What Women Can Learn From Men About #Golf - Guest Blog

Golf for Beginners kicks off the New Year with an article from guest blogger and golf instructor Maria Palozola (see bio below). Although I asked Maria if, when she was writing this blog, to offer a bit of golf advice as to what men could learn from the fairer sex, she chose to stick with the title theme.

I think male golfers can learn patience, how to swing easier and how to play safe to hit more fairways and greens. What are your thoughts?

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What Women Can Learn from Men When it Comes to Golf - by Maria Palozola

When people ask me if I teach men I often reply that if I didn't, I wouldn't be in business. The bulk of my business is, and always has been, male clients. It's men that keep this great game going, because they not only play more, they do what they can to better their games.

Do Men Really Do It Better?

Through my twenty years of teaching both sexes, I have been able to decipher quite a few differences in how men and women approach game improvement and I truly believe there are several things that men do better:


1. Men Tinker - This is a blessing and a curse.  Men try new things with their swing and experiment with different clubs in search of "the secret."  This can make consistency difficult to develop, but it also opens their minds to change and the possibility of hitting on something that works.

2. Men Spend Money on Themselves - Men reading this are going "yeah right, all my wife does is spend money", but it's really not true in golf.  I see more women with outdated clubs than I can count and I hardly ever see them with things such as training aids, the latest and greatest driver, nice rain gear or range finders.

3. Men Get Custom Fit Equipment - It's rare if I get a female that comes out for a lesson and has a custom fit clubs.  The  majority are playing hand me downs or just picked up a set off the rack.  Most think they aren't good enough for or don't deserve a nice custom fit set.

4. Men Practice More - If there are twenty people on the driving range at a given time, eighteen or nineteen of them are men.  They are putting in the time because they know it's important and want to get better.  They are also confident that they will figure it out somehow.

5. Men Play More - I have played many rounds in my life where I looked across the golf course and saw that I was the only female in sight.  Quite often it's on a Friday afternoon where men have skipped out after lunch to play.  Women should learn from this.

6. Men Take Lessons - Men aren't hesitant about spending money on something they know will help them improve their games quickly. They are also used to being coached from youth sports.

7. Men Gamble - There's no better way to put pressure on yourself than to put some money on the line.  Women can learn to improve their focus and control their nerves by having a little fun and placing some side bets.

8. Men Track Stats - I have never had a woman come to a first lesson and tell me that she tracks her stats.  I know from MyGolfInstructor.com and our Game Tracker, that tracking stats is not only easy once you get the hang of it, but that it is a necessity if you want to really know your game, pinpoint your weaknesses and knock strokes off your score the fastest way possible.

What's Your Golf Game Plan? 

For women, it's not rocket science, you just need a game plan. You don't have to tackle everything on the list at once and I understand time and money may be an issue.  I recommend that you put the list in the order that is most feasible for you and work your way down checking off one item at a time.  After you have covered all 8 you can rest assure you are doing what you can to lower your scores and enjoy the game.  Now man up and get busy!

Maria Palozola Bio:

Maria Palozola has been a leading golf instructor for over twenty years.

She has been a Top-50 Instructor with the LPGA since 2008 and is currently listed as a Golf Digest Top-Five Teacher in the State. Maria offers private golf lessons in the St. Louis area at http://www.stlouisgolflessons.com and offers online instruction at http://www.mygolfinstructor.com.

Ask Maria questions about golf on Twitter @MariaPalozola and on her Facebook page. As always, voice your opinions on our Golf for Beginners blog and on Twitter @Golf4Beginners!

Tips for Creating a Custom #Golf Club Fitting Experience #PGATSSCustomFit

Recently I was invited to participate in a PGA Tour Superstore custom fitting promotion. In essence, I received golf clubs in exchange for telling my readers about the experience.

Naturally, I accepted - a few of my golf clubs are almost ten years old and, although they have served me well, they show signs of age - also, changes in technology have made some of my clubs a bit outdated.

That being said, after being overwhelmed with joy at the prospect, I jumped into my car and met with PGA Tour Superstore reps Todd and Stanton who placed me into a hitting booth complete with video software designed to tell me everything from my swing speed to spin rates, in order to help place me together with the best set of clubs for my game.

We used my original Driver, 7-iron and sand wedge as test subjects; my current set includes a Titleist 905T Driver with a 9.5% loft, Square-Two irons and a Vokey Spin Milled Wedge.

We began testing with the Driver - according to the custom club fitter, on the longest stick in our golf bags we needed to learn my initial club head speed, if I hit it high, spin rate etc. Todd was telling me that a higher kickpoint shaft makes the ball go lower, which is what I needed to achieve. I nodded as he kept educating me.

For the irons, swing as many as necessary until you find one that feels comfortable in your hands.

In my case, I only needed three different brands before I chose my new Ping Karsten Irons - Hybrid set (spoiler alert). Then, the club fitter began to address the proper shaft for the club. Finally, I stood at address while Todd placed a board underneath my club to check the lie angle - that the club was flat at address.

As for the wedge, it's all about the comfort!

I love my Vokey Spin Milled Wedge but ten years has taken its toll on the grooves. Would I have been happy with a simple grind-out? Probably but, according to my custom club fitter, my original wedge had too much of a bounce so he selected a Vokey Spin Milled Wedge with less bounce which placed the leading edge closer to the ground and allowed the club to cut through the sand better (yes, I have already taken my new wedge to the golf course!)

Here are a few tips to help you with Your next Custom Fit Golf Experience:

1. Never buy a golf club without it being fit to your swing. PGA Tour Superstores have custom fitters and custom fitting booths for you to take full advantage of their services...and they are happy to help fit you so ask questions and don't be shy!

2. My custom fitter mentioned that a properly matched shaft is most important in increasing your clubhead speed. Grip size and the lie of the club are other important ingredients in creating a golf club specifically for your swing.

3. The most common complaint in the simulator is that people claim they hit their clubs farther than what is shown however increased clubhead speed and accuracy of your shots are more important than the distances shown at the booth.

Which golf clubs did I take home with me? None! They had to be built to my specs! But fear not, the fitting took less than a week and I am now the proud owner of the following new golf clubs:

Callaway X2Hot Driver - 10.5% loft
Ping Karsten Irons - set from 3-Hybrid through Gap Wedge
Vokey Spin Milled Wedge

One last note...

My PGA Tour Superstore Custom Club Fitter, Todd, is straight out of the military and is currently attending golf school. He left me with one thought that seemed to sum up my whole experience:

"If you can fit a customer and give a tip to improve their game and help them on the golf course in the process, I don't think they could be any happier." Thanks Todd, Stanton and the rest of the gang at PGA Tour Superstore in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, for making my golf club fitting experience a special one.

Now, I'm going to try out my new golf clubs! I'm so excited!! I'll report my findings.

Direct your golf club-fitting questions on Twitter to @PGATSS and @Golf4Beginners.


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.