Golf Ezine

Golf Bags: What To Choose

chazzero — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 10:52:40 +0000

By Robert Thatcher

Your golf bag is a piece of golf accessory that allows you to carry all your other equipment with you such as the clubs, tees, markers, and perhaps an umbrella or towel. This piece of equipment doesn’t necessarily have direct effects on your game but may have great influence on your overall game, comfort and fatigue level.

There are two major things that may affect your choice of golf bag- the gears that you will put into the bag and the way you will carry the bag. Are you making use of a caddie or a golf cart?

To these, there are basically three kinds of golf bags: the staff bag or the tour bag the travel or carry bag and the cart bag.

The staff bag or tour bags. The largest selection of golf bags is staff or the tour bags. They are readily equipped with enough storage space for 14 standard golf clubs and have rooms for other golf equipments that are necessary during the games. Most professional golfers use this type of golf bags as they always have caddies with them. So they may often choose to bring as much equipments as they prefer. Good staff bags are generally made of leather and other premium materials and are relatively highly priced.

Travel or carry bags. If smaller bags appeal to you and you are thinking of carrying your own bag, you may chose to have the travel or the carry bag. Though they may vary in different forms and sizes, they are rather smaller than the other golf bags. They are designed purposely to make room for the basic golf equipments such as limited number of golf clubs, other small accessories and a number of golf balls. There are also specialized carry bags for junior golf players.

The majority of travel bags are made of plastic, nylon and other lighter materials. There are carry bags that have added features that may expand the ease of use. Many are equipped with straps, others appear with stands. These stands allow players to get their clubs easily.

Cart golf bags. These are relatively smaller than the tour bags. However, using this kind of golf bag may require the help of a cart or caddie since it is more bulky than most tour bags. As the name suggests, cart bags are designed exactly to be used by golf carts. These have lesser pockets and are generally made of light materials.

Things to consider when choosing golf bags

- Given that you have a caddie with you, the size and weight of the golf bag may not necessarily bother you, unless it has become too heavy for your caddie. The weight specially won’t matter if you are using a golf cart. However, if you intend to walk around the golf course while carrying your bag then it would be most ideal for you to choose the not-so-heavy bag that may contain all the equipments you need without being bulky. The most ideal in this case is the carry bag with a stand.

- The first question that would probably arise is ” how much the bag will be”. Like with most things, the more money your pocket may allow you, the more features you may get. You may buy golf bags for as low as $40 however, prices may reach up to $500. If your budget is limited, it is best to stick with a golf bag that has more features than what its price may earlier suggest. Finding for such may be a painstaking task but it will after all be for good.

- It is relatively important to take note of the feature of the bag. If you are normally carrying lot of equipments during your game, it is recommended for you to buy a bag that has many side pockets. However, if you prefer to bring along the most basic gears, lots of pockets may not necessarily be of the initial requirements.

As mentioned in the beginning of this article, golf bags don’t have direct effects on the outcome of the games. It is not bad though to get some of the life’s pleasures.

Robert Thatcher is a freelance publisher based in Cupertino, California. He publishes articles and reports in various ezines and provides golf bag resources on href=”http://www.your-golf-bag.info”>http://www.your-golf-bag.info

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robert_Thatcher

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The Basics Of Buying Golf Gloves

chazzero — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 10:22:56 +0000

By Chad Hoffmann

Maintaining a solid grip on a golf club can be difficult. Between the motion of the swing and the impact of the club hitting the ball, it is easy for the club to slightly twist or shift. The slight slip or twist on your hand will change the alignment of the club face to the golf ball, often causing a slice or a hook. Wearing golf gloves can create a more stable grip and consequently a more stable swing.

The most common material for a golf glove is leather. Leather offers a great grip and feels like a second skin. Leather is moisture resistant and will stay soft if it is properly cared for. Leather does have a tendency to stretch, so make sure to buy a glove that fits snugly.

Synthetic gloves are generally lightweight, breathable and stretch to conform to the hand. This allows a great range of motion. Synthetic gloves tend to be more durable than leather gloves. Many manufacturers are now using a combination of leather and synthetic materials, with the synthetic material being used on the areas that get the most motion, like the knuckle joints. This combines the feel of leather and the added flexibility and durability of synthetics.

All-weather gloves are geared to those that often play in humid and wet conditions. They are generally made of a light synthetic material that actually grips better with more moisture. There are also specialty winter gloves that allow a golfer to play in those colder conditions. The glove allows flexibility while maintaining heat in the hands.

Most gloves, of all types, will have moisture-wicking properties, and will often have mesh on the back to allow more comfort and “breathability”

While gloves could be worn on both hands, typically they are worn on just one. If you are right- handed, you would want to wear a glove on your left hand. If you are left-handed, the glove should be worn on your right hand.

Gloves should fit your hands well. Golf gloves are manufactured in a wide array of sizes, and as of yet, there is no proper “one size fits all”. Try on many types of gloves. It should feel as if you are not wearing a glove. There should be no pinch-points and your hand should have a full range of motion. If your hand goes numb during play, your gloves are likely too small. If your glove is too large, your hand may shift in the glove, thus voiding the advantage of a more stable grip that gloves offer.

The last consideration should be color and style. With close to a hundred different brands and colors, there should not be a problem finding a pair of gloves to match any equipment or attire.

Chad Hoffmann is co-founder of Custom-Golf-Clubs.com; a sight devoted to golf equipment. More about this article is found at Custom-Golf-Clubs.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chad_Hoffmann

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Recycled Golf Balls

chazzero — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 07:43:29 +0000

By Josh Riverside

Recycled golf balls simply put are the used balls salvaged from golf courses. Recycling has become a buzzword with growing awareness and concern about environmental issues that plague our planet today. It appears as if the trend has made its way to the game of golf too. Golfers these days use imprinted and customized golf balls that are difficult to loose.

After a day at the course, a golfer often carries back with him the same number of balls he started out with. The days, when golf balls were left at the course after a session, are slowly coming to an end, with majority of the golfers today hunting out their balls prior to leaving. Even the balls used for tournaments and important games are collected and sold at lower rates. Amateurs take to these recycled balls like fish to water as these deliver great performance at reasonable prices. The cheap balls that today have flooded the market are poor competition for these recycled balls. The cheap ones definitely come for less when compared to recycled balls but do not have the quality of the latter.

A lot of used of recycled ball dealers are abound in the market today. The balls that they collect, recycle and sell are first cleaned and then graded according to their condition, thereby, a price is ascertained. When making a purchase of recycled balls, it is advisable to check the balls personally and not to rely on the word of the sellers. Also, dealers and sellers with expertise and repute must be sought after. Besides, only trusted Internet sites may be used for transactions involving recycled golf balls. Another note of caution would be to look up different sellers and compare the various prices before placing a final order.

Golf Balls provides detailed information on Golf Balls, Used Golf Balls, Golf Ball Logos, Golf Ball Reviews and more. Golf Balls is affiliated with Discount Golf Clubs.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Josh_Riverside

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Are New Irons In Your Future?

chazzero — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 08:17:16 +0000

By Jack Moorehouse

The hybrid is THE club of the last decade. It’s become so popular that most golfers have one in their bags. In fact, almost every student I give golf lessons to has one. Some even have two. If they don’t, I advise them to get one. The hybrid is among the most versatile of all clubs. It’s ideal for a wide variety of shots and is shorter and easier to hit than longer irons. In the hands of a good player, the hybrid cuts strokes from a golf handicap.

While chopping strokes off one’s handicap is driving the hybrid’s popularity, the real key to success is finding one that’s right for you. Generally, golfers buy hybrids “off the rack” from a Dick’s or a Golfers Warehouse. But the hybrid is so much in demand these days that manufacturers are now offering iron sets with hybrids integrated into them. So what’s better? Buying one off the rack or buying a set of irons with an integrated hybrid? That depends.

Eliminate Yardage Gaps
Most golfers who have a hybrid bought them separately from either a local sporting goods store or a golfer’s warehouse. To make it work, they added it to their bag and dropped their 3-iron and 4-iron. In buying the club, they probably gave no thought to whether the hybrid fits into their iron set or not. If the club felt good in their hands, they bought it. While this approach is cost-effective, it may not be the best way of buying a hybrid.

The key to a good set of irons is eliminating yardage gaps and tailoring the set to your game. Buying a club separately from a sporting good’s store doesn’t always help with either of those things. As one golf magazine points out, “buying a club because its loft seems to be next in line with your iron set isn’t the best way of eliminating yardage gaps in the set.” The goal is to assemble a set that builds “a consistency of gapping and trajectory by using all the variables at your disposal.”

The problem is that weekend golfers don’t look at things the same way as manufacturers do when it comes to golf clubs. Weekend golfers, as I’ve mentioned in my golf tips, often neglect key factors, like face consideration (the distance between the club’s leading edge and the shaft axis) and shaft weight, that can dramatically impact how they play. In other words, they forget to make sure the club matches the others in their set. That opens them up to potential yardage gaps. What’s more, differences between clubs are sometimes subtle. These differences have to be accounted for as well. For example, one manufacturer’s shaft lengths are an eighth of an inch longer than the traditional half-inch found on most iron sets. This design, the manufacturer feels, provides a better approach to eliminating yardage gaps for golfers with high golf handicaps than traditional irons. Adding a hybrid to this set, even if it’s from the same manufacturer, may not account for these subtleties. With an integrated set, the manufacturer automatically accounts for them in production.

Buying An Integrated Set
To get the most out of an integrated hybrid set, you have to make some hard decisions, like what type of player you are, before buying. Most integrated iron sets are made for weekend golfers with high golf handicaps. That means they’re game improvement clubs. However, more and more sets are being made for players with mid- and even low golf handicaps. These sets lack the design advantages found in sets designed for players with higher handicaps that can radically affect your play. In other words, don’t buy a set of irons designed for a low handicapper, if you have a high golf handicap.

Hybrids Benefit All
Nevertheless, hybrids are great clubs. A recent study done by a manufacturer indicates that a hybrid benefits everyone. The study shows that even scratch golfers hit 3-iron lofted hybrids as much as seven yards father than a conventional 3-iron. The mid-handicappers hit a hybrid farther and cleaner than their 3-irons and 4-irons. And the high handicappers saw benefits in the 3-iron, 4-iron, and 5-iron range.

But you need to find a hybrid that’s right for you to get the full benefit. So what do you do if you want to buy a hybrid? If you have the time and interest in searching for a hybrid that matches up with the rest of your set in terms of feel weight, length, and distance, you can probably get a good deal on one. If you don’t have the time or interest, you may be better buying an irons set with an integrated hybrid. Either way, make sure whatever you buy fits your game.

Jack Moorehouse is the author of the best-selling book “How To Break 80 And Shoot Like The Pros.” He is NOT a golf pro, rather a working man that has helped thousands of golfers from all seven continents lower their handicap immediately. He has a free weekly newsletter with the latest golf tips, golf lessons and golf instruction.

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