Golfing is a wonderful sport but the game can be quite bright for the novice. One must learn about golf etiquette, rules, scoring, chipping, putting and developing one’s golf swing. Consequently, it is very difficult to learn the game of golf without some assistance. Many have had the help of learning to golf from their parents. Still others took courses in high school and/or college.

The most favorable way to learn to golf is through lessons from a pro. Nevertheless, these lessons can be quite expensive. One private lesson from a pro can cost as much as $50 for just an half hour, and a semi-private/group lesson $20 per half hour. If you can’t afford these lessons, go to the next best thing – a training DVD/video taught by a pro. Building a library collection can really help you continuously improve your golf game. Below is a list of some of the best golf DVD’s/videos to help you learn the fundamentals of the game.

Golf for Dummies DVD – Teaches the basics of golf like selecting equipment, tantalizing the club, proper stance and swing techniques, as well as instructions concerning the short game (chipping and putting). The 75 minute DVD taught by PGA Tour Champion and Golf Commentator Gary McCord runs around $20.

Golf Magazine Top 100 Teachers in America – the More Series – The top 100 teachers to the pros give over 5 hours of instruction in this 3 DVD series. Topics include your warm up routine, choosing a driver, ball flight, tee shot strategies, overswinging and much more. Some of the instructors include David Phillips, Scott Sackett, John Elliott, Fred Griffin and Laird Microscopic. The series costs around $40. Each DVD is divided into individual lessons making it very user friendly.

For Women Only – Venus on the FUNdamentals of Golf- Covers everything needed for ladies to learn the game of golf. Volume I covers the basic fundamentals of golf like etiquette, scoring, rules and even golf attire. Volumes II & III teaches techniques for the long game (developing and golf swing) and one’s short game (chipping and putting). Taught by Debbie Steinbach (a.k.a. Venus), a veteran of the LPGA tour and renowned golf instructor, this 3 volume will really help to improve your golf game. The cost for the place runs around $50.

David Leadbetter’s From Beginner to Winner – This is an outstanding video for the novice or someone like me seeking to lower their score. David, a teacher to the pros, instructs on how to correct some common errors, grip your club, swing and strategize your shots. The video runs a shrimp over an hour and a half and costs a little under $30.

Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn’t. – Designate Twain

Although it might be expected during the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, 2009 once again presented broad proof that real life is actually as least as peculiar as a Hunter Thompson drug trip. Some of the highlights:

The suspect is not a lanky, gray-skinned man without a nose: As per an annanova.com piece in February, “U.S. pranksters” in the Midwest had figured out how to “hack” into the systems venerable to change digital road signs…and then did what anybody with such impressive skills would do. They began posting zombie warnings. Thus, in Collinsville, IL, motorists were made aware of “DAILY LANE CLOSURES DUE TO ZOMBIES,” and Austin TX, residents encountered the more philosophize “NAZI ZOMBIES! RUN!!!” An illustration for the article showed a designate in an undisclosed location reading, “CAUTION! ZOMBIES AHEAD!!!”

What a guy! In April Maximilian Schell began appearing in Dos Equis beer ads that were probably the funniest of the year, 15-second bits of brilliance featuring a totally irresistible fellow known as “the most intelligent man in the world.” And he really was because, let’s face it, about how people can it truly be said, “He speaks French…in Russian”?

April is the cruelest month – for golfers: During the most recent one, a 62-year-old Norwegian woman now living in St. Petersburg, FL, had a hole-in-one on her first-ever golf swing in competition, according to that good city’s Times and as reported on many internet sites. “I didn’t know it was that huge of a deal,”’ Unni Haskell said of her ace on a 100-yard par-three hole. “I thought all golfers do this.”’ Golfers all over the world suppressed urges to send Ms. Haskell advice related to her nine-iron.

Look what I found: As reported in New York magazine in May, Columbia University researchers have now completed the first comprehensive map of the “stuff” beneath and living in Fresh York City’s harbors. Supplementing GPS and sonar findings with historical data, the cartographers listed all of the following things as found: a 350-foot steamship (sunk in 1920), a freight train (derailed in 1865), a fleet of Valid Humor ice cream trucks that now beget a reef for aquatic life, dozens and dozens of junked cars now used by divers as navigation points near the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges, and 1,600 bars of silver (traced to 1903). It was the fauna, though, that really caught their attention: 4-foot-long worms that feed on wooden docks and tiny “gribbles” that munch on concrete pilings.

Psst! You need to say, “I do”: Citing London’s Daily Telegraph in mid-June, newsoftheweird.com reported some weeks later that in Xianyang, in China’s Shaanxi province, a family hired a service for nearly US$4,500 to dig up a female corpse for their recently deceased son to “marry.” It was the latest incidence of attempting to overcome a centuries-old curse that posits a disappointing post-mortem “experience” for men who die unmarried.

Cogent political analysis: In July, buzzflash.com ran the following headline: China Rises to Dominate This Century, as Right-Wing Conservatives Lead America into a Crumbling Economic Sinkhole. It’s always good to distinguish right-wing conservatives from left-wing conservatives. Otherwise, there could be confusion.

Woof-YELP: In August the Philadelphia Eagles signed convicted dog-killer Michael Vick to a seven-figure salary, then basically used him as a device to originate defensive coordinators on the other sideline over-think things.

“Serpentine Shelly! Serpentine!!” According to IMDb.comdata, September 12^th marked the 30^th anniversary of the release of the original version of The In-Laws, starring Peter Falk and Alan Arkin. This went largely unnoticed…absurdly. One of the funniest films ever made, it included not only a fictional national flag featuring a topless prostitute, but also Falk’s timeless pitch for working as a CIA operative: “Are you interested in joining? The benefits are terrific. The trick is not to accept killed. That’s really the key to the benefit program.”

This feels all wrong – the guy’s name is Roy, not Cy: In mid-December, the ‘08-’09 National League Champion/’08 World Champion Phillies traded their best starting pitcher, Cliff Lee, to Seattle, part of a three-way shuffle of major and minor leaguers among that city, Philly and Toronto, in order to sign Roy Halladay. Bottom line – counting the minor leaguers sent to Cleveland during the past summer for Lee and the prospects given for the rights to Halladay, the Phillies figured out a way to give up the sizable majority of an excellent minor league team and Lee for the Toronto ace.

Look – it’s simple – extremists should be shot: In their December 7^th reveal, Sports Illustrated’s weekly “Sign of the Apocalypse” read, “PETA has asked the University of Georgia to expend a robotic dog instead of a live bulldog as a mascot.”

And finally, Happy Birthday, Baby Jesus: On Christmas Day, A & E ran a day-long Criminal Minds marathon, providing a rather startling parade of the sickest evil-doers available on television. The episode running between 11 p.m. and midnight featured a serial killer diagnosed by the FBI profilers featured on this present as having a “penetration” fixation on “post-pubescent girls.” He had stabbed one of them 67 times.

Not to worry, though – it is expected that America’s ‘tween girls will finally drop their fixation on buff young vampires who don’t drink blood by next Christmas.

Source unnoted above:

“Quotable Quote [Mark Twain].” goodreads.com. 26 December 2009.

Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn’t. – Mark Twain

Although it might be expected during the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, 2009 once again presented ample proof that real life is actually as least as weird as a Hunter Thompson drug trip. Some of the highlights:

The suspect is not a lanky, gray-skinned man without a nose: As per an annanova.com fragment in February, “U.S. pranksters” in the Midwest had figured out how to “hack” into the systems used to change digital road signs…and then did what anybody with such impressive skills would do. They began posting zombie warnings. Thus, in Collinsville, IL, motorists were made aware of “DAILY LANE CLOSURES DUE TO ZOMBIES,” and Austin TX, residents encountered the more direct “NAZI ZOMBIES! RUN!!!” An illustration for the article showed a sign in an undisclosed situation reading, “CAUTION! ZOMBIES AHEAD!!!”

What a guy! In April Maximilian Schell began appearing in Dos Equis beer ads that were probably the funniest of the year, 15-second bits of brilliance featuring a totally irresistible fellow known as “the most interesting man in the world.” And he really was because, let’s face it, about how people can it truly be said, “He speaks French…in Russian”?

April is the cruelest month – for golfers: During the most recent one, a 62-year-old Norwegian woman now living in St. Petersburg, FL, had a hole-in-one on her first-ever golf swing in competition, according to that good city’s Times and as reported on many internet sites. “I didn’t know it was that big of a deal,”’ Unni Haskell said of her ace on a 100-yard par-three hole. “I notion all golfers do this.”’ Golfers all over the world suppressed urges to send Ms. Haskell advice related to her nine-iron.

Look what I found: As reported in New York magazine in May, Columbia University researchers have now completed the first comprehensive arrangement of the “stuff” beneath and living in Original York City’s harbors. Supplementing GPS and sonar findings with historical data, the cartographers listed all of the following things as found: a 350-foot steamship (sunk in 1920), a freight train (derailed in 1865), a fleet of Good Humor ice cream trucks that now form a reef for aquatic life, dozens and dozens of junked cars now extinct by divers as navigation points near the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges, and 1,600 bars of silver (traced to 1903). It was the fauna, though, that really caught their attention: 4-foot-long worms that feed on wooden docks and small “gribbles” that munch on concrete pilings.

Psst! You need to say, “I do”: Citing London’s Daily Telegraph in mid-June, newsoftheweird.com reported some weeks later that in Xianyang, in China’s Shaanxi province, a family hired a service for nearly US$4,500 to dig up a female corpse for their recently deceased son to “marry.” It was the latest incidence of attempting to overcome a centuries-old curse that posits a disappointing post-mortem “experience” for men who die unmarried.

Cogent political analysis: In July, buzzflash.com ran the following headline: China Rises to Dominate This Century, as Right-Wing Conservatives Lead America into a Crumbling Economic Sinkhole. It’s always good to distinguish right-wing conservatives from left-wing conservatives. Otherwise, there could be confusion.

Woof-YELP: In August the Philadelphia Eagles signed convicted dog-killer Michael Vick to a seven-figure salary, then basically used him as a plot to make defensive coordinators on the other sideline over-think things.

“Serpentine Shelly! Serpentine!!” According to IMDb.comdata, September 12^th marked the 30^th anniversary of the release of the original version of The In-Laws, starring Peter Falk and Alan Arkin. This went largely unnoticed…absurdly. One of the funniest films ever made, it included not only a fictional national flag featuring a topless prostitute, but also Falk’s timeless pitch for working as a CIA operative: “Are you involved in joining? The benefits are terrific. The trick is not to accumulate killed. That’s really the key to the help program.”

This feels all wrong – the guy’s name is Roy, not Cy: In mid-December, the ‘08-’09 National League Champion/’08 World Champion Phillies traded their best starting pitcher, Cliff Lee, to Seattle, part of a three-way shuffle of major and minor leaguers among that city, Philly and Toronto, in order to heed Roy Halladay. Bottom line – counting the minor leaguers sent to Cleveland during the past summer for Lee and the prospects given for the rights to Halladay, the Phillies figured out a way to give up the vast majority of an excellent minor league team and Lee for the Toronto ace.

Look – it’s simple – extremists should be shot: In their December 7^th issue, Sports Illustrated’s weekly “Sign of the Apocalypse” read, “PETA has asked the University of Georgia to use a robotic dog instead of a live bulldog as a mascot.”

And finally, Happy Birthday, Baby Jesus: On Christmas Day, A & E ran a day-long Criminal Minds marathon, providing a rather startling parade of the sickest evil-doers available on television. The episode running between 11 p.m. and midnight featured a serial killer diagnosed by the FBI profilers featured on this exhibit as having a “penetration” fixation on “post-pubescent girls.” He had stabbed one of them 67 times.

Not to worry, though – it is expected that America’s ‘tween girls will finally drop their fixation on buff young vampires who don’t drink blood by next Christmas.

Source unnoted above:

“Quotable Quote [Mark Twain].” goodreads.com. 26 December 2009.

Adams seems to be hitting a new notice in their golf club line. The hybrid and iron combo sets they made popular years ago keep flourishing and the addition of some “players” equipment has got some better golfers and Pro’s looking at their equipment for the first time. Since the original Tight Lies fairway woods, Adams Golf has been known for its user friendly equipment and the modern Insight lineup keeps this tradition going strong.

The Adams Insight BUL Driver is geared towards the mid to high handicap player who needs a runt help getting the ball in the air off the tee, as well as finding the fairway more often. It’s 460cc head incorporates a load of technology geared towards raising the clubs Moment Of Inertia, which helps to support the club head stable on off center hits. So distinguished internal work has been done to this driver that it has reached MOI ratings that are right up there with the square headed and triangular shaped drivers, all in one classic package! With a number of lofts available and a 65 gram shaft by Aldila, the BUL is not only long, but flexible as well. You can test several loft and shaft flex combinations to acquire sure you accumulate the moral one for you.

When I hit this driver, I was a little disturbed that all it would do is hit the ball high and straight. Being a shot maker, I don’t care for that too noteworthy. But, that is exactly what it did because that is exactly what it is designed to do! I tested the BTY driver in a previous post and the better player should spy there if they want to give Adams Golf Equipment a try. The BUL however, did gaze great at address, with a square to slightly closed face angle to befriend shut the club face at impact. The first swing I took with this club hit a beautiful high draw that I thought would never come down! I had to watch it with the type of shaft that they put in this club because while I was using a stiff flex, it was a little weak for me, so I would defiantly test these drivers before throwing one in the bag to make sure the shaft flex is right for you. When I tried to hit some draws and fades, I could only do pull off the draws. Fades were out of the question but then again, this is what this club is designed to do, hit it high and straight, with possibly a slight draw due to the internal weighting of the club and closed club face.

Overall this is a great club for anyone looking to pick up more carry and hit more fairways! Check out my other Adams Golf reviews coming up!

Mark Twain once wrote that “Golf is a good walk execrable.” Whether or not that’s good, a abominable set of clubs can definitely spoil the game of golf. And while the clubs don’t make the golfer, having a proper set can greatly increase your chances for improving your game (read: shaving off some easy strokes) and not spoiling golf’s good trudge.

But where do you start? Full sets of clubs can be found anywhere between Wal-Mart and the pro shop, and the prices on those clubs has a range as big as John Daly’s drives. So when looking for a good dwelling of clubs, it’s valuable to ask yourself a few questions to make determined you get the set of slicers you need.

What kind of golfer am I?   Proper clubs are important for the beginner, the frustrated hacker, and the rude handicapper. But in order to better match yourself to a set of clubs, it’s important to understand what kind of player you are. Your needs as a beginner will generally be different than if you’ve made a few trips around the links; it follows that that contrast usually has a lot to do with skill level. So even though it might be a painful process for some, belief your current level of play will give you a big head launch on finding the right clubs for you.

Where am I looking to improve?   This is almost as important as knowing what kind of golfer you are. Most players know where their strengths lie on the golf course. But knowing where you need to improve and sharing that with your local pro shop can attend focus your search for the upright clubs, and may help prick costs and the amount of time it takes to search for the right sticks.

Can I get my ego out of the way?   Alright, this may be a little unfair. But too often golfers will choose equipment that is difficult to use in order to keep their image as a power hitter or a professional-grade player intact. If image is more important than shooting better than a triple bogey on every hole, then stiff shafts and low-angle drivers are the way to go. But they can be incredibly difficult to hit. Of course, if improving your game is what’s on your mind, then swallowing even a little bit of pride and choosing more forgiving club features can go a long intention in making you look and feel like a pro.

What clubs do I need?   If you already have a dwelling of clubs and they are of a proper fit and style, but you’re interested in upgrading, contemplate upgrading only the clubs you wish to play better. While it’s generally not a good idea to break up a set of irons (3-9 for most golfers), it’s not unusual to find golfers who like different brands or types of woods, wedges and putters based on the feel of the club in the residence in which it will be played most.

What’s my budget?   After considering the kind of golfer you are and the kind of clubs you think you want, it’s time to cut the field down based on your budget. You should have a good conception of the amount of money you’d like to spend on your clubs, but and shopping around pro shops and online should give you a good idea of the price ranges with which you’ll be dealing.

While new clubs won’t do a hacker observe like Tiger overnight, choosing the right size and type of club for your playing style is one of the best ways to improve your game without lessons or extensive practice on a new style of swing. And in a game where bad habits seem to spring up almost intuitively, being able to shave some strokes off your game with petite effort is what most golfers would call a dream.

Despite the dusky, evil portrait that has been placed in front of Tigers Woods, he is one of the greatest golfers ever to play.

At The young age of 35, he has won 71 PGA tournaments. He’s on a hotfoot to pass Jack Nicklaus with 73. Tiger is only 11 tournaments away from tying the leader Sam Snead. Phil Mickelson being 5 yrs older than tiger is the closest threat to Tigers’ wins with 37 PGA titles.

As far as his personal life VS his field play, this reminds me of all of the other great, talented players who got tortured unmercifully for their wrongdoings.

When a player of any sport starts at a young age and continues to increase his ability showing his talent, how does he gather to start for any team? Several reasons: he has raw talent, he has done the work it takes to be better than the rest, and he impresses the teams’ powers that be of his abilities.

Granted, if a certain sports figure committed a serious crime before they started their career, the higher ups would scrutinize at that as a deciding factor, weighing his talent and character against the bad media his team would gain by allowing him to play for them

Witness at a lot of sports icons whom have committed transgressions in their lives. They are real people with precise feelings.

While this does cause a lot of athletes to step up, it also ruins careers.

We should not be hypocritical in our analysis of these people whom give us a reason to cheer.

Watching these great athletes keeps our leisure minds in a residence which finds satisfaction in a world with many negative inferences.

We have little justification to probe into the personal lives of athletes when are lives are impartial as bad if not worse than theirs. We only damage ourselves when we hear gossip about our favorite athletes we’ve adored for years.

Do we enjoy sports because of athletes’ personal lives, or because of their abilities?

If Tiger was a mediocre golfer with a tremendous criminal past would we watch him?

I don’t believe we should completely discount the evil things that athletes do, but don’t we all do some of the same things. We are unbiased better at hiding them by not being in the media. I also realize that as athletes you will be in the spotlight, especially if your one of the best.

My question remains, what authority do we have berating these guys?

I realize that we don’t get paid the large amounts of money or get the media exposure like they do, but if we had their abilities, we would.

Would you put yourself in their shoes?

The soap opera we watch puts us in the position to mediate others. Do we publicly apologize to our wife and family when we hurt them? Do we begin our homes for everyone to see inside what is really going on? No, because we don’t have to. The cruel posture we approach them with is actually the same as looking in the mirror for a lot of us.

Let’s stick to why we watch sports to start with and this will solve most of the issues against these talented athletes.

A lot of you may not feel sour towards Tiger, but as sports fans we needn’t sit in the judges’ chair waiting to deliver the verdict.

We should all enjoy sports for what they are…. A good way to find relief and happiness watching an athlete put their heart and soul into something which most fans would love to be….. A star athlete.

Source: pgatour.com

Callaway golf has long been know for its long, forgiving drivers. They started the oversize driver rage in the early 90’s with their original Big Bertha driver and have since seen over 10 new drivers come out since then. Over the years, Callaway has gone from simple hickory shafted wedges to some of the most technologically advanced golf equipment on the planet. Callaway has continued its dominance in the mid to high handicap market with its line of drivers, throw in their irons, wedges, and recent purchase of Top Flite and Oddysey Golf, new “players” equipment and a titanic line of Callaway branded golf balls and you have the makings of a monster that will now be in the forefront of golf technology and design for years to approach.

The X460 driver is one of these clubs that never seems to go away. Callaway has a knack for making this type of golf club. Several players on many Pro Tours smooth use their old Steel-Head series of fairway woods, even after about a half dozen new models and almost 10 years have past since they originally came to market!

The X460 features a 460cc head for maximum forgiveness and hitting area in a driver. The size of this club also allows the designers to move the weight around the perimeter of the club to make it very forgiving on off center hits. They borrowed their VFT Technology from previous designers as well. The VFT Technology stands for Variable Face Thickness, this allows the designers to make the areas of the face much hotter by being able to control the thickness of the entire face, giving the middle of the sweet spot more “pop” at impact while the perimeter of the face is kept a dinky thicker for added control on off center hits.

The X460 also features a Consistent Alignment Sole. This feature allows the club to sit perfectly flat on the ground each time it is placed late the ball. The player will no longer have to pains about the club head rocking back and forth, opening or closing, lofting or delofting the club head before they swing. They S2H2, Callaways bore through design is also incorporated in the new X460 allowing for a shorter hosel, again giving the designers more weight to fade around to the rear and perimeter of the club for more distance.

When I got a chance to hit this club, I was impressed. The driver took off very easily with a exiguous map. The ball flight was a puny high for me, but I was using a 9* with a regular flex shaft. The shaft gave the ball a little more “kick” at impact causing the high draw. Working the ball with this club was not too hard, if I had a stiffer shaft I feel I could have done more to control its ball flight. The feel is also unbelievable! Like any other Callaway product, once you hit this club, you wonder how you ever lived without it! It’s that good! It looks great at address and the Consistent Alignment Sole really does its job. I only needed to set the club slow the ball, set up my stance and go. No extra fidgeting of the club head was needed to know it was aimed where I wanted it to go.

This driver is still out there folks, and for around $150 on some Internet sites, it is defiantly a solid upgrade for a great price!

If you follow the sport of golf closely, you know that Tiger Woods has had an amazing year on the PGA tour. Some of you, in an anguish to replicate his performance, have rushed out to your local golf store to buy the same types of clubs that Tiger uses. Unfortunately, you weren’t able to find them. That is because Tiger, like many other professionals, has his clubs custom made. Tiger works closely with a custom golf clubmaker to design clubs that will keep him at the top of his sport. His clubs are made to fit his style of play, his body composition, and his level of strength. Using Tiger’s clubs probably wouldn’t encourage your game that much, unless your playing style and body is very similar. So, if you can’t play like Tiger, maybe you would consider a career as a custom golf clubmaker where you could design his equipment.

The first step in making a custom club for a client is to study that person’s swing. A clubmaker will analyze the characteristics of the golfer’s stroke on different types of shots. He/She may study the golfer’s swing by reviewing the golfer playing several rounds on videotape. Some of the more advanced clubmakers utilize sophisticated technological devices to do more in-depth analysis of the client’s golfing style. For instance, the clubmaker might exercise a software program that will create a virtual re-enactment of the swing in order to make calculation such as the force(s) a golfer puts on a club and then transfers to the ball.

Next, the clubmaker must take several body measurements of the customer. He/She may also perform tests to evaluate the client’s strength. Knowing the various forces applied to a club and/or ball allows the clubmaker to form a shaft and head that will enhance a customer’s game and provide the durability needed to support the style, level, and frequency of play.

After that, the clubmaker will custom-construct the grip, shaft, and head using different tools and machines. The two pieces of equipment used most frequently by clubmakers are a loft/lie machine and a swingweight scale. The process of making a club can be tedious and dirty. It can take up to 24 hours to craft a perfect club. Wittling, bonding, and roughing up shafts made out of graphite, wood, iron, and steel can create a mess or possibly a health risk. Clubmakers must wear protective clothing when making clubs, and manufacture certain that their workshop is properly ventilated.

The next part of the process may be the most important step – clubfitting. If necessary, the clubmaker will employ some time tweaking the club to insure maximum effectiveness. He/She may need to adjust the shaft length, apply a different grip, or change the weight or angle of a head.

The process just described is very involved, and is not necessarily the standard in the business. A lot of custom club ordering is done over the Internet. In these cases, it isn’t possible for the clubmaker to do much personal observation of the customer or to do an in-person clubfitting. Clubmakers who sell primarily over the Internet will ask the customer a series of questions about their golf style, past performance, and body. They will then use special tables or charts, such as a loft-lie chart, to predict what type of club would be best to gain.

Generally speaking, clubmakers are self-employed. Many work out of their home or in small retail shops that they own. Some clubmakers work part-time, but a majority of them are full-time employees. A full-time independent clubmaker can work as many as 60 to 70 hours a week during the peak golf season. Over 90% of this time, on the average, is spend collecting data from customers and constructing, fitting, or tweaking the club. The rest of a clubmaker’s time is spent maintaining business records, generating advertising, and performing other business-related tasks. A lot of clubmakers work weekends and three to four weekdays. Ten to fourteen hour days are not uncommon during the heavy selling season. 

Custom golf clubmakers need to occupy a variety of skills in order to be successful in the field. First of all, they should understand the game of golf, including all of the factors that might affect one’s performance. Secondly, they should be able to operate certain types of machinery and equipment such as a loft/lie machine or a swingweight scale. Clubmakers will also need to understand key principles of physics and chemistry. They would use their physics skills when calculating force. They would use their knowledge of chemistry when working with epoxy and other bonding agents. Clubmakers should have above-average technology skills as well. They should be able to install and use software programs and collect useful information from video and audio analyses of a golfer. Finally, a clubmaker needs to have a good business sense. More than likely, he/she will be working alone. The clubmaker should understand basic elements of accounting, marketing, and public relations. 

There is no formal training required to be a custom golf clubmaker. There are a number of videos, books, and other information sources that can teach someone to compose golf clubs over time. However, most fine clubmakers have been trained and accredited in the field. There are several private trade schools and apprenticeship programs that offer clubmaker training and certification programs. If you are thinking of becoming a clubmaker, you should take classes in Industrial Technology, Accounting, Advertising, Physics, Chemistry, Business Management, and various computer-related fields. A good percentage of clubmakers today were once employed as Tool and Die Makers, Engineers, or other production occupations. 

There is no clear data on the average salary of a custom golf clubmaker. Some clubmakers never earn much over minimum wage, while others can earn three-figures. Your salary as a clubmaker will depend upon your geographic location, who you make clubs for, and how and where you are employed. Clubmakers have a better chance at higher pay in states such as California, Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina, where golf courses are abundant. Those who design and build clubs for professional golfers or collegiate golf teams will obviously come by much more than those who cater to the general public. Clubmakers who own their own retail shops or conduct business over the Internet may rep more in the long run, as their opportunities for advertising and networking are better than running an operation out of their home. 

The golfing industry expects that the demand for custom golf clubmakers will increase over the next five to ten years, as more amateur and recreational golfers are realizing the value a custom-designed club can have for their game. Even though the market is expected to grow, it peaceful will not be easy to gain employment as a clubmaker. It is a highly competitive field.

Buying your first set of golf clubs requires a little help from a Pro. Most golf shops have a sales staff devoted to making sure you get the lawful fit. Everyone has some differences in their arm length and these factors and others will be taken into account. .

A majority of golfers do fit in a standard size. There may be a slight differences between brands which should be kept in mind. The golf buyer can access a custom fitting wizard on-line or be measured in the local golf shop. The key measurements are your height, the length measured from your wrist to the floor and your average golf swing urge. The other factors that are considered are your age, what club you utilize at 150 yards and your handicap or skill level.

If you are short with very long arms or tall with short arms you may need to assume custom made golf clubs. The length of the club is measured from the top of the grip to the point where the club reaches the floor. The length is taken from the aid end of the club while the individual is standing erect in first position. The longer length club generally provides a longer shot, but you may sacrifice on accuracy at the beginning.

If you are purchasing your first set of golf clubs. You might contemplate buying a starter set. Generally, a starter set provides you with a driver, two woods and the 3,5,7 and 9 iron. In addition you will need a putter, pitching wedge or sand wedge. Often times the starter set comes with a Sunday bag. The starter sets sell in a range of $300 to $799 depending on the quality of the products.

Graphite drivers are lighter in weight than steel drivers. The graphite driver is generally one breeze longer than steel drivers. The graphite clubs and driver can be longer due to their weight without sacrificing accuracy. The graphite and steel club and drivers are available for men and women. The golf shop at your local golf course has a variety of brands available. Some pro golf shops offer referrals to people that develop custom golf clubs.

Some golf clubs sets you may peruse in the discount stores priced below $200 are generally speaking not worth having. Rent clubs until you are ready for your first area of clubs. Some of the larger substantial discount golf stores, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and Cabella’s Pro Discount Store offer on-line help and a wizard to assist first time buyers in getting the right fit.

Spring is just around the corner and it is a great time to shop for a good value set of golf clubs.

Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn’t. – Mark Twain

Although it might be expected during the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, 2009 once again presented ample proof that real life is actually as least as weird as a Hunter Thompson drug trip. Some of the highlights:

The suspect is not a lanky, gray-skinned man without a nose: As per an annanova.com fraction in February, “U.S. pranksters” in the Midwest had figured out how to “hack” into the systems musty to change digital road signs…and then did what anybody with such impressive skills would do. They began posting zombie warnings. Thus, in Collinsville, IL, motorists were made aware of “DAILY LANE CLOSURES DUE TO ZOMBIES,” and Austin TX, residents encountered the more direct “NAZI ZOMBIES! RUN!!!” An illustration for the article showed a sign in an undisclosed state reading, “CAUTION! ZOMBIES AHEAD!!!”

What a guy! In April Maximilian Schell began appearing in Dos Equis beer ads that were probably the funniest of the year, 15-second bits of brilliance featuring a totally irresistible fellow known as “the most interesting man in the world.” And he really was because, let’s face it, about how people can it truly be said, “He speaks French…in Russian”?

April is the cruelest month – for golfers: During the most novel one, a 62-year-old Norwegian woman now living in St. Petersburg, FL, had a hole-in-one on her first-ever golf swing in competition, according to that grand city’s Times and as reported on many internet sites. “I didn’t know it was that big of a deal,”’ Unni Haskell said of her ace on a 100-yard par-three hole. “I thought all golfers do this.”’ Golfers all over the world suppressed urges to send Ms. Haskell advice related to her nine-iron.

Look what I found: As reported in New York magazine in May, Columbia University researchers have now completed the first comprehensive map of the “stuff” beneath and living in Original York City’s harbors. Supplementing GPS and sonar findings with historical data, the cartographers listed all of the following things as found: a 350-foot steamship (sunk in 1920), a freight train (derailed in 1865), a fleet of Good Humor ice cream trucks that now create a reef for aquatic life, dozens and dozens of junked cars now used by divers as navigation points near the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges, and 1,600 bars of silver (traced to 1903). It was the fauna, though, that really caught their attention: 4-foot-long worms that feed on wooden docks and tiny “gribbles” that munch on concrete pilings.

Psst! You need to say, “I do”: Citing London’s Daily Telegraph in mid-June, newsoftheweird.com reported some weeks later that in Xianyang, in China’s Shaanxi province, a family hired a service for nearly US$4,500 to dig up a female corpse for their recently deceased son to “marry.” It was the latest incidence of attempting to overcome a centuries-old curse that posits a disappointing post-mortem “experience” for men who die unmarried.

Cogent political analysis: In July, buzzflash.com ran the following headline: China Rises to Dominate This Century, as Right-Wing Conservatives Lead America into a Crumbling Economic Sinkhole. It’s always good to distinguish right-wing conservatives from left-wing conservatives. Otherwise, there could be confusion.

Woof-YELP: In August the Philadelphia Eagles signed convicted dog-killer Michael Vick to a seven-figure salary, then basically archaic him as a device to make defensive coordinators on the other sideline over-think things.

“Serpentine Shelly! Serpentine!!” According to IMDb.comdata, September 12^th marked the 30^th anniversary of the release of the unique version of The In-Laws, starring Peter Falk and Alan Arkin. This went largely unnoticed…absurdly. One of the funniest films ever made, it included not only a fictional national flag featuring a topless prostitute, but also Falk’s timeless pitch for working as a CIA operative: “Are you interested in joining? The benefits are terrific. The trick is not to bag killed. That’s really the key to the benefit program.”

This feels all infamous – the guy’s name is Roy, not Cy: In mid-December, the ‘08-’09 National League Champion/’08 World Champion Phillies traded their best starting pitcher, Cliff Lee, to Seattle, allotment of a three-way shuffle of major and minor leaguers among that city, Philly and Toronto, in order to notice Roy Halladay. Bottom line – counting the minor leaguers sent to Cleveland during the past summer for Lee and the prospects given for the rights to Halladay, the Phillies figured out a way to give up the tall majority of an excellent minor league team and Lee for the Toronto ace.

Look – it’s simple – extremists should be shot: In their December 7^th issue, Sports Illustrated’s weekly “Sign of the Apocalypse” read, “PETA has asked the University of Georgia to use a robotic dog instead of a live bulldog as a mascot.”

And finally, Happy Birthday, Baby Jesus: On Christmas Day, A & E ran a day-long Criminal Minds marathon, providing a rather startling parade of the sickest evil-doers available on television. The episode running between 11 p.m. and midnight featured a serial killer diagnosed by the FBI profilers featured on this show as having a “penetration” fixation on “post-pubescent girls.” He had stabbed one of them 67 times.

Not to pain, though – it is expected that America’s ‘tween girls will finally drop their fixation on buff young vampires who don’t drink blood by next Christmas.

Source unnoted above:

“Quotable Quote [Mark Twain].” goodreads.com. 26 December 2009.