There is always a great debate at the holidays among golfers: Is a dozen golf balls a good gift?
Most golfers will say, yes, a dozen golf balls make a good gift because, well, golf balls are the one thing most golfers can always use. A few golfers might look at a dozen balls as the golf equivalent of a brown tie, something that is a last-minute desperation gift.
Rest assured that no one ever turned down a brown tie or a dozen golf balls. But perhaps as the holidays approach, there are some more thoughtful or innovative gifts for the desert golfer.
For instance:
American Express tickets
The American Express is not a major in men’s golf or even a signature event on the PGA Tour. But the PGA Tour event in La Quinta in January has been growing in stature for the last decade after struggling at times to get many of the top players in the world. These days, the tournament can almost guarantee (well, almost) half of the top 20 players in the world will tee up on three desert courses, and that should be a treat for your golfer on Christmas Day.
Tickets for the 2025 American Express, to be played Jan. 16-19 at PGA West in La Quinta and La Quinta Country Club, are on sale through the tournament’s website, theamexgolf.com. Grounds passes are $60 to $99 (not including online purchase fees), including admission to tournament grounds and all public venues Jan. 16-19. Friday and Saturday tickets include admission to concerts after play featuring Little Big Town (Friday) and Journey (Saturday). Clubhouse badges are $125 to $150 per day, including admission to all public venues and the concerts. Other ticket options are also available.
A day at a local golf tournament might be the perfect holiday gift for your golfer, like The American Express in January
More: World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, defending champion Nick Dunlap commit to 2025 American Express
Galleri Classic tickets
The PGA Tour Champions event in the desert the last week of March is already selling tickets for its event at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage. The event is three days featuring the top 50-and-over golfers in the world, including defending champion Retief Goosen.
The tickets are $30 a day for the Wednesday or Thursday pro-ams or for tournament play Friday, Saturday and Sunday. A three-day ticket for tournament play can be bought for $65. Clubhouse badges are $75 a day or a three-day ticket for $150.
Retief Goosen looks at his options in a fairway on the second hole during the final round of the Galleri Classic at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, Calif., March 31, 2024.
Shots in the Night
One of the more interesting experiences in golf in the Coachella Valley is Shots in the Night at the Indian Wells Golf Resort.
The nighttime experience is one of two options. It is either putting games projected onto a real green, allowing golfers to play a number of different target-based games. The other option is the Toptracer driving range. After sunset, the range becomes a glow range, again with a variety of games that can be played with short irons against a computer or other golfers. The cool aspect of the range is the glowing golf balls.
Bookings are for one hour and are $70 for a group.
Jay Haas tees off on the first hole during the pro-am at the Galleri Classic at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, Calif., March 27, 2024.
Buy them a lesson
Most golfers can always use some help with their game. But most golfers don’t reach out to teaching pros for that help. You can help force the issue by finding a teaching pro in the desert (there are only a few hundred of them) and sending your golfer to get even some basic refresher tips for their game. If you really like your golfer, you might get them a series of, say, five lessons to help improve their scores. Don’t know where to start? Try www.pga.coach and click on Find a Coach to see options in the desert.
Buy them a round of golf
If you know golfers, you know they love to try new things, and that includes new golf courses. It’s pretty easy to get comfortable on a single course, so a chance to play a new course can be quite exciting. You know your golfer, and you know where they play most of their rounds. Find a course they don’t normally play – a course that is also accessible to the public – and get them the gift of 18 new holes for the holidays.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Desert golfers can get holiday gifts from tickets to lessons to rounds of golf
