Golf
Dow Dives 800 points to below 22,000, S&P 500 enters bear market
Trump resumed his attack on the Fed on Monday, tweeting that the central bank is “the only problem” with the U.S. economy.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin held calls on Sunday with the heads of the six largest U.S. banks in order to reassure nervous investors.
The NYSE closes early on Monday at 1 p.m. ET. The exchange is closed on Tuesday for Christmas day.
U.S. stocks plunged on Monday in their worst day of Christmas Eve trading ever, as the S&P 500 entered a bear market.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped by 653 points Monday in volatile trading, falling below 22,000. The Dow sank more than 2 percent, then recovered nearly all of the day’s losses, before again falling more than 2 percent. The S&P 500 fell 2.7 percent, slipping into a bear market, falling 20.06 percent from recent highs. Wall Street traditionally considers a drop of 20 percent or more from recent highs to be a bear market.
The only problem our economy has is the Fed. They don’t have a feel for the Market, they don’t understand necessary Trade Wars or Strong Dollars or even Democrat Shutdowns over Borders. The Fed is like a powerful golfer who can’t score because he has no touch – he can’t putt!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 24, 2018
The uncertainty over the global economy weighed down all of the indices. The tech-heavy NASDAQ ended the day 3.8 percent or 283 points lower at 7,158. The S&P 500 index closed at 2,700, down 90 points or 3.24 percent.
“Violent volatility resumed as tumbling bond yields, a flattening yield curve and lingering questions about the G20 US-China trade truce combined to stoke increasing recession fears. While US growth is still holding up OK, worries are increasing about the overseas economic outlook. All this macro-economic uncertainty is clouding the 2019 earnings outlook, leading to increasingly violent equity swings as investors try to handicap what 2019 will look like,” Alec Young, managing director of Global Markets Research, FTSE Russell, told ABC News.
“Cyclical sectors like technology, financials and industrials led markets lower, while defensive areas like utilities and real estate weathered the storm best. Until confidence in the global economy improves and bond yields stabilize, market psychology is likely to remain fragile,” Young added.
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The very best golf holidays in Belek
Beyond the outstanding golf courses, Belek offers some of the most luxurious ultra-all inclusive hotels in the world for great golf holidays in Belek. Belek’s golf courses were once a well-kept secret, but this beautiful coastline is now one of Europe’s most popular golfing destinations due to the array of championship courses and luxury 5* all-inclusive resorts.
Turkey offers an abundance of luxurious golf resorts with world-class golf on-site. Take the Cornelia Diamond Golf Resort & Spa, for example, a spectacular 5* resort with a championship 27 hole golf course on-site designed by Sir Nick Faldo. The Cornelia Diamond is a perfect definition of what a 5* hotel should be. The resort is huge boasting 571 beautifully designed rooms with the option of villa’s also available. With a staggering 13 bars on the complex and 9 Al A Carte restaurants, over a 7-night stay you can experience a mixture of international cuisine and commend the efficient service of the Cornelia Diamond chefs and waiters. Cornelia Diamond Golf Resort & Spa is the perfect break whether you are a golfing group or a couple as there is something for everyone. Enjoy the three huge swimming pools on-site, escape to the pier bar for a mid-afternoon cocktail or even visit the spa for a massage! Turkey is the host of the Turkish Airlines Open in the association of The European Tour. Every year the world’s best golfers compete on one of Belek’s most reputable golf courses for the 8 million pound purse. The Montgomerie Course is a regular host as it offers a test for all golfing standards. A round of golf on the Montgomerie will provide you with some of the best greens in the game and immaculate fairways. For any golfer who books a trip to Belek, be sure to make the Montgomerie Course part of your itinerary. A fun fact to finish… the Montgomerie Golf clubhouse is the only clubhouse in Belek to include an all-inclusive basis. In other words – unlimited food and drink throughout the time you spend in the clubhouse.
No matter where you live in the UK, there are direct flights with Easyjet, Jet2 and Turkish Airlines to name a few. Take advantage of the Turkish Airlines FREE golf club carriage for any flight to Antalya! Due to the time difference of 3 hours ahead in Turkey, our team at Golf Holidays Direct recommend a minimum of 7 night’s stay in order to maximise your time in paradise.
To summarise, whether you are a couple or a group of golfers, a trip to Belek offers something for everyone making it a location for the perfect holiday. Contact Golf Holidays Direct today for your very best golf holiday in Belek.
Golf
Putting Tips to Lower Your Scores
When it comes to mastering Golf, you cannot pass through the goal without mastering the putting skill. Putting is the deciding factor with any style of play you may have if you want to dop your score. Bombing the ball to 350 yards has less impact on lowering the score, compared to perfect putting. Being able to hit the ball that far will draw people’s attention for sure, but putting is the thing that lowers your score.
Practicing the putting will help you achieve the goal of the score. Practicing the wrong way won’t find you a way in; a set of professional advice can get you better. Here in this article, you will find that tips and hacks that’ll take your putting skills to another level.
1. Get a perfect Strike
Striking the ball for putting is the foremost crucial part of getting it in the hole. The aim here is to hit the ball right in the middle of the club. If you can hit the ball correctly right in the middle, the chance of getting the ball in the hole is higher. It gives you firm confidence and more control over the ball. The amount of the force you are putting on the club will decide how fast or slow the ball will roll over the green. While perfecting your strike, caveat your aim or alignment and focus on the center strike. It also helps to have good equipment at your disposal, so make sure you have the best golf shaft available.
How to practice the strike?
For a significant penetration on the strike and firm control on the hit, you need to practice a lot. You can follow these steps to perfect your center strike:
- Take two tees and stand where you want to strike the ball from. Put the two tees with a slightly larger gap of the width of the putter club you are using.
- Now put the ball in between these tees and attempt to strike the ball without hitting the tees. It will help you get more control over the club and hit the ball steadily.
- Furthermore, put the ball precisely in the middle with the tees a little behind and hit the ball. It will let you hit the ball accurately in the middle of the club and get a more efficient hit.
- Stick some tees parallel, making a gateway for the ball to the hole. Hit the ball from the opposite end and try to get it inside the hole without hitting the tees. You will notice the improvement over the time if you can hit it center.
2. Master the Pace
When it comes to monitoring the pace or as it called distance monitoring, it’s the easiest thing to master. When you practice enough to get the perfect strike on the ball, it’s easier to get the idea for the pace. You can eye-measure the distance from your striking point to the hole and decide how much of force you need. After getting the measurements right and striking it with the center of the club, it’s not much of a problem to get the distance.
How can you practice
As I mentioned earlier, getting the pace correct is not much of a problem if you get the strike correctly. You can still sharpen your measurement ability by following these steps:
- Stick a tee peg past the hole, and the distance could vary with your choice. My choice of ideal distance for beginners is about 5 feet across the hole.
- After sticking, get back to your striking place, and now you have two targets in front of you. One is the hole itself, and the other is the tee peg with a little more distance.
- Strike the ball and see how much of the distance you are passing the hole. You can always higher or lower the distance and get it correct until every strike is filling the hole.
- You will find a pattern of your own, note that down, and practice that a lot. It depends on how long or short your body and hand are.
3. Correct the Start line
The start line in putting the golf ball is the key to find the ball in the hole. If you get the start line correctly, you will be able to get the hole as your finish line for sure. Once you’ve got the reading of the green correctly and start striking, you will realize that your start line sucks. If you cannot get a correct start line, the ball isn’t going to find its way to the hole. A perfect club helps you get a perfect starting line comfortably. The weight and other features of the club will manipulate the line. You can get a pick in this post on the best putter under 200 to get the best understanding of the club.
How can you get the starting line correct?
You can practice your starting line a lot and get better. However, if you use this method, the process will push you to perfection combined with the striking and pace:
- Stick a putting gate about a foot ahead of your striking point and set your ball on strike.
- After sticking the gate, strike the ball through the gate, aiming at the hole. It will help you get perfect shots with a great starting line.
- If the first few attempts get you betterment, now harden the job by putting another gate with a foot distance from the first.
- You can use tee pegs instead of putting gates, make a pathway for the ball, leading to the hole.
4. Reading the green
The aim of correcting the starting line is not to touch the gate but get the hole with the ball. Reading the green follows the same thing combining with the pace control. You get the starting line correct, and you have a great pace control. If you get a wrong green reading, it will miss guiding the ball and let it run off the pace. To get better at green reading, I recommend using multiple gates and keep track of what angle you are striking at.
Bottom line
When you practice and try to follow the strikes the professionals get, don’t get too obsessed to develop perfect skrikes like them. Don’t pay too much attention to the professionals how they strike off-center, but the ball ends up in the hole anyway. They developed it with years of practice, and you should mind your own strike. Synchronize between all the skills to get your putting skills up to the mark and lower your score.
Golf
How To Prepare Your Putting Green For Winter
Rain, drought, wind and temperature extremes impact the way ball rolls, bounces and even flies in the air. Despite weather being summer, winter or spring, the superintendent has to maintain resilient surfaces to offer consistent playing conditions. Heavy rain can cause soft conditions. Freeze-thaw cycle, ice formation, or dangerous occurrences such as flash freeze can bring about catastrophic turf damage. These tough winter conditions can be very difficult to manage.
When days are shorter and daylight your golf course receives is inadequate, the solar panels of turf i.e. turfgrass leaf blades cannot produce adequate energy required to fuel growth. You are not going to get an extra hour to sleep. So, wear your work boots. It is important to make the putting greens winter-ready. You have to perform tree work to make sure that the grass receives maximum possible sunlight. We don’t place solar panels in the shade.
So, even when the temperature is mild if the winter is around the corner, you have to take the following steps to prepare your putting green for winter:
Raise Mowing Heights
- Readjust your Toro golf course mowers to raise mowing height. This increases the surface area exposed to available sunlight. As a result, grass can generate and store the energy required to survive tough winter conditions.
- Doing so also reduces turf stress. You need to make sure that the turf is not in a weakened state while it enters cold weather. As compared to healthy turf, weakened turf experiences more winter injury.
Evaluate Sunlight Penetration
- Turf needs sunlight to harden off during fall. This reinforces the turf to harsh conditions of winter.
- It doesn’t matter whether the turf is growing or not, make sure that adequate surface area is exposed to sunlight. Winter sunlight melts ice and snow. The frequency of thaw cycles and freeze is also reduced. This also prevents winter injury.
Consider Drainage
- The turf hardens off properly when conditions are dry.
- Collar dams are a frequent problem you have to address.
- Surface depression can increase the risk of winter injury. You can take the following steps to reduce this risk:
- Removing strips of sod create channels. These channels drain excess water from the turf.
- You can also install heating cables in these drainage channels. These cables keep the water from freezing.
- If you find subsurface drainage in putting greens, cut holes from the surface to drain lines.
- You can improve drainage with deep aeration. This supports better drainage and hardens off the turf. This also makes the turf less vulnerable to winter injury.
Plan Fertility
- Keep an eye on nitrogen application. Putting green covered with tarp should not receive nitrogen application as this can be risky. Turf becomes more prone to winter injuries.
- Potassium levels should be adequate as this increases the risk of winter injury, especially on Poa annua putting greens. Turf uses only the required amount of potassium. Excessive potassium levels are not going to help. Excessive levels can also increase snow mold. It is a turf disease that can cause serious damage or kill grass when the snow starts melting in late winter.
They say when grass and trees compete, trees always win. So, make sure that the turf is exposed to direct sunlight. You have to prepare the turf before winter arrives. The turf should not be weak when the winter is around the corner. So, prepare your golf course for winter before it is too late. This does not only prevent winter injury but also improve springtime playing conditions. Make sure that your Toro golf course mowers and other pieces of equipment are also winter-ready.
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