Golfing | GolfingTheOzarks

How To Buy A Beginner Set Of Golf Clubs

by Al Scillitani

I was recently looking for golf club sets. As some of you may know, golf clubs can be very expensive. Here is how to purchase a great set of quality clubs for a very low price.

What I was looking for?

I am new to golf. I was looking for a set that would not cost a lot of money in case I did not like the game. I was also looking for a set that was of high quality and did not fall apart or greatly affect my game because of the poor quality. I would prefer not to buy new name brand clubs because of price, so I bought used. I want a quality used set that will let me get a good feel for the game without costing a ton of money.

I would like to keep all the irons the same brand. Having the brand for my driver, woods, and hybrids different from my irons would not be an issue for me. Having a different brand of sand wedge and putter would not be a problem either.

What’s in my bag?

Irons: Tommy Armour 855

Tommy Armour because of the brand and reputation for quality clubs.
Regular Shaft because I am unsure of my full capabilities so I wanted to start with the norm.
Graphite because it is more flexible and should help with distance.

This set of Irons was my first purchase. The set was used, in good condition, and was only $99 on GlobalGolf.com. The set includes irons 3 thru 9 and a pitching wedge. New would probably be around $300.
Total Cost So Far: $99, Total Savings So Far: $200

Driver: MacGregor MacTec NVG2

Graphite shaft, 11.5 degree loft.

Graphite again because of the flexibility. I bought the 11.5 degree loft because it will help with getting the ball in the air. As a beginner, getting the ball in the air may be your biggest challenge.

Drivers may be your most expensive purchase. Some new drivers can be $500 or more. I felt the MacGregor MacTec NVG2 was the best bang for the buck. This club new would be $299, used is only $59.99 in mint condition. You can’t beat that!
Total Cost So Far: $158,99, Total Savings So Far: $440

Wood: MacGregor MacTec Again, 3 Wood

Same reasons as my driver choice – graphite, regular shafts. The quality to price ratio can’t be beat. I chose a 3 wood with 15 degree loft, $29.99 in very good condition (new $199). This was my only wood because I will be purchasing 2 hybrids (2 and 5). A #2 hybrid is very close to a 5 wood.
Total Cost So Far: $188.98, Total Savings So Far: $610

Hybrids: MacGregor MacTec #2 and #5

For consistency, I would like to keep my hybrids MacGregors as well. Graphite and regular stiffness to go with the rest of my clubs. The #2 hybrid was orig $199, used was only $29.99 and the #5 Hybrid was $199 new, used was only $34.99.
Total Cost So Far: $253.96, Total Savings So Far: $945
What is left? I need to add a sand wedge and putter to my bag. Lastly, I will need a bag. I am not too concerned if the sand wedge and putter are Tommy Armour, MacGregor, or a different brand. Switching brands with these 2 clubs will most likely not affect my game.

Sand Wedge and Putter: Cleveland 900 Sand Wedge and Odyssey Dual Force Putter

Cleveland is known for excellent wedges and Odyssey is known for excellent putters. The wedge is 56 degrees and has a steel shaft. The wedge new would be $49.99, used in very good condition $29.99. The putter also has a steel shaft and new would be $39.99 and used in very good condition $29.99.
Total Cost So Far: $313.94, Total Savings So Far: $975

The Bag:

For me, I am not too interested flashy bells and whistles for my bag. I am sure when I get better, I will change my mind. I found an inexpensive stand bag for only $39.99, normally $59.99.

Summary of Beginner Golf Set:
All used golf clubs and the new golf bag were from GlobalGolf.com

Iron Set Tommy Armour
Driver MacGregor
3 Wood MacGregor
2 Hybrid MacGregor
5 Hybrid MacGregor
Sand Wedge Cleveland
Putter Odyssey
Bag RJ Sports

Total Cost Used: $353.93, Total Cost New: $1345.97 for a savings of $990

Al Scillitani
Internet Marketing Manager
GVC Commerce Inc
Used Golf Clubs

Article Source: http://www.bettergolfarticles.com

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Long Drives By Balancing

To hit the golf ball a long way, start with weight on your back foot. For more tips visit http://www.golftipsmag.com/

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Ball Position

Tom Leese from Angel Park Golf Club in Las Vegas, explains why different golf clubs demand different ball positions. For more tips visit http://www.golftipsmag.com/

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Knee Pain In Golfers

by Dr. Jen Milus

Many Golfers have pain in the knee onto which they pivot.

The repetitive motion of pivoting onto the forward knee causes knee pain in many golfers. It is best to catch this quickly, and do some things yourself before the pain gets bad, and you cause yourself a serious injury by playing on it while it’s enflamed! What can we do ourselves?

What’s really going on?

With the transference of weight to the forward foot in the follow through, most of the body’s weight ends up on a joint that is not in a bio-mechanically sound position. The pelvis is turned facing forward, and the femur (upper leg bone) is internally rotated at the hip joint. This end position actually twists the lower part of the femur while it’s under significant load. This tightens the muscles in the lateral side (outside) of the upper and lower leg. This includes the lateral quad and the ITB band. These muscles, can, over time, become fibrous and shortened, and cause an ITB syndrome. Further, it can grind the lower femur onto the upper tibia (meniscus/tibial plateau) and start to irritate and wear out the cartilage.

This irritation can turn to inflammation. The knee is an encapsulated joint. That inflammation can easily stagnate in there. The mediators of inflammation actually chemically soften the cartilage and ligaments within the joint. If you continue to play on it as it is, you are likely to cause further injury. This also leads to a faster progression of DJD (degenerative joint disease).

What does your doctor say?

Seeing your family doctor is a good idea- just to make sure there is nothing orthopedically wrong: no ACL, MCL or meniscus tears. Once you know the joint tissues are in tact, there’s a lot you can do for yourself. These are things you should know so they can play through this injury!

Your doctor may say, “Oh, it’s just arthritis!” Don’t take that as an excuse to accept what’s been dealt you! That’s even more reason to read on and follow my instructions!!! Nor would I suggest just popping a few advil and waiting for it to go away…

So what are some solutions? Some things we can do for ourselves?!

Break the inflammatory Process:

Dixie Cup icing:

2-6 times a day. Morning and evening at least. The more the better.
Leave at least 20 minutes between icings.
Go to the store, and get a box of Dixie cups. Fill about 12 with water and freeze them. When you are ready to ice, take one out, peel away the top of the cup so you can hold the cup at the bottom, and ice cube is above the torn edge.
Put the leg up, so the leg is almost straight, and a towel behind it. This gives the water a place to drain.
Set a timer for exactly 5 minutes. Put that ice cube directly on the skin. Circle the knee cap on the soft tissue around it. Focus on the area just under the knee cap, and along the joint line where swelling tends to gather. Keep moving until the timer goes off: 5 minutes. Stop.
First you will feel cold, then pain, then numbness. Don’t stop until 5 minutes are up!

Traumeel:

Use this every time after you ice.
This is a homeopathic cream/gel remedy I use for inflammation and sports injuries. I know for sure they carry it at Whole Foods and Health Food Stores. Or search it up online.
Use the same amount as if it were toothpaste, and you really enjoyed the flavor of it. Rub it all over the knee, knee cap and joint. Do not wash it off.
Put more on before you go to bed!
You can keep this in your golf bag during the season. It works really well!

Re-build the cartilage:

Take Glucosamine Sulfate. 1500 mg/day.
There was a book written on this stuff called “The Arthritis Cure”. Read it if you like. It says that studies show it works and has no side effects. Let’s face it, young or old, arthritis and wearing away of cartilage is the same thing.
No, you can’t get enough GAS in a normal healthy diet. Keep taking it even after feeling better.
Don’t buy Glucosamine HCL. Studies show it does NOT work.
Don’t bother with Chondroitin Sulfate. It works for some, but there are no placebo double blind studies out there showing that it works. There’s testimony and anecdotal “proof”. NOT GOOD ENOUGH for me.

Strengthen the muscles around the knee:
Remember that the muscles on the outside have become tight and over used. We now want to compensate for that by strengthening the muscles that oppose those!

Ride a bike 3 times a week for 20 minutes on flat ground. The seat should be high enough that the knee is straight in the down position. Keep moving your feet the entire time.
Using a stationary bike is even better. Use light tension.
Follow with icing and traumeel

Once you start to feel a little better, Leg lifts:

Lay on your back with your legs straight out. Turn your injured leg toe out and raise the straight leg until your leg comes up 75% of the way (about 25 % down from pointing at the ceiling).
Do this with just the weight of the leg at first. Then put 2 soup cans in 2 tube socks, and tie the top ends together wrap them around your ankle, and use this for resistance.
Start with 2 sets of 10 reps and work up to 4 sets of 20.

If you belong to a gym, then:

Hamstring curls:

In the gym, use the machine that has you lay face down, and pulls your heels in to your behind.
Start with a light weight- like 20 or 30 lbs for women, 30-40 lbs for men.
Start with 2 sets of 12. Work up to 3 sets of 12.
You may increase the weight and decrease your reps once you reach 3 sets of 12.

Leg extensions in the last 15 degrees of extension.

This works the medial quad. This can change the tracking problem very fast!
Start with your leg straight. Bend Go from barely bent to slightly straight and back again. Don’t force it into hyperextension!
Start with a relatively light weight (10-20 lbs), and only ever progress to a medium-light weight (30-40 lbs)!
Start with 2 sets, 1 minutes rest between. Do 10 reps.
You can work up to 6 sets, with 1 minutes rest between.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to write and ask me!

Dr. Jen Milus, DC http://www.backsafegolf.com. Feel better, Drive Further!

Article Source: http://www.bettergolfarticles.com

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Golf Swing Mechanics Tips

by Mark Stephens

It’s all here: The crossover of the hands, wrists and forearms through and beyond impact is one of the movements (perhaps the key movement) that defines good ball-strikers and their mechanics.

The upper arms are passive as the right hand and forearm ’snap’ over the left a sure sign of a full, committed release of energy through the ball.

The great Henry Cotton always stressed the importance of ‘educating the hands’, and for me he nailed the essence of the swing. Down the ages, the game’s greatest players have all made the same basic mechanical movement (i.e. a body turn coupled with a wrist hinge); they play with a hand action that both conducts and multiplies the energy created by the body all the way down through the shaft and into the clubhead. It’s no coincidence that the greatest names in golf have all shared a wonderful hand action.

Ben Hogan illustrating golf swing mechanics perhaps better than any other golfer the value of hand/wrist and forearm rotation in maximising the ‘whip’ through the ball.

Britain’s greatest ever golfer, Nick Faldo, is often cited as a ‘mechanical’ player who relies on the ‘big’ muscles in the swing; truth is, Faldo’s hand action has always been his greatest asset.

Good players understand the principle of centrifugal force and they maximise the efficiency with which they rotate their body to create it. More importantly, they translate this force into clubhead speed thanks to this vital component of the swing-hand action.

Modern teaching has increasingly focused on the role of the bigger muscles in the body, which misses the point entirely as far as the weekend golfer is concerned.

Golf is a speed game, not a power game. And you do not create speed with the big muscles, you create speed with the smaller muscles in the hands and forearms. So, with that in mind, let me introduce you to a series of drills to help you improve your hand action.

With practice, they will enhance your ability to create a naturally correct swing that maximises speed.

As your only point of contact with the club, the hands play what I believe to be the most important role of all in the basic development of the swing.

This is something modern teaching has tended to overlook; We hear so much these days about the ‘Big Muscles’ in the body controlling the action and generating power, but all of that, for me, misses one crucial point.

As I mentioned in the introduction, golf is not a power game, it’s a speed game. You do not create speed with the big muscles; you create speed with the smaller ones - the hands, wrists and forearms.

Brought to you by Golf swing mechanics and Brentwood Golf Clubs

Article Source: http://www.bettergolfarticles.com

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Golf Ball Position Keys

Director of Education for Troon Golf, Tim Mahoney, teaches you where to place the golf ball in your stance and how that impacts your ballflight. For more tips visit http://www.golftipsmag.com/

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Golf Instruction 101

by Dane Stanton

The game of golf is much harder than people give it credit for. Looking on the surface, you wouldn’t think that a game where you’re required to hit a ball into a hole would need any sort of skill. If this is what you thought than I guarantee you are mistaken.

Before you can run you first need to learn how to walk. The “walking” of golf instruction includes three fundamentals of the game. Three areas of golf instruction 101 include the basic fundamentals, equipment and etiquette.

The Basic Fundamentals

The basic fundamental of golf instruction is to hit a golf ball with a golf club towards a hole that is located hundreds of feet away with the purpose of putting the golf ball into the hole. Being a competitive sport the number of times you strike or attempt to strike the ball is counted as one-stroke.

The strokes are kept track of by the individual golfer and recorded on the scorecard at the end of each hole. Generally, golfers play 18 holes and the golfer with the least amount of strokes recorded is declared the winner.

Golf instruction states play starts at the first hole with the first player hitting the ball as far as they can towards the first pin. The next player then takes their turn and so forth. When each member of the group is finished they proceed to the point where their golf ball has landed and repeat the process.

The player who has their ball furthest away from the pin is required to play first. This includes play on the fairway and on the green.

Play then continues on to the second tee where the process is repeated. The player who begins the next round is that player who took the least amount of shots to sink the golf ball into the hole.

Equipment

The basics of golf instruction 101 are that in order to play the game a player needs basic equipment. That equipment includes golf clubs and bag, golf balls, and tees. Generally the golf clubs consist of a couple of drivers, irons and a putter.

The driver is generally used on par 4 and par 5 holes where distance is required. The contact portion of the driver is flat in nature. The irons are numbered from two to nine with the contact area varying at different angles. The nine irons are designed with the greatest angle.

Golf instruction also requires standardization. Therefore, the golf ball must weigh 1.62 ounces, be circular in shape and be no larger than 1.68 inches in diameter. Generally, the balls are marked with a brand name and number so that there is no confusion as to which player is playing which ball.

The golf tee can be made of various materials including wood and plastic. Golf tees are basically miniature platforms for the golf ball when teeing off. One end of the tee is spike like and is put into the ground with the other end of the tee shaped like a small platform to hold the golf ball.

Golfing Etiquette

Any golf instruction should include the basics of golfing etiquette. Golfing etiquette, as part of a golf and has always been since its birth many years ago. It should be the first instruction taught in golf for every new beginner starting the game.

Two basic rules of golfing etiquette include allowing players behind you to play through. Perhaps there are four players who are ready to tee off and a golfing party of two arrives at the same time or the team of four is delayed on the fairway for whatever reason. Golfing etiquette suggests that the two players be allowed to play through or play ahead of the team consisting of four. This courtesy allows for the smaller team’s play not to be held up.

The second rule of etiquette requires players to make sure that other players in front of them are safely far enough away so that they are not in any danger of being struck by their ball. If however you decide to take a shot and their is a chance that ball ball may hit a player in front of you, you must call out “fore” so that they are given the chance to duck for cover.

Dane Stanton is the owner of GolfShopReview.com which is an extensive review of the top Online Golf Shops on the internet. Find which course is best for you and your Game! http://www.GolfShopReview.com

Article Source: http://www.bettergolfarticles.com

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Efficient Power

Four-time Long Drive Champ Jason Zuback can crush a golf ball. Listen to his advice and in no time you’ll add yards and tear up the golf course. For more tips visit http://www.golftipsmag.com/

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Cure That Hook In One Day!

by Terry Edwards

For most golfers it is the golf slice that gives us the most headaches out on the golf course. But, for many others who hook the golf ball, the problem can be just as frustrating. So, how can you stop hooking the golf ball and begin hitting more fairways? It’s easier than you might think and I’m going to show you how to get immediate results.

Stance - Position the ball in the middle or a little forward in your stance. For most golfers who hook the ball I see them position the ball too far back in their stance. You want to keep the ball in the middle or even with your left heel (if you’re right-handed). Make sure you position your feet toward your target line. Both of the tips of your toes should be even, or a little to the left of the target line. This more open stance will help reduce the chances of hooking the golf ball. Don’t position your left foot more forward in your stance than your right. Keep them even.

Grip - Grip the club with your hands facing straight down. Golfers who hook the ball tend to set up with their right hand facing too far toward the left side. You want to make sure the “V” formation your hands create by holding the golf club is pointing straight up to your nose. This will go a long way in eliminating a golf hook. The other aspect to a proper golf grip that will eliminate hooking the ball is grip strength. Try not to grip the club too firmly. What happens with an overly firm grip is that when you swing your right hand will turn over and come around, automatically causing you to hook the ball. Use a little less strength in your grip and you should immediately start seeing better results.

Weight - You want to be sure that after your backswing your weight is more on your left foot. Many times a golfer will hook the ball due to the majority of their weight being on their right foot, or back foot. By doing that, you can rest assured you will hook the golf ball every time. It creates a closed clubface by forcing you to come around with the club. If you or you see someone else hit a snap-hook, this is what happened. Be conscious of where your weight is when you finish your golf swing and you can correct this problem immediately.

These are just a few simple tips to help in eliminating that dreaded golf hook. By simply going to the driving range and putting these tips into practice you will start to see immediate results that will translate into lower scores out on the course.

Terry Edwards writes golf instruction articles designed to help all golfers lower their scores and have more fun out on the course. You can learn more on how to Lower Your Golf Scores and play better golf by visiting his website.

Article Source: http://www.bettergolfarticles.com

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Fire Your Lower Body

Long drive competitor Vince Howell demonstrates his technique for hitting the golf ball a long way by firing his lower body. http://www.golftipsmag.com/

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