University and school students are not the only ones needing a vacation break as winter rages on in a lot of areas.
Everyone would love to get away from the daily grind, enjoy warmer weather and their favorite activity. Especially golfers!
Golf, the beach and much more provide fun activities for the whole family.
With the Spring break period being just around the corner, you may be wondering if you and/or the family can get away. Myrtle Beach SC, often called the Golf Capital of the world, has always been known for it’s affordability. It offers 100 golf courses in a sixty-mile stretch of beach, over one thousand hotels, plus terrific dining options, and the prices can’t be beat. Choose a set golf package with Myrtle Beach Trips or build your own.
Nightlife in Myrtle Beach is fun and exciting, places like Broadway at the Beach are for everyone!
At night Broadway at the Beach is a fun place for all ages.
If you wish to include some golf instruction, come visit the MEL SOLE GOLF SCHOOL, where kids (16yrs. and under) Learn & Play FREE with a paying adult.
Weight shift problems affect both low and high handicappers and contribute to pulling, hooking and slicing the ball. In this month’s Mel in Motion video golf tip, Mel demonstrates a surprisingly simple drill that will help you overcome weight shift problems that will give you power, accuracy, and consistency!
It’s true that more men attend Golf Demonstrations days, which are often set up by golf club manufacturers. But I highly recommend that women of all ages & skill levels check out these exhibitions, for tons of free info. Beginner golfers can watch demonstrations and then try out equipment themselves, before even buying a set of clubs. More seasoned golfers may be looking to upgrade some or all of their clubs, and Demo Days allow you to roam around for as long as you like, testing out the latest equipment, without pressure.
Demo Days are a great way to check out new equipment before buying.
No need to feel intimidated…. the staff are happy to provide a wide range of information for you. And don’t forget to hold onto all discount coupons that are offered to attendees. Who doesn’t like to save money?
Do you have a tough par 5 on your home course? When the hole presents elevation changes, water and trees, you need to consider different ways of playing it.
The 6th Hole, par 5, at Club de Golf Malinalco.
I learned recently on one of the toughest par 5’s I have played, at my Mexico School course, to lay off the driver and approach this hole with a 4 iron off the tee, a 5 iron to the second “landing area” and then a pitching or sand wedge to the green. The hole has three rivers traversing the fairway. One off the tee which is not really a problem, but then the other is about 280 yards from the tee and the next is 60 yards short of the green. The green is totally surrounded be trees and there is a hazard on the left side fairly close to the green. I have made many birdies here, an eagle, and lots of 6’s and 7’s. Since changing my strategy on this formerly frustrating #6 hole at Club de Golf Malinalco, my scores have all been par. I have not made a bogey. Not as many birdies, but I know I will get one every now and again with a good putt.
Read on and see this one golfer’s nemesis hole (which looks remarkably similar to the hole I described) and consider how you would play it……
How would you play this par 5?
Source : thesandtrap.com
Pictures : Club de Golf Malinalco
Are you ready for a new season of golf, with all the foibles, as well as the good stuff? We’ve all seen some blooper golf shots on America’s Funniest Video’s, but I like this one seen on TheSandTrap.com blog. Listen to the wife/girlfriend’s commentary on it. Is this the worst shot ever? Very funny!
http://youtu.be/Tup2zcy9yZo
Source : AFVApproved TheSandTrap.com
Pictures :
Ernie Els is not called “The Big Easy” for nothing. He has a fluid syrupy swing that looks like he has all day to get the clubface back to the ball. Ernie, however, has also had swing problems from time to time and here he talks about two of them. Ball position and making sure to complete the backswing. I could sit and watch this video all day!
Source : Golf Monthly.
Picture :
In 2011 Luke Donald attained the #1 position in the World. He did this with magnificent putting, something he has been the best at for the last 8 years. However, you don’t get to the #1 spot just on putting alone. You have to hit the ball on the green in order to putt for those birdies. Here is Luke’s swing in slow motion. It is a beautiful thing to behold.
Quite a few people on youtube.com mention that they think the clubface is closed half way back. This is not true. If you pause the swing in this position you will see that the clubface is perfectly square to his spine angle. This indicates that there has been no manipulation of the hands in order to get the toe pointing up, a position taught by many instructors. In Luke’s case, he simply starts the club back with his chest, and rotates, allowing the club to stay on plane and get the club to the top also in a square position.
But the thing most amateurs can learn from this swing is to watch the downswing! There is no attempt to start the downswing with the hands. His weight shift and body rotation is caused by pulling down with his left side, and the club will then automatically stay beautifully on plane again on the downswing.
Source : youtube.comMel Solegrexagolf.com
Pictures : Keith Allison
Tiger Woods has been, still is, and will be in the future, the biggest needle mover in golf! But how long before people tire of him and move on to the exciting young guns like McIlroy, Koepka, Day, Lee, Katayama, and Spieth? I miss Tiger playing the great golf we have come to expect from him, and people like me still hang on to the hope of a resurgence. But the realist in me understands that time waits for no one and maybe, just maybe, the Tiger/Phil/Ernie era is over. The great thing is that there are people standing in the wings who are more than willing and able to take that mantle and show the world just how great they are. And I, for one, cannot wait for the 2015 season to unfold. The Masters is just around the corner and the world will be glued to their TV’s.Alex Miceli of golfweek.com gives his perspective on Tiger Woods falling to 50 to 1 odds for the Masters.
SAN DIEGO – Tiger Woods’ chances of winning a fifth green jacket and his 15th major title in April seems merely a pipe dream – at least in Las Vegas. The Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook has put the former World No. 1 at 50-1 odds to win the Masters this spring.
Tiger in happier days
In the past two weeks, Woods has dropped from 12-1 to 20-1 and now to 50-1 odds to win the Masters.
Woods withdrew from the Farmers Insurance Open on his 12th hole in the first round, citing tightness in his back. A week earlier, he missed the cut at the Waste Management Phoenix Open after shooting a second-round 82, his highest 18-hole score as a professional.
Now Woods is back home in Florida contemplating his next start, which likely would be at the Honda Classic if he is healthy.
“It’s frustrating that it started shutting down like that,” Woods said of his back and upper-leg discomfort after the WD. “I was ready to go. I had a good warm-up session the first time around. Then we stood out here and I got cold, and everything started deactivating again. And it’s frustrating that I just can’t stay activated. That’s just kind of the way it is.”
While Woods’ stock has fallen in Las Vegas, Rory McIlroy is still the odds-on favorite (4-1) to complete the career Grand Slam at the Masters.
After his victory at the Farmers Insurance Open, Jason Day has moved to 15-1 odds with defending champion Bubba Watson, Jordan Spieth and fellow Australian Adam Scott.
When the updated Official World Golf Rankings are released Monday, Day will likely move from eighth to fourth and bump compatriot Adam Scott. That will leave McIlroy, Henrik Stenson and Watson in the first three spots.
Will Tiger have a resurgence anytime soon?
As for Woods, he will continue to fall from his current rank of No. 56 and is likely to end up outside the top 60. That will be his lowest position in the rankings since the end of 1996 when he began his PGA Tour career.
There are thousands of golf books… instructional, biographies, historical, fictional, and more. One can compile various lists of “Bests” but today I’m just sharing with you five non-instructional golf books that I found very entertaining and/or touching. Try these if you like golf and a good read!
Golf in the Kingdomby Michael Murphy – A fascinating book that reveals the connection between golf and the higher realms of mysticism.
A book that takes you on an intellectual journey.
Final Rounds: A Father, A Son, the Golf Journey of a Lifetimeby James Dodson – When his Father learned he had two months to live, James Dodson set off with him to play the most famous courses of their dreams. Their relationship and experiences will hook you.
One of my favorite books ever. A great story of the bond between father and son.
Tommy’s Honorby Kevin Cook – A fantastic story of Old Tom Morris and Young Tom Morris, Golf’s Founding Father and Son.
If you like reading and you like golf, this is a MUST read.
Hogan by Curt Sampson – The first full-scale biography of one of the most complex and fascinating athletes of the 20th century.
This captures the story behind man they called Mr.
Slim and None by Dan Jenkins – Revered sportswriter Dan Jenkins leads us on another wild ride involving hilarious characters and outrageous shenanigans of a Pro Tour wannabe.
The tale of a PGA Tour hopeful. Funny and entertaining.
As a business owner in the golf business, it has been frustrating to me when the press constantly writes negative articles about golf in general. Yes, the economy has been tough, but in these times the golf courses, golf schools, instructors, mini golf and golf club companies have all reduced their prices to entice golfers to continue participating in this wonderful sport. And guess what, most golfers have continued to play golf and take advantage of all these reduced prices. At one stage in 2009 and 2010 at the height of the recession I was offering a 2 for 1 golf school package. I was inundated with people taking advantage of such a great offer, and I was grateful to have customers to teach and keep my bank manager happy.
One of the great marketing companies of the modern era is Legendary Marketing run by Andrew Wood and his philosophy has always been the old adage “When someone hands you a lemon, make lemonade!” I learned that lesson the hard way!
Here is Andrew Wood’s take on making the game a lot more marketable in your area.
Here’s How To Attract More People to The Game!
At the PGA show recently I asked a number of people when was the last time they read a positive story about golf in the media?
None could come up with even one!
Unless you have been living under a rock for the last five years you will know that almost every article in the newspaper or segment on television, about golf has been overwhelmingly negative.
Local Course Closing Down After Fifty Years
Participation in Golf Down 10%
Golf Losing Its Players
Local Course Being Sold to a Housing Developer
Private Course Opens to Public in an Effort to Generate More Business
Local Club Dropping Membership Fees to Attract More Players in a Shrinking Market!
The message the media is delivering is simple:
“Golf is out of favor and no one is playing the game anymore therefore you shouldn’t feel bad if you have quit or don’t want to start!”
IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE THAT WAY!
After leaving office, Winston Churchill was asked by a young reporter how he expected history to view him in light of his many failures. Churchill replied that he expected history to view him very favorably. The reporter asked why? Churchill, already several volumes into a definitive history of World War II, cheerfully replied,
“Because that’s the way I intend to write it.”
He went on to write 93 books and surprisingly enough was viewed very favorable in all. Indeed, there are constant opportunities for leaders at all levels to influence the way people think about them, their business or cause!
The golf industry in general has done a shockingly poor job of managing their story in the media!
It used to be you would read articles in Forbes, In Magazine, airline magazines’ or the Times about the benefits of business golf on a regular basis. When was the last time you saw one of those articles?
I monitor hundreds of newspapers and magazines and I can tell you that I have seen just one article on business golf in the last five years! Has the value of doing business somehow diminished in the last few years?
Of course not, golf is the “Ultimate Business Tool” as documented in my recent article. It’s not just business golf that is missing form the media’s pages any form of positive article was last seen heading South in early 2008!
No one in the main-stream media is writing anything good!
No one that is until you!
You don’t have to be a national organization to generate public relations in your own town. Generate your own PR by sending your local media positive golf stories. You’d be surprised how easy it is to start a positive trend among people who read the right articles.
Start with Your Own Mini Media Company
You can reach far more people than perhaps you realize through your own mini media company. In fact add up the number of people you can reach with your positive message through your:
Website
Blog
Email list
Facebook fans
YouTube subscribers
Linkedin groups
Twitter followers
Google plus
Your snail mail list
And whatever other media you may em
Here’s the same post on a different page now imagine if we posted this typeof positive story on every golf club, Facebook page in the country!
You might be surprised to find just how big an audience you have for your PRO GOLF articles if you combine all the numbers. You cannot rely on anyone else to do this critically important task by mere chance. You must continually educate your existing market and your potential market as to the wide and wonder array of benefits that result from golf participation
Send Stories to Your Local Media
If you are lucky, your articles might get picked up from your website, blog or emails and republished by others such as a local newspaper, parenting magazine or the Chamber blog. My article on golf for kids has spread like wildfire and been republished with permission in multiple publications.
But you cannot afford to leave it to luck. You must solicit their help. Most in the publishing business, short on staff and resources will be more than happy to take your well written piece and run it for free. And don’t forget to submit your articles to other websites, blogs, and online outlets. They reprint a lot of material.
Send your stories to local newspapers, magazines and websites with a short cover letter explaining that you are telling the other side of the story that the mainstream media is missing!
Here are some examples
If you like them you can use these as a model for writing your own or you can license mine. If you choose to license them you can quickly and easily edit these to benefit your own club by customizing the part where it refers a club and sending them in to your local media, newspaper, magazines, TV and radio. Add in your specific programs and results and the local media will eat it up!
Just like most people if someone else does the work for them they are more than happy to run with the results…
