Members of the U.S. team at the PGA Ryder Cup held in Perthshire, Scotland, this September may have felt the heat from the pressure of competition, but it wasn’t from the sun, thanks to temperature-regulating hats. Developed by Outlast® Technologies, a Golden, Colo.-based leader in proactive heat management, the hats are the product of a partnership between the company and New Era Cap, Buffalo, N.Y., which has secured exclusive rights to headwear during the biennial Ryder Cup competition through 2016.

The hats work by absorbing, storing and releasing excess heat to help reduce overheating and perspiration. Outlast employs heat-management technology, located in the interior panel against the forehead, which continuously reacts to the user’s skin temperature to help mitigate the onset of sweating.

Outlast technology was originally developed for NASA to protect astronauts from temperature fluctuations in space. It utilizes phase change material (PCM) that works like ice in a drink; as it changes from solid to liquid, it absorbs heat and cools the drink, keeping that drink at the desired temperature for a longer period of time. This gives any product containing Outlast technology the ability to continually regulate skin’s microclimate. As the skin gets hot, the heat is absorbed, and as it cools, that heat is released.