Energy Athletic: Making negative into positive

Sometimes it’s hard to write about golf shirts: Shirt X feels good, looks good, doesn’t give me a rash. It’s a winner!

I mean, really, what more can one say?

So when a couple of shirts by Energy Athletic landed on my desk, I was happy to see that they are unique in the golf apparel world.

According to the company, a “negatively charged, electromagnetic ionized field is embedded in the fabric.”

Now, I must admit that I am highly skeptical about the power of “negatively charged ions,” be they in bracelets, necklaces, or shirts. But the Energy Athletic shirts also have all the other more typical features that make a good golf shirt: anti-microbial, moisture-wicking fabric, true fit, even tail for wearing tucked or untucked, and crisp, bright colors that look really sharp.

I tested out a long-sleeved version ($69.90) in Scotland when I covered the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open, and the short-sleeved version ($59.90) back home.

I don’t know if the negatively charged ions did anything for me – I had an abysmal round at Castle Stuart the day after the Aberdeen Scottish Open – but I received several compliments both days on the shirts. In addition, an interesting side effect was that, when I washed both of them, I discovered that neither one suffered from the static electricity that was sticking the rest of my laundry together when I took the load out of the laundry. To me, that’s a serious bonus!

Do negatively charged ions work? Well, Paul Azinger is the face of Energy Athletic, and it’s tough to argue with a guy who beat cancer and coached a winning Ryder Cup team.

If a placebo effect makes you feel better, then who cares if it’s a placebo effect? Bottom line is, you feel better. And at least for me, if I look good in a golf shirt, I feel better about it, and maybe, just maybe, I’ll play with more confidence – mysteriously turning a negative charge into a positive charge.