Golf - a source of ultimate pleasure for some and a source of argument for others. However, like it or love it, golf is a sport that is here to stay and as such, is a big business. As all golfers will know, purchase of materials is a pleasure. Finding a new driver that takes you from a bogey to a par is wonderful and getting a putter which helps your grip is fantastic.
As a result, golfers are constantly on the search for something new. However, these days in addition to the traditional sports shops or specific golf shops, online golf stores are fast cropping up.
Although most golfers enjoy the experience of going to try out specific equipment, online stores often offer tremendous discounts making them much more economically viable - increasingly important in these times of economic hardship.
As a result, it may be beneficial to combine these two aspects to get the product you want at the price that you need. Thus, visit the golf store and try out the clubs, pick up the golf balls and try on the shirts. However, when you have made your choice, then compare these prices with the online golf store. You will be pleasantly surprised at the amount you are saving and considering the amount of equipment a typical golfer has, over the duration of a year or so then you will see a significant difference. If you have never visited an online golf store, then you may be dubious as to how to work your way around it.
In fact, orientation is simple. The most important factors to consider when purchasing are:
Item - the more knowledge you have about the item you want the easier it will be to find it. For example, rather than simply looking for golf clubs and being faced with hundreds of different types, try to be specific e.g. asking for a putter and then specifying the make that you prefer.
Shipping - since the items will be delivered, there is a transportation cost. These vary according to store and the amount you have spent. As a result, it may be beneficial to make one larger order rather than lots of smaller ones in order to save on shipping.
Overall, an online golf store enables you to purchase the items you need at the price that you want - so don't delay, get golf shopping today.
Ping G15 Fairway Wood
Maruman Majesty Prestigio Gold Premium Driver
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Essential Golf Course Information at La Torre Resort
Golf Dress Code
The golf course dress code is standard for all of the Polaris World resorts. Below has all the information you will need to dress appropriately for your game of golf. You are allowed to wear polo shirts and shirts with a high neck. Please do not wear any t-shirts without sleeves or neck; football, rugby, or similar. Trousers and skirts must be designed to be worn whilst playing golf. Jeans and tracksuits are completely forbidden. Only long golf shorts are to be worn. The use of football, tennis, swimming shorts etc are strictly forbidden. Socks must be worn and only golf shoes with soft spikes are allowed on the green. No street, canvas, trainers or sandal type shoes are permitted. Trainers are only allowed to be worn on the driving range.
Local Golf Rules
1. Out of bounds (Rule27.1): The course boundary is marked by white stakes or metal fences.
2. Water obstacles (Rule26.1): The water obstacles are defined by yellow stakes. The red stakes define lateral obstacles.
3. Abnormal land conditions (Rule25): The areas in repair are marked with blue stakes. In accordance with rule 25.1b play is not permitted on the landscaped areas which have ornamental plants, the areas laid with bark or at the foot of trees.
4. Obstructions (Rule24): Movable: Any artificial object that could be moved without an excessive effort and without undue delay. The stones in the bunkers are considered movable obstructions (It is applied to rule 24.1). Unmoveable: Construction or artificial objects fixed in the ground such as water sprinkler irrigation systems, distance markers etc.
5. Waste Area: The areas of sandy terrain that exist within the course are waste areas. You are allowed to play the ball from this surface.
6. Etiquette: Repair pitch marks on the green, replace divots and rake the bunkers. Always try to maintain your position on the course but let others play through should slow play occur. Do not practice on the course.
7. Right of way: Rounds of 18 holes have preference over those of 9 holes.
Available to Hire
A large range of golfing equipment and accessories are available to hire from the Pro Shop at La Torre Resort. Starting with club storage and changing room lockers for your valuables and clothes, to a golf buggy, manual and electric trolleys, sets of clubs etc.
General Terms and Conditions
Rules of etiquette must be observed, both on the golf course and on the driving range.
At least 24 hours notice should be given for any cancellations otherwise a late fee will incur.
The golf course dress code is standard for all of the Polaris World resorts. Below has all the information you will need to dress appropriately for your game of golf. You are allowed to wear polo shirts and shirts with a high neck. Please do not wear any t-shirts without sleeves or neck; football, rugby, or similar. Trousers and skirts must be designed to be worn whilst playing golf. Jeans and tracksuits are completely forbidden. Only long golf shorts are to be worn. The use of football, tennis, swimming shorts etc are strictly forbidden. Socks must be worn and only golf shoes with soft spikes are allowed on the green. No street, canvas, trainers or sandal type shoes are permitted. Trainers are only allowed to be worn on the driving range.
Local Golf Rules
1. Out of bounds (Rule27.1): The course boundary is marked by white stakes or metal fences.
2. Water obstacles (Rule26.1): The water obstacles are defined by yellow stakes. The red stakes define lateral obstacles.
3. Abnormal land conditions (Rule25): The areas in repair are marked with blue stakes. In accordance with rule 25.1b play is not permitted on the landscaped areas which have ornamental plants, the areas laid with bark or at the foot of trees.
4. Obstructions (Rule24): Movable: Any artificial object that could be moved without an excessive effort and without undue delay. The stones in the bunkers are considered movable obstructions (It is applied to rule 24.1). Unmoveable: Construction or artificial objects fixed in the ground such as water sprinkler irrigation systems, distance markers etc.
5. Waste Area: The areas of sandy terrain that exist within the course are waste areas. You are allowed to play the ball from this surface.
6. Etiquette: Repair pitch marks on the green, replace divots and rake the bunkers. Always try to maintain your position on the course but let others play through should slow play occur. Do not practice on the course.
7. Right of way: Rounds of 18 holes have preference over those of 9 holes.
Available to Hire
A large range of golfing equipment and accessories are available to hire from the Pro Shop at La Torre Resort. Starting with club storage and changing room lockers for your valuables and clothes, to a golf buggy, manual and electric trolleys, sets of clubs etc.
General Terms and Conditions
Rules of etiquette must be observed, both on the golf course and on the driving range.
At least 24 hours notice should be given for any cancellations otherwise a late fee will incur.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
How about the Southern Hills and Prairie Dunes
What do Prairie Dunes Country Club (ranked #23 in the world) and Southern Hills Country Club (ranked #41 in the world) have in common? Both were designed by Perry Maxwell during the depression era and both are located in the dust bowl region of the United States. Prairie Dunes in the flatlands of Kansas and Southern Hills in Tulsa Oklahoma. Maxwell must have been at the height of his creative genius in 1935, when both were built.
Perry Maxwell
Maxwell was a Princeton graduate and banker turned golf course architect. I had the opportunity to play both courses on a recent trip out West. I hadn't previously known who Perry Maxwell was. It turns out that not only did he design Prairie Dunes and Southern Hills but he also was called in to do green renovations at Pine Valley and Augusta National among other courses. For a time, he teamed up with Alister Mackenzie and worked on Crystal Downs (ranked #24 in the world). Not bad, for someone who is not generally well known in the world of golf course architecture. Maxwell's signature is his green design - generally small greens with severe undulations that are quite difficult.
Southern Hills
Southern Hills is an ultra-private club guarded by an entrance gate with a sentry. Reminiscent of a half dozen other courses I have played (Los Angeles, Riviera, Sunningdale, Muirfield) you have to be cleared by the guard before they will raise the gate and let you in. Southern Hills has a large membership with 960 members, and a locker room befitting such a fine course. A repeated host to major championships (three US Opens and three PGA championships), the club has a feeling of grandeur to it. The club house is located at the top of a winding, tree lined driveway set up on a hill. At the top of the hill you overlook the golf course below and the skyline of Tulsa. The first thing that strikes you about Southern Hills is (duh?) the hills. While you are in essentially flat country, the land the course was developed on is quite hilly. For anyone who has ever been to Augusta, the first thing that strikes you is that the course has much more elevation change than you can see on television or in pictures. I had the same feeling here; you really can't see the big elevation changes until you are there first hand.
Some golf course designers believe in the philosophy of starting easy and getting progressively more difficult as the course goes along. Perry Maxwell apparently had the opposite philosophy, at least at Southern Hills. The course hammers you right out of the gate. The first three holes are handicap 3, 1 and 7, respectively. I would say that Maxwell deserves the high praise he has received as a designer. The course is very interesting. Almost every par four or five is a dogleg, sometimes severely so. He used the land to imaginatively route the course with great variety. As an example, the fine stretch of holes 10-12 are pretty typical of what you can expect. The tenth hole plays from an elevated tee box down a big hill. At the bottom of the hill the hole sharply doglegs to the right and plays to an uphill, well bunkered green. The 11th hole is a downhill par three, heavily bunkered and with a typically small green. The 12th hole plays slightly uphill on the tee shot and sharply downhill on the second and doglegs sharply to the left. This seemed to the essence of the layout: a variety of holes with interesting doglegs playing both up and downhill with small greens that have both overt and subtle breaks.
Most holes at Southern Hills are tree lined and my guess is that the members have perfected the punch shot -- to hit out from under trees and bounce the ball toward the green. Our group played this shot a lot during our round there. One of the illusions that Maxwell was successful at pulling off here is that the fairways actually look wider from the tees than they actually are. Even if you hit the fairway, if you are not on the correct side of it, often times your ball will roll off due to the slopes. Unless you are in the fairway at Southern Hills, and also on the correct side of the fairway, you will find that you probably don't have a clear shot at the green without some branches coming into play.
I played Southern Hills on a 100 degree August day with a moderate warm wind. It was so hot that I broke down and took a golf cart which regular readers know is anathema to me, but was the right decision here. It was so hot that on every green there were two electric fans blowing to cool them down. We did have a fore-caddy, however, who was very adroit at helping us read the difficult greens. After playing the course I can now see why Retief Goosen missed the putt to win the US Open outright. Putts that look flat at Southern Hills have hidden breaks in them due to the effects of the large hills.
I thought the back nine was the more interesting of the two, but really liked the whole place. Sometimes it's the little things that make a big difference setting apart a great country club from an average one. At Southern Hills, they got the little things right such as the vanilla wafers filled with peanut butter that they have out as you make the turn. Also, the attitude of the staff throughout the course and the quality of the caddie. They all add up to that intangible quality that many of the great clubs have.
The four hour drive from Tulsa to Prairie Dunes was interesting. On the interstate you drive by the massive grain elevators in Wichita and again as you approach Hutchinson. Since this is the heart of the Bible Belt, the strongest radio stations on the drive were those with evangelical preachers. You drive through farm country most of the way and as you approach Hutchinson, Kansas you take highway US-50. US-50 is a long, flat, straight road lined with soybean and corn fields criss-crossed by dusty dirt roads and even has a genuine crop-duster company right beside the road. Think Cary Grant in North by Northwest and you've got the picture.
Prairie Dunes
Southern Hills
Southern Hills is an ultra-private club guarded by an entrance gate with a sentry. Reminiscent of a half dozen other courses I have played (Los Angeles, Riviera, Sunningdale, Muirfield) you have to be cleared by the guard before they will raise the gate and let you in. Southern Hills has a large membership with 960 members, and a locker room befitting such a fine course. A repeated host to major championships (three US Opens and three PGA championships), the club has a feeling of grandeur to it. The club house is located at the top of a winding, tree lined driveway set up on a hill. At the top of the hill you overlook the golf course below and the skyline of Tulsa. The first thing that strikes you about Southern Hills is (duh?) the hills. While you are in essentially flat country, the land the course was developed on is quite hilly. For anyone who has ever been to Augusta, the first thing that strikes you is that the course has much more elevation change than you can see on television or in pictures. I had the same feeling here; you really can't see the big elevation changes until you are there first hand.
Some golf course designers believe in the philosophy of starting easy and getting progressively more difficult as the course goes along. Perry Maxwell apparently had the opposite philosophy, at least at Southern Hills. The course hammers you right out of the gate. The first three holes are handicap 3, 1 and 7, respectively. I would say that Maxwell deserves the high praise he has received as a designer. The course is very interesting. Almost every par four or five is a dogleg, sometimes severely so. He used the land to imaginatively route the course with great variety. As an example, the fine stretch of holes 10-12 are pretty typical of what you can expect. The tenth hole plays from an elevated tee box down a big hill. At the bottom of the hill the hole sharply doglegs to the right and plays to an uphill, well bunkered green. The 11th hole is a downhill par three, heavily bunkered and with a typically small green. The 12th hole plays slightly uphill on the tee shot and sharply downhill on the second and doglegs sharply to the left. This seemed to the essence of the layout: a variety of holes with interesting doglegs playing both up and downhill with small greens that have both overt and subtle breaks.
Most holes at Southern Hills are tree lined and my guess is that the members have perfected the punch shot -- to hit out from under trees and bounce the ball toward the green. Our group played this shot a lot during our round there. One of the illusions that Maxwell was successful at pulling off here is that the fairways actually look wider from the tees than they actually are. Even if you hit the fairway, if you are not on the correct side of it, often times your ball will roll off due to the slopes. Unless you are in the fairway at Southern Hills, and also on the correct side of the fairway, you will find that you probably don't have a clear shot at the green without some branches coming into play.
I played Southern Hills on a 100 degree August day with a moderate warm wind. It was so hot that I broke down and took a golf cart which regular readers know is anathema to me, but was the right decision here. It was so hot that on every green there were two electric fans blowing to cool them down. We did have a fore-caddy, however, who was very adroit at helping us read the difficult greens. After playing the course I can now see why Retief Goosen missed the putt to win the US Open outright. Putts that look flat at Southern Hills have hidden breaks in them due to the effects of the large hills.
I thought the back nine was the more interesting of the two, but really liked the whole place. Sometimes it's the little things that make a big difference setting apart a great country club from an average one. At Southern Hills, they got the little things right such as the vanilla wafers filled with peanut butter that they have out as you make the turn. Also, the attitude of the staff throughout the course and the quality of the caddie. They all add up to that intangible quality that many of the great clubs have.
The four hour drive from Tulsa to Prairie Dunes was interesting. On the interstate you drive by the massive grain elevators in Wichita and again as you approach Hutchinson. Since this is the heart of the Bible Belt, the strongest radio stations on the drive were those with evangelical preachers. You drive through farm country most of the way and as you approach Hutchinson, Kansas you take highway US-50. US-50 is a long, flat, straight road lined with soybean and corn fields criss-crossed by dusty dirt roads and even has a genuine crop-duster company right beside the road. Think Cary Grant in North by Northwest and you've got the picture.
Prairie Dunes
The first green at Prairie Dunes
In many cities, hotels where the door to your room is directly from the parking lot and charge $69, are for hire by the hour. In Hutchinson, the premier hotel in town, The Grand Prairie, charges $69 per night including breakfast. Certainly, a true bargain on the quest to play the top 100. The hotel, which we were worried about, actually worked out fine. It was clean and we were able to have drinks with two members we didn't know who we met at the bar, who gave us some insight into the greatness of the course. They were so nice that one member actually drove back to his house and came back to give us a copy of the USGA Senior Open program that was recently held at Prairie Dunes so we could appreciate the holes.
While the town was depressing, the golf course certainly was not. The scorecard says the course is a Perry Maxwell Masterpiece and I would have to fully agree. Ben Crenshaw, the designer of Sand Hills has said of Prairie Dunes "this is golf on the first order." Jack Nicklaus called it the Pine Valley of the West. I was lucky to play Prairie Dunes on a nice day and with a two club wind, which is enough for you to get a good feel for how the course should play, without being overbearing.
As compared to Southern Hills, the greens, while not large by conventional standards, are not quite as small. The greens almost all have at least two tiers so placement of your ball on the correct spot on the green is of paramount importance. I can see the similarities in the two Perry Maxwell designs - lots of sharp doglegs and intelligent use of the terrain, particularly the uphill shots required into the greens. In almost no instance on the course is your shot to the green a level approach. Maxwell also took a minimalist approach to fairway bunkers which works out very well since the rough is quite penal and you don't need additional hazards. Joe Dye, former head of the U.S.G.A. once wrote that "a golf logo to symbolize the course would be a golfer standing deep in the rough looking for his ball." We hit into the rough a couple of times in our group and each time it was a lost ball.
Two holes in particular are truly world class - the 8th hole, which is the #1 handicap hole is a 430 yard dogleg right that plays uphill all the way. The feature that makes it unique are the massive ripples in the fairway that look like waves coming in from the ocean. You can see in the pictures above, with a golfer present for perspective, how severe the slope and rippling both are.
The 12th hole (pictured above) is a 390 yard par four and is also one of the best I've had the privilege to play. You hit your tee shot from an elevated tee to the fairway below. The strategy of the hole comes from two large cottonwood trees that are on either side of the fairway about 75 yards from the hole. These force you to either lay well back off the tee and then hit a high shot over them to the green or more typically to have to hit a low trajectory shot to a well protected and difficult green. It's too bad you don't see more holes like this. I guess this is because most golfers feel it is their right to have a clear shot at the green if they have a good drive in the fairway and architects generally agree. But I think this hole proves that there are exceptions (a very good exception in this case) to every rule. Also, in a stroke of brilliance, a really good drive hit precisely long enough and between the trees favoring the left side leaves an easy wedge shot between the trees. Great risk/reward!
I did some reading on Prairie Dunes prior to traveling to the course and was expecting the 10th hole to be a really exceptional hole. Maxwell himself said of the par three 10th hole - "this is the most beautiful par three ever constructed. Cypress Point, St. Andrews, Pinehurst and Augusta have nothing to compare with it." I don't agree with Mr. Maxwell on this point. The 10th is a fine golf hole but I actually thought that the 2nd (pictured below) and 4th hole, also par threes, were as good or better.
In an unfortunate incident at Prairie Dunes, on the 9th green the threesome riding behind us hit up on us while our threesome was on the green. Not just one golfer - all three players. For my regular readers you will know that I play fast - in fact we were playing at a good clip and most of the time were waiting for a twosome in front of us to move before we could hit. Being guests to the club we didn't make a big deal out of it. We let the assholes play through on the 10th tee. I'm not sure whether the three were just angry at living in a two-prison town or whether they had too much to drink, but this kind of behavior is not acceptable. God forbid they hit someone in the eye or the head with the ball - hitting up on people is a very bad idea. We mentioned the incident to the cart girl who was roaming the course with beverages. She said that this particular group has a reputation for hitting up on people while drinking. This is a commercial for not having a beverage cart circulate on a golf course, especially since this course had water on almost every tee box anyway. I'm sure most of the members of Prairie Dunes are delightful people but they should not tolerate this type of bad behavior. The cart girl apologized to us as did the assistant-pro whom she told as well. I don't see a place in golf for morons like these, though. If you would like to play through, all you have to do is ask. I hope the course has a good liability insurance policy in place while these guys remain members. Oh, and in what I think is complete poetic justice, to just prove the lack of intelligence of these fools, one drove out of the course after the round in a Hummer.
In any event, I don't want to end on a negative, the place is great. Kudos to the superintendents and green staff at both courses, which were in great condition.
Prairie Dunes is a private club and access to play the course is through a member. You can visit their website for more history. The same for Southern Hills which will play host to the 2007 PGA Championship.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Proper Golf Wrist Cock for golf beginer
Many beginner and high handicap golfers want to know what the correct golf wrist cock is. Although this is very important to get right, having a proper golf grip will ensure you execute your wrist golf properly.
Issues With An Improper Golf Grip
If you have too strong of a left hand, you will have too much cup in your wrists at the top of your swing. This may cause you to overcock your wrists, and come across the line at the top, causing a whole host of issues coming down. If your golf grip is too weak, it may cause an excess bowing of your left wrist which will result in a shut clubface both at the top of your golf swing and at impact, resulting in some brutal pulls to the left. Learning how to grip a golf club is critical to making the correct golf wrist cock that promotes maximum wrist lag.
Proper Golf Wrist Cock
The proper golf wrist cock is very simple. You do not want to manipulate your wrists in any way, or you will have as mentioned above either too much cup in your wrists or excessing bow in them. With the proper grip on your golf club, you should be able to get in your address position, and without doing anything, just raise your clubhed straight off the ground vertically. You will do this by correctly cocking your wrists straight up.
When you’ve reached your maximum wrist cock, stop, hold it, and take a look at it. That is a perfect golf wrist cock that will encourage wrist lag and power into your golf swing.
Preset Golf Wrist Cock
This is where it gets fun. I do this all the time, and actually hit balls from this position. Once you get the proper wrist cock as described above, now just rotate the shaft to your right until it is parallel and right on top of your toe line. This is a perfect position to be in to just rotate back to an absolute beautiful “text book” top of the backswing position, with the correct and proper amount of wrist cock. At the top you will notice you are still parallel with your toe (target) line, putting you into a perfect position coming down.
Related posts:
Issues With An Improper Golf Grip
If you have too strong of a left hand, you will have too much cup in your wrists at the top of your swing. This may cause you to overcock your wrists, and come across the line at the top, causing a whole host of issues coming down. If your golf grip is too weak, it may cause an excess bowing of your left wrist which will result in a shut clubface both at the top of your golf swing and at impact, resulting in some brutal pulls to the left. Learning how to grip a golf club is critical to making the correct golf wrist cock that promotes maximum wrist lag.
Proper Golf Wrist Cock
The proper golf wrist cock is very simple. You do not want to manipulate your wrists in any way, or you will have as mentioned above either too much cup in your wrists or excessing bow in them. With the proper grip on your golf club, you should be able to get in your address position, and without doing anything, just raise your clubhed straight off the ground vertically. You will do this by correctly cocking your wrists straight up.
When you’ve reached your maximum wrist cock, stop, hold it, and take a look at it. That is a perfect golf wrist cock that will encourage wrist lag and power into your golf swing.
Preset Golf Wrist Cock
This is where it gets fun. I do this all the time, and actually hit balls from this position. Once you get the proper wrist cock as described above, now just rotate the shaft to your right until it is parallel and right on top of your toe line. This is a perfect position to be in to just rotate back to an absolute beautiful “text book” top of the backswing position, with the correct and proper amount of wrist cock. At the top you will notice you are still parallel with your toe (target) line, putting you into a perfect position coming down.
Related posts:
The secrect to drive a golf ball far and straight
how to drive a golf ball far
Proper Golf Grip
Recumbent chest-and-spine stretch
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
The secrect to drive a golf ball far and straight
Every golfer on the planet wants to know the secret to how to drive a golf ball far and straight. Well…there are no “secrets”, but there are several key components that need to be in place to maximize your driving distance, and any below golf driving tip will help.
Golf Driving Tips
Tip #1 Tee your golf ball off your inside heel of your lead foot.
Tip #2 Get a slight spine tilt away from target at address, and maintain it all the way through impact.
Tip #3 Work on improving your golf grip. A strong golf grip will encourage an aggressive rotation of the clubface through impact, encouraging a golf draw, that will land and roll 30 more yards.
Tip #4 Make sure you are lined up “parallel” to target line. So your feet, knees, hips and shoulders should be parallel to your end target. This will ensure a straight golf ball with every drive.
Tip #5 Square clubface at impact. It can be slightly open if you are coming from the inside, which would make it square to your path going into the golf ball.
Tip #6 Swing to a full and balanced finish with all your weight on your lead foot (heel), and with your hips and chest facing the target.
Give these simple golf driving tips a go and I’ll bet you hit your drives longer and straight!
Related posts:
Golf Driving Tips
Tip #1 Tee your golf ball off your inside heel of your lead foot.
Tip #2 Get a slight spine tilt away from target at address, and maintain it all the way through impact.
Tip #3 Work on improving your golf grip. A strong golf grip will encourage an aggressive rotation of the clubface through impact, encouraging a golf draw, that will land and roll 30 more yards.
Tip #4 Make sure you are lined up “parallel” to target line. So your feet, knees, hips and shoulders should be parallel to your end target. This will ensure a straight golf ball with every drive.
Tip #5 Square clubface at impact. It can be slightly open if you are coming from the inside, which would make it square to your path going into the golf ball.
Tip #6 Swing to a full and balanced finish with all your weight on your lead foot (heel), and with your hips and chest facing the target.
Give these simple golf driving tips a go and I’ll bet you hit your drives longer and straight!
Related posts:
speed up on the green with a putting aid
What are in Kristy McPherson's golf bag on the range
Improves structure by Physical training
Aiming properly is difficult
how to drive a golf ball far
The tee shot is the ego shot in golf. Learning how to drive a golf ball far is way up on the list for most beginning golfers. The only problem is most amateur and beginner golfers drive it way shorter than they want to, because their golf swing technique is not proper to encourage longer golf drives.
Strengthen Your Golf Grip
One very effective way to quickly improve driving distance is to have a proper golf grip. The preference is a strong one so you can rotate the clubface over through impact encouraging a draw and more yards when it hits the ground.
Golf Ball Position Forward
To promote maximum launch angle you need an ascending blow on the golf ball. Positioning it up in your stance, just inside your left heel will make it much easier to hit "up on the ball".
Spine Tilt
This is where beginner golfers screw up. Instead of a spine angle away from the target at impact, many have either a vertical one, or even worse, one that is more towards the target, encouraging a descending blow resulting in pop ups.
That's just a few simple golf tips to get you on the right track to hitting your golf drives long and straight.
Strengthen Your Golf Grip
One very effective way to quickly improve driving distance is to have a proper golf grip. The preference is a strong one so you can rotate the clubface over through impact encouraging a draw and more yards when it hits the ground.
Golf Ball Position Forward
To promote maximum launch angle you need an ascending blow on the golf ball. Positioning it up in your stance, just inside your left heel will make it much easier to hit "up on the ball".
Spine Tilt
This is where beginner golfers screw up. Instead of a spine angle away from the target at impact, many have either a vertical one, or even worse, one that is more towards the target, encouraging a descending blow resulting in pop ups.
That's just a few simple golf tips to get you on the right track to hitting your golf drives long and straight.
Proper Golf Grip
The most important thing in golf is your grip. Learning a proper golf grip will do wonders for your golf swing. This is your only connection to the golf club, so you better get it right. An incorrect grip is your worst nightmare. You will fight swing faults your entire golf career.
Proper Golf Grip
The grip that you must learn is one where your hands fit naturally on the golf club with no manipulation whatsoever. Just take a look at how your hands hang naturally. Now bring them together onto the grip. This is a perfect blend of both hands on your club.
Correct Golf Wrist Cock
With the right grip on your club, now all you've got to do from your address position is pick your clubhead off the ground vertically (straight up) only using your wrists. When you naturally stop, this is a correct wrist cock full of lag for maximum power. That's all you've got to do to have a golf wrist cock that is loaded full of power.
In order to create an efficient golf swing that enhances power and distance, you've got to apply the above golf tips to your swing. Your golf grip and wrist cock are huge power boosters in your golf swing. Work on them, and watch your driving distance go through the roof.
Proper Golf Grip
The grip that you must learn is one where your hands fit naturally on the golf club with no manipulation whatsoever. Just take a look at how your hands hang naturally. Now bring them together onto the grip. This is a perfect blend of both hands on your club.
Correct Golf Wrist Cock
With the right grip on your club, now all you've got to do from your address position is pick your clubhead off the ground vertically (straight up) only using your wrists. When you naturally stop, this is a correct wrist cock full of lag for maximum power. That's all you've got to do to have a golf wrist cock that is loaded full of power.
In order to create an efficient golf swing that enhances power and distance, you've got to apply the above golf tips to your swing. Your golf grip and wrist cock are huge power boosters in your golf swing. Work on them, and watch your driving distance go through the roof.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Exercise 2: Recumbent abdominal-and-shoulder-blade squeeze
After finishing the
Recumbent chest-and-spine stretch please read this:
The recumbent abdominal-and-shoulder-blade squeeze is designed to helpreeducate your golf posture and begin rebuilding two key areas of muscle strength necessary for great posture at address: your lower abdominals and your shoulder-blade muscles.
Perform this reeducation and rebuilding exercise as follows:
1. Assume the same starting position as for the recumbent chest and spine stretch (refer to first Figure ).
2. Contract the muscles of your lower abdominals and middle and lower shoulder-blade regions so that you can feel the entire length of your spine, neck, and shoulders flattening firmly to the floor.If you’re performing this exercise properly, you should feel a comfortable degree of muscle contraction while you maintain a normal, relaxed breathing pattern (see second Figure).
3. Hold this contraction for three to five breaths, relax, and then repeat
the exercise.
Perform this exercise at least once every other day for 2 to 3 weeks, starting with one set of 10 repetitions and building up gradually to one set of 50 repetitions as needed.
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Club behind the spine
Perform the club-behind-the-spine test
Recumbent chest-and-spine stretch please read this:
The recumbent abdominal-and-shoulder-blade squeeze is designed to helpreeducate your golf posture and begin rebuilding two key areas of muscle strength necessary for great posture at address: your lower abdominals and your shoulder-blade muscles.
Perform this reeducation and rebuilding exercise as follows:
1. Assume the same starting position as for the recumbent chest and spine stretch (refer to first Figure ).
2. Contract the muscles of your lower abdominals and middle and lower shoulder-blade regions so that you can feel the entire length of your spine, neck, and shoulders flattening firmly to the floor.If you’re performing this exercise properly, you should feel a comfortable degree of muscle contraction while you maintain a normal, relaxed breathing pattern (see second Figure).
3. Hold this contraction for three to five breaths, relax, and then repeat
the exercise.
Perform this exercise at least once every other day for 2 to 3 weeks, starting with one set of 10 repetitions and building up gradually to one set of 50 repetitions as needed.
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Callaway FT-i Brid Irons
Callaway Big Bertha Diablo Driver
Callaway X-Forged Irons
Recumbent chest-and-spine stretch
Before reading this article,please finish the Club behind the spine and Perform the club-behind-the-spine test first.
If properly executed, the club-behind-the-spine test positions you so that you feel comfortably balanced over the ball with muscle activity appropriately felt in your lower abdominals, thighs, hips, upper back, and shoulder blades.
You achieve a straighter, more efficient thoracic-spine angle and a neutral,more powerful pelvic position for the golf address position with proper degrees of hip and knee bend. In other words, you achieve a posture at address with the most potential for producing a safe, highly effective golf swing.
Exercise 1: Recumbent chest-and-spine stretch
The recumbent chest-and-spine stretch can help golfers perform a vital function within the initial phase of any proper exercise progression, called the releasing phase. This exercise specifically releases the tightness in your chest, in the front of your shoulders, and in your lower back. After you’ve mastered this exercise, you should have flexibility to perform the club-behind-the-spine test and, therefore, much better posture at address.
Perform this releasing exercise as follows:
1. Lie on a firm, flat surface with your hips and knees bent at a 90-degree angle. Rest your lower legs on a chair, couch, or bed, as show in the following Figure.
Depending on the degree of tightness in your chest, spine, and shoulders, you may need to begin this exercise on a softer surface (an exercise mat, blankets on the floor, or your bed), and place a small pillow orolled-up towel under your head and neck to support them in a comforable, neutral position. You may also need to place a small towel rollunder the small of your back to support its arch.
2. As shown in the second Figure, bend your elbows to approximately 90 degrees and position your arms 60 to 80 degrees away from the side of your body so that you begin to feel a comfortable stretch in the front of your chest and shoulders.
This arm position looks a lot like a waiter’s arms do when he carries a tray in each hand.
If you feel any pinching pain in your shoulders, try elevating your arms and resting them on a stack of towels or a small pillow so that your elbows are higher above the floor than your shoulders.
3. Relax into this comfortable stretch position for at least three to five minutes or until you experience a complete release of the tightness in your chest, front of your shoulders, and lower back.You’re trying to get your back, spine, and shoulders completely flat on the floor.
Repeat this exercise daily for five to ten days until you can perform the exercise easily, feeling no lingering tightness in your body.
You may want to increase the degree of stretch in your body by removing anysupport or padding from under your body and/or arms — or even by adding a small towel roll under the middle portion of your spine (at shoulder-blade level) in a position perpendicular to your spine (see next figure). Remember always to keep the degree of stretch comfortable and to support your head, neck, spine, and arms so that you don’t put excessive stress on those struc-
tures while you perform this exercise.
If properly executed, the club-behind-the-spine test positions you so that you feel comfortably balanced over the ball with muscle activity appropriately felt in your lower abdominals, thighs, hips, upper back, and shoulder blades.
You achieve a straighter, more efficient thoracic-spine angle and a neutral,more powerful pelvic position for the golf address position with proper degrees of hip and knee bend. In other words, you achieve a posture at address with the most potential for producing a safe, highly effective golf swing.
Exercise 1: Recumbent chest-and-spine stretch
The recumbent chest-and-spine stretch can help golfers perform a vital function within the initial phase of any proper exercise progression, called the releasing phase. This exercise specifically releases the tightness in your chest, in the front of your shoulders, and in your lower back. After you’ve mastered this exercise, you should have flexibility to perform the club-behind-the-spine test and, therefore, much better posture at address.
Perform this releasing exercise as follows:
1. Lie on a firm, flat surface with your hips and knees bent at a 90-degree angle. Rest your lower legs on a chair, couch, or bed, as show in the following Figure.
Depending on the degree of tightness in your chest, spine, and shoulders, you may need to begin this exercise on a softer surface (an exercise mat, blankets on the floor, or your bed), and place a small pillow orolled-up towel under your head and neck to support them in a comforable, neutral position. You may also need to place a small towel rollunder the small of your back to support its arch.
2. As shown in the second Figure, bend your elbows to approximately 90 degrees and position your arms 60 to 80 degrees away from the side of your body so that you begin to feel a comfortable stretch in the front of your chest and shoulders.
This arm position looks a lot like a waiter’s arms do when he carries a tray in each hand.
If you feel any pinching pain in your shoulders, try elevating your arms and resting them on a stack of towels or a small pillow so that your elbows are higher above the floor than your shoulders.
3. Relax into this comfortable stretch position for at least three to five minutes or until you experience a complete release of the tightness in your chest, front of your shoulders, and lower back.You’re trying to get your back, spine, and shoulders completely flat on the floor.
Repeat this exercise daily for five to ten days until you can perform the exercise easily, feeling no lingering tightness in your body.
You may want to increase the degree of stretch in your body by removing anysupport or padding from under your body and/or arms — or even by adding a small towel roll under the middle portion of your spine (at shoulder-blade level) in a position perpendicular to your spine (see next figure). Remember always to keep the degree of stretch comfortable and to support your head, neck, spine, and arms so that you don’t put excessive stress on those struc-
tures while you perform this exercise.
Exercise 2: Recumbent abdominal-and-shoulder-blade squeeze
Perform the club-behind-the-spine test
Go on Talking about: Club behind the spine
Perform the club-behind-the-spine test as follows:
1. Stand upright while holding a golf club behind your back.
2. In one hand, hold the head of the club flat against your tailbone. In your other hand, hold the grip of the club against the back of your head. (See the first Figure.)
3. Bend your hips and knees slightly (10 to 15 degrees) and contract your lower abdominal muscles, as needed, to press the small of your back into the shaft of the club.
4. While keeping your lower back in complete contact with the clubshaf straighten the middle and upper portions of your spine and neck.The goal is to make as much complete contact between the shaft andthe entire length of your spine and back of your head as possible. (See the second Figure)
5. Try to bend forward from your hips and proportionately from your knees while maintaining club contact with your spine and head. Keep bending forward until you’re able to comfortably see a spot on the ground in front of you where the golf ball would normally be at
address. (See the following Figure).
6. Remove the club from behind your back and grip it with both handsin your normal address position while trying to maintain all the spine,hip, and knee angles that you just created. (See the following Figure).
Perform the club-behind-the-spine test as follows:
1. Stand upright while holding a golf club behind your back.
2. In one hand, hold the head of the club flat against your tailbone. In your other hand, hold the grip of the club against the back of your head. (See the first Figure.)
3. Bend your hips and knees slightly (10 to 15 degrees) and contract your lower abdominal muscles, as needed, to press the small of your back into the shaft of the club.
4. While keeping your lower back in complete contact with the clubshaf straighten the middle and upper portions of your spine and neck.The goal is to make as much complete contact between the shaft andthe entire length of your spine and back of your head as possible. (See the second Figure)
5. Try to bend forward from your hips and proportionately from your knees while maintaining club contact with your spine and head. Keep bending forward until you’re able to comfortably see a spot on the ground in front of you where the golf ball would normally be ataddress. (See the following Figure).
6. Remove the club from behind your back and grip it with both handsin your normal address position while trying to maintain all the spine,hip, and knee angles that you just created. (See the following Figure).
Club behind the spine
I'm going to give you the sample “"aboratory white mice" tests before the initial performance tests you'll be consulting a specialist for. From these tests,you'll be able to tell how much serious conditioning you need.
Please remember, if you are unable to perform any portion of these simpletests or recommended corrective exercises easily and comfortably, you'renot alone. I seized up during most of them! Go about it slowly, and if you can't perform one or the other, stop and turn on Judge Judy.Test 1: Club behind the spine
The club-behind-the-spine test is a very helpful evaluation tool because it can identify several areas of physical weakness and/or imbalance. First, you know that having adequate rotation flexibility in the spine is one of the most essen tial requirements to performing a good golf swing. The area of the spine from which most rotation should come is the middle section known as the thoracic spine. To have maximal flexibility to turn during the swing, you must also have the physical potential to achieve a straighter thoracic spine at address,which is the way you set up to the ball (see The following Figure). In contrast, a bent thoracic spine at address blocks your ability to turn.
Therefore, one important purpose of this test is to determine your ability to achieve and maintain the ideal, straighter thoracic spine angle at address through adequate chest and middle-spine flexibility.
In addition, this test measures (to a degree) the muscle strength of your lower abdominals, hips, thighs, middle and upper back, and shoulder blades — all essential to achieving and maintaining proper posture at address. Further-more, this test can identify tightness in your hamstring muscles (the muscles in the backs of your legs).
Perform the club-behind-the-spine test as the next article:
Perform the club-behind-the-spine test
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TaylorMade Burner Superfast Driver
Exercise program must be golf-specific
In order for an exercise program to be most helpful, it must be golf-specific.Warming up by throwing a shot put is not going to help your golf game.Fitness programs for other sports aren’t designed around the specific muscles, movement patterns, and physical-performance factors that support the golf swing.
Of equal importance to golf-specific training is customized fitness training. If you start an exercise program that isn't designed around your personal physical weaknesses, isn't tailored to the special demands of golf, and isn't designed to accomplish your personal performance goals, then the chance that the exercise program will help is nil.
Go out and find a specialist to work with and then ask what sort of initial physical performance evaluation will be performed. The specialist will design your program from his or her findings. The elements of the evaluation should include at least the following:
1. Health history of past medical problems, pain problems, injuries related to golf, and so on
2. Tests to identify postural, structural, or biomechanical imbalances thatmay interfere with your ability to swing
3. Balance assessment
4. Muscle and joint flexibility testing
5. Muscle strength, endurance, and control testing
6. Biomechanical video analysis of the golf swing
7. Golf skills evaluation (measurement of current swing and scoring performance potential, including elements of the swing such as clubhead speed and swing path, as well as driving distance, greens and fairways in regulation, handicap, and so on)
8. Goals assessment (evaluation of performance goals, purpose for playing golf, and deadlines for reaching goals.
I'm proud of you. Following these steps helps you and your specific golf muscles perform better, and it beats watching Judge Judy during the day. Your physical abilities and conditioning will merge, and you'll become a force to be reckoned with out on the links. Enjoy your new outlook on golf!
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Immelman was in the right direction
Monday, May 3, 2010
Elin has returned Sweden
A photo taken by paparazzi showed that "Mrs. Tiger" Elin was running in native Sweden on Saturday. According to RadarOnline site,she seemed to not carewhether anyone saw her.Elin was running along without bodyguards.She was listening Ipod whenrunning and seemed relaxed posture.According to previous reports,Elin returned to Sweden to visit her families with her two children.
A divorce of Tiger Woods looked unavoidable. According to "The New York Daily News" reports,"Golf's No.1" - Tiger Woods has secretly met with the "Jaws" Greg- Jeff Norman's divorce lawyer-Jeff Fisher. Jeff Fisher is good at playing the celebrity divorce case,and in the course of litigation,he often makes a tremendous fuss about divorce.But now,Jeff Fisher prefers to play down the Tiger Woods's divorce case,because so far he has no external publicity.
In any case it has seemed that the internal contradictions of the family affected the Tiger Woods's game.On this week's Friday,he suffered his sixth elimination in his career at panic Valley Championship.
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