Charlie Baron, Las Vegas golfing legend, is to be inducted into the Las Vegas Golf Hall of Fame tonight, alongside Joe Kelly. Although it’s been over 20 years since Baron helped establish the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, he has directed it with energy and passion since 1988. For this, along with his lifetime’s worth of contributions to local golf, Baron has earned his place amongst the likes of Dwaine Knight and Jim Colbert.
Golf's biggest tournament is now over for another two years. To help ease your withdrawal symptoms we’ve got you a round up of all the tasty news, stories and gossip!
A win for Europe!
By now you probably know who won the cup for Europe: Irish hero Graeme McDowell. McDowell was overjoyed, calling the experience "crazy".
"This is crazy," added McDowell. "I was trying to do it for 11 team-mates, for all the fans, for the caddies, for Europe and for Monty - and we were all trying to win it for Seve (Ballesteros) too.
"The back nine at Pebble Beach felt like a back nine playing with my dad at Royal Portrush.
"It's so much pressure and this is a special feeling - there's nothing quite like it.
"Monty was amazing. For the last two years he has been up for this."
We want to say a MASSIVE well done for McDowell – what a great victory for Europe!
"Cigar Guy"
If you've been getting your golfing news online it was impossible to miss the Daily Mail’s fantastic shot of Tiger Woods hitting the ball straight into the camera - but in case you have click here to see it.
A Daily Mail photographer captured an amazing photograph of Tiger Woods hitting the ball; sadly Tiger mucked up the shot and aimed it straight at the camera, by mistake. In fact, the ball hit the lens, but not before the photographer caught it mid-flight in the air.
But, that wasn't the impressive part of the photo. The most interesting part of the photo was a man standing on the right that the Internet has since dubbed 'Cigar Guy'. Wearing a turban with a cigar hanging out of his mouth, the 'Cigar Guy' is the focal point of the image, stealing the glory away from the amazing ball, mid-flight.
Soon the Internet was all over the photo, with one blogger doctoring the original photo and pasting Cigar Guy's head onto every member of the crowd AND over Tiger's head too.
See it here: http://deadspin.com/5655370/
Rain rain go away…
Well, of course everybody should have expected the rain during the Cup matches: they were played in Wales after all, a country that's as famous for its rainy days as it is for superstar signer Tom Jones!
But sadly, the American golfers had a bit of an issue with the weather, or rather, the gear they were playing in.
The suits were taking far too long to dry, plus they were becoming bogged down in water. Bags the American team was provided with were reportedly soaked through, prompting complaints from several of the players' caddies.
Because of the rain, little golf was played during the Friday of the tournament, hurtling the waterproof rain suit malfunction into the sporting press as the ‘story of the day!’
Finally, PGA of America CEO Joe Steranka issued the following statement about the suits to Golf Digest magazine:
"All of the companies that produce this rain gear meet the technical specifications that you would want to have for extreme conditions," he said. "They do more testing than we could ever do on our own, and we look at the specifications and take them for what they are. And the fact of the matter is, they didn't perform as well as they needed to. Now, there are a number of players that were quite comfortable with the rain gear, but not everybody was, and you know, we have got to represent all 12 players and 12 caddies, as well."
The following courses are three of Yorkshire’s finest. Ganton and Moortown are great if you’re looking for a challenging course steeped in history and tradition, whereas Rother Valley is perfect if you’re looking for a bargain day out and a great round of golf.
Ganton Golf Club, North Yorkshire
Ganton golf club is steeped in history, since it was built in the summer of 1981, over 100 years ago.
The course comprises of 18 holes and is a challenging Championship Course, so is only suitable to golfers with a current handicap certificate.
It's located near Scarborough, North Yorkshire, Ganton Golf Club accepts visiting golfers both during the week and at weekends. Times are subject to availability, so make sure you make the necessary arrangements first.
Ganton hosted the Ryder Cup in 1949 and more recently, the Walker Cup in 2003.
The fees are very reasonable: £80.00 per day midweek (peak season) and £90.00 per day at weekends/bank holidays.
Ganton Golf Club also boasts a thirteen acre practice range and a short game practice facility.
The club oozes charm and visitors have reported that the club is very formal, though pleasant to newcomers.
Moortown Golf Club, West Yorkshire
Founded in 1909, the Moortown Golf Club has seen a lot of history over the last 100 years, including a Ryder Cup win for Great Britain and several rounds of the English Amateur, Brabazon Trophy and European Tour.
The course is located in Alwoodley, near Leeds and accepts visiting golfers, who can select from two different packages for their visit:
The Gibraltar Package:
Morning Coffee & Bacon Rolls on Arrival
For Lunchtime Soup & Sandwiches on Arrival
Warm Up Balls & Facilities
18 Holes of Golf
Longest Drive & Nearest Pin Markers
Two Course Dinner in the Ryder Cup Room
Cost £90 (per head)
OR:
The MacKenzie Package:
Coffee & Bacon Rolls on Arrival
Warm Up Balls & Facilities
Morning Round
Soup & Sandwiches Lunch
Afternoon Round
Longest Drive & Nearest Pin Markers
Presentation Table
3 Course Evening Dinner in the Ryder Cup Room
Cost £105 (per head)
Previous visitors have told us that the club is ‘good quality with an old school feel.’
Rother Valley Golf Centre, South Yorkshire
Rother Valley Golf Centre boasts an 18-hole golf course that was recently voted by Society Golfers as the best golf venue in England for under £20.00. There is also a par 3 9-hole course too.
Rother Valley is cheap compared to the other courses listed here. There are numerous deals listed on their website, including a fantastic Ryder Cup deal: Get a great value bundle deal on 18 holes of golf, a meal and a beer. Prices start from as little as £20.00.
New: Rother Valley Golf Centre now take tee time bookings online - how convenient!
Feedback from golfers: 'This course is one of South Yorkshire's finest.'
We hope you like our Yorkshire golf course guide and found it very useful!
The countdown is on! In 21 days the world's largest golfing tournament takes place in Newport, Wales, and we’re going to bring you all the news, stories and information about the event over the next couple of weeks…
There’s only three weeks to go, so here’s the most recent news:
Golf is good for the economy
Newport residents cash in on Ryder Cup
Event attracts Welsh stars like Shirley Bassey
Ryder Cup officials warn about fake ticket scams
Golf is good for the economy:
It's Wales' first year hosting the Cup, which has been running since 1927. Wales, naturally, are very pleased to showcasing the event, which they're certain will create a host of jobs and opportunities for Welsh residents.
Website http://www.rydercupwales2010.com, which was set up by the Welsh Assembly Government, has stated that similar golfing events in the past has opened Wales up to an international audience, resulting in local businesses doubling their profits! For example,
Jacqueline and Glyn Roberts have run their business in Harlech for 15 years, but have seen it double in size over the past year. They attribute this spectacular success to their region's raised profile due to the Ryder Cup Wales Seniors tournament and golf marketing campaigns by the Wales Tourist Board.
We're hoping the Ryder Cup won't be any different and will help Wales' tourism industry boom!
So next time your wife moans at you for playing golf, tell her you’re just doing your bit for the economy! Newport residents cash in on tournament:
Newport residents are cashing in on the upcoming tournament, with locals renting their homes out to golf-loving visitors for huge sums of money.
Websites like http://accommodationfortheevent.com/rydercup/ are helping Welsh homeowners advertise their properties in front of an audience of Golf lovers.
Two-bedroom homes are being listed for as much as £8,000 per week, which makes the tournament very lucrative for the locals. If you reside in Wales, it may be worth shipping your family out to the local B&B for a week and letting your house out to Golf enthusiasts!
Event attracts Welsh stars like Shirley Bassey:
The Ryder Cup usually attracts some of Golf's biggest names and this year is no exception, with players like Tiger Woods on the bill.
And, excitingly, some of Wales' most popular artists are also confirmed to be putting on performances, including Cardiff's very own Shirley Bassey, Katherine Jenkins, the Loftprophets, Only Men Aloud and Shaheem Jafargholi. Steve Jones will be hosting the events and Catherine Zeta Jones will make a guest appearance during the opening concert.
Ryder Cup officials warn about fake ticket scams:
This week Ryder Cup Europe has voiced concerns over fake ticket vendors. Golf fans are reminded that tickets are now non-transferable; this year all tickets contain photographic ID so you must ONLY buy your tickets from the official vendors.
Guide to avoiding pirate vendors:
Don't let any third parties buy tickets on your behalf.
Only buy shuttle tickets from the 'Ryder Cup Travel Services', as most roads will be closed to other transport during the week.
Only book tickets with Ryder Cup Europe official vendors.
The big news in golf this week is that rapidly declining golfing legend Tiger Woods ended up finishing tied 78th in the 80-man WGC Bridgestone Invitational. This means that only one player finished with a worse score than Woods, and the winner finished an astonishing 30 shots ahead of the greatest champion of all time. The question is, then: how is it that a player performing so badly can still technically be ranked as the greatest player in the world?
This may certainly seem mysterious to newcomers and golfing laymen, but the answer is really quite simple. The world rankings are calculated using a points system: different tournaments and courses are designated varying amounts of points depending on their profile and difficulty. Players are then awarded points dependent on their finishing position.
At first, this may seem flawed: players will surely accumulate points over their careers, and the greatest contemporary player will be overshadowed by a retired legend! The answer is that each individual player's ranking is calculated from only the last two years of playing. Again, this may seem unfair on a player who has only recently gained form (or, as in Tiger's case, lost form). Of course, the system cannot compensate for this entirely, but some compensation is done through scaling down the points awarded over time: each tournament's value remains for 13 weeks only, and is then reduced in weekly increments until the end of the 2 year period. This way recent form is given priority whilst allowing for anomalous performances.
"Silly", "pointless", and "decadent" are just three of the polite words that come to mind on hearing the news that the brand new golf club in Oxfordshire (imaginatively named 'The Oxfordshire Golf Club') was opened this week by a ribbon-cutting robot.
The stunt was organised so that the Brazilian Director of High Performance Sports, Marco Klein, could officially open the new golf club without having to move from his office at the Brazilian Sports Ministry in Brasilia, over 6,000 miles away. The logic was that Mr Klein was essential in securing Brazil's bid for the 2016 Olympics, in which golf will be included for the first time since people first realised that it was a silly idea.
Asides from being rather odd reasoning for why the Brazilian should have anything to do with the opening of a golf club in Oxfordshire, the basic point remains that Mr Klein actually did not open the new golf club: a robot did. Certainly he sent the digital command that activated the process, but the same would have been the case if he had simply sent a text message to an underling who then did it for him. And that probably would have been considerably cheaper.
The General Manager of the club, Tim Pettifer, explained that they wanted to do something "unusual, entertaining, and which celebrated the global nature of golf". It is a testimony to the imagination and excitement of the golfing lifestyle that a robot with a pair of scissors fulfilled these criteria.
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!
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…
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!
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 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...
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’?
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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