Gadgets for the Golf-Mad

Men are notoriously more swayed by gadgets than women, and most sports offer plentiful opportunity to satisfy that itch for a new piece of hardware or software that claims to go where no gadget has gone before… so here is our selection of new golfing gadgets. Purely for the fun of it, you understand. (And you can add them to your birthday wish-list…).

1. The Bushnell Tour V2 Slope Laser Rangefinder. This handy gadget not only gauges distance for you, it will also compensate distance measurements based on the degree of incline on a slope, while the PinSeeker technology will pick up the flag without capturing other background targets. Its range is 5 to 1,000 yards, and promises +/- one yard accuracy. All it doesn’t do is make the tea...

2. Lost your pencil, dropped your score card? The Digital Golf Scorecard keeps track of your strokes, calculates scores and even saves your best round. It conveniently attaches to your golf bag or belt and is shock and water-resistant. What more do you want?

3. Fed up of practicing putting because you spend most of your time bending down to pick up golf balls? Look no further. The RoboCup Golf Ball Return Robot makes practicing quick, fun, and painless, sending the ball back to you over distances of 14 feet or more, with each battery taking care of up to 12,000 returns. There’s even a caddy-cord to gather up your mis-hits and send them back where they came from…

4. Psst! Fancy a drink? The Deluxe Electronic Golf Club Kooler Caddie is the perfectly discreet way to enjoy hot or cold drinks right from your golf bag. It looks like a regulation driver – haha! – but its secret is the one-button dispensing pump. Designed to sit unobtrusively in a side pocket so it doesn’t take up space inside, you can fill it with hot or cold beverages, and they’ll stay at the right temperature for hours. (And no, it’s not a good idea to take your favourite wine, beer or cider around with you. Just to be perfectly clear.)

5. And finally, the most gadget-tastic of all, for the pure golf perfectionist, the hands-free Golf Swing Video Recorder. This allows you to correct your swing while you're on the course as it mounts to your golf bag, push, or golf cart. With one button recording and frame-by-frame playback, it captures your entire body and swing from six feet away. Play back through the built-in screen, your TV, or computer… you’ll be playing like a Pro in no time.

Note to our dear readers: This piece has been unashamedly aimed at the guys. This is because most of the women golfers I know – and I’m one – would prefer a week in the sun with a little golf thrown it. It’s that simple!