As I write this on the afternoon of December 16, I realize we’re as up against the shipping deadlines as we possibly could be. If I’m being really honest with you, the time has realistically come and gone for you to procure a truly meaningful gift for the golfer on your list. That is, with one exception.
Since the day civilians could purchase them, Titleist golf balls remain the undefeated champion of holiday golf gifting, and I believe that’s rooted in two things. First—sure, you can buy Titleist golf balls on the internet and have them shipped wherever you want. You can customize them for the holidays, you can send a dozen in a box that looks more special than the ones you see the rest of the year. But you can also buy Titleist golf balls at any brick and mortar sporting goods store, the pro shop of every golf shop in the country that’s not contractually obligated by a competitor to keep them away. They are shipping deadline proof. But they are also fool proof.
Related: The Best Last-Minute Gifts That Will Arrive on Time
The second reason they reign supreme this time of year is because of what they say about not only the giver, but the receiver’s perception of the giver’s perception of the receiver. Still with me?
Whether you know a lick about golf or not, if you hand me a box of Pro-V1 or Pro-V1x, any year of my golfing life, I will immediately feel respected by the giver. Sure, you could have grabbed a random box of balls of the shelf. “He likes golf, right?” you’d mutter to yourself. Your thoughtfulness yields a half-smile and a nod. But no, you handed me a box of what you and I both know to be the best. “The #1 Ball in Golf,” from the commercial, but also from the facts. My perception of your perception of me is that I’m good enough at golf to care, and that you’ll spare no expense to make sure I’ll use what you give. It says about you, “I did the homework.” It also says about you, “let’s not make this about me.” It says that you understand the perfection that lies at the intersection of simple and wonderful.
It’s not to say that there aren’t other golf balls for a reason. It’s not to say that some of the best players in the world don’t play other golf balls. Many of them do. But there’s also this to consider:
This is all to say. If you’re here, and you’re in a pinch, or you’ve got fifty bucks or so more to spend on someone this year. Go find yourself a box of Titleist golf balls, give the person behind the register your money, and in turn, tell a golfer you know that you believe in them this year. That is, after all, what we all really want.
