In recent news, millions of pounds of fake golf clubs and various other golfing accessories were sold by a council trading standards team between June 2003 and March 2008, using the online auction website eBay. This, the largest ever eBay conspiracy, consisted over 96 000 transactions and has landed four people in jail, having been found guilty of conspiring to sell counterfeit goods.
The team of conspirers purchases fake goods from Chinese factories and had them shipping to their own addresses in the UK, before selling them online to customers all over the world – from Ireland and Germany, to Brazil and New Zealand! It was only when pensioner Christine Manz complained to trading standards, after trying to get a refund for two clubs, that an investigation was launched into the fakers. This inquiry produced a variety of shocking evidence, including complaints of a spider’s nest in the variety of a club and golf balls that exploded when hit! When the council also uncovered large sums of money passing through the bank accounts of the suspects (£73,000 in 28 days), they clamped down on one of the biggest online counterfeiting operations ever known.
So, golf lovers – beware holiday season! If you’re buying golf clubs, golf clothing or any other kind of golf merchandise for loved one this Christmas, make sure you buy from a reputable online store!
I'm sure I'm not the only person who has wondered what would win a race over 300 yards - a golf ball or a car?
Although golf balls have been clocked at speeds up to 180 miles per hour (Tiger Woods), they slow down quite quickly. Sports cars, on the other hand, speed up quite quickly - so it's actually pretty tricky to guess which would win.
Having neither the space nor the friends to try it out for myself, I was very pleased to find this video online; enjoy!
Merry Christmas from the Golf Blog! Here is our Christmas present to you; instead of golf tees, golf clothes or golf clubs, we offer you this - a hilarious sketch about the supposed creation of golf by Robin Williams.
I should warn you in advance the the language is quite strong, so you might want to watch it when the kids aren't around. It is, however, incredibly funnny so you really must watch it!
When you think about it, the idea of golf was a very strange one to come up with - attempting to hit a tiny ball into a tiny hole a quarter of a mile away, using a series of different sticks! Totally unlike any other sport in the world...which is probably why we love it so much!
spring to mind. However, the Australian pop star recently declared that she is considering designing golf clothing because “it’s not easy to look good on the golf course.”
Speak for yourself Kylie – I happen to look superb in my plaid troos, thanks very much! She does have a point though; most people do struggle to look their best whilst trading around a golf course, especially at this wet and windy time of year. Even Miss. Minogue herself looked slightly less than her pop-mega-star-self when she and boyfriend Andres Velencoso took to the course a few months back, in this lovely matching set of golf attire:
When most people consider Kylie Minogue, golf probably isn’t the first thing to
Romantic? Sweet? Creepy? I’m not sure what their choice in golf clothes says about their relationship, but one thing is for sure – it aint sexy. Sadly for Andres and the rest of the male golfing population, I expect Kylie’s new range of golf clothes will focus slightly more on the female golfer, leaving us to look elsewhere for our fashionable attire. Alas.
So far I have managed to continue the Golf Blog without mentioning the Tiger Woods story; except on the 28th of November, to report he had a car crash, that he was safe and that we wished him well. Since that car crash, however, Tiger has been subjected to one of the most ferocious media bombardments of a sports personality I can remember. Today I would like to point out that I am sick of it.
As if having his entire life splashed all over the media isn’t bad enough, the poor guy has now even publicly apologised for “transgressions” that, let’s be honest, are none of our business whatsoever! Yet what was out response? “What transgressions? We want to know exactly what you’ve done that you are ashamed of!” He’s a professional golf player – what right do any of us have to the content of his personal life? Sure he’s a billionaire through being an exceptional golfer and advertising Nike golf clothes; he’s an interesting person and it’s only natural that we take an interest in him. But why the vulture-like approach? Why the demands for explanations and apologies? Who do we think we are to ask Tiger Woods to share information about himself that we would never dream of sharing with the public?
When will people realise that celebrities don’t make themselves; it’s our insatiable appetite for gossip and excitement that turns people into walking news stories. If this blog suddenly got 65 million readers and I was made a millionaire overnight, would I be expected to admit all my deepest secrets to the world as well? If not, then why is Tiger expected to? Leave him alone – get something interesting in your own life and talk about that instead.
With Christmas fast approaching, the families of many golf lowers will be straining their brains for new, ingenious presents for their loved ones this year. I, for one, have received some bizarre golf-related items for both Christmas and my birthday; socks with tee-holders in them, gloves with score cards implanted in the back and even golf balls that disappear into a 'poof' of water vapour when you strike them!
As far as I can see, with the exception of golf clubs, golf is very simple game equipment-wise. We don't need any special training gear or gimmicks; we go one-on-one with the course, using nothing but our clubs, our wits and years of practice. Truly it is a noble endeavor! Anyway, the point I'm making is that our game is rarely enhanced by the addition of some bizarre product - especially not by golf-themed paper-weights and the like!
However, one thing that we do need in order to play golf (publicly, at least) is golf clothes. Hence, if you are considering buying something golf-y for the golf lover in your life, might I be so bold as to suggest you consider being slightly more conventional than my family, with their strange collection of ideas. It's not easy to find a warm, waterproof and flexible jacket - that would be a truly meaningful present this Christmas. Just look how happy this guy is:
A study of a dozen golfers with severe sleep apnoea has shown it to have an impact on golf handicaps!
Sleep apnoea is a condition in which oxygen flow becomes so disrupted during sleep that the suffer can actually stop breathing for upwards of 10 seconds at a time! It causes loud snoring that disrupts sleep and makes the sufferer particularly irritable and sleepy the next day, due to a lack of decent sleep. Dr Marc Benton declares that the “daytime sleepiness, fatigue, and cognitive impairment” caused by sleep apnoea can have a profound impact on one’s ability to play golf.
By treating 12 golfers suffering from severe sleep apnoea over 3 to 5 months, using an oxygen mask at night; researchers in New Jersey discovered that, over the course of 20 rounds of golf, the golfers handicaps improved! Of course, it’s arguable that your handicap will improve after 20 rounds of golf anyway; hence the expression ‘practice makes perfect’. However, with an estimated 3.5% of all British men suffering from sleep apnoea, it could well be that these people have stumbled upon a relatively quick fix for your game!
Neil Friedman, co-author of the study, said "The drop in handicap among the better golfers probably reflected that the major limiting factor was not golf skill but cognitive compromise that improved when the sleep apnoea was treated." Now, if only they could build oxygen masks into golf clothes, maybe we'd all be pros by Christmas! Or would that essentially be doping? Interesting...more research is needed!
Putting spin on a golf ball is one of the techniques that seperates good players from great players. It allows you to hit long shots, without risking a huge amount of bounce and roll, which could put your golf ball in the rough, a bunker or way off the green. It doens't matter how accurately you hit your shots; if your ball rolls on, you're never going to be in the best position.
The key to putting spin on a golf ball has nothing to do with slicing it, or using any kind of trick shot. The idea is to take a normal, smooth stroke, but create the divet AFTER you hit the ball - not before. This means the club face drops as you hit the ball, letting the ball run over the groove in the face of the club, putting backspin on the ball. Do it right and you can stop your ball exactly where you want it.
For more help and information about putting spin on your golf ball, check this out:
Tiger Woods has been released “in good condition” from hospital, following a car crash in the early hours of yesterday morning. Although initial reports indicated the billionaire golfer was seriously injured, readers will be pleased to hear he escaped with minor injuries.
Tiger apparently backed his car into a fire hydrant and then hit a tree, according to Associated Content. However, they also report that he was seriously injured in the crash, so it’s clear they can’t be entirely trusted – or perhaps their ‘credible sources’ aren’t are credible as they thought. Tiger’s wife, Elin, is reported to have heard the crash from the house; running down to the car, she used a golf club to smash in the back window. Whether this helped the situation at all, I don’t know! What I have been told, however, is that she found Tiger lying on the floor, drifting in and out of consciousness – so why she broke the back window with a golf club is a mystery to me. The police have reported that she was “frantic” at the scene, which is to be expected from anybody who finds their husband in a car crash.
Although we are jealous that the man plays golf for a living, is married to a Swedish and earns millions advertising Nike golf clothing; everybody here at the Golf Blog nevertheless wishes Tiger the speediest of recoveries; even if it is only from minor cuts to the face!
An “awareness of where the golf club is” was the only way golf pro John Randle could explain the phenomenon of five-year-old Jeevan Sihota not only winning a junior par-three tournament in par, but by carding the top score in the tournament for children up to the age of sixteen!
Having taken on Jeevan about four months ago, Randle has reduced his training schedule to just one lesson per week, based on Jeevan’s incredible ability to learn. The golf pro knows well that, for a five-year-old, it can’t all be about lessons; "I make sure he's having fun, and sneak in some instruction when he's not looking" Randle explains.
When asked about his technique, Jeeven spoke in terms of clear objectives; "I like to hit the ball right by the hole." Although being a fairly convention approach, the technique must be working as Jeeven continues to go from strength to strength, despite the fact that he has yet to even enter the education system! If, at the age of five, Jeevan is already outplaying most children in the world, where he’ll be after another decade of training may be too incredible to conceivably imagine. One thing is for sure though; I wouldn’t want the pressure of being John Randle right now!
For many people on disability benefits, it can be hard enough to find enough work to make ends meet, let alone secure a £34k managerial role and have enough time to lower their handicap at the golf course!
However, despite claiming disability living allowance since for 16 years (including seven free disability cars) on the grounds that his left knee left him "virtually unable to walk", James Dorman played so much golf that the won the Vehicle and Operator Services' Agency annual golf tournament at Formby Golf Club! On top of this, he was secretly filmed pushing a car, climbing ladders and dancing a gig – none of which with the “crab like gait” for which he was claiming benefits.
Even more infuriating for our golf-loving readers will be that, when officers raided his home, they found Dorman's wife had bought an 18-hole golfing weekend for his 40th birthday – probably using the money he scammed for not being able to walk!
Donald Trump has finally begun work on his billion-pound golf resort in Scotland, the controversy of which I mentioned a few weeks ago. Regular readers will remember his declaration that protestors of the resort were “a tiny little group of people who are hanging by a thread” – the majority of whom have had to be re-housed to make way for his leviathan structure. Thanks Donald.
Apparently the plans are to plant grass on a stretch of sand dunes, in order to stablise them for development. This has environmentalists up in arms because these particular dunes are ‘environmentally sensitive’ and have been under protection for a long time. Although I expect 1,200 houses, a five-star hotel and two international-standard golf courses will probably benefit the economy of the surrounding area, I’m still ponderous of the impact this will have on Britain’s already terrible eco-reputation. It does seem slightly unfair that we are taxed, fined and then re-taxed in the name of recycling, just to have a rich American move in up North with a massive eco-disaster of a complex. Perhaps he’ll make the out-of-bounds areas into nature reserves... For some reason I doubt it.
Doug Barron has been suspended from golf for a year by the PGA Tour after failing a drugs test, making him him the first player to be banned under the Tour’s anti-doping programme, which it launched last July . The 40 year old apologised for his offence and for “any negative perception of the Tour or its players resulting from my suspension”.
He went on to declare, “I did not intend to gain an unfair competitive advantage or enhance my performance while on Tour”, though I find that fairly hard to believe. I mean, why else would you take performance enhancing drugs if not to enhance your performance? To be fair on Doug, the PGA Tour hasn’t revealed what the drug was, or even if it was a performance-enhancer. So, in effect, the poor guy could have been banned simply for getting stoned the night before.
Still, there is rarely a good reason to cheat to win. Having said that, looking at the way Doug Barron’s career has been going lately...I can’t say I blame him if he did!
No need for golf clothes: how else could Doug Barron maintain his athletic physique, if not with the help of performance enhancing drugs?
Having agreed with Tiger Woods that China will become something of a golfing super-power within the next dozen years, Phil Mickelson is now planning to open a golf academy in Kunming to help develop the sport in the country. He also plans to create a par-3 golf course for children, to help develop the sport at a grassroots level, as well as having his instructional book translated into Mandarin.
Mickelson declared, "This is a tremendous opportunity to help develop the game in the largest emerging market in the world” which, to you and I, means something along the lines of “Golf is now an Olympic sport, which means that China will invest lots of time and money into making sure they’re really good at it. Hence, I’m cashing in early by making sure I establish my golf course and academy in time for the forthcoming boom in popularity”. I can’t say I blame him, though I am cynically waiting for the Mickelson brands of golf clothing, golf clubs and various accessories to appear in the Asian market…
"I'M GONNA BE RICH!" - direct quote from Phil Mickelson ;)
I’m sure I’m not alone when I say this: what the hell is Irish Supreme Court thinking, ruling that Portmarnock Golf Club can continue preventing women applying for memberships, on the ground that the club’s “principal purpose is to cater only for the needs of persons of a particular gender”?
Have the last hundred years just passed by unnoticed in Portmarnock? Who do they think they are (club or court, it doesn’t matter) to declare our fine sport to be one that caters for the needs of men only? Do women not play golf? Is there not a huge women’s golf tournament going on as I write this very post? Is Lorena Ochoa a purely fictional character? What is this nonsense?!
I want to know what is so special about that Portmarnock Golf Club that it is specifically designed to cater for male needs... In fact, philosophically speaking, I want to know what a court of law can conceivably hold to be the needs of men, which are not also the needs of women. Actually, I take that back; spare me the details and just explain to me what the hell is going on, because I’m half expecting them to start making national male-only holidays next! (Not that I’d complain as loudly if they did...)
Although golf is played by millions of people around the world, it is enjoyed by billions. Now, thanks to the PGA of Australia, anybody can take part in their own golfing competition with the launch of a Fantasy Golf competition, which can be played over the remaining five weeks of the PGA Tour of Australasia! Starting with the JBWere Masters, the competition will continue through the Cellarbrations NSW PGA Championship, NSW Open and Australian Open, finishing with the Australian PGA Championship. There are a variety of prizes to be won weekly, including golf balls and merchandise, but the overall winner of the Fantasy Golf competition will win an entire set of Srixon golf clubs and a tour bag!
The idea behind the game is that you, as team selector and coach, pick the twelve players you think will perform best in each of the remaining summer events on the PGA Tour of Australasia. As every hole is played, you’ll win points that add up to give you a score you can use to compete with friends, family and colleges (which will sadly be exactly the same group of people, if you’re anything like me). To get involved, simply visit http://fantasy.pga.org.au
I’m sure we all love birdsong on the golf course, but maybe there should be more of it...
The RSPB’s nature reserves cover around 140,000 hectares across Britain. Although this seems like an awful lot of land, the same amount is also covered by out-of-bounds areas on golf courses! The difference is that, where the RSPB’s nature reserves are renowned protected lands, golf courses have a bad reputation with environmentalists as being poor habitats for wildlife; chemicals, balls and even discarded golf clothes litter these hidden area.
However, this doesn’t have to be the case. If British golf courses cut down on the use of chemicals and fertilisers in these areas, this massive area of land could be made into a fantastic environment and habitat for birds to live in. Nigel Symes of the RSPB says every golf course has the potential to be a sanctuary for wildlife and that the more clubs that look into what they can do to help birds, the better! I, for one, agree with him!
Donald Trump – not our favourite person in the world – has managed to further entrench himself in our disgust by launching a new attack against quarryman and salmon fisherman Michael Forbes, who has been resisting the building of Trump’s billion-dollar golf resort. So far, Forbes has already turned down a million-dollar offer from Trump, reminding him that some people still put principles above money.
Trump called Forbes "dirty, sloppy and unkempt in his personal appearance and demeanour...He is a loser who is seriously damaging the image of both Aberdeenshire and his great country”. Unlike Donald Trump, who dresses well but still manages to make his country look even more like a bully by attempting to crush everything that stands between him and his dream golf resort.
Trump went on to call Forbes’s property “a disgusting blight on the community and an environmental hazard, with leaking oil containers, rusted shacks and abandoned vehicles dumped everywhere. It is a very poor image and representation for the world to see of Scotland”. Yet again, he has missed the point, as Martin Ford pointed out; "People see this as an issue of principle. Fundamentally, it is obviously wrong to throw a family out of their own home – a major, life-changing event – just because their presence is an inconvenience to a neighbouring landowner wanting to add to his property."
Amen Mr. Ford; I love golf, but I wouldn’t demolish somebody’s house if it got in the way of my drive!
Overnight rains have saturated Annandale Golf Club, making the course unplayable and delaying the start of the first round of the Viking Classic PGA Tour – either the best or worse named of all tours, I can’t decide. Of course it’s named after its sponsor, Viking Range Corporation, but even so it’s about the least ‘golfing’ name possible! I mean, I love golf even more than I love my wife, but even I can’t imagine a Viking wielding a set of clubs, let alone fitting into most golf clothes… Do they make golf clothes out of oxen hide? Come to think about it, I can’t imagine a Viking being too bothered about kitchen appliances either – so it’s a bad name all around!
Anyway, the point of the matter is that Ricky Barnes will have to wait until Friday to commence winning the $3,700,000 purse offered by the Viking. Unless of course, Mr. Flesch has anything to say about it – it’s a tough on to call for sure. To be honest, with 80% chance of rain on Friday, it’s not even looking likely that it’ll get underway by the weekend! Still, we can only hope.
In the 9 months he has been the most powerful man in the world, Barack Obama has played 24 rounds of golf. That’s not every single week, but it still sounds like the life, doesn’t it? I mean, I always thought being president of the USA would be quite an intense, almost overwhelming job…but apparently he has more spare time than any teacher you’ll find in this country. Not only does this seem slightly unfair, but apparently the president isn’t even required to wear golf clothes during his round, as the following picture shows:
Ah yes – that was a joke, did you see? Anyway, the strangest part about this little statistic is that Mr. Obama apparently rarely played golf at all before earning his seat in the Oval Office! It’s as if this move in presidency has finally given him the personal space he really needs to relax and take some Me Time. Whilst fighting a war in Iraq. Still, he’s not the first American president to love our fine sport; in fact, only a single one of the last 18 presidents of the USA wasn’t a golf player - Jimmy Carter, in case you’re interested. Our prime ministers, on the other hand, never seem to take much of an interest. Must be too busy running a country or something, who knows…
As golf continues to rise in popularity, there is a growing focus on questioning the athleticism involved in the sport. Although there are various different kinds of fitness, suitable for different kinds of sport; it would still take a fool to declare that golf is by any means as strenuous or exerting as rugby, rowing or wrestling. In fact, I’ve been involved in all four of those sports to a decent level and know for a fact that golf is simply not as physically demanding.
However, anybody who plays serious golf will be familiar with the elements of fitness that must be maintained to keep your score down. One of these elements is, without a doubt, posture and flexibility. Many is the time that I’ve returned to the course in the spring, only to find my swing is out, my posture is terrible and my back aches for days after a single round! Hence, as winter closes in, I urge all golfers out there to prepare a fitness regime to keep you limber until spring. Look up the appropriate stretches to keep your muscles loose and work on them multiple times a week - as regularly as you would play, if possible. This way, by the time the sun comes back out and you’re ready to sling on your golf clothes, your body won’t have missed a beat. Then it’s just your technique you need to worry about!
Regular readers might have noticed a recent post regarding the way that the American government will pay for its citizens to buy golf carts. Well, here is one particular cart that might be a tad over-budget!
Ricky Fowler started playing golf at the age of 14, being a keen motocross competitor before that. Although it might seem like quite a leap between golf and motocross, Fowler’s new toy – a bright red golf cart, complete with off-road tires, roll cage and push bar – is a fantastic merger of the two sports! At only 20 years old, it’s not surprising that Ricky is keen to add a bit of awesome to his golfing experience; the cart even features a “state-of-the-art stereo system”, according to his sponsor. In fact, that reminds me; please try to ignore the Puma logos plastered all over Ricky's golf clothes in this picture - I'm not advertising! It recently saw action at the Soboba Classic Tournament and, hopefully, we’ll see it again soon.
For the average American, however; it looks like they’ll just have to put up with normal golf cart – at least, until they get sponsored! So far I’m not aware of the UK having seen anything like this – please correct me if I have missed something!
In what some might call a thoughtless act of self-indulgence in the middle of a global recession, Prince Andrew has built his own golf course…in his garden. Complete with nine holes and a driving range, the course is spread over half an acre of land at the Royal Lodge and gives the Price somewhere to practice his passion. In fact, this little investment may help people forget about the fact that he was once accused of wasting taxpayers’ money flying all over the country to play golf; I’m not sure whether this particular extravagance is going to go down any better though!
Perhaps I’m just jealous because I would like a nine-hole golf course and driving range in my back garden. Or maybe I’m jealous because I don’t even have a garden to put a nine hole golf course in, even if I could have one! The chances are that my frustration is probably more to do with the fact that I’m not entirely sure what the Duke of York does that means he deserves any of this!
In a hilarious twist of events designed to help save the environment, the American government is now literally giving away buy golf carts! It sounds unlikely and ridiculous, but Obama’s new federal credit scheme provides between $4,200 and $5,500 for buying an electric vehicle. Combined with similar state-based incentives, designed to encourage citizens not to buy huge, gas-guzzling cars that they don’t need; some Americans will be able to get hold of golf carts completely free!
Admittedly they only travel between 15 and 25 miles per house but, when you consider that many Middle Americans drive distances that most of us walk, it doesn’t seem that this should really matter. Speed limits aren’t much higher than that in towns anyway! Also, there is no limit to how many electric cars you can buy – so you could get hold of an entire fleet of golf carts for nothing (or next to nothing)! All golf carts require to be roadworthy are mirrors and seatbelts; as long as you buy one with these safety features, it’s a foolproof plan to get around easily and cheaply! All Americans need now is to get free meals at the club and, before long, living will be free for golfers!
Donald Trump has been accused by many, including Oscar-winning Tilda Swinton, of “bullying” Scottish residents into evicting their houses to make room for his new, $1.63 billion golf resort. Although Trump has had permission to build his state of the art course since 2008, protesters have continued to dog his steps ever since – claiming that it is unfair to move people from their homes and that the resort itself will be environmentally unfriendly. In times when there is huge pressure on every country to pay more attention to the environment, it becomes a very personal issue when an American chooses to build a large golf resort in the United Kingdom.
In response to the protests, Trump called Swinton “part of a tiny little group of people who are hanging by a thread”, adding that “I have all of my permits and approvals and we're going to start construction in three weeks" Not for the first time in his life, Trump has clearly missed the point; attacking people rather than principles and drawing attention only to what he has achieved, not what he has ruined in the process – a politician through and through.
Trump also boldly claims “93% of the public in Scotland are in favour of the project” – a statistic that it is likely he either completely made up, or comes from a very select opinion poll. As for his bullying tactics, since when have American politicians ever tried to bully Britain? Oh. Yes, of course.
Southend Borough Combination Veterans League has been holding a golfing event to raise money for children’s hospice Little Havens – raising over £3,000 over the past two days. It hopes to raise a further £1000 today, when over twelve teams of four golfers will play a fourball stableford competition at Lord’s Golf Course in Hullbridge Road, featuring longest drive and nearest to the pin competitions as well!
Organised by Garry Nelson, Dan Albon and Doug Fisher of Leisure Link Golf, the day will conclude with a dinner at the clubhouse and a relaxing evening in front of England’s World Cup qualifying match against Belarus. More than a hundred golfers are expected to turn up, including Stuart Slater of West Ham United fame, who will dig out his old golf clothes to join the ranks of those raising money for a very worthwhile cause.
Glauco Chris Fuzinatto, director of the Brazilian Tourist Office for UK and Ireland, has declared that "Golf in Brazil is growing quite rapidly”, adding that there are not a lots of people who “combine a holiday with playing golf in Brazil."
It’s not hard to see why Fuzinatto is right to believe in the growth of golf in Brazil. Golf has recently been made an Olympic sport and, after Brazil recently won the 2-16 Olympic Games s, the courses in Rio de Janeiro are likely to receive large investments to both their facilities and their course maintenance. Although courses around Sao Paulo and Bahia are already known for their high quality, this is probably the biggest reason why the market is expected to grow in the next half-dozen years.
For anybody considering a spot of golf in Brazil, remember your sun cream! This made seem like a strange point to make, but many holidaymakers suffer horrendous sunburn every year from over-exposure whilst playing golf! It’s not enough to make golf count as a dangerous sport, but it’s a fine way to ruin an expensive holiday! My advice; slap on the factor 30 (at least) and invest in some long-sleeved golf clothes.
Attendants at the funeral of Stuart Hutchison, a 22 year old golf pro who died in a car crash last Wednesday, will not be wearing the traditional black attire this Friday. Instead, at his family’s request, people will attend the funeral “dressed for the final round” in golf clothes, as a tribute to their friend’s love of golf. “Stuart was always in golf clothes”, his mother Isobel explained, “we wanted people to come dressed for golf because it’s Stuart’s final round.”
Stuart Hutchison was a keen golfer from childhood; capable of playing at only three years of age, according to his mother. Although always talented, Stuart set his mind to becoming a professional and, with the help of Stuart Pardoe, he managed to achieve the required standard before the tragic accident occurred. Unlike many modern players, Isobel went on to explain, it was never Stuart’s ambition to play the circuit; “he really just wanted to be a golf club pro and play”.
This event is a terrible tragedy, but perhaps it might encourage others to think about why they play the game – is it really for the passion?
Rory McIlroy has admitted that he’d find it awkward deciding whether he would want to play for Great Britain or Ireland if golf is accepted at the 2016 Olympic Games. He said, “It'd be an honour to represent your country and I don't mind which one I play for...I'd probably play for Great Britain. I have a British passport. It's a bit of an awkward question still”.
The history of golf in Ireland makes the question especially tricky; the Golfing Union of Ireland is the oldest in the world, founded in 1891 and including all four provinces – uniting the country in a way that few other things can. This will be made very apparent at the world cup, where Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland will both be represented under the same team – Ireland.
In the Beijing Olympics, it was a close split between those athletes from Northern Ireland who chose to represent Ireland and those who chose to represent Great Britain – though the majority chose Ireland. To be honest, it may be a case of taking the option that leaves you with the bet chance of making the team; there’s little doubt that it’s harder to make the British Olympic team than the Irish. If McIlroy had to choose today, for example, he’d have to compete with likes of Lee Westwood and Paul Casey to play for Great British at the Games - something he probably wouldn't enjoy too much!
Either way, many athletes will be making a similar awkward decision before 2016.
Fifty-one year old Ken Green is determined to quality for the Champions Tour, despite having been in an RV accident in June; in which he lost his brother, his girlfriend, his dog...and his lower right leg.
The five-time PGA Tour winner has friends and CBS golf analysis alike convinced that he can succeed in being the first member to play wearing a prosthetic limb. Hundreds of golfers flocked to the Ken Green Benefit Golf Tournament today, at the Ridgewood Country Club in Danbury; sporting golf clothes with the slogan "The Greatest Comeback Ever" emblazoned on them.
Green didn’t play in the Benefit Tournament, riding around in a cart instead – apparently offering advice and telling jokes. The tournament raised $120,000 for the Ken Green Living Expenses Trust Fund, further helping Ken pursue his dream. Although he still lives in pain, his friends are convinced he’ll make it.
To be completely honest, I can’t help but wonder how much financial support Ken Green can need; having won the Buick Open, The International, the Canadian Open, the Greater Milwaukee Open, the Greater Greensboro Open, the King Hassan Open, the Dunlop Phoenix, the Hong Kong Open and the Connecticut Open in his time. Perhaps the money would have been better invested in helping Iranian amputees bombed in the war on terror, rather than funding a middle-aged American's desire to continue playing golf...but that’s the world we live in.
In an attempt to make the Australian Ladies Professional Golf Tour more appealing to leading players, Australian ladies golf have announced that they are boosting the prize-money! There will be a 15% overall rise in the prize-money for the 2009 schedule, including a raise in the prize-money of the New Zealand Women's Open from $217,952 last year to a massive $341,280! Warren Sevil, chief executive of the ALPG, said "To achieve an increase from previous years is always a good result but to do so, particularly in difficult economic times, is something we are very proud of... It's a testament to the continued support from all players and the great job they do in promoting their sport”.
The final three tournaments of the 2010 summer calendar are co-sanctioned with the Ladies European Tour; the Australian Women's Open, ANZ Ladies Masters and the New Zealand Women's Open – meaning it’s going to be quite a summer of ladies’ golf! (Or winter, if you’re watching from the UK like I am...) When combined the Royal Canberra Ladies Classic and the NSW Women's Open, the ALPG will be staging 5 tournaments back to back for the first time ever!
In a move to further diversify the type of programmes that air on The Golf Channel, the network is preparing to create a new season for its show “The Haney Project”; a series in which Hank Haney (swing coach to Tiger Woods) attempts to improve the game of a celebrity.
The highly successful first season involved Haney coaching former NBA player Charles Barkley, known for having one of the worst golf swings in the history of the universe. The show was so popular that it almost because the highest rated show in The Golf Channel’s 14 year history; second only to The Big Break.
The huge success of this season was undeniably partly due to Barkley’s horrendous technique; programming chief of The Golf Channel now hopes that comedian Ray Romano (from Everybody Loves Raymond) will bring a new element of entertainment to the show, being a funny man obsessed with golf.
The Romano version is expected to air around March 2010; who would you like to see on The Haney Project next? I vote for Tripe H – maybe he'd use a sledge hammer instead of a club...
The Aussie Golf Girls have solved the ancient problem of terrible golf clothes...by taking them off! Despite having their first golf calendar banned for being too “expos-ay”, they have toned it down a bit and returned with a 2009 edition – featuring a different golfer on each page, including Krisite Newton and Sara Kemp.
Once again the calendar is raising money for charity; last time it was Breast Cancer research (who got nothing, because the prudes banned the calendar) – this time it is the Make-A-Wish Foundation. My wish is that the stiffs don’t ban this one as well! Long live the Golf Girls!
Anybody who has watched golf carefully over the last few years will know that Tiger Woods has scored two hole-in-ones in professional tournaments. However, this feat is nothing compared to 64-year old Ruth Day, who managed to score two hole-in-ones as well – but in a single round!
The widow from Tynemouth had a handicap of 35, yet managed to defies odds of 67,000,000:1 by scoring two hole-in-ones at the Whitley Bay Club in North Tyneside. Her first hole-in-one was her first ever; on the third hole with a 149-yard shot. She then went on to score another hole-in-one ten holes later at the 13th, this time with a miraculous 161-yard drive! Having only been playing for about 10 years, Day was delighted with her achievement; "Some people go through their whole life and never get a hole in one," she said. "I think there's only a very small number of people around the world who have done it twice in one round". She's right; club secretaty Frank Elliott said they sometimes get two hole-in-ones in the same round, by two different people - but never by one person!
Whether you put it down to skill, fate or simple lies - Ruth has made history!
Believe it or not, there is actually a house (Number 9, The Links) that overlooks the first tree and last green of St Andrews' historic Old Course! Nicknamed the “Royal Box of golf”, the house has five bedrooms, four bathrooms and three receptions – as well as a courtyard garden. As impressive as it already sounds, a massive selling feature of the house is its location on “millionaires’ row” The Links – a street with only three other houses.
Built in 1872 and originally bought for under £5000, the property came back on the market in 2004 at £2million. After being repossessed by a bank, it is now owned by local businessmen who bought it for around £3million. Back on sale again, in time for next year’s Open Championship, the house is now up for sale at £3.75million – clearly somebody hasn’t mentioned the housing slump to these people! Savillis, the company marketing the house, describe it as “a traditional style, three storey terraced house which has recently undergone a major refurbishment”. To have jumped £1.75million over 5 years – 2 of which have been a time of severe economic depression – I can’t begin to imagine how major this refurbishment must have been!
How much would you be willing to pay to overlook St. Andrews’?
I find it interesting how, in the world of sport – where players’ skills are tested to the limit to judge who is the best – the most famous players are rarely those who are genuinely the best at what they do. In football, David Beckham is a worldwide megastar not necessarily for his free-kicks of latter years, but for his “good looks” and marriage to a Spice Girl (from another industry where talent and fame rarely go hand in hand). In short, it is not necessarily the best players who are the most popular – but the most interesting players.
When it comes to golf, you don’t get much more interesting than Ian Poulter. Admittedly his golfing style lacks the flair of Camilo Villegas, but his golf clothes are second to none when it comes to eye-catching. So popular is the golfer that, despite the awful £190,000 splash-down at Cog Hill on Sunday, Ian Poulter’s twitter following has reached 601,064! Considering it was “nearly 600,000” about 7 hours ago, that’s quite the boom in popularity!
The reason I am telling you all of this is because Poulter has declared that when he hits a million followers, he will “do a massive give away. irons, woods, putters, gloves, balls, glasses, hats, ea games, and much more.” He may have a fairly long way to go yet, but with an approximate rise of 1,000 fans every 6 hours (or 4,000 fans per day), that’s only around 100 days until he reaches his target. For those of you whose internal calendar is not as finely tuned as mine – in 100 days time...it will be Christmas Eve!
So, if we all pull together and follow ianjamespoulter on twitter for a few months, we may raise his following just enough he’ll have to head up the driving range in a brand new garish outfit – a bright red one, with black boots and a hat with a white bobble on the end! “Walking in a Poulter wonderland...” (the worst sport chant ever).
It’s enough to make many of us feel old, but World Golf Hall of Famer Arnold Palmer turned 80 today! Anybody who has been watching The Golf Channel this week should pay extra tribute to the man, for it was he along with Player and Nicklaus who made the sport as popular and TV-friendly as it is today.
As well as being hugely popular and prolific in his prime, Palmer also won the PGA Tour Lifetime Achievement Award in 1998 for his victory in seven major championships over the mid-twentieth century; including the Masters four times (1958, 1960, 1962 and 1964), the Open Championship twice (1961 and 1961) and the U.S. Open in 1960. Without doubt players like Tiger Woods owe their vast fortunes to the likes of Arnold Palmer, who led the way in getting endorsements for players – himself earning a million dollars on the PGA Tour by 1967.
Most readers will remember Palmer playing his 50th consecutive Masters in 2004 – a monumental event marred only by his failing abilities, which were forgivable at the age of 75! So, here’s to Arnold Palmer – a great golfer, a great man and a great excuse to watch The Golf Channel all night long in celebration!
Faster, higher stronger – these are ideals anybody can strive for, whether they have a job and a house or nothing at all. Admittedly people with enough money for professional training are at an advantage, but nobody is altogether excluded because they can’t afford to take part. To play golf, on the other hand, you require a certain degree of wealth that makes the sport entirely exclusive to richer countries. Golf doesn’t cost a fortune to play, but it does cost a lot more money than people in poorer countries have available. So I ask; how is it fair to include another event in the Olympics that many people simply cannot afford to compete in – one in which much of the outcome is actually dependent on the equipment you are using? Golf club memberships and clubs cost money - not huge amounts of money, but more than thousands of poor athletes could hope to raise.
Ethiopian distance runners train by jogging barefoot up mountains; how are they meant to train for golf? By fashioning golf clubs from sticks and tin cans, then hitting a ball across the sun-baked landscape? Tiger Woods’ golf clubs alone are probably worth more than the entire Ethiopian running team’s funding! By including golf in the Olympics, we have simply created another event to be dominated by the rich countries, purely on the grounds of them being rich enough to play it. I accept that golf is as much a sport as any other at the Olympics, but the Olympics isn’t about including every sport under the sun. I also accept that many sports in the Olympics are of a similar nature; equestrian sports and shooting for example – I would argue that these also pervert the nature of the Games. The very philosophy behind the Olympics is about equality of completion – a level playing field upon which nothing matters apart from your own skill. Obviously wealth will always have an impact on training, but it should never exclude a group of people altogether.
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