If you look at your national weather maps, you’ll see that most of the country is in a ‘cool’ weather pattern right now. While that won’t last for long, half the country will continue into the traditional winter season but does that mean you have to stop playing golf? Or at least hit at a few range buckets at a nice and warm heated driving range? Not necessarily, especially with Nike’s Pro Compression Therma sleeves in your bag. THP put these sleeves to the test in all sorts of conditions and elements to see if these really are worthy of having a place in your golfing wardrobe. Are they worth it and more importantly do they work? Check it out.
From the Company
Um, it’s Nike? OK so you know the player but what game are they trying to play with these? Nike says that these full length sleeves will go onto you arms with a nice secure fit and keep you warm as well as dry. That’s a lot of things for these sleeves to take care of isn’t it? Big things come in small packages right? Maybe so but read on to see how these things really worked and if Nike’s claims were true.
Key Features, Technology & Functionality
* Therma-FIT fabric to help keep you warm and insulated
* Elastic gripper band with silicon lining at the top of the sleeve for a no-slip wear
* Compression fit reduces bulk and improves range of motion.
* Dri-Fit technology
* Zippered mesh/fabric storage bag
Fabric:
92%- Polyester
8% – Spandex
Testing/Usage
When I first received these my initial thought was that I could only have one, maybe two uses for them. However after initially trying them on my mind began to race with all the ways I could utilize these sleeves. First I took them out of the handy dandy zippered storage bag that you can roll these up into when they’re not on those two guns of yours and put them on my own two guns while wearing just a golf shirt on a day that was in the low 50’s. I noticed that my arms almost immediately felt warmer and that they sure do compress around you for a nice fit, almost custom if you will. What’s also cool is that if you wear the right colored shirt these almost look like they are a part of the shirt themselves as the sleeves go all the way up your arms and under the sleeves of your golf shirt creating almost a ‘seal’ of some kind so your body thinks you’re wearing long sleeves. My arms were warm but not overly so, however, after a bit of time I did start to ‘notice’ that I had sleeves on and felt a little on the warm side after awhile. Sneaky little sleeves.
Next up was some testing in 40 degree weather. This was what I really wanted to see from these sleeves, how they would do when layered with other clothing. On the sleeves went, followed by a long sleeve golf shirt and you know what? It didn’t feel that much different than if I had just the long sleeve shirt on. Yes I was layered to an extent but more importantly it didn’t feel like it. The compression feature creates a snug fit that insulates your arm without cutting off your circulation and without any slippage. What I really noticed during this phase of testing that my arms were warms but so were my hands. The sleeves keep you warm and almost seem to promote blood circulation to your upper extremities (those would be your hands) which in turn keeps them warm. No more crying about cold hands during those chilly rounds of golf you hear me?
Now for the real fun, testing in 30 degree weather. Nuts right? Yeah maybe but these are the things that need to be tested out for your reading pleasure. I slid these sleeves on, then a long sleeve golf shirt, and then a lightweight jacket. Yep, arms are still warm. In fact they seemed to be one of the warmest parts of my body. As mentioned above, my hands were direct benefactors to this newly found warmth and I never felt like I needed to have any extra gloves on, etc. This is where I first noticed that the sleeves really do have moisture management properties. My arms never felt sweaty, hot, or uncomfortable. Best of all, the sleeves never moved down my arms at all. They were always snug and never felt like they were constricting even when under multiple layers of clothing.
Overall
These sleeves are the real deal. They seemed do do everything that Nike claims they can do. Keep your arms warm and insulated? Yep. No slippage during wear? Check. However, I can see some potential slippage once the sleeves become a little stretched out at the top from repeated pulling and tugging while you’re putting them on and taking them off. Improves range of motion while reducing bulk? For the most part. My guns don’t have a ton of bulk to them so there wasn’t a lot of bulk to compress and I can’t say that my range of motion was increased to any degree. This may be a feature that someone who has bigger arms can benefit from as I can see the arms potentially swinging more free around the body, etc. Dri-Fit technology at work? Oh yeah. Never once did I see any moisture on the sleeves themselves or feel any moisture on my arms which was nice to experience. Anything that can reduce my sweat factor is a worthy investment in my book.
The Nike Pro Compression sleeves are a must have for any golfing wardrobe. I think they can be used in all types of dry weather in temps less than 55* by themselves all the way into the 30’s with the proper layers. Sizing is available in S/M, M/L and L/XL. The size I tested was L/XL due to my long-ish arms. For those that care or need a reference, my arms are measured at 34/35″ and I found the L/XL to be a perfect fit. I would say that if you’re unsure of what size to get, error on the larger side just in case. They come in three different colors (black, grey, white) and retail for around $25. To read more about these little sleeves, click on over to
T. Hanks
