Golf Shake (1.7)

Win a golf break to Hilton Avisford Park 4*

We've linked up with the nice people from Golfbreaks.com and Hilton Avisford Park to give you the chance to win a fabulous three day golf break for four people to their 4* Hotel and Country club in West Sussex.

The prize
Two nights bed and breakfast with dinner, and two rounds of golf for four people.

The location
Arundel, West Sussex.

The hotel

The recently refurbished Hilton Avisford Park Hotel was once the home of Sir George Montagu and a Roman Catholic preparatory school for boys before its transformation to its current status began in 1975. Situated just three miles from the historic town of Arundel, the 4* hotel is ideally placed to explore the surrounding area and its attractions including Goodwood Races, Arundel Castle and Chichester Cathedral.

The hotel retains many charming features from its varied history including the names of the former head boys preserved in original oak panelling in its fine dining restaurant. The Livingwell health club offers a fully air-conditioned gymnasium, indoor and outdoor heated swimming pools, sauna, steam room, solarium and health and beauty salon. What's more, its location in the heart of the South Downs provides the perfect setting for clay pigeon shooting, flying and driving experiences.

The golf

This cracking, beautifully conditioned little course is set in 89 acres of peaceful Sussex countryside. The open, parkland layout is played through a valley and features many mature trees and hazards including some strategically placed bunkers as well as a few small wildlife streams and ponds. The key to good scoring is to play the tricky par 3s well and with only one par 5, there is a premium on accuracy over length.

To enter, login and complete the form http://www.golfshake.com/survey/compnov07.php and you and three lucky friends could be on their way. Don't forget to tell all your friends to enter as well... just remind them to invite you if they win!

Terms and Conditions
1.The prize is for 4 people and includes 2 nights dinner, B&B and 2 rounds of golf.
2. The prize is subject to availability and is valid Sunday – Thursday until 31 October 2008. It is not valid weekends, bank holidays, the festive season or Goodwood Festival (10- 13 July and 18 – 21 Sep 08)
3, The prize includes a standard 3 course meal in the Cedar Restaurant. Any supplements taken will be charged.
4. Extra such as travel, drinks and spa treatments are not included in the prize.
5. Standard Golfbreaks.com terms and conditions apply; please visit www.golfbreaks.com for full details.
6. No cash alternative can be offered.
7. The prize is for 4 people based on 2 people per room.
8. The winner will be drawn on 28th Feb 2008 with details published on the site.

Stats dashboard, career stats, golf analysis and more!

This months update provides some exciting news on some new features and updates to the score tracking system which we hope you will find useful and help to enhance your game. I've already discovered that my par 3 scores and putting is letting me down and could save me 7 shots per round!

The new analysis and dashboard is available from the score tracker section.

Stats dashboard

The new stats dashboard now gives you an overview of your overall game including; total numbers for score type ie birdies etc, golf handicap information and recent analysis.

It also provides a snapshot of your recent performance including score, putts, advacned stats, recent rounds as well as information on your points and putting peformance.

Career Stats

The career stats allows you to see a full history of your scoring peformance which is broken down into last rounds and recent rounds. Further more this can be extened to see a month by month comparison or even a comparison of your performance over the last 3 years.

As well as scores and averages the career stats also includes putting information. Further information will be added very soon to include the additional advanced stats you may track.

New indepth buddy analysis

Within the analysis section the career stats has been extended even further to compare your analysis with that of your golf buddies. Once again further updates will be added very soon to help you get into your game even more, including the ability to compare your stats with handicap ranges etc

New graphical analysis

We've also taken the time to start to update and enhance the graphical reporting that is available on the golfshake.com website.

The score analysis will show you a full score overview and comparison to par as well as your recent round scores and comparison of scores to your golf handicap. As with all reporting on the site there is a filer mechanism to allow you to select with rounds are analysed in the reports.

Want to go one step further ? The advanced score analysis will show you a score distribution to highlight your frequent scoring range. On top of that your par 3, 4 and 5 scoring averages are compared to that of handicap ranges to highlight areas for improvement.

New graphical putting analysis

We've also added in some new graphical analysis for putting. Again using the filter system to select rounds the putting analysis will show you your recent putting performance.

Furthermore you can also see an overview of your putting performance including number of 1 putts, 2 putts etc, putting averages per round compared with handicap ranges and 3 putt percentages again compared with handicap ranges. Finally there is distribution chart to help identify your frequent putting scores.

Additional updates (round selector)

The round selector's now also been updated to include an additional overview report so you can quickly see recent rounds and information on score, nett, points, hole averages, fir's, gir's and putting stats.

Not that I don't have much to do but I hope you find these new features and analysis useful and look out for further updates very soon relating to further golf analysis and the online golf handicap certificate.

Is this golf? no rain, no waiting, no lost balls, warm weather

Doesn't sound like golf does it? but is this the new thing, indoor golf?  

If you fancy a quick solo round in 45 minutes, hitting a drive on the road hole of the old course at St Andrews, a round at Valderrama or even Pebble Beach, then indoor golf gives you this opportunity. Plus it's within the confines and comfort of an indoor venue sometimes with waiter service and free food!  For around £25 per hour it's also not to badly priced if there are a few of you.

Over the last 18 months several venues have started cropping in London and around the UK provided by the market leader in golf simulation Full Swing Golf.  If it's good enough for DJ Spooney, frequent attendee at Urban golf, and Ricky Gervais, who's supposed to be having one installed in his basement games room, then is this something for all golfers?

It's definitely not real golf because you miss out on so much that happens on the course but it can be very addictive.  The system is very accurate and true and really does give you a true reflection of your real life golf game, you get the benefit of never taking divots before the ball which means your shot percentage increases.  The only flaw is to me it is extremely difficult to judge your short game from about 50 yards, bunker play and putting.

I found the practice system excellent. No different to a range, hitting balls off a mat but the software will show you stats on carry, distance, launch angle, offset angle and so much more.  At present my driving is dire and I am working hard to get rid of very bad slice.  Hitting 20 balls on the simulator really helped me concentrate on my new swing and gave me a really good overview of how swing changes affected the ball flight, distance and deviation.   I definitely be going back just for the practice system, thankfully the venue I visited only charges £10 for one person during off peak.

Word of advice though. Don't play too much on the courses as I'm sure it would detract from your real game, given the difficulties to learn the short game, but the practice simulator is invaluable and so much better than a driving range.

In essence, you may miss out on the course banter, contending with weather conditions, awkward lies and the walk between shots but indoor golf gives you the opportunity for a different type of game.  It's maybe not for golf connoisseurs but it's definitely a new way to play, practice, introduce new people to golf and entertain clients and a bit of fun.  Plus you can play at night!

Can a golf score tracking website help improve your golf handicap?

If your a pro or very low handicap golfer than chances are you have a fairly good idea of your playing level, official golf handicap and an idea of where your game needs tweaking. For the rest of us in the large majority then chances are you are looking to get help where ever you can.

Can technology and a website help you ? why not.  Many top golfers already use performance software to track, analyse and manage their golf game, so why not you.

Using an online golf handicap calculator such as golfshake.com will get you started and provide you within an idea of your playing level in terms of golf handicap for all golfers from anywhere in the world. Plus you get access to a golf handicap certificate.

The golf score tracker system can then be used to really get into your game and see how you stack up against other golfers, see where your weak areas are and provide you with your own career stats.  Is it your Par 3, Par 4 or Par 5 scoring average that is letting you down? just by tracking your golf scores the golfshake.com golf score tracker will provide this information and so much more.



If there is a drawback then it's down to you, the system can only be as good as your golf round tracking and the rounds you record. Plus are you happy with statistics? thankfully the site makes all this easy for you.

For those that really want to get into their game then the system allows for advance round information to be tracked such as fairways in regulation, greens in regulation, bunkers, sand saves, putts and penalties.  If this is for you then this is something that can really get into your game and provide you with valuable information on where your golf game is it.

Obviously there are many benefits to tracking you golf scores; getting a golf handicap, improving your golf game and comparing your scores with your mates. Most of us may think we have little need of this type of system but what better way to provide yourself with the incentive to improve your golf handicap and all round golf game.  You many feel like things are improving on the course but what better way to prove it by seeing your own golf stats online.

So start tracking your golf rounds and stats today and hopefully you will start to see your golf game improve, lower your golf handicap and have more fun.

Remember this, at the end of the day for most of us golf is a game and something that is fun.  Hopefully tracking your scores won't take this away!