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Saturday, December 15, 2007

Selecting a Good Golf Ball

A good golf ball will certainly help a good golf swing lower your scores. Question is what is a good golf ball? Many beginning golfers lose so many balls in there quest to play the game that they don not care what golf ball is used. However as we all progress in our skill levels we become aware that some golf balls do work better. The problem is that the many golf ball manufactures provide so many choices that it is hard to make an intelligent selection.

Selecting the best golf ball for your skill level and golf swing can be as important as the selection of golf clubs. Golf ball manufactures use many types of compounds to make ball covering and core. In addition there are solid cores, dual cores and multi-cores to add to the confusion. In addition there are a lot of different dimple patterns available each designed to overcome air resistance and influence spin characteristics. For instance a ball with lots of back spin will have more carry. Some balls are designed to be more forgiving when you miss the sweet spot. If you have a good golf swing there are balls designed for the pros that are unforgiving but allow for more control. The biggest problem is that there is no real uniform way to judge one golf ball against another.

titleist golf balls are rated for use by the skill level of the player. The titleist Solo NT is their most popular ball and is designed for the recreational golfer. Its two piece construction that includes a cut resistant cover is both forgiving and durable. At the other end of the titleist golf ball line is the titleist ProV1 that was just used to win the US Open. this ball is designed for the professional or very serious golfers. It is a three piece ball that has enhanced aerodynamics, softer feel and more controllability. It is also much less forgiving when impact is off the clubs sweet spot. As you can see much of the description provided by titleist and other golf ball manufactures is relatively subjective.

In addition you will discover that a golf ball that plays great for your golfing partner may not work for you. All this adds to the confusion of selecting a ball. If you have a consistent golf swing you can go the range and try a number of brands to find what works best. this may be expensive but probably the only way to be sure that you have the ball or balls that work best for you. If you undertake such an endeavor make sure you take lots of notes as you proceed through various brands. If you do not have a good consistent golf swing then things get a little more complicated.

A good teaching golf instructor that is or has provided you with golf instruction may be able to assist you in selecting a good golf ball to fit your golf swing and playing style. Each golf instructor has his or her favorite golf balls they use for instruction purposes. More than likely these are the most forgiving golf ball available. If your golf swing is inconsistent or you are relatively new to the game of golf this may be the best choice for you. Continued golf swing instruction and experience will help you develop a good golf swing over time. In time as your skill level increases you will be able to try different brands and judge what golf balls work for you. Selecting a golf ball is important. In the mean time a more forgiving golf ball will make the game of golf more enjoyable and that is really the reason we play.

James Kesel, MS, is the publisher of Good Golf Swing website. Providing information on golf swing tips, putting tips, golf training aids, golf instruction and the latest and best golf ebooks.

Retreat Centers Yoga New York State

Learning from Tiger Woods

The August 14, 2000 issue of time Magazine features an article about Tiger Woods titled The game of Risk - How the Best golfer in the World Got Even Better. Although I have no specific interest in the sport of golf, I do have a long-standing fascination with the general theme of the article: how can someone learn to do something better?

Thats precisely what the Alexander technique is all about. And while Tiger Woods has probably never heard of it, its interesting that his quest for a better golf swing parallels in many ways the process F. Matthias Alexander - the developer of the Alexander technique - went through a century ago.

Alexander was a Shakespearean reciter who ran up against limitations in his ability to perform well on stage. At that time there were no microphones and speakers and so he had to fill an entire auditorium with just the power of his own voice. Like Woods he was very talented at his profession but he also knew that there was room for improvement. In particular, he found that his voice gave out during a longer performance and that he had a tendency to gasp for breath on occasion.

Neither his doctors nor his vocal coaches were able to help and so he set off on his own, using a system of mirrors to monitor his performance in order to see precisely what was causing his difficulties. If he were living today, he would probably use videotapes of himself to see what was going on.

Thats what Tiger Woods did in order to improve his swing. I knew I wasnt in the greatest positions in my swing at the Masters, Woods said. But my timing was great, so I got away with it. And I made almost every putt. You can have a wonderful week like that even when your swing isnt sound. But can you still contend in tournaments with that swing when your timing isnt good? Will it hold up over a long period of time? The answer to those questions, with the swing I had, was no. And I wanted to change that.

The article notes that Woods has become ...an obsessive student of the game who reviews videotapes of old tournaments for clues about how to play each hole. Alexander too was an obsessive student of his performance and in the end his obsession paid off not only in providing a solution to his voice problem, but later in the discovery of a process that could be taught to others who wanted to improve the quality of their physical functioning.

What is most remarkable about Woods, the article continues, is his restless drive for what the Japanese call kaizen, or continuous improvement. Toyota engineers will push a perfectly good assembly line until it breaks down. Theyll find and fix the flaw and push the system again. Thats kaizen. Thats Tiger.

And thats Alexander, too. Never content with the progress he had already made - first in solving his own voice problem and later in developing better ways to teach others, and to train teachers in his technique.

Woods first instructor, Rudy Duran, commented that he has the ability to stay in the present during a tournament and focus on hitting one shot at a time.

Alexander, too, discovered that in order to change his way of speaking he had to learn to stay focused on what he was thinking and doing in the present. Much of what Alexander Technique teachers do to help their students with today is teach them how to develop this skill for themselves.

Its no wonder that so many leading performers in the fields of acting, music, and dance have studied the Alexander Technique and have publicly endorsed it. It turns out that this ability is also very useful for people who dont consider themselves to be performers but whose performance of activities in their daily lives has put harmful stress on their bodies, often to the point of causing pain such as backache or stiff shoulders and necks.

Learning how to monitor your thoughts and actions in real time is a valuable skill for anyone to master.

Robert Rickover is a teacher of the Alexander Technique living in Lincoln, Nebraska. He also teaches regularly in toronto, Canada. Robert is the author of Fitness Without Stress - A guide to the Alexander Technique and is the creator of The complete guide to the Alexander Technique at http://www.alexandertechnique.com.

Yoga Mats Reviews

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