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It’s Summer and That Means Stay Hydrated. Beat the Heat.

The Sun can be good and bad. Learn how to cope and beat the heat.

Beat the heat.  Stay hydrated.  Stay cool.  Play well in the heat.

I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on television.  I do however play a lot of golf in the heat and I have quite a few friends that do as well.  Take some advice from a few seasoned veterans playing golf in the heat.


Disclaimer:

The information provided on this site is intended for your general knowledge only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare provider. Please consult your healthcare provider with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your condition.


 

A strategy from one of our members gbplay10s on dealing with the heat.

play golf in heat
Stay Cool

The strategy of walking a golf course should be no different than a hike. First the elements need to be addressed (hot, cold, wind and any combination of them.) Second, proper equipment for the conditions. If you you carry a bag, then all 14 clubs might not be recommended. If the opportunity to reload is there at the end of 9, then don’t carry four sleeves, etc. Hydration and nutrition are required if you are out for 4+ hours. Energy bards, bananas, water, sports drinks, etc. Think high value, light weight. If you walk but use a push/pull cart then thins are a bit easier, and you might get away with all the gear that can possibly fit in your bag.

The pace of your walk is really what is the ‘strategy’ of walking. For each shot, you can think of a Fast-medium-slow approach to the next shot. Off the tee box, walk briskly to about 2/3 the way to the next shot. For the next 1/3, walk medium speed for the first 2/3 of the distance, and then slow it down for the rest of the way. (eg 300 yard walk= 200 yard fast, 70 yard medium 30 yard slow.)  At each stage, your focus is on different aspects of the next shot. Long ways away, think general area to land, what hazards are there. Middle, start thinking shot nuances, outs, where you want to avoid and therefore your actual target area. Near the ball, actual club and distance. By the time you are at the ball, you are calm, your heart rate has slowed and you are fully recovered from the past walk.

Hit the ball –

Start the process over.

Another tip from GK Member GDR23:

1. Gatorade and water couple hours before the round , during round and after round. Eat and have something in your system as you could be out on the course for 5+ hours.

2. Stay in the shade if possible when you are not hitting.

3. Ready golf if everybody in your group agrees.

4. Watch everybody’s shots as much as possible within your group especially places like Olivas Links where there is tall rough.

5. Dump all the extra golf balls, empty water bottles and junk out of your bag so that it is as light as possible.

6. Try and leave your bag at strategic places if you can for the next hole and only carry the clubs you need to play out your current hole. Have one man in your group that is not playing or already finished ready to place the flag in when the last guy is putting. Don’t be afraid to rake some one else’s bunker shot if you are done. As a walker stay clear of another players line of sight to the hole. Stay still on the tee box and putting green and away from the players intended line of view. When you approach a green try and leave your bag close to the next tee box.

7. Don’t be afraid to let a group play through if you feel it would speed up play or if your group is not keeping up (even if you play quick).

8. Keep up the pace and walk to your ball as fast as your body will allow you. But take the time to go through your routine and do not let anyone rush your game.

9. Play in the early morning or if you can twilight to avoid the hottest parts of the day.

10. Try and guesstimate (if that’s a word) if you can your yardage, wind, pin placements just prior to getting to your ball. If you have a walker’s pin sheet this should give you the pin placement, you have been playing the course so you should know what the wind is doing. Be looking for sprinkler heads and yardage markers on the side of the fairways as you are approaching your ball.

11. Do not mark tap-in’s or one footers just knock them in to speed up play.

12. Know when it is your turn to putt, play, etc. – be ready, have your head up.

13. Most importantly always shake hands, have a smile on your face and make your playing partners feel comfortable.

GK Member kurator62 offers another solution:

been playing desert willow ,great summer program,start at 6:15 and finish by 10:00. perfect conditonsplay golf in heat

And other assorted suggestions:

Bring a towel, wet it and keep it around your neck. I like to freeze mine. It should help reduce your body temp a few degrees.

Stay in the Shade. Play shade golf. The sun tends to zap what strength you have.

Refrain from drinking a lot in a short time. Smaller sips more frequently will fit the bill. If you feel dehydrated it’s already too late.

Proper head gear is always a must in the sun.

Frozen bottles of water are the bomb!!!!

Stay cool my friends.  Enjoy your round with tips from your friends at Greenskeeper.org.

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Forge A Head: CUSTOM FIT GOLF CLUBS – Part 3

Club Fitting
Shebylo: Author
Shebylo: Author

I have decided, in these articles, to write about my first hand experience with custom golf club fitting and building; what I have learned and how it has helped. None of my improvement would have been possible without Don and what he has taught me about the club and the game. With the new sticks, my game is 8 strokes better, and the confidence has soared because the uncertainty is gone with what I am swinging.

Q: What about club heads? What guide do you use in pointing the golfer in the right direction?
A: Ball flight. What has been your experience?
Shebylo: My progress went from OS Cavity back, to forged perimeter weighted blades, then to a game improvement perimeter weighted iron. Each had very different characteristics and results, but then I was younger at the time. But one thing was certain, I remember having to swing them all differently – something we will discuss in Part 4 – Shafts

Q: Does it really matter what brand the golfer buys?
A: Yes. Golfers should buy the best club they are comfortable with based on the recommendations of the club fitter, with the data collected of that golfer. Actual brand name is not important; more the head style.
Again, I get back to my philosophy: appropriate for ability, commensurate with the golfer’s goals.

Q:Why is loft and lie important for the golfer?
A: Loft is important due to proper progression spacing of each golf club (yardage). Lie is necessary to ensure consistency of ball strike, i.e. ball flight. The right length is also calculated.

Q: What is the difference between offset and non offset club heads?
A: Offset is the distance between the imaginary line down the center of the shaft and a second line just touching the leading edge of the club. The leading edge is ‘offset’ from the center line. It is used primarily to counteract the slice. Some sets even have a progressive offset feature.

Q: Don, swing weight. What is it?
A: Basically, it is how the weight of the club feels during the swing. Technically, the club’s balanced weight is measured about a fulcrum point. That is as technical I want to get here.

Q: How does swing weight affect each golfer? Which weight gets assigned?
A: Generally, we assign stronger players heavier clubs. The faster your swing speed, the heavier your swing weight. Sometimes that doesn’t fit though. I vary the weight in a progression through the set, depending on the golfer’s strengths and how much mass is required behind the strike of the ball.
Sunny: So, club head design and material will also affect overall swing weight.
Don: Yes, but remember, appropriate for ability and commensurate with their goals.

Q: How is shaft flex involved when fitting? And how does that play into swing weight?
A: I choose your flex to get to the swing weight you need.

Thanks Don.

I hope these articles help golfers better understand how all the components of a club come together for their swing. It should also give you a different view of a golf club when next you visit an equipment store. In the next article, we will attach the head to the correct shaft for you, in: Shafts – How Flexible Are You.

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Aimpoint Clinic: My Personal Odyssey to Putting Enlightenment (Part VIII)

AimpointI went to Palm Springs, played Desert Springs and Shadow Hills, and I golfed with my instructor Peter Brown. Here are some of my thoughts about these past experiences and how it relates to my Aimpoint experience.

Outing in Desert Springs & Shadow Ridge:
I putted very well. I hit the ball crappy, but I putted very well. I made a ton of putts, (except for the 2 birdie putts inside 5 feet I left short.) At this point, I figured I should start keeping stats. I want to know how many 7-15 footers I make a round. I want to know how many putts I make a round. I want to know how many 3 putts I have. My initial feeling is that my putts per round won’t go down until my ball striking improves. However, the number of 3-putts should go down, and my Mid-range Putts Made should go up. I know for a fact that those 2 things have improved. My personal statistical analysis should confirm this. I also make at least 1 10-foot putt per round, if not 5 or 6 — in the past, I never used to make those.

With my Instructor, Peter Brown:
I played golf with my instructor, Peter Brown. He’s a pretty good golfer, and obviously, he putts well. We were able to play a casual round and spend some time on a few greens to work through some difficult putts and reads. He taught me how to make a “combo-read”. So when you putt over changing shapes, you break the putt into sections and figure out the breaks for each section, and combine them to get a net Aimpoint. It’s complicated to explain and visualize through text, but it’s really simple once we went through it a few times. More practice for me. He read a few of the more complex putts for me, gave me an Aimpoint, and was spot on. I had 3 1-putts out of 4 in one stretch (12, 15, and 20 footers). I had one 3-putt on the first green; 29 putts for the round overall.

So a few random thoughts of things I’ve learned through this process, epiphanies, if you will:

 

  • If you want to improve your putting, and could only change ONE thing, work on speed. Speed. Speed. SPEED. You’ll make more die-in-the-hole putts, and never 3-putt.
  • The thing that Aimpoint has helped me the most is that I only have to concentrate on one thing over the putt: speed. I make the read, line up my aim, and trust my stroke as far as starting it out on line. Once that is done, all I think about before pulling the trigger is speed. This has helped clear my head, and THAT has improved my putting.
  • If you miss the putt, or have a bad putting day, it’s user error. This system is impeccable. Missed putts are due to bad stroke, poor speed, or misreading the slope. Gravity is NEVER wrong.
  • I practice better. Before Aimpoint, putting practice was almost pointless. I guess the main benefit I got out of putting practice pre-Aimpoint is a solid stroke so that I could start putts online… but even then, I see how much more I have to perfect. I worked on lagging, but for me, overall putting practice was very unfocused.

 

Now, I have so much better understanding on HOW to practice. This is a part of my checklist:

 

  • Work on speed (which I’ve found the key is consistent tempo for all distances… yeah, didn’t really understand that until now).
  • Work on “green-feeling” with my feet… finding zero lines. Rolling balls.
  • Work on recognizing slope steepness.
  • Work on the actual green reading. Identify green shapes, make reads, and confirm. Now I have to work on the combo reads.
  • Work on aiming from 5 ft, 25 ft. Recognize what 12 inches looks like from any distance away. A marked yardstick will help with this.
  • And now, I’m adding starting putts on line. I’m using an elevated string line to help with this.

 

 

Putting practice is so much fun now.

Anyways, I think this is a good place to end my blog. I hope I’ve inspired some of you to give Aimpoint a try. Take a clinic. Check their website for clinic dates in your area. www.aimpointgolf.com. Take a clinic. Or call a local instructor for a lesson. They have a directory on the site. Take a clinic. Or call a local instructor for a lesson. They have a directory on the site. I will continue to update my progress or share interesting stories as I see fit. Click the ‘discuss it’ button above to go to the original thread and leave me a question or comment. Reread the previous entries.. maybe you’ll get something new out of those by reading them again.

Until next time: Make Everything.

About GK Member michaelko:
Our resident physical therapist from Northern California and one of the original GK Staffers. He is also one of the individuals responsible for making the GK Casual Golf Events possible. Way back when it was only an idea, michaelko, was one of those individuals that made it possible with our first outing of six members at Rio Hondo Country Club, Downey CA.

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The Truth About Golf Grips — Can you Handle it?: CUSTOM FIT GOLF CLUBS – Part 2

Club Fitting
Shebylo:  Author
Shebylo: Author

If you remember from Part 1, I interviewed Don and we are discussing custom fit golf clubs and the intricacies of fitting and building them. This series is meant to give you some insight of a builder and to educate golfers about what they can learn from a custom golf club fit and build.

Q: Don, a few questions came up in my mind after our last discussion. I am curious, is there more than one method to fit a golfer? We have been in a lot of golf shops and on many ranges, so how many are there?

A: There are hundreds, believe it or not. I am glad you are asking these questions because it is important for golfers to have some educated and realistic expectations when they show up for a fitting. It also depends a lot on the person doing the fitting and the method used. There are many different philosophies out there. You should make sure you understand exactly what the fitter is saying before you proceed with the fitting and purchase of golf clubs.

Q: How many visits are required and are any return visits needed?

A: As many as it takes for you to understand and be comfortable with the new equipment. And, yes, everyone should have a club person that they trust so they can get occasional maintenance done on the clubs.

Q: We know that grips need changing periodically, how often should they be changed?

A: About every 75 rounds or every year, whichever comes first. Depending also on how much you practice, will affect the wear of the grip. How clean you keep your grips and how you clean them affects grip life.

 

Golf grips matter.
Golf grips matter.

Q: Now with the grips, let’s talk a bit about building the club beginning with the grip. Can you help us out with grip sizes, styles, materials, and correct fit of the grip itself?

A: Well, that’s such an in depth subject, and personal to every golfer. Size is most important, then feel. Styles play a role, and comfort in YOUR hand. Try as many as you can; cord, wrap grip, crossline, with varying degrees of tacky – they will all feel different, but you will find one that is comfortable for you; give you a feeling of confidence. As far as fit is concerned, this is best done with a fitter you have confidence in. Why don’t you explain what your experience was.

Shebylo: Well, OK, the thing I realized with you is not how much I learned; it is how much I didn’t know!! First of all, the reason size of the grip is important has got to do with how effectively the golfer rotates through the ball hitting area. Your swing is optimized by the effectiveness of how well you are connected to the club. The primary point of contact is the grip, so that measurement is very important. The fitter would suggest a grip size and also the number of wraps required (if needed). The feel and style you choose should conform to that suggestion. Remember mine was the tour velvet Golf Pride, 1 1/2 wraps, then later I added the rib to the grip which helped me keep in mind the position of the club face, and increased my confidence. And I think confidence is probably most important.

Q: Even though a golfer chooses a particular grip, do you keep the same wrap (s) length and number all the way through the set from driver to scoring clubs?
A: No. The wraps will vary in length and, maybe number, depending on the data collected during the fitting. All I am going to tell you here is that it varies in accordance with ball flight.

Thanks Don.

So with all the grips on the market these days, I hope that these few words will guide you the next time you are looking around for grips. I bet you never look at a grip the same way again, but I know you can handle it.

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Golfing Healthy – Champion’s Choice: Coconut Oil

Golfing Healthy with Cate Ritter

TheLEAN18green - Cate''s Nutrition KitchenTheLEAN18green - Cate''s Nutrition KitchenCoconut oil is a unique metabolism boosting fat that can help shed pounds off your body and strokes off your scorecard! A favorite among athletes, this nutrient-dense, saturated fat also supports the immune system, and reduces aging. With coconut oil included in your daily diet, you’ll be able to take your game, and your health, to the next level!

Four Big Fat Facts

1. Boosts Metabolism
Reap the benefits of coconuts oil’s thermic effect as your Camilo Villegas like muscles intimidate the competition with a deep drive straight down the middle of the fairway! Similar to lean protein, the medium-chain fats in coconuts actually increase metabolism to support muscle mass and aid fat loss.

2. Nutrient Dense
Stay strong and maximize course management skills with some nourishing pre-round coconut oil to fuel your body and brain. Coconut oil is rich in lauric acid, capric acid, manganese, molybdenum, and copper, while also containing adequate calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, potassium and vitamins B, C and E.

3. Supports Immunity
Now you’re “sick days” can be spent on the course instead of the couch! Rich in lauric acid, coconut oil has antimicrobial, antifungal, and antiviral properties that strengthen the immune system, keeping you eligible for the course record all year long!

4. Reduces Aging
Shooting your age is easier with coconut oil! Although most people think of extra virgin olive oil as a good oil for cooking, coconut would be a much healthier choice. Unlike olive oil, coconut oil has a high heat point, making it much less susceptible to harmful oxidation that can advance aging and promote cancer.

Sample Day to Go Coconuts!
Breakfast: 3 eggs, spinach & red pepper (cooked in coconut oil)
Lunch: lettuce-wrapped burger (cooked in coconut oil), avocado & tomatoes
Snack: chocolate protein shake with coconut oil & strawberries
Dinner: wild salmon, asparagus, mushrooms & red potatoes (cooked in coconut oil)

Select: Unrefined, organic, virgin coconut oil with no other ingredients listed
Avoid: Refined, hydrogenated, non-organic, bleached or deodorized
Storage: Keep at room temperature for up to 2 years



Cate Ritter - Director of Nutrition MTT PerformanceCate Ritter
MTT (Make The Turn) Performance
Nutritionist, Speaker & Kitchen Coach

Cate Ritter runs THE LEAN 18 Nutrition program at MTT Performance, A Golf Channel Academy located in Pebble Beach, CA. With a successful career as a top junior and collegiate golfer, Cate knows the importance of nutrition when it comes to having a competitive edge on the course. Cate’s work has been featured on ABC15 News, U.S. News and World Report, Wall Street Journal, Golf Digest, GolfWRX, Golf Tips, Golf Today Northwest, PopGolf Mexico, GolfPunk UK, and The Arizona Republic.

MTT Performance

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Aimpoint Clinic: My Personal Odyssey to Putting Enlightenment (Part VII)

Aimpoint Golf Review: Part 7 of my Aimpoint Odyssey

AimpointFirst round after my lesson. Casual round at my home course. Was able to take my time with my reads. I was playing with a friend who is a pretty good putter herself. I made 5-6 7-10 footers, one for birdie. Made great reads, but my speed was off, too hard on most of the bad ones. I was able to put the fall line, aka break line, reads in action. It is pretty simple.

My friend’s comment was: “You do what I do, but with feel, instead of seeing it. I just see it.” Which is true, but ultimately, she’s guessing her read and I’m not. I may be wrong, but I’m not guessing, and what she does works for her. She totally bought into it, but wasn’t as enthusiastic as I was… maybe because she’s a good putter already. She was impressed with my putting overall, for what that’s worth.

So I’m caught up timeline wise. I’m taking lessons with our head pro, which is helping my swing immensely. As soon as I get my swing up to speed, I’m gonna be dangerous! But seriously, we’ll see. I’m gonna play golf with Peter, my Aimpoint instructor, which will hopefully be enlightening.

Here’s the clinic page for Aimpoint. Dates of the clinics. Highly highly recommend. http://www.aimpointgolf.com/clinics.asp

As the Aimpointers say: Make Everything!

About GK Member michaelko:
Our resident physical therapist from Northern California and one of the original GK Staffers. He is also one of the individuals responsible for making the GK Casual Golf Events possible. Way back when it was only an idea, michaelko, was one of those individuals that made it possible with our first outing of six members at Rio Hondo Country Club, Downey CA.

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Custom Golf Club Fitting & Building: CUSTOM FIT GOLF CLUBS – Part 1

Club Fitting
Shebylo: Author

My club fitter and I met early in 2008. At that time he was building a new custom club fitting business based here in the Bay area, CA. Don has been building and fitting clubs over 7 years now, having been taught the craft by a golf club and fitting systems designer. He has traveled all over the country fitting and building golf clubs and by his estimate has fitted and built clubs for over 10,000 golfers in 21 States.

During our outdoor fitting session, Don spent a great deal of time golf-swing-practiceasking me thoughtful questions about my golf game. The courses I played, method and how often I practiced, and not only finding out about my current ability but my goals for the game as well. We spent over 3 hours together that day analyzing my current clubs and testing new ones to find out which clubs I should be playing. Don uses the Vector Pro Launch Monitor system to collect ball flight data.

Since my experience with him, my golf game has improved by 8 strokes. I felt that other readers might be interested in the process; in particular, custom club fitting and club building. This will be a multi part series.

 

Know what questions to ask to help you make the best choices for your next golf equipment purchase

Q: Don, why is it important for golfers to be custom fit when buying new clubs?
A: Every golfer should be confident with the knowledge that their clubs fit their swing and game. Not everyone fits into the standard models offered by manufacturers. A good club fitter can work outside the parameters offered by major manufacturers to find that “right combination” for each individual. Club Fitting is also an opportunity to get educated about clubs, shafts, and grip options. A competent club fitter will spend a good amount of time educating golfers about the differences, whether subtle or drastic between different clubs and shafts.

Q: Who gets custom fit clubs?
A: Any player who wants to improve. I have never met a golfer yet that did not want to play better. All golfers that seek improvement should be custom fit for clubs. A properly fitted set can make a dramatic difference to a golfers ability to play their best depending on how ill-fitting their current set is.

Q: What can a golfer expect from properly fitted golf clubs?
A: Golfers can and should expect better performance in the form of lower scores, improved accuracy, and more distance from properly fitted golf clubs. If the clubs don’t deliver these things, the player should return to the fitter to find out why.

Thanks Don,

In our next article we will discuss the build of the club from the top down beginning with the grip….

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Golfing Healthy Lifestyle- The Power of Protein

Golfing Healthy with Cate Ritter

 

TheLEAN18green - Cate''s Nutrition KitchenTheLEAN18green - Cate''s Nutrition KitchenHow do you look as good and play as well as a pro without spending hours at the gym or your life-savings on the range? Eat the right foods! That’s right desk-jockeys and cart-riders, you can increase your metabolism by 30% just by consuming more protein. Protein is a vital component to building the lean muscle mass needed for longer drives off the tee and provides the strongest hunger-reducing effect, keeping you full throughout the round. Grass-fed beef and wild salmon are especially good sources of protein and contain high amounts of vitamins, minerals and omega-3 fatty acid.

Go For Grass-fed Beef!

Beef = Protien
Beef = Protein

Go for grass-fed animal products to improve your health and aid weight loss! Why should you eat grass-fed instead of grain-fed beef?

  • Excellent source of complete protein
  • Lower in total fat
  • 60% higher in Omega-3s (better ratio to Omega-6s)
  • 10x higher in beta-carotene
  • 4x higher in vitamin E
  • 5x higher in CLA, cancer fighter
  • Higher in B-vitamins, folic acid, calcium, magnesium & potassium
  • Increase CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) content
  • Decreased risk of Ecoli
  • 40% decrease in greenhouse gases
  • Use 85% less energy
  • Restores soil fertility

Try this recipe for Juicy Broiled Grass-fed Beef Burgers!

Quick & Easy Wild Salmon Recipe

Fish & Poultry = Protein
Fish & Poultry = Protein

Broiled Wild Salmon is a simple and easy way to enjoy this exceptional “brain food.” Not only is wild salmon an excellent source of protein, but it is also high in omega-3 essential fatty acids, potassium, selenium and vitamin B12. Always go wild when selecting salmon. Wild salmon has 20% more protein, 20% less fat and far more omega-3s than farmed salmon.

Ingredients
1 pound Wild Salmon fillets
1 tablespoon Pastured butter
Salt and pepper

Instructions
Preheat broiler. Pat salmon dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Lay fillets skin-side up on a rimmed baking sheet 4-inches (or top rack) from the broiler. Broil for 4-6 minutes a side (depending on thickness) or until a fork can easily peel away flakes from the flesh. Remove from broiler. Top each fillet evenly with butter. Cover and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Serving Suggestions
Lemon drizzled asparagus & red pepper
Spinach & garlic mashed potatoes
Pear, pecan & goat cheese salad with balsamic

Cate Ritter - Director of Nutrition MTT PerformanceCate’s Bio
Cate Ritter runs THE LEAN 18 Nutrition program at MTT Performance, A Golf Channel Academy located in Pebble Beach, CA. With a successful career as a top junior and collegiate golfer, Cate knows the importance of nutrition when it comes to having a competitive edge on the course. Cate’s work has been featured on ABC15 News, U.S. News and World Report, Wall Street Journal, Golf Digest, GolfWRX, Golf Tips, Golf Today Northwest, PopGolf Mexico, GolfPunk UK, and The Arizona Republic.

 

MTT Performance
MTT Performance

 

 

 

 

 

Keywords:  golf, golf course, nutrition, heath, golfing healthy lifestyle