One of the pleasant surprises with Wingtip has been the extent to which luxury brands want to get the attention of our busy membership.

It started with Sonos. They already make a phenomenal product, receive rave reviews from customers, and while not sold everywhere, they are not lacking for distribution (we sell their line only in our store). Nevertheless, they outfitted the club with systems so that members could enjoy different music in different zones...wirelessly.

Then VIZIO decided to upgrade the TVs throughout the club to the latest & greatest models, including a 65" LED LCD 3D HDTV. This was no small feat -- the club had 7 TVs to replace in various different sizes. And they threw in some Blu-Ray players, wireless headphones, and tablets.

As thankful as we are for those "product placements", excuse me if I'm a little giddy over the club's newest partnership with Audi San Francisco. Starting January 2nd, the club will be reintroducing a Car Service for members & guests in a quartz gray Audi A8L 4.2 sedan with all the trimmings. When we say "all the trimmings," we really mean it: two rear seat TVs, ambient lighting, Premium Package, Cold Weather Package, Drivers Assistance Package, Convenience Package, Night Vision for pedestrian safety, and...you get the idea. My first ride in the car was after the club's Frank Sinatra Holiday Party last Monday, but it wasn't until the ride home tonight that the elegance and the convenience of the partnership set in. The ride made me wish I lived farther away!

We've already had a few members buy or lease a new Audi from Audi San Francisco, but one ride in this beast will certainly get the attention of every member thinking about a new car. And of course that's the point.

Drivers are provided by Zingo who are always committed to getting you home safely. In this case, also in style.

Most of my leisurely reading these days comes from blogs I subscribe to in my Google Reader. The more blogs I read, the more I see certain conventions and memes take off. Some stay; some fizzle. Lately, everyone seems to be designing "infographics" -- the old placeholder used by USA Today on every front page is a blogosphere darling now. 

Autoblog borrows from CarBuzz.com to show off the Infographic History of James Bond's Cars. Well played. 

My grandmother, still kicking at 99 years young, has been an avid golfer all her life. I can remember playing a round with her when she was in her mid-70s. And for as long as I could read, there has been an old burgundy banner hanging in her kitchen from a visit to Scotland decades ago. The banner referred to St. Andrews as "The Birthplace of Golf" and, I believe, also referred to the place as "Mecca for Golf."

Even though I have played golf as a hobby since I was 13, for some reason it never crossed my mind that I would have a chance to play there. And, in fact, I haven't. My friends at the World Golf Tour were prepared to get me a round at the Old Course at St. Andrews except that I don't have a formal handicap (d'oh!). So I was relegated to The New Course and it still felt like a religious experience.

My score was nothing to be proud of, which of course was 100% due to the rental clubs. It undoubtedly would have been worse were it not for the stretch in the Antas wool golf trousers and the warmth of the Peter Millar sweater I was wearing.

The round did steel my resolve to start entering my scores for a proper handicap, and to return to Scotland to play the Old Course...and Carnoustie...and Troon...

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, we consider ourselves 37.5% flattered. Of the 8 holiday gifts for your favorite golfer suggested by Golf Digest's "Mr. Style", On The Fly carries 3 of them.

All three are long-time best-sellers of ours. The Mulholland Brothers Flat Shave Kit is the #1 dopp kit we sell, available in 4 different leathers and 3 different scratch-proof/water-proof polyvinyls.

Davek umbrellas have been flying off the shelf since wet weather has kicked in across the country, but the true golfer might prefer the Davek Golf Umbrella that has the hidden spike to keep your umbrella grounded while you take your shot. All Davek umbrellas come with a lifetime warranty, and a Loss Prevention card that gets you a 2nd umbrella at 50% off.

And while Mr. Style picks out the 30-gauge Cashmere Zip Sweater, any of Peter Millar's sweaters would make a fantastic gift. Our favorite for this season is the classic cable with a zip for a twist, available here in Oatmeal or Black.

See the spread in this month's Golf Digest here.

Commenting on the world of super-yachts is normally out of my wheelhouse, but the $400,000,000+, 557-footer just built for BRO (Billionaire Russian Oligarch) Roman Abramovich had one particular feature that blew my mind.

• Swimming pool? You shouldn't have to ask.
• Luxury spa? Everybody's doing it.
  
• Helipad? Two. Check and check.
  
• Mini-submarine that also acts as escape pod? Gift with purchase from the yacht maker, no doubt.  
  

Alas, it is the missile defense system that demanded I share this. The U.S. military can't even successfully test a missile defense system, but Roman's got it on his yacht! Read about all 557 feet here.

No word as to when Andy Samberg will be on the boat.

Watching some of the St. Jude Classic on Saturday, much of the coverage focused on the leader -- and eventual winner -- Brian Gay. While most golf observers were no doubt taking notice of the rising star (this is his 3rd tour win), I couldn't help but notice his choice of colors: charcoal golf shirt and orange pants. That's right, orange pants.

And while John Daly has sunk to new lows in an effort to prove how obnoxious he can be, Brian Gay just looked confident.

Bringing this post full circle since we don't yet sell charcoal golf shirts or orange golf pants, The ensemble immediately brought to mind the latest color combo of the Michael Toschi GX in Steel & Orange. We've had a few customers already receive the latest release from Toschi, but admittedly, now, they were trendsetters. Now, we'll just expect the orders to start pouring in in 3...2...1...