All posts by jonnyround

How to stop golf clubs closing down

Royal Lytham
Royal Lytham

The golf clubs have got to be more imaginative in their membership offerings.The majority of players do not want or can afford to have so called 7 day membership to only play on a Saturday or a Sunday. I for example can only play on a Tuesday and Thursday so why join a golf club when I can play anywhere I want for a lot less money. This why the “floating golfer” is taking advantage of cheap green fees to play other golf courses.

They also have to be more family friendly. Go to the continent and see the families at the golf clubs it is part of the social scene. The clubs have to make themselves part of the community and play an active role in the local society.

Advertising cheap memberships does not create new golfers it just steals them from other clubs. sure there will be clubs that can take a high handed approach but for the majority it is literally Sink Or Swim We have to get rid of the old style “fuddy duddy”, “must maintain Standards” attitude that prevails at a lot of golf clubs. Dress codes that
are so out of synch with the rest of modern society. How many men in all walks of life never wear a tie with a suit these days it is seen everywhere.

I had a friend who would not wear short sleave shirts because he had tattoos on his arms and he felt that these were looked down on by the membership at his club.

It is not enough just to encourage Junior golfers they have to be made welcome and part of the fabric of the club.

Until the clubs embrace this modern world they will continue to die. I think that the time a round takes is a red herring the clubs have just got to be more accommodating as to when players want to play their golf. I also believe that the ” 2 for1″ promotions while looking good for the clubs has killed revenue and encouraged golfers from being club members. A change in attitude will bring a change in fortune for the average golf club.

SWINGSMART Digital Swing Analyser

SwingsmartThe Swingsmart swing analyser is a new piece of golf tech with the aim, of offering ‘the ultimate in affordable golf swing analysis’ via ‘a new innovative game-improvement system that provides instant and accurate feedback on critical elements of a player’s game.’

Swingsmart is backed by CBS golf analyst Peter Kostis, and has been on sale in the U.S. since last autumn.

The device weighs in at just 19 grammes. The motion sensor clips to the shaft of the club with which you want to practise, and you’re almost ready to go.

Just before you swinging, you need to connect the motion sensor to your iPad, Android tablet or smartphone, via a Bluetooth connection. You also need to download the Swingsmart app.

Once connected, the idea is to swing, then turn and instantly look at the display on your tablet or phone. Graphical and numerical results should immediately be there for swing tempo, swing speed, club face angle, and angle of attack.

The Swingsmart display is very user-friendly. Anything but boring or tough-to-decifer numbers, but instead colourful 3D graphics which make it an enjoyable, and easy-to-follow, experience.

Some 60 balls were hit in the test, with (deliberate, for once) variations of swing speed, draw, fade and distance. The motion sensor was snapped on and off clubs ranging all the way from 5I to driver, to see if it’s data capture was stable for all lengths of shaft.

The manufacturers say you can easily take this out on the course itself, and test it in playing conditions, rather than at the range.

Overall, Swingsmart seems to have all parts of the game covered in an impressive, and user-friendly, manner.

Whether in itself it can provide you with enough information to fix the flaws of your game is open to debate, but it certainly offers accurate information of a type that can at the very least be used as a discussion point with your local teaching pro.

Five Great Sites for the Latest in Golf News

There are many online sites that are excellent for keeping up-to-date with Golf news. Here are just a few of the best sites to follow the goings on in golf across the globe:

BBC Sport

The BBC is one of the largest broadcasting companies in the world with correspondents operating across the world to bring you the latest news in an instant. Their Sports site has been providing up-to-date sports coverage since launching in 2000, as well as archiving published stories since the launch that are easy to access with their “Search” bar.

You can find out which golf competitions are being broadcast across the next seven days by checking out their TV schedule or Radio schedule. There is also an online/interactive schedule that includes details of Red Button coverage. The BBC has provided a link to livesportontv.com for finding sport on channels other that the BBC.

If you have an RSS feed reader, the BBC Golf page has feeds for the latest news as well as video and audio, allowing you to access the latest information without having to spend time hunting for it. Simply scroll down to the bottom of the Golf home page and subscribe. How handy!

Sky Sports

Sky Sports is another excellent website for providing breaking news of worldwide golf coverage, including pages dedicated to the Masters, European, and US Tour.

You can follow the latest golf news from the Sky Sports Golf page and for those that are social network savvy, up-to-date news is provided on their Twitter, Facebook and Google+ pages. Sky Sports also provides an RSS feed for instant access to Golf news.

If you enjoy going to the pub to watch the golf, Sky has provided a clever pub finder to help you easily find a venue. Another lovely little bonus from Sky Sports is their free online Golf Challenge game.

Todays GolferGolf Today

Golf Today has been providing extensive golf content since 1996, reaching 6 million golfers across the globe. They feature 65,000+ pages of golfing content, including information on where to play, golf holidays and golf tuition.

Their home page features the latest golf news and latest equipment news amongst other articles of interest or for a simple and easy way of keeping in touch with the latest news, you can sign up to their newsletter.

If you are keen on working in the industry, the website also features a useful Jobs page.

Golf Monthly

Golf Monthly is the world’s oldest monthly golf magazine having been established in 1911. Not only does Golf Monthly offer a monthly printed magazine which you can subscribe to or purchase at a newsagent, their website offers an abundance of golf information as well as the latest news.

Equipment video reviews are available on the website as well as a fantastic forum where you can keep in touch with other avid golfers about anything to do with the industry (including buying and selling of used equipment, arranging games with forum members, and an “Ask the Experts” section, to name but a few topics).

A newsletter is also available to sign up to.

Today’s Golfer

Along with its sister magazine Golf World, Today’s Golfer is one of the best-selling golf magazines in the UK. They aim to help golfers play better, buy better and find the best places to play.

As well as providing the latest, up-to-the-minute news on equipment, events, tournaments (such as Masters 2013) and golf courses, Today’s Golfer website publishes weekly competitions with prizes such as golf holidays or signed clubs as well as a Blog page with regular articles from Gary Wolstenholme, David West and retired cricket legend, Freddie Flintoff whom is planning on taking up the game seriously.

Today’s Golfer also provides a Golf Advice and Golf Chat forum, a section on how to improve your golf and information on 2-Fore!-1, the UK’s largest and best discount golf scheme.