You can’t go wrong with A protein-based diet for Golf Fitness is the subject of today’s Fitness Friday. A Golf Video Blog with Mel Sole, Director of Instruction and Master Professional at the Mel Sole Golf School, located at Pawleys Plantation Golf and Country Club in Pawleys Island, SC.
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
On Fridays, we present tips to help your game and curate articles from well-known fitness instructors in the golfing industry. Nutrition and fitness go hand in glove, so don’t try and get your body in shape without a healthy diet as well. Rob Labritz for PGA.com gives you some correct steps to go about this!
“Pay attention to what you put in your body.” Surely you’ve heard that from your doctor countless times. Well, now you’re going to hear it from PGA Professional Rob Labritz.
Emphasis on a protein-based diet for Golf Fitness.
In this week’s installment of our “Become a complete golfer” series, Labritz is putting a major emphasis on nutrition. “Make smart choices,” he said. “You can’t go wrong with a protein-based diet. However, it must also include fruits and vegetables without a lot of sugary carbohydrates. You do need some carbohydrates for brain function, but you don’t need the kinds that are slathered in sugar.”
Over the course of this series, Labritz has stressed the importance of keeping everything “in balance.” It isn’t just your mind and your swing. It extends to what you’re eating, too. For instance, Labritz said, if you’re the kind of person who thinks fueling up on the course means a hot dog and a soft drink at the turn, you may want to reevaluate — particularly if you’re serious about improving all aspects of your game. “Basically, you’re messing yourself up pretty bad if you opt for a hot dog and Coke,” he said. “You’ll probably have a sugar high for 45 minutes and then a crash. When your body does that, your mind does the same thing. So it’s hard to stay balanced.”
Labritz is a self-described “strict eater” when it comes to life in general and believes a protein-based diet is something everyone should buy into and make a part of their lifestyle. So how do you apply nutrition to the course? Like everything else, it has to do with preparation.
The Goal.
The goal on the course is to keep your energy high and your focus throughout. You don’t want to be full out there, but you certainly don’t want to be starving either. Labritz recommends eating a good meal 3-4 hours before your tee time. If it’s an early morning tee time and you don’t have time to get that solid meal in, here’s what Labritz suggests.
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
Nothing is more exciting for a golfer than to walk to the first tee with a new set of clubs! It’s like starting all over again – the slate is wiped clean. The old clubs with their bad mojo are a thing of the past! Hope springs eternal! Well, here is your chance to get a look at all the new irons in 2019 before you buy. Brought to you by PGA.com. No drooling, please!
The best new irons for the 2019 golf season include new technologies, better materials, and advanced performance to help you feel more confident, dial in your needs, and lower your scores! In the Market for some new Irons? To save money, use the equipment Value Guide on PGA.com to get money back for your old irons to help purchase new ones!
Mizuno Hot Metal Irons are literally the “hottest” irons on the market right now. With their multi-metal technology, the ball literally screams off the clubface.
Mizuno Hot Metal irons are the longest irons I have ever played. Dennis Space. Pawleys Island, SC. A happy Mizuno Hot Metal user.
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
Golf course architects are horrible, aren’t they? They put trees on the golf course that could potentially get in the way of our shot to the green! But have no fear. PGA golf professional Bill Ore will help you navigate that precarious position. Next time, drive it on the fairway – there are no trees on the fairway!
But, if you do happen to find your ball with large trees in your way, this is how to do it.
1. Widen your stance slightly.
This will allow the club to come in on a shallower angle and get the ball up into the air quicker.
2. Move the ball more forward in the stance.
Closer to the lead heel. This will add more loft at impact, getting the ball up quickly.
3. Keep the head behind the ball at impact.
If the head moves forward on the downswing, you will deloft the club, and the trajectory will be lower, and you might not make it over the trees.
Watch easy golf instruction on how to elevate your golf ball quickly. PGA Professional Billy Ore offers a 3-step process for how to get your ball over that tree or other obstacle in front of you.
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
A question I am asked fairly often is, “Which ball is the best on the market?” Unfortunately, there is no best ball on the market. There is only the ball that best suits your particular game. Like a lot of things, you need professional advice. See your local golf professional who has done the research and will know which ball is right for your game. Another opinion is for you to hit different balls using a launch monitor and let the data tell you which ball goes further, higher or spins more. Thanks to PGA Secretary Susy Whaley of PGA.com for this informative video!
Grip pressure is the key to both distance and accuracy!
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
I’m not exaggerating when I say that almost 90% of the students I teach grip the club too hard. I usually get my student to shake hands with me using the grip pressure they are using to hold the golf club. Then when I ask them to loosen their grip until I feel the correct pressure and say, “That is how tight you should be holding the club,” the usual response I get is, “Wow, I’ve been gripping the club too hard for years!” PGA Professional Patrick Brosnihan explains that grip pressure is the key to both distance and accuracy!
Improving your grip pressure during your swing can also improve your distance and accuracy. Watch great instruction from PGA Professional Patrick Brosnihan, who explains how grip pressure affects your swing.
Naming the greatest achievements in the history of golf!
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
As T.J. Auclair of PGA.com mentions in his opening statement, this was an impossible task. Whatever he chooses and in what order will always bring the critics. “You left out so and so” “So and so should have been ahead of so and so.” But he did it, and in my humble opinion, did a great job. As a golf professional for over 50 years, I found this article on golf’s greatest achievements a compelling read. Thanks!
Naming the greatest achievements in the history of golf!
I’ve been tasked with the impossible: Ranking golf’s 9 greatest achievements, in order. How do you even do that?
Who is this schmuck to decide which is better than the other when just about any one of us would dine on a haggis-only diet every day for the rest of our lives to have accomplished just one of them?
With the realization that ranking these achievements in an order all of us could agree on, is nearly as difficult as reaching just one of the feats that follow. As I run to take cover, here goes nothing…
9. Jim Furyk’s 12-under 58.
OK. If I’m being honest, it felt dirty putting the number “9” in front of this entry. One, because Furyk is the only player in PGA Tour history to accomplish such a feat. Two, before shooting that number this past Sunday at TPC River Highlands (a par 70) in the final round of the 2016 Travelers Championship, he was the last player on Tour to shoot a 59. He did that on On September 13, 2013, at Conway Farms (12 under since the course was a par 71) in the second round of the BMW Championship. So why is this just No. 9 even though it’s something that had never happened before on the PGA Tour? I guess the only logical explanation is because it’s so new.
8. Jack Nicklaus’ 19 runner-up finishes in the majors.
Some may argue that this isn’t necessarily an “achievement” since it didn’t result in victory. I’d argue that there’s an exception to every rule and this is one of them because of the man we’re talking about. Nicklaus — the winningest major champion of all time (more on that later) — also has more runner-up finishes than any player in the game’s history. That’s almost unfathomable. As ridiculous as this sounds — and no less than 2016 U.S. Ryder Cup Captain Davis Love III pointed out recently — Nicklaus could be considered the most snake-bitten golfer of all time based on that stat. The next-most runner-up finishes in majors? That would be 11 by Phil Mickelson. Back to Nicklaus — 18 major championship wins and 19 times a runner up. Think about that.
7- Oldest to win a PGA Tour event, the 1965 Greater Greensboro Open, at 52 years, 10 months and 8 days.
– By winning the 1960 De Soto Open Invitational, Snead became the first player to win PGA Tour titles in four different decades (since matched by Raymond Floyd).
– Oldest player to make the cut at a major: age 67 years, 2 months, 7 days at the 1979 PGA Championship.
– First PGA Tour player to shoot his age with a 67 in the second round of the 1979 Quad Cities Open.
– Oldest player to make a cut on the PGA Tour: age 67 years, 2 months, 21 days at the 1979 Manufacturers Hanover Westchester Classic.
– Only player to post a top-10 finish in at least one major championship in five different decades.
6. Francis Ouimet wins the 1913 U.S. Open at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass.
This wasn’t just an amazing singular accomplishment. It was also the reason for a golf boom in the United States. When Ouimet won the national championship as a 20-year-old amateur (on his home course, no less), he became the “father of amateur golf” in the United States by taking down the likes of famous, accomplished professionals Harry Vardon and Ted Ray. When you think of American golf legends, you think of names like Jones, Nelson, Hogan, Nicklaus, Palmer, Woods. Keep in mind, Ouimet was the first “hero” in American golf.
15 great buys to enhance your golf game this summer!
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
If you are a keen golfer like me, you like buying “stuff” online for your golf game! I’m definitely a “gadget” guy and love things that I really think will help my game at a reasonable price. However, T.J. Auclair of PGA.com has just made searching for that stuff a whole lot easier.
Check out his Top 15 list.
Of course, I immediately ordered the Garmin X40 watch – but I had a legitimate reason – I broke my current (old-fashioned) watch by accidentally dropping a large concrete tile on it. So I figured if I replaced the watch, it would cost me around $100, so really the Garmin X40 was only costing me $149.99! Perfect!
Of course, I am also looking at these Kentwool socks. I hear almost 75% of the PGA and LPGA Tour players are wearing them! I have just recently put a new grip on my putter, or I might have ordered the Golf Pride SNSR as well. Warm-up that credit card!
Over the course of a given year, I’m able to get an up-close look at some incredible golf gear. Periodically, I like to compile a product round-up of some of my favorites.
Here’s a peek at a list of items I’ve had the opportunity to test in the last couple of months that you may want to consider for your own game — everything from clubs to gadgets to apparel and more.
Kentwool Socks
Kentwool socks:
Are you more of a walker, or the type that takes a cart when playing a round of golf?
Either way, Kentwool makes the perfect sock for you. Why socks don’t seem like a big deal to many is beyond me. Golf is uncomfortable enough with everything you face on the course. Your feet shouldn’t be a part of that equation.
Kentwool socks, made in the USA, are constructed with 58 percent Merino Wool, 31 percent Nylon, 9 percent Stretch Polyester and 2 percent Spandex. The best part about the socks? They have a blister-free guarantee.
I have a confession to make… Since smartphones these days are practically attached to our person at all times, I figured it had eliminated my need for a watch.
Now, however, technology has turned toward the enhanced development of “wearables.” Picking up on that trend is Garmin with its Approach X40 band. It’s not just a watch. It’s not just a golf GPS preloaded with over 40,000 golf courses.
It also measures your shot distance, tracks stats such as putts per round, greens and fairways hit, is a digital scorecard and — when connected to your computer or smartphone — allows you to review your scorecard and round.
In addition to all of that — and what separates the Approach X40 from its competition — is its fitness tracking capabilities. It counts your steps, measures your heart rate, tracks your sleep, allows you to set fitness goals and more.
This is a golf watch that you never have to take off… except to charge, which you’ll only need to do every 5 days in activity mode, or every 10 days in GPS mode.
Oh, and for good measure — when synced with your smartphone, you can have text messages and call alerts sent to your wrist.
Some of the Greatest Moments in PGA Championship History!
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
There have been some spectacular moments in the history of the PGA Championship. They are indelibly etched into our brains, and we watched with awe as these amazing moments transpired. T.J. Auclair of PGA.com describes these moments with the aid of some great video footage!
Major championships provide the best drama we see all year in golf.
Sadly next week’s PGA Championship at Baltusrol marks the last major of the season in men’s golf. Without question, there will be shots hit, and stories told that will become a part of golf lore.
It always happens that way. And with that, here are five great moments in PGA Championship history.
5. Sergio Garcia’s shot from behind the tree on No. 16 at Medinah in 1999.
Then, just 19 years old, Garcia pulled off one of the most memorable shots in PGA Championship history with this masterful shot from behind a tree.
On the 452-yard par 4, Garcia faced an approach shot of 189 yards from the green in the exposed roots behind a large tree. Garcia elected to hit the ball instead of chipping safely back into the fairway. He opened the face of a 6-iron and, as he swung, closed his eyes at impact. The ball soared into a high left-to-right trajectory, landing on the green some 60 feet from the hole. Garcia sprinted up the fairway and did a scissors kick leap to see the green.
He two-putted for par, but no one will forget that remarkable shot.
4. Shaun Micheel’s 72nd hole 7-iron at Oak Hill in 2003.
Not many were familiar with Micheel before the start of the 2003 PGA Championship. But, by the time it was over, he left a mark on his lone major victory with a shot for the ages.
Micheel, showing incredible composure in a situation he’d never been in before, closed out his magical week with this magical 7-iron on the final hole. The ball soared in the air and settled within inches of the hole after Micheel ordered it to, “Be right!”
A tap-in birdie and the PGA Championship was Micheel’s. And let’s be honest, the fact that the ball stayed out of the hole is almost better than going in. It would have been a fantastic shot either way, but since it stopped just inches from the cup, you can’t call it luck. It was an exclamation point on the best golf week of Micheel’s life.
Don’t try and swing your driver hard – swing it smoothly!
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
In a recent survey of PGA and LPGA players, the question was asked: “What is the biggest flaw you see each week with your amateur partners in the Pro-Am?” The answer was almost universal. They try to hit the ball too hard! If amateurs went to the range and only worked on tempo, they would develop a smooth swing that is so much easier to time, and I can assure you, with almost no loss of distance! Listen to Piers Ward, and Andy Proudman of meandmygolftv.com tell you how to swing your driver at a manageable pace!
More Clubhead Speed equals more Power – Let’s do this!
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
“I do not want to hit my driver further,” said nobody ever! Definitely, one of the thrills of golf is booming that drive long and straight down the fairway. There is no better feeling in golf than the impact of the golf ball coming off the dead center of the clubface and seeing that ball started on a beautiful trajectory dead straight! In this video, Piers Ward and Andy Proudman for meandmygolf.com gives you his insights on how to accomplish more power in your game!
Golf Pride Tour SNSR Putter grips.
