Advice for the USGA to Improve the #Golf Experience

The New York Times published an article this week that the USGA is planning a five-year study on the challenges facing the golf industry, mainly on the player level.

Topics to be covered include the cost of the game, the time it takes to play and golfer enjoyment.

Since there is always talk about the closing of courses and how people are garaging their clubs, the USGA is making a concerted effort to reverse negativity within the sport.

A few months prior, the USGA came out with a new and improved video-directed website designed to help educate all players understand the rules of golf. As we know, if golfers understand the rules, chances are they (and their partners) will have a more rewarding experience.

The U.S.G.A. will partner with the University of Minnesota on the study but I say, let's bring questions to the people. "Why not also partner with groups on the internet?"

I asked the followers of a golf group on Facebook the following question,

"If you could offer advice to the United States Golf Association to improve the game on the player level, what would you say?"

To improve golf for me, I would find a way to remove geese safely from the courses on which I play. There is nothing worse than having your ball land on goose poop! I would also ramp up ranger action to help speed up play for amateurs who either don't know or don't care about keeping the game moving.

Here are a few answers from the golf group - U.S.G.A. take note!

1. Bobby Alford said, "Just lower the price. And stop making 7,300 yard courses."

2. Ciaran Campbell - "Rangers keeping a watch for slow play. Maybe some "tee by handicap" system to stop high handicap players playing from back tees during comps - it would probably help their enjoyment."

3. Gus Gurevitch - "The push for municipal monthly fees to return to all city owned courses. Most have disappeared."

4. Geoff Jordan - "Pace of play and play-ability should be the focus. Rangers and courses need to do more to speed-up slower players, especially in early rounds. They must TEACH and enforce "ready-golf" with slow players."

Geoff continued, "Golf carts seems to make slow players even slower. If they can't speed-up, get them off the course. Play-ability - newer courses need to be walker friendly.
Tee and greens closer together.
Courses should standardize flag color/markings for front/mid/back pins along with yardage markers F/M/B. (it doesn't do me any good to know pin position 2 when the scorecard is 120 yards away with my partner in the golf cart. Let golfers know by flag color/markings when they are in the fairway."

5. SuzyFromFlorida mentioned, "...slow play is the killer. You can be the worst golfer ever and still play fast. But you have to be taught how to do it. A whole education process needs to be put in place, rules need to be set, and then enforced by rangers. Golf will become more enjoyable for everyone. Of course, this will never happen in our lifetime."


What advice would you give to the U.S.G.A. to improve the golf experience?
Feel free to post on this golf blog and tweet us @Golf4Beginners!

Trump Claims Obama Doesn't Use #Golf Course to Make Deals

In his latest book, "Crippled America: How to Make America Great Again", Donald Trump touches on Obama's inefficient approach to deal-making on the golf course.

"President Obama is big on playing golf. But he doesn’t play with the right people. . . . Believe me, I know how to use a golf course—and golf clubs—to make deals."

So, how does Trump, and other business leaders, use the golf course to further their goals?

Golf for Beginners understands that people spend time on the course for different reasons; some just want to enjoy the fresh air and sunshine, some players believe walking the fairways can be therapeutic and others use the sport as an opportunity to gain time away from the trials and tribulations of everyday life. Other folks use golf as a business tool, whether it is to learn more about a prospective business partner, curry favors or to thank employees for a job well done.

In this blog, we will present a few tips from deal makers who teach us that golf can be a useful tool for closing deals and building bonds.

1. Networking expert, George Souri, owner of UltraPawn maintains “You should use your time on the course to develop the relationship, not to sell a deal."

2. Looking for a character reference? Play a round with a potential associate. Julian Small, CEO of Wentworth Golf Club states, “When you do business with people, you need to know more about them. Golf rewards players who remain calm under pressure, never lose their temper and think strategically. These are all virtues in business, too."

3. Bill Storer, President of Business Golf Strategies, maintains that focusing on results.."outlining your goals and how you plan to meet them", should be your "pre-shot routine".

After reading these strategies, do you think President Obama is using the golf course to his advantage?


What is your advice for doing business on the golf course? Voice your opinion on this golf blog and on Twitter @Golf4Beginners.

photo: Eurweb.com

Which Golf Shot Gives Tiger Woods and Amateurs The Jitters

While scanning through posts on a Google Plus golf community, I came across an interesting question which I address here, on our Golf for Beginners blog.

Originally posed by Michael Breed, host of The Golf Fix on Golf Channel and posted by Adam Young from Turnberry Performance Academy, the multiple choice question was...

Which golf shot gives you the most pressure?

For most golf beginners, almost every shot comes with its hair-raising moments, from setting-up to standing over the ball and then taking the shot, but there is one time which most players agree gives them that extra shudder.

Choices for most anxious-laden shot included:

Opening Tee Shot
Shot Over Water
Pitch Over a Bunker

Can you guess which golf shot was selected?

Yes, it was the dreaded drive on the first tee. Why would this shot cause more stress than flying your shot over water? Perhaps it's the pressure while people are watching or not knowing that you have visualized the shot properly - and would you believe that even the former number one golfer in the world steps up to the tee with reservations?

Tiger Woods definitely has first-tee jitters, says former teaching pro Hank Haney. "He has no problems finishing, but he's had problems starting, Most players are the other way around."

If, as Hank Haney states, golfers have the most trouble finishing a hole, it would be safe to assume that putting offers almost as much anxiety as driving the ball.

In my opinion, putting or finishing out the hole, can lend itself to a yip or two with about three hundred thousand mentions of "The Yips" on Google. Putting to save par or when you have the opportunity to make birdie or even EAGLE, can bring out a cringe or two in almost any level of player.

What can be done to help you relax before your shot and relieve some of that "in-the-moment" angst?

Visualizing your shot and focusing on your game, hole-by-hole, instead of your score with your mental thoughts being "one shot at a time" can take the worry out of a round and help you perform with confidence.

Taking a deep breath before you're ready to "pull the trigger" definitely helps, writes Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club Director of Instruction Jerry Mowlds, and having confidence, knowing that you are going to make a great swing, is another way to help calm the nerves as you start your round.

Performance anxiety is a normal part of any sport; it's how you rise to the challenge which will determine how you finish. Believe in yourself and your score will take care of itself.

How do you deal with golf course jitters? Let us know on this golf blog and on Twitter @Golf4Beginners.

photo: DailyMail.uk