This week, we’re going to do something we don’t typically do here at the Golf Stinks Blog; We’re going to review golf apparel. But we’re also going to do something we always do; and that’s giveaway free stuff (read on)!

Our story begins about 20 years ago when the only polo shirts available for golf were cotton knit and cotton/polyester blend (or pique). Back then, it was simple for us golfers – we were either the cotton knit type or the pique type. I myself was a cotton knit fan – I just liked the way those shirts looked.

The one problem with being Italian and a cotton knit fan was that I tend to sweat…a lot. And in case you don’t know, cotton-knit fabrics are not the best for heavy perspiration (first, there’s a map of Hawaii seeping through your shirt, then it turns into a map of Africa…before you know it, your entire shirt is soaked).

So when the new “moisture-wicking” shirts started to get popular about a decade ago, you would think I’d be all over them…but I was stubborn. I didn’t necessarily like the styles and stayed the course with my sweat-laden cotton knit shirts. Until finally, after an extremely humid day out on the links a few years ago, I bought an inexpensive moisture-wicker at Target and I was sold.

Today, moisture-wicking technology is only the beginning. Performance shirts these days are not only moisture-wicking, but also antimicrobial and offer UV protection to boot. My sweat glands being what they are, I couldn’t wait to jump on this latest and greatest in performance golf shirt technology.

But these types of shirts can cost a nice chunk of change – which ones are worthy? Well, I would say it’s all about a company you trust. Sure, Nike and Adidas sell these types of shirts, but you’re paying for the name brand in those cases. What about golf-specific brands?

Two such golf performance brands are Oxford Golf and L.O.F.T. Golf. Oxford Golf established itself in pro shops throughout country and has recently launched its online store. To help promote their new site, the nice folks over at Oxford Golf sent me one of their shirts to test out.

Oxford Golf represents the serious side of golf – their shirts are smooth as silk and every time I slip it over my head, I feel as though I’m standing in front of some dark mahogany locker in some private country club somewhere. As far from the truth as that image is, their polos are simply wonderful to wear.

Meanwhile, L.O.F.T. Golf (an acronym for Lack OF Talent) represents the average Joe. Their polos have a little fun built into them with zesty colors and the “I don’t take myself too seriously” stick figure logo. Seeing as LOFT Golf and Golfstinks have a similar ethos, they also decided to send me a shirt to test out.

Despite being a less expensive performance polo, L.O.F.T. Golf shirts are still moisture-wicking, antimicrobial, offer UV protection, and are antistatic. In addition, L.O.F.T. Golf cuts their shirts two inches longer to ensure it stays tucked in during your follow-through! Plus, the wearability is great.

Bottom line, both golf shirts are fantastic and solid performance-wear apparel. Which brings me to the best part: We’d like a couple of you to own these shirts…for free! As most of our contests go, head on over to our Facebook page (“Like” us if you haven’t already) and “Like” the post on our wall entitled “Win a FREE Performance Golf Shirt” – that’s it!

We’ll select two random winners on Thursday (5/10/12) – one will receive a performance golf shirt* from Oxford Golf and the other will receive a performance golf shirt* from L.O.F.T. Golf!

Good luck!

*Giveaway shirts are in size mens large only.