Every year around this time, we make a list of our favorite Black Friday deals for golfers. But because Black Friday is so ubiquitous now, we thought we’d narrow this down to our favorite luxury gift ideas for the golf traveler in your life. Here are a few ideas for the upcoming gift-giving season.
Getting to Your Destination
Traveling as a golfer isn’t much different than any other type of traveling, unless you want to bring your golf clubs (which we highly recommend). But you’ll also want to make traveling as easy and comfortable as possible so you’re ready to play your best when your tee time comes up. Here are a few gifts that will make traveling for your bucketlist golf trip that much easier.
The Ultimate Golf Travel Bag
If you’re serious about playing golf internationally, bringing your golf clubs isn’t a question. The right golf travel bag can also add to your souvenir shopping and packing opportunities; since you’ll definitely be checking the golf bag, you can bundle up shampoo or other liquid items that you want to bring with you (or that Scotch you want to bring back).
Our pick: The Sun Mountain ClubGlider Tour Series. It’s padded, made from vinyl, and can carry your clubs, but the real clincher here is the added set of wheels from their patented leg mechanism. This makes the bag infinitely easier to tow around, which can be a big deal when you’re trying to get from the baggage claim to the rental car counter in a reasonable amount of time.
The Best Neck Pillow
Traveling by air has been getting less and less comfortable every year, due mostly to cutbacks at major airlines. The best thing you can do is be prepared on your own to get some shuteye during those long international flights. A good neck pillow can make all the difference!
Our favorite: the Trtl Travel Pillow. Marketed as “the world’s first mechanically engineered travel pillow”, it offers support for your neck and head, even if you’re in a middle seat. Plus, it can help keep your neck warm — a huge perk now that blankets are getting fewer and farther between.
Compression Socks
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: compression socks are one of the most underrated things you can buy for a traveler. They help keep your legs from swelling during those long flights, and they’re also great to relieve sore calf muscles after a day of walking a Scottish course.
Our pick: Anything you can find on Amazon is probably fine. While we prefer the knee-high version (covers more of the leg), ankle socks are available, too. It’s really just your personal preference.
Once You’re There and Ready to Play
The Best Possible Rain Suit
If you’re venturing to Scotland or Ireland, a rain suit is essential. Unlike in the U.S., most courses won’t cancel your tee time because it’s raining. Rain and wind are just par for the course (literally). Being prepared for what you might think of as “inclimate weather” is a must. Waterproof and windproof are two features that you want, but you’ll also want something you can actually play in.
Our pick: Foot Joy DryJoys Tour. It’s light, relatively inexpensive, and won’t inhibit your golf swing.
A Good Rangefinder
Rangefinders tell you how far away you are from the pin. That’s it. But that doesn’t mean that it’s simple to make one that works quickly, is accurate, is easy (or even enjoyable) to use, or fits a good price point. Knowing your distances is paramount to playing a good round, so rangefinders are pretty indispensable.
Our pick: Bushnell Golf Pro XE. This new laser finder is the wunderkind of the rangefinder realm, providing accuracy you didn’t know you need, like adding temperature and barometric pressure to distance and slope to give you true “play as” distance.
After You’re Home from Your Trip
Once you’re back from that golf trip of a lifetime, you’re going to want ways to remember the trip and how you enjoyed it.
Whisky Glasses to Show Off that Bottle of Scotch
If you traveled to Scotland, there’s a pretty good chance you also did a whisky tour and probably bought a bottle of the stuff to bring home and savor. You may even want to share it with friends. So investing in good, showy whisky glasses is a great idea.
Our pick: The Glencairn Copita. No, it doesn’t freeze weird ice shapes into the glass to chill your whisky, but if you’re a Scotch drinker, you’re probably fine with that. Instead, it has a unique shape that offers the best swirling capabilities to give you the best nose. It also comes with a fancy tasting cap to cover the glass after you’ve poured the whisky, letting it stand to allow the aromas to mix before you taste it. Now that’s a fancy way to serve whisky to your friends.
A Poster of Your Favorite City or Course
Getting artwork as a souvenir is a wonderful idea, and how much better is it if the artwork is a depiction of your favorite course or landmark? Many golf courses have their own travel posters available for sale in their pro shop. But if you buy direct, you have to carry it home with you, and then find a frame and a way to mount it.
Our pick: The Canvas Works. Not only do they have a slew of vintage travel posters of some of our favorite spots in Ireland, they also provide the ability for you to send in your own photos and get them printed on canvas, in a frame, on a wood mount, or as a collage.
