Golf shoe choices

We all know that walking round a golf course can be hard work, 4 hours of trudging after a ball can really take it out of your feet. All the more reason to ensure we have a good pair of golf shoes on our feet! In recent years manufacturers have made a lot of technical advances and there is such a wide range of golf shoes available. Today’s shoes really are game improving with advances in sole design, spike effectiveness, waterproofing, breathability and weight and that doesn’t take into account the look of the golf shoes.

So what to look for when you are buying a pair of shoes, well the main things to look out for and compare are; comfort, style, waterproofing, breathability, traction and price.

Most golf shoes are made of leather and this is probably the best material to choose, leather provides a stretch free waterproof shoe. You normally get a guarantee of water resistance with the shoe to give you some reassurance that it will do the job for which it is intended. The only down side to leather is that it isn’t the cheapest material out there but as always you pay for what you get and it is worth paying that little extra.

Within the shoe there will be a waterproof liner and if you can get one with Gortex than all the better though there are other options that may be as good. Most of these materials will be breathable and waterproof to ensure you are comfortable in both hot weather and wet weather.

So you have decided on a breathable, waterproof shoe, now the hard bit, style. There are so many out there it is frightening. Different colours, different designs so which to choose? Well really it depends on your personal taste you can go for a classic look, one that looks like a trainer or a brogue or go for something a little different like a golf sandal or a golf boot. Yes I said it a golf sandal and a golf boot! Golf has become so much about the look and the design of your outfit that almost anything is possible to get these days. Golf sandals have made an impact as players look to find a lightweight shoe that isn’t as restrictive or as hot as a traditional golf shoe. The open toes make them cool in summer and because of they use less material they can be cheaper. Golf boots are rarer but are available non-the-less, they are designed to look like hiking boots or even wellies and offer the best waterproofing. The downside is they cost more as they use thick waterproofing material.

Best idea is to visit an online golf shop like www.golfonline.co.uk and have a good look through all the options before making a purchase or even two if you want a summer and winter shoe.

An assessment of Golf Bags

We all know there are literally thousands of different types, colours and makes of golf bags available from various manufacturers such as Nike, Callaway, Ping, Ogio, Srixon and Sun Mountain amongst others. The only problem is which one to choose!

Well the first thing to decide is what you are looking for in a golf bag.

If you’re a walker and like to enjoy the game at its most basic level as well as getting the most beneficial exercise then probably a carry bag would be the best choice. They are really lightweight these days and are big enough to carry all your clubs, balls and clothing. Nearly all of these carry bags come with a stand that keeps your bag off the wet turf and lets you get easy access to your clubs.

These days so many more people have trolleys, especially electric golf trolleys so a cart bag is probably the most popular type of bag used on the golf course. They are a bit too bulky to carry but fit on a trolley. The main advantage of the bag is that it is a lot bigger than a carry bag and you can store all sorts of things in the bag and this will cover all eventualities.

The third and biggest option in bags is a staff bag but these are really only used by professionals or very serious players. This allows them to carry everything imaginable that they could conceivably need during a round a golf. They are so large and heavy they will only ever be carried on a trolley or a caddie.

All of these golf bags are available in different shapes and sizes so can be suitable for ladies or juniors as well as men.

The best place to shop for golf bags is online in just a few seconds you could be analysing a choice of hundreds of golf bags mostly priced very reasonably. You can also find reviews to hear others opinions on your chosen bag.

Golf Shoes – do you really need them?

Golf is known as a game of refinement and discipline in terms of golf equipment, practice and even dress code; golf is about standards and we should all work hard to maintain these refinements. Sometimes golf shoes and other golf accessories are even more important than the game itself because golf is also about how you look as much as how you play. Everyone seems to be fighting over the new golf apparel. I think in the past  this was just for the look but now all the clothing you can get will have a purpose; shirts will be breathable and take moisture away from your skin, shoes will offer more protection in the wet and better grip and gloves will be built for more comfort and grip in all types of weather. You will not find a single player playing golf in slippery shoes because everyone is trying to look good and improve their game. Golf shoes are important not only for the rules or the refinement of the game but it is important for your body comfort also. If you want to play the best golf you possibly can then you need comfort to enable you to walk the 18 holes and you need golf shoes that will ensure you do not slip when playing your shots. Golf shoes of many styles to suit you and with many features are now available online for amazing prices that anyone can afford.

Now, you do not have to have golf shoes to play golf and there are very few golf courses that will require you to wear golf shoes, however they are designed to keep your feet from sliding around during the golf swing and can be a great tool in producing your best golf.

Over the years golf shoes have come a long way, stylistically; it used to be you had a choice of a few colours and they all had that silly frilly flap over the laces and indeed if that is your thing you can still get these retro shoes. These days golf shoes now come in numerous styles and colours and can look like normal brogues or trainers so you can choose any style you wish.

If you do not have golf shoes or simply cannot afford some or have just started the game and want to try it out before you spend your hard earned cash wear the pair of shoes with the most grip you can find, otherwise you may slip all over the place and this can result in a number of mishit shots.

Checking your Golf Equipment

There are two aspects to a great golf shot your swing and your golf equipment. You can go on forever blaming your bad shots and miss-hits on your swing but maybe your equipment is not up to scratch or does not suit you. Sometimes no matter how much time and effort you have put in practicing and perfecting your swing, you still won’t be able to control the ball how you would like to or hit it quite as far as your playing partners. Maybe this is down to defective or unsuitable equipment. If this is the case it is high time you checked on the suitability of your golf equipment.

If you are a beginner then there are loads of clubs that certainly will not suit you. You need game improving golf clubs that help you with off centre hits and aid with getting the ball airborne.  The club head, the shaft and the grips are all integral parts of the golf club that need to fit with your swing and ability before finding a place in your bag.

If you have older or used clubs then a good place to start is the grip. As the only point of contact between the golfer and his clubs, the grip is a frequently overlooked. Before getting your clubs re-gripped check your hand size and the diameter of the grip. Grips can be available in a few sizes so be sure to get one that works for you and use only the best re-gripping materials that will provide optimum performance for your golf clubs.

The next thing to look at with your golf clubs is do they fit? Ill fitting clubs can cause all manner of inconsistencies with your ball striking. You must consider your body shape and swing before knowing what clubs will suit best to ensure the club head is delivered to the ball effectively. Custom golf club fitting can make sense but the cost can be prohibitive for many, this will cater for your uniqueness though if your playing for fun off  the shelf clubs will normally suffice, just make sure you have the correct shafts and length (if you are particularly tall). It may be that you can go through the fitting service and get your requirements before going off and buying your perfect clubs, perhaps off  the internet. Be open to suggestions and don’t buy what is fashionable or what the local pro uses, if you’re suited by steel shafts get them, if you need a flexible shaft get that.

One last tip is to make sure you carry all 14 golf clubs you are allowed to carry. Why waste any advantage you can have, if you can fit an extra wedge in your bag or a rescue club then take it why wouldn’t you?

Ensuring you have the right golf equipment in your bag will make certain that you give yourself the best chance of success with the swing you have and you will become the best golfer you can be. Not everyone can be as good as Tiger Woods but as long as you play to your optimum level you will be a happy golfer.

Fairway Woods

These days most golfers tend to focus on their drivers and putters and this is certainly where most of the advertising by golf companies is aimed but we should not forget the traditional fairway wood. Drivers are known as number 1 woods and fairway woods start at a number 2, they have been known to go all the way up to a number 15. In the modern game fairway woods numbered 3 and 5 are by far the most popular. These typical clubs will have a loft of circa 15° and 19° respectively. Some players opt for long irons instead of fairway woods although for the same loft the wood will normally hit the ball further as the head of the club has more mass. Fairway woods are known as being easier to hit than irons as they don’t get snarled up in longer grass and are less prone to twisting however long irons can be more easily controlled and shaped by better players.

The name fairway wood suggests that they are mainly used on the fairways and this is true but they are also used off the tee, especially the 3 wood for greater accuracy. Because the shaft is shorter than a driver they are more controllable so where the hole is particularly tight with say trees down both sides a 3 wood may be used to ensure the second shot is made easier.

As with most golf clubs, the general rule of thumb is the more spend the better product you get, but this isn’t always the case. The best advice is to read through as many reviews as you can and talk to your friends see what works for them. Then buy the best club you can afford that you think would suit your golf swing. When you buying fairway woods you will come across many technical terms, a few of which i will explain here to help your choice of club:

Moment of Inertia (MOI): This deals with the amount of twisting at the point of impact with your golf ball. A golf club with a high MOI will twist less during a mis-hit which will mean your golf ball has a much better chance of going in the direction it was intended and with the added benefit of not losing too much distance.

Centre of Gravity (CoG): After many years of research, golf club manufacturers found that placing the centre of gravity of a golf club low in the club face and also far away back from the club face enabled the club to easily get the ball in the air. As soon as clubs were manufactured in this way average golfers all over the world benefitted from more consistency in getting their golf balls airborne and setting them off on a good trajectory.
Perimeter Weighting: when golf club manufacturers place weight around the perimeter of the clubhead it heightens MOI, giving you the benefits outlined above.

For more information on fairway woods and to view a great range visit www.golfonline.co.uk where quality and great prices meet

Professional Golfers and Twitter

For those of you that are really into golf it is interesting to know what some professionals are up to. I have found that twitter can provide a useful and rather interesting insight into their daily routines and thoughts. Twitter is a series of mini blogs with regular updates of up to 140 characters. Some professionals ‘tweet’ regularly and you can see what they are doing with new golf equipment or how they are feeling in the run up to, and indeed in, competitions.

I started my blog about 6 months ago and already have 216 followers and follow 318 people. Each day I try to post a little something to keep my followers updated on my thoughts about products and offers as well as some small personal musings. If I have a particularly good or bad round I may post some thoughts be they positive or negative. You can get the first look at offers from many online golf shops and get links to reviews of new golf equipment; very useful when you’re looking for your next golf club or piece of golf equipment.
I personally like to keep track of what some of the top pros are up to and have found many of them on twitter. Some golfers tweet about what they are doing personally some about their professional life either way it’s all good stuff.

I am sure that there are many pros on twitter but some of the best are listed below with their twitter names in brackets follow them and enjoy a little snippet of their lives.

Stuart Appleby (StuartAppleby)

Stewart Cink (StewartCink)

John Daly (PGA_JohnDaly)

Ian Poulter (IanJamesPoulter)

Chris DiMarco (ChrisDiMarco)

Davis Love III (Love3d)

Annika Sorenstam (annika59)

Golf training aids magic or myth?

There seems to be so many training aids for golf these days, every day it seems a new product is launched that promises an improvement in your golf game. While it makes complete sense that training devices working on your abilities and skills should enhance aspects of your game, can they all work? Well in other sports they have the same be it speed balls for boxers, different balls for cricketers and balls attached to your waist for footballers so why not a more technical game like golf.

I think the most important point is that a great golf training aid can greatly benefit your game, but only if chosen correctly. The key is to carry out proper research, use the internet, read reviews and ask others.

In my opinion a well chosen Golf Training Aid can do a lot in improving certain aspects of your game and now is the time to do the work so come the spring you can get back to the course and hopefully play better and more consistently.

So are golf training aids an important piece of golf equipment? Well only if you want a better golfer.

Distance and the Correct Golf Swing

Most golfers will be happy if they exceed two hundred and twenty yards with their best drive but everyone has the potential to get over 250 yards some 300! Unfortunately it isn’t easy to get those all important extra yards. It may need a money outlay to buy a better golf driver but most of all it will require hard work and concentration. The rewards can be great, imagine chipping for birdie or par instead of just trying to save bogeys on holes.

Most golfers lose power somewhere in their swing and the solution may be finding the right professional golf coaching or a using a golf training aid or even reading books or magazines. Most of all though it will require a bit of work and practice, bad habits are usually the cause of bad drives, but bad habits come from lack of devotion.

It’s a bit of a catch 22 though because most people enjoy playing better golf but the better you get the more you need to play and practice to keep to that standard. You can never rest on your laurels. Sure get the latest golf equipment and that will help but you will still need to put in the effort to keep on top of your swing. 8RAWG8VNQA8F

Christmas golf stocking fillers

When Christmas comes around it’s normally a time when we get bad weather and our golfing is limited, so what better than to relax in front of the fire with a great golf book. You can sit back and read about new courses you can play the next year or about tips on your swing or even read some humorous golf book to keep you entertained. Books are a staple gift at Christmas and don’t cost the earth so why not invest in a few and use them as stocking fillers. People are always happy to receive books and if they are useful can read them over and over.

I always like to receive a course guide as I like to play different courses and when my friends and I want a weekend away we research the different courses available. As a golf nut I also like the humorous side of golf owning many books on the subject ranging from cartoon type books to golf cook books!

This year I am again purchasing a few for friends and relatives hoping these little snippets of golfing information will provide for hours of enjoyment.

Callaway Golf Clubs

For a long time now Callaway have been one of the most respected names in golf with all their clubs having a reputation for outstanding performance. The fact that they are mentioned in the same breath as all of the big names in golf is quite an achievement as they have only been around since 1982, much more recent than most of their rivals.

I think it has been the company’s innovative look at golf and gold clubs that has seen it forge the way. Ever since the Big Bertha was launched Callaway clubs have been seen up and down the country on all golf courses.

When the average golfer is looking for golf clubs and golf drivers he can become confused with all the new technology and Callaway I think understands this and provides informative guides on its website. It details the advances in golf club technology and explains the benefits of every bit of technology.

Callaway Golf have been pioneers of weight distribution in the club head, enlarging sweet spots and improving stability of the golf club and now they have even applied their forward thinking to the golf ball with such innovation as hexagonal shaped dimples which improves the flight of the ball. Keep your eyes peeled as I’m sure they are constantly at work to develop new and exciting golf products that will enhance your golf game. Next year they are apparently launching a 13 piece driver! I can’t wait to see what that looks like.