Putt the Ball in the Hole

The strokes you take on the green during your golf game wind up being about 40 percent of your score. wild, isn't it? We spend $500 on drivers to gain 10 yards and give it all away in just one or two three-putts and/or missed four-footers. As a corollary, we could use a 1970's laminated driver with some knock-off, found-in-the-garage irons and score the same as our most technologically advanced pals if we just shaved a few strokes off our putting game.

I know, "Drive for show, putt for dough." is what the guys that can't hit the bomb are always saying. I know that the guy that pounds it farthest is "The man". OK. I have been playing for over forty years and am on average one the longest hitters in the groups I hang with. That being said, my best rounds (and most Nassau wins) have been when I reign in the big swing and drain some putts.

Over the last twenty-five years my handicap has remained fairly constant around twelve to thirteen. That has been in the face of declining frequency of play and plowing through the fifty year-old barrier. How? Putting!

Putting is simply a combination of three key ingredients:

1. Mind
2. Reading
3. Execution

In this article I address the mind. No smoke, no mirrors, just how you mentally approach your putting.

Some years ago, I was reading some self-improvement books and came upon one that was something like "Learn While You Sleep". I just tried to find it by goggling and couldn't locate the exact book. That is not important. What is important is not the techniques taught in the book, but the concept that I came away with and have held ever since. The book was about letting your subconscious train your conscience during sleep, but I found that I could convince myself of certain things while fully conscious. This is the old "talk yourself into it" concept.

years after I read this book and while putting on a practice green, I drained a few 20 footers. I stepped back and realized that before I had made those putts, I expected that they were going to fall. The hole was huge, the ball was a bee-bee and my putter was a target rifle. Without realizing it, I had convinced myself of future success.

If you believe you will make the putt, you will have a great chance of making that putt. If you can't find that comfort, step back and gain the confidence. If you can't get it during that round, fine, get on the practice green later and gain it. If I did this with my garage-sale putter, lack of confidence, and intermittent jeering of pals, you easily can do it.

As positive as this article is, I hate to bring in the negative. I do so only to remind you of what you have felt so many times. "I can't make this putt but I hope to get it close enough so that I have a gimmee." "It's down hill with a good bit of break; hope I can two-putt it."

horse manure! You own the green! Three-putt? That is what your opponents do. You are a putting machine. Your putts eat the holes up. Now go out there and prove yourself correct. Stayed tuned for the next two articles on reading greens and then the technique to swat that beebee in the bushel basket.

Randall Ulbricht works from home sharing information via several web sites, including:
Article Outlet and
Family Tree Templates

Yoga Cl In Sorrento Italy

Ease Menopause Symptoms with Aromatherapy

Menopause can be a physical, psychological and emotionally challenging time for many women. They will spend half of their adult lives in menopause, according to statistics which show the average life expectancy of women at 79.5 years nowadays.

By 2050 women will probably live to be at least 95 years old. A new generation of health-conscious women today is looking forward to a new phase of life with physical, spiritual and personal growth.

Most women think of menopause as the point when they cease to menstruate. They do not link irritability, anxiety, memory lapses, or mood swings to hormonal imbalance caused by this process of biological change. about 75% of all women experience some temporary symptoms of hot flashes, night sweats, weight gain, increase in level of cholesterol, decreased libido which may last for years; long term ones may include vaginal dryness and urinary problems. To know more about menopause, you can visit http://www.1menopause.com

Fortunately, these unpleasant complaints or symptoms can be prevented, reduced and relieved by making some changes to daily lifestyles with the right diet, nutrition supplements, regular exercise and adopting some complementary therapies such as yoga, tai chi, spa therapy or holistic aromatherapy, which all help to achieve a healthy, balanced lifestyle with natural medicine. They also offer a safer alternative compared to Hormone replacement Therapy. They also to reduce the risk of future age-related diseases such as cardiovascular disease, breast cancer, osteoporosis and diabetes.

For a list of detailed menopause symptoms please visit http://www.1menopause.com

Aromatherapy, which has been well used for over 2000 years, is the practice of using distilled essences obtained from the leaf, stem, flower, fruit peel, bark or root of a tree. As the aromatic molecules from essential oils disperse in the air, they:

• carry pleasant fragrances to your nose
• come in contact with the olfactory receptor cells in the nasal cavity
• transmit the information to the olfactory bulb which is a structure just above the nose.
• cause a response in the limbic system of the brain which works in conjunction with the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus region to regulate the hormonal activities.
• trigger the production of hormones that govern appetite, body temperature, insulin production, overall metabolism, stress levels, sex drive and conscious thought and reactions.

Essential Oils can have a positive effect on all these functions through the sense of smell which happens to be the most complex and sensitive of all the five senses. The sense of smell is over 10,000 times more sensitive than your sense of taste and researchers have shown how aroma causes a brain reaction by activating the hypothalamus gland, the pituitary gland and the bodys hormones as well as stimulating the emotion and memory.

Aromatherapy is particularly effective for stress, anxiety and psychosomatic induced problems, muscular and rheumatic pains, digestive disorders and womens problems such as PMS, menopausal problems and postnatal depression. It is a natural and non-invasive therapy designed to help a person enhance the body's natural ability to balance, regulate, heal and maintain oneself.

Essential Oils are very concentrated and their properties potent as they contain molecules small enough to enter your skin; except for essential oils of lavender and tea tree, the oils need to be diluted with a carrier oil, usually with a vegetable oil such as sweet almond or jojoba, to avoid skin irritation. The oils can be used in a vaporizer, sprays, bath, hot or cold compress, perfume or for topical body application or massage. Some recommended essential oils for menopausal women:

• Bergamot uplifts mood and reduces anxiety and depression.
• Clary Sage eases hot flashes and night sweats and PMS.
• Roman Chamomile has calming effect, ease tension, anxiety and headaches.
• Frankincense helps psychosomatic problems and anxiety.
• Geranium is a hormone balancer and reduces stress.
• Jasmine is euphoric and eases tension and anxiety.
• Juniper Berry regulates period and relieves water retention.
• Lavender is sedative and aids sleep.
• Rose is a womb tonic and provides relief from pre menopause to post menopause.
• Sandalwood stimulates the development of sex hormones and promotes vaginal secretions.
• Ylang Ylang is aphrodisiac and relaxes the nervous system.

Copyright 2005

Elena Leong is a certified aromatherapist by International Federation of Aromatherapy (IFA) and the founder of http://www.1menopause.com - a website on menopause information and its associated symptoms and problems which can be prevented or reduced by some natural Chinese herbal supplement, complementary therapy and other natural treatment options to ease and enjoy the menopause transition.

Yoga Cl Siritalian Posted Lady