Fairway Bunkers

When playing from fairway bunkers or waste areas on some of our desert courses play the ball towards the center of your stance, take one more club than you normally would and make sure you make a smooth, controlled swing. Focusing on the front edge of the ball and maintaining your posture throughout the hitting area will allow you to make solid contact by hitting the ball first.

By Jay Larscheid, Head Golf Professional at Longbow Golf Club

Pre-Round Preparation

Give yourself the best chance of starting your round well by arriving at the golf course 45-60 minutes before your round. Begin at the putting green with putts of various lengths. Then hit a few chips to establish your feel. Finally, move over to the practice range and hit balls with every other club in your bag starting with your wedge. To ease first tee jitters your last three practice shots should mimic your opening drive.

By Jeff Allen, PGA Assistant Golf Professional at Longbow Golf Club

Practice with a Purpose

Happy Halloween!

Anytime you’re practicing the game of golf – the short game or the full swing – have a purpose in mind. Practice putting with one ball from hole-to-hole making as many two putts as possible (no gimmies). Also, always aim at a target on the driving range, and simulate a round of golf by taking time between shots and going through the pre-shot routine.

By Ed Stanfill, Head Golf Professional at The Duke at Rancho El Dorado

Golf Tip of the Week: Body Rotation

Golf Tip from our Guest Blogger:

One of the elements of a sound golf swing is good rotation. A key to this is keeping the club in front of your body throughout the swing. To accomplish this motion, the golfer must rotate the club head, hands and chest at the same rate. Try to visualize a dot on the club head, on the hands and in the middle of your chest. During the swing, feel like those three dots go to the top, back down through impact to a good finish position at the same rate of rotation.

By Jay Larscheid, Head Golf Professional at Longbow Golf Club

New! - Golf Tips From Local Golf Pros!

Announcing: New Guest Bloggers contributing great golf tips to improve your game to the Golf Zoo Blog! The tips will be coming straight from local Golf Course Pros. Some of our Guest Bloggers will be:

• Jeff Allen, PGA Assistant Golf Professional at Longbow Golf Club
• Jay Larscheid, Head Golf Professional at Longbow Golf Club
• Ed Stanfill, Head Golf Professional at The Duke at Rancho El Dorado

Check our Blog often to read new tips- the first tip will be posted next week! Thanks for reading!

Dragon Ridge Update

One of my favorite courses in Las Vegas will be turning private as of November 1, 2006. Dragon Ridge, a Jay Morris and David Druzisky design, is a totally awesome track. The moment you step onto the first tee box, you will be overwhelmed with the view of Las Vegas, along with an outstanding staff.
The course features many elevated tee boxes which will "Wow" you all the way to the 18th hole.
Dragon Ridge has hosted many tournaments, among them TigerJam 3 and 4 along with the Wendy's 3 Tour Challenge.
They also feature a full service 60,000 sq. foot practice facility with driving range, short game area with sand bunkers as well as 2 bent grass putting greens. The 42,000 square foot Club House is a sight to see as well.
While in Las Vegas, this is a must play, so be sure to get out there before the Dragon breathes it's final fire to the public.

Old Town San Diego

Recently I revisited Old Town San Diego and it's always great to be there, especially if you're staying at the Holiday Inn Express-Old Town. Old Town San Diego is considered the "birthplace" of California. San Diego is the site of the first permanent Spanish settlement in California. It was here in 1769, that Father Junipero Serra came to establish the very first mission in a chain of 21 missions that were to be the cornerstone of California’s colonization.
As well as a great selection of golf courses within a 30 minute drive, Old Town boasts not only an historic and warm ambience but also 32 Restaurants, 106 Speciality Shops, 12 Art Galleries,
27 Historic Buildings & Sites, Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, Heritage Park (Victorian Homes), Presidio Park, Sheriff's Museum, Old Town Trolley Tours, The Theatre in Old Town. Within close proximty are also some world renowned attractions including Balboa Park (5 mi)
Beaches (3.0 mi), Coronado Island (10 mi), Cruise Ships (5 mi), Gaslamp Quarter (4 mi),
Wild Animal Park (25 mi), San Diego Zoo (5 mi), Sea World (3 mi) and Tijuana, Mexico (18 mi)

I'm sure you'll love Old Town as I do and the folks at Holiday Inn Express-Old Town will make you feel right at home.

Golden Horseshoe- Williamsburg, Virginia

I just returned from a weekend golf getaway and I must say I was most impressed by the staff and golf courses at the Golden Horseshoe! The Golden Horseshoe is located in historic downtown Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, and is home of two fantastic 18 hole courses, as well as a top notch executive course.

I started off my day at the Gold Course which opened in 1963, designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. This is one of the finest traditional golf courses you will find anywhere in the country. There are no homes on the golf course and the elevation changes are fantastic. This course is known for having the best set of par 3’s and I can attest, they are stunning but demanding.

After a wonderful lunch in the clubhouse I ventured just down the road to the Green Course which has its own clubhouse. The Green Course was built by Rees Jones, (Jones Sr. Son) in 1991 and designed to be more of a resort style course that is more forgiving then the Gold. It can best be described as a links style course bordered with trees. You still get the wonderful elevation changes but much larger landing areas and bail out areas by the greens. I had heard all the hype of the Gold Course (which it lived up to) but not much on the Green. Well the Green course is a fantastic layout, kept in great condition in beautiful surroundings. A must play.

As I mentioned earlier there is also a super executive course- Spotswood, redone in 1963 by the elder Jones. This is one of the best executive courses I have seen and if you play 18 in the morning on either the Gold or Green you can get a free replay on the Spotswood in the afternoon.

If you are looking for a great 36 hole day or just a super 18 give Golf Zoo a call at 800.929.7300 and we can put together a memorable golf vacation for you.

Golf Zoo seeks experienced Golf / Travel Salespeople!

Golf Zoo, one of the fastest growing Golf Tour Providers in America is seeking experienced Golf Travel Salespeople in the following destinations:

· Phoenix / Scottsdale, Arizona
· Orlando, Florida

These individuals will be responsible for daily sales and service of customized golf vacations, as well as maintaining relationships with vendors in the applicable region. This is NOT an entry level position - Only those with golf, travel, or previous sales experience need apply. We are seeking enthusiastic and hard working individuals with a strong interest in the golf travel industry. Exceptional communication skills are a must.

Benefits include:

· Competitive compensation plan with bonuses
· Medical and dental plans
· 3 weeks paid time off annually
· Telecommuting
· Discounted travel and golf
· and more...

Join the Golf Zoo team! To apply, please send cover letter with resume to chris@golfzoo.com

Saddlebrook Resort - Convenience and Casual Quality

It's a great thing, when you can arrive at a resort, and never have to leave the property. What do I mean by this, well here goes - 2 championship courses, Arnold Palmer Golf Academy World Headquarters, Spa, Fitness center, two fantastic restaurants, sports bar, lounge, poolside cafe and superpool bar. The greatest thing about all this, is that it's all within walking distance of your accommodations. Speaking of accommodations - Deluxe guest room, One bedroom suite, Two bedroom suite and Three bedroom suites are available. All rooms have new Tropical Bahama furniture - very nice look.

One well know sports writer refers to this unique property as "One of Florida's quintessential golf resorts". I spent the weekend here recently and can tell you first hand how much I enjoyed it. I could play 18 holes of golf, have a great dinner and end the night either listening to the poolside band or with a quality cigar on my balcony overlooking the resort.

Let me talk about the 2 courses for a moment. The Saddlebrook Course - This course has your typical Florida look - natural beauty! The par 70 course winds its way through towering cypress, draped with Spanish moss and beautiful blue water. It is currently going through a 2 million dollar renovation - completed in Mid-November.
The Palmer Course - This course has generous driving areas with firm green contoured fairways to resemble a rolling New England course - level ground is rare. The beautiful look of each hole along with the different variety that each hole brings, makes this par 71 a great test. These are both stay and play courses.

In a nutshell - if you have a group of golfers that want to check into a resort, have two quality golf courses to play, eat at great restaurants, drink cocktails by the pool and do all this with never having to get in your car until the day you depart - THEN SADDLEBROOK RESORT IS FOR YOU!

For more information about Saddlebrook resort or to book you next golf outing, call 888.333.6103 or go to http://www.golfzoo.com/-dest-FLTA-vendor-SADSAD-_param-1-.htm?utm_source=Blog&utm_medium=Blog?utm_content=Saddlebrook.