Archiv für March, 2009

The Right Golf Travel Package Will Guarantee a Relaxing Holiday

Golf Travel Package

If you are in the market for a great discount golf vacation check out a golf travel package available online or through your travel agent.  A golf travel package will get you guaranteed tee times and accommodations for some of highest rated courses in the United States as well as other great locations around the world.

Are you planning a golf travel package for your company?

There are many locations that offer a great golf travel package that can also include a meeting space or conference room. These packages may also include a corporate discount for the accommodations, greens fees, a rental van, as well as vouchers for meals and golf, maps and other extras.

A golf vacation package can be found for under $1500 and some for as little as $200.  The cost is dependant on the number of nights, the number of meals included, the location, and excludes taxes and travel expenses, such as airline flights, to and from the destination.

There are literally hundreds of quality, highly recommended, memorable golf travel packages offered that can be customized for your company’s particular needs. Anywhere there’s golf a golf travel package can be arranged.

Some destinations to consider for your golf travel package could be international places such as England, France, Italy, Greece, South America, Mexico and many more.  The United States boasts of many highly rated courses with beautiful resort accommodations.  These resorts are sometimes all inclusive and will include gourmet meals, use of the spa and gym, and of course greens fees and tee times.

Many of these destinations, both international and in the U.S., have beautiful golf resorts with spas and top rated restaurants on site.

Reserve a golf travel package to England and play on one of England’s three best known British Open Courses such as the Royal Liverpool, Royal Lytham & St. Annes. You could arrange to stay in Southport, one of England’s traditional resort towns with easy access to all the courses.  For traveling around the area you could reserve a car with a driver or drive your own rental van.

You may want to stay in the U.S. and plan your golf travel package around one of the golf championships such as the Masters Tournament at Augusta, or the U.S. Open and watching the pros in action.

It is always important to plan ahead to insure your golf travel package will be the best vacation you have ever taken.

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Cobra S9-1 Driver Review

Center of Gravity (CG) is the primary focus with the new Cobra S9-1 Driver.  The all titanium driver has been somewhat downsized for each loft.  In addition to the optimized CG, rather dramatic changes have been made from last year’s model such as slightly narrower face and less crown surface area.  The weight has been reduced by almost 6 grams to increase club-head speed - this is huge.  Making golf clubs as light as possible is a very big perk in my opinion.  Stripping unnecessary weight to increase club-head speed.  This is the name of the game to gain additional yardage.

Other notables for the Cobra S9-1 is the new Hotter 9 Points technology to further increase clubface efficiency. What is this?  It’s the design of the driver to maximize COR using a Dual Rhombas insert to promote higher ball speed and a more consistent ball flight across the entire club face.

Comes in three different models (excluding the S9-1 Pro):  S9-1 M for swing speeds of 87-108 and ball speeds of 125-155, S9-F for swing speeds of 97 or less and ball speeds of 140 or less and finally the S9-M (offset) for swing speeds of 97 or less and ball speeds of 140 or less.

Cobra S9-1 Spec Sheet-

Face Height…….. 53 mm
Shaft Length…… 45.5
Face Area……….. 43.7
Heel to Toe…….. 107 mm
Front to Back…… 120 mm
MOI……………….. Very High

The Cobra S9-1 is an absolutely great looking driver.  Cobra has always come out with stellar drivers and this one is no exception.  Very high MOI and balanced face makes this one of the straighter drivers on the market today.  Excellent custom shaft selection such as Graphite Design, YS-6+ and YS-7+, Aldila DVS, Aldila NV, Grafalloy Prolaunch, Proforce V2, Fujikura Speedax, Rombax, and the Mitsubishi Diaman to name a few.

The Cobra S9-1 is probably more geared for the average player.  Lacks lower loft selection (starting at 9.5) unless you go to the Cobra S9-1 Pro model - this is not a negative to the majority of players however.

The Cobra S9-1 will be a hit for players looking for greater distance and accuracy.  A high launch driver that’s straight and long, the general consensus is that it will be a hit for Cobra after making a Gold Rating in the Golf Digest Driver reviews for 2009?. This is definitely a driver putting on your short list this spring.

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Reviewing Golf Bags And Its Pricing

Nike Golf

For many people golf is more than just a game, it is a way of life. For those individuals who feel this way, the golf equipment and golf accessories that they choose are extremely important. This includes all of their accessories, such as golf balls, golf tees and golf bags. There are many different golf bag types to choose from and many different brands. It depends on how much the individual wants to spend. However, a person does not have to purchase expensive accessories to find good quality.

If you are a serious golfer or even thinking about going pro, then you will need quality equipment. How much you pay for that quality is totally up to up you and the amount of money that you want to spend. Some of the higher priced golf bags are made by companies such as Nike Golf, Ogio, Slazenger and Titleist Golf. These companies make a higher end, higher priced golf bag and for the most part are all known by most golfers.

Upon entering a golf store, you will find that there are many golf bags under $150.00 that are of high quality and will not break the bank. A Nike Golf bag is under $100.00, for example. Just slightly over this price is the well-known brand Callaway with their Mini STS bag for $119.99. This is a price that professional golfers and those golfing as a hobby can both respect. The brand Bag Boy also makes the OCB-15 for just under at $99.99. However if you are not looking to spend $100.00 on a golf bag, then there is hope for you and your game. The brand Acuity specializes in lower priced bags that still uphold a standard of quality for men and women. Commonly, their Pro Series bag with a stand costs around $59.99.

Many golfers will agree that golf bags are not as important to their game as custom golf clubs, balls, golf gloves and golf apparel, but they are the glue that carries that precious cargo around! This means that the decision on which one to buy is an important one. For those who may not be familiar with golf, it might be best to stick with the brand names that you know and trust. Yet if you are willing to learn and give others a chance, then you might find that some of the lesser known brands work just fine!

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Stack and Tilt: Why the Pros are Switching to Stack and Tilt

Stack & Tilt

There are three vital elements that each golfer tries to achieve whether a beginner or Tiger Woods and they are to hit the ball further,to hit it in a straight line and generally to be more consistent. Most of us are plagued by ugly shots from time to time but what if you could eliminate those fat and thin shots for good? Well there’s a revolution going on and it’s call Stack and Tilt and it just might be the answer to your prayers.

Have you even heard of stack and tilt? You probably have as you have found this article but you’re probably not completely clued up as to what it’s all about. If you don’t know about it it is simply a different kind of golf swing which is having an amazing effect on many tour experts - Mike Weir, Aaron Baddeley and Charlie Wi, to mention some of them but so far more than 20 experts have switched to using a Stack and Tilt golf swing.

The History of Stack and Tilt Because of the number of players they have helped to become winners on the tour,Andy Plummer and Mike Bennett are known as the ‘Golf Whisperers’. It is these guys who, after 20 years of research, have developed this amazing new swing which completely contradicts the basics being taught about ‘the swing’ today.

A golfer learning the traditional swing of the club, will usually learn to transfer weight onto their back foot. This is where the Stack and Tilt swing differs. The problem with this is that what sometimes tends to happen is that the swing bottoms out behind the ball. This then leads to some those terrible shots that make golf so frustrating. What’s different about the Stack and Tilt, however, is that the weight moves forward so the swing bottoms out in front of the ball. This results in a pure, smooth contact that feels totally effortless and not a horrible contact that reverberates up your club into your hands!

It’s really pretty remarkable - the execution of the swing is extremely simple and the benefit is that very quickly you will see that your ball will go further straighter and more consistently than with any other golf swing.

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How To Select The Finest Men’s Golf Club Set

There are many different mens golf club set styles created by manufacturers to appeal to a wide range of golfers. These golf club sets come in numerous different designs, colors, and styles so that anyone can find a golf club set that will fit their needs. There are several things that will need to be considered when choosing the best mens golf club set to ensure that you are getting the right complete golf club set for your needs.

The Style Of The Golf Club Set

The best thing to do here is to select a golf club set that is in tandem with your own style. What do you like – contemporary or antique? Well, this is just one example here. You could choose a golf club between these styles. There are so many other style variations to choose from. The most important thing is to choose something that goes with you, and not with your clothes or shoes or your cap. Price also could be a determining factor here because the price is dependent on the style.

Men’s Golf Club Set – Selecting the Price

Different makers of golf club sets peg their products with different prices, and hence you have to be careful. If you buy a standard mens golf club set set from the store, it will be cheaper for you, but if you are looking at customizing it to suit your needs better, then you have to be ready to shell more money for it. A good idea to begin is to determine how much money you are willing to spend for your golf club set. These can tend to be very expensive and you do not want to jeopardize your financial health because of a golf club set. Have a ballpark figure in mind as to how much you will spend. The best part is that whatever budget you choose for your golf club set, you are sure to get a set within that price range.

Men’s Golf Club Set – Deciding the Size

The size is quite an important factor if you want to make sure that the golf club set will be suitable to your preference. However, when you are buying a set, you are going to get clubs of a lot of different sizes. There will be smaller as well as larger clubs. Now, this is where you can pick and choose. If you are a large man, the small club sets will be of no use to you. Also, if you are a beginner, you can do without many of the sophisticated clubs at the start.

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Mizuno MX-700 Driver Review

The new Mizuno MX-700 driver has certainly taken a stand atop the new driver list this year.  The new Mizuno 460cc driver is a wide body geometry shaped driver that pushes the CG toward the back… way back.  And CG is not he only thing going for this driver.  The face incorporates a Ti-9 titanium alloy that is designed with a grain structure that really allows this driver to improve ball speed especially on off center hits.

Mizuno offers “Power Hull” body construction utilizes internal reinforcements for powerful sound and feel.  The MX-700 will replace the beloved MX-560.  Some may be disappointed of the replacement, most will enjoy the upgrade.

A quick snapshot of the Mizuno MX-700 Spec Sheet-

Face Height…………………: 52 mm
Face Area…………………..: 44.6 cm
Shaft Length…………….:  45.5?
Heel to Toe……………….: 113 mm
Front to Back……………: 120 mm
MOI……………………………:  High
Launch Angle……………:  High
Spin Rate……………………: Low

This driver exudes confidence at address, I just plain like the looks of this driver.  Mizuno has traditionally catered to the more accomplished player.  Until now that is - in the case of the Mizuno MX-700, they broke the mold by offering the recreational player a nice higher launch, low spin driver that will be sure to fare well among the masses looking for such traits.

Really the only negative was the head fitting not being interchangeable.  Therefore, since there is an extensive custom shaft selection including Fujikura, Grafalloy and Mitsubishi, it makes it difficult to test.

Overall Rating-

No doubt, the Mizuno MX-700 deserves your attention this year.  It earned a Silver rating from Golf Digest for drivers under $350.  “A “Hot Metal” face and geometric body design combine to create Mizuno’s most powerful and most forgiving driver ever,” Straight from Mizuno.  Yep, put this one on your short list this spring to take a good long look at.

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Golf and the Loire Valley Chateaux - What a Gorgeous Wedding Destination for Golf Lovers

Golf at Chateau Cheverny

France, the size of Texas, is the largest country in Western Europe. The Loire Valley offers such a variety of exceptional sites where reputed golf courses are set alongside some 40 surreal historical chateaux and historical sites.

This valley of the Kings route has been plied for centuries along the longest river in France, the Loire River which remains the last of the wild rivers in Europe. The French Kings literally chateau hopped from one royal chateau to another along the banks of the Loire River.

The capetians established their dynasty here over 400 years ago before choosing Paris as their capital. Blois in La Beuce country, was once the favourite residence of French Kings. The city of Tours in the middle of Touraine Region is known to be where French is best spoken and has cuisine of the highest reputation.

Here history combined with spiritual and cultural ways of life have mingled to produce the great Loire Royal Valley. The Loire is a superb region for a quality golfing holiday - just 3 hours drive from Calais and other northern ports.

Regal chateaux spot the hillsides. Vineyards roll through copses of trees. French gastronomy is a veritable Paradise. One which you should try at least once in your lifetime. Amongst wine cellars, food specialities, son et lumiere (laser fireworks shows) are a selection of reputed golf courses: “Les Bordes” “Chateau Sept Tours” “Ardree” & “Touraine” “Cheverny” “Orleans Donnery” “Les Aisses” “Sully-sur-Loire” “Limere” “Ganay”.

The Les Bordes Resort not far from Chateau Chambord is undoubtedly the most impressive of all the resorts in terms of exclusivity and quality challenging golf - designed by Robert Von Hagge see Seignosse. Les Bordes is consistently ranked amongst the top 100 courses in Europe and one of France’s top 5. Water features on 12 of the 18 holes on this course and it really is a challenge even for low handicappers.

The peacefulness and scenery here in the Loire Valley make a golfing destination wedding a truly wonderful experience. You can add to the delight of your holiday exploring the legendary Loire Valley by holding your wedding at one of the romantic Chateaux available.   Nothing says romance louder than a romantic wedding in france in a fairytale castle.  With a wedding package getting married in France is more affordable than you would think.  A french chateau wedding package includes the venue, food, chapel, flowers, decoration, music, cake, horse and carriage, photography and wedding planner.  All bride and groom need to do is turn up on the day with their wedding attire and rings.

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Making Your Own Golf Clubs

For the amateur golfer, making your own set of golf clubs or just that one special club can be a lot of fun, and it could help your game.

You may ask why you would ever want to build your own golf clubs.Well, the big reason is that when you buy clubs off the shelf, you are stuck with the sizes and fits that are in stock - limited only.There may be one size for men, another for the women and another for the children who need junior golf clubs. At 6 ft 2 in, for me buying off the rack can cause my golf game to suffer and cause some annoying back aches because if the clubs are too short. By learning to make your own golf club, you can help your body from back pains and same money at the same time.

There really isn’t much needed to make one’s own golf clubs.You just need a head, shaft, grip and some other materials to hold it all together.  Searching the internet will give you many options to buy your components to make clubs that match your game.

Club heads — iron and wood heads are available from many suppliers. You can buy club heads that resemble popular brands or designs unique to the manufacturer you buy from. Different vendor offers their own line of clubs.

Shafts - you can buy the same shafts that most of these branded golf club companies use.

Grips – there are many different sizes and types of grips.  You can find them in all price ranges and even buy the same ones the pros use..

Ferules — That’s the little plastic piece that goes on the end of the shaft above the club head you’ll find on some clubs. These are purely decorative except on graphite shafts where they are necessary to absorb some of the stresses where the shaft joins the club head.

The beauty of finding the components to make your club is the fact that you can mix and match components to match your game.

Some of the tools needed are:

Grip tape – two sided tape is needed

Grip tape solvent – very cheap and you can recycle the excess

Epoxy – you will needs an epoxy with a drying time of 2-3 hours

Pipe cutter for cutting steel shafts, a plumbing cutter will work fine

For graphite shaft use a hack saw

Grip cutting knife – one with a hooked blade works nicely

Sandpaper for roughing up shaft tips to epoxy them

Shaft clamp – a thick piece of rubber in a vise works well

Making a golf club consists of measuring and cutting the shaft to length, abrading the tip to make sure the bond to the head is as good as possible. You then push the ferrule over the thin end of the shaft and glue the head to the shaft with an epoxy. Waiting for the epoxy to dry is the worst part of the job… You want to take your new golf club to the course and try it out. Once the epoxy has set, you wrap the butt end of the shaft with grip tape (double-sided sticky tape), wet it using one of a wide range of solvents, slide the grip over it and let dry. Once that is done, you can now clean your new golf club - polish the ferrule and end up with something better than you buy at the store.

So get to your computer, surf the net and find great websites to get your components. In no time you will your own homemade golf club or clubs. So, go and have some fun.

Those who play golf know it’s addictive. Building your own clubs can result in a similar addiction, so be warned.

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Used Golf Balls: Getting High Performance For Less

Used golf balls can save you lots of money. Each year, golfers spend millions of dollars purchasing brand new golf balls. You can easily find used golf balls in mint condition. Selling used balls is becoming big business. Many online companies specialize in collecting , cleaning, grading and selling quality used balls. They come in a variety of popular brands, and often look just as good as brand new balls.

The big difference

Believe it or not, the only thing separating a brand new golf ball from a used one is that first shot. That’s it. The simple act of hitting a brand new ball one time with your driver is what turns it into a used golf ball. These balls usually emerge as high rated golf balls that rival the exact same balls sold as brand new. They look and perform exactly the same.

Still, there are many different grades and conditions of used golf balls. You will often come across scuffed, cut or discolored golf balls where it’s pretty obvious that they are used. You should avoid buying golf balls in this condition. You can buy top of line used golf balls instead.

Why buy used golf balls

For starters, used golf balls are a good bargain compared to the cost of buying new golf balls. I’m sure you like playing your game with brand names like Nike and Titleist? You can find these brands in the form of high-quality used balls for $15 a dozen or less instead of paying $40. Why not save a few bucks buying used golf balls instead of new?

Used golf balls make excellent practice balls. If you’re learning to do a shot over, or playing around a waterhole or thick brush and trees, it’s a lot easier to stomach losing a few used golf balls than sacrificing your new ones. Buy used balls in bulk to make sure you always have enough practice balls around.

Where to find used balls

It’s always a good idea to make sure you have plenty of golf balls available - especially if you are new to the sport. Count on losing quite a few in the beginning. You can find a variety of used golf ball deals anywhere - from your local golf or sporting goods store to companies online. Make sure you are buying used balls from a reputable seller.

Make sure to check out the company’s rating system when you purchase used golf balls. The rating system gives you an indication of how often the ball has been played. For example, if you are only interested in buying highly rated, premium golf balls, you need to understand the rating system to ensure that you know exactly what you are getting.

Expanding your search for the right golf balls to include used golf balls can end up saving you a lot of money down the road. If you lose a lot of golf balls whenever you lay, it can become a big expense. Used golf balls will save you a ton money without sacrificing your game.

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Helping You Locate The Right Golf Bag

golf bag

The golf bag is a handy carrier to transport all you need for your day on the fairways. Not only does it carry your golf clubs and putters etc., it also carries your umbrella, cigars, or extra caps that you might need. As you roam around the country club hills, you can either carry everything yourself, have a caddy carry it for you, or drive a golf cart. If your bag has wheels, then you can wheel it along too, as this is what it was designed for. While there are many different types of golf bags on the market, the bags for your golf gear have come a long way since inception.

Some golf bags are made out of leather and some are made out of plastic, yet golf bags serve the same purpose whatever the material. It is just a matter of longevity and looks. If you are concerned about how you dress, then it may also be important to you to have a cool, top quality bag. However, the bags are not made for looks alone, as their job is to carry your golf equipment and accessories, such as your golf gloves, tees and perhaps some of your golf apparel. Some bags may carry more belongings than others. Different styles of bags will have more pockets on them than other ones will. Some may be made out of waterproof materials. If you are still in golf training, then a very expensive bag is probably not a good idea.

If you are looking for a golf bag that has a lot of storage, and you are always going to be able to utilize a golf cart, then a cart bag is your best bet. These bags have a large amount of storage and are heavier than the carry bags. Of course, the main job of golf bags is to carry your golf clubs. However, wouldn’t it be great to have a bag that can carry everything that you need? If you are choosing to utilize one of the heavier type cart bags, then you will be able to carry not only your clubs, but whatever else you want.

When you are looking to purchase a new golf bag, you want to make sure that you choose one that will fit all of your needs. You may have a preference as to what type of material the bag is made of; however, you should first make sure that the bag can hold everything you need for it to hold first. This type of golf accessory is something that you only purchase a few times within your lifetime, so make sure that you purchase the bag that will work best for you and last for as long as you will need it to.

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