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And besides, wouldn’t a golf coach take away all the fun of the game and make the whole thing too serious to call a leisure activity anymore?

These are some of the many concerns amateur golfers have whenever the idea of a golf coach is suggested to them. Genuine concerns but mostly outdated because the modern game has changed a lot and continue to change.

One of the most distinct changes witnessed in the game is the wide acceptance of golf coaches, exercises and muscle conditioning programs in a sport that has for generations been viewed as a leisure sport with no room for any sort of exercising or muscle strengthening programs.

Has your golf game been getting just a little too frustrating in recent times? Have you been suffering many more humiliating defeats than is the case ordinarily?

Then there is the increasing possibility that you are playing against people who are involved in exercise programs and have a personal golf coach who has been helping them work on improvements in their game.

How can you possibly compete with a golfer who has such a huge advantage over you?

How can you ever hope to enjoy your game of golf the way you used to in the days when a golf coach was a strange and uncommon phrase in the game?

Probably the biggest advantage of having a golf coach is that they are able to specifically work on your weaknesses using golf specific exercise programs to strengthen the muscles that are critical for you to play a good round of golf.

A golf coach will also help you avoid some of the common but painful and disruptive injuries of the game like the golfer elbow.

They will help you avoid them by getting you to warm up properly before a round of gold and do stretches that will help you tone up to tip-top condition for your game. What’s more, is that there is no age limit in the golfers opting to get a golf coach to help them with their physicals.

Even senior citizens are able to successfully implement the exercise programs into their game. In fact some have been able to get rid of nagging back injuries for good.

Do seriously consider engaging a golf coach.]]>

But the first thing you need to consider when looking into hiring a golf fitness coach or program is the trainers experience in golf. Yes…that is high on the list of requirements. Does he/she know golf? Do they know the biomechanics of the golf swing? How about muscle function during the golf swing?

An easy test is during the initial interview or if you’re researching it online is to either ask very golf specific swing technique questions; or take a look at the information on the website. You’ll find out real quick if this person or program can help your golf swing, game and health.

A golf fitness coach or program should incorporate strength, flexibility, endurance, body awareness, balance, stability and even a nutrition component.

It’s easy for a trainer to have a strength component…but is it specific to golf? A quick test. Take a look at some of the exercises. Are any of them on seated machines for instance? If they are…run! This is NOT a golf fitness coach and/or program. This is considered ‘general fitness’.

Now stretching. There are dozens of stretches for all people. But take a look at some of them. Do they even remotely look like they will benefit your golf swing? Stretches involving trunk flexibility; lower back; hamstring; and even shoulders specific to the mechanics of the swing are what you want. General stretches are better than nothing, but will delay your results. You want specific stretches.

Body awareness. Does any of the exercises resemble golf positions or phases of the swing? Do they look like you would be on your feet and in your golf posture? As stated above, if they are seated on machines, your body will learn nothing in regards to your golf swing. Training your body specific to golf incorporates positions almost identical to what your body would be in during any part of the golf swing.

Stability. Training your body to improve stability in your swing can get a little complex if you really want to see results. The swing happens at between 80-100 miles an hour. One of the biggest flaws of amateur golfers is moving in their golf swing. Moving either laterally (sliding), vertically (up and done) or both. This is death to your golf swing. To improve your stability involves specific strength drills most trainers don’t even know about.

I could go on-and-on about the requirements of a golf fitness coach or program. It is critical you make the right decision. I have heard horror stories of golfers working with ‘so-called’ golf fitness experts and their game getting worse. With the proper research this won’t happen to you. So definitely consider a golf fitness coach.]]>

This truth is obvious when you take a closer look at the lower body golf swing. During the backswing, the feet, knee and hamstring muscles are extremely important. The rest of the lower body golf swing movement will usually require a lot of participation of the hip and lower back.

Thus no good golf exercise program designed to improve the golf swing will avoid the lower back. In fact some golfers are puzzled at first when they see some of the golf specific exercises which concentrate on the hamstring and lower parts of the body. They may initially feel that too much emphasis is being placed on this lower part of the body. Actually too much emphasis can hardly be placed on the lower body when it comes to the golf swing. This is because that is precisely where most of the golf swings happen.

In the past, even when golfers though of a little exercise, their emphasis was always on the upper part of the body, rather than on the lower body, when thinking about improving their golf swing. Times have changed and today every genuine golf exercise program will usually place a lot of importance and emphasis on the muscles on the lower body for the sake of the golf swing.

These lower body golf swing exercises will involve both stretching exercises as well as strength-building exercises that will usually involve weight training. A good program should include a wide range of different exercise and you should also be able to use various golf aid gadgets to correct weaknesses in your golf swing.

By strengthening your lower body golf swing you will always feel more confident and better prepared to perform a more powerful golf swing.]]>

The golf swing is the essence of the golf game and therefore it would not be a bad idea to get even two golf training aids that are specific to your swing fault.

The golf training aid that I have found to be very effective is the weighted club. This is a very golf-specific golf training aid as you go through the exact same motions you do with an ordinary club but with more weight. This greatly helps in strengthening and conditioning all the relevant muscles.

The inside approach is another great golf training aid to help improve any golf swing. This particular device is extremely useful for slicers and helps deal with this problem fairly quickly.

Another golf training aid is exercise tubing, which is very affordable and yet very effective. The strength of this device is in its’ ability to break down the golf swing into as many different phases as you would like to focus on for the sake of improvements. It offers specific resistance training for each phase.

A stability ball is a golf training aid than any golfer with a bad back should have. There are almost countless different stretch exercises that you can with it. And what makes this golf training aid even more attractive is the fact that you can do your exercises in the office or at home when you have a moment.

A simple p[air of dumbbells can be a golf training aid that is very useful to any golfer. They are usually very portable and there are many exercises that can be done with hand weights.

Use of a golf training aids all boils down to the golfer knowing exactly what they are doing when using it.]]>

The book leapt into the news in early 2005 when a rare first edition sold at auction for more than $2,000.

The strangest thing about the book is that it is not a work of science fiction, as we would generally understand the term, nor some obscure tract of religious prophecy. Instead it’s a novel about, of all things, golf.

Written by a 19th-century professional Scottish golfer named J. (or Jay) McCullough, about whom very little is known, “Golf in the Year 2000; or, What We Are Coming To” also predicted the advent of golf carts and international golf competitions.

Published under McCollough’s pseudonym, J.A.C.K., the book chronicles the tale of a character named Alexander J. Gibson who falls into a near-comatose state on March 24, 1892. He awakens 108 years later (on March 25, 2000) into a world, where, among other things, women dress like men, run businesses and hold most of the top government positions.

Gibson also learns, to his considerable delight, that women do all the work in this evolved society while the men play golf full time. Upon being informed of this fact, he cries out that it’s “the dream of my former existence come true! I am, indeed, a lucky man to see it. … The world is evidently getting things ship-shape. … Oh, how I would like to wake up some of my old chums. I know a few who would appreciate the arrangement.”

But Gibson finds that his beloved golf has changed radically, too. He has to adjust to the existence of driverless golf carts, golf clubs that automatically register their user’s score and jackets that yell “Fore!” whenever the golfer begins to swing. He finds the jackets to be particularly grating, but it’s the rule at every club in Britain: you can’t play unless
you’re wearing one.

He also gets to watch — via a television-like device that works through an elaborate mirror arrangement — a golf competition between Britain and the United States, much like the Ryder Cup (an event which did not begin until 1927).

And, he learns that wars have ceased, at least among the European powers, because international disputes are now settled by … golf matches.

One thing about golf hasn’t changed, Gibson reflects following a round of golf in which he emerges the victor–and has to listen to his defeated opponent grousing about bad luck. “The same old excuses, I thought. Among all those inventions, surely they might have got something new in that line.”

The main character’s adventures in the year 2000 also include taking a ride in an underground tubular railway, which people familiarly call the “tub,” and reading about a new London-to-New York speed record of two hours and 32 minutes, which is achieved by a bullet-type train traveling beneath the Atlantic Ocean.

Little things, too, amaze him: He no longer has to shave every day; instead, he brushes a miraculous preparation of some sort over his cheeks once a week and this is sufficient to keep down his beard. Similarly, he uses a hairbrush that keeps his hair at the length of his choosing, so he never needs to visit the barber (which is good, since barbers no longer exist).

The appeal of “Golf in the Year 2000″ is perhaps stronger today than it was when it was first published. Golfing fans, as could be expected, enjoy it for its wry commentary on the sport as practiced in the 19th century and in
the “future” (our present) as imagined by a contemporary of H.G. Wells, who was also writing speculative fiction about things to come. General readers have fallen in love with it, too. Not only is it fun to go through it tallying up author McCullough’s hits and misses on the predictive front, the book radiates a kind of Victorian charm that is reminiscent of a Sherlock Holmes story.

Now, the world is rediscovering this little literary fantasy.

In January of 2005, news services reported that an American collector named James Espinola had paid $2,240 at auction for a rare first edition of “Golf in the Year 2000″. Although Espinola is said to be in the process of selling off his own huge collection of golf memorabilia, he was quoted as explaining that he can’t resist buying the occasional “odd thing” at auction–and this was one of those things.

The Edinburgh, Scotland, auction house of Lyon and Trumbull had guessed that the book would fetch less than a quarter of what it ended up bringing. The auctioneers’ golf specialist was quoted as saying that the final price “took us a bit by surprise.”

Although original editions of the book are extremely rare, it has occasionally been reprinted in facsimile editions from time to time. No one thought to make it available to the vast audiences of the World Wide Web, though, until recently.

On February 26, 2005, a little over a month following the news about the auctioned first edition, “Golf in the Year 2000″ made its debut on the Web. The full text of this odd and
engaging book is finally available for anyone, anywhere to read–without charge.

At the end of the book, the main character declares that he does not intend to wake up and find himself back in 1892 again, and that his amazing adventure was all a dream. “No, no; I’m in 2000, and in 2000 I mean to stay.” Like
him, the tale of his adventure seems to have found a secure place in our time.]]>

There are actually three segments to the golf swing. The segments are the backswing, the downswing and finally the impact and follow through.

Dividing the swing into these 3 segments helps to apply every individual golf swing instruction or tip to the particular segments where they apply. It also helps the golfer focus on one segment at a time in their golf swing instruction making it easier for them to remember what they learn and also to be able to work on improving their game systematically.

There is another bigger advantage to this approach. And that is the ability to be able to draw ones attention to the many different parts of the body and the many muscles involved in a proper golf swing. This is important in helping a golfer involved in a golf exercise program to be able to appreciate the different exercises they do in the program and what particular muscles the exercises focus on.

All this makes it a lot easier for any golfer to link their exercises to golf swing instructions they receive as they seek to improve on their game.

Actually it is not possible to divorce the basics of golf swing instruction from golf specific exercises. The two go together and chances of improving your game improve dramatically when you combine the two. On the other hand progress is bound to be much slower when you work on golf swing instruction only.]]>

Probably the biggest thing that we all dislike when we creep into our thirties and forties is the extra poundage (i.e. weight) we tend to put on. (It is also a lot harder to take off when we get older.) Unfortunately, because our metabolism slows down, we are unable to pound down a burger, fries, and a couple of cokes without the bathroom scale hitting “tilt” a few days later. In my mind, that probably is the most difficult adjustment we have to make: an adjustment in our nutrition intake as we age.

The second most noticeable difference as we age, especially for the more active individual, is it becomes a little more difficult to get out of bed. The back is a little sore, the knees are a little creaky, and, if you workout, the soreness does not go away as quickly. This is a result of a few things that happen to our bodies when we get older. Number one is we lose a percentage of our muscle mass on a yearly basis. After the age of 25 (don’t quote me on the specifics, but I believe) about 1% of your muscle mass is lost per year. Makes sense now why we get a little sorer and getting out of bed is more difficult. We simply do not have as much muscle to do the work.

I could go on and on with the depressing facts of aging, but let us look at just one more before moving on. As you get older you become less flexible. It takes you a lot longer to “limber up” for any sporting activity: golf, tennis, or a pick up game of basketball. Less flexibility predisposes you to experience more difficulty with certain movements: touching your toes, rotating during a golf swing, or even reaching down to pick something up off the ground. Why does this occur? Our bodies, as a result of wear and tear, become more “tight” and “wound up” as we get older.

So there you have it! Some of the great things to look forward to as you get older (kidding of course). So if you’re in your twenties and you’re reading this article, “enjoy it while it lasts,” because the road gets a little more difficult to travel as you get older. But, if you’re beyond your twenties, I am sure you can relate to the general results of aging in relation to your golf game. Quite simply, extra pounds decrease your stamina (and may affect your swing plane). Less muscle equals less distance off the tee, and decreased flexibility tends to make the turn in the golf swing much harder to perform. An unfortunate situation, but the good news is that we can slow down the aging process and limit the effects of aging on your golf game.

Slowing Down the Aging Process for the Golf Swing

I have given you a little “carrot of information” that we can slow down the aging process. How do we do it? It is actually quite simple and only requires a little time out of each day (15-20 minutes) and a little discipline. Sounds pretty easy when you think of all the benefits you stand to gain. What we are going to do is provide you some answers on how to slow down the aging process. Remember we can’t stop the aging process, but we can sure slow it down. The benefits of slowing down the aging process are evident when you see guys in their 50’s winning tour events. It just takes a little time, some knowledge, and discipline. If you are saying, “I don’t have the time,” let me ask you one question: How would you like to feel 10 years younger right now and hit the ball farther then you did in your twenties? I imagine the answer to both of those questions would be a resounding yes!

Let us start with the first topic that we described when you get older, the additional pounds. Unfortunately, as you age your metabolism slows down. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the word metabolism, think of it as your own internal furnace. It is the rate at which you burn fuel (food is fuel to the human body). When we are younger we tend have faster metabolisms, and as we get older they slow down. (I know it is a bummer.) Well, let me tell you, there are activities to speed that metabolism back up. The way to do it is by performing some fitness activities. If you are active and participate in some type of structured activity your body will burn more fuel and elevate its metabolism during this time. In addition, if these activities are resistance-training activities (i.e. weights, tubing, light dumbbells, body weight), then over time you will build some muscle. The great thing about that is the more muscle you have the higher your metabolism will be all the time (translation: you will burn more fuel all day and night). A secondary benefit of such activities will be greater stamina on the course. So rather than “spraying your shots” around on the back nine because you’re tired, you can have pinpoint accuracy going into the 18th.

Moving on to our second point, the loss of muscle mass as you age, this one is a tough one to swallow. Just think, we actually LOSE muscle as we age. Pretty depressing. The good news is it can be limited or stopped. Before I give you the solution, let’s look at how this affects your golf swing. Essentially, in the golf swing you create club head speed. That club head speed is the result of creating rotational power, which we define as torque. To create torque, the muscles of the body have to be flexible, strong, and powerful. Now guess what? If you have less muscle, what do you think is going to happen to your power outputs and club head speed? The answer is they will decrease. No wonder they make senior shafts with a lot of flex. This is the golf manufacturers’ attempt to deal with this problem. It helps to a point, but we have a better solution. How about putting something in your bag that makes you stronger, improves your power, and gets back that lost distance? Sounds good? Well, it can be done if you implement a golf-specific strength-training program. You can get back that lost muscle mass, get back that power, and improve your driving distance. This is what we call the development of “golf strength,” and it can be done with a program that takes a total of 15 minutes a day!

Finally, moving on to the flexibility issue, our bodies lose flexibility as we age. Flexibility is a must when it comes to the golf swing. Here is what happens when you do not “work” on your flexibility. A loss of flexibility in the golf swing limits the ability of the body to perform the correct actions to create the proper swing. Essentially, your body won’t allow you to take the club back and through on the correct swing path. This leads to miss hits, slices, hooks, and a whole bunch of other shots that are very unpleasant. So how do we fix this problem or not allow it to become a problem? The answer is to implement a golf-specific flexibility program. This again requires a daily commitment, but the time frame is very little (say 5 minutes a day). So again, ask yourself: Is it worth spending 5 minutes a day on flexibility to have the golf swing you would like? I bet most of you would answer yes.

The Magic Pill

Well, there you have the pleasures, displeasure, joys, and sorrows of the aging process. We all get older, but there are things we can do to prevent the displeasures and sorrows. If we take a little time every day and perform the proper exercises and activities, we can reduce the effects of aging and have a great swing for as long as we like. That’s the only magic pill we know of. If you would like more information on this subject and how to go about improving your golf fitness, take a look at our web site at www.bioforcegolf.com.]]>

First, you need to know what makes up a set of clubs? Well there are four main parts to a set of clubs: Woods, Irons, Wedges, and a Putter. These days you also have the Hybrid Clubs. These are a cross between irons and woods. People who have trouble hitting their long irons, such as a 2 or 3 iron, tend to use these types of clubs instead. You are allowed up to 14 clubs in your bag and they can be in just about any combination you want. For example, in my bag I carry a Driver, a 4 wood, 3 thru 9 irons, pitching wedge, gap wedge, sand wedge, lob wedge and a putter. This arrangement of clubs fits my game and the types of courses I usually play.

Next, what options are out there when buying a set of golf clubs? To start out with you can buy new or used. Used can be a money saver over new, but can also come with some inherent problems, such as, worn grips, cracked shafts and other problems. When you are buying a first set, these are not things you want to deal with. So, I would recommend going the new route.

Now that you have decided on purchasing new clubs, the next option is buying a complete set or putting one together. Putting a set together yourself will be the more expensive option over buying a complete set. Also, getting a complete set takes much of the hassle and intimidation out of the decision making process.

As a beginner, you should buy a complete starter set. This will usually include a Driver, 3 wood, 5 wood, 3 thru 9 irons, a pitching wedge and a putter. Some may even include a sand wedge and a golf bag. This is only 11 or 12 clubs you say! What else should I get? Don’t worry about this now. As you improve then you can think about adding another wedge, a 2 iron or a hybrid of some sort. Until then you are just wasting your money. You would be better off spending your coin on some lessons and improving your swing. Remember, expensive clubs won’t help you play any better. Why spend $300.00 on a Driver when you can spend less than that and get everything you need to play except golf balls in one package. A complete set is a great way to save some money in the beginning, since you’re going to be spending enough cash replacing a lot of those lost golf balls.]]>

# It is always better to give personal items as birthday gifts rather than decorative pieces and kitchen appliances. There is nothing wrong with them per se. It is just that kitchenware and wall hangings can be gifted on so many other occasions like wedding anniversaries, Christmas and New Year.
# Personalized items are a rage today. What is so special about it is that any item that you would like to gift can be personalized. Right from pillows to golf balls, you can get them branded with the name of the person whom you want to give the gift. You can also personalize gift-wrappings and boxes.
# Gift baskets make good birthday gifts. Mainly because a gift basket can be an assortment of a number of items. Readymade gift baskets are available in plenty. However, you can make your very own basket and pile in all the items of your as well as their liking.
# Greeting cards and flowers can accompany your gift to make it all the more special. They can’t be deemed as gifts. They are primarily used to greet or wish a person well.
# Gifts for her can include jewelry and jewelry boxes, perfumes, scented candles, bags of all shapes and textures, soft toys (especially cuddly teddy bears), wristwatch, make-up kit, cosmetics and evening wear.
# Gifts for him can include electronic goods, sporting goods, musical instruments apart from clothing, wristwatch and perfume.
# Children can be given chocolate boxes, candy bar packets, game sets and CDs and all kinds of sporting goods, toys and clothing.
# Books are perfect gift birthday gifts for people of all ages. However, they should be selected keeping in mind the age and preference of the person concerned.
# To stand out, make sure your gift is wrapped in a classy yet attractive manner.
# Make sure the gifts items you select for babies do not have any sharp edges.]]>

Headlines such as “Gym Teachers First to Get Crunched Out of School Budgets” are constantly in the news. From Maryland to Hawaii, physical education classes are either being cut, replaced by noninstructional recess periods, taught by teachers without P.E. backgrounds or “updated” to include seated, sedentary lessons previously taught in classrooms.

In an effort to fill the growing P.E. void, Field Trip Factory — a pioneer producer of community-based educational programs — recruited The Sports Authority (TSA) to help schools teach children about healthy lifestyles. TSA readily agreed to sponsor the program as an extension of its “Get Out and Play” corporate mission. Two years ago, the partnership announced the “Be A Sports Authority” field trip, written and produced by Field Trip Factory in accordance with National Learning Standards, hosted and staffed by TSA, and offered to schools free of charge.

In response to overwhelming teacher demand, The Sports Authority has doubled its offerings to serve twice as many communities as before. Currently the field trip is offered in 30 states at more than 200 locations.

“The field trip emphasizes the importance of physical activity and staying fit at an early age,” says Susan Singer, founder and President of Field Trip Factory. Children are introduced to many sports they may never have considered and/or had the opportunity to try. They work out with instructors, do jumping jacks, shoot hoops, sink golf putts, etc., while learning how the heart functions, how to keep their hearts healthy, and how different forms of exercise (aerobic vs. strength training) impact the heart. Throughout the field trip, children work in teams learning the value of rules, good sportsmanship and teamwork.

Safety is another important lesson written into the field trip, and for very good reason. According to the Centers for Disease Control, during the 12 months ending June 2001, nearly 2 million kids 14 and under were treated in emergency rooms for sports and recreation injuries. During the fitness program, students are taught how to fit helmets, shin guards and wrist guards for maximum protection. Adult leaders properly outfitted in safety gear send powerful “safety is smart” messages to young athletes. Children are also shown how to carry their backpacks to prevent back and shoulder injuries.

For more information about “Be A Sports Authority” or to schedule a field trip for Pre-K through 8th grade school classes or Scout troops call (800) 987-6409 or visit www.fieldtripfactory.com.

Courtesy of ARA Content]]>