13 Elaborate Golf Gifts

By GolfDigest.com Staff

December 08, 2013

Custom Wedges

What if one of your buddies would do anything to experience a three-hour wedge fitting with Bob Vokey, the longtime wedge designer for Titleist, then have Vokey build wedges to exact specifications? Now through 2014, if you're willing to spend $1,050, you can give all of that. As part of the Bob Vokey Hand Ground Experience at the Acushnet test facility in Oceanside, Calif., Vokey will take notes on grinds, bounce angles, yardage gaps and more. Then he'll build three wedges meeting the correct specs, including tour-only models. You can book one of these fittings at Wedgeworks.-- Ashley Mayo

A private fitting at the TaylorMade Kingdom

Many people know a golfer who has everything. But they really don't. Most likely, they haven't been fit for their clubs. A visit to "The Kingdom" at TaylorMade's Carlsbad, Calif., headquarters will change that while offering an experience befitting the name. For starters, openings are extremely limited, but for those lucky enough to grab a spot (and be able to afford the $5,500 fee), the day is akin to being a tour pro for a day. In addition to some goodies (a Kingdom hat and shirt, pair of Adidas shoes and two dozen TaylorMade golf balls) is a full-blown fitting experience that includes a custom MAT-T (motion analysis technology by TaylorMade) fitting with 3-D motion swing analysis; time in the putter lab using MAT-T technology; an outdoor range validation session using Trackman or FlightScope topped off by a catered lunch with a Kingdom fitter. After all the fitting data has been gathered, a full set of clubs are built to the custom specifications and housed in a TaylorMade golf bag. As we said, a tour-pro experience -- which may include standing on the range with one of TaylorMade's staff pros as many often visit to work on their games.TaylorMade Fitting-- E. Michael Johnson

Trackman

Sure, it's $25,000 and nothing more than a gray box, but this revolutionary little device that looks and works like something Jonny Ive cooked up in the Apple design lab is now a staple on PGA Tour ranges for its ability to track every data point imaginable -- from ball speed, to launch angle, to flight path. Trackman is so good, even the tour pros only get a slight discount. That's right, no one gets Trackman for free and the company is a full-service operation, so pampering in the way of setup and maintenance is provided for the wealthy types who need no shortage of attention. And if you can't afford to buy one, Trackman-endorsed teachers are popping up all over the country and are offering sessions for prices equivalent to golf at a country club for a day.Trackman-- Geoff Shackelford

Hovercraft Golf Cart

In a video that went viral over the summer, Bubba Watson showed the world he wants to help change the way we get around the course. While you can't actually purchase Bubba's exact hovercraft, which was a joint project by Oakley and Neoteric, you can get a Neoteric model that's pretty close. There are a number of variations you can choose from on the site: the number of seats, lighting, and body modifications, to name a few. Getting one like Bubba's would put you in the $50,000 price range.Neoteric-- Keely Levins

The Only Green

The Only Green makes five greens that vary in length, width, and number of break stations. There are sets of horizontal and vertical levers in each green that create break when adjusted. The Only Greens, like real greens, have a grain: when you putt in one direction it rolls at a 12.5 on the Stimpmeter, and nine in the other direction The most expensive of their line, the four-foot wide and 20-foot long "Mackenzie," costs $9,995 and has 16 break stations, so you can make three million different break combinations. Slight alterations to the type of wood (there are six options) and getting a personal logo on the wood bumps the cost up a little.The Only Green-- Keely Levins

Extended Stay In Ireland

The five-day or even week-long golf trip to Ireland is so ... predictable. For the man or woman who answers to no boss, what you need is an extended, hold-my-mail stay on the Emerald Isle where you can play more golf than a typical tour pro and come home with a brogue. Golf Ireland is offering what it's billing as the "Ultimate Golf Vacation," a 1,500-mile long sojourn along the Atlantic Coast that stretches over 34 days and features 30 links courses, including classics such as Ballybunion, Donegal, and Lahinch. Total cost is $9,795. Advil and Band-Aids are sold separately.Golf Ireland-- Sam Weinman

Fly Private

Of course, to really do a golf trip right, you don't waste your time with security lines, layovers, and screaming babies. The ideal golf vacation includes your own private aircraft shuttling you to and from the destination of your choice. Looking to fly you and your golf buddies private from the New York area to Bandon Dunes? Prices start at a little more than $41,000 according to Benton Morgan, managing partner of Jet Partners Worldwide, which offers on-demand private jet rental and air charter services. A New York to Pebble Beach trip for eight passengers will cost you about $53,000. It might cost a hair more than a middle seat through Oakland. But think of all the work you'll catch up on along the way!Jet Partners-- Sam Weinman

Guru For A Day

Golf lessons at the local club are nice, but why not buy someone the best help available? For $20,000, you can give the gift of noted short-game guru Dave Pelz for an entire day. That might seem a little steep, but Pelz is the guy who Phil Mickelson -- a short-game wizard in his own right -- looks to for help. He also happens to be a former NASA engineer, so the lesson basically doubles as a graduate course in physics. Now that's value.Pelz Golf-- Alex Myers

Backyard Golf Holes

Sure, you can buy someone short-game lessons, but how does someone really get better? With practice. Give the gift that keeps on giving -- and is sure to make someone the envy of the neighborhood -- with a backyard practice area. SYNLawn Golf, in partnership with Dave Pelz, has plenty of custom options from which to choose. For example, a 20-by-50 area with a green and a fringe will cost about $10,000 based on the installation. Have the space and money for a mini par 3? A larger layout equipped with a bunker and even a water hazard could be had for about $75,000 (left). Of course, it's going to take a bit more to replicate what Pelz had builtat his Austin, Tex.-area home.SYNLawn Golf-- Alex Myers

The Golden Putter

This putter is gold. Literally. Twenty-four-karat gold-plated clubhead, with an engraved platinized inlay. Gold-plated shaft. Even comes with a guarantee of sorts (though not a money-back guarantee). "You will better put[sic] with the Golden Putter, "the English translation at the Golden Putter website says. At $3,723, you'd better putt better. The Golden Putter is a work of art, hand-crafted in Germany by Barth & Sons and designed by PGA of Germany member Thomas Kroeber.The Golden Putter-- John Strege

Google Glass

The caddie of the future has arrived, and for about $1,500, it can be yours. Google Glass, a wearable computer that sits on your head like sunglasses, doesn't carry your clubs for you, but its heads-up display streams real-time yardages, wind movement, course layout photos and weather updates. Oh yeah, and it allows you to take photos and videos at will -- through voice command.Google Glass-- Luke Kerr-Dineen

A Golf Simulator

Golf is fun, but let's be honest: sometimes, going to the course is a total hassle. That's where in-home golf simulators come in handy. Starting at about $40,000 you can purchase an XGolf simulator and ditch those aerated greens and that annoying fellow club member (What's his name? Steve?). XGolf changes your stance depending on your shot, feeds you balls and offers swing analysis all automatically. It also has the added bonus of liberating you to play better golf without having to endure the tyranny of traditionally-uncomfortable golf clothes.Golf Simulator-- Luke Kerr-Dineen

Golf Memorabilia

New stuff is cool. We get it. But it's the old stuff that gives you cred with your buddies. Unfortunately, it's going to set you back a bit. A signed 1958 letter from Bobby Jones stating that his "illness was much over-advertised" recently sold at a New York City memorabilia shop for almost $4,000 -- and that's a cheap item. Horton Smith's first-ever green jacket sold for nearly $700,000 in September, while a group of Sam Snead memorabilia, among them his 1939 Masters runner-up medal, sold by Heritage Auctions recently went for more than $1 million.Heritage Auctions-- Luke Kerr-Dineen

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