Friday, December 27, 2013

Swing Thoughts for the #Golf Course from Tiger Woods, DJ and Garcia

Every golfer, when standing at the first tee, has something on his or her mind while setting up for that first shot; keep your head down, stare at a spot on the golf ball, hit the middle of their fairway. On every shot thereafter, thoughts about the ensuing round set the stage for either a positive or negative experience.

Which golf swing thoughts are useful and which should you immediately discard?

Imagery creates reality on the golf course, so, if you have negative thoughts, chances are they will translate into negative actions. The Wedge Guy, among others in the business, note that golfers should only think of a single, positive swing thought at each meeting with the golf ball instead of creating "a running dialog through their head about all the things they are trying to remember to do . . . or not do." 

That being said, Golf for Beginners has compiled several swing thoughts and golf tips used by top professional golfers to try on the golf course.

1. Sergio Garcia - TEMPO OVER SPEED - "When you make practice swings on the tee, think 'tempo' first. Notice that I never make them at full speed. I'll make a nice, controlled move back and through. I'm not practicing for power, I'm practicing for balance."

2. TIGER WOODS - VISUALIZE YOUR SHOT - Picture the golf ball going into the cup...yes, it's that simple. Some of the greatest athletes in the world (Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretsky and Woods) use creative visualization to gain control over the 90 percent mental-10 percent physical...that is, "using one’s imagination to visualize specific behaviors or events occurring in one’s life."

3. FOCUS ON STRIKING THE GOLF BALL - "In a survey of twenty-four PGA Tour players, eighteen said they didn’t think about anything at all during their swing. Those that did have a swing thought said it was to focus on a spot a few inches in front of the ball, to encourage swinging through, instead of hitting at the ball OR focusing on hitting the inside of the ball. NONE of them said they had ANY technical thoughts about their swing."

4. Dustin Johnson - CREATE A GOOD STANCE AND SET-UP- While DJ says he doesn't think of golf swing thoughts during a professional round, out on the driving range he works on creating good posture for his drive - pushing his hips back with a good bend at the knees.





5. ADAM SCOTT - One swing thought at a time!



What are YOUR Golf swing thoughts?

Let us know here on our Golf for Beginners blog, on Twitter @Golf4Beginners and on our Facebook page.

Friday, December 20, 2013

Enter the #KyoceraConquer Sweepstakes and Conquer your Everyday Moment!


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But they are not stopping there - enter the Kyocera “Conquer Your Everyday” Photo Sweepstakes to win two tickets to UFC 169 and more chances to win the new Kyocera Hydro XTRM 4G LTE smartphone.

With three ways to enter the photo sweepstakes– it’s simple and easy! Just snap a picture of you conquering an everyday moment (like your daily commute, golf routine, workout or job) and enter the photo sweepstakes one of three ways:
  1. On Facebook by clicking HERE (http://woobox.com/4h3swd).
  2. On Twitter by following Kyocera handle @KyoceraMobile and tweeting a photo with hashtag  #kyoceraconquer.
  3. Or on Instagram by following Kyocera @Kyoceramobile and uploading a photo with the hashtag #KyoceraConquer.
Two winners will be chosen each week at random to receive the Kyocera Hydro XTRM 4G LTE smartphone. Grand prize winners will be chosen at random at the end of the photo sweepstakes and receive two tickets to UFC 169 plus $500 toward travel and expenses or $2,500! The “Conquer Your Everyday” Sweepstakes begins on Dec. 16, 2013, and ends on Jan. 20, 2013. The Photo Sweepstakes begins on Dec. 16, 2013, and ends on Jan. 13, 2013.

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Myrtle Beach #Golf Course Holes Rated The Best?

Approximately fourteen million visitors, snowbirds included, vacation in sunny Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, each year, eager to enjoy the one-hundred plus golf courses and sixty-mile beach which has made The Grand Strand famous world-wide.

On The Green Magazine recently sent out a survey to their subscribers asking which golf holes were their favorites - the ones which gave players "the most golfing enjoyment".

Which golf hole was the overall favorite?

Glen Dornoch hole number 16, a long par-4 which requires focus as the views of the Intracoastal Waterway will distract and the tight green will require an accurate finish.

How can you score par or better here?

GlensGolfGroup.com says, "your drive needs to avoid a small pond on the left, as well as fairway bunkers strategically placed on both the left and right...

Hit as close to the bunkers on the right as possible, and you’ll be in the best position to go for the green. Go over the crest and you’ll either have a severe downhill lie or end up in a catch basin bunker midway down the slope. Either way, you’ll need a spectacular shot to reach the green in two from there."

Glen_Dornoch_16
Glen Dornoch - 16th Hole

For out-of-towners who may not know the best golf courses to play and for those golfers who are "locals" but haven't yet played all one-hundred or so golf courses offered in Myrtle Beach, here are the top-three holes. Golf for Beginners has also listed the golf courses with the most multiple holes chosen as favorites.

On The Green 18 - Reader's Choice Top Three Golf Holes:
Glen Dornoch #16
Caledonia #18
Rivers Edge #9

Where Glen Dornoch's spectacular views are water and salt marsh, Caledonia's eighteenth hole borders this Plantation's rice field.

Caledonia_Golf_18
Caledonia 18th hole

According to the PGA.com website, the eighteenth hole of any golf course is probably the most important as, "It's the lasting impression golfers have as they leave their round, it's the hole they are looking forward to as they pull up."  How true.

Considered to be one of PGA's "Dream 18", Caledonia's 18th is a par-4, 383-yard hole with water down the right side which cuts into the fairway in front of a large green. The kicker is that, on any given day, there might be a grandstand of folks watching your approach shot, which can make that final iron shot a real tester.

Shallotte, North Carolina, just north of Myrtle Beach, is the location of the third top reader's choice golf hole. The signature ninth hole at River's Edge is a 570-yard, par-5 has it all...views, blind tee shot, frustrating with the question of "go for the green or lay up?"

Rivers_Edge_Golf_Course_9
Rivers Edge 9th hole


Here are a few of the Golf Courses with Multiple Holes Chosen as Favorites:
Heather Glen - 9 holes
Tidewater - 8 holes
The Witch - 7 holes

For the complete Reader's Choice list, visit onthegreenmagazine.com.

None of these golf courses, in my opinion, should be taken on by beginners unless it is for a friendly round and the others in the foursome know that you can pick up your ball at will. I don't believe in giving up, just moving on at a reasonable pace of play.


Have you played golf in Myrtle Beach? Do you agree/disagree with the reader survey? Voice your opinion on this blog, on Twitter @Golf4Beginners and LIKE us on Facebook.



photo credits: glensgolfgroup.com, golfcarolina.com, thegolfcourseguru.com

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

How to Experience the Feeling of an Eagle - Guest #Golf Blog

Eagle 2 - a golf blog written by Fred Poli, a financial adviser who also teaches and trains in that industry. Bio below but, for now, please enjoy Fred's article!

It had been a fairly bad round. Lately, I just had not been playing as much golf as I would have liked. 

I managed to par the par-3, 17th and hit my best drive of the day right down the middle on the eighteenth, a short par-4. My playing partner also hit driver but pulled it into the water on the left hand side of the green. 

Classic risk reward hole. As I sized up my twenty-five yard chip, he joked about my straight forward eagle. Bad joke... I have never had an eagle. Never. 

Then a strange serenity came over me. 

I saw the chip. 

I addressed the ball and put a good stroke on it. It never looked like missing. 
Eagle two, 18th hole  - Indooroopilly Golf Club, East Course.

Indooroopilly Golf Club


Just like that, things change. That’s golf, the greatest sport in the world. 

Why? 

I have thought about that a lot. It’s many things. 

It’s the only sport in the world where you can take it up at any age and basically play until you can no longer stand.  It’s the only sport in the world where people of any standard can compete on the same “arena”. It’s the only sport in the world where if you break a rule, calling a penalty on yourself is considered the norm. It’s wonderful exercise. It’s a great social activity. It can be equally enjoyed by both genders. And so much more.....


Golf at Sunset


The thing I love most about golf is the mental challenge. I have learned more about myself playing golf than through any other pursuit...and I did not take the game up until I was fifty years old. 

Yes, we have opponents. Yes, I am competitive, but golf is a battle with yourself...at least that is what I always believed. Now, of course, I have come to learn that it is not a battle but a learning process that never ends; a perfect partner to everything else that you have going on in your life.

To think that I almost gave up in the beginning because, like all great things in life, there are prices to pay.

Golf has two main obstacles. 

Firstly, it’s very time consuming to learn and to play it. That is an issue for a later article.  Secondly, it’s a very difficult game to play well.

Fortunately, David Capaldo, teaching pro at Kingswood Golf Club, taught me how to play this wonderful game. This is a must because for every Bubba Watson there are millions of golfers who will never enjoy the game because they simply don’t learn the fundamentals of hitting the ball.

So, if you have a set of old golf clubs collecting dust, or even if you have never played, get out there, book some lessons. I want you to experience the feeling of an eagle. I am still soaring.


Are you a golf beginner? Have you thought of quitting the sport but, after a miraculous shot or round kept playing to stick with, and enjoy, the game? 

Let us hear your story either here on Golf for Beginners blog, on @Golf4Beginners on Twitter ...and LIKE on Facebook. 


Fred Poli
Fred Poli BIO:

Fred has a Diploma in Counselling and Communication from the Australian College of Applied Psychology and as much as he has learned in this field, he feels that his best life teacher has been the game of golf. 

Mr. Poli took up the game at age fifty and is fortunate to play in one of the best golf areas on earth, the so called “sand belt” of Melbourne Australia wher he is a member of Kingswood Golf Club and plays off 19.