Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Balancing Competitive and Social on the Golf Course

Many women face a dilemma on the golf course. By its very nature, golf is a social game. You are on the course for up to five hours yet are actually swinging the club only a few minutes of that time. There are a lot of opportunities to chat whether it is in the cart or waiting on the tee. That social aspect is great, but what if you want to be competitive as well? A balance of both is ideal, and the following three tips from golf writer Beth Myers will help achieve a perfect middle ground.

 

Learn from the Pros

 

Lpga

Golf Phoenix 2009 LPGA event with Michelle Wie

 

If you watch golf on TV, you likely don’t see a lot of chit chat between the players. That is because when the camera is on, they are getting ready for their next shot. If you were to go to an event in person, you would find the players actually talk quite a bit during the round. The key is to separate your time and not let one get in the way of the other. When you get to your ball, you need to switch into ‘golf mode’ and cut out the chatting. Focus on your shot, pay attention to details and do your best. The times when you are walking in the fairway or riding in the cart are best for being social. There is nothing wrong with doing both, just keep them apart.

 

Plan Post Round Activity


Not wanting to be rude, sometimes women feel required to be as social as possible on the golf course. If you have something like dinner or drinks planned for after the round, you won’t feel as pressured because you know there will be time enough to catch up later. That doesn’t mean you don’t talk at all on the course, but it will help keep you focused on the golf.

 

It’s Okay to Win


To our credit, we women are generally more considerate than men. That translates to the golf course when some women have a hard time really wanting to win. They want to golf well but don’t necessarily want to take attention away from others by winning the trophy at the end of the day. My advice is to let that instinct go and try your hardest to play your absolute best each time. Golf is a hard game and it’s a great feeling to have won something – anything – on the golf course.

 

Don’t sell yourself short. You have practiced a lot, improved over your years of playing, and you should be rewarded with a little recognition.

 

One of the best parts of golf is the social aspect. To be sure, that is a major reason that it is such a hugely popular recreation activity. You can entertain clients on the course or just have a great time with friends. There is no reason to take that out of the game. At the same time, you can still play your hardest and compete with yourself and with others. The next time you play, focus on finding a comfortable balance between socializing and playing golf. It is different for everyone but, when you find the right mix for you, your best golf is soon to follow.

 

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Beth Myers is a passionate golfer, mother & wife…not in that order .  She writes for East Coast Golf Sales on all things women’s golf - you could say she is a little obsessed.  Be sure to follow her on twitter @GolfBeth

 

 

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photo credit: Phoenix.about.com

 

 

Posted via email from stacysolomon's posterous

Friday, October 19, 2012

Can Beginners Benefit from a Golf Rangefinder?

If you are a golf beginner, you may be thinking “no way do I need a golf rangefinder. All I’m trying to do is get it off the ground and then hope it stays on the golf course! Maybe next year I’ll be ready for one.”  In this article, Val Brennan discusses the use of golf rangefinders for the beginner as well as for players of all levels.

In my opinion, if you’ve ever hit a shot that felt good and made you smile (at least on the inside), then you’re ready for a golf GPS rangefinder.  A GPS device or golf app can help you improve more quickly by making your good shots count. It will help you become more decisive on the golf course and maybe even make you a faster player. It might even have the added benefit of keeping you motivated by helping you see gradual improvements.

Don’t worry, it doesn’t have to be painful like changing your grip or trying to keep your left arm straight!

Your golf GPS device or app needs to have the capability to measure your shots and record the club you used to hit the shot.  You should also be able to look up your average distances for each club.  The Garmin Approach G6 does this very well, and if you’re looking for a low-cost option and have an iPhone or Android phone, GolfShot will also serve you very well. 

By using shot measuring features, you’ll get a sense, fairly quickly, of how far you hit each club.  Be sure to only use the shot measuring feature on shots where there is not much elevation change and when there is not much wind. Those factors can really affect the distance of the shot. Most importantly, only use the feature on your good shots. Your goal is to discover how far you’re likely to hit the golf ball when you hit it well. Always input the club you used.




Once a month or so, write down your distances for each club and reset the GPS so you can begin collecting new averages. As a beginner, you’re fairly likely to increase your distances the more you practice and play. By comparing your monthly averages, you might surprise yourself with your improvements. If you’re not getting any longer and think you should be, you may want to talk with your instructor or even find a new one.

Let’s face it, beginner golfers don’t hit a high percentage of solid shots which makes the good ones all the more critical. What could be worse than hitting your best golf shot of the day and having it fly right over the green and land in a deep bunker?

If you want to play better golf, it’s time to start treating yourself like the player you hope to be one day. You deserve to know how far you are from your target and you deserve to know how far you hit your clubs… even if only an occasional shot really measures up. When you do connect with your best shot of the day, you should be rewarded for it!  

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Val Brennan writes GPS and laser rangefinder reviews for GolfRangefinderShop.com. She is a former caddie, player and media coordinator on the Symetra (Futures) Tour and is passionate about the game of golf.


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photo credit: Mobitee

Friday, October 12, 2012

Why Tiger Woods Would Not Make a Good Ryder Cup Captain

Coming off of a disappointing loss for Team USA at the 2012 Ryder Cup, Tiger Woods commented that he would, some day, like to Captain the Team.  Although this move would make the Ryder Cup one of the most watched events in all of golf with television viewership reaching record numbers, would this be a good move for the Americans?

 

Here are a few reasons why Tiger Woods should probably leave the honor to someone else.

 

1.       LACK OF FOCUS: Tiger Woods has become vulnerable to distractions, whether it is from outside distractions or within his own game. Tiger would need to focus his attention on the entire team and how they work best together. For that, Woods needs to regain focus on his own game, from putting to the mental game, without losing his cool. Can he do it?

 

2.       LACK OF CARING: Woods asked all of the rookies to a personal apology session after the Ryder Cup to say “sorry” for not doing more to win. The decision to give up the final ½ point during his final match because he didn’t think it mattered spoke volumes to the Team and to his fans.

 

3.       LACK OF PRIDE: (See above) Tiger Woods was known never to give up; he always fought back, whether it was from a bad drive or to make the last putt on eighteen regardless of his position.

 

4.       NOT A TEAM PLAYER: Tiger Woods is best known as a singles player, but not much of a team player. His focus is predominantly on his own game, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing but would he truly understand the intricacies of putting together teammates who work well together? For example, would Tiger have paired Keegan Bradley with Phil Mickelson?

 

5.       If Tiger Woods can’t figure out how to personally win at the Ryder Cup where a Cup and pride is at stake, how is he going to figure out how to lead a team to victory? Is Woods a better player only where money is the motivator?

 

Tiger Woods has a great understanding of the game of golf, of this there is no doubt, but his willingness to accept defeat is also becoming a lot easier. This might come from his own personal experiences but it certainly is not a good trait for a team captain.

 

Woods' intense determination to win, his ability to go out believing he was going to win every tournament before it started when he was a younger golfer has been tempered by doubts creeping into his self conscious. Accepting defeat has gotten a lot easier.

 

Maybe Tiger Woods should leave the Captaincy to someone else...Phil Mickelson perhaps?

 

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Tuesday, October 02, 2012

Ryder Cup anchors Woods, Stricker, Furyk sink ship for Team USA

Team USA fell to pieces on Ryder Cup Sunday as its three anchors, Jim Furyk, Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker, lost their putting skills on the final two holes at Medinah, handing over the cup to a jubilant Team Europe.

 

Woods_stricker_furyk

 

Jim Furyk, devastated by his loss to Sergio Garcia was in obvious denial commenting, “I’m pretty sure Sergio would tell you that I outplayed him today”.  

 

My thoughts?  Jim Furyk, although a great golfer, probably should never have been chosen by Captain Davis Love III in the first place, with Furyk known this season by the way he fizzles down the stretch in the finale.

 

Steve Stricker and Tiger Woods were placed in the clean-up position by Love, in spite of the fact that they lost every team match. Captain Love made mention that he wanted experienced talent just in case it was needed to win the cup but did Love take into consideration both Woods’ and Stricker’s season strokes gained putting average before making his final decision?Did Love forget the beating Stricker and Woods took by Adam Scott and KJ Choi at the Presidents Cup?

 

Poor putting under pressure ultimately lost the Ryder Cup for Team USA.

 

With all of the pressure falling squarely on Stricker, who is 65th in strokes gained putting average on the PGA Tour this season,  the eighteenth hole was hardly the time for a “mis-read”.  And, Tiger Woods should never have missed a 3 1/2 foot putt…never.

 

To further show that Tiger has lost pride in his performance, here is Woods quote after his Ryder Cup tie with Molinari, “You come here as a team and you win or lose as a team, and it's pointless to even finish. So 18 was just, hey, get this over with."  Pointless? Tiger Woods, for certain, has gone soft.

 

I think Tiger should have sat out on Sunday and contemplated Furyk’s Ryder Cup statement, “It’s the lowest point of my year.”

 

Congratulations to Team Europe. They deserve the accolades!

 

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photo credit

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