Artificial putting greens are now being used for golf courses, driving ranges, compact courses, and home use. It has been confirmed among PGA tour professionals that an artificial grass surface is an excellent choice for tees, fairways, fringes and putting greens. The most popular golf applications for artificial grass include back yard putting greens which enable players to practice all year round while still in the comfort of the own back yard. For years artificial grass has been used at the golf course in driving range mats and practice areas.

Artificial putting greens have continued to become increasingly popular among professional golf clubs. The durability and realistic appearance of artificial grass provides perfect greens on the course all year round. Golf club patrons enjoy a consistent and quality putting surface that is nearly indistinguishable from real grass.

Artificial grass has been traditionally viewed as an inferior alternative to a natural golf green. Thanks to all the research and development over the past few recent years, artificial grass now provides golfers with an excellent putting surface. As the fibers used in the construction of the synthetic turf (including polypropylene and/or polyethylene nylon) are designed to flex under pressure, this gives a perfect ball roll every time. There is a quite natural reaction of the golf ball to artificial grass even when chipping onto an artificial putting green.

According to several recently quoted PGA Tour golfers, an artificial putting green is easily and favorably comparable to any tournament quality greens. Many greens keepers spend hour upon hour each week cultivating and maintaining a lush golf green. Now it is possible to enjoy the equivalent of professional grade putting with an artificial putting surface green.

The absolute best golf training aid would be an artificial putting green for your back yard. Imagine being able to practice your putting just by stepping out onto the lawn. Artificial grass is now available to provide a home putting green solution to suit both your budget and your handicap. An alternative to artificial putting greens is the modular artificial green. These are available as a kit for easy delivery and set up. An artificial modular green is suitable outdoors or indoors and can be conveniently stored when not in use. Through research and development of the artificial grass you can now enjoy hours of putting practice with an artificial modular putting green in your own back yard.

Callaway Golf Drivers are usually referred to as the Best Golf Drivers in the game. Used by some of the best players in the game including Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson, Callaway Golf has a great reputation for delivering extremely high qualit

y clubs. Callaway is one of the most recognizable golf brands in the world. They are a leader in innovative golf technology. Many of their clubs have been used by some of the best professional on the Tour and have won numerous awards. Callaway has drivers to suit every need. For beginners, their clubs offer drivers with a tremendous amount of forgiveness. For professionals the razor sharp performance delivers complex trajectories that shapes the shots the way you desire.

Their FT-iQ driver and FT-iQ Tour drivers have smart Moment of Inertia (MOI) that produce long, consistent drives that drive the ball right through the center of the fairway. What you want and need from your driver is distance. Well, there is no need to worry about that any more. Simply pick up your target and swing away. The FT-iQ Driver is the straightest, longest, driver Callaway has ever created. Using the newest technology found in Formula 1 racing cars and Stealth Bombers, the best minds employed by Callaway Golf have produced a driver that provides long, consistent drives right down the center of the fairway. The reshaped head enable the face thickness, face height, MOI, and Center of Gravity (CG) to perform at their highest levels, providing unprecedented tee accuracy, unprecedented forgiveness, premium distance, and straighter ball flight from the tee.

Hyperbolic Face Technology is the cutting edge of driver face design. Mathematics and engineering combine to raise ball speeds across the entire face for more distance. The FT-iQ Tour Driver features an open face angle which produces a look that is preferred by most accomplished pros, and produces a more penetrating ball flight. The exclusive Fubuki shaft made by Mitsubishi Rayon only adds to the incredible performance and feel of the club. Simply pick a target and swing away.

Technology, which is proprietary, was used to create maximum perimeter weighting and more discretionary weight. This was done by combining a titanium face cup with a carbon composite body. This permits the straightest drives possible through precise positioning of the CG to increase stability on off center hits and generate the straightest drives possible. Strategically placed external weighting in the rear corners permits standard lofts to have Draw weighting to help golfers minimize slices and fades. Tour lofts have neutral weighting for those golfers who want a more penetrating, lower trajectory and already have a straight ball flight.

This years European Golf Tour season will feature a total of six tournaments which will be new and will start in South Africa on December 31st, 2009. This campaign will again end in November 2010 with the World Championship held in Dubai, and will once again have a minimum of 47 tournaments. These new tournaments will include events held in Morocco and India as well as the Africa Open held in South Africa. However, the European Open is not on the schedule for the new season although it has been played every year since 1977.

The event was again sponsored by the Leisurecorp company who sponsored the Dubai World Championship for the past two years and has been held at The London Club located in Kent. The season ending event had its prize fund and bonus pool reduced by 25% following the global economic turn down. It was won by Lee Westwood three weeks ago. However, this year the Tour has since said that there will once again be additional winnings available during the Jumeirah Estates held in Dubai in November 2010, on 25^th through the 28^th.

The six new tournaments are the Andalucia Masters held in Valderrama, Spain, the Avantha Masters held in India, the Cala Millor Open held in Mallorcain Majorca, the Vivendi, at a location yet to be determined,the Africa Open held in South Africa and the Hassan Trophy held in Morocco. The Vivendi Trophy was a match play event that was between a team from Continental Europe, the Ireland team, and a team from Great Britain this past September. However, the tournament will be individual play next season and the Ryder Cup which will take place in October 2010. As yet no date has been determined for the Volvo World Match. In that match last month, Ross Fisher won the 2009 version, however, in the upcoming season, it will be held on the Finca Cortesin course held in Spain. In May at its previous home, Wentworth, will unveil its new look at the BMW PGA Championship.

The 18th now features a ditch short of the putting surface, as well as changes to all the greens. The Dunhill Championship, Leopard Creek, in South Africa, from the 10^th through the 13^th December will get the new season underway. It is sure to be an exciting new year in the world of Golf. Be sure to be there to enjoy all the action of World Championship Golf.

The Open’s past Champions will have the opportunity to play four holes of the Old Course, the 1st, 2nd, 17th, and 18th on the 150th Anniversary celebration of golf’s oldest Major on Wednesday the 14th of July which is the eve of the 2010 Open Championship at St. Andrews. Invitations to compete have been extended to the 32 living Open Champions. Tee time for the first group will be around 4pm and the event should conclude around 6pm. The challenge will be televised live by the BBC and the winners will receive their prize money for donation to their favorite charity.

Although St. Andrews is hosting the 150th birthday celebration, it will be another five years before they host again. The defending Open Champion, USA’s own Stewart Cink, will be there and this is a wonderful opportunity to remind the world to see just what a power house the USA is in the world of golf. On the day before the 150th anniversary tournament, Steve Ballesteros, who is among the 32 former British players invited to attend, will play a total of four holes on the Old Course at St. Andrews.

The Open Championship Official Hospitality revealed a unique program of packages and celebration events at two drink receptions to mark this historic occasion and to help ensure that The Championship is also remembered as a celebration of fine dining. Throughout the day, the dining at The Open Championship will be of the highest caliber, with the very best local table fare which will be used to complete a menu celebrating traditional Scottish food. Scottish ingredients including beef, ham and potted game will be freshly prepared on site and available throughout the day with breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea all provided as part of the unique anniversary packages.

The Links Restaurant, which is beside the 1st Tee, will host The Sportsman’s Dinner on Wednesday, July 14th 2010. Each guests will have a unique opportunity to watch past Open champions as they play the 1st, 2nd, 17th and 18th holes on the Old Course. In the evening guests can retire for dinner to the Links restaurant where a guest speaker from the world of golf will provide the after dinner entertainment. This historic celebration is expected to be a grand affair where golf celebrities will abound. The absolute best of the past and present will be in attendance.

The latest style of Golf Buggy is stylish, safe and economical. It looks like nothing else you have ever seen on a golf course and is officially licensed as the only golf cart styled on the legendary Hummer. It has all the great hallmarks, from the 7-slot louvered grill to the easily recognisable vertical lines of the rear sides and its now being stocked by the world most well known department store – Harrods, where the HUMMER H3, takes pride of place on the fourth floor of its London store.

The Golf Mini Hummer has many built in safety features which are not normally included on a standard golf cart, and which would not be out of place in a normal road going vehicles such as a safety horn, hazard lights, brake lights, turn signals and a reverse warning buzzer. It’s even equipped with front hydraulic disk brakes and rear drum brakes.

The cart is the must have golf accessory of the year and celebrities have not been slow in being seen in the Golf Mini Hummer. The fantastic legroom and interior space have been graced by Ant & Dec, Ronan Keating, Jodie Kidd, The Cheeky Girls and Meatloaf, amongst many others.

The vehicle can be customised by the suppliers and the onboard speed controller can be pre-set in the factory to limit the maximum speed to any value up to 30mph, which means it can be made safe even for children. This onboard technology even extends to the inclusion of an onboard computer controlled charging system. This allows the Golf Mini Hummer to be plugged into any electrical socket for a safe and economical recharge in 4-6 hours. The onboard system is 48 volt which delivers the maximum range and power and an onboard converter also provides a 12 volt power socket on the dashboard from which you can recharge your mobile phone whilst driving across the golf course.

The magical Golf Mini Hummer is capable of carrying four adults in complete safety and comfort for up to 40 miles and the large boot space also provides space for all essential equipment to be carried. For those who are still not satisfied with the extensive range of standard equipment, there is a large range of optional extras such as metallic paint, a DVD player, a front electric winch and even a ball washer.

Take a look at the Golf Mini Hummer – THE golf accessory!

Think about this. Do you generally feel that you swing better and get more accurate after the first few holes? There’s a reason for this and it’s called fitness and conditioning. Take a good look at your golf scores and you will generally see that your scores will be a few strokes better on the later holes than on the first few. This general “warming up” is therefore costing you several strokes in each and every game. This means that you could probably improve your score by at least one shot on each of these early holes.

The way to improve this is to make sure that you are properly prepared by warming up in a safe and effective manner.  The most effective method is one that prepares those parts of the body which contribute most to the golf swing. This means carrying out a series of flexibility and conditioning exercises which provide the quality of movement required. One such exercise routine is the “5 Minutes to Tee-Time” and it will prepare you correctly and ensure that you are completely ready from the very first tee. It has the great advantage that it does not take much time and therefore you can be on the golf course without spending hours driving balls on the practice range. Think about the difference this could make. Take, say, 10 strokes, off your round and think about the difference this would make to your game. From being an average golfer, you will become a good golfer. This will also improve your general confidence.

The exercise routine was specifically developed for golfers and users have seen very impressive results. Your swing is prepared and becomes fluid well before stepping up to the tee. It will also become much more consistent. The routine is separated into four components; upper body, mid-torso, lower body and the functional swing. These components are carefully prepared by following a specific sequence. Full colour pictures show each step in turn and also demonstrates the correct way the exercise should be performed. The routine also has fully detailed instructions.

Nike has produced, arguably, the most comfortable golf shoe on the market at the minute in the form of Nike Air Zoom TW. These golf shoes start at around £105 but can range from up to £200 so it’s important to have a good look around for deals. The Nike Air Zoom TW are very well manufactured and look class and subtle. Playing two rounds of golf in a single day can beat your feet up; even with some of your more expensive, top of the range shoes but the Nike Air Zoom TW remain comfortable and gives your feet plenty of protection and cushion. The Nike Air Zoom TW has the Scorpion stringer spikes that allow you excellent grip in all conditions. What makes this shoe even more impressive is that it comes with a 2 year manufacturer’s limited warranty.

If you don’t want to pay as much money for a pair of golf shoes then you can’t go wrong with Nike Air Rejuvenated. This shoe comes with an air sole cushion, again, protecting your feet and come in sizes between 6 and 12 and in half sizes. Just like its relative, the Nike Air Zoom TW, they also come with the Scorpion stringer spikes. Nike has again produced an excellent pair of golf shoes at a reasonable price starting at just £40 and that includes one year manufacturer’s warranty.

Now when you are thinking of quality golf shoes, Foot Joy should spring to mind. Foot Joy has been the main leader in developing and maintaining the latest technology with their shoes for numerous years and they have developed the Footjoy Synr-G. Due to the memory foam and optiflex technology your feet mould into these golf shoes the first time you put them on and are comfortable from the word go and should give you no breaking in issues. Even if you haven’t wore them for a couple months they retain that great comfortable feel due to the technology in the shoe. The Footjoy Synr-G has only two spikes on the heel and the feedback we have received is that it takes a couple rounds to get used to it compared with other shoes but doesn’t affect the comfort and protection of your feet. The Footjoy Synr-G are quite pricey and prices start from around £130 and will vary up to and around £200. They come with a 2 year manufacturers waterproof warranty.

For another great choice try the Ecco Casual Cool II GTX. These are probably the most stylish shoes around and, being made of distressed leather with a textile and microfiber lining, they are also one of the most comfortable. It actually has a quite masculine look and it’s only real drawback is the price and availability. The Ecco Casual Cool II GTX prices start at around £120 and can vary up to £180 depending if you can find them in stock.

The final choice is the Adidas Tour 360 3.0 golf shoe. This golf shoe incorporates the latest golf shoe technology with its fitfoam, 360WRAP and 10-cleat TRAXION configuration. The fitfoam gives you fantastic comfort and your feet mould into them on your first out and remains like that and gives your feet a great level of comfort and protection. The 360WRAP surrounds you feet to give you good stability when you are in full swing. Really good support if you want to try rip one John Daly style. Some online stores are doing great deals on the Adidas Tour 360 3.0 and prices are starting from around £70 and that’s almost half the normal RRP price. Have a good look on the internet before jumping into buying them but the shoes also come with a 2 year manufacturer’s water proof warranty.

All the golf shoes mentioned are good quality golf shoes and offer pretty similar comfort, protection and stability, but the one that stands out at the moment is the Adidas Tour 360 3.0. With the great deals and offers on at the moment, picking these golf shoes up at £70 are a steal and we would recommend any golfer looking for new golf shoes to purchase them at that price.

Many golfers have now started to see the advantages of using a GPS rangefinder unit to make you game more accurate and help shave those valuable strokes from your score.

The SkyCaddie SG5 is the latest addition to the growing list of available GPS units and it comes with SkyCaddies’ patented IntelliGreen technology. This enables you to measure the depth of any green and display distances to all targets and hazards on any one of the 24,000 mapped courses. A further feature, called SkyCaddie HoleVue, allows you to view a graphical image of a particular hole so that you can plan the best approach shots.

There are now a significant number of the SG5 around and many users are finding some huge advantages in using the unit whilst some have experienced problems. SkyCaddie certainly seemed to have the accuracy sorted and the SG5 is capable of giving you distances to both the front and back of the green. Another plus is the SG5’s ease of use with most users reporting that the unit is very simple to understand and use. Some have traded up from the SG2 unit and this appears to be a positive move due to the SG5’s range of extra features.

A common reported problem appears to be the battery life. Several users have reported that the battery appears to last between a year and 18 months and a replacement from SkyCaddie costs around £27, although you find cheaper on the internet if you are prepared to look.

Another bugbear of the unit is the yearly subscription fee of between £20 and £40, which you have to pay even if you don’t want to download any more courses. If you don’t pay the fee then the GPS unit is disabled! This compares with something like the Callaway uPro where you can download basic views of courses for free. Although the yearly subscription is a little expensive, most golfers have found that they easily knock 5-6 shots off their score by utilizing the accuracy that the GPS unit provides to select clubs and estimate distances. The unit provides extensive information on bunkers and water hazards, so it’s a real aid in avoiding the trouble spots that frequently add those annoying few extra shots!

Having the SkyCaddie SG5 is a bit like having a golf professional walk the course with you, advising on reading distances, marking potential hazards and generally tightening up your game.

Once you have made the decision to purchase a GPS rangefinder to enhance your golf game then the SkyCaddie SG5 is an excellent choice, but remember to factor in the extra cost of the yearly subscription when calculating the overall cost.

Price Comparison

SkyCaddie SG5

£299.00

The 13 year professional career of Tiger Woods has certainly been highly lucrative and Woods has been the highest paid sports star in the world since overtaking Michael Schumacher in 2002. His relationship with sports brand Nike has undoubtedly contributed massively to his lifetime earnings, in addition to his legendary prowess on the golf course. Over the last 12 months, Woods has earned an astonishing £55 million and over his pro career he has won 14 golf majors and his earnings have topped an unprecedented £620 million!

His prize money is dwarfed by his earnings from sponsorship, advertising and endorsements and in particular the £20 million he receives each year from Nike.

So what makes him stand head and shoulders above his peers as the worlds highest earning sports star? An easy answer is his golfing ability but there is more to it than that. His personal style and character add significantly to the package and he is also an excellent communicator with charisma thrown in for good measure. Add in a clean-cut image with no obvious skeletons in the closet and you have the complete earning machine.

Woods believes that he can continue to play and earn at the top level for at least the next ten years and given his God given abilities, who could argue?

The question is – is the 32 year old worth it?

Well, if Woods is involved in a tournament then the television ratings increase by over one third. Sponsors are notorious for ensuring they get value for money and Nike, Buick and Gillette clearly think that Woods is bringing in the cash. Whilst this puts great demands on Woods spare time outside the golf course, he does not seem to mind the rigorous schedule and indeed some have said that he even seems to relish it and it is a fact that nine tenths of his earnings come from outside his golf course prize money. Nike, in particular have seen the Woods magic take them from having no line of golf clothing in 1996, to over £375 million in sales in 2007.

Currently there is no real competitor to Woods position at the top of the earnings league. The only person that might be able to mount a challenge in the next few years is Lewis Hamilton but this will depend on his continued success on the Grand Prix circuit and another world title to add to the one he won in 2008.

Firstly choose an established company who understand the needs of golfers and know how to provide the right facilities for developing a golfer’s skills. Next ensure that they offer value for money. Some companies seem to assume that they can inflate the price simply because it is a golf break. Also make sure that the golf break is as inclusive as possible. The best include green fees, reservation of tee times and even car hire from the airport to the resort.

Where should you go? The range of choice is astounding and here we will look at three of the best.

Morocco may not be an obvious choice but it is gaining in popularity and the value for money is excellent. Although caddies are compulsory on some courses, you can expect to pay approximately £5 per round and this includes the tip!

Marrakech is the place to be, with the best probably being the 5,888m Royal Marrakech which dates back to 1923. This was a particular favourite of King Mohammed IV and the old course is located just outside Marrakech. It has a beautiful clubhouse set under shady palm trees and temperatures here rarely drop below 20 degrees.

Another popular choice is the Italian island of Sardinia. This island is the second largest in the Mediterranean and it offers several beautiful courses and the weather to match. There are two international airports, one in the North and one in the South, so you can explore either. The best course in the north is Il Pevero situated on the Costa Smeralda and in the south try Molas, which has a spectacular coastline of rocky outcrops and is one of the most beautiful places to play golf anywhere in Europe.

Finally, consider the United States. Our choice here is the 27 hole 7,674 yard Silver Lakes course located just off the interstate between Atlanta and Birmingham in the backwoods of Alabama. This is rated as one of the toughest courses you can play in the States and the Appalachian mountains present a majestic backdrop to any game of golf!