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It’s Christmas in July For Golfers

July 18, 2011 | By Chris Chirico | 2 Comments

Two holiday season ago, I awoke to find that some items on my Christmas wish list were not under my tree. There was no $20,000 golf cart in my living room, nor were the $5,000 golf shoes I was looking to slip on. But that was my own fault. I waited way too long to get my Christmas list to my wife.

But fret not golfers. This year, I’m going to help you get your Christmas list started early. This way, you’ll have plenty of time to get your wish list to the people who matter and, hopefully anyway, you won’t feel the same disappointment I did. Let’s get started!

Right off the bat, we’ll start at the top of the list – the golf cart. A year-and-a-half ago, my list included a $20,000 Hummer (to which the Tiger Woods jokes were flying). But that’s old news now. The new chariot of the golfing kings looks something like this:

garia_lsv_lead
That would be the Garia LSV. With its hand-stitched seats, digital instruments, stereo and refrigerator, the driver would want for nothing. But that’s not all. The Garia, available in over 100 different colors, is also street-legal! Not that you would want to take its 25 MPH top speed onto your busy city streets, but for a mere $62,000…you can!

But with the extra money sunken into the cart, you’ll probably have to suffer cutbacks somewhere else. Since you’ll be riding, it makes most sense that it’s the shoes that get cut back. So, we’re going to skip the $5,000 John Lobb’s in lieu of these:

These are the Royal Albatross golf shoes, retailing for the bargain basement price of only $750. OK, so they’re not custom fit like the Lobb’s, but they do have a leather sole, fast-twist cleats and they’re waterproof. Plus, they come with two shoe bags and a ball marker. You know, I was a little iffy on the $750, but since they’re throwing in the ball marker…

But let me show you this one. Now, it’s the not the most expensive piece of golf equipment you’ll ever see. But it certainly may be the most unique. Brought to you by William Henry Studios, a company more well-known for making heirloom quality knives which take over seven months to produce (as well as some beautiful writing instruments), is the D-3 Fairway; a divot tool of unimaginable beauty.

What is it that makes these divot tools so unique? Well, to start the handles are made from either hand-forged Damascus steel or mokume gane. The inlays can be made from either wood, coral, mother of pearl or…get this…fossil mammoth tooth! Included with this piece as well is a stainless-steel ball marker that can be personalized. But quite possibly the coolest feature about this tool (outside of the mammoth tooth inlay) is that it is spring-loaded. This means it works like a switch-blade knife. A little bit of old-school street thug is brought to the golf course! And for a mere $1,200, you too can feel like the Dutch Schultz of your local club.

So if you don’t want to be let down on Christmas morning this year, take this list and pass it along to your significant other. Let them know that they still have just over five months to figure out the best way to say “Happy Holidays” using the list above. Need some more choices? Don’t be afraid to revert to the original. Of course, don’t be afraid to sneak your own items onto the list. There is still, after all, the $53,000 set of Honma golf clubs…

Swing ’til you’re happy!

Filed Under: Golf Life Tagged With: christmas, Christmas in july, custom golf cart, Garia, Honma Golf, John Lobb, Royal Albatross, William Henry Studios

A Few Golf Items Not Under My Tree

December 28, 2009 | By Chris Chirico | 3 Comments

Is it just me, or is there always a person or company that just pushes things a bit too far in this capitalist economy? Example: There’s been no greater invention in recent memory than the push-up bra. But remember the $2 million, diamond-encrusted creation from a few years back? That’s what I’m talking about. What’s the point? Who is wearing it and why? Is the $40 push-up from Victoria’s Secret not good enough? I know it is for me.

Well, it seems this mind-set extends into the golf world also. Apparently renting a golf cart at the course is not good enough for some. Maybe dropping $2,000-$3,000 on your own personal cart is not quite enough either. No, some people are just not satisfied until they are cruising the fairways in this:

That’s right. A Hummer Golf Cart with a body kit officially licensed by General Motors. There’s a lift kit, embroidered-leather seats, aluminum rims, wood grain dash, working headlights and turn signals and even a cooler built into the hood. Price: $20,000.

Maybe you prefer to walk the course though. As nice as the above cart may be, you think you get a better feel for the course by walking it. But if you’re going to walk that rough golf course terrain, you certainly can’t do it in some $350 Nike’s. And for one reason or another even the $400 Ecco’s just aren’t comfortable enough. You need something that is custom built for your foot and your foot alone. Enter John Lobb:

John Lobb Bootmakers will be more than happy to hand-make you this fantastic pair of golf shoes in your choice of calf, crocodile or elephant leathers, for the bargain basement price of only $5,000. Now I’m all for a pair of comfortable shoes, but for that kind of money I had better be able to wear these as everyday shoes and just speak the words “Go, go gadget golf spikes” whenever I’m ready to hit the course. Until then, I’ll stick with my Foot-Joy’s. On the flip-side though, if they’re good enough for James Bond….

What about your clubs? Are those shiny new $1,500 Callaway’s not enough to boost your ego or impress your playing partners? Then you may be in need of these:

Honma Golf of Japan will custom make one amazing set of clubs for you. And when I say custom, I’m talking custom like no other. You can choose the head shape, size, weight, grip and shaft. In addition you can also decide just how much 24k gold plating you would like. Would you like some platinum detail? Just ask and it’s yours. They would even be happy to engrave your initials on each club. Price on these masterpieces? Roughly $53,000 for a set of fourteen clubs.

A set of clubs like that surely cannot be carried in just any bag, right? Well, that’s where French fashion house Louis Vuitton comes in. LV dips their toes into the golf market with this:

Presenting the LV Damier Geant golf bag. It’s made of canvas and cowhide, comes with a zip-up hood, it’s own cover and even an umbrella. Louie V. also promises “many pockets.” For a starting price of $9,750, I’d have to say I was hoping for more. Do canvas and cowhide make this bag worth $9,630 more than my TaylorMade bag? Well I guess since it comes with it’s own umbrella….

All of the above accesories, as ridiculous as they may be, are trumped by the following. Ladies and Gentlemen, ladies especially, feast your eyes on this:


Thanks to Tri Mark Golf we are all now blessed with the worlds most expensive golf ball marker. This 18k white gold piece is marked with diamonds, citrine, amethyst and peridot stones. Sound a bit too nice to simply lay down on the ground? Don’t worry…it doubles as a necklace. Price: $10,000. And I was floored when I saw custom ball markers for $25!

Last, but certainly not least, is somewhere to use all of these fine accesories. Well, keeping with the theme of things, how about the worlds most expensive round of golf? For that, we’ll have to head to Barbados, home of Sandy Lane Spa & Resort.

Sandy Lane is home to three Tom Fazio courses, including the famous Green Monkey. At $385 per round, the course is certainly not the most expensive, but the fees are only part of the story. You see, Green Monkey is open only to guests of the resort. Minimum price for one room for one night? $2,000. Total for one round of golf at Green Monkey – $2,385!

I guess even in these poor economic times, there is still money to be spent foolishly. A $10,000 ball marker? My ball marker comes in denominations of one cent, five cents, ten cents and twenty-five cents – depending upon which coin I pull out of my pocket first. But hey, if you have this kind of money and it’s no problem for you to spend it, then enjoy. I don’t know that feeling and I’m quite sure I may never know it. But something tells me if I did, I could still find better things to do with $20,000 than spend it on a Hummer golf cart.

Well…., maybe not.

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: ball marker, Callaway, Ecco, Foot-Joy, golf bag, golf cart, golf shoes, Green Monkey, Honma Golf, Hummer, John Lobb, Louis Vuitton, Nike, Sandy Lane, Tri Mark Golf

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