Technology and equipment have never been better; there’s plenty to choose from.
With Christmas fast approaching, finding the perfect gift for the golfer in your life can be exhausting.
Trying to figure out what to choose from a busy market full of equipment, rangefinders, clothing, shoes, golf balls and everything in between can be mind-numbing, especially if you’re on the outside looking in, not knowing what’s hot and what’s not.
The good news: Technology and equipment have never been better; there’s plenty to choose from.
Here are a few ideas.
Let’s start with equipment and golf balls.
You can’t go wrong with Callaway Golf, long an industry trailblazer.
Through its Odyssey brand, Callaway recently launched the Square 2 Square putter, with its zero-torque technology, the hottest trend in putters right now. And they’re selling, a lot. Basically, it helps you aim, sink putts, lower your score. That’s good, right?
The company is coming off a huge year for its putters. Thirty-nine players at the Canadian Open were playing a version of the Jailbird putter. Most of them were not on staff; they weren’t being paid to use a Callaway product. They were just swayed by the results of the putters.
Callaway is really good with its drivers (Paradym Smoke) and irons (Apex); just ask anybody who’s got them in their golf bag. There are plenty of locations to get them properly fitted, which is always a good idea.
“Of course, we’re excited about the Ai 200s, the Ai 300s and the Ti Fusion is amazing,” Callaway Golf Canada’s general manager Bruce Carroll said. “We hadn’t introduced a new Apex iron in three years so we were super excited.”
It’s been a big year for golf ball sales. With Callaway, there are lots of options, some conventional and others a bit more light-hearted, but still producing those great results. Some of the unique offerings in time for Christmas are Chrome Tour’s Ugly Sweater and the Let the Big Dog Eat balls. There’s also the Holiday Double Dozen. Personally, I like the Chrome Soft Triple Track balls; they really help me dial in with my aim.
“We have the highest share we’ve ever had,” Carroll said. “Our golf ball business has become huge; it’s the No. 1 category for Callaway, bigger than our driver, bigger than our irons.”
“Our Tour ball won three majors, two of them by Xander Schauffele, one with Yuka Saso.”
GETTING A GRIP: Golf club grips are something we take for granted. Getting fitted for nice clubs is a great thing; not taking care of them over the years … not so much. The rule of thumb is replace the grips every 12-18 months, or every 30-40 rounds. It can make a difference.
SuperStroke, considered the No. 1 putter grip, has some terrific options; a few attention-grabbing ones caught my eye.
As a bit of a superhero guy, I was drawn to SuperStroke’s partnership with Marvel. The latest release is SuperStroke Zenergy Tour 2.0 grips, inspired by Marvel’s Venom. Previous putter grip collaborations with Marvel have been inspired by Spider-Man, Iron Man, Hulk, Deadpool and Wolverine.
For sports fans, there are also NFL, NCAA and MLB putter-grip options.
2UNDR: Looking for the perfect stocking stuffer?
Let’s start with the undies that feature technology like the patented Joey Pouch, that “separates man’s most valuable assets away from the body to reduce unwanted skin-on-skin contact.”
Designed in Vancouver, the underwear comes in different collections, including Swing Shift, Sport Shift, Day Shift, Power Shift, Flow Shift and Eco Collection, plus it comes in different lengths. I have a drawer full of them. I love the comfort and I particularly like the ones with the funkier designs.
Also in my drawer: The super lightweight Bodhi short, which is featured in 12 colours and has a terrific comfort level on or off the golf course.
ON WITH THE SHOE: There are plenty of golf shoes on the market, a lot of them very good options.
A press release from True Linkswear says the OG Cush “marries a barefoot feel with maximum comfort.” After walking around the golf course, that sounds about right.
The shoe has a first-of-its-kind zero-drop Wanderlux foam. The zero drop sole means it’s completely level from heel to forefoot with a cushioned foam platform underfoot for a comfortable walk. The boosted Wanderlux cushioning will wear into each golfer’s foot shape over time to create a natural arch that provides more support with each step, from the course to the trail, the streets or the office.
True Linkswear also offers plenty of apparel options.
HOME ON THE RANGE(FINDER): I’ve gone through a few rangefinders and watches over the years. Earlier this year, I saw an ad for the Shot Scope V5 GPS watch. So, I bought one.
Can’t say enough good things about the watch, with automatic performance tracking; a big key was no subscription fees on the Shot Scope mobile app, which gives you plenty of statistics to crunch.
The watch has a full-colour daylight readable screen and provides front, middle, and back distances to every green as well as measurements to hazards, layups, and doglegs on 36,000 preloaded courses. A big plus for stats geeks: You can measure shot distances with tracking tags you screw into the top of your club.
I like gadgets, so I took it a step further and got my hands on the Pro L2, a hand-held rangefinder. Adaptive slope technology adjusts your distance, taking the up-and-down hills into account to allow for better club selection. Advanced features include rapid-fire detection and target-lock vibration. It’s lightweight and, despite my shaky hands, seems to lock into the target quicker than other rangefinders I’ve used.