TrackMan the Game - Comes to Miles of Golf

by Chris Mile, President of Miles of Golf on October 4, 2009

A Focused and Fun Way to Practice and Improve Your Game.

Frequently Asked Questions:

How does it track the ball and how accurate is it? TrackMan uses Doppler radar, the same radar the military uses to track rockets and mortar. Unlike other launch monitors, TrackMan follows the ball for its entire flight and is accurate within 1 foot at every 100 yards. Because it is so accurate, every golf club manufacturer uses TrackMan to develop new clubs. Miles of Golf has used TrackMan for club-fitting for the last 3 years. When you watch golf tournaments on TV, the statistics and graphic depictions of the flight of the ball a player hits is made by TrackMan.

Where are the TrackMan tees? They are in the North Tee Shelter at Miles of Golf. These tees are painted orange and are all weather tees that protect you from rain, snow, and wind and have big radiant heater overhead. These tees are open for play all year. Because the radar units are fixed to the building, you must hit shots from these tees.

Describe a game. The most popular game is called “18 / 18” (18 holes in 18 minutes). There are 5 TrackMan targets on the range varying in distance from 65-175 yards. Hit three shots at each target. Each shot is scored by how close you are to the target. Scores are valued as either eagle, birdie, par, bogey, etc just like golf. After hitting 3 shots to each of the 5 targets, hit 3 drives between the large white poles and you will get a score for how straight and far each drive goes. For a complete description of all that TrackMan the Game can do go to: http://www.mytrackman.com/TrackMan.Online.DrivingRange/Introduction.html

Where else can I try TrackMan the Game? There is one site in Sweden, one in Denmark, and one in Ypsilanti. We are the first range in the U.S. to have this. Because it is such a new concept, there will be plenty of changes to the system, like new games and tweaking of existing games.

What is the complete price schedule for buying time? Remember, when you sign up you get 30 free minutes to try TrackMan. After that the prices are:

15 min $8

30 $14

60 $20

120 $36

300 $80

600 $140

1200 $240

2400 $400

Can my golf league schedule a block of time to have a little off-season competition? You sure can. Just call the Miles of Golf shop. 734-973-9004.

What else is Miles of Golf going to do with TrackMan the Game? Throughout the year, we are planning to have TrackMan tournaments with prizes. Enter an “18 / 18” tournament for the weekend or a long drive contest.

What do I do after I use up the introductory 30 minutes? Come to the golf shop and buy more time. You are given a pin number that gets entered on the monitor at the TrackMan tee. Once this pin number is entered, your account automatically gets credited time on TrackMan.

How good do I need to be to benefit from TrackMan? The practice and games are set up so that all levels of players can benefit from TrackMan. Some games and targets require that a player be able to hit the ball a minimum distance. The closest target is 65 yards.

How do I access my TrackMan shots on the internet? Go to mytrackman.com and enter the same user id and pin you used to start TrackMan at the range.

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Miles of Golf Customers’ Favorite Local Businesses

by Chris Mile, President of Miles of Golf on September 1, 2009

FOOD/ BEVERAGE GOODS

A & L Wine Castle: good liquor selection and very knowledgeable staff. A&L Wine Castle, Ann Arbor. So the place looks like a Castle and is dinky. But it has the large select of wine, beer and alcohol that you

are not going to find anywhere else. If he doesn’t have it and it is in the state he can get it. Plus he holds many tastings throughout the year so you can make better selection without wasting your money.

Arbor Farms Market: Serving the Ann Arbor community since 1979, they offer local and organic produce; fresh Michigan grass-fed beef and organic lamb; Amish and organic chicken; natural pork and turkey; fresh seafood; gourmet deli; and breads and sweets from the area’s finest bakeries. The freshest produce, naturally-good grocery selection – not to mention, special events, organic pet food and organic baby food, as well as cosmetics and other home products.  The very accommodating staff will also special order customer requests./ Local owners make an effort to offer Michigan-produced meats and produce, wines and groceries.  They build outstanding sandwiches at the deli.

Benny’s Bakery (Saline): Great Pretzels.

Everyday Wines: Great selection at very reasonable prices. Exceptionally knowledgeable and friendly owners.

Farmer’s Market: Maybe #1 on most people’s local list.  The model of local.

Knights Market: It is a family run grocery store specializing in prime beef and other meats and satisfying its many loyal customers. (Also, they are golfers.)/ Best meat in town…better than the “premium grocery stores”.

Monahan’s Seafood Market: Great fresh seafood to eat there or cook at home - and great people. / Local fish-monger Michael Monaghan knows seafood better than anyone else in town and makes an effort to source responsibly from sustainable managed fisheries.

Morgan & York: Great wine selection as well as food and fresh local dairy.

Pettysville Junction (Pinckney): just your corner store with an owner who cares about local people, and has one of the lowest gas prices in all of Livingston County.

Produce Station: Best produce in town I think.

Simply Wine (Northville): In addition to hundreds of first rate quality wines retailing at under $15.00 per bottle, Simply Wine carries many of your premium favorites. Not only are they a first rate retailer of quality refreshment, Laura and Maria provide top flight customer service for their clients and are not to hard to look at either.

Sparrow Market: Very good specialty meat (organic, wild game, locally grown)- whatever you want, I’ll bet they can get it if they don’t have it already. / Great food items of all kinds.  Good price on olive oil.

Zingerman’s: everything – from the DELI on Detroit Street to the Roadhouse and beyond, Zingermann’s provides a sustainable business model – with their own bakehouse, coffee roasting facility, creamery and even their own FARM – they know LOCAL – and when procuring outside of Michigan, they also know what’s BEST: wines, cheeses and etc…not to mention mail order!!! /

Unmatched in customer service. The food isn’t bad either! / Awesome deli sandwiches and just items that are different and good. / Zingerman’s - enough said.

Zeidan Bakery: Best fresh baked Pita around and lots of other stuff, too. Let my mother-in-law come behind the counter and watch him bake in his wood fired oven.

LEISURE/ENTERTAINMENT

Ann Arbor Art Center: They offer great classes, opportunities for artists to display and sell their wares and provide opportunities for kids to explore their creative side.

The Ark: Can’t beat the Ark for fantastic, affordable entertainment. The venue is a great spot for local artists to perform. Check them out. The Ark I like it because it’s a great place to see & hear live entertainment at a reasonable price. And you can get close to the performers and see what they are doing with their instruments.

Borders: Is also a favorite, I realize it is big business, but local based. I enjoy their online newsletters and coupons/ Speaking of selections, they have it all.

Michigan Theater

Nicola Books: Top of the line selections and knowledgeable personal attention./ A wonderful places to shop and browse.

Washington Street Gallery: Main street (started on Washington Street, kept the name) fine art gallery; 16 permanent members and 6 guest artists provide a wide variety of art.

West Side Book Shop: A wonderful places to shop and browse.

RESTAURANTS

Angelo’s: Simple but great!   Corned Beef Hash is outstanding.   And hey, they have their own song!

Anthony’s Gourmet Pizza: best in a town full of pizza joints

Arena Bar: A quintessential sports bar where I ALWAYS meet nice and interesting people, with a great beer selection, and the best sliders and onion rings in the area!

Ashley’s Pub: Beers from all over the world, my favorite Hacker Pschorr on tap and good bar food.

Aubrey’s (Ypsilanti): They have the best service ever and the food is great. It’s a cozy little place to just stop into on a Friday night, get some great food and relax.  Highly recommend and the Keno is fun too.

Ayses Turkish Café: Authentic, immaculate, intimate, best lentil soup ever and owner operated by Ayses, herself.

Bell’s Diner: It’s a korean-american diner, as a result has a very interesting menu, and excellent service.

Big Ten Burrito: Great, affordable Mexican food … and the owner Adam Lowenstein is a golfer.

Blue Tractor: Recently opened has some of the best Bar B Que this side of Slows in downtown Detroit.

Bomber Restaurant (Ypsilanti): A bit of history and a lot of food.

Carlyle Grill: The food is great and the service is excellent. It’s a quality restaurant that was needed on the west end of town.

Casey’s Tavern: The waiter’s tee shirts says it all: good cheap food and lots of beer.

The Common Grill (Chelsea): Craig Common, proprietor/head chef is also a low handicapper.

Corner Brewery (Ypsilanti): Quality and eclectically local. / Great beer in a great atmosphere.

Crazy Jim’s Blimpy Burger: The best burger anywhere and a cool atmosphere.

David’s NY Deli (Livonia): Best grilled corned beef and swiss with fries in Livonia!

Dimo’s Deli & Donuts; Best Donuts in town and service with surliness (part of why I keep coming back). You get a real bang for you buck with their sandwiches.

Doc’s Sports Retreat (Livonia): A friendly atmosphere and a sports theme. Great going alone or with a group.

The Earle: Great Italian/French food and the largest wine selection in Ann Arbor. Sit at the bar or the dining room excellent service.

Earthen Jar: Home cooked vegetarian Indian food that is wonderful and healthy. If you spend over $5, you are stuffed.

Eve: Best restaurant in Ann Arbor…the Nachos are insane!/ Wonderful food.

Evergreen Chinese Restaurant: My kids really love it, the food is wonderful and a good value./ This small chinese restaurant has the nicest staff, the fastest service, consistently very good quality, and very reasonable pricing. A great place for lunch.

Fraser’s Pub: Great neighborhood bar, good food and atmosphere, stop by after a Michigan homegame./ Brings me back to college days and is close to UM golf Course. A great way to end a day at the links.

Gratzi: Really good Italian food and great service. A good alternative to Bella Ciao. Their owners are also very civic minded and have been great supporters of downtown. Ellie Serras was the president of the downtown merchant association for decades.

Grizzly Peak Brewing Company: Comfortable atmosphere, good American food, good selection of beers.

Guernsey Farms Dairy (Northville): Top quality dairy products, fantastic homemade ice cream. Family owned 100 yrs, a place my grandparents went to. Expensive, but worth any price.

Gus O’Connors Irish Pub (Novi): For fine Guinness and premium scotch selections, this is a great atmosphere for adult bar socializing. A slow drawn Guinness in a pub with all decor imported from Ireland cannot be beat. Food is superior.

Jefferson Market & Cakery: Great cakes & desserts. Not to mention sandwiches & coffees!

Lee’s Chicken of Plymouth: Best Coleslaw anywhere, best chicken tenders anywhere per my kids, they are worldly experts on chicken tenders

Lighthouse Coffee Co. (Milan): Has great food, coffee,  and ice cream all served with a SMILE. They also have an entertaining open Mic Night on Wednesday’s from 6:30 to 9:00. How could anyone go wrong? Good music, a variety of coffees, food, and delicious ice cream.

Leo’s Coney Island (8 Mile/Farmington Rd., Livonia): An owner who really cares about the food he serves.

Little Italy Restaurant (Northville): Great food. Cool bar. Neighborhood meeting place. Reasonable prices.

Los Amigos Restaurant: (Ypsilanti): Good Mexican food, reasonably priced (sorry fellow Ann Arborites we have nothing to compare to Detroit or El Azteco in East Lansing).

Mac’s Acadian Seafood Shack (Saline): A locally owned restaurant that specializes in Seafood and Cajun fare. The restaurant is locally owned, and has a sister restaurant in Dexter (Northpoint)./ Great seafood, great environment and right in the heart of thriving downtown Saline.

Mother’s Pizzeria (Plymouth): Excellent Salads, and free breadsticks when you eat in.

Mr. Spots: Great for hoagies and chili-cheese fries.

Old Town Tavern: Great inexpensive tavern fare, wonderful staff, wonderful warm atmosphere and wonderful local talent plays on Sunday nights.

Palios: Roof top is a great place to eat with family or just my wife. Open air dining in the heart of AA.

Palm Palace: Great food, always clean. Lamb chops are awesome.

Paesano’s: Great Italian food at reasonable prices.

Pizza House: Great pizza among other things.

Seva Restaurant: Great, freshly cooked vegetarian food, decent service and moderate prices and huge portions.

Sweet Waters Café: Great coffee, good design, the owners Wea and Linda Bee are great! / Just a great place to stop and have coffee when walking around downtown Ann Arbor.

Thompson’s Pizzeria (Chelsea): Cold beer, deep-fried pickles, and awesome pizza, ask for the twins.

Tower Inn Cafe (Ypsilanti): Good Greek food, great pizza.

Washtenaw Dairy: What’s not to like??!!!! You get an ice cream cone the size of your head for $1.50! Plus the best doughnuts anywhere! / Awesome ice cream.

Yotsuba Japanese Restaurant & Bar: Best sushi in Ann Arbor. It’s just down the road from Miles of Golf and still close to my home.  Been in there enough for them to know our name, which is a theme in my responses.  I have heard a lot of great things about how close to “authentic” cusine they are. I give them a huge thumbs up for making me like sushi.

Zingerman’s Roadhouse: One of the best American restaurants nationwide. / Great food and Ari will treat you (and everyone else) as though you are the only customer in the place. He stresses local buying, as well. / Chef Alex is setting up to grow most of the produce he uses at the restaurant on newly acquired land outside Dexter.

Zola’s Café: Good non-fattening food (can support a Weight Watcher diet) with a middle eastern flare. Good business people too – though I don’t think they golf.

Zukey Lake Tavern (Pinckney): Always a great place to eat. Lots of great entertainment and a great community sponsor.

SERVICES

AAA Insurance Agency of Dexter. Agent Bill Stockwell is a good guy who provides excellent service and rates when he’s not golfing.

Alexander’s Custom Clothing (Northville): This young man is not only the best tailor in the entire state. His suppliers of custom clothing including dress shirts, suits, and pants are some the best cost/value purveyors of dress clothing available without taking a trip to Italy or Saville Row. He also carries Peter Millar some of the highest quality golf apparel you can buy.

Ann Arbor State Bank (or Bank of Ann Arbor for that matter).  All the locations for these community banks are in Washtenaw County.  They make local decisions for local people.  These banks do not have problems from Florida, California, or other regions that effect their decisions making process.

Ann Arbor Muffler: These guys do a lot more than brakes and mufflers including general mechanical maintenance, oil changes, etc. They are very honest and trustworthy and customer service oriented.

Barberman: Best haircut in Ann Arbor at very reasonable price.

Charlie’s Repair: [a part of Gilson Auto] (Milan). 99% of the time he can repair your car at a fair price or will tell you where to take it to be fixed.

Expo Kitchen and Bath: local designers designing local kitchens with locally-made cabinets.  My wife is one of the designers so this is my vote.

Extraordinary Works - Luxury by EW Kitchens: Shameless self-promotion on my part, but truly the most honest group of kitchen and design specialists in the entire Midwest.  We have great products and great people to work with too.

Graphic Visions (Northville): Sue Dillon and her staff of graphic designers, copy writers, artists, photographers and marketing professionals can do everything for your promotional and marketing needs, from full web-site design including search engine optimization, brochures, to just a simple sign your counter and virtually everything in between.   A great example of their website can be viewed at www.ewkitchens.com

Harve’s Electronics: solid and honest electronics repair.

Ken Cook Plumbing & Heating: This company has always maintained a small town personal relationship with their customers.  Extremely knowledgeable, very fair prices, rapid responses, Ken Cook should be anyone’s first choice for new work or repairs.  I have over 25 years of experience with Ken.

Korzon Landscape Design: Locally owned but widely regarded; very creative designs with a specialty for using large stone work.

Maureen’s Designs (Saline): Florists. Customer care and services of the highest order.  Wonderfully kind and creative people.

Music Therapy Services of Ann Arbor: Owner Mike Brownell is a talented guy who works tirelessly with special needs children and actively supports Big Brothers Big Sisters of Washtenaw County.

New Leaf Landscaping: Unique & custom landscape design & construction. Family owned. Golf league sponsor.

Nichols, Sacks, Slank, Sendelbach & Buiteweg, P.C: I would like to toot my own horn. I am a shareholder in a Family Law Firm (in Ann Arbor and Brighton) where we try to keep our clients out of court, during difficult divorce cases or other family cases. We try to mediate most of our cases. We also use the Collaborative Practice model for more complex cases. So, we’re lawyers who have a value-added practice of helping our clients keep control of their family disputes, even during highly stressful time. Especially in these uncertain economic times, people appreciate our efforts to keep the client in control and to keep their costs down. For the record, all five of our shareholders are golfers.

Ormsby Electric (Saline):, Electrical Contractors and Service.  A small family owned business, Steve Ormsby and his two sons comprise the workforce and are without doubt the best in the area.  Customer satisfaction is paramount with them, highly qualified, extremely fair with respect to pricing, specializing in commercial work as well as residential.  We have enjoyed a 35 year relationship with Ormsby.

PowerSource Mortgage: Simply the best people in the business that work for you the client to get the best deal. Very ethical.

Ray’s Barber Shop (Milan): I can’t say he has ever given me a bad hair cut, since I have been getting my hair cut there for years and still return. He never tells a lie (especially when he is finished and says:  “You’re the Best Looking Guy I’ve Had in the Chair Today”).

Rennstatt: Porsche repair, service and modification.”Because your Porsche was made to perform” .. and this is the guy who can make it so.

Saline & Dexter Picture Frame: Excellent service, great frames at local hometown prices. Family owned.

Shear Impact: Owned and operated by one incredibly nice woman who knows regulars by name, and is always fun to talk to.

Takahashi Eye Care: Good service and takes VSP insurance.

Tutto Home Designs (Northville): Cheryl Nestro is one of the area’s premier interior designers recently winning awards for two different full room designs in the Detroit Home Magazine design competition.  Cheryl’s new studio will be opening in a month or so and will feature furniture and accessories from some of the more famous names in Interior Architecture and Furniture industries.

United Lawn Service: These people can mow your yard so fast you can’t believe it.  They are always there when they say they are going to be, do a great job and will do any lawn service you need.  Their price is very compatible and they are very nice to work with.

SHOPPING

Carpenter Brothers: The personal attention you receive is great. They are convenient and carry good selections. Carpenter Bros Hardware - very knowledgeable and great inventory.

Dexter Mill: A great place to go for bird seed and outdoor supplies.

Dogmacatmantoo: Fun place to shop for pet supplies – Knowledgeable staff – owner “Alice” is great!

Downtown Home and Garden: Unique items that you do not find other places.

Ed Bock’s Feed Store (Pinckney): New owner, all kinds of neat stuff for people & animals. Helpful people, always ready to help anyway they can.

Falling Waters: A great shop for that distinctive gift or card.  Staff is always helpful and friendly.  If you change your mind, returns are easy.  Most of their merchandize is very reasonably priced./ Best card selection in SE Michigan, unique gifts and almost always open!

Fingerle Lumber: Good service, good supporter of the community, survived in the face of very stiff competition from national chains (i.e. Lowe’s, Home Depot).

GardenViews (Northville): Unique indoor and outdoor garden items, gifts, craftsman made. Seasonal items, fresh ideas. Kind and friendly owners, employees.

George’s Livonia Gardens: Family owned flower shop and garden supply center. Friendly and knowledgeable staff.

Georgetown Gifts: Great place for cards, gifts and even has a post office. Plus my wife and I are the owners.

Golden Chain Jewelry - Small family owned business with great customer service.

Hackney Hardware: (Dexter) Great service.  Friendly people.  Good prices and inventory.

Hollanders: Decorative paper, bookbinding supplies and workshops. Wonderful gifts & cards and a big rush of creativity every time I go in the door. / Amazing variety of beautiful and unusual paper products and a great card selection.

Mast Shoes: Great quality shoes

Peaceable Kingdom: Unique gifts and cards, great trinkets for kids and friendly Jack Russel Terriers to greet you!

Sam’s Clothing Store:  Greatest selection and prices on jeans in town.  Owners are local and have been for years.

Stadium Hardware: Will bend over backwards to help you even if it turns out to be a 63cent sale. / They’ll help you do anything and point out when you are spending too much money. / Because not only do they carry what you probably need, they’ll give you practical advice on what’s the best, and most cost-effective, way to deal with almost any home repair issue you may come across. Their staff is always friendly, and always helpful, and they know what they are talking about. / This is a great hardware store but these guys are willing to spend as much time as is needed to make sure you get what you need to do the job right.  I have gotten a lot of personal advice from their staff (especially from Mike, the owner) on do-it-yourself projects. / 1/10th the size of Lowes but seems to have just as much. / An old fashioned hardware store with hard to find supplies, expert free advice, and really friendly sales staff.

Treasure Mart:  Great consignment antiques and an excellent business model (prices drop every month an item hasn’t sold until it does sell) that keeps merchandise moving and shoppers returning for that “sweet spot” when the price drops to a price you are wiling to pay.

Urban Outfitter: Quite some crazy stuff.

Van Boven: A local institution that has changed styles with the times.

SPORTS

Adam’s Archery (Milan): I am a hunter and this place offers a spread of high quality brands and products & bows for a customer to shoot at the year round indoor range (needed for MI) and the outdoor 3-D shooting course.  The thing I like the best is that they are small enough to say hello to you using your name as soon as you walk in the door.  The staff makes you feel like they want you there and not your money.

Cayman Sports Company: Tennis equipment & stringing. The Ann Arbor community’s biggest tennis supporter.  Our turn to say, “Thanks!”

Green Oaks Golf Course: This place is great.  People think because it is a public course it will be a “goat pasture” but certainly not the case.  The maintenance is great there, the greens are some of the best around.  Leon and his crew are super to deal with and will work with your schedule to get you out for a quick nine or 18.  Great little diamond in Ypsilanti.

Running Fit: They have a very strong and knowledgeable staff, and are very active in the community with charitable contributions.

Two Wheel Tango: From newbies to gnarled pros, this is the bike shop.

Whispering Willows Golf Course: A course that will get you on the course on short notice, and, lo-and-behold, they allow walking!  (For a game that is supposed to be recreational, it is shocking to find courses that do not allow one to carry their bag and walk the course.)

NOT EXACTLY LOCAL…

My Favorite 3 Stores in Traverse City:

1.  Golf TC 3301 South Airport Road, Suite B Traverse City, MI 49684

I like Golf TC because they are always very supportive to the customer and they do offer great value on golf equipment.  The golf simulator is one of the best and when I have a special request, they are excellent at assisting.  Wish they had a beautiful golf school and driving range like Miles of Golf.

2.    Oryana Health Food  260 E. Tenth St.  Traverse City, MI 49684

Here’s a true hometown Natural Food Co-op that has everything you want. In fact, besides being the ultimate food store, nutrition store, health supplement store, they also have a great deli.  For you health nuts, visit Oryana.

3.    Brick Wheels and Fit for You gym

Third place is hard to separate as Brick Wheels is a great year round store for bicycling and skiing.  And my favorite gym is Fit for You because you already receive a ‘good morning’ and the owners are always there assisting the customers.

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Golf and Lightning - A Golf Safety Warning

by Unknown on June 20, 2009

Golf Safety warning - for golfers everywhere.  Golf and lightning don’t mix.  Be careful when you are on the course & do not try to beat the lightning! When the horn sounds, come in immediately !

Subject: LIGHTNING HIT A GOLF BAG

A man got hit by lightning Monday morning on a golf course in Madison , WI . The following are pics of what was left of his bag.

Please pass this along to your golfing buddies. Read the what the policeman says, then take a look at the pictures.

I have been a police officer for 18 yrs and have seen a lot of gruesome and disturbing scenes (if you can imagine it, I have probably seen a variation of it) … this one was different because it hits close to home and some of us have been in this situation. This 75 year old golfer (no pictures of him) was out on the course with 3 other retired guys for a regular weekly tee time, and the weather forecast didn’t even predict rain at 10pm the night before. They teed off and got around to the back nine when it started to rain, and when there was a little lightning way off in the distance so they headed in. They waited under a tree half way in when the rain became very heavy. When it let up a little bit three of them then continued in but one guy decided to wait it out under a 50′ pine with an overhang of 10′ while standing next to his bag. Minutes later a lightning bolt struck his bag and push cart as he was holding onto one of his clubs killing him instantly.

On the top of the first photo you will see what was left of his driver … also in a later photo are little brown clumps which used to be golf balls. Most of the items in the bag simply disintegrated from the heat and intense initial zap - including the labels to his ping irons and Cleveland woods (which all popped off). The electricity burned holes into the bottoms of the clubs.

The strange thing is the tree under which he was standing had no sign of a lightning strike. The bolt literally went sideways under the tree to the golf clubs. Lesson to be learned - If you are caught out on the course or water … distance yourself from anything metal OR graphite. (Did you know that lightning rods are often made of graphite?) Put your cart 50′ away from you! When you see lightning off in the distance GO IN IMMEDIATEL-, DON’T WAIT.

golf and lightning
golf and lightning
golf and lightning
golf and lightning
golf and lightning

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Junior Golf - Getting Your Child Started in Golf

by Chris Mile, President of Miles of Golf on May 22, 2009

When getting a child started playing golf, there needs to be a plan that addresses certain issues.  This article will help you come up with a plan and offers advice on these issues:

When to Start.  How to determine when a youngster is ready.

Equipment. What is necessary and what is not.

Developing Skills. Learning by watching and formalized instruction.

Playing Partners. Getting friends involved is vital.

Courses to Play.  What to look for in courses that are best for juniors.

Parental Involvement. Things parents need to do and things to avoid.

Helpful Resources. Organizations that can help a junior golfer get started.

Equipment. The equipment to get started need not be a big expense.  You can get a junior set that includes a bag and enough clubs for $100-$200.  These sets will start with a lofted wood, a mid iron, short iron, and putter.  Most companies have three sizes of junior clubs depending on the youngster’s height.  If a junior is on the fence about playing, even one or two clubs are plenty to get started.  I personally would rather see a youngster with a few clubs that are the right size and moderately priced versus a full set of expensive clubs that are too big. Golf is a hard game to learn and clubs that are not the right size can make it impossibly hard.  When starting out things like golf shoes and gloves are not essential.

Developing Skills. Most youngsters learn athletics at a young age by mimicking what they see.  Give a kid detailed instruction about the golf swing and watch their eyes glaze over and their excitement about the game fade away.  If a child watches good players, most times they will pick up the game in the same natural way kids learn, by watching and trying.  I like this plan.  Take a child to a golf tournament, and it really does not matter if it is a junior tournament, professional, or amateur.   Then take them to a range or course and let them hit shots saying little or nothing to them about how to hit the ball.  My stomach gets upset when I think of all the bad golf advice I have heard given to a child from a parent.  At some point, if a child is interested in the game, you should consider formalized instruction.   There are plenty of good programs in the Ann Arbor area that offer junior instruction.  Helpful resources for information on instruction in the area can be found below.

Playing Partners.  If a child is going to become a good player and enjoy the game, the most important thing that must happen is that he or she has buddies to play with.  Parents or grandparents are OK, but they must also have golfing buddies their age.  If you have one priority in getting a kid started, this is it.  Get a group of kids interested in the game playing with each other and developing friendships and rivalries.

Courses to Play.  The “best” courses in the area may not be the best place for junior golfers to get started.  In the Ann Arbor area, many of the best junior players started playing at Georgetown, Huron Hills, and Brookside.  What makes them good is that they are not real difficult so a young golfer can be successful relatively early in their playing career and they become accustomed to shooting good scores.  At these courses, kids “rule”.  They can play in relative equality to adults and they can play a ton for not much money.

Parental Involvement. As mentioned, I am not crazy about parents giving their child golf instruction.  Parents need to give thought to developing the plan for getting a child started in golf.   As far as playing with your child, here are some suggestions: (1) Let them play without a lot of helpful hints or instructions.  (2) Sometimes go out with your child and act as a caddie, letting your child be the boss and having the joy of being the center of attention of a parent.  (3) Have the parent use limited flight golf balls so everyone hits it about the same distance. Almost Golf makes my favorite limited flight balls. (4) Set up your own course.  It may be only 2 holes and you may tee off only 100 yards from the green.

Helpful Resources.

Kendall Academy - offers after school, spring break camp, summer camp, beginner clinics, and private lessons.  http://www.milesofgolf.com/kendall.html

City of Ann Arbor - offers junior golf programs through the City Recreation Department.

Pittsfield Township - offers junior golf programs through the Township Recreation Department.

Golfademics - through a grant from the USGA, they offer scholarships for juniors to get golf instruction.  This is a local organization. www.golfademics.org/

First Tee - a national organization teaching kids golf plus life values. www.thefirsttee.org/

Total Golf Adventures - after school golf instruction.  www.totalgolfadventures.com

Michigan PGA - tournaments and instructional programs.

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Full Golf Swing Concept

by Dave Kendall on April 21, 2009

The most important job of our body in good golf is to provide an efficient blend of balance (legs, hips, spine), speed (arms), and reliability (club face).  When we get this blend correct, rhythm and confidence is a by-product and will produce a full golf swing that will produce successful results.

The most common error in putting together this blend is to put too much emphasis on speed, before we create balance and reliability.  The greatest inhibitor of good balance is too much effort at the wrong time from the wrong place.  Sometimes it is because of a physical deficiency, inflexibility or lack of adequate strength in a part of the body.

Speed is a result of good balance.  Reliability is a result of good balance (contact) and clubface awareness (direction).  Complicated, inefficient swings are usually the result of bad balance.  Good balance is very attainable for most any golfer if it is made a priority.   It must be understood conceptually and practiced consistently.

The most important component to balance is a stable lower body.  Lower body stability will allow the upper body to rotate behind the ball in the backswing and flow through the ball during the forward swing.\par

If the pursuit of speed compromises balance and reliability, it is very harmful to good golf.  Our priority should be to only swing as fast as we can maintain good balance and solid ball contact.  Being a good player is being smart about our approach, not simply expecting to bully the ball around the course.

The Kendall Academy Teachers are very capable of helping you to evaluate where you are in your pursuit of efficiently coordinating these vital attributes:   balance, speed, ball flight and reliability.

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Golf and Age - Confessions of an Aging Golfer

by Chris Mile, President of Miles of Golf on March 21, 2009

I am baring my soul about what happens to my golf game as I mature.  I want to warn you, it is not all good and if you want to read a little upbeat inspirational guide to senior golf, don’t read on.  That said, golf is still great fun if not quite as pretty as it once was.

My confessions are about my Playing Skills, my Equipment and finally my Course Management.

Playing Skills.

Like life in general, my golf games has reached a peak and is in decline.  For the most part I think the decline was rather gradual and consistent, but there is a lot of evidence from the PGA Champions (Senior) Tour that something rather abruptly happens to us in our late 50’s.  It is a rare occurrence when someone in their late 50’s wins on that tour.  I also noticed a rather big change in my golf skill about this age.  There maybe some other milestone years that someone else will have to comment on and I would like to hear from readers about these other milestone years so I will know what to expect.

Why would this happen in our late 50’s?  I personally think that my ball striking skills diminish mostly from reduced flexibility, but I am sure that hand-eye coordination, strength, balance, eyesight, and loss of muscle speed take their toll on our golf games.  I am sure that working on strength, flexibility, and balance help but don’t expect that you will turn back the clock.  I have been on a running and fitness kick the last few years, but my handicap does not know this as it keeps inching up.

In talking with Brent Norton, our club-fitting expert, here are his observations on golfers 55-65 that he has worked with.  The vast majority of golfers that age swing 85-95 mph with their drivers.  Carrying the ball over 210 yards is not common and a drive of 230 yards is about it.  There are exceptions of course.  Two of the better senior amateurs (55 yrs. and up) in the country are from Michigan and have been tested on the Miles of Golf TrackMan monitor. Greg Reynolds who has won the USGA Senior Amateur and finished second another year and is in his early 60s can carry a drive 250 yards. The other, John Lindholm, carries his drives 225-230 yards with monotonous consistency.

Because I am distance challenged, I have to resist doing counterproductive things in attempting to hit it further.  Things like gripping it too tightly, extending my back swing beyond what my body rotation will support, and just plain trying to swing harder.  It is a classic example of the phenomenon “the harder I try, the worse I get.”

A lot of my confessions relate to the fact that I started playing as a youngster.  If you on the other hand started golf late, you have the joy of getting better and this can go on for a long time as your skills improve.  I am envious of you.

Equipment.

If only the game were driving. Ah, let’s talk about driving.  Since I have played the same course a lot for about 20 years, I can with some certainly say that my driving distance has changed less than my irons distance.  Unfortunately, I cannot take the credit.  The ball and driver have improved so much that there is definite evidence where here, indeed, “you can buy a game.”  The trajectory on drives with new balls and new drivers is so much more efficient today than even 7 or 8 years ago it scary.  The correct launch and spin on drives can neutralize a pretty significant decline in ball speed.  I can still hear the hissing sound of a well hit wound golf ball spinning like crazy as it fought its way through the air.  I like today’s jet-like sound much better.

There is help on the way for my irons. Unfortunately, even with improvements in irons, this is where I see the most significant drop off in distance.  To help me with this problem, I seem to be on a hybrid a year program, every year I take out a club and replace it with a hybrid.  First I shelved my #3 iron, than #4, than my #5 wood, and last year the #5 iron departed never to be seen again.   I am not quite sure why hybrids work so much better than long irons as club head speed, and therefore ball speed, decline but they clearly do for me.  The ball goes much higher and carries much further than the irons I am replacing with the only downside being a slight loss in accuracy.   By making these changes in equipment, I am having unbelievably better success with the 160-190 yard range that I was pitiful trying to hit irons.

As time passes, I seem to be going for more forgiving irons.  I have noticed that my ball striking is less consistent.   I am guessing this is from poorer eye hand co-ordination.  The other thing more forgiving irons do for me is get the ball up higher which I seem to need.  There are irons sets in the golf shop that bill themselves as totally hybrid sets which means that every iron head is hollow.  Maybe someday, but not quite yet for me because I still seem to do better with short irons than these clubs.

Give me light ones that do not hurt. The theory calls for lighter more flexible shafts than we used in the past.  I do play with lighter more flexible shafts than I did in the past but all shafts have become lighter over the last few years.  We get into some really deep discussions about the importance of shafts versus heads at our golf shop.  I tend to be more of a head guy.  Give me a club head I like and I can find several shafts that all seem to suit me fine.  The reverse does not work if I do not like a head.  That said, there are clearly some shafts that work better for me than other and it is worth experimenting to find the right ones.  I do play with graphite shafted woods and irons, but although graphite shafted iron are better for me, they are not all that much better.

And why can’t I play with a juiced golf ball? I am still blown away at how good all golf balls are.  I could play with just about any ball on the market now and still be relatively happy.  At this point in my golfing life, I play a ball with a moderate spin rate and good short game feel.  Even though I am distance starved, I think it is foolish to get a ball that may go slightly further if it means I do not do as well around the green.  As times passes, I will probably need a ball that spins more, and don’t give me a chance to play with a good juiced golf ball because I will take it.

Although equipment cannot completely counteract the effects of time, I am convinced equipment changes, especially hybrids, have made the game more fun for me.

Course Management.

I consider the null option. The first rule is should I play this course at all.  Some courses are just not that enjoyable if you cannot consistently fly the ball over a bunch of forced carries.  For me, if the course demands carries of 180 yards, count me out.  Courses with elevated greens and bunkers that do not lend themselves to the occasional run up shot are not favorites of mine.

Design my own course. I make my own course by the tees I pick.  On a short par four, I want to be able to hit a short iron; on a long par four I want to hit something other than a 3 wood.  If I am playing with some big hitters, I want to be able to drive the ball to the same position on the fairway which means I need a head start.  Actually to be fair about it, my tee shot should be ahead of long hitters so I can hit the same iron they hit for their second shot. I don’t hesitate playing tees different from the rest of the group.  It is more fun for everyone if I do.

Just as the universe expands so have distances on golf courses. Something I have been able to avoid but many of my friends have not involves club selection.  Too many of my old buddies can still remember the day when they once connected with a 7 irons that flew 175 yards.  These guys will hit shot after shot after shot short because they have not adjusted to the facts of life that they cannot hit the ball as far as they once did.  I am a big believer in laser range finders for many reasons, but one big reason is to truly understand how far you can carry the ball with each club.  Once you know this, get real.

My need for fuel at the end of a round has become apparent. I do notice some physical and mental changes that I need to consider.  Where once I seemed to never tire when playing golf, I notice that late in the game sometimes I do tire.  Another thing that has affected my game is poor concentration.  I used to have no problem being fully focused on my game for an entire round.  Now I find that I make mental mistakes and suffer from lapses of concentration I never experienced before.  The only thing that seems to help me to some extent is to eat or drink a high carb bit of something late in the round that can perk me up mentally and physically.

Older bodies are not intended to work in certain weather. When we were younger, my very best golfing buddy used to say he can play in two out of these three conditions: cold, wind, and rain.  If all three occur, forget it.  I have had to modify this as I age.  Cold trumps everything, and if it is cold, I do not play, period.  I still can enjoy a round if it is windy or rainy, but when it is cold, my body refuses to move enough to enjoy playing.

My mature nerves are an improvement over the old ones. One very nice little positive thing that has happened to me is that controlling nervousness when playing is less of an issue.  Playing and especially competing can be nerve racking, but I seem to have a better perspective on this than I once did.  Clearly my expectations are different and maybe that has something to do with it.  Unfortunately, I do not think this is a universal phenomenon because I know of other golfers my age that nervousness has become more of an issue.

Everyone who plays golf must come to grips with the fact that inevitable their skills will diminish.  How you deal with it will be different from how I deal with it, but somehow things like this work out.  For me, I would not miss out on an opportunity to be with some good buddies on a golf course even if I just busted one 225 (including roll).

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Golf and the Local Economy - Support Local Business

by Chris Mile, President of Miles of Golf on March 1, 2009

The current economic environment has spurred much debate, including the subject of “Buying Local”.  It is a touchy subject because it can be implied that we need to support lousy local businesses just because they are local or that it is merely a guilt trip.  Here is a take on “Buying Local” from a local businessman, namely me.

First off, it is our (Miles of Golf’s) responsibility to be a place where you like to shop for golf gear.  This means our prices are competitive, you have product choices, you get the kind of help you need to make a wise purchase; and most importantly, you like the way you are treated.  If we cannot meet our responsibilities, we do not deserve to be around.

There are many small businesses in our area that, for me personally, meet the criteria as places I like to do business.  I would hate to see places I love, such as Downtown Home and Garden, Bella Ciao, Bivouac, Sun n Snow, Zingerman’s, Kerrytown, and on and on just dry up and blow away during these crazy economic times.  I want to do what I can to make sure these businesses are here for me to enjoy.  My bias is to purchase from a local business I like. If you like our golf shop, practice facility, and the KendallAcademy; hopefully your bias will be toward Miles of Golf.

The idea of this article created an interesting debate at Miles of Golf.  It brought up questions of guilt, survival (Miles of Golf had a pretty good year in 2008), internet purchases, and local businesses we like and why we like them.

I have listed a few local businesses I like:

1. Earthen Jar, Ann Arbor.  Home cooked vegetarian Indian Food that is wonderful and healthy.  If you spend over $5, you are stuffed!

2. Bella Ciao, Ann Arbor - Great food and atmosphere; and a golfer I like, Jim MacDonald owns the place.

3. Downtown Home and Garden, Ann Arbor - Unique items that you do not find other places and a helpful staff.

It would be interesting to know some of your favorites.  I am always looking  for cool, little businesses and maybe we would all find some gems we never knew existed.

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Golf and the Economy - What is Your Priority?

by Chris Mile, President of Miles of Golf on October 24, 2008

Times like this produce some weird thoughts. One of the thoughts we all have right now is an assessment of our priorities, what is important in life and what is not. Since you are a golfer, you have to be asking “does golf make sense for me at this moment in my life?”  Some of us will say “No, there are other things that are more important in my life than golf right now.” That may be the right decision for you, but before you make that decision, let me give you my two cents worth of advice.

What do you do that gets your mind off bad stuff? If it’s golf, it may be a big mistake to give it up. If ever we need activities to help us lighten up it’s probably now. Dwelling on many of the things happening is not all that productive because most of it is something we cannot control and fixating on it is downright unhealthy. Walter Hagen has thoughts on this that we have included in this issue of the Times.

Golf can be either a very expensive activity or a very inexpensive one, it’s up to you. There are some fine golf courses that are so reasonable to play it’s a joke and most of these have offers that make them even more reasonable. You cannot assume these deals will go away during times like this, but if you want to spend $150,000 to join a golf club, they are still around to take your money. It’s up to you.

You can spend a ton of money on balls and equipment if you choose, but there are some truly great golf balls for $15-20 a dozen. There are also used clubs on the market for not much money at all that are only a year or two old and are phenomenal clubs.

What about this winter when you cannot play and do not want to travel? Our range is open all year and being outside hitting balls from our heated tees is invigorating and can clear your head. If you want to do this be sure to use our range debit card that always saves you between 20%- 35% depending on how many balls you purchase at a time.

That’s my two cents worth of advice and it is worth every penny.

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Golf Hybrids - The Best Traits of Irons and Woods

by Chris Mile, President of Miles of Golf on May 7, 2008

Seems like the world is turning into one hybrid after another. First it was mules and now its cars and golf clubs. The idea behind the Golf Hybrids is just like other hybrids, take the best qualities of two similar things and create a new thing.

For golf hybrids, also called utility clubs, what is combined are the best qualities of fairway woods and long irons. The fairway woods are easily to hit and go high. Long irons go pretty straight. For most golfers, hybrids are easy to hit, go high, and go straight. That’s a pretty nice combination. For some players, like me, these clubs have made the game unbelievable more fun.

So what are hybrids used for? They are a potential replace for high lofted fairway woods and low lofted long irons. By far the most common replacement is for the dreaded #3 iron. It is becoming less and less common that Miles of Golf orders a custom iron set of 3-PW. Usually players are opting out of the #3 and replacing it with a hybrid or a high lofted fairway wood. This is another compelling reason to custom order irons. Not only are the clubs built to your spec, but also you can select what clubs are in your set. If you are not a 3 iron lover, save the money and don’t order it.

When replacing an iron or wood with a hybrid, it can get a little tricky knowing which hybrid to replace it with. Here’s a bit of advice. Look at the loft of the hybrid and try to replace irons with a hybrid of the same or slightly higher loft. For example, most 3 irons are 21 degrees loft. To give you proper spacing of your shots, the hybrid replacement would be 21, 22, or 23 degrees. With fairway wood replacement, do just the opposite. Replace the fairway wood with the same or slightly stronger loft.

For the golfer who wants it all, our new Trackman Monitor knows within 1 foot for every 100 yards how far a shot flies. We use the Trackman to dial in yardages of every club in a player’s bag. With this information, we can make sure that there are not gaps or overlaps in a player’s set including his or her hybrids. We call this our Maxx Gap Fitting. - http://www.milesofgolf.com/maxx.html

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Kendall Academy Student May Revolutionize the Game

by Chris Mile, President of Miles of Golf on May 7, 2008

The Kendall Academy is all abuzz about a student of instructor Tom Tantapanish.  The student is a 13-year-old boy named Henry Finch.  He started taking lessons with Tom in the late summer.  What is amazing and baffling to the Academy, is his ability to hit these gargantuan drives with a very unorthodox swing, a swing no one in the Academy has seen the likes of.  The best way to describe it is a strange combination of Jim Furyk and Moe Norman, not very aesthetic, but very powerful considering that Henry is a small, 115 lbs., 13 year old.  He is left-handed and at the top of his swing both arms appear to be fully extended and from there things just explode.

Dave Kendall, director of the Academy, thinks that there are certain aspects of Henry’s swing that will revolutionize the way we think about the golf swing sort of the same way the Fosberg Flop changed high jumping.  To give you an idea of what the kid can do, Michael Tooroian, a Miles club-fitter, put Henry on a launch monitor to check his numbers.  At this point Henry is not real consistent, but when he hits one, he gets ball speeds of close to 200 MPH.  That translates into club-head speeds in the 130s and drives well over 300 yards.

Henry’s parents are astonished at Henry’s golf abilities.  He is a rather bookish Greenhills student and it took a little coercion into getting him to take golf lessons. He does come from an athletic family.   His father is Dr. Sidney Finch with the UM Hospital and a former minor league pitcher for the Mets.  His mother is the former Roslyn Ruiz, a distance runner.

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