Posts Tagged ‘Golf Equipment’
Dress for Success on the Golf Course
Dressing properly to play golf is an important rule of golf etiquette, not to mention proper golf apparel is required for most golf courses in order to be allowed to play on them. It is good practice to wear golf apparel which is stylish and comfortable as it will aid in your confidence as you play. If you dress for success, chances are you are more likely to feel like a golfer and it will help your game even if only from a psychological standpoint.
Some of the brand names that offer good quality golf attire are as follows: Ping, Callaway, Greg Norman, Ashworth, I-Zod and Under Armour which is great for keeping the body cool in the summer. Most of these golf clothing manufacturers carry a full line of golf apparel such as Shirts, both long and short sleeve, Vest, Slacks, Shorts, Raingear, Under Armour Wear, and most any type of golf clothing for both men and women alike. So remember to Dress for Success on the golf course and you will be!
I would like to wish you a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year & Happy Golfing to All in 2010!
Now that it is winter in most parts of the country it is a perfect time to contemplate a game plan to improve for this coming golf season. I know my priority for the new year is to shave a few more stokes off my handicap and get into single digits, if possible. The only way I can accomplish this task is to set up a game plan and stick with it. There are a multitude of excellent golf training aidson the market and each one of them can strategically serve to better various parts of a persons game. It will all depend on the individuals game plan. Take myself for instance, I have a fairly good all around game but my main problem is inconsistency. I can score birdie or even eagle on one hole and I can just as easily bogie, double bogie or worse on the next.
Since I have been playing golf for over 30 years, I am aware of the main contributing factors to my inconsistency. This time I have resolved to do something about it. It is a basic fundamental approach to a good golf game. Practice, Practice and more Practice. It is not as glamorous as playing on the actual golf course but if you put in the time, the reward on your next outing may be well worth the extra effort. The golf training aids that I intend on using over the winter months and in the early spring and would highly recommend to any golfer who wants to improve consistency in their golf game are as follows:
1) A Golf Mat – hitting golf balls will keep you loose and limber and aid in your consistency. (See Photo above left)
2) A Driving Net – a great complement for the golf mat and will allow you to hit full shots with limited space. (See Photo above left)
3) A Swing Gyde Trainer – in a previous post I elaborated on the value of this particular item. Great for helping with the consistency of critical parts of the golf swing.
4) Weighted Clubs combined with a good all around exercise regimen – invaluable for preventing injury and strengthening the golf muscles to provide more power in your game.
5) A Range Finder – just received as a holiday gift and can’t wait to try it out- will help with accurate reads of yardages to flag stick locations, which is especially important for the new golfer.
6) Putting Guides – Since more than half of a golfers score is made on the green it is wise to sharpen your putting skills if you want to shave those last few strokes off.
Listed above are some of the golf training aidsI will be utilizing in the off season in order to accomplish my New Year’s Resolution to better my golf game. Using one or all of these training aids can only serve to improve your golf game so why not resolve to better your game too! I wish you all much success in the upcoming golf season and Happy Golfing to All!
A good shot in golf requires an equally good golf club. Every golfer knows that the club used by them has an influence on their game performance. That is why a lot of golfers even go through the trouble of ordering custom-made clubs just to be sure that they fit their gaming practices well.
Callaway golf clubs have been preferred by many golfers simply because the clubs are not just the best, but the very best! It is great for launching, smashing and achieving more distance. You can be very fully satisfied these clubs in your hand because of their versatility in many. The clubs can aid you to consistently hit quality shots and is tops for their stability and accuracy. You can always expect the best and most exciting game for you with these clubs at hand.
In two previous posts I touched on Golf Etiquette, an important but often overlooked fundamental of the game of golf. Some additional golf tips for beginners regarding golf etiquette are as follows:
- Yelling “Fore” out loud if you hit an errant shot that goes off line and anywhere near another group of golfers, {Fore: A golf ball can become a dangerous weapon if aimed or directed at another person so DO NOT ever fool around and aim toward another person because the result could be deadly.
- Not driving your cart on or around the green or tee area.
- Adhering to the local rules of the golf course.
- Not marking your score in the area around the green while another group is waiting to hit up.
- Having the integrity to write your correct score on the card. {Fore: It is not critical for the beginner to keep actual score.
- Returning a lost club by a fellow player to the pro shop so they can retrieve it after their round.
- Wearing proper golf attire while on the course.
As a new golfer the importance of etiquette may take a back seat because it is not as exciting as hitting a great shot to a tight pin placement, but when first learning to play is perhaps the most critical time to adhere to this all too often overlooked aspect of the game. This way it will become second nature to you and you will be learning to play the game of golf “The Right Way”. Observe these simple courtesies so you and your fellow golfers will enjoy the journey all the more. Happy Golfing to All!
The latest development in the Tiger Woods saga was noted in Star Magazine this past week. There is a possibility that Rachel Uchitel, one of the young women Tiger had a fling with, is pregnant. There are also claims that they have both expressed their love for one another but was that in the heat of the moment or is it truly how they feel? Either way, if this rumor turns out to be true, Tiger’s return to golf could be delayed indefinitely and any hope for a reconciliation with Elin will surely be unlikely in the future.
So what is the world’s premier golfer to do? Hopefully the pregnancy rumor will turn out to be just that and Tiger will be able to commence on the road back to rebuilding his image, his career, making amends with the PGA, his sponsors, his family and friends and concentrating once again on his golf game. Getting out on the links and hitting golf balls will be the best medicine for Tiger right now. I wish him the best on his journey back for as I’ve stated previously he will be sorely missed by his fans and the golfing community until he returns to the game he loves, golf!
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season for New Year’s will arrive in just a few days with more good things to come in 2010. Happy Golfing to All!
It’s that time of year when all the lights and decorations are in place and the holiday spirit is in the air. Most people are looking forward to spending time with family and friends and enjoying the festivities of the holidays.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have subscribed or visited Guide For Beginning Golfers and wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Joyous and Blessed Holiday Season!
I’m looking forward to returning to the links with golf clubs in hand as soon as possible. Unfortunately we received a substantial snowfall in the northeast, as in many parts of the country and unless we can plan a quick getaway down south golf will be on hold for a while. I’ll set up my auto putter, do my golf exercises to stay loose and read up on the latest golf developments in Golf Digest until the snow melts and the golf courses are accessible again.
Happy Holidays & Happy Golfing to all!
When a golfer is first learning to play it is usually difficult to estimate yardages to landing areas in fairways and especially to flagstick placements on the green. I know from experience that some greens are fairly large and deep and the club you select can vary 3 or 4 numbers, depending on where the flag may be located on that particular day. These golf training aids are excellent for the beginning golfer because they will allow you an advantage to help lower your golf score.
If you have an accurate read on the distances to your target on the course, it will increase your confidence with your shot, thus translating into better scoring potential on each hole. The new Rangefinders on the market will continually calculate and display distances to the front, center and back of every green. They also show the locations of bunkers and hazards, which are critical to avoid if you want to score well.
Some of the manufacturers are:
1)GARMIN, who is the world leader in GPS technology,
2)Skycaddie SG5 by Skycaddie
3)uPro Golf GPS by Callaway
Any of these top brand names will provide you with course maps to upwards of 15,000 golf courses at a low annual subscription fee so have fun with your new GPS and Happy Golfing to All!
In the previous post I presented some of the rules of Golf Etiquette and some golf tips for beginners. There are many other courtesies to be observed with golf and the ones listed below are worth mentioning.
- Not taking an excessive amount of time looking for a lost ball ( 3 to 5 min. max.)
- Conceding a short putt, especially for the beginner so as to keep the pace of play moving {Fore: Not Allowed by the USGA Rules of Golf for Professionals in Competitive Play}
- Being considerate enough to allow a quick playing group behind you to play through.
- Not taking more than twice the amount of strokes than noted for Par on any given hole, especially for the beginning golfer. { Fore: In regulation golf all strokes must be counted until the golf ball is sunk into the cup. The suggestion to keep your total score to double par is for the beginning golfer to help maintain the pace of play. This courtesy should not be continued after a player has reached a certain level of skill.}
- Repair or replace a Fairway Divot, which is a clump of grass removed in the fairway by the swing of your club.
Listed above are some additional rules of golf etiquette to be observed as you play. Observing these special courtesies will make the game more enjoyable for you and your fellow golfers. Happy Golfing to All!
Etiquette is described in the dictionary as “Any Special Code of Behavior or Courtesy” and Golf is a game based on special codes of behavior and courtesies.
One of the first rules of golf etiquette is to “Learn to play properly before going out on the golf course”. I’ve been playing golf for about thirty years or so and there are many golfers, and especially beginners, who venture out on the course without a clue as to how to play, the basic rules of golf and devoid of any etiquette required by the game.
Some Golf Tips for Beginners on Golf Etiquette are as follows:
- Learning the basic rules of golf before venturing out on a regulation golf course and not breaking 90% of them before finishing the first hole.
- Standing to the side and out of the view of your fellow golfer and remaining still and quiet while they address and hit their ball, especially while on the “Tee Area”
- Repairing your Divot which is a mark or indentation made by the golf ball landing on the putting green. It is good golf etiquette to also repair one or two others.
- Waiting patiently while the player farthest from the hole hits first and being ready to hit when your turn comes.
- Not stepping in ones putting line while on the green.
There are many more courtesies to be extended to your playing companions and fellow golfers which will be discussed in a subsequent post. You will learn them as you gain more experience playing. Observe these simple courtesies so you and your fellow golfers will enjoy the journey all the more. Happy Golfing to All!
Tempo is not a single part of the swing but it is an integral and important part of your entire swing. It is the smooth rhythmic method of timing your pace of swing so that your body works in concert with the club to achieve the most distance, control and accuracy that your ability will allow. Good Tempo will also help promote a consistency in your swing which will in turn result in consistently better ball striking thus greater scoring capabilities. As in Music, Tempo is the beat, the speed and timing whereby your instrument is in sync with the other instruments. Also, as required in music, you have to acquire a feel for the rhythm of your swing. It can be as simple as counting one on the back swing and two for the downswing and follow thru, to create the right beat for you. I can tell you from experience that some days my swing Tempo is working better than others and the results on those days can be dramatic. Tempo requires a feel that you must experience before you can really understand the greater potential for a consistently more accurate and powerful all around golf swing.
One important swing key with all steps of the golf swing and an integral part of a good Tempo is to relax. A good Tempo may be difficult to achieve at first but it will come with practice. There are some excellent golf training aids that can help a golfer to learn Tempo. If you are having problems achieving that key ingredient in your swing one of these devices should help. Make sure to practice this important and integral component of the golf swing for a truly better game. Happy Golfing to All!