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Better Golf… Through Knowledge

It is said that “What you don’t know can’t hurt you”. In golf, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Let’s take a look at a few things the average golfer probably doesn’t know about and how these things are probably costing you strokes.

Practice makes perfect… Not!

Practice only makes perfect if you are reinforcing proper swing techniques. For most golfers, a practice session consists of ripping through a bucket of balls on their lunch break or on the way home from work. A trip to the range will not help you unless you are going to spend the time to “work” on your swing, and not just reinforce those bad habits you’ve already developed. Use the following suggestions to help you turn that grip it and rip it pit stop at the range into a true practice session.

1. Only bring one club to the range with you at a time.

2. Hit a small bucket of balls and take your time with each swing.

3. Slow down your swing and try to hit the ball straight, not far.

Go ahead, blame your clubs!

There’s a good chance that your clubs could be at fault for all those miss hits, even if they are brand new and cost you over $2000. The problem is, if they don’t fit you and your swing, then even when you make that perfect swing the ball isn’t going to end up where you wanted it to be. Club length, shaft flex, lie angle, and grip size will each greatly affect your golf game if they are not properly fitted to you. Get custom fitted for clubs and see what the difference is compared to what you have now. You could be losing a lot of strokes because of them.

Get some balls!

But don’t get just any golf balls. And that doesn’t mean that you should run out and buy the most expensive ball on the market. You need to get the right kind of ball for your game. Do you need extra distance? How about stopping power? Or soft feel? With so many different types of balls on the market today it makes it difficult to find a ball that suits your game. Here are a few tips on what different caliber golfers should look for in a ball.

1. Beginner – Distance, Durability,

2. Intermediate – Higher Spin, Softer Feel,

3. Advanced – Tour Quality, Distance, Spin, Feel,

There are a lot of little things that go into making a great golfer. Having a great swing helps, but that is the hardest part to get right. The easiest way to cut strokes is to learn about golf club fitting, ball selection, and practice routines and how they can improve your game. You’ll be surprised by the results.

Golf fitness equipment is designed to help a golfer build strength in certain muscles so as to improve their golf game and lower their scores.

The problem is that there are so many different golf fitness equipment in the market these days that it is difficult to identify the really effective ones and the duds or inappropriate ones.

The situation is hardly helped by the fact that clever marketing is usually put to use in promoting a vast majority of golf fitness equipment. The result is that many disappointed golfers have ended up with loads of the stuff in their garages that has hardly improved their game.

In fact you would find some who would confidently tell you that their game has gotten worse rather than better.

Golf fitness equipment that I have found to be very effective is the weighted club. This is a very golf-specific piece of equipment because one ends up going through the exact same motions you do with an ordinary club but with more weight.

This greatly helps in strengthening and conditioning all the relevant muscles used in the golf swing.

The inside approach is another great golf fitness equipmentto help improve any golf swing. This particular device is extremely useful for slicers and helps deal with this problem fairly quickly.

As golf fitness equipment,exercise tubing is very affordable and yet very effective. The strength of this device is in its’ ability to break down the golf swing into as many different phases as you would like to focus on for the sake of improvements. It offers specific resistance training for each phase

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Golf exercise balls are the sort of golf fitness equipment that any golfer with a bad back should have. There are almost countless different stretch exercises that you can with it.

And what makes this golf training aid even more attractive is the fact that you can do your exercises in the office or at home when you have a moment.

Simple dumbbells can also be very useful golf fitness equipment to have around.

Celebrities that love to play golf. Discover what they think about this game… and how professional or not they are.

If you’ve never played golf, perhaps you’ll never understand the attraction. But if you’re like many celebrities–whether they’ve been playing for years or just recently began to tee it up–you’ll agree that the game has an unusual appeal that can consume you.

Golf has experienced a surge in popularity in recent years, so much so that the game–long and wrongly considered a less-than-physically-challenging sport–is inspiring yoga and Pilates workouts. Celebrity golfers, who often pay personal trainers big money to help them get in shape and help them stay physically fit–say there are some definite physical benefits associated with an outing on the links.

Experts say you can get the most out of a round of golf if you walk the course, the length of which can measure about 5 miles, depending on the course. Walking improves your cardiovascular health, builds endurance and allows you to burn a moderate amount of calories. If you carry your clubs, you can get an upper body workout as well. And hitting the ball actually can improve your hand-eye coordination, which can be useful in many other areas.

Many celebrities and professional athletes have begun playing to add another level of competition to their lives and to be able to spend more time together with their families, who are joining them on the course.

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Some players like Oakland Raiders cornerback Ray Buchanan love the sport so much that he and his wife, Sheree, built their dream home at Sugarloaf Country Club in Duluth, Ga., home of the PGA Tour’s Bellsouth Classic. Their multimillion-dollar mansion overlooks the 9th hole, and Buchanan, a former Pro-Bowler, plays two to three times a week during the off-season.

“At first, I didn’t like golf,” says Buchanan, formerly of the Atlanta Falcons. “But after a while, it was like a virus–so contagious that I wanted to keep playing and learn more.

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Sheree Buchanan, who starred as part of the “NFL wives” team in the Emmy-winning reality TV series The Amazing Race 4, just started playing golf a few months ago, in an effort to spend more time with her husband. She took up golf; he took up her favorite sport–tennis. She’s just beginning to understand why her husband loves the game so much–the competition with yourself and a desire to always do better. Eventually, the couple hopes that their four children will grow to love the sport as much as they do.

“[Golf is] still brand new for me,” Sheree says. “For us, it’s fun. He teaches me, and as long as we don’t have a lot of people [playing] behind us, it’s OK.

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Carolina Panthers wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad, who also owns an entertainment company and nonprofit foundation, says he started playing golf when he entered the NFL and “fell in love with it.”

“Golf is something that is very relaxing for me,” says Muhammad, who already is encouraging his 3-year-old son to play. “I think being able to play golf allows you to meet and associate with different people.

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But it’s not only professional athletes who enjoy time on the course. Actors such as Samuel L. Jackson and Will Smith, and singer Johnny Gill also love the game. Even celebrity couples make the rounds together.it comes to golf: “We wish we had started to play when we were kids.”

Whether you are a professional or an amateur golfer, Drivers and Fairway woods are the words that you must have heard thousand times. In simple words drivers are the commonly known golf sticks especially designed for short shots.

You will find number of golf drivers in the market made up of Titanium, Copper, Carbon, Nickel and some other alloys. These alloys provides hardest look to the golf driver. Almost all golf drivers available in the market are built with an idea of compression golf ball at impact. Golf drivers with flexible face, designed to eliminate energy at impact, are considered better for improvement of game.

Golf Drivers are considered as the longest club. Presently golf drivers with 45 inches length are common. This length factor makes it difficult to control the swing. On the other side shorter clubs are known as fairway woods, generally referred to as fairway metals. Materials used for manufacturing both golf drivers and fairway woods are same. These fairway woods posses the proprietary of progressiveness like irons. There are different types of fairway woods like 3-wood, 4-wood, 5-wood, 7-wood and 9-wood. One may rarely find a 2-wood. These fairways woods may decide the distance the golf club go after hit.

Usually fairway woods have smaller heads comparing to golf drivers. This aspect makes fairway woods easier than drivers when it comes to controlling the swing. It is advisable for beginners to opt for fairway woods instead of trying to use a driver. You can use the fairway to hit the driver if you are a skilled golfer. Greater lofts and smaller heads of fairway woods help in hitting the ball high into the air. Fairway woods are convenient to handle than long drivers and are used basically by amateur golfers and beginners. The main purpose of both drivers and fairway woods is to strike the club. In simple words drivers are used to hit the ball on the upswing and fairway wood is used to hit the club at swing bottom.

Fairway woods consists of large heads, bulging clubface, flattened soles sliding over the ground and are spherical in shape. In the past club-heads were made from persimmon and maple wood. Club heads in the present era are made from metal alloys and hence are termed as metal-woods. Senior players and ladies prefer fairway woods that are higher lofted. It is so because fairway woods give them easier hit to the club while hitting the club high in the air at lower speed.

Shaft length of fairway wood may differ from 40 inches to 45 inches.

The longest version of club is termed as driver. Drivers have bigger club-head. Drivers are mainly used for hit off the tee. Skilled golfers can hit drivers from the turf. The standard length of driver is 45 inches.

You may choose a driver or a fairway wood according to your skills and style. Some skilled golfers prefer shorter shafts which facilitates them to use it easily despite the fact that shorter shafts are likely to reduce the distance. Usually fairway woods are fitted with graphite shafts considering their light weight. This light weight enables golfers to accelerate higher club-head speed and achieve longer distance. The USGA approved length of the shaft is 47 inches. However, you may find some fairway woods with shaft length of up-to 50 inches. These longer shaft woods are used for long drive tournaments but are illegal.

It is evident that success and improvement of your game depends upon the right club may it be drivers or fairway woods.

Golf Carts — An Amazingly Diversified Niche Industry

Golfers out for a Sunday afternoon game just take them for granted on the golf course, and never think about their origin. I am talking about golf carts, those miniature vehicles dotting each golf course. Even so, golf cart production is a multi-million dollar industry and different systems abound. Golf carts are manufactured as miniature cars, and golf-cart corporations provide leasing and financing choices just as the huge car corporations do.

Golf originates from a medieval game played on the coast of Scotland in the 15th century. Golfers would hit a pebble instead of a manufactured ball around the sand dunes employing a stick or wide club. As time passed, stones were exchanged for man-made balls, the earliest of which were thin leather bags stuffed with feathers. The gutta-percha ball wasn’t invented until 1848 and might be hit the maximum distance of 225 yards. In 1899 rubber balls were invented that may reach distances of 430 yards if hit by a professional. Golf sticks evolved into carefully weighted golf clubs, and in the 1880′s the use of golf club bags became fashionable. The caddie, a servant who carted all the player’s gear aound the golf course, had his burden lessened in the early 1950′s by the introduction of the golf cart.

The 1st golf cart manufacturers were E-Z-Go, Pargo, Harley Davidson and Cushman. The cost was astoundingly high for this era, $1200, however as even more manufacturers entered the field it dropped to $600, still a steep price for this era in inflationary terms. Fifty years later, E-Z-Go is still producing golf carts today. There are 100s of golf cart manufacturers listed online, and virtually all of these corporations specialize solely in these vehicles, and don’t produce any larger cars.

The 1st golf carts were gas-powered, however recently the market has shifted to even more battery-powered systems. Golf carts can be customized just like cars, and lift kits and ATV wheels are sold to golfers who wish to express their individuality out on the course. There are corporations which specialize in creating entire custom golf cars, or even miniaturized versions of full sized cars, like the Humdinger (Humvee), mini Jeep, Rolls-Royce, Cadillac or even Mercedes-Benz.

Golf carts come in three forms: manual push/pull carts, electric motorized carts, and electric or even gas golf cars that hold passengers as well as gear. Push/pull carts have two to three wheels and a vertical support to hold a golf bag. They are basically just a manual dollies with clips and holders especially adapted for golf gear, and sell for $50 to $100. Moving higher in sophistication, motorized golf caddies cost about $500 all the way to $1000. Golf carts, which resemble dune buggies in size, begin at about $1800 for a small basic model.

Ebay has a massive choice of both new and utilized golf carts at low prices however service can be a problem with the smaller vendors. Check if the vendor has a physical store as well and is not just a reseller of a larger firm. Warranty service can be affected by this.

Manufacturers are also expanding their sales by renaming carts “Electric Utility Vehicles” and suggesting alternate utilizes for them, like hauling lawn equipment and travelling around rural properties.

Do you know the 4 important factors that affect your golf swing? Knowing what they are and interpeting them can help you adjust your swing to start hitting straight and true.

In the game of golf, no two people ever have the same golf swing. Each person has their own individual body with its own strengths, flexiblity and range of motion. The way one person swings a golf club may not work for another person, even if they are near in body types. Every golfer has to find the playing style that fits them to help them produce the results that they want. Players that know what is going to happen to the ball when they hit it, and what factors affect that moment of impact can effectively use their body to create the consistent powerful golf swing that they desire.

One thing that can help all golfers make immediate and positive improvements on their game is an understanding of the factors that affect the golf ball at the moment of impact by the golf club. Knowing what these factors are and how they affect the ball will enable you to understand what happens at the moment of impact and interpret the golf balls flight. When you understand what occurs and why, you can then make small adjustments to your swing and then see the effects on the next shot. The flight of the golf ball will tell you whether you were correct in your personal assessment and you made a good change towards a better golf swing. If you made a change that made the shot worse than before, all you should have to do is undo that change to your swing.

The moment of impact (ideally the golf club sweet spot hitting the ball) is a combination of four factors that will ultimately determine what direction and how far the ball will travel. The golf ball will react to these factors regardless of how they occur. The first important factor that affects your golf swing is the angle of the clubface at the moment of impacting the ball. The position of the clubface at the moment of impact is the most important factor influencing the initial direction and the spin of the ball. The clubface must point in the direction of the target you’ve chosen farther down the course. If the clubface is straight and perpendicular to the golf ball at the moment of impact, it will travel straight down the course with no spin.

The second factor at the moment of impact is the angle of the clubhead with relation to the golf ball. There is the horizontal angle of impact and vertical angle of impact, both of which are combined to determine the initial direction of the ball and the height of the golf balls flight path. The horizontal angle of impact determines the initial direction that the ball will travel. The vertical angle of impact will determine how high the ball will fly. Too low or too high and you lose distance in your shot.

Thirdly, the clubface must hit the ball on the sweet spot. The sweet spot is the area on the face of the golf club that will transfer the power of your golf swing to the golf ball. Transferring this power effectively will maximize its potential and carry the ball far and straight down the course (as long as the angle of the clubface and the club head at the moment of impact are good).

Lastly, the fourth factor that is important at the moment of impact is the the club head. The speed of your golf swing will determine how much power you transfer to the golf ball and ultimately how far it will go when you hit it on the sweet spot. The speed or power of the golf swing is not dependent on muscles alone. Other factors such as body flexibility and range of motion affect how a golfer employs those muscles in creating a fluid smooth swing.

The golf swing is not just picking up a golf club and trying to blast the ball down the course. It is a combination of many factors that if you can interpret, you can influence by making adjustments to your swing. Knowing what causes the golf ball to travel as it does will allow you to improve your golf swing and gain distance and accuracy on your shots. However, knowing the cause that produces an effect, and affecting that cause to produce the desired effect are two different things, both of which can be learned over time and with practice.

A question for the ages in relation to the golf swing. Golfers around the world are familiar with the term clubhead speed. It is the rate at which the golf club is traveling at impact with the golf ball. Golfers are also familiar with the term power.

They know that power is directly related to clubhead speed. Knowing the connection between the two, which comes first?

Clubhead Speed and Power in the Golf Swing

Take a moment to answer the question; which comes first, clubhead speed or power?

Write down your answer and continue reading. Before we answer this question, let us do a quick review of both clubhead speed and power.

Clubhead Speed

Again, we understand that clubhead speed is the rate at which the clubhead is moving at impact with the golf ball. The development of clubhead speed is a resultant of your golf swing mechanics. It is essentially a summation of the entire process of the golf swing, beginning with address, moving through the backswing, into transition, onto the downswing, and completing with impact.

The paragraph above should answer the question of which comes first; clubhead speed or power? Clubhead speed is the resultant of power development with the mechanics of the golf swing.

The next question we want to ask is about power:

How is Power Developed in the Golf Swing?

Power is a combination of two entities:

1. Golf Swing Mechanics

2. Body

Your golf swing mechanics is the efficiency at which you perform the golf swing. Essentially, the golf swing can be broken down into the stages. These stages are;

Address, Backswing, Transition, Downswing, Impact, and Follow Through

Each of these stages within the golf swing can be performed efficiently or inefficiently. PGA Tour players tend to perform the mechanics of the golf swing very efficiently, where as the 30 handicapper performs them very inefficiently.

If the mechanics within each stage of the golf swing are efficient. The creation of power and transfer of this power into clubhead speed is at a greater percentage.

On the flip side, if each stage is performed inefficiently. The amount of power developed and transferred into clubhead speed becomes a low percentage.

The first key in power development and the generation of clubhead speed is golf mechanics.

Efficient Golf Swing Mechanics = Greater Power Development and Clubhead Speed

Once we understand that efficient golf swing mechanics equals more power and clubhead speed. We can turn our attention to the “support structure” of your golf swing.

The Body

The body is what drives the golf swing. It is your skeleton, muscles, and nerves performing the mechanics of the golf swing. As a result, your body has a direct affect on how much power you generate in your golf swing.

The mechanics of golf swing requires certain levels of:

Flexibility

Balance

Strength

Endurance

Power

Optimal levels within these body categories allow for the possibility of performing the mechanics of the golf swing at their most efficient levels.

For example, a full shoulder in the backswing is necessary for optimal power development. In order to perform a full shoulder turn, you must have a high level of flexibility.

If you are lacking the flexibility to perform a shoulder turn it will affect the amount of power you can generate.

Bottom line the body is the foundation on which the golf swing is developed.

If you have a weak foundation, you will have a weak golf swing.

Efficient Golf Swing Mechanics + A Strong, Flexible, and Powerful Body = Clubhead Speed.

We now know clubhead speed is a product of power development in the golf swing. Power development within your golf swing is contingent upon two entities. The first entity is your golf swing mechanics. Performing the mechanics of the golf swing efficiently elicits more power. Secondly, it is the body. Optimal power development requires certain levels of flexibility, balance, strength, endurance, and power within the body. Put these two entities together and you have the ability to generate high levels of clubhead speed within your golf swing.

The majority of drivers that you can purchase can be customised to accommodate the individual differences between golfers.

Every golfer is different; the stance, posture, size and swing characteristics will vary from player to player and because of this a standard driver might suit one player, but it may be too short or too long for another. The majority of drivers that you can purchase can be customised to accommodate the individual differences between golfers.

Golf Buy It Online Custom Fit Drivers from top brands such as Ping, Titleist, Callaway, Mizuno, Nike, TaylorMade and Cobra. Custom Fit Drivers are beneficial to every one; a Pro might be good enough to use any driver but an amateur golfer might need all the help they can get.

Some of the drivers available from Golf Buy It Online include TaylorMade Golf Burner Draw Drivers which promote faster speed and a right-to-left ball flight for longer distance. Cobra Golf Speed Pro D Men’s Drivers give extreme-ball-speed players a definitive advantage from the tee box. Ping Golf Rapture Drivers is the result of innovative thinking, creating a powerful and forgiving option off the tee. Mizuno Golf MP-600 Drivers are for players seeking to control higher ball speeds.

The Custom Fit interview takes place at Golf Buy It Online’s store and takes up to an hour for drivers. Your prescription is then sent to the manufacturer for the drivers to be built and the turn around time for this is between 7-14 days. Golf Buy It Online’s Custom Fit Drivers cost no more than the standard drivers featured on the site and if you don’t buy on the day then you can pay a £25 fee which gives you 30 days to return to the store to purchase.

Whether you’re right or left handed Golf Buy It Online can Custom Fit Drivers for you. Golf Buy It Online has a specialist left handed fitter on site so you can be sure that you’re fitted correctly. Advice can be given over the phone and Custom Fit specs are available online if you already know your Custom Fit requirements.

Golf fitness coach. Have you ever considered one…and if so, what exactly were you looking for? There are many ‘general fitness’ trainers trying to get a piece of the golf fitness and training market that seems to be rapidly gaining exposure both on the television and in print thanks to Tiger, Vijay and Annika.

But the first thing you need to consider when looking into hiring a golf fitness coach or program is the trainers experience in golf.

Yes…that is high on the list of requirements. Does he/she know golf? Do they know the biomechanics of the golf swing? How about muscle function during the golf swing?

An easy test is during the initial interview or if you’re researching it online is to either ask very golf specific swing technique questions; or take a look at the information on the website. You’ll find out real quick if this person or program can help your golf swing, game and health.

A golf fitness coach or program should incorporate strength, flexibility, endurance, body awareness, balance, stability and even a nutrition component.

It’s easy for a trainer to have a strength component…but is it specific to golf? A quick test. Take a look at some of the exercises. Are any of them on seated machines for instance? If they are…run! This is NOT a golf fitness coach and/or program. This is considered ‘general fitness’.

Now stretching. There are dozens of stretches for all people. But take a look at some of them. Do they even remotely look like they will benefit your golf swing?

Stretches involving trunk flexibility; lower back; hamstring; and even shoulders specific to the mechanics of the swing are what you want. General stretches are better than nothing, but will delay your results. You want specific stretches.

Body awareness. Does any of the exercises resemble golf positions or phases of the swing? Do they look like you would be on your feet and in your golf posture? As stated above, if they are seated on machines, your body will learn nothing in regards to your golf swing.

Training your body specific to golf incorporates positions almost identical to what your body would be in during any part of the golf swing.

Stability. Training your body to improve stability in your swing can get a little complex if you really want to see results. The swing happens at between 80-100 miles an hour. One of the biggest flaws of amateur golfers is moving in their golf swing.

Moving either laterally (sliding), vertically (up and done) or both. This is death to your golf swing. To improve your stability involves specific strength drills most trainers don’t even know about.

I could go on-and-on about the requirements of a golf fitness coach or program. It is critical you make the right decision. I have heard horror stories of golfers working with ‘so-called’ golf fitness experts and their game getting worse. With the proper research this won’t happen to you. So definitely consider a golf fitness coach.

Everyone in this world loves a good bargain, and for golf equipment the song remains the same. The one thing to remember is that bargain doesn’t always have to mean cheap, used, or damaged. You can find some really good buys if you just spend a little time and research to find what you’re after. Let’s look closer at the different avenues to finding some great bargain golf equipment.

Previously Owned Gear

This is a perfect place to start for any golfer just beginning the game or for someone who doesn’t want to spend a small fortune on brand new equipment. There are a number of great places that you can find top notch used equipment. If you think of it like buying a car, the minute that brand new car is driven off the lot its value starts to decrease. But that doesn’t mean it won’t work as good as it did the day before when it was still on the car lot.

The same theory applies to golf equipment. You can usually get last years equipment that has hardly used for almost half the price. The technology is still just as good as it was last year but you won’t have to pay the price for this year’s model. There are number of great websites that deal strictly in this type of business. One of them being the ever popular EBAY, another is Callaway Golf Pre-owned and finally GolfClubExchange.com are the three biggest and most popular. You’ll be able to find all degrees of used equipment that is priced accordingly.

End of Season

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Another place a golfer looking for bargain golf equipment might look is any major golf store. It can be online or a department store. The key to this type of strategy is timing. If you go searching for new equipment near the end of the season a lot of company’s will have year end sales where they’re looking to give the consumer one last chance at this years equipment at better prices.

But the best time to buy is just after Christmas right before the beginning of the new season. The golf stores will offer huge savings on all the equipment they’re trying to clear out to make room for the new stuff coming in for the up coming season. This is where I feel you’ll find the best bargains on all types of brand new golf equipment that has never had an owner. This especially holds true for such items as golf shoes and clothing. If you want to save a little money then look for last years models and you’ll get some great deals.

Where to Shop.

If you’re wondering where to go to get these great bargains there’s only one place. The internet is the best place to find what ever you’re looking for. There’s one main reason for shopping online, and that’s competition. There are so many online retailers competing for your business you can find some ridiculously low prices. You just have to take your time and look. The best thing about this is you don’t have leave the comfort of your own home to find your new gear for this year. The bottom line about bargain golf equipment is to take your time and look in all the right places. You’ll find an awesome deal!