Golf's Best Betting Games

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There are very few things in life better to me than a great day on a fun golf course with my closest friends. The camaraderie is truly what this game of golf is all about. The only thing that can make the day much better is a really good betting game, and of course collecting the $$$ and earning bragging rights!

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Golfers Beware!

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This picture was taken at Cordrays Meat Processing and Taxidermy in Charleston , South Carolina. This big daddy weighed 1,000 pounds and was 14 ft. long. I am sure many of you heard or read about the golfer in South carolina who recently lost his arm to a 10 foot alligator on Fripp Island, South Carolina. Here is the story:

BEAUFORT, S.C. -- Officials say an alligator bit off part of a golfer's arm as he leaned over to pick up his ball at a private South Carolina course.

Kate Hines with the Fripp Island Property Owners Association says the man was picking up his ball when a 10-foot alligator pulled him into a nearby pond.

The man's golf partners were able to free him. Workers from Tracks Wildlife Control in Beaufort killed the alligator and removed the man's arm in the hopes it might be reattached.

The man has not been identified. He was being treated at the Medical University of South Carolina, but officials there would not release any information about him.

Apparently he walked into the golf shop with his arm bundled up in towels and said, "I've really messed up now!"

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Chipping: One Method & Three Clubs

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Golfers love to chip with their favorite club. Regardless of what the shot or situation calls for the majority of golfers are going to use their 'go to' club. That is fine if you are a genius around the greens and have the talent and touch to create any shot with that one club, but I am sorry to say that there are very few golfers who can hit those shots and you are more than likely not one of them. There is an easier way.

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What a Pretty Golf Swing You Have!

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I find it interesting that there are so many instructors and golfers who are striving for what merely amounts to a good looking, pretty swing. Learn to impact the ball correctly, and it will go straighter and further more frequently--something every golfer wants in their golf game. I spoke with Ian Woosnam on the phone the other day for about 15 minutes discussing the importance of getting the club on the back of the ball correctly ( a long way to say: impact!) and here is what he had to say:

“Even as a youngster I focused on the strike. In fact I would go down to the beach and practice hitting the ball first and the ground second."

This is a quote from Conrad Ray, the Stanford University Golf Coach and one of the few people to ever win an NCAA Team title as a player and a coach:

"Understanding that the most important detail is "how the ball flies" not "how your swing looks" is essential at the collegiate level and for all golfers. Impact is the determining factor...." In looking at the three swings above notice how the club, arms and lower bodies are all in completely different positions. Why then are we all chasing our own tails by trying to get our swings to fit into this text-book "perfect" picture?

Forget form in the name of function; put substance over style; and start hitting the golf ball like never before!

I really do believe that “It’s All About Impact” is a book that will teach you how to strike the ball like never before without completely revamping your swing. Keep what you have, just make it work better.

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The Wildest Course on Earth...

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The Hans Merensky Golf Course in South Africa could well be the wildest course on earth. It is not unusual for a hole to be closed for the afternoon due to a pride of lions shading themselves under one of the many Acacia trees that line the fairways here. They even have a local rule that you can take free relief from animal droppings! The wildlife is always a part of the golf experience at Hans Merensky, but particularly during the drier, winter months, where elephants, several species of antelope, giraffe, warthogs and even the big cats can be spotted.

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Ben Hogan's Dynamic Golf Swing

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If you have been follwing this blog you more than likely have heard about the 84 degree secret. Let's take a look at how this line applies to the swing of Ben Hogan. It is important to remember that top golfers generally are flush up against the 84 degree line prior to any part of the body initiating the downswing. Some of the golfers are not necessarily all the way to the top of the backswing when they initiated a dynamic downswing, i.e. their hands and arms were actually still completing the backswing while their bodies (hips and legs) had already begun the downswing. Starting the lower body forward while the arms and club are still going backward creates energy or snap in the swing – just like when a whip is cracked.

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How About this Golf Shot?!

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It's not easy to make a golf ball do this!  The question is - are you mad at the result or happy with the result? Do you snap the flag or celebrate a near miss? I would love to hear how you would feel about this outcome. If you are doing this on a regular basis then you must be doing something  right through the impact zone.

Knocking Down Pins!

(Thanks to one of my students, Steve Southern for this little gem)

A few things to Ponder:

  • The golf ball spend 1/2000 of a second on the clubface during impact! So if you're a single figure handicap golfer and you play 250 rounds a year, the ball spent 1 second on your clubface.
  • Val Skinner interviewed Michelle Wie on the Golf Channel yesterday and asked her what her plan is for the weekend. Her response - "Well, I'm gonna hit lots of fairways, I'm gonna hit lots of greens and make lots of putts"....................followed by a long pause as Val waited for something deeper than that. Thanks for that insight into the mind of a tour golfer Michelle.
  • Alexis Thompson at 14 years old is in a tie for the lead at the LPGA event going into the weekend! She does not seem to be afraid of too much.
  • Is there a PGA Tour event this week or is the season over?

An Invitation to Africa

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If you havealways dreamt about a first-class safari in Africa then this is not an opportunity to be missed.

The upcoming adventure will take you to the Madikwe Game Reserve, where you will spend five luxurious nights at the renowned Makanyane Safari Lodge.

Past travellers have experienced up close and personal encounters with lions on the doorstep of their suite and elephants grazing in the camp! Don't worry though, you are completely safe. Our guests have even had the rare honor of seeing the complete "Big Five" - lion, leopard, elephant, Cape buffalo and rhino.

The setting, local cuisine and attention to detail from the staff are as epic as the game viewing.

Following these five memorable days we travel to what is arguably the world's most beautiful city - Cape Town! Here we stay at the five-star Table Bay Hotel located on the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront.

During your Cape Town stay you have the option to play three rounds of golf interspersed with shopping, sightseeing and a majestic trip up Table Mountain. Your travels will also include dining and wine-tasting at Ernie Els Winery and Boekenhoutskloof Winery - two of South Africa's premier wine estates.

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The Shoulder Pivot

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An important factor in getting the body into position for a great impact is the manner in which the shoulders pivot. Far too many golfers are trying to turn too much and get their lead shoulder behind the ball.

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Evidence of the 84 Degree Secret

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Perhaps two of the sweetest swings in all of golf - Mickey Wright (who gets my vote as the best swing of all time!) and a young Ernie Els. Both these golfers are at or approaching the top of the backswing. Notice how their right side is flush up against the 84 degree line.

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The 84 Degree Secret

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The manner in which the body works through the swing is integral to achieving a proper and productive impact position.In fact, body motion is the prime fundamental for striking a golf ball correctly.By pivoting and loading the body correctly in the backswing, you set off a chain reaction that automatically directs your body to where it should be at the moment of truth: impact!

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Swaying in the Golf Swing

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I have come to learn that golfers mean different things when they talk about a sway in the golf swing, but they can really only mean one of two options: a lateral slide or shift with the upper body, or the same move with the mid-section or lower body in the backswing. Both flaws will prove to be detrimental to quality golf shots.In studying greatest golfers in the game, it became quite clear that there are many different ways to position the arms and club face throughout the swing, but almost every great player pivots the body to the top in a similar fashion. The great news is: the better the body position, the better the arms and club face position. I have often seen a frustrated student, striving for the perfect plane or look to their swing, suddenly have tremendous success simply by improving their body motion.

Here are examples of the two most common errors in pivoting the body and interestingly, both mistakes involve lateral movement:

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Divots in Golf

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I believe that divots -- at least with irons -- are integral to great ball striking. It’s been my experience that most golfers are not aware of the importance of divots, or what a good divot should look like. Here is a detailed description of what makes up a proper divot:

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Putting with a Pop!

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I have always believed there should be a measure of “hit” in every putting stroke. In studying the top putters, it is uncanny how they seem to pop the ball off the center of the putter face; it’s almost as though they manage to compress the ball with the putter face. True, there is no divot involved (call me if there is - soon!), but there is definitely a louder and crisper impact sound when an expert putts the ball. Throughout the stroke, the putter seems to load in the backswing, lag in the transition, pop through the hit, and release into the follow through -- a similar motion to the one required to crack a whip, yet on a substantially smaller scale.

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Using Wedge Bounce Correctly

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For example: A club with ten degrees bounce will have a ten degree angle between the sole and the ground (barring any rounding of the sole). Notice how the back edge of the sole of the wedge rests on my finger, while the leading edge is slightly raised. Thanks to Gene Sarazen, who first invented bounce, irons have been built this way to deter the leading edge from shoveling or digging into the ground.

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Golf's Fundamentals: Ball Position

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Most of the greatest golfer's of all time used a wide range of ball positions, but it is amazing to me how few of them place their golf ball forward of the position recommended in this article. Start each shot with an eye towards impact (yes, even ball position helps!) and you too can enjoy more crisp and penetrating golf shots.

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The "YIPS" in Golf and How to Work Around Them!

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A yip is the brain responding to an adverse event. I believe it is just like a dog that has been beaten; every time anybody lifts a hand to the dog it will flinch and cower in response to the pain it is anticipating, but has not yet felt. And yips in golf is exactly the same way! The brain flinches at the expectation of a 'failed' outcome.

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Chipping Highs and Lows

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In order to be a better chipper you need to be flexible and play whatever shot the situation calls for. Some shots require a low releaser while others might call for a medium to high checker. Here are two simple shots that will help you "fit" into any situation you may encounter around the greens.

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