Make Dad happy with these gifts
Father’s Day is on the horizon and dad has just about everything he needs, right? Wrong. Don’t just give him a card and a pair of socks.
Check out the Alabama Golf News guide for everything a golfing dad wants, needs or thinks he needs this Father’s Day.
Travel
A trip to Rumbling Bald, Lake Lure, N.C.
It’s summer. It’s hot. Dad needs to escape the South;s oppressive heat. So, why not a golf trip to a higher elevation? Going big and memorable? Here’s a trip he won’t forget.
Spring and summer in Western North Carolina mean mountain golf and Rumbling Bald along scenic Lake Lure won’t disappoint during peak 2023 golf season with two 18-hole tracks, Apple Valley and Bald Mountain, designed by W.B. Lewis and Dan Maples. Spacious vacation rentals are available for stay-and-plays, and the lake offers endless off-course activities. Apple Valley, with several downhill and level fairways, is a mountain-style course. Bald Mountain, bequeathed with doglegs and a bevy of blind shots, is a true mountain layout.
Spring rates start at $363 per golfer for two nights and two rounds, $501 for three nights and three rounds and $640 for four nights and four rounds.
Rumbling Bald is once again offer its popular Weekday Specials. Rates start at $330 per person for two nights and two rounds, $452 for three nights and three rounds, and $574 four nights and four rounds. Weekday Special rates are available for any combination of Sunday through Wednesday nights only. Rates include all taxes and fees and are based on full occupancy (blackout dates apply).
Lodging options geared specifically for golfers include the Apple Valley Studios (across from Apple Valley) and two- and four-bedroom Fairway Villas situated along Bald Mountain just steps from its first tee.
Thanks to its wide variety of spacious vacation rentals, Rumbling Bald can accommodate golf groups of all sizes. Luxury vacation homes are also available for extended stays and golf rounds can be added a la carte.
Rumbling Bald continues to extend complimentary golf rounds to leaders of groups of 12 or more when booking their first trip to the property. The Large Groups 12+ Comp is ideal for PGA Professional-member trips, small tournaments, or large buddies trips. The shoulder- and off-seasons are ideal for group play, with ample value and typically a faster pace of play than the peak spring and fall periods.
Visit www.rumblingbald.com, or email jdoran@rumblingbald.com.
Golf Balls
OnCore Performance Pack
Nothing says Fathr’s Day like a couple sleeves of quality golf balls. There are a ton of good golf balls on the market these days and you don’t have to spend a bunch of money on the so-called name brands to make dad happy this Father’s Day.
Last year was a busy one for Buffalo, N.Y.-based OnCore Golf. The leading direct-to-consumer golf ball brand released a new version of its award-winning ELIXR three-piece ball in the spring and followed that up with the four-piece, 95-compression VERO X2 in October. All told, OnCore now offers four golf balls ranging from the super-soft, AVANT 55 two-piece ball and original ELIXR, to the VERO X1, ELIXR 2020 and VERO X2.
To determine which ball is right for their games, golfers can either take the online ball fitting assessment at the OnCore website, or simply order the new Performance Pack, including a sleeve of the VERO X1, X2, ELIXR 2022 and AVANT 55. Currently retailing for just $35, it’s a solid value and will demystify the ball selection process. OnCore’s Senior Technical Advisor John Calabria, who enjoyed long stints with Titleist and TaylorMade, recommends testing balls around the greens, first, and working out to full tee shots.
Visit www.oncoregolf.com.
Gadgets
Bushnell Wingman View GPS Speaker – $199.99
Add some music to dad'[s rounds this Father’s Day. The Wingman speaker provides premium audio and audible GPS distances on the course. The speaker has over 36,000 courses preloaded into it, and it will call out how far you are from the green with its built in GPS technology.
The speaker comes with a detachable remote to use to mark your location and find out how far you are from reaching the green. There is a 10-plus hour battery life to this speaker, enough to get you through a few rounds before it needs to be recharged.
Among the features are:
- LCD Screen Provides Distance & Music Info
- Audible Front, Center, & Back Distances
- Up to 6 Viewable Hazard Distances per Hole
- Audible Custom Messages on Command
- Removable BITE Remote to Get GPS Distances & Control Music and Volume
- TWS Speaker Pairing Technology
- Built-in Microphone to Take & Make Calls
- Bushnell Mobile Golf App Included
Bushnell Wingman Mini GPS Speaker – $99.99
This is basically a smaller packaged Wingman minus the LCD screen and a few other features. Here’s what you get for $100 less than its bigger version:
- Audible Front, Center, & Back Distances
- Premium Audio Quality
- Audible Custom Messages on Command
- Audible 1stTee Introductions
- TWS Speaker Pairing Technology
- Integrated BITE Magnetic Cart Mount
- Built-in Microphone to Take & Make Calls
- Carabiner Clip to Easily Attach to your Golf Bag
- Water-Resistant IPX7 Construction
- 10+ Hour Battery Life
- Bushnell Golf Mobile App Included
iON Elite GPS Watch – $199.99
The ION ELITE is an evolutionary Golf GPS watch that features Bushnell Golf’s patented Slope compensated distances. This stylish watch also features a color touchscreen and is easy to use right out of the box.
Here are its features:
- Pre-loaded with more than 38,000 courses worldwide and easy to use
- Patented Slope Compensated Distances
- Dynamic green mapping that identifies front, center and back green distances from the players’ line of play.
- Hole maps with shot planning: an overhead view allowing the golfer to visualize how they intend to play the perfect shot with accurate distances.
- Auto course recognition
- Scorekeeping with statistics
- Easy-to-read front/center/back distances
- Hazard/layup distances (up to six per hole)
- Automatic Bluetooth updates via the Bushnell Golf App (included with purchase)
Visit bushnellgolf.com.
Apparel
If dad is going to play golf, he needs to look good too. This Father’s Day, ou can’t send him to the course in style. Check out these apparel options for this Father’s Day:
Radmor
The golf lifestyle brand crafting on and off-course apparel from meticulously-curated, all-natural and recycled materials has dropped the “New Beginnings Collection,” featuring new colors, styles, patterns and materials with the same unwavering commitment to sustainability in golf fashion.
New Beginnings, available in men’s and women’s capsules, leans hard into the new golf season with vibrant color pops of True Blue, Wisteria, Glacier and Cloudy Blue. The men’s line is highlighted by a host of new polos, including the Taylor Recycled Floral Drip and Crosby Reverb Ultralight, Vincent and Five-O Knit Performance Shorts. Colton ¼ Zips, Higgins Hoodies and Perkins Crew Sweatshirts in an array of new colors and patterns are also available looking beyond the summer.
Also, if dad needs to look good, so does mom. Radmor continues to expand its offerings for women, and the 2023 New Beginnings Collection features the new Hannah Pleated and Yesler Skorts, Michele Block Stretch Polo, Olivia GEORAD Long Sleeve and Sleeveless shirts, Olivia Cap Strip Long Sleeve, Mila Deep V Sleeveless Shirt and the Lauren Cap Stripe Polo. Also new for 2023 are a host of RADMOR accessories like the Dead Center RadCap Trucker Hat in show white and true blue, and two-packs of RADSOCKS made from cellulose, recycled nylon and elastane.
“We’re a Pacific Northwest-based brand at heart but we can’t help but feel like our plight is a global one – make really fashionable golf clothing with an unwavering commitment to sustainability,” says RADMOR Co-Founder Scott Morrison, who along with partner Bob Conrad played golf at the University of Washington.
For more information about RADMOR and the full men’s and women’s New Beginnings Collections, visit www.radmorgolf.com.
TRUE Linkswear
You can’t go wrong this Father’s day with TRUE linkswear (TRUE), purveyors of ultra-comfortable, modern golf footwear designed for the rigors of walking. The company unveiled its “TRUE Apparel Collection,” already worn on the PGA TOUR by TRUE’s crew of brand ambassadors, including co-founder Ryan Moore.
The TRUE Apparel Collection includes the brand’s recently released All Day Chinos, 5-Pocket Pants, Joggers and Hybrid Joggers. Just in time for golf season, it now features a stable of elevated essentials to cover golfers [literally] from head to toe: the All Day Hoodie, Quarter Zip, Crew Neck, Three Unique Polos, a Refreshed Custom Hat Program and New Performance Socks.
Derived from some of the finest “Super Natural” fabrics, the All Day Hoodie, Crew Neck and Quarter Zip feature “cloud-like” comfort making them perfect for mid-weight layering. Lux T-Shirts and Polos are crafted from Tencel, Repreve™ Recycled Polyester and Spandex, and embrace effortless style with a premium look and feel. All Day Pants are available in waist sizes 28, 30, 32, 34, 36 and 38 inches with 32-inch inseams. Joggers are offered in S, M, L, XL and XXL with 28-inch inseams. Hoodies, Crew Necks, Quarter Zips, Lux T-Shirts and Polos come in S, M, L, XL and XXL.
All Day Pants and Joggers offer a functional nylon/spandex blend delivering incredible durability, breathability, water resistance and 4-way stretch performance without looking overly technical. This versatile fabric provides on-course comfort, looks sharp and feels even better for everyday wear. Light and breathable, the Collection still provides plenty of warmth on and off the course for all four seasons.
TRUE’s Apparel Collection is engineered for unrivaled comfort on and off the course and is designed for all-season wear with water-resistant fabric blends and 4-way stretch for a full range of motion and optimal performance.
MSRPs for All Day Pants, Joggers and Hoodies is $125. Additional apparel MSRPs: All Day Crew Neck ($110), Quarter-Zip ($115), Lux Polo and Lux Mock Polo ($110), All Day Polo ($90) and Lux T-Shirt ($75). Hat MSRPs range from $30 to $50, and socks are $12 to $14.
Visit truelinkswear.com
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Featured image: Rumbling Bald’s Apple Valley course. All other photos courtesy of the manufacturers
