Garmatex: IceSkin - Product Review
The Good: Very comfortable, fashionable design, breaths well, designed to enhance swing performance, odor resistant technology.
The Bad: Limited design options, will at times show areas of perspiration.
The Bottom Line: Garmatex has created a golf shirt which will allow golfers to play more comfortably on days of any temperature, both hot and cold. While it maintains that you should feel cooler when the temperature outside rises, this was not exactly my experience. However, while you may not feel noticeably cooler, the shirt is extremely comfortable to play in on a hot day.
When one thinks of technology in the game of golf, we most often go right to thoughts of drivers, woods, irons, wedges and golf balls. You may think of high performance shoes, but other than that, clothing is not usually associated.
Clothing has for a long time been a major factor in the golf industry, but when we think of clothing, we usually think of fashion. We think of players out on Tour who are wearing outfits which are sharp and modern.
It is rare to find companies marketing their clothing with promises of technological advances which will enhance performance out on the course, but Garmatex is such a company. Having recently introduced their IceSkin technology, they have adopted scientific principles to create a high-performance golf shirt designed to keep you cool and dry in the hottest of temperatures.
Garmatex’s technology is based off of the use of natural jade minerals. They state that their IceSkin brand, “Is engineered through a complex, multilayered knitting process. By combining a high percentage of natural jade minerals with our CoolSkin microfiber technology, our Moisture System Transference process accelerates evaporation, resulting in a fabric with extraordinary performance capabilities.”
The science behind all of this is that when the garment comes in contact with your body’s sweat, the jade minerals create a chemical reaction which creates a cooling effect. They claim that this effect can lower the fabric’s temperature by 10 degrees fahrenheit. The idea of a shirt full of sweat may not be appealing, but remember, this will be the case with any golf shirt you wear on a warm day. IceSkin shirts simply take that sweat and use it to make you more comfortable. At the same time, they have used another technology referred to as “Bact-Out” technology to provide enhanced odor resistance. Bact-Out is a natural antimicrobial process, and third party tests confirm that it controls 99.9% of the bacterias which cause odor. It is designed to continue to control such bacteria, even after 50 washes.
I found the Iceskin golf shirt to provide a very comfortable golfing experience. It has very modern, fashionable designs which have been created to enhance swing performance. The sleeves are shorter underneath the golfer’s arms, preventing against swing hinderance in the backswing. The designers have managed to include this feature in a subtle manner, and as such can be worn away from the course as well. Due to the fashionable design, the Iceskin can be worn for those days off the course when you are seeking to look sharp, and not appear too formal.
Garmatex claims that you will feel noticeably cooler on hot days when wearing this product. While I did not find this to be the case, I did stay very comfortable in uncomfortable weather conditions due to how well the shirt “breathed”. The thin, light design makes it feel almost like the fabric is draped over your torso and does not cling to you when you perspire. And perspiration is limited due to its breathability. The shirt breathes so well in fact, that when on the third hole of my round, I stepped into my playing partners cart to accept a ride up to my ball and as we drove it felt as if I was not wearing a shirt because the wind as we drove was blowing right through it.
There really isn’t much downside for this product, but one thing I would like to see are some more design options. As they continue to grow the product I’m sure they will expand their product line, but at this time, there are only three design options available. I’d also be excited to see them expand with long-sleeved products similar to the “Heat Gear” products that companies such as Nike and Under Armour have created. The material Garmatex have created, along with their fashionable designs, could create a great product line.
The only other issue I noticed was that as I did sweat in the heat, the shirt occasionally displayed signs of perspiration. It was not incredibly noticeable, but I was a little surprised considering that most similar products limit signs of perspiration. It made me wonder if this is a necessary side effect as the jade materials combine with your body’s perspiration to create the cooling effect.
IceSkin golf shirts available online at http://www.iceskin.com/cooling-clothes-store/ . At a cost of $69.99 their prices are competitive with other major brands in the industry.
Overall, IceSkin golf shirts are a great product that will help keep you cool and comfortable while playing on days of extreme heat. Their designs are fashionable, but limited - leaving consumers excited for expansion of the product line. There are currently many different brands of golf shirts to choose from on the market, but Garmatex is seeking to take garment performance to the next level.
About the Author This article was written by Jonathan Carr (@jonathanwcarr) as part of our 'product review' section. As a scratch golfer himself, Jonathan has a keen eye for what it takes to be successful on and off the golf course. His passion for golf is surpassed only by his passion for his faith and his family. Read some of Jonathan's other articles here.
Our goal with all product reviews is to provide an unbiasted look at various golf products, what we like, what we didn't like etc. All opinions are those of the author and not necessarily the official opinion of Eat Sleep Golf.
