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Golf Tips – Speed Up YOUR Next Round

Golf etiquette suggests players keep an average round to about four hours but some rounds just seem to go on FOREVER! I don’t personally like to cast blame, I enjoy finding ways to help a situation so that everyone can have a good time….isn’t that what golf, or any sport, is all about for the average player?

Golf for Beginners suggests a few tips for gently moving a round of golf to completion, whether it’s one of your playing partners who play army golf (left, right, left, right) or if it’s you (Nah, never ME) who might be finding every hazard.

Enjoy the article and subscribe to Golf for Beginners, because we’re always learning!

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Usable Tips for a More Consistent Golf Game

Swing your golf club and hear a whiff, golf ball speedily rolls past the hole, pull your shots – these are all problems because you lack consistency in your golf game.

What do you need to do to improve your game before spring? Click on the link for a few golf tips that are easy to remember and will help lower your scores. If you put in the small effort needed to read this article and follow the tips, you should have a much better season…and you should have more fun!

My tip to you? Get a professional instructor to help with your issues.

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New Year, New Golf ME!

new-year-new-youNew Year’s resolutions, I think, are made to be broken.

No one can possibly just say, “I’m going to be a better golfer” and then have it magically happen. The intent to make something happen has got to be on par, so to speak, and you have to be motivated to make it happen.

That being said, what new golf resolutions have you shouted out while clinking those champagne glasses at the stroke of midnight?

I always say, “I’m going to practice more, or better”, I’m not going to let distractions bother me”, I’m going to work with a golf instructor, yada, yada, yada.

Am I preaching to the choir?

Let me read your New Year’s golf resolutions in the comments section of this golf blog and, feel free to ask for help!

 

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How Match Play Golf Can Give Old Man Par a Stroke

Is the art of Match Play lost on golfers in the U.S. or do we simply prefer every stroke to count?

In a recent GolfWeek article, Brits such as Ian Poulter prefer “the oldest form of golf” to stroke play because it boils down to “just me against the other guy rather than the rest of the field.” Bubba Watson, on the other hand, believes that “it should be everybody gets up there and tries to shoot a score.”

Even Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, after their first round departure from the WGC Accenture Match Play Championships, decided to “settle the score” in a match play format although the two games ended all square.

 

Tiger Woods Rory McIlroy Match Play Golf

 

Amateurs should probably take a tip from Poulter, McIlroy and other golfers from across the pond and rotate a game of match play into their weekly foursomes. Where it is probable, at the end of a four-day professional tournament, that stroke play will ulitmately lead to the “best” player and score, the game is not necessarily all about score for amateurs. As Henrik Stenson said about match-play format, “It’s very clear what you need to do…You just have to play better than your opponent.”

 

Here are a few reasons to opt for a game of match-play golf instead of stroke play the next time you are out with your golf buddies

1. There is a different psychological approach to Match-Play:

* Less stressful throughout the game (until the end if you’re dormie, for example).

* Seeing your score on the card in stroke format may cause you to count strokes instead of focusing on your shot.

 

2. Easier to score without having a scorecard.

 

3. Head-to-head competition versus playing for par.

 

4. A playing opponent can legitimately concede your putt.

 

5. Focuses your attention to the adventure of a single hole when standing on the tee box. Each hole becomes its own mini-game.

 

6. You can make match play more fun by adding a wager per hole (skins game).

 

Try Match-Play the next time you go out with your friends and leave Old Man Par in the Clubhouse!


 As a postscript, in my opinion it is a shame that as of this article, the Sybase Match Play Championship will no longer be an event on the LPGA Tour.

 

Voice Your Opinion on Twitter @Golf4Beginners and friend on Facebook.

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Should Golfers Have to Pass an Etiquette Test?

A story found while searching Google News stated that nine out of ten greenskeepers believed that players should pass an etiquette test before playing golf. Ninety-one percent of players, as reported by Today’s Golfer, leave a golf course in an “inappropriate state”, from not repairing divots and ball marks to a basic lack of course management practices.

This lack of golf course etiquette translates even further to a lack of courtesy within the social structure of the group affecting both the spirit and integrity of the game.

This timely article sent to me (below) struck a nerve at the heart of golf courses and players worldwide. It is with pleasure that I use it as a Spring reminder as a new season of golf is in the air. Enjoy!

David Bryce is an online publisher for Golf in Branson, MO at Thousand Hills. He blogs on the topics of golf, travel, and vacations and enjoys staying at Thousand Hills cabins in Branson. Thanks to David for submitting this fundamental guide to golf etiquette.
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Picture a football game, a soccer match, a tennis match up or even basketball tournament.  What do all of these sports have in common besides extremely impassioned fans? All of these sports make use of some kind of referee.  Golf, while still just as much of a sport as the previously mentioned entries, has long gone without the direct oversight of a referee.  This is because the game of golf lends itself heavily from the idea of the individual holding themselves accountable for their actions, adherence to the rules and yes, how they treat others before, during and after the game.

Vigilant of Others

 Before you tee-off, golf better practices would be to take a moment to look around to make sure that you won’t be obstructing anyone else’s game.  Look ahead to make sure no one is in front of you and in the same manner of thinking, be aware of the golfers behind you.  Tee times are often flexible on courses, but spending too much time on one hole can disrupt a whole day of careful planning.

Caddyshack

 

Mind the Noise

 

I always like to equate the golf green to the inside of a library.  It has become common courtesy over the years to be as quiet as possible while playing your round.  At approach, golfer’s require an immense amount of concentration and focus before they take their shot.  Being distracted by loud talking, yelling or laughing can throw off someone’s swing and perhaps lead to a stern talking to from course managers. Also (from GFB), either set your cellphone to vibrate or just plain turn it off!

 

Smooth the Sand

 

Launching your golf ball into a sand trap is just a natural part of the game;  frustrating indeed, but that is what they are there for.  After you take your chip shot, make use of those tiny rakes that are situated around the bunker and smooth out the irregularities you’ve made with your swing and steps as your approached it.  It’s common courtesy to leave the sand in the same condition that you found it.

 

Fill Your Divots

 

Repairing your divots after a shot is synonymous with good golf etiquette.  No golfer wants to be playing a hole only to find themselves tripping and stumbling over someone else’s mess they failed to clean up.

After you take your shot, take the few moments necessary to find your divot and then, replace it.  A lot of work goes into the design and maintenance of a golf course.  Do you part to keep the course you play on looking great for your future games and the future games of others.

 

The Player’s Line

 

The player line is a golf term that signifies the imaginary line between the player’s ball and the hole.  If you are on the green and notice that your ball might be in the way of another player’s ball, take a moment to switch it out with a coin or a ball marker as not to get in the way of their game.  When the way looks clear, go ahead and replace the marker with your ball and proceed with your game.  The rule holds true for shots taken on the putting green and on the rest of the course.  Be courteous to and vigilant of those around you!

One final note from Golf for Beginners: Be sure to yell FORE if your golf ball is heading towards another group of golfers!  Read more golf tips: USGA: Golf Etiquette 101

Tiger_woods_fore

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Photo Credit: Bleacher Report

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Office on the Green – Why Businessmen Love Golf

Guest golf blogger Colin Knight is an avid golfer and traveller.  Having played all over the world, he now enjoys a quieter life working with Belmont Lodge in Herefordshire, England. Here is Colin’s take on why businessmen love golf and unwritten rules which can broker business deals.

 

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Golf has a strange audience compared with other sports like cricket. Unless you’re an avid golfer, then you would likely find it hard to understand what the attraction is and why so many business deals are signed and sealed on the golf course. Two businessmen playing racket-sports, knocking a tennis ball back and forth to each other, may seal a deal afterwards but, with golf, deals are completed and finalized during the game.

A round of golf can take approximately four hours, which we all know is much longer than would be normal if there weren’t other goings on.  The majority of a golf game is walking, planning and yes, talking. Golfers like to show their prowess on the course and for some reason, it can broker business deals.

 

It is almost an unwritten rule, that a good player (with a solid golf swing) will have an astute and charismatic business mind. Perhaps the rules of golf, which are so law-abiding and strict, has something to do with this idea. Golf is a game of precision and integrity. It has finesse and flair from the clothing to the game itself, and it also has an element of mutual honesty: being a great golf opponent means having to trust and be honest with your most bitter of rivals.

The golf “fraternity” appear on many boards of global corporations. Golf requires a certain coolness and stridency under extreme pressure. To an unskilled eye, golf looks terribly boring. Hitting a ball, walking to it, hitting it again and then more walking, it must, let’s face it, look a bit daft and a waste of time. However, to the golfer and their colleagues, it is a huge affair with many Friday afternoons spent finalizing the week on a course. Some companies offer golf membership as part of a remuneration package and it’s almost compulsory to play the game at higher levels. Interviews have been completed on golf courses, although beating the CEO of a company you are trying to impress may not be one of your finest moments. That said, you would be admired.

Perspective clients are tempted out onto the golf course to put together a plan of action. Sales and marketing managers, who have to be connected to the world in their fast-paced jobs, may balk at the idea of being disconnected from the world for hours, but a game of golf and the bonding that seems to follow is surely a more direct way of interaction than an impersonal tweet or email.

 

While a group of builders may not understand golfers completing deals on the course and make fun of ‘girly golfers in colorred trousers’ and ‘pen-pushers should get a real job’ they will never have what two opponents and friends in business have on a golf course. It truly is all hearts and flowers bonding and there are few finer ways of securing a deal than on a golf course.

 

 

Thanks again to Colin Knight from Belmont Lodge in Herefordshire, England!

Learn more about Belmont Lodge on Twitter and Facebook.

 

Voice your opinion with Golf4Beginners on Twitter and Facebook!

 

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Which Golf Irons are Best for Beginners?


A fine-tuned instrument of golf, these irons were quite impressive to me when I saw them and had a chance to try them out. One can see that Adams lovingly crafted them with the intention of perfecting already existing designs through the implementation of materials meant for fine-tuning golf club performance.

 

When it comes to looks CMB Irons will definitely impress you with their sleek look and chrome hues. Looks, however, tell only half of the story since the real magic begins inside the construction of the iron itself.

 

The fine CMB body is forged from carbon steel with a very nice strategically placed tungsten inserts which balance the center of gravity in such a way that it allows exceptional precision. I’m usually not one to praise products much but these irons felt very nice and helped prevent twisting just like it was designed to do.

 

I have to admit that, after trying these Adams irons, my accuracy was much better with the shorter clubs but that is to be expected since everyone has minor differences in how they handle hitting. My overall opinion is that the CMB’s are a great set of irons which offer exactly what the company intended them to be. I’ve been using the CB3 for a while now, once again an Adams design, and I pretty happy with mine so far.

 

Callaway Golf Diablo Forged Irons

 

Callaway_diablo_irons

 

Much like the CMB irons, these Callaway Diablos are also forged and a few of my friends are using them which sparked my curiosity. Jokingly, a coworker of mine decided to swap our sets for a game!

 

The difference for me was that the Diablo hit even lower when I handled them and, to me, that was a bit strange. I have to admit, though, that if I would choose another set, these would be a very nice choice … if you can get past the uniflex shaft that never felt right to me, but that could be just a personal preference since I’ve always loved to swing fast.

 

Diablos are easy to use and pretty durable which was nice. One thing to keep in mind is that they are currently cheaper than the CMB and they make an excellent tool even for golof beginners because of their flexibility.

 

My overall opinion of the Callaway and Adams Golf irons sets are that both impressed me. I have to admit I have been a fan of the products offered by Adams for a long time now but that shouldn’t be taken as if I am marketing them.

 

Everyone has personal preferences since we all have our own quirks when we play, different stances and varying levels of skill. These clubs are just the types I liked out of what I’ve tried so far in my life as a casual golfer. There are plenty of companies out there offering good equivalents to those such as Ben Hogan, Cobra, Dunlop, Hippo and so on. Just take your pick and remember to enjoy yourself out there.

 

Which irons do you play and what makes them special for you?

 

Guest post by A. Harpert – a passionate traveler, golfer and adventurer by hobby. She’s a real expert at finding the most appropriate holiday rental condos for your long anticipated vacation.

 

photo credit: frgolfonline.com

 

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