If there was a GHIN handicap for sweating, I’d be a plus-5 and a threat to play on Sunday afternoons on the networks.
“Let’s send it down to Amanda, who’s with John Schwarb … and he looks absolutely soaked.”
Here in the Midwest, it’s prime golf and sweat time and I won’t be able to separate the two until November. That’s OK until I want to grab a bite at the club and realize I forgot my change of clothes, or when I go straight home and the various women in my house, age 11 and up, glance at me and go “eww.”
It’s the armpit areas, fully and visibly marinated in sweat. I’ll spare you any further details.
That’s just what golf in the heat and humidity has always done to me. And when an apparel company reached out earlier this summer with the offer to try a new shirt with an innovative fabric to beat the heat, I warned them that I might not be their best candidate to test-drive golf shirts for moisture control.
But lululemon’s ShowZero polo ($98 at lululemon.com) has solved one of my game’s great eyesores.
“We started by identifying a common problem,” said Chantelle Murnaghan, lululemon's vice president for research and product innovation. “Ninety-eight percent of guests surveyed are unhappy with the appearance of sweat in everyday settings and we know that extends to the golf course.
“We wanted to ensure ShowZero felt great on the body, while effectively masking sweat, keeping players dry without compromising on the feel, function or aesthetic that lululemon is known for.”
I’ll confess, I knew that the brand was an emerging player in the golf space but didn’t think a 50-year-old dad was exactly a target audience. To me, the aesthetic was more for the aforementioned 11-and-up women in my house, who are big fans of lululemon athletic wear and the crossbody bags that have pushed conventional purses to the back of closets.
But there is a Tour influence here, as Min Woo Lee was involved in the creation of the ShowZero, sharing feedback from on-course testing in Australian summer heat—which I hear can rival central Indiana. Perhaps lululemon’s instructions were to “let him cook” and report back.
“In addition to masking sweat, Min Woo appreciated elements like the polo’s unrestricted movement, allowing for a more comfortable swing, and the fabric’s breathability to keep him dry,” Murnaghan said. “He was also vocal about the fabric’s overall feel, to ensure it had the structure he needed to feel locked in.”
The ShowZero is a slim fit yet didn't feel restricting, in part because it was managing the sweat so well. And the masking was nothing short of magic: each time I walked off the course I didn’t have saucer-size sweat stains, nor did I have to peel the shirt off me when I got home. The feeling was strange, but delightful.
The polo currently comes in three colors, with more expected by fall. My old golf shirts are destined for the back of the closet, right next to the family's purses.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Sweat Becomes a No-Show With This Brand’s Newest Shirt.
