It used to be that the man in the family would go out for the afternoon with his buddies and spend the day playing golf. Over the years, more women have become interested in golf and they started playing too. With the popularity of some of the more popular golf professionals, especially Tiger Woods, children are also very interested in the game. Now, golf time looks a bit different. Still, people go out with their friends for a round of golf but the family taking the afternoon together to play is becoming even more popular and a great time for everyone to bond and do something enjoyable for the afternoon. Golf has become a great family past time.
For people who want something fun to do as a family, golf is ideal. The family can spend some quality time together, in the outdoors enjoying the scenery. They can add a bit of competitive spirit by playing the game and can also help one another honing the skills of the game. There are many courses that encourage family time by offering certain days and times at a discount for families. There are also activities that are designed specifically for families such as lessons and golf vacations.
Golf vacations are increasingly popular ways of taking a vacation. Many of the golf vacations that are available are to locations that are beautiful, sunny and have plenty of things to do besides golf. The packages that are available often include lessons, games and lodging at luxurious resorts. The entire family can enjoy the travel experience together. They can enjoy the luxury of their accommodations as anyone would on a vacation.
When it is lesson time, everyone can split up into their respective classes and learn how to better their performance on the course. This is a great way to get some alone time while giving everyone the opportunity to enjoy themselves. When it comes time to play, the whole family can hit the course and enjoy putting into practice what they learned. After golf, they family can enjoy sight seeing and restaurants in the location in which they are staying. It is an ideal, well rounded vacation that the entire family can enjoy.
With so many options available now for all ages and genders, it is no wonder golf is becoming a family past time. Golf can be played by everyone and enjoyed by everyone. Practice can be a lot more fun too with everyone participating. When it comes time to play, it’s fun to compete with one another and enjoy each others’ company.
Golf for the Whole Family
All about Golf Clubs
A good set of golf clubs is the weapon of choice for the advanced golfer. A complete set of clubs consists of woods, irons and a putter. According to the rules of golf, as set forth by the United States Golf Association (USGA), a golfer’s bag may hold 14 clubs. Most golfers will carry a driver, two fairway woods, 7 irons, 3 wedges and the putter.
A driver is a long-shafted club with a full head used to strike the ball that is set upon a tee. The club head does not have much lift to it, to achieve maximum distance off the tee. The fairway woods have club heads that are slightly more lofted than the driver, and are used for long shots when the ball is lying on the ground. Most brand name drivers cost between $200 and $400. Fairway woods normally retail from $150 to $300.
Golf irons are the essence of a set of golf clubs. Two thirds of the shots in a normal round of golf will utilize an iron. Irons are used to hit the golf ball off the ground from distances of 125 yards to 225 yards. Each iron is assigned a number based upon the loft angle of the club head. The 9-iron has the most loft, and is used to hit short, high shots. A 2-iron has very little loft, and is used to hit low, long shorts.
Wedges are normally included in the purchase of a set of irons. The most common wedges are the pitching wedge, the sand wedge and the lob wedge. These golf clubs are used for short, controlled shots, normally very close to the putting green. Some golfers may choose to remove one of the wedges in lieu of a 2-iron. Also worth noting, there are two primary types of irons available. Forged irons are precision clubs that can give experienced golfers a greater ability to shape their shots. Cavity-back irons are considered to be more forgiving, with a larger sweet spot and primarily for golfers who want to focus on hitting straight shots. A set of 10 irons can range in price from as little as $250, to as much as $1,500.
The final and perhaps most important golf club, is the putter. The putter is also known as the “money club” because it is the club used to tap the ball into the hole. The purpose of the putter is to roll the ball, so there is no loft on the club head. There are many varieties of putters in all shapes and sizes. Some of the putter shafts are so short that the golfer grips it near his knees, and some are so long that they are gripped at the golfer’s chest. Many golfers spend their entire lives changing putters to find the one that feels right for them. Simple putters can cost as little as $20 but some of the more exotic putters can cost as much as $300.
Golf Tips – Hitting the Driver
Golfers have had an ongoing debate for years, “Which is the most important club in the bag?” The putter usually wins out in the discussion simply because more strokes are attempted with the putter throughout the course of an eighteen hole round than the driver. However, those that favor the driver in the discussion do have a compelling point – if you are able to get off the tee box long and accurately, it makes it all the more possible to shoot a low score on a given hole.
When setting up to hit the driver, the feet should be slightly wider apart than normal. They should actually be outside of the tips of your shoulders. Also, in the setup for a normal golf swing, the back foot is set perpendicular to the swing line. When hitting the driver, because the feet are wider, you may want to turn the back to outward slightly, to take some of the stress off the back knee.
From this point, the back swing should be similar to any other club. Don’t be tempted to take the club back faster just because you want to hit the ball far. Increasing the tempo of your back swing can throw of many other elements of the golf swing. Club head speed should be generated on the downswing.
It is also important to stay “on” or “over the ball when you take back the club on your back swing. Do not allow your hips to slide backwards with the club. The hips should turn, not slide, and that front foot should stay on the ground during the back swing.
The club should be taken back straight and away at to cause a wide arc, but you must stay over the ball. The weight should be shifted to the back foot without sliding the body. It cannot be said enough, “turn the hips, don’t slide them”.
The setup and back swing are really the only elements that should be changed between using the driver and other shots. There are slight differences that will occur throughout the swing based on a wider stance, driver length and a heavier club head – shoulders turn further, chin tucks into chin deeper, down swing is faster – but these are naturally occurring events, and the golfer should not give thought to giving assistance for any of them. The only caveat to that statement would be to make sure that your arms and shoulders are working in conjunction, and that one is not getting ahead of the other.
Golf tips – Recovery Shots
Every golfer that plays the game is going to find himself in tricky situations – in a bunker, behind a tree, in thick brush, in deep rough – from time to time. It is just the nature of the game, courses are designed to be a challenge to the golfer. Even the best golfer in the world, Tiger Woods, is not immune from mistakes, and their often-penalizing consequences.
The first and most important part of dealing with an unfortunate lie is knowing what you can and cannot do with a certain shot. Everyone wants to be a hero, and every golfer wants to make progress toward the hole. However, trying to move in a straight line towards the hole, regardless of the obstacles in the way, can have disastrous consequences. Often times, realizing that a certain shot is beyond your abilities is prudent, and that the smart play is to simply chip back out to the fairway.
Below are a few shots that may help you out of some of those tight situations. Again, you have to know your own game, which means you need to put in the time practicing these shots on the driving range and practice facilities.
If you find yourself off the fairway, and behind a tree, you may want to hit a low hook or a cut around the obstruction. To do this, use your normal golf setup, with a slightly wider stance. Align your body to the side of the obstacle, but slightly turn the club in your hand to cause the clubface to make contact with the ball in the direction that you want it to move. Taking a normal, straight swing, with a slightly twisted club, should produce the action on the ball that you desire.
Another difficult position to be in is in a greenside bunker, at the furthest point away from the hole. You know these – the one’s where you have more sand to hit over than green to land on. This shot should be played slightly differently than a normal sand shot, with the clubface not as opened, the body in a more natural golf swing stance, and the shot itself should be taken with a forceful swing. Remember to finish with a high follow-through.
The buried sand shot – or “fried egg” – is not really as hard to play as it looks. To make the shot work, you must get under the ball, which usually means choosing an area to for the clubface to enter the sand may be about two inches behind the ball. You should take a forceful forceful, downward swing, with a lot of power in right (push) hand. Because of the angle and force of this swing, there will not be much follow through on your swing, there will likely be less sand flying out with the ball, and the ball will have virtually no spin on it.
Golf Tips – Your Grip
Although it seems that gripping a golf club may be the most elemental part of the golf swing, and maybe it is, it could also be the most important part of the swing. Gripping the club too tight or too loose, gripping it the wrong way or in the wrong place, could throw off your entire swing. Having an improper grip can greatly detract from the power and accuracy of the swing, and for the advanced golfer, it can hamper the way they try to shape a shot.
There are primarily two types of grips that a golfer should use, and neither of them is a hand-over-hand baseball, or axe handle, grip. The interlocking is where the golfer slides his left index finger between the ring and pinkie fingers of the right hand. The overlapping grip occurs when the golfer lays his left index finger on top of his right pinkie or on top of the notch between his pinkie and ring fingers. These grips allow the hands to hold the club steady while cocking and rolling the wrists throughout the swing.
The grip should begin about one finger width from the end of the club, or more, for shorter controlled shots. When the hands are together, the club should lie along the callous pad line of the hands and not in the palms. When the hands are closed around the club, the thumbs should be aligned straight down the club grip. Your forearms should form a “V” down toward the club.
Although there is no hard fast rule as to how firmly the golfer should grip the club, the prevailing belief is that it should be loose, yet firm enough to keep it from moving in your hands. The swing will naturally cause the hands to strengthen the grip, so try to keep “loose grip” in your mind throughout the swing. Because there is no rulebook on the grip, it is just one of those aspects of the game that the golfer will have to experiment with, and adjust, through repetitive practice and play.
Through practice, the grip is something that should become second nature to the golfer. It is not something that should require as much thought as other aspects of the golf swing, but its importance should never be forgotten. It is recommended that a golfer always keep a club nearby, and just practice applying and reapplying the grip over and over.
Elements of a Golf Swing
There are some basic elements of the golf swing that the golfer should use as a mental checklist when taking a shot. The first element is the body’s alignment toward the target. Stand five to ten feet behind the ball, with the ball directly between your body and the desired target. Locate guidance targets on the ground (leaves, blades of grass, dirt, etc.) inches in front and behind the golf ball that should be on a direct line with where you are standing and the target. Keep your eyes on those ground targets as you approach the ball.
Align the clubface behind the ball, with the center of the clubface on a direct line between the two ground targets you have selected. Grip the club with just enough tension to keep it from slipping in your hands throughout the course of the golf swing. Align your feet on a parallel plain with your ground targets, shoulder width apart, and the knees slightly bent. The front foot should be pointed slightly outward, toward the target, to allow your hips to flow freely through the swing.
Tilt your torso slightly towards the ball while keeping your back straight. The arms should now hang freely in front of the body to grip the club. The shoulders should be parallel with the ground targets and the toes, and your head should be tilted downward with your eyes on the ball. These motions described are known as the set-up, or addressing the ball.
You are ready to begin the golf swing. Keeping your back elbow tucked as closely to your ribs as possible, slowly take the club back on a straight line along the plain of the ground targets. Keep your front elbow locked throughout the back swing and never take your eyes off the ball. This motion should naturally tuck your chin into your front shoulder. Hips should remain still and slightly tilted, while the front knee will turn inward. At the apex of the back swing, allow your wrists to break slightly.
Bring the club downward toward the ball, uncoiling the wrists, and shifting your weight onto your front foot. You should attempt to generate force and speed on your down swing, while never take the clubface off of the target line. Upon making contact with the ball, the clubface should strike the ground as it moves through, taking a divot from the ground in the area past where the ball was lying, and through your second ground target.
Finish the golf swing with a nice, high follow through of the club. Your hips should be turned toward the target. Your weight should have shifted, and should now be firmly on your right foot. Smile and watch the ball fly toward the target.