Seven Ways Technology Can Improve Your #Golf Game

So, come on...who knew that finish was going to happen at the U.S. Open?
We've seen some real doozies at the majors but this blowup is going into the reels of "The Agony of Defeat".

Not ideal for our Myrtle Beach friend Dustin Johnson (shades of 2010 Pebble Beach?), but it goes to show that even the best of us three putt...and it's not dependent on the amount of pressure. The next time the choke happens to you, don't beat yourself up about it. These things can’t be helped.

Rather than dwell on things we can’t control, we’re looking today at things that we can improve.

We’ve been surveying a couple of golf apps of late, Mobitee and Hole19 to name a few, and have come up with a quick rundown of ways in which today’s technology can help improve your game.

1. Course and Hole Management: We’ve all done it. Stood on the tee box, driver in hand, knowing that if we hit the ball correctly, it’s going to sail into the bunker that’s been inconveniently put in our way. Do we change clubs...do we plot a different course of action? No. We take on the driver hoping it sails over the sand...and the inevitable happens. If you are one of those people, you should stop reading this and visit the app store right now.

2. Tracking and Game Improvement: This is a biggie . How many wedges do you take, on average, per round...7-irons, 5-woods? What are your GIR's? What was your score last time you played this course? Are you getting better? Like the advert says, there’s an app for that, complete with statistics and game analysis.

By monitoring your strokes, what club you use and how far it goes (GPS), golf apps are essential course tools for helping serious golfers improve their game.

3. Performance: I mean on the course. Golf apps are just waiting on iTunes and Android ready to help you avoid under or over-clubbing to shave a few shots off your round and make you feel good about golf and life itself.

4. Comfort: Does this count as technology? I think so. There’s some amazing golf gear available today. From lightweight bags and waterproof shoes to hybrid/iron combo sets and moisture-wicking gloves, what we wear, how it fits and breathes is just so much better than it used to be. Worst case, if you’re still carding over 100, at least you look better doing it.

5. Round Length: If, with all the advances in the game, a round still takes approximately four hours, imagine what it would be like without apps!

Quicker buggies, lighter clubs and even robotic trollies have helped, but, maybe golf apps are the final piece of the puzzle to help get the average time of a round down even further.

6. Course Planning: You know those expensive course planners, which guide you hole-by-hole? Well, now they’re pretty much obsolete. You can get a great aerial view of each hole from your phone from golf apps that are free. You can put that five dollars into a beer after the round.

7. Enjoyment: Let’s be honest, anything that can help us avoid tanking the ball into the lake or watching it dribble five feet from the tee is going to help us enjoy the round a bit more. Of course, when your friend does it, it will still remain highly enjoyable.


Do you use a golf app to improve your game? Tell us on this Golf for Beginners blog and on Twitter @Golf4Beginners.

Golf Gifts Your Dad Will Use

With so many golf blogs coming out with lists of Father's Day golf gifts, Golf for Beginners has also compiled several items which dad will love to use.


1. Quick Spikes:
I love ingenious ideas that serve a purpose and improve the game of golf in some way. I first saw Quick Spikes at the Westchester County Golf Show this year and was enamored with the thought of not having to change into my golf shoes every time I visited the driving range, or if I was at the putting/chipping area and needed some extra grip. Although I would not use Quick Spikes for 18 holes as I found I had to occasionally adjust them, they were great as a casual solution.


2. SlingerGolf InsideMove:
Perfecting two basic swing functions - correct swing plane and release of the golf club - can be a daunting task without an instructor to help guide the student. Although I just received the InsideMove golf training aid, I can see how, through simplicity of design, this easy-to-use tool can improve your swing path so that it becomes ingrained when you play a round.

I also received the Velcro Target so that Barry and I can practice our swing on the road (next stop, Mount Airy Casino.)



3. Mobitee GPS Golf Assistant - The Golf App that Settles the Score:
I use Mobitee when I am walking on the golf course and, aside from the (obvious) accuracy of the GPS, I find that it helps me to avoid bunkers and to find the front, middle and back of the green. The Father's Day promotion from Mobitee is in the form of a cute 13-year-old girl who "settles the score" with her dad during a round of golf.

The Mobitee video is original with a clear-cut message: even a technologically narrow-minded guy like Dad can learn something from his kids, in this case, his 13-year old daughter Emily. The commercial spot helps to humanize the Mobitee brand, communicates well with women and kids while proving that a golf app can be a cross-generational tool that is to be enjoyed by all.



**Mobitee Father's Day Twitter Giveaway: Tweet the hashtag #MobiteeDad to @Golf4Beginners with a funny golf story you shared with dad for YOUR dad to win a Mobitee GPS Golf App for his smart phone!** one app to give away...promotion good through Father's Day...winner will be notified via Twitter.

4. Have you walked through a sporting goods store only to see Dad drooling over the latest golf clubs? Here's your chance to show that you have listened to his by getting him one of the latest golf drivers (or wedge perhaps?) on the market. I'm not making any suggestions here...it's YOUR job to listen to your dad!

5. This is probably the most important gift you can give your dad ...SUNSCREEN! Your dad spends four to five hours out in the sun so, chances are, he will get a pretty dark tan (except of course, on his golf glove hand) and, chances are, he will never go out and buy it for himself. That being said, show dad how much you care, read these facts about skin cancer and include a bottle of SPF 50 on your list!

For more golf gift ideas, take a look through this list of putters and accessories to remember the dad in your life!

Voice your opinions on Twitter @Golf4Beginners and on Facebook.

A Hole-in-One Christmas for Mobitee Mobile Golf App purchasers

In the spirit of giving, Mobitee Mobile Golf Assistant has announced that it will be offering a thirty percent discount on its GPS golf app to iphone, Android and Windows phone users throughout the end of the year.

The innovative virtual golf coach says gift-giving should be easy and should keep on giving.  Instead of the usual stocking stuffer, Mobitee’s user-friendly rangefinder, shot tracker, flyover video, club recommender and scorecard will allow both the beginner and advanced golfer in your life the ability to improve his or her game. Thirty-five thousand golf courses allow you to take...and use... Mobitee anywhere in the world.   And, as Mobitee says, “it’s so easy even an adult can use it!”

“Mobitee is not a simple gadget application or a very complicated software,” says Stan Chapus, CEO of Mobitee. “It is a real tool to help every golfer.  It is a virtual caddie, a reliable golf companion.”   

 

The thirty percent discount has been applied directly at the point of sale so neither codes nor special coupons are needed!

Here are the links to download Mobitee on iTunes for iPhone and iPad users, on Google Play for Android phones (like my Samsung Galaxy S3 (which I LOVE) and through Facebook.

You can communicate directly with Mobitee either through email: info@Mobitee.com, via Facebook and through Twitter.

Happy Holidays, Seasons Greetings, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa and the best of wishes to everyone this festive season. May you get what you want and may joy act as your umbrella.

Voice your opinions on Twitter @Golf4Beginners and friend on Facebook.

Posted via email from stacysolomon's posterous

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.

You can start applying what you learn about how far you’re hitting it almost immediately, but after a half a dozen rounds or so, you should have a pretty good representation of how far you hit each club. You can now comfortably look at that distance to the center of the green on your golf GPS and choose a club accordingly. You’ll also start to understand how wind and elevation affect your distances.

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.


Voice your opinion on Twitter @Golf4Beginners and friend on Facebook.

photo credit: Mobitee

Mobitee GPS Golf App introduces Emily to teens and adults using French flair

After watching a new 30-second commercial "teaser" from Mobitee Mobile Golf Assistant recently, I thought it interesting to share it with you.

 

The golfer, a single-digit handicapper named "Emily", has quite a remarkable golf swing and, to me, is a good representation of the growing legion of young golfers learning the sport.

 

Emily is also dressed très chic which I heard was done on purpose as Mobitee, a top iTunes app in France with over 100,000 downloads overall, is being introduced to the U.S. Market in the iTunes App Store. For a free trial download of the app, visit Mobitee.com.

 

"'Emily' was created as a means to humanize the Mobitee brand- to find a commonality and bridge the digital gap between it's younger and older users," said Derek Jennings who, represents YoCappLLC, the U.S. distributor for Mobitee. " Inspired by "Amelie" and "The Artist" as an homage to the French-developed Mobitee, Emily has that certain "je ne sais quoi."

 

I happen to use Mobitee on the golf course and I found the "teaser" commercial to be simple and to the point, much like the GUI of their iphone and android based app.

 

Jennings also related that this "teaser" is the beginning of exciting things to come for Mobitee: updates to the software are being designed to add additional social media functionality and more ...but everything is on the Q-T for now.

 

Here is the YouTube.com commercial featuring Emily and Mobitee's Golf GPS app for iPhone, Android and Windows smart phones. I have also posted the press release that I received below. If you cannot see the embedded golf video below, the link is located in this paragraph. ENJOY!

 

 

Voice your opinion on Twitter @Golf4Beginners and friend on Facebook.

________________________________________________________

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

 

Mobitee GPS Rangefinder App Introduces 30-Second Golf Commercial

 

Los Angeles, CA:  Mobitee GPS smart phone app has created a golf commercial to entice adults as well as more young adults into the sport.  Entitled "Emily", this "teaser" helps acquaint American golfers and, in particular, teens, to Mobitee, an innovative virtual golf coach for iPhone, Android and other mobile devices.

 

Mobitee realized the importance of growing the game of golf and where better to start than with teenagers? A recent report by pewinterest.org stated that 31% of teens ages 14-17 have a smart phone, so why not use it to help them to improve their golf game?

 

The 30-second “teaser” video has officially been uploaded to Mobitee’s YouTube site and offers a brief look into some of the features of the app. The full version of the golf video (to be released next week) will expand upon a day in the life of the star of the video, “Emily”, a thirteen-year-old single digit handicap golfer who heads to the local publinks for a day of golf with her dad. Like most kids her age, Emily pulls out her smart phone and opens the Mobitee golf app hoping to share its unique features with her father.

 

Mobitee, a leader in GPS golf app technology for smart phones with over 100,000 downloads of the software reported, is consistently a top-five paid golf app on ITunes in France and one of the top 50 Paid Apps in the iTunes Sports Category in the US.  Currently, Mobitee is one of a few sports apps featured in Apple’s iOS App Store’s “What’s Hot” section. The app is also available on numerous app marketplaces on the internet.

 

Mobitee has received accolades from Les App Awards 2011, was called the Best Productivity App in OVI Store “Calling all Innovators” Awards (2010) and is also the winner of three Awards at NAVTEQ 2010 Global LBS Challenge. DailyAppShow.com said that Mobitee has “tools that have been developed by golfers for golfers”

 

Mobitee is excited that, with its innovative and user-friendly features- including a rangefinder, shot tracker, flyover video, club recommender, scorecard and much more, this app can utilize social media and cutting –edge technology to guide, instruct and improve the golf game of not only its faithful adult fold, but that of young, emerging golfers as well. It’s so easy, Mobitee says, even an adult can use it! 

 

“Mobitee is not a simple gadget application or a very complicated software,” says Stan Chapus, CEO of Mobitee. “It is a real tool to help every golfer.  It is a virtual caddie, a reliable golf companion.”

 

ABOUT MOBITEE:

A French company which has successfully brought their GPS/Rangefinder app software to the U.S. Market, Mobitee boasts seventeen full-time, committed developers who have created an ever-evolving multifunctional GPS Golf App which can also be used as a scorecard, rangefinder,  shot tracker, club recommender and more for iPhone, Android and Blackberry smart phones . A free trial version is available at Mobitee.com and complete paid version is under twenty-five dollars with free updates and no annual subscription fees.

 

 

For Immediate Release

Contact: Derek Jennings

YoCappLLC

Email: derek@yocappllc.com 

http://www.mobitee.com

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