Gifts for Golfing Mates: 20 Golf Gift Ideas That Actually Get Used

Golfers have a reputation for being impossible to buy for. It is not that they are fussy. It is that most golfing gifts land in one of two piles.

Pile one is gear he already owns or has firm opinions about. Gloves, shoes, rangefinders and anything club related need his exact preference, and getting it wrong is worse than getting nothing. Pile two is novelty rubbish that earns a polite laugh on the day and then lives in a drawer until someone moves house.

This list sticks to the space in between. Gifts for golfing mates, dads, partners and anyone else who plays, sorted by what you want to spend. Every one of them is something a golfer will actually use.

Golf gift ideas around $35

1. Funny golf balls

Golfers lose balls. That is the whole sport. A set of funny golf balls is one of the few golf gifts that is guaranteed to get used, because the alternative is buying them anyway. Look for a proper Surlyn cover and a printed design rather than a sticker, or the joke wears off by the third hole. Our four-ball gift sets are $34.95 each.

2. A ball marker with some personality

Most golfers mark with a coin they found in the car. A magnetic marker that clips to a cap peak is cheap, useful, and one of the few accessories nobody objects to.

3. A divot tool

Everyone should carry one. Almost nobody buys one for themselves.

4. A microfibre golf towel

The one clipped to his bag is probably grey, stiff and older than his current clubs.

5. Tees and a tee pouch

Boring on its own. Fine as a filler inside a bigger gift.

6. A sunscreen stick

Four to five hours in the Australian sun, and most blokes still rely on whatever is left in the glovebox. A stick that fits a bag pocket gets used every round.

7. A bag tag

Useful at any club that stacks buggies, and a decent spot for a name.

Golf gift ideas from $30 to $100

8. A glove multipack

Gloves wear out constantly. Size is the only thing you need to get right, and you can read it off the one in his bag.

9. A cap or bucket hat

Low risk, high use, and there is no sizing beyond adjustable.

10. An insulated drink sleeve or small cooler

Summer rounds in Australia turn a can warm inside two holes.

11. A head cover

Driver head covers are one of the few places golfers accept personality on an otherwise serious bag.

12. A round somewhere he has not played

Green fees at a course on his list beat another accessory. Check whether the club takes bookings from non members first.

13. A lesson with a club pro

Handle this one carefully. It reads as thoughtful if he has mentioned wanting one, and as an insult if he has not.

14. A good golf book

Works for the golfer who watches every major and reads about the sport in the off season.

15. A gift set of four ball designs

If one funny ball raises a laugh, a set of four gives him something to hand around to his playing group. Ours come boxed and ready to give, which removes the wrapping problem.

Golf gift ideas over $100

16. A push cart

Genuinely changes how a round feels for anyone who walks. Also the sort of thing golfers put off buying for years.

17. A rangefinder

High value, high risk. Only buy this if you know he does not already have one and does not use a watch instead.

18. A club fitting

Better than buying him a club. He picks the club, you cover the session.

19. A social club membership

For the golfer who plays constantly but has nowhere regular to play.

20. A weekend away with a round attached

The biggest swing on the list. Also the one people remember years later.

Gifts for golf lovers who play every weekend

The regular player is the easiest brief on this list, because he burns through everything. Balls, gloves, tees and sunscreen all get replaced whether you buy them or not.

If you want the gift to feel like a gift rather than a restock, go wider instead of pricier. Pick any two individual sets and save 10% with free standard shipping, or step up to a curated three-set or four-set golf gift bundle.

Mens golf gifts for the golfer who already has everything

This is the hardest brief, and the answer is almost always consumables. Anything he uses up and replaces cannot be a duplicate. Balls, gloves, tees, sunscreen and green fees all qualify. Anything that sits in the bag permanently probably already has a version in there.

It is also why golf gifts for men in the novelty ball category work so well for the golfer who has everything. He will lose four balls this month regardless. These are just funnier on the way out.

How to pick when you know nothing about golf

Three rules cover most of it.

• Avoid anything with a fit. Clubs, shoes and shafts all need his specs. Balls, hats, towels and markers do not.
• Match the humour, not the handicap. You do not need to know whether he plays off 8 or 28. You do need to know whether he would rather get a kangaroo, a crocodile or a hedgehog.
• Consumable beats permanent. If it wears out, it cannot be a duplicate.

What to skip

Golf themed mugs, ties, socks and "world's best golfer" anything. He has received all of them. So has every other golfer in the country.

The gap between a cool golf gift and one that gathers dust is not price. It is whether the thing leaves the house. A $15 ball he tees up on Saturday beats a $60 desk ornament every time.

Where to start

If you want the short version, pick a design that sounds like him from our gift set range, go bigger with a gift bundle, or narrow it down by occasion with golf gifts for dad, Christmas golf gifts or Aussie golf gifts.

Individual sets are $34.95, boxed and ready to hand over. We pack and post from Perth. Standard shipping on one set is $9.70; buy 2 or more sets for free standard shipping.