It’s that time of year again! Christmas is just around the corner – if you’re looking for the perfect holiday gift for those special golfers in your life or if you’re shopping for yourself, we’ve got you covered! The team at Eighteen Under Par has compiled a list of some great holiday gift ideas from golf clubs to gadgets and accessories. Take a look at our 2015 Holiday Guide and leave a comment to let us know what gift ideas you have!
Equipment
Golfers can never get enough of equipment. For the gear head golfer that you know, these are some of the clubs that we’ve personally hit, tested and approved of. For drivers, we recommend the new TaylorMade M1 driver featuring a multi-material construction with an ultra-thin, ultra-light and high-strength carbon composite crown and T-track system. We’ve also tested the M1 fairway woods and hybrids and found the collection to be exceptional golf clubs.
More on the TaylorMade M1 Metalwoods
For irons, we also came away very impressed with the new TaylorMade PSi Irons which utilizes Face Slot Technology as well as a new cut-thru Speed Pocket. The PSi irons look great and were designed with better players in mind, however, it also offers a great amount of forgiveness for higher handicappers. It is very similar to last year’s RSi 2 irons, but the differences come in the form of a new design and improved sound and feel.
More on the TaylorMade PSi Irons
For the golfer that is more of a traditionalist, we recommend a brand that we have loved since we started golf – Mizuno. The new Mizuno MP-5 and MP-25 irons are targeted to the better player while the new 2016 JPX-EZ collection are targeted to the more average golfer. Hitting the MP-5’s are pretty ambitious but the MP-25’s are the irons that we absolutely love – it is one of the best looking clubs on the market and features the soft, buttery Mizuno Grain Flow Forged feel.
The MP-25’s are the first high ball speed iron designed specifically for better players through the use of its new Boron material. The new S5 wedge is also one to consider featuring a slightly larger midsize profile, with sharply visible sole grinds for imagination and creativity around the greens.
More on the Mizuno MP-5, MP-25 irons and S5 wedge
The most important thing about golf clubs though is to be properly fitted for the right clubs. Don’t just play what the pros are playing – play what best fits your golf game. And there’s no better way to do that than to book an appointment with a fitter like Modern Golf. With facilities both in Toronto and Vancouver, Modern Golf offers a brand agnostic fitting experience to their clients over TrackMan to find the right combination of club and shafts that fit your game. Custom fitted clubs can definitely help you add distance, but also help keep your dispersion in check. A fitting would make a great gift for a golfer, so book an appointment soon!
Technology And Gadgets
There are also a lot of different technologies and gadgets available these days to help you improve your game. For the golfers who want immediate feedback on their golf swing during their practice, there is the Swingbyte 2 and Swingbyte Virtual Coach. The Swingbyte 2 is a lightweight swing analyzer that provides a robust amount of data to help golfers perfect their swings – for those who have trouble interpreting the data though, that’s where the Virtual Coach will help. The Virtual Coach displays personalized drills and lessons in less than a minute to correct swing faults. It is an intuitive platform that uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to analyze a golfer’s swing and identify the most important swing and body faults present.
Another great tool to analyze your game is GAME GOLF, a device that enables golfers to capture all of their statistics and trends in their golf game, upload it onto a computer and allow them to review their game and share with their friends. In addition to the full device, the GAME GOLF Tracking App is also available for iOS and Android (no purchase of the GAME GOLF device is required to use the App). For 2016, GAME GOLF LIVE is introduced, letting users capture their stats in real-time, while they play, onto their iOS or Android device. This is definitely an improvement from the original device where stats and rounds had to be uploaded to a computer post-round!
Rangefinders are also great gadgets to give as gifts. Although some of these can be fairly pricey, there are rangefinders that have the basic functionalities that most golfers need at a fair price. We reviewed the Nikon Coolshot 40i which is a lightweight, compact rangefinder with Nikon’s ID (incline/decline) technology. Overall, it is easy to operate, compact, ergonomic, lightweight, rainproof and measures up to 590 metres/650 yards – meeting all the needs of a golfer! The Nikon Coolshot 40i retails for $299.99.
More on the Nikon COOLSHOT 40i
Another great tool is the Bushnell Neo Ghost. We’re working on a full detailed review of this product for you soon – in short, it is a pocket sized, easy-to-use golf GPS. It’s preloaded with over 33,000 golf courses in over 30 countries (auto recognition) with easy-to-read front/centre/back distances and up to four hazard distances per hole. The Bushnell Neo Ghost retails for $129.99.
Accessories and Apparel
You can pair up these new clubs and gadgets with some unique clothing and accessories. The sport of golf these days is as much about looking good as it is about playing well. To hold those new clubs, we recommend the Jones and Maide Golf collaborative Highlander Golf Bag – a first-of-its-kind partnership for both brands who are known for blending the classic style of the game with modern functionality across their products. The Jones Highlander combines the classic design of the Original Jones golf bag with Maide’s signature Highland Blackwatch fabric, to create a uniquely stylish and functional bag for golfers.
More from Jones Golf Bags and Maide Golf
Match this new golf bag with products for The Ace of Clubs Golf Company, based in Seattle, Washington. The company was founded by a PGA Golf Professional with a vision to create unique, high-quality golf accessories at affordable prices. The Ace of Clubs Golf Company specializes in leather products – their fresh take on the world of leather golf accessories combines the luxurious look of exotic animal leather with the durability of genuine cowhide leather. An exotic look, without the exotic price.
More on the Ace of Clubs Golf Company
For apparel, stand out with clothing from Bunker Mentality, a company based in England. They’re pioneers in Modern British Golf, making clothing that not only looks good, but feels good and performs in all types of weather. Apparel from Bunker Mentality will have a more tailored fit (“Euro Fit”) with bright colours and bold patterns, popular in today’s golf fashion. They recognize the heritage and tradition of the sport while creating new traditions and future classics in the for the new generation golfer through a variety of jackets, knitwear, polo shirts, t-shirts, pants, shorts, hats and accessories.
Another jacket that we’ve had our eye on this season is the Adidas Golf ClimaHeat Concept Fill Jacket. We first saw Jason Day wear this during the 2015 Open Championship at St. Andrews and thought it looked very stylish. It’s made with climaheat insulation that helps golfers stay warm and dry during cool, damp weather. Not only does it provide maximum warmth, but it also maintains your freedom of movement so you can make your best golf swing. It’s a great looking jacket that performs – we especially love the quilted pattern on the front and back!
Products from Galvin Green, a Swedish company, will also be a great addition to any golfer’s wardrobe. They set the standard for high-performance golf wear in terms of both function and design. They developed the multi-layer concept and make use of GORE-TEX material. From the base layer to the outer shell, Galvin Green ensures each piece is the perfect combination of function, performance and style – our favourite for this season is the Windstopper Jacket. Make sure to check out the other products such as their Ventil8 polo, Insula technology and GORE-TEX paclite jacket.
For footwear, we have to include the number 1 shoe in golf – FootJoy. We are huge fans of the original FootJoy DNA and the 2016 version only improves on the first generation. The FootJoy DNA and FootJoy DNA BOA will be available for USD $220 and USD $240. The DNA’s will also be available through FootJoy’s MyJoys customization program with 21,168 possible combinations.
Another golf shoe that we’ve worn this year is the Adidas Golf Adipower Boost. It was announced at the beginning of 2015 and quickly became one of our favourite shoes – extremely comfortable with a nice, athletic design. It features Adidas’ BOOST technology that has been found in their running, training, basketball shoes and more. The Adipower Boost also uses Gripmore Technology, a combination of direct-inject cleats and rubber spikeless traction elements for maximum grip and stability for a golfer.
Golf Vacation
Alternatively (and what we would personally do!), what you could do is not buy anything at all, save your money, and visit what Golf Digest calls the 2015 Best New Course in North America – Cabot Cliffs and Cabot Links. We were lucky enough to spend a couple of days at the resort playing both the original Links course as well as the Cliffs course and it was one of the most phenomenal and exhilarating golf experiences we’ve ever had. We promise you, you will not be disappointed in taking a golf trip there!
More on Cabot Links and Cabot Cliffs
This concludes the Eighteen Under Par 2015 Holiday Guide. Hopefully we’ve inspired you with some of our ideas and suggestions for yourself or for the special golfer in your life. Leave a comment below to share some of your holiday ideas too!
