Know which tee to select!

Recently I have had people asking about choosing the correct set of tees they should play in order maximize their enjoyment of the game. In my opinion most players play from the wrong tees and play a golf course which is too long for their capabilities which also contributes to slow play.

One of the questions I ask people is "How far do you hit your driver?". The standard response from the men is "250 yards", for some of them that may be the case but statistics show that the average male golfer drives the ball closer to 225 yards. This is where the problem begins and should end.

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If you have not heard the terms yet, in the very near future you will be hearing about "Tee It Forward" or "Tour Equivalent Tees". They are programs being brought forward by the PGA of America and the USGA which based upon your driving distance will help you select a length golf course which will allow you to play a course the way tour players do. These programs are a result of research that was provided by Barney Adams, Founder of Adams Golf who studied the length of tee shots and how they related to a player's approach shot into the green.

For example, according to statistics if you hit your tee shot 225 yards the proper length course you should be playing would be 5800 to 6000 yards long. If you are playing a course 6400 yards long that is the same as a tour player who is playing a course that is 8000 yards long. I don't know about you but I wouldn't find that to be any fun and isn't that why we play golf, to have fun?

Below you will find a chart that will help you choose a course length that will allow you to play the course the way the tour players do and have more fun.

Driver Distance Recommended
18 hole Yardages
PGA Tour Professional 7,600 to 7,900
300 yds 7,150 to 7,400
275 yds 6,700 to 6,900
250 yds 6,200 to 6,400
225 yds 5,800 to 6,000
200 yds 5,200 to 5,400
175 yds 4,400 to 4,600
150 yds 3,500 to 3,700
125 yds 2,800 to 3,000
100 yds 2,100 to 2,300

Top Michigan Courses

So this week I'm going to talk about the top courses that are in Michigan and ones that I have personally encountered. If you google a list for the top golf courses in Michigan many links come up. From the first clicked link of Michigan Golf Magazine it lists the top ten public courses in the first page. According to this magazine the top ten public courses in Michigan are:

Arcadia Bluffs
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1. Arcadia Bluffs, Arcadia. 
2. Forest Dunes, Roscommon.
3. Timberstone, Iron Mountain.
4. Eagle Eye, Bath.
5. Greywalls, Marquette.
6. Black Lake, Onaway.
7. Tullymore-St. Ives Resort, Stanwood.
8. Tribute-Ostego Club, Gaylord.
9. Bay Harbor-Boyne Resorts, Bay Harbor.
10. Pilgrim's Run, Pierson.

Now most people have never heard of these courses or even played them. Some people may want to play these courses but do not have the disposable income to play them. Within the top ten green fees, "The amount you pay to play 18 holes," the fee ranges from $65.00 to $189.00. To me that is a lot of money to pay just for a few hours of misery or fun. I know me personally if I have a bad round I'll be very frustrated in the fact that I paid all that money just for misery.

Out of the top ten courses from Michigan Golf Magazine, I have played only 3 of them. I have played Arcadia Bluffs, Tribute, and Forest Dunes. Out of these three courses I do have to agree on the fact that Arcadia is an amazing course to play. My friends and I usually golf there during the off season so the price is cheaper than if we went during the summer.

One course that I recently played did not make the list because it is a private golf club. This course is called Birchwood Golf and Country Club. It is located up in Harbor Springs and I played it with a couple of my buddies. I have to say that this course was an awesome course with amazing views. This course had 21 holes which were broken up into 3 separate 9 hole courses. They were named the woods, the birches, and the farms. We went to tee off of the first hole on the courses Woods course and the view was remarkable. The tee box was elevated above the fairway and you could see over the trees and view of Lake Michigan.

Throughout the woods course my buddies and I spent several minutes just looking at the beautiful views that the course had to offer. Also we knew we were on a great course because between hole 5 and hole 6 there was a sign saying that the next hole is 1.1 miles away. We were just in shock of that sign, but the drive was worth it since we drove through the forest.

What not to do while on the course!

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Hello everyone this week I'm going to talk about a more laid back and yes boring topic but I think it is a topic that is worth talking about. This week we talk about Golf Etiquette 101. What to do and what not to do while playing a round of golf on the course.

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There are many books and blogs about golf etiquette and yes there is of course a golf rule and etiquette for dummies book. I have read a few of the books and websites of golf etiquette, so when I go up north on golf trips I don't look like a fool when I'm not sure what to do in a certain situation. They even have smart phone apps to help you while you are on the course.

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I found the best place to find out about the golf etiquette is from the United States Golf Association. There website linking to golf etiquette is here: USGA Golf Etiquette 101. This website is very helpful as it lists all the different types of situations that could occur on the course.

One big issue that I have ran into is a problem with friends on the putting green. Golf etiquette says that you should never stand in another players line of putt as you also should be quiet while anyone is getting ready to swing.

Another issue that most beginners don't know is ball etiquette and fixing divots. Straight from the USGA site they state the following about ball marks and divots: "Players should carefully repair any divot holes made by them and any damage to the putting green made by the impact of a ball (whether or not made by the player himself). On completion of the hole by all players in the group, damage to the putting green caused by golf shoes should be repaired."

These are the two biggest issues that I have had happened while I was on a course. For the best round of play with the best experience play with great golf etiquette.

Source: http://bit.ly/JEQMDD

Don't Pull a Judge Smails

So I thought if I talk about golf in my blog what good is it if I don't bring up a classic and one the the best golf movies that has come out. If you didn't get the movie by my title then you should probably watch it. The one of the best golf movies of all time has to be the movie CaddyShack. This movie tells the tales of what happens in the private golf club scene. The country club that it all takes place at is Bushwood Country Club. The big stars that many people know of are Chevy Chase as Ty Webb, Bill Murray as Carl the assistant greens keeper, and Ted Knight as Judge Smails.

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This weeks topic that refers to Judge Smails is trying to keep your composure on the course. Many of us have had our great holes where we feel great afterwards and then we have those not so great holes where in fact we want to be done with golf or even have the need to pull the Judge Smails move. See picture on the right. Judge Smails gets very angry at one of the visitors at Bushwood and ends up throwing the club towards the club house.

To prevent this from happening writers have written several books on controlling your emotions on the course. But I think my advice is easier to adapt to and costly nothing to you.

I know from this past weekend when I went up north to golf with my buddies I had several back to back holes where I was getting very frustrated at myself. I knew that I had to calm down if I stood any chance of improving my game. So after we finished the hole I took a break to just calm down and get my nerves in sync. Before I went to tee off on the next hole I just paused and took some breaths. Then I made my way to the tee box and then just swung the golf club back and forth till I could feel my body relaxing.

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It was only till I felt completely calm and relaxed when I approached my golf ball and made my tee shot. This has worked for me in the past many times and I hope this helps your nerves calm down on the course so then instead of pulling a Judge Smails you can be the visitor from Caddyshack and just dance.

Sayonara Golf Ball!

This weeks topic is dealing with the driver. I know that almost everyone has had troubles with driving and the ball slicing. I know from my experience i have had many problems with my drive and not hitting the ball straight.  I would make solid connection with the ball and it looks to be going straight and then when the ball starts to descend it starts to hook to the right. Probably like most people I get angry and upset and wonder why on earth did the ball go to the right, when i know i hit it great. Well to help everyone out on improving their driving game I have posted a video clip from an experienced player who gives you great tips on improving that drive.

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He understands that most amateurs and beginners suffer from this part of the game.
So to improve your game if you are at that level he gives you helpful drills that you can go to the driving range or even practice in your own backyard.

I hope that this clip helps everyone out as it has helped me improve my driving game.
Leave any comments or feedback and I'll get back to you and see if I can help you more.

Why Don't You Wanna Go Home?

So i couldn't resist quoting one of my favorite movies in the post title. As many know that saying is from the great movie Happy Gilmore. This movie is about Adam Sandler playing as hockey player but when his hockey career is cut short, he merges as a top competitor in the PGA Tour.

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Most notably for his long drives and not putting game what so ever. This weeks post focuses on putting and trying to improve that side you your game.

As everyone knows this part of the game can help your immensely or hurt you greatly. I know from personal experience when i got on the green and looking to get par or birdie and then end up three or four putting it just destroys your morale.

Hopefully the videos that i post can help you improve this small but very important of your game. The first video is a clip from a guy that helps professional celebrities in improving their game. Some of you may know of it but it is featured on the Golf Channel and is called The Haney Project. In the two videos i post, he goes over possible putting yips that most golfers face near the beginning and not completing the full swing. Pausing after you hit the ball on the green could cause problems and missed putts.

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The second video is about putting speed and how you can learn a lot about how hard to hit the ball and judge the speed of the green. Hank gives you a couple tips and drills that you could practice to get a feel about your swing speed and reading the green properly.

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After watching these two videos it helped me in a small way but wasn't until i watched this third video that completely helped my putting game. In this video Charles gives you three new tips on how to help yourself around the green. These tips have helped me improve my two putting and eventually one putt per hole. 

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Hope these new videos and post helps improve your game so you don't have your own Happy Gilmore moment that makes you go insane.                      Hope you enjoy this weeks post as much as i did. Hope to hear from you.

Got a Chip on your Shoulder?

Hello all once again. I know from my own experience chipping was a major problem in my short game. I would get close to the green but not quite make it onto it. This is where chipping helps and comes in handy. I would struggle like a lot of beginners and end up hitting the ball to short or way past the hole. And like many i would end up made and aggravated with myself because of the error.

It was only after watching a lot of different varieties of video on YouTube that i learned what i was doing wrong and how to improve my stroke. If you just go to YouTube you can search for many different videos about chipping and choose the one that works best for you. Below is a link to one of my favorite chipping videos that is on YouTube.

Jim Furyk explains the chipping swing very well i think.

Hopefully this video helps you out like it has with me. After watching this video and others i learned how to chip correctly and practiced it at the range and then went onto the golf course and it lower my score by a few strokes.