Golf Facts And Trivia

Are you looking for ways to impress your friends? Whether youre out on the links or just hanging at the local bar, golf facts can always come in handy. Show clients you know your stuff while entertaining them on the course, or intimidate your golfing rival with little known facts about the game. The following golf facts will put you in the know.

our first golf facts are related to the invention of the game. Did you know that golf was first invented on the coast of Scotland in the 15th century? Although, it wasnt until 1774 that golf was actually played professionally the way it is today. And when the rules were first written up, there were only 13.

our second set of golf facts have to do with courses. As of 2005, there were 32,000 golf courses in the world with about 16,000 golf courses in the United States. florida has the most golf courses in america with about 1,100, followed by California at 950. The oldest public golf course in the United States is Van Cortlandt in New York City. It opened in 1895. The oldest known golf course in the world is The Old Links at Musselburgh, Scotland, where golf has been played since 1672!

our final set of golf facts have to do with all the technical stuff. A golf ball must have a diameter of no less than 42.67mm and may not exceed a mass of 45.93g. All golf holes must be exactly 4.25 inches in diameter. A player can carry no more than fourteen clubs when playing officially by the rules (usually only enforced at professional tournaments). And did you know that four strokes under par is called a Condor?

Women's golf apparel is essential to the overall atmosphere of the game. From sweaters to golf polo shirts to shorts, skirts and pants as well as shoes and golf gloves, all apparel choices become important to secure the comfort one needs which golfing. Women's golf clothing is offered in a variety of styles at Fore Her Golf. Fore Her Golf is the leading supplier of stylish, yet functional, golf clothing, equipment and accessories specifically designed to fit a woman's unique needs. We carry name brand apparel, footwear, clubs, golf bags, balls and a wide selection of golf themed gifts perfect for the lady golfer on your list.

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Improve Your Golf Game on the Back Nine

All the major tournaments, especially the U.S. open and the PGA, are a true test of endurance. They are usually located in a part of the country where it is hot, humid and muggy. A real physical and mental drain on any golfer.

Look who has been winning the Majors in the last couple of years: Phil Mickelson, tiger Woods and Vijay Singh. They have incredible endurance. It doesnt come by accident. They work at it.

Endurance is a word that is commonly associated with athletes such as marathon runners, tri-athletes, swimmers, and cyclists.

Granted, the majority of amateurs use a cart to play. This takes the walking part of the game out of the equation. Bit when most golfers break down, it has more to do with the endurance of the swing muscles than the walking part.

Think of endurance as the ability to perform the same activity over and over for an extended amount of time at max effort and peak performance. Relating this definition to, say, a marathon runner becomes pretty easy. A marathon runner, for example, has to have the cardiovascular (blood and oxygen) endurance to run 26 miles at a steady pace. In addition to having the cardiovascular endurance to run 26 miles, a marathoner needs to also have the endurance in their muscular system to again run 26 miles. If they do not, the body begins to give up and this is seen in the form of cramping, muscles not responding, and the body hitting the wall as many marathoners call it.

Endurance as it applies to the golf swing and the ability to perform the swing correctly is different than the intensity of running a marathon. But the underlying theme when it comes to endurance is the same. Swinging a golf club is a repetitive, explosive movement performed by the body. The muscles are active from address, back swing, transition, contact, and follow through in the same motor pattern every time you swing a club (or at least they should be; for some of us amateurs the swing path changes from time to time, but that is a subject for another article). Anyways, to perform the golf swing efficiently and effectively for an extended period of time (like 4 rounds of tournament golf) the muscles involved in the golf swing are required to have a certain level of endurance developed within them to sustain the swing.

Do you have enough gas in the tank?

It is essentially having enough gas in your tank to swing a club a given number of times. Now I referred to a four-day tournament, which is the average number of days a PGA tour event lasts, but when it comes to endurance and golf swing the number of swings in a tournament is only the beginning. Remember the definition of endurance is the ability of the body to perform a certain movement over and over for a given period of time. In relation to the golf swing and endurance we must also include a time frame. Let us first begin with looking at a typical four-day tournament. At the very least, we need enough endurance in the muscles that swing a club to hit all the shots from tee to green in 72 holes of golf. On top of just the tournament play you must add the additional practice time before or after the round. This could comprise anywhere from 2-3 hours of additional time swinging a club. Now, at this point we are just talking about a single tournament for a tour player.

Let us expand this time period to 7 days. A 7-day time frame for a tour player would consist of a 4-day tournament (Thursday through Sunday) in addition to 3 additional days in the week. Realize that those three other days during week are not rest days, but rather filled with work. First off, you have Wednesday, which, at most tournaments, is when the pro-am is scheduled. If you are unaware of what a pro-am is on tour, it is a round of golf usually held on Wednesday where each pro in the upcoming tournament is paired with three amateurs for a round of golf. So we can chalk this up to another round of golf. This again would comprise all the golf swing made during the round and any practice before and after.

We are up to Wednesday through Sunday of a tour week. Now what about Monday and Tuesday of a tour week? I would guess that it would be safe to say that probably most players take Monday off, not always, but most of the time. Tuesday is a whole different story. Tuesday is a practice day where a pro could spend 4 to 6 hours at the range, putting and chipping. The number of swings taken on Tuesday can be huge!

So there you have it, a full week on tour with an idea of the number of swings taken by a tour player over a 7-day time frame. Now take this number of swings and multiply it out over an entire season where an average player will participate in 25 tournaments. The numbers get really big looking at it from this perspective. I imagine at this point the connection between endurance and the golf swing has been made. It essentially comes down to this: to swing the club effectively on the correct path over an extended period of time, you need to develop endurance in your muscular system specific to golf. The next question to present is how do you do that?

Developing Endurance Specific to the golf Swing

So how do you develop endurance in the muscles that are used in the golf swing? You can not really do it by running or doing the Stair master at your local health club. The reason why? These types of exercises are great for developing cardiovascular endurance and developing some musculature endurance in the legs, but they do not work all the muscles involved in the golf swing. And they certainly do not create endurance in these muscles in relation to how they are used to swing a club.

The methodology that is required to develop endurance in the golf swing requires you to perform what I call cross specificity exercises specific to the movements and positions in which the body placed during the swing. The result of this type of training is what we term a transfer-of-training effect. A transfer-of-training effect is where the exercises performed in your training program improve the performances on the field of competition. Field of competition, when it comes to golf, pertains to the golf course and your swing. So invariably we need to develop what I term golf endurance through exercises that are cross specific to the golf swing with the outcome of a transfer-of-training effect to golf swing.

Sean Cochran is one of the most recognized golf fitness instructors in the world today. He travels the PGA tour regularly with 2005 PGA & 2004 Masters Champion Phil Mickelson. To learn more about Sean and his golf fitness programs go to http://www.seancochran.com

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Ease Menopause Symptoms with Aromatherapy

Menopause can be a physical, psychological and emotionally challenging time for many women. They will spend half of their adult lives in menopause, according to statistics which show the average life expectancy of women at 79.5 years nowadays.

By 2050 women will probably live to be at least 95 years old. A new generation of health-conscious women today is looking forward to a new phase of life with physical, spiritual and personal growth.

Most women think of menopause as the point when they cease to menstruate. They do not link irritability, anxiety, memory lapses, or mood swings to hormonal imbalance caused by this process of biological change. about 75% of all women experience some temporary symptoms of hot flashes, night sweats, weight gain, increase in level of cholesterol, decreased libido which may last for years; long term ones may include vaginal dryness and urinary problems. To know more about menopause, you can visit http://www.1menopause.com

Fortunately, these unpleasant complaints or symptoms can be prevented, reduced and relieved by making some changes to daily lifestyles with the right diet, nutrition supplements, regular exercise and adopting some complementary therapies such as yoga, tai chi, spa therapy or holistic aromatherapy, which all help to achieve a healthy, balanced lifestyle with natural medicine. They also offer a safer alternative compared to Hormone replacement Therapy. They also to reduce the risk of future age-related diseases such as cardiovascular disease, breast cancer, osteoporosis and diabetes.

For a list of detailed menopause symptoms please visit http://www.1menopause.com

Aromatherapy, which has been well used for over 2000 years, is the practice of using distilled essences obtained from the leaf, stem, flower, fruit peel, bark or root of a tree. As the aromatic molecules from essential oils disperse in the air, they:

• carry pleasant fragrances to your nose
• come in contact with the olfactory receptor cells in the nasal cavity
• transmit the information to the olfactory bulb which is a structure just above the nose.
• cause a response in the limbic system of the brain which works in conjunction with the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus region to regulate the hormonal activities.
• trigger the production of hormones that govern appetite, body temperature, insulin production, overall metabolism, stress levels, sex drive and conscious thought and reactions.

Essential Oils can have a positive effect on all these functions through the sense of smell which happens to be the most complex and sensitive of all the five senses. The sense of smell is over 10,000 times more sensitive than your sense of taste and researchers have shown how aroma causes a brain reaction by activating the hypothalamus gland, the pituitary gland and the bodys hormones as well as stimulating the emotion and memory.

Aromatherapy is particularly effective for stress, anxiety and psychosomatic induced problems, muscular and rheumatic pains, digestive disorders and womens problems such as PMS, menopausal problems and postnatal depression. It is a natural and non-invasive therapy designed to help a person enhance the body's natural ability to balance, regulate, heal and maintain oneself.

Essential Oils are very concentrated and their properties potent as they contain molecules small enough to enter your skin; except for essential oils of lavender and tea tree, the oils need to be diluted with a carrier oil, usually with a vegetable oil such as sweet almond or jojoba, to avoid skin irritation. The oils can be used in a vaporizer, sprays, bath, hot or cold compress, perfume or for topical body application or massage. Some recommended essential oils for menopausal women:

• Bergamot uplifts mood and reduces anxiety and depression.
• Clary Sage eases hot flashes and night sweats and PMS.
• Roman Chamomile has calming effect, ease tension, anxiety and headaches.
• Frankincense helps psychosomatic problems and anxiety.
• Geranium is a hormone balancer and reduces stress.
• Jasmine is euphoric and eases tension and anxiety.
• Juniper Berry regulates period and relieves water retention.
• Lavender is sedative and aids sleep.
• Rose is a womb tonic and provides relief from pre menopause to post menopause.
• Sandalwood stimulates the development of sex hormones and promotes vaginal secretions.
• Ylang Ylang is aphrodisiac and relaxes the nervous system.

Copyright 2005

Elena Leong is a certified aromatherapist by International Federation of Aromatherapy (IFA) and the founder of http://www.1menopause.com - a website on menopause information and its associated symptoms and problems which can be prevented or reduced by some natural Chinese herbal supplement, complementary therapy and other natural treatment options to ease and enjoy the menopause transition.

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