Thursday, January 31, 2019

PGA Show First Look – Cobra F9 Speedback Driver

Shot at the 2019 PGA Show, MyGolfSpy’s Harry Nodwell steps you through the Cobra F9 Speedback Driver.

from MyGolfSpy http://bit.ly/2MH9yOs

PGA Show First Look – Titleist TS2 and TS3 Drivers

Shot at the 2019 PGA Show Demo Day, MyGolfSpy’s Sam Robinson steps you through the Titleist TS2 and TS3 Drivers.

from MyGolfSpy http://bit.ly/2RuBaqT

PGA Show First Look – Tour Edge Exotics EXS Driver

Shot at the 2019 PGA Show Demo Day, MyGolfSpy’s Harry Nodwell steps you through the new Tour Edge Exotics EXS Driver.

from MyGolfSpy http://bit.ly/2DO4wwH

First Look – Miura CB-301 Irons

Miura’s release of the CB-301, its first fully forged cavityback iron since the PP9003 in 2011, offers golfers something more than an updated look at an evolved design. It also hints at where Miura might be headed as the brand continues to find its footing in North America amidst the organizational restructuring, which started roughly two years ago.

The fear for some Miura loyalists was that by increasing exposure and working to make the brand more globally competitive, it would begin to stray from its roots as a small family run operation in Himeji, Japan where the message of Discover Perfection suggested something of an exclusive destination. Multi-piece constructions such as the PP-9005 (Genesis) didn’t do much to quell the nervous feelings.

That said, the CB-301 should offer some measure of solace as other than the design work (done by Shinei the son of founder Katsuhiro Miura) the story is relatively similar to that of previous players irons (CB-57, MB-001, MC-501). Each head is forged at the Miura facility in Himeji from soft 1025 carbon steel, and according to Miura “is individually handcrafted and will never be mass produced” – However, it’s reasonable to question where the line exists separating increased market share from mass production. Is it possible for Miura to access the former without running the risk of the latter?

In terms of performance, Miura claims the CB-301 to be the longest forged cavityback iron it’s ever produced, which is noteworthy as it’s rare to hear Miura leverage distance as a selling point for a forged iron. Given its construction, Miura hopes the CB-301 will appeal to a broader range of players, some which may look to combo the CB-301 with more workable MC-501 short irons. That said as a complete set, the basic structure (lower and deeper CG and scooped-out rear cavity), might remind golfers of the 2018 Players Distance Most Wanted winner (Fourteen TC 788).

The CB-301 is positioned as a bridge seeking to connect Miura’s next generation of designers with a more universal audience, though at $280/club it’s still by most measures a niche product.

Miura built a dedicated following on a foundation of high-quality forged player’s irons and wedges. No doubt, nearly a decade between releases is well beyond the industry norm.

So, did Miura get it right?

For more information, visit www.Miuragolf.com.

from MyGolfSpy http://bit.ly/2G0riUo

How to Help Prevent Burnout with Self-Care

Burnout does not happen to everyone, but when it happens, it's debilitating. Burnout can be summed up as a continual state of stress and chronic depression that makes you feel “out of control”. It leads to an inability to function normally and has long-term mental and physical health repercussions. Basically stated, if you experience high levels …

from Dai Manuel: Your Lifestyle Mentor http://bit.ly/2G1b39s

Wednesday, January 30, 2019

How to Keep Writing After Failure

Writing a great story is hard. Every author worth his or her salt knows this from painful experience. And if you’re setting out to write something worthwhile, you’re going to encounter failure along the way. But that doesn’t mean you’re a failed writer.

How to Keep Writing After Failure

Despite the temptation to give up or run away from writing again, you have to keep going. You have to keep writing.

Because the reward waiting for you is priceless. Not only that, the reward can only come from failure.

And it’s the ingredient that will make your story a must-read.

Failed Writer, Redefine “Failure”

It’s easy after a disappointing moment to want to give up.

After placing second in a writing contest two years ago, I haven’t been able to win any more contests since. While a part of me feels like a failure, or a victim of rejection, another part of me is happy to move on from contests and all the emotions that go with them.

“Failure” is, after all, a matter of perspective based on time. Stuck in the present, as we all are, it’s easy to see something up to this point as a failure. Perhaps your self-published launch fell flat. Maybe you’re work-in-progress keeps hitting dead-ends. These are certainly obstacles, but there is no way to know for sure if they constitute “failure.”

In essence, failure is a choice. It is submission.

And great writers refuse to submit even when they’ve been beaten down by the discouraging chapters of life.

So define those moments you might think of as “failures,” those times you’re tempted to think you’re a failed writer, as something much more helpful, like a teachable moment, an obstacle, or — my favorite — a challenge.

When viewed through the prism of opportunity, failure begins to look benign, even appetizing.

Be Patient

In The Story Grid, Shawn Coyne writes, “One of the most difficult skills to develop as a writer is patience.”

This is especially true if you are trying to build a career in writing but aren’t “there” yet. If you’re anything like me, you spend forty or more hours a week at an exhausting day job, then go home to a family that loves and needs you for many of the remaining hours of that week. Finding time to write is a monumental struggle, so you would prefer that the words you write during that precious time be perfect.

I’ve written many stories and chapters in those rare hours, and upon completion I hoped in my heart that they were ready for publication now.

But upon receiving criticism or rejection, I’ve collapsed and wanted to abandon each project in kind.

The cycle requires immense patience.

Therefore, to grow in your patience, alter your expectations. Despite the narrow amount of time you may have to write, expect that what you’re creating will need to be revised. Know that it will be flawed in ways you can’t currently see.

But trust that when the time comes to revise, you will be grateful for having written it in the first place!

The Reward

In The Story Grid, Coyne writes about patience as he teaches about one of the most powerful elements of a readable book: Controlling Idea and Theme.

“The controlling idea is the takeaway message the writer wants the reader/viewer to discover from . . . his Story. It’s the whole reason many of us want to be writers in the first place.”

Yet this element of story isn’t like others that I’ve written about, like genre, objects of desire, and point of view. It is the fruit of long-lasting, committed labor.

“Most writers don’t have a clue what their theme is until far into the writing process,” Coyne says.

Yet a story without a theme, or uniting idea, wouldn’t really work, or even be a story. It would just be a jumbled assembly of events and words.

A story must be glued together by a central purpose. But the beauty of this is the author need not know about it for it to be there. Coyne writes about one of his clients, playwright David Mamet, insisting that he writes without concern for such a central idea. Yet those ideas abound in Mamet’s work and make his work as revered as it is.

This is why patience and persistence are so important for writers. You can’t give up when things go sour. You can’t believe the negative thoughts that come your way.

Because persistence produces powerful stories.

“This is the beauty of writing, the big payoff that keeps people staring at blank screens for hours on end. . . . The creative energy and hard work necessary to bring these bits to life truthfully will eventually coalesce and an ‘aha, that’s what this is about!’ moment will come. Perhaps not even to the writer, but to the reader.”

Refusing to give up after “failure” isn’t just important for you as a writer; it’s essential for your Story!

The reward of proper expectations and patience is a central idea for your Story, born from countless hours of chiseling your Story out of the bedrock of the imagination. Your Story will be imbued with immortal principles tied to the very fabric of humanity.

And that’s what readers crave. That alone is worth every misstep along the way.

Failure Is an Opportunity for Greatness

Don’t give up.

Whether you’re thinking of starting your first novel, or you have five half-finished manuscripts scattered across your office, you can’t give up. You’re not a failed writer. All of this work, this struggle, this creative suffering serves a powerful purpose: It tells a Story that you and your reader will love.

A shift in expectations must be required. Our “instant gratification” culture conditions us to expect immediate positive feedback, thumbs pointing up, and likes. We see any negativity as an attack, or as proof of our deep, innate shortcomings.

You can’t see it that way.

It’s how we learn, grow, and become great at our craft.

So no matter what your goals are this week, or for 2019, commit to persevering through failure and viewing it as an opportunity to strive for greatness.

And when you look back, perhaps this will be the moment when you became the writer you’ve always wanted to be.

Can you remember times when you felt like a failed writer? How did you overcome them? Let us know in the comments.

PRACTICE

Stories are about problems, and watching characters struggle through failures and overcome gives us hope. Today, pour out any feelings of failure, of disappointment, of discouragement that you have about your writing and give them to your characters.

Write about a character at their lowest low, reconing with the realization that they’ve failed. What was their goal? Why are they so convinced now that they’ll never achieve it?

And what note of hope will they discover at the end of the scene that reveals there just might be a way forward?

Take fifteen minutes to write. When you’re done, share your scene in the comments below, and be sure to leave feedback for your fellow writers!

The post How to Keep Writing After Failure appeared first on The Write Practice.

from The Write Practice http://bit.ly/2DJCYbV

Chinese Group to Buy Wilson Golf Owner Amer Sports

Finnish sporting goods conglomerate Amer Sports – owner of Wilson Sporting Goods, among others – is in the process of being sold to a Chinese group led by athletic apparel giant ANTA Sports Products, LTD, for an estimated $5.2 billion.

ANTA announced its interest in acquiring Amer in September, and in early December, the Amer Sports Board of Directors unanimously agreed to recommend its shareholders accept ANTA’s offer, which represented a 39% premium over Amer’s early September stock price. Amer share prices jumped immediately after ANTA made its intentions known in September, nearly 20% in one day – the largest jump in its history.

In addition to ANTA, which is China’s largest athletic apparel manufacturer, the buying group also includes Chinese internet giant Tencent Holdings and billionaire Chip Wilson, the founder of Lululemon Athletica.

Facts of the Deal

In a mailing to shareholders last month, Amer said the ANTA group plans to invest time and money to expand Amer’s businesses globally, especially in Asia. Amer will have access to ANTA’s distribution network, R&D resources, and manufacturing and sourcing capabilities.

Under the agreement, Amer will continue to operate as an independent entity with an independent Board of Directors. Current Amer leadership has been invited to stay on under the new ownership.

Along with Wilson Sporting Goods, Amer owns outdoor sports brands Louisville Slugger and DeMarini baseball bats, Atomic and Armada ski equipment, Salomon and Arc’teryx hiking and mountaineering gear, Mavic and ENVE cycling gear and Precor fitness equipment. Bloomberg reported in December that Amer made for an attractive target as the next two Olympic games will be coming to Asia (2020 Summer games in Tokyo, 2022 Winter games in Beijing).

ANTA was established in 1991, specializing in footwear, apparel, and accessories, and went public in 2007, with former Houston Rockets owner Leslie Lee Alexander as a key investor. Current and former NBA stars Klay Thompson, Gordon Hayward, Rajon Rondo, and Kevin Garnett are ANTA athletes, as is boxer Manny Pacquiao.

What Does This Mean For Wilson Golf?

In the short term, probably nothing. Wilson was able to sign Gary Woodland to a sponsorship deal after the agreement was announced, so clearly there’s no spending moratorium until the deal is finalized, and from all outward signs, it has been business as usual in Chicago.

Wilson won’t be making any statements until the sale is finalized – which should be sometime in March – and the thinking here is Wilson Sporting Goods is a key component to the acquisition. Wilson is a strong player in baseball, basketball, and tennis – all global sports with tremendous market potential in China and the rest of Asia. The Asian golf market is huge, and market research shows China is a ripe and growing market for golf equipment. A report by the R&A last year indicates 32% of the world’s golf course projects are in Asia. Wilson Golf has not been active in the Asian market recently, but this sale could open up significant growth opportunities.

There aren’t any similarities between this deal and the recent TaylorMade sale by adidas to the capital group KPS. First off, adidas actively sought a buyer for TaylorMade, and KPS purchased only TaylorMade – there were no other major elements to the deal (the Adams and Ashworth brands were included in the sale, but by purchase time had been diminished to the point where the assets were little more than logos). Amer Sports wasn’t for sale, but the ANTA group made them the proverbial offer they couldn’t refuse and purchased the entirety of Amer Sports – clearly to become a global sporting goods power.

So in the long term, the deal would appear to potentially be good news for Wilson Golf but, as is the case with global business, one never knows.

from MyGolfSpy http://bit.ly/2MG7xCa

{VIDEO} – PING G410 Plus vs. G400 LST

MyGolfSpy’s Harry Nodwell recently put the new PING G410 Plus driver to the test against his PING G400 LST.

Here’s what happened.

from MyGolfSpy http://bit.ly/2HDOtFS

PODCAST – The Death of the Golf Cart (as we know it)

It’s all but universally agreed upon that golf has a pace of play issue.

In a world that increasingly demands instant gratification, the traditional 4-hour round is a stretch, while the far-more-common-than-it-should-be 5-hour round is a deal-breaker. Wouldn’t it be nice if 18 holes could be played in 3 hours or less?

That’s perhaps ambitious, but this year’s PGA Show featured a selection of products that aim to increase pace of play and significantly reduce the time it takes to play a round of golf. Listen as MyGolfSpy founder, Adam Beach, discusses two possible solutions; Tagmarshal and the single rider golf cart.

from MyGolfSpy http://bit.ly/2Rsc2B8

Kettlebell Workouts Perfect for Beginners – Part 1

It wasn’t long ago that kettlebells were practically unknown, and nobody knew how to train with them. These days, they have become an incredibly popular tool for fitness, andyou can practically find kettlebells at nearly any gym in the world. However, most people still don't have the specialized knowledge to train with kettlebells. To eliminate …

from Dai Manuel: Your Lifestyle Mentor http://bit.ly/2Tm5G85

Tuesday, January 29, 2019

How to Find the Writing Coach You Need

In high school, I was part of an amazing football team. We won most of our games and routinely went to the State Championship. But it wasn’t just the players that made the team great — it was also the coaches. And writing coaches can have just as great an impact on our writing.

How to Find the Writing Coach You Need

An incredible coach doesn’t just tell you what to do and how to do it. They help you as you learn, answering questions and showing you how to improve your performance.

When I started writing, one of the first things I began looking for were coaches who could help me along the way. Finding the right writing coaches can make all the difference in our work.

As I was working on my first novel, I started emailing authors and publishers I thought would make great writing coaches. Their responses weren’t always what I hoped they would be. I learned a lot about the publishing industry by reaching out to them. Through this painful trial and error, I learned a few things the hard way.

Respect the Coach

First, before you reach out to someone, study what they have already put into the world. Good coaches are already coaching. They’ve likely written articles, blogs, or books about writing. They’ve probably been on podcasts. They may even have courses available online.

It is likely they have answered your initial questions already.

One of the most embarrassing moments I’ve had was when I emailed a writer I respected without doing any research first. I asked a question I was struggling with, thinking this coach would have the perfect answer.

The coach responded with a link to a book he had written. No other words. No explanation. Just the link. I read the book, and the coach was right, it was perfect.

Unfortunately, I’d set out on the wrong foot with that coach by not doing my homework before I made contact. I’d wasted the most important thing the coach could give me, his time.

Before you reach out to a writing coach, make sure that coach hasn’t already answered your question somewhere else. This will show the coach that you respect them and value any time you give them.

Look for Responsive Coaches

People are busy, especially in the author community, and especially if the person you are reaching out to is already a great coach. If a coach doesn’t have time to invest you in personally, that doesn’t mean they don’t like you. It doesn’t mean you aren’t a good writer. It doesn’t mean they are rejecting you personally. It just means they are busy.

At the same time, the best coaches give their players personal attention. One way to tell if a coach is going to be a good fit for you is to see how responsive they are when you reach out.

My first writing coach was Joe Bunting from The Write Practice. After reading a massive amount of the thousands of articles he’d written about publishing, I emailed him with a few questions.

Unlike other coaches, I’d reached out to, Joe emailed me back. That was one of the ways I knew he was going to be a great coach for me. After a quick back and forth, I signed up for one of his courses and began my publishing journey.

You Need More Than One Coach

In high school football, I played Defensive End. For this position, I had a Defensive Line coach who worked on the skills for my particular position, a Conditioning Coach who helped me stay in shape, and a Defensive Coordinator who taught me how my position was part of the larger defensive strategy.

Different coaches can teach you different skills. As a writer, you also will need more than one writing coach. Maybe you need a coach to teach you the basics of plotting a novel. Maybe you need a coach who can focus on helping you understand the specific genre you are writing. Maybe you need a coach who can help you understand indie publishing or how to find an agent.

Different coaches will train you in different skills, so look for more than one.

How I Found a Coach

Recently, I was looking for a coach to help me understand how to better promote and sell my books. I knew I wanted someone who had been in the industry for a long time and who knew how to work on a budget. I had heard Mark Leslie Lefebvre on podcasts before, but when I heard him speak on the Creative Penn podcast recently, the coaching he was giving lined up with the questions I had.

After listening to the podcast, I went and got Mark’s two most recent books: The 7 P’s of Publishing Success and Killing It on Kobo. Both books were simple and engaging reads packed full of wisdom.

Mark has been publishing since 1992. He has published (traditionally and as an indie) more than twelve books and countless short stories. He was the driving force behind the creation of Kobo Writing Life and currently works with the Draft to Digital time. This experience and steady hand oozed from the pages of his books.

I went on to listen to the podcasts Mark had produced. As I did, I looked at his work online. There were things he was doing that gave me pause.

For example, Mark didn’t seem stressed about getting reviews. Since I’ve struggled to get reviews, this raised questions for me. I also noticed from his website that Mark does a lot of selling at conferences, a strategy I had never tried that I was curious about.

After reviewing all of Mark’s work, I had a few questions left for him, questions about how I could improve my practice. I went to his website to see if he would be open to talking with me and discovered that he had a mode for booking time with him. I scheduled an appointment and Mark got back to me right away.

The coaching conversation I had with him confirmed my suspicions: Mark is an amazing writing coach. I spent forty-five minutes with him and learned enough to about how I can refine my work to keep me busy for the next three months.

We All Need Coaches

The best athletes don’t pop from the head of Zeus fully formed. They have amazing coaches along the way that help them refine their practice. As an author, you need great writing coaches too, and you are writing at the perfect time. Never before have you had so much access to great coaches.

If you read this blog and haven’t already, I’d recommend starting with Joe Bunting as a coach. Sign up for one of his courses. I know from personal experience, Joe is a great coach.

Have you found any writing coaches? Tell us in the comments about coaches whose work you have followed.

PRACTICE

Today, write a scene in which a character encounters a mentor who can help them achieve their goal.

What’s the character’s goal? What skill or wisdom do they need to achieve it? Who will mentor them, and how will the mentor respond to them?

Write about your character and their mentor for fifteen minutes. When you’re done, share your writing in the comments, and be sure to leave feedback for your fellow writers!

The post How to Find the Writing Coach You Need appeared first on The Write Practice.

from The Write Practice http://bit.ly/2WvC7D9

PGA Show First Look – Callaway Epic Flash and Epic Flash Sub Zero Drivers

Shot at the 2019 PGA Show Demo Day, MyGolfSpy’s Sam Robinson and Harry Nodwell step you through the new Callaway Epic Flash and Epic Flash Sub Zero Drivers.