The gift of golf without the drive to Vegas

It’s Friday, there is one day left of shopping before Santa’s big day and you don’t have that present for the golfer in the family. Of course, there is always driving into Las Vegas and braving the traffic with all the other shoppers that don’t have a clue of what to buy. Or, you can simply drive out to the Mountain Falls pro shop for that golfer.

The shop is open Friday until 4:30 p.m. but closes early at 1 p.m. on Saturday for Christmas Eve.

Mountain Falls golf pro Randy Mudge said his shop at the course has everything a golfer would need and you don’t have to fight the holiday traffic to get to 5001 Clubhouse Drive.

“This year is all about technology,” Mudge said. “One of the biggest things going is something called ‘Game Golf’.”

Mudge said it’s a device that is pretty popular on his course. There is a piece that goes on your club and a piece that goes on your belt. So when you hit the ball it analyzes your shot. It will know what club you hit and at what yardage the ball went. It will even know what hole and also what course you are on. The golfer can access all this information on his/her computer for analysis when you get done with your round.

Game golf also has an app for the phone. It will tell you the number of rounds to review and you can look on your phone or your computer.

“For some people this is not good because it tells the truth on how far you are hitting,” Mudge said.

He said as a golf professional this is a great tool to have because he can analyze his students without having to follow them around.

“I have students who use this and I have access to all their rounds,” he said. “The device will tell me they are playing and then I can see their statistics. I then know what I have to work on with them.”

This device has been around for five years and has been a great teaching tool to add to his arsenal.

For those that thrive on technology, there are other nifty electronic gadgets called swing analyzers, which help improve your game. A Zepp swing analyzer clips to your glove and gives a golfer constant feedback on his/her swing. Some even are equipped with video.

“Everyone is into technology now,” Mudge said. “This generation believes everything we do has to be analyzed.”

Another good gift is golf lessons. Mountain Falls has a great deal where you pay for four and get five lessons. Call for pricing at 775-537-6553.

Mudge also said the shop carries the latest in golf bags and clubs.

“On the clubs, we carry great sets for kids,” the pro said. “We have U.S. Kids Clubs and these are the best kids’ clubs out there. They are lightweight shafts and we have a measuring chart for proper sizing.”

The deal is you buy five clubs and get a sixth club for free.

Mountain Falls pro shop also has golf shirts and hat.

“We have older hats that are 50 percent off and then we have the ones with the newer Mountain Falls logo,” Mudge said.

The new hats go for $19 to $20 per hat.

Mountain Falls management company recently changed their name from Par Four to Elite Golf. Elite Golf runs Spanish Trails, Black Mountain, Primm and Wild Horse too. If you go to Elitegolf.com there is a card that can be purchased that gives you a number of rounds at a set price, which is good on all the courses.

Contact sports editor Vern Hee at vhee@pvtimes.com