Father's Day on the fairways

There is something to be said for making a savvy investment, and that goes for "gifting" as well as receiving. Your near-and-dear, golfing dad has probably gone through several umbrellas, which are required to bear up under — not only wind and downpours — but occasional mistreatment by a carrier who has just missed a par-saving putt. Not necessarily your Dad, but it does happen! When it comes to golf umbrellas, there is probably no better way to go than Davek. They have been touted all over the industry and the quality is backed by a lifetime guarantee. You receive a loss protection card with the umbrella that allows you to replace it at half-price (provided, of course, that you hang onto said card, which has a 16-digit code keyed to your umbrella). The Davek umbrella feels noticeably sturdy, and that impression is backed by testing. Its design vents the wind through flaps, and it has been tested at an MIT aeronautics lab to withstand gusts of 60 miles an hour. We’ve seen too many breeze-buffeted umbrellas scamper away from their owners while a shot was being addressed, so the clincher for us is the anchor spike. The conventional handle can be unscrewed and flipped over to expose a spike that can be pushed into the ground to keep your umbrella in place. A smart player can also prop an extra club or two against the inner canopy of the umbrella to keep their grips dry while the current shot is played. The golf umbrella is $79 and comes in five color combinations — actually, to paraphrase a quote attributed to Henry Ford, you can have any color you like as long as it’s black. The colors are all-black, black-yellow, black-red, black-green, and black-blue. Go here to order or to find a store near you.