5 Things Every Serious Golfer Should Know

Golf Balls

Almost uncontested, the most famous golf ball in the world is the Titleist Pro V1 or Pro V1x golf ball. The balls themselves have been around for 10 years and no one has been able to dethrone them. It is important to note that Titleist has improved the model, so the new Pro V1s are better than the ones you bought 10 years ago. The balls have won at least six times more PGA competitions than any other ball. Why?

Well, that's a great question. Is the Pro V1 the longest ball? No, it is not the longest by a significant margin. In fact, an old internet article (they have taken down since I wrote this) on Golf.com said every pinnacle ball they tested went farther than the Pro V1. Most other balls did too. Does the Pro V1 spin the most? No, but it does spin better than most. The amount of RPMs on the Titleist Pro V1 is in a nice range. The RPMs of the ball are probably in about the 75th percentile of expensive tier golf balls. This means it spins enough to reasonably hold on just about any greens, but does not spin so radically that it can cause problems off of the tee (i.e. Nike One). But then again so does the Taylormade Burner TP, which cost $20/dozen. Also, it Is it reasonably priced? Relative to other 3-piece or higher golf balls, it is decently priced. So an overall rating of the ball might be "Good."

So what is a golfer to do? It is difficult to find golf ball statistics without serious research (I found that out while writing this article). So my verdict is that unless you scavenge for your balls vigorously until the group behind you is sailing in stolen range balls at you, then think about buying cheaper. A somewhat risky alternative to buying cheaper is to only buy those expensive dozens for tournaments or courses with faster greens. The feel and performance might be slightly different, but if you aren't easily bothered by those changes you might save a few bucks.

My opinion, after researching the issue and playing golf since I was 2, is that the primary reason a golfer should buy high cost "high performance" balls is for their wedge spin. Balls that are $35 or higher per dozen have no significant distance advantage over cheaper ones, and they might even be shorter. They do not separate themselves in the iron game. The wedge game is the only area which one and two piece balls can't contend with the three piece (or higher) design. Don't be afraid to reach for the Bridgestone E6 (a similar 3-piece) for about $7-$20 cheaper/dozen instead of the Pro V1. From everything I've gathered, the E6 is either the same or better.

The only reason that people reach for Pro V1 and Pro V1x is because of name recognition and tour sponsorships. Those qualities go farther in ball sales than actual golf ball research (which is hardly ever publicized).

Drivers/other clubs

Drivers are the most well researched clubs, so I will use them as an example. The best brands enter the market at the cost of about $300 to $500 each. The Taylormade R11, with its white head option, is becoming the hottest driver on the market. It costs a mere $470. Is it the best performing? According to Golf Digest, no it isn't. In fact, the Titleist D2 is the best performing. This test also confirmed the D2 as the best performing driver (hint: that's a good buy). At a similar price of $430, you can't really call this a bargain though. However, it might be worth bringing up when your weekend warrior buddy is bragging about his new R11.

Most important is to realize that any improvement is subtle. The drivers of today are very similar to the ones 5 years ago. You have to realize that the difference between a 280 yd drive and a 284 yd drive isn't all that much. In fact, sometimes shorter drives help you keep it in the fairway. At the time I wrote this article, the Ping G5 driver (released in 2005) can be bought for under $100 (used), $175 new, while the Ping G15 is just under $250. I'll let you decide if 8 yards (maybe) is worth $150 extra.

Until there is a revolutionary new material that will change the game of golf, I'm keeping my old driver. Or maybe I'll cave and buy the D2.

Golf Digest, Golf Magazine, etc. These are in every country club's locker room. Most are outdated issues, and almost all have the new driver, clubs, and swing fix to make any Joe tear up the links. They are great for what they are. Every good golfer is familiar with the typical content: monthly news on products, stories from recent golf season, along with previews for upcoming tournaments.

The magazines start to overstep their boundaries is when they start trying to fix your swing. Always remember three things when you're reading a pro's tip in a magazine:

• Fixing a golf swing is like taking medication. You wouldn't want to take someone else's medication to cure your own illness. Likewise, you wouldn't want to try to cure you're swing with a remedy that best serves someone else.
• Golf magazines have to find content to fill the magazine every month. Editors have admitted in the past to filling space with swing tips that aren't verified to help a person's swing. They've also admitted to re-branding and then reusing content.
• Often the only evidence that the magazine has that something will work for you is "So and so says..." This so and so could be the most reputable golf swing coach in the world, but that doesn't mean his or her advice applies to everyone. The unfortunate reality is that the pro could have agreed to be in the magazine for primarily self promotional purposes.

If you think that you should still use the magazine tips after thinking through those three things, then go for it. After all, it might help. I think your best bet is with either private lessons or drills. Which brings me to...

This is self explanatory. Here are my recommendations:

*Click Here* for 6 Mental Tricks to Improve Golf Score

*Click Here* for My 5 Favorite Golf Drills (that don't require buying junk)

Mental Game

Why is mental game so important? Well for one, look at the body type of pro golfers. Most of them aren't ripped body builders. The key physical aspects in a golf swing are flexibility and ab strength, and even those can be overcome. So if the game isn't as physically demanding as other sports, it must rely on its mental challenges to test the players. And golf does a hell of a job doing that.

Story time. At my local country club a guy came back after a tour of duty in Iraq and won second place in the club championship. This was after many months of little to no practice. Granted, he was one of the best when he left. But shouldn't he have performed worse against guys who are out there everyday?

When asked about how he did so well, he replied "visualization is everything." I agree. His strong mental game coerced his muscles into doing what he wanted them to do. He hit an incredible amount of greens which resulted in minimizing bogeys.

Golf Drills

Golf drills are important because they are like a first aid kit. One alternative to golf drills, golf lessons, can be expensive and they sometimes can leave you with a more troubled swing than you had before. Golf lessons require that you are willing to change your swing completely to the basic mold that has been around since Walter Hagen. This requires weeks of lessons, practice, and money. Provided that you have a nice knowledge of the basic swing, golf drills can fix you without renovating your swing. Good drills will provide better practice than just pounding range balls until you hit a few straight. Also remember that some pros (like the recent winner of the British Open, Darren Clarke) don't have that old typical swing mold. So check out my 5 favorite drills here for a good start.

Personal coolers are becoming more and more handy. Do you only golf in warm weather? Well, there is a reason that Florida is the state with the highest number of golf courses. California is second. Golfers like warm weather.

So with an average golf round taking 4-5 hours in warm weather, you need to stay hydrated. In a tournament, water or Gatorade is a must. In a Sunday scramble, beer is useful. Whether purchased at the clubhouse or from your own refrigerator, you need a place to keep your drinks cold.

Some carts are fitted with the cooler. However, sometimes you are required to walk or pull your clubs. Sometimes the cart doesn't have a cooler. And sometimes you might want to find a place for some extra drinks.

My personal recommendation: Coolheads. A customizable headcover + light personal cooler option.

No, BDI aren't my initials. That stands for Big Dog Invitational, a golf tournament where I picked it up. This has come in handy a few times when I'm walking the course.

Staying hydrated keeps your scores from spiraling out of control. Buy your own here.

What?

Last but not least, any golf help that you need can be solved instantly via internet. Simply send in a video or question and these pros will answer it almost immediately. Check out the blog here:

http://blogs.golf.com/top100/

Once again, all you have to do is take a video of your swing on your phone or camera and send it in. Tell them your problem (like a persistent slice). They will offer instant help. These guys are qualified and can answer other questions too. Lastly, reading through their help to other people will make you learn many things about the golf swing in a short period of time. Sometimes their advice to others can fix you too. That's why I'm recommending them.

Maybe they should hire me for sales.

Anyway, I'm sure that there are other things out there like this. If you find some, let me know. This blog in particular just seemed to have everything set up nicely.