by Ried Holien

Like oxygen and sex, golf pencils become a huge concern only when you’re forced to do without them. “Everyone takes the golf pencil for granted,” says Larry Krane, co-owner and Vice President of Sales for Panda Pencils, the USA’s largest producer of the ubiquitous 3½-inch writing utensils. “Most golfers don’t give any thought to the pencil they use to write down their score, but it’s an item that you have to have. Everyone has to start each round with a pencil and a scorecard, but everyone takes those two for granted. But get to where people don’t have one, or the pro shop doesn’t have any, and then people panic.” ....

Fading and drawing the ball are skills every good golfer should have. The modifications required to hit these shots are surprisingly very simple. Just keep in mind that the funda¬mentals, which apply to a normal shot, apply as well to these shots. To hit the fade — to move the ball from left to right — aim your clubface at the target, then open your stance and your hip and shoulder align¬ment setting your body a bit to the left. Now make your normal swing, the path of which will follow your body alignment. The only swing change you make is that you "hold on" a little more through the impact area and ¬you keep the back of the left hand firmer going more toward the target instead of releasing and rotating as it would in a normal shot.

The Single Pivot Swing

I have seen great players play off their left side, but never off their right side. Hogan, Nicklaus, Trevino, and Venturi all appeared to reverse their weight on the backswing. They did not; they merely stayed on their left side.

Golf is a game that requires patience, skill and a tolerance towards playing with some discomfort. If you play the game long enough, it is inevitable that you will experience some form of soft tissue discomfort.

Knee pain that won't go away and the recuperation process after knee replacement surgery.