Original Penguin Pete's Birdseye Crew Neck Sweater

We take the Original Penguin Pete's Birdseye Crew Neck Sweater out at Essendon Golf Course for a thorough test.

Original Penguin Pete's Birdseye Crew Neck Sweater
(Image credit: Kevin Murray)
Golf Monthly Verdict

A performance packed and stylish piece of clothing from Original Penguin. It may be on the expensive side, but we feel you'll easily get your money's worth from this smart sweater.

Reasons to buy
  • +

    Positive proof that golf can be fashionable and performance led

Reasons to avoid
  • -

    It does come at a bit of a price but the amount of wear should make up for that

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Mark Townsend
By
published

Mark Townsend tests the Original Penguin Pete's Birdseye Crew Neck Sweater at Essendon Golf and Country Club.

Original Penguin Pete's Birdseye Crew Neck Sweater Review

This is a genuine, out-and-out classic. I find myself on the Original Penguin website an awful lot and, prior to trying this, this was always my first port of call. If anything this is even more suited to something away from the course which means you should get even more wear out of it.

The teal blue is very in at the moment but it is the detailing that really makes it stand out. There’s a rib knit navy/pink/green combo on the cuffs and collar and the ribbed hem means, while it isn’t figure hugging, it does fit just right.

Original Penguin Pete's Birdseye Crew Neck Sweater

The contrast works perfectly and you would expect the likes of Steve McQueen to be donning this in a cool 70s movie more than you would seeing someone holing a six-foot putt. It’s quite retro and it’s very Original Penguin, both of which are great things.

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Otherwise there is a sophisticated surface texture brought about by the diamond weaving which produces a cool, speckled effect.

Size wise, again, it’s as you would hope for so the likelihood of having to buy it online and then return it is minimal. 

We tested this on a hot day (for the UK in May) and it was perfect. The technology is a soft and breathable merino wool so it’s the perfect mid layer and would also be ideal underneath a waterproof or windproof top when the temperatures dip a bit.

The subtle branding on the Original Penguin Pete's Birdseye Crew Neck Sweater

One word of caution is that you will need to be careful when it comes to a bit of bobbling, given the intricate nature of how it’s been made.

The final piece in the jigsaw is the rubber Pete the Penguin stamp on your left chest which is really cool.

Mark Townsend
Mark Townsend
Contributing editor

Mark has worked in golf for over 20 years having started off his journalistic life at the Press Association and BBC Sport before moving to Sky Sports where he became their golf editor on skysports.com. He then worked at National Club Golfer and Lady Golfer where he was the deputy editor and he has interviewed many of the leading names in the game, both male and female, ghosted columns for the likes of Robert Rock, Charley Hull and Dame Laura Davies, as well as playing the vast majority of our Top 100 GB&I courses. He loves links golf with a particular love of Royal Dornoch and Kingsbarns. He is now a freelance, also working for the PGA and Robert Rock. Loves tour golf, both men and women and he remains the long-standing owner of an horrific short game. He plays at Moortown with a handicap of 6.

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