Callaway Tour Authentic Rain Jacket and Pants - REVIEW

[GolfSpy Dave]

Callaway Golf: Tour Authentic Rain Jacket and Rain Pant – REVIEW

An Official MyGolfspy.com Review

 

Jacket Photo link: http://www.callawaygolf.com/Global/en-US/Products/Apparel/MensApparel/WeatherSeries/Rain/BCFR0002.html

(No that is not GolfSpy Dave...)

 

Pants Photo link: http://www.callawaygolf.com/Global/en-US/Products/Apparel/MensApparel/WeatherSeries/Rain/BCFR0005.html

 

Some Places Actually Have Rain In The Summer…

So as I was watching the rain falling at the Traveler's Championship it dawned upon this California kid that some parts of the country actually have rain in the summer. Summer golf for me is usually about getting lots of water in my body, not about keeping it off my body. Obviously my narrow Northern California local does not represent all golfing climates, and for many of you, playing in the rain is a reality.

 

My research into rain gear was motivated by thoughts of making the trek to Bandon Dunes at some point in the hopefully near future. Friends that have played Bandon have told me about the phenomenal golf, and they have all mentioned that having quality rain gear is a must. While I was surfing around the web and making contact with various rain gear companies, I stumbled across the Tour Authentic rain gear at Callaway Golf. Now as you know from my other reviews and topics, I am a huge fan of Callaway golf gear. That being said, I was unaware that Callaway even made rain gear. Prior to this review, if someone had asked me to rank the top companies that make golf rain gear, Callaway would not have even made the list. However, after a few soggy days in May, my perspective changed rapidly.

 

OK Dave, So How Did You Test Rain Gear If It Doesn't Rain In NorCal?

Truth be told, I had fully expected that the testing of the rain gear would involve me suiting up and then hitting balls in the backyard while my kids sprayed me with the hose. Thankfully, that did not happen (although the video would have been great). This year, Winter decided that the month of May was still fair game and she graced us with unusual amounts of rain. As my wife will tell you, rainy days typically cause me to stand at the window mumbling curses at the weather. This was especially true this time as the rain came during my vacation weeks where golf had been planned in excess. My only source of hope came when my contact at Callaway responded to my rain complaints with a simple statement “Rain gear is on the way. Hang in there.”

 

After the rain gear arrived, I made plans to head out to play the local muni, rain or shine. Of course this plan was derailed when my son caught a cold and stayed home from school that day. As the rain started to fall and my quasi-sick, eleven-year-old received the healing power of the Wizards of Waverly Place, I suited up and headed out into the backyard to chip balls and try out the rain gear. For the record, I could see my son on the couch through the sliding glass door and I did also check in on him every so often. Kids first, then golf…

 

The following scoring is based upon my initial findings that afternoon in the backyard, a rainy round a few days later, and a handful of soggy sessions at the range with the jacket.

 

REVIEW

Style (20 Points)

As you can tell from the pictures, I opted for the High Rise colored jacket with the Anthracite pants.

 

The High Rise color is probably best described as a dull grey putty color while Anthracite is a black-grey. The jacket also includes orange accent colors at the zippers, the collar, and the cuffs.

 

I find the overall styling to be very sleek. The Callaway branding is minimal so you don't feel like a walking advertisement when wearing the gear. There is a Callaway logo on the right sleeve and three chevrons on the back.

 

I like the look of the chevrons, but the fact that they are reflective confuses me a bit. Perhaps this will help players behind you on the dark rainy days not hit into you. Looks cool regardless.

 

The pants are very simple in style, but that is more what I would look for in a rain pant. For some reason, the pants are only available in Anthracite. Having the option of the matching High Rise pants would be a welcome choice.

 

I did hear multiple “nice jackets” from my friends while wearing the jacket.

Style Score: 19/20

 

Fit (20 Points)

I do not like wearing pants when I play golf. OK maybe I need to clarify that statement a bit. I like to wear shorts and a polo when I play; no long pants or jackets. I suppose that I prefer the lack of restriction that comes from minimal clothing. Prior to wearing any, rain gear seemed like a bulky, albeit necessary, garment for playing in the rain. At first, it did feel that the rain gear was getting in the way of my swing a bit. Then I remembered that the fit could be adjusted via drawstrings at both the middle and bottom of the jacket.

 

An extra cool feature is that the ends of the strings are in the side pockets rather than inside of the jacket. This means you can adjust the fit without unzipping the jacket. A definite benefit during a rainy round.

 

Adjusting the middle drawstring stopped the jacket from riding up my torso while I swung the club. After adjusting the bottom drawstring and the cuffs, the jacket's fit became a non-issue from that point on.

 

The pants are structured like regular pants, meaning a zipper and a snap in the front to secure. The waistband does have some elastic in it to provide some give at the waist.

 

I was hoping for a drawstring, or other adjustment device to snug in the waist, but no luck. Rather the pants have belt loops so you must wear your favorite white belt and to snug up your trousers.

 

However, one feature that I really like on the pants is the adjustable length at the cuffs. Inside the cuffs there are rows of snaps that can shorten the legs by small intervals up to about five inches total. As someone with short legs for my height, this is a great feature.

 

The design is such that even after adjusting these snaps, you can still use the zipper at the cuff to open up the leg for easy removal.

 

My only complaint about fit comes not from the jacket or pants themselves, but rather the Callaway website. In my opinion, the website does a terrible job promoting the features of the pants, especially in relation to fit. Basically the sizes are listed as S-XXL and that is it. No mention of the correlation between waist and length measurements and the generic S-XXL sizing. One has to take a blind shot at the appropriate size if they order online. After a call to Callaway, the super helpful customer service representative was able to tell me the waist measurements for the different sizes, but this is something that must be on the website. The fact that the cuffs adjust for length is also not mentioned. This is a huge omission, as consumers need to know that if the waist fits then the length can be adjusted for fit. Ultimately this does affect the fit score for me as I had to return the initial pair of pants, as they were too large. Callaway customer service took care of this with no issue or hesitation though.

Fit Score: 18/20

 

Performance (40 Points)

I hate the rain, maybe with the exception being the really cool monsoon rains that rolled into Phoenix in the summer when I was a Sun Devil. Rain, in my opinion, just makes the regular day more difficult. My addiction to golf is the only thing powerful enough to drive me to overcome the loathing of rain. After I pulled on the rain gear and grabbed my clubs, I actually stood at the threshold of the garage door for a bit before entering the deluge. I felt like I was standing at the edge of a pool psyching myself up to dive into the cold water.

 

After the initial plunge and the fit adjustment to the jacket, I forgot about the rain of the most part. I just went through my usual backyard practice routine pitching and chipping real balls and taking full swings at plastic practice balls. Outside of a few times when a bit of water went down the back of my neck, the rain was a non-issue. I think that the neck drop would also have been minimized if I had zipped the jacket all the way up and wore a bucket-style rain hat rather than a standard baseball cap. In this practice setting the rain gear was great. I returned to the house after about an hour and was totally dry under the rain the rain gear. The jacket and pants didn't even seem wet.

 

When I took the rain gear to the course for a quick nine a couple of days later, the rain was nice enough to let up after a few holes. The pants were a bit awkward to take off mid-round, but not impossible. I kept the jacket on, but took off the sleeves as it warmed up.

 

I guess that would be my only word of caution with the jacket, it will keep you warm. Obviously this is not a negative if you are looking for a warm jacket, but I did feel like it got a bit too warm here and there on the course. While practicing on the range, I definitely had to take the jacket off after a while, as I got too hot. I am not sure if the jacket is a true all-season type of jacket, but that likely depends upon climate. July rain in Florida and Oregon are probably not the same animal. Just keep this warmth in mind when you purchase. This is the one area that keeps the jacket from perfect in my scoring.

 

The zippers of the pants should also be classified as ‘performance' features. The pocket zippers are just zippers that allow you to access the pockets of the pants or shorts that you are wear underneath.

 

I don't think that I have to explain to you the advantage of having a zippered fly in the front.

Performance Score: 38/40

 

Value (20 Points)

The Callaway Tour Authentic rain jacket retails for $290 with the pants costing $190. This is a serious investment in outerwear and the value category may be the one that makes or breaks your decision. A bit of quick research shows that a set of Sun Mountain Rainflex would cost you $310 and a jacket and pants from the Sunice Hurricane Collection could easily run $500+. So for cost, it seems like the Callaway Tour Authentic line is not the cheapest, and not the most expensive rain gear available. Longevity and durability is another factor to consider. While I do not have first hand assessment of the other companies' gear, I can tell you that the Callaway Tour Authentic gear is definitely well constructed. All the stitching is tight and sealed on the interior.

 

The material itself is tough and does not seem likely to snag. It bounces back well after being stuffed into the golf bag when not needed and also makes it nicely through the washing machine. Multiple seasons of use should be assured.

Value Score 18/20

 

TOTAL SCORE: 93/100

 

Summary

Callaway really needs to fix their website description for these items as many consumers will likely pass on them because of lacking information. This is high quality outerwear.

 

So I still hate the rain, but I know that I can at least play golf comfortably in the rain while wearing the Callaway Tour Authentic rain gear. I would rather not play in the rain, of course. I do feel that having this gear takes me one step closer to making the trip to Bandon Dunes. I may not yet have the game to survive that course, but at least I will be dry.

[gdiddy]

Very nice review. And great looking outfit,the chevrons on the back are a bit much and the price is beyond me,but I still hve to act like I work daily so I try to golf when its sunny and work when it rains.