Review of the SUNICE Allendale Pullover Jacket

As a professional golf instructor, I spend a lot of my time either outdoors on the golf course, at the driving range or on the practice green.  Crisp mornings and cool evenings often require more warmth, yet I always want to maintain my freedom of movement.  I recently received the Sunice Allendale Pullover jacket and I think I've found the perfect piece of clothing to fit my needs.

You've probably read in previous blog posts that I prefer to layer my clothing rather than wearing something big and bulky to protect me from the elements.  The Allendale pullover is thermal and constructed of super-lightweight stretch fabric to add additional comfort and performance.  When it gets chilly, I just throw on the pullover and it keeps me nice and warm while not confining me when I swing the golf club.

Not only does the Allendale pullover perform well, but it also looks sharp!  Sunice really knows how to put together a quality piece of clothing that you want to be seen wearing.  If you spend a lot of time outdoors and are looking for something lightweight and non-restrictive to keep you warm, I highly recommend the Allendale pullover by Sunice...you can't go wrong!

Review of the SUNICE Carleton Zephal Jacket

The Sunice Carleton Zephal jacket is part of the Sunice Typhoon Collection.  It's a waterproof jacket that's perfect for those that like to play golf in different weather conditions.  The jacket is well-designed, lightweight and comes with a three-year waterproof guarantee.

I had the privilege of testing out the black with collegiate blue version of the Zephal jacket and I was immediately impressed by the modern look and comfort of the jacket.  The soft and stretchy feel of the fabric allows me to swing the golf club and not feel restricted at all.  I don't like to wear bulky jackets and heavy clothing when I golf in the fall and winter even though it can be very cold and wet at times.  I like the fact that I can wear a couple of thin layers underneath the Zephal jacket (t-shirt and golf shirt) while still being able to stay warm and dry and not sacrificing performance.  

Not only have I taken the jacket out for test drives on the golf course, but I also wear it when I go to watch my daughter play indoor soccer where the temperature is freezing cold due to the fact that it's next to an ice arena.  Most parents are bundled up in their heavy winter coats while I'm just fine with a t-shirt, long sleeve top and my Zephal jacket.  It's quite amazing how Sunice has managed to develop such a thin jacket that can stand up to such cold temperatures.  Well done!

I highly recommend the Zephal jacket to anyone out there who golfs in the elements and wants a jacket that doesn't hinder performance while keeping you safe from the elements.  It's no surprise that Sunice continues to improve on quality and styling as well as providing different colour options to suit both bold and conservative tastes.

Technical Specs:

• Waterproof breathable material, Stretch across the shoulders
• Internal cuff, Pro cinching system from front pockets
• Ball cleaner shammy in right side pocket
• Patented V collar to give good protection
• WXTech 10,000 MM / 10,000 MVT - 3 Year Waterproof Warranty

Review of the Coolcore Hat by Imperial Headwear

When I sat down to write this post, my first thought was “how do I write an entire blog post about a hat?”.  Well, this hat is like no other.  Imperial Headwear has teamed up with Coolcore to provide a revolutionizing new product for golfers (and anyone else who likes to keep their head cool in the hot sun).

I first tried out the Coolcore hat on a summer day when the temperature was 33 degrees Celsius.  After 18 holes, my hat is usually soaked with sweat or there’s a sweat line along the brim of the hat.  I was pleasantly surprised that on this day, my hat wasn’t wet at all and there was no sign of any sweat lines at all.  Most performance fabrics focus on moving the moisture from point A (away from the body) to point B (to the top of the fabric) however it only focuses on where moisture is, so part of the fabric might be wicking moisture but the other parts of the material are not because underneath that specific spot is dry.   Coolcore fabrics allow for the entire hat to pull moisture no matter where underneath the hat the moisture is located, giving you a faster and more exact removal of the moisture.

Below is some information regarding Imperial Headwear and Coolcore along with the technology behind this revolutionary product.

Imperial Headwear

Founded in 1916, Imperial Headwear is the leading manufacturer and marketer of premium quality headwear for the golf market.  Imperial is committed to style, functionality and perfection in fit and comfort.  It is this commitment that has allowed the creation of a wide variety of headwear with quality that is second to none.  Renowned for its superior customer service and art customization capabilities, Imperial offers its products using the most innovative digital design, logo and embroidery technologies.  For further information please visit imperialsports.com or call 800-950-1916.

About Coolcore   

Coolcore, the global leader in chemical-free cooling fabrics, has partnerships to develop fabrics for consumer brands throughout the world.  The patented, chemical-free Coolcore materials deliver three distinct functions – wicking, moisture circulation and regulated evaporation – going far beyond traditional moisture-management textiles by reducing surface fabric temperature up to 30 percent.  Coolcore fabric formulations have earned the prestigious “Innovative Technology” recognition from the Hohenstein Institute, a first for a U.S. company, and the only company globally to be awarded this recognition for “Cooling Power”.

I would highly recommend that you pick up one of these hats and add it to your collection.  The Coolcore hat can be ordered online or you can probably find them at your local pro shop or golf retailer.  Grab one, try it and you’ll be pleasantly surprised!

AUR Golf Spring 2015 Collection

AUR Golf, an active golfsport brand targeted towards the golfer who wants authentic golf apparel with a distinct look and feel, announces it Spring 2015 golf collections.

The design ethos at AUR Golf is one that emphasizes a refined modern aesthetic by utilizing technical fabrics in a more sophisticated form. Their authentic design is inspired by the active nature of the sport combined with awareness for the environment in which it is played. AUR Golf was created to celebrate the game of golf and provide all golfers with the confidence to perform and look their best.

"The AUR Golf brand continues to grow at a rapid pace," says Mark Fletcher, President - Fletcher Sport Brands. " From Canada to Germany, to the United States and Spain, golf professionals and consumers looking for authentic golfsport apparel with a distinct modern aesthetic are turning to AUR Golf as their golf apparel brand of choice."

The Spring 2015 Collection from AUR Golf features bold and dynamic color-blocking paired along side sophisticated and elegant geometric prints. Such dramatic colours as Sonic Green, Sunglo Yellow and Rowan Red highlight the season's color palette for men and Kiss Pink and Malibu Green for women. Additionally, this season sees the introduction of AUR Golf's Active-Dry™, Active-Stretch™, Active-Cool™ and Active-Warm™ fabric ranges.

Collection Highlights – Men’s:     

The Triumphant Collection, consisting of colors: Sunglo Yellow, Neptune Blue and White, launches the brand into the new season with a design and color palette that is fresh and stimulating. The feature style from this collection is the Sparwood Polo. Constructed from AUR's proprietary Active-Stretch™ fabric, this style features premium moisture wicking technology as well as 4-way stretch for enhanced freedom of movement and comfort.

The additional men's collections include: the Rapture Collection, consisting of colors: Rowan Red, Nightfall Navy and White and the Frequency Collection consisting of colors: Sonic Green, Black and White.
 
Collection Highlights - Women's:

The Luminance Collection, consisting of colors: Black and White, is a remarkably simple yet striking collection. The collection is elevated through the use of metallic silver and black enamel trims. The feature style from this collection is the Bentley Polo. This style features an athletic, yet sophisticated racer-back design, with contrast placket and The Luminance Collection's signature black enamel buttons. Constructed from AUR's proprietary Active-Cool™ fabric, this polo is lightweight, breathable and provides excellent UV-protection, making it the perfect polo for those hot and humid summer days.

The additional women's collections include: The Europhia Collection, consisting of colors: Kiss Pink, Nightfall Navy and White and the Bliss Collection, consisting of Malibu Green, Nightfall Navy, Shoreline Blue and White.

www.aurgolf.com

Review of the SUNICE Halifax Pullover Jacket

A little while back I received a package from SUNICE containing their Halifax Flexvent^TM Full Stretch 1/2 Zip Waterproof Pullover.  The jacket comes in three colour schemes and I was sent the midnight blue / charcoal / pure white version of the product to test out.  This pullover is part of the SUNICE Tornado Collection and, at first glance, it's a great looking jacket which I couldn't wait to put to use.


I've owned several pullovers from other manufacturers, but when I put the Halifax on for the first time, it definitely felt different.  What I mean is that I didn't feel restricted in my movement yet the jacket didn't feel like it was moving around much when I raised my arms or attempted a golf swing.  Living in Vancouver, BC, Canada allows me to play golf pretty much all year round (if time permits), but it also means that it can be cold and wet at times.  I've never been a big fan of wearing a jacket when I golf as they always seem somewhat restrictive or the sleeves move up and down whenever I make a swing.  Instead, I layer my clothes and wear an outer shell (like a pullover) to keep me dry.  This can be a bit of a hassle sometimes when it gets warm during a round and I have to peel off layers in order to stay cool.  Also, depending on how cold it is, the increased number of layers can be a bit restrictive on the golf swing.  To date, I haven't been able to find a jacket with the perfect balance between comfort, warmth and 'playability'.

So it's 6 degrees Celsius outside on a cloudy day and I'm at home getting ready for my round of golf that morning.  I decide to put the SUNICE Halifax pullover to the test and I put on a long sleeve t-shirt, a golf shirt and my new midnight blue pullover, courtesy of the folks at SUNICE.  I'm hoping that this will keep me warm enough through my round as it's only supposed to get up to a high of 8 degrees throughout the day.  I head to the driving range at the Riverway Golf Course in order to warm up for my round.  Immediately, I notice some of the great features of this pullover such as the Pro Trim™ Waist Cinching System (which allows the jacket to hug your waist) and the adjustable velcro self fabric cuff tabs (which prevent the sleeves from moving up and down your arm when you swing).  I can tell the designers of this product over at SUNICE have done their best to pay extra attention to detail with the golfer in mind.  After my warm-up session at the driving range and practice green, I head over to the first tee, eager to get my round started.  When I put my hand in the right pocket of my pullover to put some tees in, I notice something in the pocket.  It's a ball cleaner shammy...what a great idea!  Now I don't have to use my pant leg to wipe any dirt off my ball when putting.

For the next 4 1/2 hours, I plugged my way through 18 holes and never once did I feel uncomfortable, restricted, too hot or too cold.  The temperature that day got to a whopping 8 degrees Celsius, but I never had to peel off any layers even though it can get warm (even on a cold day) since I always walk the course and carry my golf bag.  Another big plus...my pants didn't have any dirt or grass stains from cleaning my golf ball since I had that handy little shammy tucked away in my jacket pocket!

The Halifax passed the test on a cold day, but how would it perform on  a warmer day when it's windy outside, but not quite warm enough to just wear a golf shirt with no jacket?  Well, I had to find out so I waited until a nice spring day when it was sunny and the temperature was 12 degrees Celsius.  I was simply wearing a short-sleeve golf shirt and my SUNICE Halifax pullover that day as it was a bit windy and I would've been too cold just wearing a golf shirt.  As usual, I walked the course and carried my bag, but never had to peel off the jacket even though the temperature got up to 15 degrees Celsius during my round.  The wind blew pretty hard at times, but I wasn't affected by flapping sleeves or the bottom of the jacket feeling like it's blowing back and forth while I'm standing over the ball getting ready to take a shot.  You know how annoying that can be as you get in your stance as it adds another thing to throw off your concentration when making a swing.  This jacket really hugs your body well and is quite breathable so you don't get overheated.

The only drawback I found with the Halifax pullover was with the main zipper.  For some reason, I can't get the zipper to sit properly as the handle has a tendency to not stay down all the time.  I find this a bit frustrating as I have to keep pushing the handle down and it can be a bit annoying at times.  Not a big deal, as I'm guessing this isn't always the case and not a dealbreaker for me.  All in all, I think that this is a great product and I would highly recommend this jacket to anyone who wants a high quality product which keeps you protected from the elements and still allows you to perform at your best.

The suggested retail price for the SUNICE Halifax pullover is $209.95 USD and can be found on Amazon.com. 
           
Here's the details of the SUNICE Halifax pullover from the manufacturer's website:

HALIFAX

Tornado collection

SKU: S21000 - Color Code: 318504

• HIGH PERFORMANCE

• ULTRA-BREATHABLE LAMINATE ULTRA QUIET AND SOFT HAND FEEL

• FULL STRETCH PULLOVER

• STRETCH TRICOT LINING

• PRO TRIM™ WAIST CINCHING SYSTEM

• BALL CLEANER SHAMMY IN RIGHT SIDE POCKET

• CLOSE-TO-THE-BODY FIT

• EXPOSED WATERPROOF YKK VISLON ZIPPER WITH LOCK DOWN PULLER

• SIDE ENTRY ZIPPER

• LYCRA ACTION CUFF TABS

• ADJUSTABLE VELCRO SELF FABRIC CUFF TABS

• ADJUSTABLE BUNGEE AT HEM

• CONTOURED TOP COLLAR FOR ULTIMATE COMFORT AND PROTECTION

• SUNICE DOUBLE BAR PATENTED V COLLAR WITH NEOPRENE FINISH

• SUPER WXTECHTM COATING

• 20,000MM / 20,000MVT

• 4  YEAR WATERPROOF WARRANTY

Welcome To My Blog

Hello and welcome to my blog about golf.  I'm 38 years old, happily married for 5+ years with one child (whom my world revolves around) and I live in beautiful Vancouver, BC, Canada (also known as the best city in the world).  I own and operate a retail jewellery company called K.I.G. Fine Jewellery & Custom Design as well as a precious metals buying company called Pacific Gold Buyers. 

I've played sports all my life...baseball, basketball, hockey, soccer, tennis, golf...and the list goes on and on.  When I was 8 years old, my dad introduced me to the sport of golf.  I was immediately hooked.  I started out playing at the local pitch and putt courses and took a few beginner lessons at the McCleery Golf Course in Vancouver, BC as my dad wanted me to learn how to swing the club properly so I wasn't hacking around and tearing up the courses.  After a few years of playing par 3 courses and learning more about the challenges and ettiquette of the game, I was ready to take things up a notch and play on the "real" courses.  Thus, I became a junior member at the McCleery Golf Course where I attended weekly lessons with the assistant pro in order to develop skills and eventually take what we learned out onto the golf course.  Being a junior member was the best thing I could ever have done as it gave me the opportunity to learn from a great teacher (Alec Macdonald) as well as compete in several tournaments at the club itself in addition to tournaments around the Lower Mainland.  At the age of 16, I became the Junior Club Champion and had gained lots of experience playing in competitive events under pressure.  Of course, not all of the experiences were 'great', but each one was an opportunity to learn and grow as a person while developing my game.  One of the great things about golf is that it teaches you many other important life lessons and traits such as humility, patience, perseverance, success and failure.  I was lucky to have benefited from these experiences at a young age and I'm one who believes that golf is not just a sport, it's a path to learn about life and how to deal with challenges that come up along the way.

I stopped playing competitive golf after completing high school as my focus was on completing my business degree at the University of British Columbia and I just didn't have the time to put into golf.  Getting an education was priority as I'm a true believer that in life, you may lose everything, but no one can ever take away your education and your knowledge.  I always wanted to pursue a career in golf and see if I was good enough to get to the next level, but "life" took over and business opportunities came about so I stuck to playing golf recreationally with friends and have continually improved my game over the years.  I did, however, have the opportunity to take lessons from one of the top instructors in the United States a few years ago.  Joe Thiel is an amazing man and an even more amazing golf instructor.  He has taught many of the great players in Asia and travels around the world teaching both amateurs and pros and I was lucky enough to be one of his students.  I'll share my experiences with Joe in a later blog.

This brings me to where I am today and why I've decided to put together a blog.  As I mentioned above, I've always wanted to pursue a career in golf and I'm finally taking the steps to get there.  Golf is my passion and one of the things I love to do is help people improve their game.  Whenever I play golf with friends or in corporate tournaments, people always seem to look to me for advice on the course or on the practice range.  I have a sound understanding of the golf swing and the science behind it and I'm always more than happy to share my knowledge and help people to enjoy the game more.  At the moment, I'm in the process of completing my golf teaching certification through the Professional Golf Teachers Association of America.  My goal is to become a Master Golf Teaching Professional and be able to make a career out of teaching and becoming the best instructor I can possibly be.  I've learned so much through the game of golf and it's time for me to give back and help others learn the game, improve their skills and, ultimately, grow the sport in order for people to benefit from not only the game, but from the life lessons that are learned and experienced through golf. 

Stay tuned as I'll be posting tips and tidbits about golf in order to help readers improve their game and enjoy the sport more.  I'll also keep readers posted about my progress through the certification program which I'm planning to complete by the spring of 2013.  Feel free to email me with any questions you may have about the sport or any tips and I'll be sure to get back to you as soon as possible...also, don't forget to subscribe to the blog by clicking on the link below.