Ryder Cup waterproofs became the big talking point on the opening day at Celtic Manor in 2010.
The visitors spent more than £4,000 in the on-course merchandise shops when their Sun Mountain gear failed to keep the players dry.
It could have bucketed it down for weeks on end and Europe would still have been in good hands given that Galvin Green were once again providing the outerwear for our 12 heroes, their caddies and the rest of the backroom team in Paris.
Here, the company’s lead designer, Mats Lundqvist, talks us through the process of kitting out Thomas Bjorn and his European troops.
“This is the second time that we have provided the outerwear for the Ryder Cup, the first time being at Hazeltine,” said Lundqvist.
“The first time we were really nervous but everything went well and now we know more about the whole process.
[skylab_video id=”152051″]Galvin Ryder Gear[/skylab_video]
“Everything takes a long time and there are a lot of people looking at the sketches and prototypes.
“We had the first meetings with Thomas Bjorn and the European Tour in February 2017 and Thomas was so nice. He had very specific opinions on what he wanted and he never changed his mind. He wanted pockets on all jackets and no white colour, they were his two big things.
“We sent over the first draft in March with a few different designs, and then a couple more, and he then gave it the thumbs up and we started making up the prototypes and the final ones were approved in October right before we had a fitting session.
“Production started in March and everything was in house by May. We were lucky that it coincided with the launch of a new stretch fabric from Gore-Tex and it was very nice to be able to jumpstart that into the Ryder Cup pieces.
“It has 75 per cent stretch and so it is called Super Stretch. This fabric is made to be used as an insert as it is a lot thicker than a regular fabric so it is used on small panels.
“So we have used a brand new technology and Gore-Tex have been working on this for a long time. The challenge is that when you stretch it the pores remain waterproof.
“The idea is that everything that they wear you can buy.”
Extremely breathable, the Albatros (named after the Championship course) full-zip jacket and the Forward (1st hole) short sleeved jacket feature the smooth ‘slide & glide’ inner material of the exclusive C-Knit fabric.
Both jackets feature two front pockets and adjustors on the chest and collar to help with the fit and keep out the rain.
The matching waterproof trousers, The Judges (15th), also come in Gore-Tex fabric with the C-Knit backer for a smooth ‘slide & glide’ experience when worn over other trousers.
Learn more about this Ryder Cup collection at galvingreen.com