Play, travel and look better: Golf Advisor's 2017 holiday gift guide

If you have a golfer in your life deserving of a holiday gift this season, aren't you lucky!

Golfers love their gear. There are limitless items to choose from, whether it's apparel or gadgets or instruction or rounds themselves.

Or, if the golfer you love is already piling up the accessories, instead you could avoid any added clutter around the house and arrange a golf vacation instead.

We've put together a handful of gift suggestions, large and small, affordable and luxurious, to consider for the holiday season this year.

The latest instruction video is out courtesy of Jordan Spieth's longtime mentor, Cameron McCormick. The Skill Code debuted this fall and is the first video from McCormick, who promises to help golfers of all abilities make the most of their "VPT" (Valuable Practice Time) by creating a plan of attack for every minute. McCormick's four-part series covers everything there is to know about the golf game. There are plenty of short game drills along with long-game tips.

The Skill Code is available in DVD or digital (or both) format with an introductory offer of $47 (digital only).

For high-tech GPS and game tracking, PIQ is a lightweight, unobtrusive game tracking system is made by a French company and is lesser-known than GAME Golf and Arccos, but it took top honors as “The Best Wearable Technology of 2017” at ISPO, the world’s largest sporting goods trade show, earlier this year. PIQ provides GPS mapping of practically every course you might play, shot tracking during your rounds and individual swing analysis, all driven by the lightweight, info-gathering sensor you place on the butt end of each club, plus a tiny chip you club to your glove. It’s an all-in-one solution for the tech-savvy golfer, and it’s 36% off if you buy it through Revolution Golf.

For golfers whose smartphone or golf GPS gadget isn’t fully charged when they tee off, a round of golf can become an exercise in energy budgeting. Enter Gimme Charge, an adapter that uses the power source in your golf cart to charge any device that relies on a USB cable. It’s 100% safe, works with all major golf cart brands and, through a current holiday deal through Revolution Golf, is about half off.

If you have a golf buddy who is constantly asking you to take videos of their swings on the course or the range, we have a solution for them. The Live View Golf camera system attaches to your bag and connects to an app on your phone or tablet that provides real-time feedback on your swing. It’s like having a high-tech golf swing mirror, two extra sets of eyes and a teaching pro at the same time. It’s available for a really solid price right now through Revolution Golf.

One gift item that has the potential to be an all-time great is a two-parter. Let's explain:

Bag Boy offers quality travel products at a considerable value. Their latest generation T-10 golf club travel cover model features a crush-resistant hard top, upgraded, larger wheels and two added internal pockets for greater organization. Their Stand Guard Protection System prevents the clubs from toppling over. (MSRP: $149.95)

Of course, if you buy a golfer a travel case, you want to be sure they use it at least once. So a seriously cool gift would be to book a golf vacation and stuff the travel certificate or itinerary in one of the pockets of the travel case. You can browse stay-and-play specials around the world here, or for something more personalized, request a free vacation package quote.

TPC Scottsdale

No matter where your golf-loving gift recipient lives, there are ways you can give the gift of a round (or more) of golf.

For starters, TPC Network, which has 34 premium private and resort golf courses around the world, is offering a $20 bonus to gift cards purchased this holiday season. The card can be used towards tee times, apparel, food & beverage. Visit TPC.com/giftcard for details.

If you want to be sure that the gift card you buy has a participating course near your gift recipient, your best bet is GolfNow, which has over 5,500 participating courses around the world. The cards can be sent through email and are available in many common denominations. To view details, visit GolfNow.com/GiftCards.

Another clever way to give a golf gift without necessarily purchasing a round would be to buy a gift through the ItsOn.Me. Here, you can buy a golf buddy anything from food & beverage to items in the golf shop (or a round of golf). You can browse participating courses nationwide here to see if any courses offer items or rounds.

If you're not sure where your golfer plays, you could always give the gift of personalized ammo. Volvik.com makes it easy to customize a box of S3, S4, VIBE, Crystal and DS55 lines in both classic white or Volvik's famously bright orange, yellow, ruby and green lines. Boxes start as just $22.99. Visit Volvik.com/personalization.

For apparel, the Greg Norman Collection offers a versatile and affordable high-performance clothing for both men & women, golf and general lifestyle, warm weather and cold. They've bundled up their best items for the season in a holiday gift guide for both men and women. They're also offering holiday savings up to 35% off when you buy $200 or more (and $200 can get you plenty of items).

Also, this holiday season, the Golf Channel Shop is offering free shipping on purchases over $50 with the promo code: TEE50 (valid through Christmas Eve). The shop features all sorts of logo goods including golf bags or headcovers of your favorite college or pro teams as well as TPC logo gear. Visit GolfChannel.com/Shop.