Courtesy of: GolfSpy MBP
If you haven’t heard or figured it out by the décor in your local mall yet – “It’s the most wonderful time of the year”. OK so a lot of you will disagree and say it’s the summer golf season, but you would be wrong. It’s the holiday season, Santa Claus & ho ho ho, mistletoe, and presents for pretty girls. Pretty girls aside though what about the golfer in your life? They need presents and lots of them. OK so maybe that’s just me, but I’m sucker for Christmas and I’m sure there are more than just a few others out there who share the same spirit.
I get asked fairly often, “What should I buy my golfer for Christmas?” and all the obvious stuff immediately rushes to mind. Balls, shirts, clubs & putters, but all this is just so common. So it got me to thinkin’, what would a golfer really want that not everyone would think of? So I set out to find gifts actual golfers wanted.
So this holiday season, besides looking deep within myself, I’ve gone out and asked golfers what they want. People in golf stores, guys on the forums, the Spies, hell I even called the boss and asked him too. The gift of pie aside, and oh boy do I love me some Christmas pie, the same toys kept coming up over and over.
Voice Caddie VC300
What it is:
Voice guidance, shot distance measuring GPS
Why they want it:
I love my Voice Caddie VC300, absolutely love it (as apparent in my review)! It just clips to your hat, you start swiping or clicking and it literally SPEAKS to you. Who doesn’t want a clean, sexy and efficient looking GPS that TALKS? It’s overall feature set is a little basic for some – front, middle and back yardages only. But really though, were you listening? It freakin talks!
$
Bushnell Tour V3 Slope Edition Laser Rangefinder
What it is:
The latest laser range finder with improved Slope and locking technology.
Why They Want it:
Let’s face it, sometimes you want to measure yardage without a satellite intermediate. You see the target, you laser the target, and you get your number. You don’t need orbiting bodies for that. A lot of golfers are huge fans of the slope feature, because they actually like to hit the target when they play. Think about how nice slope adjusted readings would be with the Tour V3 the next time you leave that uphill approach ten yards short.
$ $
Swing Smart
What it is:
Personal swing analyzer providing instant and easy-to-understand feedback.
Why They Want it:
It’s extremely portable and super simple to use. Clip the SwingSmart onto your shaft, Bluetooth pair it with your smartphone and the app instantly collects all the swing data a golf geek could ever want. This is a fabulous tool for those swing tinkerers looking for help without involving others. Oh and it was the overall winner of the MyGolfSpy Swing Trainers 2013.
$ $
DriverShoes, Fairwayshoes & Puttershoes
What it is:
From BestGrips – Handmade driver, fairway and putter covers made deep in the heart of Texas.
Why They Want it:
Genuine cowhide leather, 100% personalized customization and no set up fees. If you’ve got an idea you want on a cover, BestGrips will turn it into a reality. I myself have a Drivershoe. The quality of leather and the level of craftsmanship are instantly apparent, OK I’ll go out and say it – it’s second to none. One guy I asked said “They smell and feel awesome!” Product aside, people rave about dealing personally with their owner Albert too. This is a gift that says you’re pretty special to me and I put a lot of thought into your present.
$
Vessel Bags
What it is:
Custom designed golf bags ranging from carry to staff bags.
Why They Want it:
Following on the lines of custom covers, you’ll need to pair them with a custom bag. Holy crap that’s an expensive bag you say? Silence! Enough with the OEM bags people put what YOU want on your golf bag. It’s time to represent son! There is nowhere else you can get this kind of quality one off custom bag out there. It’s unique and Vessel’s the best at it because they’ve done it for the biggest brands. Just think about how cool it would be to wake up on Christmas morning and whoa…there’s your own personalized (and yes you can put your own name on it) bag under the tree.
$ $ $
Ship Sticks
What it is:
A white glove, door to door shipping solution to the agony of traveling with your golf clubs.
Why They Want it:
I don’t care if you are trying to squeeze some golf in on a business trip, or planning a golf getaway, there is nothing worse than lugging your clubs in a travel case. Think about it for a minute. It’s a pain in the chestnuts to say the least. Into the car, the ticket counter, baggage claim, the car rental shuttle, the rental car, your hotel, on and on. We’re talking 45 pounds of misery only to do it all again on the way home. Sure they’re kinda expensive, but if you got the dough there’s no beating the service they’re supplying.
$-$$
Custom MyJoys/Nike TW14
What it is:
Personalized golf shoes from Footjoy and Nike
Why They Want it:
Courtesy of online tools the MyJoys and NIKEid websites make it easy to mix & match colors and even textures in some cases. Both companies offer some sort of name or custom font personalization and FootJoy has even gone as far as to add custom images. The big thing here to take away from this is golfer’s now have the ability to match their OWN personal style. You’d look like a boss researching their favorite colors and getting them some cool kicks.
$-$$
Game Golf
What it is:
A seamless game tracking system that is pretty much completely hands free.
Why They Want it:
To quote the big boss –“If I was a golfer, and I just happen to be, I’d be stoked to get this as a gift.” This is golf & technology merged at its finest and could very much be THE future of personal game tracking on the course. The Game Your Game system captures all your statistics and trends automatically; letting you focus on your round of golf. There’s no getting the phone out of your bag and fiddling with an application, rather you just focus and play your round of golf. When you get home all your data will have been tracked and uploaded for you for review, allowing you to share your stats with friends via all the latest social media. This is the coolest looking technology to enter into golf in years and looks like it could be a real game changer folks. This is the gift that will really show you did some research this holiday season.
$$
Gift Cards/Gift Certificates to Epic Courses
What it is:
It’s gift cards and Gift certificates
Why They Want it:
So your wife’s looking for something to stuff in that stocking? Is there a dream course on your bucket list you just can’t afford and always wanted to play? Think about it, you always wanted to play Pebble Beach but you’re $500 short of the green fees. Well, even if it’s only covers 10%, these will eventually add up and get you closer to living the dream. Check out your favorite. Most of the big names I looked up all offer Gift Cards valid towards golf.
$-$$$
Fitting/Performance Center
What it is:
Getting clubs truly fitted to your swing without the retail philosophy
Why They Want it:
As I’ve learned with my own experiences a performance center makes you feel like a pro. You’re dealing with someone who’s job is to get you the best fit possible, who actually knows the golf swing, and is not out to sell you what their best supplier’s deal is that week. Most centers will carry more custom options than your typical big box, and offer an open air range to judge flight characteristics. This is more of that golf geek fun I spoke of, and will make you feel like a kid again.
$-$$$
xBox One with PowerStar Golf
What it is:
Microsoft’s latest home entertainment and gaming system.
Why They Want it:
I’m a bit of a tech junkie – home theater, computers and gaming play a big part of my life outside of golf. So when I say the ultimate gift they’d want this season is an xBox One I mean it. The xBox One is toys for big grown up kids and sure to put a smile on faces that special morning. Pair it up with a cool arcade style game like Powerstar Golf and you’ve got a winning combination.
*Note- I would have included the PlayStation 4 as well but currently they do not offer a golf game title.
$$$
3 Up Golf
What it is:
It golf balls – with a charitable twist.
Why They Want it:
I know I wasn’t going to include the obvious but… 3 Up Golf has released a really nice Holiday ball gift bag that would look pretty slick sitting under the tree. It includes 12 3 Up balls, two-sided metal stamped ball markers, 3 Up branded Evolution Golf Tees by Pride Golf, and red, blue, green or black markers. And the best part about dealing with 3 Up is a portion of all ball sales goes to charity.
$
Good luck finding it
Blade
10 years ago
Good job on the article Mr. Mann! I almost forgot about that GYG system. I thought it was coming out a long time ago. I will be very interested in it. I wonder when it will be available.