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What Is The Hardest Sport To Master

Written by Tony M. in Golfing


When I talk to people about golf, they seem to have this perception that it’s an easy sport to play.  They also seem to think that it’s an extremely boring sport to play and watch. I disagree with them 100%.

The 10 reasons why golf is the hardest sport to master are listed below, these aren’t the only reasons.  They’re just the ones that I could think of off the top of my head.  Golf is hands down a very difficult game to play and master.  I think most people find it hard for the majority of the reasons that I have listed below.

My Thoughts

I believe people assume golf is an easy sport to play because “they” in most cases have never actually played the game.  Maybe they stumbled upon the last day of a tournament on CBS and thought to themselves wow, that looks easy, I could do that no problem.

I mean think about it, what could be so hard about hitting a ball? I have heard that before no doubt.  This blog post isn’t just for new golfers, even though they might get the most out of it. So give it a read and let me know what you think in the comments below.

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Number One

The mental game – I would say 99.99% of people that are eating food don’t think about choking on that food while they’re eating. It’s just something we can do without thinking about it.  

Now, imagine every time you ate your food you actually thought about trying not to choke. I would say the chances of you actually choking go up, versus you not thinking about it and you actually choking.

Golf is like this in every aspect of the game, your mental game is most likely a major reason why your score is where it is today.  Your mental game is why you nailed the center of that pond after having so many great drives.

Your mental game is why you top the ball when you were teeing off because your buddies were watching you.  And your mental game is why you may think the game of golf is so hard…but it’s not impossible.

For those people that are regular players, you probably understand what I’m talking about.  Golf is definitely no walk in the park even though some days it sure feels that way.

If you built your game up to a certain skill level and the only thing getting in your way is your thoughts, you need to focus on mental training.

I would suggest reading a book called Zen golf, this will probably answer most of your questions about the mental side.  

Every golfer struggles with mastering the mental side of golf and I’m not trying to say I don’t hit the center of the pond every now and then.

There’s a reason why my dad told me to keep my eye on the ball and don’t think about anything else.  He gave me this advice when I was a kid and I give the same advice to new players as well. KISS, keep it simple stupid.  

He didn’t tell me in those exact words but that’s essentially what you meant.

Number Two

Your Golf Swing –  like I mentioned earlier in the post, some people think that golf is really easy to play. I’m sure this has happened to you before.  

A buddy at work was talking to you about golf and you guys decided to go play together. Turns out all that talking that he was doing “how hard can it be” or “it’s just a little white ball, I can make it fly” was only because he had no idea what he was talking about in the first place.  

Their golf swing was meant for a bloopers reel, but they thought their swing was identical to Tiger Woods.  That’s understandable though, I remember when I thought my golf swing looked good.

Until I started doing video recordings of my swing and found out that it looked absolutely nothing like what a pros swing looks like.

There’s a reason why the pros all have somewhat similar swings. That reason is that it’s a proven method of hitting the golf ball proficiently.

The way your golf swing looks directly reflects your skill level, in most cases. But there are some people on tour who have some pretty unique golf swings, J.B. Holmes and Bubba Watson to name a couple.  

Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with their swing fundamentally. They just have unique swings and I definitely enjoy watching them.  And they definitely wouldn’t be on PGA Tour if they weren’t able to make it work.

I would say the golf swing is another major hurdle that most new golfers face and is a reason why golf is so hard. I don’t believe it’s the most important part of your game but a lot of golfers spend the majority of their time on the golf swing. I know I did, I was obsessed with studying other professional golfers swing.

You know what they say if you want to be the best at something you got a copy of the best person in that sport or activity.  I agree with this to some extent, I mean, I tried to make my golf swing look identical to Tiger Woods.

Not the best idea by the way but it did make me realize that I was trying to compare myself to a god…almost.

My advice is don’t overcomplicate it.  What I mean by that is if you are just starting out and all you want to do is enjoy the game of golf, keep it simple.

You don’t need to swing like Tiger Woods, you don’t need to swing like anybody on the PGA tour.

I think the reason why people think the game of golf is so hard is that they’re comparing themselves to these Pros.  Some people may even give up the game of golf because there swing isn’t like a pros swing.

I believe you would be missing out on a lifetime of happiness and some disappointment, but not much disappointment.  So don’t let the golf swing be the reason why you think the game of golf is so hard.

Number Three

Too many hazards – This is very true, and if you quit the game of golf because of this reason and this reason alone, I could understand but please reconsider. I actually did a post on 16 crazy ways to lose a golf ball, check it out.

But that’s like saying you don’t like playing basketball, or football because it’s too hard to make it to the basket or to the endzone. it’s just what makes these games so fun, otherwise, why would we even play them? you need to I have these moments of disappointment because it makes the moments of achievement so much greater.

sure, you may lose a golf ball on 17 out of 18 holes but it’s the hole that you don’t lose the golf ball that you remember the most. You obviously lose fewer golf balls if your skill level is higher, but don’t let this be the reason you quit the game of golf.

Number Four

It’s too long and tiring – This can be very true on those very busy days, like Father’s Day for example.  When it takes you five and a half hours to finish 18 holes. If you’re out in the sun for five and a half hours walking 18 holes, yeah, that’s a hard round of golf.

You can burn 1500 to 2000 calories during an 18 hole round of golf if you’re walking. If you’re not giving your body energy you’re doing your own game a disservice.  Sure, it’s a long game to play, but you need to be prepared and bring lunch or a snack. Don’t let the lack of energy be the reason you think the game of golf is hard.

I’m generally exhausted after I have walked 18 holes, I usually have zero energy left over and I usually have plenty of water and food.  If you account for the warm-up bucket of golf balls and all the swings you take during the round.

Also walking up and down hills while either carrying or pulling your golf bag, that takes a lot out of you.

Number Five

I hate the sand trap –  Yes, I know, this is a hazard but I wanted to separate this one specifically because us regular golfers hate them so very much.  This is just like those situations in life where you don’t like to do something but you know you have to do that “something” one day. Almost like receiving a random quiz in class, you know they’re coming but you don’t really know when.  Nobody really likes them but everybody deals with him.

I literally didn’t understand how pros hit out of the sand trap so easily for the longest time. Until one day I was watching Henrik Stenson playing out of a deep bunker, I was watching how he moved his body. His knees specifically and how he moved them during the swing.  I noticed how he transferred his weight and had his knees pointing near the direction he wanted the ball land.

I applied a similar technique to my own sand trap skills and it actually made it easier to get the ball out. I was pretty shocked that I hit a very flush sand shot, so where my playing buddies.

I don’t think playing out of the sand needs to be so stressful. Just tell your buddies “look out, I don’t want to hit you in the head”.  If they don’t give you plenty of room, that’s on them, it’s not like you can control what comes out of the trap.

Number Six

The rules –  I’ve been playing the game of golf since I was about 7 or 8 and I mean playing on the course. To be honest, I’m not going to make this that long because I don’t know all of the rules of golf.  I know just the right amount of rules that make it fun for me to play on the weekends.

You don’t need to know all the rules as a new golfer.  All you need to know is move as fast as you can while playing the best golf you can.  If a playing partner calls you out on something, just tell him you didn’t know. or tell them you’re just playing for fun and exercise and worry about their own game.

I’ve been playing golf with a Cambodian buddy of mine for 5 years. I guarantee you he couldn’t tell me how many strokes he gets penalized for hitting it in the water hazard.  But every time I play with him I know he’s enjoying the game of golf. Those rules are just guidelines to him, which is fine, it doesn’t bother me.

Number Seven

Playing in extreme weather – Well, extreme may be an extreme word to use because nobody really plays golf in below freezing temperatures…or do they?  I’m 100% guilty of this, do I regret it?  Not at all! 

Yes, bad weather can make the game of golf very hard to play but you can’t expect a perfect 70-degree day with slight overcast every single day.  No matter if you’re playing in 100-degree heat or 45-degree cold with sporadic downpours of rain.

The only thing you can do is prepare for the weather in advance. This may seem obvious but you would be surprised how many people show up to a round without tee’s or balls.  I’m guilty of this myself! You can easily buy these items at the clubhouse, this is how they make decent money too, they count on golfers forgetting to bring things.

Bring your sunscreen, bring your rain jacket, bring your beanie, and for god sakes bring your clubs!  Just show up ready for whatever because the unexpected rain cloud will show up one summer day and you will need your sunscreen and your rain suit.

Number 8

First Tee Jitters – Everyone that’s played golf gets these feelings, actually, I would say everyone feels something similar before starting any sports game.  Basketball, baseball, football, you name it, someone feels a little jittery before the game starts. This feeling can be amplified with golf though because it’s just you and there are three other players watching you.

This is what makes golf so special though, this type of pressure can turn boys into men pretty quick.  You could also say it can turn men into little boys too, it’s not easy to tee off with people watching you.

You almost have to trick your mind into thinking that these people are there to help you.  I mean, I have asked my playing partner to keep an eye on my ball in case I hit a bad shot. This isn’t really implying that I’m a bad golfer, it just takes the pressure off me a bit because there’s always the chance that I could shank it.

This touches on number 1, mental golf, first tee jitter can make the game hard but I honestly believe you can move past it.  With enough practice and mental mind hacks, you can tee off like a pro.

Number 9

The Ball Never Goes Where I Want It To Go – This is certainly frustrating and can take many months or years to figure out.  I mean, if you pick a spot where you want the ball to land, it should land in that exact spot, right? Maybe if you were playing EA Sports Tiger Woods golf, but in the real world, it can be so hard to get that ball to do what you want it to do.  

There are many factors that affect where the balls end up.  Even Tiger Woods wasn’t perfect in his prime but he was probably getting upset because he missed his target by a yard or two.

It’s relative based on the type of player you are and how well you are playing that day.  If you are new to golf, don’t beat yourself up over it, it takes a lot of practice to hit your targets consistently and course knowledge.

Again, if you are new to golf I would suggest you spend some time on the range before even setting foot on the course.  Don’t think it’s something you can just buy the gear and expect to be decent at. It takes a lot of practice, you need to put the hours in if you want good results.

Number 10

You add reasons 1 – 9 and you get to number 10 – That’s right, all the reasons I mentioned combined.  Think about it, and that’s not even all the reasons why golf is so hard. I’m sure there’s way more out there.

I mean, you’re dealing with a lot compared to other sports.  I think one other reason golf so hard compared to other sports is the amount of time you have in your own head.  What I mean is, you have so much more time to make a decision compared to other sports. All the other sports are so fast pace, they are making decisions really quick because they have to.

Golf though, you can change your mind ten different ways and still not be sure.  That’s because we have more time to think about our decision. And when we miss a shot we blame the golf gods…

Number 11

I know, I said 10 reasons but I wanted to put one more in the line up because I know it’s a valid reason why golf is so hard.  Putting, this is where you should be practicing the most and where they say the money is made but most players don’t. Putting is a given though, how could you ever miss a target that’s one foot away?  

I hope you enjoyed the post and got something out of it.  If you have a reason why golf is so hard, I would like to hear it, put it in the comments below.

Is Golf Ball Hawking Illegal

Written by Tony M. in Golfing

Before I start each round of golf I tell myself that I’m not going to lose a single golf ball.  Then I end up losing 5 or 6, maybe I’m jinxing myself and giving myself some bad juju.

I’m assuming this question is more directed at “ball hawks” that try to score some balls at night time.  Maybe even sneak on the course and perhaps act like a golfer.  In this case, yes, I would say this is illegal and you could potentially go to jail…if you get caught.

I say this because you are technically taking something that belongs to the course.  Jail is probably an overreaction but being banned is probably more realistic.

But What If

But, if I contribute to the vast and seemingly endless amount of golf balls that are already lost, is golf ball hawking illegal?  If I pay to play golf and I’m actively looking for golf balls, I can’t get in trouble, can I?

And who’s actually looking for people on golf courses trying to fish for golf balls though?  Here’s one of the best golf ball retrieval tools on the market, check it out on Amazon.

But, please use the tool responsibly, don’t hold up the group behind you and please don’t go fishing with it at night time!

Hawk At Your Own Risk

If you’re hawking at night, I would think that you’re putting the course owners and yourself at risk.  You risk many types of hazards on the course, like if you were to slip and fall in the water as you are fetching for a ball.

I’m sure it’s happened somewhere, and the course owner probably got sued.  But if something did happen and you got caught, I would say you would probably be banned from the course.

Hawking During The Day

If you paid to play and you decide to use that time fishing for golf balls, this seems like a waste of time to me.  Why would you spend that time looking for potentially “garbage” golf balls when you could just be enjoying the round of golf?

Not to mention all the people that you could potentially be holding up behind you.

Hawking But You Didn’t Pay To Play

This is one of those situations where you could at the very least be banned from the golf course if you were to get caught.  Nobody likes to see a guy in the distance fishing for golf balls that they could actually hit with their own golf ball.

9ft Proactive Golf Ball Retriever amazon

Ways People Have Lost Their Golf Balls, You Might Find A Hawking Idea!

Everyone has lost a golf ball but not everyone has had a golf ball eaten by an alligator.  Some of the crazy ways to lose a golf ball seem to be endless but I’ve got 16 for you. Okay, so these aren’t all crazy ways but who have had their ball stolen by a bird before?

A crazy statistic, over 300 million golf balls are lost or tossed in the garbage each year in the US alone.  That’s insane, not crazy!

Also, these 16 ways to lose your golf ball are not all the ways I have lost my golf balls.  In fact, I’m not sure if I lost my ball half of the ways I listed below. Nonetheless, a lost golf ball is a lost golf ball… that someone will find one day and probably put in their golf bag…maybe.

Number One

The Water Hazard – This is probably the most obvious and the most common amongst golfers.  For some reason whenever there’s a water hazard on a hole my golf ball likes to flirt with the edge.  I don’t always hit it in the water but I have noticed when I’m thinking about the water hazard then it usually goes in the water.

Do yourself a favor and try not to think about the hazard at all, easier said than done.  If you can master this then you will most likely have a better chance of missing the hazard. 

Number Two

Tallgrass – This is never fun, whenever I hit it in the tall grass I’m almost certain my ball is gone.  It’s just too difficult to try and figure out exactly where you hit the ball. Even if you did have an idea of where it landed, you’re probably off by a couple of square yards.

I will generally give myself no more than five minutes to look for the ball if I don’t find it, that’s a stroke and a drop.  I don’t like slowing down the pace of play just to look for a ball that I may or may not find. A good thing about hitting in the tall grass is that you usually find someone else’s ball.

Number Three

Plugged ball – When you play on a sunny day after a couple of weeks of straight rain, the course may not be in good playing condition.  Living in the pacific northwest, this is a common problem but it’s something we deal with and try not to let it bother us too much.

Losing a ball due to it being buried in the ground an inch or two is an awful feeling especially when you nailed the fairway.  Plugged balls in the fairway are much easier to find than those in the rough. I almost never find my golf ball if it’s plugged in the rough, rule of thumb, stay in the fairway.

Number Four

Stuck in a tree – This has never happened to me but I know for a fact that it has happened to someone.  There have been pro’s that have hit from the tree in order to save a stoke. What average golfer playing on the weekend is ever going to look in a tree?  Now, you may look up and accidentally find your ball in the tree but it’s certainly not the first place you look.

The pros have the advantage of people keeping an eye on his ball and can tell him exactly where it went.  I wonder how many golf balls are actually in the trees of golf courses and maybe birds nest?

Number Five

Alligator ate my golf ball – Not my golf ball personally but I know people report that all the time.  This can be a big problem, now you have to drop somewhere near the ball killing zone. I’ve personally never seen an alligator but I know if I had the choice of playing on a course that let them roam free I probably wouldn’t play there.

They must get sick and tired of us humans hitting white balls in their vicinity.  I’m sure they get hit all the time by golf balls. It’s no wonder they eat peoples balls, or maybe they think the balls are some kind of egg?  Not sure but I wouldn’t go anywhere near one if it ate my golf ball.

Number Six

A bird flew away with my ball – This hasn’t happened to me but you can search it on google, it happens.  There is no penalty if this happens but it’s something that is funny to think about and I would love to see it.  

What is that damn bird thinking as it flies away with the ball? Did it get hit one too many times with a ball that it’s trying to play a small role in getting rid of this game?  Why do some birds not care about the golf ball? Living in the northwest we get tons of Geese on the course, I’ve accidentally hit one before.

The only bird in the fairway and I nailed it because I had a major miss hit.  The Goose was fine and flew away but it probably thinks twice about sitting in an open field, or not and it’s been hit multiple times since that incident.

Number Seven

Someone took my ball – This has definitely happened to me and probably a lot of people reading this.  It’s bound to happen and it’s almost never intentional, people just get confused sometimes. New golfers are picking up the game every day and they don’t always take note of what ball they were playing.

Not only new people take golf balls.  I’ve played with people who get sick and tired of the people behind us.  Always hitting into us because they couldn’t wait a few more minutes, not because we are slow but the pace of play is slow on the entire course.  

That ball, unfortunately, gets stuffed in the bag or tossed in the woods. This usually solves the problem of them hitting into you but sometimes people have hard heads and don’t get the point.

The best way of handling it is either shout down the fairway telling them to stop hitting into you.  You can also call the clubhouse and they usually will send out a marshal to handle the situation.  Nobody wants to see a brawl on the golf course.

Break Time

Fun fact –  It takes anywhere from 100 years to 1000 years for a ball to decompose naturally according to the Danish Golf Union.  So be responsible when you lose your golf ball, don’t hit them into the ocean on purpose or anything like that. Lose them on the golf course like a good decent human bean.

Number Eight

It landed in someone backyard – This has happened to me a couple of times.  The first time it happened the ball was easy to grab so I just took a penalty and took my ball back.  

The second time I was a little wary due to the fact that the ball landed near the house and there were a couple of balls in the yard.  So I may not have been my ball in the first place. I just took a penalty stroke and left the ball.

If your ball ever lands in someone yard, try to figure out the risk vs. reward.  It’s not worth it to me if I think I might hurt myself jumping over the fence. Or if there is a dog in the yard.

Number Nine

A kid picked it up – This may or may not have happened to me but I know it has happened before.  My buddy decided to bring his eight years old who doesn’t play golf but enjoys the time with his father.  

The kid liked to walk around looking at things while his dad was preparing to hit the ball. Well, the kid found a few balls on his journey and his dad didn’t even know he was picking up golf balls.

The kid picked up at least five balls and had them in his pocket.  The only reason his dad found out was that he lost a ball and his son handed him one from his pocket.  He asked where he got the ball and his son said he found it, “don’t pick up other peoples balls” he said.

Number Ten

Lost my ball in the woods –  Why, why…whyyyyy? If I’m going to lose a ball, it’s going to be because of the damn woods.  Playing tight fairways with heavily populated trees always calls for a safe play…for me at least.  My friends usually expect me to hit an iron or my hybrid, this is if my driver isn’t performing as I would like.

I personally don’t think you should risk hitting club if you aren’t sure if you can put it in a general area in the fairway.  There was a time when I never took my driver out of the bag, true story, I only used my hybrid and irons.

I didn’t see a point in hitting way off target with a driver if I could keep the ball in play while sacrificing yardage.  It was a no-brainer for me and I think if you don’t have time to improve your driving skills you should choose a different club.

Number Eleven

Lost my ball in the sand trap – This personally has never happened to me but I have read stories on forums of people losing their ball in the sand trap.  That has to be the most confusing and frustrating things, you landed in the trap and can’t find your ball. What do you do if you landed in the sand trap and can’t find your ball?

The rule says in summation, you are allowed to rake or use other objects to look for the ball without penalty.  If you move the ball you need to replace it in the same spot and basically recreate the lie with a small part of the ball showing.

Number Twelve

Lost my ball in the leaves – This has happened to almost everyone that has played golf in the fall.  It’s pretty frustrating but there’s nothing you can do about it.

If this happens at the tee box and you think you may have lost the ball, hit a provisional ball in case you can’t find your first ball.  This allows you to be ready to hit your second ball if you can’t find your first ball right away without holding up people behind you.

If you take a provisional, just remember to add 2 stroke penalty from the tee box so your provisional would be your third shot.

Number Thirteen

Lost my ball near the driving range – It’s usually the first hole or the 18th hole where this happens.  It’ never happened to me but my brother lost his ball in a sea of range balls that flew through the gaps of the range nets.  

Who wants to look at 50+ golf balls just to find your one ball? He never found his ball but he did find a couple of balls that weren’t range balls which is always a plus.

Number Fourteen

Lost my ball due to sunlight – When teeing off, the sun is shining right in your eye’s.  There’s nothing you can do about it but tell your buddies to try and keep an eye on the ball.  This doesn’t always work out due to the sun being so damn bright sometimes.

Another way to lose your ball with sunlight is when your ball is sitting in the sunlight but blends in somehow.  Not sure why but my vision gets distorted when the sun shines on the grass. The white ball almost blends in with the green grass, I’ve walked past my ball a few times because the fairway was too bright.

I will generally remove my sunglasses during a round of golf because I for some reason don’t like the feeling of them.  I also don’t like the way they slightly distort my vision, but if you needed to find your golf ball I would recommend putting them on.  

Number Fifteen

Your ball just vanished – This has happened to everyone, you hit a beautiful drive but you have no idea where it ended up.  It could have been abducted by aliens for you know, which seems like the only logical explanation sometimes. I would say that I lose a good amount of balls because I have no idea what happened to it.

This has to be a common problem amongst golfers, you can’t do anything about it but move on.  Take a stroke and make sure you keep an eye on your ball next time!

Number Sixteen

Too Foggy – Whether the fog is low to the ground or scattered throughout, losing your golf ball due to fog is sucks!  Early mornings are when you will find the most fog so you have to keep a close eye on your ball with those early tee times.  

Evening time isn’t so bad but you can still get the fog. So who knows where the golf ball went after you hit it, I say you shouldn’t have been playing in the fog in the first place.  Says the guy that plays in the rain all the time.

There you have it!

You learned a bit about golf ball hawking and whether it was illegal or not.

I hope you got something out of this post, please share it if you feel the need to spread this post.

Why Do You Need a Golf Towel

Written by Tony M. in Golf Questions


You’re most likely a new golfer if you’re typing this question why do you need a golf towel into google.  That’s okay though because maybe it’s not so straightforward as some might think.  Some people think golf is a walk in the park and there can’t be anything difficult about it…

I will go into more detail about this down below but the reasons why you need a golf towel is to wipe off course crud from your golf ball and club head.  You can also use it for drying your golf grips and removing sweat from your body but I would suggest caring two towels if you need to remove sweat.

If you were to ask someone on the golf courses, why do you need a golf towel, while in the middle of a round of golf then they might think this is the first time you’ve heard of the game.  Golf towels are a necessary part of the game for so many reasons, I’ll go into a few down below.

Dirty Clubs

Sometimes when you take a beautiful swing and connect with the ball just right but the ground is a bit damp or wet even, this can add dirt to the clubface.  You don’t want to use a club with dirt on the face so you would normally wipe it off before you put it back into your bag so the club is ready to use next time.

Your putter also gets a bit messy sometimes and you will want to wipe it before you make your important putt.  This is more common while playing during the wet months but even during the dry months you can still get dirt on the face.

Your golf grip might be damp or even wet because it’s been raining or you placed a club on the damp grass.  Maybe stick a tall tee in the grass if you need a place to put your club, just a little tip.

Muddy Bag

If you use a stand bag then there will be times when the bottom part of your golf bag gets a bit dirty.  It’s not a big deal to most people but if you’re putting your clubs in the trunk of your car, it might be a big deal.  I drive a truck so this isn’t a big deal for me, but there are some golfers that drive nice cars. So I could see this being a big deal to them.

Golf Ball

When the weather isn’t so great and the fairway and greens are a little soft, your ball is probably going to get dirty.  Getting chunks of dirt off your ball is a common thing to use your golf towel for, if you want to make your towel less dirty, wipe the majority of the dirt off on the grass.

Sweat

While playing out on the course or at the driving range you might get clammy hands and it can be difficult to grip the golf club.  Gripping the club and feeling like it’s not going to slip out of your hands is extremely important. I would say wiping your hands on the towel is the solution.

Sweat on the forehead is another good reason to use the towel, nothing worse than having sweat drip in your eye during your backswing.  As I’m thinking about sweat, I would say use the towel anywhere you don’t want the sweat…why not.

I would suggest you use two towels, one for your clubs and balls and the other for your skin.  I say this because golf courses use fertilizers and other chemicals to keep the grass looking great, you don’t want to be wiping your hands and face with this stuff.

Sweat that gets on glasses, I don’t wear prescription glasses but I do wear sun shades.  It’s very annoying when sweat starts dripping down when you’re making a putt or in your backswing.  I know you are supposed to use the microfiber cloths but if you need something in a pinch, golf towel would work.

Are Golf Towels Necessary

Yes, I would highly recommend you carry at least one on your golf bag but I would suggest you use two for the reasons I just mentioned.  It’s a guarantee that you will use your golf towel at least once during a round or at the range. The second towel doesn’t add any extra weight and will prepare you for the “what if’s”.

The What If’s

  1. What if you hit your golf ball into a tiny shallow creek, you see your ball sitting there and it looks like you could hit it out.  This could give you the opportunity to save a stroke if you take the shot but you will most likely get a little wet and maybe muddy.  You have two options, take the shot or take an extra stroke and drop. Well if you have the good ole trusty golf towel than taking the shot is definitely an option for you, if your skill allows too.
  2. What if you spill your drink on your and it gets all over your pants, well there’s another reason to have a golf towel.
  3. You could be eating a sandwich with a bunch of mustard and you take a bite…splat, mustard all over your shirt.
  4. Bloody noses, yes, I have had a bloody nose while on the course.  This was due to me getting overheated and blowing my nose too hard.  I honestly would have been screwed if I didn’t have my golf towel, which I no longer have.

Guarantee at least one of the situations above is going to happen so don’t just carry around a bunch of napkins.

What Kind of Golf Towel Should You Use

I would suggest a high-quality towel for your dirty needs like clubs and golf balls, check out this towel amazon.  A high-quality towel is crucial because you don’t want rips or holes to develop soon after you start using it.

For wiping your hands and face, you can use whatever you think is most comfortable, I just use a regular golf towel.  You could even use a small hand towel that you would put in your bathroom.

I believe I purchased a Tiger Woods golf towel from Goodwill, it was new and came with some tees and balls.  Speaking of Goodwill, you could probably find exactly what you need if you go looking in the sports aisle. I think I found my towel for one dollar, not a bad deal.

You could even use a handkerchief, this would be perfect for on the spot cleaning when you aren’t near your golf bag.  Also for sweat and the occasional nose cleaning and you could even clean your glasses with this. Many uses for a handkerchief.

You may be thinking about picking up the game of golf or considering playing a few times to see if you like it or not.  Or you are getting your set ready and aren’t sure if you will ever use the golf towel so you might not want to buy one. They aren’t that expensive so get a towel, you will use it, you won’t regret it.

Drinking While Golfing

Written by Tony M. in Golf Questions

This is a fantastic question, I’ve always wondered how golfers can walk 18 holes while drinking a case of beer.  Or, drinking an entire energy drink before the 3rd hole and drink another one on the back nine. 

Drinking while golfing isn’t exactly something that is going to make your golf game better.  In fact, some would argue that it’s going to make you worse, but that’s probably no surprise to you.

But it is legal and most golfers actually play golf because it is the one place where they can drink in public.  Just so you’re warned, this article is mostly about the amount of water you should be drinking during a round of golf.

Check out this awesome Yeti Hopper Portable Cooler that fits perfectly in the back of a golf cart and you can put some beer…or water in it.

Bottle Insulator
Yeti Stainless Steel Drink Insulator

Let’s Move On

I couldn’t drink coffee or beer for a couple of reasons if I drink and play I can pretty much kiss a decent score goodbye.  Two, my body is extremely sensitive to caffeine and I would start shaking after drinking half a can of any energy drink, or coffee.

The third reason, I’ve noticed my golf game go downhill really fast if my body doesn’t stay hydrated.  If I’m not drinking water, by the 7th hole I’m feeling the effects, this also depends on the weather but a 75-degree day and walking usually get’s me good.

I know that dehydration isn’t the same for everyone and the effects can be completely different for me than for you. But an interesting fact about dehydration is, and you may have heard this before, but if you’re drinking water because you’re thirsty then you’re already dehydrated.

My rule of thumb in general is, don’t get thirsty.  If I drink a cup of coffee in the morning, I’ll drink water the rest of the day usually because coffee dehydrates the body.

Some Facts About Dehydration

  1. Your body can not survive without this thirst quenching drink, the amount of time it takes for you to actually fall to your death depends on your activity level and your climate.
  2. Your body absorbs water, 10 minutes in bath or shower of chlorinated water is the equivalent of drinking 8 glasses of the same water. Which makes you question the way you should hydrate maybe, but put a filter on the tub because your body will absorb all the other particles, minerals and chemicals in the water.
  3. Dehydration causes the body to feel fatigue, I can vouch for this as I generally always have aches and pains in my joints if I don’t stay hydrated.
  4. Kidney Stones, due to chronic dehydration can occur.
Energy Multiplier
Hydration Multiplier

How Much Water Should I Drink During a Round of Golf?

This is definitely relative to the individual and the conditions you’re playing in.  Generally what I try to do is drink a sip or a gulp of water before every swing, or every other swing.

I don’t drink because I’m thirsty though, I drink because I know if I don’t take sips and gulps I will become thirsty or dehydrated.  Remember, if you’re thirsty then you’re already dehydrated.

This little routine will change if I’m playing in the winter time on a 50-degree day because I’m not sweating that much, if at all.  But I still need to drink water, maybe not so much though.

Hot Months

During the summer months, I will pack 64oz of water at the minimum in a couple of water bottles.  I will also pack 2 – 4 water bottles of 16oz size just in case one of my playing buddies didn’t come prepared.

Drinking water is so crucial during the hot summer month, I’ve consumed 64oz of water while playing 18 holes.  I didn’t have to use the restroom once during the round and when I got home, I finally needed to go and my urine was really yellow.  That was a really hot day and if you didn’t know already, yellow urine is another sign of dehydrations.

Now, I try to drink enough water so that I at least need to use the restroom midway through the round.  This could mean that I need to drink 96 oz of water, I don’t know what the exact number is but I know if I play on hot days, I’m drinking almost every swing.

Dehydration Leads to a Cloudy Mind And Missed Putts

A cloudy mind is a fact but you can’t always blame a two foot missed putt on dehydration.  It’s not only missed putts, your body gets fatigued and your next shot after the missed putt is a phat tee shot.  I think you get the point, don’t get dehydrated.

Should You Drink Only Water?

I will usually drink only water, but on occasions, I will have a beer or two if I don’t really care about my scorecard. Gatorade or Powerade is something I will drink sometimes, but I will dilute it, half water half Gatorade or Powerade.

I would suggest you drink whatever helps you get the best scores, this could be vodka/cranberry.  Too many of these will most likely end the round of golf with you falling asleep in the golf cart, so pace yourself if this is your drink of choice.

Other Drink Options

I would suggest something that helps replenish your electrolytes but without all the sugar like sports drinks have.  You can find packets of electrolytes that you add to water at your local grocery store, or you can find a better deal here on amazon.  

You can also use Celtic Sea Salt to help replenish your electrolytes, this is also fantastic for helping prevent muscles cramps after a hard round of golf.    

What Should You Carry Your Beverage In?

I use a vacuum insulated 32oz bottle, I put the thermos in the refrigerator the night before I go play golf with the lid off.  If the lid is closed, the water will be slightly cooler than room temperature, trust me.

I use this thermos only for water, this makes it easy for me to use it multiple rounds without having to try and remember what kind of drink I put into it.  Also, I don’t put my lips on the bottle, I do this so I don’t backwash into the container, now I don’t have to wash it as often.

If you haven’t noticed yet, I’m kind of OCD about my water and water bottles, I think that I’m lazy and just don’t want to clean it.  Besides, it’s hard to do any kind of chore after playing and walking 18 holes.

Helpful Tips to Ensure Hydration

Hydrate First

Something I’ve tried to do before a round of golf during the hot summer months is hydrate before I go out to the course.  This just gives the body a head start on the inevitable, which is definite dehydration, especially on a hot summer day.

Choose Foods Wisely

You’re going to want to hydrate while you play but you might also get hungry while you’re playing.  I would take food that isn’t too filling like a sandwich or something, eat something nutritious and light, something like mixed nuts or a banana.  You don’t want to feel like you can’t drink water because your stomach is full of food.

Go By Body Weight

Take your body weight and divide that number in half, then, take that number and divide that in half.  Example: I weigh around 170lbs, divide that in half and you get 85, 85 is the amount of water in ounces I should be consuming every day.  I take the 85 and divide that in half and I get 42.5, this is the number I want to meet or exceed depending on the playing conditions while playing a round of golf.  Link to the website where I got this helpful tip.

Eat a Good Breakfast

You know what they say, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, if you have a good filling breakfast before a round, you will have loads of energy. Plus by the time you tee off, your food should have digested enough so you can drink water plenty of water throughout your round.

I love eating a good hearty breakfast, I feel like I have a ton of energy.  The picture below is my meal of choice, sometimes I will add some fruit but that depends on if I have any.

There You Have It

If you don’t stay hydrated after all this info then I don’t know what to tell you.  Feel free to like this post and share it with whoever you feel needs it.

Golf Glove Hand: Which Hand Does The Glove Go On?

Written by Tony M. in Golfing

Which hand should be your golf glove hand?  This is a pretty easy question to answer, even if you’re a beginner, which you probably are because you’re searching for an answer to this question.  

If you play golf for any amount of time without a glove on then you will start to notice blisters on your hands.  Whichever hand forms the blisters is the hand you need the glove on, I go into more detail below. There is an easier way to figure it out though, if you are a right-handed golfer then the glove will go on your left hand.  If you are a left-handed golfer the glove will go on your right hand

But which hand will the blister develop on?

Generally, if you’re a right-handed golfer, the blisters will show up on your left hand.  Now, you can still develop blisters on your right hand but if this is the case then there’s something fundamentally wrong with the way you’re gripping the club.  So if you have been wearing two gloves because your right hand was developing blisters and you’re a right-handed golfer, I would consider looking at your grip.

Is it the golf glove that’s the issue?  Probably not, most golf glove today are really good and doesn’t matter what kind you’re using.  Now, gloves can wear out relatively quick but that’s why I generally look for multi-packs, like these ones on amazon.

Keeping your glove in tip top shape

My golf bag has a velcro spot on both sides of my golf bag for me to put my glove on, this keeps it from getting wrinkled but also makes it so I know where it is.  If you like that idea but don’t want to purchase a new golf bag to get that feature, I found one on Amazon that’s inexpensive and you can find it here.

The glove holder is a nice way to go if you don’t have a velcro spot on your golf bag and don’t want to purchase the velcro accessory.  I would suggest that you get one of these glove holders, these make it so your glove doesn’t get all wrinkled when you put it in your bag.  It’s important to keep your glove in tip top shape so you can get the most out of it before it goes into the garbage.

So, What’s Your Problem?

If I were to guess as to why you were developing blisters on your right hand, I would say you’re gripping the club too tight.  But I don’t want the club to fling out of my hands you say. Yes but that’s why the left hand is there, your left hand should be the leading dominant hand, assuming you are a right-handed golfer.

You are probably gripping the club too tight with the right-hand tells me that you’re trying to do too much with your right hand.  This could be interfering with your swing in multiple bad ways.

  • You have blisters on your right hand, maybe even when you wear a glove on it.
  • Your hand is sore because of the round you just played.
  • Maybe it’s causing a bad hook or multiple miss hits.
  • The list could be endless.

You see, if you’re wearing two gloves then you’re masking the underlying cause of the problem.  You’re covering up one of the symptoms to what could be a major problem in your golf swing.   One other problem that I wasn’t considering, and is a major problem if you’re wearing gloves on both hands.  Your golf grips are too old and need to be replaced, if you discover that they’re too old I would suggest that you replace them asap. Check some grips out here!

How can you tell if your grips are too old?  Well, if you can’t remember the last time you replaced them and they feel a bit hard and look kind of shiny, they’re probably too old.  These grips are really good, even though they have the look of almost used when you first glance at them. amazon

What To Do

When I swing the club, I try to grip it as lightly as possible with my right hand.  I practiced on the range holding the club with my leading left hand with the appropriate amount of grip, and barely touching the club with my right hand.  Why was I doing this drill?  It helped my body over exaggerate the feeling of not gripping the club with my right hand too much.

When I grip the club, all the stress and control is in my left hand, you could literally slide a piece of paper between my right thumb and the golf grip.  This is why all right-handed golfers need to wear a glove on the left hand, it would be the opposite if you were a left-handed player.

Some Drills

Go to the driving range and dedicate time to putting the stress and control into your leading hand.  Take small swings of equal pull back and follow through with one hand, whatever hand should be the leading hand.  This is not an easy drill so start with small swings like two feet pullback (20% of your swing) and two feet follow through.  You might discover that your left or right hand is very weak and uncoordinated, that just means you need to build up that precision and strength or stabilizing muscles.

At Home Practice

You can just as easily do this drill at home in your backyard or even in your house if you have some space to take small swings.  Do it on the carpet with plastic golf balls or you can use the Almost Golf practice golf balls, much better quality in my opinion.

These practice balls are really awesome, they still give you some feedback on how the ball feels when leaving the clubface but without the potential damage of a normal golf ball.  I would still be careful if you are playing around in the house because they can definitely knock over pictures and potentially break a window if you hit them hard enough.

I use them all the time in the backyard because if I accidentally put a little too much on the swing I know it’s not going to do any damage at all.  Unless the next door neighbors dog gets a hold of it and chews it to pieces or tries to swallow it, then it could do some damage because the core of these golf balls have to be some kind of metal ball I would think.

Once you can make a decently large swing, incorporate your right hand into the mix.  Gripping the club as soft as you can, with your left hand being the leading hand still.  Keep in mind, this is a basic drill and isn’t a fix all but it can definitely change your swing for the better in my opinion.  If you can train your right hand to loosen up on the grip and put your left hand in the driver’s seat, you’re golden.

My Thoughts

If you’re searching for golf glove hand in google, you’re probably confused, this is understandable.  This post would also answer the question of can you wear a golf glove on both hands in google as well.  I might have jumped the gun a bit to assume you were getting blisters on your hand if you needed to search for golf glove hand.  But, if you’re getting blisters on your hand and you’re not sure why, take a look at your grip.

Thanks for reading!

Why Do Golf Clubs Have Grooves: This May Surprise You

Written by Tony M. in Golf Questions

I’m going to be brutally honest with you, I was completely wrong about why do golf club have grooves until I recently looked into it.  So sit back and prepare to be amazed…well, maybe not amazed but if you didn’t know the purpose of the grooves just keep reading this post because you might be surprised.

Essentially, the reasons why golf clubs have grooves on the face is to allow water and debris from the ball and your lie as a place to go.  If you were to hit a ball that was wet from the rain, at the moment of compression the water and debris would transfer from the ball to the club face and through the grooves.  Assuming the grooves are clean that is.

Why Do Golf Clubs Not Have Grooves

Groove Cleaner
Groove Sharpener & Cleaner

A common misconception about golf club grooves is they are meant to give the ball spin.  This was my assumption until I did some digging around and discovered a guy by the name of Ralph Maltby.  Ralph performed an experiment to debunk this by making clubs without grooves and playing with them.

The conclusions of his experiment proved that you could still get spin on the ball even without grooves on the club face.  The grooves were simply there for giving the player the best chance to make contact with the ball in less optimal conditions.  Less optimal conditions would be rain, rough, and or a dirty ball.

This makes a lot of sense

When I read this it really made sense to me, the grooves in the club act similar to the tread on tires.  When you drive your car during the summer months and you have low tread or sometimes completely bald tires.  Even with the tires in bad condition, you can still drive the car and feel safe doing so.  But these are dry conditions similar to Ralph Maltby experiment.

Now if you drive that same car with bald tires on a rainy day well that’s a different story.  Control of your car becomes extremely difficult and dangerous, hence the reason for tread. Same goes with the grooves in the club face, I can imagine that the control of the ball would be much more difficult.

Should you clean your golf club grooves?

Before I discovered this information about the grooves I would say yes.  But now that I know the grooves play a very little role in ball spin I would say “that depends”.  I say that because if the conditions are optimal and your lie is beautiful then the grooves don’t matter.  Now if the golf club head has a bunch of dirt in the grooves and you can see the dirt protruding out from the grooves than yes, clean the grooves. But if they have a little bit of dirt that’s sitting below the tread line then I would say you are probably fine.

Those were optimal conditions though, how often do you get optimal conditions on a public golf course?  I would say not very often. So for less than optimal conditions and lies, I would recommend cleaning the grooves of your clubs.

Controlling the golf ball

Referring back to Ralph Maltby playing without grooves, this would also apply to controlling the golf ball as well.  You would be able to give your ball side spin in either direction without grooves on the clubface. This is obvious to me because the grooves are horizontal which wouldn’t have an effect on the ball anyways.  

I can totally imagine the golf ball flying in the wrong direction if you didn’t have grooves in the club face.  Any debris that was trapped between the ball and the club face could alter the flight and where it ultimately ends up.

Compression on a smooth face vs. grooved face

If we refer back to the good tread on the tires analogy.  Imagin the tire reaching the point where it starts going through the water, it gives the water a path to travel.  The path the water travels on is the pattern of the tread.  If there was no tread then the car would probably skip on the water.  My point is, the water needs a place to go when the car drives through water.

If a wet golf ball compresses against a clean club face with grooves, the water has a place to go.  Even if it’s the tiniest amount of water, it still needs a place to go or the ball probably won’t compress properly.  You won’t hit your target at the very least.

Should you sharpen your grooves?

Sharpening your grooves doesn’t make sense to me, the only reason one would sharpen their grooves is if they thought the grooves made ball spin better.  But the grooves don’t make the ball spin so I would say no. On the other hand, you could sharpen your grooves if you had a small dent or blemish near the grooves.  I could see this being a good reason but I don’t think it would help with better water transfer or catch debris any better than if they weren’t sharpened.

Groove Cleaner
Groove Sharpener & Cleaner

Why are some wedge grooves deeper and larger than others?

The only reason that comes to mind is marketing more backspin to customers.  The only reason for grooves to be deeper and wider is to let more water and dirt into the grooves.  But I would think that there would reach a point in the width of the groove that would make the golf ball impossible to control.  If the grooves were too deep than so much more dirt would eventually settle over time.  If you didn’t clean the grooves it would probably be extremely difficult to remove.

Talking about cleaning grooves, I would highly suggest investing in a tool that gets in the nooks and cranny of the club grooves.  You can use tees to clean the groove but sometimes tees just don’t cut it, you need something sharper and firmer.

How many grooves are on each club?

I took a look at my Mizuno MP-4 wedges and I counted 14 grooves.  I also counted the grooves on my MP-64 irons and they ranged from 10 grooves to 12 grooves.  The surface area is greater on the wedges so it makes sense to have more grooves on them.

Micro-grooves

New wedges have these small grooves around the entire face of the club.  It almost resembles a giant thumbprint on the face of your club.  I’m assuming these are for better grip on the ball but this shouldn’t be the case for the reasons stated above.  

“U” grooves v.s. “V” grooves

In 2010 the USGA put into effect new groove rules, this essentially stated that sharp-edged “U” grooves would not be allowed on tour.  Instead, “V” grooves are the only type of groove allowed on any club of 25 degrees or more.

I actually like this from a practical standpoint, if you think about cleaning out the grooves of a “V” shaped club v.s. a “U” shaped club, which would be easier?  I would say the “V” shape because what do most people clean the face of their clubs with? A tee, that is “V” shaped at the very point. The grooves are not so deep that it would fit the tee just perfect.  I don’t think tees are sharp enough to clean the club grooves completely.  But it does make sense, to me at least.

As for performance, the pros on tour are still getting amazing spin on the ball with their wedges.  So why did they change the rules?

This is interesting

Apparently, they changed the rules because whenever the pros were hitting from the “rough” they were still able to get an insane amount of spin on the ball.  The “U” shaped grooves in combination with sharp edges made it possible for the player to have better control of the ball while in the rough.

This basically contradicts everything I was saying earlier in this post.  What the heck is going on here? According to Dick Rugge, USGA Senior Technical Director “The new grooves will have little effect on shots from the fairway or off the tee”  Rugge said in a release explaining the new rule. “If you were able to spin a shot from the fairway with the old grooves, you will be able to do it with new grooves as well.  The new grooves primarily affect shots from the rough to the green by reducing spin. Most golfers don’t hit greens from the rough very often”

The last part of this quote from Dick Rugge made me laugh, it’s so true too.  What are the odds are of your “everyday golfer” hitting the greens from the rough, probably not very high.  So trying to get spin on the ball is probably out of the question especially from the rough.

My thoughts on the grooves

I’ve been playing golf my entire life and my best score to date is 80 on 18 holes.  I have never seen my ball spin back on the greens in all the playing conditions that I have played.  Certainly, I have tried to get backspin but this generally leads to poor golf shots for me.

I understand making it so the pros on tour use “V” shaped grooves because it may give them an edge.  

But if you thought it would benefit the everyday golfer than why would you take that away?  I feel like the everyday golfer could use that kind of help out of the rough.  Even if the odds of him or her hitting the green are low.  I can think of a bunch of reasons why they don’t want the everyday golfer to use these clubs.

It’s not like you can’t buy the clubs off of eBay or even find them on Craigslist.  Should you use them though, that is the question? Well, if you have no plans to go pro in the future or ever compete in amateur events than I would say who cares.  I’m sure it will save a couple strokes over the long haul and who knows, it could add a couple of strokes too.

This post turned into why do golf clubs have grooves to why did the USGA change the rules for grooves on wedges.  Hopefully, it still made for an interesting read.