Monday, May 24, 2010

Golf Winner: What to Consider When Planning a Golf Resort Vacation

How To Play Golf

First, you need to consider your travel mates, will the trip be made alone, with a partner, with a group or with your family. Next consider whether you prefer to do all the research and make reservations by yourself. Alternatively, you may prefer to hand the entire job over to either a family member, your partner, someone in the group or a travel agent. You will need to consider these factors and make a firm decision on your course of action.

Personal trips mean budget considerations; will you and your partner stay at a Bed and Breakfast and stroll down to the local golf course to play or will you choose a golf resort vacation? Resorts do not come cheap but with some time and effort invested in research you can find some really good deals from the smaller, not so famous resorts. Usually if the golf course is absolutely super, you will have problems with rooms or food; you have to decide what is really important to you when choosing your golf resort vacation.

For real golf enthusiasts, golfing is all they care about, so that means an excellent golf course. Food will take a back seat so partners, family watch out! Online photos can be misleading, you can see pictures that show off what purports to be the best golf course in the world and by association the best golf resort as well. Write to them ask about the exact location of the course and the surrounding areas as well. If you get an honest reply well and good; if you do not you can always drop that option.

When you have a short list of your golf resort vacation spots, contact them to find out about tee times and booking procedures. Try to complete all the formalities so that you have your tee times all nicely tied up and do not forget to inquire about their pro shop golf equipment options.

Find out how far the golf course is from the main resort and the mode of transportation used to get there. Will the resort provide you with a golf cart or do you have to rent one?

Now you need to consider other interests and activities as well when choosing golf resort vacation spots. If you are travelling with a partner or family who do not share your absolute passion for golf, plan carefully before you book an all golf vacation. Many resorts are centrally located so that you have access to good eating places, cultural activities and shopping centers. If your family are happy with the outdoors, then try to find resorts that are located in natural settings rather than in urban ones.

Always choose your golf resort vacation spot and plan your trip with the complete involvement of your partner or family, you will have more fun this way.

Golf Winner: Why Do So Many People Play Golf and Why Should I Take Up Golf?

How To Play Golf

You have likely heard that business leaders are continually making large deals on the course, advancing their careers. The golf course is a place where even decisions about countries can be made as world leaders discuss politics over a round of golf.

Well, "continually" might be an overstatement business leaders, like other players, spend a lot of their time on the course hunting for wayward golfing balls. But it is correct that golfing may help you climb the company ladder. More-important reasons include hanging out with pals, staying in shape, and enjoying some of the most pretty views you will ever see. Although some people describe golf as a "good walk spoiled".

The same, but each golfing course is dissimilar from each other, and many are built to show off their beautiful settings. ) Golfing is a physical and psychological challenge it tests your talent and your will.

Your buddies may play soccer and basketball in high school, but how many are still returning kickoffs or grabbing rebounds when they are thirty or forty or sixty years old? The most vital reason to play, though , is that golfing is so elusive.

Should it become part of your life, you can hardly imagine life without it. To turn to golf is to turn to a sport that is with you for a life time. Golf will make you healthier, the golf course can be a place to think and gather you thought and can be very relaxing too. Why play golf? Well because it is so addictive and just when you think you have mastered it; it will bite you in the backside.

Golf Winner: Reasons to Opt For All Inclusive Golf Vacations

How To Play Golf

Everybody practices some kind of sport nowadays, and this is a good thing, if we keep in mind the ancient Latin saying "Mens sana in corpore sano". In English, the phrase translates to "A healthy mind in a healthy body". Some of us like to go bowling on Friday with friends or family, others go twice a week to play some football, and others go swimming, jogging, etc. Some people, however, love to play this wonderful sport that is golf. Golf can contribute a lot to a man's "mens sana" or "healthy mind", thanks to the fact that the panoramas where the action takes place are usually very beautiful and a treat for the eyes. However, golf can not be played in just any place at any time. It is a little more exclusive than other sports, because a standard golf course is quite large and difficult, and only a few persons can play it at a time.

For several centuries this sport has only been accessible to kings, dukes and barons, but now, thanks to humanity's quick advances in technology, communication and social maturity that happened in the 20th |century, almost everybody can go ahead and play golf if that is their desire. Of course, golfing is generally considered quite an expensive activity, but the truth is it becomes outrageously cheap if one plans ahead and buys an all inclusive golf vacation early.

Opting for all inclusive golf packages is probably the best way to go around, and this is because you don't need to worry about renting the golf course, or renting the equipment and golf clubs anymore. Everything is included in these special packages. Depending on each golf resort's policy, you could even get various types of discounts for various types of situations. And the best part is that if you choose a luxury golf resort, the term "all inclusive" means a lot more than at other, lower standard resorts. Big resorts are not only preoccupied with offering the best conditions for your golfing experience, because they also offer their guests excellent dining, luxurious spa facilities, massage lounges, swimming pools and actually everything and anything you and your family would ever need or want, everything you would expect from a five star resort and more!

Also, not few are the resorts that even offer golf training for beginners. So if you wish to learn golf and not pay a great deal of money, remember that usually the all inclusive golf packages also include golfing school training. If you follow the instructions of the professionals hired to teach you to play golf, you will become a good golf player in no time!

Golf Winner: A More Convenient and Affordable Way to Learn Golf

How To Play Golf

Most of the time, people who are learning how to play golf find it very frustrating. However, even though it is frustrating and may take some time, it is definitely worth it once you have learned how to play golf.

Nowadays, with the advancements in technology, those who would like to learn how to play golf have a lot of options to obtain golf lessons. Before, the only way to learn how to play golf is to attend lessons at your local golf course and meet a golf professional personally. Since the advent of online books and other internet resources, aspiring golfers can now be able to learn at the convenience of their homes.

If you would like to learn how to play golf, you may be able to do so through golf lessons online. This is more convenient than having to go everyday to the golf course just to learn. The golf e-books are written to help those who are aspiring to learn the sport.

Getting your golf lessons online provides a lot of benefits which is why this is more preferred than other lessons available. First and foremost, these lessons offered online are way much cheaper compared to those that are offered at golf ranges. The lessons provided are basically the same as those offered at your local golf course. Aside from that, the golf professionals who teach at the golf course typically charge a high rate per hour, which can end up being very expensive depending on the rates of that professional. Therefore, if you would like to save, it would not be ideal to learn golf from these pros, but rather learn it online.

Aside from that, you have the freedom to learn more about golf because you are not limited to the basics. You can expand your knowledge about golf by reading more e-books and getting additional lessons about golf.

In addition to the low cost and the ability to learn more, you can also learn at your own pace. You can practice at your own time and learn without having to ruin your schedule. These golf lessons are not hard to learn because the e-books are detailed and contain graphics and even video about the right positions when playing golf. Aside from that you can also print these e-books and take them with you while you are on the golf course so that you can execute the things that you have learned.

Golf Winner: Participating in a Professional Tournament of Golf

How To Play Golf

So you play golf every weekend with your friends and watch the occasional PGA event on television and you swear that a couple of the guys in your weekend group hit the ball with the same power and accuracy as the pros. You have not experienced golf until you have been to a professional golf tournament and watch the pros hit the golf ball real good. You will develop a whole new level of respect for pro golfers when you go to a live professional golf tournament and realize that the game looks easier on television than it is to play in real life and that the level that the pros play at in a professional tournament is way above what you and your friends play at on the weekends.

There is a grace and power to a properly executed golf swing that does not come across when you are watching a golf tournament on television. That feel of power, that hiss of the club as it cuts the air, and then the sound of impact do not come across on the television at all. To really understand the power of professional golf you need to feel it live at a professional tournament for yourself.

A pro golf tournament can also be a great bonding event for a father and son or any family members that happen to be a fan of golf. At my first professional tournament I remember seeing Raymond Floyd hit a hole in one. It was so much more exciting than it ever looked on television that it will remain as a memory for me for the rest of my life. Just like catching a home run at a pro baseball game, watching the players do their thing at a pro golf tournament is something you never forget the rest of your life.

Give it a try.

If you follow golf then you owe it to yourself to get to at least one live golf contest in your life. The experience is something you will never forget and you may even luck out and experience a professional hole in one as well. At a pro golf tournament you get to be so close to these world famous professionals that you could reach out and touch them if that was not frowned upon by the PGA. Give a live pro golf contest a chance and experience the power and grace of golf played by pros for you.

Golf Winner: Do You Need Golf Shoes to Play Golf?

How To Play Golf

For every sport there is a special shoe that helps to play the game better. But many new golfers do not wish to spend the extra money when they are just beginning and don't know if they will take the game seriously or not. So, you ask the question, "Are golf shoes really required?" Within the past few years changes have taken place that alter the necessity for golf shoes. They are now not really required.

Originally, golf shoes had straight steel spikes fastened to the shoe's sole in a threaded metal insert. The steel spikes were great for the shots that required a hefty powerful swing. They would help you to keep your feet fastened to the ground without slipping or sliding. However, the downside was that they left a lot of marks on the greens. The later in the day that you played, the more the greens were damaged and putting got more uncertain. Then, the greens had to be rolled with a heavy roller before the next days play.

Then, recently, the plastic spider-type spikes came along that are much kinder to the greens. Golf course managers were in favor of the new "soft" spikes because they made their job easier. Now, it is acceptable to play most courses with soft athletic shoes that do not have spikes, but you should check with the pro shop before doing so.

It can be difficult for a beginner to justify the additional cost of golf shoes, because they can be very expensive. Even though the spikes are now soft the shoes have not gotten cheaper. It might be better to delay that decision until you know if you're going to be a serious golfer, and if you're going to be such a powerful swinger that you actually need spikes.

When you finally decide to purchase golf shoes, take the time to shop around. There are hundreds of shoes to choose from and finding a pair that is right for you can take a while. Consider comfort first because you will be wearing them for up to 5 hours during your round. The style and color will be easier to choose because you know what you like. Do a trial fitting for every shoe you like, just as you would if buying street shoes. Choosing the right shoes can make you more comfortable while playing and, hopefully, improve your game dramatically.

Golf Winner: Play Golf Faster, Without Hurrying

How To Play Golf

Golf is a game of courtesy. It is the only sport where principles of etiquette are included in the rule book. Good manners are built on thinking of other people, and one of the most courteous things you can do for your playing partners and all the golfers behind you is to keep the game moving. On the tee, if you have the honor, be ready to hit right away. Keep some tees in your pocket and take only a few seconds to decide which club you're going to use. If someone in your group has the honor but is not ready and you are, ask if you can go ahead. When you're next to hit, be standing beside the tee box ready to go.

From the fairway, respect the privilege of the player who is away to hit next, but if they are unable to hit or are clearly not ready, go ahead and hit if you are.

When it's your turn, picking your shot, picking your club, aligning yourself, and stepping up to the ball shouldn't take more than fifteen seconds. Try timing yourself with a watch. Take one practice swing, step up to the ball, and swing. Whatever you're doing if you stand over the ball for a long time before you swing doesn't really help and makes everybody impatient with you.

Keep an extra ball in your pocket. If you need to put it in play, you can do so without having to go to your bag. And regarding your bag, know where everything is - balls, tees, whatever you might need. Have you ever played with someone who has to sort through their clubs to find their 6-iron? When you get to the green, leave your bag or cart on the side of the hole closest to the next tee. On the green, it should only take a few seconds to pick your line. Unless you're a professional-caliber putter, you're playing to get your first putt close, not in, and the extra time you spend is of little value. After you hit your first putt, putt out if you can do so without being in anyone else's way.

After everyone has holed out, your group should leave the green immediately. If your group has fallen behind the one in front of you, you can start catching up by having the first two players to hole out to go to the next tee and be teeing off while the other two finish putting.

Doing your part to maintain a steady pace makes you a popular playing partner by contributing to the positive playing environment that everyone wants to have.

What do you do if there is a turtle in your group? Be creative, but kind. I keep a paperback book in my bag. When someone is taking forever to play, I take out the book and start reading. They get the hint.