Crosshair Golf Blog
August 19, 2010
Custom Golf Club Sets – Why Settle for Generic when you can Customize?
Ever go to the big box stores, or even a medium box golf outlet store, perhaps a golf discount store? What do all of these stores have in common? They do not allow you to customize your clubs.
Most stores have pre-made sets and are usually standard length, regular flex, 3 woods, 8-irons, a putter, and a bag. Happy days are here again. I only use 2 woods, a Golf Driver and a 3 iron. What should I do, throw the #5 wood away?
We are all not standard and regular, we are different and our golf club sets should be different too. Think about the clubs you have and what you would like. I customized my set to suit my needs, not the needs of some big box store.
My Custom Golf set contains a Golf Driver, #3 Wood, #1 Hybrid Iron, 3 thru 9 Iron set, Pitching Wedge, a 45 degree wedge and a putter. My irons and wedges have steel shafts, my woods have graphite shafts and my hybrid iron has a graphite shaft. My driver has a stiff flex shaft while the rest of my clubs have regular flex. I added 1″ to my putter length and got a large soft grip for it.
If all this sounds like the nightmare customer at the late-night Burger King drive thru, you are wrong.
At www.crosshairgolf.com all clubs are custom tailored to, you. And all it takes is a few clicks with your mouse and everything is as you want it. And, if it is not, then just send an email, we can do most any customization you need.
Crosshair Golf, it’ll git in your bag.
June 28, 2010
How Many Drivers Do You Have In Your Closet
This post is for all you multiple golf driver owners. How many of you purchase a new driver, or know someone who purchases a new driver, every year? Does it make your game any better?
I am personally acquainted with someone who, every year, needs to have a new driver. Just to make his game better. His game never gets better, he refuses to take a lesson, and he blames it all on his clubs with the driver being the ringleader.
If you are one of these people…STOP. You are not helping your game and your friends do not look forward to playing with you. You need to stop buying Drivers. What you need to do is improve your game in 3 easy steps.
1. Get properly fit. 2. Take a lesson or 2 with your new clubs. 3. Relax and gain your confidence on the course.
If you have confidence in your golf clubs you will probably only get new clubs when you need them not when you “think” you need them. As a purveyor of custom fit golf clubs I would love for everyone reading this to buy a new driver every year, need it or not. But, as a person who loves the game of golf, and loves to talk about the game of golf, I would rather have you buying a new driver or set of golf clubs every three years because you have worn your old set out.
If you are going to purchase your new clubs online, most golf club companies have some sort of “Get Fit” guide to follow. We have a module in which you input a few measurements and you will be able to get the clubs that fit you. I would suggest you get professionally fit for your clubs if you are a scratch golfer. You can do this at any pro shop, usually for no charge. You can then use these measurements to order from us or any online golf shop. If you have not established your swing yet, I would not suggest newer golfers get a full professional fitting. If you get fit for clubs and then take lessons and your swing changes your clubs might not fit you anymore.
Our custom club fitting module is a great way to get fit for a custom set of golf clubs
One set of properly sized, quality golf clubs should give you quite a few years of top notch performance and fun on the golf course. Clean your closet and sell all the clubs you do not use, Find a set of golf clubs that you feel comfortable with, have them custom fit to your specifications. Then, go take a few lessons, practice and enjoy years of fun on the golf course.
June 25, 2010
How far do you hit your 5 iron
How far do you hit your 5 Iron?
You will here this question or “what club do you use to hit 150 yards?” Either way, you should have a answer. Why, because if you are wanting to score better, then this is good information to have.
If you walk up to any Pro Golfer and ask “How far do you hit your 6 iron?” Their answer will be something like “163 Yards” not 160 yards or 165 yards, it will be 163 yards, they will know exactly how far they hit each club. The better Pro’s will know how far they hit all their clubs in different weather conditions, different altitudes, etc. You give them a situation or climate and they will know how far they hit the clubs in their bag.
For us weekend warriors we do not need to know exactly how far we hit each club, but we should have a good idea. We need to be close, 5 yard increments is probably fine for us. This information is good for scoring and for safety. For instance, A new golfer is out on the course. He is 150 yards to center of green. He does not know what club he uses for 150 yards so he grabs his 3 wood. He sends his ball through the windshield of a brand new Caddy in the parking lot, Loses $5.00 skin, and worst of all he got a quadruple bogey. But worse than that, he could have actually hurt someone.
OK, what do you do? After you have had a few lessons, get out to a driving range, preferably a driving range that allows you to hit off the grass. You might want to take several trips to the driving range. Each time you go try to hit 10 to 15 balls with each club and make notes as to distance. Once you know these numbers, you will see your scores drop and your enthusiasm for the game rise.
If you do not have the time to measure each and every club, then just take your 5 Iron. Lets say that after a few trips to the range, you have determined that you hit your 5 iron 160 yards. You can now estimate 10 yards per club in either direction. Your 6 iron 150 yards and your 4 iron 170 yards, etc.
Now you are ready to see a yardage marker, pace off your ball and put it in the center of the green.
So I will ask you again. How far do you hit your 5 iron?
June 23, 2010
June 4, 2010
Try the Putting Green for a change
How many times do we show up early for a round of golf, grab a bucket of balls, and head out to the driving range and hit all the balls with our golf driver? Too many times if you ask me.
I think it is time we start hitting the putting green and improving our scores instead of always taking out the driver and trying to improve our sexiness. Let me ask you this. What is so sexy about a 300+ yard drive followed up by a 4-putt?
A par 72 golf course has probably four par 5’s and some of those are probably dog legs that require a lay up. You might have some long par 4’s that you can get away with the driver, even though you should probably lay up.
All golf courses, regardless of length and number of holes, have one thing in common. To finish every hole, you must putt. That’s right, you have to take the putter out and use it at least once, probably twice, and all too often three times on every single hole you play.
So, don’t buy that bucket of balls and try to be the long drive winner. Instead, grab a handful of the balls you use every day, hit the putting green, and win the round, time and time again.
June 3, 2010
The Golf Frustration Blues
I am in the middle of the fairway, 150 yards out, no wind, no shadows. I take my 8-Iron and go through my routine. I address the ball, keep my head down and wham……Worm Burner. You guessed it, I topped the ball.
Simple 94 yard par 3. You can do this every day. Except some masochistic course designer thought the fairway between you and the hole is a great place to put a pond, maybe he likes fishing. But I digress, my ball is in the water. I do not know why, this is a shot I make all the time when there is no pond in my way.
They say that golf is a “Mind” game, or golf is a “Mental” game. Well, I am here to tell you “They” are wrong. Golf is a head game. It gets in your head and torments you. It beats you down. It makes you do crazy things like pay $500.00 for the newest, latest, greatest, driver. A driver that will send the ball farther and straighter than any club before. That is, until you get it in your hands and slice the ball onto interstate 90 that runs along the par 5 5th.
So, why do we do it? Why do we keep going to the course, weekend after weekend? I will tell you why. Sometimes that Golf Bug that has gotten in our heads is asleep. We step up to the first tee and take out our Driver and hit it straight and true. Then, hole after hole we make sweet shots and finish, maybe not with a pro tour score, but we break 100 or even 90.
We beat the demon in our heads.
March 3, 2010
Tip #2 For the Beginner Golfer…Get on the Golf Course
Get on the Golf Course
I don’t think I am good enough to get out on the golf course. I might embarrass myself. I might slow everyone down. Does this sound familiar. How many of us have said this in the past and how many of you are saying this now. Remember, golf is a game that you play against yourself, so try not to worry about everyone else.
The golf course is full of players from high handicappers to scratch golfers. Every person you meet on the golf course fought with these thoughts before you, and more will torment themselves in the future.
If you have done everything you should have, then lets get ready to play. You have a few lessons under your belt, you spend some time at the local driving range and practice your chipping in your back yard. What else is left but to get out on the golf course and play a round. Here are a few things you can do to get ready.
First, you might want to make your first outing at a 9 hole course. You can get through a 9 hole course in about 2 hours.
Second, go to the course and see if they have a driving range, hit a bucket of balls. Then go over to the putting green and putt for a while. Just get comfortable in the environment. try and do this late in the afternoon, then ask if you can walk the course. This is a good way to see what you are up against.
Third, have a drink at the 19th hole. Meet some people, you will probably be surprised to find that there are alot of people there at your level of play.
Fourth, find out what the dress code is so you do not feel embarrassed when you show up to play.
Fifth, Play your first round late in the afternoon on a Sunday, and only play with one other person. Play with someone you are comfortable with, your best friend or spouse is a good choice. Playing this way there will be no pressure and you can laugh off the bad shots. Playing late in the afternoon on a Sunday gives you the advantage of slow play. If you hit a bad shot, put another ball down and hit it again, hell, put 2 or 3 down and practice. If you do not finish the round, who cares, you are building confidence.
Sixth, Get your butt out there and play!!
February 24, 2010
Meet the Clubs #1 The Golf Driver
The Golf Driver is the longest golf club in your bag in more ways than one, (Except if you use a Long Broomstick Putter). The Driver is long in both length of club and distance of shot. You will probably only use this club off the tee on a par 5 or a long par 4 hole.
The head is also larger than any golf club in your bag, usually around 460cc. Most golfers will carry a matching #3 Fairway Wood and possibly a #5 Fairway Wood. Although, with the advent of the Hybrid Iron many golfers are opting out of the 5 wood and are carrying a hybrid club.
The Golf Driver comes in several lofts ranging from 4 all the way to 16 degrees. Usually you will choose your loft based on how fast you swing. The slower you swing the higher the loft and vice versa. Competitive Distance participants will choose lofts between 4 and 7 degrees. Touring Pro’s will usually choose a loft range between 8 and 9 degrees, while the average male golfer and strong woman golfer will go for 10 or 11 degrees. Seniors and most women will opt for 14+ degrees loft. Most Pro’s and better golfers might have several different loft drivers for different occasions. For Example, you might usually carry a 10.5 loft driver but when you get to the course it is extremely windy, if you have a lower loft driver with you, you might opt for that so the ball does not fly as high and get caught up in the wind. Should I have more than one driver with different lofts? That all depends on your golfing ability. If you are new to the game or only play once in a while, I would say no. But, if you are a good golfer and play often, then you might want to consider it.
“Let the Big Dog Eat” Like I said earlier, the Golf Driver is the longest club in the bag. It is quite common to see 300+ yard drives nowadays, but it is also common to see these drives end up in less than perfect lies, such as the woods, or the deep stuff. Because the Shaft length on the driver is quite long, they average 45″, it is sometimes difficult to control the ball flight. Even the pro’s will send it into the woods when trying to get a few extra yards out of a drive. Smart golfers, if they have a couple of stroke lead in a tournament and only a few holes to play, will more often than not opt for a lesser club. Most of the time you will see these pro’s go to the #3 Fairway Wood on a par 5 just to make sure it stays on the Fairway.
The Golf Driver can be your best friend, but it will usually be broken over your knee.
Be sure to check out our Meet the Clubs #2 golf article, where we discuss the Fairway Woods.
October 16, 2009
Tip #1 For the Beginner Golfer.. Take a Lesson
“Keep Your Head Down”
You will get a thousand bits of advice when you start the game of golf. Most of this useless information will come from the buddies you are going to play golf with. Keep your head down, bend your knees, loosen your grip, etc.,etc.
Now, I will give you some real useful advice. Do not under any circumstances go and play golf with your buddies unless they are all certified Pro’s. The worst lessons any beginning golfer can get are from their buddies. I am not saying they are not good golfers or they do not know what they are doing. I am saying, they do not know how to teach or observe.
The only thing your buddies are going to say is, “You picked your head up”. Well, maybe you didn’t pick your head up. A golf Pro is trained to observe your swing and adjust it for you.
So, my advice to you is to get a lesson. Most golf courses have a resident Pro and you can get a lesson for $50.00 to $100.00, you could also find a group lesson for around $25.00. A lot of new golfers, especially those that play sports, think they can teach themselves. Well, they are only kidding themselves. If you take that attitude you will be a lousy golfer and probably give up the game in a few weeks.
Get a Lesson!!! First, before you even buy your first golf club. Most Pro Shops that offer lessons will probably rent or loan a few clubs for a first lesson, just make a few phone calls.
