchable properties to put up the sometimes, violent golf swing. Sunice did just that and took it one step further. The FlexVent™ material is also very quiet. There is nothing worse for a temperamental golfer to get distracted by the noise his or her jacket is making.
The Tornado Bowen 2200 had Pro-Trim™ waist cinching system, X-Static stretch lining, in pocket ball cleaner, waterproof zippers, lockdown zipper pullers, Lycra action cuffs and adjustable Velcro cuff tabs.
Nike Golf (www.nike.com) always offers the newest innovations in golf products
and this is vividly apparent in their year-end outerwear selections.
First up from Nike is the Storm-Fit Elite ½ Zip Jacket that go with the Storm-Fit Elite Pants. The Storm-Fit Elite Jacket and Pants come with breathable laminate technology that completely blocks out the wind and rain. Together with a no-sew bonding technology, the Storm-Fit Elite creates a slick modern silhouette that enhances mobility during the golf swing.
The Storm-Fit Elite ½ Zip Jacket comes with a pocket located on the back of the jacket. This keeps everything smooth on the front of the jacket.
The pants have two side zippers with Velcro pass through to get to your inside
pants as well as a zippered pocket on the back rear of the pants. They also have
zippered legs to get the pants over a pair of golf shoes as well as Velcro
attachments near the base of the pants to keep all the water out.
Along with looking great, the Storm-Fit Elite Jacket and Pants come with a lifetime warrantee for waterproofing.
Next from Nike is the Nike Sphere Pro zippered jacket. This jacket utilizes three-dimensional fabric construction to keep you warm and insulated. The fabric is a 4-way stretch material for extended range of motion during the golf swing.
The Sphere Pro has two zippered pockets; adjustable Velcro cuffs and an adjustable waistband create that custom fit.
Lastly from Nike is the Stretch Windwear Jacket. While it is mildly waterproof the Stretch Windwear protects you from wind and cold while providing excellent breathability and flexibility. The most notable feature is the Stretch Windwear is it is extremely lightweight.
Zero Restriction (www.zerorestriction.com) is a relatively small clothing
manufacturer located in small south-central town of Hallam, Pennsylvania. At
Zero Restriction, great detail and care goes into each garment created.
First up from Zero Restriction are the Linkstorm Jacket and Linkstorm Pants. The Linkstorm Jacket is one of the most advance golf jackets on the market. It features GORE™ Comfort Mapping Technology to increase breathability and ease of motion in areas where they are most needed.
Built out of GORE-TEX™ the Performance shell of the Linkstorm has Paclite and stretch Paclite fabrics to combine for extreme breathability and durability in wind and to make it perform with extreme waterproofness. This fabric also has minimal weight and these properties also make it easy to pack in your golf bag.
The Linkstorm Jacket provides for the full swing with Motion Tuned technology
and Expansion Back pleats. It also has a two-way zipper to allow the front of
the jacket to lay flat while putting.
Zero Restriction took the quality to another level and added an inside music pocket to carry your iPod. Also, they added Bemis film abrasion patches on the shoulders and hips for carrying the golf bag without having it slip off your shoulder. That’s a nice touch.
The Linkstorm pants that go with the jacket are also well designed. Yes, they too are made out of GORE-TEX™. The pants also have zippered pass-though access to reach in and get the ball marker you left in your regular golf pants. There is and adjustable waistband, glove/scorecard pocket on the right rear of the pants. The Linkstorm Pant also comes with leg zippers to get them over golf shoes easily and an Ankle Hugger snap to help keep the water out of your shoes
Next up from Zero Restriction is the Mix Jacket. The Mix Jacket is made up of
Backspin stretch and Superlight fabrics for total windproof, water resistance
and maximum breathability. There is lightweight wicking polyester lining added
in the torso area for extra comfort. As with all Zero Restriction products the
freedom to execute the golf swing is paramount and this flexibility is built
right into the Mix Jacket.
Lastly from Zero Restriction is the Highland Pullover. The Highland Pullover is a soft-shell made of polyester stretch fabric with a breathable membrane and soft fleece TechGrid to provide comfort and to help with moisture dispersion. The back of the pullover features Airflow fabric for increased air permeability and soft stretch swing-free comfort.
The chest pocket has an internal headphone access for an iPod music player and the cuffs feature soft interior gasket for comfort and easy fit.
First up from adidas: (http://www.adidasgolf.com) is the MCPS Convertible Jacket
or the ClimaProof 3-Way Convertible Jacket. The ClimaProof line of outerwear
features highly weather resistant fabric to provide protection from the wind and
the rain. The ClimaProof Storm 3-Way Convertible Jacket is created with an
advanced structural design and modern four-way stretch properties to eliminate
excess material that would otherwise get in the way of the swing.
The ClimaProof Storm 3-Way includes a thin, yet warm removable compression wrap inner layer that also delivers increased support. The golfer can make a full swing knowing they have complete freedom in the swing. They can also putt and chip without the distraction of bulky material slowing down the motion of the arms.
The 3-Way Jacket means it can be worn three different ways. You can wear it as a jacket, a short-sleeve jacket (by removing the half sleeve) or as a vest and remove the sleeves entirely.
The waterproofing on this jacket is superb. To back up that claim, adidas offers
a three-year warrantee for waterproofness.
To go along with the 3-Way Jacket, adidas offers ClimaProof Pants. These over pants have Velcro adjustments along the waist to make sure the fit is proper. They also have four pockets, in the front and two in the back. The ClimaProof pants have leg zippers to make it easy to get the pants on and off over golf shoes and Velcro adjustments to secure the pants around the ankles. Adidas also offers the same three-year waterproof warrantee – just like the jacket.
Lastly in our buying guide, from adidas is the ClimaWarm (MCPWrm Jacket). This jacket is for the golfer out on a cold day that wants to keep warm but doesn’t want to have a bulky jacket on. The ClimaWarm is made out of a stretch material that gives the golfer the freedom to take a full swing. The multi-layer jacket keeps the warmth in but does let moisture out, to keep you dry and comfortable all day on the golf course.
Now that you know what there is out there on the market, get yourself some good golf outerwear and continue the golf season through the winter.