Golf in Hawaii

Olomana Golf CourseAs I look around for more potential places to travel for golf I realized that I hadn’t ever been to Hawaii at all let alone played golf there. A quick search about golf in Hawaii informed me that not only is it an amazing place to play but also the place that a few pros got their start. Michelle Wie and Dean Wilson got their start on the island states links.

Wie’s home course, Olomana Golf Links, looks like a really nice place to play and if it can produce a superstar like her maybe it could help my game a little. The par 72 course features a 129 slope rating and a length of 6326 yards which leads me to believe that the hazards must be many because the length certainly doesn’t warrant a slope that high. It also has all the necessary amenities including a restaurant/snack bar, driving range, rental clubs and carts.

I’m not sure which course I’ll end up on but I will make a effort try and pick one of Hawaii’s golf courses as my next destination. Hopefully I can convince the new wife that a honeymoon in Hawaii is in order!

Christmas Getaway

La Manga 1Christmas time has always been a time to travel to my family’s house and see everyone that I moved away from after college. Recently many of my family members have either moved too far away to make that practical or unfortunately have passed away. This year the wife and I were thinking of going away for the Holidays and that made me think of only one thing, golf.

La Manga 2Since the average temperature in New York this time of year is just above freezing I’ve had to put the golf bag away in favor of the remote control. After some research on places that have some sights to see on and off the golf courses we decided on Spain as our destination and I found La Manga Village. With three courses (North, South and West) I can play a couple of times at the same resort we are staying at and not get bored. Also, with its proximity to local beaches as well as Jacuzzi, indoor swimming pool, beauty salon and spa there is no shortage of things my wife could do while I am hacking it up one of the three championship courses.

I’ll let you all know how it goes after we get back, I’m sure we’ll have a great time especially since it will be my wife’s first trip out of the country and my first time playing golf on another continent. Can’t wait until this winter ends and I can golf more regularly.

Basic Golf Etiquette 101

If you’re a newbie to golfing, it’s easy to understand why it could be intimidating at first. After all, there’s all the equipment, culture, and most importantly, all those little rules to keep track off. With golf being a favorite pastime in the U.S. and  catching on like wildfire in many parts of the world, you better make sure you know the basic etiquette whether you set foot on a course close to home or a course during a relaxing vacation. For instance, Panama, an up-and-coming golfing destination in tropical central America, has newly constructed world-class courses with the added benefit of  luxurious Panama hotels nearby. So wherever you are playing, get familiar with some of the most important rules of golf etiquette to ensure you are on your best behavior and keep other players around you happy.

Safety First

Before anything else, one of the most important rules is to mind the sound of your voice. Don’t make any sudden or loud noises, such as shouting or really loud laughing. Do not talk during another player’s swing. Now for safety, you always want to be mindful of your actions and ensure that no one will be accidently injured in any way. Until you are 100 percent sure that people are at a safe distance from you, do not swing your club. If you want to practice your swing, do not do it in the direction of another player, as you can send twigs or pebbles flying in the air towards them. Turn to opposite directions if you want to practice. Also, same goes for groups playing ahead of you. Don’t hit the ball until you know they are out of range of where the ball might land.

Pacing

In order to prevent a very slow and lumbering game, keep the game going at a steady pace. You should aim to take no longer than 30 to 45 seconds to select your club and hit the ball. If you are simply not ready for your turn, offer another player in your group to go instead. Be mindful of the pace that the groups ahead and behind of you are playing at. If space opens up in front of you, you can let a faster group play through. Same goes for if you lose a ball and decide to spend the most of the five minutes allowed to look for it. In this case, you should let the group behind you play through

On the Green

Always mind other players and never walk through another players putting line. Your footprints might affect the path of their ball, which could result in an annoyed player. Just make sure you step over it or walk around it somehow. Be aware of where you are standing at all times as you don’t want to cast shadows across another players putting line either. And please bend down to get your ball out of the hole. Do not use your putter to get it out. Remember that the player closest to the hole is usually the one who tends to the flagstick. If you are the one, replace it carefully to make sure you don’t damage the hole. When you are finished putting, leave the green right away. You can note scores on the way to the next hole. Also, do not drive your cart over the green, or through sand bunkers.

Same Old Story

Just here for a quick update, I haven’t been able to post for a while because my job has been completely insane. There also hasn’t been much to write about when it comes to my game. I have been trying to put it all together since I shot 93 and 91 and have just been missing some of the magic I had in those rounds. I shot 46 for 9 yesterday with 3 doubles and 2 pars. My putting was spot on with a really good short game behind it. Driving was average with my irons being the worst part without being that bad. I feel like breaking 90 is right around the corner.

Play in Jersey tomorrow with my friend and some of his co-workers. I should be able to put some number up on the course since I have played it once before. It is a resort course with tight fairways and beautiful atmosphere but I am not looking forward to it. I like woods course so much more that it makes it hard to get excited about this style of course. Either way I’ll get to see if I can make things even in the dollar a stroke match that we have been having this year. I am currently down eleven dollars.

In equipment news I have been swinging a new driver as well as using a testing a new GPS option. The driver is a Taylor Made SuperQuad with an orange accra XT 60 shaft. It has helped me tremendously with distance and accuracy. The weights in the head help me turn the club over and get a nice draw on the ball and the shaft increases my ball speed and my distance by about 20 yards. There is no comparison to my Nike, I don’t think I ever loaded that shaft enough to get any performance benefits. The GPS is GolfShot for my iPhone. I have been using it for scoring ever since my last option went down before a round and with a dead battery in my uPro I decided to try it on a friends recommendation. I am still not 100% sold but with it’s $30 price tag comes a full list of features including point to point measuring, shot measuring, distance to all hazards, a fly over view and lay up distances. I believe that it offers even more than my $400 uPro does. The only real downside so far is the time it takes for the distance on the screen to update. I am going to try it out more in the coming rounds for comparison and I will keep you posted.