Martin Golf Apparel Review

Rick Martin is a well-known veteran of the golf apparel business and has started a new venture that is aptly named Martin Golf Apparel. His philosophy and style in clothing will definitely appeal to a more traditional consumer base and that’s a fact he’s very proud of. Martin Golf Apparel sent a couple samples of their 2012 line to THP for review and I was the lucky person chosen to give them a thorough test.

Message from Rick Martin
I thought it would be best to let Mr. Martin explain the inspiration behind his new line of clothing. In a recent press release he said, “My idea of golf fashion is rooted in watching legends like Byron Nelson and Ben Hogan – gentlemen who always looked well put together, but never contrived. To that end, my goal is to create elegant, stylish but versatile garments that are related, but can be worn with anything. This, in addition to my commitment to using only natural fibers – no synthetics, no pieced-together garments – is one of the cornerstones of what Martin Golf Apparel is all about.”

The press release goes on to say, “Martin Golf Apparel’s Fall 2012 collections embody the philosophy that led Martin to launch the company. The Essentials Collection makes use of the company’s entire color palette, bringing to the golf apparel marketplace a variety of knits and sweaters that truly live up to the Martin Golf Apparel philosophy, “as Timeless as the Game.” The Timeless Elements Collection offers items in a more specialized, yet still broad, range of colors.”

Looks and Thoughts on the Fabric
It’s pretty evident that Martin sent these shirts with spring in mind. The primary color for both of them was a soft lavender, with one shirt using black as a highlight color. Keep in mind that Martin Golf Apparel does offer a wide palette of color options, so most people could find something in the line that suits their tastes. These shirts are all constructed of high-quality Pima cotton that really exudes a luxurious feeling. It was soft, airy, and definitely rivaled any high-end cotton shirt that I’ve owned when it came to comfort. This is a line of shirts that could be worn anywhere from work, dinner at the clubhouse, and obviously the golf course.

However, I did find a limit as to when I felt comfortable playing golf in this line of shirts. Unfortunately, high temperatures and cotton shirts haven’t ever been a good match for me. I just sweat a little too much for this combination to work for me in the humid Midwest summers. That being said, I thought the Martin Golf Apparel shirts were perfect for me up to the low 70’s. Once the thermometer crept up into the high 70’s and above, I did notice some dampness that wasn’t very comfortable. Honestly, that’s an issue that I expected and wasn’t disappointed by. I typically switch to synthetic fabrics when the weather gets that warm and save cotton shirts for spring and fall.

One thing that was a bit of a disappointment to me was the collar on the solid lavender shirt. I’m typically very careful with the way I launder my clothing, which prevent wrinkled collars, among other things. Unfortunately, I couldn’t really do anything to keep this shirt’s collar in good shape. I’ve included a picture to show you what I experienced. Please note that the lighting in this picture makes the color of the shirt look less vibrant, but that really is not the case in person. This is not an issue that I saw with the lavender/black shirt, so I’m not sure exactly what the cause was. Nonetheless, it was a little inconvenient that I needed to use an iron on the collar to make the solid lavender shirt suitable to wear.

Closing Thoughts
I think there’s a strong market for high-quality, cotton-based golf shirts, and those of you looking for something of that variety will likely be pleased with what Martin Golf Apparel has to offer. I’m normally more comfortable in a synthetic fabric in hot temperatures, but the mild weather in my area during the spring season has been perfect for these shirts. This is a line of clothing that will be found exclusively in the pro shops of golf clubs, so it may be worth talking to your club pro if you are interested in seeing it in person. For more information on the Martin Golf Apparel brand, I’d invite you to head over to their website at www.martingolfapparel.com. As always, thank you for reading.

Ryan H.

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Ryan Hawk
Editor and writer Ryan Hawk lives in northwestern Illinois with his fiance and son. He's been a writer for The Hackers Paradise for two years and has been involved with a number of THP events.
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