The Tax Cheapo

Insolvency proceedings are a legal act that is filed by someone who is unable to pay their debts. Once filed, all active civil proceedings associated with the mortgage are halted. Legally, a home loan bank has to cease all collection activity, including foreclosure. However, a lender might ask for relief from the automatic stay period, and if it is allowed, may continue with the previously mentioned action. Bankruptcy will not halt foreclosure and you must still pay back your loan. Bankruptcy will not solve the root problems, it only makes the foreclosure process go forward slower.

Often times, consumers will have to choose between filing bankruptcy or allowing their mortgage lender to foreclose on their house. If monthly house payments are not made on time, the bank will likely file a foreclosure on the property. You can interrupt the house foreclosure process by making payments to the lending bank . Foreclosure will be same for everyone who has not been able to pay his mortgage; the lender can kick you out of the home and sell it to recoup their loses. Home loans are much similar to auto loans; if you do not make your payments you might get it repossessed.

Even though bankruptcy is not going to permanently obstruct foreclosure, it allows an individual extra time to pay back the past due or at a minimum it can make it bit more accessible to repay the home loan. Bankruptcy law requires a mortgage lender to suspend foreclosure actions, a debtor has a short time to raise the cash necessary to pay the creditor. The last resort for any home owner to file for financial insolvency when the borrower is totally unable to pay their creditors’ commitments. With bankruptcy, some non-secured debts will probably be discharged but the home loan will remain. The home owner has to be prepared to pay back the home loan inside the mandated time as the debt is secured by assets. Also, Chapter thirteen bankruptcy has a schedule of fees that is court-ordered, and will permit the borrower make payments on her mortgage to get up to date on their balance.

Before the home owner successfully files for bankruptcy, they have to qualify. If they do qualify, there are legal fees. Possibly, it may cost the home owner more in legal fees than if they were to simply buckle down and make your mortgage payment. If you are considering that filing for bankruptcy can be helpful for the situation, a good lawyer will likely be capable of answering whatever questions. Simply put, insolvency proceedings are very detailed, the home owner ought not try to do it without assistance from a a bankruptcy attorney.

This article is simply general information. This is not legal advice. You might be required to contact a lawyer in your particular state with insolvency related questions.

If there’s one thing that haunts most golfers more than missing a 3-foot putt, it has to be slicing the ball off the tee. So this week I have written 2-different articles – the first being 52 Ways to Stop Your Slice and the second being If You Understand What Causes A Slice You Wouldn’t Need 52 Ways To Stop A Slice! So consider this a bonus section to Golf Improvement Weekly.

Part 1 – Fixing your slice can be a complicated task or it can be a Simple solution – the choice is up to you. Now the average person reading this will say – “Well Marc, I want the Simple Solution.” Yet, when we go to work on getting rid of your slice using these Simple Solutions, the average Golfer says – “Yeah but, what about working on an inside to out swing path, what about turning my wrist over at impact, isn’t my swing too flat, shouldn’t I work on getting my elbow down to my side to get the club in the correct position on the downswing?” Because of the Golf Instruction Experts or Guru’s that we hear from each week on Television or Magazines or Internet Chat Rooms – we assume that the solutions to simple things such as Slicing the Ball Off The Tee have to have complicated corrections and that there always has to be swing changes made to your swings.

And I actually enjoy hearing how complicated you think it is to fix your golf swing because to see your faces when you’re able to Stop Slicing the Ball by just using some of our drills is fascinating.

Fascinating? Why Fascintating?

Because for most Golfers we see, there is so much going on in your heads during each swing you make – I’m surprised your still playing golf. Too many Golfers make this game hard work. It’s like the Monkey said – “A bad day on the golf course is better than a good day at work!” I’ll believe that one when I see it. I guess I haven’t worked in an office enviroment enough, but I can’t imagine people banging their mouse’s on the ground and yelling the expletives they do on the golf course in the middle of the office. Or telling everybody in earshot how bad they messed up on getting an important assignment done – you’d get fired right on the spot if you acted that way in the office.

Yet on the golf course we see clubs banged against the ground – I learn more “salty” language than I did during High School – and I constantly hear how badly everyone’s playing, even after they’ve just played 2-holes. “Oh man, this is the worst golf I’ve ever played!” Hey don’t get down on yourself, you’ve only played 2-holes. “Yeah but I’ve never played this bad in my entire life.” I don’t understand, you’ve never double bogied 2-holes in a row in all the years you’ve played golf? “Well yes, I have. But, I just don’t feel comfortable right now with my swing. I just feel off and I’m not having fun!” Didn’t you just tell me that A bad day on the golf course is better than a good day at work?

If that’s the case, your job must really stink!

So the first way to Stop a Slice is to not get so upset at yourself that you start to hold the club as if it were a $1,000,000 bill. You must realize that when you hold the club so tightly the tightness doesn’t stop at your hands – it works its way up your arms through your shoulders, right up your neck and into your brain. And when all this tension is pulsating through your body – your swing gets “Stuck” and when you’re “Stuck”, you need to find a way to become “Unstuck” and that usually means you’re going to have to Compensate some where in your swing to make up for being “Stuck” and that Compensation will lead to some act of Inconsistency which includes Slicing the Ball off the Tee. (How’s that for a run-on sentence Robert Z?)

The Monkey says “I read that if I Slice Off The Tee that I should tee my ball up on the right-side of the tee box (for a righty Golfer – left side for a lefty Golfer) and aim to the left to allow my ball to have more room to Slice.” I don’t know about that one – Why is that going to help you to not Slice Off The Tee? “Well, it won’t stop me from Slicing Off The Tee, but it’ll allow me more room to allow the ball to Slice.” I guess you’re correct, it would give you more room to play the Slice Off The Tee and if you know you’re going to Slice – that would be a good PLAN to have. Yet I believe that the reason that most Golfers Slice Off The Tee is caused by bad Aim and having your Aim so far to the left, can’t be helping.

If your Aim is off, you’ll have to Compensate somewhere in your swing to make up for that fact.

The reason that you’ll need to Compensate is that if your Aim is bad and you do make a good swing, the ball won’t go where you think it should be go. Yet the majority of Monkeys will start trying to figure out what went wrong with their golf swing as opposed to fixing their Aim. So then on your next swing, instead of fixing the Aim, you feel as though you need to fix your swing instead – so in the middle of your swing you Compensate for the bad Aim and that Compensation will lead to some act of Inconsistency which includes Slicing the Ball off the Tee.

Oh my goodness, I have 50-more Ways To Stop Your Slice to go.

Ok, the next 50 Ways To Stop Your Slice – if you’re looking for Golf Tips that you think will improve your Score, this isn’t the place to be looking for them. We don’t work with Golf Tips, Golf Made Simple works with Reality! Please don’t think of us like you think of other Golf Instructors you’ve worked with or heard talking or read about. Our approach is totally different than what is already out there. Yes, we help you to hit the golf ball better and to eliminate your Slice Off The Tee (we have 100’s of Testimonials, Returning Golfers and Referrals to prove it) – but we don’t use the ineffective approach that is employed by 9.9 out of 10 Instructors out there. While they’re teaching you what Positions you need to be in along with overwhelming you with their “Theories and Assumptions” about swing path, swing plane, grip, etc, etc, etc -

We’re allowing you to Feel the motion of your golf swing in a way you’ve never felt it before.

As Graham Nicholson recently said at one of our classes – “Usually when you go to a Golf School you’re worried about pounding 1000’s of golf balls and tearing up your hands. On our 2nd day at Golf Made Simple we hit maybe 80 to 90 golf balls and I got more out of that session than I could’ve dreamed of. And that translated into hitting the golf ball better than I ever have before. It was truly more about quality than quantity!”

To Stop A Slice Off The Tee – everything in your swing has to be moving together to produce a straight club face at impact. That’s it! That’s the answer! Yet, to get your body to do that, you need to learn to get everything moving together using drills like – The Symetrical Drill, Parallel Hands, Riding Hands, The Stepping Drill, The Swoosh Drill, The Belly Swing, The Modified Belly Swing (MBS), The Toliet Paper Drill, Eyes Closed, The Grass Cutter and Tire Drill, The Ace Bandage Drill, The Baseball Drill, etc, etc, etc.

Which Drill is best for you?

We won’t know till we work with you to see which fits your Golf Swing. But you can be assured that these Drills will give you a feel for your Golf Swing – and that is critical because 7 out of 10 Golfers can’t feel their golf swing and 9 out of 10 Golfers don’t know what they should be feeling. Yet, although most Golfers are having trouble feeling their swing, all the Golf Instruction you hear about is trying to get the club in this Position or that Position. Getting the club in certain Positions is not about Feel – it’s more about giving you more to think about on every golf swing and turning you into a Robot over the golf ball. Who wants more to think about when you’re hitting off the 1st Tee with 16-other Golfers watching you?

The Golf Tips that you’re hearing from the Monkeys (other Golfers and Golf Professionals) are all Compensations to try to fix other Compensations you’ve developed because you were told to use those Compensations to fix other Compensations. So pretty soon there is no way you can have Confidence in your Golf Swing when you have 52-Compensations To Stop Your Slice on your mind everytime you walk-up to the Tee to hit your Driver. Why is it that Kids have the smoothest, best looking swings in the world? What do you think they’re thinking about on every golf swing? Probably – “I hope that Adult doesn’t come over here and try to teach me what they’re struggling to do!”

The Kids are Feeling their golf swings and are truly having Fun and hitting the ball more Consistent than you are because they’re just swinging the club. The average Golfer isn’t happy with their Golf swing and they get less happy everytime they go to the Driving Range to practice because they’re practicing Positions as opposed to Feeling their swing!

I’d believe the Kid that says “A bad day on the golf course is better than a good day at School!”

9 out of 10 Golfers aren’t happy with their Golf Game – yet you say “A bad day on the golf course is better than a good day at work!” Man, your job must really stink! Yet, those 9 out of 10 Golfers that aren’t happy with their Golf Game continue to use Golf Tips (or I should say “Theories and Assumptions” that are really nothing more than Compensations) to improve your game. Please realize that all those Golf Tips that you’ve tried in the past and might try in the future aren’t going to just suddenly leave your swing when you realize they didn’t work. Like it or not, those Swing Tips are etched in your golf swing forever – even after you say you’re not going to think about that Tip anymore – that swing thought will be there forever. Your swing is made up of everything you’ve thought of in the past – even the things you tried during just one practice session in the past.

So basically your swing is made up of one Compensating Manuever piled on top of another and another and another.

And the good news is that when all those Compensations work together – you hit a good golf shot. Yet, when they’re not working – you hit Inconsistent shots. So my question to you is – “Are your Compensations usually working together to produce Consistent shots?

Part 2 – What causes a Slice? For a Righty – Side Spin to the right. For a Lefty – Side Spin to the left.

What causes a Golfer to say I need to read an article that’s going to give me 52-Reasons How To Stop A Slice? Listening to the Monkeys and so called Guru’s handing Tip after Tip after Tip to you. Or should I say Compensation after Compensation after Compensation to you. And you know what Compensation equates to? Inconsistency! If you built your home like you built your golf swing – The Big Bad Wolf would be able to “Huff and Puff and blow your house down!” Though if you start with a solid foundation and continue to use that foundation to build your golf swing based on Feeling your swing, you won’t have to rely on Golf Tips or should I say Compensations to stop your Slice.

It’s not too late to get away from a swing that is built on Compensations! What Do You Think?

Regards,

Marc – Your Instructor for Life

The nationally recognized PGA professional, Marc Solomon and his staff, lead four person classes for a customized experience. Students can take 3, 5 and 7-day classes in St. Augustine, FL, Amelia Island, FL and Santa Barbara, CA. Their Instructor For Life program guarantees that each student can always contact their instructor for free customized advice, tips, drills and exercises – for life. It’s Golf Made Simple.

For more information, or to read Golf Improvement Weekly (the world’s most read golf improvement newsletter), please visit http://www.GolfMadeSimple.com

Even the most casual of golfers needs a golf bag. Having the right golf bag is essential. It is another tool to help raise your game. If your clubs and other equipment are stored in an appropriately sized and organized bag, you can concentrate on your game. Otherwise you can be scrambling to find your rain gear when hit by a sudden shower or for another golf ball to replace the one you just hit into the middle of the lake. For anyone looking to purchase a golf bag, there are several things to consider and brand is not necessarily one of them:

• Size

When it comes to golf bags, size does matter. Some tour bags seem like they are big enough to double as a shelter in a rainstorm while I have seen golf bags so small they look like they could hold no more than a putter and a driver. So how big of a golf bag do you actually need? Try to determine your present requirements based on current equipment. Then, consider how your equipment list may change and grow over the projected lifetime of the bag.

• Durability

The durability of a golf bag depends on design, material and treatment. If you are a casual golfer who stores your golf bag in the house after use, you could enjoy a nylon bag that isn’t very expensive.

If you are a more frequent golfer and keep your golf bag in the trunk of your car, then you will probably want a bag made of leather or vinyl. Remember, the golf bag is not just for carrying the clubs, it is also for protecting them.

• Style

Depending on how you get around the course, you will want to decide between a carry bag and a cart bag.
A cart bag is nice if you use a golf cart frequently. Cart bags are also designed to be used with a pull cart.

When considering a cart bag, consider also the type of pull cart you will use. Test the ease of motion and comfort of the handle at preferred transportation angles. Check if any of the features that help you transport the golf bag are adjustable, as the center of gravity will vary depending on the load in the bag

If you are accustomed to walking, you should look for a golf bag that is comfortable, light weight and ergonomically designed to minimize the stress on your back and shoulders. Many of the new bags have gel carry straps for shoulder comfort.

• Depth/Design

If you use extended length shafts…ensure that the golf bag you are considering will adequately protect as much of the shaft as possible and comes with the enough club dividers to satisfy your needs.

• Cosmetics

Color and accessories are really a matter of taste, need and how much extra money you are willing to spend.
Some golfers want to make their bags unique. Some just want a place to put their clubs.

• Storage

It does not matter how often you play golf, at some point that golf bag is going to need to be stored somewhere. Ensure that the size golf bag you purchase will fit in the area where you will be storing it.

Chris Bennett is lifelong golfer who has played extensively in the USA and Europe. He hit his first golf shot at age 4 years old and since then has played golf at every possible opportunity. If he is not playing golf he is watching it, reading about it or most likely writing about it. Read more about golf bags and other equipment at http://www.golf-topics-tips.com

This article “Baggin it Right…Raises Your Game” is free to use as long as the following is attached: – Author Chris Bennett: http://www.golf-topics-tips.com

Texas Insurance Policy Requirements

• Bodily Injury Liability (one person): $25,000 Limit
• Bodily Injury Liability (all persons involved):$50,000 Limit
• Property Damage Liability: $25,000 Limit

*As of 04-01-2008,these increased requirements moved into effect

Texas insurance laws abide by a tort system. This means that a person will always be found to be answerable in an accident. This driver and their auto insurance company are then held liable to pay for any costs. The unique rules for Texas may vary from other states..

To have better auto insurance protection, you can opt for uninsured driver coverage. This insurance policy option addresses the financial expenses involved with bodily injury caused in an accident with an uninsured and/or underinsured person. Texas does not call for motorists to add this specific type of auto insurance coverage, but Texas drivers should think about buying this valuable optional insurance type.

The state of Texas has a little higher insurance costs compared to other parts of the U.S. In 2003, the national average was $914 while in Texas, the average person paid a little below $1000. There are thousands people believe that they must pay whatever their auto insurance underwriter bills them to or that the premiums are mandated by the Texas government. While there is some regulation, there are still many ways you can get decreased rates. Your Texas auto insurance premiums can be minimized in different ways. Two different ways are by observing a safe driving history or by completing a defensive driving course.

Utilizing the power of the internet can help you see if you’re paying too much for your auto insurance policy.Services like these get quotes instantly, allowing drivers to view them along side each other. They can also give you added articles on methods to increase your discounts.

Sites like this can help you find the best insurance rates, but there’s no guarantee that they can help. In general, costs tend to increase over time. From 1999 – 2006, insurance costs did not lowering. Finally, in 2007, average auto insurance premiums did settle down, but by only about 1 prcent. 2008 also was able to show some decreases in auto insurance premiums, however, they are expected to grow again in 2009 as the economy gets worse.

Texas expenses increase over the years. If you’re not staying informed on your own personal situation, you might not be getting the cheapest auto insurance costs available. In 2003, average auto insurance costs were $932. Just one year earlier, the average rates in 2002 was about $882, that’s an go up of about 5.67% in just one year! Don’t waste your money paying high insurance costs, start saving now by getting an online rate quote from multiple insurance rate comparison sites now.

Golf balance exercises should be a must for every amateur golfer. One of the biggest issues with most amateurs is balance, stability and body control in their golf swing.

So often I see a golfer swinging outside their physical capabilities and losing their balance, resulting in a severe mishit that will end up being a double or triple bogey.

There is a physical requirement to maintaining your golf balance throughout your swing. The golf swing position commonly referred to as golf posture is a very unnatural position for the body to be in at address, let alone throughout the swing.

Having a forward tilt over the balls of your feet require a high level of both strength and flexibility in your hamstrings. Just get in your golf posture and reach back behind your upper leg to see how tight your hamstrings are.

If your hamstrings are tight and/or weak, you will have no chance at maintaining your golf posture and ultimately balance throughout your golf swing.

How about your quadriceps?

The play a critical role in keeping your golf swing stable. Rotating your upper body around a somewhat fixed lower body takes a tremendous amount of leg (quad) strength. Also your quads help maintain your knee flex that you had at address. If your quads are weak, your legs will straighten, causing you to come out of our swing.

As you can see, your golf balance requires muscular strength and flexibility. Without it, you’ll be falling all over your swing forever!

One great golf balance exercise (drill) is swinging and actually hitting balls on one leg. Give it a try! You’ll soon find out how difficult it is. But stick with it, and you’ll become a pro at it. If you can hit straight balls on one leg, using both legs will be a cinch.

In all of my advanced golf performance training programs, I have the golfer do a majority of their strength exercises on one leg. It is brutal! It takes so much focus and concentration, you’ll be sweating before you even grab the weight.

I have literally dozens of golf balance exercises in my dvds, books and websites that will dramatically improve your balance, stability and overall control. It’s amazing how many emails I get from golfers who thought these golf balance exercises were easy until they did a full set of just one exercise.

They thought differently after that!

This could be your missing link to a great game! Focus on those golf balance exercises!

About The Author: Mike Pedersen is the featured expert for Golf Magazine’s GolfOnline.com site, one of the top golf performance experts in the country, author and founder of several cutting-edge online golf performance sites. Take a look at his just released golf performance dvds and manual at his golf swing fitness training site – Perform Better Golf.

There are many makes and models of mountain bikes on the market today. In fact, you can usually find exactly what you want – right off the showroom floor – without ordering specialized mountain bikes. However, sometimes specialized mountain bikes can offer more of what you want in a ride!

Bikes can be specialized in a variety of ways – depending on what type of performance you want from the bike. Some bikes are even specialized simply to look a certain way, and the specialization has little or nothing to do with performance. Again, it all just depends on what you want and what you need – and how much you are willing to pay for it.

Many people request or make very small changes to the bike – but certain changes turn an ordinary mountain bike into a specialized mountain bike – no doubt about it! For instance, many people want specialized frames, but everything else about the bike is factory standard. A large majority of people want specialized ultra-smooth suspension seat posts or fully adjustable handlebars made of alloy.

Specialized suspensions are common requests and modifications that a large number of mountain bikers make. Specialized tires, which are suited to specific types of terrain, are popular as well. Of course, specialized paint jobs or designs are the top requests and modifications made by those who place a great deal of importance on the look of the bike as well.

Specialized parts and components cost a lot of money in most cases, but some specialization and customization can be done affordably, if you are willing to do the work yourself and only pay for the needed parts. Having to pay a shop to do the work starts driving the costs up quickly! So, if you want to customize your bike in anyway, try to learn what you need to know to do the work yourself to keep costs down.

Some people have major specialization work done, and by the time the work is complete – the bike rides and looks like a totally different bike! Of course this type of specialization should be reserved for expert riders who know exactly what they want, and how those customizations will affect their ride or their techniques. This type of specialization runs into the thousands of dollars – over the cost of the bike without the specialization!

Beware of the word specialized! It doesn’t always mean what you think it means. For instance, many bike shops use the word ’specialized’ in their business name – this doesn’t necessarily mean that they sell specialized bikes. It is also important to note that a specialized bike, in most cases, does not mean that you are the only person in the world with that type of bike – unless you’ve ordered a specialized bike that is guaranteed to be one-a-kind (most bike shops will not make this guarantee, but you could get such a guarantee from a major manufacturer).

Beginners do not need specialized bikes. Again, the average rider can find exactly what they want and need in a bike shop, or at an Internet bike store. Some bikes arrive at the store for resale already specialized – in almost every case you have the option of getting a bike that you see in a store customized to suite your needs, but it usually costs quite a bit, and you have to wait for the parts to come in and the work to be done before you can take the bike out of the store and onto the trails.

The best way to get a specialized mountain bike is to order one at an online bike store, or directly through the manufacturer. This is the best way to ensure that you are getting the right specialization to suit your needs and desires. Just make sure that you have enough experience with mountain bikes to know what kind of specialization you want before you just start adding or changing components without fully planning or thinking things through – sometimes specialization can ruin your ride, as opposed to improving it – which is what specialized mountain bikes are supposed to be all about!

Mt-bikes.com provides you with information on giant mountain bikes, trek mountain bikes, specialized mountain bikes, mountain bike holidays and mountain bike reviews. http://www.mt-bikes.com/

“I wish I could be out for this season but I have to work.”

“Really, why do you have to work?”

“Because I need a car.”

“Why do you need a car?”

“So I can get to work…”

If you are a high school coach, I’m sure that you have had a conversation similar to this one with one of your young athletes. It seems that the almighty job is pulling more and more student athletes away from being involved in sports.

So, do most of these athletes really need to work?

I would argue that the answer is “no.”

But, how do you get that message across to teenagers? You can’t pay them to play for you. Why else are they working?

Many young adults are working because their parents want them to earn money, learn responsibility and learn the value of hard work.

What’s a poor coach to do?

Reason Number One: “I need money.”

Does your student athlete need money or do they want money? There is a big difference. Needing money would involve helping to support their family. Working to buy food, clothing and shelter – the basic necessities – is probably a valid reason to choose a job over sports. I don’t believe that this is the case in most situations.

How many students at your school have car payments – or motorcycle, ATV, snowmobile or boat payments for that matter? It is a shame that we push students into debt at such an early age. Are these items necessary for a sixteen or seventeen year old? Talk about a trap.

I would argue to let teenagers stay teenagers a bit longer. They will have the next 40 to 50 years to earn a paycheck and buy “stuff” when they reach adulthood. Their athletic window of opportunity, however, is limited. Once they graduate from high school, the majority will never have another opportunity to play competitive sports.

Money for wants is not a valid reason to miss out on sports. Do we really want money to be a young person’s main motivator anyway?

Reason Number Two: “A job teaches them responsibility.”

But, won’t sports teach them that same value? Being on a team includes being responsible for their behavior, for their grades to stay eligible, for their effort in practice and in games, for being places on time, setting priorities and on and on and on. These lessons can be learned without working 20 or 30 hours per week.

Learning responsibility does not need to come from the world of work at this early age.

Reason Number Three: “A job teaches them the value of hard work.”

Let’s talk about the hard work of a student athlete. Go to school for 7 to 8 hours per day. Practice for another 2 hours. Games 2 to 3 times per week. Studying and homework to make sure they can still play. Maybe even some chores at home. This all adds up to well over 40 hours per week. And all without having an actual “job.” How many adults are willing to work this many hours per week in their jobs?

And what better way to see hard work pay off. Dedication and putting in the time and the effort leads to success on the field, on the court, on the track, in the pool, etc. True cause and effect can be seen when hard work pays off in improved performance.

Being a student athlete is already hard work.

So, there you are. Some ammunition to use when you are losing athletes to work. Will this change the mind of every parent and student that you run across? Of course not. But you may be surprised at how explaining the benefits of athletics can help keep some athletes that you may have lost. Remind people of the hard work and responsibility that come with remaining a student athlete. Just maybe they will wait a bit longer for that car…

Copyright, Tim Kauppinen, 2005

This article is protected by copyright, 2005, Tim Kauppinen. All rights reserved.

Tim Alan Kauppinen, or Coach K, has over 20 years experience as an athlete and coach. He has worked with athletes of all ages and abilities in track and field, football, speed training and strength and conditioning. This has given him the privilege and the opportunity to coach athletes who have become conference champions, state champions and Division I college players. Coach K publishes a free daily fitness email with current tips on getting stronger, faster and in the best shape of your life. To sign up for this no cost service, visit Coach K’s website at http://www.makesyoufast.com

1770 was when the very first guest house was opened in Chamonix Haute Savoie France. Before this date Chamonix France embodied a wild and rugged agricultural town where folks hunted their own animals and produced their cereals.

Barns back then were used to farm dairy herds over the summer. The milk was kept by turning it into cheeses and kept down in the valley for eating over the bleak winter times. In the winter the chalets were secured, and any valuables were put safely in a mazot.

Who devised the chalet vacation is unknown, it was in all likelihood various passionate folk who recognized a formula that worked. With Erna Low it commenced whilst she was a nostalgic student and could not visit her family back home as frequently as she would like to. Therefore in 1930 she took a risk and took out a small advertisement in the papers to tempt guests on a ski trip. For only £15 they traveled to and from the resort, had food and accommodation in the sole inn, and had skiing hire and lessons. Skiing was arduous work, there were no lifts, no safety fixations, just heavy leather boots, however it was such a hit that Erna Low continued to take people on vacations, seeing to it that she utilized exceptional hotels and skiing instructors.

The chalet breaks in the early years were a far cry from the standards we get now. Back then hot water was in short supply, the bathrooms were shared by all of the clients, and there was no a cook; the clients had to help out with the chores. It was a real gamble who may share the lodge for a vacation, one could be agreeably surprised to encounter brand new acquaintances, or grimace at the thought of having to spend any more time with them.

Chalets France were later on marketed on their additional benefits. A chef, who would serve you cooked breakfast and an evening meal and made you a cake, ensuites hot water.

About Golfing Zen: This is the second in a continuing series of short essays dealing with the application of Eastern spiritual philosophy to your golf game.

The surface intent is that, as you apply the ideas, your golf and your enjoyment of the game will grow. However there is also an underlying motive: as you are able to see gains on the course, you’ll then be moved to alter your approach to life as well.

Today’s Topic: The Fundamental Truth

In these articles, I’ll be simplifying as we talk about the Eastern philosophies, and this topic title is a good example. Buddhism actually opens its doors with The Four Noble Truths.

The first of those is that our experience is marked by suffering. Living means to suffer. The Eastern term is “dukka.”

The second shows the source of dukka to be desire, and the third shows how we can eliminate suffering; if it is desire that leads to suffering, then the obvious solution is to stop desiring. Obvious, sure, but we would agree it isn’t easy.

This doesn’t mean we stop living, that we give up work, play, relationships, learning and growth, or even that we forsake goals. It does mean we stop agonizing about it all. Some things we’ll never have. I won’t be the next Senator from Pennsylvania, and I’m not going to make the PGA tour. That’s obvious enough, but most of us continue to hunger after things that are permanently outside our grasp, without admitting it to ourselves.

Or, there are goals that we can eventually reach but that we don’t have this minute. I’d like to have a retirement home in Asheville, North Carolina. But I don’t, today, and if I obsess about it I can easily lose sight of the pleasures of my current life. It’s a fundamental: hungering after something not yet here contaminates our today.

So, the fundamental truth we’re talking about is this. Whatever we have today is everything we need – today.

The last of the Noble Truths lays out how to let go of desire: by following the Eightfold Path (understanding, thought, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and concentration). But the Path a big subject and is for the future; I’ll certainly do a piece on each of those steps along the Path in future articles.

For now, the connection to golf is obvious to any of us that have suffered on the course. And who of us hasn’t suffered? Ever throw a club? Dress yourself down either out loud or within your mind?

Beyond the momentary outbursts, is your enjoyment of the game in general contaminated by not being good enough? Are you reluctant to play with people that are better? Do you despair about lack of improvement? Do you think about giving up?

The First Noble Truth within Buddhism is equally true on the golf course; our golfing dukka comes from our excessive desire, from our grasping after success. And here’s the real secret… that comes from playing golf in an ego-driven state. If we’re playing to re-enforce our own ego either to others or to ourselves then we’re going to struggle.

The answer lies in a simple (granted, difficult) idea: we are, today, only what we are today; our swing is what it is; our mental game is what it is. Therefore we’re perfect today. We can let our self focus on the beauty of the walk in the park, on the companionship of friends. We can be alert, we can pay attention, we can be mindful of everything we see and experience, we can allow our game to be what it is, and we can trust that we’re on a path that will take us to higher levels as we continue move along. And that’s true!

I’ll be giving you lots of ‘tips’ or ‘thought exercises’ as we move through these articles, and here’s one that applies to this subject. You can reduce your grasping (and thereby, your golf-course dukka) by detaching for the outcome. Laird Small, the head pro at Pebble Beach, calls it “NATO: Not Attached To Outcome.”

Here’s one way of doing that. Your golf-course job is to swing the club in a graceful, rhythmic, and balanced way. The Golf God’s job is to move the ball to a new point, for your next test. Your job is only to be mindful of how well you perform your task and to then get out of the way and let the Golf God do his. Try that, next time out.

Next Time: You Already Know.

Wayne Smith is a former DuPont manufacturing manager, seminar leader, industry consultant, and is the author of two books: a manufacturing text and a golf novel. He is a close-up magician and has been a life-long golf searcher. A father of two, he lives in the Philadelphia area. Comments can be directed to wayneksmith@comcast.net.

Few things are more important to a golfer than a good golf bag. First off, golf bags come in many styles and a wide variety of colors. You can choose a bag for style, features or pick a color to match your mood.

Some have legs that fold out when they are placed on the ground and stand upright so the golfer doesn’t have to bend down and pick it up. That’s a nice feature in golf bags, especially if the golfer tends to walk the course, as many do. There is plenty of bending to be done when a golfer is trying to remove an obstacle from around his or her ball, or to get the ball out of the cup, so any way to avoid bending over is more than appreciated.

All golf bags have compartments where the golf clubs are to be placed. Each golfer has his or her own way of doing this and putting clubs where he or she wants them. Some golfers, though, are lazy and just stick their clubs in the compartments, grabbing whichever one they want when a particular club is needed. But, some golf bags have tubes to protect the club grips. These are nice to have. With the tubes, a golfer can get his or her clubs out easier. The clubs are never tangled up, and the grips last a lot longer.

Another important factor in choosing a golf bag is the number of pockets it has. Frankly, there’s no such thing as too many pockets in a golf bag. First, one of the pockets will be used to hold the golf bag’s hood. The hood is used to keep the clubs and bag from getting drenched when it rains. Another pocket will be used to keep extra towels (believe it or not, extra towels are important in the summer to keep the sweat off the brow and out of the eyes, along with keeping the hands relatively dry. Then, there is the pocket used for keeping the extra golf tees and possibly the divot tool. Finally, a pocket is needed for the golf balls themselves, and it doesn’t hurt to have a pocket to carry another dozen balls in, just in case.

Some courses are so difficult it is easy to lose a lot of balls during 18-holes of play. This makes having an extra box of balls around a good thing, but there has to be somewhere in the golf bag to keep them, which means another pocket.

Imagine trying to play golf without a bag. The golfer would be constantly stooping over picking up clubs, tees, balls, towels and the divot tool. Then he or she would have to walk to the ball, drop all of the clubs and stuff, select a club, hit the ball, and start the process all over again. It would be a major pain in the neck, and would make it nearly impossible to finish playing a round of golf. So, golf bags are an essential part of the game of golf.

Hans Hasselfors is the founder of SubmitYourNewArticle.com. You may find varied articles about golf equipment in our article directory. Please visit at: www.SubmitYourNewArticle.com

Article Submission done by: www.articles-submit.com

Courtesy of:SubmitYourNewArticle.com