There's a round nylon bush at the base of the gearstick. New one works wonders and easy to fit. Couple of quid from vw.
The shift linkages could be worn at the bushes where they meet the selector arm on top of the gearbox. This is a bit more work but easily done with some time and effort.
Also as mentioned the linkages at the tower could perhaps do with resetting. This is a few minutes work, but well worth trying before you spend any money.