The Wildfire Invitational

For most of its history, golf was a game for wealthy gentlemen. It was played on exclusive courses and cost an arm and a leg (for most people) to play the game on a regular basis. Today, golf lessons are more affordable even with a private instructor, they are accessible and offer many of the same benefits of other sports. In addition, the game is enjoyed by a wide variety of people from different social and economic backgrounds. It is now a game for the common man. Retirees love golf for its social opportunities especially if they can live near a good facility.
To find a good golf instructor, you don’t need to join a country club or pay greens fees in the hundreds of dollars to play great golf courses on a regular basis. Many municipal facilities are surprisingly affordable and offer high-quality, challenging courses. Look for executive courses, which feature shorter holes, and often only one, nine-hole golf course. The fees at many executive courses are less than $20.

Furthermore, you don’t need to commit to several hours to play golf. You can have lots of fun each week taking driving range lessons or just working on your putting or pitching. You can work on several aspects of your game while simulating on the teaching course.

You can hire the top pros as your instructor as you advance in your game and find you require more specific expertise. Most courses and country clubs will indulge you and find a good match if you describe your game and current goals. Ask your friends whom they recommend at the start. You will pay according to the level of the pro you hire, so consider what you need at this point in your game and be realistic. You can change up if you don’t find the pro is a good match for your skills or you don’t share compatible personalities. You want someone who is tolerant with beginnings, pushes you to get ahead, and is sympathetic and encouraging. You want someone to help you select the right clubs and know the dynamics of each type. If you want classic instruction or more of an individualized approach, be clear on your specifications. No two golf instructors are exactly alike. Whoever you hire, you are likely to enjoy the experience. After all, you are in the great outdoors with plenty of fresh air, you are making friends, getting exercise, and keeping fit. What more could you want from your golf practice?

Any serious golfer worthy of the name will take a golf clinic now and then to improve aim and stroke. You might find you learn a few surprising tricks. Don’t assume you don’t need one unless you want to stagnate in your game. Sure you can look at videos on line: 28 seconds to learn good golf swing tips just like the master’s. Or ten lessons from Hank Haney so you can play better golf in the very next round. It isn’t that simple. I wish we could believe it. Why not go to a country club in person, hire a pro, and get some real sound advise you can implement for life without kidding yourself that a few seconds instruction is all you need to be sublime at the game.  There is nothing like having the individual right there at your side. You will have more concrete interaction and a real life exchange.

Most courses have golf clinics that encourage all of its students to make their golf game a priority, which is why lessons are included in the school tuition as a result. Lessons, taught by seasoned PGA professionals, are available five days a week ideally so you can pick and choose your time. Instructors offer training in state-of-the-art swing lab, or on the range if you prefer, so rain or shine your game will only improve.

If working on your game is a top priority in your life, consider taking a clinic. Check out the facilities where lessons are given and see what there is to offer. Getting a glimpse of what life could be like if you were a clinic student, playing golf every single day, can be eye-opening.

When choosing a good golf camp, you want a convenient location so you will go often. You also want tailored instruction with hand-picked instructors based on your specific golf goals. You will want some flexibility in your scheduling to accommodate the needs of your busy life. It is all about getting your compliance so you don’t have any excuses not to attend. You want to make golf a real part of your athletic life so choose a clinic or series of classes that work accordingly.

Fitness is an extremely important component to any golfer’s game. Many Golf Academies and clinics now offers private TPI Fitness Screening sessions, giving golfers the opportunity to experience the same physical assessment and fitness training as the pros, regardless of age, current fitness level or handicap.

The assessment identifies physical imbalances, and a Golf Fitness Handicap (GFH) is established. The GFH is equivalent to a golf handicap in terms of physical capabilities. A fitness program is then designed to correct those imbalances and improve stability, mobility, flexibility, balance, posture, strength and power. Improved physical fitness levels increase endurance and injury prevention, improving performance.

TPI Fitness Screening Includes: Physical assessment, video analysis, TPI-generated workout program, and access to TPI literature and video exercises (viewable from iPhone or other compatible mobile device).

Golf is a game of hand eye coordination and consummate skill. That’s why people love it so. It is rising in popularity and not just because of the aging population. It is because no two games are alike. Choosing the right clubs give you the edge you need to beat the competition and come out on top. It is important to have your own set of clubs and to be custom fitted. A glance at a few YouTube videos will teach you everything you need to know if you don’t have a pro golfer on hand to do the job for you. First you will consider the drivers, performance on every swing. The TaylorMade M1 boasts a multi-material construction – It’s the key that unlocks performance.  This construction is highlighted by our proprietary 7-layer Carbon Composite Crown that is precision-formed and built ultra-thin, ultra-lite and high strength to maximize weight savings.  This addition has allowed us to build a weight-loaded sole and move overall clubhead weight (and, thus, the center-of-gravity) lower for a more efficient power transfer; giving golfers more ball speed.

Here are some of my favorite clubs.

The Carbon Composite Crown has also allowed us to give golfers 25 grams of multi-directional adjustability, allowing them to personalize launch conditions – fit to their swing – and optimize ball-flight, trajectory and, ultimately, distance.

Next on the list is the TaylorMade M1first Carbon Crown Fairway that lowers CG for optimal launch conditions. 30g (two at 15g) of sliding weight allows golfers to personalize trajectory to maximize performance and. The first carbon crown fairway lowers CG for optimal launch conditions and speed with every shot.  The trajectory personalization thanks to the split 30g (2-15g) Sliding Weights allows golfers to personalize their shot shape to maximize performance and consistency.

Players seeking distance and playability and shot shape personalization to dial in launch conditions with their fairway wood. The carbon Composite Crown shifts weight low for optimal launch and spin conditions

TaylorMade’s M2 irons are distance machines – engineered to fly farther AND higher.  When we set out to design M2 irons, our focus was to achieve maximum. When we set out to design M2 irons, our focus was to achieve maximum distance without sacrificing the peak trajectory. The advanced materials and technologies that went into M2 irons enable the ball to not only go far, but high as well.

Because we were able to engineer irons that fly far AND high, M2 irons can deliver dramatic distance from every iron, for all golfers. This synergy of distance and height was accomplished through a unique combination of features and technologies. Distance will get you to the green – but distance and height – will help you stay there. This is the key concept behind M2 Irons.

You can’t play without a wedge. The TaylorMade electroformed Nickel Cobalt grooves provide long lasting spin. The Tour Preferred EF Wedge now comes in a soft 1025 carbon steel body with a SatinChrome finish. the electroformed Nickel Cobalt grooves provide long lasting spin plus has

• Soft 1025 carbon steel body
• Glare reducing dark smoke PVD finish
• KBS Tour wedge shaft
• Golf Pride Tour Velvet Red Cap Grip

Want to know about putters? Go Bigger; Get Better… Make More Putts.Oversized heads increase stability at impact, keeping you more on line and into the hole more often. Vertical, Deep-milled insert allows for better ball gripping for improved roll, sound, and feel. Raised high contrast sight line makes it easier to aim. Skin-milled surfaces offer the ultimate in high-quality finishing.

The new OS & OS CB putters, provide a larger, high moment of inertial (MOI) design exhibiting an expanded sweet spot and improved alignment system. The latest in putter stability innovation from TaylorMade Golf comes in both OS (Over Size) and CB (Counter Balance) designations. The OS models feature slightly larger head sizes than traditional putters while also delivering higher moment of inertia. For players seeking even more stability, the OS CB models are even larger in size, deliver higher moment of inertia and feature counterbalance technology to stabilize and smooth the putting stroke.

This is the tip of the iceberg and there is a lot more to learn about clubs and strokes before you reach golf perfection. We are just suggesting some basic introductory material so you have a focus. Get a pro to demonstrate each club for you.

I wouldn’t want to make an exhaustive list of my favorite golf courses lest I offend someone whose course I frequent often. It would be most prudent to say that I love them all! There are many such in my area of Ontario, Canada. You would have to list courses outside of Canada which would include the incomparable St. Andrews Scotland, one of the rarest gems on earth. Of course it stands out. Now there are courses I like simply because of the people I played with there. In Beverly Hills, California, there is a mundane public course on which I played with Matt Damon one day, a course regular. I never forgot the experience hence it is has special place in my heart. Then Central Oregon has a nice course like Brasada Canyons, and Black Butte Ranch. No list would be complete without the incomparable one-of-a-kind award-winning Pebble Beach, on the spectacular location of the 17-mile coast line, like none other on earth, near the picturesque vistas of Spanish Bay. Just being near the crashing waves against the jagged rocks makes you play golf better they say. There is no place like Pebble Beach in north America and a golfer must visit it at least once..  If you find yourself on the east coast, by contrast, you can go to Tranquilo Golf Club at the Four Seasons Resort in Orlando, Florida. It is often a matter where you choose to go on vacation or if you want a change of scene such as Hawaii, North Carolina, or Arizona. Good golf is not hard to find in almost every state of the union even Alaska. Do yourself a favor and try a few new ones once in a while before you wander off internationally in exploration of new-found courses.

To learn to play against the pros, you become a student all over again starting from scratch. You find out fast that one swing does not fit all students and won’t guarantee you will prevail against the pros. It is not easy to beat the pros. There are no hard and fast rules in spite of what some say. What works for one player can hinder another.  To get ahead with your game you must use your natural ability as a baseline for your swing. It takes years of honing your skills. Don’t think there are easy short cuts unless you are a born natural.  It is all about feel. Technology and experience not only help to discover the most efficient route to improvement, but it also creates repeatability. There is something to be said for consistency. When students can consistently repeat the correct fundamentals, with positive, real-time feedback rapid improvement is obtainable.

Feel is real as a precept in learning golf.  Implementing a strong foundation and repeatable swing techniques created from by mentors and pros for students creates greater consistency and more control over the golf shot. Using TrackMan as a guide, for example, you can have reliable swing and ball flight data essential to improving your game.  Instructors can compare swing data from lesson to lesson, ingraining the correct swing, to ball flight and impact, adding confidence to your golf game.

Above all it one who takes it seriously is going to prevail. You can’t make wild assumptions about beating the pros without putting it your dues and having some basic skills. On the other hand, don’t assume you won’t improve enough to get into a good game. It is the challenge of golf to get a good, fair competitor. You want someone who will give you a run for your money. It is important to be matched well if you can. Even novices have their counterparts.