Golfing News & Blog Articles

One of the most common reasons that I see players fail to reach their potential is because their performances are sabotaged by a fear of failure. This fear can often cause what we know as choking in golf.

Such fears could be:

What is fear?

Fear is a normal part of the human experience and it’s not wrong to feel it. Simply put, it’s the mind’s projection of a future negative (or painful) event that impacts how you think and feel in the present.
Think of any scenario that would make you feel uncomfortable (a popular one for most is giving a speech in front of a large group) and immediately a movie will play out in your head and change the way you feel inside. We experience the stress or fear response to various degrees – butterflies, sweating, increased heart rate and possibly shaking hands.

Why does fear exist?

The purpose of fear is to help us survive and avoid pain. In the past, fear kept us away from large predators. In the present day, it’s purpose is more so to keep us away from the threat of emotional pain, rather than physical. What we fear can vary from person to person, but it’s our subconscious telling us that we should prepare ourselves for danger or try to avoid it all together.

You’ve heard about them, maybe seen them too. Everyday products are being hyped in your Twitter and Instagram feeds. They’re sometimes endorsed by pros, celebrities, and influencers alike. But do they live up to the hype? We take a closer look.

What are Golfers Talking About?

Garmin, a company best-known to golfers for its GPS devices, has recently jumped into the personal launch monitor category with its Approach R10. The device retails for $599.99, and while that’s well below professional grade offerings from Foresight, Trackman, and Flightscope, it’s only $100 more than our top pick in the category, the Rapsodo MLM.

Product Expert

Hi, I’m Harry, and I test a lot of things at MyGolfSpy. I play professionally when I’m not checking and comparing specs on gloves, rangefinders, bags.. ball retrievers.. etc. You can call me the Director of Soft Goods Testing here at MGS. You can also just call me Harry, that’s fine too.

Why the Hype?

The Personal Launch Monitor category has exploded in recent years. The most affordable products cost as little as $200, while the high end of the entry space tops out around $600. That’s where the Garmin Approach R10 lives.

Average golfers are desperate for an accurate, feature-rich option at an affordable price. That’s a nearly impossible ask, but as golf’s technology leaders cross category boundaries, golfers hungry for a breakthrough have their knives, forks, and wallets ready. Will the Garmin Approach R10 prove to be THE ONE that sets a new standard?

Rory McIlroy holed an eagle putt from just outside 10 feet on the par-5 16th at Caves Valley on his way to an 8-under 64 at the BMW Championship, giving him a share of the lead with Jon Rahm and Sam Burns.

Phil Mickelson acknowledged he is a "long shot" to make the U.S. Ryder Cup team but isn't conceding just yet, and he also said he'd accept a spot on the team as a vice captain.

Annabell Fuller and Caley McGinty were part of two winning matches Thursday as Great Britain & Ireland jumped out to a 4½-1½ lead over the Americans after the first round of the Curtis Cup.

NCGA Embraces Diversity and Celebrates Inclusiveness

The post Inclusion appeared first on Northern California Golf Association.

Youth on Course gives youth life-changing opportunities through golf

In keeping with our innovative approach to promoting the game of golf, the NCGA created Youth on Course in 2006 as the NCGA Foundation. The Youth on Course program provides youth with affordable access to golf for $5 or less at hundreds of courses, as well as access to paid summer jobs and college scholarship opportunities. Youth on Course has changed the landscape of golf in Northern California and has grown into a nationwide initiative expanding to 26 states.

Visit YouthOnCourse.org

The post YOC appeared first on Northern California Golf Association.

Poppy Hills GC & Poppy Ridge GC

One of the most unique aspects of the NCGA is that we own two premier golf courses. Only a handful of golf associations go this far to provide such great value, we were the first!

At Poppy Hills Golf Course in Pebble Beach and Poppy Ridge Golf Course in Livermore, we provide privileges for NCGA members including special rates on greens fees and discounts in the golf shops and dining rooms.

The Robert Trent Jones-designed Poppy Hills was the first course to be owned and operated by an amateur golf association in the United States – a great example of the innovative approach to member offerings the NCGA has always strived to maintain. It is both a PGA Tour and USGA Championship venue, as well as a ‘Top 100’ in Golf Digest’s Greatest Public Courses.

Our sister course, Poppy Ridge in scenic Livermore wine country, is a unique Rees Jones 27-hole design with 3 nines: Chardonnay, Merlot and Zinfandel.

Both courses are host to dozens of NCGA Championships each year.

It’s our mission to support and promote the game of golf in Northern California

To support the game of golf, we administer course ratings, maintain our members’ USGA Handicap Indexes and teach the Rules of Golf.

To promote the game of golf, we continually enhance our programs to better meet our members’ needs.

To help our members enjoy golf even more, we offer exclusive discounts for golf rounds, apparel, equipment, travel and more.

Through our dedicated staff and volunteer corps, we deliver outstanding tournaments and events for players of all ages and abilities —championships, single day events and social golf.

NCGA has long been an innovation leader among golf associations by expanding what we do to grow the game of golf.

Golf Since 1901

The NCGA’s roots date back to April 5, 1901 when five clubs banded together with the sole purpose of participating in the prestigious Pacific Coast Amateur Championship.

In 1966, the NCGA, originally headquartered in ‘The City by the Bay’, moved to a new home – Spyglass Hilll Golf Course in Pebble Beach.

With the opening of Poppy Hills Golf Course in 1986, the NCGA became the first golf association to own and operate its own golf course – providing a tournament facility and unique benefits for NCGA members.

In 1996, the NCGA added a second course, Poppy Ridge Golf Course located in the Livermore Wine Country.

In 2020, The NCGA completed a unification with the Women’s Golf Association of Northern California (WGANC) and the Pacific Women’s Golf Association (PWGA) to better leverage efforts to support and promote women’s golf.

U.S. Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker told Sports Illustrated that he'd spoken to both Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau about their running feud and received assurances from both that it won't be a distraction for the American squad.

Faces of the NCGA: Melissa Spenser and Her Self-Designed Golf Outfits

August 26, 2021

We know there are many of our players who have talents beyond their golf ability, but Melissa Spenser stands out from the crowd with her self-designed and crafted golf outfits.   We caught up with Melissa at a recent tournament where she was wearing a golf outfit that she designed and sewed herself.

What inspired you to create your own golf outfits? I started sewing during COVID, first it was sewing masks for my family, my doctor and nurse friends. Then some drapes for my bedroom. One day I was looking online and thought I’d try to make a shirt, and that started me down the rabbit hole. I made that shirt and then started looking for other patterns. A year and a half later I have 4 new machines (2 sewing machines, including a beautiful vintage 1966 Singer, a serger and an overstitch machine), a ton of fabric and lots of patterns. Once I started golfing again during the pandemic I would look at other ladies’ cute outfits and think that I could make that myself. I would also go to pro shops or golf stores for ideas and then turn those ideas into outfits for myself. I haven’t bought any clothing in over two years.

When did you start to design your own clothing? Most of the clothes that I make are from patterns that I buy or download online. I have taken a golf shirt that I liked and fit well and made a pattern from it by tracing the shirt to get the size, and then just figured out how to sew it together. I have also taken someone else’s pattern and hacked it to be like an outfit that I have seen and wanted to duplicate.

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Welcome back to another installment of History’s Mysteries. Think of this as MyGolfSpy’s WABAC Machine for golf. And we think you’ll enjoy reading today’s installment as much as we did writing it.

If you’re a sports fan of a certain age, there are moments that will be forever lodged in your hippocampus. Take February 22nd, 1980, for instance. Or January 12th, 1969. Or a personal favorite, October 27th, 2004.

For golf fanatics, that day was April 13th, 1986.

That was the day Jack Nicklaus gave us the thrill of a lifetime with a final round 65 to win his sixth green jacket and his 18th and most improbable major.

And he did it with, at the time, was about the funkiest looking putter you’d ever seen.

This game would be easy if we could hit every green in regulation. If your drive is reasonable and even if your drive is in the light rough you have a good chance that your next shot can reach the green. Unfortunately hitting the perfectly shaped shot to hit the green is the most difficult to make for pros and even more difficult for the Weekend Warriors.

When you are within 160 yards you can easily see the shot that will be ideal to land on or near the green and hold the green. You know the distance that your clubs will reach and you know that your lower lofted clubs will roll-out further on the green than on the fairway. So why is it so difficult to hit the green and stick on the green?

The Problem
For some strange reason, when the pressure is on to make the perfect shot we often push or pull the shot into the deep rough, a trap or the surrounding bushes. If your leading hand grip is completed correctly, the back of your leading hand should be facing directly up your target line. That is also the position that you want your leading wrist at the point of impact in order to hit directly up your target line.

If your club face is slightly open at impact, your ball will fade and if your club face is slightly closed at impact, your ball will draw. Your club face is just an extension of the position of the back of your leading wrist.

The Solution.
Colin Morikawa has the most consistent record for strokes gained when targeting the green. He slightly bows his wrist at the top of his backswing (which is nothing like the exaggerated wrist bow that Dustin Johnson creates and more like Jordan Spieth’s slight wrist bow). Colin’s goal is the same as all professionals. He wants his club to impact the ball when his leading wrist has a slight bow and is pointing directly up his target line.

After playing in 34 tournaments in 15 months, golfer Rory McIlroy says he's physically and mentally exhausted. McIlroy says he has been struggling to find balance between playing golf and being a new father. He plans a two week break before the Ryder Cup.

NCGA Golf Magazine Going Digital

August 25, 2021 

We Heard You

NCGA Golf Magazine is Going Digital Only

In line with feedback from our members and further efforts to reduce our environmental footprint, while also enhancing our communications with bonus content, the NCGA will begin delivering the award-winning NCGA Golf Magazine via email and our website only unless we hear from you otherwise. To continue receiving a printed version of the magazine please Click Here
Visit our website at NCGA.org, where the magazine can always be found on the homepage (see Featured Box) and at NCGA Golf Magazine under the News tab drop-down.

The PGA Tour head to Maryland this week with the BMW Championship at Caves Valley Golf Club, the second leg of the FedExCup Playoffs. Here are our best bets for the event.

A couple of months ago, we asked you take our Driver Satisfaction Survey. The objective was simple. We wanted to understand if buyers of some brands were more satisfied than those who bought others. It’s a simple but not unimportant metric. Sure, distance, forgiveness and optimizing the numbers on a launch monitor screen are all good things but there’s probably no better predictor of a repeat customer than satisfaction with a previous purchase.

All told, nearly 9,500 (9,470 to be precise) of you took the survey. Here’s what you told us.

The Demo Experience

We’ve discussed this before but it’s worth hammering home a few observations.

Top Demoed Brands

With that in mind, here’s a breakdown of the brands that you tried before buying.

The LPGA Shanghai tournament, scheduled for Oct. 14-17, was canceled on Wednesday due to ongoing COVID-19 travel restrictions, the association said in a statement.