After enjoying a relatively good summer, it might seem a little premature to talk about the price of wet gear. But it's now, before winter kicks in, that the pick-up in sales of rain gear increases.
Like golf balls, there is a wide range of wet suits on offer and the consumer can spend as much or as little as he or she wants. In recent years a greater choice of styles and colours have also been made available.
The "serious" player might spend €300-€400 on a relatively expensive Galvin Green or Sunderland Goretex suit as a long-term investment. No need to panic, though, because there are much cheaper alternatives with some suits starting at around €100 that will still serve their purpose.
"Galvin Green suits fill our top end of the price range," explains Gavin Irwin of McGuirk's Golf. "This suit is different from most in that it has two layers of Goretex, an inner and an outer."
The manufacturer also offers a "full guarantee", which suggests the Swedish company has complete confidence in its product.
The Galvin Green suit is sold for €475 at McGuirk's, while it ranges from £300-£370 at the Golf Centre, Lisburn, depending on the style.
Sunderland rain wear has been around for a long time and is a reputable brand which Seve Ballesteros used to promote. It is the official supplier to the European Ryder Cup team.
At the top of the Sunderland range, Nevada Bob's and McGuirk's sell the Classic Light Goretex suit (which, like all of the firm's gear, carries a three-year guarantee), for €320, while other suits from this Scottish company start from as little as €125.
"Alternatively, the Footjoy Lightweight suit is one of the best out there and competes well on price at €199," notes Mark Broderick at GolfWorks. "ProQuip is another strong player in the market and the company has a wide range of suits," he adds.
The most expensive in the ProQuip range is the Ultimate II line (also Goretex) at €299 with GolfWorks. The ProQuip Neptune represents excellent value at €125.
"Golfers are only prepared to spend a certain amount on wet gear," says Ross Methven at the Golf Centre. "That's why we stock the Sky Dry suit (£59) and have had no problems at all with it. That would be our biggest seller." Not surprising, given the price.
In the same price bracket, GolfWorks sell the British-based Sky Max Classic suit for just €99.
"People want to buy something of good quality, but equally they don't want something too expensive as they are not always taken best care of," says Mick O'Kelly from Nevada Bob's.
If style is more important than the basic need to keep dry, it might be worth looking at the likes of the Callaway range, which come with half-zip/full-zip options in the jacket. "This is proving a very popular style, where golfers can unzip the sleeves if they don't like the restricted feel you often get when wearing a rain top," adds Irwin.
Most manufacturers offer the pull-over and sleeveless option in jackets nowadays and most retailers will sell jackets and leggings separately if required.
And it seems the women's range of wet gear is much more eye-catching than their male counterparts. "Ladies tend to have a better range of brighter colours, and some suits have hoods, whereas the colour in men's suits tend to be more conservative," notes Irwin.
Whatever your style, all too often wet suits are simply rolled-up and squeezed into golf bags or casually thrown into the boot of the car or locker until the next game. They serve a purpose. Perhaps it's this sort of treatment which ensures most golfers won't go overboard on price when making a purchase.
