GOLF GIFTS FOR SOMEONE WHO PLAYS BADLY AND LOVES IT

Buying for a golfer is harder than it looks. The equipment is personal, expensive, and they already have opinions about it. Buy the wrong driver and it lives in the garage forever.

The reliable rule is to buy for the parts of golf that are not the swing.

THINGS THAT ALWAYS GET USED

• Apparel. Worn on and off the course, no fit anxiety if you know their shirt size, and no risk of interfering with their setup.
• A good hat. Used every single round, and hard to own too many.
• Gloves. Consumable, everyone needs them, low risk.
• Balls, but only if you know what they play. Otherwise it reads as generic.
• A round somewhere they have not played. The best gift on this list if the budget allows.

THINGS THAT USUALLY DO NOT

• Clubs, unless they told you exactly which one.
• Training aids. These imply their swing needs fixing, which lands badly even when it is true.
• Novelty gifts. The joke golf towel is funny once, in the shop.
• Rangefinders, unless you know they do not have one.

WHY APPAREL IS THE SAFEST BET

You only need to know one thing, their shirt size, and it works whether they shoot 72 or 112. It gets worn beyond the course, so the gift keeps showing up. And unlike equipment it cannot make them play worse, which removes the only real risk.

If they play every weekend, still cannot break 100 and do not much care, apparel with some personality lands better than anything technical. That golfer is not chasing a lower handicap. They are there for the four hours and the drink afterwards.

ROUGH PRICE GUIDE

• Under $50: a hat, a glove, or a good tee.
• $50 to $100: two pieces of apparel, or a shirt plus balls.
• Over $100: a round somewhere good, or a full outfit.