I once had a very strange conversation with a friend about gilets. He couldn’t understand why you would wear what is essentially a sleeveless coat. When is it ever a temperature that requires extra layering for your torso, but not your arms? It feels like a reasonable question – and one to which I don’t know the answer – but I do know I love a gilet. I have one that I wear in spring and autumn, and now I have a golf one. So here’s my Reflo Beaufort gilet review…

Reflo Beaufort gilet review: NCG summary

NCG SUMMARY

A classic golf gilet which looks good and feels good.

PROS

It’s incredibly comfortable
It’s so lightweight it doesn’t feel like it’s there
It’s great looking
The sustainability factor
It doesn’t interfere with the swing

CONS

Do I have to write something here? Fine, full-zip garments have never really been my bag – when’s the quarter-zip coming out?

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Reflo Beaufort gilet review: First impressions

Anyone who has seen me carefully scrutinising every container as I ponder which bin it can go in will know recycling and sustainability is something I’m awfully passionate about.

When you receive a box from Reflo, that shared passion smacks you right in the face. ‘I am made from plants, not plastic’, the bag protecting your latest purchase screams at you. ‘You can feel good about using me because I am 100% biodegradable. I will compost in 6 months,’ it adds, before a friendly reminder that ‘a plastic bag can take thousands of years’.

Under the huge ‘R’ logo, we’re told that Reflo ‘are committed to making high-quality apparel that makes you look and feel epic!’

It continues: ‘Our apparel is made using recycled plastic by people who have fair working conditions and wages. We think all apparel should be made this way, and you shouldn’t have to sacrifice and make positive choices. So let’s help each other look after the world we live in.’

And I haven’t even opened the bag yet!

Reflo make some really cool and stylish golf apparel, so I was more than happy to receive this package .

You know that feeling of slipping into an old, familiar piece of clothing you’ve had for years? How at home you feel in it? Reflo feels like that straight out of the box (and bag).

Reflo Beaufort gilet review: On the course

I tested this in perfect conditions – a cool, autumn day in Yorkshire with a few clouds in the sky and a gentle breeze.

I wore it over the Reflo Barents midlayer to provide an extra bit of protection against the elements during my round.

What do you want to know?

Does it look good? Absolutely. Is it comfortable? It doesn’t even feel like you have it on. Does it impede the swing? Not in any way.

It’s breathable (that’s a phrase we use when talking about apparel, right?), it provides UV protection, and uses an innovative “Java-tek” fabric that infuses the antibacterial properties from recycled coffee beans to support odour control. Sounds amazing, especially if you’re like me and won’t take it off for days on end.

What about the practical stuff? Well, it has two zip-up pockets and a funnel collar for added comfort whether open or zipped all the way up.

And if does start raining, while padded, it’s certainly thin enough to wear under a jacket. If I had one criticism – and this really is a deeply personal issue – it’s that I’m not a huge fan of full-zip garments.

Maybe Reflo will come back with a quarter-zip offering for 2023. (Nudge, nudge.)

Reflo Beaufort gilet review: The 19th hole

With it becoming increasingly popular to make golf clothing you can wear on and off the course, Reflo have absolutely nailed it with this gilet. I’ve worn it to play golf, to go to the supermarket, and to do the school run. I’m even wearing it right now sat at my desk as I continue to Scrooge my way through November and the cost-of-living issues.

It’s the best golf gilet I’ve ever owned. Heck, it’s the best gilet I’ve ever owned. (With apologies to Messrs Abercrombie and Fitch.)

I love it. And you will too.