In the world of sports, golf has something of an unfair reputation with many people deeming it boring or not active enough to be considered a proper workout. There is also something of a stigma which can make it hard for newcomers to enter the fold. Golf clubs have an elite and somewhat stuffy reputation, which seems to suggest you can’t break into the ranks without full clothing, a good social network, and an urge to break the bank and buy Ben Hogan edge irons.

In truth, however, golf is an accessible, challenging activity which can quickly grow into a treasured hobby. To help you get started, here are our top tips for new or interested players— you will be swinging strong in no time!

Get Some Lessons

There can be resistance to receiving lessons or tuition, but this really is the best way to improve your game. Self-teaching can only take you so far and may mean you end up with bad habits which can be hard to break. A professional will help you get a solid foundation, which will have long-term advantages for your game.

Practice Your Putting

The driving range is a popular spot for players, and it is common to see people practicing hitting long-range shots for hours. This practice can help your game, but it can also result in neglect of your putting. Putts will account for around 50 percent of your total strokes in a round, yet research shows that players practice putting for less than 50 percentof the time. Get ahead of the competition by prioritizing this essential skill.

Get To Grips

The grip is a vital part of golf, and getting it right can make or break your game. This is also where an expert can help you and will work to help you decide which of the three grips—the Vardon, the baseball or the interlocking—best suits you. It can take months to perfect the grip, so take every opportunity to practice.

Make Friends With A Driving Range

A driving range allows you to practice hitting with no worries about finding the ball. Many clubs will also let you practice for free, and this will help you perfect your technique. It can also be a great stress reliever if you are in a less-than-good mood!

Learn The Etiquette

The elitist etiquette of golf can be off-putting to many new players, but it is often simply a case of learning the rules. It will keep you out of trouble and help you maintain good relationships with other players and club members. It can be a good idea to play and practice with an experienced golfer.They will know the rules and can show you the ropes.

Avoid New Balls

As a new player, you will be losing balls left, right, and center for quite a while. The price of new balls can quickly add up, so take advantage of the chance to stock up on second-hand balls and save yourself some serious cash.

No heavy stuff, CrossFits, Intervals or running – just a home ballet bar, a straight back, and extended feet. I have 7 ballet exercises that will make you slimmer and more graceful after the very first class.

The ballet has long gone beyond theatrical scenes and rehearsal halls – a stunning physical form, stretch, and posture of a ballerina made fitness instructors around the world include ballet exercises used by professional dancers in their programs.

1. Hundred

First of all, stretch your knees one by one for two minutes. After that, lie on your back, straighten your knees, raise your head and shoulders, press your chin against your chest.

Lift the upper body from the floor and the legs – up to the ceiling or diagonally (this is more difficult). Pull your hands along the body and raise them up and down 4 times, then do twisting twice. Repeat the series of exercises 10 times.

2. Push-Ups

Stand in front of the barre, put your hands on it and step back. The palms are a little wider than shoulders; the back is straight and buttocks are tense. Start push-ups. Try to touch the barre’s with your chest and then return to the initial position. Repeat this 15 times.

You can then make it more difficult: make the push-ups only halfway, do 15 “momentums” (light ups and downs) in this position, and then return to the initial position.

3. Reverse Push-Ups

Sit on the floor, knees bent, feet shoulder width apart, hands behind your back (under the shoulders), the palms faced forward. Lift your hips off the floor and shift the entire body weight on your hands. Do reverse push-ups (bending and straightening your elbows) 20 times, with full feet on the ground. After that, repeat the same thing, but on your heels.

Make the exercise more difficult: stand on your heels, take a few steps forward (the weight of the body remains on your hands) and do 20 reverse push-ups again.

4. Foot Exercise

Stand with your back to the barre. The distance between you and the barre should be the palm of your hand. Feet waist width apart, knees slightly bent. Move your hands behind your back to the sides and grab the barre. Raise your right foot up and straighten it (toes must look up), turn your foot to the right as if “revealing” your leg muscles. In this position, perform each of the following exercises for 30 seconds: lift and lower your foot a bit (a few centimeters), make small rotational movements (as if drawing a circle with a heel in the air).

Then repeat the rotation in the other direction, stretch out your foot, lift and lower your leg several times. Return to the initial position and repeat the same thing with your right foot.

5. Another Foot Exercise

Take the initial position from the previous exercise: stand with your back to the barre, put your hands behind your back to the sides and grab the barre. Raise your right foot up and straighten it in your knee (toes looking up), turn your foot to the right as if “revealing” your leg muscles. Make 15-20 shallow amplitude squats, and then change your legs.

6. Plie and Releve

Stand in the starting position – one hand on the barre, the other – on your waist. Widely spread your legs, turn your feet (toes should look in opposite directions), knees slightly bend. Then descend so that your hips were at the same level as your knees.

In this position, start to descend a little deeper for 30 seconds, and then ascend a little higher.

Next, do the same thing, but by going up and down on your tips.

7. Swinging Backwards

Turn the left side of your body to the ballet barre, knees slightly bent, heels in, toes out. Put your left hand on the barre, bend the right one and put it on your waist. Pull the right leg back a little so that it stands on the tip. Perform the following movements within 30 seconds: make small swings (10 cm from the ground) with your right foot to the back; make a circular movement during one of the swings and try to make a small circle in the air with your tip.

Alternate a few swings and rotations (do them both clockwise and counterclockwise) for 1 minute. Then repeat the same thing with your right foot. If you feel this exercise is easy, do it for 2 minutes for each leg.

What car championships do you know? And what do you know about the autosport world? Naturally, most of you will recall Formula 1 racing first. These are the most popular races in the world. But F1 isn’t the only competition where great car racers and engineers find out who is better. All over the world, there are many other types of car championships that are not inferior to Formula 1 in terms of spectacularity and drama. We have gathered the most important races in the world here for you.

• Formula 1

Held since 1950.

Naturally, we will start with the most popular races in the world: Formula 1 Grand Prix. These races have the largest number of fans around the world. This year’s Formula 1 is already in its anniversary 70th season. The first races were held in 1950.

“In the season of 2017, the rules have changed a bit, as well as new requirements for the technical equipment of cars. As a result, new seasons not only gave us more excitement but also made the race more futuristic due to the new appearance of the cars.” – Jim Malkovich, auto mechanic & the owner of mechanicfaq.com.

The 2019 Formula 1 championship was held on April 14. Lewis Hamilton (UK) is the defending World Drivers’ Champion. After winning his fifth championship title in the previous season in 2018, and Mercedes are the defending World Constructors’ Champion. It also saw the running of the 1000th World Championship race, which was held in China. By the way, the only team that has participated in all racing seasons since 1950 is Scuderia Ferrari.

• FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC)

Held since 2012.

Four classes of cars take part in the competition: two classes of sports prototypes (LMP1 and LMP2) and two Gran Turismo class cars (LMGTE Pro, where only professional riders compete, and LMGTE Am, where the presence of one amateur racer is required in a team).

The most interesting thing is that in these competitions, both teams of manufacturer teams and private teams can be met. And all participants of the competition, in case of having the right cars, can fight against each other in different categories. For example, Porsche 919 Spyder participates in races of LMP class along with Toyota team.

By the way, the 24-hour race in Le Mans is actually a stage of the WEC. Also, in addition to the stage in Le Mans, there are also 8 more races with a duration not least than 6 hours during the season.

In 2016, for the first time after a long break in the WEC races, Ford GT appeared. It proved to the audience that it was not in vain and won its class in the Le Mans 24-hour race.

• FIA World Rallycross Championship

Held since 2014

This type of car competitions is a true spectacle for fans of extreme car racing. Here it’s like in soccer. There are qualifying tournaments, semi-finals, and finals. Routes are laid both on asphalt and dirt roads. Also, the tracks have many extreme turns and bumps which allows sports cars to be effectively “detached” from the road surface on some sections of the road.

By the way, in these types of racing, worldwide popular professional rally driver Ken Block officially takes part. These races are broadcast live on YouTube.

• DTM

Held since 2000

DTM (Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters) is the German series of racing competitions. The races were organized by Opel and Mercedes-Benz which decided to revive the legendary races, taking into account the negative experience of the DTM-ITC and FIA GT races which took place in the ’90s but did not gain popularity.

As a result, Opel and Mercedes-Benz created the rules of DTM racing in such a way that the cars became faster and the races – more spectacular. Also, the rules of DTM racing, in fact, prevent the “race of budgets” of the teams which makes the outcome of all stages of the competition unpredictable.

The current world champion is Gary Paffett (UK), who drove Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM and won the competition in 2018.

• FIA GT3 European Championship

Held since 2006.

GT3 races are not limited to one championship. There are a lot of car races all over the world in which GT3 series cars take part. The most famous championship of GT3 series is held in Europe.

For these series, there is a set of rules for car manufacturers that allow them to use their cars in competitions around the world.

The most famous companies that produce cars of GT3 series: BMW, Audi, Mercedes, Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren, and Lexus.

The GT3 series is especially popular for 24-hour races in Nürburgring and Spa Francorchamps.

There are also the following racing competitions:

• WRC World Rally Championship (since 1973) which includes 13 races around the world. Each race is held in several stages. The total length of one race is about 1000 kilometers. Ford, Toyota, Hyundai, and Citroën take part to compete with each other in these races. Since the 2017 season, new rules have been introduced in the rules of the race which allowed teams to exhibit rally monsters that participated in the ’80s.
• International Touring Car Racing (TCR) series (since 2015). The most famous races in the Touring Car Racing series are held in Germany. For example, in the first race of the 2017 season, 40 cars were launched. The largest number of cars are exhibited by the teams: Audi, VW, Seat, Kia, Honda, Opel, Alfa, and Subaru. The main requirements for cars: 4 doors, 2.0-liter turbo engine, 350 hp, and front drive availability. Minimum total length: 4.20 m. Minimum weight: 1250 kg for cars with gearbox production, 1285 kg for cars with racing gearbox (driver included).
• Formula E (since 2014). Bad news for those who love races for the sound of powerful sports engines. Formula E cars will disappoint you with their silence. The fact is that this championship involves electric cars with open wheels. It’s a fairly young type of racing has already gained a lot of fans around the world.
• Dakar Rally (since 1978). These races are different from other racing classes on our list. The name of the race is directly related to the former endpoint of the Paris-Dakar races which were held in Europe and Africa from 1978 to 2007. Since 2009, the races have been held in South America. Races include cars, motorcycles, trucks, ATVs and double buggies. In 2008, the Paris-Dakar race was canceled because of the terrorist threat. As a result, it was decided to move the annual rally to South America. The most recent races took place through Argentina, Bolivia, and Paraguay.

Electric cars are growing in popularity all over the world, and it’s no surprise – they’re quiet, easy to drive and smooth in acceleration, but which one to choose?

Whether we like it or not, this electrified trend will only intensify in the near future. The main thing that has kept customers from choosing an electric car so far is the short duration of the trip on one charge and infrastructure problems. However, these issues are not so acute in modern models – the mileage of 300 km is the norm, and the number of charging stations on roads is growing like mushrooms after the rain.

So, which e-cars should be considered for purchase in 2019? Here’s a list made by auto expert, James Smith at the Best Arny blog.

Hyundai Ioniq

Ioniq is a modern budget model that can be purchased with three different electrified powertrain options:

• soft hybrid;
• chargeable hybrid;
• fully electric version.

The last version has a quite comfortable interior, where there are no longer those “good old” hard panels and poor design as if intentionally scaring off customers. You can even order premium equipment and heated front seats. In addition, a mileage of 280 km on a single charge is quite enough for daily trips around the city and its suburbs.

BMW i3

The model exists for about six years on the market, which means that the manufacturer has already dealt with all the “infantine diseases”. As for the design, i3 still looks modern and also has a unique body with carbon and aluminum components that compensate for the weight of lithium-ion batteries.

Of course, in six years the model has become a little outdated technically, but after the last upgrade, it has become better driven, and the range of mileage has increased to 255 km per charge – not the most outstanding figure, but quite sufficient for urban conditions.

Tesla Model X

At first glance, an electric family SUV looks like a dream come true, offering exterior design and Range Rover luxury with green energy savings from Tesla. Of course, in terms of appearance, great battery life, and practical interior – there are no questions for this Model X – it’s almost the best in the class. Still not ideal, though, because the entry-level versions are quite simple in the interior. On the other hand, even the basic version allows you to drive up to 380 km on a single charge, while the top models can drive up to 475 which is quite enough even for long distance trips.

Volkswagen e-Golf

As Volkswagen prepares for large-scale electrification and the launch of a range of electric vehicles, including minibusses and crossovers, customers are offered an electric version of e-Golf which, unlike BMW i3 or Nissan Leaf models, is based on an ordinary hatchback. On the other hand, it’s not bad, and, in the case of e-Golf, even good because the car has all the advantages of the classic and most popular in Europe hatchback, along with fuel economy of the electric model. Mileage is classical for the given class – 300 km per charge.

Renault Zoe

The main strength of the French e-car is that it looks like a normal, stylish and a kind of fun hatch, and is also relatively cheap for the current market.

The power of the electric motor Zoe is quite enough to win traffic light jerks. The interior space and the volume of the trunk are large enough in comparison with the models of the same class. Plus, Renault promises that the updated model, which soon will appear in salons, will be able to cover up to 400 km per charge, what makes it, in fact, Tesla.

Tesla Model S

Speaking of Tesla. With all due respect to Renault, the American company, which has already become an icon of electric cars in the modern world, is still ahead of its competitors in terms of technical, design and marketing strategy, and the Model S is almost ideal e-car of today in terms of price/quality ratio.

Judge for yourself – quite a spacious sedan with a well-done interior and smart information stuffing which gives the opportunity to control every part of the car through a 17-inch display. The cherry on top of the whole thing is acceleration up to 100 km in 4.1 seconds and a range of 500 km per charge.

For most people, summer is a vacation season. But not for thieves. They have the hottest time in both meanings. According to statistics, the number of burglaries in summer increases by 20%. If you don’t want to be added to the list, take measures to protect your place in advance! I will tell you how to protect your apartment from thieves during your holiday season and beyond.

• Install secure windows and doors

Thieves enter the apartment through doors or windows (surprise!), so you need to take care of their reliability. If you live on the first or last floor of the building, be sure to put a secure grate on the windows. If you have plastic windows, they can be equipped with anti-burglary accessories. The cost is not very high, and the benefits are obvious.

In addition, you can protect the window-glass as well. For this, there is a special cover-up that sticks to glass and makes it invulnerable even to stones or metal objects. This service is not cheap, but such a thing not only protects the glass from breaking but also has heat-insulating properties.

Thinking about how to protect your summer house from thieves? A good solution for that one or private home can be roller shutters. From the inside, they are opened and closed with a button, and from the outside – there’s security protection against burglary.

As you know, the most reliable door is made of metal, but not a Chinese one which can be pierced with a knife. The door should be heavy, made of quality thick metal. It is harder to crack the door that opens outward.

Locks are also very important. Of course, a thief-professional will be able to crack almost any lock, but, agree, if you have to deal with the lock for a long time, the chances of being caught increase. Not every thief would take such a risk. It is better to choose the lock that is mounted inside the door. Give preference to famous brands. By the way, the more key turns you need to make to open the door, the more secure the lock is.

• Use the help of professionals

The most reliable way to protect your property is to have your apartment guarded by a public or private company. However, this method is not available to everyone, because only the installation of security equipment will cost several thousand dollars. And also it will be necessary to pay a subscription fee ($300-$500 per month). At thieves’ home invasion, the guard on duty will receive a signal, and the police will arrive in a few minutes. Some security firms even offer material responsibility for your property.

To scare away thieves, you can install an alarm system at home that will sound loud in the event of intruders entering your home. This option is nice because you do not need to pay the subscription fee, but it does not give any guarantees.

There is also another type – GSM Alarm System. This device calls or sends a text to the host’s phone, and the latter in turn takes measures – calls the police, etc. Only this method is not very reliable, because a text message or a call is easy to miss when you are on vacation.

• How to deceive thieves?

When going on vacation, it is desirable to ask someone to look after the apartment, water the flowers, etc. Often thieves keep an eye on the apartment, for example, by inserting matches into the door. If a match does not stand still the next day, it means the apartment is visited. The long absence of the owners is also detected by a clogged mailbox, so ask someone to empty it.

You can use special light bulbs with a timer that will turn on in the evenings, or a lamp that imitates the flickering of the TV during the holiday.

Don’t spread the word about your plans to go on vacation – very often thieves find future objects by tip-offs. Many people like to post information about themselves on social media – don’t do that. You don’t need to tell the whole Internet community that you are away in a good place and will come back on such a number, etc.

When going on vacation, hide all the values and money, preferably in a few safe places – there’s a chance that thieves will not find all the hiding places. The main thing is to choose non-standard places, not to hide money under a mattress or in a drawer. If you have a lot of valuable jewelry, think about putting it in your safety deposit box in your bank.

• Bonus tips

Unfortunately, thefts do not occur only during the holiday period. Sometimes thieves only need a couple of hours while you are at work. So here are the basic security rules you need to follow at all times:

• Don’t forget to close your windows and doors.
• Don’t open the doors to strangers, whether they are employees of the Housing and Communal Services or beggars.
• Do not put the keys in easily accessible places – under a mat or in your mailbox.
• If you lose your keys, be sure to change the locks.
• Don’t give your address to strangers unless absolutely necessary.
• Don’t specify the hours when you’re at home (or away) when posting some ads in social media.

Many recommendations may seem trivial to you, but the main thing is that they work.

Be careful, take the necessary precautions and enjoy your rest!

Author’s bio: Damian Williams is a blogger for homecarechoices.org who frequently combines auto repairment with freelance writing. She’s passionate about Art Deco hotels, historical novels, Netflix, hiking and healthy living.