Golf Tips: How to Make More Birdies

Golf birdies don’t always happen by pure chance; these come as a result of excellent golf conditions and great golfing skills. Professional golfers share the following tips on how to make more birdies:

Be familiar with your yards. While on a golf trip, carefully observe professional golfers on tour and observe how they manage to almost accurately estimate how far every club in their golf bag goes. While it is essentially impossible for a beginner or an average golfer to be precise, most golfers tend to have a close idea of how far they hit each club.

The next time you go on a golf vacation, spend at least an hour on each range. Hit 5-10 shots with each club and figure out the average distance each club in your bag flies. This will give you an idea how to hit more greens and make more birdies.

 Devise a game plan and stick with it. Make a detailed, strategic game plan for every shot you want to hit at the golf course. Know exactly where you want to land your golf ball and swing your way to it.

Some golfers do not always have pin sheets for each round of the game but, whether you’re up for a competition or simply going on a golf vacation, at least plan your rounds a few days ahead.  Focus on a target each time you play and be determined to follow your game plan.

If you are a beginner, start at the green. Identify your target and know where you should be hitting from as you approach the greens. Then imagine where you’ll be hitting next to get to your ideal approach shot.

Establish control. If you’ve been watching golf tournaments, you might have noticed that some golfers tend to choke up on the club and make shorter, more controlled swing. In case you don’t know it yet, shorter, more controlled swings result to more precision and less error.

Like any other skills, control on golf clubs does not happen overnight. You might have to make several trips to your favorite golf vacation destinations so you can practice your swing as well as your game plans.

Golf Vacation Destinations with their Own Airstrips

Are you looking for a more fancy golf vacation with the family? If you’re in for a grand getaway and you have all the means to afford a fly-in golf resort, here are some golf vacation destinations that feature their own airstrips. This way, guests don’t have to deal with gridlocks on the freeway. On top of that, they enjoy more dramatic entrance to their chosen golf area.

Mountain Air Country Club in Burnsville, North Carolina is home to the highest private landing strip located at an elevation of 4432 feet. The famous country club designed by Scott Paul is located amid lush forest and fauna and offers every vacationer a picturesque 100-mile view of the Blue Ridge Mountains. This luxurious spot features an on-site Outdoor Discovery Center that is a huge hit for families with children. Other must-see and experience finely crafted amenities form this golf resort include its multi-awarded clubhouse, championship golf course, swimming pool, tennis courts, and organic garden.  Exhilarating outdoor activities like hiking, fishing, kayaking, and whitewater rafting are also available.

A resort on the northernmost tip of Key Largo, Florida named Ocean Reef Club features a runway that spans 4,456 feet. The club offers a pair of challenging championship 18-hole courses: The Dolphin Course with its trademark fairways of winding rows of tamarind, coconut palms and mahogany trees and other exotic landscaping, and; The Hammock Course that dips into a wildlife sanctuary of mangrove, tropical hardwood hammock and other endangered plant species.  Apart from its Bruce Devlin and Robert Von Hagge-designed courses, Ocean Reef Club also features a 175-plus marina equipped with charter boats for cruising and fishing.

Lajitas Golf Resort of the historic Big Bend in Texas is a 27,000 acre golf vacation destination featuring a world-class 18-hole course dubbed as “Black Jack’s Crossing” and is noted for its lush fairways, tight greens, and plenty of bunkers and water hazards. Lajitas Golf Resort provides regular charter flight services to Houston, Midland, San Antonio and Austin.

Vacationers looking for a fly-in golf course in San Diego, California need not look for any other golf haven within the city. There’s Pauma Valley Country Club that features 2,700 feet runway and at least 20 hangars for its guests to park their jets. The golf resort on this Southern California gated community is a classic Robert Trent Jones, Sr. design and has already hosted high profile tournaments like the SCGA Senior Amateur Championship (2005), SCGA Mid-Amateur Championship (2004), and the SCGA Super Senior Amateur Championship (2005). Pauma Valley Country Club’s frequent guest includes Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Gary Player.

Fox Harb’r Golf Resort & Spa located in Wallace, Nova Scotia of Canada is a Graham Cooked-designed course that also features a runway spanning 4885 feet. The resort was cited by Golf Digest as Best New Golf Course in Canada in 2011 and has since provided novel experiences to golfers of all skill levels. Fox Harb’r offers a myriad of facilities and services, so its guests can also enjoy other activities like sport shooting, fly fishing, nature trails, and private sightseeing tours among others. This way, every golf trip at this Canadian charm is always exciting and fulfilling.

Have a Caddie on your Golf Trip

Caddies play very important roles in every golf trip. These people works with every golfer not only on practice swings and elimination rounds but even on actual golf championships. Steve Williams who is ranked the world’s No. 1 caddie, for instance, have been hopping from leading golf courses to another, working closely with top notch golfers around the world like Adam Scott, Greg Norman, and Tiger Woods.

But what really is a caddie? Caddies are not hired to simply carry golf bags and other equipment. Instead, they are there to encourage, admonish, and counsel players. They serve as coaches both on practice and on actual games, and are basically expected to understand every player’s strengths and weaknesses as well as stress cycles. They are also there to guide players through emotional moments prior, during, and after every round.

The essence of a caddie far exceeds that of being a bag carrier or emotional absorber. He is also there to provide insights, share ideas, help develop a strategy, and follow through a direction to get better golf results. In a way, caddies serve as game partners.

Perhaps the best thing about having a caddie is that they have a technical know-how about the sport. They are expected to be familiar with the golf vacation destination, including distances, obstacles, hills, and valleys that are considered risk factors when playing golf. With this in mind, caddies are able to advise how to go through each course despite potential hazards.

Unfortunately, there are some caddies who don’t live up to their roles. Case in point several caddies who come to golf resorts unprepared and not knowing what exactly is on the golf course and how to strategically play the game. These types of caddies do not understand the challenges of the sport and have limited idea as to what to expect throughout the game, hence they are less likely to be able to coach players well.

For this reason, it is necessary that every golfer carefully choose his/her caddie. Ideally, it’s best to hire one who shares the player’s competitive spirit. They should be highly motivated, aggressive, and protective of the team. In addition, they must be hardworking and should be able to inspire players throughout the game.

Now Trending: Night Golf

Have you ever wanted to swing your clubs at one of your favorite golf vacation destination only to back out because of the scorching heat from the sun? Did you ever wish it was a bit darker so you can comfortably move from one hole to another without much sweat? Here’s good news! While most golf areas operate during the day, some destinations now feature night golf tournaments.

Night golf utilizes the same standard golf rules and procedures, but typically use lighted golf balls and glow-in-the-dark sticks to mark pins. This way, equipment and accessories remain visible throughout the game. Players use golf balls that are the same weight as regular ones but these types don’t go quite as far.

Night golf is a lot of fun because players can actually see the lighted ball as it take off, unlike regular daytime golf sessions when balls tend to disappear because they blend with the sky. With lighted balls, players and spectators get to see when the ball actually reaches its destination. This type of game is also known to improve focus – a vital characteristic required of every golfer. 

If you are planning your next golf vacation and would rather stay out of the glaring sun, consider a night golf escapade. Invite your family and friends for a fun game under a canopy of stars.

How to Improve Your Golf Game

Unfortunately, even the most frequent of golf trips don’t guarantee to produce a master golfer. Instead, a good method to improve one’s handicap is to follow great drives with pinpoint approach shots, which means setting yourself up for the cleanest and simplest putt on each hole.

If you seriously want to master scoring zones in golf, here are four golf tips proven to help you reach that goal:

1.       Take control of your drive distance and swing. Most weekend golfers tend to overdo things and hit with as much force as possible, instead of having accuracy and a consistent drive. Focus on making a smoother swing and deliver short approach shots. In addition, try choking down on the grip and play the ball in the middle to take 5-10 yards off your shot. Don’t worry about making a single perfect shot with an all out swing; instead take it easy and hit the green perfectly.

2.       Contrary to common sights in golf lessons, the best way to actually get the ball up with any iron is to swing down on it. That doesn’t mean the club is striking the ball on your upswing, it means the ball and club meet on the club’s initial descent down.

Longer irons tend to be less lofty so you need to make sure you give it a smooth swing down. Position your chest in such as way that it points toward the ground as long as possible each time you trust longer irons.

3.       Make good use of your hybrids. Hybrids in golf are designed to hit extra-long distances and can actually cover 180 yards to 210 yards. These hybrids are shorter than long irons and are much easier to hit and control, making these a popular choice among individuals on golf vacations. Be warned though that hybrids are to be used sparingly and are in fact, most often used only on spots that are less likely to miss.

4.       Practice putting. Set aside time to practice both short and mid-range putting. We all know that practice makes for a better player. They seem simple but it’s like a foul shot in basketball – make sure you can execute the smaller, simpler things well.

Take these tips to the links and notice your game improve one round after another! And by the time your next golf trip comes around, you'll be a whole new golfer.