Smoking Hot: Top Golfball List for 2010 by Golf Digest!

1,051. That's how many models of golf balls are listed on the United States Golf Association's List of Conforming Golf Balls. After some serious analysis and testing, we've helped you narrow your choice to the 30 balls listed here in the 2010 Golf Digest Ball Hot List.
The USGA's engineers take a fairly deliberate approach to determining golf-ball conformance (the Initial Velocity Test, the Overall Distance Standard and the Symmetry Test procedures require 22 pages of explanation). But our process does one thing the USGA's doesn't: We ask real golfers what works in a blind evaluation.

Our panel of players and editors met for four days at the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort in Destin, Fla. The goal was to identify the most effective and intriguing golf balls in the game today.

We realize, however, that even a search of 30 balls can be difficult. One thing we've learned in the decades we've been analyzing golf balls is that choosing one ball over another involves some compromise. Whether it's greenside spin, feel off the putterface, carry distance, dispersion control or even the price, every ball requires you to give up something to gain something else.

Sometimes the differences aren't obvious. More than once during our tests with golf pros and low-handicap amateurs, we heard players extol a golf ball as good enough to use in their next tournament--only for them to learn later that the ball they coveted was a bargain two-piece model.

Before choosing a golf ball, ask yourself two questions: (1) How much spin around the green do I want? (2) How much do I want to spend? These answers and a review of the information on the following pages should give you a starting point for your search.

Of course, if the compromises don't make sense to you, or if you can't see the benefits on the golf course, then our advice is to play the least-expensive ball. Still, we believe there's more engineering per cubic centimeter in a golf ball than in any recreational product out there. That engineering can make you a better player. Try a few, and see how much better you might be.

Callaway Ball Warbird Plus Golf Balls $16.86










Over the next few posts we will present the finding of the Golf Digest study. For more information now visit

http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-equipment/hot-list/2010-06/hotlist2010-golfballs#ixzz0nkp3OK72

Putters never become obsolete....

After making the decision that putters should be exempt from the Obsolete List, we quickly received confirmation that we had made the right call. All it took was listening to Scott Verplank.

"I really don't know much about the technology that went into this club," says Verplank, describing the Ping Anser (circa 1984) putter he has used almost exclusively since swiping it from his college coach at Oklahoma State. "It just works. I've tried a few others, but I always come back to this one. It has a lot of good memories in it."

Five PGA Tour wins for Verplank, and his two times as a member of the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup teams, serve as evidence. They also support our premise that any putter that gives you confidence on the greens is OK to keep in the bag. Even if the grip is wrapped in gauze tape, like Verplank's.

Nevertheless, Verplank is open to change, just as you should be. "If I find a putter I like better, I'll switch," he says. That statement makes Verplank, who has used a modern putter in competition on occasion, sound more like someone who plays for fun on the weekend than a man who has made almost $25 million playing golf. But it doesn't make him obsolete.

Think of BillyBerue from Caddy Shack!

Read More http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-equipment/2010-05/obsolete-list#ixzz0nkm8lHgC

Irons: Breaking Up is Hard to do!

The Oldsmobile Cutlass was a great car, but you've probably traded it in by now. You've also chucked the cassette tapes. Why? Because better-performing options came along, making them obsolete. It's time to apply that thinking to your irons.

The main reason golfers hold on to irons past their prime is that the technology is often hidden in a plain shape and presented in a quiet way. Such visual understatement leads consumers to believe irons are short on science and engineering, making their clubs as good as new ones. That is shortchanging the upgraded benefits of today's models.

The creative use of technology and materials has never been more prevalent in irons. Some of it you see (better-designed soles to improve turf interaction) and some you don't (optimal center-of-gravity positions).

Additionally, driver technologies, such as trampoline faces and high moment of inertia, have trickled down to irons. That wasn't the case five years ago.

You might consider your old irons to be trusted allies, but new ones will give you a better chance to get reacquainted with someone you might not have seen in a while: Mr. Green In Regulation.


Read More http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-equipment/2010-05/obsolete-list-irons#ixzz0mW95mT4m

Hybrids: Make the big Leap!

The evolution of the hybrid is similar to that of snowboards: an offbeat, intriguing, even necessary idea with early shortcomings that eventually changed the sport. In 2004, the Darrell Survey Company polled golfers and found that fewer than 1 in 12 carried a hybrid club; but today 1 in 2 golfers carry a hybrid.
Although the first hybrids were admirable as a solution to hard-to-hit long irons, the latest versions have made fundamental advancements in playability. Designers are now able to create a large face and still save weight (about double that of five years ago), which can help position the center of gravity lower and deeper to optimize ball flight. Freeing weight leads to design ideas that couldn't be implemented previously. For example, the soles on early hybrids often were flat and ineffective, but today's leading edges and sole-bounce angles allow the clubs to move through the turf more easily. Another advancement is the ability to individually adjust head shape and size as lofts change. That makes high-lofted hybrids easier to maneuver and low-lofted ones more forgiving.

These improvements have made the hybrid golf's must-have club.

HOW MUCH LIFE IS LEFT?

There are grades of obsolescence. Our four judges, after consulting with members of our academic and retail panel to help determine what keeps a club relevant, assigned a level of "life remaining" to each club. None of the battery icons is completely full. Only current products might achieve that. Three-quarters full, and you're still OK. Half full means it's time to at least start looking. One-quarter full, and you'd better be buying. The red light on? Don't play with these again. Ever.

By Mike Stachura, Golf Digest April, 2010
Read More http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-equipment/2010-05/obsolete-list-hybrids#ixzz0mW5tE000

Fairway Woods: When Are You Loyal to a Fault?

Fairway woods age gracefully. Their slip into obsolescence is quiet. While your eye is always wandering for a new big dog, the fairway wood is a loyal dog. To put it down can break your heart.

But the reality is, over time all dogs lose steps to the pack. Because clubhead crowns can be cast half as thick as they could a decade ago, modern fairway woods are bigger with lower centers of gravity that make it easier to launch the ball for distance (the 1998 Callaway Steelhead was 137 cubic centimeters; today's fairway woods are as big as 200cc). The deep-face woods of the past were effective as driving clubs off the tee, but when used from a tight fairway lie, the ball could balloon significantly, affecting distance. Although modern fairway woods have wider soles, they're made to look pleasing. Designers fiddle with crown curvature and other transitions to make woods play big while maintaining a compact look.

Unlike drivers, only a handful of fairway woods to date have achieved the USGA coefficient of restitution (springlike effect) limit of .83. As designers get better and better, count on a lot more clubs in this category becoming obsolete.

HOW MUCH LIFE IS LEFT?

There are grades of obsolescence. Our four judges, after consulting with members of our academic and retail panel to help determine what keeps a club relevant, assigned a level of "life remaining" to each club. None of the battery icons is completely full. Only current products might achieve that. Three-quarters full, and you're still OK. Half full means it's time to at least start looking. One-quarter full, and you'd better be buying. The red light on? Don't play with these again. Ever.


Article by Max Adler Golf Digest April, 2010
Read More http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-equipment/2010-05/obsolete-list-woods#ixzz0mW1nqUFq

How can you tell if your driver is obsolete?

To the avid golfer, the introduction of a new driver is like the unveiling of a new Apple product: cloaked in mystery and full of anticipation. That's because no club in golf changes as quickly or as drastically as the driver. For some manufacturers, driver product cycles are as short as six months, and for most, drivers get the bulk of the company's R&D financing.

The rapid advances in this category usually make the driver the most obsolete club in the average golfer's bag. Think you're up to date because you play with a decent-size titanium driver with a graphite shaft? Think again. If it was made before 2005, retire it. In fact, even if you consider your 2008 TaylorMade r7 CGB Max the latest and greatest, you need to reassess. Since you bought it, TaylorMade has released six new drivers, all with more optimally shaped clubheads, thinner walls and better custom-fitting options.

Our Hot List debuted in 2004. Since then, several technological milestones have occurred: maximum trampoline effect, optimal clubhead volume, higher moment of inertia, adjustability. They all bring us to the same conclusion: If your big stick isn't more or less brand new, you're not helping yourself.

HOW MUCH LIFE IS LEFT?

There are grades of obsolescence. Our four judges, after consulting with members of our academic and retail panel to help determine what keeps a club relevant, assigned a level of "life remaining" to each club. None of the battery icons is completely full. Only current products might achieve that. Three-quarters full, and you're still OK. Half full means it's time to at least start looking. One-quarter full, and you'd better be buying. The red light on? Don't play with these again. Ever.

To find out if your driver is on this list and how much power is left in the battery, refer to E. Michael Johnson's Golf Digest article May, 2010:

http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-equipment/2010-05/obsolete-list-drivers#ixzz0lZCGGTeu

Are your golf clubs obsolete?

For seven years Golf Digest has  produced the Hot List of golf clubs with one purpose: to increase your enjoyment of the game through equipment. The Obsolete List is a project with the same goal but a different path. Instead of recommending the equipment you should put in your bag, the Obsolete List is all about what you should take out.

Oversize drivers, game-changing hybrids, and irons designed for every swing type are readily available, but a staggering number of golfers continue to play with outdated equipment--irons and woods that with each year become increasingly ill-suited to helping them hit the ball farther down the fairway and closer to the hole.

Those using obsolete clubs do so for various reasons, and it's not necessarily because they don't realize their equipment is out of date. Some don't want to spend money on new clubs. But better equipment doesn't have to cost a lot. For starters, your old equipment is a gift card because almost any club can be traded in. Like cars, some bring a better return than others, but no matter how much money you receive, you get a head start on buying a new set.

Still, most of the time finances are not the main consideration. The issue is more intangible than that. It's hard to part with clubs you've become fond of, that you're comfortable playing and that, in many ways, you've come to rely on. It's a sense that your obsolete clubs are "good enough." Except they're not. They're thieves--blatantly stealing strokes­-and enjoyment from your game.
Andrew Han's--on the following pages.

The Obsolete List isn't strictly about a club's age. It's about its relevance. How does the technology compare to what's available in the market today? To be sure, there are degrees of obsolescence. The battery icons that accompany our list help define how much "juice" the clubs that appear on the Obsolete List have left. Any clubs that were on our Hot List in 2009 and this year are not, in our minds, obsolete.

You'll find zero putters on the Obsolete List. We acknowledge that today's putters are technologically superior (face treatments, high moments of inertia, enhanced optics) than ones from the past. But we also know that there can be a greater emotional attachment to putters. So our conclusion is, if you're still making 10-footers with your putter, we're willing to give you a pass no matter how outdated it might be.

There are no wedges on our list, either, but for a different reason. Their life span declines more rapidly than that of other clubs. If you play more than 50 rounds a year and practice a lot, especially from the sand, you should replace your wedges during the off-season. In other words, any old, worn wedge is obsolete.

The Obsolete List is a call to evaluate the equipment in your bag. We're not saying your clubs aren't useful. We're saying you can do better--in some cases, a lot better. If your clubs are on this list--or are too old to have been considered--investigate today's technology, and take advantage of it. After all, you don't really want to be obsolete, do you?

STAY TUNED TO OUR BLOG FOR A CLUB BY CLUB BREAKDOWN ON THE OBSOLETE LIST OR GO TO:

Exerpted from Golf Digest article by W. Michael Johnson
Photos by Jim Herity
Read More http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-equipment/2010-05/obsolete-list#ixzz0lZ7GO3WL

Starting the new golf season ...

For most of the golfers in the U.S. it is finally time to get out and play some golf again. The beginning of another golf season will bring the same old challenges as every year. Rusty swings, chunky chip shots, and terrible putts are awaiting us all. Chances are that it will take a dozen rounds or so before the swing and short game come back but there are some steps that can minimize the damage.

Average golfers tend to favor one club at the range, the driver. This is the exact opposite of any decent players. If the entire game of golf is analyzed, it is easy to see that the driver is rarely hit. The majority of shots are played from 100 yards and in. Given this information it does not make much sense to sit on the range and hit drives all day.

Start of the season at the short game practice area. The first trip to the range should consist completely of putts, chips, and pitch shots. Going to the range and shanking a bucket of drivers is not going start the season off in the correct fashion. Practicing the short game for the majority of the range session will improve your game.

In the early season, concentrate on tempo and solid contact. Find drills that address a specific problem in your swing and work on them as much as possible. If help is needed finding drills please comment with the swing or flight path problem and a recommended drill will be given.

Make the most of this season and start it out the right way. Get the short game in order straight away and your golfing buddies will be paying out all the skins.

Source: blog.americangolf.com

Product Review: TaylorMade Super Drivers .

The TaylorMade R9 driver featured a 420cc head, three movable weights and a system that allowed golfers to unscrew the clubhead and re-attach it to the shaft in one of eight different positions. Next came the bigger and more powerful R9 460, which also featured the adjustable head but lacked the movable weights.

Players who wanted a TaylorMade driver that combined a 460cc head with three movable weights and an adjustable face were out of luck ... until now. TaylorMade is set to release the R9 SuperTri and R9 SuperTri TP drivers on Feb. 19.

The all-black head of the SuperTri is reminiscent of the r7 SuperQuad, which TaylorMade says was one of its most-popular clubs.

From a performance standpoint, the 460cc head of the SuperTri is more forgiving that the original R9. Because the center of gravity has been moved lower and 2 millimeters back in the head, drives should launch higher with slightly more spin for greater carry distance. In fact, the center of gravity in the SuperTri is even slightly lower and farther back than the R9 460's. The face is also the deepest TaylorMade has ever produced.

According to TaylorMade, the eight different face-angle settings combine with the three adjustable weights (two 1-gram weights and one 16-gram weight) to give the SuperTri up to 75 yards of left-or-right adjustability. In addition, as golfers adjust the face to be more closed, effective loft is added, which increases the launch angle. Adjusting the face to be more open decreases effective loft for a lower trajectory.

The R9 SuperTri will be available in four lofts (8.5°, 9.5°, 10.5°, 11.5°) and come standard with a Fujikura Motore 60-gram shaft in one of five flexes (L, M, R, S, X) for $399. The R9 SuperTri TP features the same head with a choice of 10 premium shafts, including the Aldila Voodoo and Matrix Ozik, for $499.


Article by David Dusek
Golf.com

How to Beat the Breaks.

This story is for you if...
1. You always read your putts from behind the ball...
2. ...even on severely sloping greens

The Fault
You're missing badly on breaking putts, which leads to fewer birdies and pars and more bogeys. The simple reason for your struggle is poor green-reading technique and alignment.

The Fix
If you want to get a proper read, you need to look at the putt from behind the line you plan to start the ball on, rather than the one that runs directly from the ball to the hole. To do so, pick a spot where you think the apex of the putt (maximum break) will be and examine the putt by looking from behind your ball to that spot. Set the putterhead square to the chosen target line and then walk into your setup, always keeping in mind that your actual target is the apex of the break, not the hole. Stroke the putt to this spot without being distracted by the actual hole. Use this technique consistently, and your green-reading — as well as your results on breaking putts — will improve dramatically.

Align Design
Finding your ball-to-apex line is only half the battle — you must also be able to align your putterface square to it. Any good putter will feature effective aiming lines. If yours doesn't, consider purchasing a new model. I designed a line of Coutour putters with a large arrow on the back end to help you point your putter easily and consistently. For more info, visit coutourgolf.com.

Post by Todd Sones
GolfMagazine.com

Golf Tips: How to Improve Your Irons Golf Game.

One complaint I hear a lot from golfers is that they have no power with their irons. Their approach shots balloon weakly to the right and fall short.

That high-right miss comes from trying to help the ball in the air -- exactly what many people think they have to do. Their instincts are to hang back on the right foot and scoop the ball. The left wrist bends backward or cups, which adds loft, turning an 8-iron, for example, into a 9-iron or wedge. And there's that weak shot they hate.

To be a good iron player, you must hit down and through the ball without trying to help it up. Here are two good swing thoughts: (1) Keep everything moving forward through impact -- your weight, your hands and arms, the grip end of the club; (2) hit with the back of your left hand facing the target. Feel as if you're backhanding the ball at impact. You'll deliver the club with the correct loft, so an 8-iron behaves like an 8-iron, and you'll hit more greens.

Butch Harmon
Golf Digest, November 2009

Golf Tips: Grip Down on Short Irons to Improve Your Accuracy.

Think of your 8-iron, 9-iron and pitching wedge as pure accuracy clubs. If you want to hit the ball close consistently with these short irons, grip down about an inch. In most situations, you don't want your short irons to fly too high and balloon -- typically a result of overswinging and trying to hit them too hard. This makes it difficult to control their carry distance, particularly in windy conditions.

Gripping down not only helps you make a compact swing, it allows you to better control the trajectory -- you want your short irons to pierce the air. Be sure you can see a piece of the butt end of the grip (right), and focus on swinging through smoothly.

David Leadbetter
GolfDIgest.com, November 2009

Choosing the Correct Golf Training Aid to Improve Your Golf Swing.

Choosing the correct golf aid to help you improve your swing comes down to choice. You can either hire a pro golf instructor or try a golf trainer. New gold aids such as a dual hinged golf clubs are unique in that they enable you to master correct timing and tempo and ensure that your swing in falling into the correct plane.

Another unique feature is their ability to provide instant feedback if you hit outside the parameters just mentioned. The design and the way that a dual hinge golf trainer works is very interesting. If you swing out of tempo, or without correct timing, or are swinging outside the correct swing plane, the dual hinge opens and the club instantly breaks at the hinge. Therefore, if you have a flaw in your swing, either on the take away, back swing, down swing or follow through, the golf trainer instantly recognizes this and breaks at the hinge to provide you with instant feedback. This is great as it allows you to know exactly where your flaw is and what to work on, on your very next swing. Learning to hit with the club without breaking it is the correct way to ensure you are on your way to a better shot.

The tightness of the dual hinge on the golf swing trainer is adjustable and therefore the sensitivity can be decreased or increased based on skill level. These golf aids are therefore ideal for beginners and professionals alike and a great way to improve your game.

Weighted golf clubs are also great tools to help you swing better. These clubs are scientifically designed and engineered to fall into the correct plane each time you swing them, teaching you correct timing and tempo. By practicing with these clubs you train your muscles and ingrain good technique into your muscle memory that carries over to the course. The next time you want to improve your golf game consider golf aids like swing trainers to help you do it!

Learn more about Golf aids and golf swing trainers and how they can instantly help improve your golf swing!

John spends most of his time traveling to the very best golf destinations playing on and reviewing golf courses and the latest golf products.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Senaca

Golf Equipment: Selecting The Right Golf Putter For Your Golf Game.

Buying a golf putter that’s right for you isn’t easy. You need to do your homework to find one that fits both your golf budget and your golf game, which means learning the different types of golf putters and golf clubheads available and their advantages. But doing your homework is worth it because having a good golf putter, as I often say in my golf lessons, shaves strokes off your golf handicap.

The key considerations when looking for a golf putter are price, quality, type, golf clubhead, and alignment system. Face insert, loft, and hosel are additional considerations. I’ve talked about these considerations in my golf tips, but here’s some additional information about them.

Price/Quality

Prices for golf putters range from $30 to $250 or more. Usually, the higher the price, the better the quality. While buying quality is nice, you don’t have to overspend to find the right golf putter. Consider putters from all price ranges before investing, but look for one that feels right to you and fits your budget. That can take time, but if you look hard enough, you just might find a good but inexpensive golf putter that will work as well as an expensive one.

Type

Golf putter types include traditional, belly, and long. Most players use a traditional golf putter, which allows for the best blend of feel and mechanical precision. Traditional putters demand “quiet” wrists, a big hurdle for some. They also affect golfers with bad backs. Hence, the increased use of the belly and the long putters. Nevertheless, they’re easier to master than the belly or long putters, which is why I cover them in my golf lessons.

The belly golf putter provides a third point of contact - the abdomen— between the putter and the player, the other two being your hands. This golf putter adds stability and balance to your golf stroke. The belly putter enables a golfer to control his wrist action and assume a near perfect position for golf putting, but the club’s longer shaft and generally thicker grip inhibits feel and feed back. Distance control is also a problem.

Long golf putters provide a stroke with a true pendulum arc, are great for players with bad backs, and completely eliminate wrist action, but they inhibit feel, feed back, and distance control even more than belly putters. Many players consider them the “last refuge” for players with highly active wrists, but you’ll often see them used by pros on the tour who are having trouble with their golf putting.

Clubhead

Golf putters come with blade, cavity back, and mallet clubheads. A blade has the clubhead’s weight distributed to the heel or bottom of the putter, leaving a thin top line to view when addressing the ball. It is harder to control than a cavity back or a mallet. A cavity back features a hollow area in the middle of the club- the golf clubhead’s back, creating a larger sweet spot. A golf mallet putter is bigger than traditional putter’s clubhead but its shape varies widely. Also check out the face-balanced and the heel-toe-weighted mallets, which promote a straight stroke and minimize mishits.

Alignment System

Aligning the golf putter to the hole is critical to sinking the putt, as I emphasize in my golf lessons. If the putter isn’t lined up properly, the ball won’t go in regardless of how well it’s hit. Try finding a golf putter with a visual aid to help you line up the club with the hole, one that you feel comfortable and confident with. There’s no research showing that one alignment system is better than another, so choose one that feels right to you. But make sure you buy a golf putter that has one.

Additional Considerations

Face inserts are available in a variety of materials including metal, rubber, ceramic, plastic, glass, and wood. They provide more feel and feedback, better define a club’s sweet spot, and increase heel-toe weighting. They are nice but not necessary, which I’ve often mentioned in my golf tips.

Believe it or not, golf putters come with about 4 degrees of loft, which keeps the golf ball from bouncing when struck. Most golfers use a putter with standard loft because their hands are vertical to the ball at impact. Loft can be added or taken away depending on where your hands are when you hit the ball.

A golf putter with an offset shaft or hosel appeals to many recreational golfers. The offset helps them address the ball with their forward eye over the ball and a good line of sight to the hole. More importantly, the offset helps them keep their hands ahead of the ball when putting, increasing accuracy.

Golf instruction aside, a good golf putter is critical to improving your golf handicap. But choosing a putter is mostly a matter of feel, so look for one that feels comfortable. If you find a golf putter you think fits your game, try it before purchasing it. Some golf stores have small putting greens that allow you to test a putter. Others will let you take the putter home to test. By all means, do so. It’s the only way to really know.

Putting Secrets Revealed $37.00

Jack Moorehouse is the author of the best-selling book “How To Break 80 And Shoot Like The Pros.” He is NOT a golf pro, rather a working man that has helped thousands of golfers from all seven continents lower their handicap immediately. He has a free weekly newsletter with the latest golf tips, golf lessons and golf instruction.

Article Source: Adapted from http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jack_Moorehouse

Golf Apparel: How to Choose Golf Apparel and Golf Shoes

Wearing the right golf apparel can have a large impact on how much you enjoy the game. Really, you should consider the golf clothing that you wear for each round as part of your golf equipment. It's just that important!

Acceptable golf apparel has changed radically over the years since golf's birth, as early golfers used to wear jackets and ties as they went around the course. In fact, many modern-day observers of the golf game feel that the kind of restrictive clothing that the early golfers wore had an adverse impact on their scores, simply because the apparel did not allow for much freedom of movement.

As golf continue to make progress and become more popular, the styles began to change and knickers became very popular golf apparel for a long time. In the 1960s and and 1970s a shift to more comfortable golf clothing was made by many of the top players, although some of the styles would be considered loud by today's standards.

Since that time, a lot of progress has been made in developing fabrics and materials for golf apparel that make the golf game more comfortable to play under most conditions. And so today, there is a wide range of style that is acceptable on most golf courses, as the emphasis has shifted more to comfort instead.

Many of the newer, more modern fabrics are very good at wicking moisture away from the skin as we perspire. This has a tendency to make the golfer feel much more comfortable as they complete their round. So when looking for golf apparel, try to look for some of these newer fabrics as they will most likely have a positive effect on your enjoyment of the game. And make sure to buy golf apparel that will allow for easy, freedom of movement throughout your swing.

Golf shoes are an important part of your ensemble, as they not only contribute toward your appearance but also can substantially help improve your game. The golf swing calls for a lot of torque and motion in your body as it rotates to build that the energy needed for the golf shot. And because of that rotation, it's very easy for your footing to slip out of place. Having a good set of golf shoes helps solve that problem by anchoring your feet to the ground instead.

These days, golf shoes come in all kinds of styles and designs so it's easy to find something that fits your personality. But the most important part of the golf shoe is what is underneath that holds you to the ground. In the past you could expect to see metal spikes on the bottom of almost every golf shoe made, but more modern golf shoes employ dimpled plastic spikes instead that still do a good job of giving you a solid foundation for your swing, and yet are easier on the golf course itself.

Another piece of golf apparel that should not be overlooked is a golf rain suit, as it's very easy to encounter rain in most parts of the country while you are playing a round of golf. If you happen to be far away from the clubhouse when the rain begins, having a good golf rain suit to put on can be really handy.

If you use the practical considerations that are listed above for golf apparel and golf shoes you should be able to make a good choice on the golf eqipment that you buy.

Steadman Issenburg writes on many consumer related topics including golf. You can find ladies golf apparel and mens golf apparel by visiting our Golf Tips website.

Article Source: adapted from http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steadman_Issenburg

Golf Tips: Put Your Best Foot Forward To Improve Your Golf Game.

Golf shoes are an important part of golf for both the golf game and the golf player. On a Game Level, different golf shoes and their respective golf spikes cause daily damage to the course. The traditional metal golf spike was the major offender and has been banned from most golf courses. The introduction of golf softspikes in the early 1980s has helped reduce wear and tear on the fairways and greens. The most promising shoe is the new generation spikeless golf shoe which minimizes damage to all playing surfaces.

For the average player, golf course damage is key for a couple of reasons. First, the resulting maintenance adds to the golfers playing fees. Second, it affects the playing quality of the turf and respectively the golfer’s score for the money paid to play. Neither is a good thing.

USGA.COM reports that golf is one of the few games, perhaps the only one, where the player's own golf equipment [specifically] spiked shoes -- directly, undeniably, and significantly affects the most critical playing surface of the game - the putting green.

The growing market trend is to promote spikeless golf shoes and there are some very good reasons why. From a Player Level there is no residual maintenance fees for spikeless golf shoes. Additionally, the golf shoes offer the same if not better technology related to comfort and play. Finally, they are kind to the golf course.

GolfIllustrated.com reports that there are a few primary players that make up the market for spikeless golf shoes. That is good news [since} they are focused on bringing golfers the best golf equioment possible, including incredible technology, fantastic fashions, comfort never imagined possible just 10 years ago and [with ]game-enhancing designs.

While each golf manufacturer has done special research and testing to enhance their respective golf products all have tried to improve golf shoes in a number of key areas: outsoles durability and traction; insole comfort related to fit and feel AKA athletic last; and, materials related to endurance and flexibility. GolfDigest.com and the websites of the manufacturers highlight the following:

Adidas Golf Shoes: Adidas spikeless golf shoes are known for their unconventional coloring, styles and technologies. One of Adidas main features is the Clima Cool system that keeps the foot cool and dry through their waterproof technologies. They also feature Z-Traxion technology with lateral and linear design to maximize grip on surface areas. And, the manufacturer’s patented torsion system helps to control excess movement and maintain stability for the golfer through play.

Etonic Golf Shoes: Etonic offers a durable spikeless mens golf shoe that is innovative in providing comfort and traction. Its new G-SOK features a wide-platform outsole made from a high-abrasion Goodyear rubber that's 20 times more durable than conventional rubber. This makes the gripping nubs super strong, and since they don't require receptacles, the shoe is even more lightweight and flexible. Etonic also offers a spikeless womens golf shoe with the same quality features.

Footjoy Golf Shoes: The FootJoy offers spikeless mens golf shoes in a variety of styles and colors. Most are of leather construction with a durable rubber outsole. They feature of the EVA Fit-Bed®, a lightweight removable insole that does not set, so the cushioning will remain the same for the life of the shoe. FootJoy spikeless shoes also feature Slip Last Construction. a technique often used in running shoes. This technique offers more contour and flexibility for comfort in the shoe. FootJoy also offers spikeless womens golf shoes with the same quality features.

Nike Golf Shoes: Nike goes From Air to Zoom. Nike spikeless mens golf shoes combines a deep heel Air-Sole unit together with cushioned forefront Air unit to provide lightweight comfort with enhanced feel and performance through your weight shift. Their ultra-flexibleT@C4 (Traction at Contact) Spikeless outsole technology provides maximum traction, stability and flexibility. The Nike spikeless shoe has an athletic last built for well-rounded toe and fuller forefoot area for room to waggle and a standard instep. Nike also offers a spikeless womens golf shoe with the same quality features.

Whatever you choose to wear golf shoes are the most basic part of your golf equipment. Old or new, spiked or spikeless, expensive or inexpensive golf shoes will make the difference in how you play. If you are in pain, slipping, sliding and swearing through eighteen holes what good does it do? Visit HOT LINKS. to put your best foot forward to improve your golf game.