Don't Have Too Much Baggage When You Play

So how do you clear your mind of all the day to day clutter as you arrive at the club? Do you find yourself still trying to put the world, or at least the business or bank manager, to rights in your mind as you scramble to make the 1st Tee?

You dont need me to tell you that your chances of settling into a sensible pre-shot routine, as you set up to play the first shot, are now remote. And you dont need me to predict the likely result.

In fact do you know that most golfers minds become cleared as they get to about the 6th? At that point they are either experiencing the elation of playing this beautiful game or they are so angry about how theyre playing that theyve forgotten the world, the business and the bank manager.

How many of you can I reach when I ask that you make a resolution and allow yourself the time to clear your mind of the baggage before you even start to get changed before your golf.

That baggage will interfere with your state of relaxation and then your subconscious minds ability to visualise, concentrate and focus. If your subconscious mind cant do these things then it will allow negative thoughts to dominate your game.

And while you think about your subconscious mind please note that your subconscious mind knows how to swing the golf club just like it knows how to drive a car. Its all the conscious thoughts and stress that get in the way of how effectively you drive your car or hit that first tee shot.

For the very best advice on all aspects of golf visit your local PGA Foremost Golf Professional

James Langmead PGA Qualified Golf Professional and former Callaway Club fitter of the year http://www.thegolfshoponline.co.uk

Golf Channel and Equipment Reviews

Product Comparison of Wilson Golf's Complete Golf Club Sets

Wilson has come out with some very nice complete golf club sets for 2008 and we were fortunate enough to be able to do a complete side-by-side comparison of these products.

We reviewed Wilson's Ultra Comp set, Pro Staff FS set, Power Source set, Deep Red set and the Pro Staff complete set. The club sets ranged from $209.95 up to $399.95. Although cost was a factor in our criteria, we placed most of our emphasis on the fit and finish of these sets. Why? Because the last thing you want is to be embarrassed when you are out golfing and your buddies look at your gear! None of us want to look like we're beginners - at least as far as our clubs are concerned!

Coming in at #1 was the Wilson Pro Staff Complete Set. The fit and finish is first class, and what we really liked is that you have a choice of either 4 different cart bags, or 4 different carry bags. And each one of these bags is a nice looking, first class Wilson Pro Staff product that matches your clubs perfectly. The only downside to this set, is that it doesn't come with headcovers (all the other sets in our comparison come with matching Headcovers). But buy this set, go out and spend $20.00 on some Headcovers.

In second place was the Wilson Ultra Comp set. While the fit and finish is fair, you get a whole heck of lot for your money, as at $209.95 this was the least expensive set in our comparison. The bag that comes with this set isn't the best, but it'll do. The clubs are very easy to hit because the sweet spot is enormous - especially on the irons.

All in all, we liked these sets and they will do for a nice starter or intermediate set. The difference between 1st and last place was only 4 points on a 30 point scale.

Our rankings:

#1 - Pro Staff Complete Set

#2 - Ultra Comp Set

#3 - Deep Red Set

#4 - Pro Staff FS Set

#5 - Power Source Set

Listed below are brief reviews of each complete golf set:

#1 - Pro Staff Complete Set

By combining advanced materials with the latest technologies, Pro Staff helps you improve every shot. Wide soled irons keeps weight low. Extensive player testing has shown it to improve contact, distance and accuracy. The enormous sweet spot driver will surprise you by launching your tee shots longer and straighter. Aerodynamic woods and hybrids increase headspeed and feature a phenomenal deep blue finish.

Set includes a driver, two fairway woods, two hybrids, 7 irons (including a sand wedge), a harmonized cavity blade putter, and choice of a Pro Staff Cart bag or Pro Staff Stand bag.

#2 - Ultra Comp Set

The Ultra Comp set was designed for the recreational player who loves to crush the ball. The set features a new high MOI square driver, fairway wood, hybrid, 7 irons (including a sand wedge), alignment putter, stand bag with dual strap and 3 matching headcovers.

#3 - Deep Red Set

Wilson improved the Deep Red set for 2008 with an upgraded bag, new high MOI square driver and new large mallet putter. The set features a driver, two fairway woods, hybrid, 7 irons (including a sand wedge), putter with polymer face, stand bag with dual strap and 4 matching Headcovers.

#4 - Pro Staff FS Set

Wilson's premium complete package features a Titanium driver, large mallet alignment putter, and FatShaft shafts in the irons. Set features driver, two fairway woods, two hybrids, 5 irons (no sand wedge), milled face putter with anodized face insert, deluxe stand bag, and 5 matching Headcovers.

#5 - Power Source Set

The Wilson Power Source set comes complete with everything you need to get started in golf These clubs are made of high-quality material and are backed by Wilson's comprehensive 1-year warranty that covers everything in the box. Set includes a driver, two fairway woods, hybrid, 7 irons (including a sand wedge), DynaBalance 3D putter, stand bag with double strap, and 4 headcovers.

Click here for a side-by-side comparison of these golf club sets

Click here for more information on Wilson's new complete golf club sets

Mark Talkington established http://www.bestbuygolfballs.com to provide the logo golf ball customer an easy, convenient and secure site to buy logo golf balls and other products on the internet at the lowest prices possible... with THE BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE ANYWHERE!

It all started at Red Run Golf Course in Michigan in 1948 when our Dad got his first Head Professional Job. He knew that in order to sell, you had to have the best selection, offer outstanding service and price your products fair.

Our dad taught us that customer service is paramount and because of this, you will only deal with one Customer Service Specialist throughout your order. Our goal is to make sure you are MORE than satisfied with your experience at bestbuygolfballs.com.

Thanks to our clients and customers, bestbuygolfballs.com has seen tremendous growth in 2004-2007 and we have expanded our product line by more than five times since we launched our first webstore in May of 2004. Our customer service department has grown as well in order to meet and exceed the expectations of our customers.

Golf Channel and Equipment Reviews

The Truth About Putting Straight - A Golf Lesson

Golf is a funny game. Many times the golf lessons or golf tips we see are very intricate and call for a lot of time and effort. Well, I've developed an easy one that can be practiced on your own time and one that will dramatically takes strokes off your game.

Putting the ball on-line can often be a daunting task. How many times have you lined up your putt, thought it looked great only to see the ball veer immediately to the left or the right and end up no where near where you expected?

Most of the time we blame our line but the reality is that we're usually just mishitting the ball and "forcing it" off-line.

The problem is that on impact our putter's face is either open (ball will go to the right) or closed (and the ball will go left). Why do we have such a hard time sometimes in getting our putter face square on the ball? Practice and practice correctly.

If your putts miss right or left on a consistent basis, there is a very simple and easy fix.

Here's a great practice tip I picked up a long time ago that really works.

Go to the hardware store or your workshop and get a 1" dowel rod and cut it to about 4" in length.

Set the rod up so it's pointing at an imaginary target or pick a spot out on the floor. This drill works great on hallway floors or on your kitchen linoleum and is therefore very simple to practice and does not require a lot of time travelling or effort on your part.

Now make your stroke and imagine you have about a 5-6 foot put for birdie. A very slight mishit will cause the rod to spin off to the left or to the right.

Simply practice this drill over and over until you can make the dowel rod go straight dozens of time in a row and you'll know that you've got it down and that your putter face is square at impact.

Trust me when I tell you that just 15 minutes of practicing this putting drill will pay off way more than an hour at the clubhouse green, putting ball after ball, hoping to get your putts on-line and straightened out.

The next time you line up a putt for all the bragging rights, you'll have no fear of hitting it off line and you'll sink that putt!

Thanks for reading. Good luck, good golfing.

Fred Kaboot

Golfing finally turned on its head and made easier. Learn the real tricks to golfing that anyone can use, get lessons, drills as well as the most popular golf gambling games in a free report at http://www.thegolfhustler.net

Golf Channel and Equipment Reviews

The Key To Sinking More Putts

If you have fairly good distance control, then the secret to shooting a lower score is sinking more Putts in the range up to 8 feet. And if you want to know how important those shots are, consider this: You will use your Driver a maximum of 14 times in a round, not as often as you will stand over a short Putt. And, you dont necessarily lose a shot with a poor Tee Shot while you will, with almost every poorly struck short Putt.

While watching the PGA Championship from Southern Hills, I was struck by how still the head and body of the best golfers are when Putting, even after they have struck the golf ball. Its almost as though the stroke is more important than the ball.

That reminded me of a little tip to go with the drill to shorten your backswing and force you to accelerate (see below left). Try this again on the practice green, only this time focus on the space between the putter and ball at address and keep your focus on that point throughout the backswing, downswing, contact and follow through and LISTEN for the ball dropping into the cup.

This encourages your head to stay very still on the line of contact, resisting the temptation to watch the ball or to move with the backswing. Just try that on the Practice Green and you will surprised at how deadly you become. If you dont, then contact me and well look at your Putting Stroke.

If you want to check your stroke quickly yourself, then stand facing a wall and line up so that the toe of the club is only an inch from the wall. Now, take a normal swing and check: does your club move away from the backswing or brush up against the wall at any time?

Visit your local Foremost Golf PGA Professional for expert tuition.

James Langmead PGA Qualified Golf Professional and former Callaway Club fitter of the year http://www.thegolfshoponline.co.uk

Golf Channel and Equipment Reviews

Scotty Cameron Putters - Can a Putter Really Make That Much Difference?

I've seen the fancy ads, I've read the golf magazines, I've even gone into the sporting goods store and played around on the little putting green with all of the shiny new putters. For some reason though, I still wasn't buying into the idea that a putter could make that much difference in my golf game. I, like most golfers, would go to the driving range and practice my drive for hours per week, thinking that if I could drive as far as Tiger Woods, then my handicap would lower for sure. Little did I know that Tiger Woods had a secret weapon hiding in his golf bag.

Scotty Cameron had made clubs in his mother-in-law's garage for years when he opened Cameron Golf International to little fanfare. There was a lot of competition in the industry, and golf companies like Titleist, Nike, and Callaway were the big names in town (and still are today). Scotty Cameron took a different approach to making golf clubs. Because of his limited resources, he did a large part of the crafting of his clubs by hand, which gave his putters a finish rivaling those of his big-name competitors.

Then, in 1993, lightning struck for Scotty Cameron. One of his putters was used to win The Masters. Things moved quickly for Scotty after that, the putters were flying out of the door as fast as he could create them. But things really picked up a year later, in 1994, when Scotty Cameron was approached by Peter Kostis and told that Titleist was interested in his company to design putters for them.

Fast forward to 2008, and Scotty Cameron putters have been used to win more than 500 worldwide tournaments. A sterling track record, to say the least, but I was still not convinced. Surely it had to be the players and their personal touch with those putters that turned them into gold on the green. After hearing so much, I decided to try out a Scotty Cameron putter for myself.

I decided to try out a Scotty Cameron Newport, the same putter that Tiger Woods plays. A few buddies and I headed out to the country club on a sunny Saturday afternoon in October, and I did not tell anyone that I was trying out a new putter. The first two holes went as can be expected, I got a bogey on the first hole and a double bogey on the second hole. Nothing too impressive. But then, on the third hole, I took it to the green in 3 strokes, and had to sink a forty foot putt for par. I pulled the Scotty Cameron Newport putter out of my bag, took a deep breath, and swung away. I could scarcely believe my eyes as the ball rolled up the green in a straight line, then circled around to the left and into the cup.

Since that first October day that I tested out the Scotty Cameron putter, I have purchased three of them for my collection. They aren't a magic bullet, they won't turn you into Tiger Woods overnight. But my friends still swear that I've never been as good of a golfer as I am when I'm playing a putter made by Scotty Cameron.

Josh Todd has played Scotty Cameron Putters for over five years. Although he never went pro, he still enjoys the game of golf on a weekly basis. For more info about Scotty Cameron putters, click here

Golf Channel and Equipment Reviews

Tips For Lowering Your Golf Handicap Ahead of That Big Golf Holiday

Sometimes, when people are booking a golf break with us, our clients ask us to book a couple of lessons at the beginning of their holiday. That makes sense and we can recommend the best teaches in many resorts around the world. However, here are some simple tips to help keep your golf ball budget down!

So without further ado, here are a few golf tips for lowering your golf handicap ahead of your big holiday!

1) Practice, practice, practice!

Sounds obvious, but the best golf tip is to practice as much as possible. While not everyone can get to their local golf course for a round everyday, you can still work on your swing in the privacy of your own home - chipping balls into a bucket in your back garden, or observing your swing movements in a mirror. When practice swinging, start slowly and feel the movement before speeding up to the full tempo. Even a tiny bit of daily practice will help build up your golf muscle memory - it's amazing what 10 minutes a day can do to your golf holiday performance!

2) Prepare like you're a pro

On the golf course, there's a thin line between joy and frustration. If you treat every round like a professional would, you'll have more fun. Warm up properly, spend a while in the driving range and take appropriate breaks to minimize mistakes. Play this way, and you're guaranteed to become a more consistent player.

3) Get the right gear

Getting top notch equipment will often cost more than lessons and have less of an impact on your performance. While it's true that the right equipment can help, it won't magically transform your game - I've seen plenty of talented golfers play well with dreadful clubs and I've seen plenty of others play badly with high quality clubs. That said it is a good golf tip, if you're looking to be the best you can possibly be, to invest in tailor-made clubs to suit your build and swing. And if they don't improve your game, at least you'll look good during your golf holiday.

4) Don't lose track of your short game

Spending lots of time on the driving range and practicing your big swing is one thing, but make sure you don't forget your short game..."Drive for show, putt for dough!". It may be a less dramatic shot but good scores are made on and around the green and you use your putter more often than any other club. The good news is that the short game is easier to practice in the comfort of your own garden, and in a few weeks you'll be in far better shape for your golf break.

5) Analyze your game

The best way of knowing your strengths and weaknesses on the golf course is to pay attention to your performance. If you pay close attention to where you make mistakes, you'll know which areas of your game need correction. Run through your game and write down the results of each shot - you'll soon notice where your weaknesses lie so you can practice on them.

6) Don't expect miracles

Play to your handicap and don't get upset when you hit a bad shot. Everyone hits bad shots - the trick is to keep your concentration and to make the next shot better.

Whether you have 6 months or 6 days until your big golf break, you'd be amazed at the improvements these tips can make in lowering your golf handicap!

Morgan Clarke is the Chairman of Your Golf Holidays, a company that has been providing luxury golf breaks for over 25 years. The award-winning specialist tour operator is privately-owned and determined to ensure that both experienced golfers and novices will enjoy an unforgettable experience in whichever of the 20+ countries they want to play in.

Golf Channel and Equipment Reviews

Doing Business With Golf

Golf is an incredibly popular sport and is played on all rungs of the corporate ladder. In fact, many business people will emphatically state that they could not do business without the involvement of golf, citing it as the best and most convivial way to network and nurture relationships with customers and contacts.

Because so many business executives have a passion for golf, it is likely that you are going to need to incorporate it into your marketing campaign in some way; the question is: how?

You could hold regular golf hospitality events. However, these are generally high-budget and most companies cannot afford to run too many of them during the course of the year. The other problem with outdoor business events such as golf tournaments is that their success is dependent on the weather, which is notorious as being a let-down.

Another idea is branded golf gifts. Many companies opt to present their important customers and contacts with token gestures from the array of promotional products available such as personalised putter covers, logo golf balls and markers. However, this way of showing a gesture of appreciation for months or even years of valuable business is hardly unique and therefore doesn't offer an effective way of standing out above your competitors.

A powerful way to make an impression amongst business contacts is to combine hospitality with exclusive gift-giving. One way to do this is to utilise an indoor or virtual golf competition.

There is a huge selection of golf training aids out there and whilst they are aimed at serious and professional players, they can also make excellent corporate indoor golf competitions!

Providing you choose a golf training product that can be used safely in an indoor environment; is easy to set up and use and provides a scoring system to allow a competition to take place; there you have your weatherproof, indoor golf tournament! And more than this, it also acts as a high-end executive gift for your golf-loving clientele that don't have time to get out on the course and would appreciate the chance to practice in the confines of their own office!

Indoor golf tournaments are ideal for:

• Client entertainment without the worry of bad weather
• Charity and fundraising events
• Staff team building exercises
• Employee leaving parties
• Adding a touch of fun to annual meetings
• Attracting attention at trade shows or local events
• Drawing attention at new branch openings and product launches

Golf practice aids make excellent, highly appreciated gifts for:

• Valued customers and business contacts to show appreciation for loyalty or to celebrate a special occasion such as an award win
• Staff achievement awards or service anniversaries

Golf is perhaps the most business-related sport! Make the most of your customer's love for it by incorporating it into your marketing and customer relationship campaigns!

Paul Thornley is a PGA Professional, golf coach and director of Targetline Limited. Targetline is an indoor golf competition which offers the ultimate corporate hospitality solution, encouraging delegates to interact by adding a fun focal point that helps everyone feel at ease. Targetline is also widely used by golf industry pros and amateurs worldwide as an indoor practice and training aid. It can be set up in minutes, used safely in any confined space, and is compact for storage. For more information visit: http://www.targetline.co.uk

Golf Channel and Equipment Reviews