January 2009
You are currently browsing the articles from Golfswing Analyze written in the month of January 2009.
A good golf grip is essential to playing a good game of golf. If you are gripping the club incorrectly or too hard, you will end up with shots that go places you don’t want them to go. There is no one exact science to the golf grip, but there are three basic golf grips that golfers use today:
* The overlapping grip is the most common golf grip used. It is used mostly by male golfers and those with strong wrists and forearms. The little finger of the right hand lies on top of or overlaps the index finger on the left hand.
* The baseball grip is most commonly used by younger golfers, females, seniors, and those with weaker wrists and arms. The index finger of the left hand and the little finger of the right hand meet but do not overlap or interlock.
* An interlocking grip will be used by golfers with shorter hands and fingers, those with thicker or chunkier palms, and golfers who have difficulty with the overlapping grip. The index finger of the left hand and the little finger of the right hand overlap each other and interlock.
Here is the basic way to grip a golf club no matter which grip you use. Start by holding the club directly in front of you with your right hand with the club head pointing away from you at about a 45 degree angle.
Next grip the club with your left hand. The club will be mainly in the palm across the pads at the base of the fingers. However, the club will lie across the first section of the index finger. The thumb will be positioned straight on top of the golf club shaft. Relative to the golf club, the thumb will be in the twelve o’clock position.
Now, with your right hand, grip the golf club just above your left hand with the fingers, not the palm, of your right hand. The thumb will be positioned slightly off to the left. Relative to the golf club, the thumb will be in an eleven o’clock position.
If you have gripped the golf club correctly, only the first two knuckles of your left hand will be visible. Also, your left thumb should be completely hidden under your right hand. The index finger position of your right hand will look and feel like a gun trigger finger.
If your golf grip pressure is right, the club could almost be pulled out of your hands, but not quite. A correct golf grip will make you feel as if you are holding the club mostly in the palm and last three fingers of your left hand. Regardless, both hands should hold the club with equal pressure. A correct golf grip doesn’t guarantee a successful golf swing; however, a defective golf grip will almost always result in a failed golf swing.
Written by Golfswing Analyze on January 24th, 2009 with no comments.
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Golf clubs can be very expensive; so many people are starting to buy used golf clubs instead of new ones. The cost is the main reason people give for buying used golf clubs. Plus, recycling anything is good for the environment! What should you know before you buy a set of used golf clubs?
First, you need to check the club heads for face wear. Clubs that have been used for a long time might have a shiny worn spot in the center. This is not good because the club face won’t hold the ball as well as it should. Make sure the grooves still have well-defined edges and stay away from used golf clubs that show indentations in the club face as these can affect the ball flight.
Another important thing to look for in used golf clubs is the shafts. Make sure graphite shafts don’t have worn areas or indentations that could cause weakness. Twist the grip and the head in opposite directions. If there isn’t great resistance, it’s a sign of weakness in the shaft. This test is for graphite shafts. ith steel shafts, just look down the shaft to make sure it hasn’t been bent back into shape.
You will also need to make sure the grips in used golf clubs are good. You will be looking for cracks, splits, and worn areas. You can re-grip used golf clubs, but this will run between $6 and $15 per club adding to your cost.
Does the set have consistency? Line them up and compare them. Make sure they all appear to have been in the original set. You don’t want a set of used golf clubs with different shaft types or model from club to club. Mixing and matching can throw off the progression of lofts throughout the set.
Compare prices for new clubs versus what you will be paying for your used clubs. Sometimes you can get a new set for less than what the used set is selling for. You can also find some great discounts at golf stores, so don’t jump in too quickly to buy your used golf club.
You can’t really tell how well a set of used golf clubs will perform unless you are able to test drive them. Find a place to take a few test swings and see how they feel to you.
Buying a set of used golf clubs is a great way to save some money on one of the most expensive parts of the golf game. However, be careful and know what you are doing before you buy. It can make a world of difference!
Written by Golfswing Analyze on January 20th, 2009 with no comments.
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The Callaway Golf Company is one of the world’s best known brands of premium golf equipment. Callaway manufactures various golf club including woods, irons, wedges, and putters. They also produce golf balls and licenses its name for apparel, footwear, and accessories. Callaway Golf also owns and manufactures products under the Odyssey putter brand as well as Top-Flite and Ben Hogan brands.
The company first made its name building clubs that were friendly and forgiving for amateur golfers, but became famous for its success among notable professionals and endorsers that include Phil Mickelson, Rocco Mediate, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, and Johnny Miller.
Callaway Golf is perhaps best known for its Big Bertha drivers, the industry’s first wide body, stainless steel wood and the club that launched the company to iconic status among pro and amateur golfers. The Big Bertha would put Callaway golf into the forefront of golfer’s minds as they realized that “Bertha” would help them with long drives beyond their own expectations.
The company was founded in 1982 by former Burlington Industries textile president Ely Callaway. A dynamic leader and famously successful businessman, Mr. Callaway sold his Temecula, CA-based winery for a nice profit and was enjoying a brief retirement before adding club maker to his resume.
Never one to sit idle, he was playing plenty of golf and was on the lookout for new business opportunities when he spotted a wooden pitching wedge in a Palm Springs-area golf shop. The club was reminiscent of the hickory-shafted clubs he had used as a child, but this shaft was hollowed and filled with a steel core for consistency and strength. He bought half of Hickory Stick USA and renamed it the Callaway Hickory Stick USA.
Mr. Callaway was well known for thinking big, and he did this a lot when forming and growing his company. Today, the company continues to develop and manufacture technologically advanced golf equipment, including its line of two- and three-piece golf balls, as well as its Fusion FT-3 Driver, which combines titanium and carbon composite materials and allows golfers to choose internal weighting options that can counteract a slice or hook or enhance a draw or fade.
Callaway is preparing to release their latest driver the, F-Ti – a new technology in drivers with a square head. Phil Mickelson used two versions of the driver – a draw and a fade – in his 2006 Masters victory. Swedish sensation Annika Sorenstam, who has used and endorsed Callaway Golf equipment for her entire pro career, became the only woman to shoot 59 in competition in 2001 and in 2006 used the FT-3 Driver to earn her 10th major championship victory.
Written by Golfswing Analyze on January 17th, 2009 with no comments.
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If you love golf, a golf vacation might be something that you like to do on a regular basis. For the avid golfer, the thought of going on vacation where you do nothing but golf is the idea of heaven.
Here are a few things to consider before you take your next golf vacation.
First, it’s always good to go on vacation with people who share your love of golf. Most often a golf vacation turns into a buddy trip, but there’s really nothing wrong with that. But make sure that you pick a destination that everyone can agree on. Take a vote if you must, but be sure everyone wants to go to the same place and that everyone can afford it.
You will also want to take into consideration everyone’s playing abilities when you plan a golf vacation. Someone with a 3 handicap will enjoy a challenging course while a person with a 13 handicap will likely just get frustrated and mad on the same course.
As a general rule when planning a golf vacation, you should consider the courses first and the accommodations next. Resorts, especially those with quality golf courses, are expensive. But all in all, if golf is a main purpose or highlight of your trip, decide where you want to play first, and then decide on accommodations. You can take a golf vacation where you stay at a hotel to gain access to a course and then move to a less expensive hotel later. It’s an inconvenience to have to repack and move during the trip, but can be well worth it in order to play top courses while not spending the entire vacation at posh resort prices.
Even if you are staying at a resort hotel which gives you access to its courses, find out how far ahead of your arrival date you can book tee times. All courses have specific rules for when they will make tee times, which you should take note of and follow carefully.
Some courses even have specific times you must call to reserve your time (e.g., between 7 and 9 a.m. on the Thursday eight days before the weekend you wish to play), though most guidelines are usually more general (e.g., a week before you wish to play or up to sixty days ahead).
You should book as far as ahead as possible, especially for high demand courses. Even as a resort guest, if the course is popular, you may be out of luck if you wait until a few days before arrival or check-in time to get a tee time
Once you’ve embarked on your golf vacation and are ready to play the courses you’ve chosen, don’t just jump right in with the excitement that we know you feel. You must take time to get a feel for the course and stretch properly. Arrive at the course well before your tee time to avoid feeling rushed and look around. Check out the scorecard to see the layout of the course and perhaps talk to the course pro to see if he or she has any advice for you.
A golf vacation is a great way for the golfer to enjoy some of the best courses our country has to offer. So plan carefully and then get out there and have some fun.
Written by Golfswing Analyze on January 11th, 2009 with no comments.
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The golf swing is probably one of the most frustrating parts of the game of golf. People are constantly modifying their swing to get more distance or to correct problems like a slice or a hook. Really, though, the golf swing is just a matter of mechanics and putting body motions together in the right way to be consistent. But experienced golfers know this is easier said than done. What are the basics of a good golf swing?
* Your stance should be about shoulder width apart and your feet should be pointing slightly out – but not too much!
* Let your arms hang naturally down from your body and place the club behind the ball. If your shoulders hunch or you have tension in your arms, you are probably too close to the ball. Stand back a little bit.
* Place about 70 percent of your body weight on your back leg.
* Straighten your spine and have a bit of bend in your knees.
* Keep your eye on the ball during your entire swing
* Grip the club as if you are holding a small, delicate bird. You want to keep the bird in your hands, but you don’t want to crush it either. That’s how you should hold your club.
* A good golf swing will be a fluid, easy motion with your shoulders turning slightly in the backswing and your follow-through complete.
* Make sure you keep your feet planted and slow down in your backswing. Most problems with a golf swing are cause by swinging too quickly in the back swing and then not accelerating through the ball.
* You will want to hit the ball in the “sweet spot” or the center of the club. Hitting it anyplace else will cause your ball to travel in directions that you really don’t want it to go in.
* Then grip it and rip it!
It might help for you to take a lesson or two on the golf swing or even watch the way the pros do it on television. There are numerous articles that exist on the Internet that can help you with your golf swing, so always look for information and take as much advice as you can get.
Learning to swing a golf club takes years of practice as any avid golfer will tell you. There are “a hundred” things to know and they all have to be working in exactly the right ways at exactly the right time to a have a good, consistent golf swing. Sometimes this just doesn’t happen, but when it does, it certainly is a great feeling!
Written by Golfswing Analyze on January 4th, 2009 with no comments.
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