The sun is rising a bit earlier now, and staying light long past 7pm. With the sun getting up higher in the sky each day, a lot of us are getting the itch to see just what kind of work we need to do in order to get the winter kinks out of our golf swing. Yes, spring is the season when true golf addicts are heading out to their local golf-clubs to see if the snow has departed enough to allow them to work on their game.

Before shaking off the cobwebs, here are 10 things to keep in mind before your first round of golf in 2019:

It's colder than it feels
Let's call this the "Weather Relativity" rule. In September, coming off a sun-scorched summer, a cloudy, 50-degree day feels like you're visiting upper Maine. But after three months of winter, those same conditions translate to a trip to the beach.

Remember, your golf swing uses a unique muscle combination and memory, one that's hard to replicate in the workout room. Making your first swing of the year on the tee box is a recipe for a disaster. Golf Digest fitness editor Ron Kaspriske says it's important to "prime your muscles before an athletic activity," so prior to heading to the first hole, make sure to swing and stretch on the range. Go ahead and warm up by hitting a bucket of balls to get the kinks out of those shoulder and leg muscles, which can help you in the long run by not getting any cramping or over-extended, stretched muscles!

One good mantra is “Slow and simple, stupid”!
Not only at the range, but throughout your inaugural round, the tempo should be your primary focus. Chances are your swing is going to be rusty. Trying to smash your new driver or taking a hard whack from the rough will only aggravate any kinks. According to teachers Lynn Marriott and Pia Nilsson, establishing tempo means giving 70 percent of full effort on a swing. This will help you keep your swing under control.

Stretch out on the driving range:
Like football's mini-camps or baseball's spring training, you don't see players going 110 percent in their first foray of the season. It's about returning to a rhythm. Getting the feel of gripping that club again and feel the muscles relax after you've gone through the follow through after your release.

Now one thing you can do in order to help you work on cutting down your stroke count is to make use of some available technology. I’m speaking of using a little golfer’s helper, a golf watch. After all, without having accurate distances on the course it becomes a guessing game trying to figure out what club to hit. Often times you may come up short or worse end up in a hazard.
You can really feel lost if you do not have the correct distance.
That’s right, having yardage to each hole, straight from your wrist can really make a difference.
One of the most popular golf watches with GPS right now is the Garmin Approach S10 golf watch which comes preloaded with more than 41,000 courses worldwide. It includes all these courses and with no monthly subscription.

And its overall price is a bonus compared to some other golfer's helpers out there and you can get it from a company known for developing innovative GPS functionality that has been around and used by our military for its accuracy for years. I'm talking about the Garmin Approach S10 Golf Watch!  It provides yardages to the front, back, and middle of the green--as well as hazards and doglegs--on thousands of preloaded courses worldwide. From Garmin.

Starting off with a 9-hole round is a great way to get the kinks out and walking that course will help your leg muscles realize that it’s that time of year again where they need to perform in order to maintain your playing gait. Now, remember, your first, second, even third trip out to the links are going to keep you humble. You're not going to score well; your game is going to be off and the course won't be aesthetically pleasing. Why even bother, you might ask.

Why? Because, in spite of the less-than-ideal environment, it's still going to be a damn good time. Spring golf may not be the game at its best. But first rounds, in any walk of life, rarely are; they pave the way for better things to come.

So, go on, grab your clubs, put on that visor-golf-hat, tee up, and go have some Springtime fun.

 

With Spring officially starting on March 21st this year, and the weather is starting to feel like it, most of us that keep an eye on our favorite golf courses want to make sure that as soon as they give the word that they’re open, they will head on over to hit those balls off the tees and start working on improving their golf game.

If you’re looking for some tips on doing just that, but don’t have the benefit of affording the course knowledge of a golf pro or caddy, you can still get one up on your golf buddies by using a little golfers helper to dial in the exact measurements to the green and more importantly the flag with that little hole at the bottom!

I’m talking about using a new range finder, that comes with GPS functionality provided by the company that is at the forefront satellite plotting to get the exact distances between you and that hole. The Approach Z80 Golf Laser Range Finder with GPS, from Garmin  It provides accurate laser distance measurements, within 10” to the flag, up to 350 yards/320 meters. Along with a Full-color 2-D Course View mapping, which is overlaid on the viewfinder for more than 41,000 courses worldwide. The Approach's Image stabilization reduces shakiness and makes it easier to find and range in on the flag. The "Green View" feature automatically shows the distance to the front and back of the green!

The Approach Z80 laser range finder with GPS is the most accurate laser range finder available. It also gives you a new perspective on more than 41,000 courses worldwide. Plus, you also see accurate distances to hazards at the same time. This speeds up play because there’s no need to range them separately. Approach Z80 automatically determines which hole you are currently playing to provide course layout and par information.

With its Image stabilization feature, it makes it easier to find and range in on the flag. The flag finder locks on the flag of any hole. After flag lock, Green View automatically shows the distance to the front and back of the green through the lens. The view through the range finder shows the hole at 6-times magnification for clear, crisp views with map overlays that show the hole layout.

Additionally, having the yardages on the entire hole is extremely valuable. If you’re on the tee you can shoot a few distances to see where they factor in relation to the trouble. Or, you can simply just look through the lens and take a look at the 2D map. One nice feature is that you can input your average driving distance and it will automatically display where your landing area will be.

Overall, this is an excellent product. Garmin outdid themselves in the GPS category with this rangefinder. As it stands right now, I don’t think you’ll find a better combination of features for a golfer who wants to know all of their yardages, as their playing through their game.
So as we mentioned above if you're looking for those reliable recommendations as your playing your game, think about the Garmin Approach Z80  and see just what a difference knowing just where your ball lies compared to where it needs to drop into that little whole with the flag stuck in it? The laser enabled Z80 can help you get there with hopefully fewer strokes than without it.

 

Fall is one of those times of the year when people start to realize that the winter months are really not that far off. This makes them want to get in as much outdoor time as they can and luckily there are many different venues that happen this time of the year.

From people going on corn-maze adventures, to find the best crop of sweet, delicious apples and cider to take the kids, family, and friends on a hayride, with looking for that perfect pumpkin in the pumpkin patch at the end of the trip. Yes, Fall has a lot to offer, the clean air, that’s just starting to get a tinge of coolness in it. To the leaves on the trees beginning to change color and paint a magical landscape for us all to enjoy.

But the Fall months is also a great time to continue to enjoy a few rounds of golf before the winter winds start to blow and that white stuff begins to fall. Yes, Fall can be a great time for any golfer that’s looking to take a few strokes off of his/her game.

And if you're looking for a little help in turning your fairway shot from a decent one, to a shot that your friends will be a little jealous of, why not take a look at the Garmin Approach X40 Fitness Band.  Now, this watch will provide you with just a little advantage over your golfing buddies in as much as it will let you know the distance to the front, middle and back of the green while letting you know just where those hazards are so you can plan your shot accordingly. And besides the golfing advice, (naturally, you're going to be carrying your own bag and clubs since you don’t use a caddy) so your Garmin Approach can act as your tech-caddy, that just provides you with the pertinent information about the lay of the land. It also keeps track of how many steps you're taking around that course while keeping an eye on your heart rate. We don’t want to encounter any problems while you're playing a round or two now do we?

The Garmin Approach X40 is preloaded with 40,000 golf courses and highly sensitive GPS receiver. This makes this amazing wrist-band your ideal golfing partner. Whether you are playing on your local golf course or teeing off at some place new; the band’s high-sensitivity GPS receiver will provide you with accurate distance data. It will show precisely how far you are from the next pin on the crisp touchscreen display, even if you’re under the tree canopy.

This little wrist-based golf companion will keep you honest as well, in as much as it keeps a record of your score for each round with its built-in digital scorecard. After the round, you can save your score and later review your performance. You can also use Garmin Connect Mobile with your smartphone to upload and share your best performance with your golf buddies.

So, if you like golf, and I know I do, when are you going to get your own Garmin Approach X40 ? I already have mine and I’m taking advantage of all the features it has available. After all, who knows, with the X40, I just may hit a front 9 below 70! Now that would be a feat indeed. How about YOU?

 

In the summer we always look forward to great weather. After all, the sun comes up early and sets later so that our days are longer than at any time of the year. How we spend that time dictates what we talk about when the winter winds begin to blow, and that white, wet snow begins to fall. Some of us like to take advantage of the summer sun and head out to a sandy beach or secluded pond to do some swimming, fishing or just plain soaking up all that sunshine.

But there is that group of men and women that can't wait for the snow to melt away from their favorite golf course so that they can begin to shake the rust off of not only their clubs but also themselves after being forced to watch the reruns of championship golf matches on the golf channel.

If your one of these golf enthusiasts, then you know the only way to improve your game is to practice, practice and more practice. Working on your swing, your long drive, chipping and of course your putting. Nothing does more to help improve your game than becoming familiar with the lay of the land that makes up your course. The different contours the fairways have, the various obstacles that the designer of the course made sure that it's laid out, with enough of a challenge so that it tests your mettle and don’t forget the greens. The lay of the greens can put added strokes to your game! Sand traps and water hazards have nothing compared to the way a green can devastate your putting game with various angles, slopes and cut-away runs that can send your ball, once you even make it onto the green, rolling back away from the pin to drop into a water hazard.

Well, the PGA Championship has just ended and there is still a full summer and fall season of Championship golf to watch and your own weekly games to take part in. If you want to help shave some strokes off of your game, you may want to consider giving yourself a little advantage. Now, we're not saying you need to be a little light with the pencil as your marking your scorecard, that just wouldn’t be on the up and, up right? No, we are talking about giving yourself a little advantage in the way of a technology advantage. We are speaking of a Golf Watch!

The Garmin Approach S60 GPS Golf Watch to be precise! This golf buddy provides precise distances to each location on the course, as well as “Plays-Like Distance”, which adjusts yardages to account for uphill and downhill shots so you can select the best club for the situation. And with Touch Targeting, you can touch any point on the map for precise measurement to that exact spot — including fairway, sand traps, water hazards and more. And when you're about to lay up for the pin, “Green View” gives you each green’s true shape from wherever you are on the course, and it allows you to manually drag-and-drop the pin into the correct location for the day for greater accuracy. “PinPointer” even tells you the direction to the pin when you have a blind shot.

And your getting more than just a “Golfers Helper" here, In fact, this watch can be used for more than just golfing with preloaded activity profiles for running, cycling, swimming and more. And with activity-tracking features, including the move bar, vibration alerts, calories and steps, the Approach S60 will help you stay fit, day in and day out.

So, there you have it. After all, using all the benefits technology has to offer is by no means cheating on your golf game, right? After all, you still need to hit the ball 😊

See you out on the greens, your golfing companions here at HeartRateMonitorsUSA.com!

Here at HeartRateMonitorsUSA.com you know we are all about health and helping you to be as healthy as you can be. That’s why we bring you some of the best health tracking devices and some supporting accessories in a one-stop-shop, online store. Now if you know our staff, you know that we practice what we preach. We like to be physical and stay active. So when we leave our happy place of employment each day, we all go about our favorite activities.

Today, I’m going to zero in on a favorite of ours. It may not be taking a fast run in the morning or hitting a steep mountain trail up into the hills but it still counts as physical exercise. That is if you’re walking around and NOT taking a cart!

That’s right, I’m talking about hitting the links and carrying your own golf bag (weight avg. 30-35LBS) around with you as you try and hit that little white ball, (color, of course, is optional) into a 4 and ¼ inch hole in the ground. Oh yeah, there is a little flag marking the hole for you to aim at from a distance.

Now, you may not think that playing golf ranks with the “Cross-Fit” or HITT crowd… and your right! But playing golf and walking those 18 holes out in the sunshine, carrying your own clubs and going up and down the fairways and swinging those drivers and 9-irons does add up to you getting in a fair bit of exercise. After all, according to “Golf Week” and other sources, the average time it takes to play an 18-hole, round of golf is 4 hours. Since you’re walking, toting around that golf bag and taking a couple of swings every so often, you’re not only burning up some calories, but you're also working your core, your abs, and your legs and stretching your hamstrings to boot!

Now I like a little advantage over my playing companions, and use a Garmin Approach S60 Golf watch to help me get a leg-up, or swing up over my friends as we play. After all, using this great little gadget even helps me to hit the ball better in relationship to where the pin is and where my ball actually lies. It has a function called “Green View” It gives me each Green's true shape from wherever I am on the course, and it allows me to manually drag-and-drop the pin into the correct location for greater accuracy. PinPointer even tells me the direction to the pin when I have a blind shot. And since it uses the latest GPS it shows precise yardages to greens, hazards, and doglegs, on full-color course maps. How cool is that?

Now, as I said above, playing a round of golf, while it's not exactly like hitting the gym or running, walking or hiking up a mountain trail, I’m still getting the benefits of increased physical activity. And since I can enable the tracking function on my Garmin S60, I can also track the distance that I’m walking around on the course, and a number of calories I burned, while I’m out there, enjoying myself and getting some fresh air and sunshine to boot.

So, remember, the next time the topic comes up around the water cooler and your cohort is bragging on how much he/she worked out over the weekend. You can say with a smile on your face that you played a mean game of golf and happily burned over 1,400 calories while enjoying the sun and your golf buddies as you trekked around the links. And that’s not counting the other physical and mental benefits you got while having a great day and enjoying all the weekend had to offer.

So, who’s ready for some golf? You??