New fabrics will change the way you dress on the course. These ClimaCool shorts from Adidas retail for $70 and make your khaki shorts obsolete.
I’m surprised it has taken this long to happen.
Nearly a decade ago, the humble golf shirt was reinvented a miracle of technology. Borrowing heavily form the ski and endurance sports industry, golf clothes manufacturers began employing synthetic fabrics that were cooler in hot weather, warmer in cold weather, breathed better, wicked perspiration away and then allowed it to evaporate, and provided better sun protection. At the same time, these shirts were lighter, virtually impossible to crease and their soft silky drape looked good on golfers. They were perfect for golf travel because you could jam a lot of shirts into a small space while saving weight (now that airlines want to screw you at every turn!) and avoiding looking like something the cat dragged out of bed when you showed up hopelessly wrinkled at the first tee.
Finally this breakthrough has come to the lower body.
Replacing those worn khakis with synthetics makes even more sense than it did for shirts. Pants and shorts are heavier and take up more room in our precious luggage than shirts, and unlike shirts, you are likely to wear them more than once, making their much higher level of stain resistance and anti-microbial properties more important. Whether it is Arizona desert hot or coastal Scotland chilly and moist, you’ll appreciate the comfort these fabrics add over traditional cotton. Again, they won’t wrinkle, they are very durable, and you won’t notice those black streaks you get around the pockets of your khakis from stashing balls and tees over and over during the round.
All the leading manufacturers offer these models now. Adidas has its ClimaCool, Nike its Dri-FIT, Greg Norman Collection has Play Dry, and so on.
These ClimaCool pants from Addidas run $80 and will outlast two or three pairs of cotton ones.
I personally have been wearing the 21st century shirts since the 20th century, but only this year made the switch to high tech pants and shorts. I wish I’d made it years ago!
