Basic Golf Shirt
Grade: A
Teacher’s Comments: It would get an A plus, but it’s too “hip” for this 40-something guy. (Is “hip” even a term anymore?)

The Basic Golf Shirt isn’t.

Basic, that is. Rather, it’s a high quality, reasonably priced—and dare I say stylish—golf shirt. (Mrs. GolfBlogger says I know nothing of style.)

Two things jumped out at me immediately when I put The Basic Golf Shirt on.

The first is trivial, but different. It’s got a zipper, instead of buttons at the neck. That somehow gives it a more youthful, athletic look. I showed the shirt to a couple of the golf team members at school and they liked the zipper (and the styling, but more on that later).

The second thing I noticed is that the shirt is constructed from an amazingly lightweight, silky material. The Basic Golf guys call it “CoolDry.” and it works as advertised. I walked 18 wearing it on a (relatively) warm day, and stayed very cool and dry. It’s much, much cooler than the cotton golf shirts that I normally wear. I want about ten more shirts made of the same material.

The styling of the shirt is youthful and has an athletic fit. It held a little closer to the biceps that I’m used to, but in no way hindered my swing. The solid colors with the constrasting undertones remind me of something you might see Sergio Garcia, or some of the other European players wear.

Right now, there apparently are only three color selections in the same style for the shirts, navy with a white undertone; white with a navy undertone (although mine is more grey) and lime with black undertones. I have to assume that as they become more popular, the selection will increase. For now, I’ll just enjoy the one I have and save it for the hotter days.

Samsonite 4 Piece Deluxe Travel Set Review

Grade: A
Teacher’s Comments: A terrific set.

When I was looking for a golf travel bag last year, I investigated all the usual suspects—brands like ClubGlove and Bag Boy, which are well represented in the pro shops and at the Golf Superstores. Eventually, I settled on a Bag Boy model with a padded top and rip stop nylon sides. Nothing fancy, and probably over priced.

I say that because I recently acquired a four piece Samsonite Golf Travel set which is priced at less than the Bag Boy I got and offers far more value.

It’s not just that the Samsonite set includes a duffel bag and two golf shoe mitts—though that’s a nice plus. It’s that the Samsonite offers what I think is superior protection.

Both the Bag Boy and the Samsonite are constructed of what appears to be very tough nylon. But the Samsonite shines in that it has padding on the sides as well as on the top. This should really help to ensure that your clubs survive a trip through airport luggage or in the trunk of a car. 

Of course, the Samsonite offers all of the other usual bag cover features. It’s got a hard bottom with sealed ball-bearing in-line skate built in for towing. Three rubberized handles give you a variety of options for extracting the bag from your trunk and lugging it about. And there are external pockets.

But there also are a couple of other neat features. First, there’s an elastic lace arrangement on the front for strapping on another bag. And the large front pocket can be zipped off.

The extra pieces—the shoe mitts and the duffel bag—also are nice.

The mitts are lined with a soft material that won’t scruff your finely polished shoes. I had thought at first that each mitt would hold two shoes, but after trying to squeee a pair in each, I gave up and put one shoe in each bag. The tops of the bags close with drawstrings and a plastic lock.

The bags fit into a special side pocket of the accompanying duffel bag. Another nice touch: the shoe pocket has a mesh end to allow them to breathe.

Both the mitts and duffel are constructed of the same tough material as the golf bag cover.

This set offers a good value for the golf traveller.

Grade: A
Teacher’s Comments: An essential piece of winter golfing equipment.

I’ve got just one thing to say about Ultimittens: Brilliant!

ProActive Sports’ Ultimittens are a set of heavy duty, waterproof, windproof mittens designed to attach to the handle of a golf push cart. In between shots, as you push your cart about, you just slip your hands into the Ultimittens where they stay comfortably warm. Even better: there are pockets on the mitts for those ubiquitous chemical handwarmer packages.

I used a pair of Ultimittens on an early January round at Fox Hills in Plymouth, Michigan. Like most courses open in the winter in Michigan, it’s walking only. So all of those propane heaters, zip up plastic covers and the like designed for power carts are about as useless as a liberal in a gunfight.

Nearly all of the brave souls on the course that day were pushing or pulling a cart.  But I was the only one with Ultimittens. They were brave, but foolish. If you are playing in the cold, you NEED Ultimittens.