Golf gifts – whether for yourself or someone else – come in all shapes and sizes. Some products and brands are obvious choices and should be avoided just because they’re too obvious. Others are more nuanced. Here are a few recommendations that you probably won’t see elsewhere – golf gift ideas that might not immediately leap to mind unless you own your own pro shop or spend way too much time reading golf magazines.
Imagine Your Game in HD
Ever since the late 1990’s, when Mizuno introduced its Comp EZ line, the company has been making a concerted effort to shed its “better-players-only” label and create clubs that the average golfer can benefit from using. In August of 2010, the company introduced the Mizuno JPX line, multi-material designs featuring variable-thickness faces, the highest-allowable COR (Coefficient of Restitution – otherwise known as “spring-like effect”), and a host of other game-improvement features. If you haven’t yet tried one of these clubs, now is the time – particularly since Mizuno has just recently added the new JPX 800 HD to its 2012 offerings.
The JPX 800 HD is a super-game-improvement iron designed to give mid- and high-handicappers the kind of forgiveness they need on off-center hits, along with the feel that Mizuno is renowned for. The HD (for “height” and “distance”) takes last year’s JPX technology a step farther. The “Hot Metal” face is hot, for sure – you’re almost guaranteed to get more distance from trading up to these clubs. But at the same time, because they offer such a low center of gravity, the HD irons really make it easy to launch the ball high. In addition, Mizuno has been able to not just enlarge but also realign the sweet spot on these clubs. They’ve shifted it to the places on the clubface where miss-hits are most likely to occur – low on the heel and high on the toe. The result: more forgiveness and better results on miss-hit shots.
Another thing that makes the Mizuno JPX 800 HD line worth consideration are all the options you have as far as set make-up is concerned. New fitting software for 2012, combined with the 1400 fitting carts Mizuno has around the U.S., ensure that you have the right clubs for your game and your swing. And here’s where things get really interesting, particularly if you struggle with your longer irons. Some of the options Mizuno offers in its JPX 800 HD line are what the company calls “DLR” clubs – “Direct Long iron Replacements.” Depending on what your club-fitting session reveals (what your “Swing DNA” is shown to be) your club-fitter may recommend that you include in your new set one or more of the Mizuno JPX Fli-Hi clubs. These are not hybrids per se – they’re the same loft, lie and length as the specific irons they replace. A JPX Fli-Hi iron, in other words, has similar specs to the JPX HD iron. But the Fli-Hi’s low center of gravity and other design characteristics make them just a little easier for some players to hit solidly and high. The JPX Fli-Hi line includes 3, 4, 5 and 6-iron replacement clubs.
If you’re ready to explore the difference the Mizuno JPX 800 HD could make in your game, visit the Mizuno Web site and search for the Mizuno Performance Fitting System location nearest you. $699 with steel shafts, $899 with graphite. mizunousa.com
In Vino Veritas
Eggnog for the holidays? Forget it. Go with the grape. Given how well today’s successful pro golfers are paid, it’s not surprising that so many of them have become oenophiles. (Duffy Waldorf is but one example of a player who knows his vintages as well as his yardages.) It’s also not surprising that so many stars of the game have at some point been approached to lend their names to new wine brands. There are more than a dozen pros with their own wines – from Arnie and Gary to Greg, Sir Nick and Annika. Earlier this year, the Golden Bear joined their ranks when he teamed up with the Golden State’s Terlato Wines to launch his own label. Nicklaus Wines is now offering a couple different bottles. Its 2008 Private Reserve is a Napa wine that’s 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Syrah, 5% Merlot, 2% Malbec and 2% Petit Verdot. This wine brings flavors of dark fruit and soft tannins to the palate and black cherries and vanilla to the nose; it’s a good choice with steak, pork or other hearty foods. The other Nicklaus Wines entry into the market is the 2008 Jack Nicklaus Cabernet Sauvignon – a 100% cabernet that’s a bit more intense and spicy than its Private Reserve sibling. There are no guarantees that either of these wines will help you win any major championships, but after a few glasses it’s unlikely that you’ll care. Private Reserve - $48, Cabernet - $33.
A Stand Bag That Earns a Standing O
Everyone knows the R11 is a great driver. But have you seen the R11 stand bag? Comparing TaylorMade’s new R11 Pure-Lite stand bag to carry bags from even just a few years ago is like comparing an F-22 to a paper airplane. This species has evolved a lot. The R11 is the ultimate stand bag – with several meaningful improvements over last year’s model. The design of this bag is just plain smart. It houses the things it needs to house well and flat-out works the way a stand bag should. TaylorMade does the little things right here, and the big things even better.
The R11 Pure-Lite is light: just 5.0 pounds. But it’s anything but light on features. This year’s model is made with a new lightweight rip-stop Gortech material. Its six nylon dividers and three, full-length, shaft dividers keep clubs organized, while the integrated handles at the top, bottom and side make it one of the world’s easiest bags to move around. It’s also easy – and comfortable – to carry. The ergonomic “air-mesh comfort straps” utilize an EVA foam and a continuous webbing system that distributes weight evenly, giving it an even lighter “effective weight.” This year’s straps were designed to breathe, too – so your shoulders stay cool and relaxed. And the strap system is 8-point, 4-way adjustable, so the bag can be fitted to ride at the optimal 10-degree hanging angle. And it’s got a generously padded hip pad for comfort when walking and carrying.
The R11 Pure-Lite has compartments for just about everything. There are a total of eight pockets -- a valuables pocket, a large apparel pocket for sweaters and rain gear, a glove pocket big enough for six gloves, a pocket for tees and balls, an accessories pocket, a valuables pocket, a water bottle sleeve – even a place to keep your Sharpie.
The R11 is rugged, too. The legs are 6020 aluminum with stainless steel rod actuators. The stand system is tested to hold up to all but the toughest abuse – an automated test replicates cycling the stand open and closed 60,000 times. The legs are designed for optimum spread to help with stability on uneven lies, too, and new for 2011 is a stand housing with an anti-split mechanism – so the legs won’t open up too wide. Finally, the tough-as-nails base has a new actuator for 2011 that allows its hinge to work smoothly even on slippery surfaces. It’s as close to a “can’t-fail” design as anyone has ever come or may ever need to come.
Throw in a rain hood that’s big enough to actually fit golf clubs under it and a towel ring that doesn’t make you jump through hoops to use it and you’ve got what just may be the most intelligently designed golf bag ever created. Strap one on and you’ll see what I mean. $179
The Golf Shoe That Isn’t
Have you seen the kicks that golfers like Tiger Woods and Fred Couples have been wearing of late? They look more like running shoes than golf shoes – and they fit like them, too. If you’re thinking of going the sneaker-substitute route, adidas has a new entrant into the category that’s worth a look. The adidas adiCross don’t look much like a traditional golf shoe. It comes in a variety of colors and designs that more closely resemble street wear than something you’d see in a stuffy golf locker room. But they do a good job on the course, thanks to their excellent support and 124 strategically placed traction lugs. The lugs (or nubs or nibs or whatever you want to call them) are of varying sizes and they offer a pretty good grip on all but the slipperiest surfaces. Their uppers are full-grain leather, so they’re really supportive, comfortable and breathe well. And the toe cap is made from a super-durable synthetic material that resists abrasions and protects your toes. The adiCross comes in five different colors, and each pair ships with two different sets of laces – a tonal pair and a contrasting pair. Best of all, when you finish playing in these babies, you won’t necessarily have to take them off. The adiCross is perfectly happy to transport you across asphalt, cement, wood, carpet or any other surface you encounter. $90
Time to Belly Up?
Admit it. Ever since you‘ve seen PGA Tour players who don’t have bellies successfully wield belly putters, you’ve wanted to try one, haven’t you? When you see the likes of Keegan Bradley, Webb Simpson and others (even Phil Mickelson, who does have a belly) win events using the longer sticks, it makes you wonder, doesn’t it? If you’re ready to give one a go, the first thing is to make sure you get properly fitted for it. Belly putters can range from around 38 inches to 46 inches or more. Finding the one that allows your shoulders and body to make a nice, smooth pendulum-like swing is key. You don’t want to feel hunched over – nor do you want your arms to feel like they’re extending out too far from your torso. They should hang freely and swing freely.
But which belly putter should you try? I’d recommend the TaylorMade Ghost Spider belly putter. It’s beautifully weighted – and the moveable weight technology allows you to customize that weight to your preferences. It’s got the perimeter weighting and resulting MOI you need for consistency. And its “Pure Roll” Surlyn insert promotes forward roll and accuracy. Seen from above, the club may look like something better suited to flipping burgers than holing putts. But put that white clubhead down behind a golf ball on a putting green and suddenly the stars align. All you need to do is read your putts correctly. $199
Infrared Precision
I don’t get the appeal of GPS units for judging yardages. You have to have the course you’re playing downloaded on the unit. And even then, it only gives you yardages to approximate points, such as the front, middle and back of the green. You may not think you need anything more precise than that, but in my mind, having the exact yardage to the hole (or bunker or water hazard) is a good thing.
And if you’re in the market for a new laser range-finder, Leopold’s GX series is a particularly good choice. They’re compact, sturdy, weatherproof, easy to aim, and are available with a variety of desirable features. The GX-3 model, for example, is a tournament-legal model that surpasses other range finders in a number of ways. Its proprietary beam geometry improves laser returns from the target, while the company’s advanced GX software helps you accurately separate out those targets. The GX-3 lets you choose which kind of aiming reticule you prefer, too. And it has “Scan Mode,” which lets you get multiple readings in one quick sweep. Not only that, but with Leopold’s “Prism Lock,” you can lock on to the reflector prisms that some courses place on flagsticks and the unit will beep and the display will freeze on that number to tell you it has found the prism. The GX-3 also offers a special mode that improves the unit’s performance in fog. It literally ignores the fog and cuts through it to give you accurate measurements to your targets.
Want even more features in your range-finder? Check out Leopold’s GX-4. It comes with two faceplates, one that’s tournament-legal and another that adds extra functions. This “Smart Key” faceplate, which converts the GX-4 from a simple range-finder to a full-tilt coaching tool, is a great invention. With it in place, your GX-4 can help you determine distances on inclines, make adjustments for atmospheric conditions, or even help you choose your club. And when it’s time to play in an event, you just switch back to the standard faceplate and you’re good to go. GX-3: $285, GX-4: $350
True Golf Adventure
As long as your destination isn’t Antarctica, chances are you’ll be able to find a golf course to play. And while some courses are clearly better than others, there’s no such thing as a bad one if it happens to be the one you’re playing. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t aspire to play something magnificent — you know, those courses that take you back so close to the roots of the game that you can smell Old Tom Morris’s whisky breath as you step on to the tee.
Playing links golf in Ireland and the U.K. is a dream for many golfers. But all too often, they choose the well-known “trophy” courses at the expense of getting a taste of the game as our forebears once played it. Don’t get me wrong – the Old Course at St. Andrews should be experienced by everyone, and championship venues like Turnberry and Royal County Down should be on everyone’s golf bucket list. But don’t overlook the lesser known courses that serve up a taste of golf as it was played 150 years ago – courses whose quirky designs, stunning locations and warm welcomes put them in a class by themselves. Here are five that I’d recommend. All are on Scotland’s ruggedly beautiful west coast and you could do much worse than to organize a trip around these five courses alone.
Ashkernish Golf Club, South Uist Island
It’s the course that time forgot and the locals lost after the conclusion of WWII. An Old Tom Morris design, Askernish was “found” in 2005 by golf course consultant Gordon Irvine, who was in the area on a fishing trip, and then turned back into a golf course with the help of architect Martin Ebert. Today, you can play a course that closely resembles what Old Tom himself likely designed in and amongst the majestic dunes of this remote island in the Outer Hebrides. Askernish isn’t easy to get to – but you owe it to yourself to make the journey. You will share the course with livestock and love every minute of it – particularly the unforgettable 16th, dubbed “Old Tom’s Pulpit,” a gorgeous par 4 that plays from an elevated tee down into a sloping valley and then back up again to a green perched atop a 30-foot dune. It’s throwback golf, the kind of course that golf purists weep over. Get thee there! askernishgolfclub.com
The Machrie Golf Club, Islay
Where else on earth will you play 18 holes and face seven blind tee shots — and an equal number of blind approach shots — and love every one of them? The Machrie, designed by Willie Campbell at the tail end of the 19th Century, invites you to do just that. It’s a classic links course in every way, with a nice variety of holes, incredible views, and excellent turf conditions. A tournament was held there to raise publicity for the course in 1901, with a purse of 100 British pounds – four times the purse of that year’s Open Championship. It featured three of the giants of the game at the time: James Braid, Harry Vardon, and eventual winner J.H. Taylor. Recently, The Machrie’s future was in question after its owners filed for bankruptcy, but a new owner has emerged and good things lie ahead for this must-play course. It doesn’t hurt that there are a dozen world-class whisky distilleries on Islay that make visiting there an even more attractive notion. The deliciously peaty Lagavulin 16 year-old is not to be missed. machrie.net
Machrihanish and Machrihanish Dunes, Kintyre Peninsula
When Old Tom Morris designed Machrihanish Golf Club in the late 1800’s, he said that God had “gowf” in his eye when he created the place. The course is famed for its opening tee shot, which has to cut off a piece of Machrihanish Bay to find the fairway (though you can play it from the beach at low tide). It’s a course that serves up delight after delight; it twists, it turns, it leaps over short dunes and wraps around higher ones. The front nine in particular is memorable. The par-4 5th hole I’d label amongst my favorite in all of links golf. machgolf.com
Next door, a second course was created a little over 100 years later. Oddly, it’s this second course, Machrihanish Dunes, that looks and plays like the older of the two. Built on an environmentally protected site and designed by Scotsman David McLay Kidd (of Bandon Dunes fame), Machrihanish Dunes was created without any heavy equipment. Kidd identified and built the green sites and the tees but the rest was already there. Mach Dunes is the more challenging of the two courses and also presents more dramatic holes. The drivable par-4 13th with its green set in a dell and the drop-dead-gorgeous par-3 14th constitute one of the best one-two punches in Scottish golf. The ocean is ever in sight here, and the greens present challenges that allow for the kind of creative shots that have all but left the game on the U.S. side of the pond. machdunes.com
Making a visit to this area even more attractive in 2012 is the opening of the two “new” hotels that are part of the Village at Machrihanish Dunes. These two boutique hotels, which were built in the late 1800’s, are both being restored to their former glory – but with all the requisite modern amenities. When it opens in March 2012, The Ugadale Hotel in Machrihanish will offer breathtaking views of the sea and golf course, along with fine dining and a lively pub — while the Royal Hotel, which overlooks the picturesque harbor in nearby Campbeltown and will open the same day and offer more fine dining and pub-going options, along with rooms that each offer majestic harbor views. machdunes.com
Shiskine Golf Club, Arran
The last links classic you should chart a course for is Shiskine on the island of Arran. Like the others on our list, it’s an unspoiled links course offering unforgettable views and a design that’s as unique as its location. Shiskine is a 12-hole course. You can get around in less than three hours (and you better, or the locals will have your hide). Set on firm linksland below the Drumadoon Cliffs near Blackwaterfoot, Shiskine offers a heady mix of drivable holes and oceanfront testers. At 2787 yards from the back tees, it’s not a slugfest. But the 243-yard, par-3 6th and the 506-yard, par-5 9th are ample evidence that it’s not pushover holiday course, either. shiskinegolf.com
