Pulling up the fornt flap on the Seaforth Hood gives much better access to your clubs than typical rain covers with zippers.
Who needs the best golf rain gear money can buy?
Not you. Your clubs.
If you love golf, you will play in the rain. It’s virtually impossible not to, but especially on that pilgrimage to Scotland or Ireland. Sure, you could get lucky, but if you go for a week, you are probably going to get wet, maybe soaked, and if you are one of those “if it’s Tuesday it must be Ballybunion” itineraries, you can’t afford to miss a round on one of the world’s great courses, rain or no rain.
So when it comes time to man up and play in a downpour, there are myriad choices to keep yourself dry, and excellent rain suits from several major manufacturers like Zero Restrictions, Sunderland, Sun Ice. Taylor Made Adidas, Nike and so on. But to keep playing well, or at least trying to play well, you need to keep your clubs drier than your body.
That is where Seaforth comes in.
Seaforth is a tiny company that most golfers have never heard of, yet according to the Darrell Survey of tour equipment, it is the number one choice for club rain protection on the PGA Tour. And the LPGA Tour, and the Champions (Senior) Tour. This is no coincidence.
This is the point where I tell you that I am not sponsored by Seaforth, and I actually spent $25 on their “Golf Bag Rain Hood.” Like most good golf bags, mine came with a rain cover in one of its pockets, one that snaps on around the top and zippers closed. So why ditch it for the made in Canada Seaforth Hood?
Because the thing works like, well, like awesome.
Here's the hood closed. It's hard to tell from my terrible photo, but the hood has a brim, like a baseball cap, that keeps rain off and keeps the hood from laying against the clubheads, and the velcro closure lets you open it quickly and fully with one hand.
It may not look pretty in these pics, but blame the photographer (me) not the product. There are two great things about the Hood. One is that whatever it is made of keeps water out, whereas the cover that comes with most golf bags soaks through. But it is the hooded design, rather than the stupid zipper closure that makes the bag. It is really easy to get your clubs in and out, without opening and closing, while keeping them dry. That’s it: simple but effective
How effective?
I played a round in the rain on the Ailsa course at Turnberry last year, my favorite course on earth, in the middle of a typical Scottish downpour. My caddie, who had been a caddie in Scotland since about the 12th century, studied the rain hood curiously, and at the end of the round, pronounced it the best he had ever seen
Forget the PGA Tour pros. That’s all the endorsement I need.
Seaforth also makes some sort of full bag carry cover, but I haven’t gotten that desperate yet. I’ll let you know if I try it. In the meantime, get yourself a Bag Hood. It will be the best $25 you ever spend on golf gear, and while you’re at it, the hood makes a great gift for any golfer you know.
A clever set of straps lock behind the legs of a stand bag so the legs can continue to operate smoothly while totally sealing the bag against rain.
