Sunday, December 2, 2007

Your Perfect Golf Vacation - Step Two

You are only going to have one major golf vacation with your pals per year. Make it the best possible by designing it yourself. Forget the standard golf package and do it yourself.

In our last article we got to the minus two months point of your schedule. You have researched and found the ideal location, picked out the perfect house, sent out the word to your pals, and settled on the dates. By this time, you should have a confirmed group, any of which would just as soon lose their right arm as miss the event.

Let's lock in the rental house. You DO need to get this done as early as you can. If you are setting up your vacation during the off-season like I do, you are in the driver's seat. talk directly to the property manager and negotiate a better rate. Here is a summary of my discussion a few weeks ago.

"Hey, Tiffany. Randall here. It's that time again but our group is smaller. We really like the house at ... but it is more than we need. We will be staying a full week. I figured the owner would rather have a bird in the hand and rent the house for a full week instead of taking the chance of renting it for just a couple days or not at all. We can afford $xxxx. I can pay you today."

The result of this little conversation was that she immediately lopped twenty percent off the advertised rate! You will never know until you ask. Shoot for about a thirty percent reduction and go from there. I slapped the deposit on my credit card and emailed the group. (Yes, I was looking for praise.) You can dust off the smaller details like arranging linens (if not provided in the rate) and final payment later.

time to grab tee times. What I recommend is setting up early morning tee times for each day. You will have to get up earlier than you may like, but scheduling tee times around 8:00 to 8:30AM will accomplish several things, including: Being close to first off the box on rain or frost delays (allowing a second 18). Finishing your round early enough to grab a second 18 with lunch in between 18's. Allowing easier to change to later tee times if desired rather than to move them earlier.

Over the Internet and by talking with local pros on the phone, you have come up the courses you want to play. As with the house, you DO need to get this done as early as you can so that you can get the tee times you want. When scheduling tee times, I prefer talking directly to the head pro. In general, you will find more flexibility on prices. Other bonuses like getting a second set of tee times while only paying for a replay fee are easier. The head honcho is also more likely to bend the rules to allow advanced tee times if you are beyond the time window normally allowed.

Granted, this may be your first time in the location you picked, but you can use about the same language as I do. I have just locked in our tee times for February. I associate myself with a golf course to let them know I am a "player" and the pros seem to be more deferential in talking with a "player". Here is a summary of a standard call:

"Hey Bucky, Randall from Snee Farm here. It's getting to be that time of the year again for our annual golf vacation. You have always treated us so well and given us such a great rate in the past. The guys love the challenge of your outstanding spread. I was just wondering if you fit us in again on February 23rd. We are looking to play 36 and would appreciate anything you could do for us."

With that or something similar as an opener, I forecast that you WILL get a great rate from most of the courses. Don't make a second set of tee times at this point unless you get them for just the replay fee. If you are playing during the on-season and want to play 36, you may have to make and pay for a guaranteed set of afternoon tee times. Some of the courses may have events already scheduled when you want to play that particular course. You may have to juggle this slightly and change already made tee times, so complete your tee time set up within a couple days.

Now you have your group, your house and your tee times. It is time to get down to real business. Now is the time to get the financial commitment. Send an email spelling out the accommodations and the tee times. Ask for your troops to send you at least half of what the final cost per man will be. Our total per man is normally around $900 for all the lodging, transportation, golf, food and beverages for the week.

Dining. In general we fix whatever breakfast we personally want, make sandwiches to eat between rounds, and fix our own gourmet supper (with loads of snacks to wreck our appetites during the entire day and night). You can see our 2006 evening meals by clicking on 2006 Schedule at the sample website www.eye-mind-tricks.com/golf . To support all this, you will need to know what the group wants and prepare a shopping list. This year, I used a free survey website and built a fill-in-the-blank survey for the troops. You can see that at: www.surveymonkey DOT com/s.asp?u=256691624905 (remove the "DOT" and insert a "." )

You can use surveymonkey like that or ask the same questions in an email. To give you an idea of what your shopping list will look like for a group of eight and assuming you follow our general plan, I put a close copy of last year's shopping list at the above eye-mind-tricks website. Substitute the word "shop" for "golf" to see it. With your shopping list built, you will either grab the goodies before the flights of the group arrive if you live locally, or have the troops assist on the way to your house.

You are now at the minus one month point of building the perfect golf vacation. The next article will provide recipes, administration details, entertainment ideas, and odds and ends.

Randall Ulbricht is a retired Nuclear Submarine Officer. He currently works from home sharing information via several web sites, including: http://www.article-outlet.com and http://ezpromotes.com.

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Home Gym Workout Routines

Home gym workout routines can take the hassle out of staying healthy. How often have you claimed your busy schedule as the reason you could not get to the gym? How many times have you skipped a workout you knew would make you feel better because the fatigue of traffic and the pace of a gym with trainers were too much for your work weary mind?

Well, say good bye to the excuses standing in your way because home gym workout routines are the answer for your busy schedule. The key to a successful home gym workout routine is scheduling yourself time.

Even though you are working out at home, you still need to hold yourself accountable to your own body. Setting aside a little time will make your workouts less stressful because you will already have that time framed for the activity.

Home gym workout routines can be tailored to meet your specific needs and available equipment. Try a treadmill workout routine to get yourself started and you can do that today. With a treadmill walking program you can work legs and even tone abs and arms.

You should always consult your physician before beginning any workout regimen, because they can help you tailor your routine to your health needs and abilities. Begin with moderate walking twenty minutes a day and this can go a long way to decrease your stress load, increase your energy level and tone your muscles.

The great thing about a treadmill workout routine is you can do it year round in any weather condition. A treadmill walking program can be done as you read the newspaper or make evening calls or it can be a time of complete peace and isolation. Adding small hand weights can afford upper body toning even as you walk.

Your body deserves your attention, and your schedule need not stand in the way. Try a home gym workout routine today to shake away the cob webs from your body and you'll start seeing amazing results.

Copyright 2005 Treadmill Info.com All Rights Reserved.

This article is supplied by http://www.treadmill-info.com where you will find valuable information, ratings, reviews, articles and buying tips before you make the investment in quality fitness equipment. For more fitness related articles go to: http://www.treadmill-info.com/articles_1.html

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5 Essential Golf Swing Basics - Cut 7-10 Strokes By Mastering The Basic Golf Swing Secrets

Golf is one of the most technical sports in terms of player technique. However, it isn't as complicated as some players make it out to be. In fact, in order to improve your game, all you have to do is learn and implement the basics correctly.

As any experienced golfer will tell you, the key to having the lowest score in golf is to get your golf swing right. Once you have a decent golf swing, you can hit the ball in whichever direction and for whatever distance you want 8 times out of 10. If you've ever marveled at how easily great golfers like tiger Woods or Vijay Singh get the golf ball to do their bidding, then you should probably know that these players first spent years perfecting their golf swing basics to reach the top of their game.

Here is a brief look at the important golf swing basics:

Golf swing Basic #1:

The golf swing begins at the time before you are about to tee off. This is where a lot of amateur golfers lose focus and end up hitting the ball into the pond or woods instead of the fairway. Here, it is important to make a mental map in your head and chart out a specific area where you would like for the golf ball to land and concentrate on hitting it there. Once you do this, you should be able to hit your target without much problem. The key to this is mental focus.

Golf swing Basic #2:

Next, you need to take care of how well you grip the handle of your golf club. If your grip is too relaxed you are likely to end up slicing the ball and if you grip the club handle too tight, you will probably hook the shot instead of hitting it where you want to. The solution is to find the right grip level that you are comfortable with before the back-swing. Speaking of which, another important golf swing basic is the back-swing.

Golf swing Basic #3:

It is a common mistake for rookie golfers to raise the club somewhat casually during the back-swing. If you make this error, it means that you won't be able to hit the ball very far. This is because, the downswing is where, as you begin to twist your body and energy from your muscles is stored as potential energy, which is then converted into kinetic energy during the downswing and all that energy is transferred to the golf ball at the point of impact. To put it simply, you need to be like a tightly wound up spring in order to generate enough momentum and the best way to achieve that is by executing the back-swing in one motion moving only your arms and not your hands or wrists!

Golf swing Basic #4:

After the back-swing comes the all important downswing. The secret to getting this right is to make sure that you have a smooth and gradual back-swing to begin with and then bring down the head of the club at least 30-35% faster than the speed of your back-swing.

Golf swing Basic #5:

One of the most important basics for a good swing is the pivot movement during the back-swing. For right-handers, it is pertinent to get the left shoulder and hips properly into correct alignment while transferring weight slightly to the inside of the right foot. At the same time, it's equally important to keep this movement as natural as possible without overdoing it.

To conclude, apart from the above-mentioned golf swing basics, the best way to start a day of golf is to step up to the tee with a positive mindset, since a nervous golfer is a poor golfer. So just be confident, stick to the basics and you should comfortably find your way around the golf course better than most!

Master the golf swing basics, and cut 7+ strokes from your game in the next 2 weeks! Learn the simple golf swing, and have fun with golf again. Learn how to dominate your friends and have more fun than ever with golf because of one simple thing you may be missing here:

http://www.perfectgolf.org/simplegolfswingreview

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River To Reef - Comprehensive Guide To Boating and Fishing

Including:
Local freshwater impoundments and fishing techniques;
Estuary and beach fishing information (seasons, methods, tides & locations)
Over 70 detailed estuary fishing hotspots with satellite maps;
A dedicated soft plastic fishing section - techniques and applications;
Detailed reef and pelagic species fishing techniques (covers trolling and floating) and information such as seasons, best methods & locations;
Over 120 GPS locations between Caloundra and Noosa covering the 28 major reef systems on the coast (includes detailed reef maps);
Light and heavy tackle game fishing section covering methods, times and locations;
Where and how to catch a feed of crabs on the coast;
A comprehensive boat ramp refidex;
Weather and forecasting information sources;
Detailed coastguard and marine safety information;

Plus much more over 120 pages dedicated to fishing on the Sunshine Coast.

Here is just a little article on Australian Bass

Australian Bass
(Macquaria novemaculeata)

Habits and Habitat
The Australian bass is a very territorial fish that provides excellent sport on light gear. These fish are found as far north as the Mary River. It must travel to the salt water reaches to breed and therefore is unable to breed in dams. Australian bass are stocked in nearly all dams in southern Queensland. They are commonly found around timbered areas and snags or shallow weed areas along the banks of impoundments in the chase of surface insects. Australian bass have a varied diet including insects from the surface, bottom organisms including aquatic insects, shrimps and other freshwater crustaceans, tadpoles and small fish. In saltwater they will feed on various crustaceans including prawns and small crabs, worms and fish.

Best Months
Although bass commonly migrate down rivers and streams for their annual spawning during winter, the best time to chase bass is in the warmer summer months, November to March. However, these fish can be caught all year round in our impoundments without too much effort.

Size and Bag Limits
In Queensland you are allowed to have 2 fish in possession and the size limit is a 30cm minimum.

Closed Season
A closed season applies to fishing for Australian bass in Queensland from June 1 through to the 31st August. This rule excludes fishing in the dams for bass, only applying to natural waters. Some exceptions apply in upstream waters of certain dams, including Baroon Pocket Dam. There is also a complete ban on fishing in Obi Obi creek between Baroon Pocket Dam and Skenes Creek. See the Department of Primary Industries & Fisheries website www.dpi.qld.gov. au/fishweb for more information.

GO TO WEBSITE FOR A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO BOATING AND FISHING

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