30.11.12

SPIRAL GOLF BALL DEVELOPMENT


Here is one of our development pictures for Golf Refugees new 2013 'Spiral pattern ball'.
We believe it will be one of the most visible balls in golf.
http://www.facebook.com/golfrefugeespage

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27.11.12

GR 2013 WHITE TEES


Golf Refugees 2013 toxic white tees.

http://www.facebook.com/golfrefugeespage
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23.11.12

GOLF REFUGEES 2013 WOMEN'S POLO SHIRT


From our 'moisture-wicking toxic chemicals' collection.
http://www.facebook.com/golfrefugeespage

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22.11.12

GOLF REFUGEES 2013 COLLECTION FOR WOMEN



From Golf Refugees 2013 collection for women.
http://www.facebook.com/golfrefugeespage
Just a list of some of our favourite female golfers we have watched and in some cases even spoken too this year;


Hee Young Park, I K Kim, Danielle Montgomery, Sahra Hassan, Paula Creamer, Melissa Reid, Florentyna Parker, Sharmila Nicollet, Charley Hull, Danielle McVeigh.
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19.11.12

2013 COLLECTION FOR MEN BY GOLF REFUGEES



We have finally succumbed to pressure and decided to offer golfers a diamond-patterned moisture-wicking ‘plastic’ shirt for next year, similar to all the other polyester shirts supplied by leading sportswear brands. However, being Golf Refugees there is a twist;

Golf Refugees will become the first apparel brand to inform golfers how moisture-wicking anti-bacterial shirts are made. From this day forth all golf professionals, journalists and the general public will know that to make hydrophobic synthetic shirts hydrophillic you need lots of toxic chemicals.


By law we don’t have to say anything. But being champions of consumer information we decided to spill the beans.

Our new 2013 range is snappily called ‘moisture-wicking toxic chemicals apparel’. We have created a new diamond pattern to symbolise the toxicity of the embedded toxic chemicals.

It is also true to say the bigger the garment the more toxic chemicals it contains. Therefore our smaller size shirts suitable for children contain the least amount of toxic chemicals. But calculated as a percentage of volume they contain the same amount as our adult shirts.

The following information will also be made available to our customers;

”Our 2013 synthetic moisture-wicking apparel range will be manufactured in Asia and China by sub-contracted factories via a third party. We did not pay a living wage to any of the textile workers only the bare minimum permitted by local laws. Health & safety regulations were also the absolute minimum as stipulated by local jurisdiction. During manufacture pollutants have been washed away into local rivers”.

We would like to thank all the chemical companies who supplied toxic textile finishes to help us make our 2013 moisture-wicking apparel.

If you are a golf professional and interested in wearing Golf Refugees moisture-wicking apparel on tour in 2013, please contact us. We will be able to supply you with details of the exact amounts of toxic chemicals used in your apparel.
http://www.facebook.com/golfrefugeespage
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16.11.12

TRANSPARENCY


There is some transparency in the sportswear textile industry. See nice picture.


However Golf Refugees would like to see much more transparency. Not just because we are a bunch of old men who like looking at girly pics. 

You may have read in the news of the huge fine BP has been ordered to pay to settle claims over the Horizon oil spill disaster. Well, what’s this got to do with sportswear?

The chemical used to disperse oil slicks is also applied as a stain remover in polyester moisture-wicking sports apparel. Did you know that?

We would like all sports apparel brands to offer consumers a list of the toxic chemicals and heavy metals they use in their products.


Your skin, the largest organ in your body, interacts via sweating with theses chemicals contained in sports apparel, when playing active sports.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/277/652/054/help-persuade-sports-apparel-brands-to-provide-a-list-of-ingredients

Please read, share and sign if you agree. Thanks.
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15.11.12

A GREAT CHRISTMAS OFFER



What can you buy for under a tenner these days? 
Well, this year Golf Refugees are making you a great Christmas offer:

Twelve 3-piece ‘graffiti’ golf balls (they make a great winter ball).
 

http://www.golf-refugees.com/balls_graffiti.htm

Plus

One men’s organic 'BMX' t-shirt (featuring screen print of young dude riding a BMX with his golf bag over his shoulder).

Colours; black or brown, Sizes S,M,L,XL
 

http://www.golf-refugees.com/bmx.htm

Both items for only £9.99, 12 euros, 15 dollars, excluding delivery. Just e-mail your order stating 'Christmas offer' to;
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ARE TIGER, RORY & CO RUINING MY GOLF GAME?



Why I believe Tiger and Rory & Co are ruining my golf game.

The main performance parameters for say ‘drivers’ have been restricted for some time now, these being MOI (moment of inertia) and COR (coefficient of restitution).


Existing materials used in golf equipment today can surpass these limits. So there is no incentive or point investing R&D dollars introducing new materials.

Similar story for golf balls, where initial velocity is limited and today’s golf ball materials can easily attain these limits.

But golf manufacturers always need new areas of development to keep punters interested in their products.


The latest fad is increased adjustability; it’s almost as if there's a gentleman’s agreement between the rule-makers and the brands.

COR & MOI are fixed and off-limits. Ok, there’s already adjustability in moving small amounts of mass around the club head, so how about increasing other areas of adjustability? That should keep everyone busy for a couple of years.

Personally I would rather learn how to adjust my stance and grip to help me either draw or fade a shot and or de-loft a club etc. Rather than search for a screwdriver and adjust a setting on my club between holes.

So who are these main performance rule restrictions really for?

I believe they are not for the vast majority of golfers but for the small number of professionals who through greater athleticism and practise are already hitting the golf ball too far.

But I’m not hitting the golf ball too far. I do not have time to practise every day to improve my game. I need the latest technology, the very latest materials which can achieve near perfection for the main performance parameters set by physics not by the governing bodies of golf.

You can stick your adjustability and new ‘cavity’ drivers. I want new materials.
New bio-synthetic golf ball materials which can achieve 97% elasticity (while current synthetic rubber; polybutadiene, used in today’s golf balls can achieve only 70% elasticity). They do exist, perhaps only in small quantities in laboratories but very soon they will be produced in a viable economical way and I want them.

I also want new front striking face materials which can reach the limits of physics.

No doubt even with these near perfect materials I’ll still be a rubbish golfer. But my enjoyment of golf will be enhanced because very occasionally I will hit a dream of a shot.

Unfortunately Tiger & Rory & Co are standing in my way. Their supreme talent and dedication is preventing me from having the best technology. I don’t want them to be paid millions of dollars endorsing a particular brand. I want the brands to pay millions of dollars to people in white coats.

It's time for the performance restriction rules for the pros to be applied only to them. Let the vast majority of golfers enjoy the benefits of the very latest developments in material science. Instead of leaving us reading page after page of endless marketing spin.
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12.11.12

HAGFISH SLIME PLEASE



I for one would love to wear a Hagfish slime golf shirt.

This is just one piece of bio-material research trying to produce a natural, sustainable textile fibre alternative to petroleum-based polymers such as polyester.

Oh, a Hagfish is a slime-producing eel-like, bottom-dwelling marine animal.
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9.11.12

THE PETITION


Please read, share and sign, if you agree. Thank you.
 

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/277/652/054/help-persuade-sports-apparel-brands-to-provide-a-list-of-ingredients
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OUR TEN POINT PLAN FOR GOLF



If Golf Refugees were the governing body of golf

1. Simplification of the rules of golf. Free drops would be omitted
2. Women and young members of governing body would be encouraged
3. Priority given to build or adapt new 6-9 hole golf courses located in urban areas
4. Current golf equipment dimensional and performance restrictions to be maintained for professional golfers
5. Golf equipment performance restrictions to be removed for all amateur and recreational golfers
6. All golf apparel brands to provide a list of ingredients
7. Funding to establish research and development into biodegradable ‘elastic proteins’ for future high performance golf balls
8. Major championships to be held on golf courses with an audited plan for sustainability with reduced water, chemical pesticides and fertilizers usage
9. Guidance and grants to renovate clubhouses and build new clubhouses with renewable energy; wind and solar power and compost toilets
10. Tournament golf to include more variety with joint events for male and female professional golfers and played on courses with 6 – 9 holes

Please let us know what you think
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8.11.12

BOYCOTT TRUMP INTERNATIONAL GOLF LINKS



A senior operator in the golf industry has become the first to effectively boycott Donald Trump’s Scottish golf course over its founder’s behaviour.
 

Kevin Munt, the consultant behind KMGC, who has worked with several UK golf venues on course and club management, has said his decision follows the recent BBC airing of the documentary You’ve Been Trumped, which highlighted some of the alleged antisocial and environmentally unfriendly tactics the billionaire deployed during the building of Trump International Golf Links.
 

 “I do not believe that any golfer with a conscience, having watched You’ve been Trumped, could give the Trump organisation a £200 green fee and enjoy their round,” he said. “I have no intention of supporting Trump International Golf Links by remaining silent. As a person earning my living and reputation out of the game of golf I am not prepared to support golf at any cost. “The lack of respect, intimidation, bullying and total disregard for the welfare of his neighbours that Trump has shown in the name of golf development is sickening to me and should be to others who earn their living from this game.”

The film led to a huge response on social media. However, according to Munt, the golf industry has been quiet in the face of some of the accusations surrounding Trump’s development.
 

“What concerns me is the unusual silence from the golf industry and its press since the screening of the expose, which, given the controversial nature of this film, is somewhat disconcerting,” he said. “Other than the usual round of golf course reviews, written by golf journalists who have played the course on a PR freebie, I cannot find any industry comment on the film or its content. This lack of comment is disappointing as I cannot see how Donald Trump’s approach to the realisation of this project can have done anything but damage to the reputation of golf as a sport. A sport that I have spent most of my working life in and who’s reputation in the wider world I care a lot for.
 

 “In the last 20 years, golf and its stewards have had to work very hard to prove its sound environmental and social credentials. What makes Trump’s aggressive approach to obtaining exclusivity even more polarised is that it is taking place in the home of golf, Scotland, where more than any other country in the world, the game is accessible to all.”
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NO MORE EXCUSES R&A



British Olympic Association chairman Lord Moynihan has called on the Royal and Ancient Golf Club to open up its membership to women.

The golf club, which is based at St Andrews in Fife, refuses to admit any female members.

In the wake of the success of British women at the Olympics, Moynihan believes this is unacceptable and wants the club to change its rules. "To me, the Royal and Ancient should change."

The Royal and Ancient has continued to remain men-only although Augusta National, one of the most famous clubs in the United States which hosts the Masters each year, decided to accept women members for the first time in its 80-year history in August.

Moynihan added: "It is remarkable that Augusta has changed, but the Royal and Ancient is still there having not entitled and allowed complete equality of opportunity for women in this country.

"It should be an embedded characteristic of 21st century sport, especially when you see the contribution the athletes make.

"Let's get real and let's get on with the job of providing equality of opportunity across sports, sports administration as well as sporting opportunity."

Moynihan is keen not to see the progress women's sport made during the Olympics go to waste, after Team GB's female athletes won 10 gold medals.

"This was a Games that was about 'girl power'," he said.
 

The Royal and Ancient was unavailable for comment.
 

No more excuses Peter Dawson, time to bring the R&A into the 21 st Century - Golf Refugees
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7.11.12

THE PROFESSIONALS


Another golf season without a trophy.
http://www.golf-refugees.com/tshirts3.htm
It could hinge on the fact that we currently have no professional golfers wearing our ethically made, organic, carbon neutral apparel. We narrowly missed out on persuading two English LET players and one Korean LPGA player.
I'm hoping for a personality change for next year.
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6.11.12

MOVEMBER WITH GOLF REFUGEES


Celebrate Movember with Golf Refugees

http://www.golf-refugees.com
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STRAIGHT FROM THE HORSES MOUTH


Information extracted straight from the horses mouth.


Here is a list of ingredients Nike, Adidas, Puma and Li-Ning use to make their sportswear apparel.

1. Phthalates (ortho-phthalates)
2. Brominated and Chlorinated flame retardants
3. Banned Azo dies
4. Organotin Compounds (e.g., TBT)
5. Chlorobenzenes
6. Chlorinated Solvents
7. Chlorophenols
8. Short-Chained Chlorinated Paraffins (SCCP’s)
9. Heavy Metals; Lead, Chromium, Nickel, Antimony
10. AlkylPhenol Ethoxylates/ AlkylPhenols (APEO’s / AP’s)
11. Perfluorinated Chemicals (PFCs)

If you are slightly uneasy about buying apparel filled with toxic heavy metals and chemicals for your children to wear when playing sport, here is your opportunity to contact the leading brands and ask them to find safer alternatives or at the very least provide consumers with information to enable them to avoid certain toxic ingredients.

How many of you really want to buy sports shirts for Christmas for your loved ones which contain for example; highly toxic Lead?


Some sports shirts contain lead, but others do not. How are you to know which ones are lead free when you are kept in the dark by your favourite brands.

Well now you can ask them;

Adidas Group:
Katja Schreiber
Katja.Schreiber@adidas-group.com

Li-Ning:
Wei Li
Wei3.li@li-ning.com.cn

NIKE:
Del Hudson
delhudson@nike.com

PUMA:
Kerstin Neuber
Kerstin.Neuber@puma.com
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5.11.12

MIXED BALL OFFER



Can’t decide which golf ball to use?

Then go for a mixed tower of black and white balls.

With six original heat-absorbing black golf balls, designed to perform in hot sunny conditions.
And six white double-core titanium 3-piece construction golf balls with graffiti style graphics. A great ball for the winter months.

An ideal gift for Christmas for only £10 / 12 euros / 15 US dollars excluding delivery.

To order just e-mail us stating ‘mixed ball offer’ to;
refugees@btinternet.com
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