Professional Golf Shopper

Confidence 2 in 1 Elliptical Cross Trainer and Exercise Bike Review

Professional Golf Shopper — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 03:39:00 GMT

I purchased my Confidence 2 in 1 Elliptical about a month ago and have been very impressed. I was not sure how I would like using an elliptical, and how much I would actually exercise, so I was very price conscious with this purchase. I have dealt with Confidence golf equipment and have been very pleased with the quality and amazed at the low prices. So I felt I could trust this purchase.

I am once again amazed by the quality of the product and the low price. Now I am not going to try and convince you that this is as good as what you would find in a gym. But if you are looking for a sturdy, effective, quality machine that provides a really good workout, then you will like the Confidence 2 in 1 Elliptical. I really like the fact that it is also a stationary bike. I use the seat and warm up for two or three minutes before I stand up to use it as an elliptical. This machine performs just as it should and gives me a good workout. I look forward to continued workouts. My goal is to get under 200 pounds for the first time in 15 years. I have lost 15 so far and am on my way.

If you are looking for an affordable elliptical that is good quality, you can't beat the Confidence 2 in 1 elliptical cross trainer and exercise bike. I also got free shipping. See how.

Tips On Getting Ready For The Golf Season

Professional Golf Shopper — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 01:16:00 GMT

Over the winter our golf games and bodies get rusty. To be ready for the upcoming season you can knock the rust off by following these five tips; perfect your grip, sharpen your posture, swing something heavy, improve your putting mechanics, and increase your flexibility and strength. All of these can be done at home and all will make you a better player.

Perfect Your Grip: Learning a correct grip is one of the easiest things in golf. All you have to do is put your hands on the club correctly. No big deal! However, people resist change in their grip because it feels funny. Overcome that feeling before you start to play this season by gripping the club correctly at home, without swinging the club, over and over until it feels comfortable. You can do this while you watch television. The more times you put your hands on the club correctly, the faster it will feel normal. If your grip is correct you should hit better quality shots.

Sharpen Your Posture and Setup: This is another task you can perform at home without hitting any golf balls. Get yourself in front of a mirror and make your setup picture perfect. Make sure bend at the waist correctly, with your rear end sticking out, and your back flat. Tilt your spine away from the target by setting your front hip higher than your back hip. Having great posture will let your body turn correctly, again making it easier to hit quality golf shots.

Swing Something Heavy: This is a great way to develop a good rhythmic golf swing. Try swinging a broom, the Orange Whip , or the PowerChute . These three things will help you loosen your up your golf muscles and actually improve the sequence of your golf swing. Focus on swinging with rhythm and not speed. Make twenty five to forty swings a day.

Improve Your Putting Stroke: If you own a putting mirror , great. If you don’t, get one. Using a putting mirror is one of the best ways to improve your putting stroke. You can use it on the carpet or one of those little putting mats. The first thing you should do is make sure your setup is correct. Your eyes should be over the back of the ball, and your shoulders hips and feet should be parallel to the target line. Next use it to learn the correct path to the stroke. The mirror should have lines on it to use as a stroke guide. Practice several times a week.

Improve Your Strength and Flexibility: Start a simple stretching and strength program. If you make slight improvements in this area you will see good results in your game. A couple of products that I use are the GolfGym Power Swing Trainer and the BodyLastics Home Gym . These are two of the best products and easiest to use. They are great for your home training. Work on your shoulders and core rotation. This is a good place to start.

If you follow these tips you will be ready at the beginning of the season and see great improvement in your game.

New Dynacraft Prophet Tour Forged CNC Iron from Hireko

Professional Golf Shopper — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 03:19:00 GMT

Hireko  has entered the forged club market with their new Dynacraft Prophet Tour Forged irons. This is a beautiful, traditional looking blade with a CNC milled shallow cavity to add forgiveness. I will be attending the 2011 PGA Merchandise Show later this month and this club will be on my list of things to see. I will give a full report when I return, but for now, read what Hireko says about this club.

The original cast Dynacraft Prophet Tour iron was such a success, there was a call for a forged iron with a similar design. But instead of just using any old forging, we invested in a completely new tooling featuring advanced technology. If you are looking for the ultimate in irons, the Dynacraft Prophet Tour CNC Forged iron is it. Meticulously crafted from a raw block of ultrasoft carbon steel, the Prophet Tour CNC iron incorporates technology previously not available. CNC milling is used to create a shallow cavity and a undercut stability slot to add forgiveness to a traditional blade.

Gift Ideas For Golfers

Professional Golf Shopper — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 15:10:00 GMT

What is on your Christmas gift list year? Do you need new clubs, or are you looking to improve your game? I tend to focus my golf gifts on items that will help improve my game. Yes, the new driver or set of irons are shiny and exciting, but will they really make you a better golfer?

In this post, I am going to give you my list of golf gifts that will improve your golf game. Whether you are looking to improve your golf swing, short game, or golf fitness, these gift ideas will get the job done. The gifts will range from high end to very affordable, but all are very effective.

The gift that tops my high end list this year is a home putting green from Tour Links. I think this would be the coolest gift you could give the golfer on your list. These greens range from $300 up to thousands of dollars, and can fit in a room, basement, or garage, or can be custom designed for your back yard. What a great way to improve your putting than to be able to practice at home.

When you talk about improving your game, you need to talk about training aids. Here is my training aid wish list for 2010:

Impact Solutions For Golf: learn to hit down on the ball like a tour player, and develop proper impact positions in the full swing, pitch shots, and putting stroke.
The Putting T-Bar: a new training aid that is awesome. Use the coupon code "brisbane" and get a $10 discount.
The Powerchute: increase your club head speed and fix your swing, promo code "mb10" gets free shipping.
The Orange Whip : develop a smooth swing with tour player tempo. Promo code "brisbane" receives a $10 discount.
Golf Gym Fitness Equipment: Get your body and golf swing in shape.
Eyeline Golf Putting Mirror: a putting mirror should be a part of every serious golfer's equipment, and Eyeline Golf has the one used by tour players.
Visit Professional Golf Shopper for more great gift ideas.

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a safe Holiday Season.

Stop Slicing The Golf Ball

Professional Golf Shopper — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 00:14:00 GMT

The most common problem for golfers is the slice, and how to stop slicing the golf ball. As a PGA Golf Instructor, I face this question every week. To solve this problem you must first understand why you slice the golf ball, before you can stop slicing. The slice is caused by a club path that is to much out to in, or over the top, and a clubface that is open. These two components create side spin on the golf ball ,making it curve to the right, for the right handed golfer.

So why do golfers perform these two components at the same time? The answer lies in our subconscious. Our subconscious is very active in golf and it is always trying to solve problems. However, it never gets to the cause of the problem, it always adds another flaw to compensate for the original problem. So it becomes the story of the chicken or the egg. Which came first, the over the top swing path, or the open club face? It could be either one, and the subconscious added the second component to try and solve the problem. But this is a slippery slope that will always cause you headaches and frustration in your game.

To stop slicing the ball you must address both problems. You must swing the club on the correct path and learn to square the club face. If you fix one without the other, you will hit either pulls or pushes. This is very difficult to do on your own. So I created a training/practice aid to help my students accomplish this task. I began thinking, if I could eliminate one of the flaws for you, then your subconscious would help you fix the other problem. That is why I invented Impact Solutions For Golf . This swing training guide will not let you come over the top. If you do you will hit the guide with your club. The first few swings will be awkward, but you will quickly figure out how not to hit the guides. Then if you deliver your club face to the ball open, with a on plane shaft, you will hit push slices, which you won't like. But this is where the subconscious comes into play. It will want to fix the shot hit to the right, but it will know it can't come over the top, so it will square the club face. It is the only option it has.

My experience using the Impact Solutions For Golf with my students is that by the 5th swing, they hit a solid, straight shot. They stop slicing the golf ball. The secret then becomes using the Impact Solutions For Golf as a practice aid. Every time you practice, hit balls next to the guides. This will cause you to create a new habit, an on plane swing, with a square club face.

The impact solutions For Golf also will help you hit down on the ball, stop hitting shanks, and hit your pitch shots and putts more solid. This is an incredible training aid. If you want to stop hitting a slice, you need to try Impact Solutions For Golf .

Michael Brisbane, PGA
Director of Instruction
Azalea City GC

Learn To Swing Down On The Golf Ball

Professional Golf Shopper — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 01:44:00 GMT

If you want to be a good ball stiker you must learn to swing down on the golf ball. In a properly hit golf shot you must hit the ball first then the ground. The shaft of the club must be leaned forward, and the club head lags behind your hands. The divot occurs in front of the ball. This action imparts back spin on the ball, which allows you to control the ball when it lands on the green.

This description of impact is one of the most difficult things to learn. I think it is difficult because it goes against logic. Logic tells us that we need to get the club under the ball to lift it off of the ground. However, the action of lifting causes topped shots, fat shots, or shots hit without power and spin.

There are many drills and training aids that can be used to learn the correct impact position, and I have tried most of them. Nothing is a s good as the new training aid that I have invented, Impact Solutions For Golf . I feel like it is the easiest to use, and most efficient training/practice aid, I have ever seen. It is a guide that forces you to swing the club to impact correctly. You will discover the correct feelings of proper impact. You will feel the sensation of taking a divot in the correct place, and launching the ball upward with spin. The Impact Solutions For Golf is pictured below. You must swing your club over the piece behind the ball which creates a descending blow on the ball. You also must swing inside the piece outside the ball, which forces your club to swing on plane. It can be used for your full swing, pitch and chip shots, as well as putting. The Impact Solutions For Golf is made out of laminated, corrugated cardboard, so it will not hurt your equipment if you strike it. But using it as a practice aid gives you instant feed back if you make an incorrect swing. Visit Impact Solutions For Golf's website to view videos and get more information.

Learn How To Practice Golf At Home

Professional Golf Shopper — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 16:03:00 GMT

As a PGA golf instructor, I always recommend drills and exercises for my students to perform at home, away from the ball. Working on your swing mechanics at home can be the most effective form of practice for fixing your swing motion. Students who commit to correct home practice tend to change their swing faster and have long lasting change.

In order to learn a motion, or motor skill, we must perform a certain number of correct repetitions. When you work on your swing at home, and away from the ball, you focus 100% on the motion instead of the shot. The more correct repetitions you perform, the faster you will learn the motion, and commit it to habit.

Let me use an example to help explain. Let's say that student "a" is working on their back swing pivot. They are trying to turn their left shoulder behind the ball instead of making a reverse pivot. They go to the driving range and hit 100 balls. Out of that 100 balls, how many correct back swings would they perform? From my experience, at the beginning of the learning process, they would make less than 20% of their swings correctly. So let's say they made 20 correct back swings. Well that means that they made 80 incorrect back swings. So my question is which one did they get better at performing? They answer is they got better at the incorrect swing.

Now, let's take the same student and have them work on their back swing pivot at home and in front of a mirror. They will perform 100 back swing pivot drills looking in the mirror. How many of the 100 repetitions will they perform correctly? The answer should be 100, because they are watching themselves. This type of practice is the fastest way to learn a motor skill. Once the skill is learned then it is very easy to apply it to the ball.

Their are many practice aids for use at home. The most important one for me is a mirror . You can work on all parts of your game in front of a mirror. The PowerChute and Orange Whip are very effective swing training aids that can be used at home. A heavy ball or heavy club can also be effective if used correctly. I also like the GolfGym Power Swing Trainer for home use. It not only helps with swing mechanics, but also on your fitness. The point here is to dedicate a portion of your practice time to home. Focus on your motion and build a sound swing.

Dynacraft ICT And Prophet ICT Adjustable Drivers And Fairway Woods

Professional Golf Shopper — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 21:03:00 GMT

Dynacraft has entered the adjustable hosel driver and fairway wood market, with the ICT and Prophet ICT models. I am very impressed with the quality, playability, and ease of adjustment. The 8 position hosel allows for differing lie and face angles to suit your swing tendencies. The Dynacraft line of clubs is manufactured by Hireko Golf . The attention to detail and quality is on par with the top line manufacturers.

As a PGA golf instructor I have recommended clubs from Hireko to my students and have not been disappointed. If you have been wanting top try an adjustable hosel driver now is the time. The Dynacraft ICT and Prophet ICT come assembled for Just $119. Or if you are a club maker you can buy the components separately. Give this driver a try, I know you will be impressed.

Long Drive Champ Jason Zuback Partners With PowerChute!

Professional Golf Shopper — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 00:44:00 GMT

Here is a press release from PowerChute. Visit Professional Golf Shopper to get a promo to save 30%.

NAPLES, Fla. - Octagon, Inc., in partnership with Powerchute Sports, has announced that five-time RE/MAX Long Drive champion Jason Zuback will endorse the revolutionary Powerchute swing training tool.

"I am very excited to let golfers know about the benefits of the Powerchute," said Zuback. "I am a believer because it is a tool that has helped me achieve the success that I have had in the long drive sport. The great thing is that the Powerchute is a tool that will help golfers of all skill and experience levels by dramatically increasing clubhead speed and developing proper sequencing. Quite simply, Powerchute is the best training aid I have used to develop speed and make my swing better!"

Zuback won his record fifth RE/MAX Long Drive Championship in 2006 after using an earlier version of the Powerchute training tool. He was a catalyst for the growth of the sport when he won four consecutive titles from 1996-1999. He is the only competitor to have won more than three world championships. Zuback was inducted into the Long Drivers Hall of Fame in 2003.

"I realized before the 2006 RE/MAX Long Drive Championship that I needed to try something new to put my game over the top. That's when I discovered the Powerchute, and I can honestly tell you that it was the one thing that I did differently to win the title for the first time in seven years," said Zuback. "If I was to have only one training aid the Powerchute would be it."

Zuback is the all-time leading money winner in Long Drive competition. He established a record of 1,472 days without a loss in a Long Drivers of America sanctioned competition. Zuback broke the world record for ball speed on an episode of FSN's Sport Science with a golf ball speed of 204 mph and has been recorded as high as 222 mph. He also owns the longest drive in competition at 463 yards and was witnessed hitting a drive 520 yards on a golf course.

Recently, Zuback traveled to Naples and filmed an instructional video featuring the Powerchute with Jim Sowerwine, who redesigned and reengineered the Powerchute. The video, which also features commentary by golf legend Jack Nicklaus, will be featured at trade shows and golf expos around the country.

Learn How To Increase Your Club Head Speed

Professional Golf Shopper — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 03:26:00 GMT

Club head speed is a result of proper swing technique and sequencing, combined with strength and flexibility. If you want to increase your club head speed you will need to look at these two areas.

I would first look at your swing sequence. The swing sequence is the manner in which the components of your swing wind up or coil, and then the order in which they unwind. Simply, the golf swing must unwind from the bottom up. It begins with a change of pressure in your feet, then the lower body begins to unwind towards the target. The lower body pulls on the upper body which starts to turn. The upper body pulls on the left arm which pulls on the left wrist which pulls on the shaft of the club which pulls on the club head. If your down swing uses this sequence, you will be generating maximum power. However, most golfers do not have this type of sequence. There are many ways to screw up the sequence. I suppose the most popular flaw is starting the down swing with the shoulders, throwing the arms and club over the top.

I have been introduced to a great new training aid that is designed to increase your club head speed. It is called the PowerChute . The great thing about this product is that by creating resistance in the down swing, it automatically causes the correct swing sequence. I have tried the PowerChute on golfers with terrible swing sequences, and slow club head speed and it has improved everyone.

The second component of club head speed is strength and flexibility. If you suffer or lack in these areas you can not generate fast club head speed. There are great products that I recommend to my students that will help improve these areas. GolfGym is a company that specializes in golf fitness equipment. I am a personal fan of the PowerSwing Trainer and the Power Bandz . Both products can be used at home, and come with demonstration dvds. If you are really serious about getting into golf shape, you should look at Joey Ds book, "Fix Your Body, Fix Your Swing" . It is the best golf fitness book I have ever seen.

Lost Or Used Balls Are Easy On The Golf Budget

Professional Golf Shopper — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 22:54:00 GMT

If you have never seen the quality of golf balls offered by the lost ball companies, you will be surprised. It is difficult to tell the difference between used and new.

I met two such companies at last years merchandise show, and was blown away by the quality and price. Lost Golf Balls and Used Golf Ball Deals offer a great option to new balls. They offer all of the major brands, at different grades, which allows you to choose your price. If I wasn't a pro, and didn't get my balls for free, I think this would be where I purchased my golf balls. You need to see the deals!

50 Titliest Pro V1 AAA in Bucket........$49.95
100 Nike One Black...........................$44.95

Component Companies Provide Alternative For Beginners, High Handicappers, and Discount Golfers

Professional Golf Shopper — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 01:07:00 GMT

As a PGA teaching professional I recommend clubs to students all of the time. The decisions would be easy if there was one solution for everyone, but there isn't. Every golfer doesn't need clubs from the top manufacturers and I have found that the component golf companies provide a great alternative.

When suggesting golf clubs to a student I look at the needs of each individual. What is their skill level? Do they need a full set? What is their budget? Are they looking for a certain brand? In the past, the hardest golfer to suggest clubs for was the beginner, or high handicapper, that doesn't need a full set of clubs, and is on a budget. It was hard to find quality clubs that satisfy these needs. Until I found a couple of component companies that make great quality clubs at real reasonable prices.

The company that I have used most is Hireko Golf . I find them to be the perfect solution for the beginner, high handicapper, or budget golfer. You can go online to their site, order just the clubs you wan,t and customize them to fit you. Hireko allows you to select; brand of shaft, flex and length, brand of grip and size of grip, and the lie angle of your irons. Another company that offers the same options in Pinemeadow Golf .

Just today I gave a beginner adult clinic. I had a gentleman that didn't have clubs and asked my advise. He has special needs because he is about six foot five inches and didn't want to spend a lot of money. So I suggested clubs from Hireko . The set make up that I chose was a driver, a 4 wood, a 4 hybrid, a 6 & 8 iron, a pw and sw. The driver and 4 wood we ordered regular length, the hybrid we ordered +1/2", the irons we ordered +1/2" and 2 degrees upright, and the putter was ordered at 35.5". He is getting a set of clubs that suit his needs and when he improves we can fill in the gaps.

If you are looking for clubs to suit your needs don't be afraid of the component club companies, they may offer just what you want.

Father's Day Gift Ideas

Professional Golf Shopper — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 02:31:00 GMT

This Father's Day give dad something that will help his golf game. Professional Golf Shopper features some of the most quality products in golf.

Give him the best money clip I have seen, The Money Clamp
Help dad increase his distance and improve his golf fitness
Is dad a reader? How about an autographed copy of a great golf book
Does dad play golf in the cold weather? Then he will enjoy a cart cover
Help him enjoy his round with a three wheeled push cart
Does he get tired of hitting practice balls off of mats? Give him the Fairway Pro divot simulator practice mat
What about a PGA Pro suggested golf training aid
Find great sales at some of the major online golf retailers
How about some new clubs
Help dad improve his short game with a couple of products from EyeLine Golf

I am confident that any dad would be happy with any of these gifts.

Is Your Junior Golfer Practicing Correctly?

Professional Golf Shopper — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 01:17:00 GMT

Summer time is here, and juniors are flocking to the golf course. Wether it is for a junior tournament, clinic, or a day of play and practice. But is your junior golfer practicing correctly?

As an instructor the summer is my busiest time of the year. A large part of my time is spent teaching junior golfers, and one of the biggest areas of emphasis is teaching junior golfers how to practice. I see a lot of wasted time, effort, and money by kids just banging balls without any purpose, hitting putt after putt without thought, and playing golf without a plan. This is a good way to get through a hot summer day having fun with your friends, but not really good for your golf game. I try to teach my juniors to be efficient in their practice and get the most from their time. I want them to hit balls with goal in mind, chip and putt to very specific targets, and work on improving their set up and fitness. If they practice with a plan, and have quality practice time, they don't have to practice as long, which leaves more time for play.

Let me share the practice tools I recommend for my serious junior golfers. I recommend that they all get the Dr. Bob Rotella dvd series "Practice Like A Pro" . If you have never seen this, you should, it is great. Dr. Rotella talks to his tour players about how they practice and play practice rounds. This is invaluable information. I also recommend that they get a set of Golf Rings . These are a target system that is used in the short game for chipping and putting. They give specific targets and make practice more fun. I like all of them to have a putting mirror so they can continually monitor their putting setup. And I like them to have the GolfGym Power Swing Trainer to improve their strength. If you have a junior golfer that is taking the game seriously, give him/her the tools to practice correctly.

Get Advice From A PGA Professional

Professional Golf Shopper — Thu, 27 May 2010 09:00:00 GMT

If you would like advice from a PGA Professional on golf equipment, golf lessons, training aids, or any other golf related topic, you have come to the right place. I am a PGA Teaching Professional and would be glad to answer any of your golf questions.

I know it gets confusing, with everyone giving you advice, from friends to equipment manufacturers. Well I would like to make things easy for you. I will give you straight forward answers, and as informed advice as I can. If I don't know the answer, I will try and direct you to where you can find the answer.

You can ask you questions two ways. The first way is through the Professional Golf Shopper's Forum . This is the method I would prefer you to seek. This way others can benefit from your questions and my answers. However if you don't feel comfortable asking your question in a forum, you can contact me directly via email. I am confident that you will enjoy my advice.

Hit Your Primary Target To Pitch It Closer To The Hole

Professional Golf Shopper — Tue, 18 May 2010 16:40:00 GMT

One of the biggest issues I see in golfer's ability to pitch the ball close to the hole is their inability to hit their primary target. What is your primary target? Your primary target is the landing spot for your pitch shot. The hole is your final or secondary target. If you can land the ball in the proper spot for the shot your are trying to hit, and hit the shot with the correct pace, you will get the ball closer to the hole more often.

Golfers tend to focus on the hole to much. If you make correct decisions on what shot to hit, with the correct club, then all you need to worry about is hitting your primary target. I get students to practice using a specific target, the Golf Ring. If you can visualize your landing area you will have a better chance of hitting that spot. I try and get them to focus on the Golf Ring and not worry where the ball finishes. What we typically find is that all of the balls end in the same location as the golfer gets better at hitting the Golf Ring. Once you get consistent in hitting the ring, start using different clubs and see how they react and where they finish. This is important information which will allow you to make better decisions on the golf course.

Notice the ring closest to the fringe, thiat is the primary target.

For Most Golfers, Some Fitness Training Is Beneficial

Professional Golf Shopper — Fri, 14 May 2010 13:21:00 GMT

As the golf fitness industry grows, you need to assess your your golf game, your fitness level, your commitment to practice, and your golf goals, to decide what level of fitness program you need. For most golfers "some" fitness training is enough, and will be beneficial for your game.

Before I start hearing from the fitness gurus on how being in great shape will make you a better player, let me say, I agree with you. The reality, however, is that most golfers are not going to commit to that level of fitness training. So what I am suggesting is to do something physical to improve your fitness, and any improvement will benefit your golf game. It can be as simple as a stretching program and some walking, and it could include some strength training. It doesn't have to take hours a day, it could take 30 minutes a day two-four days a week.

There are several products that I recommend to help my students improve their golf fitness. GolfGym offers a couple of products that I think are excellent. The most basic and easiest to use is the GolfGym PowerSwing Trainer . Using this product for 10-20 minutes a day three or four days a week will show great results for most golfers. You will increase your flexibility and strength while performing golf swing specific movements. For the golfer that may want more you should try the GolfGym Power Bandz . This product uses the types of exercises used by the PGA Tour professionals. This is a more intense golf workout and will require a higher level of training. If you are just starting a golf fitness program, I would start with the PowerSwing Trainer and then move into the Power Bandz.

If you are looking for a more overall body workout I would recommend BodyLastics Home Gym . This product that allows you to easily work all areas of your body. It uses stretch tubes of different resistance, that easily attach to handles or leg straps. You can perform almost any type of exercise movement you want with BodyLastics. It comes with an exercise manual showing different exercises for different body parts, and what combination of exercises will work together. The manual actually has a golf specific workout suggestion. There are also free online workouts if you like working out with someone else. I think this is an outstanding product and it can handle anything you want to accomplish.

So if you want to improve your golf game do something physical. Any fitness improvement will benefit your golf game and make you feel better.

Power Swing Trainer Power Bandz BodyLastics Home Gym

You Must Train Your Mental Game

Professional Golf Shopper — Mon, 10 May 2010 13:20:00 GMT

As a student improves their mechanics in golf, they must also train their mental game. Training golf's mental game takes practice just like training your mechanics.

We all have suffered the total mental collapse on the golf course. Whether it was needing a par on the last hole to shoot our best score, or playing a career front nine only to have a disastrous back nine. When this happens we like to use the words like choked, gagged, collapsed, and fell apart. I like to look at it from a different perspective, if you have never been in that situation before how are you supposed to know how to handle it. You must prepare your mental game for these situations.

As kids we played games, pretending that we were on the last hole of the US Open with a putt to win. Or that we had a foul shot with no time left on the clock to win a big game. These types of games prepare us for the real situation. In golf we must practice our mental game in order to perform at our best. We need to get our nerves all jumpy and our heart pounding, then learn to hit good shots. We need to accomplish this in practice and in casual rounds. I get most of my information on the mental game from reading books by Dr. Bob Rotella .

Dr. Rotella is the leading sports psycologist in golf and works with many players on the PGA Tour. His latest book, "Your 15th Club" , deals with training your mental game. It is a fantastic book. If you have never read any of Dr. Rotella's books, or seen any of his dvds, you are missing out. His approach is simple to understand and makse sense. I recommend all of his books and dvds to my students, but if you just want a few, I would recommend reading "Golf Is Not A Game Of Perfect" and "Your 15th Club" in that order. I would also recommend his dvd set titled "Rotella Speaks" . Start training your mental game and start shooting lower scores.

The Orange Whip Still Remains A Hot Product

Professional Golf Shopper — Thu, 06 May 2010 16:15:00 GMT

The Orange Whip swing trainer remains one of the hottest training aids in golf. I reported on the Orange Whip after the PGA Merchandise Show as one of the best products of the show, and it remains hot.

The Orange Whip is so good because it is simple to use and very effective. It works on several components of the golf swing at the same time, and can be used anywhere. If you have nevere seen the orange whip you need to visit ProfessionalGolfShopper.com to see a video, get a coupon code that will save you money.

I am glad to see the success of the Orange Whip. These are good guys who have created a great product. I use the Orange Whip with my students all the time.

My Actual Recommendation, Yesterday, On Wedges For A High Handicapper

Professional Golf Shopper — Mon, 03 May 2010 12:26:00 GMT

I wanted to share with you this story, of my recommendation for wedges to a friend who is a high handicap golfer.

My brother, who is a sales rep. in the golf industry, called me yesterday, to get some wedges for a friend of his. This gentleman is a high handicap golfer, who shoots in the 90's. I have actually given this man a few lessons, so I know his skill level. This man wants a gap, a sand, and a lob wedge. He wants wedges that will help him get the ball in the air and are easy to hit. So he needs something with a cavity back, a lot of weight low on the club, and high bounce. He wants me to order the wedges from my golf shop, in Mobile, AL, and have them shipped to Houston, TX. He will give me a credit card to pay for them.

So, I basically have a free run at this guy, I wasn't given a price range, a desired manufacturer, or any other requests, just get me some wedges. So I told my brother I would do some research and get back to him. I thought about what we had in stock at the golf shop. All great wedges, but more of a tour type wedge. I searched the major retail stores to see what they offered, and again, all tour style wedges. I quickly realized that the type of wedge I was looking for is the type that comes with a set of clubs, and the manufacturers don't really sell them separately. So I went to Hireko Golf , a company that I talked with at the PGA Merchandise show, and found exactly what I wanted.

I recommended the Hireko Acer XC Wedges . They have a thin top line and limited offset so they look traditional from the top. But the weight is distributed to the bottom of the club with an undercut cavity back. They have square grooves which will help this gentleman create more spin. They came in three lofts, 52, 56, and 60, which is just what he wanted. They come stock with an Apollo steel shaft and a Karma velvet grip, again all suitable for his level of play. However, if you want to upgrade the shaft and grip, you can custom order with many options. The base price is $24.95 per wedge. Custom shafts and grips will increase the cost.

He made the purchase last night, online, and was impressed enough that he sent the information to his son. I know that he will be happy with the Hireko Acer XC Wedges , and if your the same type of golfer, you would be too.