Saturday, September 5, 2009

Golf Training Aids


Are they any good for a new golfer?

Some golfers take up the game after they retire from more strenuous ball games such as baseball, football, soccer or cricket. I mean after playing in a game were a bowler or pitcher is sending a ball towards you at a high sped and you are expected to hit it out of sight how difficult can golf be?

When you watch it on TV Tiger Woods, Phil Mickleson and Justin Rose make it look so very easy to propel the ball to the exact spot they want to. And lets face it why should it be difficult? The ball is just sitting there waiting to be hit, and you don’t just have one bat to hit it with, you have a choice of fourteen. So it has got to be an easy game, right? Wrong.

Go to a driving range just for a quick practice before launching yourself on your local golf club. And you suddenly discover the game is not quite so easy as it appears. The ball has an annoying habit of not going where you want it too. It may slice to the right or hook to the left; even more embarrassingly it may just roll a few feet forward as you hit your divot further than the ball.

Of course the sensible thing at this point is to book a series of lessons with a club pro. But you’re a golfer now, so commonsense tends to go out of the window. Instead you look through the golf magazines and find advertisements for a whole host of training aids that are going to sort out every aspect of your game.

There are training aids that will improve your swing, stance and your alignment. Nets and buckets that it is claimed will make you the best short game player in your club.

It is fortunate for the manufacturers of these training aids that golfers tend to spend more money on their game than almost any other sportsmen or women. Because training aids do not tend to come cheaply and you can spend a great deal of money on some of these tools and devices.

The Golf training aids have a place to play in many golfers development but they should be used after you have learnt the basics from a skilled trainer such as your club professional. Teach yourself golf and you not only have an idiot for an instructor but you will ingrain faults into your game that will be difficult to eradicate later down the line when you want to improve your game.

How To Use Golf Training Aids To Get Rid

How To Use Golf Training Aids To Get Rid Of Your Slice

The erstwhile golfer groans as the ball dives impudently to the right into trouble, despite his best efforts to guide it to the left. This all too familiar scenario is played out over and over at golf courses across the country. Many golfers are stricken with that most dreaded of golf ailments, the vicious slice.

Likewise, most golfers don't know how to fix the problem so they do the intuitive thing, which is to line up their feet and shoulders to the left of the target. This only exaggerates the slice and leads to great frustration. As if the game of golf isn't frustrating enough already without adding additional difficulties.

Fortunately, it doesn't have to be that way. If you want to ditch the slice and improve your game, then consider adding a couple golf training aids to your practice routine. There are a large variety of training aids designed to help the average guy hit it straighter. So many, in fact, that it can be confusing finding ones that will actually help. I'll give you some tips here that will set you on the right path (pun intended) to getting rid of your slice affliction.

The first type of golf training aid you will need is a swing path device. Most slicers suffer from a nasty outside-in swing path. This means that the clubhead comes from outside the ball (away from the golfer's body) to the inside (closest to the body) at impact, cutting across the ball. This leads to both a loss of power and a tendency to slice.

To correct this problem, get a golf training aid that visually (or physically) shows you the correct path through the ball at impact, which is square to slightly inside-out. Some training aids have a foam device that the club will hit if you swing outside to in. This is great because it gives you instant feedback when you make a bad swing. Grove the inside-out swing path and you will be 90% of the way to getting rid of your slice.

The second golf training aid that can help get rid of a slice is a device to help you train the timing of your release. This is the point of the downswing at which the wrists release, snapping the club through the ball. The release point is important in generating clubhead speed at impact, and also in squaring the clubface.

If your release is late, then the clubface will be left open at impact, resulting in a fade or slice. Golf training aids for the release point are usually some type of shortened club with a device built in that 'clicks' when you release your wrists properly. This provides the instant feedback you need to time your release for impact.

To use these two types of golf training aids, swing path and release, you should straighten out your shots and add some yards as well. Good luck and happy hitting!

Rules and Regulations of Golf


Golf without rules and regulations there is no game. Every game has its own rules and regulations. The rules of golf {2} {3} are internationally standardized and are jointly governed by the royal and ancient golf club of st.andrews, which was founded in 1754 and the united states of golf association. After the agreement with R&A, USGA jurisdiction on the enforcement and interpretation of the rules is limited to the United States and Mexico. Canada has the separate royal Canadian golf association, but generally follows the lead of the two larger bodies. The rules of golf continue to evolve, and every four years, the amended versions of the rule book are published. Any brand of Golf Equipments can be used. But it is better to go in for Good brands of Golf Equipments

The rules are made keeping in mind “fairness”. There are few statements stated “play the ball as it lies”, “play the course as you find it”, and “if you can’t do either, do what is fair”. Some rules that are stated:

• Every player is entitled and obliged to play the ball from position where it has come to rest after the stroke, unless a rule allows or demands otherwise

• A player must not accept assistance in making a stroke.

• The condition of the ground or other parts of the country may not be altered to gain an advantage except some cases defined in the rules.

• A Golf ball may only be replaced by another during play of a hole if it is destroyed (rule 5-3), lost (rule 27-1), or unplayable (rule 28), or at some other time permitted by the rules. The player may always substitute balls between the play of two books.

The decisions on the rules of golf are based on formal case decisions by the R&A and USGA and are revised updated every other year.

The Amateur golfers:

There are strict regulations regarding the amateur status of golfers. Anybody who played golf for money or who has ever received payment or compensation for giving instruction in golf game will not be considered an amateur. He may not be allowed to participate in competitions limited only to amateur only non-cash prizes won in competition may be accepted within the limits established by the rules of amateur status.

Golf course architecture and design:

There are many kinds of golf courses. Each country has one kind of golf course. It varies according to the climate, etc.

The different kind of golf courses:

• Link courses
• Parkland courses
• Heath land
• Desert courses
• Browns courses
• Sand courses
• Snow courses
• Par 3 courses
• Executive courses.

1. Links courses: this is the most traditional type of golf course. It is located in the coastal areas, on sandy soil, often amid dunes, with few artificial hazards and few trees if any.

2. Parkland courses: this happens to be in typical inland courses, they often resemble British parks.

3. Heath land: this means less manicured and more open area. They often feature gorse and heather and typically less trees.

4. Desert courses: this course has been recently started in Australia and parts of USA and Middle East. It’s a new invention.

5. Browns courses: akin to sand courses, but not much involved in terms of using layers of tar and gavel below the sandy surface layer, to give firmness and support and ensure a consistent bounce/roll.

6. Sand courses: instead of heavily irrigated green, the players play on sand unlike most golf players. Holes are less involved than browns courses. And are only for the casual golfer.

7. Snow courses: can be played in arctic or sub arctic regions during winter. This is a recent invention. Golf is played on snow, typically with an orange colored or any brightly colored ball.

8. Par 3 courses: this course consists entirely of holes with par 3. These are considered a good test of iron shot precision and short game, as the driver is rarely used.

9. Executive courses: the course is generally smaller than the typical 18 hole course.

Teaching Children to play Golf


You think your little guy might be the next Tiger Woods? If you think your child has a propensity for golf, or if you have a love for the game that you want to share, how can you best teach your youngster the game? How can you tell that they are ready to learn? What age is best to start a child on learning golf if you want to develop a quality player?

Golf, a detailed and complex sport, can be tough to teach to kids. For this reason, get them started early and ensure that you build a firm foundation in their gameplay so that they learn to be confident in the sport and in their own abilities. This type of learned confidence can help them embrace the complexities of the game as a whole and will turn them into golfers that are ready to learn.

Once a child is walking well independently and able to hold a child-sized golf club, he or she is probably ready for the first introduction to the sport. This can happen when the child is as young as two or three years old. Preschool children will not be ready to play golf as a game, but they can be given small putters and practice swinging the club correctly.

The children at this age learn almost everything through imitation. The best way to teach them proper swinging and putting techniques is to demonstrate, and then have them imitate the motions. But use caution that you do not make this tedious for the child. These imitation sessions should be short and fun. Try having the child hit a small balloon. Not only will this be fun, but the child will also have success in hitting the balloon, which will keep the frustration at bay. To make it even more fun, try filling the balloons with water for added resistance! This is a great summer time activity for you and for your child!

Once the child has entered school and has a good handle on the swinging and putting techniques learned through observation, it is time to start teaching the game of golf. School aged children are accustomed to verbal instruction and can listen to explanations about the game better than their preschool counterparts. You need to keep in mind, however, that they are still children! They will thrive on encouragement, and all teaching sessions should be kept upbeat!

Start by taking your child to the driving range. Show your son or daughter how to hit the ball correctly, aiming for distance. The driving range is a good place to start since there is not a specific target they must reach, so the child is less likely to get frustrated. After the child demonstrates aptitude on the driving range, you can head to the course. By this point you should be able to tell whether or not your child is going to share your love for the game of golf.

The parents need to remember that no matter how hard they try, not all children have the same likes and dislikes that their parents have. If you have introduced your child to the game of golf, and he or she does not enjoy it, try not to push them. By pushing, you might find that you drive your child away from the game. All you can do is give them the experience at an early age, and they must come to a conclusion about the game on their own.