Here at THP we have the pleasure of testing and reviewing a number of innovating, interesting, and downright genius products. We often receive a product and immediately ponder why we couldn’t have developed such an idea. Often times it may appear that simple, but many hours of thought and design goes into each and every product. I had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with the leadership team of Vicarious Golf while attending the 2009 PGA Merchandise Show. Vicarious offers a simple, yet effective accessory that golfers of all levels can use and benefit from, the V-Towel. At first glance the V-Towel appears to be yet another simple microfiber towel but it is much more than that. The V-Towel offers all golfers the performance of a microfiber towel with the added benefit of a 270-degree cleaning bristle built into the unit.
As golfers we are aware of the importance of maintaining and cleaning our grooves. It affects our trajectory and the amount of spin we see throughout our round. While this is something we all face, often times golfers fail to properly clean their clubs while on the range or on the course. The patented technology of V-Towel combines a full detachable mircofiber towel with a 270-degree cleaning bristle tucked behind a molded plastic case. Vicarious offers a unique drop-and-lock system makes the V-Towel portable and easily attachable and detachable to any stand or cart bag. The V-Towel is the ultimate in practical golf accessories. The unit is fairly light, yet well built, and offers a few features that allow it to stand out amongst its competitors. The microfiber towel is easily attached the bristle unit by two strong Velcro connections. This feature allows the towel to be easily removed from the unit and washed.
I am very impressed with the overall design of the V-Towel. As someone who frequently walks the golf course I often avoid wire and bristle brushes as they often snag pant legs while walking or picking up a stand bag. Finding a healthy snag caused by a club brush in a quality pair of golf pants is rather annoying and is finally avoidable with the V-Towel. I was also very impressed with the overall size of the towel, which is on the smaller side and fit well on my ultra-light stand bag.
Out on the range and the course, the towel works as described. It cleans the clubs extremely well with the brush and keeps them nice and dry with the attached towel. One of the best parts of this gadget are the ease of cleaning it. Each piece comes apart and can be washed separately. The towel is held on by Velcro and can be taken off and put right into the washing machine. The brush can then be cleaned separately by hand or by putting it in the dishwasher. We really liked the concept of being able to separate the two pieces for ease of cleaning.
Overall, I was incredibly impressed with the concept, design, and execution of the V-Towel. I felt it performed as well as any microfiber towel on the market while the bristle brush feature only increased its performance and versatility. The V-Towel is also offered in a wide variety of colors to match anyone’s style preference. Although I felt the towel performed well, I cannot give this product a must buy rating. While the V-Towel offers a fully functional product with many performance features, I feel it would be a must buy product at a lower price. Currently the V-Towel is being offered on their website (www.vicariousgolf.com) for an MSRP of 29.95 EUR. At the current USD – EUR exchange rate the V-Towel would roughly cost 37.00 USD including shipping. While the V-Towel is a strong product and recommended, its price point is a bit steep. THP would give the V-Towel a “Must Buy” status if the product were in the 20-30 dollar range, making the product more affordable and accessible to a wider range of golfers.
Dan D.
