Golf gifts that aren't socks: stocking fillers & Secret Santa ideas under £20

How do you buy a golf gift that gets used?

Buy the thing they would buy themselves if they were not being careful with money. Golfers spend on clubs and green fees and then economise on the small stuff — a glove with a hole in the thumb, a towel that has seen better days, the tees from the bottom of the bag — so a good version of a small thing is welcome in a way a novelty never is.

If you do not know what ball they play, look in their bag or ask a playing partner. It is the one fact that unlocks half of this list.

Ten golf gifts under £20

1. A sleeve of the ball they play — £12–18

Three of the exact ball they use — not a "nice" ball, theirs. Premium urethane balls are around £50 a dozen, so a sleeve is a genuinely useful present rather than a token one. If they are fussy about numbers, check that too; some golfers only ever play a 1.

2. A golf glove — £10–20

The consumable every golfer replaces too late. Cabretta leather for feel in the dry, a synthetic or all-weather glove if they play through the winter. Get the hand right — a right-handed golfer wears the glove on the left hand — and check the size on the old one before you buy.

3. A proper golf towel — £8–15

Microfibre, with a clip or a carabiner for the bag. The good ones have a wet side for cleaning grooves and a dry side for the ball and grips. Unglamorous, and used on every hole.

4. A metal divot tool and ball marker — £5–15

In metal so it survives a season, not the plastic one that arrived free with something. "Ball marker" here means the coin that goes down on the green when the ball is lifted — the magnetic kind on a hat clip is the version that does not get lost in a pocket.

5. A personalised golf ball stencil — £9.99–£12.99

Ours, so weigh this accordingly. A Ball Buddy clips onto any ball and guides a pen, so their initials and a straight alignment line go onto every ball identically, in about ten seconds. You design it online with their initials and pen colour, it is laser-sintered in nylon with a pen in their colour included, and it is the one thing on this list that lives in the bag rather than the drawer. The ready-made line designs are £9.99 if you do not know their initials or would rather not guess.

6. A range top-up card — £10–20

Most driving ranges sell ball cards, and a golfer never buys one in advance for themselves. Not a thing to unwrap, so tuck it in with something small. If their club pro does half-hour lessons, £20 towards one is the present a mid-handicapper secretly wants.

7. A bag of good tees — £4–8

Bamboo, or castle tees at the height they use for the driver. The ones in their bag are "going in the bin after this round" and have been for a month. Wooden tees in their club's colours are the stocking filler that actually gets used.

8. Rain gloves — £12–20

A pair of rain gloves grip better wet than dry, which anyone who has played through a British autumn understands immediately. Most golfers have never owned a pair and are quietly delighted the first time it rains. Sold as a pair; sizing is more forgiving than a leather glove.

9. A golf ball marking pen — £3–8

A fine-tip permanent marker in a colour nobody else in the fourball uses — red and blue show up best on a white ball, and our pen guide covers which ones actually stay on. Pair it with a stencil or a stamp so the marks come out straight, or give it on its own to someone who freehands and does not mind the wobble.

10. A golf book — £8–15

Harvey Penick's Little Red Book, or one of Bob Rotella's on putting. Golfers read about golf all winter, and a book costs less than a lesson and lasts longer. Check they do not already own it; the classics are classics for a reason.

What works for a golf Secret Santa?

For a golf Secret Santa, stay under the budget, stay useful, and avoid anything that needs sizing. The usual £10–20 limit is exactly where a sleeve of decent balls, a good towel, a range card or a ready-made stencil sit, and none of them needs a glove size or a club preference. If the recipient will have to pretend to laugh, it is the wrong present.

If you know which ball they play, buy that. If you know their initials, a stencil or a stamp with them on is the most personal thing you can do for the money. If you know neither, the towel.

Which personalised golf gifts come in under £20?

Under £20, personalised golf gifts come down to marking their balls: a stencil or a stamp with their initials, or a box of tees with their name on. Balls with initials printed on by the manufacturer are usually £40 and up for a dozen, so they miss the budget; a stencil puts the same initials on every ball they already own for £12.99. Stamps are £15–20 and quicker to use; stencils are sharper, last longer on the ball and add a putting line — the differences are laid out in golf ball stamp vs stencil.

Which unusual golf gifts still get used?

The unusual golf gifts that get used are the personal and the practical ones, not the funny ones. A stencil with their initials and a line is unusual — most golfers have never seen one — and it is in their hands every round. Rain gloves, a magnetic ball-marker hat clip, a small brush for cleaning grooves and a good book about the mental side of the game are all things a golfer rarely buys for themselves and is pleased to be given.

The test is simple: will it be in the bag in April? A whisky glass with a golf ball in the base will not.

Which golf gifts should you avoid?

• Novelty anything. Joke tees, slogan glasses, the gadget from the checkout aisle. They have a drawer of them already.
• Golf socks. The title of this guide is not a joke.
• Anything sized that you cannot check. Gloves and shoes when you do not know the size; a glove for the wrong hand is a classic.
• A putter. Never buy someone a putter. It is the most personal club in the bag and they will choose their own.
• Cheap training aids. The £8 gadget that promises a repeatable swing goes in the same drawer as the tees.

Questions people ask