Fran Watson presents some Tips to help improve your golf game no matter what level you are playing at the moment - beginner to pro can benefit.
Monday, September 29, 2014
Golf Secrets Revealed
Friday, December 21, 2012
Beginning Golfer?
The popularity of golf has increased tremendously over the past forty five years, giving us champions like Arnold Palmer, Greg Norman, and Tiger Woods, and world-renowned courses like Pinehurst, Augusta National and the Blue Monster at Doral.
Why has golf become so popular? It’s the opportunity to be outside, to get a good whole body workout, network with friends or business colleagues at a leisurely pace, and to play a game that you can never perfect.
Your scorecard, over time, shows your improvement, which keeps you playing again and again.
Here is a very basic lesson in golf for the person who has no clue about the game.
Golf is played on an eighteen-hole course; each hole has its "par", which is the number of tee shots (drives), fairway shots, chips (short hits as you approach the green), and putts.
The par number is based on the length and difficulty of the hole. Pars range from 3 to 6. If you get the ball in the hole in five shots on a par five hole, you "made par." If it took you six shots, it’s called a bogie, if you made it in four, it’s a birdie.
There are usually "hazards" of some sort on all the holes. Bodies of water, sand traps, and trees are strategically placed to make the hole more challenging. Beginner golfers should seek to find courses to play that are easier to play, with fewer hazards.
Each player keeps their own score, marking the number of total number of shots for each hole. At the end, each person adds their scores-the lowest number is the winner.
It is important for beginner golfers to not take themselves too seriously. It takes a long time to get good at this game; even though the professionals make it look so easy.
Take a lesson or two at the onset; it will help you develop a proper swing and help you get off to a good start.
Remember that it’s just a game. Have fun and look at the big picture-you’re outside and you’re not at work!
To your successful golfing!
Fran
P.S. Here are some more tips to help you become a better golfer - Click here
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Golf Channel
With the ever-rising popularity of the game of golf, mainstream television decided they needed to cash in on the golf craze and founded The Golf Channel. The history of this cable phenomenon is really a storied one.
In 1990, cable and cellular entrepreneur Joseph Gibbs of Birmingham, Alabama, offered to host a professional golfer for the 1990 PGA Championship. Mr. Gibbs was ecstatic to learn he would be hosting Arnold and Winnie Palmer during the week of the tournament. A friendship was instantly born and as the friendship blossomed so did the discussion of a 24-hour cable network devoted entirely to golf.
After conducting a Gallup survey to determine public interest, Joe Gibbs was pleased to realize that there was a strong interest for a golf channel among the general public. The successful entrepreneur and the golf legend were convince that The Golf Channel would flourish with offerings for the golf-loving viewer.
By 1995, the new corporation had raised over $80 million to finance and launch The Golf Channel. It debuted with less than 1,000 cable subscribers. The Golf Channel’s first live televised tournament was the Dubai Desert Classic which debuted on January 19, 1995.
Since then, The Golf Channel has grown by leaps and bounds in popularity. Many cable and satellite dish systems now carry The Golf Channel as part of their regular lineup of channels. It is now broadcast in Japan and Canada and in 1999, reached a “break even” status on their financial statements.
Today, The Golf Channel is considered the place to go for golf news and programming. They have a daily golf news show called “Golf Central” along with “College Central” which is dedicated to college golf. They air highlight shows of past tournaments and have many programs with professionals handing out golf tips to the eager viewer.
Not to be left behind with the reality TV phenomenon, The Golf Channel has joined in with their reality-based program called “The Big Break”. This program was designed to help aspiring professionals gain exemptions into PGA Tour and LPGA events. It has proven to be wildly successful.
In 2005, The Golf Channel helped set up a special match play event called Big Stakes Golf, in which teams of two paid a $100,000 entry fee to play in a special tournament where the winning team split a $3,000,000 first-place prize, the largest in golf history. In the end, mini-tour professionals Garth Mulroy and David Ping won the grand prize.
Two guys had a dream – one with business savvy, and one with golf savvy – and when The Golf Channel was born, that dream became a reality. Many households depend on The Golf Channel for their daily golf news and for those living in the northern climate where the winter snow has covered the golf courses and a golf game is a distant memory, the Golf Channel can keep their minds focused on how they can be better next year. Or they can plan their winter vacation and choose which courses they would like to play.
Happy golfing and Merry Christmas - may you find the clubs of your dreams under your tree this year.
Fran
P.S. If you are a new golfer, click here for some tips
If you are a more experienced golfer and want to break 80, click here
P.P.S. No matter what level of golfer you are, fitness is important. Click here for some tips
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Perhaps the title of this should be "get the 'Right Grip' and that means get one that is specifically correct for you.
You can't expect the grip on your golf club to be the optimum size for both you and someone else with bigger or smaller hands.
How can the grip on the golf clubs of a large man be the right size for both him and that tiny lady playing alongside him?
What is right for her will probably be too small for him and a grip that is too small will make him tend to hold the club too tightly. This can create a problem with the swing. Just changing the grip to a bigger one can alter a game dramatically.
Your hands are your link to the golf clubs and everything that goes on below that point. Your contact point with the clubs needs to be correct if you expect to play well.
Manufacturers offer a standard size to suit the majority of buyers, however, you need to go one step further and find a grip that will allow you to control the club comfortably without having to hold it so hard that your game suffers.
Get grips for your clubs that are not only suited in size but also in the type of materials used as this can determine how tightly you will hold them.
In addition to this, you need to warm up your wrists before play to ensure they are relaxed and ready for action. Performing a few simple warm up exercises of rolling your wrist while holding your club lightly will help to reduce the possibility of injury.
Get a grip - and have fun on the golf course.
Fran
P.S. Click here for more info
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Golf Equipment
Buying golf equipment can be like dumping money into a money pit, but armed with some knowledge you can save time and money in selecting the right clubs for yourself. As with most things in life, you can spend a
lot or you can spend a little several times before you get what you really need.
Golf Clubs
When you are starting out and not completely sure you want to commit to this addictive game, you should either rent clubs at the golf course, or buy a starter set of clubs.
The advantage of buying a set of starter clubs is that you can become accustomed to them, which enables you to concentrate on your swing instead of wondering how the set of miss-matched clubs you just rented are going to work out.
As you become better at the game, you should think of investing in a better set of clubs, fitted to you.
Generally, a set includes a driver, one or two fairway woods, 4-9 irons, a wedge or two and perhaps a putter.
As you become more experienced, you may want to consider buying your driver separately. Some players want a driver to give them more accuracy; some need the distance.
Find The Right Senior Golf Clubs
When you are thinking about changing golf clubs to fit you better as you age, you want to look for golf clubs that will give you distance as well. You may want to have an iron that is custom made, a hybrid club or a clone wood. These are just a few different ideas when you are thinking about golf clubs. Although the clone clubs are slightly different from the original clubs, many golfers find that these clubs are more suited for their changing needs. Whether you need new irons, woods or drivers you can find some with just enough flex in the shaft that will help you gain more distance.
There are many manufacturers of senior golf clubs such as Calloway, Wedgewood, Adams and Nike. You need to choose a golf club that has enough flex in the shaft, but not too much. It will depend on your ability to swing the club as the amount of flex you need. The flex is what allows the golf club to bend as you swing and connect with the ball. You will choose from the ladies flex, senior flex, regular, stiff and extra stiff flex. If the flex of the shaft is not matched with your swing, you could miscalculate your swing.
Many golf course pro shops do have golf clubs with different flex shaft ratings that you can use out on the driving range. This allows the senior golf player to find the right club that will give you the distance. Before you buy a club, trying different shaft flexes will enable you to find the one you need without mistakenly buying the wrong one. You can also find a shop that custom makes golf clubs for senior golfers and have a set of clubs made especially to enhance your game.
Whether you buy an expensive senior golf club or a discounted club will not matter as long as you buy the right club with the right amount of flex. You do however need to buy something durable, this is where it pays to be critical with discount clubs. Just because the club gives you the distance might not mean it will be the best. Some discount clubs may loosen up as you use them more. This could cause the flex to become softer than what you need.
Senior golf players have more advantages today then what they had in the past. The clubs are designed more for their use and flexibility whereas golfers in the past usually only had a few club flexes to choose from as they gained more experience in the game. Finding the different golf clubs and understanding the best clubs will help your game. You can look at different websites under the manufacturers of the clubs to see what they offer and what the ratings are before you seek a pro shop to try the club on the greens.
What about the balls? Do they make a difference?
There are numerous balls available and the box will usually have a chart on the back and direct you to the right ball for your needs. As you learn the game and get better at it, you should experiment with different balls which could improve your accuracy or distance.
Having the right equipment is an important aspect of the game; buy wisely!
To your golfing success
Fran
P.S. Click here for more info