Golf Equipment - A Prime
August 16, 2008
Golf Equipment - A Primer
By Anne Clarke
The sun is shining on your shoulders as you step out onto the course, feeling the spongy grass soft under your spikes. Morning birds sing a song as you hoist your bag higher on your shoulder and you take a minute to enjoy the serenity of the early morning. You don’t need to consider the generations before you who have done the same thing, but you do anyway. After all: golf is deep in tradition.
Since the Scots began organizing the 18-hole game more than 500 years ago, there have been few changes. While the fashion has changed (even though you can still find players in kilts on a lucky day), the main items of golf equipment needed to play the game have not changed.
Golf clubs are the most important pieces of equipment. Despite their intended purpose to project a ball close to the hole, each club is different to carry out specific types of hits. For example, there are three major clubs: woods, irons and putters. Woods, or drivers, are heavy clubs intended to hit the ball far down the fairway; players often begin each hole with these clubs The face of these clubs is round with a flattened sole so it doesn’t dig into the ground during a swing. Drivers also have longer shafts to provide more power, although shorter woods do exist. The name of these clubs comes from their solid, wooden composition, which was standard until the late 1980s. Since then drivers have been made from steel, titanium and, recently, carbon fibers.
Once the ball is on the fairway, players use irons to maneuver it through obstacles like sand traps, rough, through, and trees. Irons come in sizes according to their length; 1-4 irons are considered long irons, which provide more power. 5-7 are mid-irons, and 8-plus are short-irons. Also, the faces of irons are slanted at different angles to accommodate different terrain. For example, sand wedges have an angle of 54-58 degrees.
Because of their specific purpose, putters are a golfer’s best friends. After the ball has made its way from the fairway to the green, it is the putter’s job to ease it toward the hole. Because this moment proves so crucial during a game, players put a huge amount of emphasis on the quality of these clubs. These clubs have a flat face which provides smooth stroke, good glide, and bounceless topspin.
Golf bags are especially valuable for a player to transport their clubs. New bags come with wheels that make them easy to pull, but traditional golfers carry them. Pockets on the side also make it easy to store and transport items like extra balls, gloves and towels.
Golf shoes are another important type of golf equipment. These shoes have small spikes on the sole to help stabilize a player on wet grass. The spikes used to be made of metal, but replaceable soft spikes are becoming more common today. Actually, soft spikes are often required by golf courses because the cause less damage to the physical course.
Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for Web sites on gardening, parenting, fashion, and home decor. Her background also includes teaching, gardening, and a variety of outdoor recreation and sports. For more of her useful articles on golf, visit Golf Equipment, supplier of many useful articles on golf and equipment.
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Golf Clubs - A Major Part of Golf
August 16, 2008
Golf Clubs - A Major Part of Golf
By Anne Clarke
Since the Scots began hitting balls more than 500 years ago, clubs have been a source of pride for golfers everywhere. As any experienced player will tell you, a quality set of equipment can drastically improve your play, which is why most players care for their clubs like they would a family member!
So now you’ve seen the players out on the course and you think it looks fun, but where do you start? This informational article will provide a brief rundown of the different types of clubs and their purposes.
There are three general kinds of clubs: woods, irons and putters. Woods, or drivers, are the most powerful clubs; they are used for long-distance shots. Players begin each game with a wood, which they use to drive the ball down the fairway. The face of these clubs is round with a flattened sole so it doesn’t dig into the ground during a swing. Drivers also generally tend to have a longer shaft than other clubs; some players prefer to use shorter drivers, however this reduces their distance. Like their name suggests, woods were made out of wood until the late 80s, when club manufacturers began to use steel or titanium. Today, many drivers are made from ultra lightweight materials like carbon fiber, but they still retain the wood title for tradition-sake.
Irons have a shorter shaft than woods an angled face. After a player uses a wood to drive the ball down the fairway, they use irons to perform technical shots, getting the ball closer to the green. The angled face allows players to hit in difficult situations, including sand, rough, through, over trees and other obstacles. These clubs are also numbered according to their length. For example, 1-4 irons are considered long irons, which provide more power. 5-7 are mid-irons, and 8-plus are short-irons. Also, the angle of the face changes between clubs - sand wedges have an angle of 54-58 degrees.
Putters have flat faces which are designed to push the ball toward the hole when it’s in close proximity to it, especially when it’s on the green. Because of the preciseness of these clubs, they are among the most valuable pieces of equipment for a golfer. The advantages of putters include: smooth stroke, good glide, and bounce-less topspin - all of which increase the club’s performance near the hole.
Golf bags are especially valuable for a player to transport their clubs. The round-shaped bags can be made of leather or nylon and they allow players to organize their clubs into easily-accessible categories (i.e. size, length, type). New bags come with wheels that make them easy to pull, but traditional golfers carry them. Pockets on the side also make it easy to store and transport items like extra balls, gloves and towels.
Golf is a sport ripe in tradition - it’s also extremely difficult to master. However, a solid knowledge of clubs is a perfect jump-off for anyone interested in learning the game.
Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for Web sites on gardening, parenting, fashion, and home decor. Her background also includes teaching, gardening, and a variety of outdoor recreation and sports. For more of her useful articles on golf, visit Golf Equipment, supplier of many useful articles on golf and equipment.
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Knowing Your Golf Balls - The Dimples Count
August 15, 2008
Knowing Your Golf Balls - The Dimples Count
Knowing Your Golf Balls - The Dimples Count
By Nathalie Fiset
Although they may appear like ordinary game equipment, golf balls are actually the products of physics and years of golfing tradition.
According to the standard international rules of golf, a single golf ball should not weigh over 45.93 grams, or close to two ounces. Its diameter should always exceed 1.68 inches, or 42.67 mm. A golf ball, moreover, should be in the shape of a symmetrical sphere. Golf balls, moreover, are scrutinized by two main accrediting bodies: the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews and the United States Golf Association. If golf balls do not pass the tests and standards set by these two associations, these balls cannot be used in a golfing competition.
Such is the strictness associated with golf, but despite its seemingly misplaced austerity, the rules are not without their merits. Golf, after all, has been around for centuries, and the game as we know it today can be traced back to the Scots. Golf balls, moreover, can spell the success of a game: hit it right and swing it in the right direction, and you can land a hole in one. That, of course, discounts the effect of the wind, the sun in your eyes, the humidity in the air, and the overall setup of the golf course, but the importance of golf balls and their design can still not be discounted.
To understand how golf balls move and impact a game, it is important to look at how basic physics can affect the game of golf. The impact between the edge of a golf club and the golf ball lasts no more than a millisecond, but it is this impact that can ultimately judge how fast the ball can travel, at what angle it is launched, and the rate at which it spins - all of which will determine its final location. There are two main aerodynamic forces that act on the ball: lift, which buoys it through its trajectory; and drag, which forces it back and keeps it from moving.
In any sport, decreasing the drag on equipment will ultimately increase one’s control over the equipment itself. The same is true in golf: if the overall drag on the golf ball is released, it can fly faster and follow one’s intended direction better. This is why golf balls have dimples. These dimples can decrease drag by reducing the wake turbulence caused by the ball traveling through the air. Wake turbulence can be especially high in non-dimpled balls.
Dimples, moreover, can increase the backspin on a ball. In general, a backspin can increase a ball’s lift by altering the shape of the air as it flows and forms around the ball. With more back spinning, a ball can fly much higher, and even longer in the air. However, dimples can also accumulate dust and grime, so golfers need to wash their equipment frequently, balls included. A clean golf ball translates into a balanced ball, cleared out dimples, and a game where the golfer is in better, greater control.
A golf ball will have, on average, anywhere from three hundred to nearly five hundred dimples. All balls have an even number of dimples, although there is only one kind of ball with odd numbers available on the market. This 333-dimpled ball is acceptable in golf games. A golf ball, moreover, has to be symmetrical, since a non-symmetrical golf ball can sometimes adjust its axis during mid-flight, and can wobble, causing direction changes that may or may not favor a golfer.
Aside from the position of the club, a golf ball can determine the merit of a shot. It may be surprising to outsiders, but a golfer can usually make more bad than good shots. This is because there are many possible factors that can allow the game to go wrong, such as sudden changes in wind speed and direction, differences in humidity at varying elevations of the golf course, and even the slightest noise from the crowd or the golfer’s companions just before the golfer makes his swing. Such golfing mistakes can be described by a variety of terms, such as a slice, where the ball curves sharply in the direction of the player’s playing hand; or a worm burner, where the ball bounces vigorously on the ground.
If you are interested in purchasing golf balls, then inquire at your local golf equipment store. Because there are many different brands available on the market, you will need to consult with an expert on what brands of balls are best for your game, and which are approved by international golfing committees. Before you tee off, clean your balls and make sure that they are free of dust and grime. With clean equipment and good working knowledge of golf, you can play a fulfilling and more enjoyable game.
For more complete information on golf please go to:
http://www.bestgolfer.net/golf-balls.html
http://www.bestgolfer.net
http://www.drnathaliefiset.com
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