What to Give a Golfer This Year

Some female readers may have completed their Christmas shopping weeks ago, but we’re fairly confident there are a few guys out there who typically complete their panicked Yuletide mall-raid on Christmas Eve. This year, why not take a little of the stress out of the last-minute shopping frenzy and order something here.

Our list is made up of products we have both seen and tried, and wholeheartedly recommend. We’re certain whomever you give any of the following gifts to will be very happy you read our guide rather than hold out until Christmas Eve. Some of the products here have appeared in gear reviews this year, others we have on our desks and in our office.

GEAR

Knuth High Heat Fairway Woods ($300) – Exclusive CAG Offer Here
Dean Knuth’s products are genuinely some of the best clubs we’ve ever hit. We gushed over the driver in January 2015 after trying it at the PGA Show and lauded the fairway woods and hybrids in February of this year. Knuth uses a titanium face, steel body and silver-based adhesive to bond the two together, and somehow manages to create a combination of feel, sound, forgiveness and power that we haven’t found anywhere else. The fairway woods are available in 3-wood or 5-wood lofts and come fitted with Aldila or Fujikura shafts.
knuthgolf.com

AFO DFX Hybrids ($80)Air Force One was born of Powerbilt, which, you may recall, launched its first nitrogen-filled driver in 2009. We took a look at the AFX Air Foil irons in April, and now we bring you the AFO DFX Black Hybrid. The nitrogen-pressurized steel head makes this one of the most stable $80 hybrids on the market. Available in 20°, 23°, and 26° the DFX Hybrid comes standard with a Fujikura graphite shaft.
afogolf.com

Cleveland RTX Wedges – ($130 steel/$140 graphite)
As soon as Cleveland’s latest wedges were announced we had to try them. Not surprisingly, the RTX scored high in virtually every category – looks, feel, versatility, etc. enabling us to conclude it was a suitable and worthy addition to the Cleveland wedge arsenal. Available in more lofts, finishes, and grinds than the typical amateur golfer knows what to do with.
clevelandgolf.com

L2 Putter ($170-$195)
John Ambrose—a retired United Airlines pilot, USGTF golf instructor, First Tee coach, and the director of instruction at Hemlock Springs GC in Geneva, OH—put his knowledge of physics and stability to good use in 2007 by introducing the L2 Putter which spreads a massive 640g head weight over an enormous six and a quarter inch-wide frame. The result is a massive MoI which actually makes it difficult to make poor contact. The L2, which actually stands upright by itself, certainly isn’t a classic design that scores high style marks, but if scores are more important than looks to whomever receives this gift, then the L2 will be gladly received.
L2putters.com

Vice Golf Pro ($30/dozen)
In March we featured a new golf ball designed by former Titleist and TaylorMade engineer Dean Snell that performed much like the top-of-the-range balls played on the professional tours but which cost only $32 a dozen. Another company producing top-quality, multi-layer balls at two-piece prices is Vice Golf, founded in Germany four years ago, which cuts costs by selling direct to the consumer. The Pro ball features a three-piece construction with a soft, cast urethane cover and 318-dimple configuration, a Surlyn mantle (mid-layer), and a large, hi-energy core. Personalization is available on the web site, and is delivered three to five business days after ordering.
vicegolf.com

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TRAINING AIDS

Swing Wizzard ($80)
We reviewed this ingenious device in June, commenting on how its inventor—Keith Rogers of Littleton, CO—had affixed two clubs together in order to better understand the swing plane, and how after less than a year’s practice with his swing-aid, his handicap dropped from 20 to four.
wizardgolf.net

Wizard Putting System ($40)
To complement the Swing Wizzard, Wizard Golf has introduced its Putting System consisting of three tools that seek to make a better putter of you. The Putter’s Edge reduces the size of the hole, which in turn increases your focus; the Tour Stroke affixes to the putterface and helps you develop a smooth stroke; and the True Line is a variation on the line drill Tour players use, helping you to position your eyes correctly over the ball and start your putt on line.
wizardgolf.net

Arccos 360 Performance Tracking System ($250)
If the person that receives this thought Arccos’s first generation sensors, launched in 2014, were amazing, he/she is going to be blown away by the updated version. Using GPS rather than Bluetooth technology, the Arccos 360 shot-tracking system uses significantly less battery power and, the makers claim, is 90% more accurate than its predecessor. Analyze every shot with every club and keep track of distance hit, club distance averages, accuracy, greens in regulation, sand saves, putts, etc. arccosgolf.com

MISIG ($80)
Bernie Fay’s incredible stretching device has been helping golfers prepare for the 1^st tee since debuting at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando in January (we featured it in June). Fay, whose handicap dropped ten shots after inventing the MISIG, says it not only helps golfers maintain a relatively straight left arm (for right-handed golfers), it also facilitates the correct hinging of the wrists, a sound in-to-in clubhead path, and a better range of motion.
feelthestretch.com

Cindy Miller – Learn to Hit it Kit ($100)
A former LPGA Tour player, Cindy Miller has become one of the game’s leading female instructors and is a highly-regarded business and life coach. She appeared on the Golf Channel’s Big Break III: Ladies Only in 2005, and has been a guest on Golf Channel Academy. She recently launched her “Learn to Hit it Kit” which includes a portable golf mat, foam practice balls, her Golf 101 book, a coupon for 10% off any Callaway golf club, and access to “The Learn To Hit It Kit” (www.learntohititkit.com) online course.
Usual retail value is $150, but for a limited time the entire package is available for $100.
cindymillergolf.com

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ACCESSORIES

KenRick Belt – the Pin High ($50)
Ken Block, co-founder of KenRick Belts, is a software engineer who ran for Governor of the Ocean State in 2014 as leader of the Moderate Party of Rhode Island. The Pin High is one of seven ribbon-webbing designs in the company’s inventory which also includes four leather models. Besides the style and quality, what makes KenRick belts distinctive are the removable divot tool and ball-marker that fit into the end of each belt.
kenrickgolf.com

Champ PiViX ($15/pack of 18 cleats)
The perfect stocking stuffer for the golfer who owns a pair of shoes he/she has had for a couple of years without changing the cleats. Now worn down those cleats are affording little grip and a new set will make the shoes feel almost like new. The beauty of the PiViX, which we tried in August, is it gives superb traction while damaging putting surfaces far less than previous models. So the greens do better while you remain stable.
champspikes.com

Aline Sole ($90)
Most Broncos fans remember the plantar fasciitis that sidelined Peyton Manning in 2015. If you have a family member/friend who treads the fairways with the pain it causes they are going to love you for putting one (two?) of these under the tree. The Aline seeks to alleviate the discomfort caused by this inflammation of a thick band of tissue connecting the heel bone to the toes. Numerous testimonies, including that of PGA Tour player Ken Duke, speak of how well it works.
aline.com

Arnold Palmer – A Life Well Played ($14)
Harvey Penick’s Little Red Book used the short chapter/short lesson format so brilliantly, and it works perfectly for Palmer’s A Life Well Played too. The King gathered so much knowledge and wisdom during his 70+ years as a competitive golfer, and much of it is revealed beautifully in these 76 lessons on golf, business, and life. Anecdotes that only a man like Arnold Palmer could tell add color to this wonderful book that every golfer, perhaps everyone alive, should read.
amazon.com

Swing Oil ($36 for 12 pouches, or $72 for month’s supply)
If you genuinely, truly, absolutely, leave yourself no time to warm up, the least you can do is swig some Swing Oil before heading out. We tried a few pouches in July and were impressed with the taste (strawberry/banana, orange, lemon/lime) and efficacy resulting from its seven key ingredients – Glucosamine (100mg – healthier joints), Chondroitin (50mg – anti-arthritis), Turmeric (40mg – anti-inflammatory), Taurine (100mg – lower blood pressure), Rhodiola Rosea Extract (50mg – mood-enhancer, stress relief), Citrulline Malate (100mg – extended activity with quicker recovery), and Ginseng Extract (100mg – improve concentration and increase energy).
swingoil.com

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