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Review: Oakley Golf Apparel

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Pros: Oakley’s golf polos and Take 3.0 pants are engineered to keep sweat at a minimum, stretch enough to allow for freedom of movement and have enough style options no matter what you’re into. At $65 and $75 respectively, the price is far from a deal-breaker.

Cons: The Take 3.0 pants are made from a thin material that is great in warm climates, but they won’t do much to keep golfers warm when the temperatures drop. They’re also slimmer and have more stretch than other golf pants, so body-conscious golfers beware.

Bottom Line: Oakley’s latest line of golf apparel will appeal to golfers who value the performance of their golf garb above all else. The company’s shirts and pants are fantastic for golfers looking to stay cool in warm climates, and there’s enough styles and colors to suit the tastes of the sportiest dressers while still offering something for those who prefer a more understated look.

Overview

Oakley’s golf apparel is a fairly new arrival on the PGA Tour scene, but it’s catching on quickly. Those trusting the company’s apparel include Bubba Watson, Ricky Barnes, Derek Ernst and Zach Johnson — golfers who have different builds and tastes in fashion — showing the line’s versatility and variety. That’s the biggest strength of Oakley’s golf line; it provides both conventional designs and ones that feed the appetite of golfers looking for more flair.

The company has made inroads in the golf world thanks to its reputation as a provider as high-performing, sport-specific gear, particularly with its incredibly deep line of golf-specific sunglasses. With apparel, the company has focused on creating athlete-minded clothes that offers some of the best moisture-wicking performance on the market.

Oakley’s pants and polos are tremendously flexible, durable and available in a wide variety of styles and colors. See below for all of the technological designs that I tested for this review.

Pants

Performance

For this review I tested three pairs of Oakley’s Take 3.0 Pants: Jet Black (size 32 x 34), Wood Gray (32 x 34) and White (32 x 32), which are $75 each on Oakley’s website. The pants are made with the company’s O Hyrdolix fabric to manage moisture and UV protection to protect against the sun’s rays.

I also tested two shirts: The Warren Polo (size large) in Jet Black and the new Markus Polo (large) in light blue, which sell for $65 apiece. The shirts, as with all of Oakley’s golf polos, have an anti-bacterial material designed to battle odor from microbes. That means the shirts will smell good even when you don’t.

Pants

I usually opt for 34-length pants, but the 32’s were plenty long. As for the 32-inch waist, it was slightly slimmer than what I’m used to in that size. That makes sense, since the pants suit an athletic or trim build. If you’re between two waist sizes, go bigger. If you’re between two lengths, go shorter.

PANTS_2

The pants are made from 87 percent Polyester and 13 percent Spandex, so the texture isn’t cotton-soft, but it is comfortable and seriously flexible. The Take 3.0’s are great for on-course wear because they stretch enough during the swing and when bending over to tee up the ball or pick up the ball from the hole. They’re also very breathable and light, making them great for hot weather when sweat is unavoidable.

The light material doesn’t provide much warmth in cold climates, so winter warriors may want to wear a layer underneath. Also, nothing grinds my gears more than golf pants with no back pockets, or front pockets that aren’t deep enough. These pants have spacious front and back pockets with more than enough storage for golf balls, tees, gloves, quarters, scorecards, yardage books or whatever else you need to carry with you.

Shirts

Oakley Warren Polo
Above: The Jet Black Warren Polo (center) that I tested, which is also offered in “Illumination Blue” and “Wild Lime.” 

The Warren Polo, made with 91 percent Polyester and 9 percent Spandex, was expectedly stretchy and slightly loose-fitting. Since golfers tend to tuck in their shirts, having a little stretch works well throughout the swing so there isn’t too much resistance and the shirt stays tucked in. I found that the shirt allowed me to make a full turn and I didn’t feel any tug as I twisted.

Screen Shot 2014-08-06 at 1.03.19 PM
Above is Bubba Watson’s outfit script for Sunday at the 2014 PGA Championship, with White Take 3.0 pants and the Markus Polo that I reviewed.

The Markus Polo, made from all polyester, had a tighter fit with shorter sleeves, which I found to hug my body more. The material was slightly stiffer than the Warren, probably due to the Markus’ lack of spandex. This didn’t cause any problem, but it behaved like a normal polyester golf shirt. I also liked the shirt’s side vents, which gave me some sweat relief. I’d go with the bigger size if you’re between two options.

Neither shirt was terribly soft, but both were light and comfortable. The Warren Polo will appeal to golfers looking for more stretch, while the Markus Polo will appease those looking for a slimmer fit.

Look and Style

The Take 3.0 pants really suit the look that I go for on a golf course: a blend between classy and athletic. I’ve never owned a pair of pants with slits in the bottom, but I find them to allow the pants to hang comfortably without bunching near the tops of my shoes. It’s my understanding that slits are not for everyone’s taste, but those who enjoy them will be quite pleased.

IMG_3172

The Take 3.0 comes in five different color options (Jet Black, Navy Blue, Stone Gray, White and Wood Gray), so matching with any golf shirt within Oakley’s golf line is no problem. If you find that the pants fit your build, I’d suggest a pair or two. They’ve got a “cool factor” you don’t often see from golf pants, with subtle designs that put them over the top.

IMG_3169

The Ellipse logo seen on the front left pocket adds name recognition and a spark to the overall design. Also, if the small things in life matter — which for a review like this they certainly do — then I have to mention the awesome front button above the zipper. It’s round and heavy with a rustic metal look, branded with the company name. As far as buttons go, it’s a really nice touch.

Shirts

Take a quick browse through Oakley’s line of golf apparel and you’ll notice a wide variety of styles and designs, each with different color options. If you can’t find something you like, then the website probably hasn’t fully loaded.

Personally, my favorite design combination was the Warren Polo that had black, gray and white stripes, which I wore with the White Take 3.0’s, a white hat, black belt and black shoes. I looked pretty official, I say humbly.

The Markus Polo had a futuristic design pattern, which creatively combined blue and white sphere shapes to look like stripes. I wore that with the Stone Gray Take 3.0’s, also with a black belt and black shoes. Both outfits looked great, so picking one out truly depends on preference.

PANTS_3

If you’re looking for options to complete your outfit, Oakley also has a slew of accessories including belt buckles, belt straps, hats, shoes and watches in its golf line.

The Takeaway

The Oakley golf line provides high-quality, high-performing shirts and pants that can be mixed and matched to develop endless outfit options. The slim fit of the pants aren’t for all builds, but they’re seriously flexible and will work well for golfers with trim or athletic builds. They’ll keep you dry in the heat, but won’t offer much warmth in the cold. At any temperature, they still look great.

The shirts are also tremendously flexible, and you can assuredly find multiple designs that suit your liking. At $65 dollars a shirt and $75 dollars per pair of pants, the price is fair for the level of quality and performance.

[wrx_buy_now oemlink=”http://www.oakley.com/en/collections/mens-golf” oemtext=”Learn more from Oakley Golf” amazonlink=”http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BM8LVOI/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00BM8LVOI&linkCode=as2&tag=golfwrxcom-20&linkId=WHZJURS265BI5C4Q”]

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He played on the Hawaii Pacific University Men's Golf team and earned a Masters degree in Communications. He also played college golf at Rutgers University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.

4 Comments

4 Comments

  1. TS

    Aug 11, 2014 at 1:24 pm

    I found it odd that you don’t like pants with no back pockets since that would only be an issue if you accidentally purchased ladies’ pants.

  2. Max Evans

    Aug 8, 2014 at 6:50 pm

    These golf pants are great! lightweight, at home washable, and stylish. On the other hand they are cheaply made. I have a pair and a co worker has 2. The seams have loosened from who knows what. The pants fit fine and i am not big enough for them to rip if i bend over. My co workers two pair are both trashed after a couple months. This is the same time period mine wore out.

    If you can afford a new pair each month then these are great for you. if not, go to Koals and purchase the cheapest pair of paints and see how many YEARS you will be able to get out of them.

  3. mekender

    Aug 6, 2014 at 7:13 pm

    New mega outlet mall just opened near me and they have an Oakley outlet… I cant wait to go shopping!

  4. MO

    Aug 6, 2014 at 6:42 pm

    The best part of Oakley apparel is that you can wash them at HOME. Saves big dollars from having to send to the cleaners. Some shirts just don’t wash/hang well without dry cleaning.

    I now have my sport casual shirts (Masters, etc), and the shirts I wear to play (Oakley).

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Accessory Reviews

Insider photos from Tiger Woods’ launch event for his new “Sun Day Red” apparel line

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On Monday evening, inside the swanky, second-story “Coach House” event center in the Palisades Village, just minutes down the road from the 2024 Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club, Tiger Woods and TaylorMade officially announced their new apparel/footwear/accessory line, called “Sun Day Red.”

The Sun Day Red website officially launched on Monday night during the event, and the products are set to go on sale starting May 1.

The “Sun Day Red,” or “SDR” name will be self-explanatory for most golf fans, since he’s been wearing a victory-red shirt on Sunday’s for his entire professional career, but Woods explained the meaning of Sun Day Red at the launch event:

“It started with mom. Mom thought – being a Capricorn – that my power color was red, so I wore red as a junior golfer and I won some tournaments. Lo and behold, I go to a university that is red; Stanford is red. We wore red on the final day of every single tournament, and then every single tournament I’ve played as a professional I’ve worn red. It’s just become synonymous with me.”

The Sunday Red outfit has worked to perfection for his 82 PGA Tour victories, including 15 majors, so why not make an entire apparel line based on the career-long superstition?

As I learned at Monday’s launch event, the new Sun Day Red line includes much more than just clothing. To go along with a slew of different golf shirt designs and colorways, there were also windbreakers, hoodies, shoes, hats, headcovers, ball markers and gloves on display.

The upscale event was hosted by sports media personality Erin Andrews, with special guests David Abeles (CEO of TaylorMade) and Tiger Woods himself.

As explained by Abeles, the Sun Day Red brand is an independently-run business under the TaylorMade umbrella, and is based in San Clemente, California (rather than Carlsbad, where TaylorMade headquarters is located), and it’s run by a newly-formed, independent group. Brad Blackinship, formerly of Quiksilver and RVCA, is the appointed president of the new brand.

As for the logo itself, obviously, it’s made to look like a Tiger (the animal), and is comprised of 15 tiger stripes, which correspond with Woods’ 15 major championships. While the logo may need a 16th stripe if Woods adds a major trophy to his collection, it makes perfect sense for the time being.

The golf/lifestyle line is meant to combine premium precision and athletic comfort, while still having plenty of wearability and style off the course. Like Woods said on stage at the event, he wants to be able to go right from the course to dinner wearing Sun Day Red, and that was exactly the aesthetic on display at the event on Monday.

Following the official announcement from Woods and Abeles, they revealed multiple pieces of clothing, accessories and footwear for the event-goers to ogle (and photograph). Check out a selection of product/event photos below, or head over to our @GolfWRX Instagram page for video coverage…OR, head into our GolfWRX Forums for even more photos and member discussion.

Enjoy this exclusive look at Tiger Woods’ new Sun Day Red apparel lineup below.

See more photos from the Sun Day Red launch event here

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Accessory Reviews

GolfWRX Spotlight: Motocaddy M7 Remote and M5 GPS DHC electric cart review

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I have been thinking about electric golf push carts, or trollies, ever since I started playing in my league seven years ago.

Motocaddy has been making high-quality electric, and non-electric, carts since 2004 and has a couple of great options for the golfer who loves to walk. Motocaddy was nice enough to get their M7 Remote and M5 GPS DHC in my hands to try out on the course for a few weeks.

I have had a lot of people stop me to ask about the carts, and the one thing I keep telling them is that these carts are just flat out fun to use on the course.

Motocaddy M7 Remote

The M7 Remote was very easy to get set up right out of the box. All you have to do is charge the battery, install the wheels, and you are pretty much ready to go. The M7 folds up pretty small, just a little larger than the 3-wheel pushcart that I had been using for years. Getting it to the course should be no problem with just about any trunk space. Now, the one downside to an electric cart is the weight when moving it around, and both carts come in at around 35 pounds each. Even with that extra weight, I didn’t have much trouble lifting them in and out of the back of a pickup.

The M7 unfolds quickly with the flick of two levers and extends the front wheels automatically. Once unfolded, you drop in the battery, plug it in, and secure your bag. If you own a Motocaddy bag, they have developed a really nice system called EasiLock that involves two metal studs that fit into the bottom of the cart. This system also includes a molded base that prevents the bag from rotating at all, even on the roughest terrain. You can still use the M7 with almost any other golf bag as it includes elastic straps that wrap around the top and bottom of the bag.

As soon as you plug in the battery the LCD screen comes to life and you are ready to go. You can use the M7 without the remote by using the dial on the handle to control the starting, stopping, and speed. But the M7 has a remote that is activated by a simple press of the power button to get going. The remote is very simple with just five buttons to control where the M7 goes.

Getting a feel for the M7 takes no time at all and by the time you drive it from your car to the 1st tee you will be in complete, and confident, control of the cart. You simply press the “+” button to start moving forward and the cart takes off gently without any rattling of your clubs, and you can press that same button again to increase the speed. The cart will go from a slow crawl, for bumpy or tight areas, too, as fast as I could run with just a few presses of the button. The big red “stop” button in the center stops the cart immediately, and when stopped it is locked in place, even on steep hills. You don’t have to worry about remembering to set the brakes or anything because it is done automatically.

Steering is just as easy: simply press the right or left button to turn the cart. Small, quick presses will just slightly adjust the cart as it moves down the fairway while a long hold of the button can make it turn on a dime to the right or left.

Almost everyone asked me how stable the cart was and if it would tip over. I can proudly say that it has stayed upright even on some unseen bumps at maximum speed. Side hills, ruts, and even curbs are handled with ease with the help of the small rear wheel.

I really enjoy strolling down the fairway with nothing but the M7’s remote in my hand — it just makes golfing more fun!

Motocaddy M5 GPS DHC

After using the M7 and its fancy remote, I was a little nervous that I wouldn’t like not having it. But to be honest the M5 was just as fun to use, but for a different reason.

As the name suggests, the M5 has a built-in GPS with 40,000 courses preloaded into it. The screen is a good size, pretty responsive to the touch, and easy to read in direct sunlight. Having the GPS directly on the cart is great, you drive up to your ball and immediately have yardage to the front, back, and center of the green as well as bunkers and hazards. You can easily toggle between screens on the GPS and it offers a couple of different views to help navigate the hole. The M5 can also keep score and let you know shot distances right on the screen. Motocaddy even includes nice little touches like a screen protecter kit to ensure durability.

Driving the M5 is just as easy as the M7 with using the dial on the handle. And speaking of the handle, the grips have a great tacky rubber that grips well even in hot and humid conditions. To start the M5 you just press the dial down and the cart will gently start down the fairway. You can turn the dial to increase or decrease the speed — I found between 5-6 to be the most comfortable for me. But the speed can go up to a very fast pace if you are looking to set a record for fastest round of the day.

As you walk down the fairway, or rough, stopping the cart is as simple as pressing he dial again. When stopped the M5 engages a parking brake automatically so you don’t have to worry about it running down a hill without your approval. The M5 has tons of power to go up just about any hill and the Down Hill Control (DHC) keeps the speed consistent even when going down a steep decent.

Since the M5 has so much power, and it is a little heavy, I thought steering would be a little bit of a challenge. It wasn’t, at all. Guiding the M5 took very little effort and slight adjustments going down the fairway were very easy. Really tight turns took a slight bit more effort as the torque can want to go forward a little more than turn. Again, once you get the M5 from the car to the first tee, you will be a master at driving it.

Overall, Motocaddy has created two great carts that provide additional enjoyment to walking your favorite 9 or 18. Having the ability to walk without carrying or pushing your bag, clubs, and whatever else goes with you. I like them so much that it is going to be hard to get the M7’s remote out of my hands when I go play!

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Accessory Reviews

GolfWRX Spotlight: Crossrope weighted jump rope & app

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An 18-hole round of golf averages out to just under five miles of walking, which on its own is a good workout. Once you throw in some potential uphill trekking you get some serious cardio too, but if you all looking for a quick workout between rounds of golf look no further than Crossrope.

Crossrope – The details

Crossrope is a system of the weighted jump rope that allows you to quickly switch the weight of the ropes you are using to boost your workout—they range from 1/4 lbs all the way up to 2 lbs depending on the kit you start out with. There is an accompanying app that helps you go through multiple workout routines and is available free, or you can upgrade to the entire library of workout routines along with more workout tracking options.

This is NOT your middle school jump rope

The handles are heavy duty and feature precision bearings to allow the rope to move smoothly around as you go through a routine. They are also ergonomic and fit into your hand naturally, which making gripping easy, something that is really nice when you’re swinging a 2 lbs coated steel cable around. The handles also come with a fast clip system to make changing cables depending on your selected workout easier too.

The ropes themselves are made from braided steel and are almost impossible to tangle, allowing them to be easily transported and stored when not in use. All in you are getting a premium piece of workout equipment that is effective and easy to store—hard to same the same thing about a treadmill.

When it comes to a workout, skipping rope is one of the most effective cardio workouts you can do, and with Crossrope, you can get both cardio and low impact weight training when using the heaviest ropes, and follow along with the guided workouts.

As someone that hadn’t used a jump rope in over a decade, starting out lighter was a nice way to ease in before moving up, and I was pleasantly surprised how easy and fun some of the workouts in the app were. If you are looking for a fun way to add something to your workouts, or you just want to try something new to get you into golf course walking shape, this could be right up your alley. To learn more check out crossrope.com

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