Yet More Christmas Gifts for Golfers

I’m nothing if not helpful in the run up to Christmas as I bring you yet more gifts for the golfer in your life. Even if that's you yourself!

I have to admit that it’s a two fold plan. Firstly, of course, I’m helping golfers get something fun and useful under the tree this year. And secondly, I’m sending the blogs to my better half - Christmas wish list sorted!

So here are some more of my top Christmas finds.


Shotsaver SLR500 Laser Rangefinder

I love my gadgets and this is one of those devices that you can get away with spending a lot of money on because it's both practical and fun. This particular model is a snip (compared to others I've seen) at only £149.99.

But what does it actually do? Well, it allows very accurate distance measurements on the golf course in any conditions. It can pick out yardages to the edge of a fairway bunker, the back of a green, the flag, the edge of a hazard etc. Knowing the exact distance to a target is a great advantage in your game.

Click here for more information and to buy.


Stuburt Pro-Am XT Spikeless Golf Shoes

I suddenly see why many girls have such an obsession with shoes. These spikeless golf shoes can provide grip while on the course but can also be used off course as a leisure shoe.

Designed for dry summer conditions (not wet or soft course conditions), they are lightweight, are designed to provide comfort and support for your swing while looking awesome!

Click here for more information and to buy.


Pencil Golf Bag

If you want to minimise the amount of golf gear you take onto the course or just need clubs for a few holes then a pencil golf bag is a must.

This Callaway Hyper Lite golf bag is designed to fill all requirements the carry bag player needs with a super lightweight design - a really useful golfing accessory. There other pencil golf bags available so take your pick.

Click here for more information and to buy.


Practice Net

Keeping your swing in good form over the long winter months is not always easy.

If you have enough space then you can set up a practice net in your garden to hit balls at leisure.

This Colin Montgomerie Deluxe practice net is available from Amazon and provides a nice challenge but the kind of challenge that is more like fun than work!

Click here for more information and to buy.


Golf Mitts

If you are not interested in having a well known logo on your golf wear then you may be interested in these German Army Goretex mittens. They will keep your hands warm on cold golfing days and since the snow has already arrived - these are definitely on my own personal wish list.

Click here for more information and to buy.




Hotrox Electronic Hand Warmer
If gloves are not sufficient to keep the cold out then a hand warmer may be the solution.

This particular choice charges via a USB port meaning you can charge it from your computer, your car or some battery powered golf trolleys.

This hand warmer can be switched on and off as required and will take up to 500 charge cycles. Cosy!

Click here for more information and to buy.


Winter Hat

The most common winter head wear for golfers is a beanie hat but they are not for everyone! If you don't suit or like this type of headwear then a more traditional style of hat may be appropriate.

Tilley are a traditional Canadian company who have been making hats since the 1930’s. This winter hat can be worn on and off the golf course and has a touch of style.

Click here for more information and to buy.


Explanar Home Golf Training Aid

The Explanar Home Golf Training Aid can be used to develop a powerful, repeatable swing in your own home.

The aim of this training aid is to develop a repeatable swing on the ideal swing plane for your height. I was lucky enough to have a go of this at a recent golf show and it is a really great piece of kit. I might have to wait until a lottery win to get my hands on it, though.

Click here for more information and to buy.


Mizuno Twin Canopy Golf Umbrella

This twin canopy umbrella gives full wind and rain protection from showers and downpours - perfect for us Brits! It is tested to 60 mph wind conditions (and obviously survived) so that's got to be a point in its favour!

Click here for more information and to buy.

Quote of the Week

The best (and funniest) golf adverts

I have been trying for years to find a video of what I feel is the funniest golfing advert of all time. I've convinced myself the advert was for Footjoy - the series with the hilarious caddy. In the particular advert, Phil Mickelson is finding out about his future. At the end he says, "I'm going to be bald?"

It's hilarious but I just can't seem to find it. I thought everything was on YouTube...

But while trying to find it, I did come across some other funny golf adverts that I wanted to share.

Enjoy.

Rory vs the Robot - European Tour

When The Boss is Not Coming in to the Office - FedEx

The Conference Call - FedEx

No Cup is Safe - Nike Golf

And, of course, if anyone comes across the Footjoy advert then please send it my way!

Player Profile: Thomas Mitchell Morris, Sr. (Old Tom Morris)

I thought it would be fun to put together profiles of my favourite and influential players of the golf game.

With that being said, there are so many names that I had to choose from that I had no idea where to start. Did I choose people that inspired me as a youth? Or maybe the more modern players who have changed the game in recent years?

And then I realised the best place to start would be at the start of the very game I love - St Andrews. Who to choose then became an easy choice - the founding father of the modern game - Old Tom Morris.

Name: Thomas Mitchell Morris, Sr.

Nickname: Old Tom

Date of birth: 16th June, 1821

Place of birth: St Andrews, Fife

Date of death: 24th May, 1908 (aged 86)

Place of death: St Andrews, Fife

Nationality: Scottish

Notable Wins: The Open Championship 1861, 1862, 1864, 1867

_________________________________________________________________________________

Other notable facts:

Age 14, he was hired as a caddy by the world’s first professional golfer, Allan Robertson.

Struck the first shot in the first ever Open Championship in 1860.

The first Open was held at Prestwick Golf Club, where Morris was the "Keeper of the Green, Ball and Club Maker” for 13 years from the club’s start-up in 1851. He also designed the original golf course there.

He holds the record for the largest margin of victory in the Open Championship at 13 shots. 

“For true success, it matters what our goals are. And it matters how we go about attaining them. The means are as important as the ends. How we get there is as important as where we go.”

When he returned to St Andrews in 1865 as a greenskeeper and professional, he commanded the sum of £50/year. 

He’s still the oldest ever winner of the Open at 46. 

He is buried in the grounds of the St Andrews Cathedral. 

In 1899, Old Tom Morris took on an apprentice greenskeeper at St. Andrews. That apprentice was Donald Ross, the future golf design genius. 

He played in every British Open until 1895 when he was 74. 

In 1868, his son, Young Tom Morris, won the Open Championship and Old Tom Morris finished second. It is the only time a son and father have finished 1-2. 

He outlived his son by more than 30 years. 

After his son's death, he said: "People say he died of a broken heart; but if that was true, I wouldn't be here either." 

His swing was classed as slow and smooth. 

His difficulty was always with the short putts. 

He was a fiercely competitive player. 

He produced or designed over 75 golf courses including Prestwick, Royal Dornoch, Tain, Muirfield, Carnoustie, Askernish Golf Club and Cruden Bay to name but a few. 

He is credited as the man who standardised the golf course to 18 holes.

He was Custodian of the Links in St Andrews - a position he held for nearly forty years - until he reached retirement age in 1902. 

The final hole on the Old Course bears his name. 

He said of Fifers: “We were all born with webbed feet and a golf club in our hand here.”

He was Custodian of the Links in St Andrews - a position he held for nearly forty years - until he reached retirement age in 1902. 

Morris received the sum of £3 as the runner-up at the first Open Championships, but the winner, Willie Park, received no prize money, making do with the honour of being named "The Champion Golfer" for that year.

He featured on a commemorative £5 bank note in 2004. 

He charged £1 per day plus travelling expenses to design golf courses. 

His first shop was located at 15 The Links in St Andrews.

“A goal is not the same as a desire, and this is an important distinction to make. You can have a desire you don't intend to act on. But you can't have a goal you don't intend to act on.”

Quote of the Week

The World Golf Rankings

It seems to be much talked of but did you know that it’s only since 1986 there has been an official world golf ranking list. I say ‘only’ because I truly believe that 1994 was 10 years ago. Anyway, Bernard Langer was the first official number one when the list was inaugurated prior to the 1986 Masters. Greg Norman soon overtook Langer and he finished the year on top of the rankings.

The calculation of the world ranking is quite complex using averages over 2 years and different values for the various golf tours. 

The purpose of the calculations is to give a higher ranking to the most consistent players while also rewarding those who perform well in the majors and other big events where the number of higher ranked players is greater.

Only 2 players have been at world no 1 without winning a major; Luke Donald and Lee Westwood.There are always complaints when the world rankings don’t favour your favourite player but you should always remember that being consistently highly placed in a tournament is often more rewarding that being a one time winner and doing nothing else of note.

Since the average is taken over 2 years it has happened that a golfer who has been dominant in one year can hold on to the number one spot despite have a poor second year. As an example, in the year 2000, Tiger Woods earned so many points that even if he had not gained any points in 2001 his average points would have had him in the number 1 spot.

This was really just a general musing into the history of the number one players in golf. Although some may disagree, even with the rankings officially starting in 1986, I’m still not convinced that the number one golfer is always the best either in a season or long term. 

Should the system be changed to reflect a more season to season raking - yes, probably - but at the end of the day being number one is just a title and I’d rather be world number 8 and hit all my professional goals. 

On that note, with my love of statistics I thought it would be of interest to have a look at the players that have been world number 1, how many weeks they have held that position and what percentage of time they have spent at number one across all number 1 golfers.

More Christmas Gifts for Golfers

As promised, I’ve been searching around the internet for some more gifts to buy the golfer in your life this Christmas. Even if that golfer is you and you are buying for yourself, you’ll find lots of fun golf gifts.

So without further ado...

Golf Fitness by Gary Player (Foreword)

This is a book about being and getting fit for golf which is definitely something we all need! Gary Player was one of the first pro golfers to recognise the need for fitness and it’s he who has written the foreword in this worthwhile book.

Click here for more information and to buy.



Socks 

You think I'm joking but I'm not! When you have run out of ideas why not give socks as a present? Good quality comfortable socks are a must to complete the golfing outfit and there's a pair for anyone that golfs. Yes, it's not just men that can have the joy of receiving socks for Christmas!

Click here for more information and to buy.


Galvin Green Angus Gore-Tex Waterproof Golf Jacket 

Playing golf in the winter? Or Scotland in June? Well, you will need some good quality waterproofs. These Gore-Tex jackets come with a lifetime waterproof guarantee so it's worth a fair whack. You will have to pay a fair whack as it's currently priced at £239.95 but it's the last waterproof jacket you'll ever need to buy.

Click here for more information and to buy.


Yoga for Golfers by Katherine Roberts

The author has combined her passions to create the "Yoga for Golfers" program - an integrated educational system providing instruction on how to improve flexibility, range of motion, and concentration on the course. Be bendy, my friends.

Click here for more information and to buy.




Longridge Power Band

This is a swing aid designed to keep your arms working together and stop the ‘flying right elbow’. Continued use of this training aid will improve technique and as a consequence length and accuracy. And it's under a tenner, too!


Click here for more information and to buy.



Motocaddy S3 Pro Electric Golf Trolley

If you are looking for a bit of help getting around the golf course a motorised golf trolley is the best gift for yourself. This trolley will get you round 36 holes, includes distance tracker (not for competition use) and a usb charger for your mobile devices - among other cool gadgets. Okay you have to fork out a pretty penny (£599) but look how cool it is!!

Click here for more information and to buy.

iTunes Voucher

Now who doesn't like an iTunes voucher at the best of times? But, by giving the golfer in your life (or yourself) an iTunes gift voucher for Christmas then they/you can buy the R and A rules app for your iPhone. Keeping a copy of the rules of golf with you wherever you go and wherever you play. It also has lots of extra information and quiz questions. Admittedly, it's currently free to download but then you still have the rest of your iTunes voucher to use!

Click here for more information and to buy.


Perfect Plane Putting Training Aid

The SKLZ Perfect Plane Putting Training Aid teaches a consistent putting stroke path, proper acceleration and how to square the club face. This guide can be used on the practice green, at home or in the office - between meetings, obviously!! At under £30, it's a great buy.

Click here for more information and to buy.




Game Golf Digital Tracking System

Check out this new gizmo. It tracks your progress around the golf course, recording the club you use and where you hit the ball from. It conforms to PGA and R&A rules so can even be used in competition. The purpose is to analyse your round, showing where you were on the course for your shots. It retails at £159.95 but it will keep the golfer in your life occupied for AGES.

Click here for more information and to buy.


Momentus Swing Trainers

Momentus Golf has been producing swing aids for some time and so have a strong reputation. This particular weighted swing trainer can be can be used to hit balls on the practice range and is designed to improve timing, rhythm, and tempo and add distance to your iron shots. It's only £34.99, too! Now I did say that you shouldn't buy clubs for a golfer but this training aid is an exception.

Click here for more information and to buy.



I have even more ideas for gifts so check back soon...

All prices were correct at the time of writing this post. If they go up - sorry. If they go down - yay!