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
The Forme Ace Tee, a therapeutic shirt.
What is Forme?
Forme is the brainchild of Dr. Stephen Liu, orthopedic surgeon and sympathetic son. When his mother was undergoing treatment for cancer, Dr. Liu often helped her breathe by pulling her shoulders back, thus opening up her lungs.
Eventually, Dr. Liu created a team of intellectuals, doctors, scientists and technology pioneers to employ the same strategy for others. With athletes in mind, Forme created the Ace tee and sports bra, a wearable therapeutic designed to correct and train alignment of the spine/neck/shoulder/hip and increase joint movement, reduce injuries, boost recovery and provide better breathing for higher oxygenation.
Why Are We Trying It?
Simple. After successful results with U.S. Olympic teams, NBA, MLB and NHL athletes and both the men’s and women’s U.S. national rugby teams, Forme is beginning to infiltrate professional golf. Jared Wolfe, Rohan Ramnath and Harold Varner III have been using Forme.
“The shirt provides instant feedback,” says Wolfe. “I can feel my neck relax and all the tension on my back and neck is gone. It doesn’t just help when standing up but also when I sit down. I like to wear it mostly when I travel because it helps with my recovery.”
Varner also uses Forme products to ease the effects of traveling. “I wear the shirt when I’m flying mostly from event to event. Sometimes I even sleep in it. The biggest difference I see in my body is good posture from wearing the shirt.”
Can a shirt really make that much of a difference?
Product Expert
Hi, I’m Harry and I am a professional golf product tester. (Yes, they exist.) I actually test a lot of things at MyGolfSpy and play professionally when I’m not checking and comparing specs on gloves, rangefinders, bags, ball retrievers, etc. You can call me the Director of Product Testing here at MGS. You can also just call me Harry. That’s fine, too.
Explaining the Forme Wearable Therapeutic Shirt
The Forme wearable therapeutic shirt claims to pull your shoulders back and put you in the correct posture. But how?
The shirt is constructed of two different materials that are stitched together. Think “thermal wind shirt” and you have the general idea. The inner shirt is fused across the shoulder blades, creating an elastic-band sensation which is always contracted. When you put the shirt on, the fused section wants to remain tight no matter how broad you are across the shoulders. This makes your shoulders pull back to their natural position, forcing your body and diaphragm to open.
Find it hard to visualize how the shirt could help with your spine and neck alignment? Dr. Liu offers the follow analogy.
“Think about a fishing pole. When you have a fish on the line, there’s a lot of pressure on the line. The pole bends, pulling the head of the pole down. This is what happens with your head over time. Your head naturally bends downward and you start developing a hunchback. Now think of when you pull back against the fish and bring the pole towards you. The pole is straight for a few seconds. The pole is back to its natural position. Then the fish pulls back again and the pole bends once more. This happens to your spine and neck but our therapeutic shirt pulls everything back with no effort and helps restore order in your spine and neck alignment.”
What Dr. Liu has designed is a natural and sustainable solution for anyone with back and neck issues. The therapeutic wearable shirt trains your muscles to always be in the correct position which helps cure your back and neck pain.
Using Therapeutic Shirt By Forme
The best thing about Forme? It takes almost no effort.
All you have to do is wear the shirt and the rest takes care of itself.
I can hear you say this is b******t!
I’m the most skeptical person when it comes to new innovative products promising you the world. I was on the same page as you doubters. It’s all BS until it’s not. We get products in every day that promise ridiculous claims. “Hit it 10 yards more!” “This tee will make you hit it straighter!” “We have the most centered cores on the market!” I’ve heard them all.
The difference is that Forme actually DELIVERED on its claims.
Seriously, all you have to do is put on the shirt and it pulls your shoulders back into the correct posture. It’s that simple.
Does It Work?
Forme does what it claims to do, at least in the preliminary testing.
I haven’t worn the shirt for long enough to provide an accurate and truthful experience on long-term recovery and alignment. But what I can tell you is I have no doubt it will correct my slumped shoulders, forward neck leaning and overall bad posture. After doing my research and conducting interviews on Forme wearable therapeutic shirts, I keep getting the same response: “It helped me.”
Sheldon Roberts, a trainer for Urban Golf Performance, uses Forme and has also incorporated Forme into his client regimens.
“When I first put on the shirt, I got instant feedback. The longer I wore the product, the better improvement I saw in my own flexibility, rotation and posture. Not to mention the better positions I was able to get my body into. So I made some of my clients wear the shirt during their training sessions.”
Roberts also shared some of his clients’ results.
Final Thoughts
After testing the Forme wearable therapeutic shirt for over a month, I would buy it without question. When they come out with any other products, I will be jumping on the bandwagon. I am all for anything that can help me have better posture and mobility. For me, the most important part is the prevention of long-term issues like a hunched back or neck issues. Yes, the shirt costs $159 but, in my option, it’s worth every cent.
Wash the shirt on a cold cycle and air dry it and you’re good to go. There are a couple of points that I want to add before you buy this product. If you have broad shoulders like me (normally a U.S. large) I would purchase an XL. You can wear a shirt underneath and put the Forme shirt over top and still get the same effect. If you don’t and stay with the same size you normally wear, you might get a slight pinch under the armpit. But if you can live with that, then crack on, mate.
I use mine while at my desk and wore it while writing this article. You can take it to the gym, wear it while walking or running, whatever. Potentially, you could be saving thousands of dollars in the long run on medical bills and drugs by avoiding back and neck issues.
The Forme shirt has 18 patents available with 10 more in the works.
If you prefer everything you wear to have a classic golf style, within the next few weeks Forme will be introducing a therapeutic polo and shorts to help with spine, neck and hip alignment. However, the shirt is available NOW!
Jim
2 years ago
Have played two rounds wearing this shirt. Lot’s of factors at work here as I try and improve my overall game but both rounds resulted in very good scores with the last round generating a personal best on that particular course. A three stroke gain. ! I can’t help but think that the improved posture contributed to the result.