How to Find a Good Club Fitter?

Golf club fitting is the quickest and the simplest way for you to improve your game. The reason for this is that you may be playing with a golf club that isn’t fit for your body type. However, golf clubs that fit your body structure are considered just as important as a proper golf swing. A golf club which does fit to your swing causes a problem in loading the backswing properly which means that even when your technique is all right and you’re putting in the required hours of practice, you still may not be playing to your potential.

Introduction to Club fitting

The terms golf club fitting, custom fitting, and club fitting are the same thing and are used interchangeably.

Club fitting is an extremely convenient way to help you improve your game. It is the adjusting of your clubs to your:

  • Swing characteristics:
    • speed
    • shape
    • tempo
  • Physical characteristics:
    • height
    • arm length
    • hand size

Finding a good club fitter

Many golf stores claim to offer custom fitting. However, they will only check your swing speed and then, fit you with the proper shaft flex for your swing speed. This is NOT club fitting. It is only one small aspect of the whole thing. A good custom fitting will measure all the above mentioned parameters and based on that, will adjust your club. Your club, depending on your individual need, can be adjusted for length, loft, lie, shaft flex, shaft bend point, grip size, and swing weight.

As a rule of a thumb, don’t ever go to someone who claims to have golf club fitting in an indoor setup. It just isn’t possible as the most important part of club fitting is the ball flight and if the club fitter has no idea of your ball fight, how can they possibly fit you accurately?

In order to find a professional fitter who knows his stuff, you can start off by asking your peers who have been playing for years. Ask them about their experiences and the level of service that they received. You will be able to get good referrals this way. Furthermore, you can also visit your local golf equipment store and inquire – they may have a qualified fitter of their own or they may be able to guide you to a qualified fitter in the area.

The most important aspect about a golf fitter is what his credentials are. You must be comfortable with him or her before you agree to have custom fitting. Therefore, it is prudent to be prepared and ask him or her some of the questions mentioned below.

Questions to ask your club fitter

  1. Will the club fitting take place indoors into a net or will it take place outdoors?
  2. What is the level of experience of the fitter and how often do they custom fitting?
  3. Do they have any certifications from the manufacturers?
  4. What will happen during the club fitting session?
  5. How will the professional derive the final measurements?

These questions will help you to get an idea of the competence of the club fitter and the process that he or she uses for golf club fitting. This would ensure that you are getting the right golf fitter, good value for your money and most of all, a better golf game.

How to Choose a Good Golf School?

Golf school is an excellent option for both, the players who are new to the game of golf and those who want to get better at it.  You don’t want to waste your time over golf videos on the internet because a golf school can provide excellent value for your time, effort, and money.

Benefits of Golf School

  • It will enable you to get personalized feedback on your performance on golf lessons; something the half baked golf video lessons over the   internet, just don’t provide.
  • It will usually be more affordable than getting golf lessons from a private instructor.
  • It will help you learn the mechanics of a golf swing as it will help you analyze, understand and implement the mechanics of a good golf swing.
  • It may be designed as a part of a vacation getaway. This way you will be able to enjoy a vacation with your loved ones as well as have your golf lessons. A win-win scenario.

How to Choose a Good Golf School

Golf school can be a big commitment for students. Hence, it is extremely important to find one which fits your needs well. Most good golf schools have a two to three day program. Usually, in the first one or two days, you are made to attend sessions on the different aspects of the game which are the mental aspect, driving, hitting irons, chipping and putting.  On the final day, the class typically has the opportunity to go out on the golf course to play at least 9 holes with a professional who may act as your personal coach, mentor, and cheerleader.

Before choosing a school, you should thoroughly research the school’s facilities. Usually, the better the facilities, the more the school costs, but you may also get a better education out of the deal. A top-notch school will have an excellent teaching facility along with weatherproof hitting shelters, several putting and chipping greens, and trouble shot improvement areas. The school will also feature indoor classrooms with state-of-the-art golf video equipment for swing analysis. Golf videos will immensely help you in getting your swing right.

It is prudent to inquire about the program. The school shouldn’t focus only on the full swing and the short game but it should also focus on the mental game and playing out on the golf course, which are just as important. A low student-to-professional ratio is crucial to get the best instruction possible from the school. They key to this is a lot of individual attention which you can easily get if you have a class with a ratio of five students to one instructor.

Lastly, never underestimate the power of word of mouth. Ask around your peers and you may be able to get some excellent referrals.

As a last word, don’t make the mistake of relying on the golf school in doing all the work for you. It will only do the teaching; you are the one who has to make the most out of it. Good Luck.

Has Golf Instruction Become Too Technical?

Golf instruction have become very technical and golfers who are trying to learn the game on their own suffer as a result of it. You can see it for yourself by going over the internet and checking out the innumerable golf lessons available.  You will come across all kind of opinions even advices that conflict with each other.

You may even find how to golf lessons, of introductory level, filled with all kind of jargons. There are varying opinions and sadly, the more time that we spend researching, the more confused that we end up getting. It is especially frustrating for the players as overly technical instruction tend to make them try to focus their mind on a lot of things and their game ends up suffering. The worse thing that happens is that the players stop enjoying the game and what good is the game if you are not enjoying it.

Technology plays a major part in the golf instructions becoming too technical. With the virtues of technology, we can analyze and evaluate things, in a manner that was not possible before. Even well intentioned authors when trying to convey any information over the internet may end up sounding very technical as what they have assumed as an understood thing for the readers may very well be a revelation. Furthermore, there is such a huge array of information available that it gets very difficult to disseminate information from actual knowledge.

There is a saying which goes as “if you can’t fool them, confuse them”. This seems very true for the golf lessons that we see now days. It seems the only way we can POSSIBLY manage a swing is by having all your respective body parts in a specific position at a pre determined angle, surely you can manage that? After all, it is the “new swing secret”. The point I’m making is that you should be aware of those offering a quick fix formula.

In an attempt to bamboozle you to increase the traffic on their website and knowing how much people like to apply a band-aid to all their problems, they come up with these gimmicks. You may also have come across golf lessons blaming your equipment. It seems that you just have to have the equipment that they are selling with God-knows-what extra additions that can make your game better. My only question: How? And if they are really such a game changer, why don’t the professionals use them? They seem to be doing pretty well without them.

You should not even for a minute waste your time on such gimmicks. You’ll find people everywhere nowadays who try to dupe you by confusing you. It is sad way of marketing and our golf instructions have suffered too because of it.  It is for this reason only that we strongly advocate golf lessons from an instructor. They offer specific and honest solutions to your problems. You can always count on them to give feedback of your performance and where you need to work. That doesn’t sound very technical, does it?

How to Reach Your Desired Handicap

Have your practice sessions become a forlorn endeavor? Did that super new technique from that golf instruction video swing you even further from your desired handicap? Well… You don’t have to look any further and no, you don’t have to spend an exorbitant amount of money on golf lessons. You can do it on your own and by yourself.

This golf instruction article is written to offer practical insight into the problems that golfers face in improving their game and reaching that ever elusive handicap that they desire.

Firstly and fore mostly, there is no quick fix to playing better golf. Sorry. You have to put in the required amount of effort and practice consistently to get results. This means taking time out to practice on a regular basis rather than just once or twice a week. It won’t do you much good if you are wasting away the whole week and then, practicing for a long stretch of 5 hours in a single go in order to make up for it.

As a fundamental rule, if you are to get any positive results from practice, you have to be regular. This does not mean that you have to practice for hours a day. On a regular basis, even a short amount of time dedicated to practice steadfastly, is better than the same amount of cumulative hours put in a single session to make up for the missed practice.

Once this is taken care of, you have to, secondly, strive for good form. Good form is the key to making your practice session as effective as possible. You will be wasting your time if you are practicing your swing with bad form as, over time, your mind and body will become accustomed to the bad form and it will be exceedingly difficult to unlearn and correct it. Each and every time you practice, aim for a quality session rather than quantity. This will help you reflect and analyze your performance and improve it accordingly in the subsequent session.

One highly recommended tip to improve your form is that you should practice your golf swing in slow motion. This will help you better understand the motion and be able to coordinate your mind and body to get the desired swing. It is similar to playing a guitar; if you can’t pluck the basic notes, you can’t expect to magically conjure a powerful solo, can you?

You should, at first, work on your short shots inside 120 yards instead of going for the long shot. Just like, it is of little use to attempt the swing at full speed when you have trouble doing it at a slow speed. Similarly, it is of little use to work on the long shot if you face difficulty in getting the short shot right. However, once you get your short shot right with good form, the longer shot will just be a natural step forward.

So if you want to improve your game and reach that desired handicap , the ultimate golf lesson is to practice smartly.

Golf Bag – What Options Are Available?

Your golf bag is the most important piece of equipment after your golf clubs. With the different kinds of golf bags available and each serving a specific purpose, it can be a daunting to task to find the one that will truly enhance your overall golfing experience.

Before deciding which bag is ideal for you, it is important to determine your particular needs beforehand especially, the amount of storage space that you need in your bag and whether you plan to carry the bag yourself or to use a caddy or a golf cart.

The four main types of Golf bags are:

Carry Bags

Carry bags are the smallest types of golf bags. They’re lightweight and can hold basic golf equipment:  clubs, balls, tees and other accessories. These bags are very common and are available in a vast variety of sizes, models, and prices. They can either have a single strap or back pack straps (which evenly distribute the weight on both shoulders and provide added comfort). Carry bags can also come with a stand (referred to as stand bags).

They are the ideal bag if you’re carrying the bag on your own and not using a caddy or a cart.

Tour Bags

Tour Bags are the largest type of bag available and are mostly used in the professional golf tours. They are usually made of leather and have a huge amount of space available which can easily accommodate the complete set of 14 golf clubs, golf balls, tees, rain suit, and any other type of golf equipment that you might want to take with you on the golf course.

These bags are at the high price range and are, generally, made to be carried by a caddy. While they’ll add a professional touch to your golfing experience, these bags are not recommended if you wish to carry your own clubs.

Cart Bags

These bags are bigger than carry bags and smaller than tour bags. They pack in much more features than a carry bag which means they have more storage space, more compartments, and separate pockets for different accessories.  They are specifically made to be carried on a golf cart and tend to cost more than carry bags.

Travel Bag

The purpose of the golf travel bag is to protect your golf bag and the equipment within it, during travel. There are different types of travel bags available but they mostly fall into the category of soft-cased bags or hard-cased bags. The soft-cased bags provide a good amount of protection for general travel where as the hard-cased bags are used for air travel.

Travel bags can also have additional features of a carry bag and thus, this variety can be used for both the purposes of travel and as a golf bag while playing.

 

 

 

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