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Great gifts for golfers
If Santa can’t bring me a lower handicap, how about some of these?
You have to admit: It’s easy to shop for golfers. We golfers by nature love gadgets, love toys, love anything that gives us the excuse to talk about, read about, or daydream about our game.
It’s true, we’ve become more picky about our clubs — what with custom-fitting now so affordable and accessible — and about our balls — what with dozens and dozens of varieties to fit our needs — but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a ton of nifty swag perfect for getting us psyched for next season.
Here are a few of the most intriguing golf gifts that have crossed my desk over the past several months:
GOLLY, GADGETS GALORE
One of the hottest gadgets to roll down the fairway over the past couple of years is the Visiball Golf Ball Finder (visiballusa.com, MSRP $40).
This blue sunglasses-meet-goggles eyewear actually makes golf balls appear to glow, making them extremely visible in the rough, woods, bog, parking lot or wherever they happen to stray.
The Visiball glasses come in two sizes (once of which fits over prescription glasses), each including a carrying case that clips onto your golf bag. So when the occasional shot heads into the hay, just whip out the funky shades. One drawback is in the fall, when all light-colored leaves also brighten up — but that’s why "the leaf rule" was invented, right?
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For the technogeek golfer on your list, the MIO XE Golf watch (MSRP $179, miowatch.com) is the latest in a trend toward making golf either more hi-tech or more confusing (I’m not sure which). The MIO XE Golf is not only a sporty watch and stopwatch, it also can keep detailed statistics (strokes, putts, GIR, sand saves, handicap, etc.) for as many as 20 rounds.
On top of that, it allows you to measure your heart rate, which, according to the company, will help you find the perfect balance between pumped and comatose where you’ll perform best. Although some golfers might find the complex button-pushes more distracting than helpful during a round, the gadget-savvy among us might find the stats and biofeedback functions extremely useful.
If you prefer to keep your heart rate steady the old-fashioned way — with beer — then The Covert Cooler (MSRP $20, covert-coolers.com) is for you. Made to fit discretely in the shoe-pocket of most golf bags, the cooler holds up to nine cans, and won’t leak if added ice begins to melt. The side zipper allows for easy access. Corporate logos can also be added, so these make cool outing gifts.
BAGS AND BOOTS
If you think driver technology has improved in the last decade, you should check out golf bag technology. Seriously. New light-weight materials allow more people to play as God and the Scots intended: Walking. Case in point, the new Sun Mountain Flight stand bag (MSRP $175, sunmountain.com). What sets this carry bag apart is that it has 14 individual club compartments yet only weighs five pounds.
Although it’s lacking a few bells and whistles (e.g., exterior ball and tee holders), and there’s no room for any extra clubs (if you happen to be demo-ing new drivers constantly, like me), the individual club compartments keep the clubheads from rattling against each other while you walk, and also allow you to instantly locate the club you need, speeding play.
For those golfers who walk and ride, the Ogio Synchro (MSRP $170, ogio.com) is a 6.6-pound hybrid bag with zip-away leg and strap pockets, nine cart-friendly zippered pockets, external ball silo and full-length club dividers. Above all, Ogio’s flair for design and color turn your golf bag into a real fashion statement.
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