Should I Wear Gloves for Golf?
February 23, 2008
Hi I need a little help, I just started playing golf recently and I’ve noticed that its really difficult for me to relax when I hold the club and after going to the driving range lately I’ve got some pretty bad blisters. I was wondering if should I go out and buy some gloves for golf? - Andrew in Stillwater, OK
4 words Andrew… Release The Death Grip. You are not Darth Vader and you are not out on a mission to conquer and destroy. This is a game and you’re supposed to enjoy it. Not suffer afterwards. As far as you needing some gloves for golf… Until you can settle down on your G.I. Joe, Kung-Fu grip practice that you have going on, I highly suggest it.
I think I remember an old pro say that you should hold the club like a baby bird, tight enough to keep it from escaping, but not so tight that you would kill the little thing.
After you have properly trained your hands on what they should do when you hold the club, the best thing I can say is let them do it. I mean it’s not that difficult come to think of it, you should be used to it by now with all the other practice that you’ve had before, right? In turn, when you have a good grip you are able to keep other bad things from happening and creeping into your game such as hook’s and slices, etc.
Also, an overly tight grip will do nothing but drag your game down and frustrate you when you’re supposed to be having a great time smacking a bucket of balls down range or plugging away at 18 separate holes. So do you, Andrew, need gloves for golf so you can grip golf clubs better without blisters. Yes… yes you do. Go out and buy some. Do it now.
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Say Hello to the Golf Shank Fix
February 23, 2008
Golf Virgin, I don’t know what to do. I’m at my wits end. When I go to swing, I almost always shank the damn ball. It’s horrible and I’m sick of listening to my buddies razz me about it. What can I do to find the golf shank fix and cure the golf shanks for good? - Jeffrey in Albuquerque, NM
Jeffrey, oh Jeffrey, you poor poor… thing. I truly do feel your pain. As the Golf Virgin, I’ve seen this many times and I know how bad it hurts when you’re out there giving it your best, getting so close and then all of a sudden you just can’t hit and your club basically hangs there in the breeze, useless due to “performance fear”. But no worries, I will show you the perfect fix. For a lot of the less inexperienced players out there who may not be familiar with what a shank golf shot is or what causes a shank in golf, here’s the definition.
A shank is simply when you hit the ball with the hosel of your club instead of the actual club face. This occurs because you are not using a good stance and distributing your body weight evenly and also means you are more than likely standing too close to the ball. Heres how you fix it. Do not over flex your knees when you’re about to swing. This shifts your weight to your heels, instead of in the middle of your feet were it belongs.
When you start off with too much weight on the heels this causes the body to seek out a balanced position during the swing. So when the club head makes contact with the ball your weight gets transferred from your heels to your toes. This results in the hosel being closer to the ball and all of a sudden your buddies are laughing out loud as your ball shoots off in search of it’s own kind. You see, a good address position which is a proper stance is absolutely necessary for a great golf shot to take place.
For this stance you must align your body square to the target line. This position entails having the shoulders, hips, knees and feet aligned parallel, but left, of the line that runs from the ball to the target. Even if you have this stance down, if you are standing too far away from the ball, you will unconsciously move your weight onto your toes and thus ruin your balance.
Keep in mind that standing too far from the ball can cause the knees to stiffen. More than likely this will increase the chance of hitting the shot thin where the ball will bounce off in yet another unintended direction and again you get to enjoy roars of laughter.
The width of your stance should be a shoulder-width apart when you’re taking full swings. Be sure to keep your knees flexed with a slight bend in your waist and remember to keep your weight on your heels.
This will allow you to maintain your knee flex from takeaway to impact, so you will develop a stable, even stance that will enable you to put your buddies to shame. If you spend the time and effort training this way you will never have to worry about the dreaded golf shanks again.
So remember to keep an proper, balanced stance and back up just far enough so you can hit it. Relax, don’t be afraid, it’s just a teeny white golf ball… and from here forward you will have the last laugh as you get to watch your buddies balls fly off of their own free will and disappear into the wild blue yonder.
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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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So Why Are There Dimples on a Golf Ball
February 22, 2008
Hi there Golf Virgin, interesting site you have going here. I’ve read through the other questions but since that last post you have me wondering why are there dimples on a golf ball? - Cory in Denver, CO
Ahhh… finally, is satisfaction within your reach? You see, long, long ago two very drunk Scots where out playing a long drawn out game of golf, the least sober of the two noticed that his dirty, chipped and scrubby ball was actually traveling a bit further than his more lucid counterparts smooth, well shaped ball - even though his buddy seemingly had more control of over his swing.
So this particular Scot thought perhaps it was just his mind teasing him and that the reason why he was hitting the ball farther was because he was piss drunk and didn’t realize how hard he was smacking it. A few days passed and he and his buddy were out playing again. He decided to make a test and pulled out that dirty, old scuffed up ball from his last game and compared it to a bright and shiny, baby-bald new one. Lo and behold, no matter how many times and on how many different holes he tried… the dirty ball always shot farther. So really, why are there dimples on a golf ball?
The simple reason being is that as time progressed more and more people began to realize that having little dents, which later became uniform dimples, helped air flow around the ball better while reducing drag and this ultimately allowed a golfer to shoot farther and with more accuracy. Just sit here and think, you can play a better game of golf all because some old Scot got drunk and decided to play with his dirty balls… crazy isn’t it?
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Increasing Your Hole-in-One-Odds
February 19, 2008
Golf Virgin I have just started playing golf and it has definitely sparked my interest and I want to know from your perspective if is it possible to consistently hit a hole in one? - Mike in Tampa, FL
Well… you had to ask that question didn’t you? I will say this. Anything is possible if you have the right golfing equipment. Such as a proper golf club set as well as golf balls and golf tees. But, this is entirely up to the individual and if this person is able to focus on their intention on what they want to accomplish while at the same time being able to follow through with the proper mindset.
If you can do this then you are well on your way of turning your vision of increasing your hole in one odds into a reality time and time again. Besides getting a hole in one is just… well fun. It also depends on a lot of things like the course itself and there are some holes that are well with in driving range for a good golfer to have a shot at pulling off the coveted hole in one. There are also many holes that are just far to long for a pro much less a virgin golfer to ever make in a single stroke.
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Do I Need to be a Particular Handicap in Golf to Play Some Courses?
February 18, 2008
Dear Golf Virgin, Will I need to be at a particular golf handicap or be a standard to play at any one course? - Julie in Jacksonville, FL
Julie, super question and in reality, some golf clubs make it a point of people playing at a particular standard or being below a certain golf handicap. However, from my experience the majority of golf clubs welcome all golfers as long as they can play fast (no lingering around the holes now) know the rules and etiquette of golf and dress in the right type of golf course attire.
You may also want to see my post about what kind of golf clothing to wear and don’t forget the proper golf shoes for that matter which are a total necessity in this sport.
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What do all of These Golf Scoring Terms Mean
February 18, 2008
GV, I just started playing but honestly I need help with all of these golf terms. A birdie, a bogey an albatross…
- Dennis in Des Moines, IA
And you forgot to mention an Eagle, Bogey, Double Bogey and Triple Bogey… wow what a mouth full for a virgin huh? First off, I want to say that I’m proud of you for publicly acknowledging that you have no clue what all these golf terms mean. Good for you.
Here’s how it works my new fangled golf buddy. Par is the number of strokes a pro golfer is expected to play on each hole. If a hole is a par 4, it’s commonly agreed upon that you should be able to get your ball into the hole in 4 strokes or less. Golf courses are referred to in terms of par. Usually, 18-hole courses have four par-three, ten par-four, and four par-five holes with the total par of a regulation course being 72. Feel free to send over questions for any golf term that you need help with.
As for the golf terminology that you need defined. See below.
Double Eagle: Three shots less than par (Also known as an Albatross in the U.K.)
Eagle: Two shots less than par
Birdie: One shot less than par
Par: The number of strokes it should take in theory for a “good golfer” to finish a hole.
Bogey: One shot more than par
Double bogey: Two shots more than par
Triple bogey: Three shots more than par
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