What did you get your Dad for Father’s Day last year?  Don’t remember?  Of course you don’t – neither does he, and neither do millions of fathers across America .

  It’s that time of year again when Dad deserves a token of your appreciation.

  We have assembled a cornucopia of inexpensive and slightly more expensively priced  golf items that convey your love and appreciation for Dad and make his golfing even more pleasurable.

  Fairway & Greene

  What better way to start Dad looking elegantly casual than a shirt or Italian Merino vest from one the premier high-end golf apparel manufacturers.

Fairway & Greene is one of the most respected golf apparel companies in business.

Even though they cater to the country club crowd and this is, in fact, the only place to purchase Fairway &Greene. Their products are the best in the golf shirt domain.

All their product lines are simple, elegant and traditional; cuts are smooth and timeless. And, best of all, the fabrics used are among the finest in the world.

  Men’s Short Sleeve St Marks Stripe Oxford Mesh      $65.00

This 100% Double Mercerized Pima Cotton open sleeve shirt feels as great as it looks. One of its best attributes that the collars stay and do not curl as they do in most golf shirts thereby giving the shirt that “new shirt” look for many a wearing.

    Become a Professional PGTAA Golf Instructor.

Is Dad a great golfer? Retired? Loves to teach? Then the PGTAA – Professional Golf Teachers Association of America, the world’s premier purely teaching association, has both home study and on site courses available.

PGTAA members are ubiquitous in all facets of the golf teaching industry, such as directors of golf, head and assistant head professionals, high school and college coaches and golf course and driving range owners/operators.

  With the advent of Tiger Mania, increased emphasis in junior competitions is growing and with more baby boomers retiring and taking up golf, now is the perfect time to explore a career in teaching golf. For more information on the PGTAA, please visit www.pgtaa.com, or call 1.888.90.PGTAA

Their Sedona Ridge line is inspired by the rich colors of high desert and this collection’s two signature colors are Spice and Leek, with beautiful accent colors in cream and camel. Featuring beautiful lisle shirts in rich stripes and patterns, the collection also features an expansive Pureformance group.

Rounding out the collection are luxury cashmere and merino sweaters, including some hand detailed argyle and intarsia models.

$120.00      www.shopfandg.com

               Italian Merino Vest

   “The Wow Factor” by Adams Golf founder, Barney Adams.

   This recently released book is a fun read!

Barney Adams—who had three very different careers before transforming his tiny, floundering golf-equipment company into a 12-year “overnight” success story—has written his own book, “The Wow Factor: How I turned one great idea and my unbridled enthusiasm into a golf revolution.”

The refreshingly candid Adams tells it like it was in the humorous, self-effacing fashion that turned him into one of the most respected, well-liked executives in the golf business during the late 1990s. The upstate New York native provides readers with an in-depth, often light-hearted, look at the drive that enabled him to overcome countless hard lessons along the often-rocky road to his golf-equipment company’s ultimate success thanks to his revolutionary design and subsequent marketing of Adams Golf’s Tight Lies fairway wood.

This unique behind-the-scenes book is much more than just a 254-page biography of a fascinating, down-to-earth man and an insider’s look into the golf industry. “The Wow Factor” is, as Adams writes in the introduction, for people “looking to pick up an idea or two that would apply to a start-up or entrepreneurial environment, someone with some curiosity about golf and the equipment side of the industry or someone looking for a true ‘rags to some degree of success’ story with no punches pulled in the telling.

  $16.47     www.amazon.com

Golf Rules Quick Reference 2008-2011

For those impossible rule questions that come up unexpectedly to settle a bet or solve a rules dilemma, Golf Rules Quick Reference Guide is the perfect answer.

This pocket-sized “Golf Rules Quick Reference” provides instant help in clearing up hazy situations involving the often-confusing Rules of Golf. The book, both USGA and R/A conforming for 2008- 2011 has the new rules included.

This user-friendly booklet will allow you to take full advantage of the various relief procedures and free drops you weren’t aware of before and will help you to legally shave strokes off your score.

    $9.95   www.golfrulesmadeeasy.com

Daphne’s Head Covers

This 25-year-old family company is doing a rip-roaring business in the custom head cover arena. These head covers are not only well designed, but also their quality and attention to detail is superb. Ernie Els and Justin Leonard are just two devotees of Daphne’s.

Each animal is fully lined and elasticized to ensure a secure fit on your clubs and is guaranteed for life. Inside the label you will find their factory phone number. Rest assured that if you should have any problems with your head cover, the manufacturer will fix it pronto.

The latest model is the Hippo Heads & Tails, which fits on two clubs, a 460cc driver and a fairway wood or hybrid. Also, the Gorilla model for hybrids is very cool and the Black Panther and black Labrador are awesome!

$25.99                  www.daphnesheadcovers.com

Max Benjamin Mini Cigar Bag

An ideal and impressive Father’s Day gift!

This bag is perfect for the golfer who wants to both impress his golf buddies, as well as to take a small portable case with his whisky and favorite cigars anywhere he wants to go.

 It is extremely well made, very fashionable and always a conversation piece.

The Mini Cigar bar is made from fine leather and has three compartments inside the bag, each one large enough to hold a bottle of your favorite beverage. Included with the bag are a cedar lined leather cylindrical humidor, 4 stackable acrylic glasses, and a jet style cigar lighter.

$295                   www.maxbenjamin.com

  I hope my sons are reading this, as I would love to receive this bag on Father’s Day!

  Puku Putter

  Looking to sink a lot more putts? This USGA approved new putter from New Zealand is breaking into the US market with quite a bang by allowing golfers to do just that – sink more putts!

In our 25 testers’ opinions, the head weight of 420 grams felt great and allowed them to employ a pendulum swing without feeling too heavy to hold. The curved hosel allowed a clear view of the head which was extremely beneficial in aiming correctly. Plus the logo runner on the sole helped start a smooth back swing, especially around the fringe of the green.

This milled faced, center balanced, heel-toe weighted, with reverse tapered ergonomic hand grip, is adjustable from a standard length to that of a belly putter. If you ever wanted to experiment with a belly putter, but also wanted the comfort of being able to switch back to a regular putter, then the Puku putter has you covered. Adjusting the length of the putter to suit your style of putting is extremely easy and takes a few seconds. You can dial this putter in to your exact needs!

You can adjust your Puku putter as often as you like, just don’t adjust it during a game, as this infringes on the rules of golf.

  The Combo Package includes the Belly Putter grip, standard length grip, adjustment tool, head cover and a very good instructional DVD. If you are not interested in experimenting with the standard length or belly putter length, you can choose the belly putter only, or standard length only options, which come at a $50 discount. Left and right handed models are available in three different styles.

  $299.95     www.pukugolf.com

Bushnell Tour V2 with Pinseeker Laser Range Finder

  The most popular brand in laser rangefinders has a new model that is superb - the V2 with Pinseeker. This is a compact unit that fits really well in your hand and unlike many other similar laser range finders; the V2 is definitely very stable for measuring distances.

The unit uses both yards and meters and can read distances up to 1,000 yards, as well as distances to trees up to 600 yards and pin placements up to 300 yards. The inside lens graphics are excellent when locking on to the target.

Its sleek appearance and high-tack grip really make this both an appealing and useable gift for that special Dad.

  $329.99   www.bushnellgolf.com

Short Game Golf DVD

Does Dad’s short game need improvement? A new DVD by PGA Tour pros Jim Furyk and Fred Bunk debunk (excuse the pun) all the secrets and tips to become a better short game player.

Getting the ball closer to the pin is the best way to lower your score. The lessons and drills and especially the segment on the setup guide for 8 critical shots, is worth the price of the DVD alone.

 $29.95 plus S&H              www.expertinsight.com

The Perfect Father’s Day gift…an EZLInks Gift card available at ezlinks.com

  EZLinks provides golfers with three ways to make online reservations.  Registration is fast and easy, and all tee times are reserved in "real-time".  Once a reservation is completed, your tee time appears instantly on the EZLinks computer at the golf shop.  A confirmation summary is automatically emailed to your registered address, and your tee time can be viewed and/or canceled online at ezlinks.com.

  To book a tee time online or purchase a gift card visit www.ezlinks.com

David Leadbetter’s SwingSetter Pro

  Following the original bestselling SwingSetter, David has introduced the SwingSetter Pro to help golfers hit longer, straighter and more consistently.

Similar to the original SwingSetter, the SwingSetter Pro helps to develop the four basic fundamentals of the golf swing: Grip, Swing Plane, Proper Release and Tempo. The SwingSetter Pro takes those four fundamentals and adds real-time feedback, as you are now able to hit a ball! With the length and lie of a standard 6 iron, the SwingSetter Pro offers the instant feedback that every golfer looks for and is a wonderfully useful gift for Dad and every golfer!

$149.95   www.SwingSetterPro.com  

  What ever you get Dad, just remember to enjoy each moment with him and let him know how much he is loved and appreciated. That’s the best Father’s Day gift he can ever get!

For the Dad Who Always Complains about How Far the Bar Is or needs his own 19^th Hole

Instant Inflatable Pub for His Back Yard

"The pub is 40ft long, 19ft wide and 22ft high. It can be customized for use as a fully working pub, with room for a bar and 30 customers.

http://www.airquee.co.uk/pub/

  Barry Lotz, J.D., Ph.D. is the director of the Professional Golf Teachers Association of America . He is a member of the Golf Writers Association of America , the California Golf Writers Association, and serves both as a Consultant and Mediator to the golf industry. He is also the author of numerous books, including "333 Best Web Sites for Golfers" and his current book, "How to Build Business Relationships through Golf" is in the Top Ten Golf Business Book's best seller list

Barry Lotz, J.D., Ph.D. is the director of the Professional Golf Teachers Association of America. He is a member of the Golf Writers Association of America, the California Golf Writers Association, and serves both as a Consultant and Mediator to the golf industry. He is also the author of numerous books, including "333 Best Web Sites for Golfers" and his current book, "How to Build Business Relationships Through Golf" is in the Top Ten Golf Business Book's best seller list.

He can be reached at www.pgtaa.com or drlotz@cbsgolf.net