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Almost all bettors have learned of the term “offshore sports betting” recently, though maybe aren’t altogether savvy what that stands for An overseas betting internet site basically works extraneous to the rule of a distinct nation or alternatively it could mean an on-line gaming site that places its host computer inside the boundaries of a nation where on-line gaming is not vetoed. In short then, it is a gambling site running outside the area of the customer. Web based sports wagering world wide websites are mostly governed with the assistance of 3 institutions. These are the OSGA (the Offshore Gaming Association), the IGC (Interactive Gaming Council) and finally the Fidelity Trust Gaming Association (the FTGA).

The Offshore Gaming Association is an autonomous watchdog bureau which presently watches the current overseas sports gaming trade, they are trying to also deliver the public a simple way to to readily locate dependable internet enterprises to play games of destiny with. The Offshore Gaming Association attempts to guard the legal rights of bettors, additionally they don’t charge any association fees. The agency are a well-qualified and objective third party agency who express non-biased conclusions, indicated by your observations, objective investigation, phone calls, industry insider tips and in addition to dispense inside news.

The Interactive Gaming Council is a non-profit-making agency. The administration was founded to provide a platform for curious parties to address matters and also to improve mutual matters in the world-wide interactive gambling business, to ensure just and sound industry precepts and procedures that aim to improve buyer trust in interactive gaming commodities and functions, and to serve as the trade’s extensive procedure defender and in addition the council acts as an information center.

The IGC has built a distinction for reliability, equity and sincerity by virtue of its tough integrity standards, and in addition its appeal to honest commercial enterprises. The IGC governs offshore sports gambling via using a unique ten step code of practise moreover bills sports betting web sites a license fee to exhibit the council’s logo. Displeased clients may also air any of their conflicts to the IGC.

The Fidelity Trust Gaming Association was formed in an attempt to present a benchmark which will raise the actions of internet sports gambling operations. The authority think that through associating with good enterprises, they are able to set up a union of the fairest and most proficient offshore gaming operations world-wide.

So, these are bodies who co-ordinate the procedures of live gaming and which should in time work to relieve most of the insecurities experienced by numerous gamers. Computer accessible sports gaming web sites are now completely harmless, beacuse private data shouldn’t be necessary and in addition the recompense and the gambling odds should be exactly as uniform and fair as an orthodox Vegas-style sportsbet. These sites wipe out traveling time, but nonetheless maintain the essence of a regular Vegas style gambling internet site, only now you are enabled to gamble in your home.

First things first for this edition of the Houston Astros, according to Manager Phil Garner, get to .500. If this squad can go 5-2 this upcoming week leading up to the All Star break, they will do just that. This minor goal, in turn, will also place them right with the Cubs for 2nd place in the NL Central. Granted, Houston is not gonna catch St. Louis, the Cards will be clinching the division sometime in early to mid September, but the NL Wild Card is not out of the question.

On Sunday afternoon, Roger Clemens shut down the Cincinnati Reds to move the Astros to four games below .500, and also within 6 games of the Atlanta Braves, the current Wild Card leader. All the talk of Clemens return to the NY Yankees, or even an in-state swap with the Texas Rangers have come to an abrupt halt. Considering the Rangers recent struggles, and the impending suspension of their ace, Kenny Rogers, looks like Houston has the best chance of the two Texas teams of making postseason play.

This feat is amazing for a team that began the season without Lance Berkman, forced to start basically an “all rookie” outfield to open the year, and losing team captain Jeff Bagwell for the season early on. The injuries to Berkman and Bagwell, coupled with the inability to resign the top catch in free agency, Carlos Beltran and allowing Jeff Kent to head West , left this teams offense in shambles. And it showed, until a few weeks ago.

The turnaround: Willie Taveras and Craig Biggio have been getting on base in front of Berkman, Ensberg, and Lane., Berkman is getting his swing back after missing the first month and a half of the season. Ensberg has began hitting for power again, and has solidified his hold on 3rd base (and what should have been an All Star game appearance, imo), and Lane has realized he can hit Major League pitching, and it’s built his confidence. Most importantly for the offense, Phil Garner has shown patience with these hitters, and allowed this lineup to take shape.

It also doesn’t hurt when you have three pitchers like Clemens, Oswalt, and Pettitte who can go deep into games and not expose a thin relief corps. And as a lineup, you know you don’t have to spot these guys 5 runs for them to win. Unfortunately, early in the year, these guys were getting very little (or no) run support.

It is still gonna be an uphill climb for Houston. By all indications, this will be the team that Management is gonna field the rest of the year, no blockbuster trade, like the one last year that brought in Beltran for the seecond half of 2004. The Astros are interested in bringing in a reliever or two to shore up the bullpen, but it’s still very well possible this team contends. They will be seeing a lot of teams that have thrown in the towel (Cincy, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee) and are looking towards “next year”. It’s also no sure bet that Chicago will stay healthy, or string together any sort of consistancy to shore up 2nd place. Couple that with the fact that no “dominant” teams exist in the East or West (Washington is not dominant, imo, but they are a gritty bunch), the NL Wild Card can conceivably be won with an 85-77 or 86-76 record.

The Astros have weathered the worst already in 2005, and I give them credit for not folding the tent and giving up on this season. But, I’m not surprised, considering that Phil Garner is the one leading them into battle.

John Onan (aka Ego74) is sports moderator at the Online Players Union http://www.theopu.com
and a football contributor at realfootball365.com

Perhaps Johnny Damon’s in a panic (Why are you guys still petrified of the Yankees??) with the news of Curt Schilling’s return to the Red Sox in a bullpen role. But, this latest move by Boston, in the wake of Keith Foulke’s injury and ineffectiveness (4 blown saves and a 6.23 ERA), makes perfect sense. Granted, the Yankee will put together a run at Boston after the All Star break, regardless if Schilling is in the bullpen, rotation, or rehab. But, this bullpen is what is keeping the Yankees in the race, and I give Francona props for wanting to do something about it.

It’s apparent that Schilling’s ankle is not strong enough to pitch 6 or 7 innings at this time (see his last outing for Pawtucket), but he can be very valuable coming out of the pen, and giving the team a strong inning or two. The gutsy Schilling actually began his career as a reliever, before becoming one of the premier Starting Pitchers in baseball in the past decade. John Smoltz is living proof you can make a successful transformation from staff ace to closer. It doesn’t hurt that Schilling is a well respected veteran, and could provide a calming influence over a not-so-calm state of affairs.

Now, back to Damon’s comments before Wednesday’s game at Texas. “I don’t think he’s ready to be our closer,I think Bronson (Arroyo) would be our best choice as a closer. That’s if Mike Timlin’s not it.”. Okay Johnny, if Arroyo heads down to the bullpen, who takes his place in the rotation? Certainly not Schilling, he’d have to remain on the sidelines. Unless Boston goes exclusively to a four man rotation, they have to insert Jeremi Gonzalez (or another mediocre hurler) back into the “spot starter” role. That would be my idea of “panic”. If Timlin takes over for Foulke as team Fireman, then the entire bullpen will be forced to move up one spot. Like Rocket J Squirrel would say to Bullwinkle “Not again!! That trick never works!!!” Chances are, Theo Epstein will acquire an established middle reliever to help plug up the leaks in the bullpen boat.

Schilling, unlike too many of today’s players, is the true definition of at “team player”. If the mental picture of his bloody sock and decimated ankle last October in the ALCS doesn’t confirm that, I’m sorry for ya’. He has agreed to take on this role, which gets him back in the rotation without putting too much wear and tear on the ankle. In other words, Johnny, he’s doing this “for the team”. He will be a lot fresher than most starters when September rolls around, and if he’s healthy, more than likely he will be sharp (see Schilling’s past history).

Obviously, the Red Sox manager doesn’t see this as a reason for dissention. “This is not permanent,” Francona said of Schilling closing. “Whether it’s two weeks, two months, it’s not two years. We don’t know what’s going to happen. Two weeks ago, we weren’t having this conversation. We’re trying to do the best we can. I don’t think we have leeway to not win. Our job is to win. So we’re going to do the best we can to win.” Exactly!! Francona is smart enough to realize that if it’s not working, he’ll pull the plug on the experiment and go to plan B. Then, maybe Johnny Damon can set the pitching rotation and won’t be in such a panic over a team they eliminated from the Playoffs in 2004

John Onan (aka Ego74) is Sports Moderator at http://www.theopu.com and a regular Football Contributor at http://www.realfootball365.com

If you are determined to attempt your first ironman, but a bit nervous about the swim, this may make you feel better.

Historically, more first time Ironman starters are more experienced in the run and/or the bike as opposed to the swim. You are not alone!

Trust me, I survived my first Ironman swim and so will you. When I watched those crazy people back in 1982 and they were swimming 2.4 miles in the ocean, my first thought was—”well I guess that rules me out”. Considering I couldn’t swim a stroke at the time and had a healthy fear of the water, my chances looked pretty slim.

Something happened though. The more I watched the race, the more I wanted to do it. By the time the T.V. version of Hawaii Ironman 1982 was done, I was determined to learn how to swim. I wanted to cross that finish line.

Two years later I was in Kona, the cannon went off, and I was on my way. THIS WAS MY FIRST OPEN WATER SWIM! And what a swim it was! I had a really crappy stoke. I know that now. I didn’t care at the time. I was swimming in Kona–in the Ironman!

I got hit and kicked and run over, but luckily for me there were only around 900 starters that day. It would get much worse in coming years as fields have grown to 2000 plus!

Back to Kona! It was surreal. Swimming out to the boat with the big orange sails that marked the turn. Watching tropical fish as I swam. Scuba divers sitting on the ocean floor waving as we swam by. Making the turn at half-way and an under-water photographer taking my picture as I rounded the boat and headed back. The amazing rush as I felt the current lift me and push me towards shore.

I can’t even put into words what it felt like when I stood up after one hour and 38 minutes and realized I had finished the Hawaii Ironman swim. It was a defining moment in my life. I knew right then that before the day was done, I would be an Ironman.

I will never forget that transition tent. It was electric! It was like everyone was talking at once. You could “feel” the sense of accomplishment and relief in the air. Thinking back, I truly believe a lot of people in the race that year were dreading the swim.

I told you this story for a reason. It sure isn’t to brag. It’s to inspire you. It’s to make you realize that if you want this bad enough, its there for the taking. POWER! WISDOM! STRENGTH! You have that inside you. Now–let it out. Get in the water!

Don’t make the same mistakes I did though. I pretty well did everything wrong when I tried to make myself a faster swimmer.

I read books. I swam thousands of lengths, Reinforcing all my bad habits. I swam miles and miles with pull buoys, because my feet sank. I blasted my way through the water. It took me 10 years to take 15 minutes off my original Hawaii swim. The gun would go off and I would move my arms as fast I could for 2.4 miles.

It took years, but I soon discovered that I had to SLOW DOWN in order to swim faster. I learned that swimming relaxed and using the natural buoyancy that we all have was the answer. It wasn’t really how FAST I got to the other end of the pool, it was HOW! I finally learned that 16 relaxed strokes every 25 meters is a ton better then 25 “move your arms as fast as you can strokes.”

Learn to press the upper half or your body(your chest)into the water as you swim. Your lungs will act as a natural buoy and when you master the technique you will feel your legs rise to the surface behind you. Its simple physics and you will see a difference in one training day. “Press your buoy” every time you swim and soon it will become natural. Also count your strokes and reduce the number of strokes it takes to reach the end of the pool. When you get the smooth gliding stroke down and understand the buoyancy, slowly begin to add speed. Soon your swimming will improve by leaps and bounds.

I worked on that for the whole training season and found myself back at the Ironman swim start. I stayed calm and relaxed. I used my new loooooong, smoooooth, stroke. Kept nice even balance on top of the water, and was very relaxed when I finished the swim. I thought, “well, I don’t feel like I worked very hard or swam very fast, but if my time’s slower that’s ok, at least I feel great!

MY TIME WAS A PERSONAL BEST SWIM BY JUST OVER FIVE MINUTES! In one training season, by learning to relax, and swim with proper technique and use loooong, smooooth strokes and proper body balance I made a huge improvement in my swimming.

Remember: Its not how many miles you swim in training—its how you swim. That’s the key.

A few other things..

If you don’t manage to swim in the open water during your training, don’t worry about it. Save it for race day like I did. The right swim technique will work anywhere. You should however, do some swimming in your wetsuit even if its just in the pool. Just to get used to how it feels.

I highly recommend you do away with all those swimming aids. Kick boards and pull buoys shouldn’t really be part of your ironman swim training. There’s no need to learn how to be a great kicker. Swim with proper technique and kicking is not a big issue and you can save your legs for later in the day. If you learn proper balance in the water, your legs won’t sink and you won’t need to use pull buoys.

Don’t feel you ‘have’ to join a swim club to improve your swimming. If you enjoy the club atmosphere, by all means, go for it. I always found I did better on my own.

Just remember this: The Ironman is an individual event. Much of it is done in solitude as you fight your own demons. Even if you have company in the marathon–they cannot carry you. It is what is inside you that will determine how your day ends.

I experienced the Ironman swim 14 times. It wasn’t until about the last 5 races that I truly learned how to approach the swim. Hopefully my swim suggestions can save you a lot of trial and error.

My website is called “Ironstruck”.

My address–http://www.triathlon-ironman-myfirstironman-ironstruck.com

There’s a syndrome in tennis circles that has come to be widely known as “The Ugly Parent Syndrome.”

It is one in which teenaged players, or even those in their pre-teens, are placed under enormous pressure by over-zealous parents determined to see their children scale the heights of tennis greatness.

The pressure these parents exert can come in many forms — from subtle psychological techniques that play one child off against another (“How come Johnny’s forehand is much better than yours? — Don’t you think you should practise more often?”) to threatening a child with a loss of some value if he doesn’t perform (“Forget about that new racquet if you don’t beat Johnny”).

It can involve becoming deaf to their child’s concerns if those concerns conflict with what the parent has determined to be in the child’s “best interests”. (“I know you’d rather spend some more time with your friends, but I know what’s best, and what’s best is that you spend two more hours practising forehands.”)

And in some extreme cases, the pressure can even take the form of actual physical abuse.

On an international scale, the most (in)famous “ugly parent” of all is Jim Pierce, whose daughter, Mary, has been for a number of years one of the game’s top women players.

In the early 1990’s, Jim Pierce’s behaviour became so threatening to his daughter that she hired bodyguards and took out restraining orders to protect herself from him.

In 1993, he was banned by the Women’s Tennis Association from attending tournaments, although that ban was lifted a few years later.

There have been many other documented instances of what can only be described as child abuse leading, in most cases, to premature retirement and the destruction of the parent/child relationship.

Bearing in mind that it is only those instances where the child reaches an international level of play that any publicity is brought to bear on an abusive parent, consider how much of this sort of thing goes on at the lower levels.

When I look at some of the tennis parents today — in contrast to 20 or 25 years ago, when most parents were able to draw the distinction between a supportive influence and an overbearing, constraining one — I can’t help but observe the same sort of unhealthy obsession with their child’s performance that characterises the more notorious of tennis’ ugly parents.

Forgetting that the most important thing for a child to develop is a love of the game, these parents all but guarantee their child’s involvement with the sport will be short-lived.

As anyone who has competed at a high level of sport knows, there is nothing worse than having to deal with the added burden of unwanted pressure, particularly from a parent (or coach) who has zero understanding of what the game is about — but who thinks they do.

Living vicariously through their child, or attempting to impress other parents with their child’s ability, or secretly hoping to one day live off their child’s earnings, the ugly parent is driven by a compulsive desire to control every single aspect of his or her child’s career, often based on a groundless assumption that their child is destined for tennis stardom.

Copyright 2006 — Chris Lewis is a former Number 1 ranked junior tennis player in the world (1975), and Wimbledon finalist (1983). During his playing career, his coaches were Harry Hopman and Tony Roche. You can read more of Chris’s articles and tennis tips at his website, Expert Tennis Tips.

Soccer Goalkeeper training is a world of its own. Since it is the only position on the field that allows the ball to be touched by the hands and arms.
The individual soccer goalie skills gives an advantage over all the other players on the field.
This makes training goalkeepers for soccer not only unique but challenging.

Soccer Goalkeepers are the last line of defence, and often the first line of the offense, depending on the style of play.
They will put their bodies in harms way to stop or block a shot on goal. They will dive in any direction to get the ball.
Training goalkeepers techniques is also a very physically and demanding challenge.

The most important thing to remember is the goalies mental state.
The only other player on the team who can be compared to the goalkeeper is a goal hungry striker. In fact some of the best goalies were also strikers.
There are often great one on one battles at all levels of competition between forwards and goalies.

Staying balanced and knowing the center of gravity of the body is vital to the goalkeeper.
This will improve the activity of the goalie and the state of readiness of the individual to make impressive gains in a game setting.

Most successful soccer goalkeepers are tall and thus have long arms and big hands. If a goalkeeper is short, they will usualy make up for the lack of height with good verticle and lateral mobility.
Remember that goalies have a great sense of self worth but still need to be motivated on a regular basis.
Soccer Goalkeepers need to do their general warm ups with the team, but then branch out and get worked on with the specific drills that will prepare them for the practice or game.

Goalkeepers are also the leaders of the teams and usually have dominant personalities. These individuals must be helped to fulfill this role by being placed in a vocal and demonstrative capacity.
They are definitly leaders in the 18 yard box, and should be allowed to gain respect from their team.
The ball can only be handled by the goalie in the 18 yard box, anyone else who is unfortunate to let the ball touch an arm, a free kick is given against. In the case of the goalkeepers team mate it is a penalty shot from “the spot”.

Steve September of On The Ball Soccer Training has been involved in soccer for over forty years and on three continents. As a player, player coach and high performance coach Steve wants to share the knowledge and experiences with all levels of players and coaches involved in the soccer scene. Check out the philosophy and information at http://www.soccertrainingskills.com

Sometimes, knowing what not to do is easier to understand than knowing what to do. When it comes to power hitting, to putting some distance on that ball, there are certainly a few things that we do not want to do.

Here are a few tips that can help improve your distance:

Do not tee up your ball too low. A lot of players will do this and it hurts their distance before they even hit the ball. When a ball is teed too low, the driver will not be able to sweep under it. Instead, it tends to force a steeper downward hit from the driver. Newer drivers have a larger sweet spot and the sweet spot is higher up the face than it was several years ago. What you want to do is tee the golf ball up with at least half the ball above the top of the driver head.

Check your stance width. Often, too narrow a stance will hinder a player’s balance. If your balance is off your power will decrease. If you are driving, your feet should be about shoulder width apart.

Here’s one that I had to learn myself–the hard way. Check your hands. If you keep your hands too close to your body you’ll create a narrow arc on the backswing. This will certainly hinder your distance. If you discover you have this problem, take some time on the practice range and move your hands out (away from your body). This will feel awkward at first, but stick with it, and your distance will improve greatly. This same problem can happen if you keep the club too close to your body on the take away. The best way to know if you’re doing this or not is to ask a buddy to watch you and report back what he sees.

Ball position is very important. If your ball is about centered in your driving stance, it’s too far back. You need to be playing that ball off your left heel.

Do not flip your hands at impact. Some golfers do this routinely and it decreases their power and their distance. Keep those hands cocked.

Do not ’sway’ during your downswing. Swaying your hips decreases the amount of energy that you can deliver to the ball at impact. To keep the power, move the hip slightly in a lateral movement, and start the club down, with the right arm tighter into the body. This, too, takes some practice, but it is well worth the time and effort.

And lastly, do not do the reverse pivot jig. A reverse pivot is when the weight tends to go towards the front leg on the backswing, rather than to the back leg. Having your weight go forward will all but cripple your ability to power through the ball and get that extra distance.

These are just some of the things we should not do, but it’s enough for now.

Colonial Country Club, Fort Worth, Texas

114 participants will be teeing it up this week at the Bank of America Colonial, one of only four tournaments on tour that is invite only. While lacking the really big names, four of the top five in the World Golf Rankings are absent, there is a huge list of big names taking part. This is a special tournament for many since you cannot get by the Colonial without hearing mention of Ben Hogan, the five-time champion. Getting a name engraved on the wall in his company is something really extraordinary.

2005 champion Kenny Perry is back from knee surgery just in time to try and defend his title. He made his 2006 debut last week at the Byron Nelson and with a finish of 34th, he looks to more than ready to come out strong once again in Fort Worth. Perry has won this event twice in the last three years with identical scores of -19, which so happens to be the tournament record. Hogan is the only player who has ever defended his title at the Colonial so Perry has his work cut out. At 25-1, the books aren’t giving him a shot either.

Jim Furyk is the only of big five (he replaced Ernie Els in the World Golf Rankings) making the trip this week and with that, he is the odds on favorite at 10-1. He has never won at the Colonial but he has finished second once while finishing in the top ten in four of his last eight starts. After finishing second at Harbour Town and then winning the Wachovia the next week, Furyk missed the cut last week at the Byron Nelson so he will at least be fresh heading into this week.

David Toms and Chad Campbell both come in at 15-1 and both look to be in good shape this week. Toms has leveled off after a super start to the season but he has taken the last three weeks off to get his mind back into it. He has missed the cut in three of his last five events after not finishing lower than 19th in his first six events. He has been successful at the Colonial as he has been in the top 10 in four of his eight starts in Fort Worth including a third place finish last year.

Campbell made a strong run last week and finished 5th at the Byron Nelson which followed up a missed cut at the Wachovia. He has been up and down all season long but he is a Texas native and has said that this is the one tournament he really wants. He missed the cut last year but he was in a horrible stretch at that time and he is in much better shape this year. He finished second in 2004, one shot behind winner Steve Flesch, the only player in the field with all four rounds under 70.

After the top three, the next 10 players are bunched in at either 25-1 or 30-1 making the mid-range options quite difficult. One name in that bunch is Justin Leonard, who is also a native Texan. He has never won in Fort Worth but finished 2nd in 2003 and has been in the top 20 in eight of his 12 starts. He only has two top ten finishes this year but he is coming off a 26th place finish at the Byron Nelson, his best finish in his last nine starts so momentum could be on his side.

Bo Van Pelt is starting to make a name for himself. He is 35th on the money list this year after missing just one cut in 14 events. He has three top ten finishes this year, including 8th at The Players Championship, and he always seems to be hanging around come Sunday. He has only two career starts at the Colonial but both have been excellent finishes, 17th last year and 5th in 2004. He has never won on tour but with his 14 career top ten finishes, he could be the best player out there without a win.

Matt Fargo is a documented member of the Professional Handicappers League.
Read all of his articles at http://www.procappers.com/Matt_Fargo.htm.

Golf clubs can be expensive, but aside from the cost – you play your best game when using your own set of clubs. When traveling with your golf clubs, you will want to protect them from banging around against other luggage or from rough handling.

Your golf clubs are an investment and you want them safe from damage when traveling!

Here are some tips when traveling with golf clubs:

Protect your clubs by first packing them in a golf travel bag or case. There are plenty of options and many price ranges, so you are sure to find the travel case that is right for you.

There are two types of golf travel cases: soft shell and hard shell. For traveling by air, the hard shell golf case is most recommended. Many airlines will cover damages if your clubs are first packed inside a golf travel hard case (please confirm with your airline first).

Hard shell cases can protect against very demanding environments. Most are made of heavy molded plastic that help protect your clubs against hard drops, throws or harsh banging. The hard travel golf case may cost more than the soft shell choices, however the investment is offset by the level of protection provided to your clubs. If you prefer a hard case that will fit your golf bag inside as well, make sure to read the golf travel case descriptions before making your choice. Not all hard cases are built to fit your golf bag inside.

Golf soft shell travel cases can be a good option provided you pack your clubs well. The level of protection is not as great as the hard shell types, but by packing your clubs carefully and with a few precautions, you can do well with this choice if you plan on traveling by car and handling your own luggage. Also, most soft shell bags do fit your golf bag inside nicely.

To get the most protection for your golf clubs when using a soft shell case, be sure to pack the clubs inside carefully. First keep the clubs in your golf bag, cover the club heads with the golf bag cover (if your bag has one) or wrapped and buffered by some other material (towels or clothing work well) so that the club heads do not bang around loose or against each other inside the travel case.

By taking care to pack your golf clubs in a travel case that can offer protection from the elements and rough handling that can occur during travel, you will be on the right track to keeping your clubs safe from damage and enjoying them while traveling on holiday or golf tour.

You can find plenty of selections of golf travel bags and cases at http://golfingfanatic.com – see our selections of golf items found online.

Copyright GolfingFanatic.com
Permissions: Feel free to reprint this article on the condition that all content, links and anchor text are kept intact and unaltered in any way.

There may be no better way to immediately lower your golf scores than to customize your set make-up. For a very long time the typical set of golf clubs has been what is known as an 8-3-1 set. This means there are 3 woods; driver, 3-wood, and 5-wood. The eight irons in this configuration are typically the 3-iron through pitching wedge, and the last club being the putter. This leaves room for two additional clubs, usually the sand wedge and one other club of the player’s choice.

The golf club set is designed to enable the golfer to reach the greens in regulation, (one shot on the par 3’s, 2 on the 4’s, and 3 on the 5’s), with no gaps in distance. If there are distance gaps that don’t allow the player to reach in regulation, scores go up. Yardage gaps are very common in players with slow swing speeds, especially seniors and women.

There have been many technological advances in recent years that should lead to overall handicaps going down. Some golfing purists worry that these technological advances are, or will hurt the game. But these people have not addressed the fact that the technical advances have not lowered the average handicap in over 30 years. The advances have been mostly in the area of distance. Everyone wants more distance. I have never had a customer tell me “I want less distance so I can hit more greens.” Club and shaft designers realize this and concentrate research on distance gains. But the question remains with all these technological advances why aren’t the overall scores going down? Let’s look at a couple of reasons.

As stated earlier the current iron set configuration is eight irons, 3-iron – pitching wedge. The golfing public wants clubs that will hit the ball farther. In order to accommodate this demand, the club manufacturers have used two strategies. Producing clubs that have stronger lofts and they are longer. Lengths of clubs have increased over time. Comparing the lengths of clubs from the 60’s and 70’s with current lengths, you see that the lengths are 1 inch longer now. The lofts have also gotten stronger. Both these facts make the long irons harder to hit. The following chart illustrates this.

Era              1960's	1980's		current
 Club          Loft  Length	Loft  Length	Loft  Length
 1-iron         17*   39/"	16*   39.5/"	15*   40/"
 2-iron         20    38.5	19    39		17    39.5
 3-iron         24    38	22    38.5	20    39
 4-iron         28    37.5	25    38		23    38.5
 5-iron         32    37	28    37.5	26    38
 6-iron         36    36.5	32    37		30    37.5
 7-iron         40    36	36    36.5	34    37
 8-iron         44    35.5	40    36		38    36.5
 9-iron         48    35	44    35.5	42    36
 Pw             52    35	48    35		46    35.5
 Sw             56    35	55    35		54    35.5

As you can see, the 3 iron of today is the same loft as the 2 iron of the 60’s only half an inch longer. Clubs of today have the equivalent loft and are about .5″ longer than clubs of the 60’s. The quest for distance has created yardage gaps in most players’ sets. The stronger, longer clubs have created gaps with the shorter scoring clubs, and made it very difficult to hit the long irons consistently. Additionally, studies show that the average golfer can’t hit an iron with a loft lower than 24 degrees with any consistency.

The gaps created by stronger and longer clubs, and the difficulty in hitting the long irons makes the traditional set make-up of 3 – pw less effective. It also has the golfer paying for clubs that won’t be used.

I don’t recommend any average player carry an iron longer than the 4 iron. Also, the average player should be carrying at least one additional wedge. Hybrids and/or additional fairway woods should fill out the set. Putters that are properly fit and balanced should be considered because most strokes, (almost half), are taken with the putter.

Knowing the distances you hit each of your clubs, determining where you have gaps, and then filling those gaps with clubs you can hit consistently will save you strokes.

Steve Passarell is the owner of Custom Club Creations, a golf club fitting and building facility. He has over 15 years of experience and has had extensive training by some of the industries best experts. His philosophy on custom clubs is to offer the best quality products at prices that all golfers can afford.

Contact Steve at steve@clubfitter.com
http://www.clubfitter.com