Docking Techniques in Boating

While the docking techniques in boating are always going to be dependent upon the weather conditions, there are a few simple things that you should always keep in mind. First of all, in this particular case practice makes perfect. Although we can provide tips, please remember that the docking techniques in boating are going to be something you will have to personalize to your experience, your particular boat and of course, the dock itself.

Secondly, the most common mistake boaters make when attempting to dock their boats is to try and approach the dock in a straight line. By approaching the dock from an angle, however, it will much easier to get close without scraping and to hit the spot you're aiming for. Thirdly, the speed at which you come in to the dock must be controlled. Anything you've ever been told about the best docking techniques in boating probably mentioned that it requires you to run your boat in at the slowest possible speed.

This however, is not as easy as it sounds. Often, even idle speed on a boat is too fast. Coasting, however, as a docking technique in boating, causes problems in and of itself. Coasting reduces steering capability, which makes it even more difficult to accurately line up with the dock. The best way to counter this problem is to alternate between power for steering (short shots of forward gear) and coasting for speed control. Being able to use the best docking techniques in boating is not automatic.

You'll have to practice this one over and over. As you get closer to the dock, the best docking techniques in boating will tell you to start to turn the boat. It is at precisely the same time, however, that you will also need to decelerate to a stop in reverse. Again, the deceleration reduces steering capability. When approaching the dock, you are going to have to rely on the momentum of the boat to get you over this obstacle.

Momentum and speed, however, are not the same thing. Momentum is simply the forward motion of the boat that will actually carry you into the dock. You will need just enough momentum to get into the dock and that will allow you to smoothly make the shift to reverse so you can stop. Once you've actually mastered this task, you'll probably agree that the best docking techniques in boating were the ones that you learned by trial and error. None of the docking techniques you'll read will ever be a better teacher than practice, practice, practice.

The best advice that one could ever receive when looking for information on the best docking techniques in boating would be to take it slow, don't get nervous or discouraged and most importantly, remember that every time you try it, will make it a little easier the next time.

Thomas Holley is owner of Pontoon-Boat-Products.com

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Woodland Verses Links Golf Courses - Which One Wins?

Many people believe that the word 'links' refers to the way the end of one golf hole defines the beginning of the next - rather like the links of a chain. This is not so but it actually comes from the Old English word 'hlinc' meaning a stretch of flat ground along the seashore. And that is exactly what it is like. Sea on one side, land on the other (often the houses on the edge of the town form the boundary). It is a naturally occurring terrain usually on a well drained sandy soil.

The parkland course on the other hand is 'purpose built' and is often much more hilly and varied in terrain than the links course. Also, the presence of trees offers a different kind of hazard from those found on a links. Each course has its own type of problems and challenges but the links course probably calls for rather more 'invention' or 'adaptation' in the way the shots are played.

Parkland courses are usually set in an area not infrequently wooded to some degree and often with heather, gorse, sand bunkers and sometimes water in the form of ponds or lakes. However, the main difference between links and parkland is that the latter is much more obviously manufactured. This is not said by way of criticism since inland courses by definition have to be manufactured. The quality of the course though is more to do with the skill of the designer and how much this "manufactured-ness" shows. The optimum use of the space available and the incorporation of existing natural features - woods, trees, water, ups and downs - are where the architect can bring his creative powers to bear.

A links course on the other hand is usually a much more rugged proposition. It's a completely natural setting - too 'natural' for some people - where the wind from the sea plays a much more prominent part in the game. The nature of the terrain forces you to adapt your shots to the prevailing conditions and the lie of the land. One great advantage though is that being on sandy soil it does tend to drain well and very quickly so the surface remains firm and playable all year round.

Nevertheless it is no place for the complaint 'It's not fair'. Life isn't fair on a links and you have to brace yourself for that. You could hit a perfect drive straight up the fairway only to have it finish up on a hanging lie with three huge bunkers between you and the green two hundred yards away.

The distances on your scorecard will be accurate but useless. I have played at Turnberry where one of the par threes is an eight iron in the morning but a three wood in the afternoon - and it was nothing to do with the port at lunch.

Playing out of the rough is a different game; the whins and other grasses can twist your clubhead and make the ball behave in quite a different way when trying to chip on to the green from the rough. Don't expect to play to your handicap on your first visit to a links course - even in sunshine and no (apparent) wind. You need to be able to 'read' the elements and this comes only from experience. Why do you think so many canny golfers chip and run from so far off the green?

Unlike the parkland course where the course is manufactured, the links course demands that the shot is manufactured.

But all in all it's a great challenge - never the same from one day to the next. One compensation however for these difficulties is that you will not encounter many trees. Which brings us back to parkland golf.

Essentially, unlike the natural design of the links, this is down to the skill of the architect. Everybody accepts that golf courses are 'constructed' but the trick is to make them look as natural as possible and, in the case of some of the great inland courses, it works! It requires a number of criteria to be fulfilled: first and foremost it must be a challenge to the world's best - and must be accepted as such. It must have variety - every hole must be individual but the 'whole' must have a personality. It must be fair and not just playable by top championship players and, lastly, it must be aesthetically pleasing. Such a course would be Sunningdale - a club blessed with two of the great courses where every hole is a world unto itself. So whether your preference is for links or parkland I hope you manage to get the round you've dreamed about on the course of your choice.

Good golfing!

Peter makes playing golf more interesting by enlightening his readers with little known facts about the history of the game of golf. He also provides a feast of valuable golfing tips and online golf lessons all learnt from playing golf for five decades!

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