The game of golf is not only physically but also mentally challenging. It is a strategic game that has many fans around the world. Golf is played by hitting a golf ball using golf clubs on an area called the teeing ground. Once the ball has been hit, it will travel along fairways and into the next prepared area, where a hole is found. This prepared area is known as the putting green.

Simply put, the target of the game is of course to put the ball into the hole in as few hits as possible. This means that a golfer has to complete the hole by hitting the golf ball from the teeing ground into the hole in the putting green using the golf club in as little strokes as possible. A round of golf usually means a play of 18 holes.

There are two basically two kinds of play in golf. In the match play, the winner is determined according to the number of holes lost and won. In the other kind of play, which is the stroke play, the winner is the golfer who uses the least number of strokes to complete a round.

In playing the game, there are two very fundamental rules to adhere to: Play the course as you find it; and play the ball as it is found.

Should the rules above be difficult for you to follow, keep in mind that you should at least play fair at all times. How do you determine what is fair and what is not? Read on and find out some rules which will give you a greater understanding on how to be a fair player in playing golf.

Basic Golf Courtesy

Do not stand, move or talk too close to a golfer who is about to make a stroke.

Play without any delay. Leave as soon as the other members in your group leave.

Try your best to play when everyone in your group is already out of the way.

Try to replace the divots as much as you can. And if you have walked into a bunker, don’t forget to smooth out all your footprints.

It is not advisable for you to drop your golf clubs on the putting green, so avoid it at all cost.

Rules to Playing Golf

Before you start on your round of golf, take some time to read the local rules which are stated on the scorecard that you hold. After reading the rules, it is a good idea for you to mark which golf ball you will be using, which will make it easier for you to identify it. Several golfers may be suing the same brand of golf balls as you, In this case, it would be easy to see which golf ball belongs to you.

Before you start, make sure you have counted your golf clubs. You are allowed a maximum of fourteen golf clubs.

When beginning the actual play, make sure you tee off in front of your tee markers. Should your tee off be a little bit off, or outside of the area specified, you may be asked to repeat your stroke. If this happens in a match play, then you are lucky as there will be no penalty for you. However, if this happens in a stroke play, then you are given a two-stroke penalty. That is why it is important for you to tee off in the specified area.

When you are playing, should your ball lie in a water hazard or a bunker, remember not to hit or touch the water or bunker in any way before you do your downswing.

The ball should never be spooned or pushed: it should always be struck fairly.

It is all right if you want to mark the ball that you are using. You could also clean your ball: just lift it, clean and put it back exactly where it was previously.

In the case of dropping a ball, the best way to do so would be to stand straight and to hold your golf ball at the length of your shoulder, and to drop it gently. Should you, in dropping the ball, happen to strike another player, the caddie or even yourself, you must drop the ball again. This is done with no penalty.

It would also be all right for you to pick up your ball if by doing so you would assist another player. On the other hand, you may also lift any other ball if that ball is interfering with your playing or another player.

By remembering the basic rules of golf as well as the basic common courtesies of playing golf fairly, you will make the game more enjoyable for you and others.

By: Juzaily Ramli

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Even the guys who play golf for a living and get the best golf instruction in the world still struggle to improve their golf swing and they practice each and every day. When your golf swing is off and you’re playing golf badly it isn’t a lot of fun, but you can change it if you apply yourself. Golf is a difficult game to master and most golfers just don’t have the time it takes to practice, practice, and practice to significantly improve it.

Golf requires tough mental fitness as well as physical fitness and this is often overlooked. Keep the good positive energy flowing and don’t give in to any negative thoughts. On the golf course focus or concentrate totally on your swing and you’ll get the best score. Don’t let unrelated thoughts slip in. Say to yourself ‘be here now’ to stay focused. As you swing, visualize exactly where you want the ball to land.

At the end of a proper golf swing, the weight should have shifted almost entirely to the left foot, with the body fully turned to the left and the hands should be above the left shoulder with the club hanging down over the back. The most important thing about the golf swing is the angle, not the strength that’s applied to it. That is only one of many swing secrets. Ask your club golf pro to evaluate your posture and biomechanics while you’re swinging.

Swing slowly and steadily using good rhythm. And make sure not to grip the golf club too tightly.

Many golfers who are left-handed prefer the right-handed golf swing. Now at the end of a backswing the hands are above the right shoulder with the golf club pointing more or less in the intended direction of the ball flight. When you swing, if you have a problem with your left knee buckling, imagine holding a soccer ball between your knees.

Make sure to use the basic ‘hitchhiker’ position when working on your back swing. One of the problems that most inexperienced golfers share is that they think much too much about their swing.

Most golfers don’t know that there are techniques that will greatly affect swing mechanics. You can get an edge by changing your approach. You can get rid of any annoying shoulder problems with some simple techniques. In order to prevent injury and improve swing speed and distance your body needs to be strong and flexible. Using some simple tips, techniques and stretches, you can increase your drives by up to 20 yards in a short period of time.

Keep in mind that with some golf swing trainers, you may still need some help from an expert. And most of all you don’t want to waste your money on a golf swing aid you don’t need or will never use. If you’re looking for a golf swing trainer to improve your stance they are easy to find.

There are swing aids that will act as driving range simulators too. And you can find golf trainers that will help you with your wrist and arm position. There are golf swing aids to help you with your swing alignment.

Before you buy any aid or trainer for your swing, check with an expert to get an idea of what problem you need to work on first; for example, back lift of golf swing, momentum of downward thrust or your stance. Whether you’re a seasoned golfer or just starting out, get just one trainer or aid and go to work on your natural, proper golf swing. Look for golf swing trainers at your local golf course too.

And need I mention that with plenty of practice, a super golf swing will be the end result. There are hundreds of free and simple golf tips to seek out in consumer and sports magazines, in books, ebooks, software and DVDs both, online and offline. And if you apply both mental and physical workouts, your reward will be super golf swing improvement.

It’s important to just try to relax and enjoy your game while you play. And when you play a round of golf, concentrate on your putting, improving your golf swing or something specific for that day. Always have a plan in mind.

By: Helen Hecker

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If you are truly wondering how to cure your slice for good, then the web is the perfect place to start. I am sure that you have uncovered numerous tips, techniques and all around ways to help this part of your golf game. I have found that the easiest and most beneficial way to get first hand opinions on slicing issues to find the real life golfers that have fixed theirs! Here’s how I did it.

There are many things that cause slicing, but many people are different. It could be your grip, or it could be your whole stance in general. Now, I also went and got a bit of professional help (which sort of worked), but if you are wondering how to cure your slice, there are parts of the web that work wonders.

I am talking about internet forums. There are tons of golf forums on the web and each one of them is loaded with tried and true ways for how to cure your slice. What you have to remember is that the men and women in forums have gone through the same exact slicing issues as you have. A good percentage of them have finally found out how to correct it and you can reap the benefits of their findings. Wondering how to cure your slice is nothing to be ashamed of. You should actually laugh at it, because most golfers still struggle with slicing from time to time.

With that said, if you are wondering how to cure your slice, forums are definitely for you. There is nothing better than getting first hand, honest opinions from the other golfers who have found the ways to correct all sorts of slicing issues when playing golf.

By: Adam Woodham

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There are 6 Fundamentals that you must understand in order to Learn to Play Golf Better:

1. Relax
2. Watch the Ball
3. Balance and Footwork (Setup)
4. Proper Grip
5. Proper Stroke
6. Strategy

These are listed in order of priority. So, for example, you will not be able to apply a consistent strategy without making sure you are first relaxed and then also watching the ball.

Most golf teaching professionals teach only three of these Fundamentals – Setup, Proper Grip and Proper Stroke. That is only HALF of what must be worked upon and mastered in order to improve your golf game!

Did you know that the KEY to relaxing physically is to first learn HOW to relax your grip on the club? But in order to truly relax you must also know HOW to relax mentally.

Did you also realize that you must learn HOW to watch the ball? Watching the ball is more than just seeing it at impact.
Did you know that the KEY to consistent accuracy is balance and footwork (setup)? How are you going to apply a consistent course strategy if your accuracy stinks?

Is the Proper Grip for you the same as for everyone else? What is the most popular grip on the PGA Tour?
Is the Proper Stroke for you the same as for everyone else? What Keys are there to maintaining a simple swing?
What about Strategy? Can strategy change? How important is strategy? How do you apply strategy when playing golf?
These are just a few of the many questions that will be answered in the Learn To Play Golf Better system.

By: Robert Bradshaw

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For some golfers, slice is their arch enemy. No matter what they try, they cannot get rid of this part of their game, what is almost an itch that they cannot reach. Luckily, there are anti slice golf drivers which can help them immensely. Discover more about them in this article.

Maybe you’ve been playing golf for a few years, even had a few lessons. You’re actually not pretty bad, it’s just that your slice is holding you back and you can barely drive 150 yards.

Normally, the best advice is to keep at it, keep practising and eventually you can correct your golf swing so that the club face will impact squarely. But in recent times, anti slice clubs have been made available which will correct your swing for you.

Although some purists will call them ugly, ultimately they help you to correct your swing and make that square impact that you’ve been looking for. The drivers are particularly popular because you stand to gain the most with them compared to the irons.

Like I said, some purists will scoff at these clubs. They do have a point. For instance, if you’re a slicer and you buy a couple of these anti slice clubs then you will swing longer and more straight. But the minute that you switch back to your other clubs then you will still have the same problem (unless you replace your entire golf bag of clubs).

Try telling that to those who have struggled for a long time and spent a lot of time and money on perfecting their swing. Along comes a club that truly does answer their golfing prayers.

By: Reggie Rouse

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Every year more people decide to take up the game of golf. However, most golf instruction is written for people who already have a fundamental understanding of golf. Golf for beginners is seldom addressed. When golf for beginners instruction does appear it is typically based on the full swing and does not really address how to play golf and have fun playing golf.

Like many things golf is easier to learn if we can create small successes along the way. The best place to create these small successes for beginning golfers is to start them close to the hole. So our golf for beginners emphasis here will be on putting, specifically getting used to putting the ball into the hole!

To become good at golf you must be able to putt the ball well but most beginners don’t start out with putting. When golf beginners do practice putting, they practice missing putts instead of making putts. You will have more confidence if you build your game up from small successes.

So let’s emphasize making putts which is a lot of fun. The very first golf drill you should learn is to take three balls to the practice green. Find a good flat, straight putt. Place the first ball about 1 inch from the cup, the second ball should be a foot behind that and the third ball a foot behind the second ball.

Now that the balls are in place you should tap the first ball in, move back and stroke the 2nd ball in and finally the 3rd ball. Fill up the cup. Eventually, this should be easy and its fun. You will be building up a habit of success making these short putts.

Here’s a little secret. While this is written here as a golf for beginners drill, you should know that many tour pros do this very same drill. The only difference is that they add another three balls to the drill each a foot behind the other. So in the end they are trying to fill up the cup with six balls, the last one will be about 5-6 feet from the cup.

So after you have mastered making all three balls over and over add three more balls as described above. Remember to keep it fun. If you are making four in a row but keep missing the fifth then practice up to four balls for a while. Once you have that mastered add the fifth ball and so on. This positive re-enforcement is a great way to learn anything and is particularly good at making golf fun for beginners.

By: Bob Charles

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Golf is a great game that you can play for the rest of your life, but you will only have one shot at competing on a college golf team. In this article I will attempt to lead you in a direction that will give you the best opportunity to play golf in a competitive environment in college.

Start Promotion Early

Starting the process early is a huge key to you success in landing a place to play golf in college. You do not have wait until you are a single digit handicap golfer to start contacting college coaches. As a matter of fact you do not have to be a single digit golfer to compete in college in some cases.

The top NCAA Division l schools are looking for a 0-1 handicap. Middle to lower Division l schools you need a 2-3 handicap. With a 4-7 handicap you may still land a Dl offer if other factors like grades are outstanding. With a handicap of 4-7 you qualify for Dll, Dlll, and NAIA for sure. With a handicap of 7 or over you can still qualify for Dlll and NAIA opportunities. There are 279 Division l colleges that offer men’s golf. The good news there are 148 at the Dll level, 242 at the Dlll level and 150 at the NAIA level. There are 170 Dl schools for women golfers, and 230 at the Dll, Dlll and NAIA schools combined.

You can get a great education at a smaller school where they focus more on academics then athletics. As a matter of fact 40% of the student body at a smaller school are athletes as compared to 5% at a big name school. Things are not as serious at a smaller school when it comes to athletics, so keep in mind that it may be a better fit for you at a smaller school.

You will need to put together a Player Profile with all your contact info, grades, community service, honors, coaches contact info, a brief bio and a picture. Start contacting coaches via phone or via email and tell them you are interested in playing golf for them. If they are interested they will want more info on you, so there is you opportunity to send them your Player Profile. You do not need to play AJGA golf or any other junior tour events to get an offer to play golf in college at the lower levels. The bigger schools will more than likely want some national junior competition under your belt. Don’t worry if you don’t have a high ranking if you do play on the junior golf circuit. Remember there are a lot of smaller schools that would love to have you, but they just don’t know about you. That is why you need to self promote.

Clearinghouse Registration

If you are good enough to play Dl or Dll college golf you must register with the Initial Eligibility Clearinghouse at the end of your junior year at ncaa.org. Make sure you get The Guide for College Bound Student-Athlete from your counselor or from the NCAA website.

Academics

Academics can make you or can break you. I does not matter how great you are, if you grades are not in order you will not even qualify to play under NCAA requirements. The better the grades, including your SAT score, the better opportunity and the more money you will get.

Community Service

Community service and or extracurricular activities are a big deal. You want to be the triple threat student-athlete. All things being equal in terms of grades and game the college coach will “offer” the athlete who has more community service. Besides there is a lot of money to be had from the Federal Government that does not have to be paid back under the “work study” program. How you qualify for a work study grant is to have a lot of extracurricular/community service activities. Things like the arts, music, dance, school government, church involvement, outside volunteer work and so on. Your list of community service activities is how the coach judges you over-all character. After all the college coach doesn’t even know anything about you at this point.

Letter of Recommendation

A letter or recommendation or two will serve you very well as a potential college golf prospect. Ask anyone of authority, such as your coach, school counselor, teacher, pastor/priest, to write a letter of recommendation for you. I suggest that you send the letter along with your Player Profile to college coaches.

Keeping In Touch

Once you make contact with a college coach you will need to stay in touch on a regular basis. I suggest when you are in season that you communicate weekly results to all coaches showing interest in you as a potential golf prospect. This is huge since there are only 4.5 scholarships for men and 6 scholarships for women available per year per school.

By: Tony Passarella

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If you are a beginning golfer and want to someday compete in golf tournaments, practicing everyday will help you realize this dream. Even though it is very easy to sign-up to play in tournaments, once you arrive, you will see who your competition is and just how tough it is to stay in the game until the end. By having limited experience in playing golf, you may be eliminated quickly.

There are a few ways to prepare for a golf tournament. The first is to go to a few tournaments to get an idea of what they are like, the types of golfers they attract, and the course you will be playing on. If you have a few months to a year to prepare, play the course a few times to get used to it. Even though the course is always changing due to weather and degree of wetness on the ground, you can still get a good idea of what it will be like during the tournament. If possible, find out who you will be competing against so you can learn more about their style. This will help relieve some of the stress of playing against others who may have been playing longer than you.

Another way to prepare for a golf tournament is to find out your strengths and weaknesses so you can make adjustments before the golf competition. You can do this by playing with others and asking for their opinions, hiring a coach, using golf analysis software, or reading golf magazines, watching DVDs, or reading books by professional golfers. The more prepared you are, the better you will perform during the tournament.

After a few months of practice, you should be ready to play in the tournament. Once you arrive, you will need to register in order to let those organizing it that you are present. After everyone signs in, a schedule will be created. Each time you win a match, you will be going up against another player. Usually players become better the higher you climb.

Even if you dont win at the tournament, you will walk away with valuable experience that will last a lifetime. You can enter other tournaments or you can stick to perfecting your game by playing on various courses. Since there are many levels in golf, you should choose a level you are comfortable with in order to become the best golfer you can. Moreover, even if you don’t win you can certainly use a street map of Alicante to wander around the area and enjoy your vacation!

By: Eric J. Slarkowski


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The average novice has basically no idea what golfing is like. Gripping and swinging-let alone picking the right iron-may send your mind swimming. There are many things you should and shouldn’t do to look great on the green.

Before taking a swing at the tee you want to make sure that you have a wide stance. This lessens the rotation of your body and allows your arms to swing harder, creating a more powerful drive. Another benefit of a wide stance is it decreases movement of your back, leading to a decrease in injuries.

To practice the correct golf swing grip you can either use your own clubs or something of similar size and shape. First hold the golf club at the top with you non-dominate hand while letting your main hand hang freely. You can then loosely grab the club with your free hand so your thumb faces away from you. As you grab your club with what was your free hand, make sure that it is slightly facing toward your body so it is comfortable for you. Also, do not grip your club too tightly as it will not allow a proper swing.

Practicing your swinging will come in handy. If you swing enough times, your body will pick up the motion you are doing and repeat it more easily for the next time. Practicing with a trainer or in your own home can make a big difference in the over-all quality of your swing. Try lining up tees in a row and repeatedly hitting one ball after another moving down the line. This practice will allow you to discover how to handle your swing and keep balance.

By: William A Mitchell

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A burning question many golfers may have is how to correct golf slice?This is a very common question among most golfers because it can present quite a challenge to many golfers. You can correct this with some simple golf instructions that can really be a great way to help curing golf slice.

All golfers know how frustrating it can be to have a problem when it comes to their golf slice.It can be a real pain to have to deal with, and it also can cause many golfers to try many things to cure a golf slice, but really all it takes is the ability to get back to some of the basics.

There are specific tips that can really go a long way when it comes to how to correct golf slice.When you make certain you are doing all you can to get these right, then you can rest assured, you’ll most likely have a much better game, and one that you’ll be proud of as well.

Listed below are some ways that can really aid in curing golf slice problems:

1. Having the proper stance is crucial to your game.Most golfers can get very comfortable with just any stance, and this can easily cause some serious problems when it comes their golf slice.It’s very important when you’re playing golf that you maintain the proper stance, and this means that you need to stand at shoulder width.This is the best way to get the most out of your game and also be certain that you have your right foot pointing straight and your left foot at more toward a left angle.

2. Make sure you have the proper grip when playing golf.This is by far one of the biggest problems golfers may have and can easily cause a lot of problems if the grip is too firm.If you are looking to curing a slice, then you should seriously take a look at your grip on the club.It’s important that you loosen it in order to cure your slice problems.A good way to hold the club just right is to hold the club as if you were holding a small bird, firmly but gently as well.

One of the best ways to make certain you know how to correct golf slice, simply means getting back to some basics and basic tips when it comes to getting your golf slice correct.There are lots of players who simply forget the basics over time and this can really have a negative effect on their game.

By: Gerald Spotts

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