Golf Gift Survival Guide

Santa Claus knows what the golf lover in your family wants under the tree, but, chances are you probably don’t, right?

To make golf-themed gift buying just a little bit easier this holiday season, we’ve compiled a list of great ideas for you:

Golf Lessons

Give the gift of a better golf game. A gift certificate for lessons from a PGA teaching professional can help your family member or friend avoid double bogeys and snowmen on their scorecard. Typically, the fee is between $30 to $70 per hour. In most cases, you’ll receive a discount if you purchase a series of lessons, for example, a package of six lessons. If your gift receiver is a novice and you just want to introduce the game to them, consider group lessons, which are cheaper than a block of one-on-one lessons.

2020 Ryder Cup  & The Open Logo Gear

It’s a great way for your favorite golf enthusiast to support our team in fine fashion . Everything from hats, polos and outerwear to t-shirts, ball markers, golf balls and much more emblazoned with the 2020 Ryder Cup Whistling Straits logo is available at shop.pga.com. Go to The Open website and you’ll find a wide array of shirts, caps, outerwear and accessories for men, ladies and kids with The Open logo. You can purchase merchandise for The 149th Open at Royal St. George’s and The 150th Open at St. Andrews, too.

Golf Travel

The gift of golf travel from Premier Golf is one that keeps on giving with lifelong memories and new friends made on world-renowned golf courses around the world. The options are plentiful, ranging from customized trips to Scotland, Ireland and Portugal and other destinations to major events like the Ryder Cup, Solheim Cup, The Open and The Masters to escorted tours with pre-arranged, fixed itineraries to New Zealand, Australia and South Africa.

Golf Travel Bag

The first order of business is to find out whether your gift receiver likes a hardcover or soft cover bag. Hardcover bags do a better job of protecting clubs and can take lots of abuse from bag handlers. On the downside, there’s not much flexibility and they take up more room than a soft cover. While offering a little less protection, soft covers are more flexible and much easier to pack, especially in vans and automobile trunks. Some of the best sellers are Club Glove, Club Champs, CaddyDaddy, Sun Mountain, Bag Boy, Ogio and Samsonite.

Golf Balls

Before you dash off to your nearest golf store or click to a golf equipment website, do some snooping around to find out exactly what golf ball your gift receiver plays. For the non-golfer, a ball is a ball. Not so for the serious linkster who has a comfort zone with a particular brand and ball. If you purchase just any ball, be prepared for the golfer to flash a somewhat phony grin of thanks with a tinge of hidden disappointment. Some of the more popular balls are the Titleist Pro V1/ Pro V1x ($48 a dozen), Taylormade TP5/TP5X ($45 a dozen), Srixon Z-Star/Z-Star XV ($40 a dozen) and Bridgestone Tour BX/XS/RX/RXS ($45 a dozen). Check out  Golf Digest’s Hot List of Best New Golf Balls for more ideas.

Golf Clothing

There is a dizzying array of golf fashions for men and women, so we’ll let the expert fashionistas guide you. Golf Digest’s Hot List of Best New Golf Balls has a terrific holiday guide with 21 gift ideas for “the stylish golfer in your life.”  You’ll find pullovers, polos, hoodies, shorts, pants and more. Some golf clothing designers are reaching back to the bold fashions of the 1970s and 1980s to present modern day versions that are sleeker and more form fitting. Items like golf shirts with artistic prints, plaid golf pants and cloth belts are making a comeback. For women, athletic fitting shirts made of breathable fabrics, skorts and lightweight jackets are popular choices.

Ultimate Accessories

Looking for some great stocking stuffers? One click to Amazon’s golf accessories page and you’ll be overwhelmed by all the possibilities. From divot tools, rangefinders and tees to a golf club groove sharpener, club cleaning kit and shoe bag, the choices are plentiful and reasonably priced. Find out if your golfer walks or rides more while they golf. Walkers generally don’t want objects that make their bag heavier to carry so concentrate on accessories like club and shoe care kits and swing aids. Those who ride carts for their rounds typically have large “cart bags” and the options are more plentiful.