Golf Club Regripping Cost

This can get quite expensive if you need to replace all the grips on your golf clubs. If you’re capable of replacing your grips on your own then I would suggest that. Also, if you think you might need to replace them more frequently

So how much does it cost to replace golf grips? Most pro shops will charge $2 – $5 per club + whatever the price of the grips which can range from $5 to $25 depending on what you want. Or you can save the cost of the labor and do it yourself if you have the tools.

Why should you replace golf grips?

I would say the number one reason, your grips are overused and start to break down.

If you play every weekend then your grips are probably losing their grip feel and starting to smooth out.

But, if you haven’t played in a while then maybe your grips have become hard and brittle.

If your grips have lost the “grip” than it’s a good idea to replace them because multiple bad things could happen.

You could develop blisters on your thumbs from the grip moving around too much during your swing.
The club could slip out of your hands if you were playing in wet conditions.
The club can slip out even if your hands are too sweaty.

If your clubs are too old and formed cracks or the rubber is starting to crumble then I highly recommend getting them replaced immediately.

Playing golf with grips like this is the worst thing you could do for your game and hands. You will most likely develop blisters on your hands even if you are wearing gloves.

Yes, both hands, don’t attempt to play golf with old crumbly grips because pain is the price you will pay.

Where can you get your grips replaced?

Most pro shops can replace your grips for a decent price. I think you will probably get a better deal at the course than you would at a big box store.

Dicks Sporting Goods can replace them, I’m sure the price varies from store to store but not by much.

Maybe if you have a local driving range, sometimes they have a small area for re-gripping clubs.

Math time

So let’s do some quick math and maybe this will help you make a decision. Should you get your grips replaced by a pro or do the job yourself.

If the pro shop charges $4 (middle of the road price) per club and you need all your clubs grips replaced, that’s $56.

Now you have to purchase the grips, you don’t want the best grips but you don’t want the worst grips either.

Let’s pick somewhere around the middle and say they cost $16 per grip, that comes out to $224.

Add $224 to $56 and you get $280 to re-grip all your golf clubs.

This isn’t cheap by any means and yes, most of the cost is in the grips so if you replaced the grips by yourself then you would only save $56.

It really depends on what type of person you are, do you care about spending $56 for someone to replace your grips for you?

Or would you rather save that money and spend it on a couple of rounds of golf?

How often do you have to replace golf grips?

That depends on how often you play, how you store your clubs and the climate you live in.

I would say if you play two to three times per week you will probably need to replace your grips every year to year and a half.

Living in a climate where it’s hot most of the year, the life of your grips can be shortened.

Heat in combination with sweat can lead to a shorter life of your grips.

Should you replace your grips at home?

I would say yes, but there are a few things to consider before taking on the tasks.

Are you a hands-on person? If you enjoy doing little things around the house and don’t get too frustrated then this project probably will be a breeze for you.

Do you have some basic tools?

An air compressor with a minimum of 6 gallons and 150 psi with a blow gun tip.
A vise to hold the golf club in place while you install the grip.
A utility knife to remove the old golf grip.

Supplies

Golf grip tape
Activator
Small paintbrush to apply the activator

Why would you want to replace golf grips at home?

If you’re a DIY kind of person and don’t mind the frustrations of certain tasks then this could be your kind of project.

I replace all of my grips for a couple of reasons, I wanted to learn how it was done and it would save me money over the long run.

Depending on how much you play and how you store your clubs when you’re not using them, you could save a good amount of money over the long haul.

I would say for every roll of golf tape and activator you purchase you probably get about 4 – 5 sets of grip replacement.

Let’s say you play every weekend, well that’s going to cause some wear on the grips. Before you know it the crack start to show and hands start to hurt.

Replacing your own grips isn’t difficult, YouTube the question “how to replace golf grips” and I’m sure there are hundreds of videos.

It can be time-consuming but it’s definitely worth it in my opinion. Especially if you will be replacing your grips more frequently from playing so much.

You can find kits on amazon that makes it really easy to replace your own grips. amazon

I would also recommend you get the golf grip utility knife, I’ve tried cutting grips off with a regular construction utility knife and it’s doable but can be dangerous. amazon

Golf Grips

My favorite grips are the Golf Pride MultiCompound MCC grips, these have a great feel to them.

The appearance of them don’t look comfortable but when you hold them you feel like the club is glued to your hand.

Another grip I have used is Golf Pride tour velvet, this is a pretty inexpensive grip but offers a great feel and long life.

I believe this grip is half the price of the MultiCompound grip.

Golf Pride isn’t the only manufacturer of golf grips, the list below shows a few of the top brands on the market.

All of these brands are pretty solid and you can’t go wrong with whichever one you choose.

Just make sure that you have held the club in your hands with that grip you want.

You wouldn’t want to purchase your grips to find out after you installed them that you don’t like them.

I purchased over-sized grips before because I thought it would help in some way. My hands are above average size so that’s why I got them.

Big mistake, they turned out to feel too bulky and I never got comfortable with my swing.

These aren’t the inexpensive ones and I believe I got them on sale so I wasn’t too pumped. I also replaced them myself so I saved a little more because of that.

My suggestion

Go to a pro shop or a big box store to feel the grips and see what you like. If they have a hitting area, see if there’s a club with that type of grip.

Swing it a couple of times or hits some balls with the club, don’t pay attention to how the club hits.

If you find the grip, take a picture of the price or write it down in your phone. You can search for a better deal on amazon, eBay or even craigslist.

While you are at the store, might as well see how much the golf re-gripping kit cost and see if you can find it online for less money.

Consider learning how to replace your own golf grips because in the long haul it will save you some extra cash.

But if you don’t care about the little extra saving then you probably haven’t read this far into the post.

I hope you got what you were looking for in this post.

Playing Golf Without a Glove

Have you ever pulled up to the golf course ready to play 18 holes, you removed your clubs from the car and put your shoes on and off you go.

The first tee, you’re taking your practice swings and stretching and then you go to look for your glove and it’s nowhere to be found.

Playing golf without a glove is not a good idea unless you want blisters to develop on your thumb and palm. Blisters can develop as soon as the third hole but they may not start to hurt until the 9th hole.

By the time 18 comes around you might not be playing for a few weeks after that round so those blisters can heal.

Check out the golf glove below from amazon, can’t go wrong a little color!

Benefits Of Playing Golf Without A Glove

One good thing about not using a golf glove is you don’t have to spend money on a golf glove.

Golf gloves can wear out pretty fast and if you are playing 3 or 4 times per week then you might need to replace your glove every couple of weeks to a month.

That’s about the only thing I can think of that would benefit you, is it worth it? Maybe, depends on the individual I guess.

Did You Forget Your Golf Glove?

I forgot my golf glove a few times when I was a kid, I don’t know how that happened either.

Maybe I was always taking my clubs in the backyard to swing. Or maybe to the park and I just left my glove somewhere on the ground.

I lost a lot of things when I was a kid. I would then go to the course and realize my dang glove was missing.

Very frustrating, especially when you are pumped to play golf and now you have to suffer through a round.

Tips on how to always remember your glove:

When you’re done with your round and you just shook the player’s hands that you were playing with, toss it in the bag immediately. Don’t put it in your pocket, don’t hold it in your hand until you get to your car, toss it right in the bag! Simple yet effective. Nowadays, newer golf bags have velcro spots for your gloves, this makes it really easy to notice if it’s missing.
Keep a spare glove on hand (no pun intended) but if you hide a glove on the side of your bag then you will probably forget about it. If you ever get in the situation where you need a glove, you can desperately go searching through your bag and find the nice little surprise that you left yourself.

If you keep a spare glove on hand than you never know if you will need it in the middle of your round.

What if you develop a hole in your glove and it starts to rub on the skin, this could give you a blister.

If you prepared for that moment then it’s an easy swap, just go digging in the golf bag.

Should You Play Golf Without A Glove?

No, because there’s no point. Why would you want to sacrifice your hand like that?

Ask a playing partner if you can borrow a glove or just run to the pro shop and buy one.

When do you NOT need a glove?

Putting – You don’t need a glove for putting, although, there are people that putt with a glove on, it’s certainly not needed.

Chipping – This is up to the individual, I feel like I’m holding an entirely different club if I try chipping without my glove. I guess that’s how the guys that putt with their glove on feel too.

Driving Range – I would say, if you’re practicing at the range and you forget your glove then that’s not that big of a deal. You might develop blisters but at least you can stop and take breaks for as long as you need.

Warming up – If you’re taking practice swings in your backyard before your round because you want to get loose, a glove isn’t necessary

Why would you want to play golf without a glove?

Maybe you want calluses to develop on your hand so you can eventually never use a glove ever again.

Don’t do this, don’t be that guy who doesn’t want to spend the money on something that’s so necessary to enjoying the game.

If you forget your glove, go buy a new one from the clubhouse.

A little story of when I played without my glove

Once upon a time in a land that was so green and so large that it seemed like it stretched for yards and yards.

There was a man who forgot to bring his glove to a round of golf, but that didn’t matter because he was playing with impatient friends and none of them wanted to wait for him to buy a new glove.

To keep a long and boring story short, I played the entire 18 holes without a glove and it wasn’t fun.

I’m not a complainer by nature so I didn’t curse, yell or get too upset but it was always on my mind while swinging the club.

One thing I learned to do during the round was to loosen up my grip a bit, this helped with some of the pain as the blisters showed up.

By the end of the round, I ended up with a blister on my palm and a blister on my thumb. It didn’t keep me from playing again the next week.

So, playing golf without a glove isn’t a good idea in my opinion for the reason above.

If you forget, lose or overuse your glove and you need a new one, just give yourself plenty of time to replace it.

How To Organize Golf Bag Pockets

This is a fun topic! Golf bag pockets, there are so many pockets, How To Organize Golf Bag Pockets you ask? The possibilities are endless you tell yourself as you shop through all the bags on amazon. You say I can fit this blank in that pocket, and this blank thing in that one and oh, if I get this bag I’ll finally have a spot for this blank.

The answer to this question can be really quick and simple for some people. And other people have a harder time answering it. If you think about it, you can literally fit a lot of things in these bags nowadays. Nobody is going to tell a new golfer not to put an $800 camera in your bag.

Been There!

Yep, been there and done that for sure. But what do you really need to put in your golf bag without feeling like a hoarder of golf stuff? And or feeling like you will be playing 72 holes in one day.

This is a tough question because every golfer needs the basics to play the game. But not every golfer thinks it’s important to fill your bag with the newest greatest gadgets or a pocket full of pennies. So hopefully we can solve this problem of what to put in golf bag pockets and create a nice balance of those necessary items and the wanted items.

Check out Amazon and their endless supply of golf bags!

How Many Pockets Do You Have?

This is a very important question because you need to know what your bags capabilities are before you can start shoving crap into it.

My bag has 14 pockets, well 15 if you count the pocket that holds my pen or pencil. To me, this is plenty of pockets, the more pockets you have, the more crap you need to purchase.

This is a very important question because you need to know what your bags capabilities are before you can start shoving crap into it. My bag has 14 pockets, well 15 if you count the pocket that holds my pen or pencil. To me, this is plenty of pockets, the more pockets you have, the more crap you need to purchase.

Do This First

Lay out all the items you want to put into your golf bag (put them on the floor or table).
Organize and group all the items based on size and commonly used items.
Take the most used items and start with these.
Put those items in the most convenient pockets.

You’re not going to put your golf jacket in the same pocket as your golf balls, this wouldn’t make sense. This would get in the way of you taking any golf balls out, especially if your jacket was bulky.

Some things need their own pockets, like tees, and golf balls. I can’t stand it when someone is looking through a pile of tees because they dumped the whole bag in with the mound of golf balls. So when you’re compartmentalizing, make sure there’s a good flow to things and try not to fit your water bottle in the pocket that’s meant for your cell phone and wallet.

My Bag

I purchased my bag because I knew exactly what I wanted that related to every part of the golf bag. I had a checklist of requirements that my bag needed to fulfill, so I searched and I found.

My Checklist

First Requirement – the bag needed to be a cart bag. This was important because I was at a point in my life where I didn’t want to carry my bag. I still walked but I had a pushcart, but the bag I was using with the cart was a stand bag. This was extremely annoying to me, the part that kicks the stand out when you put it on the ground would always interfere with how the bag was positioned on the pushcart. It was just annoying to me and this was an excuse to get a new bag all by itself.

The second Requirement – was the pocket that holds my golf balls needed to be a larger pocket and with a zipper. My previous bag had some kind of spring-loaded retraction system that made it somewhat difficult to enter the pockets.

The third Requirement – was the bag needed a designated pocket for my wallet, cell phone and keys. This was very important as well, my cell phone is the iPhone 6+, so it’s pretty big. This pocket is really nice to have for a couple of reasons, first is when I’m riding in a golf cart and need to find my phone (not to accept calls) it’s right at there in front of me. Second reasons, if the food cart person comes driving by you can take your money out in a jiffy.

Fourth Requirement – the pockets that my golf clubs sit in, individually divided is a must. I’ve had many rounds and many days at the driving range where I couldn’t get a club out because it was tangled up with another club. Also, trying to put the golf club back into the bag, have you ever had a round of golf with half the club sticking out because you couldn’t get the damn thing all the way in.

Fifth Requirement – A pocket for cold drinks, this is a nice addition to the bag because it’s lined on the inside of the pocket with reflective material to keep the cold in. I can fit a 32 oz water and a sandwich and maybe one other snack.

Sixth Requirement – Large side pockets for large, bulky items like winter gear or rain gear. When it’s cold in the morning time and you show up to the course with a nice golf sweater but you start to get too hot after the fourth hole, throw it in the big pockets. I also use these big side pockets for extra water or beer, whatever your drink of choice is. My brother purchased a six pack of beer and filled the side pocket with ice. He played the entire round of golf with a leaking golf bag of water : )

Everything Else

Most of the other pockets on the bag I’m good with and not too picky about. There are not many more pockets left though so I guess I’m pretty picky. Although a glove holder isn’t a pocket, I would highly recommend you get a bag with this on there.

So, What To Put In Golf Bag Pockets?

Put whatever you think you need in your golf bag pockets, nothing more, nothing less. If you were allergic to bee’s, you would probably need to carry an EpiPen. If you had diabetes, you would probably need to carry an insulin needle. You should eat an apple during every round if it makes your body need it.

What you put in your golf bag is definitely relative to the individual based on the examples I just mentioned, aside from the basics. The stuff you put in your bag are things that you should want to keep there permanently, at least that’s what I do. Plan for the season, don’t keep rain gear in your bag if it’s summertime, remember, everything in your bag should serve a purpose.

What’s In My Bag?

Golf Balls – This is an obvious item but you would be surprised by the number of people forget to buy golf balls before a round of golf.

Tee’s – Same thing for tee’s, it’s one of those things that you need to keep stocked up in your bag.

Golf Divot Fixer – I generally lose these due to me forgetting to put it back into my golf bag after the round of golf.

Ball Markers – I use change for my ball marker, pennies, dimes, nickels and quarters. Why pay $1 for 5 plastic ball markers when you can use change.

Glove – This is an item you don’t want to forget and as you can see on my golf bag, my glove sticks to my bag.

Game Golf – I purchased this through the Game Golf website a couple of years ago, I love this idea but I find myself forgetting to put the grip of my club to my hip while playing.

Nike Golf Glasses – I’m not sure if these are the exact Nike glasses I have but they’re definitely around the same price.

Rain Suit – This is one of those seasonal things, my rain suit is Nike but I put an Under Armor rain suit because this looks so much better than what I have.

Nike Golf Umbrella – This is another seasonal item you only want to keep in your bag if you feel you need it.

Water Bottle – I love these vacuum insulated thermoses, they keep water cold for the entire round, I wish they had a 64 oz thermos.

Snacks or lunch

Cell Phone, wallet, and keys

Toe and Hand warmers – I love these things, they make those really cold mornings so much better to play. Those toe warmers have made my round glorious. My toes go numb if the temp drops below a certain level, highly recommended.

Some Ideas of What You Could Put in Your Bag Pockets

Rangefinder – I plan to purchase one of these one day, but I can’t decide if I want to get the one that you wear around your wrist or the handheld one.

Portable Power Bank – I know what you’re thinking, why would I be using my cell phone while out on the course? Well, you could be using your phone to find out your yardage on a particular hole. These apps drain your battery pretty fast and you don’t want that.

There you have it, things you could, should and need in your golf bag. I hope you enjoyed!

How to Use a Slice Shot While Playing Golf: Practical Guide

When I first got back into the game of golf I sliced the ball every time. This is very common with new golfers, not sure why but it’s just that way. New golfers see a slice shot as a problem and may want to fix it right away.

The trick to using or dealing with your slice shot is aiming way, way left. Only if you are a right-handed player that is. If you are a left-handed player you would aim way, way right. Doing this allows the ball plenty of room to move from left to right. Hopefully, this will land you on the correct side of the fairway.

You might be in the situation where you have a slice, but instead of fixing your slice, you are asking yourself How to use a slice shot while playing golf.

Or maybe you don’t have a slice shot but you want to learn how to actually hit a slice shot so you can use it out on the course. Whatever the case, ask yourselves a few questions first before you read this post. You need to define what you want, are you okay with having a slice shot? Or do you want to develop a slice shot?

If you’re new to the game, why do you want to play golf?

Are you wanting to play because a buddy invited you to play next weekend? And you haven’t played in a while so you don’t want to look silly on the course? Are you wanting to play because you recently drove past a golf course and it looked like fun to go hit some balls while drinking? Or are you wanting to play because you might want to compete at your local clubs and maybe earn some side cash hustling the locals?

Whatever the reason for playing is, you need to know why you want to play. This is important because this reason will tell you whether you should focus on fixing your slice immediately or just playing on the course with it. So you have your reason(s) for why you want to play golf and let’s assume you don’t want to fix your slice. You want to figure out how to use your slice while playing on the course. Show all your buddies that you can hit the ball consistently but it doesn’t go straight.

How Do You Know if You Have a Slice or a Fade?

Take an alignment stick and put it on the driving range mat in front of your feet. Set it up in parallel with your shoulders. You can also use another golf club too if you don’t have an alignment stick. Now all you need to do is take a normal swing and hit the ball. Assuming you made decent contact with the ball if you’re a right-hand player the ball would break right. Sometimes the ball will go straight for a second and then break right hard.

Most times the ball path will have a curve to it when it comes off your club face. You might be able to notice this when you finish your swing. If you’re using a 7 iron and the ball ends up 30 – 50 yards off your target, I would consider that a slice shot. I already mentioned that I had a slice when I first got back into the game, my slice was pretty predictable too. So I could play it pretty easily, it was predictable because I had that muscle memory from when I was a kid.

What I Didn’t Do

I could have easily gone out to the course that day I decided to pick the game back up. If I played 18 on a local golf course I probably could have shot around 100 – 110. That’s not too bad if you haven’t picked the sticks up in over 10 years but I didn’t go out and play on the course after not playing for 10 years, what did I do?

I went to the driving range like all the other bad golfer should do. So I go to the range and I discovered the fade that I had when I was a kid is now a slice. Being basically a new golfer, again, this was disappointing to me because I wanted to hit the ball straight and far or a small fade and far.

What The Heck Happened?

It doesn’t really matter what happened. I expected too much, thinking I could walk up to the ball and expect a Bubba Watson shot. Nope! So I needed to ask myself a few questions similar to what I asked you at the beginning of this post.

Why am I playing golf and am I comfortable with my swing? This was a pretty easy question to answer for me at the time, I wanted to play because a buddy from work invited me to play and I basically wanted to make sure I beat him on the course. I felt like I could compete with him if I were to practice for a couple weeks at the range and learn my swing and feel comfortable with it.

All I needed to do is go out to the driving range and develop a consistent slice shot. What I didn’t realize later on down the road was that I was developing some pretty bad habits that were kinda hard to break. Those bad habits are breakable though, but how much work do you want to put into your swing is the question. I knew that if I was going to play my slice, I needed some information about how I played.

I wanted to know:

How bad is my slice?
Yardage of a few common clubs I was using, mostly 7 iron, 9 iron, PW and my driver.
How much width do I need in the fairway
What to do if there’s wind

Focussing on these four things made it so I could play with a slice and probably do pretty good.

How Bad Is My Slice?

My slice wasn’t terrible compared to most new golfers but I’ve had those days where I put a little too much on the swing and the little booger got away from me. I’m a right-handed player so I would have to aim left in order to play my shot. How far left you ask? Well, that depends on a couple factors.

But assuming there was no wind, how far left should I aim? Basically, I had to aim at the far left of the fairway depending on how wide it was. But this makes sense if you have a slice and you want to play it. I’ve had to play to the left side of the fairway with my fade too but the fairway wasn’t very wide. So I was picking spots on the left side to aim at, the ball would start in that direction but would eventually turn back into the fairway and end up on the right side of the fairway.

Yardage?

If I know how far to aim left then my yardage is what I needed to figure out. Well, this was pretty easy, that’s why I went to the driving range. Today I can hit a 7 iron between 155 and 160 with a little baby draw on the ball. Back when I got into the game I was lucky if I could hit a 7 iron 135 – 140.

So, yardage is very important, with or without a slice because if you don’t know what your distance is for that particular club you’re using then you’re guessing. There are many things you can purchase like a rangefinder, you can find a few of them here Golf Tech Page. Rangefinders and GPS devices can solve the problem of how far you are from where you need to be. But if you don’t know how far a particular club will go then those rangefinders are useless.

Alternative

There’s also a product called Game Golf that you can find here Golf Tech Page, this is a pretty cool device because it tracks each shot. I purchased this when I was focusing on my handicap back when I could play golf whenever I wanted. I would suggest you practice with a few clubs that you can hit consistently and take note of what the yardage is. If you’re a right-handed player, aim left on the driving range if you want the ball to end up in the middle and see where it lands.

How Much Width Do You Need In The Fairway?

This is relative to the golfer and how bad or aggressive the slice is. If the fairway is pretty narrow, I would suggest you use a less lofted club. You can use a 5 iron or even a hybrid if you have one and hit it nice and easy while trimming the left side of the fairway and watch it come back the middle or right side. If the fairway is wide then nothing to worry about, just play your normal shot and try to keep it in the fairway.

Windy Conditions

The wind coming from left to right is the most deadly for right-handed golfers with a slice. Depending on how strong the wind is, it could add an extra 20 to 50 yards to your slice and that’s going off the fairway and into the next fairway or woods. Right to the left wind just means you have to adjust more towards the middle of the fairway. If there were a strong 20 mph wind and you would normally aim far left, I would split the difference from the middle to the left side.

Advantages and Disadvantages to a Slice

Disadvantages to playing a slice shot:

Yardage Loss
Need a wide fairway
Too much spin on the ball
Wind judging
Yardage calculating

Advantages to playing a slice shot:

If you ever need that shot to get out of the woods you know what to do.
You can go play immediately and have fun not worrying about your swing.

The Technical Jargon

Listen, if you want to play golf for the long haul you should consider changing your swing. Get rid of the slice and work on a fade, this is what I did. But I still had problems with my swing, it was much, much better than it was at the start but still needed a lot of work. I love analyzing swings of professionals, I would spend a couple hours a day looking at swings when I was developing my own swing.

If you have a slice, you are most likely swinging over the top of your swing path while in your downswing. At impact, your club face is open in relation to your swing path. If you think of hitting a ping pong ball with the paddle and putting some side spin on the ball to fake out your opponent. This is what you’re doing with your golf swing.

If you want to hit a straight shot in golf, think about your swing plane. The path your club head goes on while pulling it back should be the path that it follows back down to the ball. Some would argue that on the way down, your club head should be slightly under the path.

I guarantee you that if you were to put a camera behind your swing and record at an angle that showed your swing path from top to bottom. You will notice that you’re coming over the top on your downswing. This is part of the problem in your slice.

Can I Play Now?

Yes, go play if you feel confident that you can make it to the most important place on the golf course…the green. Go play if you feel like you can enjoy the game without beating yourself up over shots that you know you can’t hit but you will try anyway because you saw it on TV. Just go play, most of my experience came from playing on the course, I call that course tuition.

Disclaimer: I am Not a professional golfer and these are my opinions only, I am self-taught and encourage you to put as much effort into your swing as you see necessary. Seek professional help if you think you’re a danger to yourself or others on the golf course…or off the golf course.

When Is It Too Windy To Play Golf

Playing golf on a windy day can be extremely frustrating, so frustrating in fact that if the wind is gusting too hard I get tempted to stop the round and leave the course.

I have never left the course before in my life but I have certainly considered it due to windy playing conditions. But, When Is It Too Windy To Play Golf?

When Is It Too Windy To Play Gold? Here’s a checklist that you can go through and if you answer “Correct” to any of the questions, it’s probably too windy to play golf. I’ll touch on each of these reasons later in the post.

Birds can’t fly
Hard time keeping balance
Golf bag blew over
Hat blew off
Rolling clouds
A flag never rests
Debris everywhere
Wind chill too cold
Windburn
Applying eyedrops too much

Lets Dive A Little Deeper

Bird’s Can’t Fly

If you have ever been to the Oregon coast, you know that hardly a day goes by when the wind doesn’t blow. You will usually see seagulls flying, well, more like floating or hovering in the air.

If you are out on the course and you see a bird having a difficult time flying, this my be you warning sign. This is probably a good sign that your golf ball is not going to do what you want it to do.

If that bird is trying to fly against the wind but not getting anywhere and turns the other direction, maybe you should too.

Hard Time Keeping Balance

If you are getting off balance because of the wind, than those birds are surely tucked away nicely in their nests. If the wind is messing with your golf swing and preventing you from making a proper swing, this is a good sign.

Golf Bag Blew Over

You could blame this on you setting your stand bag down on uneven ground and a small gust of wind blew it over. Or, if your bag was sitting on level ground and the wind was blowing so hard that your bag blew over, this to me is a good sign.

Hat Blew Off

Sometimes there’s a random gust of wind and sometimes there’s a wind storm. Both scenarios could easily blow your hat off your head.

If it blows off your head multiple times and you find yourself chasing it down the fairway, it’s probably too windy to play golf.

Rolling Clouds

You might be asking yourself, “what the heck are rolling clouds?”, this is a name I gave the clouds that I experienced while playing golf one beautiful day.

In short, it was a calm, fall day. I was in the middle of my eighteen hole round when I noticed some bizarre clouds coming out of the west from the coast range.

The clouds literally looked like a 100 mile long massive tube cloud that was just rolling towards us. About 30 minutes after noticing the clouds, the wind hit, and it hit hard.

Because we were near the end of our round, we decided to finish but it was not pleasant. I’m not sure what the wind speed was but it was so bad that I almost left the course without finishing my round.

A Flag Never Rests

This might be very obvious to you but if you didn’t know already, if the flag is whipping around and not resting at all, it’s probably too windy to play golf.

I’m talking about the aggressive whip too, not the little slow moving flag. Like, if you can hear the whip coming from the flag, that wind is blowing hard.

Debris Everywhere

No golfer likes to do the grounds workers job. If you are playing and you literally need to carve a path in the putting green because there’s too much debris, it’s probably too windy to play golf.

Wind Chill Too Cold

You know when the weather person says that it’s going to be 50 degrees outside and you go out and it feels like 30 degrees. That is the wind chill and it’s not a good feeling if you are not prepared for it.

It doesn’t take a strong wind for the wind chill to make it uncomfortable being outside.

Windburn

Windburns are no fun, if you ever had a sunburn, feels kind of like that but a bit of a dryer feeling with less burning sensation.

If the wind is blowing this hard, you are most likely experiencing most of the other reasons not to play golf on a windy day.

Preparing To Play

Let’s start with what you should wear and other things you might need when the wind blows hard.

Protecting yourself from the wind is extremely important for many reasons. You don’t really consider the reasons to prepare until you are in the moment.

Windbreaker -This a good idea, if it’s hot outside and the wind feels good, I would suggest something light and breathable to wear. If it’s cold outside, wear something thicker obviously.
Hats – These are pretty important to keep your hair from flopping from side to side and front to back.
Sunscreen – This is to provide an extra layer of protection on your face, legs, and arms.
Glasses – Not everyone can afford expensive golf glasses but if you want to purchase some on a budget I would suggest Craigslist or inexpensive constructions glasses. When it gets windy, golf course debris is flying all over the place and if something gets in your eyes then you can kiss your round goodbye. Hopefully, a bad round is the least of your worries if something gets in your eyes.
Eye drops – Unless you get dry eye’s on a regular bases than you probably aren’t thinking of adding any to your bag. When the wind is blowing it can make your eyes dry and when your eyes dry up that’s a recipe for inflammation and possibly blurry vision.
Hand/Toe Warmers – These are fairly inexpensive and they last a few years, why not through these in your bag just in case. I have used these countless times, I showed up to the course and the temperature difference is completely different than when I left my house. They just make the round more enjoyable especially when the wind chill is really cold.

Now that we have some of the essential items out of the way. For you to have the best round possible, let’s move on to other important things.

How to tell which way the wind is blowing

When the wind is gusting pretty hard you might not be confused as to which way the wind is gusting. If there’s a consistent stream of wind then a common technique to tell which way the wind is blowing is taking a little grass and tossing it in the air. Whichever way the grass blows is the direction that the wind is blowing in the general area.

How to tell which way the wind is blowing near the target?

This can be a challenging task, especially if your vision isn’t the best but maybe if you have a playing partner with the good vision you can ask them. A good way to tell the direction of the wind near the target is to look at the surrounding trees. This may be obvious to you but many new golfers don’t think about this technique.

Another good way to judge the wind near the target is to look at the tall grass, like the thick stuff that stands two feet high and that swallows up golf balls. Not every course has tall grass like that but you get the idea, use anything you can to give you a clue. Even a bird that looks like it’s flying but really it’s going nowhere because the wind is too strong, that might give you a clue that it’s gusting harder up high than down on the ground. If there is water nearby, use the small little waves that form when the wind blows over it to help decide the wind direction.

And last but not least, if your target is the flag then use the flag to tell you the direction.

Teeing off in a headwind

When the wind is howling against the direction you are teeing off, this can be tough. Don’t worry, you can do a couple of things to help get a little more yardage. The preferred shot to play if the wind is coming right at you is a lower shot. These obviously don’t get too high in the air for the wind to slow it down. This is easier said than done though.

Tee the ball up lower – This can be difficult for some golfers because there’s a chance of topping the ball. If you are using a driver than this will give you a bullet in most cases. But it’s also a good way to hook the ball too.
Use more club – If you are playing a par 3 and you normally hit a 7 iron, this would be a perfect time to switch to a 6 iron or 5 iron depending on the wind.
If you use a less lofted iron and play the ball a bit further back in your stance you can get less loft on the club which will keep the ball lower.
If you don’t like altering your swing much than you could always swing your normal swing but add a little extra power. This is not ideal but if it’s your only option than you might as well use it.
Grip down on the shaft for more control of the ball flight.
Don’t forget to take a little wider stance, this helps for those really hard gusts of wind that could though you off balance in the middle of your backswing.

Teeing off in a tailwind

Tailwinds can be just as frustrating as a headwind. Instead of trying to add a little extra power, you may need to take a little off. I don’t mind tailwinds as much as headwinds because it gives you a bit more opportunities. If you’re playing a par 5 and you need every bit of that drive. That’s a perfect time to have a tailwind, possible eagle depending on your distance.

Tee the ball up normal or a little higher – I say a little higher because depending on your normal driving setup, you might want a bit more tee height so you can launch the ball higher. But you would need to slightly change your spine angle in order to launch the ball higher.
Use less club – Just like the example for a headwind, maybe you are playing a par three that you normally use a 7 iron for, this would be a good time to switch to an 8 iron or maybe 9 iron depending on the wind.

Wind coming from left to right

This can be tricky depending on whether you are a right-handed player or left-handed player.

For a right-handed player that plays a draw, the left to right wind will straighten out your ball flight a bit and you will need to aim more left to compensate
A right-handed player that plays a fade, the left to right wind will amplify your fade so you will need to aim more left to compensate.
For a left-handed golfer that plays a draw, the left to right wind will amplify your draw and you might need to aim a little more left or take a little off the draw.
A left-handed golfer that plays a fade, the left to right wind will straighten out your fade and you will need to aim left.

Wind coming from the right is the same concept but reversed.

Wind and rain

This is probably the worst combination because this is when you start to get really uncomfortable. It’s hard enough to hit the golf ball the way you want in normal conditions and now you through in wind and rain into the mix you get a recipe for disaster. I remember playing in a torrential downpour with some intense gusts of wind and my rain gear hardly did its job. These are the conditions that you really need to love the game of golf in order to keep playing in these conditions.

Playing in the rain deserves its own post and I will probably write about it because I live in Portland Oregon where it rains quite a bit.

I hope you got some useful information from this post and feel free to leave a comment.

How To Tee Off Straight: The Beginners Guide

The million dollar question that all golfers strive for, how to tee off straight, right? Not really, most new golfers wish they could tee off straight but in reality, this is the hardest shot you can hit. That’s one of the reasons professionals play a draw or a fade, I can’t think of a single person on the tour that plays a straight shot as their go to play.

When you tee off if you imagine a straight line going from between your legs and through the middle of the ball. When your club face makes impact with the ball, the club face should be in parallel with this line. If your swing path is on plane and there’s no swinging over the top (slice) or no swinging under the plane then the ball has the best chance to go straight. So clubface at impact along with swing path is how to tee off straight.

The question “How To Tee Off Straight” is a question that if you were to ask a professional how to do this, they might not even be able to tell you. They might just say “Pull the club straight back and when you reach the top of your swing, bring the club straight back down and this should result in a straight tee shot”.

Huh, that’s it you say? Well yes, but there are so many other variables that affect the golf ball after you hit it. Even if you make the same swing every time you would probably get a different result from the golf ball.

That’s why pro’s on tour prefer to hit draws or fades, they know every time the ball will have a curve to their shot. That is very predictable when you’re tired, sore, angry, wet or happy, still going to get that curve on the ball.

Think About It

Why would you want to try and make the ball go straight every time? Most fairways are curved or angled in some way that makes a straight ball flight useless. Now don’t get me wrong, you can totally play a straight shot on a lot of holes but if that’s all you have in your bag, you need to practice the draw or fade.

I think if you knew how to hit a small baby fade and a small baby draw, this would benefit you more than a straight shot down the fairway every time.

If you’re a right-handed golfer and there’s a crosswind of 5 or 10 mph coming from left to right. This could turn a little baby draw into a straight shot down the fairway. Vise versa for a baby fade.

Now, if you had a crosswind with a straight shot down the fairway, most likely it will be pushed off either side depending on which way the wind is coming from.

Can Teeing Off Straight Benefit Me?

Yes, teeing off straight can benefit you and hitting a straight tee shot is a beautiful sight to see when the ball leaves the club face. Most times though, that’s hard to replicate because of all the variables that are at play.

Variables

Wind
Temperature
Dry Conditions
Wet Conditions
The Way You Tee Up The Ball
Your Pre Shot Routine
Your Golf Swing (biggest variable)

Wind

Wind is a big deal especially if you don’t have a shot in your that can fight against it. Obviously, if there’s a headwind then you can’t do anything about this except play a low stinger shot.

I’ve played in nasty wind, 35 mph – 45 mph gust that would make you want to pull your hair out. When I had the baby fade that I use to play, the wind would destroy me sometimes. I remember some nasty gust of wind that turned it into a serious looking fade like I was trying to take a shortcut or something.

Don’t mess with the wind, it’ll get you every time!

Temperature

Temperature can affect your ball, your body, the course and so on. I’ve played in below freezing conditions before, my birthday is in December and I wanted to play. I can’t remember the exact temp but hitting the ball off the fairway was like playing on hardwood floors and when the ball landed it bounced like it was on hardwood floors.

My buddy and I definitely didn’t think that day through well enough but it was a good lesson. I won’t ever play in temperatures that low again but temperature changes everything, my story was the extreme.

Playing on a hot 80-degree day, and yes that’s hot to me for those who can only play in 80+ temps. Playing in these temperatures can make the golf ball really soft and I’ve noticed that the ball comes off the head much better in these temperatures.

Hot temps also affect your body greatly, you need to drink more water, wipe the sweat off your face, eat more, wear sunscreen. The sun can drain your body, when I walk 18 holes in the summer I’m usually exhausted and have a headache when I finish.

Dry Conditions

Meaning, low moisture in the air.

This playing condition doesn’t really bother me and I don’t know if it really affects how I play generally. Someone that needs to put chap-stick on their lips because they can’t tolerate peeling skin. I could see this would affect them in a negative way.

If you need to put lotion on your hands every hole because you can’t stand the dry cold air or dry warm air, that would be disruptive to me. I don’t think I could swing a golf club with lotion on my hands. It wouldn’t feel right and I would be afraid the club would fling out of my hands.

I think overall, dry air conditions just play a role in how it affects your mood.

Wet Conditions

I live in the Pacific Northwest so I know a lot about playing in these conditions. I’ve learned to deal with the wet conditions though, because, what other choice do I have other than moving?

This is one of those conditions that affects everything you can think of. I honestly believe if you can shoot a decent score while it’s raining then you have a strong mental game. Depending on the severity of the rain, you could be completely wet from head to toe. Or you could just be damp, it all depends.

If you’ve never played in these conditions before, it’s not always a good time, especially when a storm sneaks up on you in the middle of your round. If you choose to go out in those conditions and play like I have before, that’s a different story, you’re more prepared.

Good luck hitting a straight shot in a torrential downpour, actually, good luck making any good contact at all. If I have all my rain gear on like this outfit on Amazon, it’s a different feeling, this rain suit on amazon looks much better than my rain suit. My rain suit throws me off most times and I find it difficult to make a normal swing. Check out some of my rain gear here Golf Wear.

The Way You Tee Up The Ball

It’s pretty common for new golfers to tee up the ball without giving it a whole lot of thought. I use to tee the ball up funky, my playing partner still tees it up funky.

Teeing up the ball plays a big role in how well your tee shot actually is, if you tee it up too high, you become vulnerable to a sky shot. If you tee the ball too low, you could top the ball or snap hook it if your club catches the ground first and that’s the last thing you want to do on the first tee.

Teeing up the ball is totally relative to the golfer. Knowing how high or how low to tee the ball up comes with plenty of practice.

But also, teeing up the ball isn’t really needed all the time. If I’m hitting my irons on a par three or my hybrid, I don’t even use a tee. I have my own reasons for this and I suspect they’re similar to Henrik Stenson’s (I’m not trying to compare my skills to his) it’s merely a comfort thing.

Pre Shot Routine

This is something I didn’t start doing until I started to study the game and how the pros play golf. Your pre-shot routine is what sets you up for success. It’s meant to erase the last hole and focus you and your thoughts on the shot at hand.

It doesn’t really wipe your memory but it’s the one thing that stands between your +3 on the last hole and the next tee shot you need to take. This is extremely important if you want to attempt a straight shot every single hit of the ball, you need a pre-shot routine.

Your Golf Swing

Unless you’re a pro golfer, this is a major variable in hitting a straight shot every time. Having a consistent swing is the one variable that affects the ball the most. If you can hit the ball the same way every time then the results of what happens to the golf ball is affected by the other variables, you can’t do anything about that.

So even if you practiced a straight shot in the optimal conditions at the range, it still doesn’t matter sometimes how good you swing the club. The other variables will mess with the ball regardless.

Reconsider Your Swing

If you are really wanting to hit a straight tee shot every time, great, go practice. The reality is, your hard work and practice can’t be the blame for your fade off to the right or your fade off to the left. You could slightly miss-hit the ball and there she goes, off to the left…blame it on the wind.

I would suggest developing a draw, you get the most yardage for your efforts from this ball flight. If you work on developing your draw over a straight shot than you will have figured out how to manipulate the ball to your liking.

Listen to me or don’t, up to you but whenever I play with people and I see them smack a draw on the golf ball, I know that they’re probably going to shoot between 70 and 80. Not guaranteed but if you have a consistent draw or even a nice fade, you’re probably shooting lower scores than the majority of golfers.

I hope this article helps you and I hope you consider learning to hit a draw instead of a straight shot every time.

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