Christmas can be a tough time for golfers, your family all know you’re into the sport so they think it’s a good idea to get you something novelty, like crappy balls with a poop emoji on it, or socks - more bloody socks! If you’re lucky your family will play it safe and get you a voucher from the likes of McGuirks or Halpenny. This is a list we’ve put together so you can let your friends and family know exactly what you want!
Now, since we’re an Irish podcast this list definitely does focus on Irish gifts, so apologies to our international readers, but I’m sure you’ll have local alternatives to the list below.
Rosapenna 3 Links Ticket:
This is one for your golf enthusiasts, Rosapenna is a stunning golf ‘resort’ with 3 outstanding links golf courses Old Tom Morris, Sandy Hills Links and the newest of the bunch, St. Patricks Links. I’ve played all 3 and was blown away - figuratively and literally, the weather in Donegal as you’d expect can get biblical but this is absolutely worth the journey and if you can convince some buddies to take the drive up the the North West corner of the country, you won’t be disappointed. For Irish resident Golf Ireland members you can play all 3 courses for €250. Accommodation options are plenty in Downings and when you’re there, the place for a pint is the Harbour bar.
PEEK Golf | Golf Alignment Sticks:
PEEK Golf is an Irish owned, family business based out of county Wicklow whose goal is to provide quality traditional handcrafted hickory alignment sticks. Their sticks are made from 100% genuine hickory wood. This was the wood chosen to craft original golf clubs due to its high quality and durability.
A PEEK alignment set is the perfect addition to any golfer’s bag, so much so that we’ve used them as prizes for our golf day this year and we bought a pair for our own golf bags!
Tickets to a professional Tour event:
In Ireland we’re lucky to host a number of top quality professional golf events across various tours - men’s, women’s and seniors. This is a great chance to watch in person some of Ireland’s greatest stars from Rory Mcilroy and Shane Lowry at the Amgen Irish Open, or Paul McGinley at the OFX Irish Legends at Mount Juliet and there’s Leona Maguire of course at the KPMG Women’s Irish Open at Carton House.
These tour events are also a great chance for us all to view Ireland’s emerging golfing talents at events like the Challenge Tour at Killeen Castle.
In 2025 we will see the following events on our island.
DP World Tour:
Sept 4-7: Amgen Irish Open at The K Club
Legends Tour:
May 15-17: OFX Irish Legends Tour event at Mount Juliet Estate
Aug 29-31: NI Legends Open at Galgorm Castle
Ladies European Tour:
July 3-6: KPMG Women’s Irish Open at Carton House, Fairmont
Golf Course Photography by Kevin Markham:
If pro golf isn’t quite your bag, but you’re someone who appreciates the beauty of a golf course then a photograph by Kevin Markham is the perfect gift. Kevin is a fantastic photographer, chances are you’ve seen his work as his imagery lines the walls of many clubhouses around Ireland. Very few people can capture the beauty of a golf hole like Kevin, so why wouldn’t you want that in your house?
Bhios Golf:
Similar to the above Bhios Golf is a lovely memento to check off the golf courses you’ve played and to put on paper those yet to play. At first glance, or from a distance their work is seen as a minimalist style map or photograph. However, when you get a closer, or find out a bit more - you realise there is more here than meets the eye. Â
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Their designs are centred around a bucket list concept. While golf is the theme, the subject is you and your golf.Â
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Each stamp captures a memory of a good time spent on the course, and every empty 'checkbox' is a reminder to plan your next round.Â
Indoor Simulators:
Indoor simulators have arrived in Ireland and they’re here to stay. Now winter has arrived and fairways are starting to freeze, there’s no frost delay indoors.
In recent times we’ve seen the arrival of Pitch, Sigmoid HQ, K Golf World and Concept Golf, to name just a few. A voucher for any of these facilities is money well spent on what’s guaranteed to be a fun, warm time!
Golf Books:
As you’d expect, there’s a lot of crap out there when it comes to golf instruction books, but there are a lot of gems. Here are some of our favourite reads from golf psychology to instruction to biography and even some fiction:
A Good Walk Spoiled by John Feinstein
The Greatest Game Ever Played by Mark Frost
Ben Hogan's Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf by Ben Hogan, with Herbert Warren Wind
The Making of the Masters by David Owen
Harvey Penick's Little Red Book by Harvey Penick
The Bogey Man by George Plimpton
Golf Is Not a Game of Perfect by Bob Rotella with Bob Cullen
Four Iron in The Soul by Lawrence Donegan
Lessons With Your PGA Pro:
It sounds obvious but instead of getting that new putter or wedge for Christmas this year, how about you tell your family what you really need is some lessons?
PGA Professionals are the lifeblood of any golf club, they’re part coach-part therapist and honestly they’re the only way you’re going to get better, so go to your local PGA pro whether it’s in your club or you local driving range and not only help your golf game, but help them out too by supporting their business.
Custom Made Luxury Putter by Swifts Forge:
Now these are not cheap, I won’t lie to you, but the hand-crafted putters made by Aaron in Swifts Forge are some of the most beautiful golf clubs I’ve ever seen.
Swifts Forge is a family run business based in Northern Ireland. They hand forge all of their putters. The traditional hand forged nature of the putters and the 15+ years of blacksmithing experience gives them an understanding of the grain structure within the wrought iron that gives their putters an unprecedented feel that you can only appreciate once you have played with them.
These putters are made from wrought iron, think old ship anchors, so these are nothing like you’d get in the shops. I’ve seen how these are made up close and it is stunning, every putter forged is unique and therefore special to you.
The Bogey Men Merchandise:
We couldn’t finish this list without a shameless plug for our own brand! Last year we launched some merchandise, towels and headcovers, for our community and the support we’ve had from people has been overwhelming. We have just a few of the Bogey Men bundles left, so if you want to get your hands on them, the best thing to do is drop us a DM on instagram and we’ll get some gear out to you!
Hopefully this list helps you and your loved ones navigate the Christmas period, and maybe you won’t get any more socks!
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