April 21 /08

Click on any of the following Newsletter topics or just scroll down the page:

The Year of Accuracy, Not Distance
1-Iron Woods -- all same length
Temperature and Distance
How to Mentally Play the First 3 Holes
A Fun Game to Play -- Corners
Golf Driver Optimum Launch Distance Calculator -- March Newsletter

The Year of Accuracy, Not Distance

  In recent years, the golf media and manufacturers have been high on distance, hitting it long. And for good reason; major improvements in Driver Technology and Ball Technology have resulted in all of us hitting it farther. But now, in 2008, those technological improvements have pretty well reached their peak. That's why manufacturers are now emphasizing larger sweet spots and higher accuracy.

So, if you've purchased a new Driver in the past few years, you won't realize any significant distance improvement by buying a new one now, unless its one with a loft that more closely matches your swing speed than your old one. Learn more about your optimum loft here.

I'd like you to try an experiment at the beginning of this golf season. For 5-10 consecutive rounds, take the Driver out of your bag. Insteady, hit your 3-wood or comparable wood instead. Keep track of how many fairways you hit and how many greens you hit as well as your average score. Then, for the same number of rounds, hit your Driver off the tee and then compare your results. I bet you'll find you hit more fairways and avoid more of those big scores on holes. The more rounds you conduct this experiment, the better.

If you have one of those new, big Drivers that do offer more accuracy on mishits, you might find that you're just as accurate with it. That will be excellent information to know. But, it's likely that you'll still find the 3 wood more accurate because of its added loft.

Even though you'll be hitting slightly longer clubs into the greens, I'll bet you'll still score lower. I'm not advocating you never hit Driver. It's on those tight holes or trouble holes where you'll realize it's better to hit 3 wood to avoid the trouble.

Remember, the main object of the game is to score as low as possible. You need to be very aware of your strengths and weaknesses to do so. Hopefully, this experiment will make you realize keeping the Driver in the bag at times will lower your score.

1-Iron Woods -- Same Length = More Consistency

  Last year, I played with a new set of irons made by 1-Iron Golf. The irons are all the same length and weight so swinging each one feels exactly the same. This promotes a more consistent swing. The science behind them is the fact that the majority of distance is determined by the loft of the club, not its length. A 4-iron swing speed is not significantly greater than a 7-iron swing speed. The majority of the differenc in distance comes from the loft. Learn more about the science behind this revolution HERE.

This season, I've acquired a set of 1-Iron Woods. Again, they are all the same length to promote greater swing consistency. Last year, I realized improvement in my iron game. This year, I expect to improve my approach shots into long par 4s and second shots into some par 5s.

1 Iron Golf has a 30-day Money Back Playing Guarantee. That's right, you can play with your new clubs and return them if not satisfied that they've improved your game.

Write down your special code, 10504, to get a free set of club covers, and ......

Visit 1 Iron Golf right now.

Temperature and Distance

  Where I live in British Columbia, spring so far has been a little on the cool side. During the golf season, air temperature can fluctuate quite a bit. It's really important for golfers to realize that club distance is strongly dependent on temperature. On hot days, you'll hit every club farther than on cold days.

  An approximate guide to use is 1 yard more distance for each 5 degrees Celcius more temperature; that's 1 yard more for each 9 or 10 degrees Fahrenheit. This is the effect just for the effect of air temperature on the flight of the golf ball. Cooler temperatures result in denser air which creates more drag force on the ball. Differences in humidity have only a minor effect (perhaps a 1 yard difference between 20% and 100% humidity). The amount depends on your club head speed. I can give you a more detailed effect for your unique club distances. Learn more here.

  Now, colder temperatures will also mean your golf clubs and golf balls will be colder as well. That means the resulting ball speed will be lower as well. How much? That's one of the topics of my research this year. I can only speculate at this point. I can only say that cold equipment will decrease your ball speed.

  When it is colder, some of us don't swing the club as fast either, resulting in even more lost distance. Imagine playing a round one day at 90 F and then playing one the next day when it's 60 F. If you base your clubbing on the previous day, you'll be coming up short more often. On cooler days, it's important to keep yourself warm with clothing that doesn't restrict your golf swing. Keep your hands in your pockets along with a couple of extra golf balls. At the end of each hole, trade your ball in play with one from your pocket. A warm ball will reduce the amount of distance you lose.

  Most golfers come up short on most of their approach shots. Not understanding the effects of the environment on distance can increase this statistic. In the course of the next 5 rounds, keep track of how often your approach shots end up shorter than you intend. I think you'll realize you can be taking more club on most shots.

How to Mentally Play the First 3 Holes

  How you play the first 3 holes of a round can have a significant effect on how you play the rest of the round. I did an analysis 2 years ago of the statistical significance of the first 3 holes on an amateur golfer's final score. Take a look here. An analyzed thousands of golfers' scores. I discovered that taking less risk early in a round can pay off.

Great Game for a Tournament-- Corners

Corners is a great game for a foursome that turns a player that is your partner into your opponent. There are three corners in an 18-hole round, one every 6 holes.

On the first tee, throw all four balls over your shoulder. The two balls that are closest together are those of the two players that are partners for the first 6 holes. I like to play high-low. The highest score from your two-man team is compared to the highest score of the other team; the lowest scores are compared as well. Players receive their strokes according to the handicap rating of the hole. If your team has the lowest net score, you win a point. If your team's highest net score beats the other teams highest net score, you get another point.

Two points are available on every hole. If a team is up more points than the number available in the remaining holes of a corner, then the other team cannot tie or win and the corner ends. Balls a thrown again and new partners are decided. Each player plays as partner with each other player once. If a corner is tied after 6 holes, you can either have overtime or end as a tie. If overtime, the next corner matches are shorter.

You can play for any amount per corner. If the corners are played for $1 each, the most a player can win is $3 and the most a player can lose is $3. You can also play for favours or just honour.

Trying to find answers on my website? Here's how.

1. Go to my Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page. There's a link to it on my pages from the left hand menu near the top of the page, just below the Search icon. It's called "FAQs." You then click on the graphic icon and you'll be taken to my database page. For your convenience, here it is:
FAQ

I've answered hundreds of questions over the past 6 years and have created a fairly large database. You can search it out. If you can't find the answer you're looking for, submit a question and I'll answer it.

2. On all of my web pages, there is a search feature in the top left section, right underneath my LOGO. Just place your search keywords in the search box, select "This Site" below it, and then press "Search." What will come up is a Google search of the pages on my site with relevance. You can also search the entire internet by selecting "Web" instead.
Go to my main page now: Home or just check the top left menu of this page.

3. Also, directly under the Google Search area, you'll find a pop down menu called "Your Topic." Select the topic of interest and press "Go."

I would suggest you bookmark my main page and/or your specific areas of interest so that you can find them easily in the future. On each page at the very top, there is a link you can click on:
"Click here to add this page to your favourites"

Hope you find all you're looking for.

You can learn more from NEW Titleist Pro-V1 by clicking HERE.

Ken Tannar