Friday, March 28, 2014

Conveniently Putt Your Way to Better Golf

Practice makes perfect - this is true for any sport but in golf, a single putt can make the difference between winning that all-important hole in match play

According to GolfStateofMind.com, "fifty percent of shots are hit within forty yards of the hole." Short game and putting expert Dave Pelz noted that PGA Tour players average just over twenty-nine putts per round compared with twenty to thirty handicappers who average thirty-five and more putts per round!

Since this is fact, why wouldn't you spend most of your golf practice time on short game and on improving your ability to putt?

When amateurs do take the time to practice, several occurrences are the norm; a golf bag might be thrown into the trunk and carted off to the driving range where banging balls has become an obsession and putting is left as an afterthought.
 
Or, in many cases, time is at a premium and golfers may haphazardly pull out their electronic putting cup and roll putts along a wood floor or carpet hoping that this substitutes as practice, instead of travelling to the nearest course with a putting green. The problem with this form of "practice" is it will not teach true roll or speed of a green, not to mention that you'll never figure out how to putt on hilly lies.

Wouldn't it be great to have direct access to a green right in your own back yard? 

SYNLawn Golf Putting Green

Leading short game golf guru, Dave Pelz, preaches regularly that direct access is the key to putting greatness. Okay, so Pelz has designed a wonderland of sorts in his own backyard - a masterfully created two acre SYNLawn Synthetic Golf haven, complete with reproductions of Augusta and Sawgrass greens that roll true ...and never need water!


Not everyone can be Dave Pelz but many folks can easily create a short game area complete with putting green near a terrace or patio for daily enjoyment and will probably practice a whole lot more...and with much more accuracy, thus helping to lower your handicap.

Dave Pelz SYNLawn GreenMaker
Dave Pelz-SYNLawn 8'x14' GreenMaker

Why go with a synthetic lawn and not create a grassy haven? 

As mentioned before, synthetic lawns don't need to be watered, so you'll save up to seventy percent on your water bill. Artificial turf is also always green, never needs fertilizer or mowing and even feels like real grass. Finally Dave Pelz, a former NASA physicist (nope, I did not know that either), has helped develop this particular synthetic lawn for over five years to simulate a real golf green.  Have I gotten your attention?

If so, and you are considering creating a short game area in your back yard, Mr. Pelz has a few tips to help build a unique and complex putting green so that you can't wait to get out and practice.
  • “Amateurs trail the Pros in Lag putting performance because it is one of the least practiced areas of their games. Creating a realistic 'Tier' in your backyard green complex will teach you how putts break as they traverse a Tier, and improve your touch for distance."
  • "Humps are an interesting addition to a putting surface: they increase the green-reading challenge."
  • "Valleys in rough areas can get as large as a grass bunker, or just run through an area and add to the natural contours. Valleys in rough areas add to the short game challenge and allow practice on sidehill lies."
Portable Indoor Puttin Green


SYNLawnGolf can build custom putting greens to specifically work on areas of focus, large or small, or you can make this a fun DIY project. Want to practice indoors? SYNLawn's portable putting greens and mats can either substitute as fairway turf or a realistic putting surface right in the comfort of your home.


Ever wanted your own backyard putting green? Voice your opinion @Golf4Beginners and on @SYNLawn_Golf, the Turf Experts on Twitter...and LIKE SYNLawn Golf on Facebook!



Disclosure: This is a “sponsored post.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via a cash payment, gift, or something else of value to write it. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Can Colin Montgomerie Teach You How to Win at #Golf?

Colin MontgomerieCan Colin Montgomerie, the most recent addition to Golf Channel Academy, teach you how to play and win at golf?

Montgomerie, the Scottish born European and now Champions Tour player who has never won a major, officially has thirty-one wins under his belt on the European Tour and eight money titles, none more recent than ten years ago.

There is no doubt that Monty is a great player so his efforts to show off his prowess on the Full Swing and Weight Transfer in the golf swing should be considered when helping amateurs to learn how to play the game. Most golf professionals on Tour can explain and teach the physical swing but...

What about golf lessons which might entail the mental game; is Colin Montgomerie a qualified instructor?

Dave Stockton, writer of "Own Your Game" might not think so!

Montogomerie has never really been able to control his emotions with outbursts both on and off the course. In 2009, Montgomerie blamed a two-year drought on mental errors which caused him to miss meatball shots and has been flustered under pressure for committing an "unwitting error", as Monty put it.

In order to be able to teach amateurs about the mental game, Colin would have to prove he has a more calm demeanor. Maybe turning fifty has helped him achieve a better attitude?

Colin Montgomerie, after joining the Champions Tour, mentioned that he felt that he had the "opportunity to win" due to the differences in driving distances between Euro and Senior Tour golf courses. The belief Colin can win is a big determinant as to how an instructor will be able to teach an amateur-you have to feel and know you can win in order to be able to impart that feeling to another.

If a golf pro turned instructor can't keep his mind on the game at hand and is iffy as to whether or not he can win, how can he possibly teach YOU how to use the mental game to your advantage? Remember, games are won in the five inches between your ears.

Colin Montgomerie angry


Voice your opinion on Twitter @Golf4Beginners and on our Golf for Beginners blog.

photo credit: guim.co.uk, thesun.uk