Golf Wear for The New Millennium

Among the original 13 rules of golf are antiquated statements (and spellings) such as, “If your ball comes among watter, or any wattery filth, you are at liberty to take out your ball ...,” and “You are not to remove stones, bones or any break club, for the sake of playing your ball,” (What’s a break club?). While, of course, the original Scottish sounds foreign to the modern ear, the language alone illustrates how far the game has come in just a couple hundred years. Clubs and balls might be making warp-speed advances, but the innovations aren’t all technological. On the clothing side, fabrics and styles evolve every season. Bobby Jones’ bow tie has not been seen on a course in some time. Even the stalwart golf knickers and plaid pants are all-but-extinct (except, of course, for Jesper Parnevik, bless his stylish soul). The dress-code formalities of the past have given way fully to the need for comfort and performance. There are a few different areas to look at how technology has changed the state of golf clothing at the beginning of 2008.

WATER-REPELLENT/RESISTANT FABRICS

To a golfer, the golf jacket may just be king. To many, a quality jacket brings with it both a high-perceived and actual value. Since golfers are often exposed to a wide range of elements, an item that keeps them dry, yet allows breathability and comfort is essential. A quality waterproof jacket can be a win for any distributor. There are a number of companies to choose from, including FootJoy that offers its Sta-Dry Extreme technology.

WICKING ACTION

Wicking fabrics are rapidly replacing nonwicking ones. They pull moisture and perspiration away from the skin, and let it exit outwardly through the fabric, while not letting external moisture in. Thus, a person’s skin stays drier and warmer because there is not a significant amount of moisture to cool it through evaporation. The Nike golf line, available through Preston, Washington-based SanMar, provides Dri-Fit as its proprietary wicking material. Stepping up to a wicking material can add one more level of comfort for the end-user, which in turn is always good for the distributor.