The Future of Golf is Now The Best High Tech Gizmos, Gadgets and Gear for a Weekend on the Green

“George, you look perfect,” said the Hall of Fame golfer Lloyd Mangrum to his friend, the comedian George Burns, “That beautiful knitted shirt, an alpaca sweater, those expensive slacks. You’ve got an alligator bag, the finest matched irons, and the best woods money can buy. It’s a damned shame you have to spoil it all by playing golf.”

We at Spirit take Mangrum’s point absolutely: There’s a game within the game of golf, or even a second game alongside the game itself, and this shadow game’s name is Gear. The winner, among those who choose to compete, is the guy who, on Christmas morning, has the largest collection of really cool golf stuff.

Now, we should add that we, like the late great Mangrum, are traditionalists. Our sweaters are not only alpaca but argyle, our slacks are neatly pressed and of ochre hue, our flat caps are jaunty but proper. Nothing about us is loud, and the clubhead of our driver is, of course, regulation. We have a hickory shafted lofted wedge in our bag, and, given our preference, we always walk rather than ride. We could never be tempted by. . .

Whoa! Look at that!
When we got a gander at some of this season’s niftiest new toys, we just couldn’t help ourselves. We did set some rules: Nothing on our list, save for the fancy bags and distance finders, really has much to do with actually playing the game. There are no clubs or traditional balls recommended here, no shoes or gloves. Consider this a collection of ancillaries that are way, way fun. When we’re sitting at our desks, playing with the CaddyAid on our Treos or checking the lateness of the hour on our high-tech Suunto G6 Golf Watch, life seems just about as perfect as George Burns’ golfing aspect, if not his game itself.

RADARGOLF SYSTEM
Face it. When you’re hacking through the woods with a $400 nine-iron, you’ve got better odds of finding J.D. Salinger than your long-lost Titleist. That’s why the forward-thinking duffers at Radar- Golf have embedded each of these golf balls with a tiny microchip that broadcasts a signal to a small, handheld device that will lead you back to your ball faster than you can say “mulligan.” $200; radargolf.com