Unique: Romantic Ideas!

Golf and Romance?

Golf and love have never been heavily associated with each other. Furthermore, February 14 is not exactly the prime season to be out on the links. But for those of you seeking to find a gift your partner will really appreciate, perhaps rather than hearts and candy, try golf apparel.

Golf is the fastest growing sport in the '90's. More and more people are putting on funny shoes, putting a case of beer in the back of their gold cart, and hitting the local country club, trying to be the next jack Nicklaus or Arnold Palmer. Here are some gift ideas for would-be duffers on Valentine's day.

For those who prefer to play golf from their living room recliner, there plenty of videos to rent both teaching golf techniques and higlights some of the great moments of the game. The newest hit out is of course the highlight video of the 1997 Master's Tournament where Tiger Woods shot and 18 under par to break just about every Master's record in existence. This piece of golf history costs around $20.

For those who want to actually get out and hit some balls, well, they are going to need a lot of golf balls before they get good, and many will wind up in the water, so they'll always need more. Pro shops at courses, depending on how up-scale they are, sell a dozen used gold balls, called "shag balls" for around five dollars, while a dozen new balls go for around ten dollars.

Although everybody wants to hit the ball 300 yards like John Daly, golf games are won and lost on the greens. You can help your partner's putting game by getting them an inexpensive putter made just for those learning the game. The club company Knight makes putters especially designed for beginners and intermediates for between ten and fifteen dollars. They aren't Ping putters, with graphite and titanium heads, but they will certainly help you learn the game, and practice.

Of course, no matter how good a player you are, you can always look the part. Starting with your clothes, several golfers actually have their own lines of clothing. The most famous is Nicklaus's "Golden Bear" line of polo style shirts and hats. For your hands you'll need golf gloves. A good but not fancy pair of gloves can be bought at most pro shops for under ten dollars. Golf shoes can be bought new, depending on the style, for $60 and up in most cases.

Also, you'll have to carry all your clubs in a hefty golf bag, and there are various different prices for those depending on how stylish you want to be. The basic new bag from Knight will vary from 40 to 60 dollars, while an all leather, Arnold Palmer endorsed golf bag will run you around $150.

Finally, as any weekend golfer will tell you, half the fun of playing a round is having a few rounds along the way. Beer and golf go together for most amateur golfers, and that is what led Michelob to start selling 18 packs. So if you get your beloved golfer a new cooler and a few packs of Michelob Light, the golfers brew of choice, no matter how they shoot, they'll still enjoy the game.