Golf gadgets: Who wants them? Who needs them? These little devices come in as many shapes, sizes, and forms as there are stars in the universe. Unlike short-game training devices or swing aids they do not work directly on teaching you the proper techniques of the golf swing. However they are indeed incredibly creative in unexpected and very imaginative ways. They are made to make the crazy game of golf more fun, a lot less strenuous and simply easier to play.

It is for this reason that the avid golfer in the family can no longer go through any Christmas without receiving one accessory either in their stocking or under the tree. These golf gadgets have become somewhat of a phenomenon and even a tradition in some house holds be it good or bad.

For the golfer who is receiving these gifts it becomes a sheer reminder of how much they need to work on their games. To some it can even become and embarrassment to think that these little golf accessories can help improve their games. For others they give them a great little giggle when they see what some crazy fool has come with to help their golf swing.

Do we as golfers really need them? Some would say yes that these little golf gadgets are essential to improving their performance on the course. These golf addicts will go to every extreme and buy every little gadget out there because they feel that it will help. On the other hand, most of us know that there is no cure other than straight hard practice that nobody really wants to do let alone has time for.

Unfortunately most of the golf gadgets on the market are not perfect and have some sort of a defect or an annoying flaw. That is why most of them don’t make it into widespread circulation and use. Having said that, there are a small number of good little gadgets out there that actually work!

These items include the suction cup on the grip of your putter that makes it easier to pickup your ball form the hole without bending over. Another good one that is almost essential to every player is the divot repair tool that can come in many shapes and styles. You also have the Brush-T that is said to make contact with the ball less inhibiting by making the tee flexible. One other must have for the average golfer is the groove cleaner to help remove the dirt from your clubs so you can hit a crisper shot.
The most important thing to remember about these items is that they are mainly for fun. They’re great to have and enjoy every time you play golf. There are so many golf gadgets out there in the market you just have to pick the ones you think are cool and simply try them!

People love golf. It is fun to play and can lead to a more healthy lifestyle.

Although many amateur players enjoy the social side and friendly banter of the occasional round with friends, those looking to improve their play and enter competitions can get frustrated.

Tips on how to improve your golf short game are bountiful on the world wide web. These can teach you the essentials such as “how to hit a bunker shot?” If you are determined to play better golf and want to know how to lower your handicap, you may find a golf guide useful.

The Dave Way (Instant Golf Slice Cure) can help you cure a slice if this is a part of the game giving you problems. For help with their driving, many golfers have found The PurePoint Golf Swing by Bobby Eldridge and The Simple Golf Swing by David Nevogt very useful guides.

Many golfers struggle with specialist areas of the game such as how to chip a golf ball, how to play a bunker shot and how to put backspin on a golf ball. If you are hoping to improve your short game, How To Break 80 In Golf by Jack Moorehouse is one of the best all round guides to help you iron out major weaknesses within your game preventing you from shooting scores to be proud of.

Putting is a part of the game some beginners find the most frustrating and even pros can hit dodgy patches of form with their putter which can lead to them missing out of thousands of dollars of prize money. If you want to learn how to putt a golf ball better, check out The Breakthrough Putting Secrets revealed by Scott Myers.

Golf fitness is an often overlooked part of the game but can also help keep you in good condition, increase concentration levels during those long rounds and also prolong your playing career into your latter years . Umpteen tips on driving a golf ballcan be found in a book written by Terence Thomas titled Hardstyle Golf Conditioning.

Heartened by the popularity of all its various forms of DRM and DLC, EA has decided to implement even further segmentation of its games. Now you’ll have the demo, the “premium demo,” the “full game” and simultaneous or post-release DLC. Gamers love segmentation!

Analyst Michael Pachter reports on EA’s new strategy:

Think about Battlefield 1943 as the prototype, so a full (but short) game experience for a reasonable price. At the same time, an expanded version of the game will be under development for release as a packaged product.

Well now, let’s not jump to conclusions. This, after all, was in a way how Portal was. Short, low-priced, and as it turned out, harbinger for a much larger game further on. But is that all there is to it?

The truth is that Portal truly was a complete game. Can EA really convince anyone that whatever they sell for $15 ahead of a big retail release is complete in any way? Seems unlikely, especially considering how DLC these days is essentially content that could have been in the retail release but was modular enough to sell on the side. I put “full game” in quotes in the first paragraph because it seems to me that truly full games are rarely released these days; pieces of the cookie are broken off until they have the bare minimum for a retail package, and then they sell you the rest of the cookie piecemeal.

Obviously there is the bottom line to consider. I can’t blame EA if making medium-sized, semi-complete games and then tarting them up with DLC is a winning strategy. If they’re making money and making games, that’s fine. But gamers lose out when games are considered only as products, the same way a TV show, movie, or book will suffer if created only with “net positive dollars” the only objective in mind.

By Chris Scott Barr

I’m not much for the game of golf, though I do rather enjoy a good round of putt-putt. Well when you’re stuck in the office and wanting to practice your short-game, here’s a sneaky way to do it. Use your coffee mug. Sure, your regular cup isn’t going to make a great target, so that’s why you should use the Golfers Mug.

When you’re done with your morning cup of Joe, just lay the mug on its side (preferably after you’ve rinsed it out) and you’ve got yourself a target. Now all you have to do is figure out where to hide you putter. You can pick one of these up for around $13.

[ Red5 ] VIA [ CrunchGear ]