Training for Golf, Golf Driver, Golf Irons, Taylor Made Golf, Golf Aids

Archive for the ‘Golf Aids’ Category

Golf technology seems to be springing up every where for practically every part of the golf game. Like all of the space age metals they use today to manufacture the golf heads of drivers, irons, and putters. That also includes the high-tech manufacturing of golf balls and especially with the new golf balls from TaylorMade.

Here are also the handheld GPS devices that have been around for a couple years to help in computing yardages on the golf course. These devices have been forbidden on the PGA and LPGA tours as well as in tournament play, but one such device has recently been given the nod. The SkyCaddie powered by SkyGolf’s advanced SG2 technology, gives you the same information that a Pro would receive from a top PGA TOUR Caddie all within the palm of your hand. The SkyCaddie was chosen by the PGA Learning Center and is the FIRST electronic measuring device approved for use during the Adams Golf Tight Lies Tour!

The SkyCaddie measures over hills and around obstacles. It calculates yardages up to 40 targets per hole in less than a second, automatically! No aiming, no missing. You don’t need a clear line of sight or reflective target with the SkyCaddie. Because the targets are pre-programmed, the SkyCaddie eliminates the need to aim through a lens, accidentally hitting the incorrect target on a hole, or trying to hit a pin with a laser beam at 200 yards.

It’ll be fascinating to see how long it will take for these devices to reach their way into the PGA and LPGA Tours. I don’t reckon they’ll replace the tour caddie, but rather grant them with all long overdue tool to aid the PGA or LPGA professional. Why not? All else about the game of golf has gone high-tech so why not include the SkyCaddie. The golfer still has to do the golf shot so it’s not taking anything away from the game. It may even speed up the game because the tour caddie won’t have to flip through their yardage book to estimate the yardage. They just need to pull out the SkyCaddie and have the right hole selected and they’ll be able to determine the yardage in seconds with a couple feet.

I reckon it would be fantastic for the game of golf to have a device like this because it would be helpful for all ages at all levels of play.

The modern golfing enthusiast is spoilt for choice when it comes to deciding which things to buy to include in his golf kit as here is such a wide array of specialized equipment for the beginner and the professional golfer today. Of course, what makes it vital to the scope of the game is that any golf accessories you invest in should have been used for some time in order for them to give the player the right results.

Starting with the golfer’s carry case, here are lots of other golfing accessories that one can bring along with him or her to the links above and beyond the various ways in which these can be transported to the golf course.

Some of the most practical solutions for transporting golfing accessories to the course are covered here and include portable, durable and even wheeled solutions to help out the leisure activity golfer.

Golf clubs are of course, the main equipment for any golfer and take up the main compartment in the golf bag, but here are usually other sections that are under-used, which can be ideally used for storing other helpful items. Some of these small extras include golf balls, tees, a compact club repair kit, some essential sunscreen protection, a basic first aid kit etc.

The above mentioned covers most of the typical eventualities for a golfing adventure, be it a week-end golfer or an enthusiastic beginner. Not only is a large-sized golf bag convenient for carrying all these knick-knacks but it will also have enough space left-over to stack items to share with friends, too.

Of course, just because you have an oversized golf bag, it doesn’t really mean you carry all you can along: it’s really not an invitation for lugging around all and the kitchen sink, now is it? Well, many public mistakenly reckon so and this can really wear you down when having to do without a caddy or helper. Though, apart from the above mentioned essentials for the golf-bag, you could also consider a golf-club cleaner, rags for bright up your equipment and depending on how many holes you intend playing, assorted golf kit basics.

Initially, this may seem a lot to carry for a day’s game, but once you filter through the worthless stuff and really focus on the essentials, you will find that having prioritized the stuff you need to carry, you will have increased your functionality on the golf course and eventually, boosted your productivity at the game.
Of course, some public may have a tough time figuring out what is essential and what is frivolous, but with time and a small forethought (above and beyond reading up tips like our ones or consulting with the pros and the instructors at the golf-course), this should come naturally enough to ensure a smooth and successful day of golfing. Above and beyond having the sense of assurance, the right knowledge of what to carry to the golf links will is a fact that will boost the confidence of the golfer above and beyond giving him or her enough motivation for improving the game.

In my work with athletes from many different sports representations here are some universal principles that apply to all sports. Some of the sports represented were amateur and national competitor figure skaters, gymnasts, tennis players, track and field contestants, amateur and professional hockey players, Olympic skiers, equestrians, golfers, swimmers and divers. The difficulty and stress that comes with any competitive sport can result in the undoing of whatever technical skill and even longevity of experience that an athlete might possess. The difficulty and stress of competition interferes with the mental and emotional controls necessary in order to compete satisfactorily. It can make an aura that makes the athlete lose track of the “game plot” that needs to be upheld in order to compete…in order to win.

The problem is no different for each and every competitive sport whether an individual sport such as tennis or figure skating or team sports such as hockey, baseball or football. The process of these factors interfering in an athlete’s performance is the same in all of them. If the competitor cannot control the stylishness in which they THINK, FEEL and ACT on the field of competition, something has to suffer. Essentially, the need to focus is a universal “given” in all sports. Without focus, all of the technical and practice training is for naught. When I watch sports, I try to watch the athlete’s eyes which tell me how competent he/she is to maintain focus in order to do their roles. Here is an element of predictability when and why an athlete loses that sense of control resulting in a missed play. Of course, here isn’t 100% accuracy all of the time and it’s not a gift that I possess. It’s a sense of the feel of an athlete’s performance, thinking processes and focus skill. Is it that predictable? I believe it is…yes. Here’s a sense that can be viewed through the athlete’s body language that “tells the report”.

A HOCKEY STORY:

I remember working with the Buffalo Sabres Hockey Team. Here were about eleven players who were being considered by their Coach of either being “benched” or traded if their play did not show improvement. I met with the whole team in the dressing room and clarified who I was and what I proposed to accomplish. We agreed that I would be able to work with the group of players both as a group as well as individuals. It was also agreed that I would to be able to observe the team in play from the Press Box.

In working with the players we went into several different aspects of what I call the Mental Side of their game. Their anxiety and fears around the possibility of their being “benched” resulting in problems focusing, the effects of their plight on their families, doubting their abilities, having lost the joy of having a “feel for the game”, thinking about what they were doing too much vs. their “instinctive play” were just some of the issues that were discussed. I trained them to use deep relaxation before every practice and game as well as some techniques to use on their way home after games or practices so that their relationships with their families would not be jeopardized. I worked with them primarily as a group and some players were seen individually over the period of twelve weeks.

One of the main characteristic features that was noted that tended to influence their play was a lack of passion and having fun for the game. They were able to go into a deep relaxed state and to “re-live” their playing “pond hockey” as kids. I sought after them to bring back all of the “excellent feelings” that the memory of those times held in order for them to re-experience that same sense of having fun. My contention is that “the greatest learning we experience is when we don’t know we’re learning and when we’re having fun©”. Overall, my observations showed that here was a significant improvement in their attitudes, play and general performance which was substantiated by their Coach.

THE STORY OF AN EQUESTRIAN:

An equestrian in her mid-twenties approached me after having spent a fantastic deal of money on technical training lessons to improve her riding because she was not placing as well in competitions as she or her coach believed she should. Upon talking with her and getting both personal and athletic histories, it became clear that her expectations of herself were making considerable anxiety which she was being transferred to her pony resulting in disruptions in what otherwise needed to be a natural flow of movement in order to perform with excellence in the ring. This pointed up the principle that an athlete’s mental state…in this case her anxiety level…can affect our bodies and even be transferred to others with whom we have contact. In this case it was a pony but I have evidenced the same thing occurring between humans as well.

After several sessions with her around teaching her how to use relaxation techniques which we designed just for her, in ten competitions, she placed first in seven and second in three of them. In addition to the success she experienced in the performance of her sport, she started to train herself to maintain more reasonable expectations of herself in living her life. She had attained more than she had hope for.

A “MANLY” GOLFER’S GRIP:

A competitive golfer came to me after spending considerable time taking lessons for a problem she was having with her putter in her inability to improve that part of her game. The problem was assessed by her professional coach as being in her grip resulting in buying new clubs, new grips and changing her putting grip. I questioned her to shake my hand and her grip was very firm…much like a man’s. I chastised her and said that she needed to be more “lady-like” and gentle. Naturally, she was insulted but I needed to get her attention because she was still on the track of needing more lessons and equipment. In talking with her I sensed that she loved taking risks and was a bit of a “daredevil” as well as someone who needed to be in control all of the time.

Once her attention was gained, I told her that I sought after her to give me a putting lesson on her home course. She thought this to be weird but complied because she was unusual as to what to expect and, certainly, she wasn’t going to let me “win”. In the lesson, she worked with my stance, head position, “reading” the conservational and, finally, my grip. I intentionally gripped the putter with a “death grip”. I told her that this grip always tended to assure that I was going to succeed. She questioned me to come undone it but I continued to ease up just a bit each time. She finished by chastising me indicating that I wasn’t interested to a necessary change. Clearly, she was very frustrated with me. I said that I was frustrated as well and questioned that she show me how to do it. I set up five golf balls at different locations and distances from the cup and told her that I would watch while she stroked each of them into the cup.

She started off gripping her club tightly as she usually did but, because she knew that I was watching intently and wouldn’t be place into a position of losing control, she started to relax so that by the fifth ball her grip, stroke, etc. was very relaxed. She missed three of the first five puts but fascinatingly holed the last two balls as her grip became naturally relaxed. She gave a huge smile when she finished and said, begrudgingly, “OK, I get the thought”. We did some more work in the personnel around the use of relaxation techniques previous to her putting. Later on in the season, she wrote me a note of thankfulness indicating that she will always remember me and that the techniques I taught her worked consistently.