One of the most important shots out on the golf course is the approach shot to the green. If you hit a good approach shot to the green, you set yourself up for a birdie opportunity. If you hit a poor approach shot, you could be looking at trying to save par, or even worse. This is why you should spend some quality practice time hitting approach shots to the green.

Hitting an approach shot can be difficult for most high handicap golfers. It requires a little skill. It’s not like hitting a tee shot into a big open fairway. With an approach shot you’re looking to hit it as close to the pin as possible. Let’s take a closer look at the different kinds of approach shots and what you can do to make some improvements to your golf game.

There are several different approach shots used in golf such as the pitch shot, chip shot and the flop shot.

Pitch Shot This golf shot is used from between 50-110 yards out away from the green. You will be using your pitching wedge for this shot, hence the name pitch shot. Your pitching wedge will allow you to have more control over the distance of your shot and keep you from flying your golf ball way over the green.

Be sure to open your golf stance a little more than usual. Your right foot (if you’re right-handed) should be directly in line with the golf ball. Use a full swing with this shot. Don’t try to use a half or three-quarter swing, because you run a high risk of hitting the ball “fat”. Follow through on your back swing as you normally do. You may want to choke down on the grip to get better control, or to lower the distance the golf ball will travel. Never try to guide the ball, let the golf club do the work.

Chip Shot The chip shot can be a great shot to master for your golf game. The idea of the chip shot is to hit it a short distance and let the golf ball roll toward the hole. Ideally, you want the ball to travel 1/3 of the way to the hole and let it roll the other 2/3 of the way. So, use the chip shot when you have a lot of green in front of you to work with.

When hitting the chip shot you will want to use a less lofted club, like a 7 or 8 iron. Line yourself up with right foot across from the ball. Keep more of your weight on your left side. You will use a half swing for this shot and finish with a half follow through. Again, don’t try to guide the ball, let the club do the work.

Flop Shot This shot will take a lot of practice to master. You want to use the flop shot when you have to fly the golf ball over a sand trap, or perhaps a small tree that is in front of you and the pin. You will use the highest lofted golf club in your bag, usually a 60-degree wedge. The object is to get the ball up as high as possible and have it drop down and stick where it lands. Use a wide-open stance with this shot and try to pop the ball up. It will take a lot of practice to hit this shot effectively.

By practicing these different types of approach shots, you’ll be hitting the golf ball a lot closer to the pin and begin lowering your scores!

I would like to offer some tips on equipment purchase and what would be required to get started playing golf. Beside club purchase, there are additional items necessary to prepare yourself for play. The next most obvious items are a golf bag and golf balls. If you are purchasing a starter set of clubs many come with a golf bag included. If you like to walk and enjoy a little workout as you play there are carry bags, which are light weight and are slung over your shoulders. There are other bag options for you to choose from and I would suggest that you speak to the sales representative in your local pro shop or golf store (ie; Dick’s Sporting Goods and Golfsmith would provide this service) and ask him to explain the different types and price range to best suit your needs. Golf balls can also vary dramatically in price – from about $9.99 /dozen to $45.99 for the best balls on the market – Titleist Pro V and Pro V1x.

As a beginner I would recommend that you buy the more economically priced balls. The difference in performance will be negligible and you will have a tendency to lose more balls as a novice so why waste money ? As you improve, you can always upgrade the type of ball that you use – I would recommend purchasing about two dozen balls to get started. There are also different compression golf balls made. 80, 90 and 100. The compression selected is directly proportionate to how fast you swing and your golf mechanics. I will not elaborate on this right now but an 80 or 90 compression ball should be more than adequate for now. If you have some power and a fairly quick swing, I would opt for the 90 which may give you a bit more distance. NOTE: The professionals and low handicap players use the higher compression balls because their impact speed and swing mechanics will allow the ball to compress properly, thus attaining the maximum result in distance. Some other equipment I would strongly recommend would be as follows:

A golf towel, golf shoes ( though not absolutely necessary it will assist with stability as you swing), Golf tees ( Note: there are different height golf tees made for different drivers, woods and irons – I would recommend that you pick up an assortment of sizes – 2 1/8″ for woods and irons & 2 3/4″ or 3 1/4″ for Drivers depending on type and size. Check with golf pro or sales person for recommendations if not sure), a golf glove ( not required but it will give you a definite advantage in gripping and holding the club more effectively), ball markers ( used on the green to mark your ball so you will not to block the path of your fellow player – a rule of golf etiquette), and a divot repair tool ( used to repair the indentation made in the green when the golf ball lands – one of the rules of etiquette to be addressed in a future writing ). Although not required to play golf, you may want to consider packing the following ancillary items : Band-aids, sunscreen and insect repellent. You never know when you may need them and it’s better to be prepared to allow for maximum comfort while you play. I think we’ve covered most of the essentials and if you have any questions please feel free to submit them to me. Now you’ve got the Desire, you’ve got your equipment, next step is to learn how to play- “The Right Way”.

There are a number of different options available to learn how to play golf. You can self teach ( read books and watch instructional videos), ask a relative or friend who knows how to play to teach you, if you are in a high school or college that offers a golf program – enroll in the program, take lessons from the golf pro at your local driving range, take golf lessons from the professional at your local golf course, golf store, private club or pro shop or enroll in a golf school. The method you choose can greatly effect your results so be sure to make the right decision for you.

Unlike many other games Golf has the provision to decide how the golf players participating in a golf tournament are being scored. This practically leads to lots and lots of golf competition formats and choosing the right golf competition format among the available golf competition formats or inventing a new golf competition format for a friendly game is purely subjective and open ended. There are many corporate golf tournaments and friendly golf matches where the participating golfers decide upon the golf competition format and have fun.

However in most situations golfers chose one of the most popular golf competition formats for their golf tournaments and this leaves a question on the golf competition formats that are actually popular and widely used. The most popular golf competition formats and the brief scoring mechanism while using each of these golf competition formats are given below. However stroke play and match play have not been listed below considering the fact that they are too broad to classify golf competition formats.

One of the most popular golf competition formats for team tournaments and competitions is scramble. Generally played in teams of two, three or four; the scramble format insists on team work and bases itself on the best shot played by a team. In other words, every one in the team plays the initial shot and the best shot is taken for the next stroke and so on. There are several variants of the scramble competition format including Florida scramble, Texas scramble, Ambrose, etc.

Best ball competition format on the other hand works in the reverse way. Each golf player in a team plays his strokes until putting and the lowest score among all golf players in a team is considered as the team score. So best ball golf competition format relies on the consistent performance of all members in the team as opposed to the scramble format where the best player in the team derives it forward.

An alternate shot is another interesting golf competition format that is played in teams of two. As the name implies the players in a team play alternate strokes and the team with the best score at the end wins. Alternate strokes golf competition format gives a perfect balance in team when one is a pro and the other golf player is an amateur thereby grooming up the participants who are in the learning phase.

Modified Stapleford is another popular golf competition format that is applicable both to teams and individuals. In this golf competition format, each hole is given something called a Stroke Index and the number of shots allowed for a player per hole depends on the handicap of the golf player and the stroke index of that hole. The lesser the number of shots taken (from the expected number of shots), the better is the score and the player with the highest score at the end wins the game. The internationals in one of the most famous elite tours – the US PGA tour uses this golf competition format.

Another interesting combination of features from these golf competition formats is the Chapman or the Pinehurst golf competition format. Here again 2 person teams participate and the swing is taken by both the team members individually and then the balls are interchanged for the second shot. From the third shot, the best ball of the two is chosen and the players play in alternates with the same ball until the ball is holed.

An altogether different approach is provided by the Bingo-Bango-Bongo golf competition format where three specific events fetch points to the golf players – being the first to reach the greens, being the player whose golf ball is closest to the hole in the subsequent stroke and the first one to pot the ball. This is a quite popular golf competition format used in many league and gold association tournaments.

Flags is yet another interesting variant in golf competition formats where every participant is given a specific number of strokes to play depending on the handicap (the relative rating as compared to a beginner) and the player who either puts or gets the farthest within the given set of strokes becomes the winner.

There are several other popular golf competition formats including the Lone Ranger format, the Peoria system and the Callaway system and as mentioned earlier the choice of the right competition format is always a matter of choice and it largely depends on the participating golfers.

Let’s face it, if you are going to be on the golf course for 5 hours, you want to be with people that you enjoy being with. Finding good golf partners can be harder than finding true love. There are almost as many things that you look for in a golf partner as a life partner. You want a golfer you can communicate with, a golfer that you are comfortable with silence with, a golfer that is reliable and one of the most important, a golfer that you can trust. I will talk a little more about trust in a minute. I have been playing golf for 20 years and I can say that I have met people on the golf course that have wound up being good friends off the golf course. There is a unique bond that is formed when you do find a good golf partner.

The reason you need to be able to trust your golf partner is, chances are your golf partner has pretty much the same skill level as you, you probably would not be playing together on a regular basis if he or she was much better or much worse golfer than you, unless you were already friends or family. That means that chances are pretty good that you will wind up having friendly wagers of some kind while on the golf course. I can tell you first hand that is is a long day if you are playing a friendly skins game or a $5 nassau against a golfer that cheats. It adds an element to golf that should not be involved. If you have to spend an ounce of energy trying to make sure your opponent isn’t improving his lie or even dropping another ball to replace the one that he couldn’t find with a search party, it makes for a very long and un enjoyable round of golf.

The regular foursome that I play golf with was recently broken apart, one moved to California, and the other moved to a another county within the same state. The impact that it has had on my game has totally surprised me. The one other golfer that is left is the ”cheater” of the group. It is well documented that he cheats, we even had an “ golf intervention” to try to get him to stop. That did not go very well, he was totally in denial and did not admit to anything. He stopped cheating for a little while (maybe) but then started back up again.

Ironically enough, the one golfer of the group that cheats is also the one that makes the tee times. When one of the foursome could not make it, he would make all the phone calls to find a replacement. Now that we have lost two of our golf partners, it is very hard to find 2 new partners because everyone knows that he cheats.

The best way to find a good golf partner is to BE a good golf partner:

1. Don’t cheat, not once, not ever.

2. Be friendly, but don’t talk to much.

3 Control your temper. Nobody likes being with a golfer that is constantly screaming Ϧ and or throwing clubs.

4. Be reliable, if you make plans to play, keep them.

5. If you play with a golfer that you think is a good match, by all means exchange phone numbers, you have to start somewhere.

6. Be willing to play for a few bucks. Playing for something helps you focus on your round.

[http://www.allgolf.org]

Selling mulligan cards is an easy and inexpensive way to make money for your charity golf tournament. Many organizers of golf tournaments are aware that these ‘do overs’ can make them some easy cash, but they still have questions about exactly how they can use special mulligan cards to make them more money. So, let’s discover some great ways to make money with very little effort using your golf mulligan cards.

1. The format of your tournament will dictate how many mulligans you allow and where your participants are able to use them. Each situation is unique. Some tournaments are more serious than others. But, if you change your focus from fund-raising to making your tournament more fun and creative, the funds will follow.

Using Mulligan cards instead of plain boring raffle tickets adds to the fun and creativity of your tournament and grabs the attention of your players.

Many golf tournaments allow the use of a mulligan on each of nine holes when playing golf. By doing this you are able to generate cash by selling each participant two of these ‘take another shot’ cards.

Example1: If you have 100 participants and sell each person 2 cards at $5 each 200 X $5 generates $1000 for your charity.

Example 2: Up the price and double your revenue 200 x $10 puts $2000 in your coffers.

Example 3. If your function only allows two ‘do overs’ per person, then you can usually charge more money for them. I know of some golf tournaments that charge $20 per mulligan ticket in this case. 200 x $ 20= $ 4000 towards you cause.

2. Now, if your tournament format allows for the use of more ‘replays’ than just one per side, you have a chance to generate more cash accordingly. Just copy and print more Mulligan golf tickets. Then sell twice as many.

Example 1: If you have the same 100 participants, but allow 4 each-two per nine holes, charging just $5 each 400 cards x $5 = $2000

Example 2: If you charge 4 for $15, you could generate 100 x $15= $1500 for your cause.

Example 3: $20 each or 4 for $50 100 people spending $50= $5000

Of course, raising the price will make more money using this easy and inexpensive method. Most participants coming to your tournament are there to help raise money for that charity. They expect to spend money to benefit the charity, but they also want value for their money.

3. Use the attractive and colorful mulligan cards for raffle tickets. The uniqueness of your raffle tickets gets your players’ attention and sparks more interest.

Example 1: Sell them in conjunction with the regular ‘free shots’–offer the cards for $5 each, or $20 for 5. Specify that they can use two of them on the course for ‘do overs’ when playing and three are to be used towards the raffle prizes. 100 people spending $20 makes you $2000

Example 2: Or, sell one specific type of mulligan card just as raffle tickets– $1 each or 6 for $5 Another $5 from each of 100 players generates another $500.

4. Generate extra revenue from contests and games of skill. There are many different contests that you can include in your golf outing–from putting contests and chipping contests, closest to the pin, long drives, accuracy contests, to crazy just for fun contests. Your imagination opens up a wealth of opportunities for entertainment and involvement.

The cost of these contests could be over and above the original registration fee or some of them could be included. Whichever way you work it, there is still an opportunity to generate more revenue by selling mulligans for some of these extra contests. The more you allow, the more chance you have to make money.

Another reason to include these fun contests is that it can get everyone involved in the fun and games that your tournament offers. Even those who are not golf orientated can spend their money trying a putting contest. Contests tap into the resources of the people who are ordinarily observers.

Example 1: The entrance to the putting contest is $10, then give them a chance to buy one mulligan for another $5.

Example 2: Offer three different contests to anyone: Cost $20, with an opportunity to buy one replay shot for each contest at $5 each. A potential of another $35 per participant.

5. Your one of a kind mulligan cards offer an opportunity to be souvenirs for your golf tournament. Using the hilarious cards, with fun pictures and graphics, instead of an ordinary plain ticket, opens up an opportunity to add uniqueness to your charity tournament.

Plus, if you customize your cards with your special logo and the date of your tournament, it gives you an opportunity to make these ‘second chance’ cards singular to your tournament and that specific year.

Many golfers will want to add these special Mulligan cards to their memory files of your successful and fun tournament.

Robert Shicotte of KIA Scholarships can attest to that: “Had it not been for these cards, we would not have sold as many as we did. Several golfers requested the Mulligan cards after the tournament. They even paid the $10 fee.”

So, you can see that with very little effort, you have several outstanding ways to easily raise money for your charity golf tournament. Selling mulligans, offering raffle tickets, getting people involved in contests, and using Mulligan Cards as souvenirs, are a few of the potential ways for you to capitalize using your mulligan golf cards.

Golf has become one of the most popular sports in the world.

Golf exercise DVDs, and workout programs to improve your golf swing are selling like hot cakes as keen golfers pursue the goal of the perfect swing.

But don’t get bogged down with golf swing mechanics which can be a complicated concept to get your head around. To begin with aim for a good comfortable golf swing which feels right for you. This will improve your scoring on the course. Concentrating on achieving a one plane golf swing is the sensible approach.

Learning the correct golf movement is 10 times easier than you think; doing things the right way takes a lot less effort than the wrong way.

Here are the three basics that you should master first before going on to the finer points:

1. Grip. Good golf begins with a good grip. Keep a consistent pressure on your golf grip.

2. Swing. The right swing is a movement that should be tension-free. You need to get the right balance on your feet, in the movement of your body, in the swing of the clubs and so on. The essential thing is that it should feel right. Smooth, satisfying, balanced. Position yourself behind the ball and gently swing through without making any effort to concentrate on the distribution of the weight on your feet. The natural, logical way to learn golf is to start with the shortest swing and increase to the full swing.

3. Balance. The game of golf is all about having the right balance. Our balance should flow through with the movement of the swing in one fluid action to the striking of the ball and even after the ball has been hit with a balanced follow through. Spend time practicing your balance on your swing and before you know it you will stop having to think about it. Try it next time you have a practice swing.

Mentally the best way to approach golf is to focus on the one swing or putt that you are trying to accomplish right now. Letting go of past holes and bad strokes is one of the techniques you need to learn to be a good golfer.

You need a balanced approach to the game with your mind in sync with your body. This is one of the tips that you local golf instructor may neglect to mention to you.

A golf swing analyzer is an electronic device designed to help golfers improve their swing, and whilst there is no doubt that these devices do help, the fact remains that the best way to develop a great swing is to practice golf. And practice. And practice!

Having said that, don’t ignore other avenues to improve your game. Read golf books, watch golf videos, study the game. I can recommend some excellent material covering the subject of proper swing technique. See below.

Above all just get out there and enjoy the game!

Like every other sports, the game of golf has it own set of vocabulary and commonly used words. For a novice golfer, it would certainly helps in knowing the language of golf in order to enjoy the game and the company of their fellow golfers.

Some of the more common and popular words and phrases used by golfers that would help you get going in this wonderful game include the following:-

1. Handicap – the numerical rating of the golfer in relation to par. The lower the handicap, the better is the player.

2. Driver – the club used by the golfer to produce the maximum distance with the ball when teeing off.

3. Fairway – the part of the golf course between the tee and the green.

4. Green – putting surface where the target hole and flagstick are placed.

5. Clubface – the part of the club that meets the ball when hitting a shot.

6. Fore – a term used to let other golfers know that the golf ball has been hit and coming their way. This is to ensure that other golfers are not injured.

7. Hazard – any obstacles, lakes, rivers, streams, sand bunkers (or sand trap) and rough, the area where the grass is long.

8. Out of bound – the area outside the playing area of the course, marked by white stakes.

9. Scorecard – A card used to write down your score. It also provides information about the course such as the par and yardage of the each hole. Sometimes, a diagram of the course is shown in the course.

10. Hook – a shot that curves from left to right.

11. Par – the number of strokes a golfer requires takes to complete a hole.

12. Bogey – A bogey is an additional stroke over par that a golfer has taken to complete a hole. For example, a golfer is said to have a bogey if he has taken five strokes to complete a par four hole.

13. Birdie – A golfer is said to have achieved a birdie if he has make one stroke under par to complete a hole. He has a birdie if he had taken three strokes to complete a par four hole.

14. Eagle – If the golfer has taken two strokes less to complete a hole, he is said to have achieved an eagle.

Golf is a great game and is getting ever popular with the young and old alike. You are never too young nor too old to pick up his ever popular sport. Golf courses are sprouting up even in many developing countries over the last decade. If you are a golf beginner, picking up the language of golf and its vocabulary will certainly help you click with your fellow golfers and enjoy the comradeship on the course much more.