Winter warmers

With the frosts upon us now with monotonous regularity, playing golf might seem a madman's occupation in temperatures with a minus attached to the front of the number of degrees centigrade.

But for some of us die-hard “eejits” who like to play golf in any weather, we brave the frosts, put up with temporary greens, mats on tees, winter rules and freezing cold winds to go out there and still try and play that one great round…It must be a British thing!

With that in mind, what we all have in common is that we dress for the occasion. And if you haven't got the right gear, the likelihood is that you will freeze parts that don't require freezing and the enjoyment goes from the game in a heartbeat.

The major manufacturers spend millions on Winter golf gear, designing, advertising, manufacturing and promoting…why? Simply because in the UK, we play winter golf for about 6 months of the year, from October, through until April!

GOLFmagic takes a look at what is on offer in the shops and comes up with the best winter accessories for your game, not only in the frosts, but also during those chilly summer days we get all too often in dear old Blighty!

Mizuno Wind Shirt
The Mizuno Wind Top provides protection from those cold blustery winds and even a light shower and there is little or no restriction to a full flowing swing. It is warm and light and perfect for the colder weather.

Mizuno's Wind Shirt

The top is soft to the touch thanks to its microfibre shell and with a breathable inner layer, you can use this top all year round instead of a jumper.

The wind top comes in two colours, navy and grey, and is available in the shops right now at £40 and it comes in all sizes from Small to XXL.
GOLFMagic Rating 7/10

Mizuno Microfleece
The Microfleece is a great addition to your winter clothing range. Even on a bitterly cold day, this top provides all the warmth you need to play golf and it doesn't restrict your swing at all. With elasticated cuffs, a zipper neckline and a drawstring waistline, this is just about all you need over a t-shirt or roll-neck such is its performance.

Mizuno's excellent Fleece

Even when the temperature was close to freezing, all I had on was a polo shirt and this Microfleece, a bobble hat and a pair of mittens!

Mizuno say that it is the perfect second layer for those chilly days, but in testing, while it is good underneath a wind top or a golf jacket, it does very well on its own merits. While most fleeces tend to be bulky and cumbersome when you try and swing a golf club, Mizuno have used technology cleverly to bring the weight down, provide excellent warmth at a great price too.
The Fleece also sells for £40 and is available in the same colours and sizes as the Mizuno Wind top.
GOLFMagic Rating 9.5/10

Adidas Winter clothing.
Adidas' winter range is comprehensive with a range of clothing to suit all sizes and budgets and such are the designs, it can be classed as unisex too. Pick of the styles are the ClimaWarm and ClimaShell technology garments that Adidas say will ensure golfers will stay warm, dry and comfortable both on and off the golf course.

The ranges feature warm jumpers, wind shirts, turtle neck tops with the woolly hat to match the range in some seasonal winter colours such as “Mullet”, “Barley” and “Punjab”.

EQT Windshirt.
A great windshirt from Adidas with a handy scorecard pocket at the front and very light indeed. The ClimaShell technology allows for excellent weather protection with both wind and water resistance and Adidas claim that this will protect you from anything nature throws at you.

Adidas' lightweight wind shirt

The collar wraps nicely around the neck and the mesh lining allows you to breathe instead sweat inside them. The Windshirt is available in a range of sizes from 36/38 chest to 48/50 chest and will retail at around £69.99
GOLFMagic Rating 8/10

Open Jumper
This is the pick of the Adidas range for me. The jumper is absolutely perfect to play golf in a keep you warm on those chilly mornings all year round, not just the winter.

Outside, it is a cotton blend knitted pullover with a handy neck zipper, but inside, it has a Windstopper lining that will keep you warm enough all the way around the course. You can wear it on its own or with a t-shirt underneath such is its versatility.

Adidas Open lined Jumper

And while you pay around £79.99 for this jumper, it is a worthwhile investment for all year round use and very easy to play in. The only thing you might need to add to your clothing when you have this on in the winter, is a nice woolly hat and a pair of mittens, the jumper provides all the rest of the protection that you will need…and if it rains a little, just add the windshirt too!
Sizes available are from 36/38 chest to 48/50 chest.
GOLFMagic Rating 8/10

B9 Reversible Sleeveless Windvest
I have never been quite sure as to why you would not want any sleeves during the winter months, but Adidas' range allows you that luxury with the new B9 Windvest.

Adidas' sleeveless pullover

But if you match this with their mock Turtle-neck and put this over the top, you have a nifty little combination. If it gets too cold, then the Windvest or Open Jumper will help keep you even warmer.

All of the Adidas range is totally versatile and designed for use on the golf course, while looking stylish off the course too. It's a bit of mix and match for the fashion conscious, but for the serious player, you have everything you need here to help you score to your full potential while still looking smart and fashionable.
GOLFMagic Rating 6/10

FootJoy Winter range
Apart from the fabulous FootJoy rain suit which ranks very highly among the best waterproof suits available, the rest of the FootJoy range is also high quality and practical for the golf course.

FootJoy pullover

The FootJoy Dual Climate Performance Pullover is technologically advanced performance pullover that is designed to adapt to changing climates. It provides excellent comfort, quality and performance and is also reversible.

The Microfibre shell is wind and water resistant and the storm collar helps keep water from running down your neck and back.

The Articulated sleeves provide freedom of movement for the arms and with a Lycra Rib-Knit waistband and cuffs this is yet another high quality product from FootJoy.
GOLFMagic Rating 7/10

Performance Wind Shirt

This Windshirt from FootJoy is ideal for breezy weather-driven days and like all of the ones we have tested, it is soft, quiet and water-resistant.

And also like the rest of them, you can, if you like, wear it off the course too without feeling like a “Golfer”.

FootJoy windshirt

Again, comfort on the course was the highest priority and FootJoy have never failed in that department.

The Lycra Rib-Knit V-neck Collar and articulated sleeves with Lycra¨ Rib-Knit cuffs provide greater freedom of movement for the arms and provide no resistance when swinging at full power.
Like the rain suit, the elastic waistband prevents water from entering the garment and unlike some of the competition, the handy zipper pockets convert to a “Stuff Bag”.
GOLFMagic Rating 8/10

Nike Therma Fit
With the World number One relying on Nike for his clothing, it may not come as too much of a surprise that Nike offer Tiger Woods their best clothing range. And while Tiger does not play too much golf in the frost or snow, he still has the occasional round in poor weather and accordingly, he is fitted out with a range to suit his needs.

Good enough for Tiger...!

Top of the range from Nike is the Storm-Fit Waterproof suit, but apart from the suit, Nike offer a therma-Fit and a Dri Fit range of outerwear for all kinds of weather conditions.

The Therma-Fit top is designed to keep you warm on the course and with the half-zip cover-up, black microfibre outer layer and Therma-FIT inside layer, inside storm flap, side zip pockets and rib cuff and waistband, it does exactly what it says it does! Keeps you warm.

Along with the omnipresent “Swoosh” trademark, all you need now is to swing like Tiger and win five majors!

GOLFMagic Rating 9/10