Tiger Woods aiming at the Grand Slam this season

Posted under Basically Golf

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I have just seen an interview with Tiger Woods saying that he is going give his all this year into winning the Grand Slam which is all of the Majors in one season! Can it be done?

Well every sport has a Holy Grail and it has to be said it is very rare that one single sportsman or team can win absolutely everything in one season. So is Tiger the man that can do it and is this the season for it?

Back in December I mentioned Tiger Woods as one to watch for this year because of his sheer determination and ability to almost win at will (which I know he can’t but it does seem that way sometimes) I thought that this year would be the year he would shine through more than previous seasons. Looking at the competition those who could challenge for the number one spot? Phil Mickelson has been suffering with illness at the start of the year. Jim Furyk didn’t look to be firing on all cylinders to me.

Steve Stricker, Justin Rose and Sergio Garcia could all grab a major this season but with Tiger Woods in obvious killer form at the moment is there a chance that Tiger could actually win the grand slam?

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Why Preowned Golf Clubs are just as good as new

Posted under Basically Golf

I have to admit I love getting hold of a brand new golf club as do most people but I have to say when I do some shopping around I find that there are some excellent deals on Preowned golf clubs and I thought I would give you a few examples of the difference so you can make the decision for yourself.

I did some hunting around on some identical clubs on one of the sites I use for preowned clubs and I will give you some links at the bottom of the post. The club I found that was identical was the Cleveland 460cc Launcher driver, which I will be reviewing in a few weeks time so just so you can see the difference in the adverts I am posting the BRAND NEW link first:

CLEVELAND Launcher Comp 460CC Cleveland Golf s Launcher 460 Comp Driver The new Cleveland Golf Launcher 460 Comp driver combines the benefits of lightweight carbon fiber composite with the strength of beta titanium to create the largest, hottest, longest, straightest and best looking Cleveland driver ever. The Launcher Comp driver is made with an ultra-lightweight tri-ply carbon fiber composite crown, which allows for the redistribution of 25 grams of weight to lower and deeper locations around the club head perimeter. This redistribution of mass reduces center of gravity (CG) height and moves it further away from the face to produce drives with high launch and low spin from a greater percentage of the clubface. Additional weighting to critical perimeter areas dramatically increases moment of inertia (MOI). The Launcher 460 Comp features an award winning 460cc head shape, which is currently the largest and best looking multi-material driver available on the market. The engineers at Cleveland Golf have analyzed and optimized the impact sound to be hotter than regular titanium and more solid than previous multi-material drivers. The Launcher 460 Comp precisely meets the USGA limits on head size and COR, so it is USGA legal for all tournament play. This 460cc multi-material driver combines the benefits of lightweight carbon fiber composite with the strength of beta titanium producing higher launch angles with reduced spin to give players of all levels added distance off the tee. Made with an ultra-lightweight tri-ply carbon fiber composite crown, this lightweight section allows for the redistribution of 25 grams of weight to lower and deeper locations around the clubhead perimeter, reducing the CG height and moving it further away from the face for high launch and low spin drives from a greater percentage of the clubface. The same mass distribution dramatically increases the MOI or the resistance to twisting on off-center hits. All in all, the 460 Comp turns out to be the largest, hottest, longest and straightest multi-material driver on the market. –>

The price for this nice brand new club is $299.99 which compared to some other drivers on the market isn’t that bad. However here is the not so attractive link for the Preowned golf club of exactly the same make and model:

CLEVELAND PREOWNED Cleveland 460cc Launcher w/ graphite - GOOD CONDITION PREOWNED Cleveland 460cc Launcher w/ graphite - GOOD CONDITION

Short and sweet, but the difference is in the price, $140 difference to be exact! The club is $159.99 second hand! Good condition normally means that you can see that it has been used but in most cases this just means the normal wear and tear that a club will get through a few rounds.

Now there are two PreOwned Golf Club suppliers that I use, the first is Golfsmith who have great offers most of the time and if you get in quick they have a 60% sale on as well as good deals on the preowned clubs as well.

The second is Callaway Golf Pre-Owned and Outlet, the fact that these guys put their clubs through a big checking process is only part of the service, they also offer a 100% money back guarantee and a one year warranty.

Preowend Golf Clubs are a really good way to get the clubs you want for a reduced price. Personally I am on the lookout for a few things at the moment all will be revealed over the next few weeks.

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Classic Golf Movie Quotes

Posted under Basically Golf

I admit I am a big movie fan and when I am not playing golf I normally have a movie playing in the background so I thought I would blend two of my favorite hobbies and post some of the classic quotes from these movies.

The first quote is from the movie Bagger Vance which started Will Smith and Matt Damon, in this scene Matt Damon’s character, Rannulph Junuh has just had one of the worse rounds of golf a paying crowd has ever seen and Will Smith as his Caddy Bagger Vance:

Rannulph Junuh: What were you doing out there? I could have killed you.
Bagger Vance: Nah, actually, I positioned myself right in front of you, ’cause from the way your swings were goin’, I figured that was the safest place.

One of my favorite movies that involves golf has to be CaddyShack and a conversation between Chevey Chase as Ty Webb and Ted Knight as Judge Smails:

Judge Smails: Ty, what did you shoot today?
Ty Webb: Oh, Judge, I don’t keep score.
Judge Smails: Then how do you measure yourself with other golfers?
Ty Webb: By height.

And finally a conversation that took place on the final hole at the Open between Roy ‘Tin Cup’ McAvoy (Kevin Costner) and his Caddy Romeo Posar (Cheech Marin) when there is a good chance by keeping his head McAvoy can win the Open as an amateur:

Roy ‘Tin Cup’ McAvoy: This is everything, ain’t it? This is the choice it comes down to — this is our immortality.
Romeo Posar: You don’t need to be thinking immortality — you need to be thinking hit the 7 iron!

Now I know this post isn’t completely golf related and I apologize but due to a previously mentioned stray ball I am having a rest day and will be posting more reviews and tips later this week.

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Golf Club Lofts

Posted under Basically Golf, Golf Clubs

Yesterday I wrote an article about the distances each club can get for different levels of golfer. I thought today I would look at the different golf irons and loft on the club.

Golf club loft effects the trajectory of the ball so if you want the ball to go a long way with an iron shot then you would select a 3 iron, or if you want the ball to be fairly accurate on the approach to the green you would select a higher numbered club like a 9 iron or a pitching wedge.

“Loft Definition: A measurement, in degrees, of the angle at which the face of the club lies relative to a perfectly vertical face. Technically, iron loft and wood loft are measured slightly differently, but the effective result is the same.”

Now each manufacturer has its own definition on what these angles should actually be and they are different on mens, womens and seniors clubs, meaning it is impossible for me to give you an exact figure on what a 3 irons loft would be but I have the details of my own irons which I have posted below:

Club	Loft	Lie	Offset	Swing Weight	Lenght of Shaft (Graphite)	Length of Shaft (Steel)
3	20.0°	61.0°	.287	D1	39.00	39.00
4	22.5°	61.5°	.278	D1	38.50	38.50
5	25.5°	62.0°	.248	D1	38.00	38.00
6	28.5°	62.5°	.227	D1	37.50	37.50
7	32.5°	63.0°	.188	D1	37.00	37.00
8	36.0°	63.5°	.147	D1	36.50	36.50
9	40.0°	64.0°	.122	D1	36.00	36.00
P	44.0°	64.5°	.080	D1	35.75	35.75
G	49.0°	64.5°	.060	D3	35.5	35.5
S	54.0°	64.5°	.060	D3	35.25	35.25
L	59.0°	64.5°	.060	D3	35.25	35.25

Putters have a minimal loft but it is still slightly angled. Drivers also have minimal loft but it is more than the putter. The above figures could be taken as an average but there are a number of other things that must be taken into consideration, such as the size of the club head and the shaft itself, for example a steel shaft can be slightly different to a graphite shaft for the same club but the changes are very very minimal.

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Golf Club Distances

Posted under Basically Golf

When your standing 160 yards from the tee it is very useful to know what the average golf club distances are and what your own distances with each club are. I have had a hunt around for the tour averages and spent time with a number of golfers with handicaps from 3 through to 28 in the past few weeks to build up their average distances as well.

Club	Pro Yards	Pro Meters	Low Cap Yards	Low Cap Meters	High Cap Yards	Low Cap Meters
Driver	295-320	270-292	260-285	238-261	250	228
3 Wood	250-265	228-242	230-240	210-219	220	201
5 Wood	230-240	210-219	210-220	192-201	200	182
2-Iron	225-235	205-215	210-225	192-205	200-210	182-192
3-Iron	220-225	201-205	200-210	182-192	190-200	174-182
4-Iron	210-220	192-201	180-190	165-174	170-180	155-165
5-Iron	195-205	178-187	170-180	155-165	160-170	146-155
6-Iron	180-190	165-174	160-170	146-155	150-160	137-146
7-Iron	165-180	150-165	140-150	128-137	140-150	128-137
8-Iron	150-170	137-155	130-140	115-128	130-140	115-128
9-Iron	140-155	128-142	120-130	110-118	120-130	110-118
Pitch Wedge	130-135	118-124	115-130	105-118	105-115	96-105
Sand Wedge	115-120	105-110	95-110	87-101	75-100	68-91

Now the above are based on a number of things, firstly the Pro yards are an average from the PGA and European Tour professionals, when you put the 2008 average into this the top 3 averages on the PGA Tour are currently between 325 and 335 yards meaning that technology and the overall game are increasing distances (and to add to this Tiger Woods hasn’t played in 2008 yet!) The Low Cap and High Cap players are based on time on the driving range watching closely how different players approach the game.

These are Golf Club Distances as an average and I know that people will be looking to get an exact science out of it but unfortunately it depends on a million different factors and is impossible to tell someone off the cuff how far they will hit their 3 wood. We hope it gives you a rough idea of what to expect from your clubs.

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