What is the Diameter of a Golf Hole?
June 20, 2008
What is the diameter of a golf hole and why are they all the same size? - Jim in San Antonio, TX
Well the diameter of a golf hole is 4.25 inches exactly… I’m sure many people have taken a putt only to miss and think to themselves… “If only that hole was just a bit bigger my ball would have slipped right in.” So why was this standard golf hole size chosen to begin with? Here’s the answer. The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, issued new rules in 1891 with the purpose of making the game more consistent and one of the ways they decided to accomplish this was to standardize the size of the golf hole. The size that they arrived at became the hole that we are all fond of today with the magic diameter of 4.25 inches.
Actually, this is the end result of the rules that previous incarnation of Royal Musselburgh Golf Club had come up with back in 1829. This led to the creation of the first known hole cutter and believe it or not this ancient ground eater is still in existence and is on display at Royal Musselburgh and was the exact 4.25 inches in diameter that we all are familiar with today. After the great people running the Royal and Ancient Golf Club adopted it into their rules back 1891 and the rest of the world followed.
However, there is a bit of wonder surrounding why the first hole cutter was created at this specific size. But more than likely, it was a totally arbitrary decision. Take that next putting stroke with pride and know you’re hitting your balls deep into a piece of golf history every time you take a putt.
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How a Golf Fade Works
April 28, 2008
Would you explain to me how to make a golf fade works and how it’s different from a slice? - Jeff in San Antonio, TX
A fade in golf is a term given to the flight path of a golf ball as it comes off the clubface. The trajectory of the ball will move from the left of your intended target before it curves slightly back to the right. How a golf fade can get confused with a slice in golf is simple to understand especially for beginners. Basically a slice is a severe and unintended curve of the golf ball to the right.
Now to fade a golf ball you should align your body to the left of the target and point your clubface directly at the target and here are 4 easy steps to follow that will help you produce a golf fade to envy.
Step 1
Set your clubface square to the ball. Hold the very tight in the bottom three fingers of your left hand.
Step 2
Aim your feet and shoulders to the left of the target making sure the clubface is still square.
Step 3
Because you are aiming your body towards the left except for the club, it should force you to make an out-to-in swing path. Aim to hit the ball at a 2 o’clock angle.
Step 4
Now on the downswing your focus should be on bringing the club back across the ball, with your angle of attack brought down on the 2 o’clock position of the ball which should give you a feeling of your right hand coming underneath the shot.
After you make this method your own, you can fade a golf ball whenever you need it and use it as a tool to set you up for that perfect putt. Happy strokes!!
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How to Chip a Golf Ball
April 17, 2008
Hey can you tell me how to chip a golf ball please? - Steve in Dover, TN
Basically, a chip shot is a putt that has a short flying start. For this you will need a club that has a low loft. This will range from a 4-iron to a 7-iron and will allow the ball get up and over onto the putting surface. Now, as you are holding your club, its best to move your hands towards the bottom of the handle.
Also, you should hold the shaft in a more vertical way as if you were holding a putter. From here simply make a straight-back and straight-through movement at the ball as you take your stroke. This will utilize the loft of the club and will send the ball towards the hole.
Another way you can try chipping a golf ball is to move the handle forward a small amount where you put some more weight on your forward foot. If you are feeling ambitious and want to go after that longer hole, use a club like a 7-iron. You would follow the same steps of taking a simple, straight-back and straight-through motion.
This chipping stroke will send the ball up into the air and again, as it lands it will roll it’s way onto the hole. I find this to be an excellent choice when I’m too far away to take a putting stroke while at the same time being too close to launch a ball with a driver. Happy strokes!!
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Golf Explained - Etiquette of Golf in 13 Easy Steps
April 3, 2008
Your very own “beginner golf tip girl” the Golf Virgin, felt that it was time to help out with some common sense driven golf course etiquette. She has recently been appalled at stunningly stupid behavior from “people” who should know better.
Here is a nice, quick and easy chart… < - - loves charts, for all of you to fold up in your pocket and carry with you onto the green. You’ve now been forewarned. Learn this simple, etiquette of golf and be saved the misery of wide open mouths staring at you in disbelief. See below - golf explained.
| 1. Arrive at your scheduled tee off time. |
| 2. Be sure to be patient and respect other players on the course as you wish to be respected and don’t make any loud noise. Normal speaking or conversation is ok but hooting and hollering at your buddies isn’t. |
| 3. Check your marker and your ball number in order to avoid confusion during the game. |
| 4. Do not take practice swings on the tee off zone. |
| 5. For the sake of common sense, do not stand close behind, near or in front of any other player and be as quiet as possible when a player is about to take a shot. |
| 6. Normally, the player with the lowest handicap starts the game by taking their first shot. On all other tees the player with the best score out of the previous hole has “the honor”, meaning he has the right to play (with) his ball first. |
| 7. Always be prepared to play your ball in order to avoid any delay in the game and leave immediately after you’ve made your shot. (Sounds like most men doesn’t it?) |
| 8. Don’t play your stroke if other players intend to do their puts on any green in the neighborhood. |
| 9. Don’t take a shot in the direction of another player that may be in hitting distance. See the post why we yell fore in golf for more info. |
| 10. Be kind, nothing will piss off a Superintendent more than not replacing divots or fixing any other damage you cause to the course. And make sure to rake those bunkers back into perfect condition! |
| 11. To avoid looking like someone of lesser intelligence, don’t drive your cart over tee off areas, greens or through a sand bunker. Also, before putting be sure to leave your cart somewhere beside the green, preferably in an area beside the next tee off zone. |
| 12. Try to stand somewhere beside the player who has to do the next shot. |
| 13. If possible, try to observe not only your own but also the balls of the other players in your company. This will help to save time in case one of your partners may not be able to find his ball immediately after his shot. |
I could go on and on and on, especially after some of the absolutely, thoughtless behaviors I’ve witnessed in my time. So now y’all know some quick and easy ways not to look like “fantard” swaggering around, looking for a beating. Use this etiquette of golf and if you don’t hey… don’t be surprised if someone takes their club to your head. Happy strokes!!
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Never Hit Fat Golf Shots Again
February 27, 2008
I wanted to know if you could give me some advice on how I can stop hitting fat golf shots. I think I might have to change the local course I’m fond of because the superintendent isn’t too happy with me taking big chunks out of his green. Thanks in advance!! - Charles in Reno, NV
Hmmm… so you have a tendency to hit fat balls. I see. Well Charles, do you think your problem might exist on a deeper level? Even if it does, I’ll do my best to help. Typically, fat golf shots happen when the club hits the ground way too soon. This creates a cushion of dirt and grass in between the clubface and the ball and this pretty much kills the shot. To top it off you feel a horrible rattle as your club head strikes the ground and a nice chunk of green goes flying.
Tough situation to be in, especially when you have the course superintendent scowling at you like you’re a bumbling reject. To stop hitting the golf ball fat, the next time you are at the range, make a mark to measure where your swing actually makes impact by putting a tee even with your golf ball and parallel with the direction that your club is facing at a distance of 1 inch before the ball.
Take your normal shot and then compare your divot to where the tee is. You will probably see that the golf club made contact with the ground way behind the tee. This shows that you are definitely hitting behind the ball. So to improve, keep working this exersise and add 1 more step. Focus on hitting down but not too steeply on the back of the golf ball.
How I learned was by actually picking out a particular dimple on the ball to keep my eye on. Putting this technique together with making a mark of 1 inch before the ball with a tee helped me with this problem when I was starting out and hitting fat balls left and right.
Now you know what to do to quit hitting those fat shots in golf. After you improve maybe the super will look at you with a little bit of respect and you will get to stay at the course you are so fond of. Happy Strokes!!
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How to Get the Best Putting Stroke Possible and Some Putting Tips to Boot
February 25, 2008
This may seem like a real amateur question, but I am having a heck of a time with my putter stroke. It’s not so much that I freeze up but I have this strange tendency to space out right before. I really try to make the best putting stroke possible but it always seems that the ball gets right to the edge and just sits there. What can I do to improve? - Frank in Boise, ID
That definitely is a bad situation to be in, now as far as you spacing out right before you putt… I would say that you should probably cut back on certain things that inhibit you concentration. You know what I’m talking about.
Grab a couple of small pieces of wood about 8 inches long by half an inch wide. If you have a couple wood rulers laying around, those would be perfect for this. Now take these with your putter and some balls and go out to your local putting green. What you want to do is line up the two pieces of wood in front of where you will take your stance and these should point in the direction in which you are going to putt.
However, leave them far enough apart that your putter head has about a half inch clearance on either side. These two pieces of wood will form an alley that your putter head and golf ball will travel down. Now take practice putts from 5 to 10 feet in length and focus your mind on taking the putter back straight and following through with shooting the golf ball as straight as possible through this alley. The purpose is to not make contact with the pieces of wood so you can develop your putting stroke.
I have found out through my own experience as well as with helping other virgin golfers that if you are very inconsistent, this technique can really help you get the putter moving in the correct motion. Keep in mind that this will also improve your direction control during your putter stroke.
Frank, by using this simple technique, you will keep your balls from stopping and hanging right at the edge of the hole and sink that putt time and time again. We all know how frustrating that can be when you get so close…
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The Absolute Best Way to Clean Your Golf Clubs
February 22, 2008
Howdy there Golf Virgin!! I went out this past weekend and played a great 18 holes and loved it but my shafts got pretty dirty and I need to know the best way to clean golf clubs. Could you tell me? - Adam in Dallas, TX
Howdy huh? So you had a lot of fun, got your shafts all dirty and now you need to know the best way to clean golf clubs? I have to pat you on the back for getting out there on the green and not being afraid to get messy. I bet you took as many strokes necessary to satisfy your desire for putting things in places where they never been before. And you know what? For your bravery I’m going to tell you exactly how to clean your golf clubs.
For starters, you will need a plastic bucket, mild dishwashing liquid, toothbrush and a reasonably clean towel for drying.
Squirt… a little dishwashing liquid into the bottom and add some warm water to get it all the suds going. But make sure the water is warm. Not too hot now because hot water can loosen the ferrule on the clubs. The ferrule is the plastic cover over the point where the shaft enters the club head. Since you’re reading this go ahead and see if you can imagine what that looks like.
Anyways, you need just enough water in the bucket to cover the heads of the irons. Place your irons into the bucket with the club heads submerged and keep the ferrules above the level of the soapy water. Now, allow your irons to soak in the warm water for only a couple minutes. This will loosen the dirt that got worked into the grooves of the clubface from all your careless fun.
After they have finished soaking, take each club and use the toothbrush to clean out the grooves on the clubface and gently drag the brush across the sole of the iron and over the back of the club head. Keep in mind that this is the most important step in how to clean your golf clubs because it removes all the dirt and other chemicals from the golf course that can eat away the finish.
However, if you’ve allowed dirt to build up in the grooves and harden over time, you may need to allow them to soak longer and use a stiff-bristled brush. But remember, never use a wire-bristled brush for cleaning your clubs. Rinse off the club head and when you’ve washed the suds away, take a look at it to make sure all the dirt is gone from the grooves. You might find yourself enjoying the process of making your clubs like new again. But don’t get carried away with all that cleaning action, you could scratch your shaft.
Use your towel to dry off the club head and drag the towel up and down the length of the shaft. I’m pretty sure that you’re very familiar with this part, aren’t you? After you’re done, make positive that your shafts are nice and dry, thus ensuring that they don’t go back into your bag wet. Also, never submerge persimmon woods in water. To be direct, it’s never a good idea to submerge your woods in any sort of liquid. Because this will ruin the nice, glossy finish, of course.
Instead, quickly dip your woods into the sudsy water, using your shaft cleaning skills to rub it with a moist cloth and then dry them immediately. Now take a step back… and look at how clean, shiny and almost virgin like all of your shafts are… Wow, almost makes you want to say howdy doesn’t it?
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