What Information You Should Take From a Golf Club Fitting
It is very important that you have a proper golf club
fitting before you buy your next set of irons. Many golf
professionals are well trained into how to fit a student
properly. You need to know what to expect as well as the
important topics that should be covered in the golf club
fitting session.
When meeting with your club fitter during your golf club
fitting session, you need to discuss your skill level. Be
honest! Do not feel intimidated or overwhelmed as the club
fitter is there to help you. The results will be revealed
during your session anyway. In addition, the two of you
should discuss what your specific goals are with your golf
game. This can help determine which iron head may perform
the best for you.
You should arrive with an idea of what type of iron head
that you like by how it looks as well as how it feels. If
you look down and do not like what you see, you typically
will not perform well.
Once you have decided on which clubhead you like during your
and the one that will help you achieve you golf goals after
your golf club fitting, you need to find the correct shaft
flex. This will be where the expertise of the club fitter
will greatly help you. Golf shafts typically come in a
variety of flexes such as ladies, senior, regular, stiff and
extra stiff. Manufacturers will call these different names
as sometimes egos get in the way. I have always said that if
the club had a pink and green shaft that made the ball go at
the hole that club would be in my bag. Due to many different
factors, such as swing speed, and how you deliver the golf
club to the ball, the golf shaft prescribed may not be what
you originally were thinking or have been playing. Make your
decision on how the golf ball performs not on what the shaft
says.
The shaft material for the set of irons can be made of steel
or graphite. Unless you have any injury to your shoulders
elbows or wrists, steel is typically the better choice. With
recent technology, manufacturers are now able to produce
very light steel shafts that are able to improve your game.
During the golf club fitting, the club fitter will also be
able to find the proper lie angle for your new set of irons.
The lie angle is simply the angle that is created where the
shaft and the head meet. As you are looking the face of an
iron, the lie angle is the bottom right corner of the club
head. Most golf club fittings falls between two degrees flat
and two degrees upright. Some companies have color-coded
this in an effort to make it easier for the consumers and
fitters.
During your golf club fitting, your fitter will also fit you
for the proper size for your golf grip. You will also have
the options of a total rubber grip, a rubber grip with a
half-cord and a rubber grip with a full cord.
With this information, you will be able to get the most out
of your golf club fitting.
Max Johnson of VGS Golf & Country Club Supplies Learn more
about a Club Fitting. Shop for your next Golf Equipment.
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Golf Putting Mirrors Will Improve Multiple Putting
Fundamentals
Golf putting mirrors can be very useful as they can address
multiple putting fundamentals. This makes golf putting
mirrors very popular among golf instructors and among all
different skill levels. These training aids are easy to find
in local golf shops or online and can be easily stored in
any size golf bag.
Golf putting mirrors will help you work on many different
fundamentals of putting. Using this type of golf training
aid you will be able to:
1. Monitor if your eyes are over the golf ball prior to your
putting stroke. This will be a function of how far away from
the golf ball that you should stand. This could also help
you determine the correct putter length for you. Once your
eyes are over the gold ball, do you feel cramped? What
happens if you move farther away and bend over a little
more? If you are wondering about the correct length of your
putter do this with a PGA Professional to insure the length
will be correct.
2. Monitor if your shoulders are aligned properly prior to
make your putting stroke. With these mirrors, you can
practice your alignment to make sure that you are properly
pointed down your target line.
3. With a golf putting mirror, you can monitor the clubface
angle prior to making your stroke. Most of the golf putting
mirrors have lines on them to assist you and to give you an
extra reference point.
So the golf putting mirrors will help me improve my stroke
but how do I use it? Well, funny that you should ask! Here
is how to best use golf putting mirrors:
- Find a flat spot on the putting surface. When you first
start, it is easier to begin closer to the hole such as
three or four feet.
- Align the putting mirror to your target. Use the lines
that are drawn on the putting mirror to assist you to insure
that it is pointing down your target line.
- Now position the golf ball on the unit or next to the
unit. This of course depends on what type of unit that you
have.
- Take your putting stance and monitor that your eyes are
exactly over the golf ball. In order to achieve this, you
may have to adjust the distance from the ball or your
posture.
- Monitor that the putter face is square along the target
line.
- Monitor your shoulder sin the putting mirror. You will be
looking for things such as if you are able to see only the
back shoulder that means you are open or pointing to the
left of the target line. If the front shoulder is visible in
the putting mirror, then you are closed or pointing to the
right of the target.
No matter your skill level, putting aids such as a golf
putting mirror can be indeed a great help to you as you
learn to improve your putting stroke. As you can work on
multiple fundamentals with this one putting practice aid,
you will be able to show a tremendous improvement in their
putting as well as their score after just using this type of
aid for a short period of time.
Max Johnson of VGS Golf & Country Club Supplies Learn about
Putting Mirrors. Shop for Golf Training Aids.
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Golf Tips to Help You Reduce Your Handicap Quickly
There are many factors to consider if you want to get better
at the game of golf. Practice is one of the most important
elements so do not think you can become a low handicap
player without any practice. However this does not mean you
need to spend hours and hours at the range every day. If you
practice smart then you can get better without having to
sacrifice too much time on the game. Spending enough time on
the short game is very important as it is critical in order
to lower your handicap. Here are some key tips to keep in
mind to help you improve:
Tip 1: Learn the short game first
Learning how to putt and hit shots around the greens is an
important step in helping you to get better at this game
faster. Take a few lessons initially if you have to in order
to learn a specific putting technique. One of the keys with
putting is to pick one main mechanical approach and then to
stay with that through thick and thin making small changes
along the way to fine tune your stroke. The problem with
constantly changing putting styles is that your body is
never given the chance to learn and get used to one
technique so you will not be as good as you can be.
Do not forget to take some time before each round to hit
some practice shots around the greens like chips, flops and
bunker shots. These short shots around the green can really
help to lower your scores quite rapidly. Practice really is
the biggest key in getting better at these shots so be sure
to take the time to learn them if you find that you tend to
struggle getting up and down.
Tip 2: Practice smart
Most golfers do not use their practice time in the best
manner possible. They either spend too much time on the
wrong clubs or too little time to give themselves a chance
to get better. Be sure to allocate appropriate time amounts
on the short game and the long game. Also stay focused
mentally on each shot and go through your routine so you can
develop greater consistency in your game. There are
essentially two mental approaches you can take when
practicing and they are being in the training mentality or
in the trusting mentality. You want to spend most practice
sessions working in the trusting mentality as that is where
you need to be on the course in order to play your best.
It is also important to learn to listen to your body because
if you practice too much you will experience major fatigue
and exhaustion so learn to back off once in a while
especially if you are a low handicap player. Physical
strength and flexibility are key components to good golf so
be sure to stretch appropriately before each workout and
also be sure to implement some type of strength training
program into your life so that you are building strong
muscles which will make the game a lot easier.
Kenneth is an author and webmaster. Learn useful golf swing
tips to help you become a better ball striker quickly. Do
not forget to check out our page on golf driving tips so you
can hit longer and straighter drives more often.
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The Ryder Cup of Golf
The Ryder Cup is a contest that is held every 2 years
between the PGA tours of Europe and the United States.
Samuel Ryder was an English entrepreneur and also a keen
golfer who funded an international golf competition in 1926.
While watching this competition he thought it would be a
good idea to make the match a regular event. So he donated a
gold trophy, and in 1927, after the trophy was named after
him, the first official Ryder Cup competition was played in
Massachusetts between teams from the USA and the UK. After a
long period of US domination in the Ryder Cup, in 1979 the
UK team was extended to include Europe and since then the
competition has been a lot closer.
Both Ryder Cup teams are made up of 12 players and are
captained by an experienced golfer from their respective
countries. The majority of both teams are made up from the
top players on each tour's order of merit, the exception
being that the captain's are allowed a number of picks. At
present, the US captain has 4 picks while his European
counterpart has 2.
Currently, the format of the Ryder Cup is played over 3
days. On days 1 and 2 there are 4 foursome matches and 4
fourball matches. The team playing at home gets to choose
whether they play foursomes or fourballs in the morning or
afternoon. A foursome match has 2 players from each team and
the players play alternate shots. Player 1 on each team tees
off, and player 2 takes the second shot and continues like
this until the hole is completed. In the fourballs, there
are still 2 players on each team but they play their own
balls this time until the hole is completed. On day 3 there
are 12 singles matches. With 1 point available for a win and
? point available if the match is drawn the magic number to
reach is 14 ? points to win the trophy outright. The present
holders of the trophy will retain it with 14 points. All
matches are played as matchplay as opposed to stroke play.
A lot of changes have been made to the Ryder Cup over the
years, but it is still one of the most exciting and hard
fought competitions in the golfing world. The USA team are
the current holders of the trophy, but the European team
will be bidding to win it back when the next event takes
place at Celtic Manor golf club in Wales.
Gordon Simpson. http://reduceyourgolfhandicap.blogspot.com/
A blog for the everyday golfer. Recent news and advice about
all things golf. Visit my website above for more
information.
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Golf Tips to Help You Learn the Game Faster
Golf tips are available online on the major aspects of the
game. You can get lot of interesting tips relating to iron
game, wood game, fitness, putting, equipment, warm-up and
some more interesting golf tips from professional golfers.
A valuable iron game tip is to get the bottom of your swing
in front of the ball when you attempt to hit the ball with
your irons. This helps to contact the ball before the
ground. You can strike the ball with irons much more
steadily by following this tip.
Many amateur golf players complain that they cannot hit the
ball well with the wood. Problem with most of the players is
that the poor quality contact. Golf tips to such players are
to put tee in the ground and stick up approximately 1 to 1.5
inches without a ball. You can then strike the tee without
hitting. It is worth to practice this until you can strike
the tee without touching the ground.
Do not ignore the importance of fitness:
Fitness is more important to win the game. Golf tips help
you to stay fit. Strength, flexibility and endurance are the
three major components of fitness, out of which flexibility
is critical for golf. You can practice yoga to attain
flexibility. You can gain mental and physical alertness with
the help of a yoga instructor. You can even practice yoga by
reading the special books or watching the videos.
Putting tips available online enables you to become a good
putter. It is preferable to keep your pressure in your hands
constantly throughout the stroke. If your grip changes
during the stroke, then you cannot attain the desired
results. Your hands should not be moved independently on
your arms and shoulders. You can practice by watching your
hands carefully.
Golf tips for handling the equipment are especially useful
for a beginner player. There are several types of club
fitting available like swing weight, grip size, shaft flex,
lie angles, club head material and so on. The most important
among them are lie angle and shaft flex. Lie angle is the
angle between shaft and the sole whereas shaft flex is the
stiffness or softness of the shaft. A skilled player can get
good score with any of the clubs, as he has the ability to
make changes in the club easily to adapt to his performance
level. If you have your clubs fit properly, then you are
able to play well.
You may not want to do warm-ups before starting to play.
However, golf tips provided by professional players insist
that warm-up can help to provide optimum performance. You
can do some simple warm-ups like raising arms out to side
and starting circles with your hands. You can do this in
either direction for at least 60 seconds. This can help you
to increase blood flow to shoulders. Warm-up lets you to
make easy swing on first tee.
Mental relaxation is critical to win the game of golf. You
need to focus your attention on positive aspects.
Concentrate your mind only on things you want to achieve.
Though difficult, you can accomplish it with practice.
Kenneth is an author and webmaster. Visit his site on golf
tips to help you get better at the game. Also be sure to
learn about useful golf driving tips to help you hit the
ball farther and straighter.
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European Golf Tour – The Jakarta Indonesia Open Golf 2009
February 2009 Chiangmai:
Going into the final hole with a commanding two-stroke lead,
you would think nothing could go wrong for leader Thongchai
Jaidee of Thailand, or for that matter if it was any of the
professionals that we are so used to watching these days,
especially if the last was a less-than-imaginative, lengthy
612-yard Par-5 with the grass on the green thick enough to
leave traces of the ball, and certainly not giving much hope
for anything more than a birdie, if not always a regular par
at best.
Already at the penultimate Par-4 17, Jaidee switched to
safe-play mode by teeing off with an iron obviously hoping
to just par the last two holes and the title would be his.
The commentators of the TV channel certainly thought so even
as the then very self-assured Jaidee was shown walking on
the fairway to the ball for his third shot landing on the
last green, smiling at the camera and waving to whoever was
watching at home.
If you recall, Rocco Mediate of the US was more or less
doing the same at the US Open 2008 going into the last hole
where he unusually missed the putt and thereby having to
enter a play-off with Tiger Woods to whom he found the
trophy eventually slipped off his grip.
As it happened on this New Kuta Golf & Ocean View Golf
Course of Bali for the Jakarta Indonesia Open, what would
have been a simple pitching shot to the hole for Jaidee, it
went too long and nearly found the wall of the club house.
The putt back to the hole for the 4th.; about 12-15 feet
again went too long for comfort, 5 feet off the hole. Was
Jaidee, who would have become the Asian player with the most
wins ever on European Tour if he bagged this, nervous when
found himself under the spotlight?
The story of this article is to highlight the need to
maintain the level of concentration however assured it might
seem of what's on the scoreboard, at least till the last
putt. It may seem self-concluding when the
fast-approaching-40 Jaidee could well had been nervous after
not winning big for the last few years. We leave you to come
to your own conclusion based on your own golfing experience
and judgement on what ought and ought not happen.
Jaidee, for all the confusion that must have surrounded him
after finding his approach shot having gone unusually too
long and then immediately repeated it on the putt to the
hole for a safe par for the last hole must count himself
lucky at this crucial moment of play having had to face a
young if not extremely talented opponent in Alexander Noren
of Denmark. Noren had just made an eagle followed by a
birdie in the last two holes making him the only player that
could have any chance of taking the title from Jaidee. It
could have become another classic finish of the last US Open
if Noren had not missed the birdie putt and Jaidee did not
make the 5-foot putt for a par. But was it nervousness alone
that caused the uncalled for 'excitement for the
spectators', anxiety for Jaidee?
Author Bio: Francis Huang is not a professional writer but
nonetheless keeps regular diary for anything interesting he
encounters on his frequent travels, particularly in
Southeast Asia. Hopefully an article like this will help
improve his website: http://www.GOLFnTours.com as well as
increase exposure of his golf tour business to many more
interested.
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Books on Golf
Good books on golf are a treasure house of golfing
techniques for serious golfers. In fact, for golfers who are
willing to take up the game as a profession the golf books
are of great help for them. The golf books are generally
penned down by world renowned golfers who share their
secrets of golfing techniques with beginners. If you are
aspiring to become a professional golfer taking up a good
book on golf would help you to overcome your shortcomings
efficiently and help to attain a high level of perfection.
You may take a note of the following books that are regarded
as top ranking books on golf.
Top Ranking Books on Golf
Harvey Penick's Little Red Book - The book is an ever useful
book for golfers of all levels. The book motivates all
golfers to pay the game with efficacy. The book is simple in
presentation and grabs the attention of all golf lovers
because of some very useful techniques of golf.
Dave Pelz's short game bible - This book is written by world
renowned golf teacher named Dave Pelz. In this book he
shares some effective golf techniques that are taught in
Dave Pelz's golf school. This book is written in an approach
to lower down the score and also to improve the finesse
swing.
Ben hogan's five lessons - Ben Hogan's name is common in the
golfing world. He is regarding as one of the finest strikers
in the history of golf. In the year 1953 he won 5
tournaments including the British Open and US open. In his
book he talks about the fundamentals of golf and adroit
striking techniques.
On Learning Golf by Percy Boomer - The author of the book
named Percy Boomer is a renowned French golf teacher. This
book holds golfing techniques that he has acquired from his
25 years of experience in the game of golf. This book is
ideal for beginners to get a clear idea of the game. One
specialty of the book is that it contains a good number of
imageries to make the game more comprehensive for young
learners.
Golf is Not a Game of Perfect - The book has been written by
Dr. Bob Rotella in collaboration with Bob Cullen. This book
talks about the strong focus with which the game is played
by professional golfers leading to the enhancement of a high
level of positivism.
There are several other books on golf. You are recommended
to go through few of the good golf books to get to know
about the game.
George Chekov is an expert in the game of golf. He has also
written several articles on golf in the internet. You may
look out for a good golf guide that will provide you
information on top ranking books for golf.
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Where to Book Some Great Golf Resorts in Spain
If you want to combine amazing prices with an incredible
golf hotel, Spain is where you need to go. The service is at
European levels, the grounds are incredible, the golf is
even better and the prices are affordable.
In Costa del Sol in Spain, you'll find the Valderrama Golf
Club in Sotogrande, a 6,857-yard, Robert Trent Jones
designed golf course that annually hosts the Volvo Masters
and has been described as the most visually striking course
in continental Europe.
But that's not the only hot course in the region or the
country. Costa del Sol is home to 36 courses alone and Spain
itself offers hundreds of both public and private courses
for you to enjoy. To find out more about the region and the
best courses, keep reading.
Andalusia and Coast Line
Costa del Sol is located in Andalusia and it's only a 50
minute flight from Madrid. Along this incredible coastline,
there are piles of amazing courses. Aside from the golf
though, you can enjoy beautiful Spanish towns, hike nearby
hills or simply lie by the beach and relax.
Recommended Golf Courses
For those not up to the demands of Valderrama, try The Golf
Club Marbella (011)-(34)-(5) 283-0500, another Robert Trent
Jones layout set amid the rolling countryside near this
famous resort town; the Real Club de Golf Las Brisas
(011)-(34)-(5) 281-0875, a favorite of King Juan Carlos I;
or the thrilling Golf Torrequebrada (011)-(34)-(5) 244-2742,
where the holes plunge into valleys and follow tortuous
routes over heaving hills.
Other Activities in the Area
The Costa del Sol region is bursting with new hotels and
even newer condo developments. But, you can still enjoy the
beach, marinas and the numerous casinos that pepper the
harbors and coasts. If you're feeling bored of golf, then
charter a boat for a fishing trip or take an excursion to
nearby cities such as Seville.
But no matter what your pleasure, whether it's golf, a
cultural adventure, or even a short ferry ride to Morocco
from the port town of Algeciras - at day's end, eat and
drink heartily, because on the Costa del Sol, particularly
at its many beachside restaurants, the no-frills cooking is
pescadito sardines and small squid or calamaritos, usually
roasted on spits and, best of all, served with famous sweet
Malaga wines.
Places to Stay
If you need a golf hotel, Spain has a number of great
resorts in the Andalusia region. When your taste is
old-school style and luxury, then try the Marbella Club
Hotel. On the other hand, if you want something a little
more modern and budget-friendly, try the Atalaya Park Golf
Hotel and Resort. Finally, for the best in five-star golf,
stay at the Fairplay Golf Hotel and Spa.
For fun information about recreation and travel ideas -
please visit recreationtraveltips.com - a popular site about
creative ideas for your next vacation - such as golf hotels
in Spain - Beaches Turks and Caicos - and many more!
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Punta Cana Golf Paradise
Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic has long been known as
a great vacation destination for beach lovers, but did you
know that it is the best golfing destination in the
Caribbean and has some of the best golf courses in the
world? There are ten courses open and many more are under
construction. No other Caribbean location offers the quality
and variety of golf that is now available in Punta Cana.
Punta Espada, the Jack Nicklaus designed course in the Cap
Cana development, is the best golf course in the Caribbean
and Mexico according to Golfweek magazine. They rated Punta
Espada golf course number one of the top 50 courses in the
Caribbean and Mexico. This immaculate course will only be
open for public play for a short time, so get there before
it goes private as it is something special, with 8 holes
directly on the ocean. Jack Nicklaus is currently building
another course in Cap Cana called Las Iguanas which promises
to add even more to the golfing choices available in Punta
Cana.
Jack Nicklaus isn't the only famous golf course designer in
this area. Nick Faldo,Tom Fazio and P.B.Dye also have
designed courses. The newly opened Faldo Legacy at Roko Ki
golf course has two stunning holes set dramatically on
oceanside headlands and has been named one of the ten best
new courses in the world for 2008 by Travel and Leisure golf
magazine. Tom Fazio has designed the Corales course which is
a private, members only course, but it is available for play
to anyone who stays at the spectacular Tortuga Bay Villas.
P.B. dye has designed the La Cana golf course which also
hugs the ocean and is located at Punta Cana Resort and Club.
Other courses available include: Barcelo Bavaro Golf Club,
White Sands golf course, Cocotal Golf and Country Club,
Cabeza de Toro golf course (9 hole), Punta Blanca course and
Catalonia Caribe course. Courses currently under
construction include: La Hacienda golf course and the Moon
Palace course and others are set to start construction this
year.
There has never been a better time to experience the wealth
of golfing choices available in this Caribbean golf heaven.
It won't be long until the secret is out, so book your
golfing vacation soon and enjoy all the courses in Punta
Cana, the player's paradise.
Jarvis Pendergrass is a contributor to
http://www.puntacanagolf.net a player's guide to Punta Cana
golf courses.
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3 Places to Find Golf Balls That Are Reasonably Priced
Someone looking for reasonably priced golf balls has a wide
variety of options at their disposal. I'll address three of
the best places to look. But first of all, you need to
understand the variation in the quality of golf balls you
may encounter. Basically they will fall into three
categories: new, X outs and "reconditioned".
New golf balls are just that; straight off the
manufacturer's production line into your golf bag. X outs
are also new but do not meet one or more of the
manufacturer's specifications. Reconditioned golf balls
could be ones found on a course, in a pond or well used by
golfers at a practice facility where they go to learn new
golf tips.
As you'd expect, the price increases as you move from
reconditioned to X outs and then to new with the latter
close to 10x the price of the former. Reconditioned balls
are fine for new golfers. You'll probably pay around $.25
each and can find them at the outlets I'll discuss below.
Once you've moved to an intermediate stage (meaning you
don't lose what you consider too many balls in a round), try
the X outs. They'll be more consistent and expensive than
reconditioned but will make your golf more enjoyable. New
golf balls are appropriate once you get hooked and find
yourself playing on a regular basis.
As far as where to purchase your golf balls, I'd suggest you
start at your local discount retailer, like Target or Dick's
Sporting Goods. You'll be able to find all three types of
balls that I mentioned above at these stores. They'll have a
variety to choose from and, depending on your skill and
budget, you'll be able to find golf balls at a competitive
price.
Another location you can find all three types of golf balls
at is your local golf course. The golf professional staff
will be able to provide basic golf tips about the various
types of balls they carry. The third place to purchase golf
balls is on the course itself. It's not unusual to see kids
hawking balls from the fringe of the course. They've
probably found golf balls in wayward parts of the course
that their original owners gave up on. You'll be able to
poke through their collection and select the ones you like
and maybe able to negotiate discounts depending on the
number you buy. Be on the lookout for ones that are not
bright white. That's a dead giveaway that they've been
underwater or out in the cold for a long time.
As a final word, now that you've got a supply of golf balls,
you'll want to keep them in good condition. The best way to
do that is to keep them out of the extreme cold; don't leave
them in your garage or basement in the winter. Keep them
clean by using one of the mounted ball washers provided at
most golf courses or by wiping on the wet towel you'll want
to keep with your golf bag. Do not put golf balls in your
mouth to clean. Believe it or not that was an accepted way
to clean golf balls in the past and some people still do
that. The chemicals used on golf courses get on the golf
balls and don't agree with golfers biology over time. So, I
hope these tips are helpful to you in saving you a few bucks
on your next round of golf. Happy golfing!
Did you know that men who wear plaid often play more golf
than men who don't? If you need golf clubs, golf balls or
other golfing supplies, visit: http://www.golfbasictips.com
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