Golf - how to get started?

Golf anybody?

By Frank J. Peter, editor at LearnAboutGolf.com

Golf is a great game: sometimes rewarding, often frustrating but highly addictive. Getting started in it is actually not so difficult, and hopefully this article can help you avoid some of the common pitfalls.

The very first steps.

The biggest mistake by people wanting to start in golf is to rush out and buy a brand new set of shiny and expensive golf clubs. While they are nice to look at you should keep in mind that todays golf equipment comes in great varieties to cater for different golfing types and abilities. Since you're just starting out you do not know which set fits you best. Just imagine the envious looks you get at the driving range when you come with your $2000 set, and the subsequent laughter when you try and just 'hack away' - not worth the embarrassment! Once you spend a few hundred or even thousand $$ on a set that doesn't suit your style you're stuck with it or you have to sell it to somebody else at a loss.

If you feel you want your own clubs get a half set. This generally comprises five irons and perhaps two woods and a putter. Usually the irons are the odd numbers 3,5,7,9 and wedge. These clubs are more than enough to get you started.

A better alternatively: most Driving Ranges will have clubs for hire, so you can try out a few different ones. You can also borrow one or two clubs from a friend. The shortest iron (nine iron) or a wedge are the best clubs to start, practicing with it will give you the feeling of hitting the ball in the air and should be fairly straight forward.

Where to get golf clubs?

Most Pro shops and driving ranges sell second hand clubs. They will also be able to offer you advice and let you try some clubs out. Alternatively, nearly all driving ranges will have clubs for hire if you want to have a go without committing to a set until you get the hang of it. Or ask other people at the driving range, you will soon find out that many have another set of clubs at home because they made the exact same mistakes I mentioned above. Make sure you try before you buy, if they fit (and only if they fit!) you can often get them for a steal. Make use of these opportunities, and also take a look at our website LearnAboutGolf.com as to how to choose a club. I again stress that you need to have a basic understanding on which club suits you reasonably well before you buy. DO NOT buy expensive brands at this stage.

"I want to play, I want to play!"

As hard as it will be to contain yourself, don't even contemplate going anywhere near a golf course. Golf is technically quite demanding, and without at least some basic training you'll end up with a lot of frustration. You've seen the top players on TV loosing their cool in frustration, imagine how you will feel if not even a single shot goes where you want it to. Besides, the other people having to wait for you will also not be happy.

As a beginner at the great game of golf, start off at a driving range, take at least four or five lessons, learn the fundamentals, progress to a 9 hole course and eventually venture out into the great unknown of an 18 hole golf course. Believe me, it will be a lot more fun for you and those around you if you follow this path.

Where to get lessons?

You will meet plenty of people at the range who will teach you the 'innermost secrets' of golf. Fact is that most of them have started playing not long before you. So the answer to the above question is: go to a Professional. As you have seen on TV, even the worlds top players have a coach. Tiger Woods, probably the best golfer the world, still takes lessons. Certified Golf Professionals are the only people qualified to teach you how to play the game. Lessons from a Pro will cost you money but will be the best investment you'll ever make. Taking the advise from the 'know-it-all' people at the range will likely screw-up your game at the very early stage, and it will take a long time to correct the faults later.

The two places to get golf lessons are at driving ranges and golf clubs. You don't have to be a member of a club to get a lesson from the Pro. You bring in money, so they will be glad to help. The usual cost is about $25-40 per 45 min, but you will get reductions for a block booking. If you are a bit on the budget see if they do group bookings, those are also cheaper than individual lessons.

What else to do?

Books and videos can be invaluable in learning the basics. To build a sound golf swing you will need the three fundamentals: Grip, Stance and Posture. There are some very good books and videos on the market that will help you to establish the three fundamentals. And watch the Pro's on the TV, or better still video them and play back in slow motion, you'll learn a lot this way. Don't get blinded by too much science, you're still a beginner. Stick to Grip, Stance and Posture and you'll be on your way. Take a look at the golf tips and golf lessons on our website LearnAboutGolf.com for some advice as well.

Summary

1.Don't waste your money on expensive clubs until you have reached a basic level of competency.
2.Don't go near a Golf Course, again until you have reached a basic level.
3.Get lessons from a qualified professional.
4.Learn the three fundamentals
5.Watch the Pro's.
6.Practice.
7.Learn the rules of golf and the basic golf etiquette .

I hope that this article has been of some help to avoid costly mistakes many people made, including myself. Follow the above basics and you are on your way to all the fun (and frustration) golf can offer. Enjoy!

Frank Peter is the webmaster of learnaboutgolf.com where he offers valuable tips for beginners and intermediates in Golf. To find more advice, lessons and resources to help you succeed in your game, visit: http://www.learnaboutgolf.com

Are You Adicted to Golf

There are millions of people addicted to golf. Why? Golf can be played on a beautiful course with as many people as you like, and in very pleasant weather. Golf if very gentle on your body, and is truly the sport of a lifetime.

Golf has many physical benefits and is a very efficient way to stay in shape, and has many physical benefits. With golf, you will get the most out of a round if you walk the course; this will also burn a number of calories and improve your cardiovascular health.

Carrying your clubs will strengthen your upper body and actually hitting the ball improves your hand to eye coordination.

Golf can be played by yourself or with as many friends as you like. You can also chat and visit between each hole while you are waiting on others to finish their holes. Or if you enjoy playing by yourself, you can enjoy the great outdoors, at your own pace.

Professional golfers make the game look easy. Their swing seems as fluid and effortless as running water, and they look as thought they are on a leisurely stroll as they pound drives more than 300 yards and hit high soft iron shots. The truth is they young professionals are strong and fit enough to make a complicated athletic move look simple.

Few amateurs can devote that amount of time, energy, and money to their golf games, but that shouldnt stop them from making positive changes in their games by improving their strength and conditioning. Golf is a game of balance, discipline, and touch. Enhancing and improving those specific shills, requires a balanced regimen with four important components: strength, flexibility, endurance, and diet.

There are many books and videos one this subject and I would suggest that all golfers invest in a good golf fitness program.

Good Golfing.

Dr. Richard Myers

www.thinkandreachpar.com

An avid golfer, we maintain a golf training website with golf tips, weekly golf training, golf related articles, and a weekly newsletter. We try to cover everything from the tee to the green and health related articles as well.

Alignment - The Most Important Lesson in Golf

When I watch inexperienced golfers players hit the ball I find that they are usually mis-alinged to their target. Typically, they aim way too far out to the right. The reason they aim to the right is because the inexperienced player has the tendency to hit the ball with their arms which causes the ball to pull to the left. This means that they are compensating for a flaw in their swing by just aiming their body out to the right instead of fixing the actual flaw.

What this boils down to, is that the inexperienced players' bad swings make the ball go on target and their perfect swings make the ball end up in the trees, or bunker on the right of the target. So, they are seeing their good shots as bad shots and bad shots as good shots. If this is the case, the inexperienced player will never want to fix their swing flaws. If they dont fix their flaws they will never reach their golfing potential. This is why I call alignment the most important lesson in golf.

Check Your Alignment

In order to find out if you are a player that has swing flaws, you must check your alignment. To do this, all you have to do is pick out a target and do your normal set up. Once you feel like you are ready, lay a club down at your heels or toes. Then, step back about 10 paces behind the ball to see where you are actually aimed. If the club you placed at your toes or heels is parallel left of your actual target, you have properly aligned yourself. If the club on the ground points to the right of your target you are mis-aligned.

If you find that you are mis-aligned, you must learn to square up your stance. To do this, simply find a target in the distance that you want to hit the ball to. Take out 2 golf clubs that you rarely hit (ie. 3 iron and 4 iron). Take the first club and lay it down directly at the target (you will have to step back a few paces to check this). Place the second club parallel to the first club on the ground. Now, take away the first club that is pointing at the target. You should have one club on the ground that is parallel to the left of your target.

Once you have the club on the ground parallel to your target line you have a guide to help you align your feet, knees, hips and shoulders squarely. If you aim your body squarely to the club on the ground and you hit the ball to the left of your target you have just found out that you are pulling the golf ball which means you are trying to hit the ball too hard with only your arms. If you hit the ball to the right of the target from this square alignment you are sliding your body too much laterally through impact which is causing the ball to fly to the right.

Learning that you are mis-aligned can be quite shocking at first but don't think of it as a bad thing, think of it as a good thing. It's a good thing because you now know that you have a swing flaw and you can get on the road to fixing it so that you can play even better golf in the future.

Paul Wilson

Achieve The Proper Swing Plane In Your Golf Swing

Throughout the years, the swing plane has always been one of the most difficult things to understand. Hopefully, I can simplify this difficult subject so you can achieve the proper swing plane in your golf swing.

I like to use the image of a weight swinging on a piece of string to illustrate the swing plane. What would happen if you picked up a weight on a piece of string and started to twirl it? Assuming your hand was on a 45 degree angle in front of you and not tilted left or right, the weight would make a circular arc around your hand causing the weight to swing down the line. If the weight was allowed to swing freely, it would do the same thing on one side as it does on the other. That means it would be swinging on a perfect plane around your hand.

Now that you have an understanding of what the swing plane is, you have to also understand that there are 3 different planes you could have. To imagine the different planes, think again about the weight swinging on the string. We already discussed the down the line plane (hand not tilted) but what would happen if you tilted your hand to the left? If you tilted your hand to the left the weight would swing to the left. Now what if you tilted your hand to the right? If you tilted your hand to the right the weight would swing to the right. So here are the 3 different planes you can have:

1. Swinging straight down the target line.
2. Swinging down to the left (over the top).
3. Swinging out to the right (inside out).

It's important that we keep these things in mind when we think about our swing plane with a golf club. Like the weight swinging on a piece of string, we also have a weight (your golf club) swinging around our body (axis). Your swing plane may also swing left or right depending on the tilt of your body as you hit the shot. So what would cause the club to swing to the left or right of the target line (assuming you were in a stance that was square)? There are a couple of things that will stop the clubhead from swinging down the line:

1. Hitting with your upper body causing it to tilt to left on the way down.

2. The lower body sliding too much laterally on the way down.

Starting Down with Your Arms

If you start you downswing by trying to hit the golf ball you will get ahead of the ball which means that your body will be tilted to the left. This means that the ball will start to the left of the target causing pulls, pull hooks, skyed shots and slices.

Poorer golfers tend to try to hit at the ball with their arms because they have not yet learned how to hit the ball with their legs and body. To eliminate this problem of hitting with your arms, I want you to concentrate on the moment you are about to swing the golf club down. At this precise moment, you must start down by turning your hips not by pulling your arms down. This means you have to go against human nature. At the moment you are about to start down, human nature is telling you to try to hit the ball and hit it hard. This activates your arms which gets your shoulder rotation ahead of your hips and making the club swing down and to the left.

DRILL

A great way to feel the lower body swinging the club is to hold your club off the ground at knee high and do some practice swings. If you hold the club in the air, you take the ball and any hitting sensation with your arms out of the picture. If you no longer have the feeling of hitting with your arms, you can clearly feel your body making the club swing around your body thus creating the perfect plane (like the weight on the piece of string). Remember this feeling of not using your arms to hit your shots then apply it to your shots.

The Lower Body Slide

If you slide your lower body laterally through your shot you will cause the upper body to tilt to the right too much which, in turn, will make you ball start out to the right causing pushes, push fades and duck hooks.

DRILL

If you are someone who starts the ball out to the right of your target, you have to learn to turn your hips and body more as opposed to moving laterally. At the moment you are about to start your downswing, don't think about shifting your weight to the left. If you shift too much, you will move too much laterally which will cause your body to tilt to the right too much on the way down. Instead, start your downswing by turning. To get the proper feeling of turning, simply place and object such as a broken shaft, golf bag, chair waist high approx. 3 inches off of your left hip. When you do your swing, try to turn and miss the object. If you hit it, you are moving too much laterally. Once you do a few practice swings training your body to miss the object off of your left hip, add the ball and hit a few shots.

Hopefully you have a new and better understanding of the swing plane and how if can greatly effect the direction of your shots. The next time you go to the practice range you may want to try an experiement to see how your upper body tilt affects the direction of your shots. All you have to do is simply tilt your upper body to the left and see where the ball goes. Then, tilt your upper body to the right so you can see the opposite result. Once you see this relationship between the direction and your body work on the proper uncoiling of your lower body until your shots start straight down the target line.

Paul Wilson
www.paulwilsongolf.com

Speed Kills your golf swing

Would you say you have a fast looking swing or a slow swing? (If you dont have a fast swing show this article to a playing partner who does). You would think that a recreational golfers fast swing would hit a golf ball a long way wouldnt you? After all, it looks fast! Yet the ball doesnt go as far as a slow swinging pros ball. I wonder why...

If you think about your body for a minute, you know that it moves much slower than your arms in real life. So if your body cant turn all that fast, how do you get a fast looking golf swing? You get a fast looking golf swing when you try to hit the ball as hard as you can with just your arms. This means that your arms are moving independently from your body.

This fast looking swing can be understood by imagining a clock. If you look at a clock, you will see that the little post in the middle tells the minute hand how fast to swing. If the little post moves slowly, the minute hand moves slowly. If the little post moves faster, the arms move faster. The center post and the minute hand are relative to one another. If you compare your golf swing to the movement of a clock you will see your body as the center post on the clock and your arms as the minute hand. Having a fast looking swing would be like the little center post of the clock turning slowly yet the minute hand is moving very fast. This, of course, would never happen because they are connected to one another.

What happens to your shots when your arms outpace your body?

First, won't make solid contact with the sweet spot on the clubface because swinging with your arms alone will cause you to manipulate the clubface as it swings through impact.

Secondly, the harder you swing, the tighter your wrists and arms will be through impact. Tighter wrists release slower than looser wrists and looser arms extend more than tighter arms (which increase the width of your swing arc).

To slow down a fast looking golf swing, we first have to think logically about it. Pros have a slow looking swing and they hit the ball a long way and you have a fast swing that hits the ball shorter. So why do you insist on hitting the ball harder than the pros do?Unfortunately, human nature usually takes control of us when we go to hit a golf ball. It says that the harder you swing the further the ball will go. This does not allow us to see the logic behind swinging slower. Swinging slower feels like you have less power so you cannot see how you can actually hit the ball better and farther by not using your arms. You must convince yourself that you must swing slower to hit the ball better. Once you slow down, you will make better contact in the middle of the clubface, widen your arc and release the club faster. All of these things add up to more distance with less effort.

I like my students to try this drill in order to take the arms out of their swing. All you have to do is hold the club at about waist high and feel your body swing the clubhead. Remember the clock. If the post turns faster the arms swing faster. As you swing, listen to the swishing sound the clubhead is making as it swings through impact. Now, try to make the club swing faster by shifting your body weight from the right leg to the left leg allowing your body to turn at the same time. If you let your arms swing freely you will hear the club swish faster as you increase the speed of your body.

As you go to hit the actual golf ball, you must relate the same new feeling of using your body to hit your shot. This means that you cannot think of hitting the ball. If you think about hitting the ball, it will speed up your arms up again. You have to now think about turning and shifting your body weight. This will turn your body and allow your arms to swing down because they are connected to one another. If you feel your swing getting fast again just step back, hold the club off the ground and do some more practice swings feeling your body making the club swing. It takes some practice and concentration but once you slow your swing down you will not only gain a feeling of effortless power but you will start to look like a pro when you swing.

Paul Wilson
www.paulwilsongolf.com

5 Easy Steps to Replacing Your Golf Club Grips

Replacing your golf grips is like servicing your car; you must do it on a very routine basis to keep them in top working order. We suggest changing your grips at least once a season, maybe even twice depending on where you live and how much you play.

People think that you must have your grips replaced professionally. This is incorrect because it can get costly. Actually replacing your own golf club grips is a really simple job. You will learn a lot about your clubs and save you some money.

Below we will walk you through the quick simple steps to doing the job yourself. But first there are a few things you will need:

1. New golf grips
2. Exacto or sharp knife
3. Double sided tape
4. Cleaning solvent
5. Work bench vice

Follow these quick easy steps:

1. Place the club in the work bench vice and tighten with the grip being fully exposed. Take the exacto or sharp knife and cut the grip from the shaft up to the end of club, cutting away from your body.

2. Remove the old grip and clean the shaft of the club with the cleaning solvent using an old rag or brush. Then dry the club off completely.

3. Wrap the double sided tape down the shaft the length of the grip. Make sure that portion of the shaft is completely covered and remove the backing on the other side of the tape.

4. Pour some solvent over the tape. Line the grip up with the club and slip it towards the head of the club. Remove the club from the vice and place the head on the floor and make the minor alignment adjustments.

5. Let grips dry for a few hours (3).

Give this a try; it is a very easy process and simple task to do. It can be a great learning experience and a lot of fun. It will help you learn a little more about your golf clubs and save you some money. So get the things you need and get busy.
More golf club grip information and tips can be found at: http://www.golfequipmentsource.com/golf-club-grips.html

Are You Addicated to Golf

Are You Addicted to Golf

There are millions of people addicted to golf.

Why? Golf can be played on a beautiful course with as many people as you like, and in very pleasant weather. Golf if very gentle on your body, and is truly the sport of a lifetime.

Golf has many physical benefits and is a very efficient way to stay in shape, and has many physical benefits. With golf, you will get the most out of a round if you walk the course; this will also burn a number of calories and improve your cardiovascular health.

Carrying your clubs will strengthen your upper body and actually hitting the ball improves your hand to eye coordination.

Golf can be played by yourself or with as many friends as you like. You can also chat and visit between each hole while you are waiting on others to finish their holes. Or if you enjoy playing by yourself, you can enjoy the great outdoors, at your own pace.

Professional golfers make the game look easy. Their swing seems as fluid and effortless as running water, and they look as thought they are on a leisurely stroll as they pound drives more than 300 yards and hit high soft iron shots. The truth is they young professionals are strong and fit enough to make a complicated athletic move look simple.

Few amateurs can devote that amount of time, energy, and money to their golf games, but that shouldnt stop them from making positive changes in their games by improving their strength and conditioning. Golf is a game of balance, discipline, and touch.

Enhancing and improving those specific shills, requires a balanced regimen with four important components: strength, flexibility, endurance, and diet.

There are many books and videos one this subject and I would suggest that all golfers invest in a good golf fitness program.

Good Golfing.

Dr. Richard Myers

richard@thinkandreachpar.com
www.thinkandreachpar.com

An avid golfer, we maintain a golf training website with golf tips, weekly golf training, golf related articles, and a weekly newsletter. We try to cover everything from the tee to the green and health related articles as well

Improving Your Golf Swing

You've got your golf clubs, your 18-pack of golf balls, your bag, your shoes, even one of those fancy little electronic caddies. You're as ready as Tiger Woods ever was when he stepped onto a golf course for the very first time. Maybe you're a little taller and older than he was, but you know you're just as ready. Suddenly, by the third hole, you're beginning to wonder how much you can get for all that "barely-used" equipment.

If you're having trouble with consistency and accuracy putting the ball in the same general spot you intended, each time you hit it then you might want to step off the course, grab a bucket of golf balls, and head for the driving range to get some practice in on your swing.

Since you're probably on your own, unless you decide to take a lesson, just learn this - the secret to improving your swing is to figure out where you might be going wrong and then practice to correct the problem. You want to make all of the major factors affecting your swing consistent, so that you can develop a repeatable swing. Once you've got that consistency, then you can fine-tune the little details. What's so nice about working to improve your swing is that you have such an easy test to see if it's working is the ball landing in the general area you planned? If the answer is yes, it's working. Pretty simple!

Start by reviewing what you are doing now with your stance. If you could place a broom handle on the ground so that it just touched the toe of each shoe, the end heading off towards the green should point directly at the flag. Your shoulders and hips should be parallel to that line and should stay that way throughout your swing. Not keeping the whole body parallel to that imaginary line is probably the most common problem new golfers have with their stance.

Now, we're getting to the trickier parts of your golf swing - the moving parts. It's sometimes hard to tell exactly what you might be doing wrong from this point on, so it can help to slow your swing down and have a friend or golfing buddy stand in front of you to explain what they see. Compare that to what you know you should be doing, and take it from there.

The first movement you're going to look at is your back swing. Make sure you are using a smooth, even motion during your back swing nothing jerky or aggressive. Remember, your swing won't get better just because you swing faster or harder, chances are, it will get worse! The most common mistake that novice golfers make on the back swing is to flick their wrists backward right away like they would when swinging a baseball bat. Don't! Let it be a natural motion instead. Watch any of the pros on the PGA tour watch Woods, Mickelson, Sorenstam and Kim most of them begin their wrist break just a little bit before the golf club reaches the horizontal position.

After looking at your back swing, take a peek at what's going on at the transition the point at the top of your swing, just before you bring the golf club forward. Most novice golfers don't allow the club to actually stop for a fraction of a second, and it should. After that brief stop, bring the club back down in that same even, fluid motion you worked on for your back swing. Flicking your wrists forward fast and hard is, again, what we do with a baseball bat. And if you haven't noticed by now, that little white critter on the tee is a whole lot smaller than a baseball!

Now, you're at the actual point where you make contact with the ball. Don't try to power through the ball with your arm and shoulder muscles. You're probably tired of hearing me say this, but this, too, is how we are used to hitting a baseball. If you do it during your golf swing, though, it only weakens your swing and throws the club head out of alignment. Instead, using your whole torso and even your leg muscles will help correct it, as well as one other common problem novice golfers have - letting the club face close or open up. At the moment of contact, the front and back edges of the club head should perpendicular to that imaginary broom handle you laid out earlier.

Think you're done? Not yet! You still have your follow through to consider. The biggest mistake a beginning golfer makes is to slow down after they've hit the ball. To ensure a full swing, keep your club head near the ground for about six inches on the follow through. This helps you swing through the ball, not stab at it. Again, keep that smooth, even speed all the way until the club head is up behind your head a full swing is just that; it makes a complete circle from start to finish. Remember, it doesn't matter whether you have a driver, an iron, or a wedge in your hands; the swing speed should remain the same throughout the entire swing for all of them, and a consistent swing speed will improve your accuracy noticeably!

As you can see, the most common problem most novice golfers have with their golf swing is that they try to hit the ball with the same general motion and muscles that they would use to swing a baseball bat. That's only natural, since a bat's probably the main thing most of us grew up swinging. But it's totally wrong too. Almost everything about a golf swing is different from swinging a bat, and the only way to get it right is practice, practice, practice!

Like Bob Hope once said, "If you watch a game, it's fun. If you play it, it's recreation. If you work at it, it's golf!"

Once you've kitted yourself out and bought all that shiny new golf equipment find yourself a good local public golf course and set about practicing your golf swing

The Golfing Greats - Arnold Palmer

Arnold Palmer, General of Arnie's Army, was speaking of golf, but he could have been describing his own life when he said, "Success in golf depends less on strength of body than upon strength of mind and character." His sense of fairness, kindness toward everyone, and dry sense of humor have made him one of the most popular golfers to ever play the game. And he was pretty darned good at the game, too!

As a world-famous golfer, Arnold Palmer won a majority of his 92 championships on the U.S. PGA tour. The only "major" he never won was the PGA Championship, although he finished second in three of them. Probably most noted for being the first pro to win four Masters Tournaments, it's not surprising to find that he started playing golf at the ripe old age of four. He worked hard at developing his golf game throughout most of his life, and it shows with some of the prestigious awards he's won including: the 1960 Hickok Professional Athlete of the Year, the 1960 Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year, and even Athlete of the Decade for the 1960s in a national Associated Press poll. The awards culminated in 2004 when President Bush awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in a ceremony at the White House.

His professional career began in 1954, just a few months after he won the U.S. Amateur Championship. The leading money winner in three of the four years spanning his biggest period from 1960 to 1963, Palmer twice represented the U.S. in the international Ryder Cup Match.

But Palmer never let all that prestige and status go to his head. He unfailingly maintained a dry and subtle sense of humor. After succumbing to bad luck on the 18th hole at the Rancho Park L.A. Open in 1961, a newsman asked how he had managed to make 12 on the par 5 hole. His reply: "I missed my putt for an 11."

Rancho Park became his home golf course for many years. The 20th Century Fox Studios were right across the street, and many times you'd find Hollywood stars mixing with the regular golfing crowd. It's said that after Palmer once played a round with Frank Sinatra the famed singer rumored to have been involved with the Italian Mafia Sinatra asked him, "How do you like my game?" Palmer responded with a straight face, "I prefer golf."

Palmer even got along with members of the media, laughing at the statement made by one television commentator who noted during a live broadcast that Palmer "seems to be having trouble with his long putt. However he has no trouble dropping his shorts." That same kindness, understanding and sense of fairness have carried through his life and led to the unofficial creation of Arnie's Army, a dedicated group of fans that has numbered in the thousands.

The honor and unceasing dedication those fans offer Palmer is well-warranted. His philanthropic efforts, while never highly publicized, have earned him recognition with those who count the people who know him. For two decades, Palmer served as honorary national chairman of the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation and has played major roles in fund-raising drives for hospitals in both Orlando, Florida, and Latrobe, Pennsylvania, the town in which he was born.

Now in semi-permanent retirement, Palmer splits his time between Latrobe and La Quinta, California. He has numerous business interests around the world and still keeps his hand in his first passion, golf, serving as a consultant to The Golf Channel, designing golf courses around the country, and owning several golf courses, including being part owner of the renowned Pebble Beach course in California.

Famed golf pro, down-to-earth father and family man, quiet philanthropist all can be used to describe Arnold Palmer. His life in golf has mirrored his life in general. Speaking of golf, he once noted, "I've always made a total effort, even when the odds seemed entirely against me. I never quit trying; I never felt that I didn't have a chance to win." It seems, however, that it has been those who know him that have been the real winners in this game.

Golf is a great sport that will not only get and keep you fit, but give you endless hours of pleasure amongst some of the world's most beautiful scenery. Amongst some of the most interesting golf courses are those at Myrtle Beach golf and Charleston golf