I get fairly frequent requests to review golf-related products. Some of the offers have been tempting. There was the golf shaped urn for your loved one’s ashes, the knee length socks that were guaranteed never to fall down and the golf tee that gave you 10 yards extra on every drive. Somehow I have managed to refuse these offers.
However, when Druh Belts got in touch I was keen to have a closer look at the product. I’ve been aware of Druh belts for some years now. If you watch much golf on the television then you will have seen the top pros wearing them. The company was founded by European Tour player Simon Hurd, and players from Lee Westwood to Tiger Woods have been seen wearing these belts, as well as members of the European Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup teams. So I was anxious to see what all the fuss was about.
When it comes to choosing your belt I would recommend clearing a good half an hour to savour the experience! First up you choose your leather. You can have plain or go for one of the more exotic selections - crocodile, ostrich, lizard, snakeskin or stingray. I was slightly concerned of the ethics of such skins being used but it turns out these are actually embossed cow skins. Phew.
Once you’ve selected the type of leather, you’re on to colours. I decided to play it safe with a dark brown but those with more flair could have gone for one of a whole plethora of options, you should definitely find something to match your wardrobe or taste!
But the choosing is still not over! Oh no. The buckle is next. Take a deep breath for you are about to enter a whole new world. You can choose from a quite incredible range - from a flamboyant diamante to a classic brushed steel with everything in between. If you would like to wear your national flag around your midrift then look no further!
The finished article!
Nonetheless, I went for one of the more conventional choices - dark brown on crocodile with a striped buckle. The price of this particular combination would be just over £100. Now I’ll confess, I rarely spend that much on an item of clothing, let alone a device to hold my trousers up
A couple of weeks later the package arrived. It was very nicely presented, with a little message from the founder Simon Hurd included. It oozed quality. It felt sturdy and looked just as I had expected from the ‘artist’s impression’ on the website - definitely a statement piece.
However, I was slightly dismayed to find it was too long for me. What kind of giant was this designed for? Fear not, a quick read of the instructions (yes, for a belt!) showed that I just needed to trim it with a normal pair of scissors to get the right size. A very easy procedure and it fitted perfectly. One other slight teething problem was that the hole to put the buckle fixer into was quite tight, but a waggle with a golf tee sorted that out!
I’ve been wearing the belt now for the last few rounds and am really pleased with it. It looks great and goes with anything. It is a lot of money to spend on a belt but you can mix and match with other buckles on the site and you will never want for a golf belt again, I promise.
So there you have it. Who’d have known a belt could bring such pleasure?!
Druh Belts are available at www.druhbeltsandbuckles.com/