There is a lot of cool gear in the golf equipment world that doesn’t always fit neatly into Most Wanted Tests or Buyer’s Guides. You still want to know how it performs. In our We Tried It series, we put gear to the test and let you know if it works as advertised.
What We Tried:
Dunning’s new Player Jogger. These hybrid pants look like joggers on the back but give off traditional vibes in the front. I’m intrigued.
Who Tried It:
Connor. Director of Content, resident sneakerhead and notorious pants hater. When you’ve got cankles like this, it’s best to show them off. That said, I can get behind a good pair of joggers. The Dunning Player Jogger looks, on the surface, to be a good fit.
What’s the problem with pants?
Everything. Pants are restrictive, often uncomfortable and make me really hot. You’ll more often find me wearing shorts, not pants, even when it’s below freezing. That’s why joggers are the perfect middle ground for me. They tend to fit and feel more like shorts but provide more coverage for those nippy days outside.
My wife scolds me often because I don’t even own a pair of jeans. Spoiler: If Dunning made jeans that feel like the Player Jogger, I would buy them in a heartbeat.
Pants that feel like sweatpants
Because I abhor pants, my top priority for pants or joggers is that they don’t feel like pants. Sounds contradictory but the point remains. If (and that’s a big if) the Player Jogger doesn’t feel like a pair of rigid, rough golf pants, I consider that a win.
Luckily for me and my thunder thighs, the Dunning Player Jogger is about as comfortable as it gets. They fit and feel more like sweatpants than actual pants. But they still look traditional and classy.
Everything, even down to the internal drawstring mechanism, makes these pants feel like anything but.
The polyester-Spandex blend makes these jogger pants very stretchy. Squatting down to pick my ball up out of the hole after a classic triple is stress-free. No worries about rips, tears or, worse, squishing the other balls I’m playing with.
I’m also a big fan of the way the cuff fits. Because the elastic only runs on the back, the cuffs fit perfectly. Not too tight nor too lose. Plus, the front of the Player Jogger still looks very traditional, making them a jogger for the anti-jogger crowd.
A few more features
Zippered pockets, anyone? Each of the pockets on the Player Jogger features a zipper closure. I do like having zippered back pockets but, honestly, the two front pockets would be better off without zippers. The zipper pulls are a little small, too, making them hard to hold on to. A small gripe but one that does hamper the overall experience.
If you’re going to do only zippers, the zippers better be easy to use. One-handed use was more frustrating than it needed to be.
The snap waistband closure is a nice touch, too. Buttons are overrated, snaps are the way to go. Even though I can sew on a button, I’d rather not deal with the inevitable button break after one two many Diet Cokes.
Joggers for the anti-jogger guy
If you hate the look of joggers but hate the feel of pants, the Dunning Player Jogger is right for you. If you hate pants but love the feel of sweatpants, the Dunning Player Jogger is right for you.
And, if you just want something that looks good, feels good and is more than appropriate attire for the golf course, you’re in the right place.
I’m not saying the Dunning Player Jogger is my go-to jogger. But it is my go-to pant. And that’s saying a lot from the guy who hates pants.
