golf-clubs

Two Rules to Ignore When Playing Golf

To every rule, there is an exception, and this point is made abundantly clear especially when one plays a sport in which experts provide guidelines to amateurs about how they should play the sport by itself.

Take for example, the game of golf, and apart from the close-range strokes that are played with different clubs, one of the most important shots is when you’re teeing off, and perhaps one of the most talked about things on the golf course i.e. getting your swing and aim just right.

But when it comes to rules some people say that one must keep their head down, and perhaps this is one of the redundant rules that need a bit more explanation before one actually takes it literally. And if there’s anything that should stop you from doing this, maybe when Tiger Woods stands tall and finishes his almost-perfect shot while keeping his chin that should tell you a lot about the rule in question.

While some stars like Jack Nicklaus did keep his head perfectly still (from where this rule has been derived) but is known to make adjustments by turning his head to the right in order to set up the perfect shot along with a healthy shoulder turn.

Yet another rule that should be ignored is keeping your left arm stiff (right arms for left-handed golfers), and examples like Calvin Peete and Ed Furgol tell you how one can play exceptionally even when their arms are bent.

When it comes to playing the game of golf, getting your shot right doesn’t have to be all about rules but adjustments that you make you more comfortable than not.

Getting Started With Golf.

Golf is a game that is enjoyed by many people worldwide. The game can go from a simple hobby to an addiction. People start out intending to only play casually and then find the game so fun they end up playing any time that they have free time. Getting started playing golf isn’t that difficult at all. Let’s take a look at some tips on how to get started playing the game of golf the right way.

Don’t be tempted to rush out and get the most expensive set of golf clubs and think they will help you play better. The best thing to do is get started at a driving range that allows you to rent clubs. By doing this you can practice on your swing and learn exactly what kind of golf clubs work best for you. Hold off on buying your clubs until you get a little more comfortable with your swing and know what your starting point is.

After your practice at the driving range and decide what kind of clubs feel best in your hand, you might want to consider getting some golf lessons. A great golf instructor can teach you the ins and outs of the game of golf and make improvements to your swing. A skilled instructor can also teach you the difficult skill of putting and reading the greens. It’s important to learn how to read greens to tell how the ball will play on the course.

These are just a couple of tips to get you started in the game of golf. Follow them and you should be off to a great start.

Alexis Thompson files petition with LPGA

Female golf phenomenon Alexis Thompson has recently filed a petition to the LPGA asking tournament officials to grant her more time for playing in next year’s games. Thompson currently is ineligible to apply for membership under LPGA’s rules, and will have to wait until eighteen years of age before being deemed a qualifier. On the other hand, Thompson’s petition did not clearly include a request for her to be granted membership. Instead, Thompson requested for a lot more exemptions regarding sponsors.

Current LPGA rules puts a cap on sponsor exemptions for non-members, which is specifically six per season of the game. Thomson, meanwhile, requested for double that number which is four more sponsor exemptions than what is allowed in the US Women’s Open and the Women’s British Open. Thompson’s agent, Bobby Kreusler, was quoted by the Golf Examiner as saying that the 15-year-old wonder kid was able to earn $336,472 from the limited time that she spent playing in the tournament.

 That would easily place Thompson on LPGA’s ladder list of highest earning golfers. Still, LPGA was able to counter that argument by stating that using their own computation formulas, Thompson was only able to earn $21,000, which puts her much lower than her agent’s 29th rank estimate. Meanwhile, a fellow female golfer and LPGA member was forced to quit from the tournament due to extreme back pains. Natalie Gulbis, who commanded a strong following from her fans over her 8 years of being a pro, underwent laser surgery on her spine in January.

Factors surrounding choice of clubs

Golf players around the world have basically used the same set of golf clubs for years. A common of set of golf clubs would normally include, but is not limited to, three woods, ten irons plus a putter for end plays. Some golf players go beyond these numbers depending on what suites their game, and not necessarily follow what has been taught for beginners. Apart from skills, golf players will have to develop strength and accuracy, to get him or her from tight places as well as to make putting a breeze.

Depending on where the ball is, which may be sitting on top a tee, amidst short or long grass, or even over sand, dry dirt or rough, a golfer will need specialized golf clubs to enable execution of a proper swing. Thing such as club weight and feedback come into play depending also on whether the golfer is a beginner, intermediate or advanced player. These have to be considered when taking different shots which are namely drives, long or short approaches, pitches, sand shots, chips and putts.

Once a golfer is put into a trouble shot, that’s where skills factor in the most apart from the right choice of golf club, as opposed to putting which is in fact the most important part of the game. Most of a golfer’s score will come from putty shots which occur all around the game. That is why golfers consider their putter club as the most critical in their entire set of clubs.

Tight Battle for Golf’s Number One Ranking

Not since 1997 have four golfers gone into a tournament with the chance of finishing it as the world number one, but that is the situation at the HSBC Champions tournament in Shanghai this week.
Tiger Woods’ 581 week reign as the best golfer in the world may have ended this week with Lee Westwood’s arrival at the summit, but Tiger, Phil Mickelson and Martin Kaymer all have the chance of replacing him on Sunday.

Martin Kaymer 

Martin Kaymer has the strongest claim to be the form golfer this week, as Westwood and Mickelson are coming off breaks from the game and neither have strong recent form. Kaymer, however, has a run of three wins, including the USPGA broken last week in Spain. If ranking points from 2010 only were used to determine the number one golfer, Kaymer would be it. On those rankings Luke Donald would be second and Lee Westwood, despite his injury problems, third.

Two Year Period

The rankings, however, cover results from the last two years and the number of points gained is divided by the number of tournaments played, with a minimum divisor of 40. Tournaments are weighted, with the most recent counting for most points and those from the previous year less. This system has enabled Lee Westwood to take over the number one position having only played one ranking tournament in the last two months. Playing fewer tournaments has actually helped him. Few would argue, however, that he has been the most consistent performer over the last two years and fully deserves his top ranking.

That won’t stop three other golfers trying their very best to ensure he only keeps it for a single week. Whatever this week’s results, the battle for number one will be more open over the next few months than at any time since Tiger Woods turned professional, and that can only add excitement to the golfing season.

The Ryder Cup

Most non-golfers wouldn’t necessarily associate this sport to be a team sport much like soccer, football and so on and so forth but in understanding how the Ryder Cup plays out every two years, that notion will well and truly be put to rest.

Very simply, it is a team competition between the best golfers from the United States and Europe that is jointly administered between the American PGA and the European PGA Tour. Since this unique golf competition by tradition occurs every two years, the venues at which this competition is held alternate between locations in the United States and Europe.

While each team consists of twelve players, the competition used to last for at least two days but now has extended to three days to accommodate the eight foursome and fourball matches as well as the twelve singles matches that are played in the current format of the Ryder Cup.

From a historical point-of-view, the United States teams have always dominated this unique competition but with the extension of the British and Ireland team to include players from continental Europe, this event has seen some closely-fought battles between these two sides resulting in Europe winning this competition a few times as well.

And while names such as Nick Faldo and Arnold Palmer appears in several of the records related to the Ryder Cup, the competition has by no means resulted in lopsided wins for the United States between the two sides since 1979 as talented golfers from Spain, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy and Sweden have been given a chance to go up against the very best players in golf.

Tips on how to Improve Your Golf Skills

Golf can be a fun sport for professionals and amateurs alike. Because of the many competitors on the rise everyday, as a player, you should be able to improve your skills if you want to stay on top of your game. To do this, you have to improve constantly one of the important factors which could make or break your game – the golf swing, and in improving your golf swing, you should be able to improve your tempo. To do this, you must be able to do the following:

Understand the Essentials of the Swing

In order for you to develop your tempo, you should be able to learn the essentials of the golf swing. You can learn the fundamentals of swinging by getting the right instructions to do it.

Practice Makes Perfect

Develop your tempo by constantly practicing your golf swing. Anything can be done with ease just by doing it repetitively. You should exercise patience in doing this in order to achieve your goals.

Implementing a Swing Drill

Learning how to swing perfectly can be very hard at first, and a lot of people who do not surpass this stage end up quitting the sport. For you to be able to achieve the perfect swing and the tempo that you need, you should create a swing drill. You can divide the swing into parts where you can manage to do them perfectly. With this exercise, you can master every little movement of the swing which will eventually lead to the perfect tempo.

Simple tips to improve your striking

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