Simple Golf Tips and Golf Lessons From Basic to Intermediate by Frank J. - HTML preview

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The History of Golf

Arguably golf’s interesting origin began five centuries in the past. It is

a historical fact that due to the interference of golf with much more

serious combat drills James II of Scotland banned golf in an act of

Parliament on March 6 in the year 1457. There is general agreement

among historians and golf fans alike that the Scots were the first

golfers who became somewhat addicted to the sport. However the

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persons responsible for the invention of golf is open to debate. And

debate will ensue if you breech the subject with the right persons.

It

has

been

suggested

that

bored sheepherders

became

quite

exceptional

at

knocking

round

shaped stones into

rabbit holes with

their

wooden

shepherds

staffs.

Making a competitive game of the boredom seemed inevitable. After

all women’s lib was not yet even considered so that means the

shepherds were men. Lets face another fact of history, men tend to be

more of a competitive nature. Various forms of golf were played as

early as the fourteenth century. These games were played in Holland,

Belgium, France as well as in Scotland, thus the debate of golf’s origin

is rightly fueled.

There is another historical fact that Scottish Baron, James VI, was the

man who delivered the game we know today as golf to the English. For

many years the game was played on severely rugged terrain, where

no proper upkeep was required. In most accounts golf was played with

crudely cut holes in the ground where the earth was reasonably flat.

It was a group of Edinburgh golfers who first formed an organized

club. In 1744 the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers was

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established. At this time in history the first thirteen laws of golf were

drawn up for an annual competition. This first competition consisted of

players from any part of Great Britain or Ireland.

One of the earliest golf clubs that were formed outside golf’s debatable

native home of Scotland was the Royal Blackheath Golf Club of

England. Blackheath came into existence in 1766 and the Old

Manchester Golf Club was founded on the Kersal Moor in 1818.

By the late 1800’s the Royal Montreal Club and the Quebec Golf Club

were to become the first in North America. It wasn’t until 1888 that

golf resurfaced in the United States with more fervor than each prior

surfacing. Even then it was a Scotsman, John Reid, who first built a

three-hole course in Yonkers New York. St. Andrews Club of Yonkers

was built in a thirty-acre site near to the original three-hole course.

From the hesitant and fitful start golf grew rapidly as the new national

pastime in America. Modern for its time the golf club, Shinnecock Hills

was founded in 1891 and in the nine years left in that century more

than one thousand prestigious golf clubs opened in North America.

The historical value of golf is as interesting as any part of our heritage.

Following the path that golf took to get from a shepherds field to the

amazing golf courses that dot our culture today it is no wonder golf

remains a popular pastime in all parts of the world.

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A Good Golf Bag is a Beautiful Thing

Few things are more important to a golfer than a good golf bag. First

off, golf bags come in many styles and a wide variety of colors. You

can choose a bag for style, features or pick a color to match your

mood.

Some have legs that fold out when they are placed on the ground and

stand upright so the golfer doesn’t have to bend down and pick it up.

That’s a nice feature in golf bags, especially if the golfer tends to walk

the course, as many do. There is plenty of bending to be done when a

golfer is trying to remove an obstacle from around his or her ball, or to

get the ball out of the cup, so any way to avoid bending over is more

than appreciated.

All golf bags have compartments where the golf clubs are to be placed.

Each golfer has his or her own way of doing this and putting clubs

where he or she wants them. Some golfers, though, are lazy and just

stick their clubs in the compartments, grabbing whichever one they

want when a particular club is needed. But, some golf bags have tubes

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to protect the club grips. These are nice to have. With the tubes, a

golfer can get his or her clubs out easier. The clubs are never tangled

up, and the grips last a lot longer.

Another important factor in choosing a golf bag is the number of

pockets it has. Frankly, there’s no such thing as too many pockets in a

golf bag. First, one of the pockets will be used to hold the golf bag’s

hood. The hood is used to keep the clubs and bag from getting

drenched when it rains. Another pocket will be used to keep extra

towels (believe it or not,

extra towels are important

in the summer to keep the

sweat off the brow and out

of the eyes, along with

keeping the hands relatively

dry. Then, there is the

pocket used for keeping the

extra golf tees and possibly

the divot tool. Finally, a

pocket is needed for the

golf balls themselves, and it

doesn’t hurt to have a pocket to carry another dozen balls in, just in

case.

Some courses are so difficult it is easy to lose a lot of balls during 18-

holes of play. This makes having an extra box of balls around a good

thing, but there has to be somewhere in the golf bag to keep them,

which means another pocket.

Imagine trying to play golf without a bag. The golfer would be

constantly stooping over picking up clubs, tees, balls, towels and the

divot tool. Then he or she would have to walk to the ball, drop all of

the clubs and stuff, select a club, hit the ball, and start the process all

over again. It would be a major pain in the neck, and would make it

nearly impossible to finish playing a round of golf. So, golf bags are an

essential part of the game of golf.

Are Golf Lessons For You?

If you’ve been thinking about taking up golf, or if you’re a golfer in

search of a better game, you may have considered golf lessons. But

are golf lessons really beneficial? And how do you find a pro who will

offer good advice?

There are some who swear that lessons are vital and others who say

that practice is the only thing that will improve your golf game. The truth seems to lie somewhere in the middle. But before you drop your

coach or sign up for lessons, consider what it is that you hope golf

lessons will accomplish. Outlining your goals may help you decide

whether you truly need lessons or simply more time on the course.

If you play with others who play exceptionally well, you may want to

find someone to give you some help with your game. Whether that’s a

paid coach or merely a friend who plays well is strictly a personal

choice. Getting some pointers and tips may be a good way to ensure

that you don’t totally embarrass yourself in front of other players.

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If you’re serious about the game, you’ve probably been involved long

enough that you don’t need advice on whether to get a coach. But if

you’ve only recently discovered the joy of golfing, you may find

yourself looking for a way to improve your game. Golf lessons could

very well be the answer.

Some people say that lessons give them a set time to practice and an

opportunity to completely focus on the game. You’ll typically be less

interrupted than if you were playing on your own, stopping to chat

with friends along the way. But others say the simple fact of having

someone scrutinizing every move and offering constant advice is more

distracting than helpful. Decide whether you’re one of those who

accept direction and works well in that situation. That’s a major clue as

to whether golf lessons are a good idea.

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Remember that a golf coach’s job is to teach you to golf correctly. That

means that there are some habits that he (or she) will be trying to

ingrain and others they’ll be trying to break. While golfing correctly is

a terrific goal, many golfers have some bad habits that they tout as

benefiting their game. Changing your grip, adjusting your stance or

even using different equipment may be among the “must do” list from

your coach. You may resist those changes. You have two options. You

can do your best to follow the instructions, or you can explain that you

aren’t planning to change that particular habit. If you don’t plan to

change, you may need to reexamine your decision to take lessons.

Without following directions, lessons may become a waste of time and

effort on both parts, and money on yours.

Golf lessons are great for some people. It’s a personal decision

whether you are one of those who will benefit from a coach – formal or

informal. But remember that the most important thing to improve your

golf game is simply practice.

Are Golf Shoes Really Necessary?

While some kind of footwear

is required on most golf

courses, are golf shoes

really necessary? This is a

question to be answered by

each individual golfer as it is

his or her feet we are talking about.

Some courses require soft spikes only so the course doesn’t get

chewed up with the walking around people have to do when playing,

especially if the people are walking the entire course. And, most club

houses will only allow soft spikes to be worn inside, to protect the

carpet.

Let us be honest with one another, the vast majority of golf shoes are not attractive footwear. But, golf shoes are far from being the ugliest

footwear in sports. That honor, dubious though it may be, belongs

entirely to bowling shoes. Who, in their right mind, would want to wear

red and green shoes, especially that type of shoes? At least golf shoes

are designed in a more practical, and somewhat more attractive,

manner. But, are they really needed in order for a person to play golf?

No, they are not. The footwear a golfer chooses to wear can be

practically anything from moccasins to a good athletic shoe. A golfer’s

footwork is more important than his or her choice in footwear.

But, the shoe a golfer wears should be comfortable on his or her feet.

There is nothing worse for a golfer than an uncomfortable shoe. If the

toes are pinched, or the back rides up on the heel, the golfer will be

miserable and will not be able to concentrate on playing golf, which is

why he or she is on the golf course in the first place.

So, comfort comes first. After comfort, traction is important. This is

because the golfer can’t have their feet turning after they have struck

the ball. If this happens, the ball will careen wildly, most likely winding

up as a major league slice or hook. The ball, though, will not go where

the golfer had planned to hit it.

Should a golfer choose to forego golf shoes for another type of

footwear, he or she should think about the type of shoe he or she

wants to wear on the links. They should then examine the tread

pattern on the bottom of the shoe. If the bottom of the shoe is slick,

with no pattern at all, it would be a good idea to leave these shoes

behind as there will be little, if any traction, and none at all if the

course is wet, either from rain or dew.

What is the best type of tread pattern? Again, this will be up to the

individual golfer and his or her preferences. For some, the old tire

tread pattern (used on the sole of a lot of boots and sandals) works

well. This type of shoe sole will provide traction for the golfer.

Some may prefer a circular pattern of sole, while others may like

something entirely different.

The most important thing, though, is for the golfer to be comfortable

and confident with the shoes being worn when playing. In fact, the

less a golfer thinks about shoes when playing is a good thing.