Blog 81, 11/30/10 - Christmas Gift Ideas 3

Here is another solid quintet of ideas for gifts that you probably won't need gift receipts for. As always, I either own, have tried or have seen, and can recommend, everything here.
Key
∑ - This could be considered a 'main present' for a close family relative; probably a son or daughter.
µ - This is a considerable gift, but it didn't quite break the bank. You looked for it specifically - not a whim.
π - Genuinely thoughtful, but inexpensive. You really didn't just pick up the first thing you saw.
Ω -  A nice gesture and not totally unappreciated. But you just sort of picked it up while out shopping for something else.

TaylorMade Penta

tmpenta
TaylorMade's Penta TP, introduced late last year, was the first five-layered ball to reach the PGA Tour. TaylorMade claims it is the only ball designed without any deficiencies. 'Each layer is engineered to deliver optimum performance in five key areas - feel, spin, control, launch and distance. Five layers. Zero compromise.' This ball was designed primarily for the tour pro, but even if you don't have one of those in your family, the Penta TP should find a place under the tree.
Price: $45.99/dozen
Rating: π


Ben Hogan's Five Lessons
hoganfundamentalsIf you don't have a copy of 'Five Lessons' on your shelf, you need to add it to your wish list, ideally somewhere near the top. There are so many good instruction books out there, but 'Five Lessons' trumps them all because the owner of nine major championships and perhaps the most technically-sound swing the game ever saw wrote it (or rather, told Herbert Warren Wind what to say), and Anthony Ravielli's drawings are masterful. It does get quite technical in places, but there's no doubting this book can help you break 80.
Price:
$9.36 (paperback on Amazon)
Rating:
µ

My Personal Golf Trainer
mypersonalgolftrainerI won't actually own a Wii until Christmas (the kids have persuaded me we can't survive another month without one), so I'm not yet a regular user. But I have seen My Personal Golf Trainer in action and was thoroughly impressed to say the least. Incorporating the Wii Balance Board and the new Wii MotionPlusTM Controller, it is the first product to analyze the full golf swing in 3D-space and give personalized feedback - from David Leadbetter no less. At $99, it costs the equivalent of two lessons with a professional making it superb value, and it's the ideal substitute for actual outside practice time on inclement winter days.
Price: $99
Rating:
µ

Nike Method 001
nikemethod
After more than a decade, 14 major championship victories and 71 PGA Tour wins with a Scotty Cameron putter (uncertain if he might actually have used his old Ping Anser 2 for a few of those Ws), Tiger Woods put one of these in his bag for the first three rounds of the Open Championship at St Andrews in July. Last month, he tried the Method 003 for the final round of the Australian Masters. Woods swapping his Cameron Newport 2 for a new putter is quite a significant endorsement.
Price: $250
Rating:


Daphne's Headcovers
daphnehusky
Unfortunately, Daphne's makes only animal headcovers (plus a few flowers, fruits, golf balls, and a trash can strangely) so there is no Viking version. But there are over 175 designs (including Husky - left) so you should find something you like. Each headcover is made using thread 'four times stronger than necessary', and the lining is double the plush of any other on the market. Every headcover is washable and comes with a lifetime guarantee. I have two - a skunk (because my driving stinks...boom boom), and a penguin (no idea).
Price: $25
Rating:
π

 

 


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