Look for square-shaped drivers from Nike (Sumo2) and Callaway (FT-i) and look for most manufacturers, including Titelist, Cobra, Tour Edge and Adams to release drivers that are different than anything you have seen.

The idea is make drivers you will hit better than ever.

“I think there’s some truth behind the technology,” said John Gamble, one of the Carolinas’ most-reknown clubmakers and clubfitters and a regular Charlotte Observer consultant. “These companies have spent a lot of money researching this new geometry. I’m anxious to see if it’ll help the average golfer lower his scores.”

Cobra was the latest company to announce a high MOI driver, in its LD (Limit Dimensions) series.

The LD, the company says, uses the maximum allowed head length and width (promoting a low, back center of gravity and very high 5000 Moment of Inertia).

The new drivers utilize the following technologies:

• The largest face area in golf with milled Dual Rhombus for great forgiveness and high ball speeds across the face.

• Square face set-up for superior alignment and look at address.

• Premium Aldila NV, NVS and Mitsubishi Bassara shafts.

• “Speed tuned” in X Pro, F, and M models for optimal distance and accuracy by player type.

There will also be two new Speed X Pro Models: The Pro S shallow face and the Pro D deep face.

The Pro S has an extended head profile that promotes high MOI (4900). The Pro D has a slightly smaller profile but a deeper, larger face area. Both drivers are one degree open at address for tour performance/alignment and feature a weight adjustment screw (much like Baffler Pro) for custom shafts / swing weight adjustment in our customs manufacturing.

Adams Golf Ink Langer

Adams Golf has signed two-time Masters Champion, Bernhard Langer, who will wear the Adams Golf logo and carrying the Adams Golf tour staff bag, Langer will be playing a full arsenal of the company’s golf clubs throughout the season.

“We’re thrilled to have Bernhard Langer join the Adams Golf family. He’s not only a great player, but he’s also a first-class gentleman and we’re proud that he will represent our company around the world,” said Chip Brewer, Adams Golf CEO and President. “He’s known internationally for his successful and consistent career of winning, something we don’t expect will change anytime soon.”

Langer’s most recent success came in December when he led Team Germany to its second World Golf Championship in Barbados. That win came on the heels of Langer and his son, Stefan, winning their second consecutive Del Webb Father/Son Challenge title on Dec. 2.

Turning pro in 1972, Langer’s career began with three German National Championships before making his entrance on the American stage in 1985 by winning his first of two Green Jackets. Winning two Masters Championships, 70 international tournaments, playing on 9 Ryder Cup teams and serving as captain of another, Langer earned induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2002.

Love III To Play UST Shafts

Former North Caroina star Davis Love III has joined the UST Tour Staff, and is now playing Proforce V2 graphite shafts in all of his woods and hybrid clubs.Love III has racked up 19 career PGA Tour victories, including multiple wins at prestigious events like The Players Championship, AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am and the Verizon Heritage. He also won the 1997 PGA Championship, and is firmly established as one of the all-time money leaders on the PGA Tour.

“We’re very excited about Davis Love III joining our staff and playing V2 graphite shafts,” says Gene Simpson, vice president of marketing for UST brands. “The V2’s characteristics and low-torque design delivers a stable and consistent performance that pros demand, and it is specially optimized for today’s 400cc to 460cc clubheads.”

Aerotech SteelFiber Offered as New Custom Option at Srixon

BELLINGHAM, Wash. — Aerotech Golf, the golf industry leader in composite shaft innovation, announces that its SteelFiber iron shafts are now available as custom shaft options for Srixon’s Pro100 irons and the new I-506 irons.

SteelFiber shafts are renowned for their high-performance engineering and their ability to provide the power of a graphite shaft with the stability and control of a steel shaft.

“We’re very excited that SteelFiber shafts are now part of the custom options at Srixon, one of world’s premium golf club manufacturers,” says Chris Hilleary, president of Aerotech Golf. “Srixon is extremely well-known for its commitment to providing golfers with high-performance golf equipment, and we welcome them as a valued supplier of Aerotech Golf shafts.”

SteelFiber shafts feature a high-modulus graphite core and more than 59 miles of steel fiber covering the surface of each shaft, providing golfers with the power of graphite and the stability of steel. While the shaft’s graphite core provides vibration dampening, increased clubhead speed and maximum distance, the steel fibers produce a optimum weighting for a solid feel at impact and add stability and control for pinpoint accuracy. The SteelFiber iron shafts are produced in weights of 75, 85, 95 and 110 grams, plus a 125 gram wedge specific shaft, and are available in a variety of flexes.

Goydos Captures Sony Open in Hawaii Playing New Pro V1 Prototype Golf Ball

Paul Goydos,

relying upon the new Pro V1 prototype for the first time in competition, birdied three of the last four holes, edging fellow Titleist player Luke Donald by one shot to win the Sony Open, the first full-field event of the year. Donald, who tied for second, was one of only two players to shoot

four rounds in the 60’s.

Goydos’ performance comes on the heels of Vijay Singh’s victory with the new Pro V1x prototype at last week’s winners-only Mercedes-Benz Championship, continuing Titleist’s fast start.

Titleist led the golf ball count with 101 players, more than seven times the nearest competitor with 14. Titleist was also the most played brand of irons (36/25%), wedges (120/40%) and putters (52/36%).

Titleist was second in the driver count with 38 players, but finished 1-2 on the leaderboard as the winner relied upon a Pro Titanium 905S model and Luke Donald finished T2 playing a new Titleist 907D2 prototype. In fact, 11 players put a new 907D2 driver in play, while Jason Dufner opted for the 907D1 prototype en route to a T13 finish.
Via: The Charlotte Observer

Technorati Tags: golf geometry, golf swing, geometry in golf

So, we figured, why not help? We’re offering some workout tips that will not only help your daily routine but also your golf game — nothing like killing two birds with one stone. And, even if your resolution has nothing to do with fitness, who’s going to say no to helping the swing?

Recently, Express-News golf writer Natalie England sat down with golf fitness guru Craig Brown, who works with professional and amateur golfers to incorporate strength, power and flexibility into the golf game. Brown should know — he’s the 2006 Re/Max Long Drive Texas division champion.

Today, we will focus only on flexibility, because Brown notes that it is the foundation to any golf swing.

“If there are movement restrictions in the shoulder girdle, torso, pelvis or hips, there will be compensations somewhere else,” said Brown, who demonstrates below. “The results of such compensations are often seen as faults in the golf swing or just as pain in your everyday life. Reduced flexibility in the shoulder, torso or pelvic region is reduced power, and that means less distance — something none of us want.”

Shoulder

Evaluation: A two-part test to gauge internal and external rotation.

Reach over your shoulder and attempt to touch the top of your opposite shoulder blade. Then reach behind your back and attempt to touch the lower part of the opposite shoulder blade.

Corrective stretch: Extend arm in front of the body chest high. Take the opposite arm, and gently pull toward the body. Repeat with both arms.

Also, reach behind the back and grab any solid object to serve as an anchor point. Slowly lower the body to the point at which you feel a stretch behind your shoulder (your anchor hand should never move.)

Hold the position for 10 to 20 seconds, and repeat five times.

Torso

Evaluation: Lay on the back with knees bellybutton high, and the arms extended to both sides. Slowly rotate the legs to the left, without separating them and without moving the arms.

Repeat to the right side.

Corrective stretch: Bring one knee bellybutton high. With the opposite hand, grab knee and gently pull toward the ground, while keeping the unused arm stretched on the ground.

Hold the position for 10 to 20 seconds, and repeat five times. Repeat with the other leg.

Hips

Evaluation: Sit in a chair with feet directly under knees with back straight. Cross one leg with the ankle over the opposite knee. If the knee is not perfectly parallel to the ground, hip tightness is present.

Repeat with the other leg.

Corrective stretch: Sit on the floor with one leg bent 90 degrees in front of your body, and one leg bent at 90 degrees behind the body. Take the hand on the same side as the front leg and place it on the ground next to your hip. Push the front knee and ankle firmly into the ground, then bend forward from the hips, keeping the chest up as you move forward.

Hold the position 10 to 20 seconds, and repeat five times. Flip the leg positions and repeat.
Via: MySA.com

Technorati Tags: golf swing, flexibility, golf swing key

And Jeev was indeed changing the face of Indian golf, too. In a year which saw a record of 27 events offering an all-time high $24 million in prize money, Singh’s spectacular return to form in which he claimed a maiden UBS Order of Merit title and four victories around the globe dominated the season that included numerous milestones.

Even-year winless run, Jeev claimed the Volvo China Open title in Beijing in April which sparked a terrific run of form. He went on to win Europe’s season-ending Volvo Masters in Spain followed by back-to-back triumphs in Japan during a six-week purple patch from late October.

Additionally, he also posted 15 other top-10s on three different Tours. Starting the year in a lowly 376th place on the Official World Golf Ranking, Singh will enter 2007 as the 37th-ranked player and he will enjoy starts in all four Majors, including dream debuts at the US Masters and British Open.

“It’s been a dream year for me,” said Jeev. “I think Asians have a lot of talent and that they can play with the best in the world. They just need to come out and play with the best in the world.

“I’ve won on three different Tours this season, it can’t get any better than this. God has been good to me. It’s been a perfect year.”

Han feels that Jeev’s success will inspire Asians to go global.

“Jeev has proven that Asians can play with the best following his outstanding win in the Volvo Masters, which was certainly huge for us. It’s inspiring.”

Singh will end 2006 as the new king of Asian golf, amassing a record $591,884 from 14 starts on the Asian Tour. The earning power on the world’s fastest growing circuit grew considerably as well with an unprecedented 41 players breaking the $100,000 mark in winnings.

Some of the most memorable moments of 2006 include Mardan Mamat’s emotional triumph at the OSIM Singapore Masters where he became the first Singaporean player to win a co-sanctioned event with Europe.

Korea’s Charlie Wi and Yang Yong-eun also prevailed in joint-sanctioned events, with Wi lifting the Maybank Malaysian Open title and Yang stunning the world’s stars including Tiger Woods at the HSBC Champions in Shanghai.

But Han is equally excited about the talents coming through on the Asian Tour. Prom, 22, claimed a maiden title at the SK Telecom Open in Korea and finished a career-high third on the UBS Order of Merit, 18-year-old Chinarat won the Crowne Plaza Open in China to add to his home win at the Double A International Open in 2005 while Pagunsan finished seventh on the final UBS Order of Merit.

“In 2007, it promises to be even more exciting. We’ve confirmed an impressive schedule of 29 events with over $26 million, both which will be new milestones, and this includes visiting new and exciting destinations in places like Indonesia, Malaysia and Cambodia .

“The Tour will strive to create more playing opportunities for our talented members and hopefully this will eventually lead to one of us winning a Major in the near future. It won’t be long,” predicted Han.

Source: India Times

Technorati Tags: golf india, jeev india golf, indian golf

No one seems to have Woods’ total skills set, but Brian Whitcomb, president of the PGA of America, and Rick Jensen, a sports psychologist, say any golfer can learn the basics of the swing and the transfer skills needed to compete on the course.

That connection isn’t being made by many amateur golfers. That disconnect will be explored at the biennial PGA Teaching & Coaching Summit that begins Thursday with the USA TODAY/PGA Hotline.

Whitcomb, who 20 years ago was a finalist in the National Long Drive competition, played golf with Woods at the Grand Slam in Hawaii last month. “I was looking at some pictures of him,” Whitcomb says, “and he had the club set at the top of his swing as fundamentally sound as it can be. To get to that position you start with things you do before the swing.”

Whitcomb explains those things as grip, posture, position of the ball in the stance — things that any golfer can do with little physical ability.

“His pre-swing action is flawless,” Whitcomb says. “He works hard on the basics of the swing. He keeps himself fit, and he’s serious about getting better.”

Whitcomb’s best drive during his long-drive days was 374 yards in 1986. He doesn’t drive the ball that far anymore, but he says he uses the same principles now that he used then.

“The swing is a sequence,” he says. “I believe that if I do A and B correctly then C, D, E and F will follow.”

Learning the basics

The swing might be just a chain reaction that can be mastered on the practice tee, but that reaction seems to break down once a player goes to the course. Frequently players improve the swing, but to their frustration they do not improve at golf. Jensen works extensively with touring pros, and he says amateurs have problems with golf because they never learn the basic skills in an atmosphere that tests them under pressure.

“Golf is one of the few sports that is taught on one facility and played on another,” he says. “Other sports like football and basketball are taught in the same place as they compete. The skills are learned in a way that they have to be integrated into playing the sport.”

He notes that Woods learned the golf swing and golf competition in an environment created his father, Earl, who tried to distract Tiger during their friendly rounds when Tiger was young.

Woods tells stories about his father talking while he was trying to hit a shot; having him play golf in the twilight or in the rain; anything that would force him to focus despite distractions.

“Tiger’s father came at the game as a Green Beret,” Jensen says. “He was taught to shoot a rifle, but he wasn’t taught to do it just in a sterile environment. He learned during simulated war games.”

Execution is key

Jensen doesn’t look at golf as war, but he says golfers must put themselves in uncomfortable conditions if they want to learn to execute skills effectively.

“Coaches in other sports teach this way all the time,” he says. “In basketball at the elite level they pipe in crowd noise to simulate a game atmosphere. They make players run wind sprints at the end of practice just before they shoot free throws.

“They do that so they’ll be tired and learn to perform just as they would at the end of a game. They’ll force the players to make 20 consecutive free throws before they can leave practice.”

No one could expect a recreational golfer to be that demanding of himself, but Jensen says to truly learn golf skills they must be practiced in an environment that requires a risk-reward.

If a player is learning the game, when does he know it’s time to demand more of his practice?

“If you can reproduce the swing and hit the ball with control maybe 20 consecutive times, then you need to start playing games with yourself,” he says.

That could be making yourself hit the same club, but land the ball on one side of the target, and then another. It could also include hitting a tee shot, then an iron, then a wedge, a simulation of playing a hole.

“At the professional level,” he says, “players get it because they compete for a living. Amateurs conclude their problems must be mental. It’s not that they choked. They just have not learned the skills in a competitive environment.”

Technorati Tags: golf swing basics, Brian Whitcomb, golf swing execution

What is the right golf swing plane?

In golf everything revolves around the actual swing. Your score, your game, and everything else is based on how well you know your swing. The swing has a great number of techniques and aspects. One such critical aspect is the correct golf swing plane. What is this plane we are talking about here? The plane means the trajectory the ball does after it is hit by the club. The correct golf swing plane will be the trajectory that runs parallel to the ground, made by the ball after it is hit by you.

This is a difficult task for most golf players and in order to improve on the correct golf swing plane, you will need to have a trainer who will tell when and where to hit to get the right path. There are other ways too. One is to use a video camera and film you and then play back and check on the trajectory left by the ball. Another method is to use a club with a laser light; the light will help you understand what should be the correct golf swing and act accordingly.

Training for the correct golf swing

As you can see it takes a lot of training and practice to be able to achieve the correct golf swing in a natural way. The exercises by themselves are not really too much; you can do these at home or in the office without any outside help. However, you will have to first identify what you have to improve and how to do so and in this task the help of a trainer or coach is invaluable.

For those who want to fast forward the process a bit, they can use the help of golf training aids which abound in the market today. These too have to be chosen on the advice of some expert, or you will risk worsening rather than bettering your game. Hence, be careful how and what path you chose to achieve the mastery over the correct golf swing.

Don’t watch struggling players at your local club house, they are having just as many problems as you are, if not more.

The pros practice and so should you, religiously. Practice on the driving range, in your living room, or even in your backyard. You don’t have to leave home; there is plenty of quality aid to help you get that professional golf swing you are looking for. Don’t wear sunglasses because believe it or not they will distort your depth perception.

You don’t see the pros wearing them.

Video tape your swing and then analyze your swing and see where your mistakes are. If necessary, have it professionally done in a golf pro shop. They will tape you, analyze it and give you professional feedback for a few meager dollars. Most of your local golf clubs have teachers for hire that will work on your specific problem and help you get that professional golf swing you are wanting.

The Big Four

There are four stages of learning levels in golf, which are:

Unconsciously incompetent: You haven’t got a clue what your problem is and therefore you are clueless on how to fix them.

Consciously incompetent: You see what a lot of your problems are but you don’t know how to get to the roots and fix them.

Consciously competent: You know what the problems are and you know how to fix them and you also know it will take some practice and time.

Unconsciously competent: You play well without even thinking about what you are doing. This is the level that you will attain that professional golf swing. This is the level that all of us want to play on.

Six Basics to the Golf Swing
Basically there are six things that you need to know to get the professional golf swing you have been searching for and they are:

Grip
Posture
Pivot
Coordination
Body alignment
Mentality
Golf is Fun

Don’t learn to hate the game, remember you are just starting out; you’re not going to have a professional golf swing right away unless you are some sort of golf phenomenon. In other words when you’re out there on the course and you find yourself in the sand trap, take a swing and try to get it out. Do not let your frustrations get the better of your.
Remember you started to play golf because it looked fun.

When looking for a golf school, try to look for the following:

Duration of course: Some schools have a short duration course while some have six months to one year course. You have to look into what inputs they have listed for the course. Strength training takes a little time to learn, but if you are a total novice it will take some time for you to understand and learn the right techniques; it also takes some time for any amateur to improve even if you have right golf swing training

Trainer quality: It is true that no school will tell you candidly that their trainers are mediocre or novices. They are out to make a buck and you are there to learn a few things. It is in your interest to find out whether what they sell is what you need to buy. Hence, before you join, make discreet enquiries about the school, particularly from those who are enrolled or passed out from it. You can also check out from the local golf clubs that will definitely have the local schools classified.

Type of the course: Depending upon what aspect of golf playing you need to improve at, you will have to decide on what type of course. There are different types of training courses, some only regarding golf swing training, some will teach how to build strength and the minimum basics and some will teach you the technicalities of the game (advanced courses), and some other will have a bit of everything making it more like a crash course.

Choose wisely your golf school and you can be sure you will get something valuable for your money.

Technorati Tags: golf training school, golf swing training, golf swing, golf course, golf swing course

Of course, there are many pro golf players that say that a golf swing video won’t teach you anything unless you stand up and practice. There is lots of golf players that haven’t improve a little even after watching tons of golf swing videos. There are some whose game has taken a turn for the worst when they attempted to implement what they learned from the videos. The truth is that nobody learns a sport just by watching it.

Practice is what makes real golfers. Golf swing videos should only be used as support, to watch pro player’s techniques and try to apply them. A golf swing video won’t do any miracle unless you take the necessary time to practice and improve your physical strength and endurance.

As a matter of fact, the golf swing is not a natural swing action to the body. And the more unnatural it is, the better effect and results a golfer will tend to have. That is why most golfers find it hard to implement the swing techniques they watch on any golf swing video.

The final solution is to exercise and condition the group of muscles involved in golf so you can finally find the golf swing as natural as possible. The only way to achieve this goal is practicing under the supervision of an expert trainer, somebody who is qualified and knows what he is doing. You can learn many tips and techniques from golf swing videos, but an expert will be able to teach you how to apply them correctly.

However, there is a positive side on golf swing videos: it provides inspiration to aspiring golfers. Watching your favorite professional player in action, winning a tournament, is a perfect incentive. After watching such a video, a golfer usually overcomes his/her fear, feels extremely enthusiastic, and just can’t wait for the next round of golf.

Technorati Tags: golf video, golf swing video, perfect golf swing, buy golf videos

Good examples can be found on the web. Open your internet browser and search for “golf swing tip”. You will obtain thousands of sites that claim to have the answer to that query; however, after opening a couple of them you will realize that either they do not have the information you were looking for, or you just don’t understand what they are trying to explain. The problem with the latter is that they are trying to explain these tips from their side, and not from the side of the learner. This way they miss a lot of basic (but crucial) information that will make it difficult for a beginner to follow the tip.

A golf swing tip is, of course, a piece of advice that will help a novice improve his swing, so it has to be explained in a simple language. Why? Because they are novice! If they knew all the jargons and techniques they would not be looking for a golf swing tip on the first place.

On the reader’s side, it’s a good advice to look always for details. Try with all the angles; remember that the details will hold the actual answer. Most people tend to ignore the details, and that’s why the tips never work. I know people that played worst after following a tip, just because they didn’t took the time to really understand the mechanics and physics that go into it.

A golf swing tip will never work if you don’t mold it to your own need and style. This means you will need someone experienced to show you how the tip is applicable to you. You can ask a friend or hire a trainer for this.

Always keep in mind that golf is a very dynamic game, s correctly learning and applying golf swing tips will make the difference in your games.

Technorati Tags: golf swing tip, learn to play golf, improve golf swing, choosing golf swing tips

There are some characteristics a good golf swing trainer must have: he needs a lot of experience in order to teach you the proper technique and style, and to help you understand the game better. He should know about the importance of stretch exercises, and how they help to eliminate the back pain associated with this game.

Your golf trainer will first identify your major weaknesses and then eliminate them one by one through exercise, practice, and technique sessions. He will teach you how to position your body, how to hold your hands, and how to successfully transmit the strength of your muscles to the shot through the club.

You will have to go over each and every aspect of the game in order to identify your faults, so your trainer will help you improve your lacunas. Being a golf trainer is not an easy task, it requires lots of patience and the ability to identify golf swing problems easily.

A golf swing trainer is the driver in the training program. You should always listen to what he has to say, because your golf game will entirely depend on the quality of your trainer. Whether you are a beginner or a low handicapper, his teaching methods will reveal the fundamentals used by the top pros. Usually, the best golf trainers are the busiest ones. Ask your friends for references to find the perfect golf swing trainer for you. Believe me, it is worth the wait for a good trainer, results may not come fast, but they will certainly come.

Technorati Tags: golf swing trainer, golf trainers, golf swing training