You have booked your dream golf vacation to the United Kingdom or Ireland! Now, as the trip approaches, you begin thinking of what to pack. First order of business, rain gear!
Rain Gear? Really?
After all, you play every weekend at home and do not own a rain jacket or pants. When was the last time you walked 18 holes in the rain at your home course? Most of us in the USA would answer never! Most courses have golf carts and if it rains for more than 20 minutes the course closes (or at least no one plays). Links golf in the British Isles is a very different situation. With as many as 250 days of rain in some areas, you will need rain gear!!
It is now determined rain gear is a must have, how do you go about selecting the gear? For me it comes down to two things; does it keep me dry and is it functional for golf.
Does it keep me dry?
Rain gear is obviously useless if it does not keep you dry, and from here we could delve into days and days of discussions on the MM ratings of waterproofness and breathability, 2 layer vs 2.5 layer build, fabrics vs coatings. But that gets overwhelming, so let’s keep it simple. The simplest and safest option is gear using Gore-Tex technology. The product has been around the longest and will keep you dry, guaranteed! There are alternatives to Gore-Tex (HyVent, H2No, eVent, NeoShell) and they get very good reviews. Just be sure the product you are buying is a waterproof laminate, NOT a water-resistant coating/treatment.
Rain Gear Features
- High leg zipper. You will be putting these on in the middle of a fairway, often in a hurry! Having a high leg zipper is absolutely required to get the pants on easily and quickly. As an example, I tried the UA Storm 3 pants recently. They are very nice pants, but the leg zipper is very short and I had a very difficult time getting the pants on over my golf shoes.
- Pass-thru pocket on pants. It starts raining, you quickly pull on your rain pants and then you need to get a tee from your khaki pants pocket. Many pants have a zipper pass-thru in at least one front pocket that allows access to your pants/shorts underneath the rain gear.
- Zip off sleeves and legs. SKIP this feature. It is useless and you will never use it. I have a pair of rain pants that zip off just above the knee. After 10 years of never using the zipper, I had a it ripped out and permanently sewn together.
- Pockets. In both the jacket and pants, it is very nice to have zippered pockets so you can keep items dry.
Trusted Rain Gear Brands
- Kjus – my top choice. Their products are expensive, but they are absolutely top notch
- Galvin Green – an excellent company. Their products are excellent and offer a large range of styles.
- Zero Restriction – A well respected brand with a wide range of products. I know several people who swear by this company and have worn their outerwear for years. Their top of the line rain jacket and pants are excellent.
- Under Armour – Behind the success of Jordan Spieth, UA has invested quite a bit of money into their golf clothing. I did try their top of the line jacket, but it failed miserably. Not sure if I got a bad product, but i wore it for a round of golf in light rain and the water immediately penetrated the jacket. I have been hesitant to try UA again.
- Sunice – They make Ski and Golf outerwear. The reviews I have read are very good, and while I do not own any of their rain gear, I do own an insulated jacket that is very nice.
- FootJoy – A highly respected company that makes some great stuff. I have a jacket of theirs that I would rate as ok (6 out of 10). It holds up in a light rain, but anything heavy or sustained it eventually fails. More than that though, is the fit of FootJoy. I find their clothing to be very large and bulky.
Golf Gear Reviews
My Golf Spy does an excellent review of rain gear, and just about everything else golf related. Their latest review can be seen here: My Golf Spy Rain Gear 2021
Final Notes
- Try on everything! Make sure the jacket fits over a sweater and the pants fit over golf pants.
- There are limited golf specific rain gear options. To widen your choices, consider traditional hiking rain gear. A store like REI offers a wide variety of rain gear…it does not have to be golf specific!