Golf Tips And Products

Everyone who plays golf wants to get a lower score.  What usually happens though is they find that their handicap pretty much stays in the same range for a long period of time.  You can practice and practice but even lots of practice doesn’t seem to help the score improve.  If that is the situation you are in, maybe it’s time that you start taking the game more seriously and seek out professional instructors for a few private lessons.

Instructors of the game of golf are members of the Professional Golfers Association of America (PGA).  These golf instructors are certified to teach the game through years of studying golf course management and various aspects of the game.  PGA programs include pro shop management and they must also keep their credentials current by continuing education programs.

Most golf lessons with a Pro are hour long sessions at a golf course of driving range.  Some golf shops house cool computer swing analyzers so you can take lessons right in the golf shop on a virtual golf course.  Some instructors are now taking video of your swing and analyzing the biomechanics of your swing with new computer technology. 

You can find a golf professional at your local club house, by looking in the yellow pages of your local phone book, or by going online to www.pga.com.  There you can find listings of local professionals.  Private golf lessons from a PGA professional can range from $50 an hour to $100 an hour.  These costs can be reduced sometimes if you purchase a package of several lessons or ask at your local golf course what options there are.  Sometimes courses will offer packages with a certain number of rounds of golf combined with lessons.

One of our local courses offers a clinic for kids in the spring where they can learn the basics and start a lifetime of loving the game of golf.  You’ll also sometimes find these kinds of packages offered to women or beginners.  It’s a great way to learn the basics the right way so they don’t have to correct bad habits later on.

You can also go to a golf academy run by a PGA professional.  These often consist of a full day of instruction and several round of golf with an instructor which could really help your game.  Do your research, either on the internet in golf forums or asking around at your local clubhouse and find out which of these academies are the ones most liked.  These can be geared to one on one instruction or some of them are set up to instruct large groups at a time.  The one you choose will depend on how much personal attention you want.

The main thing you want to look for in golf clubs is flexibility. I’m not talking about the kind of flexibility that determines how much your golf club bends when you swing it. I’m talking about the kinds of golf clubs that are very forgiving to those who don’t have as much of an idea as to what they are doing. The best kind of flexible golf club is the one that is adjustable. Rather than deciding on set measurements and details, you can spend a little bit extra and get golf clubs that are able to change at the flick of the wrist. Since you are a beginner and your gameplay habits have not fully developed (or perhaps have not even begun to develop), it’s best to play it safe until you can have a better idea as to what you personally need in order to succeed.

Another piece of great advice is to not spend too much money on your clubs. It’s tempting to buy the best clubs in hopes that they will immediately rocket you to golfing success, but it is usually a waste of money. Figure out a reasonable amount that you would like to spend on your golf clubs, and then do not stray from this amount. Golf store employees will be able to point you towards golf clubs that are within your range, and hopefully have some of the features that you are looking for. If you are feeling really adventurous, then you might check somewhere more obscure for your golf clubs. Auctions and pawn shops usually tend to have at least a few options. As long as you can look at the clubs and decide for yourself if they have what you are looking for, it might just be an excellent deal.

While you are still in the market, you should certainly try out as many golf clubs as you can until you find the ones that you are most comfortable with. Whether this means simply borrowing your golfing buddy’s club for one stroke or going to the club store every day to try out a few more, you will find that the more you try the better you will be able to make your final choice. If you have hands-on experience with every material, length, and head style, you will know what combination will suit you best. Trying out a bunch of different golf clubs will rarely present a problem, since most golfers are happy to show off their nice and expensive golf clubs and stores mostly have some sort of policy regarding the testing of equipment.

If you utilize the techniques and ideas found here, you will almost certainly have a happier experience when buying golf clubs. Your goal is not to buy the most expensive or the most cheap clubs, but rather to buy the ones that will help you improve your golf game.

King James IV of Scotland would sneak out on a Saturday afternoon
and play a game they called golf.  The golf ball has come a long way
since the days of King James.

The king and his courtiers used a small round ball made of leather
stuffed with feathers.  The feather ball remained the same for nearly four centuries.  All
equipment for golf was originally made by hand, an expensive and
time consuming process.

The best ball makers could only produce about 4 balls a day, and
they were quite expensive, a dozen balls was the equivalent to a
weeks wages for the working man.

Each ball required a bucket of boiled goose feathers and a master
craftsman to prepare the leather, stitch and stuff these balls.  After the ball was stuffed to the point it could hold no more feathers, it was stitched shut hammered round and coated with
three coats of paint.

A perfectly round ball (“featherie”) was a rarity, and
even the few that were perfectly round were soon knocked out of
shape and torn by the impact of the clubs.

Wet weather would cause the balls to become soggy and fly apart and
at best a ball was good for two rounds.

During the reign of James VI, Scots balls were purchased from
Holland; this caused the king to invoke an exorbitant tariff.

In 1618 he gave James Melvill exclusive rights to make golfe
balls at 4 shillings each.

In 1845 the first gutta percha ball was introduced, it was made
of a concrete juice from various trees.

It become malleable at the boiling point of water and held its shape
when cooled.  These balls were much easier to produce and a great deal less
expensive.

Dimples were introduced when it was found that smooth balls ducked
in flight, the dimples have never been abandoned.

In 1932 the United States decided the perfect ratio for a golf ball
was no more than 1.62 ounces and 1.68 inches in diameter.  This created a problem as the English ball was smaller by 6/100s
of an inch.

One bizarre twist was that as rules were written the English
ball was illegal in America, but the American ball was acceptable
in all countries.

There is one thing about golf that is different from most other sports.  It is a game, that if you have a bad score, at the end of the day, you have no one to blame but yourself.  There are no team members to help you tap in the missed shot.  You can’t blame it on the pitcher not pitching enough strikes.  There are no missed tackles or missed passes in the end zone that you can stand back and blame someone else on the team.  You stand alone, and you have no one to blame for those extra strokes on your score card but yourself.

This is the reason some people start to play golf with enthusiasm and quickly decide it isn’t the game for them.  They don’t have the courage to come to terms with their failings.  All you need to play golf is money and courage.  Money to pay club memberships, pay green fees, buy clothes and buy clubs.  You need the courage to come to terms with your failings.

People sometimes turn into different people on the golf course.  An entrepreneur who dresses in suits and ties every day and would never consider wearing a t-shirt and tennis shoes will show up on the golf course wearing plaid pants, weird shoes and a funny looking hat. 

In the game of golf, you face both your individual achievements and your failures alone.  You either play well or you don’t and the score leaves no doubt about your abilities at the end of the day. 

 Golf is not just a game of manners, but it is a game of morals.  The first commandment of golf is to “play it where it lies”, you can’t change it or move it.  You have to accept what the situation is and accept the challenge the way it is.

Golf is also a game that challenges the ego.  It allows you to beat the one person you have not been able to beat before; yourself.  Of course, along with that is the possibility of self humiliation.  In the game of golf that’s just the way it is.  We see that all the time when we watch Tiger Woods play.  Some days can be triumphant and other days are just plain humiliating.  Don’t forget that disappointment  is part of the game.  How you handle that disappointment is what defines you as a person and as a competitor.

For anyone that is first learning the game of golf, one of the most obvious things that one must learn to play a great golf game is to grip the golf club correctly.  Since the club and ball are the main objects in the game, it goes without saying that the beginner should know how to grip the club correctly.  If you would like to have some idea of how to grip your club before you sign up for lessons at the club, here are a few tips to learn how to grip a golf club correctly.

The grip on your club is the only way you connect and feel the golf club.  A proper grip is what gives you the control you need for the clubs face impact on the ball.  When learning how to grip a golf club correctly, you have to swing your body so that you imprint power to the ball.  When gripping a golf club correctly, your hand and the club become one in the move.  Always use your dominant hand for a stroke, since that is the way to hit the ball with precision.

To grip the golf club correctly, place the last joint of your index finger right under the club’s shaft.  Then, keep the club at a clear downward angle.  When you place the lead hand on the angle, put the left thumb on the back part of the shaft.  Try to imitate the moves of your instructor who will show you how to grip the golf club the right way.  For professional information you can check out the resources in the resource box below.

When gripping the golf club correctly, many people will have trouble managing the right strokes in the beginning.  It will all pay off if you PRACTICE!  You need to not only practice in the lessons you may be taking and on the golf course, but you also need to practice at home.  The more you practice the movement with the right grip, the better you golf game will be in the long run, even though at first you may find it frustrating and uncomfortable.  This is the first step in the golf learning process as you will soon go on to learn swing and be able to give the best shots possible.  If you practice the correct grip on your club, the rest of the game will follow.

•    The putter that looks the nicest.
•    The one the golf tour pro endorses.
•    The putter that your best friend has.

Therefore, the most important consideration when choosing a putter that works for you, is to avoid all three of the above methods of choosing.

Putters have certain characteristics and specifications that can effect your putting game in good and bad ways. So here are the qualifications you need to be looking for when you are looking for a great putter.

• The shaft length and lie angle (the angle the shaft comes out of the head of the club) must fit you in three ways
• The club must allow you to address the ball with your eyes directly over the target line while your hands are under your shoulders.
• The club must be long enough so you don’t experience any pain in your shoulders, legs, or back when practicing for long periods of time.
• It must be short enough so it won’t catch your clothing while putting.
• You should choose a design that will help eliminate your most common mistakes.

To help you determine which putter is best for you, start by putting a piece of impact tape on the putter you now use and stroke 30 putts. If your marks are mostly near the heel, you want a heel-shaft putter (the shaft enters the heel of the putter). If you tend to strike towards the head, you want a center shafted putter.

• If you want alignment aids on your clubs, get them and use them. They are legal and anything that helps your stroke is incouraged.
• Find a putter with a light club head. Try a few strokes with it, then take a couple of dimes to the back of the head. Does it feel better or worse to put with the added weight?
• Grip size and shape are important factors. The grip needs to be small enough for you to control easily, but big enough so your fingers don’t overlap uncomfortably.

The putter is the only club allowed to have a flat top on the grip which allows for more consistent grip each time you use it.

Beginning golfers are usually tempted to buy the more expensive clubs that they find on the sporting goods shelves because they think these more expensive clubs will improve their skills as if by magic. The truth is that an amazing golf club requires amazing technique and skill in order to get the advantage that the club is supposed to offer. Expensive golf clubs are designed to be more efficient and less forgiving. With the slightest wrong move, you will throw the trajectory of the ball way off your target. If you stay with a club designed for beginners (as you should), the heads of the clubs will be much more forgiving and you will be able to practice your technique with much more success.

If you still think you want to purchase the more expensive, high tech clubs you can still buy nice clubs without spending huge money.  You may golf with people who like to be on the cutting edge of technology. If you do, these high tech golfers might have an older set of clubs that are still of very high quality.  Ask them if they would be interested in selling their used clubs to you. When buying used clubs you need to be careful and look for anything that might compromise the quality of the clubs. Sometimes, if the used set of clubs has been used enough, they may actually be worn out and be nearly unusable. Before you agree to a final sale, take the clubs out for a test run. If you are a good friend of the person that owns the clubs, they might even let you use them for a little longer so you can see if they will work for you.

You can also find older model or used clubs at auctions, pawn shops, or garage sales. Many golf clubs are sold at auctions and you may even have a pretty wide choice at some auctions. Then there is the biggest auction of all.  Ebay.  Ebay has probably one of the larger collections of golf clubs and accessories on the planet. You will have a wide choice of new older models or high quality used clubs. You will find prices from the lowest price clubs to the highest prices clubs, but usually at quite a discount compared to a retail store.

There are many ways to save money when you are purchasing those new clubs you have been wanting, just do your homework before you decide what you want to buy. Do some research on the internet on various websites and forums where actual golfers talk about what they like about certain clubs. Learn all you can about what you really need and want out of your new clubs.