Buying a golf gift is easy. Buying one they'll still be using in March is the hard part. Golfers are particular — about their ball, their putter, their glove size — and the gap between "golf-themed present" and "present a golfer actually wants" is roughly the width of a fairway.
We sell whisky glassware for a living, so we spend a lot of time around the 19th-hole end of that question. This guide is the list we'd give a mate: 19 golf gifts across every budget — a few of ours where they genuinely belong, and plenty that simply deserve a place in the bag.
Quick picks
- Best overall golf gift: the Hampton Golf Ball Whisky Glass Set — a handmade whisky glass with a genuine golf ball pressed into its base (from $39.95)
- Best under $30: a magnetic divot tool and ball-marker set
- Best premium gift: a GPS golf watch
The 19 best golf gifts
1. The Hampton — the whisky glass with a golf ball in the base
Full disclosure: this one is ours — and it's the reason this guide exists. The Hampton is a seriously heavy, entirely handmade whisky glass with the dimple pattern of a genuine golf ball pressed into its lead-free crystal base, so the post-round dram gets poured over a ball sitting up on the green.
It lands in the sweet spot golf gifts usually miss: personal without being novelty, premium without being precious. Add engraved initials (up to 3 characters, from $10) — marked the way they mark their ball — and it stops being a present and becomes their glass. From $39.95 for a boxed set of two, with free standard shipping in Australia over $100. See the Hampton golf ball whisky glass →
2. A sleeve of the balls they actually play
Not "golf balls" — their ball. Sneak a look in the bag: if it says Pro V1, buy Pro V1. A premium sleeve is the perfect consumable gift, because even the golfer who has everything keeps donating balls to the water on the 7th.
3. A magnetic divot tool and ball-marker set
Small, constantly used, constantly lost. A quality magnetic divot tool with a snap-in marker is the best under-$30 golf gift there is — and if the marker can be personalised, better still.
4. A proper golf towel and brush clip
The unglamorous workhorse. A thick microfibre towel with a carabiner plus a groove brush keeps their gear playable and their trousers clean. Nobody buys these for themselves until the old one is unspeakable.
5. A cabretta leather glove — in their size
Soft cabretta leather feels wonderful and wears out fast, which makes gloves a repeatable gift. One warning: size and hand matter (a right-hander wears a left glove). Check before you buy, or make it two.
6. Golf Is Not a Game of Perfect by Dr Bob Rotella
The most-gifted golf book ever written, and for good reason — it fixes the six inches between the ears rather than the swing. For the golfer whose scorecard suffers most on the days they care most.
7. A bucket hat that can survive an Australian summer
Broad brim, breathable, wash-friendly. Between the sun out on the course and the club's hat rules, a good-looking bucket hat gets worn every single round from October to April.
8. An engraved crystal whisky decanter
Ours again — because nothing says "club champion" like 1.3 kg of hand-made, lead-free crystal with their name cut into it. Our Traditional Crystal Whisky Decanter takes up to 15 engraved characters, which is enough for a name, a nickname, or a very short victory speech. Trophy-cabinet energy, everyday use.
9. A laser rangefinder
The gadget golfers borrow twice and then quietly price up on the drive home. One-button distance to the pin takes the guesswork out of club selection — a serious upgrade gift in the $200–$500 bracket.
10. A putting mat for the hallway or office
Three-metre mat, a cup, endless quiet obsession. The gift that gets used on rainy days, during phone calls, and at 10pm before a Saturday tee time.
Shortcut: if you've read this far and your golfer drinks whisky, the golf ball whisky glass is the one we'd wrap. Engrave the initials. Thank us after the presentation night.
11. Personalised golf balls
Their initials or a message printed on a dozen decent balls. Half practical (no arguments about whose ball that is in the rough), half fun — and proof you didn't panic-buy at the pro shop.
12. Golf socks — the good kind
Skip the novelty print and buy the technical pair: cushioned sole, breathable, no blisters on the back nine. The difference between a joke gift and a great one is about $15 of fabric engineering.
13. A regrip for their clubs
Most golfers play grips years past their best. A voucher for a full regrip at their local pro shop is the sneaky-good gift only another golfer would think of — their clubs feel new for a fraction of the price of new clubs.
14. An on-course sun kit
Four hours in the Australian sun, twice a week, adds up. A zinc stick, SPF50+ that survives sweat, and a lip balm in a bag-friendly pouch. Unromantic, genuinely caring.
15. A whisky gift set for after the round
When one glass isn't a big enough gesture, our whisky gift sets bundle glasses, decanters and whisky stones into one ready-boxed present. Built for milestone birthdays, retirements, and the captain who finally broke 80.
16. A GPS golf watch
Course maps, front-middle-back distances, shot tracking — on the wrist. Garmin's Approach range owns this category. It's the premium pick for the golfer who loves data almost as much as the game.
17. A simulator session or range night
An hour on a launch-monitor simulator playing St Andrews in an air-conditioned room, drink in hand. Gift an experience booking for two — golfers rarely shout themselves this, and they always love it.
18. A lesson with a PGA professional
Risky if it arrives with commentary, perfect if it arrives as "you're good — imagine you with a coach." A block of three lessons beats a single one; real change takes a few visits.
19. The e-gift card escape hatch
Golfer with strong opinions and a birthday tomorrow? An e-gift card arrives by email in minutes, never expires, and lets them choose the glass, decanter or set themselves. Not a cop-out — a tactical retreat.
Three rules for buying golf gifts
- Never buy the clubs. Drivers and putters are deeply personal — like buying someone else's glasses prescription. Leave hardware to them.
- Consumables and personalisation always land. Balls run out, gloves wear through, and anything carrying their initials — a marker, a ball, a whisky glass — signals actual thought.
- When in doubt, aim at the 19th hole. Every golfer celebrates or debriefs after the round. Gifts for that ritual — good glassware, a decanter for the trophy shelf — get used every week, whatever the handicap. That's the corner of the game we know best: browse our full whisky glasses collection if you want more options there.
Golf gift FAQs
What do you buy a golfer who has everything?
Something consumable (premium balls), something personalised (engraved initials), or something experiential (a simulator night). "Has everything" usually means "has every gadget" — it rarely means they own a handmade whisky glass with a golf ball pressed into the base and their initials on the side.
What's a good golf gift under $50?
A magnetic divot tool set, a technical towel and brush, a sleeve of premium balls, good golf socks — or the two-glass Hampton set at $39.95, which is the most gift-looking thing on this list under fifty dollars.
What golf gifts should you avoid?
Clubs (too personal), gloves in a guessed size, swing-training gimmicks seen on late-night TV, and anything whose entire personality is "golf pun". One novelty item per lifetime is the accepted limit.
When should I order a golf gift for Christmas?
Early December for anything engraved or personalised — engraving adds a few processing days. Standard gifts ordered mid-December with express shipping generally make it in Australia, but every year the safest gifts are the ones ordered while the jacaranda is still out.
However you play it, aim for the gift that gets used the following Saturday — and the Saturday after that. If that gift happens to hold whisky, you know where to find the whisky glass made for golfers.