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Notebook: Holiday hacking: A Christmas gift list

By Mike Dudurich, TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Sunday, December 5, 2004
For the most part, the golfer (or golfers) in your family have put the clubs away for the season and now find themselves thinking about what might have been this summer and what might be next summer.

With Christmas less than three weeks away, the non-golfers in the family may be in search of some gift ideas. And, in a wonderful bit of coincidence, the following list could be very helpful in that search.

  • Golf Links to the Past, Inc. was founded in 1995 and is the official licensee for Bobby Jones Collectible and also offers unique "Tiffany's of Golf" memorabilia and collectibles. The company has over 1,000 items listed on its website (www.golfspast.com), ranging from autographs to rare books, original photography and oil paintings, signed documents.

    If you have a big Christmas budget, you could consider the Limited Edition Bobby Jones Grand Slam Golf Clubs Replica, which are forged hickory-shafted clubs that are a complete reproduction of the ones Jones used to win the Grand Slam in 1930. The fully playable clubs go for $3,500.

    But you'll also find plenty of other items priced less than $100.

  • The Accu-Length Expandable Pro Quality Junior Golf Club System, touted as the first and only golf clubs designed to grow with your child. That uniqueness, and the heart of the Accu-Length system, lies in the one-of-a-kind Spacer technology that allows the clubs to grow as the child grows. The spacers, which are made from an extremely high-grade special type of aluminum, lock into the shaft. For every two inches of the child's growth, an inch of the shaft, in the form of the spacer, should be added to the club.

    The clubs are grouped for children as small as 39-47 inches tall to those 55-62 inches tall. The latter group resembles adult sets, but has more forgiveness.

    The beginners clubs are $139.99, while the more advanced ones are $199.99.

    For more information on Accu-Length visit the company's web site at www.acculength.com.

  • Here's one that isn't for sale yet and won't be until the 2005 PGA Show in January, but perhaps might be worth an IOU if your golfer is one who struggles with his putting.

    Earlier in the year, one of the hottest new drivers in golf was the TaylorMade R7, the one with the weighted inserts that could be adjusted to fit the golfer's game. That technology will soon be available in a putter, the Heavy Putter.

    Heavy Putter, with its Weight Management System, incorporates a high balance point and interchangeable tip weights to create a customized maximum Moment of Inertia (MOI), increased sweet spot, tighter distance control and improved end over end ball roll.

    And, hopefully, more putts hitting the bottom of the cup.

  • For the guy who can't stand the thought of not being able to do anything while it's snowing, there is an answer. But, like many solutions to problems, it comes at a price.

    Parfection Greens and Sports Surfaces, the official SofTrak Synthetic Putting Greens dealership for western and central Pennsylvania, can install a putting green to your specifications in your home.

    The SofTrak surface closely resembles natural grass and is the same one used by PGA Tour pros Fred Couples and Steve Flesch, as well as Champions Tour player Bruce Lietzke at their homes.

    Prospective customers can view and test an installed SofTrak Synthetic Putting Green by calling (610) 458-8925 or by visiting

  • How about something for the golfer who occasionally packs up the clubs and makes a golf trip?

    Burton Golf, a long-time player in the golf bag manufacturing end of the business, has come up with a revolutionary system called Club-Lok, which is an easy-to-operate, lever-based locking system requires only seconds to simultaneously lock all 14 clubs.

    A rugged, retractable steel cable allows the bag to be secured to bag-drop racks, golf carts and automobile trunks and hatches. A convenient, keyless combination lock on the bag's upper-front side anchors the entire system.

    Club-Lok is specifically designed to reduce the number of golf-club and bag thefts at bag drops, cart staging areas and residential garages, as well as smash-and-grab thefts in parking lots and retail shops.

    Traveling golfers greatly benefit, as Transportation Security Administration rules do not allow passengers to lock their travel covers. With Club-Lok, individual clubs won't disappear from check-in at the ticket counter to retrieval at baggage claim.

    The bag has a suggested retail price of $189 plus shipping and handling.

    For more information about Club-Lok, call 800-633-4630 or visit www.clublok.com or www.burtongolf.com.

  • And if your golfer has reached the point where he likes to travel, but is tired of dragging his sticks behind him, there exists a rapidly growing company that can help.

    Gear-To-Go is a golf club rental service that provides the latest versions of clubs for rent while you're on vacation. At the moment, the service is available in the Phoenix/Scottsdale, Az. area. But expansion into several other areas is imminent.

    Gear-To-Go caters to individuals as well as large groups. For more information, check them out at www.gear-to-go.com.


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