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Golf News Part 2 | November 10th, 2008

Golf Cart

This golfing gear keeps you out of the rough

It’s always golf season somewhere, so these goodies will always have a place in your bag:

1: This “Spectator” argyle vest is a golf fashion classic. $138 at www.peppermintpalm.com.

2: Golf belt by Ame & Lulu has space to carry three tees. $30 at www.ameandlulu.com.

3: Adidas women’s Torsion Euro II golf shoes have a two-year waterproof warranty. $110 at www.golfshoesplus.com.

4: Kali hybrid head cover and bamboo pink absorbent towel. $14.99 each at Golf Galaxy stores or www.golfgalaxy.com.

5: If you can’t wait for the 19th hole, take along the Lolita Purse Party, a four-ounce flask and a one-ounce martini glass. $29.95 at www.jurgeninc.com.

Crystal Announces Its First-Ever Asia Golf Itinerary

Luxury specialist Crystal Cruises is expanding its “Experiences of Discovery” Golf theme cruises into Asia, giving golf enthusiasts the rare opportunity to play at four world-renowned courses in Thailand and Vietnam. Guests will be able to sharpen their skills on board and ashore with instruction from a guest celebrity golfer and PGA golf pro. Crystal Symphony’s 11-day itinerary from Hong Kong to Singapore offers a roster of onboard lectures, clinics, contests and events, including the chance to win a free Crystal cruise.

Every detail of the Crystal Golf Program is arranged in six-star fashion, from onboard practice with TaylorMade equipment — the No. 1 driver on the PGA Tour — to cocktails, caddy and cart service on the greens. Complimentary cleaning and storage of golf clubs and golf shoes will be offered after each round.

Courses include:
* Vietnam Golf & Country Club, Ho Chi Minh City — The country’s first
36-hole golf club, widely regarded as the premier club in Vietnam;
* Burapha Golf, Bangkok — A 36-hole championship course set amid lakes,
hills and tropical vegetation;
* Laem Chabang International Country Club, Bangkok — Three distinct
nines: The Lakes, Mountain and Valley courses, each offering its
one-of-kind challenges, and
* Montgomerie, Da Nang, Vietnam — Asia’s first “Montgomerie”
branded golf set against the Marble Mountains and China Beach
coast.

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Couple takes shot at golf apparel, lessons

Tyler and Kelly Kangas invested about $200,000 to open Alternate Golf Shot at 4680 Cooper Road.

Co-owner Kelly Kangas says the 3,500-square-foot business will sell golf apparel for men, women and children. The apparel as well as golf shoes run from $40 to $350.

The store also sells name-brand equipment for all ages, including golf clubs, bags, travel bags, balls, gloves, caps and more. Those items can sell for $10 to $1,200.

The store includes a golf simulator that allows a person to play a virtual 18-hole round of golf on courses from around the world, including Pebble Beach and St. Andrews.

The golf simulator also can be used for game improvement, club fittings and video lessons.

Tyler Kangas, a professional golfer for 20 years, teaches 45-minute golf lessons that run $30-$55 for adults and $15-$35 for children.

Contact: 513-979-4395 or go to www.alternategolfshot.com

Golf Lesson

PGA and LPGA Professionals to offer help during PGA Free Lesson Month

People across the United States have an opportunity to improve their golf game throughout the month of May by participating in Play Golf America’s PGA Free Lesson Month.

As a part of the 11th annual event, thousands of PGA and LPGA Professionals at golf facilities across the nation will offer free, 10-minute golf lessons to new and existing golfers of all ages and skill levels. Launched in 1998 by The PGA of America and Golf Digest, PGA Free Lesson Month has provided more than 820,000 personal sessions for player development throughout the past 10 years.

Play Golf America’s PGA Free Lesson Month is designed to bring new people to the sport and help existing golfers improve their game with free instruction. Consumers can find updated lists of participating PGA and LPGA Professionals nearby by entering their zip code at PlayGolfAmerica.com.

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Golf Practice

Golf News November 11th, 2008

Callaway wins court order over golf ball patent

CARLSBAD, California: Callaway Golf said it has won a court order permanently halting sales of Acushnet Co.’s Titleist Pro V1 golf balls, which Callaway argued infringed on patents that it holds.

Acushnet said it will appeal the ruling, and has converted production of the golf balls so that they are outside the patents in question.

Callaway said late Monday that the U.S. District Court in Wilmington, Delaware, has granted the company’s request for a permanent injunction on sales of Acushnet’s current line of the Titleist Pro V1 balls, effective no later than Jan. 1. At Callaway’s request, professional golfers will be allowed to use the balls through the end of this year.

The court also rejected a request from Acushnet to overturn a jury’s December 2007 ruling in favor of Callaway in the patent dispute.

Golf Clubs

Celebrity Golfers play the green at Shell Landing

“The more putts you make the more fun you have,” joked Fred Hooter, a pro golfer from Louisiana.

His theory wouldn’t help anyone win an average round of golf, but today at Shell landing, the rules were different. The pros were taking advantage of a day where the competition was low, and the scores didn’t matter. It’s a drastic change from a regular tour, which ended Sunday.

“Today you get to have fun. When you’re playing for real it’s like your office. You don’t get to have any fun when you’re in your office and when your’e working,” said PGA pro golfer Woody Austin. “It’s very rare when you get to have fun when you’re working. But today its all about fun.”

Golf Swing Tips

Exclusive Yellowstone Club files for bankruptcy as Wall Street’s woes hit elite retreat

The Yellowstone Club, an exclusive mountain retreat for the ultra-rich, said it filed for bankruptcy Monday after failing to secure new financing — underscoring that even the elite can’t escape the country’s current economic troubles.

Spokesman Bill Keegan said the club filed for Chapter 11 protection in federal bankruptcy court in Montana. The move came just two months after the club announced an ambitious expansion plan through a partnership with the Arizona-based Discovery Land Company.

The gated, millionaires-only club on 13,400 acres in Montana’s Gallatin Mountains boasts a private ski hill and golf course. Opened in 1999, it counts former Vice President Dan Quayle and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates among its 340 members.

In a statement to The Associated Press, the club said it had been unable to secure financing arrangements with its creditors and bondholders. It plans to reorganize its finances and emerge from bankruptcy “as soon as possible,” the statement said.

Golf Pro Shop

The wise golfer will practice for accuracy first and concentrate on the distance once they have mastered the art of control.

It’s not much point hitting the big yards off the tee if the ball is going to end up on another fairway or in the rough.
All you will succeed in doing is make the following shots all the more difficult.

A drive down the center of the fairway, albeit a few meters shorter, will set you up for a better approach shot and a lower round score.

By playing with smaller, more controlled swings, you will gain control of your shots sooner and you will progress to the longer distances faster.
You will be learning correct techniques that will hold you in good steed for the rest of your playing career.

By developing accuracy first, you will also be lengthening the distance of your drives and will in fact hit the ball further.

By starting with smaller swings it will be easier to train your body to develop the correct actions, and these actions will always be needed when you progress to the longer drives.

As you master your swing, you can progress to a full swing knowing that you will have the control to hit the ball in the right direction.
This combination of correct action and a full swing will ensure you will hit the ball further than would be possible if you had only aimed for the big shots from the outset.
Visit Golf Tips for more information and some pointers on how to get the most out of your game.

The opposite is also true. If you don’t prepare properly to address the ball or your body is not correctly positioned, then the action that will follow is unlikely to bring the desired result on the fairway. Even worse, you could be leaving yourself open to injury because one or more muscle groups such as the shoulders or the ligaments of the knees are being asked to perform an unnatural movement and strain is being put upon them.

So posture is not only about maximising your technical ability but also is crucial in avoiding any physical stress or strain. Learning the hard way, or more likely the painful way, is not recommended.

As a simple routine to achieve correct posture, stand parallel to the line of the ball with your feet positioned directly below each of your shoulders. Take the club and hold it out straight in front of you and then slowly lower it, bending from the hips as it descends, until the club head is resting on the ground. It should be noted here that the action of bending is coming from the hips - on no account bend your back, rather it should be straight, providing a central line around which the rest of the upper body can manoeuvre smoothly and efficiently during the swing action.

Rock from side to side by shifting the weight from one foot to the other remembering to keep the back straight. Practice this until the position and swing feels natural. Learning the correct posture at the early stage of your golfing development will mean you can avoid the problems that can occur later in the life of the golfer because of poor posture.