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| Welcome Message |
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Prompted by the benefits of a TomTom satellite navigation system on a recent golf trip, the time is right to explore the role of technology in helping Senior Golfer home exchangers, to not only live like locals, but drive like locals too, wherever they may be in our shrinking world.
Needing to find the best route to a different golf course each day, including some very new ones, plus restaurants, shopping and local attractions didn't challenge the TomTom at all. And, the ability to select a new voice, indeed a different language to provide the directions we required, was literally at our fingertips.
See more about sat nav, and other technology innovations of particular relevance to the home exchange community, in our regular Technology section.
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Member Bio |
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If, as a Senior Golfer with a love of the finer things our world has to offer, you had the chance to start with a clean sheet of paper and describe your "perfect lifestyle" and "perfect location" what would it be?
How about this for starters?
- Situated in a major wine-growing area, with more than 100 wineries, a two hour drive from a major international city
- Surrounded by a choice of world class golf courses, so close your vehicle hardly warms up
- Located on a golf resort, which offers not only a Championship Course, but also three swimming pools, day spa, tennis, restaurants-all a relaxing stroll away.
Well all that, and more, is the lifestyle and location enjoyed by Helen Pickering, Member ID 97. See Helen's Listing here. 
Living in a very appropriately named villa-Joie de Vie-overlooking the Cypress Lakes Resort's course in the Hunter Valley, two hours from Sydney, Australia, Helen must wake up each morning wondering if she has died and gone to Heaven. As a Member at Cypress Lakes, Helen can not only introduce you to the course, Members' lounge, and guest discounts, but being involved in the local wine industry, has a wonderful understanding of all the attractions her location has to offer visitors. Add the financial savings available to our Members via a home exchange or hospitality exchange, and the possibilities just keep getting better. But don't just day-dream about what a great golfing holiday it could be, go on-line here and make contact with Helen today, and get your share of the Joie de Vie. Hands up-who wants to live like a local in the Hunter Valley?
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In case you missed it |
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Despite the high cost of living, it remains very popular"
This quote is intended to remind us that we should all continue to enjoy our time on "the right side of the grass".
Equally, despite almost daily increases in the cost of travel necessities such as fuel, or perhaps because of those cost increases, the travel options of home exchange and hospitality exchange remain very popular with Senior Golfers.
Particularly for seniors on fixed incomes, against a background of tough economic conditions and falls in stock market and real estate values, the home exchange and hospitality exchange concept really stretch your travel and entertainment dollar, making it affordable to still enjoy regular golf travel experiences, within a one-tank-of-fuel range, or across the world.
Home exchange and hospitality exchange are far more than just a "Free Accommodation" option, but that's a great start. So too is the ability to live like a local - meals at home, or dining, shopping and being entertained while avoiding all the tourist traps.
If the reasons for needing to drive your own vehicle a considerable, and expensive, distance to your next golf vacation include use of the vehicle during your stay and transporting your golf equipment, again the home exchange and hospitality exchange options may provide a more cost effective solution - exchange vehicles and golf equipment as well.
Throw in the savings associated with member introduced green fees, or possibly even exchanging your golf club membership entitlements, and you understand why, despite the high cost of living, home exchange and hospitality exchange remain very popular.
The bottom line: The cost of living in your home, or in your "exchange" home is just about the same. All you need to budget for is the cost to get there. |
| Technology |
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The TomTom's are sending a helpful message
Driving in a foreign Country, or even in another State, in search of your latest golf travel experience, with unfamiliar roads, and road signs, and different road rules, can be fraught with danger. Stress levels can increase to the extent many home exchangers may choose to avoid driving. That's an unnecessary constraint with today's technology.
Companies like TomTom, Navman, Uniden and Garmin sell comparable portable in-car satellite navigation devices that consign the where-the-heck-are-we stress to last year's problem.
TomTom's navigation visionary Daan Oostveen says "Everyone has problems on the road. People have to pull over to read a map, or ask for directions. They switch lanes just before traffic lights at the last minute. Give someone a satellite navigation device and these problems disappear".
Quality satellite navigation systems can now be purchased from less than $300. People are discovering how much safer and easier it is to drive with expert navigation assistance and adequate warning time - and all in the language of your choice when travelling internationally. With the purchase of an additional map they can "go to France and feel like they know the roads as well as a local taxi driver" says Oostveen.
And don't be put off by the rare horror story of a sat nav device giving the wrong instructions. Errors can be made by those who provide the maps to satellite navigation makers. They may have trouble keeping up with the rapid changes in road networks, 20% of which changes every year because of road closures or road direction changes.
TomTom has implemented a solution - the ability for their users to correct the map on the spot and share it with other users. That system was introduced into Australia in May.
TomTom also has the technology to help users avoid traffic jams. While protecting users' privacy, High Definition Traffic Monitoring tracks the movement of mobile phones through streets to ascertain how fast cars are moving. When a TomTom user plans a route that might use those streets, TomTom finds the fastest route based on real traffic speed and uses that rather than the shortest route by distance. The HD traffic capability is only in the Netherlands for now, but will be progressively released for other countries.
While Senior Golfers are universally law-abiding, perhaps the need to rush to a hard-to-get tee time will make you appreciate red light and fixed speed camera alerts.
So, if you haven't yet driven into the sat sav world, give it a try - most of your golfing friends have already.
Remember when you thought titanium was a modern fad that wouldn't last?
Staying connected while enjoying your home exchange - the travel SIM
The disadvantage of taking your regular SIM card overseas is the high call rates charged by phone companies when using global roaming.
The cost saving alternative is to get a travel SIM card. This is not just a pre-paid phone card for your destination, it has a phone number in your home country.
You need to arrange the SIM card before you leave and swap over your regular SIM card to the new one.
Learn more at www.travelsim.net.au
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| Technique Instruction |
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 "Poor ball position is a silent killer. If you don't place the ball precisely in relation to your stance, the ball will be playing you instead of you playing the ball. You'll have to conjure up some type of weird swing movement just to get the club on the ball, and because of that you'll never be consistent."
Tiger Woods.
Ball Positioning for Consistent Ball Striking
This month , Nick Bayley explains the all important topic of correct positioning when addressing the golf ball...
Click here for all the advice you need. |
| The Mental Game |
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Training, Training, Training
After a friendly game with a stranger, he bought me a drink and told me that I had intimidated him. Then he firmly said, "I don't get intimidated."
I asked him why he got intimidated. He replied that my level of confidence never changed whether I made or missed a shot and I always played as if I would make the shot. Then I asked him what he did. He told me that he coached wrestling and was the lead man for a swat team.
Being curious, I asked him what exactly does the lead man for a swat team do. He told me that he was the first person through the door and his job was to take out whoever was on the right side of the hallway or room before he was shot or killed.
I told him that I was a mental trainer and asked him how he mentally prepares himself to do his job. He told me that it's the same for wrestling or being the first one through the door. Training, training, training was his answer.
He trains himself to focus totally on executing the process without any fear or concern about the outcome. I asked him if he had any fear. He said his only fear was that the second man through the door behind him wouldn't take out whoever was on the left side of the hallway or room.
Then he told me that he relies on his partner's training to keep him out of harms way. Can you rely on your mental training to keep you out of harms way on the golf course or do you still get emotionally involved and think about the outcome? The next time you have fear while playing golf, stop and think about being the first one through the door.
Scientific research has revealed that human beings learn and remember what they have learned through repetition. Isn't it amazing then, that so many golfers expect to read a piece of information one time and retain it forever?
You may find my mental tips about focusing on the process and staying in the present somewhat repetitious, but that's OK. They are designed to be repetitious to help you to keep polishing the wheel until you have the best mental game around. Once you have a great mental game, it's important to keep training, training, training to keep it that way.
Michael Anthony's "The Mental Keys" books and CD have helped thousands of golfers to improve their mental games and shoot lower scores. For more information about his unique mental training program, visit Michael's website at www.mentalkeys.com. © 2008 by Michael Anthony. All rights reserved. |
| You can't be serious... |
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| A little girl was at her first golf lesson when she asked an interesting question:
"Is the word spelled P-U-T or P-U-T-T?" she asked the instructor.
"P-U-T-T is correct" he replied.
"Put means to place something where you want it.
Putt means merely a vain attempt to do the same
thing." |
| You can quote me.... |
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The chief object of every golf architect or greenkeeper worth his salt is to imitate the beauties of nature so closely as to make his work indistinguishable from nature itself.
Alister MacKenzie. |
| A bit more fun |
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For some golfing fun and frustration, have a look on our blog here. Try your skill - it's sure to give you a challenge!
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Physical Fitness for Golf |
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I see so many golfers struggle to get to the top of their backswing. It could be a strength issue, flexibility issue or both, which would not be uncommon.  The only way to improve this golf swing deficiency is to strengthen and stretch the specific golf muscles involved with this movement. I've isolated the core and the shoulder from a rotational standpoint with the simple exercise I'm going to describe to you. This exercise can be done anywhere! In your home. In your office. Even on the road! As you'll notice in the picture I am using an exercise ball, and one single dumbbell. This dumbell does not have to be heavy. You can start with a 3 pounder and for those of you who are fit, you can use a 12 or 15 pounder. Here's how you do it:  * Grab a single dumbbell in right hand. * Put left hand on ball (keep arm straight but not locked). * Slowly lift weight to a vertical position above head. * You should create a straight line with both arms. * Lower weight and repeat 10 times. * Switch arms for 10 more repetitions. * Complete 3 sets of 10 reps for each arm.
That's it! No gym. No special equipment. But the end result is a bigger backswing loaded with power!
This simple golf exercise is an exerpt out of Golf Fitness Expert Mike Pedersen's revolutionary new golf exercise program 3 Minutes A Day To Booming Drives. This is an instantly downloadable ebook, so no matter where you are in the world, you can have this on your computer in a matter of minutes. Read more here. http://www.performbettergolf.com/golf-exercise-program.html |
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The 19th Hole |
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Discussion starters
from the desk of Mr. Gain
A recent post on our blog answered the question "How important are your Member Listing and Property Listing?"
Click here to catch up on the details.
Several Members have expressed the concern that their listing doesn't look as attractive to potential exchange partners as, say, the listings we feature in the Member Bio each month.
If you would like a confidential evaluation of your Listing, and specific recommendations to help your Listing attract the eye of fellow Members , you only have to ask. Contact us here, and we'll do the rest. |
| Please help us spread the word |
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As a relatively new exchange operation, particularly one servicing just Senior Golfers, we need your help to spread the word about us, and for everyone's advantage, to grow our Member numbers, and hence the choice of exchange opportunities.
Please forward this Newsletter to all your golfing friends (you can use the "Forward email" link below), or if you have any other suggestions on how we can market our Club to Senior Golfers, please contact us here. We sincerely appreciate your help. | |
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May you always have love to share, health to spare, and golfing friends who care.
Graeme Smith
SeniorGolfExchange.com
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