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Rock Springs Ridge Golf Course Offers Oak Trees as a Challenge at a Great Price in Apopka, FL

10/22/2013

The golf course at Rock Springs Ridge Golf Course, Apopka, FL is still suffering from the economy in the form of weeds in the fairway, but the greens were in good condition and the course mowed and sand traps maintained. Both restrooms mid-nine were operational. The cost when we played in October 2013 was $20, so it was a good golf green fees and golf cart golf deal.

One of the major ways Rock Springs Ridge challenges the golfer is their use of Live Oak trees mid course and protecting the green as seen in the golf photograph above and to the left.

To place the ball near the flag on the green in the photograph above requires chipping below the tree but over the sand trap.

To get past the trees mid fairway in the golf photograph to the left requires that the ball travel over the tree or under the branches or if luckly, finding the air and going through the live oak.

GOLF TIP:
What club to use? To chip over a tree, use a pitching wedge with the face almost parallel to the ground. To drive beneath the trees, use a three wood or four iron, or use a club that is almost 90 degrees to the ground.

Other challenges at Rock Spring Ridge Golf Course include the heavy turf and moguls on a few of the holes, as well as hidden fairways, hidden greens, and water hazards.

The restaurant at the Rock Springs Ridge Golf Clubhouse was open on Saturday, offering up tasty 8 oz. burgers, chicken tenders, fries, and the usual sort of golf food.

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Where to Take Your Drop Near a Golf Cart Path on the Golf Course

4/2/2013

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One of the things a beginner golfer needs to know is where they ought to take their drop on a golf course. A drop is used whenever your golf ball is deemed unplayable because of an artificial immovable object like a golf cart path that might damage your golf club. Alternatively, the ball might lie in a hazard. In this particular case, most players will allow the golfer to move the golf ball to either side of the golf cart path ( the rule usually states, no closer to the flag) and also within a golf club length.

During winter golf, when the fairway may be flooded or too mucky to hit, the ball also can be moved, dropping it at the nearest location.

In this case, my husband is holding the golf ball about one arm's length from the golf cart path. He's holding it straight out so the ball will drop. A golfer can redrop the ball if the golf ball rolls after it hits and ends up on the golf cart path or in the hazard again.

More likely, the golf ball would be dropped on the opposite side if the ball were more to that side of the path or if there was a puddle on the other side, etc. Beginner golfer's usually don't play for money or professionally, so the rules can slip a bit--the thing for beginning golfers is to make sure they get a clean hit and if that means moving your golf ball a bit, do so. Just remember, when you play for money or with friends, the proper placement will make everyone happier.

Other tips for beginner golfers can be found in my article for beginner golfers.

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For Golf Beginners: Start with Your Seven Wood and Seven Iron

3/5/2013

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If you are a beginner golfer, try learning two clubs to start. For drives, begin with your seven wood. A seven wood will give you the most loft from the start. It is meant to be a fairway wood and because of its small head size, it will handle dips in the fairway much better than any other club. The seven wood for women will net you about 120 yards, +- 30 yards. When you're hitting from the tee, place your tee nearly level with the ground.

The reason for choosing one club is to help build your rhythm of hitting the ball. Each of the clubs vary as to where you place the ball in your stance. And the bigger the head on the club, the heavier it is to swing. The biggest problem most beginning golfers have is having strong enough wrists.

Do women's push ups in bed to help build your wrist strength, or alternatively against the wall. And swing the club fifty to one hundred times if you have the spot to do it. You don't need to have a ball or worry about where it will go to just take the swings.

The other club to start with is a seven iron, because it two is one of the easier, longer distance irons to hit due to loft. Many prefer to start with the eight iron. A seven iron will net you about 90-100 yards +-20 if you're a woman.

Many men have a really easy time hitting golf balls long distance when they start. Men are more likely to use their wrist muscles in other tasks--carrying loads, hammering, using a screw driver, raking, shoveling, etc. Gardening is an alternate way to build wrist strength.

Why not start with all the clubs? Consistency is swing, timing, placement.

This video from Peak Performance Golf on how to stop topping your fairway wood may be very helpful.

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Playing Doglegs on a Golf Course

2/26/2013

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This photograph of a dogleg on a golf course highlights the main reason that doglegs are difficult to play. Doglegs often go around natural hazards like ponds. Doglegs make the short straight distance to the green much longer if you play it safe. Often really skilled golfers have long drives, so can go over and beyond a hazard with ease. Beginning golfers have a much harder game. Many times the tees require judgment about how far to hit the first shot, often cutting 50 to 100 yards off your normal golf drive. But playing it safe saves golf balls in the long run.

Here's how this golf video from Nikon Golf Course Management describes how to manage a dogleg.

The worst doglegs are the ones with forests; many golfers that try to go over or around a forest end up within the woods. For those beginning golfers so unlucky to end up in the trees, make your next shot safe by using a 4-iron or a 3-wood or pitching wedge if necessary to get a straight, low drive that makes it through the woods.
Golf Tips:

Make sure your golf partners are watching carefully because a golf ball ricocheted from a tree can be a real danger.
Make your shot safe--get back onto the fairway with as little risk as possible. It will save additional strokes and your golf handicap in the long run.

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Golf Deals & Putters

10/5/2012

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Here's a brief look at some great golf deals.

While golfing today, my husband and I discussed why we liked the other's putter, yet we selected such different ones. Here's some things to think about when selecting a putter.

#1: Check there are no moveable objects other than your golf ball on the green before picking up your putter.

About My Husband's Ping Putter

My husband bought his Ping Putter before I bought a new putter; when I tried his I fell in love with it and had to have one.

What I liked about his putter was the light feel, the generally straight putt I had with my stroke, the center mark.

About My Never Compromise Putter

When I went to purchase my Never Compromise putter, I went to Pro Golf Discount in Tukwila, WA where my husband also purchased his putter. I went a good six months after my husband and there weren't any Ping Putters on hand. So I used the store's handy putting green to try out a good variety of putters. What I found out was that because of my stroke, some putters gave me odd putts. Some I had less ability to find center. After numerous putts, I settled down on the Never Compromise putter which happened to be all the rage.

One difference between my putter and my husband's is the added weight at the back of the putter. I've found that this weight gives me a better sense of touch about how far the golf ball will travel.

The Hang Test

My husband did the hang test--here's a good explanation for the various ways that putters differ.

The center line on my husband's putter when it aligns with the back of my putter held similarly doesn't line up the same as mine. In fact, he readjusted his line, by adding a notch at the top which helps him find a better center. I hope this helps with putting questions.

Or you could just go putter borrowing and testing just to improve your putting skills. Whatever works.

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Chipping Lesson at Twin River's Golf Course with Golf Pro Mitch

9/25/2012

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Well, I had my first ever golf lesson at Twin River's Golf Course in Orlando, Florida with Golf Pro Mitch. My husband and I have played for fifteen years, just learning by doing. One of our biggest frustrations is our short game. So we asked Mitch for a joint 1/2 lesson. The cost was $30 for a half hour, then half price for the second person, me.

So what does one do in a chipping lesson?

Well, we took our clubs in a cart over to the driving range and practice green area. Mitch brought his own pitching wedge, a bucket of golf balls and set up a flag on the green.

His first question was what did you want to learn?

My husband answered that he wanted to be able to chip over a trap, land on the green and stop. There are many varieties of chips and pitches that one does during the game of golf, but Twin River's Golf Club has many holes in which there is a sand trap right in front of the green or surrounding the front of the green with only a narrow neck on which to bounce up. The photograph here shows a chip used to get under low hanging growth, not one we wanted to explore at the moment.

So Mitch said, "Show me what you do."

With a pile of golf balls in front of us, my husband and I each chipped onto the green near the flag.

After we did so, Mitch focused on what my husband was doing and explaining what parts of the chip were not quite right. He explained how the stroke should be continuous from reaching back all the way through connecting with the ball on toward the flag. He explained that distance was subject to how far back you reached, not slowing the down stroke and not shortening up the follow through.

So what did we learn?

The number one thing we learned in our chipping lesson is that every person has their own unique weaknesses.

The second thing we learned was that being told how to do things better, is not the same thing as doing them better. I started chipping up pretty close to the flag, but as I worked to modify what I was doing, I started committing the number one mistake in chipping: I didn't look at the ball!

The photograph here shows the way turf can hide a ball--balls deeper in the turf are likely to slow down your shot. My yellow golf ball I use often is easier to spot in the bright sunny weather in Florida.

How did our lesson differ:

My husband found he wasn't rotating his hips through his chipping stroke. And that he was trying to use his wrists rather than the club angle to create the loft.

I found that I wasn't standing near enough to the ball and that I was rolling my wrists back rather than lifting them up, to do Phil Mickelson's hinge and hold technique he talks about in his book that I discussed in my review of the Secrets of the Short Game. Unlike my husband that was accelerating through his shot, I tended to also slow down through the shot as the ball connected.

Was the lesson worth it? You bet. Both my husband and I learned what to pay attention to in our stroke, something we couldn't necessarily diagnose for ourselves.

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Tricky Sand Traps at Royal St. Cloud Golf Links, St. Cloud, Florida Along with the Birds

9/19/2012

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Royal St. Cloud Golf Links, St. Cloud, Florida is a beginner welcoming golf club with wide fairways, especially at the tee. We played today and found the course really had some challenging and innovative traps that are more likely to trap someone with a long drive and slice than anyone else. I didn't get trapped very often and the in fairly easy to escape situations.

This golf photograph shows the Royal St. Cloud Golf Links clubhouse from the 9th hole on the white tees.

How should a golfer handle one of these challenging sand traps?
1. Don't get into the trap in the first place
2. If you get into the sand trap, you might want to chip either to the side or backwards--whatever it takes to just get out
3. If you aren't playing a tournament and are keeping up with the players in front of you, you might try to pitch out of it with the face of your club laid way back, almost to 90 degrees. Be sure to take a full swing and follow through. Changes are you will end up doing number 2. afterwards.

This golf photograph show the Scottish style use of native grasses on the back side of the sand trap.

What is my overall impression of Royal St. Cloud Golf Links?
It's a fun place to golf and the $18 per person green fees through September and $25 high season fees make it a win on the pocket side. This golf course is very friendly to wildlife with many different ways of handling native vegetation, with lots of native grasses.

This golf photo graph shows one of the deep sand traps backed by wood reinforcement.

Lunch at the Stone Bridge Tavern and Grill is a definite win--most items range in price from $10-25 (most the higher priced items are for full dinners while sandwiches are usually at $10. I tried the Oriental Salad with Chicken (also comes with Ahi) while my husband ate well with a very tender French Dip. Many good beers on tap. The snack bar offers up hot dogs, hamburgers, excellent cookies and more.

As a birder and photographer, I had many other things to do than keep my mind on my golf ball. Oops. I guess this is why so many people study the zen of golf in order to keep their eye on the ball.

This golf photograph shows a line of bunker right smack inside the sand trap--does this invite you to end up in the sand trap again and again?

As to birds, here's a list of those I spotted today on Royal St. Cloud Golf Links:
Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Doublecrested Cormorant, Anhinga, Wood Stork, Sand Hill Crane, Blue Gray Gnatcatcher, American Eagle, Osprey, Red-Shouldered Hawk, Common Moorhen (with babies), Louisiana Heron, Mockingbird, Fish Crow, Blue Jay. I also spotted White-tailed Deer (mom and baby), American Crocodile and a Turtle in the creek.

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Best Golf Ball for Playing Golf on Patriot Day, Veteran's Day, the Fourth of July or Independence Day and Memorial Day in the United States

8/13/2012

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Golf on holiday's like Patriot Day (September 11), Independence Day (July 4th), and Veteran's Day (November 11), Memorial Day (last Monday of May) can be a fun but busy day. A good patriotic ball to use is the Noodle Long and Soft with an American Flag logo.

Where to buy Noodle Long & Soft golf balls?
Dick's Sporting Stores http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12572332

Where to get an American Flag?
http://www.united-states-flag.com/?gclid=COytjpGi5bECFQWDnQodemoAAw

And the flag ball? Suggestions?

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Mixed Set of Golf Blog News

8/8/2012

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Today's Golf for the Love of Ithttp://www.scoop.it/t/golf-for-the-love-of-it

features the new Nike Wet Weather Shoe, a spoof about golf pros, silly golf tips, charity events and much more.

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Rock Springs Ridge Golf Course Offers Oak Trees as a Challenge at a Great Price in Apopka, FL

Where to Take Your Drop Near a Golf Cart Path on the Golf Course

For Golf Beginners: Start with Your Seven Wood and Seven Iron

Playing Doglegs on a Golf Course

Golf Deals & Putters

Chipping Lesson at Twin River's Golf Course with Golf Pro Mitch

Tricky Sand Traps at Royal St. Cloud Golf Links, St. Cloud, Florida Along with the Birds

Best Golf Ball for Playing Golf on Patriot Day, Veteran's Day, the Fourth of July or Independence Day and Memorial Day in the United States

Mixed Set of Golf Blog News

Sheri Fresonke Harper

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