Holiday Newsletter

Ho! Ho! Ho!
Merry Christmas from Your Golf Headquarters

Santa Claus loves golfers and golfers love Christmas morning, and the surprises they find under the tree.

With the Holiday Season upon us, it gives us great pleasure to help you with your shopping for the avid golfers in your family by providing some ideas of the hottest, most desirable golf gifts. And don’t forget, you can visit the Golf Headquarters store near you for a personal consultation with our staff. Nobody is better qualified than the folks at Golf Headquarters to offer insights and suggestions for the ideal gifts for all budgets.

On The First Day of Christmas...

Let’s start with golf balls. They’re always a much appreciated gift and there are plenty of options, at a wide variety of price points.
A dozen Titleist Pro V1 or Titleist Pro V1x under the Christmas tree is guaranteed to put a smile on any golfer’s face. The Titleist script is famous among golfers everywhere and the ball manufacturer has plenty of other models to choose from. The Pro V1 balls are exceptional in every way and receive above-average results for golfers of every ability.
TaylorMade’s Penta ball is golf’s first five-layer ball which features the core, three layers of mantles and a urethane cover. Each layer component targets a specific part of the game – from driver down to the wedge game. An ideal option for the more dedicated golfer.
There is always something for the lady golfer on your Christmas shopping list. Bridgestone Golf’s new Precept Lady iQ+ ball is Precept’s softest ladies’ ball ever with a larger core for improved distance. A softer cover enhances feel and spin. The ball is available in three colors with a pearl finish - white, clear and pink. Extended research and fitting showed that most women are playing a ball that is too firm for their respective games. The larger core in the Lady iQ+ provides greater distance for women with moderate swing speeds and reduced side spin for greater accuracy.
For men looking for a low compression core and medium spin, there’s the Bridgestone Fix, which was introduced this year.
Srixon expects its new Q-Star ball to become a big hit with its advanced technology and similarities to the Z-Star but at a lower price point. The Q-Star is new so not many golfers have had a chance to experience it. That’s makes it a terrific Christmas gift. Incidentally, the STAR reference in the name refers to spin, trajectory, acceleration and responsiveness.

On the Second Day of Christmas...

Rangefinders have become a golf equipment staple. Both the laser models and satellite-based models have made significant gains on the golfer’s must-have scale because they provide reliable and valuable yardage information.
A mong the most popular are SkyCaddie’s SGX rangefinder, Bushnell’s Hybrid, The Golf Buddy World Platinum and Callaway’s Nikon Diablo Octane.
The SkyCaddie SGX is WiFi-enabled for quick access to course information and a new RangeVue feature which shows range rings. It requires membership and downloads up to 30,000 courses.
Bushnell’s Hybrid offers the combination of laser accuracy with GPS convenience. It features the PinSeeker Technology used by more than 90% of PGA professionals.
The Golf Buddy World Platinum GPS holds up to 40,000 courses worldwide. The courses are preloaded and there are no annual fees. The Golf Buddy features a full color, high resolution, outdoor visible, full-function touch screen, packed with technlogical features and easy to use.
Callaway’s Nikon Diablo Octane Rangefinder is compact, lightweight, waterproof and features 6X magnification (not pictured).

On the Third Day of Christmas...

For the winter season, outerwear is always a popular item and there is no shortage of outstanding products to help protect golfers in the wind, rain and cold.
The Sun Mountain line of products were on display at the 2011 Presidents Cup in Australia as the official outerwear provide for Captain Fred Couples and the United States team. The custom-designed rain gear is constructed from an advanced, new four-way stretch woven fabric. The U.S. uniforms include long and short sleeve rain jackets and rain pants.
FootJoy’s DryJoys line is known for its quality instincts, materials and performance. The DryJoys Premier has zip-off sleeves (which turns the jacket into a rain vest), underarm vents, and three interchangeable liners for adapting to whatever Mother Nature has to offer.
Adidas ClimaProof has found a niche in the extreme weather category. It’s soft, lightweight construction is just what golfers are looking for.

On the Fourth Day of Christmas

If you’re looking for a very special Christmas gift this year for a very special person and golfer, check out the new offerings from Scotty Cameron by Titleist putters. They’re designed by the respected Scotty Cameron and developed and refined through product and player research conducted at the state-of-the-art Cameron Putter Studio and on practice greens across the world.
In a word, Cameron putters are “special” and the latest generation of the California line continues to be inspired by some of the designers favorite designs from the early Classics and Handmade models. For Cameron aficionados, that’s an important consideration. They appeal to players who prefer more fluid, less geometric lines and whose putting strokes might best be characterized as less “mechanical.”
Cameron said his goal with the new putters “was to take the visual flow to a new level.” Cameron California putters are precision milled from soft 303 stainless steel and fitted with circular weights in the heel and toe that allow each model to be offered at 33”, 34” and 35” lengths well as 34”H and 35”H heavier weight configurations.

Short Game Wizards

At a price point that’s less than a high-end putter, wedges can be excellent Christmas gifts. Your golfer will appreciate a product that will help him drop strokes. A top model from a major manufacturer generally falls in the $100 to $120 range so wedges are affordable and desirable.
Let’s begin with the Titleist Vokey Design SM4. SM is for “spin milled.” Each of the 17 grooves is inspected at the factory to see that they don’t exceed limits imposed by the United States Golf Association. The SM4 is available in five sold grinds and three finishes.
Cleveland is returning to a proven winner – its legendary cast 588 model. The new 588 is forged from 1025 carbon steel for enhanced consistency and feel. The combination of the design and shaft (by True Temper) is aimed at a more penetrating ball flight and additional spin.
Mizuno’s MP R-12 shaft has a slightly larger, more rounded clubhead and features the company’s “grain flow” forging process. True Temper’s DG Spinner shaft provides more spin. The 56- and 64-degree lofted wedges feature wider and shallower grooves.

A Little of This ... and a Little of That

Here are a few more items that are sure to please golfers and help make your Christmas shopping a little easier this year.
The Clicgear cart is a full-sized 3-wheeled push cart that’s the result of almost two years of industrial design work. It folds in less than five seconds to compact measurements and easily fit into trunks and club storage lockers. At 18 pounds, it is durable and built to exacting standards of quality and finish.
Sun Mountain also offers the ClubGlider golf travel bag featuring wheels that allow the handle to remain at waist height for ease of handling. It’s available in pro model and also the Meridian and Cascade models for the travel needs of amateur and recreational golfers who like to make those buddy road trips.
Sun Mountain ’s new KG:2 golf stand bag is built on the popular frame of its Superlight 3.5 model with more pockets, more hand-holds and more style. The KG:2 features a 9.5-inch oval four-way top with full-length club dividers, eight pockets and cart-friendly bottom.

Articles provided by Vartan Kupelian.
Vartan Kupelian spent 40 years writing sports for daily newspapers, 37 of those at The Detroit News before he left that distinguished newspaper in August, 2008. He is currently president of the Golf Writers Association of America. You can reach him at: golfstix@vartangolflive.com.