Hole 17 · Since 1969
Golf windbreakers and rain jackets: from heavy waterproofs to Gore-Tex
1969 to now: the breathable membrane, then golf-cut shells
A golf windbreaker keeps the wind off; a golf rain jacket keeps out real rain. The modern rain jacket uses a membrane that blocks water but lets vapor out, cut so you can still make a full swing.
What it solved on the course
You can layer up against wind and cold. Rain is different: a jacket that is only water-resistant leaves you cold and damp by the back nine. A properly waterproof jacket with room to move solves both halves.
History
Galvin Green's founders describe the golf rainwear they set out to beat as heavy and unwieldy gear that restricted the swing, came in a few dull colors and "didn't always keep the rain out." Before Gore-Tex, a basic rain jacket was a two-layer sandwich with a woven nylon or polyester outer for strength.
The fix came from a lab. One night in October 1969 Bob Gore was trying to stretch PTFE into pipe-thread tape. Frustrated, he gave a heated rod a hard, sudden yank instead of a slow pull, and it stretched about 800% into a microporous solid that was about 70% air. That expanded PTFE became Gore-Tex, co-invented with his father Wilbert Gore: a membrane that stops liquid water but lets water vapor through. Marmot was one of the first brands to use it, in a sleeping bag in 1976. Gore's sister fabric, Windstopper, is windproof and breathable but not waterproof, the same line that separates a windbreaker from a rain jacket.
Galvin Green launched its first Gore-Tex golf rain jacket in 1992, two years after the company started. It says it was the first brand with half-zip jackets, in 1998. An ultra-light pocketless Paclite jacket followed in 2003, stretch jackets in 2007 and four-way stretch in 2011, and its Shakedry jacket of 2014 weighed six ounces.
Who wore it best
Robert W. Gore
Yanked a heated rod of PTFE in 1969 and got the microporous material that became Gore-Tex, the membrane golf rainwear makers such as Galvin Green built on.[4, 1]
Mats Lundqvist
As Galvin Green's head designer he helped choose the Gore-Tex membrane for the brand's first golf rainwear.[2]
How to wear it now
- Size the jacket over the layers you actually play in, then make a full backswing in it. If it pulls across the shoulders, go up a size.
- Look at the waterproof rating. Fully waterproof usually means over 2,000mm, and 10,000mm or more is for all-day rain.
- A hood is worth having on a walking round if it lies flat and doesn't flap at address. Otherwise a waterproof bucket hat is quieter.
- For wind and a bit of drizzle, a pullover windbreaker packs smaller and is less clammy than a full rain shell.
- Keep it in the bag, not in the car. The jacket you have to walk back for is the one you don't wear.
Where to buy
New
Vintage
Links open the shop's own site. Some may earn us a commission.
Sources
- Gore-Tex, Wikipedia. Retrieved 2026-09-30.
- Our Story - The History of Galvin Green, Galvin Green. Retrieved 2026-09-30.
- Galvin Green marks 30 years of Gore-Tex, Golf Business News. Retrieved 2026-09-30.
- Robert W. Gore, Science History Institute. Retrieved 2026-09-30.
- Best waterproof golf jackets 2026, Today's Golfer. Retrieved 2026-09-30.
Updated .