The stars aligned this year, lining up Father’s Day (when all good boys and girls look to get Dad something he’ll love) with the U.S. Open (when stylish boys and girls turn their eyes to golf).
If you’re looking for last minute gifts that capture the spirit of both, I had a comfortable and stylish few days trying out sportswear from Antigua and Sunice Golf.
Sunice is a Canadian company focusing on active wear for outdoor enthusiasts, especially golf and skiing, We’re focusing on a gentlemen’s sport for Dad today, so let’s lock in on golf. Sunice focuses exclusively on high quality items made from the best cutting edge materials. Trying on its golf shirts, they’re obviously designed to be light with a look toward ventilation. Sunice steers away from cotton or heavy blends in favor of breathable modern fabrics that will allow the body to cool better on sunny days amongst the tee boxes and bunkers.
Even the rain gear — which must be somewhat heavier to repel moisture — doesn’t surrender to cumbersome weight. Golfers know how key that is because amateurs struggle enough with their swings to have clingy or heavy garments interfering.
Related: Swinging with Bespoke TaylorMade
I’ve tested Antigua in the past, and I’m finding they’re upgrading their materials and construction these days, also. For this year, as I saw at this year’s PGA Show down in Orlando, Antigua also amped up the styling cues, going a little more aggressive. I’m seeing a little less solid colors and more subtle stripes (below).
The fit is comfortable and light (with the latter obviously being the dominant trend in modern golf wear). Yes, the solid colors are there — but buyers have an extended selection of patterns to experiment a bit more. The end effect is a stylish line of Antigua gear, ranging from shirts to shorts to jackets.
Finally, I applaud both Sunice and Antigua for not forgetting the big guy. I’m 6’3″ and 260 lbs. Should I be smaller in the latter category? Probably. Getting out on the golf course and walking 18 is a hell of a fun way to move in that direction. But, I’m not going to be wearing a lot of the major apparel makers because they cap out at a narrow fit XXL. While they’re models are all svelte and they feature smaller sizes for marketing reasons, both manufacturers feature larger sizes so big men can play in comfort.
In an era when we’re looking to get more amateurs to play gold, including bigger men in the apparel mix is a service to golf.
