Holiday (And Beyond) Gift Guide 2007

The 19 Presents We'd Buy You If We Had the Money

We can sum up the 2007 golf product year with two words: Fair and square.

Or maybe that should be “square and fair.” Square as in the latest driver-shape craze that actually began in 2006. And fair in the meteorological sense — sunny and pleasant, not too hot or cold, a great year just to stroll through your favorite golf store aisles and start your wish list, whether it’s for yourself or others on your golfin’ givin’ lineup.

But now it’s crunch time. Santa is standing on the first tee with his toe tapping, giving his watch a glance every few seconds. “Let’s get this show on the road,” he’s saying behind the beard. “I’ve got work to do, and you’ve gotta make a decision, buddy.” Or maybe you’ve blown the Yuletide deadline and are looking to shore up the preseason equipment-and-accessory cupboard with a slew of new stuff.

No worries. We’re here to help with our Top 19 favorite products from 2007, and a few other seasonal gift ideas courtesy of Morton Golf.

Happy Hunting.

Meet Mr. Miura

CB-301 Irons

$1,100 (3-PW) | www.miuragolf.com

Working under the American market radar for decades, master clubmaker Katsuhiro Miura has built clubs for Nike and Bridgestone, but now he’s putting his own name on irons that are so well-made, classic in shape and soft of feel that they pretty much put any off-the-shelf sticks to shame. These low-profile cavity-backs at first look daunting at address, but a few swings with them reveal their easy workability and pro-grade ball flight. Yeah, they’re steep in price for some, but this is a pure case of “you get what you pay for.” And perhaps keep forever, which makes them a bargain. 

Simpac Squared

NF Series Driver, HS-45 Fairway Metals

$400, $350 | www.simpac.com

Five years before the big boys such as Callaway and Nike started making and marketing square drivers, a little company out of Irvine, Calif., was perfecting what they call a “renaissance” in club design. Short for “square impact,” Simpac drivers look almost perfectly square at address, with those two trailing corners allowing maximum perimeter weighting. For us, after several months of combat testing, that translated to straighter tee shots and long-range fairway and rough approaches even with the most egregious out-to-in move — and decent distance, too. Available in forged or cast models, the driver is, as one observer put it, “almost too pretty to hit.” But hit it we did, and loved its weighting, feel through the hitting zone and slightly lower ball flight, even with the 10.5-degree model. But the real revelation comes with the fairway metals, the only ones of their shape on the marketplace. They’re almost criminally easy to hit, yielding the prettiest launch from ground zero we’ve experienced all year. Simpac has a hybrid coming out, too, but for now, seek out these sticks, grab them for the golfer in your life and tell him to hang on for dear life — and lower scores.

Nice Nickent

4DX Series

$259, $199, $179 | www.nickentgolf.com

Finished in a gorgeous black-green-chrome color scheme, this latest lineup from another SoCal company is easily their best yet in terms of performance, beauty and versatility. Designer John Hoeflich injected each club with elastomer for solid and lively feel at impact, moved each club’s center of gravity back with tungsten inserts, brazed titanium and stainless steel together for head stability and stuck a top-end UST shaft standard into each club to max clubhead speed. Nickent’s sticks have long ruled the Champions Tour, but the 4DX is making strides in the big show, too — just ask U.S. Open champ Angel Cabrera, whose hybrid helped him win the Grand Slam of Golf.

Awesome Alias

COMFORTABLE GOLF SHOES

$68-$125 | www.aliasfootwear.com

Golfers who get their puppies into these ultra-comfortable shoes have been known to remove the spikes and use them for some off-course recreation, too, like hiking. That’s cool, and makes sense because Alias’ entire footwear line was inspired by the skater/boarder culture, but we prefer to keep them ready for another go at the links. They look athletic, ask for no break-in pain and come in a variety of tasty styles and colors, including the brand-new, leather, more classic-looking “Limo.” Even seniors gobble them up for their instant comfort. If you haven’t tried Alias yet, we question
whether you truly enjoy the game. 

Balls a-Blazin’

CALLAWAY HX HOT | TOP-FLITE D2 and WILSON STAFF ZIP

$25, $16, $21 per dozen

Pick your pill-pounding poison here, folks. FG loves all three of these well-priced spheres — the Callaway for its harder-edged feel and dogleg-killing distance, the D2 for taking Top-Flite out of the “rock” and into the fairway with amazingly soft feel and workability; and the Zip — son of 2006’s Fifty ball — for taking the whole compression equation to places it’s never been, with a resulting mix of mega-soft clubface explosion and Tour-level bite on the greens. Any choice is a good one, and each sleeve is a stocking stuffer that will shave strokes. Better than candy, for sure.

Compact Clicgear

GOLF PUSH CART

$400, $350 | www.clicgearusa.com

The ’07 PGA Show Product of the Year is the next generation in golf push-cart technology, folding to an amazing 24-by-15-by-13 inches — small enough to fit into a storage locker or the corner of any vehicle trunk. Made of aircraft-grade aluminum, the cart uses easy rolling pneumatic tires that have an easy-to-use positive-lock handbrake. There is a full-size console tray with room for golf balls, tees, wallets, cell phones or car keys plus a very useful folding beverage holder to secure almost any size cold drink. Also included are an umbrella holder and a towel hook with
a velcro strap that makes for a great place to attach your glove while on the green.

MacKenzie Man

WALKER BAGS WITH A FEEL FOR HISTORY

$595-$645 | www.themackenziegolfbagcompany.com

How much for a simple leather golf bag that could be right out of 1920s? Around $600 bucks? Crazy? Maybe, but only if your quality-conscious giftee would rather hang with the modern crowd with his same-ol’-same-ol’ nylon space-age sack instead of hauling the sticks in a cozy, handmade home like the MacKenzie bag. It’s built for old-school players who prefer to walk in style and make a pure traditionalist statement. Couple that with these monogrammed bags, stitched with the best leather and finished with stainless steel hardware, and you’ve got a satchel suitable for passing through the generations. Lord knows it’ll last that long, no problem.

Still Firin’ with F2

FACE-FORWARD WEDGES AND IRONS

$100 wedge set, $499 (4-PW) | www.f2golf.com

After a couple years of ripping flags with F2’s wedges and then their irons, we ended up wondering, “What took so long?” The concept is simple, jarring and effective: move the clubface forward so the hosel trails instead of leads, and suddenly you’ve got a stick you can work with — as in work the ball from either direction with ease, which builds instant confidence. Plus, the wedges take versatility to new levels, hitting high soft shots or accurate, biting punches. Now what hacker wouldn’t ask Santa for that?

Bushnell: Your Buddy

‘MEDALIST’ ELECTRONIC YARDAGE FINDER

$299 | www.bushnell.com

Basically a lighter, stripped-down version of previous Bushnell PinSeeker gadgets, the Medalist is a compact measuring device that will dial in the distance from your ball to the target from up to 300 yards away. Use the nifty “flag” feature to make the stick stand out from a busy background. And don’t feel ashamed — the pros use a yardage tracker every day (they call it a caddy), so why shouldn’t you know your shot down to the last yard? It’ll help you play better and faster — and that’s a gift to everyone on the course, except, of course, your golf buddies, who’ll be handing over their Christmas cash after the round.

Hot Chiliwear

PERFORMANCE CAMP SHIRTS

www.chiliwear.com

PGA Tour star Jim Furyk wears this small New Orleans outfit’s gear, and looks good doing it with a button-down approach that’s refreshingly different from the same ol’ polo-type shirt style. Cut specifically for golfers, with more room in the shoulders and back, Chiliwear’s shirts are designed with what they call a “Performance Camp” sensibility. In other words, fun. And who can’t use more of that?

Crazy Kids Stuff

AMF LITTLE Z SERIES

$80-$90 | www.amfgolf.com

ONTRACK SPIDER-MAN SET

$60 | www.acculength.com

Venerable sporting goods company AMF offers several lines of kids’ clubs, but we like the Little Z Series as a simple, affordable entry-level option for youngsters just picking up the game. It comes in two configurations — The Little Z 3.5 (for kids 3-5) with a driver and 7-iron with graphite shafts, a heel-toe weighted putter, a lightweight single-strap carry bag and a matching headcover.  The Little Z 5.9 (5-9 years old) adds 5- and 9-irons for seven clubs altogether. In each case the clubs have a handsome finish and playable feel so the young’uns can get the ball airborne right away, and the bag is stylish, too. Our FG kid tester loved ’em right away, and that’s good enough for us. For kids favoring sticks with a cartoonish flair, OnTrack Sports — makers of the  popular Accu-Length line of expandable youth clubs — has signed a licensing deal with Marvel Entertainment to produce Spider-Man Golf sets based on the classic comic book look of the legendary webslinger for youngsters 3-7 years old. The sets include a Spider-Man logo’d driver, putter, iron and golf bag.

Cleveland Grooves

CG12 Wedges

$110 | www.clevelandgolf.com

Cleveland has made its most significant advance in wedge design since, oh, the 588. The new CG12 still has all the classic looks of its beloved predecessor, four lofts (54, 56, 58 and 60), two finishes (chrome and black pearl) and more bounce options (three) than the competition. But the buzz is all about the grooves. They are “boxier,” 25 percent larger and way more obvious. Simply put, the grooves on the CG12 are, at their base, like a shoe box rather than U-shaped. The Cleveland brains call them “Zip grooves” and say they allow the CG12 to trap more debris at impact and keep it off the face, creating more solid contact and greater spin, especially out of the rough.

Zero Restriction

RAINPLAY SYSTEM

$40-$340 | www.zerorestriction.com

ZR is all about keeping golfers out on the course in any kind of weather, keeping them dry and able to still execute a full, fluid move. The Rainplay System is their most advanced lineup yet, with a set of Gore-Tex items including jacket, pants, bucket hat and rain gloves. The jacket gives you an unrestricted golf swing with and extra eight inches of room across the shoulders and a telescoping cuff system; paired with the super-quiet pants, you’re dry from head to toe. The hat’s wide brim prevents raindrops from hitting your face and neck, and as for the gloves — the wetter they get, the more effective they get. Live in the Northwest or the parts of California that catch every Pacific storm’s wrath? Score yourself a Zero.

Dapper Dockers

CHAMPIONSHIP PANTS

$80 | www.dockers.com

We’re talking sleek-cut, iron-free style thanks to one-of-a-kind Cocona fibers that soak up moisture yet keep their shape. There’s an extra front pocket for golf balls, mark repair tools, cash or whatever — and an overall look that translates well to an after-round biz meeting or even a dinner get-together. Toss in a Dockers V-neck sweater vest over a new Dockers shirt and you’re suddenly in power style mode to start the New Year. When it warms up, switch out the pants for shorts and keep cool under pressure.

Sun Mountain

SUN MOUNTAIN WATERPROOF H20 TECH BAG

$229 | www.sunmountain.com

We’re still slapping our foreheads over Sun Mountain’s waterproof H2O Tech bag. Where has this been all our damp lives? Using the same water-tight YKK zippers and coated nylon fabric that have kept rainsuits and parkas dry for years, this colorful light bag offers five waterproof pockets for all those vintage yardage books and lottery tickets. Blessedly light at 3.5 pounds, the H2O also has a waterproof rainhood, sturdy legs and comfortable dual strap. Plus, if you’re
caught in a blizzard, the pleasantly alarming canary yellow will help them find your body. (Also comes in black and red.)

Monster Ogio

TRAVEL BAG

$229 | www.ogio.com

Ogio has since come out with an even bigger “Beast” bag that will hold a family of four, but we like this one for its spacious interior, club pads, large outside pockets, sturdy straps inside and out, almost indestructible zippers
(a huge plus) and abuse-resisting SLED system complete with wheels that’ll handle any kind of terrain.

Dandy Putter

PRO BLACK MALLET

$269 | www.dandygolf.com

Dandy Golf putters offer the first and only integrated putting system that promotes a true straight back and through putting stroke. With its onset shaft position and faces balancing, the putter can deliver the putter head naturally online. With most standard putters, which use offset, the ball actually backspins at impact. Here the ball is actually lifted with overspin for a truer roll. The Pro Black has an extremely large sweet spot and delivers all the benefits of the original Dandy design with a new improved look — plus unbelievable feel and ease of set-up. 

Just in case ...

‘The Back nine’ by Billy Mott

$25 | Knopf

When the weather really sucks and golf is impossible, why not cuddle up with a great novel that blends good ol’ boy golf, caddy wisdom, an engaging plot, some old-fashioned dramatic redemption and even a usable golf tip or two. Actor-caddie-turned-author Mott manages all of that and more in this solid first novel, and we’re looking forward to his next volume, whether it deals with golf or not.

RadarGolf Rules

GOLF BALL LOCATOR SYSTEM

$200| www.radargolf.com

It’s still the best golf invention of the 21st century, no doubt about it — and we’re not afraid to keep saying it. RadarGolf is one of those bright ideas we all wish we’d come up with, and, yet, it’s still ahead of its time. We’re amazed at the people who scoff at the notion of using an electronic gadget (radio frequency, in this case) to find lost golf balls. But the proof is undeniable — when we use it, not only do we play faster and more stress-free, we usually play better as well. No mere golf club can do all that for you.

XTRA HOLES

MORE GIFT IDEAS FROM THE MINDS OF MORTON GOLF

Buy NOW through our FG Superstore!

 

What Guys Want

Companion Group Grill Tools

With golf grips and heads that look like golf clubs, this set of BBQ sticks is the perfect combination of golf and grill mastery.

Natalie Gulbis Calendar

The talented LPGA star, Natalie Gulbis, strays away from swimsuits and showcases her game face in an all-golf calendar for 2008. Photos capture her on the golf course and highlight her competitive spirit and drive to succeed.

Excalibur Double Screen Talking Golf Handheld Game

Play just like the pros ... electronically, of course. Use the dual screens on the new Double Screen Talking Golf to make your way through the course. Plan your stroke so that you clear the rough and avoid the bunkers. But beware, even the weather becomes a factor in this realistic simulation.

Darth Vader and Yoda Headcovers

“Luke ... I am your Headcover ...”  If you or someone you know is a big-time Star Wars fan, you’re sure to love this new line of headcovers featuring some of the most popular movie characters of all-time. Plush with padded lining and long-knit necks, they protect clubheads up to 460cc.

Old Duffer Grilling Sauces

Barbecue while saluting your favorite sport, includes three tasty 12-ounce jars of grilling sauce with lime, peach and Cajun flavors.

Putt Poker

One of the greatest putting games on the market today.  It combines two exciting games — golf and poker.  Have fun, practice and improve your putting at the same time.

MLB Titleist Hats

Combine two of your favorite loves — baseball and golf — all in one little package with a Titleist hat with your team’s logo embroidered on the side.

‘I Love Golf’ Optical Mouse

The perfect addition to any golfer’s home or office. Contains a small golf ball floating in green liquid.

 

What Gals Want

Blonder Home Accents

An entire design of country club-styled, golf-themed bathroom accessories, including shower curtains, toothbrush-holders, soap dishes, towels and more.

Bootie Bags

Big Booties are the original bootie bag, from which all other booties were born. The Big Bootie, like all other booties, is always made from recycled blue jeans. What makes this bag “big” is not necessarily the size, but rather the detailing — Big Booties are always finished with a leather belt and have standard-size handles. Handles are hand-beaded to match the interior colors of the bag, and truly no two Booties are alike.

Women’s Callaway Watches and Timepieces

Callaway Golf timepieces are known for innovation, quality and attention to detail. From materials to movement, function to accent features, Callaway Golf timepieces combine style and elegance. Each piece is as unique as the golfer wearing it.

River’s Edge Golf Bag Mailbox

A must for any golfing nut. Made of a high-impact poly resin with an electronically welded seam for years of life, the bright metallic finish has been certified with UV approval to hold up to sunlight and extreme weather conditions.

Unique Burl Wood Golf Table

An artisan named Paul Freitag builds coffee tables and full-size tables out of beautiful burl wood. He takes golf memorabilia that he finds locally or that you send him and “embeds” it into the table and then seals in a clear resin finish. 

Winfield Kitchen Hot Mitts

In four different designs, these little golfers show your passion for the game while effectively keeping your hands safe for your next round outside the kitchen.

T. Taylor Specialty Golf Towels

Everyone has something to say, so let your towel do the talking. These beautiful terry towels have little tassels and sayings such as “Divot Diva” and “Kiss My Grass.”