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Arguably golf's interesting origin began five centuries in the past. It is a historical fact that due to the interference of golf with much more serious combat drills James II of Scotland banned golf in an act of Parliament on March 6 in the year 1457. There is general agreement among historians and golf fans alike that the Scots were the first golfers who became somewhat addicted to the sport. However the persons responsible for the invention of golf is open to debate. And debate will ensue if you breech the subject with the right persons.

It has been suggested that bored sheepherders became quite exceptional at knocking round shaped stones into rabbit holes with their wooden shepherds staffs. Making a competitive game of the boredom seemed inevitable. After all women's lib was not yet even considered so that means the shepherds were men. Lets face another fact of history, men tend to be more of a competitive nature. Various forms of golf were played as early as the fourteenth century. These games were played in Holland, Belgium, France as well as in Scotland, thus the debate of golf's origin is rightly fueled.

There is another historical fact that Scottish Baron, James VI, was the man who delivered the game we know today as golf to the English. For many years the game was played on severely rugged terrain, where no proper upkeep was required. In most accounts golf was played with crudely cut holes in the ground where the earth was reasonably flat.

It was a group of Edinburgh golfers who first formed an organized club. In 1744 the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers was established. At this time in history the first thirteen laws of golf were drawn up for an annual competition. This first competition consisted of players from any part of Great Britain or Ireland.

One of the earliest golf clubs that were formed outside golf's debatable native home of Scotland was the Royal Blackheath Golf Club of England. Blackheath came into existence in 1766 and the Old Manchester Golf Club was founded on the Kersal Moor in 1818.

By the late 1800's the Royal Montreal Club and the Quebec Golf Club were to become the first in North America. It wasn't until 1888 that golf resurfaced in the United States with more fervor than each prior surfacing. Even then it was a Scotsman, John Reid, who first built a three-hole course in Yonkers New York. St. Andrews Club of Yonkers was built in a thirty-acre site near to the original three-hole course.

From the hesitant and fitful start golf grew rapidly as the new national pastime in America. Modern for its time the golf club, Shinnecock Hills was founded in 1891 and in the nine years left in that century more than one thousand prestigious golf clubs opened in North America.

The historical value of golf is as interesting as any part of our heritage. Following the path that golf took to get from a shepherds field to the amazing golf courses that dot our culture today it is no wonder golf remains a popular pastime in all parts of the world.

Tags: Golf Accessories, Golf Tips, Golf Vacation

Studies show that the number of golfers has remained fairly stagnant over the last few years. No doubt the cost of golfing is a major factor.

But another factor has to be the difficulty of playing the game to a reasonable level. People are embarrassed when their scores sour into the stratosphere. Some people overcome this by being a casual golfer–that is, a golfer who doesn’t even keep score. They just go out and hit the golf ball around the course. That way they don’t have to report a high golf score.

Let me suggest a way to get low-level golfers more involved in the game of golf. Consider the scramble.

A scramble isn’t a formal golf format approved by the United States Golf Association (USGA) or the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, Scotland (R&A). It’s a more informal way of playing golf much in use these days for more informal and relaxed golf tournaments.

The scramble format calls for each golfer to hit the golf ball from the tee box as usual. Then a decision is made among those playing in the group as to which is the best shot. The best shot could be the longest or the one that has a direct shot into the green. Once the decision is made as to which is the best shot (or lie), each player hits the golf ball from that spot (or roughly close to the spot).

This holds true on every shot–from the tee box, on the fairway, in the rough, or on the green.

The great thing about a scramble format is that each golfer doesn’t have to worry about each shot. If they shank a shot, hopefully someone else will get a good shot where they can have an opportunity to get another good shot. In other words, every golfer in the group can contribute to the final score.

Here are two additional suggestions for using the scramble format:

1. When playing for fun, try TeeGolf in addition to using the scramble format.

TeeGolf (www.playteegolf.com) is a new golf game where you can place your golf ball on a tee anywhere on the golf course except the green. (This allows the novice golfer the opportunity to get a good stroke at the golf ball.)

TeeGolf also allows you to improve the lie of the golf ball. You can also take 3 Mulligans per round of golf.

Thus, combining the scramble format with TeeGolf makes the game of golf easier and less frustrating for the recreational golfer.

2. When playing a non-competitive round of golf with family and friends, using the scramble makes the game of golf more fun. Since you each will be hitting the golf ball from the same locations on the golf course, there will be more togetherness. Consequently, you will be able to enjoy each other’s company more during the round of golf.

Playing the scramble, keeping one score (and using TeeGolf, if you wish), makes the game of golf more enjoyable for the average or less-than-average golfer because it is more forgiving.

Give the scramble format a try and invite your family and friends, who may be leery about playing golf, to play golf in a format that is less demanding where everybody can contribute.

Tags: Golf Club, Golf Vacation, Golf Course

If you have decided to take up golf as a hobby you will be rewarded with the benefits of fresh air, exercise, and the addition of many new friends and acquaintances. Like any project you approach in life your attitude and expectations will determine your enjoyment of the game.

Take stock of your personal traits. Are you overly competitive? If you are, remember the road to a low handicap is littered with bad shots, bunkers, water hazards and triple digit scores on your round. You will invest a lot of time in practice. Welcome every hook, slice and 3 putt as a learning opportunity. Even Tiger Woods needs a coach to help him with his game.

If you like to meet new people golf provides you with opportunities for social interaction. You will get to meet new people in a setting in which you both have an avid interest. This makes for easy conversation and more opportunities to improve your game. Most clubs offer single players the opportunity to play the round together, if you would prefer to play alone just mention this to the club pro when arranging your tee time.

How much golf equipment do you actually need. Golf can be a very expensive game but there are affordable options. A high-end brand name set of clubs can set you back several thousand dollars but a good used set will cost you a few hundred dollars. Before you buy clubs it is a good idea to visit golf stores and club pro shops. You can test out different types of clubs, determine which club length is best for you, get to know the different types of grips available and learn the difference between graphite and steel shafts. You can learn about the type of golf ball that will best suit you as a beginner. Having a golf ball with the correct compression will help you make the most of your game.

If you want to increase the exercise benefits of golf you can choose to walk the 18 holes. When you are choosing a golf bag you will first need to decide if you are going to walk or ride, your choice here will be a carry or cart bag. Golf bags are available in a range of materials so choose one that is suited to the climate in which you will play most of your golf. Golf shoes are important, make sure they are comfortable and waterproof. A rain suit is also a good addition to your golf bag.

Should you take lessons from a golf professional? Your budget is the deciding factor here. Golf lessons are expensive but if it is within your budget it may be worthwhile. You will find that lessons will raise the standard of your game quickly. A more affordable way to take lessons is to purchase one of the many training programs available on video and dvd. Many seasoned golfers use these programs to raise the standard of their game and new golfers can learn at their own pace.

The above are just the basics of getting started in the game. Before you lift a club, develop the right mental attitude. Remain positive, quiet your mind and envision you shot before you hit the ball. A good mental game is half the battle on the road to a low handicap. Above all enjoy!

Tags: Golf Accessories, Golf Course, Golf Club

Treat Mom Right
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GigaGolf is opening the holiday shopping season with a 15% Off global coupon that is good until 12/4/2007. The coupon Code is TGSALE. Customers must enter this code during the ordering process to get 15% discount on the items they have in their cart.

Check out GigaGolf Buyer’s Guide

Tags: Golf Vacation, Golf Club, Golf Traing

In golf, the driver is also known as the 1 wood. Normally it’s the longest club in the bag and has the largest head. This club is used to hit the ball off the tee out of the box, which is where the ball is teed up to start playing a hole. Of course, on a short par 3 hole, the driver would be left in the bag, and another club would be selected, unless the golfer just had a hankering to fly the green and blow any chance at making a birdie or par.

Now, it should be noted that the club known as the driver is not something that can be used to literally drive someone around. If anyone put this club behind the wheel of their car and climbed into the back seat expecting to be chauffeured to a specific destination, or just driven around in general, they will have a very, very, very long wait. After all, it is a golf club, not someone who gets paid to drive cars. It does not have arms or legs, nor does it have eyes or ears. You will note there was no mention of a brain, but that is because there are so many people on the road who also do not appear to have a functioning brain while they are driving.

On the other hand, a driver (the golf club) is a great way to get the ball down the links on the golf course. A well hit ball can travel more than three hundred yards. However, this kind of driving power is most often seen on the Professional Golf Association (PGA) tour. The average golfer is doing well to hit the ball two hundred and fifty to two hundred and seventy five yards off the tee and these are not drives to be ashamed of.

There is no set average distance for holes on the golf course, which makes driving on different courses a major challenge, in some cases. Some par 4 holes can be as short as two hundred and eighty five yards, while others can be closer to five hundred yards in length. Either way, a well hit drive is required to do well in the game of golf.

The basic idea of driving the golf ball is to keep the ball in the fairway, out of the rough, avoiding sand traps, and most definitely staying away from any water hazards the course may have to offer. This concept, though, is easier said than done. After all, the least little thing can affect the golfer’s concentration. This can result in the ball being, toed, or hit off the front of the driver, or heeled, which is when the ball is hit off the back part of the driver. Those are bad things.

Toeing a drive will send the ball sharply to the right if the golfer is right handed, or to the left if the golfer is a southpaw. Consequently, a drive hit off the heel of the club will go left for the right handed player and right for the lefty.

Tags: Golf Course, Golf Club, Golf Traing

You can have any number of personally detailed golf accessories. Customized golf equipment, accessories or paraphernalia is a wonderful gift ideal for the golfer in your life. It is also a wonderful purchase for your own golf needs. Golf clubs alone have some original accessories that are easily found and made more special with personal touches.

The idea of personalizing golf equipment can begin with the gold bag that carries the precious cargo of your clubs. Monograms stitched into the leather or canvas is an unobtrusive way to show ownership and also to personalize. Using monogrammed golf towels or using golf balls with your name on them is a great way to personalize the golf scene without being tacky or presumptuous. And you never know when a large bag of discount personalized golf tees could really come in handy.

Golf clubs with the owners name engraved in them is the beginning of a long list of wonderful personalized and customized golf equipment. Needing golf clubs that vary from the ordinary in height, length or strength is what customizing is all about. You will discover there is a whole retail world out there that thrives on customization. Golf clubs are indeed just the beginning.

Golf apparel is no exception to the personal side of golf. Comfortable and affordable clothes, shoes, hats and umbrellas are just a few of the enormous choices available for personalized golf. With discount and wholesale golf apparel shops offering every affordable style is made available to the golfing public there is no reason not to be original in your appearance on the golf course.

So many great gift ideas come to mind when you think about customizing and personalizing golf equipment. Head covers can boast the family crest or they can even be a knitted gift from your teenage daughters for your birthday. Either way they are equally cherished for their unique sentimental value.

Customizing your vacation to include a home rented in advance in Augusta, Georgia for a personal view of the Masters can be an amazing way to show your loyalty to the sport of golf. Being up close and personal to such an event is something planned well in advance and could be in some cases a once in a lifetime occurrence. Customized and personalized can go hand in hand and need not be so expensive. Creating your own tournament for a good cause is always a fun project for the entire family or helpful organization.

Customizing your golf accessories can range from the practical to the outrageous. Installing seat warmers or air conditioners in your golf car might seem a little extravagant to some people. If you are serious about your golf these accessories and customizations are deemed a necessity. A seat warmer or range finder may seem trivial in comparison to some extravagant examples. Golf cars that look like the SUV in your driveway may seem a little excessive. If you have the money to indulge in such luxuries than so be it. Who said a Rolls Royce golf car was over the top?

Tags: Golf Tips, Golf Traing, Golf Course