Welcome to I Tried It, a GOLF.com series about golf items — apparel, gear, accessories, etc. — that we’ve recently taken out for a spin. We’re here to give our honest, no-frills takes on the latest and greatest golf or golf-adjacent items. So, scroll down to read about what we love about golf’s newest (or new to us) products.
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The recent blizzards slamming into the Northeast have me dreaming of warmer days, which, in reality, aren’t too far away.
But even once the snow melts and the golf courses reopen, there will still be some cold mornings and spring days where bundling up will still be essential.
And as I just learned, a G-Tech heated hand warmer might be the biggest asset on those mornings.
Fortunately, I — not realizing just how bad Winter Storm Hernando was going to be when I left — slipped away to South Carolina last weekend for some bonus golf. But even destinations South of the Mason-Dixon line aren’t immune to the power of Old Man Winter.
While the first two days of the trip were in the 70s, the last two days, temperatures dropped significantly, barely reaching highs of 50 and sub-freezing in the mornings. My days of reporting the weather on TV are behind me, but I’m venturing to guess the harsh drop had something to do with the storm battering the I-95 corridor some 600 miles to the North.
Shorts quickly gave way to sweaters and rain pants for the third day, which not only saw temperatures in the 40s, but also 20-30 mph winds. That’s when I was really glad I had a G-Tech Sport 4.0 Hand Warmer.
Now, one thing you need to understand about me is that while I run pretty hot — it’s not uncommon for me to wear shorts and a light pullover in the 50s with no wind — my hands don’t get the same memo. Back in high school, I used to have to do a lap around a driving range before playing a cold-weather tournament to get the blood flowing to my hands.
Even as I shed layers when I start walking and the round gets going, I still have trouble getting and keeping my hands warm. We all know what it’s like to catch a shot thin with cold hands in cold weather, too.
That’s where the G-Tech Sport 4.0 Hand Warmer comes in handy.
What is a G-Tech hand warmer?
We’ve all seen the fanny-pack style hand warmers NFL players use to put their hands in between plays, but easily stay out of the way during them. I call them “Quarterback Warmers.”
G-Tech took the concept and added electric heat powered by a battery that’s sealed off from the elements by a waterproof zipper, allowing it to be used in all conditions.
It’s super easy to use and heats up extraordinarily fast to the point where you could turn it on, hit a golf shot and by the time you put your hands back in, it’s already heated up.
The 4.0 version has new batteries that not only support USB-A and USB-C charging, but they can also charge other devices (like your phone) too. They also display the charging level on the front so you always know when you need more juice.
You also won’t have to worry about running out of charge on the course with a 12-plus hours of battery life, thanks to a new optimized circuit board and software within the pouch. It also has new 3M Insulation.
While you’re wearing it, it’s just like any other waist-strapped hand warmer that you put either in front of or behind you, but you can grab on to the heated bar inside for a nice warm-up.
The heat has three settings, with red being for sub-freezing temperatures, green being the economy mode for long battery life, and orange being in between. I found myself using green the most while it wasn’t THAT cold, all things considered, but all three settings got warm pretty fast.
Playing golf with a G-Tech hand warmer
When you’re actually on the golf course, you basically have two choices on how to use your G-Tech hand warmer: When it’s time to hit your shot, you can simply unbuckle the adjustable strap and hang it on your bag while you make a swing, or you can flip it around to your backside, out of the way of your arms.
Both options work just fine. During the cold weekend at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am two weeks ago, we saw 54-hole leader Akshay Bhatia taking off his G-Tech hand warmer and hanging it on his bag to hit his shot.
I found that flipping the hand warmer around to my back was enough to get it out of the way and not impede my swing.
I also have one big tip for players who like to walk when you use these hand warmers: carry your bag.
Over the years, I’ve become a card-carrying member of the push cart mafia, but when it’s cold and I want to use a hand warmer, it’s much better to hoof it and throw a lightweight bag over your shoulder.
Why? Because when you’re carrying a double-strap bag, both of your hands are free to take advantage of the hand warmer. Trying to push a cart with both of your hands in the warmer is a bit awkward.
If you like to ride, then the G-Tech hand warmer will be awesome for keeping you warm in the open air as you zoom down the fairways.
Bottom Line
Sport 4.0
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While this winter hasn’t been all that conducive to golf in the Northeast, cool, crisp, snowless spring days are not too far away.
This G-Tech hand warmer is going to be the difference between wanting to play and not on some days.
That said, I could see myself using this in plenty of other places too, such as a football game or even doing work in my garage workshop while it’s still cold out.
But most importantly, this is going to keep my hands warm, which will make playing cold-weather golf significantly more enjoyable for me. No more cold stingers!
