'Tis the season - Shopping ideas for golfers

OK, so shopping for a golfer can be really tricky. There are all kinds of gadgets and accessories out there that is makes it difficult to choose from. Also, so much depends on personal preference when it comes to golf clubs and other gear. So, to make it easy for you to buy the golfer in your family a Christmas gift they'll definitely appreciate - here's a list of the 6 best and 6 worst Christmas golf gifts for men.

The Six Best Golf Gifts

1. Golf hypnosis CDs. Every professional golfer has a 'mind guru' who helps strengthen their mental game. Every amateur golfer cannot afford one - but we can have access to all the tricks of the golf mind coach trade through the golf hypnosis CDs at www.golfhypnotherapy.com. 'Become a Deadly Short Putter' and 'Beat First Tee Nerves' give exactly the kind of mind coaching we need.

2. An electronic caddie. What's the next best thing to a real caddie? There are several battery-powered GPS rangefinders that tells golfers exactly how far they need to hit the ball to increase their confidence on each hole.

3. A round of golf on a great course. Most golfers love playing new. Some of the country's best courses are online, so give your golfer a great day out.

4. A square driver. Square-shaped golf clubs are all the rage this year, from the RAM Qube3 to the Callaway FT-i used by Ernie Els. It would make your loved one's year to find one poking out from the tinsel.

5. Balls. Proper ones. Whether it's a sleeve of three Titleist ProV1s or a dozen cheapies, for some strange reason those tiny round things will bring a smile every time. See golfballs.com for a great selection of golf balls.

6. A new putter. Golfers are obsessed with putting and putters. We treat them like works of art - collecting them at will. The new MacGregor's Face-off version is super hot, along with the Mizuno Bettinardi range.

The Six Worst Golf Gifts

1. Novelty golf balls. Some explode, some wobble, some dissolve into powder. And some actually bring a smile to our faces - for a millisecond. Don't do it. Not even as a stocking-filler. Save your money and get us some proper balls.

2. Hip flasks. Are we drunks? No, we can live for four hours without a drop of the hard stuff for heaven's sake. We only need water or energy drinks on the course. And we enjoy a pint afterwards. There is no way, ever, that a quart of whisky or rum will improve our game.

3. Scottish stuff. OK, Scotland is the home of golf, but that's as much as we care to know. A tartan towel, tartan bag, tartan tees, tartan socks, is not what you want if you live in London! And the towels are never big enough.

4. Sweaters. With embroidered pictures of golfers. You might as well buy us a sweater with 'Loser' written on it. Golf has become seriously stylish in recent years and anything that makes us look like a throwback from the 50s is out.

5. Electronic scoring devices. At the golf course we get given a pencil and a scorecard. It's efficiency supreme. So we don't need to fiddle about with a wrist-scorer, or a pocket-scorer, or any other weird and wonderful gadget to help us add up.

6. Ball cleaners. In our world, a towel is enough. Anything else just takes up vital bag or pocket space.

Hope this helps!

Jen

www.pinkgolftees.com