Putt Like the Pros

Golf season is finally in (excuse the pun) full swing again in Minnesota. If you haven't been practicing in the off-season, chances are your game is a little rusty. Check out some of our putting tips to take your short game to the next level:

Take Address

Stand so that your eyes are over the ball. Stand in a position that is comfortable for you and ensures correct posture. Your body should maintain a consistent motion with your elbows held to your sides.

Be Flexible

Don’t play with a stiff body, flex your knees and keep your shoulders relaxed. Not only will this make your putt closer to perfection, but it will also keep you more relaxed while on the green. If you have a hard time relaxing your body during your putt, try moving further or closer to the ball and practice putting.

Left, Right, and Center

If you found that you need to move away from the ball, but yet still can’t sink the putt, step sideways. Try moving to your left or right and find your pendulum swing sweet spot. You will only make a perfect putt consistently when you learn to hit the ball dead square.

Take the shot

Remember to relax and keep a slow and controlled movement. Don’t worry about rushing through the putt. If you feel uncomfortable taking your time, don’t – we’ve all started somewhere. In no time, you will be putting like a pro and swinging low scoring games.

One of the best things you can do to improve your game is simple… practice! Get out on the green and take a few shots. For tee times, location, online specials and more, visit our website at Blueberrypinesgolf.com.

Why You Should Spend More Time at the Driving Range

As Minnesotan golfers, we don’t have the luxury of all-year round golfing.  When the warm weather hits, we try to hit the course as much as possible while there is no snow on the ground. Indoor driving ranges are an excellent way to keep loose and maintain your swing during the long winter months. So, if the indoor driving ranges are so crucial to keeping an effective golf game during the off-season, why don’t we utilize the outdoor driving range while the season is in full swing? Here’s a few reasons why we believe it would be beneficial for you to spend more time on the range:

Save Yourself a Few Strokes

Most of us know that usually the first hole is one of the worst of the entire round. Hitting a driver when you are not warmed up (especially if everyone around the proshop watching your group tee off) is a disaster in the making. Instead of showing up 15 minutes before your tee time, show up 40 minutes early and hit a bucket of range balls to shake off the cobwebs and be ready to impress.

Keep Your Game Fresh

Life is busy- there can be times when you cannot make it to the range for weeks at a time, which ultimately may cause your golf game to suffer. The perfect solution is to hit up the driving range. You may not have time in the day for a four-hour round of golf, but you may have the time to hit the range for 20-30 minutes.

“Practice Makes Perfect”

This is a quote we have all heard a few thousand times in our lives, but in regards to golf it is very relevant. Use the range to fix the biggest and smallest flaws in your game. What sounds better- having to aim 70 yards to the left of the hole so you can play your nasty slice, or being able to aim down the middle of the fairway and have a better chance with your putt?

Additional Workout

We golf because we love the sport, but it is a small bonus that we can get exercise from it as well. Take advantage of the range to stay active, help gain more flexibility and athleticism, and burn more calories.

Don’t overlook the driving range because it may hold the key to unlocking your golfing game to new heights. For additional help at the range and with your game, Blueberry Pines offers group and private lessons that can be booked online or by calling the Golf Shop at (800) 652 -4940 or (218)-564-4653.

The Top 10 Reasons Why You Should Golf

Beloved by people of all ages and personalities, golf is a constantly exciting game. It provides many benefits to your health, your athletic ability, and your social group. Whether you are looking to start playing for the first time or looking to return to the game, below are ten good reasons why you should play the game of golf.

1. Improve Your Physical Health
While Mark Twain call golf “a good walk spoiled,” regularly playing golf can benefit your health in many ways. Brisk walking provides light cardiovascular exercise and excellent circulation for your body. Golf helps to lower the risk of injury and aching bones, and in return will revitalize muscular flexibility. Also, carrying your own equipment—a weight-bearing exercise—will help improve your bone health and increase your metabolism.

2. Improve Your Mental Health
Golf is a therapeutic and stress-relieving sport that requires concentration. A temporary reprieve from the hectic schedule of life will improve your mental health significantly, allowing you to center and refocus after. The social aspect of golf and sharing a common interest with others can increase self-esteem and happiness while lifting depression and improving your outlook on life.

3. It is a Brain Exercise
No matter the outcome, you are sure to employ a number of strategies in your game that will exercise different areas of your brain. Problem-solving through the use of geometry and spatial reasoning to strategize your aim will provide a great workout for the left hemisphere of your brain, while the visualization techniques you use to imagine your swing will exercise the right hemisphere of your brain. This creative workout will stimulate the tracking functions in your brain as well.

4. Sharpen Your Focus and Coordination
By concentrating on your swing and imagining where the aim of your ball will travel, you are training your brain to focus on a target. Playing golf repeatedly will train you to focus on tasks and control your thought processing. Golf exercises your coordination as well, as you utilize precision strokes and balance to play.

5. Surround Yourself with Nature
Golfing gives you the opportunity to breathe in fresh air. With hundreds of beautiful golf courses around the country, it is not hard to embrace nature’s beautiful and winding views of oceans, forests, mountains, and more. Being on the course will help you soak up some extra sunrays. The Vitamin D provided by the sun will help increase your energy levels, improve your attitude, generate healthy cell growth, and aid in your calcium absorption. Plus, all the added health benefits will help you sleep soundly.

6. A Challenge for Every Athlete
No matter how competitive you are in sports, every different game of golf presents a new challenge -- a new personal best to beat or a new terrain to conquer. Golf is an excellent game for those who seek competition, and it is among only a handful of sports that has tournaments readily available for non-professional athletes around the world.

7. Learn Etiquette and Good Social Habits

Because there are no referees in the game, unspoken etiquette rules are how players govern both themselves and fellow competitors. Etiquette rules prove useful on and off the course. It allows you to practice personal responsibility and self-regulate your temper. It emphasizes respect and consideration for your peers and for the space in which you play.

8. A Game for Everybody
Simply put, anybody can play golf, regardless of age, gender or previous athletic ability. It’s a sport that can bond generations, heal disagreements and spark friendships regardless of whether you are a novice or a master of the game. A perfect union of socializing and exercising, it’s not hard to understand why people consider golf to be a life-long sport.

9. Network Your Way Through the Course

The nature of golf provides a relaxed atmosphere where you can socialize with peers and where you can easily make innumerable contacts. A round of golf can shed light on the integrity, personality, and habits of a playing partner. Being proficient at golf may help you make business deals and provide great opportunities for your professional life and personal connections.

10. New Trends

While the game itself can be traced back to 15th century Scotland, new trends always emerge in golf that keeps it relevant today. These trends address broadening the game further for a younger, more diverse group of people, and accommodating a generation where instant gratification trumps the rewarding game of golf.

These top ten reasons are only the tip of the iceberg for why golf is such a great sport to play. To discover why you should golf, visit Blueberry Pines Golf, Dining & Event Center located in beautiful Northern Minnesota near Park Rapids and Menahga, Minnesota. This beautiful championship 18-hole golf course features ‘towering trees, rolling hills, and a spring-fed streams’ plus offers individual golf outings as well as golf events and tournaments throughout out the year. Don’t wait to figure out why golf is the game for you!