Over the past few months I have been watching my eldest son (Don’t worry is over 18) actively participating in online gambling and I thought it may be a good idea to investigate whether or not it is worthwhile for Golf.

John Cave asks the question is Golf a Gamble?  as my ”Golf Gambling Guru”  he should know as John  has been in the golfing business for 40 years an actively participates in Online Golf Gambling on a tournament basis.

According to John  ”In actual fact,the answer is both Yes and No. For online bookmakers,Golf is now ranked only behind Football and Racing in terms of turnover. Perhaps I should say profitability because the odds of picking a winner should be far higher than those given by the layers.

In football,there are only 3 outcomes. In Racing perhaps as many as 30,but more often in the region of 12.However,most golf tournaments cater for well over 100 competitors each week.

In racing,if there are 8 runners or more,we can have an each way bet giving 3 places.In handicaps featuring 16 runners or more,then each way gives 4 places. In the Grand National and other large runner fields then you can sometimes get 5 or 6 each way places with on line bookmakers.

Golf on the other hand tends to stick to 5 each way places,which is very poor value given the number of competitors. So as a serious betting proposition,then I have to say that golf should be swerved. On the other hand,as a golf enthusiast,I treat golf as ” fun betting” and football and racing for more serious involvement.

Up until his recent demise whenever Tiger played in a tournament,the odds on other competitors were much better value.With the former world number 1 often starting at odds of around 2/1,there were plenty of good players going off at odds of 20/1 or better.Nowadays with no golfer being so dominant,then prices are naturally more evenly matched.”

So it seems that you won’t become rich Gambling on the outcome of Golf Tournaments but you should have a lot of fun doing it and get to know the players better.

Tags: Gambling on the outcome of Golf Tournaments, Golf Gambling Guru, online gambling, Online Golf Gambling// Category News // 1 Comment »

Having just started my last kid with Golf I thought that it is high time that I wrote an article on Golf and Kids.

Golf and kids the lonely walk

If you think your child may be the next Tiger Woods or that they have the predisposition for the game of golf, you need to learn how to best teach them the game without crowding their plate with development expectations. You also need to be able to see when they are ready and willing to learn and how to find out if your child has what it takes to become a quality player in the world of Golf.

As most of us that have played will know Golf is an extremely detailed sport, and even those who are naturals , must spend years and years practicing before they head to the professional circuit. Because of this, the earlier your child learns the game, the better chance you have of developing into an avid golfer.

According to those that know once a child is walking well independently and able to hold a child-sized golf club, he or she is probably ready for the first introduction to the sport. This can happen when the child is as young as two or three years old. Preschool children will not be ready to play golf as a game, but they can be given small putters and practice swinging the club correctly.

What I have learnt is confirmed when spending time on the range with my son that children at this age learn almost everything through imitation. The best way to teach them proper swinging and putting techniques is to demonstrate, and then have them imitate the motions. But use caution that you do not make this tedious for the child(Don’t expect your kid to hit as many balls as you do) keep it short and sweet. These imitation sessions should be short and fun and at this time you need to reinforce that ”Making a Good Swing” is more important than smashing the ball.

Once the child has entered school and has a good handle on the swinging and putting techniques learned through observation, it is time to start teaching the game of golf. School aged children are accustomed to verbal instruction and can listen to explanations about the game better than their preschool counterparts. You need to keep in mind, however, that they are still children! They will thrive on encouragement, and all teaching sessions should be kept upbeat!

For those of you that are like me and want to start  taking your child to the driving range make sure you show your son or daughter how to hit the ball correctly,not aiming for distance. The driving range is a good place to start, since there is not a specific target they must reach, so the child is less likely to get frustrated. After the child demonstrates aptitude on the driving range, you can head to the course. When you go to the course makes sure that for the first couple of times you don’t play with your child and rather spend the time carrying the bag and helping to find balls.

By this point you should be able to tell whether or not your child is going to share your love for the game of golf.

Lastly the most important factor to remember is that not all children like the same things that parents like. Do not push your child into the game of Golf if it is not their thing, as they will resent you forever for doing so. Instead, give them experience and opportunity and allow them to reach their own conclusions about golf and any other opportunity that you place in their path.

Tags: developing into an avid golfer, Golf and Kids, Making a Good Swing, putting techniques, swinging the club correctly// Category News // Add Comment »

Most average golfers  are obsessed with distance and will try to achieve longer drives off the tee and will make sure they tell everyone how far they hit their Golf Irons. Over the past couple of years I have always believed wrongly that hitting the ball longer is the best way to score well. This of course excludes tour Pro’s as more often than not many of the Golf Courses are set up to be longer and the shorter hitters are not as competitive on these courses.

So based on the fact that Longer is not necessarily Better how do we go about improving my scores without going out and buying the latest Driver, the answer is simple Control your Distance. Before we go into detail on this subject make sure that when you measure your distance make sure that you use accurate equipment such as a Bushnell Tour V2 Rangefinder with Pinseeker or it can be as simple as using the course yardage book and one last thing try and use your normal shot not the best ones.

So in order to Control your Distance there are two basic requirements that need to be met.

Firstly: the swing that your are using needs to be as consistent as possible and needs to be able to achieve two distances but with the same swing tempo and club head speed. The easiest way to achieve this without going in to to much detail is to change the length of the swing so you would have a short one and a long one. You can do this by increasing your backswing or shortening your grip on the shaft Choke Down. Both of these methods will give a different ”Swing Arc” and if you swing at the same tempo they will produce two unique distance hopefully one short and one longer. As we all know the only way to Groove Swing Tempo is to hit that range and not the Golf Course.

Secondly: the equipment that your are using needs to be consistent not only do the shafts need to be the same but the lofts on the clubs need to such that there is a difference between them. All manufacturers have different Loft specifications and these you will find on their websites but take our word for it these may not be as accurate as you think. As shown in the table below the specification for my Mizuno MP 62 had a variance of 5.5% before adjustment and only the 5 Iron had the Loft Specification 100%.

MP 62 Loft Specifications

So to summarize to Control Distance have one swing with all clubs that you can rely on to deliver a ”Grooved Swing Tempo” that will allow you to change the distance hit by Choking Down. Calculate these distances by going on the range or the course using an accurate method and your normal swing. Make sure that your loft specification given to you by the manufacturers is accurate and that it gives you enough difference between the clubs. Most golfers have a perceived distance between clubs of 10-15 yds but this should be established accurately by each golfer individually based on their Grooved Swing Tempo and length of Swing Arc . Once you have established these distances and know what they are for each golf club you can then use them on the Golf Course, just remember at the end of the day it is the score that counts and not how far you hit your Driver.(Longest Drive Excluded)

Tags: Bushnell Tour V2 Rangefinder with Pinseeker, Choke Down, Control your Distance, Golf Irons, Groove Swing Tempo, Longer is not necessarily Better, Mizuno MP 62, MP 62 Loft Specifications, Swing Arc// Category News // 1 Comment »

Perhaps it is time for a reality check when it comes to how far do we hit a golf ball. Without any evidence apart from our last best shot us amateur golfers don’t know exactly how far we hit. So when you go to the range or the Golf course and hear people especially men talking about how far they hit the golf ball just mention the figures below to them. (Don’t forget to use the the LPGA Averages)

”Since the ball speed of an average male club golfer is similar to the ball speed of LPGA Tour players, a comparison to LPGA Tour numbers, rather than PGA Tour numbers, is often beneficial for the average male golfer.” mytrackman.com

According to http://mytrackman.com//trackman.online.drivingrange/pganumbers.html

PGA Tour players manage to combine a high launch angle (10-15 degrees) with a low spin rate (2-3000 rpm) to gain maximum distance with their driver. The landing angle is on average kept below 40 degrees for the driver and near 50 degrees with irons. Further note the fixed gaps from 3-iron to PW – there is around 10 meters between each iron on average.

LPGA Tour players compared to PGA Tour players. This is why women carry the ball shorter than their male counterpart. However, LPGA Tour players utilize their ball speed better than PGA Tour players because they launch the ball higher with the same spin rate. This is a more efficient use of power.

Further note that women generally spin the ball less, resulting in lower height (apex point), and have a shallower landing angle – more roll.

Statistics from Trackman

LPGA and PGA Tour averages calculated by trackman.com

Tags: amateur golfers, how far do we hit a golf ball, LPGA Tour numbers, mytrackman.com, PGA Tour numbers// Category News // Add Comment »

Tags: automatic stage, cognitive stage, Golf skill acquisition, kinesthetic awareness, repeatable motor task, traditional teaching methods// Category Professional Advice // Add Comment »

Tags: Old Timer, Range Monkey, The Man, Young Gun// Category News // Add Comment »

Today was the day that I really knew that I loved golf and everything about it. To say the day started off crap was an understatement as I was ready to start loading some new reviews onto the RYC site I received a frantic call from the ”Wife”. To summarize some stupid computer in her car said she can’t drive and the car needs to return to the dealer as soon as possible. So I was dragged away from my computer and had to get my car ready to take her (the wife) to work, luckily I had the foresight  to pack my 14 favourite things into the boot of the car. You are probably asking why they weren’t in the car already but I have been told by my coach that the shafts don’t like the cold and I always have a fear of somebody stealing them.

On the way to the office of the ”Wife” there was a lot of background noise going on, which was distracting me from my thoughts of  what the state of the course would be with all this snow. I had been closely following the courses Twitter feed which had mentioned only a light snow dusting so there was hopefully nothing to worry about. 30 min after dropping off the ”Wife’ and a lot of navigation I was driving into the gates of the course and ready to see the light dusting first hand. My heart sank as I saw the so called light dusting and my fears were confirmed when not only were there temporary greens but no other golfers in site.

”Frickin Flip flop” is what I said as I made my way up the icy road past all the frozen bunkers and snow covered fairways, but there was light at the end of the tunnel or should I say road. The driving range was open for business and so to was the Tea Room so after a serious bacon roll I was onto the range like a shot. There were buckets of balls to be hit and as I was the only one on the range it was true paradise, things were really looking up.

Like most of my friends I have an apple i-phone to use in emergencies like tweeting and swing filming , unfortunately our range doesn’t appreciate the importance of the device has a load of signs saying switch mobile phones off. They probably hadn’t heard of the emergency value of the i-phone when they wrote this rule. But to cut a long story a bit short today whilst my phone was being in one of these emergencies, I received a text message from the ”Wife” that read  ”nothing is happening today you might as well come and fetch me”

Tags: Chopper Woods, Driving Range, Golfing Perspective// Category News // Add Comment »

In his second weekly blog, golf coach Chris Brook advises you how to make golf practice more productive.

Before you even set foot on the golf practice range, know what you want to achieve from the session.

Many golfers have small target areas in mind and practice to improve them.

There are four different types of golf practice. But you should only focus on using one per session.

Blocked practice is what you do if you are trying to make a mechanical change to your golf swing. It is about using the same club and repeating the same swing motion over and over until it is imprinted in your motor memory.

A golf swing lasts less than two seconds. So even hitting 100 balls is only about three minutes of golf practice. This is why it makes sense to do it as much as possible, with a ball, and in between shots without a ball, to effectively reinforce the golf swing in your motor memory.

Random practice is where you change something on every shot. You might change the club, ball flight, target or distance. Playing a round of golf on the range is an effective form of random practice. Use a score card to replicate an actual game and choose different shots depending on your results.

Creative practice, also known as discovery golf practice, is fun. Use it to learn how to manufacture shots with various clubs to different targets such as high fades, low draws and punch shots. It helps you become aware of your clubhead and hand control.

Pressure practice is probably the least used method of golf practice. Yet is the most effective at improving performance in competition golf. Simulate pressure by setting targets for yourself. For example, an objective might be to hit three out of five golf balls to the red flag. If you achieve this, move onto a harder target and hit another three out of five balls to that. Don’t move to the next target until you complete the first.

Chris Brook is an International Golf Coach specialising in coaching professionals on tours including the European and US PGA. Click here to see his last blog.

Visit sister site Rate Your Course UK for lots more information about golf courses to play in the UK (you deserve a great course to play after all that golf practice).

Are you a golf coach? Or have you received golf coaching? Do you have any other golf practice tips? We’d love to hear from you.

Tags: Chris Brook, golf, Golf Coach, golf practice, golf practice range, golf swing// Category Professional Advice // 1 Comment »

RYC Blog is the sister site of Rate Your Course UK, the website for UK golf course reviews.

The blog is written by Chopper Woods, an amateur golfer who spends every day on the golf course, practicing his swing. He’s sure he will perfect it one day.

Chopper blogs about the golf courses he has played, the golf equipment he has trialled, and the latest news in the golf world. He might even upload the odd practice video (if you promise not to laugh at him).

As well as following Chopper Woods’ golfing adventures on this site and Rate Your Course UK, you can also join him on Facebook and Twitter.

Sister site Rate Your Course UK is a website for reviews about all things golf in the UK.

It has UK golf course reviews including reviews of the top 100 golf courses. It also has golf equipment reviews including golf ball reviews and driver reviews.

Rate Your Course UK is run by Andrew Birrell, a golf amateur (fanatic) from South Africa, living in the UK.

Some think Chopper Woods is Andrew’s alter ego. But we cannot confirm these rumours.

If you want to contact Andrew, you can email him on info@rateyourcourse.co.uk.

Here are a few photos of Andrew in action down the years.

Andrew, age 10, is number 44. His dad is swinging the club. They're in Costa del Sol, Spain.

Andrew at 24 practicing at Bryanston Driving Range, Johannesburg

Andrew (far right) at a tournament at The Centurion Golf Estate, South Africa, in 1998

Outside The Old Course, St Andrews, in July 2008. Left to right: Andrew, Lloyd Birrell, David Winn and Andrew's dad Tony Birrell

// Category About // Add Comment »

By Chopper Woods

Stoneham Golf Course is one of my top golf courses in the South East of England.

On our sister site, Rate Your Course UK, it has a rating of 9 out of 10.

It is a heathland golf course, so it has nice, spongy fairways.

The course opens with a tee shot over a small valley to the fairway, guarded by bunkers on the drive. The green, 499 yards off the tee, lies just below the fairway. You can’t see it from the fairway but if you hit the ball straight and long you can roll it onto the green in two.

The second is a tough par three, and although the green looks small from the tee there is plenty of room to land your ball.

The finishing holes are great. The 17th is par-four and only 380 yards. But when you play your shot down the left hand, watch out for the stream running through the green.

The 18th is pretty tough. The 479-yard par-five is straight up a hill that seems to go on forever.

The owners say the course favours brain over brawn because many of the approach shots are uncompromising – you have to make it onto the putting surface or you face some serious recovery work.

Basic Golf Course Listing
Course type: Heathland Golf Course
Yardage: 6,392
Designer: Willie Park Jr
Holes: 18
SSS Rating: 71
Yardage markers: Yes
Medal par: 72
Website: www.stonehamgolfclub.org.uk
Email: richard@stonehamgolfclub.org.uk
Golf mark: Not Awarded
Telephone: 023 8076 9272
Address: Monks Wood Close, Bassett, Southampton, Hampshire, SO16 3TT
Course status: Members Course
HC Certificate required: Yes
Soft spikes required: No
Visitors policy: Booking Required
Booking notes: Visitors Welcome

Tags: heathland golf course, Stoneham Golf Course, top golf courses in South East England// Category Golf Courses // 46 Comments »