Here's why your next umbrella should be a golf umbrella

On this dreary rainy Wednesday in Charlotte -- with prospects of another dreary rainy Thursday in the Queen City -- many of us are digging up our umbrellas.

As I walked uptown this morning, I was quite dry underneath TaylorMade Golf's new Auto Open Double Canopy umbrella.

First thing you notice is the gel handle. Instead of being pre-molded to fit some generic hand, this thing conforms to yours and is quite comfortable. When you let it go, like PlayDough or TempurPedic beds, the gel returns to form.

It's got a 68-inch footprint -- so your back side and your pants legs won't get wet unless you plop in a puddle -- and the company said this model can withstand hurricane force winds.

I don't know about that, but I had it out a few weeks ago when we had that run of really bad wind. To test the theory, I walked down the street -- in dead sunlight. One of my neighbors came outside and busted up laughing at me.

The wind didn't bother this model a'tall. It kept its shape.

Then I took a very popular large model umbrella that I keep in the back of my car and walked down the same neighborhood street. It folded inward, snapped and yours truly was out $50. Wasn't too happy about that either.

If you're a golfer, you know that golf companies, like TaylorMade and Nike and Callaway, have done some downright ingenious things like creating apparel that is thin and light yet keeps you awful warm in the cold or keeps the sweat off your body and keeps your cooler (even wearing dark colors) in summer.

Their rain gear is second-to-none in terms of keeping you dry. Even if you don't play golf, it's worth a visit to a local golf store to check out this technology. Those little yellow raincoats you buy have nothing on this.

And as far as umbrellas go, I won't think about getting anything else anymore.

No more inward-folding, snapping expensive umbrellas for me.