Great for golf vacation travelers, the Xshot ensures everyone in the game is in the frame.

Buying gifts for golfers is easy. Buying golf gifts for golfers is hard. Just like other groups of highly devoted (some would say fanatical) people, we are very particular about what goes on our bodies and in our bags. And, as I'm sure you are well aware, being a golfer doesn't make the gift-giving process any easier.

That being said, we think there are some golf and golf-related gifts for golf vacation travelers that are not only safe bets, but will also be truly appreciated by their recipients. How do we know? Well, as you can imagine, we log a lot of miles each year and spend plenty of hours in airports...noticing things that we wish we had. Here are some of them:

Camera Extension Now the person who remembers to throw their camera in their golf bag doesn't have to be penalized for it by being left out of the obligatory group shot. That is, if you give them a telescoping camera extender such as the ones from XShot ($25) and QuikPod ($25). Weighing less than a pound and taking up only about 12 inches when stored, these handy devices provide between three and four feet of extra reach when fully extended (see above). That's more than enough to get everyone and the island green in the frame. The only negative is that it could be mistaken for a golf ball retriever when first whipped out.

Backup Power Traveling gets people out of their routine, but that can be good and bad. Playing golf instead of working: good. Overusing and then not having sufficient time to charge one's cell phone: bad. There are all sorts of emergency cell-phone chargers on the market, including the Sidewinder ($20) that you have to crank, but we like the battery-powered ones better, such as the Cellboost ($15-$25), a one-time use product, and the Turbo Charge ($25-$30) which comes with seven adapters for popular cell phone models. These devices will provide between one and four hours of talk time, respectively. However, the one we like the best is the Powermonkey ($69) because, in addition to fully charging a phone in 30 minutes, it'll charge all sorts of other portable electronics, including laptops, iPods, digital cameras, and PDAs.

Golf Bag Shipping Even the slimmest and lightest golf travel cases are a pain to drag through the airport compared to, say, nothing. Well, if you purchase a gift card from one of the many golf bag and luggage shipping services, that's exactly what your recipient will have to carry on their next golf vacation — nothing. These firms will pack, ship and deliver their golf clubs (and other luggage) for them. Two outfits that feature gift cards prominently on their websites are Sports Express (which acquired and now operates former competitors Luggage Express and Virtual Bellhop) and The Luggage Club.

TSA-approved Locks OK, so you're friend prefers the BYOB (Bring-Your-Own-Bag) method. Do they know that it's OK to lock them as long as they do it with a lock that's been approved by the Transportation Security Administration? When you give them one by Safe Skies Locks ($7-$16) or Travel Sentry ($11-$25) they will, along with being reassured that none of their clubs will be missing upon arrival. These locks have unique symbols that identify them to screeners, who can open them using a code and a proprietary tool.

Travel Savvy Of course, the above gifts will be of little use if the golf lovers you know aren't inspired or don't know where to take their golf vacations that suit their personal preferences and interests. That's why we think Golf Odyssey (packages starting at $97) is the best gift of all. Not only do these intelligence reports provide exciting golf vacation ideas and reveal insider secrets about experiencing the world's best courses, resorts, and restaurants, Golf Odyssey is literally the gift that keeps giving all year long as it's delivered by mail each month. This is in addition to a leather-bound collector's edition that you can choose to hand-deliver (call 800-550-2286 M-F, 9am-6pm ET for details).

Did you know?Golf Vacation Insider and Golf Odyssey are the world's only golf publications that travel anonymously and do not accept advertising, discounts, or "freebies" from the golf courses, resorts or restaurants they review.

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