waterproofs

hey there fellow wet weather golfers, anyone know somewhere i can get hold of a decent set of waterproofs at a reasonable price???

thanks for your help

Depends how commited you are to wet weather golf and what you think is a reasonable price Robert.  Mine are Footjoys, probably £170 for the jacket and trousers, I've never, ever felt cold or wet in them - and this year I've played in some pretty abysmal weather.

You do get what you pay for up to a point. 

I don't know about any waterproofs as such.

My only advice would be to get a set that allows your body to breath.

My waterproofs keep my dry in the rain, but when I take then off I'm still wet on the inside.

I might as well wear a bin liner, it would do the same job but a lot cheaper!

Good luck with your search.

Russ

Russ, I had this problem on Friday ! 

Freezing cold so was a bit of a girls blouse but had some running tights and trousers on.  Because the ground was wet I put my waterproofs over the top.  During the round I was lovely and warm, didn't feel the cold and wasn't overheating.  When I got back to the car after the round condensation had built up inside!  See where you are coming from with the bin liner comment

A decent dunlop suit from sports-world or sports-direct. only £19.99. I bought one and a nice suit it is too ! cheap as chips.

http://www.sportsdirect.com/Products/SD/PID-Dunlop+Weather+Res+Suit-365017.aspx

I thought that stuff like that was OK until I tried the Footjoy stuff.  My kit was expensive compared to that Dunlop job, but it's light, monsoon proof, wind proof and rolls up into my bag.  It doesn't rustle or squeek when I play.  It breathes so I don't sweat in it, and the only problem I do have is if the sun comes out and I overheat pretty quickly.  At the end of season shindig I only had a polo shirt underneath. It drys in minutes (put it in the washing machine and it dries in about an hour).

Normally I wouldn't suggest that anyone spends a lot on kit just because it's for golf, but 4 or 5 hours out in the elements really changed my mind. 

If you take a normal round of golf, three to four hours out in everything the British weather can throw at us.

The suit needs to keep you dry and warm for the whole of the round.  My suit keeps me dry and warm, but the condensation inside my jacket when I finish means I'm as wet inside as I would be without wearing the jacket!

The other factor to take into consideration is how often you play golf.  If you only play once a fortnight, when the weather looks good, then you would probably get away with a cheap suit.

If you are playing two or three rounds a week, whatever the weather, then you need a good suit.

I'd say go for the best one you can afford.

Russ

I can cast an experienced eye on both sides here as I own the Sports World Dunlop suit and have been looking to replace it.

With regards the Dunlop one, it's a reasonable cheap buy and it's never leaked when I've worn it, including in some fairly nasty conditions.  It also keeps you warm.  HOWEVER, it doesn't breath so I have sometimes had to wear the trousers with just my boxers unerneath to stop me getting too hot.  Even then on wet summer days I have still been sweaty and it gets very uncomfortable.  I rarely wear the jacket because whilst it keeps me very dry I find it very heavy and I feel it restricts my swing.

With regards to replacements, whilst I'd love to be able to buy a set of Galvin Greens, I can't justify £350 for something I would use half a dozen times a year.  So I have narrowed it down to two suits; Callaway and Ping.  The Callaway is not the expensive goretex one but their lighter one.  Comes with a waterproof guarantee, is light, generous fit (for us larger lads), comes with different waist and leg length combinations, doesn't restrict your swing and is very quiet.  Cost for the suit is £110 from The Belfry, so you would probably get it for around £90 if you shopped around.  The Ping suit is pretty much the same as the Callaway one except is not quite as generous a fit and only comes in a standard leg length.  This one is £100 from American Golf. Ping comes in black, red or blue, Callaway in black only.  If you have a little more to spend, Sunderlands are almost as good as Galvins but around two thirds of the price. 

As Santo said, you get what you pay for.  If you need a cheap or quick fix, the Dunlops will get you going but you will be replacing them in a year or two due to comfort issues.  Galvins will last forever but there's a high outlay, where the Callaway and Ping suits won't stand up to quite as heavy weather but will be fine for four or five years and 95% of the weather conditions you will encounter.  Sunderlands are a reasonable compromise if you can find £200-£250. 

I have the ProQuip Silk Touch suit (as used in the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor) & it is very , very lightweight, breathable, warm & keeps you as dry as a bone. I paid about £170 2 years ago & can't think of a reason why I would want to replace it.

In this cold & wet weather I just wear a pair of thermals under the trousers & a shirt (maybe a jumper in very cold weather) under the jacket. The jacket also has zip off arms which is really handy in the warmer weather.

You really do get what you pay for.

Wayne, if I had the money I would buy a better suit, one that breathes.

The suit I've got at the moment cost me about �80 from American Golf three years ago.

To be honest I only put the trousers on in really bad weather.

The jacket goes on when the rain gets too heavy for my ProQuip Silk top.

Russ

The popularity in waterproofs has been because materials have improved to such an extent that it is now possible to swing a club in them as well as keep dry.

Waterproofs in my day were so thick and heavy that it was an impossibility to swing, so I have spent the whole of my golfing life without ever having owned a set. I see no reason to break with that tradition.

I don't see why you should allow yourself to get wet and uncomfortable just because you always have John.  It's down to personal preference but you need to look after those new knees you know!

I generally only wear the trousers, but when I mentioned this in shops they found it a little strange.  It appears they feel that jackets seem to be the most important, but I tend to put the trousers on at the beginning of a round and only put the jacket on if it's needed. 

Golf, to me Chris, has always meant to have been pleasure, which means that playing in the rain is not my idea of utopia.

Of course I have been caught out having  committed to a competition and paid the penalty of getting pretty soaked,  but over the years I don't suppose I have got that wet that often. Good use of an umbrella, a couple of good towels is all I reallly need.

The new knees will probably rust anyway at the merest hint of inclement weather.

JJB have some nice suits. slazenger breathable suit £39.99 or nike rainsuit £75

http://www.jjbgolf.co.uk/golf-clothing/waterproofs

PS. they are having sales on golf clubs and other things too.

Or you could just hope it doesn't rain Paul!

Paul,

You'll need the trousers when we have to help Chris fish his balls out of the water!!!

John.

If the lakes are like they were last week he'll need skis!  Very frustrating to see your ball sitting pretty and out of reach on top of the ice.  It wasn't lonely though....

Got mine yesterday.  Galvin Geen trousers for £149, Sunderland jacket for £65.  The Galvins are goretex with a lifetime guarantee, the Sundeland is teflon coated with a 3 year guarantee.  I went for the Sunderland jacket because it is lightweight, quiet and didn't restrict my swing.  I tend to wear trousers more than the jacket, hence going for the better ones. 

I got them from American Golf, who currently have a 3 for 2 on all clothing.  That meant I was able to treat myself to a very nice Galvin windtop free!!!

I suppose you will praying for rain now, Paul, so that you can try them out.