The Testing Opportunity
Not everyone golfs in the rain but if you do it is essential to have quality rain gear that will keep you dry and comfortable and still provide enough flexibility so you can perform your best.
Galway Bay has consistently performed well in our Most Wanted testing and, this year, offered to take part in MyGolfSpy Forum testing.
Galway Bay provided each tester with their Hawthorn II golf rain jacket, Seagrove II chino rain pants and golf rain gloves. Five intrepid testers volunteered to play golf in conditions that would make most of us head home. These brave souls were chosen to give us their honest opinions on how this Galway Bay rain gear performed in some of the worst conditions, how it fit and identify its strengths and weaknesses.
About Galway Bay
Galway Bay apparel was founded nearly 15 years ago. In their words, “we designed our Performance Outerwear to be versatile, comfortable and fashionable. Galway Bay provides protection from the wind and rain while still allowing players to take an unrestricted swing. So you can look and play great even when the weather isn’t.”
Their garments include key technologies such as their proprietary Hydro-Flex 32, a three-layer fabric which is waterproof, breathable and offers, again in their words, “Performance Stretch. Galway Bay is serious about being waterproof; every jacket also includes a double durable water repellent coating.”
What our Testers Said: Hawthorn II Rain Jacket
The Hawthorn II rain jacket comes in two colors, black on black and Ultimate Grey. Our testers had their choice of color option and initial impressions were very solid. Testers noted minimal packaging and some were very surprised with how light and thin the material was.
How did the Hawthorn II rain jacket fit? For our tester WaffleHouseTour a slight miss in ordering a medium versus a small meant that there was a “poofyness” in the chest. However “that poof doesn't bother me with a full swing – but it does with the short shots and putter.”
He added “when it comes to comfort – the jacket is flawless. It is extremely lightweight. It passes the breathability test with flying colors. It is not warm – so you may need to layer up in the spring or fall, but you’ll be fine in the summer. If you are carrying your bag on your shoulders – you’ll perspire there a bit – as you normally would – but it doesn’t cause any water to leak through.”
Tester jdparker noted “I feel like there is room in the shoulders and back area that should allow for a smooth golf swing. The jacket does have that wispy noise that every rain jacket I have owned does.”
When it came to the on-course performance he had more to say: “The jacket was probably the one article of clothing that impressed me the most. So often rain gear is restrictive and noisy which can change my game and distract me from playing my best. Let’s face it, you are already playing in the rain and now you have these limitations, it doesn’t make for an enjoyable round. Galway Bay knocked it out of the park on their jacket. It is comfortable and light. It has the necessary stretch and design to allow you to keep your normal swing, and this is paramount in bad weather gear. The slight noise I heard when I first put on the jacket ended up not being a distraction whatsoever and I was very pleased that a rain jacket finally fit that bill.”
Bottom line: The jacket really impressed all of our testers and while some found there to be a bit of “poof” in the chest, the majority found the fit to be great. More importantly, the performance in the wet was there to match.
What Testers Said - Seagrove II Chino Rain Pant
The Seagrove II rain pants come in the same two colors as the jacket. The biggest difference between these rain pants and many others is that they are not meant to be worn over top of shorts or pants. They are meant to be worn alone while providing optimal protection against the elements.
Tester GolferXY was a real warrior heading out to the range in pouring rain for 45 minutes. “The pants kept me dry and I wore them home in the car, stopping for some shopping on the way. No bleeding through. Also, I was curious if the straight legs of the pants might allow rain to run off into my shoes. Nope! Very pleased about that.”
Tester Alan Scanzi said, “it performed well on the course, very comfortable, better than all other outfits I wear, when I have to wear pants.”
Tester EugeGal said, “straight out of the packet they just looked as stated, normal golf pants - not the garbage bags I currently have. Big plus on this!! Again subtle detailing on the right pocket. The 2 rear pockets have magnetic closures unlike the normal Velcro system - there was no flap so it will be interesting to see how this copes in the rain, but the magnet I thought was a nice touch. Nice tapered cut to the leg and the grey color just shouted smart!! These pants tick the box for me in all counts so far.”
Bottom line: Our testers were as impressed with the pants as they were with the jacket. Tester jdparker summed them up well, saying, “the pants breathe well and the stretch in the Hydro-Flex 32 material makes it easy to walk the course. The pockets are large enough to hold tees, marker and golf balls but not overly big. The back pockets have magnets in them to help keep them closed when not in use and perfect for a glove.”
What Testers Said - Galway Bay Rain Glove
While the jacket and pants received great feedback and overall ratings, the gloves had mixed reviews. Tester jdparker noted “the GB rain gloves for me are lacking some in performance.”
Tester GolferXY: “The gloves were fine.They stayed grippy even when wet. However, I ordered a size smaller than my normal XL and they were still too big. During 7-iron drills, the gloves did diminish my feel, but when I hit the ball off the toe, the stinger I expected was muffled. I could still tell that I mishit the ball, but didn't pay as big a price as I did with my other rain gloves.”
Overall, the Galway Bay rain gloves for our testers did the job but did lack some performance. Having said that, they still performed well compared to some other rain gloves our testers tried side by side, but they lost a bit of grip as they got really wet.
The Final Verdict
We have to thank all of our testers for going out and getting great videos, photos and information in the rain for this testing experience.
We asked our testers to rate all the apparel, taking into account the various categories. Their final ratings ranged from 85 to 97 out of 100.
Both WaffleHouseTour and jdparker summed up the testing experience and Galway Bay products nicely.
“I don’t think anyone will be disappointed by the Galway Bay rain gear. It absolutely does what it is supposed to do. It will keep you dry. You will stay dry. It is flexible and won’t slow down your swing. It's breathable and lightweight. ust be smarter than I am about size, use their “what’s my size” guide and don’t take for granted what you usually wear.
“If you are in the market for rain gear or even if you are not, do yourself a favor and head on over to the Galway Bay site and pick up a new jacket, pants or gloves. You will not be disappointed.
“I had some very low expectations with rain gear at the beginning of this process and Galway Bay blew me away with their performance in every aspect. They have found the solution to a lot of the issues in rain gear for golf. The Hydro-Flex 32 material that they use on the jacket and pants allows for the full range of motion all while giving you a modern look out on the course.
“Finally, the most important part of rain gear is to keep you dry, and this gear will absolutely do that.”
To read their full reviews go to this link: MyGolfSpy Forum Full Reviews: Galway Bay Rain Gear
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