You Must Try To Avoid These Common Golfing Mistakes

From my earliest beginnings as a know-it-all teenage golfer to my present position of Expert Golf Pro who really does know almost all there is to know about golf, I have seen people make bad shots and dumb decisions, I have heard about them, and I have done them myself. Every one who ever steps foot on a golf course has made at least one of these common "boners" and usually more than one on any given day. Because golf is an unpredictable, subjective, and tricky sport, these mistakes are more common than most golfers want to admit.

Keeping in the "expert-helping" mode, I have gathered what I think are the 10 most common errors made on the golf course and a little advice on how to avoid them:

- The False Step . This is when you position your feet wrong as you address the ball causing your swing to be off and the ball to take all sorts of unexpected and unwanted directions when you hit it. If your feet are not squarely planted equi-distant from the ball in a straight line and just a little wider apart than your shoulders, then your ball will do "The False Step" and you will likely fall on your face, figuratively speaking.

- The Bobbled Grip. This is when you place your hands wrong on the club's grip or when you hold it too loosely or too tightly resulting in everything from a hook that sends the ball into the woods to a flying weapon that almost takes the heads off of your partners. Don't forget to hook the little finger of your non-dominant hand around the other hand and settle both hands into a comfortable and firm grip.

- The Howler . This is when you swing the club too hard - so hard it howls through the air. It's a common mistake to step up to the ball thinking more like a baseball player trying to send the ball out of the park than a golfer trying to reach the green in two strokes. Concentrate on striking the ball firmly and following through, letting the club lift it and speed it on its way.

- The Slip-Up. This is when you slip your head up just as or before you hit the ball so you can see where it's going. Of course, what really happens is you break the hand-eye connection that allows you to hit the ball squarely with the clubhead instead of grazing the top of the ball, which then just trickles along the ground. That's called a "Muff." To avoid them keep your head down.

- The Miscalculated Shot. This is when you use the wrong club for your shot. Just because your partner can reach the green on a 3-par hole with an 8-iron doesn't mean you can. The wrong club will inevitably cause you to either hit the ball too hard to get the distance or just over-shoot your mark. Study the course and choose wisely.

- The Misread Lie. This is when you fail to take into account the up-hill or down-hill lie of your ball, the break in the green, or the depth of the leaves at the base of the tree. Hitting the ball without this information is like walking to your car without noticing the ice on the ground. If you take for granted that your ball is on level ground because it looks like it is when you stand over top of it, you could easily put your next shot into the lake, the woods, or even OOB! Observe and evaluate your lie before hitting the ball.

- The Bungled Blunder. This is when you hit the ball into the woods, a sand trap, or  on the edge of the lake. That's the Blunder. When you get fancy and try to hit the ball around the tree instead of just hitting away from the trouble spot and maybe taking an extra stroke, you run the risk of either hitting the tree thus sending your ball deeper into the woods. Then you're likely looking at a triple or quadruple bogie.

- The Missed Green. This is when you either leave your shot short and do not make the green as you intended or overshoot the green and end up on the short side of the flag. Either way is sure to add at least one stroke to the hole. Choose the correct club for the distance remaining to the center of the green.

- The Fumble. This is when you try a tricky shot that you have never even tried before, much less perfected. Chips or wedges can be disastrous if you don't know how to hit the ball with a slanted clubhead. You'll either sail over the flag, the green, maybe even into the next fairway, or you'll stay in the trap or under the lip of the green. Practice is the only way to a good chip shot; the pros make it look so easy, we forget how many times they have practiced that same shot before they attempt it.

- The Illusion. This is when you go out on the course with a dream instead of a plan. Thinking you will get through a whole round of golf without a bad shot, without any of the above goofs, or without even a bad lie is an illusion that will quickly get you into trouble as you tend to let down your guard when you're not expecting trouble. At the first hint of a slice or a topped drive, your illusion will fly away like your errant shot and you will be left to play a terrible round of golf just like you expected11Thinking you can navigate a 68-par 18-hole course with soaring drives, long irons, and accurate putts is closer to being a "delusion of grandeur" than just an illusion. Remember: you are not a pro playing the Masters.

These are the most common mistakes made by golfers everywhere; without them I'd be out of business. The bottom line is there will never be a perfect anything, much less a perfect golfer. Of course, there are many pros who strive for perfection. There are a lot of struggling amateurs who would like to reach perfection just long enough to break into the professional ranks. Then there are the countless impatient and frustrated "weekend" and occasional golfers who dream of the perfect shot, hole, round, anything that will give them status in their local golf club and the envy and respect of their fellow golfers. All of these people who walk and ride around golf courses around the world know in their hearts that there is no such thing as the perfect shot, hole, round, or anything else in this game. But still they strive for perfection.

This can be hard on the self image, not to mention the blood pressure if one lets the striving become an obsession and take over the game so that it is no longer a game but an addiction. That being said, there is something inherently good about this need and desire for perfection. Kept in its proper perspective, our quest for the hole-in-one, dead-on 30-foot putt, and perfect drive gives us the competitive edge necessary to improve our game. If we had no desire to be a perfect golfer, none of us would ever take a lesson, read an eBook, practice chipping and putting, or use a driving range. We would all be satisfied with our less-than-perfect status quo.

What a boring game golf would be! This is why I write these posts, answer your questions, give you tips, and encourage weekend golfers, especially young people - to make the game of golf challenging, fun, and possible for everyone who likes a sport that does what golfing does. If you are one of those, it gets you outside, provides you with spectacular moments with the natural world as well as opportunities to build up stamina and strength by walking through some of the most beautiful and inspiring real estate there is anywhere, and it challenges you to be the best you can be!

----
This article was written by Keith Matthews.  Keith is keen to share more of his golfing tips and experience so sign-up for his free weekly emails at TopGolfTipsHQ.com.

Golfing with Graeme McDowell and Guinness Black Lager

This past Monday I had the opportunity to play golf with Ryder Cup European team member Graeme McDowell at The Glen Club in Glenview. My new friends at Guinness Black Lager and Graeme were our hosts for the day, where we were treated to 18 holes of championship golf on one of Chicagoland’s best courses.

The outing format was quite unique and featured many gimmick holes throughout the round, including our 17th and 18th holes – played entirely in the dark. Aided only by glow sticks in the fairway and surrounding the green, we were tasked with launching a glow-in-the-dark golf ball toward an illuminated flagstick. Following the round, Graeme invited us back to the 17th tee for an impromptu ‘closest-to-the-pin’ contest’.

Forever the opportunist, McDowell showed us all how this game should be played and stuck his shot to three feet.

Guinness Black Lager is a new lager that perfectly combines the refreshing taste of lager with the unique character and flavor of Guinness. The Guinness Master Brewers have used the finest lager hops, yeast and traditional cold brewing methods, with their signature roasted barley, to create a truly original black lager with deliciously distinctive flavor and deeply refreshing taste.

The deep, dark color of the beer is one that tradition Guinness fans will recognize and have grown to love. However, this is not your grandfather’s stout beer. Instead, Guinness Black Lager is a cool, refreshing beverage that can be enjoyed year-round and especially on the golf course.
The taste is also unique: light and crisp from the start, quickly revealing a subtle sweet malt and roast character with a pleasant slight hop finish that invites the next sip. Overall, a taste that is uniquely flavorful yet deeply refreshing.

Guinness Black Lager retails for just over $8 a six-pack is available nationwide and can be found wherever Guinness products are sold.

This article was written by Chicago Duffer.  Check out other great articles at Chicago Duffer.

Golf Digest Job Posting

This will be an amazing opportunity for the applicant who successfully lands this position. Conde Nast is the parent company of Golf Digest. Have a look at the details below...

Account Executive
Description
Condé Nast is renowned for provocative, influential, award winning content-across brands, across platforms, and across continents. We’re committed to attracting new talent to keep us at the top of our business. If you are looking to be part of a culture of excellence marked by journalistic integrity and superior design, we invite you to explore this career opportunity and see how your talent and aspirations might fit within Condé Nast.

Account Manager

Golf Digest
Condé Nast seeks an Account Manager for a full-time staff position.

Overview
Primary Responsibilities:

The Account Manager generates advertising revenue by identifying prospects, identifying influential touch-points and contacts, developing strategic plans, preparing presentations, negotiating rates and schedules, and communicating results or problems to management. The Account Manager maintains and expands the advertising client base in a variety of categories such as: consumer electronics, business financial, food and other b2b accounts. S/he is responsible for developing and maintaining relationships with key advertising decision makers. This individual represents the company at trade shows and industry events to promote business, where appropriate, and completes all forms and processes paperwork for assigned accounts. Minimum of 3-5 years of sales experience required.

Condé Nast is home to some of the world’s most celebrated media brands. In the United States, Condé Nast publishes 18 consumer magazines, four business-to-business publications, 27 websites, and more than 50 apps for mobile and tablet devices, all of which define excellence in their categories. The company also owns Fairchild Fashion Media (FFM), whose portfolio of brands serves as the leading source of news and analysis for the global fashion community. Condé Nast has won more National Magazine Awards over the past ten years than all of its competitors combined. Visit CondéNast.com and follow us on Twitter @CondeNastCorp and @CondeNastCareer.

Condé Nast is an equal opportunity workplace.

Duties and responsibilities may be adjusted based on years of experience.

Salary is also commensurate with experience.

Job: Sales
Primary Location: New York
Schedule: Full-time

Apply for this position online

Woods and McIlroy Face Off at Bethpage

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. -- Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy playing in the same group. Bethpage Black, a notoriously tough track on Long Island made even more famous by the two U.S. Opens it has hosted in the last decade.

As the playoffs for the FedEx Cup get under way Thursday at The Barclays, the buzz is bigger than usual.

"Playing here at Bethpage Black is incredible," said Woods, who won his second U.S. Open title on this public course in 2002. "Two U.S. Opens here, and this is all the golf course you want. It's a great venue, great fans, and just a great environment to compete at. You know, it's basically like a U.S. Open."

It doesn't look much different from three years ago, except that only a few hundred fans were at the far end of the course watching the pro-am on Wednesday. And the sun was shining, a change from the rain that interrupted the U.S. Open in 2002 and forced a Monday finish in 2009.

The course also is playing to a par 71, with the seventh hole returned to a par 5.

The Barclays is the first of four tournaments in the playoffs, when the field (125 players qualified for the opening event) gets whittled down each week until only 30 reach the Tour Championship, and the winner walks away with a $10 million bonus.

Even so, this one has a different feel.

Part of that is because of the golf course.

"The whole place is just big," said Zach Johnson, who will join Woods and McIlroy as the middle man of the top three players from the FedEx Cup standings. "I mean, the property is big. Everything about it is just big. Elevated tee shots, uphill tee shots. I think it's great. It's right out in front of you. It's not hidden. There's certain holes you've just got to get off with a great shot, starting at the tee box through the green. And that's what separates a championship course from an OK course.

Celebrity - Amateur Golf Tournament

Samuel L. Jackson and David Feherty Co-Host Celebrity Roast of Boston Celtics Legend Bill Russell as part of 2nd annual MENTOR’s Champions Golf Challenge at Friar’s Head, Long Island

Riverhead, NY (August 7, 2012) – Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell along with Wall Street leader Geoff Boisi will host some of the greatest champions in sports, entertainment and business in the 2nd annual MENTOR’s Champions Golf Challenge on September 9 – 10 on Long Island. This exclusive two-day event will feature a Celebrity Roast of Bill Russell. The roast will be hosted by actor Samuel L. Jackson and Golf Channel’s David Feherty and will take place on the evening of September 9th. Expected participants sharing their stories of Bill include NBA greats Julius Erving, Alonzo Mourning, Football legend Jim Brown and many others.

This special celebrity-amateur competition will be held at spectacular Friar’s Head located on Long Island Sound. Friar’s Head is the 23rd rated golf course in America and 32nd in the world, and was designed by Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore the premiere golf course design team.

“I am very proud to have many of my friends join me at our golf tournament to support mentoring,” said Bill Russell. “They are still some pretty competitive athletes but more importantly they are donating their time and effort to reconnect with the youngsters of the country and that’s what mentoring is about.”

Among the participating legends and celebrities will include: NBA greats John Havlicek, Clyde Drexler, Sam Jones, Rick Barry, George Gervin, Artis Gilmore and Bruce Bowen; Sports personality Ahmad Rashad; Baseball Hall of Famers Joe Morgan, Reggie Jackson and Jim Rice ; and football legends Steve Largent and Jim Brown, the greatest athlete to come out of Long Island. Brown has dedicated much of his life to helping inner city youth through education and mentoring.

“The MENTOR’s Champions Golf Challenge this year will take its place as the signature celebrity amateur golf event in the New York Metropolitan area,” said Geoff Boisi. “MENTOR has helped establish affiliates in 27 states around the country and impacted more than 3 million kids. Bill Russell has been a world class leader inspiring kids and the mentoring movement his entire career.”

Proceeds from the MENTOR’s Champions Golf Challenge will benefit MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership, the lead champion for youth mentoring in the United States, which Boisi founded with Raymond G. Chambers 20 years ago. Bill Russell has served as a Founding Board Member. In addition, the tournament will benefit MENTOR’s local affiliates: the Mentoring Partnerships of Long Island and New York City.

The MENTOR’s Champions Golf Challenge is sponsored by Ernst & Young, LLC and Roundtable Investment Partners, LLC.

“To have so many leaders from finance to the sports and entertainment worlds participate with their time and financially speaks volumes about Bill Russell’s catalytic leadership and dedication to our nation’s youth,” said MENTOR President and CEO David Shapiro. “We are thrilled to have Ernst & Young and Roundtable Investment Partners return for a second year as the co-presenting sponsors as this event provides critical resources and attention for our work to expand mentoring opportunities for our nation’s youth that will widen pathways to successful adulthood.”


About MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership

MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership (MENTOR) is the lead champion for youth mentoring in the United States. MENTOR’s goal is to help children by providing a public voice, developing and delivering resources to mentoring programs nationwide, and promoting quality for mentoring through standards, cutting-edge research and state-of-the-art tools. MENTOR works closely with State Mentoring Partnerships and more than 5,000 mentoring programs and volunteer centers throughout the country, serving more than 3 million children in all 50 states. There are currently 18 million children in America who want and need a mentor, but only three million have one. MENTOR’s mission is to close the gap so that every one of those 15 million children has a caring adult in their life.www.mentoring.org.

Golf Gamebook: USA vs. Europe Golf Challenge

The future of golf tournaments is here; for the first time all golfers in the USA and in Europe can enjoy golf together, regardless of age, gender or HCP. The six-week GameBook Cup, is open to all golfers from the two continents and can be played on any course in the world. With the help of the latest mobile technology, the GameBook Cup offers a more social and equal way of experiencing golf. Join Here

Inspired by the legendary golf tournament the Ryder Cup, the GameBook Cup launches as the first transatlantic golf challenge of its kind ever. All golfers from the USA and Europe are invited to play in the fun and friendly golf challenge. Experienced team captains have been nominated; Team USA has British Open Champion Stewart Cink as the Captain, and Team Europe is led by European Tour golfer Johan Edfors.

“I think this is a wonderfully innovative idea. In honor of the Ryder Cup year I think it is appropriate to expand the joy of golf with a truly global approach. And, I think that GameBook team’s creativity in utilizing social media and the latest technology is exceptional. Golf tournaments are fun and social, but they can be so much more with this new golf app. I will do my best to build to great Team USA.”, praises British Open Champion Stewart Cink.

“I had an opportunity to test this golf concept last year in a tournament between two nations, Sweden and Finland. It was very engaging and an extremely fun experience. I will recommend my fellow pros to join this contest. My vision is to have a diverse Team Europe, professionals and amateurs playing together.” says Johan Edfors, Captain of Team Europe in the GameBook Cup and three-time winner of European Tour events.

“Both in the US and in Europe we value the important landmark tournaments. The encouraging and inspiring culture deserves to be further embraced, and that’s what we are doing. GameBook Cup differs only by the fact that anyone can participate. And to make things more interesting, we will throw some nice prizes to random participants each week.” says Mikko Rantanen, CEO of GameBook Inc.

“We have managed to fine-tune our golf app and the supporting mobile technology into such good shape that we decided to put it to a real tough test. And of course, we wanted to offer an unforgettable golf experience to all golf lovers in the USA and in Europe.” says Kalle Väinölä, Founder of GameBook, PGA pro.

“The only thing a golfer has to do is to play a round of golf anywhere in the world and enter his or her scorecard using Golf GameBook. We will automatically include all scores from golfers who are registered respectively in the USA or in any European country”, continues Kalle Väinölä.

The world’s largest golf challenge will be held between July 30th and September 9th, 2012, and it is free for golfers and golf clubs.

For more details about the GameBook Cup http://www.golfgamebook.com/cup

About Golf GameBook

Golf GameBook has provided live scoring and leaderboards at hundreds of events in Europe and the US, including the 2011 HP Byron Nelson Championship Pro-Am.Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus have hosted their own events with Golf GameBook Live Scoring; Arnold Palmer’s Kingdom Cup (2011 and 2012), and Jack Nicklaus International Invitational (2011). The Stanford Men’s Golf team used Golf GameBook for living scoring at its recent Amer Ali Invitational event in January. Golf GameBook was featured recently in the Apple iTunes App Store Highlights section in the Nordic region, a position that has only been achieved by a relative few Nordic companies, including Rovio, publisher of the popular ‘Angry Birds’ franchise.

Livestream to Broadcast Open Championship Live

NEW YORK – July, 11, 2012 – Market leader for live event coverage, Livestream, today announced that it will broadcast live coverage of the R&A’s behind-the-scenes channel, @TheOpen LIVE from this year’s Open Championship, golf’s oldest Major. Royal Lytham & St Annes host the 142nd Championship, where @TheOpen LIVE coverage will begin on Wednesday, July 18th, broadcasting for 6 hours each day through the end of play on Championship Sunday. The action will be broadcast on http://new.livestream.com/theopen event page and will be streamed live on Opengolf.com, Facebook and Livestream.com, as well as The Open’s iphone and Android applications. Viewers will enjoy live video with real-time chat, photo, social media and text updates, all of which will contribute to the ultimate golf viewing experience.

@TheOpen LIVE produced onsite at Royal Lytham & St Annes will give audiences the chance to instantly interact with presenters and guests as they go behind the scenes at golf’s oldest Major. Livestream and the R&A are partnering to provide viewers with a unique glimpse of the atmosphere of The Open, wherever they are in the world. Coverage will include post-round press conferences, exclusive interviews and access to never-before seen elements of The Open. The comprehensive production will result in a total of 30 hours of live material from this year’s Open Championship.

R&A Chief Executive Peter Dawson said, “Building on the success of last year’s production, we are again delighted to bring worldwide golf fans an enhanced opportunity to interact with, and enjoy the game. Livestreaming the on-course play, as well as the behind-the-scenes action provides a 360 degree view of the game that is very compelling to our viewers.”

“This broadcast provides golf enthusiasts who want to see more of the event exactly that – more golf, more exclusive interviews and more access. The livestream offers them a chance to feel part of the action with our HD quality video and interactive features,” said Max Haot, Co-founder and CEO of Livestream.


About Livestream

Livestream (Livestream.com) is the market leader for live event coverage. With simple to use technology, our service allows anyone to broadcast live to the web, as well as being the top destination for live content from around the world. Our content partners include Facebook, The New York Times, ABC News, CBS News, Associated Press, HBO, AT&T, PepsiCo, Electronic Arts, Adidas, The Academy Awards, Warner Bros. Records, and Paramount Pictures. Livestream operates with over 120 full-time staff members in 4 offices—in New York, Los Angeles, Bangalore and the Ukraine. The service is available for free (advertising-supported) or as a feature-rich, monetizable, premium subscription for business. The new.livestream.com is an innovative new platform, available in beta, that combines live event coverage with real-time photos, text, and video clip updates posted using web browsers or mobile devices. The technology supports live blogging, live and on-demand HD video powered by Akamai HDNet, and real-time posting tools.