August 4, 2015 Posted by Matt

The difference between an average golfer and a good one is how they approach the game after a bad round.  The struggling player will feel angry and defeated.  The good player will ask themselves, “what can I learn and what did I do right today?”.  You might realize you were making poor club selection.  Perhaps it was windy and you constantly came up short of the green.  Reflecting back on the day, a good golfer will note they should have taken more club on shots throughout the day and will remember that for next time.  On the flip side, a good golfer will also focus on what worked.  Perhaps you made several tough putts.  The good player takes the opportunity to make improvements rather than just accepts a bad day as what he deserves.

August 2, 2015 Posted by Matt

What do you do if your drives go straight right all of the time?  If your drives fly well right of the fairway and they are not sliced, you are probably not staying in the shot.  As you swing back, your left shoulder should point behind the ball at the top of your swing.  As you come into contact, your head should remain just behind the ball and your shoulders should remain close to where you were in your address position.  If you spin your hips and shoulder, then make a standing up move, you are coming out of the shot.  Your arms will lag behind your body and the face will be wide open at impact.  Keep over the ball until your arms pass through impact and your weight shift takes you into your follow-through position.

July 31, 2015 Posted by Matt

Conde Nast Traveler named Naples among The 30 Best Small Cities in America from its 2014 Reader’s Choice Awards.  Naples is ranked No. 20 just ahead of Monterey, California. Conde Nast Traveler’s Reader’s Choice Awards are based on voluntary questionnaire answered by 76,659 people. To be eligible to make the list, cities must receive a required minimum number of responses, and individual cities are judged on a set of criteria relevant to their category.  Ratings are based on a standard five-point scale: excellent, very good, good, fair, and poor.

Other Florida cities on the list include Sarasota, Santa Rosa Beach, St. Augustine, Key West and Palm Beach.

The 30 Best Small Cities in America:

1. Telluride, CO
2. Santa Fe, NM
3. Ashville, NC
4. Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
5. Napa, CA
6. Sedona, AZ
7. Park City, UT
8. Aspen, CO
9. Sarasota, FL
10. Santa Rosa Beach, FL
11. Cape May, NJ
12. Burlington, VT
13. Laguna Beach, CA
14. Jackson, WY
15. Santa Barbara, CA
16. Newport, RI
17. St. Augustine, FL
18. Key West, FL
19. Portland, OR
20. Naples, FL
21. Monterey, CA
22. Natchez, MS
23. Healdsburg, CA
24. Ashland, OR
25. Hilo, HI
26. Eureka Springs, AK
27. Palm Beach, FL
28. Palm Springs, CA
29. Annapolis, MD
30. Newport Beach, CA

Here’s how Conde Nest described Naples:

Among the country’s best destinations for golf and sunshine, Naples is dotted with sleek hotels, top-notch shops, and restaurants. Two of our readers’ favorite places to stay are the Ritz-Carlton and LaPlaya Beach and Golf Resort.

July 30, 2015 Posted by Matt

What are the two most common improvements amateur golfers are looking for? More distance and no slicing. A strong grip may help you achieve both. Your right thumb should be at 2 o’clock on the shaft at address according to Dr. Jim Suttie (Doc), one of the top 100 PGA Teaching Professionals in the country.  According to Doc, a strong left-hand grip eliminates the need to rotate the forearms as much on the backswing.  It also keeps the club face shut so it is much easier to hook the ball instead of slicing the ball.  The strong grip increases the shoulder turn as well.

Doc spends half his year in Illinois and half at Twin Eagles in Naples Florida.  He is currently ranked the 18th best teacher in the U.S. by Golf Digest.  My wife says she owes Doc her college education.  Thanks in large part to the lessons she’s taken over the years, she earned a golf scholarship to Northwestern University.

July 29, 2015 Posted by Matt

Do you know your distances?  If you can, use a range finder when you go to practice and measure the distances to different flags or markers.  Hit balls toward those targets using your normal swing.  In a notebook, record your distances for each club.  It is important to know your distances and this is a realistic way of knowing how far you hit each club rather than just guessing.  Range balls will usually not go as far as the good balls that you play on the course, so add a couple of yards for your distance.

July 28, 2015 Posted by Matt

Learn a variety of sand shots.  There are many types of sand shots, depending on the shot that you are facing.  It is a great idea to experiment with different types of shots in practice so you can use them on the course.  Try squaring up the face of your sand wedge and see how you can control the distance of longer shots.  Try using a pitching wedge for thirty to forty yard bunker shots.  Open the face of your sand wedge as far as possible and see if you can pop it up and spin it to a stop.  Use a lob wedge and enter the sand at different lengths from the ball.  You will learn a lot and have fun.

July 27, 2015 Posted by Matt

Getting older?  Don’t give in to age.  As you grow older, you do not need to automatically lose distance and have your handicap go up with your age.  Work on flexibility, strengthen your core muscles so you can turn, and remain stable.  Walk to keep your legs in shape and practice your game as much as possible.  Many golfers now play great golf with single-digit handicaps well into their seventies and enjoy the game into their eighties.  If you put the effort in, you will get a great deal of enjoyment from the game in your golden years.

July 26, 2015 Posted by Matt

Golf Tip – Always evaluate risk and reward.  When you are playing well or poorly, you may get out of your comfort zone and make poor decisions on your strategy for a shot.  Be careful to analyze the risk and reward of playing a shot that has trouble nearby.  For example, if it will take a great shot to carry a water hazard, do not risk it; make sure of getting a par instead of making a big score on the hole.  On dogleg holes, make sure you know that you can carry the corner before you try to blast a drive over the trees.  If you have any doubt, play it safe.  Smart golfers usually score a lot better than risk takers.

Investor Sales are Down

Institutional investor sales are down in both Collier and Lee counties.  Institutional investors are entities which purchase at least 10 properties during a calendar year.  These investors accounted for 0.9 percent of all single-family and condo sales from January to June 2015 in the Cape Coral-Fort Myers metro area  Last year during the same time period institutional investors represented 4.1 percent of total sales according to a report by RealtyTrac. Institutional investors made up 0.5 percent of sales in Naples from January to June of this year, compared with 1.2 percent from the same period last year.

Bottom Line:

If you’re looking for a focused and goal-oriented Realtor in southwest Florida who will help you achieve your Real Estate needs, please reach out to us directly. Additionally, if you are looking for a golf community expert or you are considering buying or selling a home, luxury home, vacation home, golf home or dream home, call or text us at 239-370-0892 or email Matt@NaplesGolfGuy.com

July 26, 2015 Posted by Matt

July 25, 2015 Posted by Matt

One of the top hospitals in the country, NCH Healthcare System, has been recognized as one of the best hospitals in Florida for 2015-16 by U.S. News & World Report. In rankings by state and metro area, U.S. News recognized hospitals that perform nearly at the level of their nationally ranked peers in one or more specialties, as well as hospitals that excel in multiple common procedures and conditions.  Naples is known for its easy access to excellent healthcare.  We have four hospitals located throughout Collier County.  NCH has one location in downtown Naples and one in North Naples.  Physicians Regional Hospital has one location on Pine Ridge Road and the other in east Naples off of 951. View the full list of top hospitals.