Golf Swing: A Beginners Guide To Golf

Swing Momentum Drill and Freedom of Movement

2008-10-10T12:22:00.000-04:00

By Katherine Roberts

Swing momentum drill and freedom in your swing through breathing

The golf swing requires “effortless power”, a balance of strength, flexibility and freedom of movement. My friend, Sean “The Beast” Fister, long drive champion, describes one of the best ways to generate power in your swing is to learn how to relieve stress from the body before your takeaway.

This week we look at two ways you can create freedom of movement in your golf swing. The golf tip from Brad Brewer provides you with a great drill for the practice tee and the course.

From a physical perspective the best way to create freedom in your swing is to learn the proper way to breathe. When we hold our breath it creates muscular tension and makes fluidity in your swing almost impossible. Practice your breathing off the course and when you feel you have mastered deep breathing begin to incorporate breathing into your pre-shot routine.

Note: For the complete warm-up for golf, check out our downloadable golf fitness tips on www.KRFlexFit.com

How To Stop Your Slice

2008-09-18T09:00:00.009-04:00

I ran across this article which was insightful to me right away. It opened up my thought process concerning my swing, so I thought I might share it here. It is a great read and I hope you find it as enlightening is I did. I also threw in a video with this post so enjoy.

Why is it that 7 out of 8 Golfers that aren’t happy with their Driver have the ‘problem’ of slicing the golf ball? It’s a dilemma that causes many Golfers to go to the extremes and often swallow any dignity they have by trying some crazy looking Golf Tips on the driving range as others often look at you and wonder – “What is he/she doing over there?”

‘The key to stopping your slice is to make sure you swing toe-up to toe-up.’

And when I say “going to the extremes to fix” – I wouldn’t classify buying a new Driver every year as extreme! A new Driver every year isn’t as exotic a purchase as it used to be – it’s pretty commonplace these days.

‘To stop your slice you need to learn to roll over your wrists through impact so that your forearms cross as you go through the golf ball.’

Talk of slicing the golf ball often overtakes all golf conversations about being inconsistent on the golf course. And if you’re into marketing (meaning getting people to pay attention to what you say), the easiest way for a Golf Company to get your attention is to talk about helping Golfers fix their slice and advertise the heck out of it!

‘To turn your slice into a draw, you need to learn how to make an inside to outside swing path by taking the club more inside on your takeaway and keeping your right elbow close to your side at the start of the downswing as you swing out to right-field’

It would be so easy to sit here and give you tip after tip on how to stop your slice because I could write anything and I guarantee that there will be a desperate Golfer that tries each tip until something works. Isn’t that how Golf Digest has built their empire? They just give you a few tips a month, you try them and … if they work they work. If they don’t … you just wait till next month’s issue for some more Slice tips.

‘The simplest way to stop slicing is to have a stronger grip so that the back of your left hand (for a right-handed Golfer) is more on top of the golf club and allows you to see 3 or 4 knuckles when you look down.’

I call this technique - desperation marketing – or marketing to the desperate Golfer. With just about everyone wanting to hit their Driver straighter, longer or with a Draw – anyone with their ball curving to the right (for a right-handed Golfer) will listen or read just about anything that promises improvement.

‘Making sure that you completely follow-through with your swing will allow you to release your clubhead so that it’s closing through impact and promoting a draw. And to insure a full follow-through, keep swinging until your club finishes in the proper position with the shaft behind your head and parallel to the ground’

And judging by the amount of infomercials that are being produced for golf training aides that will stop your slice – the Golfer that loves these gadgets are going to be like a kid in a candy store with all the new toys they can buy to stop their banana ball. Because if you think that every training aide has been already invented – wait to you see the onslaught that’s coming!

‘Release your arms through the golf ball while keeping your lead shoulder down. You need to achieve a perfect forearm rotation by using your lead elbow as your hinge. Your hands must still move towards your target although your lead elbow has stopped.’

And what’s amazing is that the more complex I make the solution for a Golfer’s problem – the more people will listen to what I have to say. It’s as if Golfers say to themselves – “There’s a lot of work involved with that tip - so it must be the correct way.” I mean what’s exciting about making improvement simple by helping someone control their club face so that they become more consistent and eliminate their slice? Wouldn’t it be more glamorous learning that your swing plane is 5.2 degrees too flat and that you need to make sure that during your swing that you start with a one piece takeaway, then cock your wrists as your shoulders turn 90 degrees and your hips rotate 45 degrees?

‘Setting the club at the top of your swing while keeping your left wrist flat (for a right-handed Golfer) and having your right wrist bent at a 90 degree angle so that your palm is facing the sky as if holding a tray; while having your right elbow also at a 90 degree angle will allow you to have square club face at the top of your swing which will guarantee a square clubface at impact.’

In the old western movies, you often saw a snake oil salesman riding into town selling some potion that would cure anything that ails you. As most of the town people would start out skeptical about this magical potion – the salesman would spin tales and tell convincing stories of how this magic potion has cured every ailment known to mankind. It’s my belief that these snake oil salesmen are still around – they just don’t go town to town anymore – they use technology and try to sell you magazine subscriptions (which help them to raise their advertising rates) by giving you ‘3 Surefire Ways To Stop Your Slice’.

‘The key to stop a slice is to hold the angle of the club on the downswing as long as you can. This should create a more acute angle between your forearms and the shaft than the angle created on the back swing. Then just before impact, at the last second possible, snap your wrists through the ball.’

Which just makes PT Barnum look more and more like a genius. Because the golf business has adapted Barnum’s famous line to say – “There’s a Golfer with a slice born every minute.”

‘To stop your slice, you need to turn your head to the right after you reach the top of your swing. This will put your eyes on the correct inside-to-out swing path, rather than directly on the target line. From this position, you’re much less likely to cut across the ball through impact. With minimal practice, those killer slices will turn into powerful draws.’

So my question to you is – when are you going to stop looking at golf tips that supposedly help you to stop your slice? Because you’ve been reading these tips for the last 5 years or more and you’re still slicing! Do you think that there’s still a tip yet to be published that will solve all your slicing problems? Golf Tips don’t cure Slice Woos. You need a PLAN to fix your Slice.

‘If your hands are inside the buttons of your shirt, then you’ve brought the club too far inside and will probably try to make a correction during the downswing path. When you make this type of adjustment, expect momentum to take the club outside your desired path, producing an outside-to-in downswing.’

It’s my belief that you won’t find a Golf Tip that cures all because it’s my belief that the tip of all tips has already been published. What’s that tip? Oh, it’s the tip by David Ledbetter that said: ‘that in order to lose tension in your golf swing, you need to open your mouth at address with your tongue on the roof of your mouth and keep it that way as you swing back and through. This will free you up to make a good tempo, rhythmic swing.’

I guess PT Barnum was ahead of his time, because as stupid as that tip is – and it really is a David Ledbetter tip that was published in a Golf Magazine – the rest of the golf tips that you run across pretty much are just as ineffective; although they might not sound as far fetched.

The Monkey can’t pass up an anti-slice tip and probably experiments with 20 or more each year

The Player focuses on one thing – having a PLAN to control their clubhead

Go ahead, be a Player!

Regards,

Marc Solomon - Your Instructor For Life

www.GolfMadeSimple.com

RotarySwing.com Revolutioning Online Golf Instruction

2008-09-18T09:00:00.002-04:00

RotarySwing.com is changing the face of golf instruction by simplifying the way the swing is taught. No longer relying on complicated backswing positions that can take the average golfer years to learn, the Rotary Swing makes it easy for ANY golfer to improve and enjoy the game. Golfers can learn the Rotary Swing online through online golf instruction with a former professional golfer!

Through the use of its proprietary golf swing and online instruction technique, RotarySwing.com is quickly changing the golf instruction landscape. The Rotary Swing is the simplest way to learn to swing a golf club and with the new online golf instruction program, golfers can submit their videos online and receive a "movie" back of their online golf lesson from a former professional golfer on the Nationwide Tour. Currently, RotarySwing.com is offering a discount on these online golf lessons for only $49.

Chuck Quinton, founder of the Rotary Swing technique and golf instructor in Windermere, FL, has helped thousands of golfers shave their handicaps by learning his simple swing technique. "So many golfers come to me in desparation, frustrated with the current state of their games. Golf instruction in the past has failed them because it was too complex and difficult to learn given their limited practice time. I've simplified the golf swing into simple Rotary Swing fundamentals that can be learned in less than 15 minutes so that even the busy professional with limited time to practice can improve after online one lesson," Quinton says.

Quinton's results have been impressive to say the least, with members of his golf instruction website shaving over 10 strokes off their handicaps in as little as 2 months. And his work on the professional tours has been equally impressive with one of his students, Paul Dickinson, leading three rounds of a 2007 Nationwide Tour event. Now, Paul is Quinton's lead instructor and performs all the online golf lessons. "Adding Paul to the team was a strategic move to ensure we could handle all the new students who are coming to the Rotary Swing and provide them with world class golf instruction. Paul has now done hundreds of online lessons via our website and we couldn't be happier with the results," said Quinton.

Simplify your golf swing today and enjoy your best ball striking ever by learning the very simple technique of the Rotary Golf Swing. If you are tired of struggling with your golf swing and want to simplify your technique, visit the home of the Simple Golf Swing - http://www.RotarySwing.com

Wind damages Ryder Cup site

2008-09-18T09:00:00.001-04:00

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Strong wind felled a TV tower and some trees at Valhalla Golf Club on Sunday, five days before the start of the Ryder Cup.

Kerry Haigh, managing director of championships and business development for the PGA of America said the television tower fell on the 12th hole.

"The PGA of America is working to clean up all affected areas and is confident that when spectators arrive on Tuesday for the first full practice round, Valhalla will be ready for the biggest event in golf this year," Haigh said.

The Ryder Cup matches between the United States and Europe will open Friday.

2008-08-31T07:01:00.002-04:00

PARAMUS, N.J. - The FedEx Cup playoffs opened with a "Caddyshack" moment.

While stately Ridgewood Country Club will certainly never be confused with fictitious Bushwood, a gopher — or was it a mole? — made a cameo appearance Sunday on the final hole of Vijay Singh's playoff victory in The Barclays.

After Singh topped Sergio Garcia's 27-foot birdie putt on the first extra hole with a 26-footer, the furry critter entered the scene on the 577-yard, par-5 17th.

First, Garcia uncharacteristically hooked his drive into the left rough. Then, with Singh in the fairway, Garcia's second shot stopped behind a huge tree in the right rough. Singh then hit a 267-yard approach onto the green, about 20 feet long and right.

"I got stymied behind the tree and I got lucky because I got a drop because of some gopher holes or whatever it was," Garcia said. "It wasn't where my ball was, but like about 5 or 6 feet left. It was actually moving. You could see the grass going up and down. It was actually there and we were trying to find it, but we couldn't."

Able to get a clear path to the green, Garcia advanced the ball near the front of the green about 30 feet from the hole and nearly holed his chip. Singh then rolled his 20-foot eagle putt within inches for a tap-in birdie.

"I wasn't really concerned about him," Singh said. "I just wanted to know why he got a drop, there was obviously a mole there and he was burrowing at that moment, you could see him popping out. ... I was really focused on what I was doing."

The 45-year-old Fijian closed with a 1-under 70 to match Garcia (70) and Kevin Sutherland (68) at 8-under 276 on the A.W. Tillinghast-designed Ridgewood course, the first-time site after 41 seasons at Westchester Country Club.

"It's a great golf course," said Singh, the 1993, 1995 and 2006 winner at Westchester. "Westchester was a good golf course. This tops Westchester. Every single player out there absolutely enjoyed this golf course."

The Bridgestone winner three weeks ago at Firestone, Singh earned 11,000 FedEx Cup points in the playoff opener to take the lead with 109,500 points — 5,125 ahead of second-place Garcia. Singh also earned $1.26 million for his 33rd PGA Tour victory.

Singh and Garcia, a two-time Westchester champion who won The Players Championship in May in a playoff with Paul Goydos, had the large crowd around the 18th green roaring with the birdie exchange on the first extra hole.

"I think he was surprised to make his," Singh said. "I was surprised to see it go in and he was even more surprised to see mine go in."

Singh and Garcia high-fived each other after Singh holed his putt.

"He's a good friend of mine," Singh said. "It's hard to see your friend not win, especially if he's playing against you, but somebody has to win."

Sutherland was on the back fringe in three when Garcia and Singh holed out.

"I really am happy with how I played and, obviously, disappointed I wasn't able to play a little bit better in the playoff," said Sutherland, third in the standings. "I've got to forget about that and think about the other 72 holes."

Third-round leader Kevin Streelman (72), Ben Curtis (68) and Mathew Goggin (67) tied for fourth at 7 under, and Martin Laird (67), Justin Leonard (67), Nicholas Thompson (67), Mike Weir (72) and Paul Casey (72) followed at 6 under.

Garcia reached 8 under with a tap-in birdie on 17, and missed a chance to get to 9 under on 18 when he pulled a 16-footer. Singh, playing in the final group, reached 8 under with a two-putt birdie on 17, and also missed a 16-foot birdie try on 18.

"It was a tough day. It wasn't easy to get close to the hole, so birdie was difficult to come by," Singh said. "It was drying out really, really a lot, and you've got to play almost conservative on some holes.

"But it was a great playoff, though. I enjoyed that."

Phil Mickelson shot a 68 to tie for 19th at 4 under. He dropped from third to fourth in the points standings entering his Deutsche Bank title defense.

"I was a good round and it gives me some momentum to carry over," he said.

Steve Stricker, three strokes ahead after a second-round 64 and four in front at 12 under after 10 holes Saturday, had a 71 to join Mickelson at 4 under. The winner last year at Westchester, Stricker shot a 77 in the third round.

Kenny Perry, second in the standings behind the sidelined Tiger Woods entering the week, had weekend rounds of 72 and 76 to tie for 48th at even par. A three-time winner this season, Perry dropped to seventh in the points race.

Divots:@ Lee Janzen, the last qualifier at No. 144, finished at even par to jump to 119th — the second-to-last spot for the Deutsche Bank. Alex Cejka, in the Czech Republic for the PGA European Challenge Tour event that he sponsors, ended up 120th. ... After the Deutsche Bank, the field will be cut to 70 for the BMW Championship and to 30 for the Tour Championship. ... Woods dropped to 15th. ... The 2009 event will be played at Liberty National in Jersey City.

Golf Exercises Improve Swing and Distance with Pilates Techniques Developed Specifically to Improve Golf Swing

2008-05-30T21:10:00.000-04:00

A new golf exercise program, Hole in One Pilates, uses Pilates techniques to improve the golf swing biomechanics needed to hit the ball consistently farther and straighter while reducing the risk of injury and back pain.

Las Vegas, NV (PRWEB) February 21, 2007 -- Many golfers looking to improve their golf swing and overall game are turning to Pilates when instructors and other golf exercises do not deliver the desired results.

"Your golf instructor can tell you how to change and improve your swing, but sometimes your body just won't move that way," said Sarah Christensen, founder of Hole in One Pilates. "Pilates techniques develop a solid core of strength with flexibility, stability, balance, alignment and posture -- all of the body requirements for the golf swing.

Your golf instructor can tell you how to change and improve your swing, but sometimes your body just won't move that way

Not only are the Hole in One Pilates techniques applied to workouts at home or in the Pilates center, they are taken right onto the course and applied to the swing."

By improving the way the body moves, Pilates techniques used in the Hole in One Pilates golf exercise program improve distance, accuracy and consistency. They also help eliminate back pain and reduce the risk of injury.

"With Hole in One Pilates, not only am I hitting the ball farther, I can now tie my shoes without pain!" said Butch Harmon, Golf Digest's top golf instructor and coach. Harmon has worked with Tiger Woods, Greg Norman, Freddie Couples, Adam Scott, Natalie Gulbis and other high-ranking professional golfers.

The Hole in One Pilates golf exercises are designed for golfers new to Pilates. The program includes a sixty-five-minute DVD for golfers new to Pilates. It covers Pilates techniques and golf exercises to improve the golf swing and reduce risk of injury, including:

Injury Prevention Warm-up which can be done every day.
Exercises to hit the ball farther.
Exercises to hit the ball straighter.
On-the-course routine incorporating the golf cart and club.

To learn more about using Pilates techniques as a part of golf exercises, or to see what USA Today is saying about professional golfers using Pilates, visit www.HoleinOnePilates.com.

About Hole in One Pilates
Hole in One Pilates founder Sarah Christensen worked for three years with golf conditioning specialists, Pilates master teachers, physical therapists, and golf teaching professionals to develop a solid program that will help both amateur and professional golfers consistently hit the ball farther and straighter with reduced risk of injury and back pain.

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Golf Swing Training Club Helps Golfers Avoid Top Five Golf Swing Mistakes

2008-05-29T00:42:00.000-04:00

Golf Swing Training Club Helps Golfers Avoid Top Five Golf Swing Mistakes

The Impact Master golf swing training club, created by veteran golf instructor John Darling, teaches golfers how to improve their golf swing power and gain consistency by avoiding the most common golf swing mistakes.

Jacksonville, FL (PRWEB) October 17, 2006 -- Created by veteran golf instructor John Darling, who worked closely with Mark McCumber, a professional golfer with ten PGA Tour wins (including the prestigious Players Championship and Tour Championship), the Impact Master golf swing training club was specially designed to help golfers improve golf swing power and consistency.

"Consistency is the number one request golfers have when they’re looking for improvement, and consistency is directly linked to proper club impact with the ball," said Darling. "Before the Impact Master, the answer to improving impact was to create practice drills without hitting balls, and using visual images of what occurs at the moment of impact with things like impact bags, brooms, swing waves, and many other designs too numerous to list. Most training aids miss the most important part of practicing golf: striking the ball and training your golf swing for correct impact. Golfers want to hit the ball, and Impact Master lets them train for a consistent golf swing doing just that."

When you work with the Impact Master--you realize that the power and your acceleration comes more from your lower body and that's what's going to make you more consistent.

There are five common golf swing mistakes most often made by amateur golfers:

Incorrect club impact with golf ball
Poor body rotation
Incorrect weight transfer
Flipping hands when swinging through the ball
Slowing down the left arm

The Impact Master golf swing training club teaches golfers how to avoid all of them. The Impact Master’s design allows the golfer to train with a tour-designed 56-degree sand wedge and an extension insert. The extension provides a secure feel without impact vibrations and gives the golfer the necessary feedback of good or poor technique immediately. After a practice session, the extension can simply be loosened and removed so the sand wedge can be put into regular play.

After practicing with the Impact Master over the course of a year, Josh McCumber qualified for the 2005 U.S. Open at Pinehurst. This was the first time Josh had qualified for the Open in eleven attempts, and he attributes a great deal of his success this time around to using the Impact Master golf swing training club regularly.

"When you work with the Impact Master--you realize that the power and your acceleration comes more from your lower body and that's what's going to make you more consistent. "The feedback the Impact Master gave me was immediate because of the extension that's in the club; if I didn't do it right, I got thumped on my side. It allowed me to make proper contact and realize how much I needed to accelerate on a short shot."

Impact Master has also designed a secondary product for improving golf swings called the Plane Master. This golf swing training attachment teaches the golfer how to keep the club on its correct swing plane and monitor how square the club remains throughout the golf swing process.

To learn more about how to improving golf swings with the Impact Master golf swing training club, the Plane Master, or Impact Master’s instructional DVDs, visit www.ImpactMaster.com.

About Impact Master
Working closely with Mark McCumber, ten-time PGA Tour winner, including Players Championship and Tour Championship, John Darling, a professional golf instructor since 1968 and a founding instructor of the Golf University in San Diego, created Impact Master, a tour-quality sand wedge designed and developed to make the golf swing training club more than just a training club. The sand wedge has specific head designs demanded by the best players in the world. Darling has partnered with McCumber Golf to help golfers of all levels learn to control the club at impact, making the game more enjoyable.

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Hit the Links with Tips from GOLF Magazine’s Top 100 Teachers

2008-05-22T19:09:00.000-04:00

Hit the Links with Tips from GOLF Magazine’s Top 100 Teachers

NEW YORK (Business Wire EON) October 15, 2007 -- Want advice from a teaching pro on how to play like Tiger? Now the experts behind the pros are sharing their secrets with golfers of every level, in GOLF: The Best Instruction Book Ever!

12 Lessons You Need to Shoot Lower Scores.

“Since their debut in 1996, the Top 100 Teachers have helped more than one million readers improve their game,” said David DeNunzio, Managing Editor (Instruction) at GOLF Magazine, adding, “this book represents the finest instruction GOLF Magazine has to offer.” www.golf.com

GOLF: The Best Instruction Book Ever! is filled with over 1,000 tips, drills and lessons from GOLF Magazine’s Top 100 Teachers. These pros, renowned for their effective teaching methods, have produced more than 3,000 pages of instruction in GOLF Magazine.

Tips Include How To:

Practice like a Tour Pro.
Hit iron shots that fly straight to your targets.
Hit more fairways.
Master flop shots and lobs.
Avoid three-putting.

The Best Instruction Book Ever! is a collection of the most indispensable instruction, complete with 192 pages of stunning photography and three-dimensional diagrams, to show you the fastest ways to lower your score. As an added bonus, the book also features a 30-minute DVD of Top 100 Teacher Instruction on “12 Lessons You Need to Shoot Lower Scores.”

GOLF: The Best Instruction Book Ever! is the perfect gift for every golf enthusiast looking to improve their game. The instruction guide will be available at major booksellers and pro shops nationwide October 23, 2007 at a cover price of ($29.95.)

Drivers - Not Just for Chauffeuring You Around

2008-03-07T21:24:00.003-05:00

In golf, the driver is also known as the 1 wood. Normally it’s the longest club in the bag
and has the largest head. This club is used to hit the ball off the tee out of the box, which is where the ball is teed up to start playing a hole. Of course, on a short par 3 hole, the driver would be left in the bag, and another club would be selected, unless the golfer just had a hankering to fly the green and blow any chance at making a birdie or par.

Now, it should be noted that the club known as the driver is not something that can be used to literally drive someone around. If anyone put this club behind the wheel of their car and climbed into the back seat expecting to be chauffeured to a specific destination, or just driven around in general, they will have a very, very, very long wait. After all, it is a golf club, not someone who gets paid to drive cars. It does not have arms or legs, nor does it have eyes or ears. You will note there was no mention of a brain, but that is because there are so many people on the road who also do not appear to have a functioning brain while they are driving.
On the other hand, a driver (the golf club) is a great way to get the ball down the links on the golf course. A well hit ball can travel more than three hundred yards. However, this kind of driving power is most often seen on the Professional Golf Association (PGA) tour. The average golfer is doing well to hit the ball two hundred and fifty to two hundred and seventy five yards off the tee and these are not drives to be ashamed of.

There is no set average distance for holes on the golf course, which makes driving on different courses a major challenge, in some cases. Some par 4 holes can be as short as two hundred and eighty five yards, while others can be closer to five hundred yards in length. Either way, a well hit drive is required to do well in the game of golf.

The basic idea of driving the golf ball is to keep the ball in the fairway, out of the rough, avoiding sand traps, and most definitely staying away from any water hazards the course may have to offer. This concept, though, is easier said than done. After all, the least little
thing can affect the golfer’s concentration. This can result in the ball being, toed, or hit
off the front of the driver, or heeled, which is when the ball is hit off the back part of the driver. Those are bad things.
Toeing a drive will send the ball sharply to the right if the golfer is right handed, or to the left if the golfer is a southpaw. Consequently, a drive hit off the heel of the club will go left for the right handed player and right for the lefty.

Customized and Personalized Golf

2008-02-09T03:37:00.000-05:00

You can have any number of personally detailed golf accessories. Customized golf equipment, accessories or paraphernalia is a wonderful gift ideal for the golfer in your life. It is also a wonderful purchase for your own golf needs. Golf clubs alone have some original accessories that are easily found and made more special with personal touches.
The idea of personalizing golf equipment can begin with the gold bag that carries the precious cargo of your clubs. Monograms stitched into the leather or canvas is an unobtrusive way to show ownership and also to personalize. Using monogrammed golf towels or using golf balls with your name on them is a great way to personalize the golf scene without being tacky or presumptuous. And you never know when a large bag of discount personalized golf tees could really come in handy.
Golf clubs with the owners name engraved in them is the beginning of a long list of wonderful personalized and customized golf equipment. Needing golf clubs that vary from the ordinary in height, length or strength is what customizing is all about. You will discover there is a whole retail world out there that thrives on customization. Golf clubs are indeed just the beginning.
Golf apparel is no exception to the personal side of golf. Comfortable and affordable clothes, shoes, hats and umbrellas are just a few of the enormous choices available for personalized golf. With discount and wholesale golf apparel shops offering every affordable style is made available to the golfing public there is no reason not to be original in your appearance on the golf course.
So many great gift ideas come to mind when you think about customizing and personalizing golf equipment. Head covers can boast the family crest or they can even be a knitted gift from your teenage daughters for your birthday. Either way they are equally cherished for their unique sentimental value.
Customizing your vacation to include a home rented in advance in Augusta, Georgia for a personal view of the Masters can be an amazing way to show your loyalty to the sport of golf. Being up close and personal to such an event is something planned well in advance and could be in some cases a once in a lifetime occurrence. Customized and personalized can go hand in hand and need not be so expensive. Creating your own tournament for a good cause is always a fun project for the entire family or helpful organization.
Customizing your golf accessories can range from the practical to the outrageous. Installing seat warmers or air conditioners in your golf car might seem a little extravagant to some people. If you are serious about your golf these accessories and customizations are deemed a necessity. A seat warmer or range finder may seem trivial in comparison to some extravagant examples. Golf cars that look like the SUV in your driveway may seem a little excessive. If you have the money to indulge in such luxuries than so be it. Who said a Rolls Royce golf car was over the top?

Cleaning Your Golf Clubs

2008-02-04T21:07:00.000-05:00

You and your golf clubs have been through a lot together: the four person benefit scramble, the company tournament and weekends of enjoyment. They become an integral part of your life so it makes sense to take good care of them. Golf club maintenance is easy and adds years of life to your set by simply keeping them clean.
All you will need is a bucket, some mild dish liquid (not the kind used for automatic dishwashers), an old toothbrush, and some soft towels. It helps to do the cleaning outside so you can rinse them with a water hose, but you may choose to clean them in a bathroom or utility room if the clubs are not too dirty.
First, pour a few drops of dish liquid in the bucket. Add warm water and briskly swish your hand back and forth in the bucket to create warm, sudsy water. Don’t fill the bucket too full. You want the water to cover the heads of your golf clubs, but not much else.
Put your irons into the bucket of warm, sudsy water. Use a cloth to “bathe” them. It is
that simple! Once you have given the clubs a simple wash down, get the toothbrush and scrub the heads to remove dirt from the grooves. Depending on how dirty your clubs are, this might take a little effort and some elbow grease.
Once you have washed your golf clubs and cleaned their grooves, you will need to rinse them. A sprayer works great so if you are outside, simply hose off the soap and dirt with the outdoor water hose. Indoors, use the shower. You can simply run them under a faucet inside, too. No matter how you choose to rinse the clubs, make sure you dry them well.
Use another clean cloth and dry the club. Make sure it dries completely to avoid spots and damage.
Clean the handles and any wood work on the golf clubs with a dampened cloth. It is safest not to ever submerge golf club wood work into water. The water might damage the coloring, protective coat or the wood itself.
While your clubs are out, clean out your bag. A quick wipe down of the bag’s interior
with a damp cloth is generally all the inside needs. Follow up with a wipe down using a dry cloth. Spot clean the outside of your bag after each golf outing as needed. Once the clubs have been individually washed and dried, return them to the clean bag.
If you think it is silly to wash and dry your golf clubs, look around next time you are at the course. Make note of how many other golfers are playing with clean clubs. They take care of them because the clubs are an instrumental tool of the sport, just like cleaning a gun after a hunting session or target practice.
When you take good care of your golf clubs after each outing, you’ll be ready to hit the
greens for your next tee time!

Are Golf Shoes Really Necessary?

2008-01-28T19:50:00.000-05:00

While some kind of footwear is required on most golf courses, are golf shoes really necessary? This is a question to be answered by each individual golfer as it is his or her feet we are talking about.
Some courses require soft spikes only so the course doesn’t get chewed up with the
walking around people have to do when playing, especially if the people are walking the entire course. And, most club houses will only allow soft spikes to be worn inside, to protect the carpet.

Let us be honest with one another, the vast majority of golf shoes are not attractive footwear. But, golf shoes are far from being the ugliest footwear in sports. That honor, dubious though it may be, belongs entirely to bowling shoes. Who, in their right mind, would want to wear red and green shoes, especially that type of shoes? At least golf shoes are designed in a more practical, and somewhat more attractive, manner. But, are they really needed in order for a person to play golf?

No, they are not. The footwear a golfer chooses to wear can be practically anything from moccasins to a good athletic shoe. A golfer’s footwork is more important than his or her choice in footwear.
But, the shoe a golfer wears should be comfortable on his or her feet. There is nothing worse for a golfer than an uncomfortable shoe. If the toes are pinched, or the back rides up on the heel, the golfer will be miserable and will not be able to concentrate on playing golf, which is why he or she is on the golf course in the first place.

So, comfort comes first. After comfort, traction is important. This is because the golfer can’t have their feet turning after they have struck the ball. If this happens, the ball will careen wildly, most likely winding up as a major league slice or hook. The ball, though, will not go where the golfer had planned to hit it.

Should a golfer choose to forego golf shoes for another type of footwear, he or she should think about the type of shoe he or she wants to wear on the links. They should then examine the tread pattern on the bottom of the shoe. If the bottom of the shoe is slick, with no pattern at all, it would be a good idea to leave these shoes behind as there will be little, if any traction, and none at all if the course is wet, either from rain or dew.

What is the best type of tread pattern? Again, this will be up to the individual golfer and his or her preferences. For some, the old tire tread pattern (used on the sole of a lot of boots and sandals) works well. This type of shoe sole will provide traction for the golfer. Some may prefer a circular pattern of sole, while others may like something entirely different.
The most important thing, though, is for the golfer to be comfortable and confident with the shoes being worn when playing. In fact, the less a golfer thinks about shoes when playing is a good thing.

Are Golf Lessons For You?

2008-01-25T20:23:00.000-05:00

If you’ve been thinking about taking up golf, or if you’re a golfer in search of a better
game, you may have considered golf lessons. But are golf lessons really beneficial? And how do you find a pro who will offer good advice?

There are some who swear that lessons are vital and others who say that practice is the only thing that will improve your golf game. The truth seems to lie somewhere in the middle. But before you drop your coach or sign up for lessons, consider what it is that you hope golf lessons will accomplish. Outlining your goals may help you decide whether you truly need lessons or simply more time on the course.
If you play with others who play exceptionally well, you may want to find someone to
give you some help with your game. Whether that’s a paid coach or merely a friend who
plays well is strictly a personal choice. Getting some pointers and tips may be a good way to ensure that you don’t totally embarrass yourself in front of other players.

If you’re serious about the game, you’ve probably been involved long enough that you don’t need advice on whether to get a coach. But if you’ve only recently discovered the
joy of golfing, you may find yourself looking for a way to improve your game. Golf lessons could very well be the answer.
Some people say that lessons give them a set time to practice and an opportunity to completely focus on the game. You’ll typically be less interrupted than if you were playing on your own, stopping to chat with friends along the way. But others say the simple fact of having someone scrutinizing every move and offering constant advice is more distracting than helpful. Decide whether you’re one of those who accept direction and works well in that situation. That’s a major clue as to whether golf lessons are a good
idea.

Remember that a golf coach’s job is to teach you to golf correctly. That means that there are some habits that he (or she) will be trying to ingrain and others they’ll be trying to break. While golfing correctly is a terrific goal, many golfers have some bad habits that they tout as benefiting their game. Changing your grip, adjusting your stance or even using different equipment may be among the “must do” list from your coach. You may resist those changes. You have two options. You can do your best to follow the
instructions, or you can explain that you aren’t planning to change that particular habit. If you don’t plan to change, you may need to reexamine your decision to take lessons. Without following directions, lessons may become a waste of time and effort on both parts, and money on yours.

Golf lessons are great for some people. It’s a personal decision whether you are one of those who will benefit from a coach – formal or informal. But remember that the most important thing to improve your golf game is simply practice.

A Good Golf Bag is a Beautiful Thing

2008-01-22T06:36:00.000-05:00

Few things are more important to a golfer than a good golf bag. First off, golf bags come in many styles and a wide variety of colors. You can choose a bag for style, features or pick a color to match your mood.

Some have legs that fold out when they are placed on the ground and stand upright so the
golfer doesn’t have to bend down and pick it up. That’s a nice feature in golf bags,
especially if the golfer tends to walk the course, as many do. There is plenty of bending to be done when a golfer is trying to remove an obstacle from around his or her ball, or to get the ball out of the cup, so any way to avoid bending over is more than appreciated.
All golf bags have compartments where the golf clubs are to be placed. Each golfer has his or her own way of doing this and putting clubs where he or she wants them. Some golfers, though, are lazy and just stick their clubs in the compartments, grabbing whichever one they want when a particular club is needed. But, some golf bags have tubes to protect the club grips. These are nice to have. With the tubes, a golfer can get his or her clubs out easier. The clubs are never tangled up, and the grips last a lot longer.

Another important factor in choosing a golf bag is the number of pockets it has. Frankly,
there’s no such thing as too many pockets in a golf bag. First, one of the pockets will be used to hold the golf bag’s hood. The hood is used to keep the clubs and bag from getting
drenched when it rains. Another pocket will be used to keep extra towels (believe it or not, extra towels are important in the summer to keep the sweat off the brow and out of the eyes, along with keeping the hands relatively dry. Then, there is the pocket used for keeping the extra golf tees and possibly the divot tool. Finally, a pocket is needed for the
golf balls themselves, and it doesn’t hurt to have a pocket to carry another dozen balls in,
just in case.

Some courses are so difficult it is easy to lose a lot of balls during 18-holes of play. This makes having an extra box of balls around a good thing, but there has to be somewhere in the golf bag to keep them, which means another pocket.
Imagine trying to play golf without a bag. The golfer would be constantly stooping over picking up clubs, tees, balls, towels and the divot tool. Then he or she would have to walk to the ball, drop all of the clubs and stuff, select a club, hit the ball, and start the process all over again. It would be a major pain in the neck, and would make it nearly impossible to finish playing a round of golf. So, golf bags are an essential part of the game of golf.

Author: Peter Grace

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The History Of Golf

2008-01-17T15:20:00.000-05:00

Golf has seen an incredible rise in popularity over the past few decades, and that popularity continues to grow. From the days when golf was consider the pastime of a select few old folks who walked the greens in their checked pants, the sport today has a tremendous following. It can largely be attributed to players like Tiger Woods – charismatic players who captured the attention of everyone, including those who have never picked up a golf club. Added to this is Hollywood’s take with movies that have portrayed golfers as the heroes they are.

While the following has changed significantly, so has the industry. There are resorts, vacation packages and even housing developments built around incredible golf courses. Finding a great place to golf has never been easier with the number of courses growing annually and those managing the courses set to make the most of the property available. There’s no way to really tell what prompted the rising popularity of the sport. But if you look at the number of young people walking the greens with parents and grandparents, and the number of schools with a golf program for its students, you’ll see that it’s most likely a trend that will continue for the foreseeable future.

The History of Golf

Arguably golf’s interesting origin began five centuries in the past. It is a historical fact that due to the interference of golf with much more serious combat drills James II of Scotland banned golf in an act of Parliament on March 6 in the year 1457. There is general agreement among historians and golf fans alike that the Scots were the first golfers who became somewhat addicted to the sport. However the persons responsible for the invention of golf is open to debate. And debate will ensue if you breech the subject with the right persons.

It has been suggested that bored sheepherders became quite exceptional at knocking round shaped stones into rabbit holes with their wooden shepherds staffs. Making a competitive game of the boredom seemed inevitable. After all women’s lib was not yet even considered so that means the shepherds were men. Lets face another fact of history, men tend to be more of a competitive nature. Various forms of golf were played as early as the fourteenth century. These games were played in Holland, Belgium, France as well as in Scotland, thus the debate of golf’s origin is rightly fueled.

There is another historical fact that Scottish Baron, James VI, was the man who delivered the game we know today as golf to the English. For many years the game was played on severely rugged terrain, where no proper upkeep was required. In most accounts golf was played with crudely cut holes in the ground where the earth was reasonably flat.

It was a group of Edinburgh golfers who first formed an organized club. In 1744 the Honorable Company of Edinburgh Golfers was established. At this time in history the first thirteen laws of golf were drawn up for an annual competition. This first competition consisted of players from any part of Great Britain or Ireland.

One of the earliest golf clubs that were formed outside golf’s debatable native home of Scotland was the Royal Blackheath Golf Club of England. Blackheath came into existence in 1766 and the Old Manchester Golf Club was founded on the Kersal Moor in 1818.

By the late 1800’s the Royal Montreal Club and the Quebec Golf Club were to become the first in North America. It wasn’t until 1888 that golf resurfaced in the United States with more fervor than each prior surfacing. Even then it was a Scotsman, John Reid, who first built a three-hole course in Yonkers New York. St. Andrews Club of Yonkers was built in a thirty-acre site near to the original three-hole course.

From the hesitant and fitful start golf grew rapidly as the new national pastime in America. Modern for its time the golf club, Shinnecock Hills was founded in 1891 and in the nine years left in that century more than one thousand prestigious golf clubs opened in North America.

The historical value of golf is as interesting as any part of our heritage. Following the path that golf took to get from a shepherds field to the amazing golf courses that dot our culture today it is no wonder golf remains a popular pastime in all parts of the world.

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How To Play Golf

2008-01-07T00:55:00.000-05:00

How to Play Golf: the Basics by Andre Sanchez

For any beginner wanting to learn how to play golf, the basics are relatively simple to understand. It is once these have been mastered that the various aspects of the game that make the difference between the average, the good and the great can be considered.
So what are these basics that you must learn before you can begin to understand how to play the game of golf properly? The objective of the game is simple enough: to hit a ball from the tee into the hole in as few shots as possible for, usually, eighteen holes in a round of golf. It is the way in which this is achieved, and the selection of tools with which to achieve it, that distinguishes the difference in ability between players.

First the tools. You are allowed a maximum of 14 golf clubs in your bag at the start of any competition game. You have three distinctly different types of club: the woods which are for long distance shots, the irons which can be for any distance less than the very longest of shots, but with which you have more control that with the woods, and the putter which is designed for the last shots needed to putt the ball on the putting green into the hole.
The woods range from the driver, which is used for long shots from the tee, upwards, and some even play with a 7 wood. The average player will use a driver, and probably a 1, 2 and 3 wood. The irons consist of the long irons 1 thru 3, the mid irons, 4 thru 7, and the short irons, 8, 9 an up to the sand wedge. The average distance for a 1 iron is about 210 yards, 175 yards for a 4 iron and about 100 yards for a 9 iron. A pitching wedge and sand iron are used for shorter distances.

The best way to practice is to use three irons ; either three odds or three evens; then swing the same with each and determine how long you hit them. In that way you can get an idea of the correct club to play from whatever distance you estimate yourself from your target. Then use three more and do the same thing, until eventually you have a good idea what club you should use to drive specific distances. The reason for sticking to all odd or all even is that there is a greater loft, and hence distance, between them and it easier to distinguish real distance from difference in the strength of your swing.

Once you can use your clubs to a reasonable degree of proficiency, you can concentrate on the tactics of the game. You might think that golf needs few tactics, but in fact each hole can be played in a number of different ways. You can try to drive the ball as hard and as far as you can, but that might get you into trouble with obstacles or hazards such as sand traps, trees and bushes, or lakes. You can then decide to either play short of these hazards, leaving yourself a better shot next time, or to try to clear them.

Your choice of club for specific shots will not always be based on distance. You will generally have less control over a shot using a wood that with an iron. Incidentally, the term wood is used because these long distance clubs were at one time made from wood, but are now made from any material including titanium. However, their design, and the length of the shaft, renders them long but less accurate, and sometimes you might decide that a one iron is a better club for a specific shot that a two or three wood. Much depends on whether or not you need good accuracy as well as distance.

You also have to learn how to play out of bunkers or sand traps. That is a skill in itself, and can often be worth a shot or two each round. If that doesn't sound much, just consider the difference four shots could make at the end of one of the majors. It is likely that your ability to understand what you can do with each club in terms of accuracy and distance is the most important golfing skill you will develop. Once you have mastered that of course, your ability to reach the higher echelons of the game will depend much on your swing consistency and your fitness for golf, and that is what you will have to work on next, once you understand the difference between your clubs.

The development of a consistently good swing is very important. The top professional players all have a consistent swing, and you will have work long and hard on developing yours if you have the desire to reach the top in golf. You should be able to pick up any club and know within about ten feet where it will land. It is the direction that counts, and the way you approach each hole. Your ability to spin the ball in any direction will determine whether or not you can play round a tree for a better next shot, or play into a dogleg so that you have a clear shot at the hole.
These are the finer points of the game that you will have to learn once you have a consistent grip, grooved swing and understand your clubs. However, before you reach that level of understanding of the game, you will have to learn how to play golf starting with the basics, and learning the difference between your clubs and how to swing consistently the same each time are your first tasks.

About the Author
How to Play Golf: the Basics was originally published at http://www.golfplayernow.com

Golf Swing

2008-01-07T00:53:00.000-05:00

Welcome:
This blog is dedicated to that all elusive golf swing. We will be posting very soon