The Essentials Of Golf
March 31, 2008
The Essentials Of Golf
by: Adam Budi Mulyawan
At the core of golf there is competition. Yet the most essential part of golf is patience. Patient competition seems like a contradiction. Yet golf is not contradictory at all. On the other hand it has been said one person can find golf relaxing, while another individual might think it the most stressful sport in the universe.
Professional golfers tend to be graceful. It is as if they are very aware of how the muscles in their body propel them forward. Languid strides and flexibility are words that come to mind when imagining the professional golfer at work.
Some people link golf to sports like bowling or billiards. Not particularly something you want to watch unless you understand the game fully and know the participants well enough to be cheering one or more toward the grand first prize. Serious golf fans are loyal and just as radical (in a subdued manner) as any professional football fan can be.
As a spectator sport golf ranks high on the television ratings. It is highly unlikely anyone has seen the World Cup void of fans on any given year. The collective silences and cheers of golf fans exude a respect for the game. That respect is the attention grabber.
Play Exclusive Las Vegas Golf Courses ? The Not-So-Secret Secret
March 30, 2008
Experience the luxury of tour-class caddies. Play the private golf courses that celebrities and touring pros play. Get tee times on a course that once required a $100,000 gambling credit line at local casinos.
What’s the secret? It’s coming. But first, here’s a quick look at four golf courses that even us high handicappers and regular Joe’s can play.
Cascata Golf Club - The course is so exclusive they don’t even provide an address. This Rees Jones designed course once required a $100,000 credit line at local casino properties just for the privilege of a tee time. Now it will only cost you $350 to $500.
Shadow Creek Golf Course - Called one of the finest courses in the world, Shadow Creek Golf Course is another exclusive must-play course. Golfers receive a private limousine to and from the course and a private caddie for your round.
Rio Secco Golf Course - Rio Secco is listed as a “Top 10 Golf Resort in the World” by USA Today. This 18-hole championship course sits among the rolling foothills of the Black Mountain Range in Las Vegas. Rio Secco is also home of the world-famous Butch Harmon School of Golf.
How A Portable Floor Became A Big Winner At The Special Olympics
March 30, 2008
How A Portable Floor Became A Big Winner At The Special Olympics
by: Liam Allen
Olympic attendees didn’t need to worry about where they were stepping during the Special Olympics in 2003, because the organisers already did the footwork for them. The Rola Trac Portable Floor system was used to great effect to cover and give protection to the ground at Croke Park.
“We are very happy that we chose Rola Trac Portable Floor,” said Peter McKenna, Croke Park Stadium Director. “Price was a huge concern, but we also wanted a product that would protect our grass and was easy to install. We were able to get all three with Rola Trac Portable Floor”
Used in stadiums to preserve the grass, Rola Trac Portable Floor provides the answer for events such as concerts, sport, fairs and more. The easy set up and take down save stadium staff time and money.
The need for protective flooring became apparent as the organisers struggled with the problem of protecting its turf from the throngs of visitors that would be descending upon the grounds for the Olympics.
The New, High Scoring NHL?
March 29, 2008
The New, High Scoring NHL?
by: Paul Mroczka
The NHL decided to go retro this year. That’s right. It’s not so much that they instituted new rules; rather they went back to some old ones. The hoped for result has happened–scoring is up 24% from 2003-04.
Is the game more exciting? It seems to be. Are goaltenders and defensemen at a greater disadvantage than they were the last time the league produced a season of hockey? Definitely. The game has opened up for numerous reasons. The prohibition of the two-line pass is gone and that has opened up more chances for exciting playmaking. Now a defenseman who is still in his own zone can now shoot a pass to a winger breaking across the red line who catches it and continues over the blue line, shooting the puck on net. In past seasons that winger would have been whistled for connecting with a two-line pass and the play would have been dead.
For off sides there’s the “tag-up rule”, which allows offensive players who have preceded the puck into the attack zone to tag-up or touch the blue line and continue with play. Before, if a player were off sides the play would be stopped immediately. The new tag up rule has meant fewer whistles stopping the flow of the game.
Sports Psychology for Golfers: 4 Tips for Beating the Yips
March 28, 2008
When players labels themselves as having the putting yips, they think they have an incurable disease. Putting confidence declines and the fear of missing putts makes matters worse. Players who suffer from the fear of missing don’t like to putt. The more they putt, the worse it gets, until it’s intolerable. This leads golfers to believe they have an affliction that they must learn to play with. When golfers condition themselves into believing they have the yips, it is extremely hard for change to occur.
The yips start with poor results and missing short putts. The player then progresses to the fear of missing and the fear of putting. The player feels like it is a physical condition, which leads golfers to believe that it can be corrected with a change in technique or practice habits. But the yips come from the golfer’s inability to gain neuromuscular control due to poor attentional focus or anxiety. Intense anxiety or fear does not allow the golfer to control his muscles and putt smoothly. The player freezes and can’t draw the putter back from the ball and initiate the putting stroke. The player wants to move the club back, but his or her hands and arms are in a vise. It’s like a deer that freezes in the middle of the road by the fear of an approaching car. Another form of the yips occurs when the player tenses up at impact and feels like he or she is stabbing at the ball.
Fly Fishing On The Green River - Paradise Lost
March 27, 2008
Fly Fishing On The Green River - Paradise Lost
by: Rick Chapo
Fly fishing is all about finding a great location, preferably in the middle of a hatch. The Green River in Utah was one such place, but is it still?
The Secret Is Out
No less than five years ago, it seemed like you head to the Green River and see few others along your little stretch of paradise. These days, it seems like a freeway.
The Green River starts at Flaming Gorge in the far Northeast of Utah. It then winds down through the Dinosaur National Monument area before passing through the deserts of central Utah and eventually flows into the Colorado River. The best fishing is around Flaming Gorge where the scenery and water make for a great trip.
Perhaps it is just me, but this area of the river must have been highlighted in more than a few magazines. There are all manner of people on the river and jet skis aren’t unheard of. Admittedly, there has always been white water rafting groups in sections, but nothing like this. Kayakers and so on seem to be flourishing like mad. If there had been a few more boats on the river, you would’ve needed a traffic cop!
Team Record Under 500–No Problem In The NBA
March 26, 2008
Team Record Under 500–No Problem In The NBA
by: Paul Mroczka
Of the four major professional sports in America, basketball is the only one where a team with a .500 or under record has a chance of making the playoffs. In the NHL, where like the NBA a little over 50% of the teams go to the playoffs; clubs with losing records don’t come close to competing for Lord Stanley’s Cup.
This year in the NFL, where even the Wild Card teams sported a .688 winning percentage, the Kansas City Chiefs were left out of the post-season tournament after going 10-6 (.625). Major League Baseball saw the San Diego Padres win their division and earn a 2005 playoff berth with a .506 winning mark, but they were an anomaly. This season all other MLB playoff teams won 90 or more of the 162 games they played. Over the past five years 98% of the baseball teams that have been playoff bound have won 90 (.556) or more games and none have had losing records. The NBA is different.
Golf Swing Tips To Cure Your Slice
March 25, 2008
Golf Swing Tips To Cure Your Slice
by: Joe Chung
You don’t have hours every day to perfect your golf swing on the range. Are there any golf swing tips that you can practice at home that will simplify your swing and help your score? You bet there are!
Summary
- posture is key!
- feel the turn
- hands lead at impact
The one thing I have had the most trouble with in my golf career is knowing if my set up is correct. I’m not alone. From what I’ve seen on the golf course, most amateurs have no chance of hitting the ball well because their set up is so poor.
The problem is this: what feels “good” is almost never “right”. You may feel o.k., but you are really bending your knees too much, or not enough. Maybe you aren’t straightening your left arm, or you hunch your shoulders unconsciously.
I won’t go into all the details of the correct set up here. Instead, I’ll give you one golf swing tip that will help you no matter what your set up flaws may be. Simply do this
Mental Toughness Training for Golfers: How to Conquer Pre-Game Jitters
March 25, 2008
The first tee shot can often make or break a round because it sets up your performance on the first hole, which can have a bearing on your attitude and score on the opening holes. Retief Goosen, who won the US Open, said that most good players get the first tee jitters and a good shot can settle you down quickly.
Goosen stated, "Well, you’re always nervous on the first tee. Today with the way the wind was playing, you had to hit driver while the other three days I hit 2-iron off the tee. Those first tee nerves are always the hardest to get over, and it was nice to get off to a great tee shot and obviously making a birdie." Even the best players in the world get nervous, but they still can perform.
Players can experience two different types of jitters. The first is the friendly kind of butterflies characterized by excitement and anticipation. This is a good feeling of anticipation of the start of the round. You feel excited to play and ready to get going. The second kind of jitters is the type that makes you have a sinking feeling in the pit of your gut. Your mind races, heart rate accelerates, palms sweat, muscles tighten, blood pressure increases, and you get an uncomfortable feeling in your stomach. In addition, you worry about topping the first shot or hitting it in the woods.
Fly Fishing Journals - Keep Track of Your Trips
March 24, 2008
Fly Fishing Journals - Keep Track of Your Trips
by: Rick Chapo
Fly fishing is addictive. Once you start, you’ll never stop. Whether you are going to the local water hole or to Alaska, you should use a fly fishing journal to keep track of your sessions.
Fly Fishing Journals
Fly fishing is more than just fishing, it’s a peaceful, surreal activity. For many, there is almost a meditative quality to casting. For avid fly fisherman, fly fishing trips to locations such as the Battenkill River in Vermont, Green River in Utah and Letort in Pennsylvania are a must. Of course, the possibility of trips to Argentina, Alaska and other exotic locations can make ones eyes glassy. For many, however, past fly fishing experiences fade from the memory with time. If you had keep a fly fishing journal, this doesn’t have to be the case.
There are famous instances of people keeping journals throughout time. Of course, Anne Frank’s Diary is the best example. In her diary, Anne kept a running commentary of the two years her family spent hiding from the Nazis. While your fly fishing sessions will hopefully be more lighthearted, keeping a journal will let you remember them as the years pass.
