Log cabin homes are becoming increasingly popular in the White Mountains of Arizona, including the town of Show Low. Many homeowners choose to buy a log cabin kit and build their own log cabin. For those who don’t feel up to the task or who don’t have the time, there are also custom cabin builders who can build the log cabin of your dreams. By working from existing house plans or creating an individual design for your home, custom log cabin builders can complete construction of a log cabin in a matter of weeks.
If you find yourself having to lay off golf in the winter or take it easy because of an injury, it’s important to keep yourself in golf-readiness shape. One of the most important aspects of golf fitness is flexibility. The range of motion required for an effective golf swing demands that your joints and muscles stay as loose and flexible as possible.
For more information, check out this informative article on golf flexibility. It recommends that you perform golf flexibility exercises at least four times per week and describes suggested exercises.
You can also find golf exercise videos on the PGA Tour website, including videos related to golf flexibility.
Travelin’ Joe on Golf.com recently rated the Phoenix / Scottsdale area as one of America’s top golf destinations. It’s also his hometown, so he may be somewhat biased. All the same, we were happy to see some of our favorite Arizona golf course on his list of the best of the best. Travelin’ Joe’s list includes:
We-Ko-Pa’s Saguaro – Walkable greens with extra wide fairways. Because this course is owned by the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, it remains free from encroaching residential and commercial development.
Troon North Pinnacle – Best public course in Scottsdale. The Monument course is also available at Troon North.
Grayhawk Golf Club – This course literally rocks, with class rock piped through faux-rock speakers on the fairway
Longbow Golf Club – A hidden jewel located 15 miles east of the Chicago Cub’s spring training facility at HoHoKam Park.
Read more about these and other Arizona gold courses in the Phoenix / Scottsdale area on the Golf.com website.
We-Ko-Pa is one of the top golf courses in Arizona. Developed by the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation (“We-Ko-Pa” means Four Peaks in Yavapai), this facility features two outstanding daily-fee courses. We-Ko-Pa is located in the Sonoran Desert east of Scottsdale and is surrounded by Red Mountain, the McDowell Mountains, Four Peaks and the Superstitions. The Yavapai Nation is committed to leaving the We-Ko-Pa free from residential and commercial development.
Unique topographic features of the We-Ko-Pa courses provide a challenge for every level of golfer. In addition of the championship courses. We-Ko-Pa offers a fully-equipped clubhouse and world-class practice facility.
This might not be a golf gadget for everyone, but we love the Golf Segway and just had to include it in our golf gadget series. The X2 model Segway has turf-friendly tires that allow it to be driven both on and off the greens. This special model Segway has an easy-access score card holder and hag carrier. The X2 Golf Segway is both convenient and fun, providing the ideal way to maneuver the golf course.
The Smart Stick is a swing training aid that uses high tech lasers to help golfers trace the ideal plane of a golf swing. The gadget consists of a bright orange stick that emits small laser beams at each end. By lining up the lasers with a line on ground, a golfer can practice keeping the golf swing on a single plane as described by Ben Hogan in his classic Five Lessons instruction book.
Read more about the Smart Stick on the official website. You can see how it works in this YouTube video:
The next installment in our short series on useful golf gadgets is a tee that promises to provide up to 7 additional yards per drive. The Brush-T by Bonfit allows you to tee a ball on flexible synthetic bristles that bend on impact. The bristles decrease resistance, contributing to longer and straighter drives. Golfers report a sensation of driving the ball off the air when using the Brush-T. Bonfit also reports that the Brush-T will help eliminate side spin.
The Brush-T conforms to the rules of the U.S. Golf Association and the Ancient Golf Society of St. Andrews. Find out more about the Brush-T in this commercial video:
Most golfers love gadgets, especially those that can help improve their game. We’d like to mention some cool golf gadgets that have come to our attention over the past few months. The first is BirdieBall, a golf training aid that has been getting a lot of kudos from golf coaches and PGA golf instructors. It was even voted Product of the Year at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Florida.
The BirdieBall is a limited flight practice golf ball that feels like the real thing when struck with a full shot. It consists of a hard plastic tube with beveled edges that’s designed to fly about 40 yards after a full shot. The BirdieBall is durable and won’t break like other lightweight training balls. Read more about BirdieBall at the official website and see a demo in this YouTube Video:
Golfing at Oakcreek Country Club in Sedona is like taking a trip back in time. The 18-hole course was designed by Robert Trent Jones and Robert Trent Jones Jr. in 1968. Its 6824 yards of tree-lined fairways are traditionally laid out and contain no hidden hazards or changes in altitude. The majestic red rocks of Sedona provide a breathtaking backdrop to this championship course.
The SkyCaddie SGX is the perfect marriage of technology and golf. Although not legal in tournament play, this handy little device can take a casual round of golf to the next level. The SkyCaddie uses the same technology as GPS devices. The data for about 30,000 courses is preloaded, allowing to determine various distances on the green without having to do time-consuming calculations.
The SkyCaddie SGX is the size of a cell phone and can be easily clipped onto a belt or golf bag. A bright color display makes the SkyCaddie easy to read in full sunlight. More in this video:
