Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Make a Tee Time, then Make the Tee Time

For most rounds of golf you play, you'll want to reserve a tee time. You can get a tee time by calling the golf course the day before (or several days prior, depending on a course's policy) you want to play and requesting a specific time.
Once your group has reserved a tee time, say, 10:14 a.m., it's really nice to actually make the tee time. Plan to get to the golf course at least 30 minutes early, just to be safe (many golfers arrive up to an hour early to warm up). If a tee time is missed, your group might lose its spot and have to wait around for another opening, which can take hours on a busy day. So while tee times are not always required, it's a good idea to have one.
And if you do get to the course early, spend the time wisely by hitting a few balls on the driving range, and putting on the practice putting green.

Choosing an Equipment according to your swing

Taking the right equipment to the course involves both rules and etiquette. The rules place a limit of 14 clubs in each golfer's bag. There is no minimum number of clubs you must have, but borrowing clubs from your partners is not a good idea. Borrowing clubs during a round is permissable under certain circumstances, but it is against the rules in most. So it's best for a beginner to simply make sure he or she has all the clubs they need, up to the maximum of 14.
Even if you're not playing strictly by the rules your first time out, you won't want to be badgering your playing partners to borrow equipment.
Make sure you have in your golf bag plenty of tees and, most importantly, plenty of golf balls. After all, if it's your first time out, you'll probably be losing a lot of balls! And take a ballmark repair tool with you (more on course care below). These are small tools that can be found for a couple bucks at most pro shops. You will need one to repair ballmarks on the greens.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

10 Great tips for playing better golf!



Hit bigger drives with the help of the game's longest drivers
Hitting big drives is arguably the most satisfying, and fun, part of golf. We all want to do it more often but simply don’t know the best method for harnessing our full distance potential. In the following pages, you’ll find tips and tricks from 13 RE/MAX World Long Drive Championship competitors, all of whom know a thing or two about power. Read carefully and get ready to go deep.

Hitting bigger, more powerful drives is just a few tips away.
As an instructor, it can be a challenge to get students to work on chipping and putting—however, they would drop anything to be able to spend time at the range working on their tee shots! Driving the ball longer and straighter is the ultimate goal for most, and there’s no club they wouldn’t buy if they thought it would help them drive the ball like Tiger Woods!

Over The Top

How to smother the slice for goodWith today’s enormous drivers, it has become easier to hit the ball a long way. But if you slice the ball, you’re probably not getting the type of distance you deserve, since sliced shots not only miss the fairway, but also rob you of powerful distance.

Train Your Aim

Understanding the railroad alignment analogyIn this illustration, you can see that I’m standing in the middle of railroad tracks. Well, I’m not really standing on the tracks; I’m using the image to help aim and align myself to my target.

Lag For Power

The secret move for more powerCasting the club from the top of the swing (arms straightening prematurely) is one of the most common power leaks for the amateur player. This move results from a downswing that’s initiated by the muscles in the arms and upper body, and makes it almost impossible to store energy during the downswing.

Total Driving

Sean O'Hair's coach helps you hit it long (and down the middle) every timeIn early March, one of my students, Sean O’Hair, put on a master class in Total Driving at the PODS Championship. (The Tour computes Total Driving by “totaling a player’s rank in both driving distance and driving accuracy.”) For the week, Sean finished T15 in driving accuracy and 8th in driving distance, averaging 282.6 yards. Sean won that week—his second Tour victory—and earned a trip to the Masters. I couldn’t have been more proud.

Downswing Differences

How to hit draws and fades by making simple adjustments to the downswingThe hardest shot in golf is the one that flies in a straight line. It’s so difficult that even the best players in the world rarely try to hit it, mainly since this shot requires the utmost in timing and precision. Draws and fades are a lot easier to repeat, however, considering each has varying degrees from which one can produce a good result. Some fades and draws are more pronounced than others, but with the proper mechanics, any type of fade or draw can work to your benefit and can be much more repeatable than a shot that flies straight.

Drive It A Mile

Add distance with long drive secrets, featuring Sean "The Beast" Fister, 5-time winner Jason Zuback and 11 more of the world's longest hitters
One element I found all long hitters have in common is that they swing around a central axis. It’s okay to move a bit off the ball in the backswing, but if you want to transfer the maximum amount of power into the ball, you can’t sway too far back or forward. Also, you must get your right side all the way through the shot. Notice how my right shoulder and hip are shooting toward the target. This is a must!

Impact: Driver Vs. Iron

Learn The Differences For Solid ContactThere’s at least one basic certainty in golf and that is that good, solid contact produces quality shots. Every player, even those who compete on the PGA Tour, knows this and strives to perfect the moment of impact. Unfortunately, many recreational golfers don’t make high-quality contact as often as they should, in part because they simply don’t know the key elements necessary to do so.

Sweet Spot: Fredrik Jacobson

Sweden’s golf program has produced a number of world-class players in recent years, including Annika Sorenstam, Henrik Stenson and Jesper Parnevik. One of the players you might be less familiar with, Fredrik Jacobson, is well on his way to completing his fourth consecutive year on the PGA Tour after spending six successful years on the European PGA Tour

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Which is the best driver for You?

The every day golfer often wonders which golf driver he should buy. Which company makes the best golf driver? What do the professionals use? What does Tiger Woods use? Some people say, "if it's good enough for Tiger then it should be good enough for me"! But what Tiger or any other golfer uses is not necessarily the best club for you to use. You need to look at your game, your swing and determine what will work best for you. I'm going to give you just a few tips to start your search for a driver that will work for your personal golf game.Right now Tiger Woods is using a Nike SasQuatch Tour 460cc with a 8.5 degree loft. Phil Mickelson, on the other hand, is using a Callaway FT-5 with a 9.5 degree loft. Vijay Singh is using a Cleveland HiBORE XL with a 9.5 degree loft. All three men are very good golfers but they are using clubs from different companies and with different qualities.
A lot will depend upon your abilities and your experience. A golf driver is a very difficult club to master. Although it is used to give you a lot of distance on your shot you also need to have a great deal of control. 300 yards straight down the fairway is a lot different than 300 yards off into the trees! You need to control your shot as much as possible to prevent piling on the strokes over your 18 holes. The professionals have years of experience and training in using a golf driver. They have the necessary control that most everyday golfers don't. Keep that in mind when you're looking for a new golf driver.Notice that each of the clubs mentioned above has a loft under 10 degrees. That is great for the professional golfer but for most beginners and the less experienced golfer that loft will simply not work. A loft of 10 degrees and over will create more spin and make the shot much easier to control for the amateur. In fact, a loft of 10.5 degrees and higher is highly recommended to give you more control on your shot.A golf driver head made of a lighter material like aluminum is also recommended for the high handicap player.
The lighter material will allow a much larger head and subsequently a much larger "sweet spot" to use in driving the ball accurately. Of course, using clubs like the big Bertha or any club with an oversize head will also require an adjustment to your swing or your set up set up with this kind of a driver. Don't simply assume everything remains the same.A good golf professional at your local golf course or driving range will help you to select clubs that will suit and match your game perfectly. Don't simply look to see what Tiger or the other pros are using and do the same. You can end up adding strokes to your game and making the experience less enjoyable. Look to your own golf game for the keys to choosing the proper golf clubs and in this case, choosing the proper golf driver.



Written by Lee Macrae

How to find left handed golf bags?

People who need left handed golf clubs tend to have a hard time finding a good set. On top of that, they normally have a hard time finding a set of them at a great price. The good news is that you do have a few choices that you can make that could help you get your hands on a pair of left handed golf clubs. First of all, you can check around locally. This is usually pretty easy to do. To find sets that are on sale, look in your local newspaper or even try Goodwill. If you do not find any there, you can even try the flee market. Sometimes you will get lucky and find something there.

Now, if you can not find left handed golf clubs locally, then you may want to try finding them online. This is a good way to search for left handed golf clubs, because you can search through tons of stores without having to go from store to store. All you are going to have to do is type in sales on left handed golf clubs in a search engine, and look through the results that come up. A good thing about this is that you are going to get to compare different sales side-by-side. By doing this, you insure yourself that you are getting the best deals. Buying Used Left Handed Golf ClubsSometimes finding clubs on sale still does not save you enough money to want to buy them. That is when you need to start looking for used left handed golf clubs. Keep in mind that just because something is used does not mean that it is no good. In fact, you can sometimes find used left handed golf clubs that look brand new. Now, the best way to find used left handed golf clubs locally would be in the Wanted papers. This is where people place items that they are trying to sell. Sometimes you will get lucky, and sometimes you will not. Either way, it's a good way to start out.Now, if you do not find them locally, you do not have to give up. In fact, your search is just starting.

The next place you are going to want to look for used left handed golf clubs is, of course, eBay. Here you can find tons of different styles of clubs that people are selling for pretty cheap. The only thing that you have to lookout for is how much shipping is and what condition the clubs are in. To do this, make sure that you never buy a product that does not have a picture of itself. Also, be sure to check the shipping price. A lot of times they slap a low price on a product and expect you not to look at how much shipping is. A lot of times people will try to rip you off with a high shipping cost.As you can see, there are tons of ways to go about getting left handed golf clubs. The only thing that you have to know is where to look. If you know where to look and how to look, then there is nothing standing in your way of getting yourself the best golf clubs at a great price.
The author's website lefthandedgolfclubs.us/ provides information about cheap left handed golf clubs.

Choosing Best golf clubs By Sam Brolli?

Buying golf clubs shouldn't be done lightly as it can get expensive quickly. Even second hand, golf club scan still reach a pretty penny so you have to make an informed buying decision. For this reason you should get information before opening your purse. A good golf club, by this I mean a golf club that is right for you will do wonder for your game. You will hopefully find here some information to help you make a informed purchase.

The brand is an obvious thing to consider when purchasing golf clubs. There are quite a few reputable brands like Callaway or Ping. It is hard to go wrong when choosing golf clubs from well-established brands. Indeed, such brands possess high standards and produce very little poor quality products. The flipside is, these golf clubs are often expensive and can be out of reach for some. If such is your case, you have two choices: either buy the clubs second hand or buy what are called clone golf clubs. Clone golf clubs are basically modeled after brand names golf clubs but are cheaper. The often still are of decent quality.Size is another important thing to consider when buying golf clubs. Size is important when it comes to your swing, you have to have the right size for you. The wrong size will have a negative impact on your game and could possibly lead to injuries. There are fitting services where you can go and have your golf clubs tailor made to your style and body.

There is more to golf than golf clubs though. Bags, golf balls, there is a virtually endless list of accessories. No need to go crazy, first get the basics and go from there. Here again, name brands are a good choice if you can afford it. Choosing golf clubs doesn't have to be difficult if you know a few basics. Try to get advice from an experienced player but also go with your gut instinct, if it feels right for you than it's right.

How to choose a shaft for playing golf well?

If you are a golfer who is using a shaft that is too stiff for your swing, you may be cheating yourself of some costly strokes on the course. Conversely, using a club shaft that is too soft for your swing can also rob you of some valuable strokes in your rounds. This article will discuss ways to tell if you would be better off with a different club shaft flex. If your ball flies at a lower trajectory than you expect, perhaps the ideal launch angle is not being achieved. If you notice that your ball has a slight fade, you may also be using a shaft that is stiffer than need be. This is because if you cannot cause the correct bending of the shaft at ball impact, the clubface will be at a less open position at impact.

On the other hand, if you are using a shaft that is too flexible, you may notice a few different symptoms. First, your ball may fly higher for a given loft. Your ball may also draw, due to the shaft being bent forward at impact. The flexible shaft causes the face to rotate past the optimal square position at impact. In order to decide which shaft is the right one for you, take a look at your natural swing before choosing the shaft flex for your game. A good idea is to get your swing speed clocked. Take a natural swing, and if it measures at less than 100 miles per hour, you will probably be better off with shafts that have more flex. Here are some additional rules of thumb when choosing a shaft type. If your 7 iron goes about 150 yards, then a regular flex shaft might be best for you. If your 5 iron goes 150 yards, you want an even more flexible shaft.

Most golfers play with clubs that are too stiff for their swings. First, determine what your swing speed is, then choose your shaft material and flex to correspond with it. In addition to shaft flex and composition, if you find your ball flight being too low or too high, then changing your club's bend point might help as well. If you want to hit the ball lower, select a high bend point. If you want a higher trajectory, select a lower bend point. Every shaft has a bend point, just as it has a flex rating. In summary, there are numerous things to consider when buying replacement shafts for your clubs. Take them all into consideration, and try out different options. Once you find a shaft that feels right in your hands, go with it and improve your game.


Written by Joshua Beldon