Good morning members.
Since the launch of PasturePool Golf in 2003, I have always believed that there should be a simple yet effective way to track golf scores and better my game. With that in mind, I developed PasturePool Golf.
Being a small business, the economy has hit us pretty hard but we have been able to hang on. Unfortunately for you (the members), I have not been able to upgrade our iPhone app at the pace I desire nor add to our course database at the rate that I believe will make us a truly great site. The good news is that is about to change.
In the coming months, we will be adding thousand's of new courses and developing a plan for a major upgrade of our iPhone app. I still think we can offer the latest features and most important - ease of use technology - at the lowest cost. I believe our annual membership fee provides the highest value of any site or tool out there. You may have noticed that in the last year, we overhauled our site design and enhanced our analytic features with new charts, pro comparison tables, and trending. I am always looking for new enhancements and many come from member suggestions like you.
I truly appreciate your business and look forward to many more years to come.
Best,
-Jonathan
Owner - PasturePool Golf
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Can Simplifying Your Golf Swing Help Lower Your Score?
By Paul Luciw
Golf is a great game. However for many who play the game it can be quit complicated and frustrating. This is because they seek to improve their game by taking the traditional route. The traditional route to improvement requires time and money. You must spend hours on the driving range and pay top dollars for instruction to improve your swing mechanics and ultimately lower your golf score. For the average golfer this is unrealistic. Simplifying your approach to golf might be a better idea. This would include making your golf swing more simple.
Simplifying you approach to the game involves a number of things. The first and most important thing is you mind-set. This involves keeping your swing mechanics simple. Do not think of too much as you setup for a shot and address the golf ball. Trying to process too much information before and during the golf swing is a recipe for a bad golf shot. Make sure your stance is correct for the club you are using.
Keep your mind thinking about a slow swing tempo. Do not try to over swing and hit the ball as hard as you can. This is very important because you will not hit the ball as far as a player in the PGA. You are better off just thinking of keeping the ball in play. Keeping your approach to your swing simple will help you achieve this.
Knowing how to keep your golf swing simple will require learning a system how to do this. There are a number of resources that will teach you this.
Best Regards
Consider using the simple golf swing to improve your golf game. Click "golf swing tips" to find out how to access a resource which will help you play a more satisfying round of golf.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_Luciw
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7391159
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Top State
Just read some of these cool Masters facts. The state with the most residents winning Masters Tournaments is Texas with 12. http://tinyurl.com/72d8mmg
Saturday, April 7, 2012
It's Moving Day
Still rooting for the guy. What can you do.
Golf-Tiger on the prowl at Masters http://www.chicagotribune.com/sns-rt-golf-masters-pixl3e8f7074-20120407,0,7636557.story
Apologies
Apologies to all PasturePool Golf members and followers on twitter. It appeared that our Blogger blog was hacked and someone was posting crap to our site. We just deleted all unwanted posts!!
Sunday, July 10, 2011
3 Tips to Improve Your Putting
By Chris J H
Like you I can drive the ball down the fairway, chip it reasonably well (I can get it on the green most of the time), but I have trouble finishing the hole often taking two putts or sometime three. This often inflates my score and leaves me very frustrated. I have had a number of occasions where the putter almost went into the woods or pond. I'm guessing you're in the same boat, heck, that's why you clicked on the article in the first place. Well I'm here to tell you that there is hope for us and I will tell you how. No fancy gimmicks, you don't have to buy anything all you have to do is follow these simple rules.
The first thing is to keep your head down. I often watch most golfers out there and they will strike the ball and immediately look up to see where their ball is going. STOP! Try keeping your head down that few extra second after you strike the ball. What you will find is that keeping your head down will keep your ball on line with the hole and if you lined up your ball correctly you should look up (after keeping your head down for a few extra seconds) and see your ball rolling into the hole. Don't forget to make sure you take the time to line up your ball properly; otherwise this first step will not be of any use to you.
Next, make sure you practice. The magic number for this is 80%. Once you are making 4 out of 5 shots during practice you know you are ready to move on and try a different length. Think about the professionals you see on TV making millions of dollars a year. These guys and girls are very good, sure they may have natural athletic ability, but they still practice. You will find most athletes train six days a week and rest one day a week. I know for most of us this may not be practical as we all work the 9 to 5, but try to get out twice a week on the putting green and practice your technique. If you expect to just walk out there and sink your putts automatically, well you have another thing coming.
The third and final thing is to relax your hands while gripping the putter. Believe it or not this will help keep your club in more control and will allow the sweet spot on the putter to be struck. There is not much more I can write about this, relax your hands and your putting will improve. Think about when you're eating you don't have tight rigid group on your knife or fork, for one it would be uncomfortable and two your hands and arms would start to fatigue. You can apply these principles to your golf game.
Using these tips will not only improve your score, but also contribute to you having more enjoyment out on the course. So remember keep your head down, and relax your group.
Come visit me at http://www.teewrite.com.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_J_H
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6396658
Like you I can drive the ball down the fairway, chip it reasonably well (I can get it on the green most of the time), but I have trouble finishing the hole often taking two putts or sometime three. This often inflates my score and leaves me very frustrated. I have had a number of occasions where the putter almost went into the woods or pond. I'm guessing you're in the same boat, heck, that's why you clicked on the article in the first place. Well I'm here to tell you that there is hope for us and I will tell you how. No fancy gimmicks, you don't have to buy anything all you have to do is follow these simple rules.
The first thing is to keep your head down. I often watch most golfers out there and they will strike the ball and immediately look up to see where their ball is going. STOP! Try keeping your head down that few extra second after you strike the ball. What you will find is that keeping your head down will keep your ball on line with the hole and if you lined up your ball correctly you should look up (after keeping your head down for a few extra seconds) and see your ball rolling into the hole. Don't forget to make sure you take the time to line up your ball properly; otherwise this first step will not be of any use to you.
Next, make sure you practice. The magic number for this is 80%. Once you are making 4 out of 5 shots during practice you know you are ready to move on and try a different length. Think about the professionals you see on TV making millions of dollars a year. These guys and girls are very good, sure they may have natural athletic ability, but they still practice. You will find most athletes train six days a week and rest one day a week. I know for most of us this may not be practical as we all work the 9 to 5, but try to get out twice a week on the putting green and practice your technique. If you expect to just walk out there and sink your putts automatically, well you have another thing coming.
The third and final thing is to relax your hands while gripping the putter. Believe it or not this will help keep your club in more control and will allow the sweet spot on the putter to be struck. There is not much more I can write about this, relax your hands and your putting will improve. Think about when you're eating you don't have tight rigid group on your knife or fork, for one it would be uncomfortable and two your hands and arms would start to fatigue. You can apply these principles to your golf game.
Using these tips will not only improve your score, but also contribute to you having more enjoyment out on the course. So remember keep your head down, and relax your group.
Come visit me at http://www.teewrite.com.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_J_H
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6396658
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Treat Golf as Your Friends
Author: Sorah
About the Author
Being in shape can make a huge difference in your golf game. Just ask LPGA champion Annika Sorenstam, a mother of two who has a streak of wins and awards to her name. Discover the secrets to a better golf game during a live Web chat with Sorenstam at 11 a.m. Pacific on Monday.
We asked Sorenstam how she warms up before playing a round of golf.
"It depends on how much time I have," she said. "If I have an early tee time, like 8 or 9, it's hard to get a workout in before that. So I'll jump rope for one or two minutes. Sometimes I'll even do it in the parking lot. It's all about getting the muscles warm and getting the blood pumping. So you could get on a stationary bike and do that for five minutes. If I have some time, I'll also grab a few dumbbells and get my shoulders warmed up."
Once here comes a case that you are going to strick your ball from up hill to down hill on a very steep greens, unexpectedly ball goes over the hole and slipps out the green and falls into a deep bunker next to green. What shall you do in that case? Somebody may say that you have to played in the bunker, but how many shots are you going to swing to strick the ball out?
As a matter of fact, according to the rules, here comes another solution you can claim that the ball is unavailable to shot out of the bunker and you are willing for an penalty one. And then return to the position you strick first, thus at this time you should get a accuracy control of the ball, shouldn't you?
One game matches one rule, and so does golf. We shouldn't regarded golf as our enemy who constraints ourselves. Just look upon it as your best friend, the one that will help you. Of course, as a friend, we shall respect him as well as understand him while love our taylormade burner superfast 2.0 drive. After all, rules are made by humankind. In the beginning people may find it quite strict like a judge, however while you study carefully with the rules, something allowed appeared gradually from the rules. That is, two aspects of rules. One is the rule forbidden, and another is the permitted which can be taken advantage .
read more:Highest Ranked Steve Stricker
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/golf-articles/treat-golf-as-your-friends-4892288.html
About the Author
Saturday, June 4, 2011
How to Introduce Kids to Playing Golf-6/4/11
You love to go golfing and you always, well almost always, have a great time on the course. Getting outdoors in the sunshine, on beautiful park-like grounds does something to remind you how much fun life can be. You've thought about it - wouldn't it be great to share the experience with the kids? Maybe you've even imagined giving each other high fives after a great shot, or sharing memories for years to come after a great trip to the course. You haven't brought them along yet, because you're concerned about them hitting the ball all over the place, keeping up with the group ahead, and the resultant stress turning your beloved sport into an exercise in discipline and disappointment on all sides.
I'm here to tell you you're not alone. As the father of three boys (I began teaching them how to play golf at 5 years old - they're now 17, 19 and 21), I too was hesitant in bringing them to my "outdoor sanctuary". I'm glad I gave it a try as it has resulted in a lifetime of fun for all of us, and I'll share some tips in the hope you too will give golfing with your kids a try.
Get them some good equipment. Junior golf clubs have come a long way since we used cut down clubs as kids. There are now even junior hybrid clubs! I have been building custom junior golf clubs for a little over nine years now (over 20,000 clubs at last count) and the quality and technology that's available for juniors these days is spectacular!
Teach your kids the basics of the grip, stance and swing in the backyard, or in the house with plastic whiffle balls. At this point there is no need for formal instruction for the youngest ones, as they need to get out there and have fun right away. All they need from you is to show them how to place their hands on the club, not grip it too tight, and how to swing with smoothness and tempo, rather than as hard as possible.
Get the clubs into their hands as much as possible. If there's a driving range nearby, perfect. Try to get them down there as much as possible, and make sure to not skimp on the sodas or trips to their favorite fast food restaurant afterwards. Or set up some cups in the house or backyard. Pins and cups are available on-line for the backyard; tournaments can even be set up with neighborhood kids. Our kids even constructed trophies using cardboard, felt pens and scraps of wood.
Contact the local course to find out the best times for kids to play. Your local Par 3 is the absolute best place to take kids when they are just starting out.
When you arrive, keep the list of rules short, but make sure to give them the following guidelines: no running on the greens, do not hit until I tell you it's OK to hit, do not set your clubs on the green, and last but not least, we're here to have fun. If at any time you are not having fun, let me know and we'll go home. Let them know it's OK to get frustrated, just keep trying and remind them it took you a long time to learn to play. If they lose interest, leave right away before it turns ugly.
To keep score or not to keep score - you be the judge. As a tee ball coach we were told not to keep score, but many of the parents did anyway. It's part of our competitive nature to know "who won". If you do keep score, that's fine, just remind them they are there to learn, not to score well on every hole. What matters most is that they have fun, learn more about the game and want to come back and do it again!
Golfing with kids can be a blast or it can be a disaster. Hopefully these tips will help you eliminate the disaster part and replace it with a lot of fun and great times out on the course!
I'm here to tell you you're not alone. As the father of three boys (I began teaching them how to play golf at 5 years old - they're now 17, 19 and 21), I too was hesitant in bringing them to my "outdoor sanctuary". I'm glad I gave it a try as it has resulted in a lifetime of fun for all of us, and I'll share some tips in the hope you too will give golfing with your kids a try.
Get them some good equipment. Junior golf clubs have come a long way since we used cut down clubs as kids. There are now even junior hybrid clubs! I have been building custom junior golf clubs for a little over nine years now (over 20,000 clubs at last count) and the quality and technology that's available for juniors these days is spectacular!
Teach your kids the basics of the grip, stance and swing in the backyard, or in the house with plastic whiffle balls. At this point there is no need for formal instruction for the youngest ones, as they need to get out there and have fun right away. All they need from you is to show them how to place their hands on the club, not grip it too tight, and how to swing with smoothness and tempo, rather than as hard as possible.
Get the clubs into their hands as much as possible. If there's a driving range nearby, perfect. Try to get them down there as much as possible, and make sure to not skimp on the sodas or trips to their favorite fast food restaurant afterwards. Or set up some cups in the house or backyard. Pins and cups are available on-line for the backyard; tournaments can even be set up with neighborhood kids. Our kids even constructed trophies using cardboard, felt pens and scraps of wood.
Contact the local course to find out the best times for kids to play. Your local Par 3 is the absolute best place to take kids when they are just starting out.
When you arrive, keep the list of rules short, but make sure to give them the following guidelines: no running on the greens, do not hit until I tell you it's OK to hit, do not set your clubs on the green, and last but not least, we're here to have fun. If at any time you are not having fun, let me know and we'll go home. Let them know it's OK to get frustrated, just keep trying and remind them it took you a long time to learn to play. If they lose interest, leave right away before it turns ugly.
To keep score or not to keep score - you be the judge. As a tee ball coach we were told not to keep score, but many of the parents did anyway. It's part of our competitive nature to know "who won". If you do keep score, that's fine, just remind them they are there to learn, not to score well on every hole. What matters most is that they have fun, learn more about the game and want to come back and do it again!
Golfing with kids can be a blast or it can be a disaster. Hopefully these tips will help you eliminate the disaster part and replace it with a lot of fun and great times out on the course!
Easy Way to Take Strokes Off Your Game-6/4/11
Golf is a game that requires skill, mental discipline, the desire to have fun, and a little luck. The purpose of this article is to focus on a key skill - Fairways Hit - that will allow you to better your game, have more fun, and more importantly knock a few strokes off your total. You don't have to pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars to improve; you just need to understand where your game needs improvement and how to improve it.
I think the trouble most bogey golfers have is that they focus too much on their swing, their setup, their delivery, their "mental game" and not enough focus on having fun and the specific areas of their game they can improve upon. We spend countless hours working on our swing, chip, and putt at the driving range yet we don’t know how to apply what we’ve learned on the course. A key assumption I make in my articles is that you play golf somewhat consistently and practice at the range when you can.
Fairways Hit
While it may sound like a simple and obvious skill, hitting the fairway off the tee is a must. It is like a basketball player knowing how to effectively dribble down the court or a hockey player skating down the ice with ease. They do it without effort; it is almost secondary to their ultimate goal: scoring! With golf, hitting a fairway is a skill that you must focus on and it should become second nature to you. It is critical to your ultimate goal: scoring--"sinking the putt in par or better". When you begin to hit more fairways you will notice a few things will happen.
First, your confidence will improve dramatically. How often have you come to play, ready to tee off from the first tee with pre-determined excuses about why you hooked or sliced off into the woods? How stressed have you been when paired up with someone you don’t know. Imagine how you’d feel if you knew your ball was going to hit the fairway every time. This alone is worth the practice. Second, you can shift your focus to your important second shot rather than your drive. An effective second shot, in most cases, will set you up for hitting the green in regulation which gets you one step further to par or better. Do you think a PGA tour player thinks about hitting the fairway? No, they think about where on the fairway they are going to hit it.
What to do
During your next round, simply keep track of the fairways you hit by writing an "f" on your scorecard next to the hole played. Divide the total number of fairways hit by the total number of holes played (par 4 or better). Use this percentage as a baseline to set your "fairways hit" goal. Keep this goal until you have consistently beaten it over several rounds. At that time, you are ready to set a new goal. For example, if after 17 holes (excludes a par 3) you hit 4 fairways off the tee, your baseline percentage will be 23.5%. You could set a goal of 30% fairways hit (or 6/17 holes, assuming at least one par 3).
Once you consistently hit 30% of fairways it's time to change your goal. Before you know it, you will be on your way to a lower score. Only two additional fairways per round can lead to an immediate 10% improvement in your overall skill set. Ultimately, you should strive to hit 100% of possible fairways during the course of a round and even hitting just two or three more over 18 holes will help improve your total strokes and better your game.
Be sure to read my other articles where I discuss greens in regulation and how to improve your putting. This article may be used on your site as long as the resource box below is included.
Jonathan Prentiss writes articles about golf and how to better your game. My articles focus on strategies to help apply what you practice, give you specific things to practice specific, and how to identify goals that will help better your game. To learn more about how you can better your game, calculate your handicap, receive additional instruction, and learn how to use this analysis please visit http://www.pasturepool.com
I think the trouble most bogey golfers have is that they focus too much on their swing, their setup, their delivery, their "mental game" and not enough focus on having fun and the specific areas of their game they can improve upon. We spend countless hours working on our swing, chip, and putt at the driving range yet we don’t know how to apply what we’ve learned on the course. A key assumption I make in my articles is that you play golf somewhat consistently and practice at the range when you can.
Fairways Hit
While it may sound like a simple and obvious skill, hitting the fairway off the tee is a must. It is like a basketball player knowing how to effectively dribble down the court or a hockey player skating down the ice with ease. They do it without effort; it is almost secondary to their ultimate goal: scoring! With golf, hitting a fairway is a skill that you must focus on and it should become second nature to you. It is critical to your ultimate goal: scoring--"sinking the putt in par or better". When you begin to hit more fairways you will notice a few things will happen.
First, your confidence will improve dramatically. How often have you come to play, ready to tee off from the first tee with pre-determined excuses about why you hooked or sliced off into the woods? How stressed have you been when paired up with someone you don’t know. Imagine how you’d feel if you knew your ball was going to hit the fairway every time. This alone is worth the practice. Second, you can shift your focus to your important second shot rather than your drive. An effective second shot, in most cases, will set you up for hitting the green in regulation which gets you one step further to par or better. Do you think a PGA tour player thinks about hitting the fairway? No, they think about where on the fairway they are going to hit it.
What to do
During your next round, simply keep track of the fairways you hit by writing an "f" on your scorecard next to the hole played. Divide the total number of fairways hit by the total number of holes played (par 4 or better). Use this percentage as a baseline to set your "fairways hit" goal. Keep this goal until you have consistently beaten it over several rounds. At that time, you are ready to set a new goal. For example, if after 17 holes (excludes a par 3) you hit 4 fairways off the tee, your baseline percentage will be 23.5%. You could set a goal of 30% fairways hit (or 6/17 holes, assuming at least one par 3).
Once you consistently hit 30% of fairways it's time to change your goal. Before you know it, you will be on your way to a lower score. Only two additional fairways per round can lead to an immediate 10% improvement in your overall skill set. Ultimately, you should strive to hit 100% of possible fairways during the course of a round and even hitting just two or three more over 18 holes will help improve your total strokes and better your game.
Be sure to read my other articles where I discuss greens in regulation and how to improve your putting. This article may be used on your site as long as the resource box below is included.
Jonathan Prentiss writes articles about golf and how to better your game. My articles focus on strategies to help apply what you practice, give you specific things to practice specific, and how to identify goals that will help better your game. To learn more about how you can better your game, calculate your handicap, receive additional instruction, and learn how to use this analysis please visit http://www.pasturepool.com
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