Local Golf Blog » Playing the Game

Shake Your Groove Thing . . . continued . . .

jared — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 05:50:02 +0000

Even though Phil Mickelson respectfully left his Ping Eye-2 out of his bag for this weekend's Northern Trust Open at storied Riviera Country Club, the ongoing "Groove Controversy" just won't seem to go away. Rather than keep the focus on individual players and subject them to media ridicule (many pros using the Ping Eye-2 have recently been scrutinized and labeled as cheaters), PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem took the lead and commented about the 2010 Rule Change on this week.

Lefty and the Wedge-y . . .

jared — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 04:47:54 +0000

With Tiger out of the PGA Tour spotlight (at least for now), all eyes are on Phil Mickelson to fill the void. Lefty has always enjoyed a share of the spotlight, but Woods' indefinite absence opens the door for him to be "the man" and claim the #1 ranking for the first time. The expectations are evident and along with that comes some extra attention.

Thanksgiving Golf, Not This Year

admin — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 18:25:19 +0000

The tradition of Thanksgiving golf is slowly slipping away. For the past three years the weather has made playing one more round of golf, nearly impossible. I was hoping that this year would be a little different, but the rain will just not go away. O well, maybe next year.

Golf in the Summer Olympics: Is a Gold Medal more valuable than a Green Jacket?

jared — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 04:33:47 +0000

Although many Americans were disappointed that Chicago did not receive the bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics, they can look forward to Tiger Woods representing the USA in world competition in Rio de Janeiro.

In early October, the decision was made by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to add Golf and Rugby as games to the 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympics. This will be the first time since 1904 that Golf will be included among the worldly competitions, filling the “roster spot” made vacant by Baseball and Softball being removed by the IOC.

The IOC has established the International Golf Federation (IGF) as the representative body for the game of golf at the Summer Olympics. Although the competition format has not yet been finalized, the IGF has proposed a format, for both men and women, of 72-hole individual stroke play. An Olympic field of 60 players has been recommended with eligibility to be determined by the Official World Golf Ranking.

Golf Tip – Grip Pressure and Tension

admin — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 14:16:11 +0000

Contribution from PGA Professional Chris Oleson ~ GolfClubmd.com

I hope everyone has had a great golf season. In this tip I want to touch on an aspect of improvement you can feel. Grip pressure and tension are important elements of the golf swing. They both influence the entire swing, including tempo, balance, club head speed, plane, and club path. As a result, distance, direction and spin are significantly compromised.

The Quest for a Hole-In-One

jared — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 03:03:14 +0000

I know that making a Hole-in-One is not as rare as most people think. There are plenty of Golfers out there who have been fortunate enough to put that “1” on their scorecard. I guess that’s one of the great things about this game --- whether it is skilled precision or pure luck, that single perfect stoke is possible to achieve for ALL of us.

Now, making it count when it matters most, when there is money on the line, that’s just storybook. I just hope that when my time comes, I can celebrate like this:

Handicap Tracker Revised

admin — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 02:37:29 +0000

Earlier this week we received a forum post requesting an update to the formulas we use for the handicap tracker (Read the post here). TheLocalGolfer.com strives to be as accurate as possible with the information we provide on our website. As such, we have updated the handicap tracker to reflect the official USGA handicap formula.

For those who do not know the exact science behind the calculation of your handicap, this is how it works:

Read, Aim and Roll

admin — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 13:35:17 +0000

Guest Writer, PGA Professional Chirs Oleson from Paint Branch Golf Club, will periodically provide golf tips on TheLocalGolfer.com

“Putting is pace”

The hole is the biggest the slower the ball is rolling when it reaches the hole.

Read: The ball can roll left or right and it can be uphill or downhill to the hole. Decide how far left or right and how steep the uphill or downhill break is then find a spot on the green to roll your ball to that incorporates your read. For example an uphill putt breaking left to right will have a spot left of the hole and past the hole. A downhill putt will have a spot short of the hole. It is important to acknowledge the speed of the putt will have on the amount of break. Generally an uphill putt will break less than a downhill putt

Longest Par 3 in the World?

admin — Sun, 31 May 2009 17:35:30 +0000

The 19th hole at the Legends Golf and Safari Resort in South Africa is downright insane. The tee box sits on the edge of a cliff 1410 feet above the green. The tee box is so high up that you need a helicopter take a quick 5 minute ride to tee off. I have heard about this hole, but never saw any video footage until yesterday. The video below shows Padraig Harrington and Raphael Jacquelin playing the hole and it seems like they are pretty concerned about falling off the cliff after their swing. Have you ever seen anything as crazy as this? If so, please share... Click to link to view the video

It’s All Downhill From Here Putting Game

admin — Thu, 28 May 2009 02:27:29 +0000

TheLocalGolfer.com will be featuring golf games you can play to improve your golf game. •Play for Your Personal Best Score, or Compete Against Friends• •All Skill Levels are encouraged to Play•

Before You Start / Game Set-Up

Select a Pin/Hole/Cup That Will Be Your Target for the Entire Putting Game. This target should be selected as to make the golfer perform a Downhill putt. Golfers must also decide on the length of putt that they will have to sink to earn points – This area should be at least 10 feet away and downhill. When a length is determined, place a marker to represent the starting/shooting/putting zone.