Golf instruction - releasing the clubhead

I was browsing youtube for some useful golf videos and came across these two, some useful advice for beginner golfers!

Understanding the two most common swing releases in golf, the rolling release and the stable release.

Click This Link: www.johnlubingolf.com to sign up for our FREE newsletter John shows you the proper golf grip. Weather you have a weak or a strong golf grip… John will show you the perfect “correct”golf grip for you golf game. These golf grip tips will help you become the best golfer you can be.

Golf instruction - releasing the clubhead

Play It Forward, Fellas: They Aren’t Called Ladies Tees Anymore

Most golf courses have for many decades had three different tee boxes, we’ll call them forward, middle and back.

Middle Tees

The middle tees were the ones most commonly used by your average golfer, the back tees – sometimes referred to as “playing from the tips” – were designed for advanced players who drove the ball particularly well and were looking for a suitable challenge.

Forward Tees

The forward tees were intended to be used by new golfers or any other that, for whatever reason, were more challenged when it came to driving.

Sometimes our efforts to simplify language end up being counterproductive.  A term or phrase is coined with an aim towards simplicity, but in the long run it ends up complicating matters.  And this is the case here, as these forward tees soon became known as the “ladies tees”.

Soon the idea that the front tees were for women and women alone became ingrained into the culture of the sport to the point where male golfers who otherwise would be good candidates to use the closer tees would avoid them for fear that their pride would be wounded by doing so.

In large respects, this stigma still exists, though most courses have gone away with formally calling the forward boxes “Ladies Tees”.

This is rather unfortunate.  Not only is it a misnomer that female golfers use those front tees exclusively, it is a gravely inaccurate to insinuate that it is a negative reflection of a male’s “manhood” to tee off from the closer tees.  In reality, there are a bevy of reasons why golfers of all stripes might want to vary their tee boxes, with an emphasis towards “playing it forward”.

Casual golfers or new players are unfortunately the most likely to not understand how the tee structures actually work, and sadly many golf courses do little to help educate them.  The common train of thought is that the front tees are ladies, the middle tees are for seniors and the back tees are for men.

This is simply not true, and the result of this misinformation is a lot of below average golfers playing from the most difficult tee boxes on the course.  Not only does this decrease the enjoyment of the game for the participants, but it also slows down the process for everyone on the entire course.

The truth is that golfers should be playing the tees that best suit their game.  I’ve been playing for many years and carry a single digit handicap, but I don’t always play from the furthest tees out.  Mostly I play from one of the mid-range tee boxes, and occasionally I will play from the very forward tees.

An experience I had on the course last week is instructive.  I was golfing with some of my more casual golfing friends; these two don’t golf enough to even have their handicap calculated, but on their best days they would be lucky to break 100.

Despite this, they were insistent that we play from the tips.  It made for a long, less enjoyable afternoon for all of us, as they regularly drove the ball only 150 yards (or whiffed completely trying to drive further than they can realistically play) leaving themselves 200 yards out on their second shot.

When we discussed it afterwards, both of my friends admitted that ego and a misunderstanding of the purpose of the tee boxes led them to want to play from back.  They thought it was less of a challenge to play forward and even though both would have probably benefitted from playing the front tees, the thought of that was anathema – “those are for ladies,” they both said.

So in an attempt to save face, they ended up shooting horribly and had a less enjoyable golfing experience.  Does this make any sense?  Of course not.

The truth is golf was intended to be played as a game where you make the greens in regulation.  If that is not something you can reasonably do from the back tees, it behooves you to move up to the front tees.  You aren’t gaining anything by “challenging yourself” at tee lengths that are inappropriate for your skill level.  It’s more fun to have some birdie chances and feel good about your game – when that is happening you are more likely to improve in the long run and may be able to play from further back.

It should also be noted that each tee box has its own rating and slope for handicapping purposes.   As someone that faithfully posts all scores to keep an accurate handicap, it makes no difference what tee box I use, I can still get an accurate score for that particular course.

The truth of matter is that the front tee boxes have little to do with gender and everything to do with golfing skill and experience.  I know many, many women who play from the same mid-range tees that I do, and most of my male golfing friends would benefit from moving up, perhaps even to the forward-most tees.

It has nothing to do with ego, gender or a challenge.  It has everything to do with playing golf the way it was meant to be played.

So, gentleman, play it forward!

And don’t call them “ladies tees.”

By Scott McCormick

Scott McCormick sometimes forgets to use gender-neutral language.  He also sometimes sleeps on the couch.  When not getting scolded by his wife, Scott is a freelance writer whose work appears courtesy of Phoenix Golf Now and San Diego Golf Now.  For more of Scott’s golf commentary, see his recent post on the annoyance of golf sandbaggers.

Play It Forward, Fellas: They Aren’t Called Ladies Tees Anymore

Play it Forward, Fellas: They Aren’t Called Ladies Tees Anymore

Most golf courses have for many decades had three different tee boxes, we’ll call them forward, middle and back.

The middle tees were the ones most commonly used by your average golfer, the back tees – sometimes referred to as “playing from the tips” – were designed for advanced players who drove the ball particularly well and were looking for a suitable challenge. The forward tees were intended to be used by new golfers or any other that, for whatever reason, were more challenged when it came to driving.

Sometimes our efforts to simplify language end up being counterproductive.  A term or phrase is coined with an aim towards simplicity, but in the long run it ends up complicating matters.  And this is the case here, these forward tees became known as the “ladies tees”. Soon the idea that the front tees were for women and women alone became ingrained into the culture of the sport to the point where male golfers who otherwise would be good candidates to use the closer tees would avoid them for fear that their pride would be wounded by doing so.

In large respects, this stigma still exists, though most courses have gone away with formally calling the forward boxes “Ladies Tees”. This is rather unfortunate.  Not only is it a misnomer that female golfers use those front tees exclusively, it is a gravely inaccurate to insinuate that it is a negative reflection of a male’s “manhood” to tee off from the closer tees.  In reality, there are a bevy of reasons why golfers of all stripes might want to vary their tee boxes, with an emphasis towards “playing it forward”.

Casual golfers or new players are unfortunately the most likely to not understand how the tee structures actually work, and sadly many golf courses do little to help educate them.  The common train of thought is that the front tees are ladies, the middle tees are for seniors and the back tees are for men.

This is simply not true, and the result of this misinformation is a lot of below average golfers playing from the most difficult tee boxes on the course.  Not only does this decrease the enjoyment of the game for the participants, but it also slows down the process for everyone on the entire course.

Play the Tee that Suits Your Game

The truth is that golfers should be playing the tees that best suit their game.  I’ve been playing for many years and carry a single digit handicap, but I don’t always play from the furthest tees out.  Mostly I play from one of the mid-range tee boxes, and occasionally I will play from the very forward tees.

An experience I had on the course last week is instructive.  I was golfing with some of my more casual golfing friends; these two don’t golf enough to even have their handicap calculated, but on their best days they would be lucky to break 100.

Despite this, they were insistent that we play from the tips.  It made for a long, less enjoyable afternoon for all of us, as they regularly drove the ball only 150 yards (or whiffed completely trying to drive further than they can realistically play) leaving themselves 200 yards out on their second shot.

When we discussed it afterwards, both of my friends admitted that ego and a misunderstanding of the purpose of the tee boxes led them to want to play from back.  They thought it was less of a challenge to play forward and even though both would have probably benefitted from playing the front tees, the thought of that was anathema – “those are for ladies,” they both said.

So in an attempt to save face, they ended up shooting horribly and had a less enjoyable golfing experience.  Does this make any sense?  Of course not.

The truth is golf was intended to be played as a game where you make the greens in regulation.  If that is not something you can reasonably do from the back tees, it behooves you to move up to the front tees.  You aren’t gaining anything by “challenging yourself” at tee lengths that are inappropriate for your skill level.  It’s more fun to have some birdie chances and feel good about your game – when that is happening you are more likely to improve in the long run and may be able to play from further back.

It should also be noted that each tee box has its own rating and slope for handicapping purposes.   As someone that faithfully posts all scores to keep an accurate handicap, it makes no difference what tee box I use, I can still get an accurate score for that particular course.

It’s all About Golfing Skill and Experience

The truth of matter is that the front tee boxes have little to do with gender and everything to do with golfing skill and experience.  I know many, many women who play from the same mid-range tees that I do, and most of my male golfing friends would benefit from moving up, perhaps even to the forward-most tees.

It has nothing to do with ego, gender or a challenge.  It has everything to do with playing golf the way it was meant to be played.

So, gentleman, play it forward! And don’t call them “ladies tees.”

 

Scott McCormick sometimes forgets to use gender-neutral language.  He also sometimes sleeps on the couch.  When not getting scolded by his wife, Scott is a freelance writer whose work appears courtesy of Phoenix Golf Now and San Diego Golf Now.  For more of Scott’s golf commentary, see his recent post on the annoyance of golf sandbaggers.

Play it Forward, Fellas: They Aren’t Called Ladies Tees Anymore

Great Gift Ideas for Golf Lovers

In a year that has already been jam-packed with great sporting moments, golf enjoyed its own time in the spotlight with the greatest Ryder Cup ever staged. Few could have predicted the drama that would unfold on the final day of this year’s USA vs Europe bout, with the Europeans staging the most dramatic of comebacks to claw back a four point deficit on the final day.

The action kept sports fans and non-sports fans alike glued to the televisions and is sure to have inspired budding golfers galore to pick up a club for the first time, or at least dust off their golf shoes for the first time in a long time. With Christmas fast approaching, golf is sure to be one of the most popular themes when shopping for sports-lovers this year. But think beyond the novelty mug or comedy golf tie and there are some really useful golfing goodies out there to enjoy. Here are some ideas to ensure your gift ideas are well above par.

GPS rangefinder

Judging the distance between your ball and a hole was once little more than a glorified guessing game, but then in came laser technology range finders and things moved up a notch. The goalposts have moved once more, with the GPS technology that you find on smartphones and SatNavs, now being utilised to its fullest in golf rangefinders, many of which come preloaded with details on golf courses across the world to give you the most accurate information you need. Garmin even offers a watch version to save you carrying extra gadgets in your bag.

Golf shoes that look nothing like golf shoes

WIth Tiger’s stylish Nike threads, Poulter’s colourful trousers and Bubba’s bright pink driver, golfing style has come a long way since the stuffy days of shorts and knee-high socks. True, many clubs still enforce dated dress codes and most courses worth their salt won’t want you on the courses without proper golf shoes. But there’s no reason you have to look like a stiff these days and various companies are now producing golf shoes with the appropriate grip and spikes but with looks which ooze understated cool. Ecco’s casual Street range won’t look out of place away from the course.

Discount green fees membership

These days everyone loves a bargain and there are plenty of schemes out there which make golf more affordable than ever before. Membership schemes such as the Open Fairways club mean you can get up to 50 per cent off course fees at top notch golfing venues around the country throughout the duration of the membership, which makes this a gift that really keeps on giving.

Golf lessons

Anything that helps sports-loving males get one over on their mates will always make great Gifts For Men, and golf lessons certainly fall into that category. If you’re shopping for someone who is likely to fall into the ‘all the gear but no idea’ bracket, then do the decent thing and treat him to something that will actually improve his game. Lessons with a pro will help them reenact those Ryder Cup style dramatic comebacks and prove more useful in the long term than novelty golf accessories.

Produced by Activity Superstore, the UK’s leading gift experience supplier. From Gifts For Men to Gifts For Her we’re sure you’ll find the perfect gift in our range of over 1,000 products.

Great Gift Ideas for Golf Lovers

Fix Golf Slice – Watch the Head!

Both grip and club swing path play an enormous role in causing a golf player’s slice. Errors in either of these two areas will cause a golfer to put unwanted spin on their golf ball.
Incorrect gripping technique causes the club face to be to open when it strikes the ball which causes the spin problems. At the same time, many golf players do not have a true club swing path. A golf club that travels along an “outside to inside” path during a swing will always cause the golf ball to spin. By addressing these two problems, the majority of struggling golf players will be able to Fix Golf Slice problems in a relatively short period of time.

Golf Tip for Gaining Golf Flexibility

A golfer’s skill is determined by several factors, one of which is their level of flexibility. The Golf Tip for gaining flexibility for golf is simple. Golfers must spend time every day performing dynamic golf stretching exercises. Dynamic stretches are different from the usual stretches performed by athletes that take part in other sports. A dynamic stretch is a single fluid motion. In golf, the most beneficial dynamic stretching exercise is a slowed down version of the golf swing with club in hand. This golf tip will prepare a golfer for the game ahead and help reduce injuries.

Golf Tip for Bringing Electronic Devices on the Course

Most Golf Tips that you read about cover drills and exercises, but what should be done about electronic devices? It’s hard to find anyone these days that is not completely dependent on their phone. We are used to being kept up to date on a minute by minute basis and feel completely cut off if we are separated from them. However, there is something to be said for living in the present moment and enjoying your surroundings. The best golf tip for electronic devices on the golf course is to turn them off. The world will keep on turning!

Golf Tip: Let Gravity Do Its Job!

It’s true, new golfers create most of their own problems. The best part about this is the fact that they are just as capable of fixing those problems with a little practice. An important golf tip to remember when taking a shot is to let gravity work for you. Many missed hits and slices are hit every weekend because golfers try to help gravity along and “pull” their club toward the ball. This causes everything from the grip to swing mechanics to be thrown off. The best golf tip for this problem is to relax and let the club come to the ground naturally.

 

 

Golf Tip to Fix Your Shank Problem so You Can Stand Tall!

Ask any golfer what the worst shot you can make is and they will all tell you, “The shank shot!”  A simple golf tip that works to eliminate this problem is to stand more erect as you take your swing.  The golf tip of maintaining good posture of the head and upper body is usually all it takes to fix a problem with shank shots.  It is easy to lean too far forward when using shorter clubs, but this makes it more likely that you will strike the ball on the heel of the club or even the hosel.