1. Golf History - A Brief History of The Game of Golf
2. Strategies for Senior Golf Players - Some Strategies That You Can Use For Your Golf Game
3. Golf Swing Improvement - How to Improve Your Golf Swing
4. Golf Training Aids - Various Training Aids That You Can Use to Improve Your Game.
5. Golf Trivia - Test your knowledge about golf.
6. Strange Golf Facts - Interesting Facts From The Golfing World
7. Golf Jokes - A Collection of Golf Jokes For You to Enjoy
8. Golf Lessons - Video Golf Lessons
9. Famous Golf Quotes - What Some Famous People Have Had to Say About Golf
10. Golf News - Current Golf Headlines
11. Golf Links - Senior Golf Resources on the Net
12. Golf Merchandise - Golf Items, Books And Guides.
13. Guest Book - Drop me a Line

The history of golf is a debate as to whether the game was invented by the Chinese, the Dutch, or the Scottish. A game somewhat similar to golf was first mentioned in Dongxuan Records which is a Chinese book of the Eleventh Century. It was also mentioned in the year 1297 in the Netherlands where the Dutch played a game with a stick and a leather ball. Whoever hit the ball into a target several hundreds of meters away using the least number of shots, won.

However, the Scots are generally adamant that the game of golf was a Scottish invention on St. Andrews golf course. The name "golf" is a derivative of the Dutch word "kolf" however, as for who really invented the game, we say who really cares!


It really doesn't matter who actually invented the game, what does matter is how the history of golf has evolved over the years. Golf courses have not always had eighteen holes. St. Andrews began with eleven holes that were dictated by the topography of the land that the course was located on. Players would play the eleven holes out and then back, to total 22 holes. Later, several of the holes were deemed too short and were combined with each other. That reduced the number from 11 down to 9. So a complete round of golf was comprised of 18 holes.

By 1744, the game of golf had become wildly popular. So much so that a group of men called Gentlemen Golfers decided that a set of rules must be laid out to ensure fair play. They came up with a list of thirteen guidelines for playing the game.

Major changes since the 19th century have occurred in the equipment needed to play. Better lawnmowers made the greens easier to play on. Golf ball designs would evolve, using rubber and man-made materials which made the ball fly longer on a drive. The wooden golf tee would make the drive easier.


No discussion of golf history would be complete without talking about the advances made in golf clubs. Metal club shafts appeared in the 1930s and most drivers were made of wood which is why they are still called woods today even though they are now commonly made of metal or titanium. The golf shaft design has also gravitated towards graphite which is lighter and makes the club easier to swing.

When referring to the history of golf, we can debate exactly where the game originated, but the game of golf as we know it today, most certainly came from Scotland. Even if we're wrong, we do still have this wonderful game - and most of us are very glad about that!

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As a senior golf player, you want to do your best to keep up with the younger players, as well as, keep your handicaps right where they are or better yet, improve upon them. To do this you might find the following tips and strategies that other senior golfers use of benefit.

The first tip has to do with your club. Not only is your club important for distance but it also determines how the ball sails down the fairway. If you have the right club with the proper amount of flex, you are going to keep with your game. If you do not make the required adjustments, and take the time to choose the proper club you may see your game and handicap slip away.

The next stratagem that you should consider as a senior golfer is your stance. If you have back problems, you probably do not stand and move your body the same way as you did when you were younger. This may greatly affect the distance that you get with the ball and how you use your golf club. You need to keep this in mind when you are trying new clubs.

Maybe one of the most important things to remember about strategies is course selection. Not all golf courses are created equally. Many courses are going to require you to adjust your swing and distance. Some of the best golf courses are the ones that require some degree of thinking and planning. If you are playing against a wind, or on a drizzly day, you are going to have problems no matter how good you are. Playing against the wind might require a different flex shaft because the wind is going to push the ball backwards.

A big part of your results are going to depend on how you tee off. As you age, you will have to change the way you position yourself over the ball. You may need to continually change this as the years go by. You can play golf for years after reaching fifty, you just have to realize that adjustments need to be made in your stance and positioning. Ball distance not only comes from the club, but also from your presentation to the ball. Hit the draw is a term many golfers use to describe how you stand over the ball and how you hit it.

The best approach to golf has to do with tactical and practical strategies rather then the actual mechanics. This is the thinking of many of the senior golf pros including Jim Hartley, who co-authored a book about golf tactics (see below). Golfers should have a mental image of the course in their minds in order to play efficiently and know how many hits are needed to make the putt closer to the hole. Learning and keeping tactics in mind should allow you to play the game and keep your handicap the same or better as you enter into your senior golf years.

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The golf swing is probably one of the most frustrating parts of the game of golf. People are constantly modifying their swing to get more distance or to correct problems like a slice or a hook. Really, though, the golf swing is just a matter of mechanics and putting body motions together in the right way to be consistent. But experienced golfers know this is easier said than done.

What are the basics of a good golf swing?

• Your stance should be about shoulder width apart and your feet should be pointing slightly out - but not too much!


• Let your arms hang naturally down from your body and place the club behind the ball. If your shoulders hunch or you have tension in your arms, you are probably too close to the ball. Stand back a little bit.


• Place about 70 percent of your body weight on your back leg.


• Straighten your spine and have a bit of bend in your knees.


• Keep your eye on the ball during your entire swing.


• Grip the club as if you are holding a small, delicate bird. You want to keep the bird in your hands, but you don't want to crush it either. That's how you should hold your club.


• A good golf swing will be a fluid, easy motion with your shoulders turning slightly in the backswing and your follow-through complete.


• Make sure you keep your feet planted and slow down in your backswing. Most problems with a golf swing are cause by swinging too quickly in the back swing and then not accelerating through the ball.


• You will want to hit the ball in the "sweet spot" or the center of the club. Hitting it anyplace else will cause your ball to travel in directions that you really don't want it to go in.


• Then grip it and rip it!


It might help for you to take a lesson or two on the golf swing or even watch the way the pros do it on television. There are numerous articles that exist on the Internet that can help you with your golf swing, so always look for information and take as much advice as you can get.

Learning to swing a golf club takes years of practice as any avid golfer will tell you. There are "a hundred" things to know and they all have to be working in exactly the right ways at exactly the right time to a have a good, consistent golf swing. Sometimes this just doesn't happen, but when it does, it certainly is a great feeling!

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There are literally hundreds and hundreds of different golf training aids on the market these days. Golfers will spend hundreds of dollars on the latest golf gadgets in hopes of a better golf game. Do these golf training aids work the way they are advertised? Perhaps.

There are more golf swing training aids now than ever before. They are rampant and golfers chomp at the bit when a new one comes out. The only problem is, are they effective at fixing the problem with your golf swing. Here are a couple of golf swing training aids:

The Medicus Golf Club is a swing trainer that is specific to many swing faults and can give you immediate feedback. It has been around for a very long time and has been endorsed by Davis Love III for many years.

Golf swing plane training aids can specifically help you get a feel for the proper swing plane for your body size. These have also stood the test of time and are used on many driving ranges as a teaching tool.

Putting is no doubt one of the most important parts of the golf game. That's why another essential golf training aid that will benefit your golf game is some type of putting trainer. There are certainly many to choose from, but pick one that specifically addresses your putting flaws.

A putting track is a great golf training aid. This contraption helps keep your putter in a straight motion and really can improve your putting skills by giving stability to your putting stroke.

Many people have seen golf putting mats, and they can be good training aids for your putting game. These are just mats - usually made of astroturf with holes or cups at the end that simulate a putting green. The golf putting mat is a great way to work on your putting game in the cold months when you can't get on the course!

Finally, you may want to use a golf training aid to improve your golf swing speed. There are also many of these out on the market, but keep in mind that swing speed isn't everything. A good, effective golf stroke is smooth and calculated and doesn't necessarily depend wholly on the speed of your stroke so much as your form and strength.

There are many, many golf training aids available to help what's ailing in your golf game. Some of them really do help, but others will ultimately prove to be a waste of money as well as time when using them. Do some research on golf training aids and choose wisely. Then, hopefully, watch your golf game improve!

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How many dimples are there on a golf ball?

There are 336 dimples on a regulation golf ball.

Name the golfer who replaced Tiger Woods at the top of the Official World Golf Rankings in 2004?

Vijay Singh - Named 2004 PGA Tour Player of the Year.

What golfer was known as "The Golden Bear"?

Jack Nicklaus - One of the best golfers of all time.

What type of golf club would you use to make a long shot from the tee or fairway?

Wood.

A double-eagle is rarer than a hole in one. True or false?

True. According to USGA statistics there are many more hole-in-one shots than double eagles.

You have your ball set up for a tee shot when accidentally you tap the ball and it falls off the tee. According to the rules of golf, you must play the ball as it lies. True or false?

False. A stroke is only counted when a player intentionally swings at the ball.

GOLF TRIVIA  -  TOP

• More than $600 million dollars a year is spent on golf balls in the United States.


• North America has more then 11,000 golf courses.


• The odds of an average golf player making a hole-in-one are about one in 12,000. The odds of the same player making two holes-in-one are about one in 67 million.


• Less than eighty percent of the world's golfers will ever have a handicap of less then 18.


• During 1890's while the famous author Rudyard Kipling was living in Vermont he invented snow golf. After losing a few balls he came up with the idea of painting his golf balls red so that they could be easily seen in the snow.


• It is believed that Arthur Thompson of British Columbia is the oldest man to ever play the game of golf.. At the age of 103, his game equalled his age which was played on the Uplands Golf Club in Victoria (a course of over 6,000 yards).


• Bob Mitera recorded an ace with a 444 yard hole at the Miracle Hill Country Club in Omaha, Nebraska.


• John Daly and Mark Calcavecchia were fined by the P.G.A. for playing the final round of the Tournament Players' Championship too quickly. They completed the round in 2 hours and 3 minutes.
  

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Frustrated Golfer
Near the end of a particularly trying round of golf, during which the golfer had hit numerous fat shots, he said in frustration to his caddy, "I'd move heaven and earth to break a hundred on this course." "Try heaven," said the caddy. "You've already moved most of the earth."

It's a Small World
There are two guys out on the course that come up on a couple of ladies playing slow. One of the guys walks up towards the ladies to ask if they can play through. About halfway there he turns around and comes back and says to his friend, "I can't go up there and talk to them, that is my wife and my mistress." So his friend replies, "I'll go up and ask them." When he is halfway there he turns around and comes back and states to his friend. "Small world".

New Set Of Golf Clubs
"I just got a new set of golf clubs for my wife!"

"Wow - What a great trade!"

God's Punishment
One Sunday morning, a priest wakes up and decides to go golfing. He calls his boss and says that he feels very sick, and won't be able to go to work.
Way up in heaven, Saint Peter sees all this and asks God, "Are you really going to let him get away with this?"

"'No, I guess not," says God.

The priest drives about five to six hours away, so he doesn't bump into anyone he knows. The golf course is empty when he gets there. So he takes his first swing, drives the ball 495 yards and gets a hole in one.

Saint Peter watches in disbelief and asks, "Why did you let him do that?"

To this God says, "Who's he going to tell?"

Lost
Golfer: "This is the worst course I've ever played on."

Caddy: "This isn't the golf course. We left that an hour ago."

Jesus and Moses Play Golf

Jesus and Moses are playing golf and they're on the tenth hole. Moses hits the ball and it heads straight for a pond. Just before the ball hits the water, the pond parts and the ball rolls up onto the green.

Jesus winds up and hits one to the same spot. Jesus' ball hits the water and skips across. All of a sudden, lightning flashes and a ball drops from the sky. A fish swallows it, a bird picks up the fish and drops the ball onto a turtle, that walks over to the hole and drops it in.

Moses turns to Jesus and says, "I hate it when your dad plays!"

GOLF JOKES  -  TOP

If profanity had an influence on the flight of the ball, the game would be played far better than it is. Horace Hutchinson

A lot of guys who have never choked, have never been in the position to do so. Tom Watson

Golf is a good walk spoiled. Mark Twain

Golf is a game who's aim it is to hit a very small ball into an even smaller hole with weapons singularly ill-designed for the purpose. Winston Churchill

If you watch a game, it's fun. If you play it, it's recreation. If you work at it, it's golf. Bob Hope

Golf is not and has never has been a fair game. Jack Nicklaus

Competitive golf is played mainly on a five-and-a-half-inch course, the space between your ears. Bobby Jones

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