Golf Accessories

Archive for May, 2009

If you are new to the game of golf you should be looking for a driver with the largest clubhead possible because this increases a novice golfer’s chance of hitting the sweet spot immeasurably.

Cobra introduced the LV5 drivers into their range this year and the suitably named King Cobra driver offers a golfer the largest clubhead (460 cc) that is permissible under the golfing rules, laid down by the R&A (Royal and Ancient). This offers the novice golfer a larger target, but, at the same time, is more forgiving of the slightly off-centre shot and makes powerful drives, in the right direction, much more achievable.

How well a driver works for a particular golfer, depends as much on the swing speed as on the size of the clubhead, and with greater flex required for a lower swing speed. Cobra has made it easier for a golfer to match his swing speed to driver flex by telling you, exactly, which driver is most appropriate:

With the L5V:

If a golfers swing speed is   104+ mph, his average drive travels 265 +yards and his ball speed is 150+mph, that golfer should aim for a X speed driver.

If his swing speed is lower, between 87-108 mph, his ball speed is 125-155 mph and his drive distance is, on average, 220-275 yards, then his ideal driver would be the F speed.

However if the swing speed is even lower, 76-97 mph (miles per hour), and the drive travels 210-250 yards and the ball speed averages 110-150 miles per hour, then Cobra recommend that the M speed driver is chosen.

Getting the correct golf clubs for the job at hand, is the first steps that a novice golfer must take in order to master the game and improve and Cobra drivers help golfers match their swing speed to the perfect driver and assist golfers get as much out of the game as possible.

Cobra drivers are available from Golfbuyitonline, where you can find a whole range of drivers with just the right amount of venom to help golfers strike out at their opponents and win.

A strong breeze can make a big difference in how to play any shot. A strong wind at your back, for example, can help you hit the green of a par five in two shots; the same wind in the face might make three shots almost impossible. To score your best, you must respect and understand the wind’s effect on the ball. Here are the basics. In order to understand the effects of the wind itself, it’s significantly important to understand how your equipment works with it.

First off, a backspin imparted on a golf ball will cause the ball to gain loft and stay in the air longer. As the ball spins in the air, it directs more airflow up over the top of it and then downward behind it. This means that the air above the ball is moving faster than the air below the ball, and because of the pressure difference, the ball has additional force pushing it up, which helps it stay in the air for a longer period of time. This spin also helps golfers produce more accurate shots because with a backspin imparted on the ball, it drops quicker toward the end of the shot. And after hitting the ground, the backspin helps slow the ball more quickly. So the path the ball takes in the air is not a simple parabola. It is a parabola that rises more gradually at first and then comes back down more quickly after reaching its peak. Here are some examples of the paths a ball would take with different amounts of backspin.

Dimpled golf balls fly much further than smooth balls. Before discussing why this is true, we need to understand something called the boundary layer. The boundary layer is the thin layer of air surrounding a ball as it flies. In the boundary layer, the speed of the air varies from the air on the surface of the ball (which is not moving relative to the ball) to the air out by the mainstream airflow, at the edge of the boundary layer. The reason dimpled balls travel further than smooth balls is because the dimples on a golf ball create turbulence in the boundary layer. This actually helps because the dimples then scoop air back towards the rear of the ball. By moving more air to the rear, this helps keep the air pressure behind the ball from dropping. And by doing this, the amount of air pressure pulling backwards on the ball is decreased. Here is a diagram of the affect of dimples with varying depths on a golf ball’s distance.

The wind effects on a ball seem rather obvious. As discussed earlier, the golfer will have to adjust for any type of wind that is present while taking a shot. If there is a tailwind, hitting the ball high will maximize distance by letting the wind do more work in pushing the ball along. However, if there is a head wind, you should hit the ball lower than normal as headwinds destabilize the ball and tend to emphasize a slice or hook. Cross-winds will make the ball drift to the side, in the direction the wind is blowing, so you will need to aim into the wind to compensate. Wind’s effects on golf are very easy to understand so just remember the fundamentals of physics and you’ll be quickly able to counteract this earthly phenomenon every time you swing.

Source: www.TheWindCompass.com

Lady golfers should make no excuses for their refusal to make compromises when it comes to their choice in ladies golf shirts.

There are an estimated 7 million lady golfers throughout the world today and those are numbers that ladies golf shirt manufacturers cannot afford to ignore and with everyone of that number having a very definite opinion on what exactly they expect from their golf clothing style, feel, colour, as well as, overall performance. The manufacturers have their work cut out for them.

With the popularity of ladies golf growing year on year, ladies golf shirt manufacturers have finally realised that not all lady golfers wear pastels and that lady golfers are quite discerning as to what they expect from their golf clothing.

Nike offer ladies golf shirts in a rainbow of bright and not so bright colours; from the essential black to the ultra cool looking blue ice and is available in polo, sleeveless and long sleeved options. That’s the fashion and coordination angles taken care of, but, what about performance? Nike provide the same standard of dri-fit quality in their ladies golf shirt collection that you would find in their men’s range and with the Nike brand name you would expect top quality material and manufacture and Nike do not fail.

Sunderland of Scotland provide a  ladies golf wind shirt, that is ultra lightweight, offers protection from the elements, but has removable sleeve for when the weather improves.

Want to stand out from the crowd? Then a Green Lamb tiger print ladies golf shirt with or without sleeves, could certainly make that happen. Green Lamb  offer the discerning lady golfer golf shirts that are modern, fashionable, but, match the performance standards demanded in today’s golfing world.

Golfbuyitonline supplies a range of ladies golf shirts that, not only, meet, but exceed a lady golfer’s expectation for fashion, as well as, practicality.

Men’s golf shirts should not feel restrictive to the wearer, but at the same time, a golf shirt should not interfere with the smooth flow of play.

Golf is played in many countries and climates of the world and the differing demands of body temperature control in all climates is a major priority of manufacturers of men’s golf shirts.

Modern golfers require golf shirts to, not only keep them cool in the heat, with a sophisticated wicking action that wicks perspiration away from the body and onto the surface of materials (where it quickly evaporates), to base layer shirts to keep them warm in the cold but without increasing core body heat. Oh, and they don’t really want to wear the fuddy duddy golf item associated with yesteryear ; argyle socks plus fours etc.

Today’s golfer demands golf shirts that perform to an exacting standard, but, they have to look, feel and be as stylish and fashionable as anything they would wear away from the golf course.

Golfbuyitonline supply a whole array of men’s golf shirts that are as stylish as they are practical:

Nike:  A name known throughout the sporting world have a huge range of men’s golf shirts from polo to mock turtle and all colours of the rainbow, but, that are designed to keep you from losing your cool.

FootJoy: You wear their No.1 rated golf shoes, why not try out their men’s golf shirts. From ProDry polo shirts that wick away moisture, as well as, provide UV protection to long sleeved wind shirts that are ideal for cooler golfing conditions, FootJoy have golfers backs covered.

Mizuno:  Not only does Mizuno produce a range of cool coloured dry promoting polo shirts, but also, have thermal undershirts and t-shirts that help regulate body temperature and support muscles for that extra bit of edge.

Calvin Klein: Yes Calvin Klein, the ultra fashionable designer wear offers a line of men’s golf shirts that will get you noticed around the golf course. Made from top quality materials that will help promote golfer comfort, a Calvin Klein golf shirt ticks many boxes for today’s modern golfer.

Cutter and Buck offer stylish and vibrant men’s golf shirts that have been specifically designed to mix and match with their range of men’s golf clothing.

Golfbuyitonline have brought together the top brand names in, not only, men’s golf clothing, but the top brand names in men’s clothing worldwide to offer golfers the greatest choice of styles, comfort and colour of men’s golf shirts available.

Moving from the balance of my life to the balance of the golf swing, I was intrigued to read recently about how many people view this as a key element of a successful golf swing. Now you know that I never comment on the mechanics of the swing as I’m neither a golf professional nor a swing coach. However, I do believe that balance is a key component of golf psychology and that psychological balance contributes significantly to balance in the golf mind and the golf swing. It also works wonders for your putting stroke.

When I was first studying NLP, Paul McKenna got us to do an exercise that he explained was based to some extent on Aikido. He asked for a volunteer and got her to just stand in an upright, relaxed posture and then to focus her mind on the audience. He then gently pushed her sideways with his hand against the outside of her shoulder. We saw how easily Paul caused her to sway off balance with just a light push.

Paul then asked the volunteer to focus all her attention on a point about two inches below her navel. Paul explained that this is known in Aikido as the ‘hara’ – the location of a person’s spirit and their centre of mass. He then repeated the push on her shoulder, but this time he couldn’t budge her, however hard he pushed. I was particularly surprised that the volunteer remained calm and relaxed despite Paul’s inability to shove her off balance. Paul then split the audience into pairs and I was able to confirm the experience for myself by working with someone much smaller than me. Despite his frailty, I couldn’t easily budge him when he focussed on his hara.

So what’s does all this have to do with golf, I hear you say. Well, just try it the next time you are out practicing. I did and I found that focussing on my hara when hitting a shot seemed to smooth out my swing and massively improve my balance. Let me know what it does for you.