In this article we’re going to cover what is called the transformation years of billiards starting with 1674 and working our way up to the year 1800.

By the year 1674 the game of billiards was still very similar to the version played on the ground. The only significant change was moving the game itself to a table. However, in the next 100 years, changes to the game would come quickly which would make the game look more like the modern version that we play today. The elements of ground billiards would slowly disappear altogether. What would replace these elements are those which made for some very different variations of the game itself. The games became more complex and required a great deal more skill.

In the 1700s began what is referred to as the transformation to the modern game. The innovation which probably changed the game the most during this time was the creation of the billiard cue. Makeshift cues had been used until this time. It was actually the mace that led to the creation of the cue stick and ultimately to the disappearance of the mace altogether. Players began to use the narrow end of the mace to make their shots and because of this discovered a new way of playing.

Prior to this, the mace had always been used to “push” the ball forward, kind of like a miniature shuffle board stick. The narrow end had always been the handle. The new way of holding the mace to make shots came from the difficulty of making shots where the cue ball was pressed up against the cushion of the table. Thus the narrow end was better suited for making these shots. By turning the mace around and shooting with the handle, players discovered an immediate improvement to their accuracy and control.

With the invention of the cue came other improvements such as leather tips, chalk, slate beds, fine cloth, rubber rails and standard sizes for tables. Better cushions made for better shot making. This began the birth of “carom” games that started in and swept across France. Gradually as time went by, billiards was looked at as a scientific game as well as a game of skill. The rules of the game, which included the equipment used, began to become standardized. By the mid 1700s billiards had spread from Europe throughout the whole world.

With the market and demand for billiards increasing at an alarming rate, a demand for standardized rules, tables and equipment had to be met. This of course led to big business. Manufacturing plants of tables and equipment began to pop up like daisies. Everyone was trying to get a piece of this ever growing market, which included merchants, investors and even kings.

Once again, monarchs competed with each other, not only to make the best tables and game rooms but to grab the largest piece of the marketing pie that they could get. Many craftsmen and merchants actually worked for kings trying to capture as much of the market as they could. Some would specialize in making quality cushions while others would concentrate on cue sticks. Others would work exclusively on designing tables. Importers would spend fortunes trying to get the finest materials in which to make the table cloths. It was this industrialization that forced many of the changes that the game had undergone. After all, with every new innovation and improvement that meant more sales as everyone had to have the finest billiard set up that they could get. This was now big money. Innovations that caught on big meant profit for a lifetime.

Twenty-one leading handicappers, bettors, oddsmakers and bookmakers participated in Friday night’s Super Bowl seminar at the Las Vegas Hilton and the final tally was Pittsburgh 11, Seattle 10.

Some prognosticators picked the Steelers to win but the Seahawks to cover, some forecast a Steelers’ blowout and a few chose Seattle in a cliffhanger.

No accord was reached on what the magic number — 4, 4 1/2, 5 or higher — would or should be, or whether a record handle would be set.

The spead was bouncing between 4 and 4 1/2 Saturday, though, like Elvis sightings, reports that 5s were available for Seahawks players persisted.

The total held strong at 47.

Oddsmaker Kenny White, who services the Hilton as well as most Nevada books along with offshore clients, said action was good at 4 and is even better at 4 1/2 — most of it on Pittsburgh and the props.

“Four’s a good number, 4 1/2 a little more so,” said White, who originally shipped it at 3.

Bookmaker John Avello pointed out the Super Bowl line normally is a little inflated.

“The money’s on Pittsburgh,” Avello said. “Seattle hasn’t developed a following and it’s a small market.”

“We opened 3 1/2 and quickly went to 4,” said MGM-Mirage’s Robert Walker.

“You can feel the Steelers’ momentum.

“Nobody’s buying the Seahawks; most bettors don’t know where Seattle is. Seattle has no fan base.

“Four of every five bets over $10,000 we’ve taken have been on Pittsburgh.”

Stardust Race and Sports Director Bob Scucci said early money was on Pittsburgh and continued to come in on the Steelers at a 2/1 ratio.

“We’ve written about three times as many tickets on the Steelers as on the Seahawks,” Scucci said. “It’s very one-sided.”

Jay Kornegay, the Hilton’s race and sports director, advised listeners to watch what happens on both sides of the counter during the four to five hours leading up to kickoff.

“The last four hours is when the money shows,” noted veteran bookmaker Jimmy Vacarro.

Participants observed the Super Bowl had become an event unto itself — a national holiday — and that people really don’t care who’s playing.

“We made it an event,” Vacarro said.

That’s why some believe handle will surpass last year’s record.

“You have another major resort this year, Wynn Las Vegas,” Walker said. “You should bring in more people.

“And Pittsburgh’s a public team.

“The thing is, we haven’t taken and I don’t forsee getting any seven-figure bets.”

“It is what it is,” Avello added.

“Arizona-Houston?” conceded Vaccaro. “Well, I don’t know how much of an event that would be, but we’re gaining momentum every year.”

Those who were interviewed in person or on the phone were asked for Super Bowl predictions.

Here’s how some responded:

JIMMY VACARRO (former Las Vegas bookmaker, offshore consultant and present marketing director for Leroy’s): Pittsburgh 31, Seattle 28.

JOHN AVELLO (former Bally’s and Paris Race and Sports Book manager who joined Wynn Las Vegas last summer): Pittsburgh 24, Seattle 17.

RICHIE BACCELLIERI (Palms race and sports director, longtime Caesars Palace employee): Seattle 24, Pittsburgh 17.

JAY KORNEGAY (race and sports director at Hilton SuperBook; cut teeth at Imperial Palace): Pittsburgh 31, Seattle 17.

DAVE TULEY (Las Vegas correspodent for the Daily Racing Form who authors weekly NFL column): Seattle 23, Pittsburgh 17.

ROBERT WALKER (Race and sports director for MGM-Mirage, oversees 13 bet shops; paid dues at Stardust): Pittsburgh 27, Seattle 21.

BOB SCUCCI (Stardust race and sports director, miving to Atlantic City in June): Seattle 24, Pittsburgh 21.

KENNY WHITE (owner of Las Vegas Sports Consultants): Pittsburgh 27, Seattle 24.

Las Vegas always is a beehive of activity Super Bowl Week.

There’s plenty of bustling this year, as usual, but some of the hustle appears to be missing.

First, Mr. Tagliabue and other Big Apple suits, cash registers cha-chinging in their eyes, kiboshed the big Super Bowl bashes that were a large part of the city’s tradition, citing broadcasting rights.

Lack of a marquee matchup, the kind that would have FOX drooling, and absence of a Vegas connection — even a route that would pass through America’s gambling Mecca — also have helped lead to a cutback in bet shop traffic this year.

“The action has been blah-blah,” said Robert Jaynes, the Stratosphere Tower’s race and sports director.

“I went around to other books on my days off and there wasn’t a huge buzz.

“The Colts and Pats, they were the teams people wanted to see. They would’ve created a buzz.

“I don’t think this Super Bowl is going to set any records.”

Jaynes noted that while straight betting has been slow, proposition wagering has boomed.

“We’ve got four or five hundred — actually I don’t know how many — up and they’re getting a lot of play,” he said.

Veteran Vegas handicapper Andy Iskoe, who also spends substantial chunks of time visiting valley sports stores, hasn’t detected, “Any greater or lesser degree of interest in this Super Bowl than others.”

Iskoe planned to join other handicappers and a group of bookmakers Friday at a Super Bowl seminar at the Las Vegas Hilton, then hibernate most of the weekend.

“I think you’ll see the enthusiasm start to build Friday night and continue into Saturday and Sunday,” Iskoe said.

“Oh my God, yes,” replied John Avello of the new Wynn Las Vegas bet shop when asked if he could feel the pace quickening.

“It’s wild. We’re busy now.”

Jack Snyder, assistant race and sports book manager at Sam’s Town, expects action at the cowboy-themed resort to also gather steam as the weekend passes and the kickoff nears.

“Things will get busy Friday night and then go all day and night Saturday into Sunday.

“One big thing about betting on the weekend is that’s when the giveaways are.

“Here we’re giving out nice Super Bowl t-shirts with $20 parlays.”

Snyder seeks “juicy plus stuff” when he wants to invest in Super Bowl propositions.

“I have Seattle to cover by 7 1/2, which means 8, at plus $3.50,” he said.

“I like that one.”

Many hunters are unable to recognize the signs that a deer has been hit. Many more are unable to, or don’t know how to follow a wounded deer. Worst yet still more give up to soon thinking they hit the deer but not with a killing shot, thinking the deer will recover. Far too much game is left in the field this way. It’s a shame, and in my eyes it’s a waste.

Once you made the shot, TRY to remain calm, be alert, listen and watch the animal. Did you hear a thump to indicate a hit? Where a deer has been hit will likely determine how it will react. Deer shot with a bow will sometimes jump or react to the hit but then immediately look around not knowing what happened and then go back to doing whatever they where doing. This happens because a Brodhead can cut cleanly enough that no pain is felt. This is not normally the case but it does happen. Gut shot deer will often jump with an arched body into the air when hit. And will sometimes run hunched up as they make their escape. Lung shot deer sometimes do this also so it’s not written in stone. If its front half drops toward the ground, you probably just missed hitting the heart, hitting him somewhere else in the front portion of the body. If it jumps and charges forward, though, you probably hit its heart.

One of the first things to look for, or at is the tail. A large percentage of the time if the tail goes up and he takes off like a bullet it’s probably a miss. A good indication in most cases of a good solid hit is the tail being down as the deer runs off. Mentally mark where the deer was standing when you hit him. Also in what direction he ran. Pick out a few good landmarks of booth spots. Now go to the spot where the deer was and look for the tracks he made when he ran off. Look for any signs of blood, hair, bone splinters. Now wait, don’t rush it, it will only make it harder later.

While you wait examine any signs you find. A deer’s hair can tell you a lot about where he was hit. Each part of the hide has its own distinct hair. If you find long coarse hair that’s hollow, dark with black tip’s, comes from along the spine.
The area of the heart has long, dark guard hairs.
The brisket area has curly, coarse hair that is stiff and dark to black.
Long coarse wavy hair comes from around the tail.
Coarse hollow hair brownish gray with light tips is from the area of the stomach.

Blood will tell you a lot about the hit. Blood from the lungs will be foamy or have tiny bubbles in it and will be pink. A flesh wound is light red about the same color as if you cut yourself shaving. Light colored blood that’s greenish will have bile mixed in and indicate a gut shot. Blood from the Liver, heart or arteries will be the darkest of all and look to be the color of a dark maroon.

By combing the way the deer reacted with the blood, hair and other signs most hunters can determine where they hit the deer, if they hit it and what chance they have in recovering it.

Here are some guidelines on the different recovery methods for each type of shot.

Lungs - Wait a half-hour to an hour before going after the game. There may be no blood at first, but after the lungs fill, the deer will begin to leave a good trail. Blood should appear around 20 or 30 yards but you may not find any within the first 100 yds. The blood trail will become stronger and more apparent the closer to the animal you get. The higher up the animal was hit, the farther it will travel before collapsing. (They have been known to travel over 500 yds.)

Heart - Wait a half-hour to an hour before going after the game. The blood trail may be non-existent initially, but it should appear after 20 or 30 yards and become easier to fallow the closer to the animal you get. Usually the deer collapses and be found dead with-in a 100 yds.

Liver - Wait an hour before attempting to trail. The animal will probably run a short distance, usually no more than a quarter mile, before lying down for good. There will be a blood trail, but it won’t be that strong due to the high amount of internal bleeding.

Stomach or Gut - Wait anywhere from four to ten hours before trailing. If it feels pressure from being tailed, the buck will go farther away before lying down, so lay back for most of the day, or even overnight. The blood trail will be very scarce and mixed with stomach or intestinal matter.

Back - If you hit the spine the deer should drop in its tracks. If not, wait half an hour before following the animal. Unless a main artery was severed or a kidney was hit there will be very little blood. If you did hit a artery or kidney you should find the animal within 100 yds. If you didn’t and unless you made a solid hit to the loin, odds are you won’t recover this deer. It will rest a few days and will most likely be good as new.

Hindquarters - Unless your bullet or arrow hit the femoral artery you will be tracking this deer a long time. I personally go after this type of wound immediately. Others tell you to wait up to 4 hours. The advantage of going immediately is that if you didn’t hit the femoral artery keeping steady, moderate pressure on the buck will keep it walking instead of lying down or running. If it does and you jump it, it will run away and leave a fine mist for a blood trail you may not be able to or is almost impossible to follow. (If you hit the femoral artery you will in all likely hood find him with-in 100 yds.)

Neck - If you hit the deer here below the spine, odds are your arrow or bullet will have severed the windpipe or some major veins or arteries, most probably the jugular. If so, the blood trail will be exceptionally strong and the deer will usually drop in less than 50 to 100 yds. If your hit is above the spine, though, the wound is merely superficial, not fatal, but it will leave a misleading amount of blood behind.

Brisket - Unless the deer was facing you when shot, he will most likely live. If he was moving toward you, the path of the bullet or arrow should have passed through the lung or heart. The blood will tell you.

Keith is an avid outdoors enthusiast. He is the founder and maintains http://www.thebestdeals.info a website dedicated to providing helpful information and resources for beginners and experienced outdoorsman and woman alike.

Reprint permission if author, copyright, hyperlinks & this notice are intact.

Copyright© K. J. Blakesley

Currency exchange is fast establishing itself as one of the most prominent sectors in today’s ever-connected globe. With each country buying and selling, foreign currency presently has a value on the global marketplace and there are even a good number of people who opt to make foreign currency trading their career to buy overseas currency.

Have you ever heard of foreign currency trading? Just like stocks trading, foreign currency trading is the securing and selling of currency positions and people might well make gains as various currencies enjoy particular positions on the international market-place. It could be the case that, should you be utilising US dollars, then you might well not note the benefit, however, this particular business operates at its very best if you engage in exchanging, say, the Bulgaria Leva with Israel New Shekels. Currencys can be traded with great ease if you use the right people.

Currency exchange moreover has a significant amount to do with trading of commodities. Businesses which ship their goods and services abroad, are paid foreign currency, which, understandably, they will not be able to spend back home, and as a result they eventually get their money changed. Leaving this on one side, the prices on the worldwide market place are always prescribed through currency trading, and as a result individuals and companies could sustain a revenue loss should their country’s currency currently has an undesirable position when compared to the stronger currencies, e.g. the American dollar and the Euro

Currency exchange is critically important during travel and holidays. Obviously, should you travel to the EU, then maybe you need to have a little money exchanged to Euros so that you could acquire even more goods and services. Sure, the United States dollar is exchangeable almost anywhere in the world, however, there are a good number of nations where individuals need the exact amount in payment for goods. Purchasing services with American dollars when you are overseas can just cause inconvenience for other individuals for the simple reason that they also, will need to get it changed. This is establishing itself as the the primary reason why the majority of international transit hubs already have within them currency trading services therefore, consequently you won’t have to go round the land scanning for shops or people who will buy overseas currency. It doesn’t need stating that there are also on line websites, which seek out foreign currency, and so, consequently you have the opportunity to have all your currency exchanged on the Internet and withdraw any of it in local currency wherever and whenever you are located on the globe.

No Smooshing! (From the book No Smooshing!) Gary E. Anderson www.abciowa.com

High school football is in full swing, and it’s fun to sit in the stands on a crisp autumn night and watch our kids play. It can also be the source of some pretty funny comments by the fans, especially mothers who may be watching the only football games they’ll ever witnessor care to witness, for that matter.

For instance, during one recent game, our cheerleaders were standing with their backs to the field, leading a cheer of “hold ‘em, hold ‘em!” when one of the fathers in the stands yelled out, “Girls! I think that’s illegal!”

He was right, of course, since our team happened to be on offense at the time.

But the real gem of that night was an observation made by the halfback’s mother. After watching her son trying to run off-tackle twice in a row, only to get caught up in a tangled pile of bodies at the line of scrimmage, she said, “You know, it seems to me they’d do a lot better if they wouldn’t all just smoosh together like that.”

Although her comment brought gales of laughter from everyone around her, and the rest of the night was punctuated by various people yelling “no smooshing!” toward the players on the field, I had to admitthe lady was right. Our plays would have gone better if everyone just stopped smooshing.

All the next week, that “no smooshing” comment kept playing through my mind, and the more I thought about it, the more I realized that life itself is like that football game. The key to success often lies in our ability to avoid getting caught up in the tangle of everyday problems and to break into the open fieldin other words, to avoid smooshing.

That unintentionally profound statement also proved to be the kind of wisdom that only comes about when a person doesn’t know enough about a situation to know that something is “impossible.” There were perfectly logical reasons for all the smooshing going on out there on the field, but that mom didn’t know about any of themso she came up with a simple solution to the problem. I could relate, since I’d experienced a perfect example of that when my friend Digger and I were still in high school.

We had decided that we wanted to write and sell jingles for the radio commercials. Filled with youthful enthusiasm, we threw ourselves into our quest and before a month had passed, we’d already sold three. Then one night, during the recording session for our third jingle, an advertising executive happened to tell us how amazing it was that two kids could have done the impossible by selling jingleswhen everyone knew it could only be done by the most accomplished, professional musicians. That was the last jingle we ever sold.

We’d stopped running in the open field and bogged down in the tangle of bodies at the line of scrimmagewe smooshed. So if you have a dream, hold it up to the light, keep your eyes on it at all times, and above allnever let anyone tell you that what you’re trying to do is impossible.

And whenever you find yourself beginning to lose heartstop, take a deep breath, and repeat these words: “No smooshing!”

© 2004. Gary E. Anderson. All rights reserved.

The subject of financial investment is such a wide and varied area. We all know (or should know), that investing surplus funds is a sound idea; nothing new there. If you make the decision to invest, what investment options do you have?

1. Property - unit, house, holiday house, commercial property, a managed property investment fund etc.

2. Shares - stock options, different stock investment sectors such as small capitalisation mining companies, international or local share funds etc.

3. Fixed Interest - bonds, convertible notes, fixed deposits etc

The above are your major investments categories in which you may be looking to invest.

These are the ‘traditional’ type of investments however there are other investment areas which are just as, or more profitable than your main ’stable’ of investment options. These alternative investment options include tree crops, vintage cars, wines, art, other collectables and also sports betting and horse racing!

As the majority of people do not understand the betting industry, they generally scoff at the idea of sports/horse race betting as a legitimate investment option. That is because they have only been exposed to one side of the business, the entertainment side. Of course gambling is generally painted in an ordinary light in the media where it is linked to family break downs and suicides. The perception among those who haven’t been enlightened is that if you bet often, you must have a gambling problem!

“If the truth be known many who play the stockmarket are the biggest gamblers around.”

They are never labelled gamblers, nor do they believe that they are gambling because their gambling vehicle is not horses but shares in companies. They like to think of their random and uneducated decisions as being an ‘investment’ rather than a bet. In this light, it is OK to lose money because ‘it is an investment’. Many are simply betting on the price of a share just the same as an uneducated sports bettor who makes a decision on the likely outcome of a game.

The purpose of this article is to show that gambling can be a serious and profitable business as well as a fun pastime. I decided to write this article after speaking with a good mate of mine who happens to be financial advisor to ‘high net worth’ clients. You may be surprised and interested to note that he sees sports betting as playing a very important role in his investment portfolio. He knows very little about sports but he sees it as a very serious business and he follows our selections ‘to the letter’. (Not that he would tell his clients that he invests in sport as I am sure they just wouldn’t ‘get it’.)

The similarities between the more ‘traditional’ type investments and gambling are many. We are all playing the same game, which is to . . .

beat the market and optimize our total wealth.

Financial markets such as the stockmarket are generally efficient and represent the general view of the aggregate of those that invest into the market. Investing in any financial market (including the sports betting market) raises financial questions involving decision making under uncertainty. Many of those that play such markets simply do not understand just what they are up against.

People go to financial advisors for advice on how to best invest their money. They are thought to be the experts. They have been to University and have completed courses through the Australian Securities Institute to become an advisor. It is the same with other specialised services, such as doctors and solicitors. People recognise the specialised knowledge that these guys have and understand the value of paying such experts for their opinions.

I believe the reason to why more aren’t successful in gambling is that the majority of punters have no idea what they are up against. They believe that they can beat the game with no specific specialised knowledge. There is a price you have to pay to gain the knowledge and experience required to become successful.

This is very similar for both traditional investment advisors and also in the gambling field. Some advisors are better than others, as are some investments and some investment funds are better than others. Some investment funds make excellent returns for their clients however, on the other hand, the majority can’t even beat the average based on the returns of the ‘All Ords’ index!

I can see myself starting to get off track here.

Professional gambling is not for everyone, however I truly believe that it is within reach of everyone. Now there are two ways in which you can make a living out of gambling.

1. You can spend years studying mathematics and learn the ins and the outs of your chosen betting field to hopefully build the skills necessary to make consistent profits

2. You can pay those that have trodden the path above for their specialised knowledge and skill and then focus your attention on becoming an astute gambling portfolio manager.

Both methods will provide very similar betting results. Gambling is like any other profession. You simply cannot become successful without truly applying yourself and spending the time (and the money), to learn and become proficient. (Contrary to what most ‘retail’ punters would suggest). It is no different to a financial advisor who studies commerce at university and then completes a Diploma of Financial Markets at the Securities Institute. They have paid the necessary price (both in time and money), to obtain the required information to pursue a career in their chosen field of endeavour.

The thing with sports/horse racing is that punters expect wealth and success to come to them while they are doing nothing to improve their skills. I believe this is largely due to the fact that they do not understand what they are up against and how tough it is for your average casual punter these days to turn a profit.

Anyway, back to the purpose of this article. It is well and truly possible for anyone to become a successful and highly profitable gambler.

As we saw above, there are two choices that you could make. One requires years of study to develop the required specialised knowledge to allow you to become successful; the second option can be thought of as being the easier path.

Just as you may well pay a financial advisor for their advice, you have the option to pay an expert in gambling for their betting advice. Doing so will leave you as purely a manager of your investments.

If you have ever been to a financial advisor, you will realise that they love their pie charts and love to talk about diversification and asset allocation. They split your total investment wealth up into different areas with the aim of reducing risk.

Well consider doing something similar with gambling. There are a number of excellent sports/racing services which show high returns and have been showing high returns for a good period. You may like to build a portfolio of gambling investment options based around the good services. How you allocate your resources for the different services you may use is up to you. For example your gambling portfolio may comprise of two horse racing approaches, two tennis approaches, one AFL, one NRL and one Super12’s for example.

After sourcing your betting information from a service, you have the task of managing your portfolio to maximise the rate of growth of your bank and to minimise your risk. For those that take the time to look at the possibilities of sports betting investment, you can understand why it makes a lot of sense from an investment angle. You invest your money for a whole year in say the stockmarket hoping for a standard 10% return. You can make that on every single dollar that you outlay in some sports!

Investing in a conservative manner can easily see you double your original investment capital within one year. Returns unheard of in other ‘traditional’ methods of investment and yet contrary to what most believe it is unbelievably safe if you find a reliable source to purchase your advice from.

In sports betting you can use mathematics to calculate very accurately worst case scenarios and no, that is not generally a total loss of starting capital. We have a simulation program available on the website which you can access from the following link Punting Ace Simulation Program which will give you an excellent idea of what you can expect to achieve based on certain criteria.

We also have programs which will simulate your projected performance based on certain bankroll settings. To simulate a year of our tennis package, select the following link Punting Ace Tennis Simulation or to simulate a year of our AFL betting package, select the following link Punting Ace AFL Simulation.

Summary

If you are not happy “putting all your eggs in one basket”, why not consider sports betting as an “alternative investment” similar to tree crop investments or hedge funds. Any prudent financial planner will explain to you the benefits of diversifying across a number of different markets and investment products. Indeed, investment products such as options and instalment warrants (and to some extent margin lending), are designed to “enhance” your overall portfolio returns and as such, traditional investment advisers may allocate a “percentage” of your overall portfolio to these products.

With risk adjusted returns far in excess of “main stream” investment products, why wouldn’t you apply a percentage of your portfolio to sports betting? As your financial adviser will agree, sports betting is not correlated with any main stream investment markets, and indeed given the disappointing recent performance of the stock market (with the exception of last years return of approx 25%) the current investment markets are awash with products that are non-correlated to the stockmarket. For example, hedge funds, tree investments, caravan park property trusts and chicken farms (yes that last one is actually true). Therefore sports betting should at least be considered as part of a prudent “diversified” investment portfolio.

Sport Betting Investment Steps

1. Decide from day one that you have the discipline to follow your plan through and that you will operate in a business like fashion and will keep records and the like.

2. Find a reputable information provider for your selections. Remember the goal is for you to be only the portfolio manager. You don’t want to have to come up with the selections; leave that to those that have proven track records and are experts in their fields.

3. Decide on how you will divide up your total starting capital over the information provider(s)/sport(s) which you have gathered.

4. Now follow through with your plan setting aside time for constant reflection and self evaluation in an attempt to maximise your returns whilst minimising your risk.

Disclaimer - this article is not meant to be taken as offering financial advice. The author is not a qualified financial advisor and as such, cannot give such advice. We advise you to seek independent advice from a qualified advisor before committing any funds.

This article is protected by international Copyright © Elk Publications Pty Ltd February 2005 Please contact jesskirley@puntingace.com if you wish to reproduce this article elsewhere.

www.puntingace.com

Hitting long golf drives is the desire of every golfer when they are on the course.

Sadly many fail to achieve this objective most of the time and the best game in the world which you are supposed to enjoy enormously, instead ends up being a very frustrating experience.

Yet hitting long golf drives need not be so difficult to achieve. Actually the greatest hindrance to your hitting long golf drives is you.

You are the greatest hindrance to your hitting long golf drives, because if you are like most golfers, you are always trying to hit the ball as hard as you possibly can.

In a pure physics situation this would be the correct approach except that in golf there are some variables that work together to dramatically change the situation.

To start with, every golf club is cleverly designed and crafted to hit the ball over a certain distance. So the best advice to start with is to trust the club you are using for hitting long golf drives to do its’ job, because it is designed to do just that.

All you have to do is make sure that the club connects the ball at the correct angle to achieve the distance you desire. That is the physics of a golfer. Of course this means that your golf swing technique has to be correct and effective.

The second variable that changes things is your body. If your muscles are not conditioned and prepared for hitting long golf drives then it is unlikely that you will get the results you want no matter how hard you try to hit the ball.

In a way it is similar to lifting weights. If you have not trained to lift a certain heavy weight, then no matter how hard you try, it is unlikely that you will be able to lift it.

You will need to go back to the gym and exercise and prepare by gradually lifting heavier and heavier weights until you reach the particular weight that you desire to lift. It is exactly the same when it comes to hitting long golf drives.

In recent years, there has been a dramatic rise in the number of golfing products available in the market. Most notably golfing products that are supposed to dramatically improve one’s game, virtually overnight.

Smart entrepreneurs have cashed in on the fact that almost every golfer is constantly looking for a way to improve their game and reduce their handicap. The result is that so many golfing products have flooded the market and the results have been predictable. You will come across many golfers who have garages filled with golfing products that did not help them in any way to improve on their game.

Although golfing products can be very useful in helping a golfer’s game, the problem is being able to find the right one for you. There are a few questions that you should ask yourself before going for any golfing product.

Does the golf product address a certain weakness in your game? It is important for you to understand what specific golf weakness in your game that the golfing product you wish to purchase addresses. It is not a good idea to go for just any improvement golfing product without being very specific as to what your objectives is.

The other key question to ask is if the golfing product involves exercise to strengthen and condition muscles that you require to correct your golf weakness? If your golfing product does not do this, then chances are very high that it will be a dud.

It is also useful to take advice from the experts concerning the particular golfing product or products that you would like to go for. With the rise of the World Wide Web, there is plenty of expert advice available online for free. All you need to know is where to find it. So there should be no excuse for failing to seek expert counsel on the golf products you intend to purchase.

Imagine every one of your shots in the middle of the fairway, every chip two feet from the hole, and every putt nailing the center of the cup. Well, maybe some of us dream of never having to ever putt and each approach shot goes into the hole, but I think you get the picture. A consistent swing is probably what many golfers dream of when our heads hit the pillow.

The majority of us are aware that golf is a game that requires consistent shot making to be successful (and have fun). If we are hooking, slicing, and hitting our wedges fat, it can really start to get frustrating. Consistency is key to hitting a low score and enjoying the game. So how do we get there?

First, let us do a little review of the golf swing. To hit the ball squarely on the center of the club head you must take the club through the proper swing path. A proper swing path will allow the club to align itself correctly with the ball to hit the shot you are trying to hit. For more advanced players this could be in the form of a draw, fade, cut, or some other variation. Higher handicappers will be happy with just plain old straight shots. Anyway, this process begins with your address, moves through your take away, into the back swing, onto the transition between back swing and down swing, into contact, and finishes with the follow through.

Quite a complex sequence of events for the body to perform! And we all know that if our timing is slightly off, or we are just a little off mechanically, disaster is the result.

Knowing that a consistent swing requires the execution of these complex moves over and over again is quite mind-blowing. But let’s get back to our question: how do we develop a consistent golf swing? The answer is two-fold, and I imagine most golfers are aware of the first point but probably only a few are aware of the second. The keys to a consistent swing are: 1) efficient golf swing mechanics and 2) the body. Got it? Good, now I can stop writing this article and all of us can become scratch golfers, right? Well, not exactly, and I imagine some of you are saying, “I already know all this stuff.” Others may be quite intrigued. Regardless of which category you fall into, let me expand on each of these topics a little.

Golf Swing Mechanics

Golf Swing mechanics is probably the easier of the two areas to understand. It is the reason why we take golf lessons and practice so much at the range. Beginning at address, moving through all the stages of the golf swing, and finishing with the follow through, the body is required to move through a specific sequence of movements to perform the golf swing correctly. If the body does not move through this sequence properly then the result will be a poor, inefficient and awkward looking swing. Over time, a poor swing results in poor consistency (every once in awhile you hit a good shot regardless of your swing, that’s what keeps us coming back for more). An easy example of this is when you “come over the top” with the club. This usually results in a slice (I know, easy thing to do and very hard to correct).

In addition to the body performing an intricate number of biomechanical movements in the golf swing, timing of these movements is critical for you to hit the ball successfully. Each and every biomechanical movement within the golf swing has a certain sequence and timing. If they are not performed in the correct order or timing, then the golf swing will not be efficient. Poor timing results in those wonderful slices, snap hooks, chili dips and topping the ball that we know all too well.

Now, how do we improve on the mechanics of the golf swing? I would have to say it is through two things:

1) Proper instruction (Find a good teacher and stick with that teacher. Most of the pros do, why not you?) and 2) Practice, practice, practice. As they say “practice makes perfect”, and I believe this is true when it comes to the golf swing.

Fix the Engine that Swings the Club

Now, on to the second point when it comes to consistency in golf. Again, this is probably the lesser known of the two points about consistency in the swing. It is also equally as important as the mechanics of your swing. One question might help you realize the importance of “the body” when it comes to the golf swing. What swings the golf club?

Some of the answers I have heard are: “my hands,” “the swing,” “my hips” and even “the grip.” Well, these answers are in the ballpark and are close to being right, but let me simplify it for you. The answer is your body. Quite simple when you think about it: The club head is attached to the shaft, your hands grip the shaft, your arms are attached to your shoulders, your hips rotate through the swing, and on and on we go. It is the body that swings the club. So why is this so important to consistency in your golf game?

We know from our golf lessons, that there are certain positions the body is required to be in during the golf swing. For example, at address we know that the feet are slightly wider than shoulder width, knees slightly bent, back at a certain angle, head in a specific position, and our hands gripping the club a certain way. This is only the beginning of what the body has to do to swing the club correctly. Now, from the address position your body must move the club on the correct path and generate club head speed to hit the ball accurately and with power. Doing this over and over is what we define as consistency.

What most people do not understand is that for the body to perform the golf swing correctly, certain parameters need to be met by the body. The body must have certain levels of flexibility, strength, endurance, balance, stability, and power. If your body does not have the minimal levels of these factors in relation to the golf swing, then what do you think will happen? Well, let me tell you, it will be very difficult for the body to swing the club with the correct mechanics. And what will this result in over time? A large amount of time spent on the range with little improvement on the course and a swing that looks less than desirable.

So what does consistency in my golf swing really come down to?

It is vital to understand that improvements in your golf swing mechanics and improvements in your body specific to golf are equally important when it comes to creating a consistent golf swing. If you ignore either the body or the mechanics, it would be safe to say that your golf swing and game will suffer. Take some time on a routine basis to address both the mechanics of your swing and the body supporting it. I think you will find the benefits to be very rewarding.

If you are interested in more information on better golf swing mechanics and how to improve your level of golf fitness, please take a look at our web site www.bioforcegolf.com