Yeah, it’s possible that I have a problem with golf. Nope, I’m not talking about curing a hook or a slice. I’m talking golf addiction. Maybe that’s why I write this blog. After all, they say that admitting you have a problem is the first step towards recovery.

But what exactly is it that makes the game such an important part of our lives. Some like the fact that golf enables us to be at one with nature. Some of the most beautiful spots in the world happen to be golf courses. Did you see the overhead shots of Pebble Beach during the US Open?

So, while playing the game you can take in some fantastic scenery. And, I believe that surrounding yourself with gorgeous scenery is a great way to reduce stress. Also, it’s a very challenging and difficult sport. Personally, I may only hit three or four pure shots per 18 holes.

Professional Opinion

Professionals who know a lot more about the psychology of this than I, know that situations which reward us intermittently can become very attractive and possibly addictive. No doubt about it, golf would be much less appealing if we hit great shots all the time. You can compare it to gambling or fishing.

Fishermen can come up empty several times in a row, but the memory of that one large catch will keep them going back to the lake. And one lucky day in a casino can motivate the gambler time and time again to return to the tables.

The Quest for a Lower Handicap

Golf is also a game in which you never hit the same shot twice. Your lie is never the same. The distance from your target changes, the wind changes and the pin is never in the same spot. This variety adds to the physical and psychological challenges that the game offers. In order to play the game well, you have to master a huge range of shots and many different clubs.

The complexity of golf gives rise to new equipment and technology.
Golfers are “gadget-oriented” and always ready to experiment with the latest innovations in equipment in their never ending quest for a lower handicap.

Nice Shot Gramps

And don’t forget, you can play golf into old age. You don’t really need to be concerned with injuries like you do with other sports. 18 holes is also a great way to bond with family, friends, business associates and neighbors. You can follow your round with lunch or dinner, maybe a cocktail or two and some gin or poker.A day set aside for golf can have the same relaxing benefir of a mini-vacation.

And some of us like to watch the game on TV. It’s kind of fun to follow my favorite players and feel a part of the competition. I like to imagine myself swinging the club the way that they do.

It’s a very appealing game and it’s easy to see how it can become addicting for some. But c’mon, there are worse things that you can be addicted to (trust me on this one).

Anyway, if you think you have a problem, here are some dead giveaways that would indicate that you do. See if you can relate:

You Know You’re Addicted to Golf When…

• you’ve played 8 of the last 10 days and all you can think about is where you will be playing tomorrow!!
• your Netflix queue includes the following movies: Tin Cup, The Legend of Bagger Vance, The Greatest Game, Caddyshack, Dead Solid Perfect, Happy Gilmore, Follow The Sun
• you have divots in your carpet and club marks on your ceiling!
• you own 6 putters and still average 2.5 putts per round.
• when your putt comes up short because it has formed a mini-snowball due to rolling on the slush on the green in December
• your wife asks you if you want to play around, and you head for the golf clubs!
• only one of your hands has a tan!
• you remember your club pro’s birthday and forget your wife’s
• you watch rerun infomercials on The Golf Channel
• you have golf course numbers saved on your cell phone speed dial
• you have a pile of tees on your dryer
• you know what “on the stimp” means
• your golf bag is like a wardrobe and a food store
• you rearange the furniture to allow for a more open practice space
• you convince the wife to forego the berber carpeting she likes for something you can putt on
• you walk in the door from a long day’s work and kiss your wife Bertha, then go spend some quality time with the kids Augusta and Pebble
• every time you see a short cut lawn somewhere you wish you had your wedge and a couple balls with you
• she took lessons so you can spend more time together
• the guy at the clubhouse says “dude – missed you yesterday”
• the approaching thunderstorm is finally upon you and someone says “it’s ok , we’re all using graphite”
• you get equipment catalogs from more than 3 different golf retailers
• you play golf in your head to help you get to sleep.
• you spend more time in Nevada Bob’s than in Home Depot
• 36 holes……………….
• you do “air golf swings” during a conversation
• your work and play consist of the same thing!
• you seriously believe that, after a good round, you have found the secret
• you have a club leaning aganist a wall in just about every room in the house.
• you practice your grip with a club while watching TV with your wife.
• you know how the ball breaks on all the rugs in your house.
• you slam on your brakes and golf balls roll out from under the seat of your car. Both drivers and passengers sides…
• your GPS navigator destination is always set to the location of a golf course
• you come home after work one afternoon instead of going to the  course and your wife inquires about your health.

The following article was posted by hogan at

http://www.redstate.com/hogan/2010/08/16/the-rule-of-law-requires-good-rules-even-or-especially-in-golf/:

For the golfers among us, yesterday’s final round of the PGA Championships at the demanding and beautiful Whistling Straits Golf Courts in Kohler, Wisconsin, brought not just the normal excitement but quite a bit of controversy as well.

Dustin Johnson came to the 18th hole sitting on a one shot lead at 12 under par, with two guys in the clubhouse at 11 under, Bubba Watson and eventual champion Martin Kaymer. Dustin blocked his drive to the right, landing deep in to the tens of thousands of spectators making up the gallery. His ball came to rest in a little flat spot covered in sand deep in the middle of those spectators who followed the custom of opening up a path for Dustin to get to his ball and take his shot. He made it back there, assessed his lie, picked a 5 iron for the approximately 230-yard shot and set up to the ball and hit his shot left of the green. He ultimately missed an 8 foot putt for par and was headed for a playoff. Or so he thought.

A rules official notified him of a problem.

Here’s what happened. A bunker, normally filled with sand, is what is known as a “hazard” and under the rules of Golf, a player is not permitted to “ground” his club (that is, to touch the ground before he strikes the ball). Now, Whistling Straits is a Pete Dye-designed course, and is heavily bunkered – in fact, it has over a thousand of them. Dustin’s ball had ended up in one of these bunkers. And Dustin grounded his club before he struck the ball. Dustin was assessed a 2 shot penalty, forcing him out of the playoff and to the locker room.

The first thing that should be noted is that Dustin Johnson handled the situation like a total gentleman and with class and respect for the game, the officials and his fellow competitors. Kudos to him. But the reason I am writing is that most of the commentary about the unfortunate event has centered on the fact Johnson should have read the rules sheet (either more intently, or at all) so that he would have known that the local rule (because of the 1000+ bunkers) is that ALL bunkers on the course are to be played as a true bunker. In other words, despite feeling bad for him, “it was Dustin’s fault.”

Yes, it technically was his fault and the PGA made the right ruling. It was a bunker, he grounded his club and it was a violation. BUT, that is not the important lesson for me.

The rule of law – in sports or in real life – requires having good rules. At Whistling Straits, the local rules allow spectators to walk through certain of the hundreds of bunkers. I think this is a bad idea in the first place, but ok – fine, maybe it’s needed to get spectators around. But it is a terrible rule to say that a bunker that has been trampled, and is filled with spectators, must be played like a normal bunker. A bunker filled with spectators is not likely to be identified as such by a player.

In short this is a terrible rule – and in the last event held at this course, another one of the game’s best golfers was bitten by a similar situation (Stuart Appleby was penalized 4 shots). Every competitive golfer I know could have fallen prey to this situation. He walked up, was on flat ground with some sand on it and saw nothing resembling the outlines of a normal bunker because 90 percent of the bunker was filled with spectators.

The PGA Championship returns to Whistling Straits in 2015 and the Ryder Cup will be held there in 2020. Before those tournaments are held, the PGA must find a rule that works, because the last two events held there have undermined the very important and very respectable Rules of Golf by requiring them to be applied in ridiculous ways.

The rule I would propose is this: if spectators are allowed to walk in any particular bunker, that bunker is not treated as a hazard. It is treated as what is known as a “waste bunker,” and then the player is allowed to ground his club. That way, confusion such as that which marred the final round of the final major of the year can be avoided in the future.

And in that way, the Rules of Golf can continue to be upheld and respected as reasonable, fair and important to the core of the game. Rules have to be respectable to be respected. Johnson conducted himself like a gentleman – let’s hope that the PGA Rules Committee honors his commitment to the game by changing the rule to a respectable one.

Brant Kasbohm, PGA, Director of Instruction, Fixyourgame.com

Golf is a sport, right? Those who say it isn’t a sport, have no idea how much athleticism it takes to swing a club over 100mph (120+ for the elite players), and hit a very small ball into a very small hole that is a quarter mile away. Oh yeah, there are numerous obstacles in the way as well.

So why do so many golfers set up to the ball in the most uncomfortable, un-athletic stances imaginable? Believe it or not, but there are many similarities between the correct golf stance to those found in other sports. Whether it is a linebacker’s stance in football, a defensive stance in basketball, goalie’s stance in hockey, getting ready to return a serve in tennis, leading off of first in baseball, etc., the idea is the same in golf. You need to be in a position that maximizes your flexibility and balance. Here are a few commonalities between good golf posture and what you’ll find in other sports, and tips for making your set up more athletic:

1. Weight left-to-right—make sure your weight is balanced between your feet at address. Can you imagine a hockey goalie leaning to one side or the other? No way—he’d be out of balance and have his mobility severely limited.
2. Weight heel-to-toe—you should tilt forward in your golf posture so that your weight is over the middle of your feet. If a basketball player is playing defense and his weight is back on his heels, he’s in big trouble.
3. Width of stance—Don’t get too wide or too narrow with your feet. A bit wider than shoulder width apart is a good guide for you golf stance. Too wide, and you have no mobility to make a weight shift, and too narrow, you have no balance. Think of returning a serve in tennis, you’ll see that the players’ feet are just a bit wider than shoulder width apart.
4. Spine angle—this could be the most important step. Make sure you spine is straight as you tilt forward in your stance. Most golfers slouch over and their spine is crooked. Bend at the hips, not at the waist. This will keep your spine straight, which maximizes your flexibility and balance, and make your swing easier on your back. You’ll never see a shortstop in baseball in a slouched position. They bend forward at the hips, by pushing their rear end back, keeping the spine straight.

You should be so balanced when you address the ball, that someone can give you a slight push or bump in any direction, and you will not fall over. If a slight push topples you in one direction or the other, it’s easy to tell in which direction you’re leaning.

If you’ve played other sports in your life, you can carry some of those fundamentals over to your golf game, and use them to improve your posture and set up. For additional info on improving for set up and all aspects of your golf game, see your local PGA Professional or Fixyourgame.com.

Brant Kasbohm, PGA
Director of Instruction
Fixyourgame.com
info@fixyourgame.com

By: Mike Pedersen

Irish golf vacations combine a golfing experience in two countries: Eire, or the Irish Republic, and Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom. However, you would not notice by the welcome you will receive in each part of the island. The Emerald Isle is well named after its lush greenery, and the golf courses in Ireland make full use of that.

In fact, many of the Irish golf courses are links courses, such as Royal Portrush, used for the Senior British Open, and Ballybunion, a links course in County Kerry that is situated in a small seaside town. Ballybunion is rated among the top ten golf courses in the world, and is a typical links course, built among sand dunes on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. Tom Watson loves it.

Too Many Irish Golf Courses to Name

There is little point in naming the famous Irish golf courses since it would take more room that is available here, so let’s just assume that all the courses you play on your Irish golfing vacation will be good ones. What you need to know now is what else Ireland has to offer.

Well, there is the Irish whiskey, the Irish stout such as Murphy’s or Guinness, and the Irish welcome. There are leprechauns, the Blarney Stone and the fantastic Dublin Bay prawns. There is everything for every member of the family, from the bright lights of Dublin, Galway and Cork to the seaside resorts and funfairs than dot the coastline of Ireland from Dublin, and right round back to Dublin again.

Whatever golfing vacation package you choose, you will find plenty for the family to do. There are walks, water sports, fishing of all kinds, both inland and sea fishing…try the shark fishing if you have the guts for it…and also the people. Only in Ireland will find grocery stores with a small bar round the back, where you are offered a drink while you wait until the official opening time!

Enjoy the Vacation but Don’t Forget the Golf

Many people end up forgetting the golf and just enjoying the vacation. It’s that kind of place. If, however, you are a serious golf player, then you will not be short of golf courses or people to play against. The golf schools are excellent, with a wealth of experience in teaching the game. After all, this is the home of Padraig Harrington, Darren Clarke and Paul McGinley, and if you are wondering who they are, ask the American Ryder Cup team!

There is a lot to do during Irish golf vacations, and lots of people willing to teach you how to do it properly. When it comes to golf and entertainment the Irish excel, and you will enjoy an experience that you will always remember. Great golf and a great time for everybody!
Article Source: http://www.bettergolfarticles.com

Mike Pedersen is an internationally known golf performance expert. He is the founder of Golf-Trainer.com. For more Ireland golf vacations information, visit his golf vacations section of his golf trainer site today!

OK, Here’s your Medicus review for the season. The Medicus Dual Hinge Driver is actually a great swing training aid that gets you on the correct plane as well as allowing you to focus on your tempo. I’ve used it and it does help. What’s great is that you can actually hit the ball to get a true sense of how it works.

I couldn’t wait to get out with my Medicus Dual Hinge Driver and work on my swing because things just hadn’t been going well with my game.

Identify Problems With Your Swing

So off to the range I went and using the club I was able to learn a lot about my swing. The  Medicus had shown me all the mistakes I had been making (take back too quick and not done with shoulders, not getting toe of club pointed up, not parallel to target at full backswing, left elbow bending on take back, not staying inside on swing, stopping the club and not following through the ball after contact) but with all the problems, there was too much going on in my head.

Next day I was scheduled to play 18 with my brother so I warmed up with my Medicus for a good 15 minutes before teeing off and alternated between practice swings with my Medicus and practice swings with my real driver.

Shot After Shot is Flying True

Struggled for about three holes but because of the slow play just kept practicing and practicing my swing. By the 4th hole things started to click. The takeaway all the way through to the top of my back swing was now automatic and I didn’t have to think about it any longer. Now I could think about coming inside and concentrating on that. Another hole or two goes by and that part now is automatic and I”m not thinking about that. So now my concentration is just on following through and proper weight shift. Holy Moley, I’m hitting my drives straight. Straight left of my target but the flight of the ball is straight. I notice on the fairway that I’m spinning as I swing so I make an adjustment with my feet and point my toes inward just a little. All of a sudden I’m hitting my targets. Everything is starting to click and I’m gaining confidence. Shot after shot is flying true and far and all of a sudden golf is fun again.

Having Fun Again

For me the Medicus has been a life saver. I can’t wait to get out there again. The Medicus Dual Hinge Driver is staying in my bag and I’ll be using it a lot at the driving range and for warming up with before every round. My brother who I play with every week was relieved to see me having fun again. My golf handicap should be heading south, soon.

I don’t know how good a tool it would be for somebody who already has a pretty good swing but for someone struggling as much as I was, this is a good purchase. I doubt that a lesson would have straightened me out as quickly as my Medicus. I don’t see myself trying to hit golf balls with it although you can. But as I said, I’ll be using it daily to fortify my swing and create the all important muscle memory of the proper swing mechanics.

Improve Your Golf Game  Get The Medicus Driver Today. Free Shipping! Secure Site.

Order this amazing golf aid directly from the manufacturer of
Medicus here. Improve Your Golf Game  Get The Medicus Driver Today. Free Shipping! Secure Site.

If you’re like me, you probably buy your golfballs based on economics. With a game like mine, you tend to consider the number of water hazards you’ll face and are more likely to buy loose balls out of the barell in the pro shop knowing that the pain won’t be as accute if some of them wind up in the ponds.

Match Golf Balls to Your Style of Play

But selecting the right golfballs can be as important to the success of your game as the clubs you carry in your bag. You should actually match the balls you use to your swing and the style of game you play. You can’t get your best results on the golf course if your golf balls and style of play are mismatched.

Let’s face it, they do all look the same. But, golf balls are technologically advanced and are all designed with a specific purpose in mind. There are balls for all different levels of skill, from the beginner to the pro, and within those levels there are balls designed specifically to match various playing styles. The balls are designed with different densities that allow for varying levels of spin, distance and control. The core of the golf balls and the various types of covers on the balls determine these factors.

You need to know what your style of play is and what type of ball you need to optimize your performance before you even consider buying golf balls. As your skills develop and you change your style of play, you’ll need to also change the type of ball you use accordingly.

Ask a Pro

Spend a little time with a golf pro or instructor and let him or her see some of your shots. Ask them to tell you what type of ball you should be using. If they are any good at their job, they will be able to advise you what balls to buy.

Good ball choice can also help correct some errors that you might have in your style of play. It could be that the balls you are currently using are mismatched to the way you are hitting them and this is actually more prevalent than many people understand.

Online Ball Selector Free

If you’d like to get some help online to find the right ball for your game, Bridgestone has a tool you can use for free. You only have to answer a few questions about your style of play. They’ll then recommend a ball to use. Of course, it’s a Bridgstone ball. e6 was their recommendation to me.

Bridgestone Ball Selector

Paid Online Ball Selector

Golf Ball Selector For $19.95 you get a one-time ball fitting session, completed online. This tool is much more comprehensive than the Bridgestone one, and will ask you for your clubhead speed, launch angle and spin rate, amongst other things. You’ll then be given a list of ‘best fit’ balls The assessment looks to be pretty comprehensive and you’re not limited to a specific brand of golf ball.

My wife watching the US Open with me. Why should it be so hard to hit a stationary ball? Baseball players hit 100 mile per hour fast balls that dip and rise.  Why is there so much fuss about a simple golf swing?

She thought golf was supposed to be relaxing because it requires so little effort.  I thought the best thing to do was for us to take a trip to the local driving range. I said “you know most people like you, give up on the game before they really understand the dynamics of hitting that little stationary ball”. Yes, it does make sense that an iron club could can blast a ball hundreds of yards. But as she takes the simple swing, there is no movement at all. And on the next swing, backward movement. Perhaps there is a lot more to hitting that little ball than meets the eye.

Let The Club Do The Work

It’s human nature to use the iron to cup it under the ball to hit the ball up into the air. But look at the club. It’s not at all designed to cup beneath the ball. It’s angled back. So, when a golfer tries to scoop up the ball, he or she is really trapping it between the angled face of the club and the ground. That’s why often times, the ball doesn’t move — or worse, moves backwards just a little bit. Instead of striving to hit up, it’s best to learn to hit downward. By hitting down, the angled club will do the work for you, not the upswing of your club. When you hit down, the angle will bump your golf ball forward.

Simple golf swing, right? But putting power behind that little hit takes some practice. You’re tempted to swing big and hard. Resisting that temptation takes as much practice as it does to learn to hit the ball! And I told her, you will see your hitting start to improve, once you have trained yourself against swinging upward. So now she begins to understand why there are various golf club options and choices to make when making a shot. I explained that once you determine how far you want the ball to go and how you need it to perform, you need to pick your club based on the angle of the club face.

Get Some Help

And the best thing to do once you’ve been practicing but still don’t feel like you’re getting the hang of it, is to ask for help. A few good lessons when you’re starting the game of golf is really the smart way to go. So, guess what? We’re both signed up for lessons at a local community course. And, take advantage of online resources. There are so many great video instructions available. Viewing the way things are supposed to be done by some of the top instructors in the game is a real advantage. Ask another golfer you’ve seen play how he or she does it and if they have any tips for hitting the ball. You may think you sound wierd, but when other golfers start to regale you with their tales of learning to hit the ball, almost everyone has had to address that challenge up front.

Go Back To Practicing

With those tips in mind and maybe even a few lessons behind you, go back to practicing. Just as it takes a while to train your mind to think about hitting downward instead of upward, it takes a while to train your body to actually do it the way you have in mind. Don’t give up and remember, the game is all about relaxing so don’t stress too much over hitting the ball.

Golf is a game that is played on a five-inch course – the distance between your ears.  ~Bobby Jones

The game of golf, just like in the game of life, has a huge mental aspect at play in the way that we see ourselves playing and performing. If you look around and see the things that people do like become lawyers, become authors, etc, you’ll find that everyone who has done something great has had some sort of positive thought that they “CAN” do what they are doing. And, if you want to improve your golf game it’s the best place to start.

In order for you to understand the mental aspect of golf, you will really need to see how you and others have accomplished anything in the past. Think about the last time that you fixed something in your home, that you made something out of nothing, or that you did anything that was out of the normal. I’m pretty sure that in your mind you were motivated to do it and you saw yourself being able to accomplish it. Well, this is the same thing that you have to do in the game of golf.

Visualize, Visualize Visualize…

The mental aspect of golf is just like the mental aspect of anything else that we decide to do, so you should do this with your golf game. You need to visualize yourself improving your golf skills, you need to visualize yourself playing better and scoring the way you want to. Start conditioning your mind to believe that you will be a great golfer and you can do it all. No doubt you have a lot of things going on in your life right now, who doesn’t? But you’ll need to put those things aside and visualize yourself playing the way you know that you can. Any distractions that we have can definitely affect us in our game. If we can’t push those things aside we’ll have that in the forefront of our mind and it will not let us visualize playing at the top of our game.

Even Tiger…

Take a look at Tiger Woods; he was definitely affected by his circumstances in his life. Although he is the best golfer in the game, he had to put his game on hold until he was able to see himself playing golf again. He’s back now and playing in the US Open but is he the same golfer that he was before? He’s still dealing with a lot of issues and I’m not sure that he’s able to focus the way he needs to in order to compete with the greatest players on earth.

Think Positive…

So, it’s vital that you are able to clear your mind and really visualize yourself making the shot. Even when you are not on the golf course, play a practice round in your head. It will definately help you the next time you’re on the course. When you are on the course and getting ready to swing, visualize yourself making the shot and sending the ball right where you need it. Although it is extremely important to focus on your golf swing, it is more important to focus on the shot. Position your body, relax your arms, and concentrate on the shot and try not to dwell on anything negative while you are out on the course.

For those of you who have a keen interest in the 2010 Ryder Cup in Wales, there is an excellent post at http://byronkalies.com/wp/2010/04/golf-in-wales/. Writer, golfer and golf writer, Byron Kalies’ post captures the spirit and history of golf in Wales, a country with just under 3 million people and 176 golf courses.  There are some great photos as well and you get a real feel for the treat we have in store for us in October.

My favorite part of the post is when Byron tells the story of a tiny tiny club, Rhosgoch Golf and Leisure Club where the sign at the bar says: “There is no dress code; all that is required is respect for the course and courtesy to fellow golfers.

Sounds like a lesson in life…

The Sergio Garcia-Tiger Woods feud showed shades of Fuzzy Zoeller in its latest iteration.

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