You know their game - that's the gift
A golf buddy is the one recipient where you don't need any of the usual detective work, because you've been standing next to them on the tee. You know if they lose three balls a round, if they're the one who argues the rules, if they always forget a towel. That knowledge turns a generic golf gift into a pointed, personal one, which is the whole trick with a friend.
Funny works - if it's aimed
The joke gift, which is a mistake for a father or a new partner, is exactly right for a mate. But it lands far better when it references their game rather than golf in general: a ball retriever for the friend who's forever fishing in ponds, a rules quick-reference for the one who argues every ruling, a pair of loud socks for the peacock. Aimed humor reads as attention; generic novelty reads as an afterthought.
The social-round gifts
If your rounds together are as much about the company as the golf, buy for that. A cooler sleeve that keeps drinks cold for the back nine, a bag speaker for the group, or a set of rocks glasses for the debrief afterwards are all gifts that improve the exact rounds you share. They're mid-priced, need no sizing, and get used every time you go out together.
The genuinely useful angle
Not every buddy gift has to be a joke. If you've noticed a real gap - they never have a towel, their divot tool is a broken tee, they squint all day without sunglasses - filling it is a quietly excellent gift. A good divot tool or a magnetic towel is cheap, used every round, and solves a problem you've literally watched them have.
What to avoid
You're their playing partner, not their spouse, so a big-ticket rangefinder or bag usually overshoots the relationship - save that scale for family. Off-brand balls are a miss even as a joke, because they read as cheap rather than funny. And anything sized is a gamble unless you happen to know it. Keep it in the fun-and-useful lane and it's hard to get wrong - the under $25 and under $50 pages are where most buddy gifts live.
