All About Golf

Golf accessories and equipment traditionally started out rather dull and boring with minimal experimentation when it came to colours and design. On the whole however, while there has been a significant degree of advancement, the vast majority of golf accessories and golf grips in shops can still primarily feature dull, plain colours such as black. The solution if you want more colour in your golf bag: shop online instead and find exactly what you want.

I am a relatively young golfer in that I am currently in my late 20s and have gotten to grips with the game over the past few years spent playing with friends. I have more money to pour into my equipment now so I can be more adventurous with my purchases. It had been a while since I had last replaced my golf grips and I have finally decided that now is the time to do so. When searching for new golf grips last week I became aware that Lamkin launched a new range which consisted of some bold colours including green, orange, red and blue. I will definitely be ordering some of these grips when I get paid at the end of the month – giving me just two weeks to side on which colour for which club!

Regardless of colour, the engineering that has gone into the new Lamkin golf grips appears to be incredible. What I was most interested in was the mention of a European range which is intended for players who need excellent feel and control and poor weather conditions – excellent considering I live in Scotland!

Last year I was fortunate enough to reach retirement age in May and was presented with the difficult task having to find activities to fill the days in what had been my longest summer in years. I had owned my own basic set of golf clubs for years but had always lacked the time, golf accessories, and good golf putters, needed to make any major improvement to my game. Spending a couple of days each week on the golf course I noticed the extra items available to the golfer who wished to potentially improve his game; so I decided to investigate!

Through browsing golf shops, both online and offline, I quickly bore witness to wide variety of useless golf accessories out there (presumably to be used as gifts for old codgers like me). After some browsing and witnessing other players on the course I decided to invest in a ball retriever and a putting gate. A further investment during my hunt for new golf gear was on a shiny new golf putter – I just couldn’t help myself.

So, armed with my new golf putter and putting gate I was able to improve my short game considerably by practicing at home. Additionally, the retriever I found to be particularly useful in terms of easing my back pain from being able to avoid bending over to pick up balls. There are a lot of golf accessories out there that won’t be of any use to you, so choose wisely if you want to enhance your game.

Did you know that the game of gold originated way back in the 15th century from the Kingdom of Fife in Scotland? No need for top-notch golf grips and the latest putters back then – this primitive game of golf was played using sticks and pebbles! Thank goodness the game developed throughout the 16th century with the popularity of the game reaching Mary Queen of Scots, otherwise golf as we know it nowadays may be a very different sport.

Being a massive golf fan, I love to hear about how this sport started with something as simple as pebbles and sticks then progressed to clubs with heads made of beech or even apple trees and shafts made of hazel or ash. The golf balls back in the day were made of feathers that had been tightly compressed and wrapped in horse hide – doesn’t sound too pretty! It still took ages for the world of golf to start using golf grips, though – in fact they didn’t hit production until 1925! That’s over 400 (or so!) years after golf was invented, and not even by the country that birthed the sport. Alas, I couldn’t find any information on the inventor but the very first manufacturer of golf grips was based in Chicago.

The golfers amongst you will know the importance of golf grips – imagine a time when you couldn’t get your hands round them! I’m not the only one whose swing would probably be affected, so I for one am extremely happy to have my grip of rubber, leather, cording and more!

China’s 13 year old golf prodigy, Guan Tianlang, is set to take on the US now. Not satisfied with being the youngest player in a European Tour event now he wants to play in the US Open. He is also set to smash the record for being the youngest golfer in the China Open- beating Lo Shih-kai’s record when he played in 2003 at 13 years and 280 days old. All this talk of teen golfers definitely made me pro-active in efforts to improve my golf play. If you want to up your game too, here are a few of the newest golf accessories I purchased to help improve my sweet spot and target practice.

The first golf accessory I had my eye on was one to help me find that sweet spot- the key to any great putting. There are lots of cheap sweet spot accessories and a simple bit of designed foam can really do the trick. You add this to the face of your putter and then when the ball hits the sweet spot in the centre it rolls perfectly; however of it hits the outer foam then there will be a different sound and the ball will roll slowly. This helps practice where you need to place the putter so you hit that sweet spot every time you play. It is also a pretty cheap option for those of you who want a training tool that doesn’t break the bank. Each foam attachment can be used several times and you normally get a few in each pack.

The other golf accessory I decide to invest in was a target circle. The name says it all really but I definitely found my close range putting and chipping dramatically improved after a few practices with the target circles. They are bright colours so you can see them easily and get used to gaging the swing, speed and direction you should be putting in a real golf tournament or round.

There is a lot of essential elements to a golfers game, anyone who has learned to play will know all of the little adjustments that need to be made to perfect the swing. Then there is putting too, and that’s before we start talking about all the different elements of the club that need to marry up to its holder to make sure that right combination of accuracy in power is transferred down the golfers arms to the golf clubs face. Golf Grips may be one of the most important elements in making sure this transfer takes place.

Golf grips ensure a golfer keeps a good grip on the club. Simple it may seem, as to let go of the club and see it fly through the air after the ball is a real rookie error. However even the slightest movement of the club in the golfer hands will affect where the ball ends up. Dirt, sweat, simply pressure that leads to wear and tear will wear down the golfers clubs and make it harder to grip tightly and securely.

This is why it is important to make sure all your clubs are gripped correctly and the grip is maintained continuously to ensure it doesn’t mean that the perfect swing begins to decline through no fault of the golfer’s technique. It doesn’t matter if you grip the club like a vice, it will eventually wear down and you will find games you could have won, literally slipping through your fingers, if you don’t make sure to maintain your grips.

Golf is a popular sport, and while simply having a set of clubs and a ball may be enough for some, others have recognised areas of the experience that can be improved. From this they have developed a range of accessories, from the simple things like score cards, to the more extravagant golf carts.

Scorecards, pens and even bead counters to help keep a more accurate score are some of the more obvious and simple things to improve a round of Golf Accessories. However there are other simple things to carry which will help. A towel or a brush is useful in wet weather to remove mud from your clubs. Mud on the club will give a poor contact between club and ball, meaning an inferior club head performance. Cleaner clubs are better clubs, and there are a variety of things such as rain covers for your bag or head-covers to ensure clubs stay dry and clean.

There are more complicated solutions to improving the round too. High technology can be used to improve your range on the drive. A range of scope and GPS devices can help you measure precisely the distance to the hole. Scopes allow you to see the flag more easily and judge the distance yourself, while more complicated devices will use lasers to actually pinpoint exactly how far away the hole is.

There are so many ways to improve the golf experience, especially in the poorer weather, so make sure you investigate which accessories will improve your round.

A man who claimed more than £12,000 in disability benefits, despite having claimed it took him two minutes to walk ten yards, told a trial that pain killers and an electric golf trolley were crucial in allowing him to play golf. Robert Cave also claimed that he had a degenerative condition in his elbow, which was causing it to crumble and preventing him from seeking employment.

This defence against accusations of benefit fraud, despite the remarkable range of medication and electric golf trolleys available, has not held up under the scrutiny of Judge Andrew Hamilton, who branded the case one of the worst cases of benefit fraud he had seen. Cave, 50, was caught on camera playing a round of golf on a 3.8 mile course. An admirable effort as some quick maths tells me that walking between the holes on this course would have taken Cave more than 22 hours to complete a single round, if taken at the pace stated of 10 yards every 2 minutes. That’s not even considering the effort made for each swing of the club with damaged elbows at the 72 par course plus his 15 handicap equals 88 swings.

Cave’s 15 handicap is an impressive achievement for any player, never mind one that takes more nearly 24 hours to play a course, has crumbling elbows and takes 10-15 minutes to get out of bed because of his condition. The mounting evidence from the video clearly suggests otherwise: Cave simply takes 15 -20 minutes to get out of bed because he is lazy.

Putting is the most precise part of golf and therefore requires concentration, a steady hand and a lot of practice. To ensure you become one of the best golf putters at your green, it is important to make the most of your practice time, which is why there are many handy training aids to improve your putting game.

One of the most important elements of a good putting stroke is hitting the ball with the sweet spot of the club. The ‘Eyeline Sweet Spot 360’ is used to improve putting by reinforcing when the sweet spot of the club has been hit. Hit the sweet spot and you will hear the familiar sound of a good contact with the ball, and a perfect roll will follow. Miss it however, and the foam parts of the club face dull the sound, and the shot is less accurate. There are also a variety of putters which come with a curved face for practice, which skews the shot at an odd angle if the sweet spot is missed.

The ‘Yes Railmeter Training Aid’ helps improve the accuracy of a putters shot. When standing square with the rail, try to play a completely straight shot along the rail. A simple and effective way to play shots straight. Gamola Golf also stocks a number of putters with advanced technology for competitive use on the green. Many clubs from ‘Yes! Golf’ and ‘Benross golf’ feature grooves that help increase top spin on the ball which helps the accuracy of the shot.

For those new to golf, or those who need to update their full set of clubs, be sure to check out the Golf Package Set from Masters Golf. Masters Golf is the biggest golf brand in Europe, having sold more golf equipment than any other brands with a perfect mix of quality and value. For anyone needing to buy a range of clubs to get them round the golf course, Masters have created two easy to use package sets which cater to the need of novices and pros alike.

The Masters Men’s Golf Package Set MC-Z150 costs just £136.99 from online golf retailers, saving you 9% on the RRP. For this fantastic price you get a comprehensive starter range of clubs from Irons 6 to the Sand Wedge, an Oversize High Launch Driver, a Hybrid 24º and a putter. These clubs are available in either stainless steel or graphite, and come with a deluxe 9” Cart Bag or Stand bag and head covers.

The MC-Z350 package comprises a greater number of woods than the Z150 package, with the Oversize High Launch Driver accompanied by a Fairway number 5 and Hybrids 4 and 5. Stainless Steel Cavity Back Irons from number 6 to the Sand Wedge are also in the package which comes to £172.99. Head covers for all woods and a 9″ Cart bag or 8.5″ Stand Bag is also part of this fantastic offer.

Both sets are available in left handed versions. For all you need to get yourself to the green, look no further than a Masters Golf Package Set.

With Rory McIlroy rising to the top of the World rankings at the age of just 22 with victory in the Honda Classic, inevitably there were going to be comparisons with Tiger Woods, who achieved the same feat one year younger. However there are more than just the pairs’ achievements at relative ages to compare between the two. The pair employ the same golf grip, and comparisons between the mentality and style of both players have also been debated.

Both McIlroy and Woods use the interlocking golf grip, which is somewhat rare on the tour, behind the overlapping and light golf grips. However the style of their swing is quite different, with McIlroy more elegant, and Woods generating more power. Another important factor is mentality. Woods is famous for his self –belief which borders on arrogance. However McIlroy proved fallible to pressure in the 2011 Masters where he blew a four stroke lead. McIlroy has spoken about becoming more arrogant on the green, and his recent achievements show that this is an area he has improved.

The two are also gaining media attention for the women in their lives. Tiger, infamously of course after coming clean to the media about a string of affairs, while Rory McIlroy is dating former Womens number one tennis player Caroline Wozniacki. However this media intrusion shows what most drives the comparisons are the media. Ever since Woods’ fall from grace they have been looking for a new Tiger. In pure ability terms they may have one.