Archive for December, 2013
Garmin Approach S1 GPS Watch
- December 30, 2013, 8:08 pm
- Matt
- In Golf Clubs
Have you ever wished you could have a caddy at your beckon call like the guys on Tour? While that might be a pipe dream, you can have the yardage to the green available to you as quickly as you look at your watch. How? The Garmin Approach S1 GPS Watch is a regular, fully-functioning wrist watch that just so happens to also have built-in GPS capability to provide you with yardages on thousands of golf courses. With this watch on your wrist, you can simply walk up to your ball, take a quick glance down, pick the right club, and get ready to fire at the pin.
What It Does
The Garmin Approach S1 contains many different functions – and each user will find various uses and benefits from each of them. If you want to use it as a regular wrist watch when you are not on the golf course, this unit is more than up to the task. It looks as good as any other sports wristwatch and includes all of the standard information such as time, date, etc. When you get out onto the course, however, is when the Approach S1 really starts to show its muscle. It can provide you with distances to the front, middle, and back of the green on the whole you are playing without having to push a button. It will automatically transition to the next hole as your round progresses, and you can measure the distance of your last shot as well.
Why You Would Want It
Getting an accurate yardage is a key component to playing good golf and lowering your scores. It is amazing how many golfers go to great lengths to improve their swings, purchase expensive equipment, and do everything else possible to play better – but then don’t bother to carefully calculate their yardage. Without knowing the exact numbers to the front of the green and the hole specifically, you can’t properly plan your shots and make the most of your abilities. While the Garmin Approach S1 is not the only yardage measuring device on the market, it is certainly one of the most convenient. You don’t have to track down a unit out of your golf bag or the cart – it is already attached to your wrist.
A Side Benefit
Everyone knows that slow play is a problem that plagues golf courses everywhere. Finding and calculating yardages is one of the biggest time wasters on the course, so having access to the yardage right on your wrist will make you one of the faster players on the course. If more players adopt this kind of technology and are able to get their yardage as soon as they reach the ball, the pace of play on golf courses everywhere seems sure to improve. Adding the Garmin Approach S1 GPS Watch to your golf equipment will not only allow you to
SKLZ Launch Pad All Purpose Hitting Mat
- December 14, 2013, 8:08 pm
- Matt
- In Accessories
Golf is a game of repeating the same skills over and over again. The best golfers in the world are able to not only hit great shots, but hit them time and time again, even under pressure. How to they develop that skill? Practice, plain and simple. Doing the repetition to hit the right shots at the right time is the only way to get to the top. While you might not be headed to the PGA Tour, you can always improve your game. And that starts by practicing more than you have before.
Convenience is the Key
As a non-professional golfer, you have real-world responsibilities that go beyond working on your golf game. When your busy schedule interferes with practice time, you have to find a way to make it more convenient and less time consuming. That is where the SKLZ Launch Pad All Purpose Hitting Mat comes in handy. When you can practice in your yard, in your garage, or other places away from the course, you will be much more likely to do so on a regular basis. The SKLZ Launch Pad can be put into use anywhere, has both fairway and rough height surfaces, a built-in tee hole, and is made of heavy duty material.
All-Around Practice
It isn’t just one area of your game that needs practice on a regular basis to improve. You need to work on your driver swing, iron swing, chipping, and more to get the scores you are hoping for. If you add the SKLZ Launch Pad to your practice routine, you will only need some plastic golf balls and a hitting net to be able to put in good work on a regular basis. Find a space around the house that is big enough for full swings and set up your mat and net for quick practice sessions whenever you have a few minutes.
Does Hitting in to a Net Really Help?
Yes! This is one of the most common misunderstandings among golfers. Many players think that if they aren’t hitting the ball out on the range, or the course, that they really won’t be able to get better. That is simply not true. Half of the battle when it comes to the golf swing is making clean contact with the ball at the bottom of the swing. Whether you are hitting a real shot on the course, or a plastic ball into a net in your garage, good contact is good contact. You will be able to feel how your swing is performing even without seeing the full ball flight. Once you head back to the course, your swing will feel more natural and you can expect better results almost immediately.
The SKLZ Launch Pad is small enough to be convenient, but large enough to serve all of your practicing needs. Whether you want to hit full shots off of fairway or rough lies, or hit chip shots into your net, the sky is the limit to your practice
Odyssey Tank #1 Putter
- December 7, 2013, 8:08 pm
- Matt
- In Golf Clubs
In the near future, long putters that are attached to your body in some way, either belly or chest, are going to be against the rules of golf. If you currently putt with that style, you will have to find a new method if you wish to play within the rules. However, that doesn’t mean you have to move down to a standard putter of 33” to 35”. In fact, club makers have already started to adjust and create putters that fill the need they expect from former belly or long putter users. These putters, sometimes called ‘alternative’ putters, are long enough to stand upright while using them, but short enough to not be anchored into your body.
The Odyssey Tank #1
One such putter is the Tank #1 from popular putter-maker Odyssey. This putter has a very traditional shape and look, however it is much heavier than a regular putter and is offered in both 38” and 40” models. Depending on your height and preferred stance, both of those lengths could work for you in terms of a putter that allows you to stand upright and make a stroke. One of the biggest benefits of this putter is you won’t have to get used to any crazy-looking head designs or anything else – it is a traditional putter in an un-traditional length.
Proven White Hot Pro Insert
One of the things that has made the Odyssey line so popular is the White Hot insert that is found in most of their putters. This insert gives the player a firm feel while still grabbing the ball and starting it rolling, instead of skidding, right off the putter face. Unlike other inserts which can be soft and ‘bouncy’, the White Hot insert has been enjoyed by players of all skill levels thanks to its consistency and firmness. If you have normally looked past insert putters in favor of a solid-milled putter, you might want to at least give this one a try.
Great for Back Problems
Even if you are already happy with your putting performance with a standard length putter, a 38” or 40” putter still has benefits. One of the biggest benefits is what it can do for your back health out on the course. Bending over at the waist to putt, both during the round and during practice, can be tiring on your back and may eventually take a toll. Using a longer putter to stand upright during your putting stroke might just be the change you need to relieve pressure and stay healthy over time.
Putting is the most important part of lowering your scores. If you are ever going to reach the handicap goals that you have set for yourself, you will want to do everything you can to improve your putting consistency. By eliminating three-putt greens and making a few more 10 footers, you will be amazed at how soon you can seen your
Posfit Sona Golf Swing Fitness Trainer
- December 1, 2013, 8:08 pm
- Matt
- In Golf Clubs
The one aspect of improving on the golf course that most players overlook is fitness. While you don’t have to run or just to play good golf, you do need to maintain a level of fitness in your muscles to be able to produce good swings over the period of 18 holes. If your muscles are out of shape, or you are inflexible in certain key areas, you will have trouble getting good distance, making consistent swings, and lowering your scores. There are many products on the market today that specialize in improving your golf-specific fitness, and each of them go about it in a different manner.
The Sona Fitness Trainer
The best way to think about the Sona Fitness trainer is like an advanced, golf-focused medicine ball. This product comes in both 6lb. and 8lb. versions, so you can pick the one that will work best for you. Most of the focus around golf fitness is relating to your ability to rotate back and through during the swing. The muscles that control the core of your body are the target of any golf exercise. These muscles need to be strong but flexible so you can make a full turn and unleash that energy into the golf ball.
What sets this product apart is that it is not simply just a medicine ball for you to swing back and forth. There is a built-in Swing Place Guide System intended to help you work on the plane of your swing while also improving fitness and conditioning. There are thumb placement point located on the ball so you can take a proper grip each and every time. The two halves of the ball are also different colors to make sure you are releasing the hands properly through the swing. When you are able to make repeated training swings with your Sona Golf Fitness Trainer, you will be that much closer to having success out on the course.
Not Just About Strength
One mistake that golfers make is thinking training and exercise is only about getting stronger and adding yards. If they are happy with their distance as is, they will neglect golf-specific exercises. The important point here is that golf exercise will not only help to add yards, but also prevent injury. In a repetitive stress game such as golf, injuries are common – especially to the back. Nothing will knock you off the course longer than a back injury, so train your body for the course so you can keep playing as the years go by.
Thanks to the included instructional DVD, anyone can use the Sona Golf Swing Fitness Trainer. Consistent use of the trainer will help to add distance, improve strength, and prevent injury. Any product like this one should always be used exactly as intended with careful attention being paid to the directions. Rather than spending extra hours out pounding balls on the range, investing some time in your golf-related fitness can pay off big time in the way of lower scores and more enjoyable days on the course.