Back 9 Hats and Headcovers - REVIEW

[Matt Saternus]

Back 9 Headcover and Hat Review

 

 

 

 

Introduction

 

Hats and headcovers are two things that every golfer needs, but few think about much. Many are content with the headcover that came with their driver and the hat that Uncle Lou gave them from his trip to Myrtle Beach. For the discriminating golfer, however, there is Back 9. Back 9 started with the mission of creating a better golf hat and has since expanded their line to include headcovers and apparel. Have they truly made a better hat? Will their stylish headcovers make you hit longer, straighter drives? Read on, spies…

 

 

 

Also, if you haven't done so already, take a moment to check out my interview with Back 9 co-founder Andy Hydorn to get a good idea what Back 9 is all about.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Breeze Hat

 

The Breeze hat is a part of Back 9's Competition Collection which is geared towards helping you play through intense rain and heat. To me, the simple fact that they've designed a whole line of hats meant to deal with adverse conditions speaks to the how much they've thought about headwear. That said, on first blush, it seemed like overkill to me. But when I started to think about it, it made a lot of sense: who wants to wear a hat that does nothing but soak up water and weigh down your head? Anyone volunteering for a hat that amplifies the heat on a 100* day? Didn't think so. Enter The Breeze.

 

The Breeze is made of a lightweight microfiber that is significantly lighter than your standard hat. Additionally, extensive MGS testing (consisting of holding the hat under the faucet) showed that this hat sheds water like a duck's backside. These features are combined with an adjustable Velcro band on the back that ensures a good, comfortable fit.

 

As far as style, the Breeze keeps it simple and classy. Offered in both white and navy, the hat features a silicone applique logo on the front and a small rubber logo tag on the enclosure in the back. The applique logo is a little unusual looking, but I think it gives the appearance of a technical, performance-based piece of apparel, so it's appropriate.

 

Overall, if you want to keep your head cool and dry in extreme conditions, The Breeze can do that while keeping you stylish, all at a price of $19.09

 

Grade: A

 

Peanut Gallery: The Peanut Gallery was not quite as enthused about the Breeze as they were about the X-Hybrid (we'll get to that in a minute). Since they were unable to experience the performance, they judged the hat mainly on appearance, and many said that it looked and felt more like a tennis or running hat than a traditional golf hat. While I don't disagree with this, I think they missed the boat on why it is that way. Nonetheless, they rated The Breeze as a solid B.

 

Peanut Gallery Grade: B

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

X-Hybrid Hat

 

The X-Hybrid hat is a part of Back 9's Signature Collection which is their premium, “high fashion” line. The X-Hybrid features a slightly flatter brim and a more structured, deeper crown. The hat is fitted, but it does have a stretch band in it that should accommodate some larger domes (like my own). The stretch fit is quite comfortable, unlike many similar hats that I have worn which leave marks or give me a headache.

 

As I mentioned, the Signature Collection is about that little bit of extra style, and that's what sets this hat apart. The black on black color scheme (also available in white on white) is all business, and I like the simple “Back 9” patch across the back.

 

There's not much that I can say about this hat that the pictures don't better: it's stylish, comfortable, and has quickly become my go-to hat for the course. It's a bit more expensive than the other Back 9 hats ($24.09), but it's more than worth it to keep my head sunburn free and stylin'.

 

Grade: A+

 

Peanut Gallery: The Peanut Gallery absolutely loved the X-Hybrid. The soft, stretchy, fitted band was hailed as “extremely comfortable” by people with all different sized heads, and there was not a single person who did not find the style appealing.

 

Peanut Gallery Grade: A+

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Legend Headcovers

 

The three covers that I tested for this review were the Classic Driver, the Legends Fairway, and the LGND Hybrid. Let's start off by discussing function. Each of these covers does their job very well. All of them are nicely padded. In fact, the padding is more substantial than any other aftermarket cover I've seen, even those that cost more than twice as much. Importantly, this padding does not stop the headcovers from sliding on and off very easily. All of the covers have slits of stretchy material at the sides of the mouth of the cover that allow them to easily accommodate any club, but then hold on firmly once in place. Overall, the function is superb, and particular kudos to Back 9 for the hybrid cover: I have seen very few hybrid covers that really work well and this one is exceptional.

 

The function is excellent, but what about the style? Well, for me, the style is a home run. I've always loved the classy, traditional look of leather headcovers, and these deliver. The hybrid has a simple argyle-type stitching at the top, the fairway cover has a small “3,” and the driver sports a bold “1”. The material itself is a polyurethane leather which offers a nice feel along with excellent durability. Back 9 also offers custom monogramming on the driver and fairways covers for only $5, which is a small detail that, in my opinion, really puts the style over the top.

 

Back 9 sells both the driver and fairway covers for $28.09, and the hybrid cover costs $24.09. All of the covers are offered in multiple colors. To me, these covers are a great value because they deliver on both function and style. These will definitely be seen in my bag for a long time to come.

 

Grade: A+

 

Peanut Gallery: As usual, the Peanut Gallery offered a wide variety of opinions on the Legend covers. To a man, they were complimentary of the quality of the headcovers and the function. The opinions started to diverge when it came to questions of style, value, and likelihood of purchase. Some members of the Peanut Gallery simply liked their OEM covers and did not understand the point in buying aftermarket covers, while others preferred knit headcovers or other styles of aftermarket covers. That said, excepting those who were loyal to their OEM covers, everyone agreed that the prices of the Back 9 covers were very fair, even surprisingly low. Those that liked the classic style of the covers all asked for the Back 9 website so they could look into ordering their own.

 

Peanut Gallery Grade: B+

 

WEAK

 

 

STRONG

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Conclusion

 

Ok, so the headcovers aren't going to make you hit the ball longer or straighter, but they are going to make your bag look cooler than everyone else's. To me, Back 9 absolutely lives up to the claim of being a “design brand” that pays attention to all the little things that often go unnoticed. Whether it's the excellent padding in the headcovers or the function of a hat built to deal with the elements, they hit the mark on just about everything. If you want to step up your on-course style, check out Back 9.

 

 

 

VISIT WEBSITE: www.back9usa.com

 

FOLLOW ON TWITTER: http://twitter.com/#!/Back9USA

 

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[Matt Saternus]

Just for laughs:

 

Dylan was not a big fan of The Breeze hat.

 

[Moecat]

Nice looking stuff! Any putter covers in the works?

[GolfSpy Dave]

From Golfspy Dave...

 

Just thought I would add some photos and impressions on the Back 9 gear that was sent my way...

 

Here are two TOURevolution headcovers that I have been rocking on my bag for the past couple of weeks.

 

 

These headcovers are an interesting mix of modern fabrics and a throwback design. Both the Driver and the "Spoon" cover are made of high quality nylon that, with a bit of initial coaxing, fit nicely on my driver (RAZR Hawk) and 5W (also RAZR Hawk).

 

 

 

Along with the quality construction and stand-out looks, there are two other features worth noting.

 

• The sleeves are nice and long, providing excellent shaft protection in the bag.
  
• Although a little tight at first, the covers stretch the ideal amount to allow for easy on and off operations. The also do not slide off on their own as some covers with big pom poms tend to do.
  

 

 

Back 9 also sent along two different hat models for me to try out. The first was a great looking blue hat from their Varsity Collection. It's a great looking hat, but it was not match for my gigantic mellon and as such I have no usage data to report. My wife did swipe it immediately from my head after seeing it didn't fit me. She's been wearing it as she goes running, so I think that it must be comfortable.

 

The other hat that was in my Back 9 box was a white X-Hybrid from their Signature Collection.

 

 

Bottom line, this is the most comfortable baseball style hat I have ever worn. The magical material stretches to accommodate my dome, but also fit my less-crainally endowed friend quite well. The bend of the brim is just right to block a good amount of the surrounding light. So much so that I was OK after forgetting my sunglasses when I went to play yesterday.

 

 

 

 

Anyway, thanks to Back 9 for including me in this review. If you are looking to add a little style to your bag, or if you, like me, are always looking for the perfect golf hat, head to the Back 9 site and check this stuff out.

 

[GolfSpy Tim]

And From GolfSpy Tim

 

Here are some photos and my thoughts.

 

Hats:

 

 

I'm a visor guy, so naturally I wanted to give their visor a go. Being a part of the Varsity Collection, the look feels a bit more "old school" - possibly not a perfect fit for my style, but it works and is a great alternative to wearing the same sweaty visor every round.

 

 

The quality and build of this visor is great. The sewing is solid and I have no doubt that this is built to last.

 

Unfortunately for me, this visor just wasn't comfortable on my head. The brim itself was always digging into my forehead. - I made this comment to a friend who suggested I wear the visor a bit more loosely on my head - I did, and this helped a lot, but still not comfortable on my little head.

 

Style wise, I think I would go a different direction next time. From the looks of it, I think Back 9 does have room for some more visors to move into their collection. Would love to see that white X-Hybrid had that Dave tried out in a visor version.

 

 

I also received a hat to try out (Disclaimer that I do NOT like hats... they mess up my faux hawk, and I feel like they tend to make me look bald)

 

The first thing my wife said when she saw this hat on me was that I looked like a bald guy:

 

 

If you look a the top of the hat in this side image you can start to see my fit problem with this hat, it's a bit on the large size for my head, and you can see it "crinkle" up at the top.

 

 

When my wife was taking the image of the back of the hat on my head, her first comment was I needed to straighten the hat, but when she straightened the back, the visor was pointing way off to the side like I was trying to fit back into the early 90's in grade school.

 

 

Comfort wise, this is probably one of the most comfortable hats I've ever worn.

 

Style and fit, I'll likely go a different direction (but then again, you're not likely to see me wearing a hat unless a sponsor is paying HUGE money for the top or something)

 

Big gripe on the back of the hat looking mis-aligned when I tighten it down to fit my head, but I'm guessing this could easily be a problem for any adjustable hat that fits my head.

 

Head Covers:

 

I pulled the straw on the Legend head covers, and I'm glad I did. I think that Back 9 has hit a home run with their head covers. Once in my bag, they haven't come back out (hasn't even crossed my ever changing mind)

 

 

 

Pre covers:

 

Post covers:

 

These covers fit like a glove. The driver cover is by far my favorite!! Wish I had matching covers for each club. I WILL be purchasing a fifth cover to replace my oem Titleist cover.

 

 

The hybrid cover is a little too tight IMHO, but it's not bad. Not so tight that I can't use it, just takes a bit more effort to get on than the others.

 

 

 

I like that the number is velcro and you can switch it out if/when your clubs change, but it might be nice to have the option to order with the number you prefer (the number isn't going to just fall off, but the way I treat stuff, someday it will get pulled off - no biggy, but I'd prefer it sewn on)

 

 

 

I've always been a bit self conscious about having 5 head covers in my bag, and all of them just screaming Titleist at the top of their lungs (don't get me wrong, I LOVE the Titleist set, but I get comments from people suggesting I'm a spoiled brat when they see the set) The Back 9 covers do a GREAT job of giving my set a unique sense of style, and toning down what's sitting in there.

 

The padding on these covers is in just the right spots, and the sleeves are just the right length (the oem covers were too long and would bunch up) The Back 9 head covers go far enough down to protect, but not so deep that they get popped off by my bag.

 

Overall Thoughts:

 

The Back 9 hat/visor that I tested weren't bad, they just weren't great for me. I probably won't be sporting these every round - but I don't suggest that my experience will be the same for you with these. Heads and styles vary, and I'm a particular little bastard.

 

The Back 9 head covers simply put are a total home run. These are still in my bag and are staying put - and as I mentioned earlier, I WILL be purchasing another head cover to go on my lone hybrid that remains factory.

 

Back 9 seems to be doing something right, and I look forward to seeing future releases as well.