Aspects of Golf Course Maintenance

September 26th, 2009 |

Since they are growing Golf courses are always in a state of constant change and evolution ! As the trees, grass and other shrubs grow, they interfere with the width of the putting surface of the golf course. These elements forming the major part of the course need to be maintained in a proper and orderly fashion thus increasing the efficiency of the course itself, in order to reduce the wastage of the surface.

Plenty of the ecological as well as community benefits must be provided by well-maintained golf courses. Fertilizers and pesticides should be used but in moderation over the entire golf course to maintain a healthy turf.

Trees are also an important and vital part of any golf course. The overgrown limbs of trees has to be trimmed as part of the tree maintenance program. Softer slopes compared to steep slopes are most cost effective and have less maintenance . Trim work is the most difficult and crucial part of golf course maintenance. Sand Bunkers require sand to be added and replaced constantly as well as raking. If the sand bunkers are steep, after heavy rain, the sand will always need to be shoveled back into the bunkers.

Maintaining the golf cart, which are generally petrol or electric, is also very important. The batter terminals and water levels should be checked every fortnight if you are using electric carts. The damage to the greens on the golf course can be reduced to a large extent by using Soft spike golf shoes instead of the metal spike shoes.

The irrigation system of any golf course also needs proper care in order to work to its full potential. If this system is maintained efficiently, it will reduce the overall water wastage and improve the appearance and quality of the greens in a big way. You can keep your golf course looking beautiful and well manicured thus ensuring a quality experience for the players, by following a few simple steps .

This was a Rotor Maintenance- Worn out seals and nozzles should be replaced immediately, the arcs of the rotors should be regularly adjusted. Anticipate change in weather and increase or decrease water usage accordingly. This will help prevent dry spot at the same time lessen the risk of over-watering the golf course.

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Exercise For Golfers Pay Huge Dividend

September 21st, 2009 |

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But I’m here to tell they are most definitely not, exercises for golfers may seem like an oxymoron . Golf is physical! Golf causes injury! Golf can very easily break down the body! Your body has to have a higher level of golf specific strength and flexibility, to hit the ball maximum distance.

The above statements are fact.

To play your best golf you need to implement exercises for golfers as soon as possible. The sooner you start, the sooner you will see results on the course.

So what’s the difference between going to the gym and plopping down on machines and doing exercises for golfers?

First off…do you sit when you play golf?

Then why would you sit in a “controlled” machine thinking it will improve your golf?

Golf is “on your feet” and in a dynamic position (golf posture).

Because the demands for golf are so unique, you need to approach your golf improvement from a different angle than just going into a gym and thinking it will help your golf game.

Exercises for golfers doesn’t just mean strength exercises. You’ve got to do golfing stretching exercises as well.

Whenever I hear a golfer say he/she needs to stretch more…my first thought is “they are missing the boat”. Golf stretching without golf exercise is not permanent flexibility.

Here’s an example for you.

Stretch a rubber band. Now stretch it more and more. What happens to the rubber band? It get brittle & eventually breaks.

Picture your muscles just like that rubber band.

The winning combination is golf stretching and golf exercise . This will give you the best results.

Take a look at the body position required to make a mechanically sound swing, when putting together your exercises for golfers program .

You can do golf exercises specific to this position, once you realize this dynamic and very unique position .

Things to remember.

 

• Do the majority of your golf exercises on your feet.

• Do them in your golf posture if at all possible.

• Keep your knees flexed, just like your golf swing.

• Do as many rotational exercises as possible.

• Make sure to do the follow through side of the swing.

• Do a high enough repetition to promote golf muscular endurance.

Exercises for golfers can be fun and keep you motivated to stick with your program. Adherence is the main culprit for lack of results. Like any fitness or weight loss program, if you don’t do it consistently you won’t see the results.

Staying motivated by picturing the “end-result” on the course will be a huge help. Envision you on that first tee a more powerful and fit golfer. Picture blasting your drives by all your playing partners. And lastly, paint a strong visual of you having the lowest score consistently when you play in your normal golf groups.

I hope you now have a better understanding of exercises for golfers.

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Would Do Wonders Exercise Training For Golf

September 21st, 2009 |

 

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Especially senior golfers in the “off-season” or winter months,exercise training for golf is what every golfer who is serious about improving their golf swing power and mechanics should be focusing on .

If you’ve read any of my articles you’ll know where I’m come from.

“Your body dictates your golf swing!”

“A broken body will never achieve optimal golf performance”.

“You’re only as good as your ‘physical limitations’ will let you.”

You heard it hear first. My quotes above are “my quotes” that I have used for over 10 years with golfers of all ages, abilities and sexes.

I have seen it thousands of times throughout past 10 years. They want to quit the game, golfers getting so frustrated .

They’re took lessons. They has practiced til their hands bled. And they own the greatest or latest equipment.

And…

They are NOT playing any better!

Why?

Because their body is kept them from what they think they can do. There was a gap between the mind and the body.

You can will a great game in your mind as much as you want, but if your body isn’t capable…it will NEVER happen!

They have the cold hard facts.

The sooner you realize your body is the “magic bullet’, the sooner you can start your exercise training for golf and see real results.

This results will be long lasting too!

 

No band-aid swing fixes that don’t even last for 18 holes.

Your exercise training for golf programs should focus on your personal, physical limitations to save time and money. Eliminate your limitation and watch your golf game soar!

I’m here to MOTIVATE you…not sugar-coat it!

It’s time to regain those lost yards off the tee, and get back to shooting scores you did years ago!

Get started right now on your program of exercise for golf.

 

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5 Steps To Enjoy Golf More

September 21st, 2009 |

Some times it is just as they say, a good walk spoiled, but we all love the game of golf.Here are a few ways to enjoy golf more.

  • Forbidden play blue tees.

Unless you are at least a 10 handicap or lower, why bother making the golf course even harder than it has to be. If you are shooting in the 90’s or triple digits, it makes no sense making a conscious decision to making the course more difficult.Plays the white tees also takes the extra levels of anxiety out of the equation. 

  • Improve your lie

There is no way you should be playing the strict rules of golf, when you are having a recreational round of golf. The average round of golf would be at least six hours at course all over the world.  Golfers would be returning to the tees all day after hitting there first ball out bounds, or searching for every lost ball for 5 minutes. 

So if we are bending the rules to save time, why not bend them to improve your lie, something you can actually benefit from.Play winter rules all your time.

  • Don’t play same games

Compete in other categories other than score, instead playing the same match with your buddies.  Some examples would be:

Most fairways hit

Least amount of 3 putts

Most 1 putts

  • If it is your honor, take it.

You just birdie the hardest (or easiest) hole on the golf course, it’s your tee, you earned it, take it. You will be surprised how often you can have two birdies in a row if you are actually trying to get  two birdies in a row, challenge yourself to get another one.

  • Lower of expectations.

You don’t practice as much as you should, if you are a average golfer you play golf twice per week if you’re lucky, on top of that.. You can not honestly think that your games are not exactly what it should be. 

Don’t be so hard on yourself when you’re not playing well, just enjoy the game itself. Even the pros have not nice days.

 

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Dont Get Ripped Off On Golf Vacation

September 13th, 2009 |

 

Whether it’s a quick weekend getaway or a 10 day golf adventure to the Caribbean, there is one thing in common with all golf trips and vacations… rip-offs are common.

 

Here are a few things to be careful of when booking your next golf trip.

 

1. Cart Fees.

Many courses will require you to rent a cart, even though your package deal never mentioned it. Make sure you know up front if cart fee are included and or required.

 

2. Course Surcharges

You may be offered to “upgrade” to a better course when you arrive at your destination. This is a common practice in alot areas. The fact are that the course you “upgrade” to in many cases will not be any better than the course you are booked on.

 

3. Internet Deals

Many golf trips these days are sold by internet resellers. Price might be right, but they have no idea of the local market. They are selling a commodity and could care less what other events are happening in the area or what local conditions are. Dealing with local people in the area you plan to visit would eliminate many of these surprises.

 

4. Does you need a package deal?

You will find that package deals sometimes will costs you more than just booking a hotel and a “golf” market and winging it. Once you book your accommodations, the concierge or front desk would be able to direct you to the best deals. These work especially during the off peak times. So many people get involved in the package deals that the prices can be increased by 50-75% over what it would cost you to book it yourself.

 

To save a ton of money, call the local area Better Business Bureau (all the offices are online at bbb.com) and ask for information on the local public courses. In addition just Google “Golf In, you will came up with a ton of options.

 

 

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Save Your Golf Club From This Economy By Not Following The Traditional Methods of Marketing!

September 13th, 2009 |

Golf clubs across the country are closing down and going out of business across the United States of America at a extremely shocking rate. Florida, the state with more golf clubs than any other state, is seeing this more and more. A lot of these “failing” golf clubs are blaming the economy, and some are even blaming the current state of the golf world in general; but I see things differently, they should be blaming themselves.

The golf industry is behind the times in almost every core aspect of running a business in this day and time. Most golf courses still have a website that provides no information, it doesn’t collect any data from people visiting it, and looks like something that my 12 year old daughter could create in a few hours. These golf clubs need to embrace technology and develop a website that both promotes AND generates business. There are a handful of golf marketing businesses that specifically create websites to help generate more business for golf courses and their individual needs, why aren’t more clubs taking advantage of them?

Another way the golf industry is behind the times is plainly marketing in general. Look at how much golf courses are promoting themselves. Are they even promoting themselves? The average golf clubs does the following things which they call “marketing”.

  • They place a black and white ad in the county newspaper showing how they just discounted the price. This only gets them into discount wars with their competition which only causes them to lose MORE money. They should instead find something that they do better than the rest of their competition, create a unique sales proposition promoting that something, start promoting their course for that something, and possibly even RAISE prices because they do something the other competing courses in the area do not.
  • They place an ad in the yellow pages and local phone book. Honestly, with the invention of Google search and the amount of people who use the internet these days, how many people still use the phone book to find information? The answer is that phone book usage is dropping by ten percent almost every year! These clubs that are spending thousands of dollars a year on this single ad could be directing that extra money towards something more beneficial such as a website or direct mail campaign like I mentioned above
  • They place an ad in the local penny saver.  Once again, something that is proven to be ineffective in this day and age. Instead they should be looking at fusion marketing techniques and working with other local businesses to promote their club. They could easily go to the local Chevy dealer and give away a free round of golf with every car purchase. Not only will the dealership easily accept this offer, but it will get new people, with MONEY, at the course and they will easily make up the lost green fee revenue by the new players paying for a cart fee or eating after the round at the club house. They will even convert a certain quantity of these players into returning players, which will help increase the residual income of the club. Think about that for a second, if they charge forty dollars a round, and the new players plays on average ten times a year, they just made an extra $400 off green fees alone. If you get 20 new players a year from the car dealership that’s an extra $8,000 a year from a simple green fee promotion with a car dealership!

Another way golf courses are slowly killing themselves is with real estate. A lot of golf communities that were doing well in the early 2000’s are now drowning in a sea of debt because of unsold lots, unsold homes, and not enough members. What can they do to help correct this problem? Let’s look at what Juliette Falls, which is a Florida Golf Community, in Dunnellon did. They first got a good website from a company named Legendary Marketing. They built their website into something that looks great and promotes exactly what they do. Well guess what, the economy dropped off and now they have over forty homes that are in the price range of $500,000 to more than a million and no one was buying them. How can they turn this around? They came up with a marvelous promotion that’s how! At Juliette Falls you can stay in a Nice Golf Home worth over a million dollars, play a round of golf, enjoy the onsite spa and eat at a fancy restaurant for $199 a night. If they sell only one night for every day of the year, that is over $70,000 in additional revenue for the resort AND they get new prospects and leads at the course every single day which they can use to promote to in the future! Why aren’t all the golf communities thinking this way?

As you can see, the golf industry is slowing killing itself by being behind the times in technology, marketing, real estate and a host of other things that will be addressed in a future article. If you are a member of a club, or even better part of the members committee, stand up and say something. Tell your club they need to break the mold of what they are doing. Make them think outside the comfort zone! Make your golf management firm become accountable for the actions the club takes! It just may be the only thing left that can save your golf club!

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6 Keys to Selecting The Right Golf School

September 13th, 2009 |

 

There are a lot tips to selecting the school which is worthy of the investment, and this is not an exhaustive list .

 

1) Golfing style 

As with any topic or subject matter to learn, golf can be played in many styles. Some play conservatively, others, like me, more aggressively. But ultimately you have to choose school or instructor that matches you.

 

Your skills, your personality, your style.

 

2) Problem areas  

I have trouble with slicing. I found that my shots slice to the right Consistently. You, to be sure, has at least one issue with your game and specific shots.You may want to find school to address and help correct that shortcoming. You would have had time (and money) well spent, If you come back from a long weekend and your slice has vanished.

 

3) Instructor to class-size ratio 

This is a personal preference item. Some people learn in a group setting, even craze the interaction. It might also depend on what you are trying to gain the school which one you actually choose.

 

4) Price 

If you improve your game, and thus your enjoyment,  golf is your life and no amount of money is too much. For other, there is a big obstacle. If you are considering a golf school then you know most start above $1500. There are some “big name” instructors offering half day lessons for $10,000.

 

Do not forget to add in travel, lodging, and food costs,  if you are price sensitive then, by all means. Many times these “incidentals” can double the overall cost.

 

5)  Proximity 

What is your traveling distance? Is the schedule tight so slipping off in 100 miles for a half day lesson is all you can squeeze. When these offer last-minute specials you can jump on those quickly, One plus of keeping tabs on those schools “in your own backyard” is.

 

6) Length of training 

It depends, like any good consultant would answer. It depend on whether you are looking for a long weekend, a day seminar, or wrapping vacation around the training. These is an important factor in choosing school so compare wisely.

 

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9 Tips for playing well under pressure

September 12th, 2009 |

 

Get Every Putt to the Hole

 

Because the player decelerates on the through-stroke, it makes most putts come up short . Minimize Your Swing Thoughts

 

Survive The First-tee Jitters

Preshot: Visualize what you want the ball to do.

 

Swing thought: Freely swing the clubhead.

Address: Align the clubface where you want the ball to go.

 

Nervousness makes you speed up your tempo, which affects consistency and accuracy. Like you want to hit it only 100 yards,  swing your driver smoothly .

 

Make More Tough Short Putts

 

Square your feet and shoulders to that line and then set your putterface square to the desired line. Make a smooth stroke while looking at the target, not at the ball.

 

Take More Club on Par 3s

 

Few amateurs hit the ball over or through the green on par 3s; most come up short. If you hit it flush, you’re on; You still might make it to the putting surface, if you hit it less than solidly .

 

Score Lower on Par 5s

 

Your favorite yardage into the green and make the last shot. Divide the difference by two when subtract that yardage . With this strategy, you’re hitting lofted clubs that are easier to hit and more accurate.

 

Letting the sand “splash” the ball out, good greenside bunker players accelerate the clubhead through the shot . Set up with the face of your sand wedge slightly open, the ball slightly forward in your stance. Finish your swing like you’re hitting a full 5-iron by hit the sand behind the ball .

 

Chip with Your Putting Stroke

 

Take a lofted club like a 7-, 8- or 9-iron and grip it like your putter  to avoid chunking or skulling your chip shots. For a slightly descending blow, lean the shaft and your body toward the target . Make your putting stroke, allowing the loft of the club to carry the ball over the unpredictable turf onto the green.

 

Get Your Irons Airborne

 

When you try to help the ball into the air with a scooping motion, most topped shots occur .

 

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Did you know that Golf was invented in Scotland?

September 12th, 2009 |

 

Golf was invented in Scotland, and dates back to at least the 17th century, possibly even earlier – the name is believed to come from an Old German word, ‘gowf’, meaning a club or bat. The oldest golf course in the world is Musselburgh Links, but there are many vary old golf courses in Scotland, most famously St. Andrews. The early golfers decided to play the course through twice each time, but it is believed that the reason golf courses today have 18 holes is that St. Andrews only had room for nine .

 

Golf’s Scottish origin is a matter of some controversy among the Dutch, the Chinese and the French, who all claim that they had much similar club-and-ball games much longer ago. However, it seems clear that there is more to golf than just the club and the ball, and that golf as it is played today was at least perfected, if not entirely invented out of thin air, in Scotland, while there is no doubting they did.

 

Since then, little has really changed about the game. The grass has got shorter and smoother, as lawnmower technology has improved, the wooden clubs has been replaced with metal ones, and the balls have been improved by the addition of rubber, but that’s about it.

 

However, that golf really started to spread all over the world, it wasn’t until the 20th century. There are no golf course in China until 1985, but now there are more than 200. Since the Second World War, golf has become insanely popular in Japan, even though they don’t really have the space to build the courses – they have become pioneers of indoor and virtual golf. Today, it is thought that there are over 30,000 golf courses in the world – that’s well over a hundred for every country, although some countries obviously have far more courses than others, particularly in the English-speaking world.

 

 

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Golf Club Head Covers

September 1st, 2009 |

Golf is an expensive game, it is much more expensive than playing football or even baseball, you need to get some training and golf apparel, and on top of that you got the equipment which is pretty pricey. If you are a golfer you are probably aware of this, and you probably know that there are a lot things you can use to protect your golf clubs.

Golf club heads, in particular, have to be taken cared of more than any other golfing accessory. No matter how meticulous you are with protecting your golf club heads, rust is inevitable. However, you can slow the problem down by getting the right shield - a golf club head cover, that is. Club heads are manufactured using chrome-plated carbon steel. Constant use of the club exposes the steel to moisture, abrasion, and friction, resulting, eventually, to rust (and a poor hit).

Using golf club head covers to protect the iron will help keep the area dry and delay rust formation. Some people say using club head covers will just trap the moisture in. For the stylish, funky golf club head covers could be a status symbol. Designer golf club head covers are available for sale to give your clubs that sophisticated look. If you’re into fun stuff, you can also buy golf club head covers that have profile designs. If you’re a fan of Bugs Bunny, there isn’t any reason why you couldn’t have a Bugs Bunny golf club head cover if you want to.

Again, golf, while criticized as being a game for the frail sportsman, is actually an activity that calls for more effort than it seems - intellectual effort, that is. However, none of the precise calculations would bring any golf game justice if the equipment of war are not in their best shape. Golf club heads are the most sensitive of all the golfing gear. Thus, they should be taken cared of and protected well with club head covers.

By Jonathan Mayheart

 

 

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