I get it, trying to find the best golf gift idea for your husband, father, or any other golfer in your family can be really difficult.
There are thousands of different golf products out there, and if you listen to the marketing, they’re all touting themselves as the “latest and greatest”.
But most of them? Aren’t very good.
Luckily I’ve used and reviewed dozens of the best golf products on the market. So whether you’re looking for a gift for Christmas, Father’s Day or a birthday, I’m going help you find the very best golf gifts for the golfer in your family – regardless of budget.
The Very Best Golf Gift: Arccos Golf ($199)
I get asked a lot what my absolute favorite product is. Well of all the tech items I’ve reviewed, the one I still continue to personally use almost every round is Arccos Golf.
Arccos pairs and app with 14 sensors that attach to each club. It tracks every shot you hit, and then give you tour level stats about your round.
Want to know exactly how many fairways you hit? Want to know your average distance to the pin on approach shots? Want to know exactly how far you hit your 7 iron?
Arccos will tell you all of that.
Even better? I thought this was totally worth it when it launched at $399. Now it’s HALF THAT.
Who is it for? The person who plays at least once a week and love to geek out about stats and review every shot of every round they play.
Who is it not for? The device is super simple to use, but I wouldn’t recommend it for people who are totally tech-illiterate.
Solid Alternative? Their Arccos Driver product is a stripped down version focusing just on your driver stats. ($55 on Amazon)
Links:
My review of Arccos Golf
Buy Arccos on Amazon Here.
Buy Arccos on their website here.
Buy Arccos Driver on Amazon
Want to support the company more and by it directly through the site? Use the promo code for $50 off Arccos Golf when you buy it on their site.
Best Golf Travel Gift: Holderness and Bourne Byers Duffel Bag ($225)
The guys at Holderness and Bourne truly get what golf is all about. Their products are the perfect blend of style and tradition, and they all add a slight modern flair.
I love their polos ($90) and am rocking them during at least 75% of the rounds I play, but it’s their Byers Duffel Bag that will make the best gift.
I get compliments on this everywhere. Mine is made of Scottish wool (latest models might have different material), has an extremely high quality zipper, and it looks like it costs about twice as much as it does. If the golfer in your family loves to take quick weekends away, then he will love this bag.
The Marston by H&B ($155) is also a fantastic looking bag and even more affordable.
Who is it for? The person who frequently takes weekend trips, and wants something a little classier than your standard athletic duffel bag.
Who isn’t it for? The person who could care less about style and cares about affordability more than anything else.
Solid Alternative? Club Glove Burst Proof 2 ($250). I’ve hauled my clubs all over the world in my Club Glove and it’s held up against the total beating I’ve unleashed on it.
Links:
My Review of the Byers Duffel
Buy the Byers Duffel
My review of the Club Glove Burst Proof
Buy the Club Glove Burst Proof on Amazon.
Use the Promo Code “breakingeighty” for 15% off Holderness and Bourne!
Best Golf Training Gift: DST Compressor 8 Iron ($99)
Looking down at the DST Compressor 8 iron at rest
Ever wondered if tour pros have some sort of magic bullet they use when they practice? Well, this won’t instantly have you playing in the Masters, but it will make you a dramatically better golfer.
I’ve seen a lot of gimmicky training tools, but this one? It actually works. It’s a club that has a curved shaft that forces you to lag your hands on your swing. This helps you compress the ball, and in turn, hit it much farther.
You can also find it in the bag of dozens of golf pros, so take that for what it’s worth.
They have a few options, but I’d recommend the DST Compressor 8 iron for someone is only going to get one of their clubs.
Who is it for? The person who is willing to spend some time on the range, and really does want to take their golf to the next level.
Who isn’t it for? The person who has no interest in practicing and just wants to play with their buddies.
Solid Alternative: Zepp 2 Swing Analyzer ($150). If your loved one is more of a tech-y person and would rather perfect their swing using something a little more high tech. The Zepp 2 is the best consumer swing tracker I’ve tested. Here’s the review of the original Zepp. My review of the new one is coming soon.
Links
My review of the DST Compressor 8 iron
Buy the DST Compressor on their website
Buy the Zepp 2 Swing Analyzer on Amazon
Best Golf Gadget: Swing Caddie 2 ($349)
I’ve mentioned a few other golf gadgets in other parts of this review, but the device I may have been most impressed with in 2016? The Swing Caddie 2.
The Swing Caddie is a personal launch monitor. Ever been to a club fitting where they hooked you up to a Trackman or similar device to track all of the facets of your golf swing?
Yeah, those cost upwards of $20k.
The Swing Caddie 2 uses the same general technology (doppler radar), sits behind you on the range, and tells you exactly how far every shot is. It costs a fraction of the price, but still works surprisingly well. It even has built in training games to make your time on the range more enjoyable.
Who is it for? The person who wants to practice more, but usually gets too bored to make any progress.
Who isn’t it for? Once again, the person who has no interest in practicing.
Solid Alternative? Optishot 2 Golf Simulator ($499). This isn’t cheap, but if you’ve got some space at your house, anyone would love this golf simulator. Don’t expect 100% accuracy, but it works well enough to both have solid practice sessions or to play a round on a notable course in the dead of winter. NOTE: Seeing this for under $350 at Amazon, which is a pretty good deal.
Links
My Review of the Swing Caddie 2
Buy the Swing Caddie 2 on Amazon
My Review of the Optishot 2
Buy the Optishot 2 on Amazon
Best Golf Rangefinder: Bushnell Tour V4 with Slope
I’ve found that a rangefinder is one of the most asked for golf gifts you can find. Why? Because to know exactly how far away you are from the pin on any given spot on the golf course will give you a huge advantage.
This is an absolute must for any regular golfer.
My personal favorite is the Bushnell Tour V4.
It’s the latest from the most recognized brand in golf rangefinders, and it has my favorite feature: jolt. As soon as it locks onto the flag it will vibrate to let you know with absolute certainty you have the right distance.
Who is it for? The regular golfer who doesn’t already have a rangefinder.
Who isn’t it for? The person who already has one they love. While small things have been improved with newer models, the chances are if they’ve bought one in the last few years, it will still do the trick.
Solid alternative? Golf Buddy LR5s. Another great rangefinder that’s a little bit less expensive than the Bushnell. Only downside is that it doesn’t have the jolt feature, which for me, is worth the extra money. An older Bushnell V3 with Jolt would also still be a decent choice.
Links:
My review of the Bushnell Tour V4
Buy the Bushnell Tour V4 on Amazon
My review of the Golf Buddy LR5s
But the Golf Buddy LR5s at Amazon
Best Golf Video Game: Rory Mcilroy PGA Tour
When Rory Mcilroy PGA Tour ($40) first came out, it was awful. Super bare bones, and did nothing to excite fans of the old Tiger Woods series.
Well luckily, over the last year they’ve pushed out some updates that have made the game much better. It’s still not perfect, but for the golfer who also likes video games, it’s the best option out there on current generation systems like the Playstation 4 and Xbox One.
Who is it for? The golfer who also loves playing video games.
Who isn’t it for? The golfer who doesn’t like video games.
Solid Alternative? The Golf Club on Playstation 4 (Under $20). This places a much greater emphasis on creating and designing your own courses. So if thats their thing, then this is a good option.
Links:
Buy Rory Mcilroy PGA Tour on Amazon
Buy The Golf Club for PS4 on Amazon
Best Golf Balls: Tee Box Club
Photo Credit: @PJKoenig
For most golfers, regardless of how good they actually are, Titlelist Pro-V1s are the holy grail of golf balls. But at over $50 a dozen, they aren’t cheap – and let’s be honest, for most people? They aren’t even the best fit.
That said, just about any guy would love a dozen of them.
My recommendation? Give him a month subscription to the Tee Box Club. He’ll get a dozen refurbished Pro V1s (or Callaway Superhots), and it’ll only cost you $30.
Who is it for? The guy who can never have enough golf balls, and at least thinks he’s good enough to play Pro V1s.
Who is it not for? The guy who recognizes he isn’t good enough to need super premium, tour level golf balls.
Solid Alternative? Personally I’ve found the newest Project{A} balls from Taylormade to be the best mid-range ball for amateurs, and you can get a box for around $30. UPDATE: I just learned you can get Project {a} balls from Tee Box club as well.
Links:
Buy a box from Tee Box Club on their website
Buy Taylormade Project{A} balls on Amazon
Best Golf Gift Under $20: Golfing Gizmos Club Brush ($17)
Sometimes you don’t want to spend a ton of money on a gift, and you just need a little golf stocking stuffer. While a bag of tees is always a good stocking stuffer, I’d recommend checking out the Golfing Gizmos Club Brush.
It’s built extremely well, has a retractable cord for easy access from the bag, and even comes with a bonus divot tool and ball marker.
Who it is for? The person who wants to give a golf gift, not spend a fortune, and has no idea what else to get.
Who is it not for? The person who has zero interest in cleaning their clubs. Ever.
Solid Alternative? Mydallians Personalized Ball Markers. If you want something a little bit more personal, these ballmarkers are a great affordable way to do it.
Links:
Buy the Golfing Gizmos Club Brush on Amazon
Buy Mydallians Ball Markers at Golfsmith
Best Golf Books for a Gift
Let’s face it, in terms of something that’s easy and affordable, there probably isn’t a better golf gift than a golf book.
Here are a few of my favorites that I’d recommend:
PGA Tour: Slaying the Tiger – A Year Inside the Ropes of the New PGA Tour
Architecture: The Anatomy of a Golf Course
Exclusive Courses: How to the World’s Most Exclusive Golf Clubs
Travel: A Course Called Ireland
Coffee Table: 1001 Courses to Play Before You Die
Non Fiction: The Match
Best Golf Subscription: Golf Odyssey ($147/Year)
Golf Odyssey is the best golf publication most people have never heard of. They are essentially the Consumer Reports of golf. They go to courses and resorts “secret shopper” style and review the courses, food, rooms etc. in a totally unbiased way – as they accept zero advertising.
It comes out every month and you can get both a digital copy or a print copy mailed to your house.
And if you pay attention, you can often get it for quite a bit less than the rack rate of $147/year.
Who is it for? The golfer who takes 2-4 golf trips a year, or likes to live vicariously through the people that do.
Who isn’t it for? The person perfectly happy playing the same local muni day in and day out.
Solid Alternative? We’ll assume the golfer in your life already has a Golf Digest subscription. But if not, that’s a no brainer.
Links:
Buy a Golf Odyssey Subscription here
Buy a Golf Digest subscription here
Best Thoughtful Gift: Seamus Golf Headcovers
I love Seamus Golf. I feel like when you see other people who have their head covers, you’re in the “club” – and it almost always leads to a good conversation.
I think this is a great, thoughtful gift. Because it’s something your golfer might not buy themselves, but will totally appreciate once they have them. For instance, I bought both my dad and my father-in-law driver covers for our wedding day. They also have a lot of other cool golf accessories, and most of them can be personalized.
Who is it for? The person who wants to give something a little bit more sentimental than just a box of golf balls.
Who isn’t it for? The diehard brand fanatic, that doesn’t want to see anything other than a big logo on their clubs
Solid Alternative? Custom divot tools from Tim Alpaugh. These things ooze style and class, and he makes them all himself. I have a few of them and they are one of my favorite accessories I own.
Links:
My review of Seamus Headcovers
Buy Seamus Headcovers here
Get in touch with Tim here.
Want Even More Golf Gift Ideas?
I put together an entire book on my favorite golf resources. It’s called the Breaking Eighty Arsenal, and guess what? It’s absolutely free!
So if you haven’t found the perfect gift idea in this list, then I’ve got dozens more in the book.
The post Best Golf Gifts: 25 Perfect Christmas Gift Ideas for a Golfer appeared first on Breaking Eighty.