The holidays are almost upon us, so now is the time to get busy. Here are some of the most innovative, beautiful and useful gift ideas.

The Bobby Jones Baby Alpaca Argyle V-Neck Sweater

Looking for a classic sweater? Looking for aniconic and elegant golf  sweater for both on the course, or for an evening out?

Bobby delivers yet again with the highest quality garment and style of all golf manufacturers. The Argyle V-Neck is soft to the touch, but provides great added protection on those brisk winter days.

Favored throughout generations, the argyle style sweater adapts to today’s lifestyle.Made of luxurious 100% baby alpaca, ensuring warmth without bulk. Also, differentiated with black stitching to elevate the all-over pattern. Made in Peru. Dry clean or hand wash.

The sweater is available in black, or as shown  in the photo with sizing from Small to XXL.

$295.00   www.bobbyjones.com

BOBBY JONES NEW J715 Driver and J715 Hybrids

Looking for a Driver and Hybrids that are designed to provide all golfers unrivaled distance and accuracy? Look no further!

For professionals and mid-handicap amateurs, the Bridgestone 460cc J715 Driver features the F.A.S.T. (Flex Action Speed Technology) Crown Design for increasedball velocities and higher launch angles. The driver features a D2 swing weight and the standard shaft is the acclaimed Mitsubishi ZT.

ThePower Milled face provides incredible spin reduction, while Spin Control
Technology allows for complete control of trajectory and spin. The Variable
Adjust System lets the user choose their desired face and lie angle settings.

The driver is very “user friendly” with a great sound and equally impressive feel
and distance.

The J715 driver is available now online at www.bobbyjones.com. The street price of the driver is $399.00 and the hybridsare $189.99 each.
Bridgestone also offers its thinnest hybrid club face which creates maximum ball repulsion and
increased distance, while an adjustable weight allows for user defined trajectory and weight profile.

Here as well, the hybrids have a D2 swing weight and use as their stock shaft the Mitsubishi Fubuki Z

• H1 Hybrid: 40.5″ length, 17° loft,
  58° lie angle, 125cc head size
• H2 Hybrid: 40″ length, 19° loft,
  58.5° lie angle, 120cc head size
• H3 Hybrid: 39.5″ length, 21° loft,
  59° lie angle, 115cc head size
• H4 Hybrid: 39″ length, 23° loft,
  59.5° lie angle, 111cc head size

$189.99
each.     www.bobbyjones.com

Kent
Wool Socks

Looking for a great stocking stuffer?

The Kent Wool Game Day Collection of socks is your answer. I personally have been wearing Kent Wool socks for many years on a daily basis. Many Tour pros such as Bubba Watson, Marco Dawson, Matt Kuchar, Ben Martin, Jonathan Byrd, Beatriz Recari, Ryann O’Toole, Peter Jacobsen, Duffy Waldorf, Brendon de Jonge, Tom Gillis, Jane Park, Kevin Johnson, Kristy McPherson, Shasta Averyhardt, Jenny Suh, Sarah Kemp, Jenny Gleason, Meaghan Francella and Jenny Hong are also converts.

The durability and the cushioning provided by these socks make your feet feel light after a round of golf or all day for that matter.

It behooves you to visit Kent Wool’s web site and explore all their styles and colors available! Once you wear these socks, you will never switch to another brand!

$19.99, can be ordered at  http://shop.kentwool.com/Game-Day-Socks/

Blast Motion Golf Replay/3D Motion Capture Trainer with Smart Video Swing Analysis
and Performance Data Overlay

This is one of the newest and most popular training aids currently in use on both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour.

With instant gratification its strongest USP (Unique SellingProposition), the Blast Precision Motion Sensor allows the golfer to capture their swing and putting stroke with 3D metrics in real time!  The sensor knows
when you are moving. You can even store your performance metrics when the sensor is out of range and they’ll download to your smart phone or tablet assoon as you reconnect.

The Blast Precision Motion Sensor attaches to the end of nearly any regulation driver or putter and uses Bluetooth Smart technology to
connect to your smartphone or tablet.

There’s no need to alter your natural swing or putting stroke, and there are no power buttons or controls to get in your way. You capture video and track driver swings and putting strokes instantly, and if you love tech products, you will love Blast Motion’s ability to share highlights with your friends via Facebook, Twitter and E-mail with just one touch.

Make every move matter; With Blast Golf Replay, coaches, golfers and active life enthusiasts can gain the insights they need to improve their game, gain the competitive edge and show the world what they’ve achieved

Compatible with iPhone5, 5c, 5s, 6, 6 Plus, iPad Mini2, iPad3, iPad4, iPad Air, iPad Air 2. All devices must be running iOS 8.x or iOS 9.x.

$149.95     www.blastmotion.com

The Aiming Alignment Device

Undoubtedly, one of the key essentials of being a good golfer is your ability to aim correctly. If your alignment is just a couple of degrees off, the resulting direction could be rather disastrous.

Now with tech gadgets/products permeating the golf market, a device that corrects your alignment is available. The Aiming is designed to help align you to your target during practice sessions or on the course.

The Aiming is a small, non-invasive device that clips onto your belt or waistband and vibrates to let you know when you have incorrectly lined up to your target.

After standing behind your golf ball and pressing the button on the device’s face, you’ll feel and hear a notification that the device is “ready.” Address your golf ball and The Aiming will notify you if you’re standing too left or too right from your original target line.

The sensors are accurate with immediate feedback and a long battery life is a bonus.

Initially,it takes some getting used to – trying it out on the range is suggested. Thereafter, you will be impressed on how well the device senses your alignment and helps your golf game.

$149.99              www.theaiming.com     

Another three great products that not only make great gifts, but will certainly improve your golf game:

Callaway MD3 Milled Wedge

AKA “dart throwers”, these new milled wedges feature Progressive Groove Optimization – A 3 groove package precision milled into the face of these wedges that optimizes spin as you go up in loft. It creates a smoother spin transition from your irons to wedges.

The 30V grooves in the Pitching and Gap Wedges are built for shots that require a steep angle into the ball. The 20V grooves in the sand wedges are designed for full shots and bunker shots. Wider 5V grooves in the lob wedges were put in for better control for shots out of the rough and around the green.

Callaway developed 3 unique grinds to suit the shots you hit, the courses you play and the swings you make. It’s the versatility and selection you need to get up and down from anywhere. Each particular grind, the C-Grind, the S-Grind and the W-grind, offer distinct playability features with the S-Grind being the most popular.

$129.99   Matte & Silver available   www.callawaygolf.com

For more specific data on each grind, please visit www.callawaygolf.com

Callaway Great Big Bertha Driver

This has to be the best driver brought to market since the original Big Bertha! (You can expect 30-40 yards over the original Big Bertha). An outstanding combination of feel, stability and distance and so easy to hit!

With its multi-material lightweight club design, aerodynamic head shape and weighting between 295g to 325g, be prepared to be impressed as never before. More speed produces more yards. With Callaway’s Next Gen R•MOTO Technology, the club provides the structure for a thinner face, leading to high ball speeds on center hits and off-center hits as well.

The genius behind this driver is not only a 10g sliding weight on the perimeter of the club head put there to add stability, but also you can slide the weight for more dispersion control to hit your drives on line. You have virtually unlimited draw and fade bias options, more additional draw bias than ever before, and you get all of this without sacrificing forgiveness.

With its remarkable and very successful Optifit hosel, you can quickly slide the weight to any position you want on the track and choose from 8 different configurations to tune loft, lie, and face angle.

As for the engine of the driver, Callaway offers at no extra upcharge, 19 shaft options in a variety of weight classes and flexes.  I personally recommend a Graphite Design shaft, especially if you have a slower swing speed.  But certainly, Graphite Design offers shafts for all swing speeds.  Graphite Design shafts are among the most popular shafts on the PGA Tour, Web.com Tour, Champions Tour and the LPGA Tour.

$449.99    www.callawaygolf.com

TaylorMade M1 Rescue Hybrid.

Wow! What a club! The ability to adjust a hybrid never ceases to amaze me. Now you can get the right loft and lie and watch your golf score improve.

Two moveable weights (one 3-gram aluminum and one 25-gram tungsten) in the steel head, can be adjusted for neutral or fade bias. The Tour-inspired shaping includes a compact shape for versatility in a variety of conditions, while the Speed Pocket protects ball speed on off-center hits. The 3° Loft Sleeve (± 1.5°) allows you to dial in face angle, loft, and lie preferences.

FYI, the M in the other models refers to ‘multi-material’ and in the M1 Rescue this comes in the form of two tungsten weights in the center back and the toe of the sole
that can be swapped to alter the shot shape the club produces.

Pro golfers intrinsically do not want their hybrids to hook at all, hence the development of the M1 Rescue. By default the back weight is 25g and the toe weight is 3g to give a neutral set up with a mid to high launch. Swapping them over gives a strong fade bias.

In my opinion, if you are consistently hooking your hybrids, then this club will work extremely well. Also, it works
extremely well off the tee.

The M1 Rescue is available in four lofts from 17, 19, 21and 24 degrees, with an adjustable hosel and a Fujikura Pro 80h shaft as standard.

Of note, the M1 will feel heavier than the previous model, the R15, thanks to the lower weight distribution of the
tungsten sole weights. Also make sure the head graphics and colors will work for your eye.

The stock shaft is the Fujikura Pro 80 in X, S, R, M flexes.

$249.99                           www.taylormadegolf.com

golfTEC is Offering Special Packages for The Holiday Season.

Earlier this year I had the opportunity to visit a GolfTEC facility. I came away rather impressed with their whole concept and facility.

 golfTEC – the world
leader in golf lessons and largest employer of PGA and PGTAA Professionals –announces special holiday packages for golfers and gift givers, allowing players to experience the company’s famed Swing Evaluations, Lesson Packs and
practice sessions at a great value.

These renowned services are proven to help players of all skill levels improve and have more fun on the course. From November 16th through December 31st, the
company is offering the following special bundles. More information is
available at http://www.golftec.com/holiday:

• Swing Evaluation, one 30-minute lesson and one 30-minute practice session for $195

• Swing Evaluation, three 30-minute lessons and three 30-minute practice sessions for $295

• 10% off all regular Lesson Packs and Game Plans

Swing Evaluations include video analysis, motion measurement, a fact-based diagnosis and a lesson plan to follow. During these 60-minute sessions, golfTEC’s Certified Personal Coaches use the company’s patented g-SWING technology to quantify each student’s swing and compare it to Tour averages. This data is used to build a personalized Game Plan that will address the changes needed to help golfers of all skill levels achieve longer, straighter shots and lower scores.

Highly efficient and boasting a 96 percent success rate, golfTEC lessons are taught one-on-one by Certified Personal Coaches in private, mostly indoor bays that utilize proprietary teaching technology.
Developing a comprehensive improvement plan for each student is the foundation of golfTEC’s philosophy.

“Winter is the perfect time to utilize our climate controlled indoor hitting bays and these gift packages ensure high-quality off-season training,” says Joe Assell, Co-Founder and CEO of golfTEC. “Our goal has always been to grow the
game by creating better players who are excited to play more often and share golf with new people at every chance.”

Since 1995, golfTEC has taught nearly 6 million lessons at almost 200 locations worldwide. Committed to strengthening the industry and hiring only the best staff, GolfTEC employs nearly 600 coaches, most of whom have taught thousands of lessons. Each goes through a rigorous multi-week certification at golfTEC University, including continued advanced training to master the analysis of golf swing mechanics, the technology of the golfTEC system and the most productive teaching techniques.

Among the technologies currently employed:

• g-SWING teaching technology – This patented software program displays real-time video with motion measurement, while capturing body positions throughout the swing. Coaches use the information to diagnose, communicate and measure the changes that will lead to improvement.

• TECfit – Using Foresight® launch monitors to capture critical  performance data – ball flight, ball speed, clubhead speed, launch angle,sidespin and backspin – coaches cross-reference this information with the
proprietary SwingLabs® database to help select ideal clubs for each student’s  wing. They can then accurately illustrate changes in ball performance that result from club adjustments.

To learn more about the golfTEC, please visit http://www.golftec.com/holiday or call 877-446-5383.

Barry Lotz, J.D., Ph.D. is the
director of the Professional Golf Teachers Association of America. He is a member of the Golf Writers Association of America, the California Golf Writers Association, and currently works as a mental coach to 14+ PGA Tour Pros. He is
also the author of numerous books, including “333 Best Web Sites for Golfers”, “How to Build Business Relationships through Golf” which is in the Top Ten Golf Business Book’s bestseller list. His latest book,” The Right Mind for Golf”,
released last year, is now in its 5th printing

He can be reached at www.pgtaa.com or drlotz@cbsgolf.net