I get to play golf for a living, says Tiger woods with a toothy grin. What more could you ask for?

Tiger woods is golf's most dashing young icons, and his success has generated renewed interest in golf and golfing all over the world. Golf continues to shed its stigma as a sport only the rich and the bored play. In fact, today, people of all walks of life are practicing their hooks and slices on over 32,000 golf courses throughout the world. In China, for example, the first golf course opened only in the 1980s, but now there are over 200 courses scattered throughout that country. golf holidays and vacations are the hottest golf trend, allowing people to see the world while playing their favorite sport. With numerous golf products on the market, selecting a golf gift can be as difficult as choosing the right putter for a difficult golf shot. But with some research and discriminating judgment, you can pick a present that scores a hole in one!

Remember the Golfer
Remember the golfer when you choose your golf gift. If he wears t-shirts and jeans 365 days of the year, do not buy him a golf necktie. If eating chocolate makes his skin break out into a rash, then do not get him a bucket of chocolate golf balls. In picking your present, mull over what the golfer's hobbies and interests are. You know he likes golf, and talks about it as frequently as he does about his ex-wife. But what other things does he like other than golf? You can consolidate the answers to these questions with the golfer's vehement love for the sport.

Make a gift Profile
Who says you can't keep files on your friends like the FBI does? Compile information about your friends' preferences, so that every time you need to give golf gifts away, you know the scope of your options. Oh, and be sure to tick off the ones you've already given. It wouldn't do to give the same present year after year.

The gift Profile should include information about the person himself, such as his age, marital status, place of residence, and profession. It should also include information about his interests, such as how he spends his free time, his favorite or least favorite food and drinks, and his fashion style.

Be Practical
Your golf gift should be practical. This means it should be useful, if not at present, then at some future time. Here are some examples of golf gifts that have very high utilitarian value:

Golf chip and dip platter/ salsa bowl
Golf wine rack
Golf magazine rack
Golf desk lamp
Golf towel
Golf barbecue utensil set
Golf tote bag

Another option is picking goofy golf gifts. These make highly memorable gifts, and your friend could show it off to visitors at his home:

The golf Piggy Bank looks like a pig riding in a golf cart.
Golf Slippers are slippers that look like shoes.
Funny Golf T-shirts include the prints how to throw your golf bag and how to break your golf clubs
Novelty golf balls, including floating golf balls and exploding golf balls
The Broken Window golf Ball which, when placed on glass, gives the appearance of a golf ball shattering a window

Ultimately, whether you choose to give a personal, practical or wacky golf gift, pick one that makes you a winner in the game of gift-giving!

In need of golf gifts? Visit our site now and have your fill of top-drawer presents, ranging from golf totes and balls to Cross pens and cufflinks.

Imagine paying for things with your cell phone. The Wireless Wallet is an idea that is picking up steam again, after the initial hype during the dot.com bubble fizzled along with everyones stock portfolio. As usual, Asia and Europe are ahead of the United States in the introduction and use of new technologies using wireless data networks. In places other than the US, consumers are buying soda pop, paying for songs on jukeboxes, purchasing their groceries, and going to soccer games just by waving their cell phones at a machine!

In Sweden and the British Isles, drivers are sending text messages to the parking meter to pay for their parking, instead of stuffing it with coins. Think of the savings of time and trouble of not having to race the meter maid out to your car, to plunk in more change, you could simply send a message from across town! The Japanese are probably the most advanced at this technology, right now. They are using phones with embedded debit card chips that allow them to shop at restaurants and grocery stores and pay with their phones. The service is available in around 20,000 stores.

US companies often look to DoCoMo company in Japan for inspiration and innovation, and they are watching the Japanese begin to use the phone as a replacement for train tickets. All of our wireless providers and phone manufacturers are currently involved in projects bringing this technology to our shores. Last year in Dallas, Texas, Motorola and mastercard had a trial run of a few hundred consumers using the wave and pay system at stores and gas stations. The technology is called near field communications and works when the device is about 8 inches from the sensor, similar to the check out scanner in supermarkets.

Wireless companies are convinced the wireless wallet is worth developing because consumers in the US spent over 220 million dollars on ringtones in 2004. J. P. Morgan Chase is testing the similar idea of cards that can be swiped to pay for things. They are involved with McDonalds and the 7-Eleven convenience store chain at implementing this in over 5000 stores. The idea is to then embed the contactless cards into phones. Some are still not convinced that this is a tenable idea, but Major League Baseball is intrigued by the technology, because they see it as an efficient way to get large numbers of fans into the baseball parks in a short amount of time. I can just imagine a promotion where your phone is singing the tune: Take me out to the ball game

As ubiquitous computing emerges, I think we will see our phones become TVs, music players, organizers, video arcades, Internet surfing devices, and more. And yes, it looks like they are well on their way to becoming wallets. The next time someone asks you for spare change, you can say, sorry, I left my phone at home!

A leader in technology reporting, Julia Hall has published articles about the latest digital devices and gadgets for over ten years. After graduating from MIT with a degree in electrical engineering, Julia turned down huge salaries from some of the most recognized fortune 500 companies in the world to pursue her dream of becoming a leading consumer advocate. Julia uses her expertise to cut through the too good to be true deals offered by high tech companies to reveal the real steals and the real duds that we're bombarded with daily. If you enjoy staying on the cutting edge of technology, whether for business or pleasure, but find yourself occasionally confused by the overwhelming information out there let Julia be your guide.