Holiday Golf Gift Guide by Price, Plus the 1983 Skins Game

The best round of the year is the one nobody books

Holiday golf is cold hands, a thermos and whoever happens to be in town. Here's what to give the person who's first to the tee.

Somewhere between the turkey and the tree, a window opens. The in-laws are napping, the course is half empty, and somebody says it: want to sneak out for nine? Nobody keeps score too closely. A frost delay turns into a second cup of coffee, the fairways crunch underfoot, and the greens roll slow. It's still the round everyone talks about at dinner.

Good holiday golf gifts work the same way. They're not about the scorecard. They're the layer that makes a 40-degree morning feel fine, or the thing that lives in the bag for years. That's how we put together the Mully gift guide, and we sorted it by price, so you can shop by budget instead of guessing.

Nobody remembers the score from the Friday after Thanksgiving. Everybody remembers who showed up.

Shop the gift guide by price: gifts under 100 dollars, gifts from 100 to 150 dollars, gifts from 150 to 250 dollars, or shop all gifts.

Photo at top: Olydoe Merino Ponte Vest in Highland Green, by Olydoe.

If you only buy one layer this year, make it the Olydoe Merino Ponte Vest in Highland Green. Two layers of Australian merino knitted together, so it has structure and drape but still stretches through the swing. It goes over a long-sleeve polo for a cold nine and over an oxford for dinner after.

Four gifts they'll actually use in December

Picked from the gift guide, one or two from every price range.

Duck Head Fremont Quilted Vest in Brandy Brown. A quilted vest with a full-zip front, in a warm brown that works with khakis and flannel as easily as it does with a quarter-zip on the first tee. In the 150 to 250 dollar guide.

Olydoe Merino Ponte Quarter Zip in Highland Green. The same double-knit Australian merino as the vest, with sleeves. Natural stretch, a substantial drape, and a green that looks right on a frosty fairway.

Olydoe Pima Long Sleeve Polo in Oceana. Long-staple Peruvian Pima cotton with a little stretch and a polished finish. Long sleeves for cool rounds, and crisp enough for the holiday party. In the 100 to 150 dollar guide.

Penfold Heritage Shag Bag in Holly Green. British Millerain waxed canvas that shrugs off weather and gets better with age. Fill it with practice balls and keep it in the trunk for the first warm day of spring. In the under 100 dollar guide.

For the golfer who has everything, Gift a Season. A Mully stylist picks his pieces each season. He picks his sizes, and he can update them before every season. It is a one-time prepaid gift, and it never renews.

The Thanksgiving Old Fashioned

Turkey gets all the attention, but the right cocktail deserves a place at the Thanksgiving table, too. This seasonal twist on the classic Old Fashioned swaps simple syrup for maple syrup, bringing a little autumn warmth to your glass.

What you'll need: 2 oz bourbon, ½ oz pure maple syrup, 2 dashes Angostura bitters, 1 dash orange bitters, and an orange peel and cinnamon stick for garnish.

How to make it: Add bourbon, maple syrup, and bitters to a mixing glass with ice. Stir for 20 to 30 seconds, then strain over a large ice cube in a rocks glass. Express an orange peel over the drink, drop it in, and garnish with a cinnamon stick.

Pro tip: Lightly toast the cinnamon stick before garnishing for an extra hit of holiday aroma.

A little sweet, a little smoky, and just the thing to sip while the turkey's in the oven.

Mr. Skins and the original Thanksgiving weekend golf

In Detroit, we always look forward to our Lions playing on Thanksgiving, but do you remember this Thanksgiving tradition that dubbed Freddie Couples “Mr. Skins”?

The first Skins Game was played on Nov. 27, 1983, the Sunday after Thanksgiving, at Desert Highlands in Scottsdale. Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson and Gary Player played for every hole, and Vin Scully called it for NBC. Player won 170,000 dollars. Years later, Couples won the event five times, in 1995, 1996, 1999, 2003 and 2004, and the nickname stuck.

Watch the full broadcast of the 1983 Skins Game.

Date and broadcast details via Golf Digest. Results via the Skins Game record.