Antigua is a brand you see in a lot of golf course pro shops, with shirts donning the club's logo or those of sports teams near the facility.
There are several reasons why the company is so popular among green-grass shops. Antigua has a middling price point, which makes it attractive to a wider range of consumers. The apparel ia also well made with modern technology in fabrics and performance.
Recently, I've been testing several pieces from Antigua featuring their Desert Dry moisture-wicking technology. All of the Desert Dry pieces I tested were XL and the fit was comparable to most American sizing. I tested three different shirts, two short-sleeve polos, a long-sleeve mock turtleneck and a pullover.
The first polo, from the Pure collection, MSRP $65, was red (they called it Fire). The overall design of the shirt is rather understated and there is nothing really complex about to it. And that's exactly what I like about the Pure. The three front buttons are a multi-layer red, with the top layer being a pearl hue and the bottom layer matching the color of the fabric. While buttons don't make a shirt by any means, they can certainly give it some pop and accent the piece nicely. Antigua has done well in matching them to the shirt.
The collar of the shirt is made of the same fabric as the rest of shirt (a 88 percent polyester/12 percent Spandex blend), but is doubled up for strength and rigidity. Unfortunately, the collar doesn't have the same elasticity as the main fabric, but the comfort of the collar more then makes up for that.
The moisture-wicking ability of the polo was easily on par with other higher priced shirts I've worn. I washed the garment quite a few times and the material held up extremely well. As I have a young family, the ease of care with this shirt is great. While I generally try to wash my golf attire separate, the shirt went through the wash with jeans, towels and the kids' clothing and came out no worse for wear. The fabric didn't fade, nor did it get destroyed.
The second shirt I tested was from the Edge collection and came in a grey heather color with black piping. The Edge line shirt is made up of a 95 percent polyster/5 percent Spandex blend, withthe piping interestingly is 91 percent polyester/9 percent Spandex. The piping was not noticeable while the shirt was being worn and accented the shirt quite nicely. Like the Pure line, the collar is made up of the same material as the main body of the shirt, just doubled up. The Edge shirt performed well in the heat and I found it very comfortable on a cooler day as well. The heavier (albeit ever so slightly) fabric essentially makes it a three-season garment. The shirt, just like it's Pure sibling, inadvertently went through the wash cycles it wasn't supposed to and came out with zero issues. It look gives it that little extra versatility, and I would have no problem wearing it to a business casual meeting/gathering. The Edge shirt carries an MSRP of $70.
The third shirt I tested was a long-sleeve mock turtleneck. While the shirt is from last season's collection, it should be noted that the tech and general design are the same. The main reason why I picked up this shirt was to see how the Desert Dry tech would in a long-sleeve configuration.
The Desert Dry technology worked as advertised. Even with the extended sleeves, I didn't feel bogged down or get saturated in sweat. While playing golf, the shirt didn't hinder the swing at all and the long sleeves weren't that noticeable. Because the shirt is so comfortable, I actually found myself choosing to wear the shirt on cooler evenings while going on walks with the children or at the park.
I was also able to try out a pullover with Desert Dry technology from the Split collection. It's a single-layer outer shirt that features a quarter-length zipper and full-length sleeves. The fabric was a medium-colored grey with light black pinstriping. The interior collar is lined with black polyester and has virtually no stretch compared to the rest of the piece. It didn't hinder my swing as I generally had it unzipped. When I had it fully zipped, there was some slight resistance, but not enough to fully affect the swing. The main material is made up of a 92 percent polyester/8 percent Spandex blend and has a great amount of stretch.
The Split pullover is incredibly comfortable. I guess you could compare it to having that favourite pair of slippers. To say I fell in love with this garment wouldn't be stretching the truth. I absolutely enjoyed the way it fit, felt and performed. The listed MSRP is $80 and comes in a variety of accent colors.
