Sports & Recreation

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19
Nov 09

Italy with Kids – Seven Ways to Get the Most from Your Family Travel in Italy

Author: Pat Byrne
Source: articleage.com

Italy is a popular vacation destination for families because it offers something of interest for everyone. The land of gelato welcomes children in general and, more specifically, has sights and foods that most kids love. Whether your family is visiting monuments or relaxing in the Italian sun, here are some ideas on how to organize your vacation for fun and savings, too.
1. Rent an Apartment or Villa
For less than the cost of a hotel room you can rent a comparably comfortable and well-located apartment or villa in Italy. You will get more room for people to spread out and keep out of each other’s way. You won’t have adjust your schedule to hotel restaurant hours and maid service, either. You will have to make your own beds and settle for a weekly change of towels.
You can save on restaurant costs by eating ‘at home’ in your villa or apartment. We suggest having breakfast and dinner at home and dine in a nice restaurant for lunch. For your home meals, elaborate preparation isn’t necessary, you will find excellent pre-prepared selections in supermarkets, small grocery stores, snack bars, pizzerias and “tavola caldas,” cafeteria-style restaurants. Shopping for your food in Italian grocery stores and open air markets is a super cultural experience for the whole family, too.
2. Get the Best from Restaurants
The fixed-price menu of the day, often called the tourist menu, offers a full meal with savings over a’ la carte. Menus are always posted outside the restaurant door so you can browse the price and selection. To choose your restaurant, use Michelin’s Red Guide (restaurant guide) that profiles even moderately priced establishments. Few American tourists carry the Red guide, so the restaurants don’t become mobbed with consequent price increases.
When ordering, request the house wine and tap water “aqua naturale.” The tap water in Italy is drinkable.
A $15 plate of pasta for a small (or not very hungry) child may be hard to swallow, so ask for a half-portion or an extra plate to split big portions. Italians love children and waiters are usually happy to indulge their appetites. And when the children finish, promise them an ice cream at snack bar around the corner where you can also get an after dinner drink and enjoy people watching at a fraction of the restaurant price for coffee and dessert.
You can spend $20 for a coke on Piazza San Marco in Venice or on the Via Veneto in Rome and find the people-watching worth every bit of it. Or, if refreshment and budget prevail, wander a few piazzas removed from these famous spots and order your coke or, better yet, a typical Italian beverage made with flavored syrups and fizzy water.
Tip Wait for the waiter to collect your signed credit receipt from the table. Don’t just sign it, get up and walk away because in most Italian restaurants, your credit card number is printed IN FULL on the ticket — an easy way for someone to cruise by the unoccupied table and snag your receipt and obtain your credit card number.
3. Laundry
Stay in an apartment with a washing machine to do your own, but don’t expect a clothes dryer, so allow enough time for clothes to air dry. If you’re at a hotel, don’t pay for the expensive hotel’s laundry service; instead, find a local laundromat and people-watch while you wash. Always bring a travel laundry line and, whenever you spend more than one night in one spot, hand wash easy-care clothes.
4. Exchanging Currency
Buy your local currency at ATM machines, called Bancomats, using your debit or ATM card. The exchange rate will be the most favorable and the transaction fees the lowest. Save on transaction fees by withdrawing larger amounts each time. Don’t use your credit card for withdrawing local currency — big fees. Before traveling, check with your bank on the fees they charge for overseas transactions; a few have exorbitant charges.
Tip Make sure your PIN code is only four numbers; that’s all Italian machines will take.
5. Telephone Calls
Buy local phone cards for making calls which is cheaper than investing in a rental phone, or bringing one from the States. They are a terrific value for calling back home, too.
Check in at home and reconfirm future reservations by stopping in an internet point where you can surf and pay by the hour at, usually, a very reasonable rate.
6. Strike a Bargain
In Italy, many stores now have fixed prices “prezzi fissi” which you’ll often see on a little sign near the cash register. The days of negotiating the price of everything are gone. But, if you’re buying directly from the proprietor and are selecting multiples of something, or investing in high ticket items such as antiques or jewelry, you can politely ask if there is anything that can be done to help you with your decision, like, ahem, a discount. Then you must pay in cash! Don’t dicker over the price and then pull out your plastic. It is understood that the discount depends on saving on the credit card transaction fee and, possibly, discreetly keeping this cash sale off the books.
7. Museums & Monuments
Research free days at museums and, thinking of the children, consider smaller museums for shorter attention spans.
Reserve your tickets for popular spots ahead of time; the fee is worth it. Nothing dampens a visit to a popular site like standing in line for an hour and a half in the blazing sun. For any attraction, find an up-to-date schedule; even call ahead; hours change. Please remember that you are in Italy where punctuality is sometimes sacrificed for more important things, so be prepared to wait a few minutes for something to open. Adjust to “dolce vita” time.
Some sights are best seen with a guide who can whisk you past lines and bring history and art alive, for example, the Vatican Museums with the Sistine Chapel by Michelangelo, the catacombs in Rome, and the Uffizi in Florence.
Enjoy your travels in Italy with your family. When in doubt, have a gelato or a glass of wine and stop doing anything, just relax and let Italy come to you.
Pat Byrne is the president of Excellent Europe (http://www.ExcellentEurope.com) a company that selects exceptional vacation rentals in Italy with families in mind. She is also the author of the Kids Europe Italy Discovery Journal (http://www.KidsEurope.com) a resource book, journal, and guide just for kids traveling in Italy that has over 500 ideas for free and fun activities in Italy.

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19
Nov 09

Tri Nations Travel Arrangements – Fair Or Foul?

Author: Rodney J Smith
Source: ezinearticles.com

Hardly a season goes by without us hearing about how South African teams are at a disadvantage in the Super 14 and Tri Nations rugby tournaments because of travel arrangements. But why should this be? After all, both competitions feature a mixture of home and away matches, so at first glance it would appear all even. But this is such a constant refrain that I have to check it out myself, once and for all.

The argument seems to centre on two factors: length of tour and jet lag. (Interestingly, when it comes to matters of unfair advantage, South Africa never seem to complain about matches played on the Highveld – at altitude – which supposedly favours them! But since that isn’t strictly about travel arrangements, let’s ignore it for now). Also, since this article is concerned with the Tri Nations competition, I’ll ignore the Super 14 in the analysis. But presumably the same conclusions apply to both competitions.

Jet lag
Jet lag is defined as the cumulative physiological and psychological effects of rapid air travel across multiple time zones. This disruption of an individual’s “body clock” results in the following symptoms:

changes in blood pressure and heart rate
fatigue
insomnia
headache
indigestion
drowsiness
losses in reaction time and coordination
disorientation
mood swings
irritability

It’s not hard to see how many of these factors can have a detrimental effect on the performance of rugby players! Generally, travelling from west to east is considered worse because you effectively lose time, whereas you gain time going in the opposite direction. And it normally takes a day per time zone to fully recover from the effects of jet lag. So when you consider that all of South Africa is on GMT time, Australia is GMT+10, but is so big that the west coast is 2 hours earlier, and New Zealand is GMT+12, it is clear that jet lag is going to have an effect when teams usually have a week or less to acclimatise.

Length of tours
Touring takes a toll on players due to a number of factors:

away from family and friends
out of normal routine
very regimented living, due to security arrangements
constant close proximity to team mates
pressure to win
little local support

Some of these factors (for example, pressure to win) are present whether on tour or not, but they tend to become magnified in a tour environment because it’s impossible to escape. The hypothesis is that they take a greater toll on the players the longer the tour goes on.

Analysis
To see if one team is affected more than others, let’s assign some numbers to these factors, with the 2009 Tri Nations fixtures in mind:

-1 for every time zone crossed
+1 for each potential recovery day, up to a maximum of a week if no previous fixture dictates when a team travels
-1 for the first week on tour, -2 for the second week, and so on

The team with the lowest cumulative score is the one at the biggest disadvantage.

Using this method, the results are:

All Blacks -4
Wallabies -6
Springboks -6

Conclusion
Perhaps this analysis is too simplistic (for instance my model doesn’t differentiate between the direction of travel), or I’ve assigned the wrong weightings to the different factors, but interestingly no team seems to be disadvantaged more than the others; although if anything the All Blacks have it slightly easier than the other two. I suspect that the same analysis done for previous years’ fixtures will reveal similar results.

Perhaps having longer tours is not the disadvantage it’s made out to be. After all, it gives the players longer to acclimatise!

Whatever the reality though, as long as the players believe they’re at a disadvantage, they probably are! This is where the intangible mental aspects of team performance come into play, which is one of the things that makes following the Tri Nations (or any other rugby competition for that matter) so interesting!

The Tri Nations Rugby tournament is the annual rugby union competition between the three southern heavyweights: Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

Visit the unofficial Tri Nations blog for news and views.

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16
Nov 09

The Serve Is Your Tennis Firearm

Author: Tyler James Ellison
Source: articlerich.com

Service is the opening gun of tennis. It is putting the ball in play. The old idea was that service should never be more than merely the beginning of a rally. With the rise of American tennis and the advent of Dwight Davis and Holcombe Ward, service took on a new significance. These two men originated what is now known as the American Twist delivery.

From a mere formality, service became a point winner. Slowly it gained in importance, until Maurice E. M’Loughlin, the wonderful “California Comet,” burst across the tennis sky with the first of those terrific cannon-ball deliveries that revolutionized the game, and caused the old-school players to send out hurry calls for a severe footfault rule or some way of stopping the threatened destruction of all ground strokes. M’Loughlin made service a great factor in the game. It remained for R. N. Williams to supply the antidote that has again put service in the normal position of mere importance, not omnipotence. Williams stood in on the delivery and took it on the rising bound.

Service must be speedy. Yet speed is not the be-all and end-all. Service must be accurate, reliable, and varied. It must be used with discretion and served with brains.

Any tall player has an advantage over a short one, in service. Given a man about 6 feet and allow him the 3 feet added by his reach, it has been proved by tests that should he deliver a service, perfectly flat, with no variation caused by twist or wind, that just cleared the net at its lowest point (3 feet in the centre), there is only a margin of 8 inches of the service court in which the ball can possibly fall; the remainder is below the net angle. Thus it is easy to see how important it is to use some form of twist to bring the ball into court. Not only must it go into court, but it must be sufficiently speedy that the receiver does not have an opportunity of an easy kill. It must also be placed so as to allow the server an advantage for his next return, admitting the receiver puts the ball in play.

Just as the first law of receiving is to, put the ball in play, so of service it is to cause the receiver to fall into error. Do not strive unduly for clean aces, but use your service to upset the ground strokes of your opponent.

Service should be hit from as high a point as the server can COMFORTABLY reach. To stretch unnecessarily is both wearing on the server and unproductive of results. Varied pace and varied speed is the keynote to a good service.

The slice service should be hit from a point above the right shoulder and as high as possible. The server should stand at about a forty-five degree angle to the baseline, with both feet firmly planted on the ground. Drop the weight back on the right foot and swing the racquet freely and easily behind the back.

Toss the ball high enough into the air to ensure it passing through the desired hitting plane, and then start a slow shift of the weight forward, at the same time increasing the power of the swing forward as the racquet commences its upward flight to the ball. Just as the ball meets the racquet face the weight should be thrown forward and the full power of the swing smashed into the service. Let the ball strike the racquet INSIDE the face of the strings, with the racquet travelling directly towards the court.

The angle of the racquet face will impart the twist necessary to bring the ball in court. The wrist should be somewhat flexible in service. If necessary lift the right foot and swing the whole body forward with the arm. Twist slightly to the right, using the left foot as a pivot. The general line of the racquet swing is from RIGHT to LEFT and always forward.

At this point and before I take up the other branches of serving, let me put in a warning against footfaulting. I can only say that a footfault is crossing or touching the line with either foot before the ball is delivered, or it is a jump or step. I am not going into a technical discussion of footfaults. It is unnecessary, and by placing your feet firmly before the service there is no need to footfault.

It is just as unfair to deliberately footfault as to miscall a ball, and it is wholly unnecessary. The average footfault is due to carelessness, over-anxiety, or ignorance of the rule. All players are offenders at times, but it can quickly be broken up.

Learn how to make money with a tennis betting system and other sports. You can make a lot of money particularly with football betting systems.

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12
Nov 09

The Advantages of Skiing Europe

Author: Corey Hannum
Source: articleage.com

Because of the associated glamour and elegance of a European ski vacation, many of the advantages of European skiing are often overlooked. A European ski vacation, regardless of the season, offers you many advantages which an American ski vacation cannot.
The primary advantage of skiing Europe is that you have more time-on-skis. This means simply, that the ratio of lift-time to ski-time is better than in the United States, perhaps 1:1, for every minute you spend on the lift going up, you will spend around a minute skiing down, assuming you aren’t trying to set a record! This is due to a number of factors. First, lifts in Europe tend to be high-speed gondolas, at least those responsible for taking you to the peak of the mountain. This means that you can ascend 5000 feet, almost a mile, in about 25 minutes. This is much better than the majority of United State ski resorts, especially those on the east coast. Normal chair lifts and T-Bars exist of course, but run either parallel to the gondolas, or are a means to get from one ski area to another. The amazing thing about European skiing is that even the smaller, less well known resorts still offer high-speed gondolas! They aren’t reserved for the big names like Kitzb?hl and Solden.
The next advantage offered by European skiing is the large number of directly, or indirectly connected ski resorts. By purchasing a lift ticket at one ski-resort, you then have access to all of their partner resorts, either directly via interconnecting ski lifts, when the resorts are next to each other, or indirectly with local bussing or other means of transportation, when the resorts are further apart. In fact, at the largest interconnected ski area in Austria, there are over 150 miles of trails, more than 90 lifts, and over 70 bars and restaurants on the mountains. The best part is you get that all for the price of one lift ticket – which converts to roughly $40.
The next factor which makes European skiing so attractive is the affordability. In Europe, even for the ultra-trendy Kitzb?hl, where the cr?me-de-le-cr?me of the world ski, you will seldom pay more than $40 for a lift ticket. This is nothing in comparison to the prices Vail and Aspen demand for a lift ticket, around $75.
Europe can also compete when it comes to off-trail and powder skiing. Off-trail skiing in Europe is as equally loved as in the United States and can be done at every ski resort in the Alps.
Summer skiing is perhaps the largest advantage offered by European skiing. In Europe, there are numerous summer skiing opportunities, many of them on glaciers, which offer a unique ski experience of there own. While none of the resorts guarantee that there will be adequate snow, a number of them skied continuously the entire summer of 2003, the hottest summer in recent European history.
The final advantage of European skiing is Apr?s Ski. Apr?s Ski just does not exist in the United States. There are arguably certain United States resorts which offer Apr?s Ski, but it just doesn’t compare. Starting at around 3 – 4 PM, Europeans ski off to the nearest Apr?s Ski party, which are directly situated on the mountains, and drink a few beers while loud ski-music plays in the background. The spirit of a real Apr?s Ski party can’t be described, it has to be experienced first-hand.
The advantages of skiing Europe are many, and some more debatable that others. However, the largest advantage of skiing Europe can not be debated: if you ski in Europe, you will spend more time on your skis than you will in the United States.
Corey Hannum is the president of European Adventure Travel, a provider of guided luxury adventure travel tours in Europe. He also writes the Adventure Travel News blog. He is a certified paramedic, and has bachelors’ degree in German. In addition, he is a dedicated skier and sports enthusiast.

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7
Nov 09

Golf Swing Biomechanics – The Science Behind the Perfect Golf Swing

Author: Jim McGill
Source: ezinearticles.com

Golf Swing Biomechanics is the science behind the golf swing. During the swing itself the golfer will use almost every single muscle group in the body. There are actually three types of swings used in golf; the full swing, the chip and the putt. Each shot uses different muscles in various sequences to generate optimal club downswing speed in order to hit the ball farther and more accurately. But before a player initiates the mechanics of the swing they must first set up the swing using the pre-swing.

The pre-swing is the phase where the golfer positions themselves relative to the ball. Each golfer has a unique pre-swing phase where they position themselves in a manner which is most comfortable to them. Some pre-swing stance are radically different than the common pre-swing stance, an excellent is pro golfer Jim Furyk who has an unorthodox swing style which has helped him win many professional tournaments including the US Open. Most pre-swings start with the golfer’s non-dominant side of the body facing the ball, so a right handed person would stand with the left hand towards the fairway. The body should be positioned parallel to the target line meaning the direction of the fairway. Depending on the distance an open stance is used for shorter distances while a more closed stance is used for long drives.

The full swing is always utilized for long distance shots during tee off or on the fairway. The golfer must adjust their swing to match the conditions of play such as range to the green, position of the ball and the location of the hazards. The face of the club should start behind the target line of the fairway.

The chip is generally utilized as a mid-to-short distance shot, usually 20 to 80 yards. The aim behind the chip shot is to land the ball on the greens accurately with negligible roll. Thus, a golfer must not turn the shoulders in order to give more control of the flight path. This is done by putting additional weight on the front facing foot which aids the golfer to come down on the ball which outcomes in a higher arc on the ball.

The putt is always used for getting the ball in the hole from the green or as close as possible to the hole from the fringe. The face of the club should start behind the ball and square to the target path. The club must travel directly behind the ball and straight through the length of the matching path like a pendulum. One strategy to accomplish this is to aim the ball slightly past the hole.

To see the golf swing biomechincs in action, take a look at this super slow motion golf swing video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2c-PvmRkovo – I also recommend you take a look at http://www.improve-golf-swing-now.com and find out what you can do to improve your own golf swing biomechanics.

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1
Nov 09

How to Hit a Driver Straight Right Now

Author: Aaron Thomas
Source: ezinearticles.com

Knowing how to hit a driver straight is key for improving your game. There are a couple elements to hitting the ball well with this club.

The stance

No matter what secrets you might want to hear about improving your swing, having a sound stance is critical and can’t be overlooked. Many players forget about this pay the price, because you simply can’t ignore the foundation of the swing and expect to hit a good shot.

Make sure you widen your stance to slightly more than shoulder length which will help you achieve better balance throughout the swing. Keeping your stance too narrow will free up the swing but will likewise make you more wobbly because you don’t have a good base and is not the right method for how to hit a driver straight.

Keep the clubhead on plane

At the top of your swing you want to be certain that the clubface is pointed towards the target. The ideal position is having your hands higher than your back shoulder and at the same time having the club angling towards the area you want the ball to go.

Check out just about any tour players’ positions at the top of their swing; while they have different paths of getting there, in just about every case the club is always pointing in the direction they want the ball to travel in.

Remember, hooks and slices are often times the result of the club not being in the same direction as where you are aiming. Implement these tips for how to hit a driver straight and you will achieve accuracy as well as distance.

The ONLY guaranteed way to hit the ball farther…

No discussion on the driver swing would be complete without a tip on gaining distance. To get more distance you will need to do 2 things-increase your shoulder turn and resist with the hips. This is why tour players hit the ball so much farther than most players, because they are stronger and more flexible and therefore can turn farther.

There are many ways to increase your distance but this is the only one that is guaranteed to work for every player. Use these tips for how to hit a driver straight and far and you will see a big improvement in a hurry.

Are you sick of wasting money on golf lessons and products that don’t work? Discover the secrets to lengthening your drive & cutting your handicap by 7-12 strokes in just 2 weeks by checking out http://www.onlinegolftips.info.

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1
Nov 09

Top Tips for Successful Navigation in the BackCountry

Author: The Outdoor Guy
Source: articleage.com

As an alfresco enthusiast you will at some point accomplish a accommodation to apprentice how to cross in the backcountry. Whether you use a map, compass, GPS receiver or all three, there are several things you should apperceive about acknowledged navigation. Your assurance and the assurance of your assembly depend aloft it.

Backcountry activities such as hiking, orienteering, hunting, climbing, geocaching, fishing, four-wheeling and camping are all endless of fun – until you get lost. That?’s why you should apperceive how to navigate. But aeronautics doesn?’t alpha if you acquisition yourself hopelessly lost. Aeronautics begins BEFORE your chance begins so that you don?’t abode yourself in harm?’s way. Let?’s yield a attending at the top tips for acknowledged off alley navigation.

The aboriginal three tips affect to accepting accessible to go:

* Prepare your body. I cannot enlarge the call for able preparation. If you are not in acceptable concrete action if you activate your adventure, you are agreement yourself in danger. No amount what your accepted concrete conditioning is – advance it afore you start. An beat physique will abate any acquired abyssal skills.

* Prepare your mind. If you are using tools, and you should be, such as a map, a ambit or a GPS Assemblage accomplish abiding you apperceive how to use them. In adjustment of priority: Maps are a lot of important to accept and use, able use of a alluring aggravate ambit is next and assuredly a GPS unit. Do not await alone on your GPS. GPS?’s alone plan able-bodied if you?’re affective and they don?’t plan at all with asleep batteries. Yield a chic on using your ambit with a map. It is not alone interesting, it is aswell a appropriate activity accomplishment for the alfresco enthusiast.

* Have a plan and acquaint anyone about it. Whenever you go into the all-inclusive backcountry, be abiding to acquaint anyone aback home area you plan on going, how you plan on accepting there and if you?’ll be back. If you breach your leg, it would be nice if advice could acquisition you.

Now that you are a able navigator, you?’re accessible to go. Here are the actual tips:

* Trust your compass. Abounding humans get absent by dupe their ?”instincts?” instead of their compass.

* Always acclimatize your map to the landscape. The best way to do this is to acclimatize Arctic on the map with the Arctic address on your compass. I aswell face arctic if authoritative directional decisions off of a map. A miss-oriented map can calmly advance to confusion.

* Be abiding of your Declination. The aberration amid True Arctic and alluring arctic is alleged your declination. This is analytical for authentic ambit use. If you don?’t accept declination, you weren?’t paying absorption in your map/compass class. If your map is adequately new, use the atrophy amount on the map and acclimatize your ambit as required. If your map is earlier than 5 years??you?’re not actual able-bodied prepared. A lot of avant-garde GPS Units account the atrophy amount for you. This amount should bout the amount on your map.

* Always admeasurement for yourself. You?’ve able for your trip, now you should use what you learned. Address (direction of travel) and ambit (number of accomplish or accomplished time) are the two a lot of important abstracts to you if traveling in the backcountry. Always admeasurement for yourself, do not await on anyone abroad for this. If your accomplice comes up with something different, array it out. If you appear up with the aforementioned affair as your partner, again move on in confidence.

* Never biking at night. Although a brilliant lit sky can action authentic abyssal data, traveling at night is risky. Alone accomplished travelers should biking afterwards dark. The above accident of traveling at night is injury. It is difficult to adjudicator ?”footfall?” distances and area in the dark.

* Accumulate a log book. If you are traveling from base to base (map affection to map feature) accumulate a accounting log of the address and ambit decisions you?’ve made. This will aid you in convalescent from abyssal errors and will aswell aid you in abiding to a accepted location.

* If you anticipate you?’re absent S.T.O.P. Oftentimes acceptance you are absent is the toughest affair to do. It is aswell the a lot of important affair you can do. Once you?’re lost, Sit, Think, Observe and Plan. S.T.O.P. will save you.

Some final thoughts:

* It?’s OK to address on your map.

* You should apperceive how abounding accomplish you yield to biking 100 yards. Address this amount down on your map and in your log book.

* If a new acreage affection presents itself to you, analyze it to your map.

* Accumulate your ambit blind about your neck, not in your pack.

* Never use your ambit on the awning of your car or truck. Ambit accurateness is abnormally accomplished by metal objects.

* Always biking with added batteries for your GPS.

* Pay absorption to accustomed and manmade appearance such as fence lines, ability lines, railroad tracks, ridges, valleys and rivers.

Backcountry activities are fun??until you get lost. That?’s why you should apperceive how to navigate. Yield a map account class, apprehend an orienteering book and practice. Like a lot of activity skills, abyssal in the backcountry is simple to learn.

Use this advice and you?’ll Get It Right The Aboriginal Time. Get Outdoors!

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28
Oct 09

How to Hit a Driver Straight Right Now

Author: George Mitchell
Source: articlesbase.com

Knowing how to hit a driver straight is key for improving your game. There are a couple elements to hitting the ball well with this club. The stance No matter what secrets you might want to hear about improving your swing, having a sound stance is critical and can’t be overlooked. Many players forget about this pay the price, because you simply can’t ignore the foundation of the swing and expect to hit a good shot. Make sure you widen your stance to slightly more than shoulder length which will help you achieve better balance throughout the swing. Keeping your stance too narrow will free up the swing but will likewise make you more wobbly because you don’t have a good base and is not the right method for how to hit a driver straight. Keep the clubhead on plane At the top of your swing you want to be certain that the clubface is pointed towards the target. The ideal position is having your hands higher than your back shoulder and at the same time having the club angling towards the area you want the ball to go. Check out just about any tour players’ positions at the top of their swing; while they have different paths of getting there, in just about every case the club is always pointing in the direction they want the ball to travel in. Remember, hooks and slices are often times the result of the club not being in the same direction as where you are aiming. Implement these tips for how to hit a driver straight and you will achieve accuracy as well as distance. The ONLY guaranteed way to hit the ball farther… No discussion on the driver swing would be complete without a tip on gaining distance. To get more distance you will need to do 2 things-increase your shoulder turn and resist with the hips. This is why tour players hit the ball so much farther than most players, because they are stronger and more flexible and therefore can turn farther. There are many ways to increase your distance but this is the only one that is guaranteed to work for every player. Use these tips for how to hit a driver straight and far and you will see a big improvement in a hurry.

Are you sick of wasting money on golf lessons and products that don’t work? Discover the secrets to lengthening your drive & cutting your handicap by 7-12 strokes in just 2 weeks by checking out http://www.onlinegolftips.info.

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26
Oct 09

Exploring Ontario in the Winter – Bed and Breakfasting at Nicholyn Farms

Author: Susanne Pacher
Source: articleage.com

Driving up to the Nicholyn Farms Bed and Breakfast you get welcomed by the hearty and healthy aroma of 2,200 organically raised pigs. This bed and breakfast was our destination for our quick winter getaway and as soon as we drove up the driveway we realized we had picked a great place.
Bed and breakfasts are one of my favourite ways of travelling since every B&B is unique and usually offers a very personal experience that includes a nice interaction with the B&B host and the other guests, much different from the rather anonymous character of the average motel or hotel chain. Wherever I travel, I find that every B&B owner has a unique story to tell, and Nicholyn Farms B&B was another example.
My husband and I must have travelled to more than 20 B&Bs over the last few years as a home base for an enjoyable weekend getaway. We have stayed in many family-run bed and breakfasts all throughout Ontario and almost always had a really positive experience.
Bed and breakfasting in Canada in somewhat different from the United States since Canadian B&Bs are usually smaller, have fewer guest rooms and there is more direct interaction with the owner/ host. Many Canadian bed and breakfasts have between one and three guest bedrooms with most of the owners living in the same house. As a result, bed and breakfasting in Canada is a more intimate experience, it is truly like staying in someone’s house. The United States, on the other hand, features more “bed and breakfast inns”, many of which are quite upscale and located in renovated mansions with a much larger number of guest rooms, almost along the lines of country boutique hotels.
There are a couple of really helpful websites out there for bed and breakfast travel in Ontario and Canada:

– www.bbcanada.com, which provides bed and breakfast listings throughout all of Canada, and

– the Ontario Farm and Country Accommodations Association which lists active farm operations that provide accommodation to travellers.
After I had completed my research on these websites and contacted a number of B&B hosts about availability, we selected the Nicholyn Farms Bed and Breakfast, just about an hour and a bit north of Toronto, for our late January getaway.
We checked in at the Nicholyn Farms Country Market, where Nicholyn Farms sells products made from their own pigs which are raised organically in a bio-secure environment, without growth hormones or antibiotics. At this market, they also sell produce and meat products from other local farmers north of Toronto.
Lynda, the owner, explained that their country market sells a whole range of locally grown meats, such as pork, chicken, beef, lamb, turkey, rabbit, goat, cornish hens and even more exotic locally produced varieties such as elk, emu and buffalo. During the growing season they feature fresh certified organic produce from local vegetable and fruit growers, and their popular organic pork products are shipped to people as far away as Ottawa.
At just an hour’s drive from Toronto, Nicholyn Farms was the perfect getaway for us. It is located in a beautifully restored farmhouse whose original portion dates back to 1872. The Van Casteren family completely renovated the farmstead in 1996 and won the top prize for “Most Improved Farmstead in Simcoe County”.
Lynda mentioned that her B&B has hosted guests from all over the world from as far away as the Netherlands, England, the United States, Japan, Australia, Chile and Peru. Many of their European guests stay for 5 days or more since their location is halfway between two major Ontario attractions: Algonquin Park and Niagara Falls, with Toronto easily accessible for day trips.
Our room was the cozy “Forest Room” which was located on the second storey and featured 4 beds, perfect for us 3 overnight vacationers. The space under the roof overlooking the farmland was such a welcome quiet sanctuary from the hustle and bustle of the big city. Nicholyn Farms features two other guest bedrooms and all the bedrooms have their own private bathrooms.
This morning we sat down to a wonderful homemade breakfast, that started off with a beautiful assortment of fresh fruit, including strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, green and blue grapes, pineapple, and melons. The Van Casteren’s buy their fruit at a special fruit market and the flavour of the fruit is indeed much stronger and sweeter than the fruit found commonly in supermarkets. Lynda and her trusted assistant Joyce called all of us guests to come out and have a look at a flock of about 20 wild turkeys that were pecking away on the field behind the bed and breakfast.
After our wildlife encounter, we continued with a tasty breakfast of scrambled eggs, organic pork sausages, toast, homemade pancakes, country preserves and muffins. Portions are not measured and as a result we had several helpings of each dish. We had a nice relaxing and very filling breakfast before we set off on our next adventure for today: snowtubing at Horseshoe Valley.
Staying at a bed and breakfast usually makes for a beautiful getaway since you get to relax in the tranquility of a country home and most B&Bs offer a delicous, filling home-cooked meal that will keep you nourished for many hours, allowing you to take full advantage of the activities for the day. It’s a fabulous way to travel.
Susanne Pacher is the publisher of a website called Travel and Transitions (http://www.travelandtransitions.com). Travel and Transitions deals with unconventional travel and is chock full of advice, tips, real life travel experiences, interviews with travellers and travel experts, insights and reflections, cross-cultural issues, contests and many other features. You will also find stories about life and the transitions that we face as we go through our own personal life-long journeys.
Submit your own travel stories in our first travel story contest (http://www.travelandtransitions.com/contests.htm) and have a chance to win an amazing adventure cruise on the Amazon River.
“Life is a Journey Explore New Horizons”.
The story with photos is published at Travel Stories and Photos (http://www.travelandtransitions.com/stories_photos/hello_barrie_2.htm)

Sports & Recreation — No Comments
21
Oct 09

Guide to International Golf Travel Market 2009

Author: Catherine Gliddon
Source: articlesbase.com

The International Golf Travel Market 2009 (or IGTM as it is fondly called), which is scheduled to be held in Malaga, Andaluc For the exhibitors, expect to mingle with over 350 international golf tour operators, sourced from over 40 key markets across the world. Have one to one pre-arranged meetings with the largest leading wholesalers, representatives from online agencies involved in the golf tourism sector, specialist golf tour operators and much more. You can be sure that your time won’t be wasted as all buyers are screened and only decision makers with direct purchasing authority are invited to IGTM. The costs for exhibiting are kept to a minimum and if you are an IAGTO member, you receive 25% discount on registration for exhibiting personnel and 25% saving on stand costs. The buyers attending the IGTM would get the best out of the IGTM event as well. Apart from meeting with over 400 golf courses, resorts, hotels and tourist boards, IAGTO buyers will receive 4 nights complimentary accommodation for starters, at one of the official hotels for the show as well as free & exclusive access to the IGTM golf tournament. Something for both buyers and exhibitors is the Event Schedule Diary. All pre-scheduled appointments are buyer-driven and buyers get to book their appointments and view individual diaries online. All buyers are committed to attend all 37 diary appointments over the three days of the event and all exhibitors must be available for all diary appointment sessions, making the necessary arrangements to re-schedule where they are not available. The International Golf Travel Market Event, run by Reed Travel Exhibitions, was attended by over 1,300 golf tourism professionals from over 63 countries in 2008, and it’s not stopping there as it claims bigger and better things for 2009. Together with IAGTO (International Association of Golf Tour Operators) and host destination Andalucía, expect a high quality 4 day trade-only event which runs on a pre-scheduled appointment basis, a gala awards dinner on the last night, and the IGTM golf tournament. Whether you are just starting out in the business or just seeking more international exposure, the International Golf Travel Market is a definite must-attend for all in the industry. ía, Spain, from the 16th – 19th September, presents a unique opportunity for both buyers and suppliers of golf related products to get together, network and indentify industry trends, and reach the world’s 50million golf players at this exhibition dedicated to international golf tourism.ía, Spain, from the 16th – 19th September, presents a unique opportunity for both buyers and suppliers of golf related products to get together, network and indentify industry trends, and reach the world’s 50million golf players at this exhibition dedicated to international golf tourism.

Catherine writes about Shell Scheme Kits and Exhibition Graphics.