A lot of beginners wonder how many maximum strokes over par to count before picking up and moving on? The truth is there is no actual set maximum for a given hole if you are shooting for score. All strokes and penalties count toward the total. If you are shooting for handicap then you pick up when you have reached your maximum allowed, and that varies by what handicap you carry. Or you come to an agreement with the people you are playing with as to what is an acceptable maximum. In a situation like this that isn’t covered in the Rules of Golf, there really is no definitive answer. Since you’re just getting started, you might as well hit as many shots, and get as much experience as possible. Besides, you’ll truly appreciate the first time you break 100, 90, 80, 70.

There are a few drills that can be used to help your putting stroke

1. If your course has a practice green use it. Take a few balls, find a relatively flat portion of the green, and assume your normal putting stance. Without even trying to get the ball in the hole, putt the ball with a 1-2 tempo using the width of your feet as the length of the swing arc. After about 9 or 10 solidly struck putts, pace off the distance where most are around. It should give you a pretty good reference as to how fast the greens are. So when you’re faced with a longer or shorter putt, you can adjust accordingly (either longer or shorter than your feet width - but remember to keep the same 1-2 tempo regardless of swing arc). For uphill portions of the green, it’s good to count 2 paces for every pace and for downhill portions of the green maybe count one pace every 2 paces.

2. Before leaving the course, practice green, maybe sinking about 10 putts at around 4 feet in a row. It will give you a good mental picture of what it’s like for the ball to go in. Sometimes you can take it even further and do this one-handed as well. It will help you putt through the ball instead of hitting at it.

3. Use the line on your ball. This will definitely help you focus on hitting the ball the desired speed. After all, it’s the speed that dictates the line.

You don’t hit the ball with your finish, but you can improve your contact by paying more attention to it. Make a memory imprint of how a good finish feels. It will help your weight shift and balance, and you’ll hit more solid shots. Your first clue about how a putt will behave can come as you walk up to the green after an approach shot. Notice the basic slope of the green: It’s easier to determine from 40 yards away than up close. The general slope can be your first—and most important—impression of the speed and break

By Tom Watson in Golf Digest. Source: http://www.golfdigest.com/instruction/2008/12/watson

On the par 5s and two short par 4s (where your tee shot is the same as your second shot on a par 5), hit the club that gets you to your favorite yardage from the green. Don’t have one? Get one by hitting ten balls each with your sand wedge, pitching wedge and your 9-iron (grab your 8-iron just in case) and simply look at the results. The distance at which you produced the tightest grouping is the distance you should lay up to on par 5s and drive to on short par 4s.

Typically when people over swing it’s because they are trying to put a little extra power in their swing. This in turn, causes your timing to be off, your muscles to be tenser than they should be, and thus gives you a poor result. That is not the way to get extra distance. The more relaxed you are, the farther the ball can travel. Ever heard of the term “loose muscles are fast muscles”? The harder you try to hit a ball the shorter the distance is bound to travel. Try to maintain a light grip on a club, but with tense muscles up your arms, which can be really hard to do. Your grip pressure seems to dictate a certain amount of relaxation to the rest of your arms and at the same time, flexing the upper arm and back muscles affects your grip pressure.

Ever have your clubs “Fitted” and the fitter said he chopped off 2 inches off your driver. Your hitting club well, but you’d like to be absolutely sure that the measurement is what he says it is. Well here’s the info:

The overall length of the club must be at least 18 inches (457.2 mm) and, except for putters, must not exceed 48 inches (1,219.2 mm). For woods and irons, the measurement of length is taken when the club is lying on a horizontal plane and the sole is set against a 60 degree plane. The length is defined as the distance from the point of the intersection between the two planes to the top of the grip.

Question: Do you need to mark the original position of my ball before taking relief from a situation under the Rules?

Answer: No. It is always advisable to mark the original position of the ball when taking relief, but there is no obligation on the player to do so.

If your ball interferes with another player’s ball you wouldn’t be taking relief, you be marking and lifting to give him relief, and then in that case you would have to mark so that you could replace your ball. Marking your ball before you lift it when you are taking relief can be necessary whether you are getting free relief or taking a penalty drop.

Love for the game is a true golfer’s only reason to practice it. But as you know there are many kinds of love and they can come in many different forms. Whether it’s the love of walking the course when there is still dew on the grass or the fact that you can be having a bad hole and then have a great chip, there is no doubt that the sport is growing international appeal. We all know that some things never change like the feeling of sinking a 10 meter putt which is guaranteed to always put a smile on your face.  The time spent with mates on the course makes golfers of all ages coming back for more especially with the patience required to play it. This fact alone can only discipline the player to balance the mental versus physical aspects of the game. Only a true golfer knows his/her reasons but one thing’s for sure, the sport is only getting bigger.

This Just Fits unstructured hat has a fitted profile and sand-brushed stretch twill for superior comfort. It comes with a padded sweatband and pre-curved bill. Dimensions: S/M: 6 ¾” to 7 ¼”. L/XL: 7 1/8” to 7 5/8”. Embroidered with 5,000 stitches on one location

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• Putty-Black
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Some “experts” say that you should always leave it in when you can (i.e. when you are playing from off the green). Others say that you should consider the situation. If it’s a putt from just on the fringe, then you should only pull it if it’s an uphill putt. Downhill on a slick green you should leave it in. Some say that if you really feel that you can make the shot, you should always pull the flagstick. However the general opinion is that it’s more a matter of personal preference and playing style. If you are pretty good at dying the ball at the hole, then the flagstick will rarely help you. If you are aggressive when chipping or putting, then leave it in when you can because having a backstop can’t hurt.