Helen Hecker asked:


If you’re like most golfers, you want to improve, not just hack around the golf course. The biggest concerns of golfers today are inconsistency first of all, followed by slicing and distance. You need great hand-eye coordination, balance, athletic ability and creativity to play golf.

Approach the game with a positive attitude and repeat affirmations if you can, such as “I play great golf all the time.” Don’t worry about what others think or may say about your swing; work to improve it at your own speed. Overall, you generally want to play golf with confidence.

After the ball is hit, the follow-through stage consists of a continued rotation to the left. Swing slowly and steadily using a nice rhythm. The backswing is a rotation to the right, consisting of a shifting of the player’s body weight to the right side, a turning of the pelvis and shoulders, lifting of the arms and flexing of the elbows and wrists.

When you swing if you have problems with your left knee buckling, imagine you’re holding a soccer ball between your knees. Ask your golf pro to evaluate your posture while swinging. Trust your golf club to do the job it was intended to do.

The most important thing about the golf swing is the angle and not the strength that’s applied to it. One of the problems that most inexperienced golfers share is they think too much about their swing. Many golfers who are strongly left-handed in their daily life prefer the right-handed golf swing.

It’s difficult for a golfer to practice hitting shots longer than short pitch shots unless one pays to play golf or pays to practice at a driving range or indoor golf training facility. Putts and short chips are ideally played without much movement of the body, but most other golf shots are played using variants of the full golf swing.

Turn to golf exercise and techniques if you want strength and power. Using a weighted club, make rotational golf swings to improve your power. Using some simple tips, techniques and stretches, you can increase your drives by up to 20 yards– practically overnight.

Sporting goods stores have golf aids to improve your game. Look for golf swing aids at your local golf course. Most of all don’t waste your money on an aid you don’t need or will never use.

You can find aids that will help you with your wrist and arm position. Be careful about the claims on TV commercials and magazine ads; seek expert advice before you buy because they may not live up to their claims. Golf swing aids come in all shapes and sizes including apparel type accessories to correct alignment or a golf club add-on accessory to monitor your swing.

Overall, investing in golf swing aids will greatly improve your golf swing and your golf game. There are a wide range of aids on the market today to help the beginning and advanced golfer. There are aids that will help you with swing alignment. Aids are often for sale at your pro shop or local golf shop. Aids can be found online and are often cheaper.

Take as many private lessons as you can afford with a good golf pro. Find and use golf aids and golf swing aids that help improve your game. Get some golf DVDs and commit yourself to a time to practice what you learn.

Dawn

Rob asked:


Where do these golf shops order their inventory from?

Tara

Max Johnson asked:


You need an idea for a birthday golf gift for your spouse, boss or friend and have no idea where to begin. You can relax as we are going to steer you in the right direction and you will be able to find the perfect birthday golf gift for your golfer. We are going to give you a couple of hints to find out what they may want for their birthday.

One of the first places to go is the straight to the horse’s mouth and go to the golfer themselves. If you are also a golfer, you can do a little snooping around their golf bag as you play golf together. Do they have grooves on their wedges? Are they unhappy with their Driver?

If you know they are going to be purchasing a new set of golf clubs in the near future, you can get them a golf club fitting done by a certified club fitter in your area. If you are not a golfer you may need to be a little more direct and just ask them what they would like. If you are not comfortable with this, purchasing a gift certificate at their golf shop could be another idea.

Another great place to get ideas on what birthday golf gift your golfer would enjoy is to simply ask their golfing friends. The golfing buddies are the ones who get to hear all of the good and bad about your golfer’s game and should be able to fire off some suggestions for a birthday golf gift that will excite your golfer. Maybe a two or three day golf trip with their friends is the answer? It seems only fair that then you could take a two or three day trip of your choice! Oh wait, we are trying to find a birthday golf gift for them and not something for us. Time to get back on task.

One more good resource to find specific birthday golf gift ideas for your golfer would be to ask their golf professional. This is especially true if your golfer is taking lessons. Their golf professional should be able to give you a couple of creative ideas in various price ranges. The ideas could be a golf club or a golf practice aid that they have had their eye on in the golf shop. Typically, the golf professional would also be able to wrap and ship the birthday golf gift, if needed, making it a one stop shop.

Use the resources listed above, in an attempt to find the perfect birthday golf gift. Ask questions of their golf professional, the golfing buddies and the golfer themselves. Keep in mid that you can always purchase a gift certificate. This may be helpful if your golfer does not live in a close proximity to you.

The golfer could then use the funds to purchase or towards the purchase of something they would really want and properly fits them. In addition, it would save you the worry and time of trying to be perfect. With the gift certificate you know in the end they will receive the perfect birthday golf gift.

Jimmy

Pole Creek Golf asked:


Elevate your golf game and your spirit. Pole Creek Golf Club is everything a Colorado mountain golf course should be. Stunning alpine views, drastic elevation changes, cool clear mountain air and the right amount of quiet and solitude make Pole Creek a Colorado classic; a mountain course like no other.

Our patio is surrounded by dazzling perennial and annual flowers and has the best view in the county. Directly in front of the Club House, we offer excellent practice facilities with a Putting Green, Driving Range and Chipping Green.

The Club House at Pole Creek Golf Course

Club House Hours of Operation:

7:00am - 8:00pm

Serving Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Book your next tournament at Pole Creek and prepare to be awed by the Club’s alpine beauty and an expert staff experienced with operating smooth and fun events. We offer amenities and professional services sure to keep your guests happy and returning year-after-year.

Amenities:

• 27 Championship Holes

• On-Site Catering with Clubhouse and Beverage Cart Service

• PGA Certified Professional Staff

• Full-Service Tournament Organizing

• Practice Facilities include Grass Driving Range, Putting Green

• Separate Chipping Green with Sand Bunker

• Rental Clubs for Men, Women and Children

• Private Tented Area for Awards Party or Banquet

• Upper Deck Patio for Private Cocktail Parties

Professional Services

• Cart and Hole Assignments

• Handicapping

• List of Participants

• On-Course Events

• Personalized Local Rules Sheet

• Placement of Proximity Markers

• Registration Table Set-up with Optional Check-In Service

• Scoring Services

• Score Sheets

• Tournament Pairings

• Welcome Speech

Pole Creek Golf Club Awards

2006 – Zagat Survey – Best course to play in the Rocky Mountain Region including CO, ID, MT, NV, UT & WY.

2005 – Avid Golfer Magazine:

1. 5th best course to bring out of town guests

2. Best Finishing hole #9 Ridge

3. 2nd Place – Best Public Mountain Course

4. 3rd Place – Best Golf Course in the $50-$99 range

5. 4th Place – Most Scenic Course (public or Resort)

6. 3rd Place – Most underrated Golf Course (public or resort)

2004 – Denver Post, Colorado Peaks – Best Mountain Golf Course

2003 – Rocky Mountain News – Top Mountain Golf Course – Top of the Rockies Award

1995 – Golf Digest – Americas 500 best places you can play – Colorado #1 Pole Creek

1990 – Golf Digest – Americas Best 75 Public Golf Courses Pole Creek rated in the top 75

1988 – Golf Digest – Americas Best 75 Public Golf Courses Pole Creek rated in the top 50

1985 – Golf Digest – Best New Public Golf Course

Treat yourself to 27 holes of Classic Mountain Golf on three distinct courses: The Ranch , The Meadow and The Ridge (see descriptions below). Pole Creek’s Golf resort in Colorado was designed by Denis Griffiths, who incorporated existing lodgepole pine, valley meadows, sagebrush and a variety of water hazards including five lakes to create a diverse course appealing to a wide range of golfers.

The Ranch 9 and The Meadow 9 wander through lush fields, while The Ridge 9 showcases what golf pro JT Thompson calls “the most spectacular view in Colorado.”

Ranch

The Ranch has a variety of terrain, with Pole Creek meandering through the course. The Ridge has a serene setting with views that can only be described as breathtaking, combined with only two holes where players will be able to see other golfers.

Meadow

The Meadow is a nice blend of tree-lined and open holes that cross Pole Creek and two lakes several times. The Ranch has a variety of terrain, with Pole Creek meandering through the course.

Ridge

The Ridge has a serene setting with views that can only be described as breathtaking, combined with only two holes where players will be able to see other golfers.

For the non-golfer, Pole Creek is minutes from endless Rocky Mountain adventures. Enjoy white water rafting, hiking, fishing and boating, mountain biking, rodeo, horseback riding , or simply spend your day shopping, dining and relaxing. Colorado’s crown jewel, Rocky Mountain National Park is minutes away and Winter Park Resort offers fun for the whole family just 12 miles away.

Contact Pole Creek’s friendly staff for assistance with reserving tee times, planning a golf vacation, and organizing events, tournaments and weddings.

Pole Creek and Winter Park are located 67 miles from Denver. Take I-70 West to Exit 232 onto U.S. 40, then follow U.S. 40 to Winter Park. Pole Creek is 11 miles beyond the Town of Winter Park. Turn left at the 220 mile marker and follow the signs to the course where you can begin your Colorado Golf Vacation.

Frances

john asked:


I am sure Shankste is correct. I played with it on the Old Course this morning in a gale and it really worked well. Certainly worth every penny!

Lewis

Helen Hecker asked:


Even the guys who play golf for a living and get the best golf instruction in the world still struggle to improve their golf; and they practice each and every day! Many golfers play golf just to hack around and have some fun; more avid players are always looking for ways to improve their golf swing and their overall game. Most golfers don’t know that eighty percent of the world’s golfers have a handicap of 18 or more.

A common mental error golfers make when driving the ball is to hit it as hard as possible. Visualize where you would like the ball to land, as you swing. Overall, you generally want to play golf with confidence.

Trust your golf club to do the job it was intended to do. Standing over the ball for too long a time and wondering whether you’re going to swing the club correctly can easily result in a skewed shot, or completely missing the ball. Make sure to use the proper technique.

Putts and short chips are ideally played without much movement of the body, but most other golf shots are played using variants of the full golf swing. When you swing if you have problems with your left knee buckling, imagine you’re holding a soccer ball between your knees.

The backswing is a rotation to the right, consisting of a shifting of the player’s body weight to the right side, a turning of the pelvis and shoulders, lifting of the arms and flexing of the elbows and wrists.

Swing slowly and steadily using a nice rhythm. Pick out a spot on the course, preferably the green of the fairway, and concentrate on hitting the ball to that spot. Use the muscles in your legs and trunk when you swing.

At the end of a swing, the weight has shifted almost entirely to the left foot, the body is fully turned to the left and the hands are above the left shoulder with the club hanging down over the players’ back.

It’s difficult for a golfer to practice hitting shots longer than short pitch shots unless one pays to play golf or pays to practice at a driving range or indoor golf training facility.

Conditioning your golf muscles will reward you with straighter swings. Hold a medicine ball and turn back and forth; it must be rotational to improve your driving distance. Turn to golf exercise and techniques if you want strength and power.

Most of all don’t waste your money on a golf swing aid you don’t need or will never use. Golf aids are often for sale at your pro shop or local golf shop. Be careful about the claims on TV commercials and magazine ads; seek expert advice before you buy because they may not live up to their claims.

There are a wide range of golf swing aids on the market today to help the beginning and advanced golfer. Whether you’re a seasoned golfer or just starting out, pick just one golf swing aid and go to work on your swing. Keep in mind that with some golf swing aids, you may still need advice or help from an expert.

Golf swing aids come in all shapes and sizes including apparel type accessories to correct alignment or a golf club add-on accessory to monitor your swing. If you’re looking for an aid to improve your stance they’re not hard to find. Before buying any golf swing aid, check with an expert to get an idea of what problem you need to work on first; backlift of golf swing, momentum of downward thrust or stance for example.

Golf magazines often review the newest golf swing aids and are reviewed by golfers, making it easy to choose the right one for you. You can find golf swing aids that will help you with your wrist and arm position.

Take as many private lessons as you can afford with a good golf pro. Try to concentrate on one golf swing weakness at a time. Golfers can never get enough golf tips.

Regina

Ron Hel-Or asked:


One of the best ways to get better at your golfing skills, is to hire the training of a pro-golf trainer. If you’re anything like me, you’re a “do it on my own” king of person. But this is in many cases the wrong approach. A pro golfer can give you specific instruction and exercises that will help you improve a lot faster that you will on your own. It will also be a lot less painful.

So getting a golf pro to rain and instruct you on your golf swing is a great idea. Now, how do you go about finding just the right golf instructor?

There are a number of ways to do that. You can go to golf shops and look at ads or ask the shop keeper and other people who come to the shop. Another way is to go the country club or golf course and ask around. Don’t just go for the first instructor you meet, but examine a few of them. Try to watch them as they give lessons to other students, and than ask yourself - is this an instructor I would like to work with?

When hiring a golf instructor, it’s important you take a few lessons with them and ask yourself - do I have good communication with this gold pro? If you feel there remains a communication gap between two of you, there is no harm in parting ways and looking for a new gold instructor. Even your current pro may be able to make a recommendation if you just explain to him/her your difficulties in a polite and respectful manner.

When you do find a good instructor you want to work with, don’t make the mistake of thinking that you can have the perfect swing in just a few sessions. It takes a lot more than that to improve your game significantly. Every student has his/her own pace, and golf techniques take time to learn, and even more time to perfect. Always listen to your gold trainer, and don’t waste your and his time by neglecting to implement his instructions. Your instructor will also recommend additional practice time, and you will be wise to listed to this advice and take advantage of this.

If your gold pro does a good job, there is no harm in giving them a nice tip or bonus. It’s worthwhile to keep in mind that golf pro’s take much pride in their work and profession. They also have a lot of passion to the game and if you show similar passion and respect their skill, you will get a lot in return.

Doris

Golf Freak asked:


I am going to go there to ask them about some clubs. Do they know what they are talking about? Will they tell me the truth or just try to get the sale?

Dean

m.walk1 asked:


been learning golf, time to get my own clubs, need a good shop i think theres a store called golf pros that pretty good

Juan

Kim asked:


I’m here in the Plano Texas area for some contract work and left my discs at home. I want to go play this week and I’m looking for a disc golf shop. I figure locals may know. Thanks

Brenda