Junior Golf: 4 Thoughts On Skin Protection

In this Wednesday Waggle we’ll look at some new ways to help protect your family’s skin.

Sunscreen is not on today’s agenda. It will get plenty of discussion in another post. It’s complicated.

Proper sun exposure is essential for good health but for golfers, the issue is perhaps too much sun rather than too little. More very interesting information on sun exposure will be presented in its own future post.

So your skin is your largest organ, let’s look at some ways to protect it.

1. Healthy skin starts with a healthy intestinal tract. A simple way to help your skin from the inside out is to make sure your whole family is getting enough quality omega 3’s. Lean, grass-fed beef, fatty fish such as mackerel or sardines, krill oil, flax seed, coconut oil and cod liver oil are good sources. For convenience, krill oil, coconut oil and cod liver oil are perfect. All are available in capsules most children should be able to swallow and no taste or smell. Fish oil caps are not usually your best choice.

2. Hydrate. Drink extra water starting 3 days before a tournament.

3. Cover up. Adidas, among others makes long-sleeve polo shirts for women and men. The new wicking/cooling technology makes these shirts very comfortable in hot weather. There are also the “sleeve” add-ons you see some LPGA ladies wearing. Collared shirts protect the back of the neck. Long hair and floppy hats can cover the ears, neck and forehead. When in doubt, cover.

4. Make a habit of conditioning your skin regularly, not just the day before a tournament. Mom, you’re likely way more informed than Dad on skin care products, but I’ll help cut through the maze of confusing options and offer some inexpensive, very low risk choices. We use Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion. Costco carries 2-packs. It is extremely clean and we love it. Another very beneficial skin care item is organic unrefined coconut oil. This has so many benefits I can’t begin to list them here. Coconut oil is widely available. Make sure it’s organic and unrefined. For a slightly pricier, but amazing 3rd option try Dr Mercola’s Organic Moisturizing Body Butter. It’s top-quality at a reasonable price. Try any or all of these and choose one for your daily moisturizer. Most experts recommend applying it after a warm shower. You’ll figure it out.

See you on #1 tee protecting your skin… Sam

Junior Golf: What Is Wearable Technology?

In this Wednesday Waggle we will have a look at wearable technology and what it is. These 2 words will show up more and more in clothing, accessory and footwear items and it is a good thing to have a basic understanding of these 2 words.

Wearable technology definition from Dictionary.com: a small computer or advanced electronic device that is worn or carried on the body. While there are some more specific and slightly different definitions, this 1 is perfectly adequate for our junior golfers. (Dufner photo golfdigest.com)

With the rapid advances in digital technology and also the new materials and techniques being used in clothing and footwear, this amazing tech is appearing in more and more places. Perhaps the most common items we all notice are the golf watches/GPS systems that are made by a number of quality companies such as Fitbit, Apple Watch, Garmin, Suunto, Callaway and more.

The next big offering will be smart golf shoes. Under Armour’s smart golf shoes come with a built-in accelerometer that tracks your steps, calories burned and game duration. Sounds pretty neat to me! They are based on the UA Drive One shoes that Jordan Spieth has been wearing and are expected to be on the market sometime this year.

Now let’s get really crazy! Samsung’s spinoff company, IOFIT makes a smart golf shoe that analyzes your golf swing and provides instant feedback through a mobile app to improve your game. Coming soon! Learn more at this link: IOFIT Smart Shoes.

Dad and Mom all this tech is coming to you and your junior golfer at warp speed. At some point this subject will come up. In the not so distant future all our clothes will be talking to each other. We will have the opportunity to be monitored from head to toe, 24/7, scary, actually. Oh, and there is some money involved. Currently few, if any of these items are less than $100.00. Get informed.

See you on #1 tee wearing rules compliant devices… Sam.

Junior Golf: Save Money Now

In today’s Black Friday Flop Shot we will look at some of the ridiculous sales in the world of golf that are going on right now and save some money! (image offcoursegolf.com)f

Let’s see what 1 of our favorites, The Golf Warehouse, http://www.tgw.com has to offer: Titleist Pro V1 or Pro V1x custom name and numbers for $39.95 per dozen. A personalized very unique gift! Also Ecco, top quality golf shoes, Biom Hybrid 5.0 style for $119.99. And 3 different Caddytek push carts from $99.99-119.99. Big savings on these and a lot more items.

How about Golfsmith, http://www.golfsmith.com, being bought by Dick’s Sporting Goods: this is a special situation since Golfsmith is closing about 80 stores from California to Massachusetts. See the list of stores being closed here. If you are near a store that is closing, get there ASAP. Big savings are at hand. And the stores remaining open have a ton of great prices too!

And another of our favorite online stores, 3 Balls Golf,
http://www.3balls.com, has some killer deals: 20% off used irons, Oakley Sunglasses $59.99 and up, 30% off Adidas apparel and 15% off Puma golf shoes and much much more! Another trusted vendor!

Additional stores to check out are Golf Galaxy, Edwin Watts Golf, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Academy Outdoors.

The point is Mom and Dad your active junior golfer is always in need of balls, gloves, tees, clubs, clothing and outerwear. It’s just part of the deal. So plan ahead and save some money now. (image gfore.com)

Final thoughts. I think we’ll do something we’ve not previously done. Get S3 some customized Pro V1x balls and get us all 1 of the beautiful colored Golf gloves, made by Footjoy and also by GFORE, pricey but gorgeous!

See you on #1 tee looking well-equipped… Sam

Junior Golf: Changing Spikes

In this Monday Mulligan we will look at the most common maintenance required with spiked golf shoes and that is replacing the spikes or cleats, as they are sometimes called, on the shoes. (image jennleforge.com)
Changing the spikes sounds so simple, but I can assure you that there have been several times I thought I was going to pull a muscle trying to break a worn spike loose. Some of them seem to be almost glued in place!
2 keys which will make changing cleats/spikes much much easier is 1st have a proper tool for the job. These sell for about $5-$10, fit your hand nicely and are as they say, the right tool for the job. The 2nd aide is to get a pan or bowl big enough to hold at least 1 golf shoe, obviously holding both shoes is better. Put about 1-inch of water in the bowl and let the sole of the golf shoe soak in the water for a few minutes to help loosen and mud and dirt around the threads of the cleats. Now the tool should relatively easily break the spikes free and you can remove them. If, after soaking, they still don’t come loose, spray some lubricant on them and allow them to soak a few minutes. Hopefully now they will come loose. If they still won’t cooperate, repeat the above steps or get someone bigger and stronger than you to turn the tool.
Once all the old spikes are out, clean the orifices so all dirt and grime is removed. Allow them to dry. Spray a bit of lubricant in the holes before installing the new spikes. This step seats the new spikes nicely and may aide in easier removal the next time you swap them out. (image soft spike images, link is not active)
Be certain to buy the correct spikes for your daughter’s shoes. There are several different thread patterns and what you buy must match the grooves on her golf shoes. Once you have identified the thread type, there may be 2 or 3 different kinds of spikes to choose from. This changes a lot so just because you have spikes left over from her previous pair of golf shoes, don’t assume they will fit her current pair. Double check!
Examine her cleats at least monthly. Always replace any missing cleats. We replaced S3’s cleats every 6 months or more often. He was constantly playing golf and these soft spikes wear out and then they begin to lose their grip. Got to have good spikes!
See you on #1 tee looking for good traction… Sam

Junior Golf: Spikes Or Spikeless

In today’s Friday Flop Shot we will look at another criteria for buying golf shoes for your son, those with spikes or the ones without spikes, called spikeless. It does make a difference.(photo offcoursegolf.com)

In a TV broadcast a couple of years ago, Paul Azinger and David Feherty were talking about spikes and golf shoes. Zinger said, “They’d have to pay me a million dollars to wear a pair of those spikeless shoes!” To which Feherty replied, “Yes, I want nails!”

What does this conversation mean?
The purpose of spikes on golf shoes is basically traction, not slipping. There are a lot of times it’s tough to get good traction on a golf course. Grass, in itself is slippery and the longer it is, the tougher it can be to get solid traction. Loose dirt or sand, mud, small rocks or gravel all present their own traction challenges. So traction in merely walking or taking a stance has its own issues. But what Zinger and Feherty were mostly referring to is stability during the golf swing and follow-through. The forward foot must remain stable for proper distance, direction and balance, as well as helping prevent injury due to slipping.
Watch highly skilled golfers, men or women, and pay particular attention to their balance. It is a thing of beauty and it is essential in order to play golf at the highest level. You can also try walking around the golf course in shoes with limited traction. How is it to walk up a steep grassy slope? Not that much fun? Hard to get traction?
What’s a Dad or Mom to do for their junior golfer? Here’s a real-life example. Our whole family wore Adidas Tour 360 golf shoes for years and loved them. No break-in period, always waterproof and comfortable and good-looking. These are the shoes with the 3 45-degree stripes on the side that you see a bunch of the pros, both men and women wearing. They have soft spikes. They are fabulous golf shoes! (image google.com)
So about S3’s junior year in college he falls in love with the Footjoy Comfort Spikeless golf shoe, bought 2 pairs and wore them almost 2 years. Now, please understand that while spikeless golf shoes do not have spikes, they do have small nubs on the sole for some degree of traction. It is not close to the amount of traction the your son can get with soft spikes, however. Near the end of his senior year, S3 says he’s going back to soft spikes, from his spikeless golf shoes, because he slipped a couple of times in tournaments, on long grass and it cost him some strokes. Ah, the price of education!
Even if your son is shooting in the 70’s every round, I still feel you will put him in the best position for success by going with spikes. He needs the traction. The most important factor is proper fit, that the shoes are comfortable and need NO break-in period. With all the comfort technology available today, there is no reason to ever buy golf shoes with a break-in time. Your son should be able to put them on and go walk 18 holes immediately, with no problem. (photo golfwrx)
They must be waterproof. Quality shoes usually offer 1 or 2-year periods of waterproof warranty. Also important for your budget is to buy shoes with replaceable soft spikes. There are some models without this feature and the issue is that when the spikes are worn, the shoes are no good for golf and you now must buy new shoes instead of new spikes, big dollar differential!
See you on #1 tee with a new pair of soft spike golf shoes… Sam

Junior Golf: Christmas Gift Ideas

In today’s Wednesday Waggle we will start looking at some possible Christmas gifts for your daughter. Yes, it’s barely into November but there are great sales showing up every day and there are many reasons to start shopping now.

What does she need in her golf inventory? New cool/cold/wet weather clothing is always useful and the new technology advances mean that last year’s models, some of which are still on closeout are great buys and are still great clothes. Staying current with technology is expensive and frustrating. We try to stay within 2 years on most items and 3 to 4 years on clubs. (Dufner photo golfdigest.com)

Junior golfers get bigger so just keeping up with their growth spurts is tough enough, so spending money on clothing, outerwear and shoes is an ongoing process. In our family we were seemingly always checking S3’s golf shoes for proper fit and cleat length. Good golf shoes are the most important item of clothing for your junior golfer. Her feet must be happy! There’s just no way to play good golf when her feet are hurting, cold or wet.

Start shopping now. Take her to a store with a decent stock of girls golf shoe styles and sizes. She will find a shoe she likes. Take a photo of the label so you have all the descriptive information. Make certain it is waterproof. We do not buy any golf shoes unless they are waterproof. There is always water somewhere on a golf course and wet feet are not a good thing. (image pinterest.com)

If you are not close to a large golf retailer, go online. 2 great places to start are Amazon.com and tgw.com. Returns are easy so order, always a bigger size, and do the return thing until your young golfer is happy. There are always plenty of quality golf shoes on sale. There is no reason to pay retail. Name brand shoes will run from $100-$200 or more, even on sale. If this is tough on your budget, start putting $20 bills in an envelope to save up. Buy the very best golf shoes you can afford and saving up for a few months is worth it!

See you on #1 tee with some good-looking new golf shoes… Sam

Junior Golf: No Pass No Play The End Game

In this Friday Flop Shot we will look at the ultimate goal of no pass no play. This is where npnp ends up when it is maintained and pursued through junior high, high school and college. (photo offcoursegolf.com)

So Dad and Mom here S3’s story of how npnp impacted his college selection and ended up showing him the big picture as far as why npnp had been so important in his school life and would of course continue to be very important until after graduation. What S3 and we, too, had never realized is how npnp would come into play after graduating from college.

S3 pretty much liked TAMIU from his very 1st visit as did I. Mom also became a TAMIU fan during her 1st visit, my and S3’s 2nd visit. Everyone on the school staff was on the same page, putting students and a quality education 1st. This positive attitude permeated the campus and folks I can assure you that we did not get this feeling at very many college campuses. The business saying, “It all starts at the top”, is something I have certainly found to be true during my career and I told S3 and Linda that I believed this wonderful attitude had to start with the President of TAMIU, Dr. Ray Keck III. While we did not initially meet Dr. Keck, it was obvious he was tremendously admired and respected by faculty and students alike. I mean TAMIU is a great campus!

So S3 and Linda and I are at his freshman year athletic banquet in April of 2013 and the 1st speaker to be introduced is Dr. Keck. All he had to do was say “Hello” and you could feel what a really super guy he is. So here is a paraphrase of the 1st part of Dr. Keck’s speech: “Thank you very much. I promise to only speak for 3 minutes because tonight is about you ladies and men, our TAMIU athletes and your achievements during this past year. Do you know why I am so passionate about TAMIU athletics, why I love being here with you and why I want us to have winning teams? Every time I am interviewing new students and student-athletes and their families, somewhere in 1st 3 questions is “How are your sports teams doing?” And I want to be able to tell them we are doing great! The majority of you will go to work in the business world and will not be playing professional sports. So here’s something that likely will happen for you. When a prospective employer looks at your resume and sees that you were an NCAA Division II scholarship athlete with a college degree, your resume gets put in the short list at the top of the stack. They understand, at least many of them will, what it took for you to play college sports and get a degree!”

There was more to Dr. Keck’s speech that night, but this is the relevant part of how grades and sports can work together for a goal. It confirmed why TAMIU is what it is, a great school with athletic programs that are loved and respected by the powers that be. It was also a good night for S3 as he was awarded “Men’s Golf Team Highest GPA and Men’s Golf Team Co-MVP” tied for lowest scoring average in tournament play during the year. (Dr. Keck photo TAMIU.edu)

Mom and Dad, job interviews, being on the short list of applicants, this is where npnp ends up. Your junior golfer can certainly do this all the way through college, but the time to develop the thought process is now.

See you on #1 tee looking very good for your job interview… Sam

Junior Golf: More About Grips

In today’s Wednesday Waggle we will finish this journey into the world of grips by looking at more information about them. These often overlooked and undervalued pieces of equipment are vital to playing good golf.

There are probably 10 or fewer companies that make grips in the US and several of them make only putter grips, another world of it’s own that we can discuss in a future post. Let’s continue looking at grips for everything other than putters. (Jason Duffner photo golfdigest.com)

The 3 Big Gorillas in the golf club grip world are Golf Pride, Lamkin and Winn. Each one offers a large variety of grip styles, textures and colors. Go on their websites and get some knowledge about the differences among their styles. Then find the biggest golf specialty stores in your area and grab all the styles in the grip bins and see which ones feel the best. Then see if you can find them actually on clubs. Once you have a couple that feel good, then have your son’s hand checked for proper grip size. A huge number of junior golfers and golfers in general are playing with grips that are the wrong size.

Examples: Dad, if you give your preteen-age son your old set of clubs, you are not doing him a favor unless you check out the grip size and have the grips changed to properly fit your son’s hands which are most likely smaller than yours. Linda was using grips that were way too small. She said it felt like she was holding straws in her hands when she held her clubs. Once her hands were measured, her grips were changed from regular to jumbo and now she can really hit some good shots. So Linda’s grips were 2 sizes too small. Grips that are too small can make your shots more wristy and lead to exaggerated hooking and lots of frustration. Now, S3, who has fast hands anyway, came up with the idea of trying larger-read thicker/fatter-grips in order to slow his hands down. And it worked. He went from regular to medium and now he can control and play less draw, actually aiming more directly at the target rather than playing out so far to the right to allow the ball to work back to the target. It has been great! And grips are very inexpensive. Frequently you can get grips changed out for $10 per club or less.(photo hogwire.biz)

So once you do some research, changing out grips is quick and inexpensive. So Dad, get you son and get his hands measured. Get the correct grips for his hand size.

See you on #1 tee… Get a grip… Sam

Junior Golf: Solheim Cup Lesson 1

In this Wednesday Waggle we will look at lessons to be learned from last week’s Solheim Cup. Your daughter can learn something from virtually everything she does in life and this women’s golf event was loaded with even more lessons than usual. (Jason Duffner photo golfdigest.com)

So what is this Lesson #1 from The Solheim Cup, simple the overriding takeaway is that you never quit. You never give up. It’s not over till it’s over. However you want to say it or hear it, your daughter must keep playing as in trying to play really good golf and keep grinding away at her opponent, human or the golf course, until the ball is in the cup on the last hole.

The US women were down 10-6 before the start of the 12 singles matches. With 2 closely matched teams, a 4-point lead is a lot so the odds were against our ladies winning the Cup. A controversial call in a 4-ball match really fired our ladies up and they played like it. Ultimately they won 8.5 of 12 points and we won the Cup 14.5-13.5. This is a great testament to squaring your shoulders, finding a little “tude” and kicking your opponent’s rear! Way to go ladies!

These cup events are unique in that they are really team events even though there is a considerable amount of individual effort required by each player. The US’s Angela Stanford said “This is probably the closest knit group we’ve ever been a part of. We never stopped believing.”

And your daughter must continue believing, yes, when she’s down 4-holes with 4-holes left to play. She must believe in each “next” shot. That she can hit enough good shots, 1-shot at a time to win that hole. Then win the next hole. Win all 4 holes so they can go to extra holes.

You can be sure that Jordan Spieth thought he was in pretty good shape in the Ryder Cup when he was 4-up on Graeme McDowell through 12-holes. Well, the seasoned pro Graeme found his game and tied the match. I don’t remember if they split or McDowell won, doesn’t matter. What does matter is the momentum of the match changed: Jordan lost his and Graeme found his. (graem’s photo i2.cdn.turner.com)

Staying positive during the whole round/game is tough. When you see the pros having trouble with it, know that your daughter and all junior golfers are going to struggle with it as well. What gets her back to being positive? There are a lot of books on this subject, but the short answer is that your daughter needs to believe that she can hit a good tee shot, hit a good approach shot and have a chance to make a birdie. And making a birdie will bring back her smile and some confidence. Encourage her!

See you on #1 tee…with a never give up attitude… Sam

Junior Golf: Start the Fall with a Committment

In this Friday Flop Shot we’ll look at how to start your fall golf season by developing good habits. Proper routines are essential for success. Every great athlete has specific routines they have incorporated into their daily life. (photo from offcoursegolf.com)

Mom and Dad, please be the parents. It is your persistence and attention to detail that will help your junior golfer stay on track and improve her game. Start by reviewing her schedule. Does she have team practices? Is there room for additional weekly golf activity? Discuss how much time she can commit for golf each week. Don’t overbook this. A little less activity is better until and unless the desire catches fire and your daughter wants to spend every waking minute doing something golf related. And yes, this really does happen, but do not be disturbed if it has not happened to your young golfer yet.

What can and does happen is that your daughter may love golf, but does not wish to spend all her free time on it. This is why good habits, as in practice habits are essential. After you decide how much golf time is available each week, then devise a golf practice routine with your daughter’s input. Ask her if she is good with the schedule the 2 of you have come up with. If so, then ask if she is willing to commit to it. If yes, then please consider having her sign a piece of paper committing to the weekly schedule. The actual signing of a piece of paper stating what her responsibilities are is a genuine reality check. It makes her commitment real and hopefully helps prepare her to read every word of anything she may sign in the future, including student loans, car or home loans, real estate papers, etc.

Her agreement needs to include some details: minimum number of golf activities per week, definition of golf activities, maximum number of days without any golf and whatever else applies. You can add fun stuff like “I promise to have a positive mental attitude and always want to go to practice. I will not complain about it being too hot or too cold or too wet or too windy.” A little fun added in goes a long way.

So get some regular activities going. Regular activities give her structure and structure helps build confidence in the processes that will help her improve her golf skills. The legendary Ben Hogan said: ” I always outworked everybody. Work never bothered me like it bothers some people.” Make golf fun and make sure to have her commit to a minimum number of days of golf activity per week. This will be a great start…and that positive mental attitude!

See you on #1 tee… Sam