Thursday, June 07, 2018

How to Overcome Irritating Golf Partners and Keep Your Sanity

how to overcome irritating golf partners on the courseHave you ever been paired with golf partners who irritate you?

Is there a member of your regular foursome who consistently disturbs you in your backswing?

If you are a golfer who enjoys connecting with new players you are probably nodding your head right now, picturing the most recent disturbing golf course event.

Golf is a social game so going out as a solo is only an occasional occurrence for many players. In this blog, Golf for Beginners will offer ideas on how to ignore annoyances from members of your group and to identify if you may be part of the problem!

Scenario #1: You are standing tall to the ball, you feel confident that your drive is going to land safely on the fairway and, in your backswing, you hear a ringing sound - it's your playing partner's cell phone playing the macarena...again. You tense up and your golf ball heads for the woods instead of its intended target.

What could have been done to prevent this outcome?

Most likely, you have not learned how to stop your backswing in mid-flight, so learning this technique might help for future outbursts.

This is one occurrence where you just have to bite the bullet but it would be wise to let the golfer know that his or her cell phone should be on mute and, if you have a smartphone of your own, check it before your round so you don't disturb others on the course.

Irritating golfer #2:  The golfer who lacks golf course etiquette.

Whether that annoying partner steps on your putting line or stands directly in front of you as you are trying to take your shot, this lack of golf course etiquette can result in internalized anger, topped shots and an overall drop in score.

What can you do about it?

Focus on your own game! Yes, you should politely let the offending golfer know the proper etiquette, but golf is not a team event (in most cases) and your score is based upon how well you get out of trouble and how you handle pressure. Don't let someone else's ignorance or lack of golf etiquette spoil your round- strengthen your mental resolve and concentrate on making par.

“The real test of good manners is to be able to put up with bad manners pleasantly.”  
― Kahlil Gibran

Read: Should Golfers Have to Pass an Etiquette Test?

Irritating golfer # 3: Talks in your backswing, alerting you to the hazards you should avoid.

When another player is quick to point out that bunker or water hazard in direct view as you are ready to hit your tee shot, quickly focus (and say out loud) the direction you are going to send the ball, for example, "I am placing this ball in the middle of the fairway by the 150 marker." This takes the negative thought and replaces it immediately with the last thing you heard, namely, the positive outcome. Visualize your shot and hit away.

It is also a good idea to make mention that you prefer not to receive tips of any kind during a round but will be happy to discuss it afterward, perhaps on the 19th hole.

Pro golfers have had to learn how to deal with disturbances; for golfers who have played alongside Tiger Woods, it can be "exhausting" being in the same group. Imagine throngs of folks following you and the sights and sounds which accompany hundreds - or thousands - of fans!

Final note: Golf is a friendly sport - I don't believe that players are intentionally and willfully causing you grief...you are just dealing with a lot of personalities! If something bothers you, be firm yet polite and handle the situation early in the round so that it doesn't escalate and ruin your good time on the course.

How do you overcome annoying people on the golf course? Let us know in the comments section of this golf blog and on Twitter @Golf4Beginners!

Photo by Fancycrave from Pexels

Friday, June 01, 2018

Myrtle Beach Golf Courses Which Favor Accuracy Over Driver

Myrtle Beach Golf Courses LitchfieldThere are seventy-eight Myrtle Beach golf courses which offer a multitude of experiences for the local and traveler alike. Some are grip-it-and-rip-it courses and others favor accuracy and planning over bombing drives.

In a previous golf blog, Golf for Beginners examined several golf shots players need to score low, from the approach shot to the putt, which accounts for about half of your score. Now that you are mastering the shots which will help lower your score, it is time to put it all together on the golf course.

This blog will help you select the best Myrtle Beach golf courses that benefit from the exactness of skill.

Read: 3 Smart Ways to Lower Your Golf Score

Before I begin, let me ask your thoughts on this...is the drive overrated?

The legendary Ben Hogan said no and maintained that the first shot you take will determine what is to follow on each hole but a drive doesn't necessarily commence with a driver. There are par 3's as well as dogleg holes where a driver would be ineffective or a deterrent for most golfers.

Blackmoor, a Gary Player signature golf course in Myrtle Beach, is probably one of the most well-known dogleg courses;  it delights players with six angled doglegs, so a driver is not necessarily your friend. Hole 5, a par-4, is the first dogleg hole you will attack at Blackmoor and, although you may need a driver off of the tee, you have to plan your strategy well so that you are in a position to get onto the green.

Litchfield Golf and Country Club is another course where you will use most clubs in your bag. Eight (some say twelve ?) doglegs span this track and accuracy off of the tee is most important to scoring well. This low country favorite also features tight fairways so sharpen up those irons as you will be playing target golf for most of this round.

Southcreek Golf Course, one of three Myrtle Beach National courses, is a shorter, shotmaker's course.  Waste bunkers are also in play here in addition to the doglegs so you have to navigate through a variety of challenges, considering all clubs in your bag. Short doesn't necessarily mean easy!

So now that we have given you a few golf courses with doglegs which favor accuracy, it is time to dust off those irons and start planning your shots to get on the green in the least number of strokes. That is the way to score better in golf!

Do you prefer doglegs or grip-it-and-rip-it golf courses? Let us know on Twitter @Golf4Beginners and in the comments section of this golf blog.

photo: LitchfieldGolf.com

Thursday, May 24, 2018

The Golf Shots You Need To Practice to Score Low

To score well, there are some golf shots that are just more essential to learn than others - ones you need to practice to lower your handicap and make you want to come back to the course time and again.

Legendary golfer Ben Hogan believed that your shot off of the tee was the most important shot in golf,

"You've got to hit the fairway before you have a good chance of putting the ball close to the pin. You can be the greatest iron player in the world, but if you're in the boondocks it won't do you any good."

Players like Dustin Johnson rely on their long drives to move them down the fairway and into position for an easier approach shot. At the 2018 WGC-Dell Match Play event, DJ smashed a drive a quarter of a mile (although it included hitting a cart path, this was still a "wow" moment).

Some golfers would argue that the most important golf shot in your bag is the approach shot because, if executed properly, you can get on the green in regulation and make possible birdie or par.

Other golf gurus, such as Dave Pelz, state that it isn't your putting which should consume your focus but, rather, you should work on your wedges"Putting is not the most important part of the game – it’s your wedge game. Putting is the second most important because you do it half the time."

PGAprofessional.com states, on the flip side, that the "importance of putting cannot be overemphasized",

"If there are 18 holes on a golf course and each green is worth two putts that means that par for putting is 36. The majority of 18-hole golf courses are par 72. That means that half of par is putting."

Read: Three Smart Ways to Lower Your Golf Score

One question to consider is..."What is more important for your game... to start each hole well or to finish strong?"

As for my own personal game, I add strokes to my round on my approach shots and through lack of feel on the greens - hybrid clubs, mid-irons and putting are where I need to strengthen my game.

Titleist believes that hitting greens in regulation is a basic statistic which players should track, "golfers play more shots to the green than from the tee. The higher the score, the more shots that have been hit to the green."

Everyone's golf game is different and we all have our "pain points", so, it is necessary to practice all shots in your bag, identify weaknesses in your game, decide where you need work and focus on those shots.

What are the shots you need to practice? Comment at the bottom of our Golf for Beginners golf blog and tag us on Twitter @Golf4Beginners.

Friday, May 18, 2018

3 Smart Ways to Lower Your Golf Score

ways to lower your golf score
Lowering your golf score doesn't have to be a difficult process - the easiest ideas often work best for most golfers...even the pros.

There is never a good time to see snowmen (or better) on your scorecard, yet blow-up holes occur, even on tour (remember Sergio Garcia's 13 at the Masters?)

Recognizing when you may in the throes of trouble and thinking about your next shot is often all you need to do in order to stop a downhill spiral.

Golf for Beginners' author, Barry Solomon, has a few tips for curbing doubles and triples on your scorecard, no matter what level you are at in your enjoyment of the game.

3 Ways to Lower Your Golf Score

1. Curb the blowup holes!
Hit a wayward shot? Here are a few ways to recover.
a. Just get the ball back in play - see an opening to the fairway? Take it.
b. Don't try those miracle saves (unless you are at the practice facility) - you will hit that tree trunk.

Read: What New Golf Rules Mean for the Average Player

2. If your approach is too long for your comfort and there is trouble all around:
Lay-up before the trouble, then you should have an easy pitch to the green. Maybe make the putt for par or 2-putt for bogey. Move on. It's better than dunking your golf ball into the water or hitting it onto the next fairway.

Read: Is Distance Overrated for Golfers?

3. Golf ball in a greenside bunker?
Unless you are confident of your skills, don't try to make that perfect shot and maybe thin it into the next county or into more trouble. Just get your ball safely out of the bunker - that is your #1 priority...then move on.

You will be surprised how many costly strokes these golf tips will save you; you may be surprised when you total-up a lower score than you have had in a long time!

Have more smart ways to lower your golf score? Post them in the comments section of this golf blog and tag us with your ideas on Twitter @Golf4Beginners.

Photo by Fancycrave from Pexels

Friday, May 11, 2018

What New Golf Rules Mean for the Average Player

How many times has your golf ball landed in the woods surrounded by debris or pine bark?

When was the last time there was damage to the green between your ball in the hole?

New Rules of Golf are finally being adapted for the playing public that will hopefully bring a fresh perspective to the game and an easier time for amateurs.

You don't have to ask the golf gods for help anymore when certain types of trouble occur during your round; governing bodies have made it easier for golfers to play the game by making the Rules of Golf understandable, and easier, for the average duffer.

The new rules of golf go into effect on January 1, 2019, so don't have any of the above mishaps until then!

Some rules to me don't make much sense; here is one that I don't get - the average golfer wanted a better way to drop the ball - the new rule will be to drop from knee height so as to keep the randomness of the drop yet help when it comes to where the ball ultimately falls.

Two of the most important rules changes for amateurs refers to eliminating the stroke-plus-distance penalty and a revision of a bunker rule.

1. Instead of having to return to the tee box after a lost drive, golfers will now be able to take a drop from where they believed the ball went astray (you can now drop your ball in the fairway, in a similar area to where you lost it). In the interest of time, and moving players along on a publinks, this is a good change, however, be aware that you will incur a two-stroke penalty!

I am not sure how many folks actually went back to the tee box in the first place, but kudos for making this rule change!

2. If you think you will not be able to get out of a certain bunker (too high a lip, you're just not good out of bunkers, etc) you can take a drop just outside of the bunker in line with the hole...for a two-stroke penalty.

One more rule change which I believe will help speed pace of play is that the time you spend searching for your ball is now cut from five to three minutes.

Most golf beginners don't hit the fairway with every drive nor do they have great bunker skills, so these rule changes are sure to speed the game along and to give newbies more confidence moving forward. I applaud the governing bodies for enacting changes!


Photo on VisualHunt

Thursday, May 03, 2018

Arnold Palmer - One Part Champagne, Three Parts Beer

Arnold Palmer was an inspirational man to those who surrounded him as he was to the rest of the world - a local hero whose roots were in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, home of 8,000 people and Rolling Rock beer.

What more can we learn about The King of Golf from a behind-the-scenes biographer?

Perusing the book, "Arnold Palmer - Homespun Stories of The King", I set out to find out what turned this golfer into the memorable superstar of his time.

At the very start of this compendium of stories written by Chris Rodell is a foreword from Gary Player which sets the tone for what is to follow; Palmer, "was equally at ease dining with kings and queens as he was having shots and beers with the gang sitting around the bar at the local volunteer fire department social hall".

Filled with stories of the legend, "Homespun Stories of Arnold Palmer" is truly an exclusive, inside look at The King's life, his successes, and failures, which made him the hero which fans around the world admire to this day.

Below are a few tidbits which I found interesting about Mr. Palmer.

What Do Arnold Palmer and Mr. Rogers have in common?
Two of the most important men in their respective fields, Arnold Palmer and Mr. Rogers, share at least one commonality which is, both were born in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. Did you also know that the two were classmates?

Although I am unsure of his golf prowess, Mr. Rogers, in an episode of his highly regarded children's show, taught youngsters about the importance of practice to become a skilled golfer.

Did you know...Arnold Palmer had a dog named Mulligan?

Troon was one of Arnie's favorite courses but "he'd play Latrobe...every day, all the time". (Palmer related in chapter 8 how he once shot a 60 on Latrobe Country Clubs - one of his most memorable and exciting life moments).

Arnold Palmer was a seasoned pilot. He used to "fly low to let Winnie know that he's home and to come pick him up at the airport.

If you are a true golf fan, chances are, at one time or another, have been asked or have asked this question, "If you could play a round with anyone, who would you choose?" After reading this book, I would have to add Arnold Palmer to my short list as he embodies the spirit of the game for the "everyman" in all of us. Despite dinners with the Queen of England and Presidents of the United States (Eisenhower to Barack Obama), Mr. Palmer always remained humble, a quality sorely lacking in many of today's celebrities.

If you are a fan of golf, you will definitely find interest in the life and times of The King - take off your golf shoes and set a spell with your can of Arnold Palmer and this enjoyable read.

What are your thoughts on this book? Let us know what you liked most about Arnold Palmer in the comments section of this golf blog and tag us with your best Palmer stories on Twitter @Golf4Beginners.