Even if you’ve only been around golf for a short period of
time, I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “drive for show and
putt for dough.” It’s become a golf cliche because of its
inherent truth. People love watching and hitting a long
drive but it’s masterful putting that keeps your score low
and helps pro players win golf tournaments. So how do you
improve your putting and take strokes off your game?

Sure, it’s fun to watch Tiger hit long bombs off the tee,
but it’s Tiger’s short game and putting prowess that keeps
him head and shoulders above the rest of the players on the
PGA Tour. If you’ve watched Tiger play awhile, you may
have noticed that he’s not the most accurate driver off the
tee. But his putting more than makes up for it.

A lot of courses today don’t make it too difficult to get
on the green in regulation. But if you do, you’ll most likely
be facing quite a long putt, making it a challenge to two putt
many holes. And if you consistently three putt, you can forget
about ever posting a low score on the golf course.

So what golf putting tips can you use to leave that long putt
close enough to the hole to give you a good chance of two putting?

1) You’ll need a longer putting stroke from 40 feet away compared
to a 5 or even 10 foot putt. In order to make this more natural,
take a wider stance when you address the ball.

2) Visualize the putt. See if you can estimate the actual time the
putt will take to reach the hole. Don’t forget to visualize the
speed and putt line of the ball as well.

3) Take this visualization and translate it into your putt stroke.
Figure out how long a stroke you’ll need to give the ball enough
speed to reach the hole.

4) While putts inside 10 feet are crucial to your golf game, make
sure to practice longer putts of 30 and 40 feet as well, every time
you practice putting.

Use these golf putting tips for long putts to help you put your long
putts closer to the hole on a more consistent basis. If you can do
this, you’ll cut down on your three puts and shave strokes off of your
game. And you’ll do it without improving any other aspect of your
golf game.

By: Tim Hathaway

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Which do you prefer – golf swing tips or golf putting tips? If you are like most people, your answer would be “golf swing tips“. This is the flashiest part of the game of golf. This is what journalists report on TV and newspaper sports columns. They blare out “Tiger Woods changes his swing!” on their headlines but never mention anything about how effective and efficient his putts are.

The simple fact is that perfecting your putt is the simplest way you can consistently shave off one or two strokes from your game. This is by far the easiest way you can practice your golf – without the limitation of having to go to the golf course. All you really need is your putter, a ball, artificial mats and cups to simulate the green. Place the mats and cups in your backyard or wherever you have space and away you go. Just spend anywhere from 5 minutes to half-an-hour every evening after dinner and you will notice the results in your game.

Here is another golf putting tip – close your eyes. Apparently some pros have been seen closing their eyes when putting. Basically, they know where the ball is and where the hole is. When they close their eyes, they just allow their body to take over – stroking the ball into the hole. Conventional wisdom has it that some people just cannot co-ordinate all the signals between their eyes and their arms because they have too much eye movement, especially when under stress. So closing their eyes changes the state of their whole nervous system, helping it to come under control again. A less extreme version of this technique is to keep your eyes fixed on the hole rather than the ball. Colin Montgomerie has been caught using this technique. Obviously, both versions of the technique require a lot of private practice before you trot it out in public.

Did you know that there are three different kinds of putter? The type most often used is called a conventional putter. It gives most golfers the best combination of sensitivity and mechanical precision. This is what most golf instructors will teach you to use. The problem is that people who cannot control their nerves or wrist action well usually mess up their shots.

To fix this problem, belly putters and long putters were invented. Golfers who use the belly putter anchor the handle to their abdomen. This reduces wrist action but also reduces control over the club and ball. The long putter, on the other hand, allows you to take a vertical stance and you swing the putter without any wrist action. It is great if you have a bad back, but it reduces your control even worse than the belly putter. Despite their flaws, you may want to test out the belly putter and long putter if you cannot get good results with the conventional putters. So what if your golf buddies laugh at you? The chance to take a few strokes off your handicap should be more than adequate compensation for their laughter.

By: Godfrey Swain

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Just as all new products that come on the market have their individual reviews, so do golf balls. There are numerous golf balls being manufactured everyday, with new models and types being introduced every once in a while. The variations in the golf balls usually lie in the number of dimples there are in the balls, the construction of the ball, and the distance it can travel at a single shot.

The golf ball review describes the launching of a new brand of golf balls, placing importance on the different models of the individual brands. For example, Nike had first introduced the original One ball one year, to be followed by a line of balls for every type of golfer. All this information is furnished in the golf ball review.

The next thing that may be described in the golf ball review is the construction of the golf ball. Some of the golf balls are three-piece balls and others may have a four-piece construction. The writer of the golf ball review may then write his comments on the distance the golf ball may cover and compare this distance with other golf balls.

Of course, the golf ball review not only describes the positive points of the golf balls, but also the negative points of the golf ball. Some balls may not have a good feel to the user of the ball; while some balls are good for putting, others are good for chipping. This is all mentioned in the golf ball review.

The last point that is usually found in the golf ball reviews is the opinion of the writer on which ball is better for golf matches. The answer may be provided with the reasons. Then of course, a mention of the price of the golf ball is provided. There is also a mention of whether or not that golf ball is recommended for use in tournaments So when buying a golf ball, it is always advisable to read some golf ball reviews first.

By: Josh Riverside

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With the use of GPS (Global Positioning System) for use in golf now becoming more and more popular I thought a Golf Buddy Golf GPS review might be useful.

There are three different models of Golf Buddy Golf GPS and I will review them all in this article.

The three Golf Buddy models are:

Golf Buddy Plus Golf Buddy Pro and Golf Buddy Tour.

Golf Buddy Plus. The golf buddy plus is the original model and has proved very popular with golfers, for good reason, as we are about to find out.

The first thing to note is that it is not compatible with MAC computers so you will need Windows 2000, Windows XP or Vista.

Once you have unpacked your Buddy it is ready to go straight to work. You don’t have to load anything. Simply switch it on and head for the golf course. The unit will automatically find the course and hole you are on. That’s pretty neat.

In the unlikely event that your course is not already mapped you have two options:

You can map it yourself or Ask the client support to do it for you.

Once you have mapped your own course it needs to be referred back to Golf Buddy headquarters for loading. This will take a few days and is one of the ways that the library of courses available is expanding. The current library consists of over 20,000 courses.

So you’re on the first tee and Buddy is merrily humming away having locked in on any number of up to 12 satellites. You’re ready to play but there is a bunker out on the right of the fairway. According to Buddy it is 192 yards from where you are to the front of the bunker and 203 yards to carry it. Select your club accordingly. How cool is that?

And so the game goes on with you being able to add as many as 11 points to any one hole in addition to the points already mapped by Golf Buddy.

You may find that the distance markers on the sprinkler heads do not correspond with what your Buddy is telling you. That’s not surprising but I suggest you believe your new Buddy – you’ll soon find out how accurate it really is. Sprinkler head distances could have been measured and marked by any number of methods and, in most cases, cannot be relied on for accuracy.

As you go along try the shot distance feature. Press a button, play your shot and proceed to where your ball has landed. Press the button again and you will know exactly how far you just hit the last shot. The shot distance feature is a great way to learn exactly how far you hit each club in your bag. But be warned that it can be humbling. Yours truly discovered that he doesn’t hit the ball quite as far as he thought – a possible explanation as to why I often came up short on my approach shots.

I didn’t have this problem with the Buddy Plus in my hand. Not only do I know how far I am hitting my clubs but I am automatically updated with the remaining distance to the green or other targets.

You’ll find the grey scale screen easy to read under all lighting conditions – even on a bright day. For those overcast days and twilight finishes there is the back light facility.

One of the coolest features of the Buddy Plus is the dynamic green feature. We don’t always approach the green from directly in front and for those times when you are coming at it from the wrong angle the Buddy Plus automatically changes the shape of the green to your angle of approach.

Another neat feature of the Buddy Plus is the score tracking. Simply enter your scores as you play each hole and then write them down later for submitting or reflecting on the game. No more soggy score cards on those rainy days!

The unit will store up to 1,000 past scores.

The Golf Buddy Plus can easily be operated with one hand and is a pleasure to use.

Some of the technical stuff you should know:

It is light and fits comfortably in your pocket. Weighing in at 3 ounces and measuring 3.2 inches by 2.1 by 1.0. The power source is a built in lithium battery which will give you ten hours of use. That is enough for two full rounds of gold. To be on the safe side I keep mine fully charged. Once you have purchased your Golf Buddy Plus there are no additional fees. There is no annual membership fee and course downloads are free. You will never run out of courses on your unit as it stores up to one thousand. It is multi lingual with a wide range of language options available.

Golf Buddy Tour. The big brother of the Buddy Plus has exactly the same functions but being bigger has a bigger memory and stores up to 20,000 courses.

It has a color screen which is bigger than its little brother making it even easier to read.

The big advantage of the Buddy Tour is that battery power can be backed up with 2 A A A batteries – so you should never run out of power.

Golf Buddy Pro. This model is identical to the Tour model except that it has a grey screen. The Golf Buddy Pro is proving to be very popular with golf GPS users. Its easy to see why with it great looks and sturdy construction having one of these in your hands makes you feel like owning one.

All of the Buddy models are very reliable, water resistant and sturdy.

To top it off all models are good lookers and as an owner of one you will be the envy of your mates.

If you are in the market for a golf GPS you could do a lot worse than buying one of the Golf Buddy range and I trust this Golf Buddy Golf GPS review has given you some indication of the functionality of these models. Buy one today and start having some fun on the golf course.

By: Lawrence Bredenkamp

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