Posted by & filed under Blog.

So, you’ve put in what you think is a competitive score that surely has a chance of winning; you then hear someone has matched it.

What then? Who scoops first prize? You may have your own way of deciding who takes the honours when playing with a group of friends—perhaps a game of rock, scissors, stone—but most club competitions use the countback system.

This isn’t The Open—extra holes don’t come into it. Instead, a simple bit of number crunching is used to determine the winner. We say ‘simple’, but in some cases, it can get a little complicated.

However, here’s how countback generally works in golf…

how does countback work in golf

If a competition reaches its conclusion and there are players tied at the top, the winner is determined based on the scores for the last nine, six, three, and the 18th hole. It can be a frustrating way to lose, but this is the way a lot of club competitions are settled. If unsure, you can always consult your club’s Terms of Competition for each event.

 

What if there’s still a tie?

It’s unusual, but this does happen, and in this case, the competition committee can look at the last six, three, and the final hole of the first nine.

Countback is usually only used to determine first, second and third places. After that, if there’s a tie, they remain that way. In other words, it’s not used to determine every single place. For example, if you shoot 75 and finish in a tie for 12th, you finish in a tie for 12th—no one will be looking at your last three holes to separate you from the other 75s.

 

What about multi-tee starts?

how does countback work in golf

If you’re playing in a shotgun or two-tee start, your ‘back nine’ is obviously going to look different. Consistency is recommended, so the ‘back nine’ taken is generally holes 10-18 on a standard scorecard, regardless of which hole you teed off on.

 

How does countback work in Stableford golf?

The process for a Stableford competition countback is the same as a stroke play competition. However, the countback uses the total Stableford points instead of the standard net or gross scores. The number of holes used in the countback is the same, starting with the back nine, then the back six, back three, and the final hole.

The way countback is calculated can vary according to club rules or the rules of a particular competition, but this is generally how countback works in golf.

 

What about handicap competitions?

If a competition committee sets a stroke index allocation, you’d apply those handicap shots as you would for the competition itself.

Confused? Your competition committee will probably be only too happy to answer any questions you may have.

You may also want to check out the R&A Committee Procedures.

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The article below was written by Hannah Holden of National Club Golfer.

How to break 70 in golf

I met up with PGA Professional Jack Backhouse to take a look at five tips to break 70 in golf…

Have a repeatable ball flight

Lots of golfers overthink their long game when it comes to shooting lower scores. Despite popular beliefs, with your tee shot you don’t need to shape the ball in both directions to shoot lower scores.

Lots of tour players have shown us you can play exceptionally well while exclusively hitting one-shot shape off the tee. Just take a look at how much money Dustin Johnson has won recently…

The most important thing is to have a repeatable ball flight off the tee so you know what shot shape you are going to hit and can set your aim and target relative to that.

Dominate the Par-5’s

Par 5’s are statistically where the best players make their scores. Hitting driver off the tee and giving yourself a chance to get to the green in two is a huge part of driving down your scoring.

If you want to break 70 you need to be making birdies and the best way to do this is to get to as many par-5 greens in two as possible.

Have a good pitching control system

To shoot in the 60s, you need to hit your wedges close. You are never going to have a full shot into the green each time so having a system where you can hit numerous distances with all your wedges is key.

Practising your pitch shots and being able to hit numerous yardages with the same club is hugely important for driving down your scoring.

Don’t miss a green inside 100 yards

When players get inside 100 yards, it can be easy to get too aggressive and start firing at pins, but the last thing you want to do from this distance is get too aggressive and end up missing the green in regulation.

Even with a wedge in our hand, we want to be picking a strategic target that gets us on the green and gives us a birdie putt.

Be bulletproof inside 5ft

You can’t shoot low scores if you’re not holing out from near the pin. Five foot and in, is statistically the most important length putt to hole. This is because strokes gained-wise, you need to hole four 5-footers to balance out missing one.

To be good at 5 footers you really just need to dial in your aim and face angle at impact which can be done with simple drills on the putting green.

Using tee pegs on each side of your target line creates a small gate for you to thread your ball through. Practising this on the putting green will make it much easier to hole those knee knockers next time you are out on the golf course.

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We all dip into the second-hand market from time to time. Of course, the chief reason for not buying new is the money it saves. It’s no different with used golf clubs—and various reputable websites specialise in selling second-hand golf gear.

However, just like you’d do your research if you were buying a second-hand car, due diligence is also required when forking out hard-earned cash on used golf gear. Here’s what to look for when buying a set of used golf clubs.

 

Specs

We echo the advice of every PGA professional: to get the most out of your clubs, you should always get custom fitted. If you’ve been fitted previously, you’ll want those specs to hand—loft, lie, shaft type, and so on.

Of course, this won’t be a problem if custom fitting doesn’t matter to you. If you’ve always bought straight from the shelf and are happy with that, that’s your decision. However, it’s still important to know exactly what specs you’re getting, as you may end up with clubs that have been fitted for someone a lot taller or shorter than you!

 

Do your research

what to look for when buying second hand golf clubs

You wouldn’t go and spend £1,500 on a new set of clubs without doing some research beforehand, so don’t do it with second-hand golf gear, either. There are so many golf equipment reviews online, so it’s usually fairly easy to find out the original RRP and when it was released. Armed with these key figures, you should be able to weigh up whether you’re getting a good deal or not.

 

Condition

If you’ve decided to buy used, you’ll have accepted that you’re going to buy a product that’s not quite in perfect condition. However, just how used is acceptable?

Golfbidder uses a rating guide: 10 is brand new or mint; 9 is new without the wrapper; 8 is very good condition; 7 is good condition, and 6 is fair condition. Each rating is also broken down further for each equipment category.

For example, irons rated 6/10 are described as “in perfectly usable order but cosmetically not quite deserving of a ‘good’ rating.”

 

Grips

what to look for when buying second hand golf clubs

Your grips are the only piece of equipment you touch on every single swing, so they must always perform at their best. If your first swing with your ‘new’ 5-iron sees the club go flying off down the fairway, and you end up gripping extra tightly for the rest of the round, you’re unlikely to play your best golf.

So, it’s important to check the grips before you buy—something that might not be obvious if you’re purchasing online and looking at photographs. If that’s the case, do they look slick? Is the rubber crumbling? Is the paint on the grips discoloured? Have a good look for signs of wear. You don’t really want to spend £100 on a second-hand set of clubs, only to end up spending the same again on having them re-gripped. Suddenly, it’s not such a great bargain!

 

Postage and packaging

what to look for when buying second hand golf clubs

If you’re buying second hand clubs online, check how much extra postage and packaging costs, as it’s not always clear. You could be looking at a minimum of £20.00, which may be perfectly acceptable—after all, you don’t want your clubs getting knocked about in transit. Those long cardboard boxes cost a few quid, as does bubble wrap. Add on the cost of the courier, and that figure soon rises, especially if you’re buying a full set.

 

Reputable websites

Several reputable online retailers specialise in selling second-hand golf equipment, and there are certain advantages to using such sites. For example, Golfbidder, one of Europe’s busiest online golf retailers, individually inspects and photographs each club. This means that you don’t have to worry about getting counterfeit products.

All clubs also come with a full 12-month warranty and a seven-day, no-quibble, money-back guarantee.

Other retailers worth browsing include affordablegolf.co.uk and golfclubs4cash.co.uk.

 

Ex-demo clubs

Getting your hands on ex-demo clubs can be a great way of getting cheaper clubs. It’s worth asking your club pro if they offer such deals, as well as your high street retailer. You never know; you might grab yourself a bargain on a display model that’s just about to be replaced with a new arrival.

 

New releases

It’s not an exact science, but you might find yourself a better deal on second-hand clubs when a new model comes out—so it’s worth keeping an eye on the market.

All equipment manufacturers tend to work to a product cycle. Your club pro will normally have a good idea of what’s coming.

 

Accessories

So, you’ve hit ‘buy’ on a second-hand driver—the perfect model in the right spec—and you then release it doesn’t come with a headcover. Worse still, it’s missing the wrench that allows you to make adjustments.

Be sure you know what the model originally came with to avoid spending further time and money on essential accessories.

Posted by & filed under Golf Equipment.

These days, you don’t have to play 18 holes or head to the range to work on your golf game—you can practice in the comfort of your own home. There are a whole host of different training aids out there—one of the most popular of which are mats; more specifically, practice putting mats.

The benefit of owning one of these is that you can practice at home even when it’s too cold or dark to play, or if your course is shut because of bad weather. Quite simply, if you want your putting stroke to stay finely tuned throughout the whole season, you need one of these.

Many of the products we’ve featured below don’t just help you to work on your putting stroke, but they also feature games that add a bit of pressure to your practice.

As well as putting mats, several other mats are available that allow you to work on your full swing. Here’s a selection of the best golf practice mats currently on the market.

 

Perfect Practice Perfect Putting Mat (standard edition), RRP $174.99

golf practice mats

The Perfect Practice Standard Putting Mat is 9ft 6” long and has been designed to produce genuine 10-14 stimpmeter speeds with no skipping or skidding.

The precise track lines help users to visualise the path of their ball. Should it roll off-course, the feedback allows golfers to adjust their alignment and stroke. The mat, which is trusted by some of the best golfers in the world, also features two hole sizes, which are designed to strengthen precision training.

 

Champkey Speed Control Putting Mat, RRP $59.99

golf practice mats

This putting mat has a lot going on, although it’s not as complicated as it looks. It can be adjusted to run at four different speeds, allowing golfers to practice on greens that represent the closest speed to their home course or wherever they’re about to play. Users can create slopes, too, with a simple adjustment to the mat, and there are plenty of exercises and fun games to play.

 

PuttOUT Medium Putting Mat, RRP £69.99

golf practice mats

Designed with usability in mind, the PuttOUT Medium Putting Mat is easy to assemble and roll up for storage. With its thick rubber backing, it rolls flat straight out of the packaging. It also comes with its own carry bag, so it’s easy to take with you wherever you need to practice. It runs at 10 on the stimpmeter and features alignment lines and a target hole.

 

Me and My Golf Breaking Ball Putting Mat, RRP from £99.99

golf practice mats

For those unfamiliar with Me and My Game, this is PGA Pro duo Piers Ward and Andy Proudman. The pair have built a huge following on their social media channels—and have also created an online shop full of training aids, including this innovative putting mat.

It comes with three different weight-biased golf balls—slight, medium and heavy braking—allowing you to practice breaking putts at home. If you’re consistently starting the ball on the wrong line, you’re not going to enjoy much joy on the greens—but this mat also features start lines to help your set-up and get you holing out more often. You can choose between 7.5ft (£99.99) and 11ft (RRP £139.99).

 

SKLZ Accelerator Pro, RRP $59.99

Featuring a true-roll surface similar to an actual green and an up-slope to the cup, the Accelerator Pro helps improve every aspect of your putting stroke. It’s a clever piece of kit that features precise alignment guides at 3, 5 and 7 feet that help golfers square the clubface and produce a more consistent stroke. Meanwhile, the ball return allows users to train more efficiently without interruption.

 

Me and My Golf Dual-Turf Hitting Mat, RRP £39.99

golf practice mats

This hitting mat has been designed to simulate both rough and fairway grass. It’s perfect for anyone fortunate enough to have an indoor golf studio. For those golfers who hit a lot of balls into a net in the garden, this mat is also going to give your grass some relief.

The beauty of the two different types of synthetic grass is that it allows you to work on your strike from various lies. The mat measures 32.5cm wide by 62cm long and comes with three rubber tees (7cm, 5cm and 3cm).

 

SKLZ Launch Pad Mat, RRP $49.99

This multi-purpose, portable mat allows you to hit full shots from two different surfaces: clean fairway (0.5” tall) and rough (1.5” tall). It also comes with a 2” tee and a 1” tee, allowing you to hit different shots with different clubs through the bag.

 

Champkey Pro Hitting Mat, RRP $99.99

The CHAMPKEY PRO is available in two sizes: 3ft x 5ft and 4ft x 5ft. It comes with two alignment sticks—a useful addition that ensures you keep working on your basics as you hit balls.

What’s more, you receive four rubber golf tees which allow you to work on each club in the bag. The synthetic surface simulates hitting from a real fairway, and whilst there’s no alternative ‘rough’ area to hit from, this is still a very good training aid.

Posted by & filed under News.

The article below was written by Steve Carroll of National Club Golfer.

You all went mad for the changes to Stableford penalties, restrictions on standing behind your partner, and what to do if your ball hit an insect on the putting green.

But while they were some of the key headlines contained in the new 2023 Rules of Golf, which come into force on January 1, they weren’t the only alterations.

The R&A and USGA announced more than 40 ‘outcome changes’ between the 2019 and 2023 rules and not all of them will have immediately caught the eye.

That’s not to say, though, that they won’t have an impact on the weekly games you play at your clubs.

So let’s take a peek at five other new features in the rules that are worth knowing as you go into the New Year…

Making a stroke at an incorrectly substituted ball

You used to get the general penalty (two shots in stroke play and loss of hole in match play) for this blunder of Rule 6.3b. That penalty has now been reduced to one stroke.

You can’t put any objects down to show the line of play

Other than the putting green, it was OK to set an object down to show the line of play – if it was removed before making the stroke.

That’s now prohibited in Rule 10.2b (1) and (2). Regardless of the area of the course, a player “is not allowed to set an object down to show the line of play”.

You’ll get the general penalty – two shots or loss of hole in match play – if you do.

Cleaning a ball

You knew you could clean a ball that was lifted under a rule and from the putting green. You knew you could always clean a ball if it was lifted from anywhere else unless when it was done to see if it was cut or cracked, to identify it (cleaned only as needed to do so), because it interfered with play, or to see if it was in a condition where relief was allowed.

The old Rule 14.1c said a player who lifted a cleaned ball when not allowed got one penalty stroke.

But some sharp minds out there posed this question: Could you clean a ball that wasn’t lifted?

Rules chiefs decided it wasn’t clear enough whether that resulted in a penalty, and under what rule.

So they’ve slightly rewritten 14.1c to say “if the player cleans the ball when not allowed under this Rule, they get one penalty stroke and must replace the ball if it was lifted.”

RELATED: Am I allowed to use the green to clean my ball?

Protection of young trees

Most clubs use the Model Local Rule that aims to protect young trees from damage. It allows committees to make them No Play Zones and compel players to take relief using Rule 16.1f.

That’s still in place in a new Local Rule, which also gives committees the option of marking a collection of trees as either a No Play Zone or choosing to define young trees as an abnormal course condition.

What’s the difference, you ask? If such trees are an abnormal course condition, and not a No Play Zone, then you have the choice of whether you want to take relief or not. You are not required to do so and could play ball as it lies.

Think ground under repair. You’d probably take free relief, but you don’t always have to. If your club brings in this change – laid out in Model Local Rule E-10.2 – the power will be in your hands.

RELATED: Are trees ruining our golf courses?

Embedded ball relief

Here’s an interesting one coming into the winter. You are only allowed to take embedded ball relief, under Rule 16, when your ball is in the general area.

The reference point for taking relief is the spot right behind where that ball is embedded. All clear so far?

Right, what if that spot is not in the general area? What do you do then? In the 2019 Rules, there was no requirement for that reference point to be in the general area. In an outcomes document revealing the main 2023 changes, the R&A and USGA said that “In some situations, relief is not available if no part of the relief area is in the general area”.

That’s been redefined in a new clarification to the embedded ball rule. It says that the reference point must be in the general area and if the spot right behind the ball is not, you must find the nearest spot (no closer to the hole) which is and use that as the reference point.

The clarification adds that while this spot would normally be very close to behind where the ball is embedded, “it could be some distance away”.

You may think this will never come up, but it’s good knowledge to have as this same procedure also applies when a ball embeds in the wall or face right above a bunker and when a ball is in bounds but “embeds right next to out of bounds”.

RELATED: Do I need to tell my partners I’m lifting my ball?

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It’s cold on the course, especially early in the morning. However, given the extensive range of winter golf clothing and accessories on the market, there can be no excuses for feeling the cold to the extent that you pack the game in for the winter.

In fact, so effective are some of the modern garments, they’d keep you nice and toasty if you decided to go trekking in the Arctic.

There are other ways to keep your body warm on the fairways this winter, too. So, as well as topping up your golf wardrobe with a few items of winter golf gear, here’s how to keep warm playing golf.

 

Wear a base layer

how to keep warm playing golf

A base layer has to be number one on the list. They provide incredible warmth for such a thin piece of material. Skin-tight base layers don’t restrict your swing like bulkier layers can and help increase blood circulation. On really icy days, you may want to consider a pair of base-layer bottoms, too. Now it doesn’t matter how low the temperature gets.  

 

Prepare a hot drink

Make sure you top up that flask of yours before you tee off. It’s important to stay hydrated, of course, which is why you should always carry water. However, during the winter, use your flask for a cup of hot tea or coffee—or, if you’re feeling adventurous, a hearty soup. You can’t beat sipping a hot brew on the frosty fairways.

 

Wear winter mitts

how to keep warm playing golf

If you don’t own a pair of mitts, put them on your Christmas list. These are up there with the base layers—they’re absolutely essential. Once the hands and fingers go, so does your feel, and you have no chance of playing your best. Winter mitts are easy to slip on and off between shots, and they do a fantastic job of keeping your hands warm, so you can grip your club properly and keep that all-important feel in your fingertips.

 

Invest in hand warmers

how to keep warm playing golf

Why stop with a pair of winter mitts? There are lots of hand-warming devices out there that you might not necessarily find in a golf shop. Such products don’t just target golfers but anyone who suffers from cold hands when out and about. Some, you simply charge up at home; then, when you get to the course, turn them on, place them in your pockets, and feel the heat.

Related: The best winter golf hand warmers

 

Wear thermal socks

how to keep warm playing golf

Okay, this might be stating the obvious, but plenty of golfers out there don’t own a pair of thermal golf socks—and that’s a crime! We’ve all suffered the painful feeling of numb toes, and no amount of feet stamping can bring them back to life. Again, how can you expect to play your best when you’re suffering from cold feet?

 

Wear a bobble hat

If you ever see a golfer playing without a bottle hat in the winter, they must be made of pretty strong stuff. So much body heat is lost from our heads, so keeping this part of the body warm is crucial. Cold ears rival cold toes and fingers for pain. Quite frankly, taking to the golf in the winter without a warm hat is madness.

Related: Best golf beanies 2022

 

Try a snood

Eyebrows were raised when the pros started wearing snoods, but no one would question the look these days—they’re becoming increasingly popular. Snoods are really effective on cold and windy days. They keep your neck warm and prevent drafts from getting down your top. Think of those blustery days on the links, where the icy gusts take your breath away. Another advantage of wearing a snood is that the stretchy material can be pulled right up over your face.

 

Carry your bag

If you really suffer from the cold in the winter months, try carrying your clubs instead of using a trolley. It’s always nice to get moving after you’ve been standing around in the cold waiting to tee off. You might find that you warm up a lot quicker and stay fairly warm throughout your round when you’re tasked with carrying your clubs on your back.

 

Invest in decent waterproofs

When the wet starts penetrating through your layers, there’s no coming back. If you’re a golfer who likes to play all-year round, you’ll already know the importance of wearing fully waterproof jackets. Ideally, you need a full suit—so that’s the jacket and trousers. Today’s best waterproof golf suits will keep you dry in even the wettest conditions. 

 

Switch to waterproof shoes

Many a golfer gets caught out wearing the wrong type of golf shoes when the cold weather comes around. Even if there’s no rain forecast, make sure you wear fully waterproof golf shoes during the winter months. One trip to the long, wet rough in shoes that aren’t waterproof, and you’ll be suffering from cold, wet feet for the rest of your round.

Related: The best waterproof golf shoes