It is that giving season and nearly all the golfers and their friends and relatives are wondering what to put into the senior golfer's Christmas stocking? The simple answer is to fill it with gift cards and gift certificates so that the golfer can enter the golf store or the pro shop and shop for whatever he/she wants.

People often ask me about getting clothes or golf apparel. I tell them most golfers have more than enough polo shirts, and they can only wear two of those seven pairs of golf shorts on those weekend golf outings.

What about those people who say, "Anyone can give a person a gift certificate. What can you give a person who's passionate about golf that they will really like and need?" It depends on the person, his/her passion for the game of golf, and their accumulation of golf accessories. Based on reading Golf Digest's top 60 innovations for the past 60 years, I offer the following suggestions of things to put into the golfer's Christmas stocking:

Golf fitness cards — No matter how old you are, getting fit is something that everyone should do, and this is especially true for athletes such as senior golfers. We talk so much about the physical limitations in swinging the golf club, such as arthritis, joint pain and shoulder tendonitis, when the real culprit is a lack of flexibility and fitness. Get in shape and you will play a better game of golf.

Range finders — Even those people who have played the same course for the past 10, 20 or 30 years, will find a rangefinder as an important tool. Need to know exactly how far you need to hit the wedge shot, whether it is 40, 50 or 60 yards? Simply pull out the rangefinder to get the exact answer. And, recent advances allow golfers to not only determine distance, but also the green elevation and slope. Not all rangefinders are the same, so choose the one the golfer wants.

Hybrid golf clubs — There is no reason senior golfers shouldn't replace those 2, 3 and 4 irons with hybrids. Why make the change? Simple: the hybrids are easier to hit, launch higher in the air and land more softly than the comparable irons. In addition, you can customize them to your set. You may want a 19 degree, 22 degree and 25 degree clubs to replace your 3, 4 and 5 irons. Or you can simply replace the 3 and 4 irons, leaving the 5-pw in your iron set. The choices are numerous, so check out the golfer's preference in these clubs.

Club-fitting sessions — When you are buying golf clubs, do not buy them off the rack or out of a box. Go to a club fitter who can custom-fit the golf clubs to your golf swing. Each of us has our own individual fits based on our size, flexibility, and swing speed. Going to a club fitting session is a real advantage. You cannot play this game if you don't have the right equipment.

Golf bag travel covers — This is both a practical and a motivational gift. It is practical because moving clubs in and out of cars or taking them on an airplane puts a lot of wear and tear on them. It is motivational because it is telling the golfer, "Why don't you look at traveling this year and playing some golf on courses other than your normal ones?"

Books, magazines and DVDs — The single best thing a senior golfer can do to improve her or his game is take lessons from a teaching pro. If you do not like this concept, try finding other ways of keeping up with what's happening in the world of golf by subscribing to a golf magazine, i.e., Golf, Golf Digest, Golf World. You can also buy that favorite golfer a book or some DVDs.

Merry Christmas — The best gift you can give to those special golfers is a wish of "Merry Christmas" and tell them golf season is just a couple weeks away. And, that is my Christmas wish for all of you loyal readers!

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