What is the most important piece of golf equipment you will ever purchase for your golf arsenal? What equipment is custom made for your individual game? What piece of equipment will you change as your game improves and change even more if your game deteriorates? Your golf ball! From the wooden ball to the Featherie to The Gutta Percha to the post-1900 rubber core ball, the golf ball has evolved and with its evolution, changed the way we play golf.

In recent history, the best golf ball were made with a solid or liquid filled rubber ball, wrapped in hundreds of feet of rubber windings and covered by a relatively thin cover of balata, derived from the sap of a tree in South America. Golf balls were rated by their compression or hardness, with 80 compression balls designed for golfers with slow swing speeds, 90 compression balls for higher swing speeds and 100 compression for low handicap golfers and professionals with high swing speeds. Less expensive golf balls were made with a solid core and hard cover or a hard, one-piece design. The wound balls did not travel as far as the solid golf balls and were not a durable, but the softer balata cover had better spin characteristics for the professional golfer but were often not perfectly balanced, due to irregularities in the rubber windings and the fusing of the two piece covers. Spin balancing devices are made to show the best alignment axis of your golf ball and can be purchased for about $25.00.

A revolution in golf balls took place on October 11, 2000, when Titleist introduced an entirely new golf ball to the professional golf Tour. The Pro V1 golf ball was put into play for the first time at the Las Vegas Open. Billy Andrade won the event with this new ball and golf has not been the same since. By December, Titleist hit the shelves of pro shops with the Pro V1 and the other golf ball manufacturers began scrambling to catch up in technology and sales with Titleist. Most high end balls today have a consistent core with an injection molded cover (urethane injected uniformly around the core). Quality control and uniformity are very high with the golf balls of the last ten years.

Today’s ball has the distance characteristics of the less expensive solid balls of the past: a soft polybutediene core for distance and a firmer outer mantle (sometimes two) for controlled spin off the tee. This power pack is covered with a urethane cover that is softer than surlyn and balata and much more durable than the balata covers of the past. These synthetic covered balls, more often than not, will last until you lose them or scuff them on the cart path. The old balata balls were easily split with a topped shot and lost distance within a few holes (when was the last time you saw the “smile” of a mishit balata golf ball. The one drawback to the pro-line balls is their cost. Top of the line golf balls have more than doubled since the introduction of the Pro V1 in 2000.

Lower cost golf balls make up a large majority of the balls produced today. They have a soft rubber core as described above but a hard surlyn cover. They are a little longer that the pro-line balls but have low spin rates and less control than the low handicap balls. In order to bridge the gap, several manufacturers have developed balls with extremely soft covers and less expensive three-layer balls that have a little better spin characteristics than the low cost, two-piece golf balls, not as much as their more expensive relatives. There really are not any bad golf balls on the market; just different types designed for different player abilities. So which ball should you play?

If you are a beginning golfer or lose a lot of balls, stay with a low cost ball. It will give you the most distance and the lack of spin may keep you from slicing or hooking the ball out of play. As you start playing better, take a look at some of the softer balls that have some spin characteristics. These balls will allow you to learn to control your shot shape and give you some stopping ability around the green. When you can control your spin with your irons and driver, start looking at the higher spin and higher priced pro-line balls. It is important that you realistically assess your skills and abilities. You may be wasting your money if you play a “spin ball” if you cannot spin it. Golf balls have come a long way in the past ten years, but the professionals are the ones that gain the most benefit from the technology. Practice hard and work your way to the ability to take advantage of the technology that today’s balls offer.

Dennis Krall is an avid golfer that is willing to share tips and experiences with others that share his passion. You can find more tips and information at http://hittingthegolfball.com and http://lefthandedgolf.us.

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To play the game of golf, muscle awareness is very important. While building or rebuilding your swing, it is important to take note of each golf muscle involved in play and how it acts during a good swing. Muscle memory happens automatically whether you are aware of it or not. Taking mental notes of muscle actions helps you to control what your brain is memorizing and correct it if a problem develops in your swing. This is taking an active role in the muscle memory required for consistently good shots.

There are 22 muscles in action when you make a golf swing. This sounds like a lot, but it really is not. You do not have to be able to name or identify all 22 muscles to build an accurate muscle memory, but you do need to become more aware of your muscles working in coordination and how they respond. Core strength is one of the most critical aspects of a golf swing. Perhaps second to that is flexibility. Without flexibility, you are simply not able to make a full, fluid swing. An impartial swing loses a lot of power.

Take a few slow, deliberate practice swings. You can do this anywhere that there is room to fully swing a club. Do not worry about setting up a ball or aiming, just pretend you are making a swing and focus fully on all of the golf muscle action that is going on. Feel the separate muscles in your arms and shoulders first. Then focus on the active muscles in your back. Next, swing and feel the muscles involved in your core, hips and legs. Once you have felt these muscles work independently, you have more control over them to make them work in conjunction with each other to form a better golf swing.

Exercise is the most critical part of building the muscles that are active in the golf swing. There are three key components to any exercise routine: cardiovascular exercise, strength training and building flexibility. All three of these components play directly into the golf swing. Stretching should be part of every golfer’s daily routine, even on days that you are not hitting the gym. Cardiovascular exercise should also be frequent, at least four to five days per week for at least thirty minutes each session.

Strength training should begin slowly so that you do not injure yourself – putting a halt to your exercise routine as well as your golf game. Stretch thoroughly before you begin lifting weights and again afterward when your muscles are fully warmed. This is the time when you can really improve your overall flexibility. Begin with a moderate amount of weight and low repetitions. Each time you visit the gym, increase the weight or the repetitions. Light weight with high repetitions builds endurance and long, lean muscles. High weight with low repetitions builds strength, power and bulkier muscles.

The most important part of building golf muscle is sticking with it. As soon as you stop exercising, you will quit seeing improvements on the course in terms of power, flexibility, the ability to make a full swing and the distance you get off the tee. Your endurance will also suffer, and you may begin experiencing injuries from weak muscles and a lack of flexibility.

Want to learn more about workouts for golf? Visit my website at http://golfworkoutexercises.com helpful tips and information on using efficient fitness strategies to take your golf game to the next level.

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