Weather Related Dangers

photo credit: jlwelsh     Lightening is always a serious worry.   Everyone knows how dangerous lightening can be, but it's especially dangerous when you are out in the open  on a golf course.  

There is one good rule of thumb:   if you hear thunder, no matter how far the distance, you can be struck by lightening.   It is important that you head for shelter immediately.   If you cannot make it back to the clubhouse in time, head for an outdoor lavatory building.   If caught in the middle of a storm, seek the lowest spot you can find and lie flat on the ground.

A lightening strike can result in, shock,  severe burns and lasting injury to the central nervous system.   Lee Trevino was hit by lightening and it took him years to recover.

The Cartpath

photo credit: nimish_gogri     What do you do when your ball lies on, or immediately adjacent to, a cartpath?   If your swing or stance is interfered with, you do not have to play the shot.   The USGA. rules permit a drop.

USGA. rule 24-2, (immovable obstruction) states that you can drop within one club-length of the nearest point of relief which allows you to stand and swing freely without interference from the cart-path.   The nearest point and drop-zone, however, cannot be closer to the hole.   A player is entitled to relief, without penalty, from any path to which a foriegn material such as tar, gravel, dirt, etc. has been applied.   A player cannot get relief from a dirt path created by vehicle traffic unless it had been defined as ground under repair.+

The Launch Monitor

photo credit: jrspeaks     Checking your swing on a launch monitor accomplishes three things, it determines:   A)    ball speed.   B)   Launch Angle.   C)   Backspin.

Ball speed >   Nothing is more important to distance which is the initial velocity of the ball as it leaves the clubface.   It should be 1 and one half times swing speed.   Launch Angle >   this is not the angle of the loft on the driver's clubface, it is the angle in relation to the ground of the trajectory of the ball.   The typical launch angle should be about 10 degrees or higher.   Backspin >   The rotation of the ball after impact.   It should typically be 2000 – 3000 rpms.   Slightly higher rpms. are acceptable.

Launch monitors are can detrmine the right equipment for you.

Advice for Beginners

photo credit: mahalie     Beginners tend to put too much pressure on themselves.   Their addiction to golf is reinforced by reading and learning everything they can.   In many cases they seem to miss their primary goal, which is to have fun.

Playing golf is about advancing the ball from point A to point B.   New players should not make the game too complicated for themselves.   This happens, in many cases, by taking lessons from a teacher that is too caught up in  swing details and doesn't understand that the game of golf is about having fun.   In order to enjoy the game, having fun must be job-one.

Keep the game simple for yourself.   Advance the ball as best as you can there is plenty of time to learn the intricacies of the golf swing.

Keeping Your Cool

Even the best PGA Tour players lose their cool but losing your cool can cost you big-time.   One of the most difficult aspects of the game of golf is maintaining a calm, steady and persistent demeanor.   For those who really know what the golf swing is really all about, maintaining a relaxed body and mind is what good golf is really all about.

If you lose your cool on the course, you are essentially destroying your chances of playing well.   If you cannot control your temper you are probably better off finding another sport to involve yourself in.   Golf is all about self-control and concentration, temper tantrums ruin any chances of keeping your cool and playing well.

Lose your temper and you will surely lose your game.

Is Golf That Dangerous?

photo credit: sk8geek     THE SAGA OF OWEN CUMMINGS:  

In 1975 Owen was playing the 7th, a par-5 at a course in Fortville, Indiana.   Hes second shot landed in four inches of water behind a thick stone wall.   Cummings took a gorilla-like,  round-house  swing and topped the ball.   It ricocheted off the stone wall and bounded into the cup for an eagle 3.   The shot one him the hole but cost him the match.   You see, during  his swing, Owen's  club-head struck the wall, flew off his shaft and ricocheted off the wall also –  blasting  Cummings in the face.   He was carried off the course unconscious and rushed to the E.R.   The moral of the story:   take a stroke penalty and “drop” the ball!!

Cummings made a full recovery.

Raise or Lower Your Arc

photo credit: nsaplayer     Almost every new player  has a  difficult time making good ball contact because of  their inconsistent swing-arc.   What is  a “swing-arc?”   It is the outer circumference (rotation) of your clubhead.   Having an inconsistent swing-arc means that you dip or raise your body during your swing.

Presuming your swing arc is consistently the same, how would you purposely alter your arc?.   1)   choke down on the grip > raising your arc.   2)   grip the  club at the very end of the handle >  lowering your arc.    3)   bend your knees a bit more at address > lowering your arc.    4)   stand more upright at address > raising your arc.  

It's necessary to raise or lower your swing-arc to compensate for uphill, downhill or side-hill lies.

Tempo and the Beginner

photo credit: jmettraux     Players new to the game have a hard time understanding that it's not how hard, but how fast you swing that adds distance to a golf shot.   Swinging hard at the ball creates all sorts of swing faults and makes a repetitive, consistent swing nearly impossible to make.

The best way to achieve   greater shot distance is by maintaining a smooth, consistent tempo.   Learn to swing in a relaxed manner and within your own capabilities, allowing your muscles to maintain their elasticity.   Squeezing the grip too hard tightens the muscles and ruins your tempo and timing.  

The key to a good tempo is not gripping the club too tightly, also, keep your pace of play, relatively slow.   If you find yourself speeding-up, slow down immediately.

The Tee-Box

photo credit: rioncm     The tee-box  does not consist of the  entire tee-off area.   The tee-box extends between the tee-markers and two club-lengths behind the markers.   In other words, you can tee your ball anywhere between the tee-markers  within two club-lengths behind the markers.   That  is the designated teeing area.

The USGA rules do not stipulate what club you can use for measurement purposes.   It would certainly  be appropriate to use a driver, since it is the longest club in the bag, if required.    

The question is, why would you want to tee  your ball  that far behind the markers?   If  the hole is a par 3, you may want to move the ball back so you don't have to “let up” on the shot.

Good Luck or Bad Luck?

photo credit: michael_reuter     Even Jack Nicklaus will tell you that golf is skill with a little luck thrown in.   Major championships have been won or lost because of luck, bad or good.

Never  attribute a good shot to “just lucky”  as beginners sometimes  do.   Granted,  beginners will hit their share of bad shots but they are also capable of hitting good shots.   Ben Hogan once said:   “If I hit  four really perfect shots in an 18 hole round, I'm very happy.”   Ben Hogan was one of the greatest golfers that ever played the game.

Luck is when your ball bounces off a rock in the rough and then lands a few feet from the hole.   Keep things in perspective and allow yourself more credit than you sometimes  do.

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