In today’s day and age where entertainment is synonymous with non-stop action and the occasional explosion, golf continues to defy conventional wisdom.

Think about it.

Golf is the slowest game imaginable. There is no physical contact between players. Golfers don’t wear helmets and aside from Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, most Americans cannot name a single player.

Yet golf is more popular than ever, especially among men. Men, in fact, comprise of 80 percent of golfers in America, and despite major inroads among women, the percentage of female golfers has remained relatively stagnant.

The sport is so male-dominated, commentators have coined a term for it, called “the golf gene.”

Only by talking to a golfer can one know what truly attracts them to the sport. The odds are that you know one personally, and if the data is to be believed, they are male.

So with Father’s Day coming up, why not consider a host of golf products for the perfect gift?

We are all familiar with traditional golf gifts that are presented to tournament winners: trophies, certificates, plagues – all great and wonderful gifts to commemorate an eventful day.

And there will always be a time and place for traditional gifts like trophies and certificates. They’re regal and honorary, and when hung on a wall, will always remind the winner of their accomplishments.

But that’s precisely why other companies and sponsors are looking at other golf gift options: some prizes shouldn’t be hung on walls. Some prizes should be used by the recipients in their daily lives, to not only remind them of their win, but promote the sponsor.

In other words, some prizes should save the winner time and money by providing them with something they’d probably buy anyway.

So if you’re a golf tournament planner looking to think outside of the traditional golf gift “box,” we’d like to suggest other options, like leather card cases, beer mugs, beer steins, leather golf shoe bags, and leather trimmed canvas golf shoe bags.

With spring upon us, more and more golfers are hitting the links after a long, cold winter.

May enthusiasts may be fortunate enough to practice on their own property. For these lucky individuals, spring also brings with it ongoing maintenance of their personal fairways.

One of the most common maintenance issues is repairing divots. To the golfing neophyte, the divot is the area in the turf that has been dug up by the shot.

While without a doubt an eyesore, divots are a necessary part of golf – after all, players will need to “dig out” a shot, and often times, it means exacting a toll on the turf itself. Not all divots need to be harmful to the turf – if executed properly, a divot can shear the grass cleanly without digging deep into the turf.

Of course, we don’t live in a perfect world, and often times divots are deep and damaging, which is where where divot repair tools come into play.

You have the clubs, the shoes, the golf bag, even the golf divot repair tools. What you don’t have is someone to teach you the fine art of playing golf. What should you look for in a golf instructor?

A great golf instructor will teach, guide and educate you on how to have fun playing a round of golf and, using the best advice, will help you to improve your golf swing.

You need to feel that your golf instructor understands your problem areas and you need to be comfortable with his style of coaching. You don’t want a blanket or one-size-fits-all education. Your guidance should be specific to your problems.

Make sure your instructor has an education in the golf industry, has great communication skills, is patient with this clientele, has a great reputation and attitude. With many years of experience, he needs to have the results to back up his credentials. Get recommendations.

A lot of golf clubs offer lessons and you may have to go through a few instructors before you find one whose voice resonates with your style.

The golf shoe of the past is no more! If you don’t own a pair of these golden oldies surely you remember them. They had leather soles, spikes on the bottom and no padding on the inside. They were anything but comfortable, but function won out over form. That was then.

Today athletes are demanding of a proper, well-fit, comfortable shoe that will not detract from their game. Price, comfort and style are all factors that one can consider when purchasing these very much improved golf products. There are so many choices that it comes down to personal preferences.

All golf shoes need to have excellent traction as they are designed to aid in a golfer’s grip and stability on the ground. This will translate to better distance and accuracy. Once a golfer’s foot is firmly planted, they are able to concentrate on their swing.

The golf shoe has now joined the ranks of other athletic shoes in terms of padding, arch support, lightweight material and flexibility. You want to also make sure your golf shoes are waterproofed before heading out. Experiencing rain and bad weather on the golf course is, well, par for the course.

Golfers have a lot ot think about and concentrate on when heading out to the greens. The comfort of their shoes should not be one of them.

Everybody loves a good golf fundraiser. It brings together people, facilitates personal networking, and with a good deal of planning, organizers can raise an impressive amount of money for a good cause.

Sponsors, for example, can sponsor a hole or make a one-time donation; participants, meanwhile, can play a flat fee for entry into the tournament. In both cases, these donations are tax-deductible.

Tournament planners should reward their sponsors accordingly; they can display the sponsor’s name at the tee box, for example, or engrave it in all promotional materials, such as personalized golf mugs, awards, and trophies.

Effectively promoting your tournament’s sponsors is a win-win for all involved parties. Sponsors themselves get valuable publicity in return for their tax-deductible donations, while organizations receive much-needed dollars to make the event a success.

And by properly rewarding sponsors through these generous advertising opportunities they’ll be more likely to return to future events – and open their wallets in the process.