When I wrote the apparel section of the 2009 Golf Gear Guide, I discussed sportswear giant Columbia’s first foray into the golf apparel marketplace. The new Titanium Performance Golf Gear (or PGG) was in no small part inspired (in truth PGG probably wasn’t born so much out of inspiration as it is necessity, but you get the point) by the weather of the Pacific Northwest where the company is headquartered.

For those who’ve never been to Oregon or Washington State, I promise you, you’re missing out on some of the most beautiful landscape this country has to offer. Of course, you’re also missing out on some of the nastiest, most unpredictable weather this country has to offer too. Columbia apparently took the often wet and windy weather as a challenge, and the result of their efforts is a complete lineup of highly functional, good looking, golf apparel.

For my part in things, my friends over at Columbia sent me a couple of their Straight Shooter polos, and their Windcheater jacket.  You can expect a review of the Windcheater in the near future (I haven’t been rained on yet this year), but for now, let’s focus on the Straight Shooter.

Before I get to the review, here’s a quick rundown of the features, which, like I so often do, I’ve shamelessly lifted from the manufacturer’s website:

• 100% polyester UV Blocker® knit pique
• Antimicrobial
• Quick dry
• Vented
• Wicking

Titanium™
Columbia Sportswear’s premier product line, Titanium, offers advanced fabrics and technologies for all-weather
performance and protection during demanding outdoor action.

UPF 30
Columbia Sportswear’s premier product line, Titanium, offers advanced fabrics and technologies for all-weather performance and protection during demanding outdoor action.

Skin Cancer Foundation
The Skin Cancer Foundation has endorsed our sun protection products with a minimum UPF 30 rating, making Columbia Sportswear the first global clothing company to earn their coveted seal of recommendation.

It’s also worth mentioning that the Straight Shooter polo comes in 7 colors (Columbia sent me shirts in Hot Pepper (Orange w/gray sides) and Gleem (Blue)).  What’s comical is that my entire golf (and subsequently my work) wardrobe is comprised exclusively of shades of oranges and blues.  I guess that’s what I like.  How Columbia managed to know my favorite colors, I’ll never know.  Honestly though, I’d have been happy with any of the 7 with the possible exception of the  Kryptonite (maybe it looks better in person).

As far as the features themselves are concerned, to be perfectly blunt, I don’t really care much about the technology of a golf shirt (at least I’ll never get as excited about textile technology as I do about new driver technology).  When it comes to a golf shirt, there are a few basic rules I live by:

• It has to breathable
• It has to be moisture wicking (no cotton polos)
• It has to have a little bit of stretch to it
• It has to look nice enough to wear to the office (I frequently go right from the office to the golf course)
• It has to be maintenance free – especially the collar

If a shirt matches these qualifications, I pretty much don’t care about much else, although I will admit that as a pasty skinned man with a propensity to burn, the UPF 30 and Skin Cancer Foundation stuff really is a nice little bonus.

Field Testing the Columbia Straight Shooter Polo

In the office

As I’ve already said, my “field” consists of the office and the golf course.   The day after my shirts arrived, I wore the hot pepper shirt to the work.  When my buddy Ken got to his desk, I hollered at him, “Hey Ken (I call him Ken because that’s his name), check out my new shirt from Columbia”.  His response; “that’s a nice looking shirt, I’d buy that”.  So there you have it, Columbia’s Straight Shooter Polo has the mostly unsolicited approval of Ken.  I’ll also say that Mike liked it too…not that you know who any of these people are, but my point is that 3 out of 3 people (including myself) surveyed, like the look of Colombia’s first golf polo.

In terms of fit, the Straight Shooter is definitely not what you’d call a body hugger.  There’s plenty of room to move around in it, however, it’s not nearly as boxy as a couple of the polos that hang in my closet.  It offers all the movement you’ll ever need, and does it without making you look frumpy – and that’s clutch when you’re trying to impress the ladies.

Normally I save my complaints until the end, but since I’m talking about the Straight Shooter Polo in an office setting, I do have a minor gripe.  The Columbia logo on the chest is done in silver silkscreen.  It doesn’t necessarily look bad, but it does take away from what is otherwise a very sharp looking shirt.  While I don’t pretend to be an expert on such things, my guess is Columbia went with silk screening because it won’t chafe they way a stitched design might.  There’s also some silk screening on the sleeve.  It looks just fine there, and in this guy’s opinion, Columbia would have done better to leave it all on the sleeve.  Of course, I do also understand the need to let people know that I’m wearing  a Columbia shirt.  The short version is that while I don’t love the logo on the chest, it’s definitely not a deal breaker.

On the Course

I’ll spare you the suspense, and cut right to the chase.  On the golf course, I absolutely love the Columbia Straight Shooter Polo.  The fabric has plenty of stretch (but doesn’t lose it shape), which means it moves with you as you swing (or throw clubs).  I’ve worn it on a couple of fairly warm days, and although neither was an absolute dripper, the Straight Shooter did a fine job of keeping me cool, pulling the sweat off my body, and not leaving me feeling sticky.

To aid in the cooling, the Straight Shooter features a couple of slightly hidden ventilated panels on the back.  While some may not be fans of the panels, I actually like them as I think they give the back of the shirt a little bit of character.  My wife likes the way they look too, so I think I’m on fairly solid footing when I say they enhance the appearance of the shirt, rather than detract from it.  The panels are really the only visible aspect of the shirt that clearly borrows a page from the company’s hiking apparel roots – and why not; what’s golf if not a hike, albeit with funny shaped sticks, and an abundance of frustration.

While acknowledging that personal style varies, my contention is that there is clearly a right and a wrong way to incorporate ventilation into a shirt.  By way of example…A couple of years ago I was looking at a very nice looking half-zip golf polo.  I loved the material, and was actually on my way to the register with it when I flipped it over and was horrified to find a strange and hideous collection of fish gill shaped notches carved into the back of the shirt.  “What the swoosh!” I exclaimed to myself while promptly returning the shirt to the rack.  That, my friends, is the wrong way to do ventilation.  Thankfully, Columbia does it right.

Durability and Washing

It may seem like an odd combo to some, but durability and washing go hand in hand for me.  As I mentioned in my list up there, a shirt has to be maintenance free.  To me, that means that it has to come out of the dryer ready to wear.  Any amount of ironing is unacceptable.  I’m a low maintenance guy, and I demand a low maintenance shirt, which is what the collar thing I mentioned a bit ago is all about.

A couple of years ago  I bought two shirts from one of the leading names in golf apparel.  The shirts looked great on the rack, but I quickly found that the collars required ironing after each and every wash.  Those same collars very quickly developed fading where the collar folds down.  I haven’t bought any of their shirts since, and quite honestly, I can’t image I ever will again.  If you can’t make a collar that holds up to washing, the rest of the shirt really doesn’t matter.

So with my collar rant mostly over, I’m happy to report that after several washings, the Columbia collars are holding up just fine.  I haven’t needed the iron, and by the looks of things, I never will.  Granted, I’m only about a half a dozen washes in, but so far so good…so very good actually.

I did notice a couple small areas of pilling on my Gleem (blue) shirt, but in Columbia’s defense, I’m fairly certain I snagged myself on a couple of thorny branches while matching through the woods in search of a wayward golf ball.  I told you golf was like hiking.

Final Thoughts

As I hinted at a bit in that last section, when it comes to my golf shirts, I’ve been a one brand guy for a while now.  I’ve worn nothing but that brand (which will remain nameless) for the better part of the last 4 years, and I’ve been completely satisfied.

Right about now, I’m thinking my friends at Columbia are wondering why the heck I keep talking about other shirts when I’m supposedly writing about Columbia.  I’m making the comparison because as a self-proclaimed brand loyalist, I couldn’t be happier to find something I like every bit as much (if not more).  My wardrobe is admittedly limited, and all of those shirts look very similar.  The Straight Shooter polo gives me a great looking alternative that adds a bit of much needed variety (not to mention style) to my closet – even if the colors are very similar to what I already own.

Feature for feature, Columbia’s Straight Shooter is one of the nicer golf shirts I’ve seen.  I mentioned the UPF/Cancer Foundation stuff, and obviously that’s a nice little bonus, but it’s the durability of the stretch fabric that’s got me solidly on board with the product.  And again, I love the way the vents add some style to the shirt without being overly bold or flashy.  If you’re in market for a new golf shirt or two, you’d be doing yourself a disservice by failing to check out Columbia’s Straight Shooter polo (part of the Titanium Performance Golf Gear Family).

The Straight Shooter polo comes in Hot Pepper (orange), Black, Slate, Tusk (kind of a light gray/khaki by the looks of it), Kryptonite (mustard yellow), and Gleem (blue).  It’s still relatively new, so the market isn’t exactly saturated, but you can find the $59.99 Columbia Men’s Straight Shooter Polo at Altrec Outdoors.  More information about the entire Titanium Performance Golf Gear lineup can be found at the Columbia website.