Benchmark for quality - adidas autumn collection.
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Autumn/winter collection by adidas (short and long-sleeve polos, roll and crew-neck sweaters)
Price: From £24.99 - £55.99
The best models I ever had on a clothing photo shoot were the wife of the photographer and a young guy we commandeered in the bar of the stunning Portstewart course in Northern Ireland.
The advertisement manager spotted him while he was innocently enjoying a bacon sarnie and within seconds she had convinced him that this, if he would agree, would be a career-changing opportunity.
It wasn't, as it turned out, but he and his mates got a big kick out of the experience and for months after, thanks to the coverage, he was recognised wherever he played in the Province.
It was important for the image of that shoot, supported by the local Tourist Board - showing off a winter collection of woollens, waterproofs and windtops as well as their great courses - to have models who both looked the part and could play.
Too many golf fashion features show models who look like they have never picked up a club in their life and are merely attractive clothes horses for the products.
Dave, Trevor and Mal.
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I prefer to use raw golfers who can act like models, rather than models who try to act like golfers.
So when adidas released samples of its latest autumn collection, I roped in three of my golfing mates - Dave off 17 handicap, Malcolm (19) and his son Trevor (5) - to wear the stuff and all were impressed by its style.
Dave wore the long-sleeved Clima rollneck sweat shirt with rib knit collar and cuffs (£29.99). He said it was comfortable but agreed that for autumn and winter wear the neck-line wasn't deep enough.
Like me, he prefers a little more material to bring the collar higher under his chin. Apart from the added protection, it looks less scruffy. Colours are available in pearl, black, navy and chestnut.
adidas ribbing.
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Dave also checked out the crimson, crew-neck pullover with subtle but distinctive adidas stripes knitted into the sleeves but felt at £55.99 was a little too pricey to risk wearing while trying to retrieve balls from the bottom of hawthorn hedge. Also available in dark navy, black, stone and chestnut.
adidas claims its exclusive Climalite material in its clothing regulates temperature and humidity while reducing energy loss and fatigue. To be honest there was not much evidence of that among our testers on a hot day, though admittedly the temperature did rocket to almost unmanageable levels, when a few short putts were missed.
Practical man that he is, Malcolm's view of the Clima Interlock short-sleeve polo (£24.99) was that it would be difficult to judge its real quality until after several washes.
So many sports shirts tend to either become rough and brittle to the feel or go out of shape, despite following the washing instructions, but adidas has built a reputation on durability and shape for their products and this looks no exception.
In the meantime I'm still looking to get hold of the lime green polo shirts that Sergio Garcia has made his trademark!
adidas has certainly made a hit with the younger generation with its long-sleeved jersey polos which are fast becoming a badge of fashion. With three-button collars and rib-knit cuffs, they demand a slimmer figure, especially with the horizontal stripes across the chest and certainly stand out in a crowd.
Long-sleeve polo.
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Trevor, a non-league pro footballer, agrees that Britain and much of Europe rarely provides the ideal climate for the long-sleeve polo - you're either sleeveless, or wearing a sweater - but as a shirt that will double up as an after-match fashion statement, it's hard to beat.
The long-sleeve jersey polo (£39.99) is available in dark navy/pearl, crimson/pearl and chestnut/pearl.
