One thing I that have realized while blogging for Three Guys Golf is that pictures only tell half of the story. On more than one occasion, I have found apparel to be far better in person than it is shown on a website. In the case of Kartel for women, I suspected I would like the gear, but frankly I was surprised at just how much I liked it once I actually had it in hand.

The Three Guys have already chimed in about Kartel so we were pleased to also get a look at women’s side of the business. Sure we have reviewed many shirts that are lovely and made out of fantastic material, but the Kartel shirt is a rare mix of high quality fabric and great fit. What I mean is that so many times women’s shirts have sleeves that are too similar to men’s in style and length. On the other hand, the Kartel sleeves are short, without being too cropped for a comfort which allows you to focus on your swing and not adjusting your shirt.

As women, we all know that there are a few more issues in the fit department than men and finding a truly great shirt is not the easiest. Not to mention, it sure seems like the golf industry is dominated by men’s fashion. However, the Kartel shirt is really well tailored for the regular gal. Simple, elegant, well made, not too much to ask right?

I also tried the ladies outerwear fleece which is a great top for those chilly mornings and as we change seasons. The soft material is both lightweight and warm without being restricting – plus it’s super cute!.

Beyond the look and feel of Kartel, the prices are very reasonable and they have a pretty good selection or shirts, skorts, and outerwear.

You can see the whole line of Kartel for women on their website.

In 2010 Graeme McDowell burst onto the golf scene by winning the US Open and then followed it up with a win at the Chevron Wold Cup Challenge and a ton of other top 10 finishes. Now Graeme McDowell seems to be a staple in the Sunday 1st page leaderboard and has become a media favorite, including a visit on the Feherty Show (imagine that).

This year Graeme has teamed up with Irish company Kartel to bring us the G-Mac line of clothing (I have previously reviewed Kartel). On a side note I must admit that since I started writing for Three Guys Golf  I find myself watching golf and trying to figure out what tour players are wearing – yeah I know it is lame but it is what I have been reduced to. Anyhow, it always seems that the gear the pros wear is just a bit cooler than what is offered in stores (even if it is by the same company). In the case of G-Mac, I am pretty sure the purple polo I have is nearly identical to what McDowell wears (sans the MasterCard logo). You know the shirt I am talking about – the one with the high collar and front pocket that looks so money!

In my opinion, the shirt is absolutely brilliant. Light, soft, stylish and well cut. Despite the fact that it is 95% poly, it feels much softer and lush than most poly blend performance shirts. Moreover, it is one of the classiest shirts I have seen. Perhaps it is the combination of the high collar and buttoned down tabs that gives it an upper crust feel but whatever it is, G-Mac has pulled it off. Even the packaging is better than most. Each garment comes elegantly packaged with a gold embossed tag that has the McDowell Family Crest and explanation upon it. I get the sense that Graeme was very involved in this line and wanted to make sure it reflected well upon him and his reputation. The only drawback of this shirt is that for whatever reason, it does show sweat if you wear it in humid weather. I am not sure if it is because of the color or the material, but when I wore it on a humid day you could clearly see darker areas of perspiration.

The Malone polo is a bit more casual but has nice details that make the shirt pop. This polo is 63% pima cotton 37% poly, although from the feel of it I thought it was 100% cotton. You will note the orange accents which I think set it apart from your run of the mill shirts. While some folks like a 100% poly shirt, I really like that this feels like cotton but has some of the performance of a poly.

Performance aside, the reason this shirt is a winner is the orange buttons, breast pocket and long plackette. Both of these shirts are also super easy to care for and come out of the wash looking just as sharp as when they were new. Additionally, I just really like the fact that the Malone polo is primarily cotton especially as we change seasons when cotton becomes the go-to fabric.

The final item we recieved was MG Wool Sweater. Like most guys, when it gets cool I just throw on the wind breaker. Coincidentally, just after receiving the G-Mac sweater we had a cold snap on the very day I was to play in a tournament. On that day, what I really liked about the sweater was that it was light enough that it never felt bulky but warm enough to take the chill off. Plus it is soft enough to wear over a short sleeve shirt.

Being such a bold color makes it pretty easy to pair this with just about anything and it just looks miles better than a blue wind breaker. Moreover, they allow for much better movement as there is no constriction. The other advantage of having a quality golf sweater is that is versatile enough to wear off of the course and not look like a golf geek.

As we move through our first year at Three Guys Golf, one of the things I am learning is that there is a ton of really cool golf attire that is just not sold in the big box stores. Moreover, many of these companies are European. While it takes a bit of digging, if you are one of those people who wants to look a bit sharper than the next guy, G-Mac is a great place to start. Even though we only looked at three items, the G-Mac line is fairly expansive and not too pricey. Finally, in terms of sizing, the G-Mac runs in line with industry standards. I typically wear a medium and the G-Mac medium fit perfectly.

You can see the whole line of G-Mac on their website.

I distinctly remember stumbling upon the Kartel booth while wandering through the PGA merchandise show in January and thinking “what the heck does this company sell?” With a name like Kartel any number of thoughts came to mind, so while I was slightly worried about being ushered into some shady dealings, it turns out they just make cool golf gear.

Kartel is an Irish company that has been around since 1985 but is relatively unknown in America. Padraig Harrington, who is  a long time Kartel ambassador, gave many of us our first look at the company but now with the emergence of Graeme McDowell and his seemlingly ever-presence on Sunday in the majors, Kartel is getting much broader exposure. Yup G-Mac, definitely one of the coolest and best dressed cats on tour has a big hand in the brand. So good has this relationship been that Kartel has just released a new G-Mac clothing line.

Because the G-Mac line is brand new we only had the opportunity to review the current Kartel line. Like most apparel companies, Kartel carries a performance line which is well tailored, breathable and sharp looking. However, Kartel also has a line of quality cotton shirts which is not as common. Admittedly I was not too jacked to get a heavy-ish cotton shirt in July since the lows in North Carolina are like 80. Then one evening when inevitably nary a clean shirt was to be found, the Kartel polo was forced into action.

Much like the polos of my childhood, the Kartel polo is striped and heavy but unlike those duds of the 70’s, this one was nicely tailored, very soft and comes with a few nice details like the contrasting colors inside and on back of the collar. While it has remained too humid to wear the Kartel shirt on the golf course, I have now worn it enough times that I felt compelled to sing its praises. There really is something to be said for a solid heavy weave cotton shirt. Sure maybe not in the heat of the summer, but come fall it will be money. As I have written before, I am just getting a bit tired of performance golf shirts so when the weather permits I am going straight up cotton.

Looking forward, I am totally jacked for the new G-Mac gear and we hope to get a review of that line soon, but meanwhile I will continue to be a card carrying member of the Kartel.

You can view the Kartel line on their website and the G-Mac line on this site.