Posts Tagged ‘Golf balls’
Golf at Trump National – Colts Neck, New Jersey
I had the opportunity to play Trump National Golf Course located in Colts Neck, NJ this past Friday. I must admit that Donald Trump knows how to do things one way, top notch. The course was taken over by the Trump Organization a short time ago and was revitalized to the tune of approximately $10,000,000 in upgrades.
The one upgrade that impressed me the most was the addition of a 19th hole situated at the rear of the club house just off the dining veranda. The hole is scheduled to be completed by the end of June. Anyone having lunch or enjoying a beer or other libation after the golf round can watch the golfers hit their golf balls onto the green or in the water as it is an Island Green for all intents and purposes. This is a fun innovation where all the bets made during the golf round will be doubled or lost, depending on who can handle the pressure better. Donald Trump has added another fine golf course to his portfolio and I look forward to playing there again soon. Happy Golfing to All!
When hitting golf balls at the range make sure to perform your set up routine for each shot as if you were actually on the golf course. This is an invaluable tip for bettering your game. Many golfers, especially beginners go to the range and just hit balls without aiming at a target or having a goal in mind.
For your next session at the driving range make use of the time there to work on even a single aspect of your game. Whether it be your chipping, long irons, woods, driver or other part of your game that is giving you the most problem, concentrate on improving for your next time out on the course. If you visit the range about once a week you will be surprised how fast you will lower your scores on the golf course. Happy Golfing to All!
Phil Mickelson won this years Masters in dramatic style. During his golf round on Sunday he shot a bogie free 67, not an easy task for any professional golfer. Last year I posted about my disappointment in the major golf tournaments because golf ’s greatest players were never able to seal the deal in the final round. I think we may be in for the best year in competitive golf that we’ve seen in a long while if The Masters is any indication of what we can anticipate. The last Masters I watched as exciting as this year was in 1986 when golfing legend, Jack Nicklaus rallied on the back nine holes on Sunday to become the oldest player to win a major at age 46. Another fan favorite, Fred Couples and golfing legend Tom Watson set a good precedent for any golfer who thinks there may be an age limit to determine ones golfing skills by playing as well or better than many of the younger players in the field. They accomplished this feat at age 50 and 60 respectively. Tom Watson faltered after the first round but he played well enough to make the cut which is an accomplishment in itself at any age. Fred Couples, a past Masters Champion from 1992, is now dominating the senior tour and he led the field after the first round. Fred, at 50, played better than the majority of his peers finishing alone in sixth place at -9, just two shots back of Tiger Woods and K. J. Choi. Tiger and K. J. Choi were paired together and matched each others score for all four rounds and finished at -11, tied for fourth place. When Tiger Woods was interviewed on camera he expressed disappointment in his performance in this years Masters Tournment. His only goal was to win the tournament as his competitive nature will not allow him to settle for anything less than victory.
Tiger Woods made his first appearance on the PGA Tour in 1997 and I immediately became a fan. The events that transpired last Thanksgiving were the beginning of a traumatic period in the life of the worlds most renowned golfer, Tiger Woods. Although he put on a smile for his fans and the camera and was received well by his peers, the media and his golfing fans, he seemed distant during this tournament and justifiably so having his dalliances and indiscretions during his marriage being so blatantly exposed for public scrutiny. Tiger Woods is an incredible golfer, and I know of no other who could have performed so well after a four month plus hiatus from golf and with his personal life turned upside down since last November. As remarkably as he played he had opportunities to score better but seemed distracted as he made some un- Tiger like mental errors down the stretch. On one of the final golf holes he took a two foot par putt for granted, missed and had to settle for bogie. If not for this error in judgement he may very well have contended for a possible second or third place finish. The miss was uncharacteristic of Tiger’s normal performance especially when the competition is heating up down the stretch.
Phil Mickelson, on the other hand, was a man on a mission as he brought home the Green Jacket for himself, wife Amy and his mom and family. His performance during the tournament and especially in the final round on Sunday showed the world the golfing skills that make him the greatest player on tour in the present day era of golf, maybe second only to Tiger Woods. Tiger exposed himself to the world as the mere mortal that he is and not the superman who some perceived him to be before the incident last year. He has left the door open for Phil to move into his # 1 slot as Phil is a spectacular player who is coming into his own and is finally believing in himself. Unfortunately, it may have taken a family crisis to make that happen. His wife Amy was courageous as she made her way to the tournament with their children to be by her husbands side despite her illness. She wanted to share in this historic moment as she played an important role by inspiring Phil to win his third green jacket. Phil Mickelson now shares this honor with some of the most renowned names in golf, Jimmy Demaret, Nick Faldo, Gary Player and Sam Snead. Arnold Palmer, another golf legend has four wins along with Tiger Woods. Jack Nicklaus leads with an incredible six victories at this prestigious golf tournament, The Masters. I thoroughly enjoyed this years Masters and I look forward to seeing Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods and the other great players on tour, hitting golf balls and competing in the rest of the majors in 2010. Happy Golfing to All!
Since more than half the strokes of your total golf score are made on or around the putting green it pays to spend some time working on your putting skills. In past seasons I have been a streaky putter meaning some days I’m off and others I drop every putt I hit into the cup. Naturally the latter is the preference and lately I made some changes in my set up and technique that have made me more consistent and better when on the green.
Speed and Direction are the two key components to the putt but you have to be able to read the slope of the green to determine direction. The read and speed will come mostly from practice and experience as each green is different. The techniques I now utilize to aid with consistency are the following: 1) Use the writing on the golf balls to place your ball on line with the read you determined after viewing the slope of the green.
2) View the slope of the green from at least two directions
3) Keep your head down until your hear the golf balls drop into the cup or until well after the ball is struck with the putter. {Fore: If you pick your head up too quickly it may pull you off line on the follow thru which is critical for good consistent putts}
4) Wedge your left elbow into your left side and use your shoulders and arms in a pendulum motion as you start your putt and hold this position until you finish the stroke.
Try these different methods and see if they help your game on the green. Happy Golfing to All!
I’ve always been a proponent of golf etiquette from the time of my first golf round. Many new golfers and some experienced golfers alike do not always observe the etiquette that is associated with golf. Of the many courtesies that should be extended to your fellow players on the golf course, one I observe frequently being overlooked is allowing a single golfer to play through or asking them to join you if there are only two or three players in your group.
This infraction of golf etiquette was more apparent this past weekend when I was the single golfer and the two groups ahead of me were not observing the common courtesies associated with the game. I played the first six holes solo and finally caught a twosome and followed them for a number of holes. I caught up to them on the tee box of the eleventh hole where they were preparing to tee off and they did not bother to ask if I would like to join them or play through until about four holes later. I finally did play through and ended up behind a foursome who was more discourteous than the twosome. They ignored the fact that I was waiting indefinitely on each hole as they proceeded to hit their golf balls, one shot worse than the other. I had enough at the 17th hole and left the golf course since I was waiting at least 20 minutes on each hole for them to clear the landing area. The amount of time they took was well above the average total of about 15 minutes usually required to play an entire golf hole. If the day was beautiful and sunny like it was the previous weekend I may have played the last two holes but the cold windy conditions made it difficult to wait for each shot.
Tip for the day (Fore: Observe Golf Etiquette - allow a single to join you if you have three or less golfers in your group. It is also courteous to allow a single player or twosome to play through, especially if you notice them behind your group and waiting on every shot.)
Happy Golfing to All!
A short time ago it appeared as if Tiger and Elin were trying to salvage their marriage after he had completed the first part of his sex addiction treatment. Now it is rumored that Elin will be returning home with their children and Tiger Woods will be competing in The Masters without his wife and family in the stands cheering him on. This is a good indication that the reconcilliation is not going well and it may be over for them.
The big question is will his personal problems and the lay off from golf competition affect his performance in The Masters. This is a tough venue to return for and it will be a true test of how this situation has affected perhaps the greatest golfer who ever lived. We should be able to make some determination by how he is hitting golf balls in the first two rounds if he will be around on Sunday to make a run at the Green Jacket. What do you think? Send in your opinion and comments. Happy Golfing to All!
What a great weekend for golf and outdoor activities in general. Spring is in the air and golf fever is spreading quickly. It was nice to see the sun shining again after the harsh winter months and the “Hurricane Without a Name” just a short weekend ago. My significant other and I enjoyed golf at the Brentwood Country Club on Long Island this past weekend. As noted in previous posts this is a no frills golf course but it does promote and allow walking, which is our prteference whenever possible. Since we were trapped indoors for the past few months due to the snow, rain and cold this was a pleasant reprieve and very enjoyable to be out in the sun and getting some good exercise walking the golf course at the same time.
We started out early and hit some golf balls to warm up before our round. It was a real pleasure especially since it was not crowded and the pace of play was well above average for Brentwood. We played in about four hours, which is great as the average time for a round here is normally five hours plus. I am looking forward to playing golf again very soon to prepare for my Myrtle Beach trip in a few weeks. I played well this past weekend but I still need to fine tune my game and get the rust off before the trip. My buddies are very competitive and if I don’t bring my A- Game I will be paying the tab at the 19th hole after each round which is not my preference. So let’s get the clubs out, shake the rust off and schedule your first round for this golf season if you haven’t already done so. The green fees are still priced at winter rates at most courses so take advantage of the good weather and low prices while you can. Happy Golfing to All!
Can the golf season finally be here? I sure hope so because at this same time last week there was near hurricane conditions throughout the metropolitan area and through much of the northeast, in fact some areas are still without power. This is a new week and it appears that spring is in the air and golf fever will be catching on soon. We have enjoyed some warm weather over the past few days and the sun has finally come out from behind the clouds. This is the weather that golfers around the country dream about for March.
The weather forecast for this weekend will be most enjoyable for golfing. Hitting golf balls is one of my favorite pastimes and having seventy degree temperatures to actually play on a golf course in March is the icing on the cake. I look forward to the weekend and golf on Saturday and maybe Sunday? I hope you will be joining me. Happy Golfing to All!
As most of you know we’ve had to endure extreme weather conditions in the northeast and also in many other parts of the country. For the past five days the weather has been brutal with torrential rain and high winds causing power outages, property damage and even loss of life. We’ve had enough. It is time to be out doors again, hitting golf balls and playing the game we love.
The projected forecast for this coming weekend is 66 degrees and sunny so guess what I’ll be doing, Golf, Golf, Golf! Can’t wait. I’ve only played once in the past four months and I’m looking forward to the spring and summer temperatures and hopefully not too rainy April. Let’s shake the rust off, take out the golf training aids and get ready to play golf. Happy Golfing to All!
I’m sorry to say it appears that the Farmers Almanac’s prediction for a harsh and snowy winter was on the money. This winter was not at all conducive for all of us die hard golfers to keep our games in shape for the coming golf season. Now is the time to start to exercise and preparing to allow yourself to play your best once the season arrives, which will hopefully be in a couple of weeks.
Some suggestions to help shake the winter rust off are as follows: 1) Take about ten to fifteen minutes each day and stretch. This will loosen the muscles and allow for a better fluidity in the swing and help avoid injury once the golf season arrives. 2) If weather permits take a few clubs or a weighted club and swing in the backyard which will also promote a better golf swing as the season is quickly approaching. 3) Get out the putting cup and practice rolling those putts whether in your living room, bedroom, den or any other available space in your home. Though not the same as putting on the golf green, you can still practice your set up, lining up your putt, your grip on the putter, keeping your head down, and your putting stroke, etc. 4)If you have an area in your backyard to actually hit golf balls then take advantage of this opportunity. If the golf range is open in your area this is another opportunity to check out your full swing and get the kinks out prior to the season arriving.
Have fun and Happy Golfing to all!