The south of the United Kingdom is home to a gem of a course and its name is the Panshanger golf course. It is designed in the parkland- style, and will challenge the better player but it is not so daunting that the beginner cannot enjoy it as well. The pro shop always has a great range of accessories, and is staffed with friendly people.

The track overlooks a lovely valley not far from the B1000 Hertford Road, Welwyn Garden City in Hertfordshire. There are two courses available, a championship eighteen hole and a nine hole par 3 layout so any level of player can enjoy their round.

This field is a public field and is available to play seven days a week at very competitive rates. Packages are available also for groups and corporate clients. This par 72 field measures 6,354 metres from the championship tees and was designed by Peter Kirkham in 1975.

Corporate Hospitality days can be arranged, and there is a practice putting green and practice area. There are changing room facilities and the clubhouse offers lunch and dinner as well as a very nice bar overlooking the field, where you can enjoy a drink after your round.

There is a range of accommodation available. You can relax and spend a night or two. Hire clubs and trolleys, and even electric buggies for people without their own equipment are available at the pro shop.

The Panshanger golf course really does offer great value for money, from the moment you arrive you are made to feel most welcome, the eighteen hole field and the nine hole field are first class. You will want to come back again and again to this beautiful parkland venue. With its layout and amenities it is a real winner.

Would you like to play at a superb golf course and not need to pay high membership or greens charges? Are you seeking out a great eighteen hole, par 72 golf club outside of London? Check out the Panshanger golf course in Hertfordshire! It’s available to the public every day and offers a range of payment options including pay-as-you-play and monthly rates and showcases grand vistas of the lovely Mirman Valley!

‘Drive for show, but putt for dough’ is the phrase we’ve all seen and learned from watching professional golfers in every tournament and championship either live or on TV.

The masters of golf can drive a ball from here to eternity, but it all boils down to how many strikes of the ball it takes to put the ball in the hole. The long accurate drives don’t amount to anything if you’re unable to putt the ball accurately.

Your choice of putter is very important, but using the putter you have consistently, is even more so. I’ve had the same putter for fifteen years, so I know what it feels like in my hand, I know it’s weight and I know how that plays into my putts.

Putting takes a great deal of practice. For example, typically, we drive the ball eighteen times during a game, but putt at least twice that amount. So doesn’t it make sense that we should practice our putting at least twice as much as our driving? So, if you can’t get to the practice green often enough, just practice on your carpet at home.

But bear in mind that the ball will never make it to the hole, if it doesn’t have enough wallup behind it to get it in there. So, why not take the time to get down on the ground to look at the path your ball must run to the hole. Does it slope one way or the other? Does the path run uphill or downhill?

So, stand with your feet spread apart for balance and line up the putt. Keep you hands, arms and shoulders completely still. Imagine that you are a “bobble head” but that you move from just below your chest. Keep your head directly over the ball. Pull your club back; keep your hands, wrists, arms and shoulders steady – the movement comes from your chest. Hit the ball, following the ball through with your club.

Be sure to learn from each putt and remember the lesson. Practice, practice, practice!

Are you a rookie to golfing?? We have some great tips for the beginner golfer at Golfing Tips for Beginners. Free reprint available from: Golfing for Novices: Part Two.

We all realize that we ought to exercise. Some individuals even like doing it, but unfortunately for society and most of us in it, the majority of us cannot be bothered to get off their backsides, which is why the populations of Western countries are turning to lard before our very eyes. This is a shame not just for the people involved but for the tax-payers who have to refill the public coffers in order to take care of them when they get sick.

So, how can we induce ourselves to take more exercise? Obviously government health warnings are merely benefiting marketing agencies and the media, so what else? Maybe, they could tell us: ‘Play tennis once a week, you will enjoy that vodka a whole lot more afterwards!’. Or ‘Play a round of golf first and that G&T will taste better!’ Or: ‘Walk a mile to the pub, have a pint, walk back and have another one, you will need it!’ The puritanical way definitely has not worked, so why not give realism a try?

I mentioned golf there more or less by accident, but it strikes me that going for a game of golf and having a drink with your friends later is a whole lot better than watching it on TV with a can. It is not merely the walking either, which most of us do not do enough of anyway, but it is the actions connected with hitting the ball – the swing and hand-eye co-ordination as well. And the social life afterwards, and loads of people miss out on a social life especially after retirement or the death of a spouse.

Now golf might not appear to you to be an interesting sport and I understand that point of view completely, but that is because it is not until you comprehend how hard it is to hit that ball hundreds of yards onto the green that most people can grasp the difficulty of playing the game well. That might be true of most sports, but golf does look so leisurely, does it not?

One of the good things about golf is that you can play with people of comparable ability to yourself so that you do not feel self-conscious or ‘out of place’. If you join a ramblers’ club after 30 years of watching TV, you will soon feel old and past it, but golf is not the same, because there is no pace, no hurry, you can take as long as you like, you can let others ‘play through’ (go on before you) and you can call it a day and retire to the club house whenever you want.

Many retired people take up golf, particularly if they were used to being active at work, but it is also a hobby, that you can take up if you feel that you are not active enough at any age. It is surprising how much a little bit of extra exercise can help stave off stiff limbs and chubbiness.

If you are asking yourself: Is golf a good method of exercise? Or if you are just into golf, please go over to our web site entitled Golfing Tips for Beginners