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Caddies and Greens Keepers: Helpers to the Golf Course

admin — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 12:49:47 +0000

The golfers are not the only ones who make up the golfing atmosphere. There are always the fans that stand close by so that they can catch glimpses. There are the television cameramen who are there because it is their job. Two other people that must be acknowledged are the caddy and the greens keeper. These two people have different roles, but still contribute to the wellbeing of the golf course and thus the golfer too. A caddy is the person who carries a player’s bag, and gives insightful advice and moral support. A good caddy is aware of the challenges and obstacles of the golf course being played, along with the best strategy in playing it. This includes knowing overall yardage, pin placements and club selection. A caddy is not usually an employee of a private club or resort. He is classified as an “independent contractor,” meaning that he is basically self employed and does not receive any benefits from his association with the club. Of course, some clubs and resorts do have caddy programs, although benefits are rarely offered. Caddies often demonstarte many of the qualities held by greens keppers. They are always on the golf course and always and constantly busy. Their work is very important, and that is why nearly every professional golfer has one and they are busy each and every tournament. Traditional caddying involves both the golfer and the caddie walking the course. The caddy is in charge of carrying the bag of the player, with the caddie out in front of and a couple of steps above the player. Though some may consider the profession of being a caddy to be less prestigious than a golfer, and in some cases egregious, it is actually a feasible system where caddies can move up ranks. Most clubs use a ranking system. Caddies will start as a trainee, and be promoted through the ranks of Intermediate, Captain, Honor, and finally Championship. Championship is reserved for only the best caddies. The intermediate and captain ranks can usually be obtained within the first year of caddying, and the honor rank is usually obtained in the second or third year of caddying. Championship takes at least 6 years and often as many as 10 years to obtain. Many professionals in the golf industry once had started out as caddies. Greens keepers are also important. They are the professionals who maintain a golf course or a country club. These people are very important to the game of golf. In basketball, they have janitors who scrub the floor in between breaks and baseball has its own ground crew to help with the field and also during rain delays. The greens keeper’s role is so important because golf is a game of prestige and a lot of prestige comes with the state of the golf course. If the golf course is in a good condition it enhances the morale of everyone and everything involved. The golf course is one of the things that make golf between due to its versatility and its diversity. The course has many features, from holes to hazards.

Determining The Aerodynamics Of A Ball

admin — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 12:45:40 +0000

In golf, the golfer must play around with many things in order to get a perspective on certain playing styles. One of the things the golfer must do is to find a good air to ball ratio so they have an idea of the air that they are putting under the ball. The first time you try this test you may find that your shot dispersion is all over the range, some right and some left. The success of your go-to shot will be higher if you can identify your most natural ball flight tendency. An example we can use is world renowned golfer Kenny Perry, who is also a professional golfer. For Kenny Perry, his natural ball flight tendency is a right to left draw. The process of finding his go-to shot would be to aim down the right side of the hole and rely on his natural shot shape to curve the ball to the left and into the middle of the fairway. For a left to right player that hits a fade, the process would be the opposite. There is always a little bit of controversy that arises here due to the handedness of certain golfers. One must make sure that they are working with a consistent ball. One needs to know what their game is like and what is their goal. A good golf ball should be chosen depending on what type of distacne one wishes to achieve, whether they want to reduce side spin that results in a slice or a sweeping hook. There are balls designated for those that want a soft feel around the green and for those that wish to choose methods other than this. When one has come to a conclusion on what type of ball they are looking for they can move on to the next step. This conclusion can be vague, all that is needed is a vague description of what one wants. Then they will be able to determine how much they are willing to spend on such a material . From this point on, they will be able to eliminate balls that they deem to expensive, not worth the money, or out of their budget. In both of these cases the player is maximizing the space the ball can curve in the air, roll after landing, while staying in the fairway. It is worth pointing out that all great players learn how to eliminate one half of the course or the other. It might seem that aiming down the middle of the fairway is your best option, however, that only gives you half of the golf hole to work with. Ben Hogan learned how to eliminate the left side of the hole which gave him the entire width of the fairway to work with. There have also been professional golfers who also hit most of his shots with a left to right ball flight. Golfing is like a chess match. Everything doesn’t fit all at once, but the players are innovative enough to make things happen whatever way they can. It will be much easier for you to find and practice a go-to shot if you can find your natural shot shape. If you hit a slice because you have an over the top club path, play your slice until you can straighten your shots.

The Role of Caddies in Golf

admin — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 12:33:04 +0000

When watching golf, one will definitely notice a few things. Of course, they see the golfer and also they might notice the greens and the golf course. However, few recognize the caddy, which is an unsung hero in this sport. A caddy is the person who carries a player’s bag, and gives insightful advice and moral support. A good caddy is aware of the challenges and obstacles of the golf course being played, along with the best strategy in playing it. This includes knowing overall yardage, pin placements and club selection. A caddy is not usually an employee of a private club or resort. He is classified as an “independent contractor,” meaning that he is basically self employed and does not receive any benefits from his association with the club. Of course, some clubs and resorts do have caddy programs, although benefits are rarely offered. Caddies often demonstrate many of the qualities held by greens keepers. They are always on the golf course and always and constantly busy. Their work is very important, and that is why nearly every professional golfer has one and they are busy each and every tournament. Traditional caddying involves both the golfer and the caddie walking the course. The caddy is in charge of carrying the bag of the player, with the caddie out in front of and a couple of steps above the player. Though some may consider the profession of being a caddy to be less prestigious than a golfer, and in some cases egregious, it is actually a feasible system where caddies can move up ranks. Most clubs use a ranking system. Caddies will start as a trainee, and be promoted through the ranks of Intermediate, Captain, Honor, and finally Championship. Championship is reserved for only the best caddies. The intermediate and captain ranks can usually be obtained within the first year of caddying, and the honor rank is usually obtained in the second or third year of caddying. Championship takes at least 6 years and often as many as 10 years to obtain. Many professionals in the golf industry once had started out as caddies. Caddies are most frequently employed at clubs on weekends, when the majority of country club golf takes place. Some, but usually not as many opportunities to caddy exist during the week, as well. Additionally, caddies are often allowed to play the course at which they caddy for free, usually on a Monday, the day that most private clubs choose to close their course for maintenance. On pro golf tours, professional caddies accompany their player to all events, which usually take place from Thursday through Sunday. Additionally, the player may hire their caddy to carry their bag for them during training sessions and practice rounds. Caddies also have an interesting pay scale, at times they get paid by the bags that they carry and at other times, they go by a pre determined percent of their golfer’s earnings. Being a caddy may look unappealing but it can be fun and will pay.

The British Open

admin — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 05:41:46 +0000

For amateur golfers, having an “open” tournament is a great opportunity to break into the world of professional golf. But the U.S. Open isn’t the only open tournament – there’s also the British Open for the golfers “across the pond”. Open tournaments were designed to allow amateur golfers to perhaps break into the pro pool by winning one of these contests.

Many people think that the U.S. Open was the first open championship to be founded, but that just isn’t true. The British Open was being played 35 years before the United States got in on the open tournament phenomenon. Since the turn of the century, the British Open has included amateurs from all countries. The U.S. Open is currently trying to make a move towards this trend, but for years, The British Open has been known as “The World Open”.

Originally designed as a way for unknown golfers to make a name for themselves, the “opens” have long been touted as the greatest chance an amateur has for worldwide fame and fortune as a professional golfer. The British Open was the first tournament to bring forth this amazing idea, and golfers all over the world became excited at the prospect of becoming a pro.

The British Open is one of the four major golf tournaments of the year and winning it is a great honor. Just as with the U.S. Open, it is one of the championships that tournament professionals strive to achieve and wear the honor with pride. However, amateurs should beware. Because the British Open is an open event, the pros can play too.

The last time an amateur won a British Open was back in 1930 when American legend Bobby Jones won with an overall score of 291. Since that time, there have been many amateurs who have made good showings, but as far as winning the open, that hasn’t happened in quite some time.

To qualify for the British Open, you must strive for one of the 156 places that are available. Most of the field of players has achieved entry into the open through exemptions by playing well throughout the year on the tour. The rest of the field has won qualifying rounds in local events that lead them to the “big show” and perhaps the chance of the lifetime!

The British Open – just like the U.S. Open – is a wonderful way for excellent amateur golfers to break into the professional circuit by doing what they love – playing the game of golf. The British Open has a long and storied history and while considered one of the major events in the PGA, still holds a bit of mystery and hope for those who dream of a life as a PGA professional.

The Masters

admin — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 05:31:53 +0000

The Masters golf tournament has long been known as “the big show” for many golfers. It’s the BIG one – the one everyone wants to win – the one that can really define a career as a professional golfer. It has a long and storied history – one steeped in golf tradition.

In 1934 Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts wanted to provide a service to golf by hosting an annual golf tournament. Roberts proposed the event be called the Masters Tournament, but Jones objected thinking it sounded too presumptuous. The name Augusta National Invitation Tournament was adopted and that title was used for five years until 1939 when Jones relented and the name was officially changed.

The tournament is held at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, GA, where it is still hosted today. Many decisions made in the early days of the Masters still remain today. Among these are

* The four-day stroke playing of 18 holes each day instead of the then customary 36 holes on the third day
* Eliminating qualifying rounds
* Denying permission for anyone except the player and the caddie to be in the playing area
* Commercialization in any form of the tournament was limited.

The first Masters Tournament was held on March 22, 1934, and beginning in 1940, the Masters was scheduled each year during the first full week in April. That first tournament was won by Horton Smith. In 1935 Gene Sarazen hit “the shot heard ‘round the world” scoring a double eagle on the par five 15th hole tying Craig Wood and forcing a playoff. Sarazen won the 36-hole playoff the following day winning by five strokes.

In 1942, Ben Hogan lost to Byron Nelson by one stroke in an 18-hole playoff and the tournament was not played the following three years: 1943, 1944, and 1945 during World War II. To assist the war efforts, cattle and turkeys were raised on the Augusta National grounds.

Many milestones have occurred throughout the history of the Masters. In 1965 and 1966, Jack Nicklaus became the first Masters champion to defend his title successfully. Many others would have consecutive wins, but The Golden Bear was the first. Tiger Woods broke the four-day scoring record that has stood for 32 years in 1997.

The Masters is characterized by offering the winner a green jacket and having that jacket is considered a great honor in the golfing world. The previous year’s winner would always present the jacket to the current year’s winner and it is done with great flourish.

The Masters is one of golf’s greatest tournaments. The best part is that amateurs can gain entry into the tournament by invitation only giving them dreams of winning the big prize against the best in the field!