Think the clothes you wear on the golf course make a difference to your game? Guest author, Jeffrey Wright shares his perspective.

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Can golf apparel improve your game? When it comes to playing golf, many argue that skill and experience are what separate a good golf game from a bad one. However, while the clothes one wears on the course, as well as the equipment he or she uses, won’t automatically teach a person how to play good golf, they can definitely make the difference between a comfortable, great game and just a decent one.

Discomfort Matters – Sports clothes, including golf fashion, affect performance just as much as the golf club affects a swing. When the mind is worrying about being too hot or cold, whether a shirt is pulling or snagging during a swing, whether shoes fit right, or if the slacks are binding in the wrong place, performance is affected. Ideally, a golfer shouldn’t be worrying about any of these things when sizing up the green and about to hit the golf ball down the fairway.

Some of the best golf clothes use fabrics and stitching developed with the golfer in mind. The shirts, shorts, and slacks are designed based on the swings and moves a golfer makes, minimizing tightness and binding in the wrong places. The clothes also need to be warm enough or cool enough to keep the golfer comfortable during a game; maintaining the right body temperature helps the golfer avoid fatigue on the back 9.

Not giving any thought to your shirt, pants, shoes, and socks before hitting the golf course is a recipe for less-than-best performance. Granted, as long as the player has focus and hits the ball with skill, he or she will perform well, but discomfort can be the difference between hitting under par and hitting over par, especially when the point movement is minimal from hole to hole. The last thing a player wants is to play a course and lose points on the final five holes because he or she is chafing or uncomfortable in a sweaty, cotton shirt.

Primary Factors – Most golf-oriented clothes are designed to focus on two areas: flexibility and temperature control.

• Flexibility features are evident in the design and fabrics of the golf shirt. The overall weight of the entire ensemble also impacts how a player performs, especially after hours of play.
• Temperature control is generally focused on keeping a player ventilated or warm, depending on the external conditions. By keeping body heat at an optimum level, the player does not have to worry about pulling a muscle or overheating and needing constant rehydration.

A number of fabrics are now seeing their way into golf apparel production as a result of the above factors. Cotton, which had long been the fabric standard, is now falling by the wayside as new mixtures of neoprene and polyester allow the development of both lightweight and more durable sports attire.

If you’re still wondering if what you wear impacts your game, on your next visit to the golf store, browse through the golf apparel area and note how advanced some of the shirts and pants are today, including built in features that enhance golf play in comfort.  Again, a shirt or a pair of slacks cannot turn an average player into Tiger Woods, but modern golf apparel can potentially improve overall performance by getting a player’s mind back in the game.

About the author:

Jeffrey Wright is VP Web Services of EZLinks.com in Chicago, IL.  EZLinks is a software and marketing company serving golf courses and golfers since 1996.  Offering online tee times, EZLinks operates the world’s largest network for golf reservations, as well as the highest volume tee time call center in the industry.

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Do you think the clothes you wear impact your game? Do you play better when you feel comfortable, or are happy with the way you look swinging that club? I think it’s more like a “bad hair day”… if you feel uncomfortable with the clothes you’ve got on, your game is going to suffer. What do you think? Add your comment in the space below.