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.
