Week 30: Golfing with family

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Rival Marketing

Golf isn't just for good times with your buddies or sealing business deals. It's a great way to connect to your family.

You use golf as a way to spend time with friends. You may even use it as a way to spend time with important clients. It stands to reason that you can also play golf as a way to spend quality time with the most important people in your life?your family. Here are a few suggestions to ensure that the golfing experience allows everyone to come out a winner.

Start on the range -- While the temptation is great to take the family right out on the course, the driving range offers a low-pressure environment for the family to get comfortable with the sport. No one will be pressuring you to pick up the pace of your play. Everyone can play at his or her own pace and take a break if necessary. Try to resist the temptation of focusing on your own swing at the range. Devote your attention to your family the same way you would if it were a Little League game. You would not grab a bat and insist on taking batting practice there. You should provide the same level of supervision at the range.

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Enlist an instructor -- It might be easier for your family (and for you) if they initially take instruction from a professional. If you are constantly telling your family what to do, how to do it, and when to do it, they can grow weary of the sport. Hiring an instructor also provides you the opportunity to work with an expert when you may not have hired one just for yourself.

Pick the right course -- Once everyone feels they are ready to take the game to a real course, it is crucial to pick a place that will give them the best chance to succeed. The best place for novices to start is a pitch and putt course. These courses usually consist of nine holes, many of which only require a 9-iron, a wedge and a putter to play. By shortening the time and distance of the first round, it will lessen the frustration of your children as they are beginning to learn the game.

Take them to an event -- Nothing is more inspiring to a golfer than seeing the very best players play at an elite level. The next time a pro tour comes to your town, take them to see a round so that you can experience it together. This will give you an opportunity to help explain the rules to them as well as how to develop strategies to play a hole. Even watching a round on television will allow you the opportunity to coach them in addition to developing a wonderful hobby together.

Golfing with your family can greatly enhance your love for the game. Do not let knee pain sour you on a great sport. If knee pain is preventing you from performing at your best, you might be suffering from osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. Various treatments for OA do exist, such as ORTHOVISC®, which provides up to six months of knee pain relief. Made from ultra-pure natural hyaluronan, which is found in healthy joints, ORTHOVISC® is injected into the knee joint where it acts to replace your natural joint fluid, to help cushion, protect, and lubricate your knee.

ORTHOVISC® is a proud sponsor of PGATOUR.com. Talk to your doctor to see if ORTHOVISC® is right for you. Or visit our Web site at www.orthovisc.com for more information on how to maintain your knee health to help you keep playing the game you love.

Follow us on Twitter for up-to-date information on maintaining joint health and the prevention/treatment of knee pain due to sports-related injuries or the early symptoms of osteoarthritis.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

ORTHOVISC® is for patients who do not get adequate pain relief from simple pain relievers like acetaminophen or from exercise and physical therapy. ORTHOVISC® is not for use in people with known allergy to hyaluronate preparations, to gram bacterial proteins, with infections or skin diseases in the area of the injection site or joint. Common side effects include joint pain, back pain, headaches and pain or redness at the injection site.

This is a paid placement by DePuy Mitek, Inc. The opinions expressed above are those of DePuy Mitek, Inc. and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the PGA TOUR.