Golfer Newbies

Archive for December, 2009

It should come as no surprise that I asked for and got golf equipment for my holiday gifts. One thing I got was a new putter (see the link below). The thing that made me choose this putter was that it had a choice of lengths – 34″, 33″, and 32″. After trying the various lengths at Golf Galaxy, I chose the 32″ length which was somewhat of a surprise to me. I’m not particularly short (5′6″) but I found I had much more control over the shorter length. And the club weighting just felt right. I really didn’t think it would make much difference, but it did – at least on the practice green. I’ll be going to California this week and have a tee time at Lake Forest for Saturday at 9:30, so we’ll see how it performs then. They say it’s the short game that makes or breaks your golf score, so any improvement on that front is welcome.

See larger image Divine Line Rossie-- (Misc.) List Price: $119.99 USD New From: $119.99 In Stock

Well, given his latest mishaps, I guess any golf blog is going to have some mention of Tiger Woods. In this video, you can see yet one more way in which Tiger has “dropped the ball.”

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The following information comes from Golf Grips Direct (http://www.golfgrips-direct.com). If, after reading this article,you feel like your club grips are the wrong size you might want to check them out. They have other products and information that you may find useful as well.     “Determining the Proper Grip Size The proper grip size plays a significant role in a golfers’ ability to control the club and in turn, the ball flight. With a neutral (standard) grip size, the golfer can normally return the clubface square to the target at impact. Too large a grip can limit the players ability to release the wrists through impact causing a block of fade. Too small a grip can cause early release resulting in a pull or draw. However, the above can be used to advantage should your normal swing produce undesired shots or the fact that you have small or large hands.

A larger grip (built up, midsize or Jumbo) would benifit.. A player with large(r) hands. A player who consistently draws or hooks the ball. A player with arthritus who struggles to hold and smaller grip. A player whose fingers wrap round the grip and dig into their palm. A smaller grip (ladies, ladies built up) would benefit.. A player with small(er) hands. A player who consistently slices or fades the ball. A player who requires more clubhead ‘feel’. A player whose fingers do not fully encircle the grip.

Take the professional approach to grip sizing The professional approach to grip sizing requires the hand to be simply measured and the results matched against our chart towards the bottom of this page. The two measurements required are taken as follows. 1. Using a inch ruler/tape (because the majority of grips are produced by American companies inches are still used as a standard) measure the distance between the Dominant Wrist Crease and the tip of the longest finger. (see picture below) 2. Next measure the lenghth of the longest finger from the web to the tip. (see picture below) 3. Now refer to the chart and notes at the foot of this page

Golf Grip Sizing Chart The chart below shows the ideal grip size taken from your measurement and also how to achieve the correct size grip. Please note that this chart applies only to GolfGrips-Direct.Com’s SOLVENT BASED TAPE / GRIPS STRIPS and solvent. Sizes will differ using other manufacturers tape and/or products. 1. First of all take your first measurement (wrist crease to tip of finger) and find the block in the chart under ‘Measurement 1, your measurement falls into. 2. Then reading left to right along the chart, find the second measurement (finger web to tip). To the right of this block will read the grip size plus the total number of wraps of golfgrips-direct.com solvent based grip tape required to build up the shaft butt to acheive your recommended size grip.

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The following article comes from Business Week magazine. Follow this link and then click on the slide show arrows at the top right of the article to see all the gifts they recommend.

“Best Golf Gifts for [Golfers]: Swing, Daddy-O

By Dean Foust

For golfers, June is the month that brings both the U.S. Open and Father’s Day. So even if you aren’t a PGA tour pro, there’s a raft of hot new gear that can help you hone your game, or at least make the next round more enjoyable. Here’s a look at some of this season’s best golf gear, from a cool remote-controlled golf cart to a watch that can critique your swing and the same supersized driver Tiger Woods hits off the tee.”

From the book mentioned in the previous post – “There are more than 25,000,000 golfers in the United States alone, and the fastest growing segment among golfers is women.”

Hopefully more manufacturers will catch on and they will start creating as many golf club and accessory choices for women as they have for men.

Yesterday I was in our local thrift shop searching for treasures in the book section. I came across a copy of Carol Mann’s The 19th Hole: Favorite Golf Stories for $2.00. It is a great book with lots of fun short stories and factoids from golfers and golfer celebrities, such as:

• Mario Andretti
• Bill Bradley
• Art Buchwald
• Ben Crenshaw
• Phyllis Diller
• Gerald Ford
• Buddy Hackett
• Charlton Heston
• Bob Hop
• Hale Irwin
• Peter Jacobsen
• Jack Lemmon
• Nancy Lopez
• Dave Marr
• Anne Murray
• Jack Nicklaus
• Merlin Olsen
• Arnold Palmer
• Gary Player
• Judy Rankin
• Chi Chi Rodriguez
• Charles Schultz
• Dinah Shore
• Sam Snead
• and many others.

For instance, here’s Phyllis Diller’s brief golf story:

“My son seriously considered going to med school. He even bought a set of golf clubs. Right away he got the feeling that the reason the pro tells you to keep your head down is so you can’t see him laughing. He was a quick learner and after only three lessons he could throw his golf clubs as far as other people who’d been playing for years. He said, ‘Mother, golf has taught me that there is a connection between pain and pleasure. Golf spelled backwards is flog.’ And he says when you consider the expense of golf clubs, green fees and cart rentals, it’s hard to believe the game was invented in Scotland.”

So, I’m enjoying this book – no doubt some of the facts and stories will show up on this site from time to time in the future.

The book is out of print, but you can find used copies online. There is currently one listed on Amazon (see below).

Nineteenth Hole: Favorite Golf Stories (Hardcover) By (author) Carol Mann Used from: $7.80 In Stock