July 2007

Did you hear Mike Tirico and Nick Faldo laughing about what someone said about Boo ?

” If Boo Weekly didn’t exist, you couldn’t make him up. “

If you were lucky enough to watch and listen to the ABC broadcast of The Open Championship contested at Carnoustie (Scotland), you may or may not have caught the quick lag putting tip that Paul Azinger casually threw out there for us.

I think it was during one of Sergio’s many, many 30-40 foot birdie putts that Paul mentioned that when he’s faced with a long lag putt, he envisions a five gallon bucket over the hole and tries to roll the ball up there with enough speed to gently tap the bucket.

What a great visual that is !

Even I, an admitted poor lag putter, can use that the next time I’m 30-50 feet from the hole and only want to get down in two.

Think about a generously sized, white, plastic five gallon bucket and roll the ball up with just enough speed to make it go ‘thunk’.

I’ll let you know how it works for me and you do the same.

If you’re a golf enthusiast and you want to spruce up your golf skills and enjoy your vacation at the same time, then maybe a golf school would be perfect for you.

There are several women’s golf schools in the country to choose from. These golf schools provide you with golf instructions, from beginner to seasoned veteran.

You’ll find golf schools that cater to women almost everywhere and you can choose one close to your home. If you’re going away on vacation, you can probably find one near your chosen destination and enjoy a golfing vacation.

Women’s golf schools provide golf instructions to women who wish to learn the game or want to improve their skills. They have trained instructors who can teach you in a group or individually and they usually have several different packages to choose from.

Most golf schools have an individual training package, where you have the full attention of your instructor. Some schools even offer a package where you can join with another person, your sister, friend or daughter. Some schools can organize small group instructions that could possibly turn out to be more affordable.

There are many renowned women’s golf schools in the country. Depending on the location you want and the kind of package you are looking for, several options are there for you to choose from.

One such famous golf school is the Bird Golf Academy. It has schools in many locations and they offer several packages which also include accommodation in fine hotels and resorts in the area.

You can avail yourself to their 3, 4 or 5 day packages, individual or two on one instruction, or even group instruction. The instructors are trained at teaching golf to women and most of them are women golfers who have played professionally. You can enjoy a leisurely game on the golf course even after your training is over for the day.

Another golf school you can consider is the Elite Women’s Golf School also located in a number of places. They provide individual instruction where the instructor is able to consider your physical capabilities and concentrate on improving your game. They even have discount packages available for group bookings.

The Roland Stafford Golf School is one of the well known women’s golf schools. It is run by Susan Stafford, the wife of the late Roland Stafford whose simple teaching methods proved very successful with women golfers. He laid stress on rhythm and tempo as important elements in his teaching. Most of the instructors have been or are currently professional golfers. At this school you can expect to experience more than just golf instructions. You can stay at a resort and enjoy all meals plus other facilities, or you can attend the classes and go back home.

When you enroll in a women’s golf school, you can expect some serious golf training and some even more serious pampering, especially if you stay at the lodgings provided.

This article was provided by Al Terry, the Webmaster at SportsTickets411.com, the resource site for sports tickets.

My friend Terry Koehler, President of EIDOLON Golf, has just written a synopsis of his response to the USGA and their proposed ruling on grooves.

Since we all have to use golf clubs to play this damn game, I’m asking all the golf blogs, websites and newsletters out there to link to it, publicize it and help the USGA understand we don’t need any more limitations, the PGA Tour, which they can’t govern, is the problem, not us.

Click here to read Terry’s response to a letter from the USGA and we’ll take all the links and Trackbacks we can get.

Today we’re going to feature a golf article written by author and humorist David Wood.

David’s the author of Around the World in Eighty Rounds, a soon to be published book about his travel around the world and golfing while he went.

For lack of a pithy saying, take it away David -

A Poor Man at Blue Canyon

Indulge me while I regale you on the magnificent charms of living the life of an Asian millionaire for a day while golfing at the wonderful Blue Canyon Golf Club in Phuket, Thailand.

I now have a pretty good clue how the other one-percent lives (Didn’t it use to be how the other half lived?).

They live quite well thank-you-very-much in tropical, exotic Thailand – especially at the Blue Canyon Golf Club which boasts of having two world-class courses sitting on as fine a piece of natural golfing real estate as you’ll find anywhere in the world.

Thoroughly captivated by its joyous ambiance, I found myself seriously contemplating a life of crime to be able to afford joining the delightful, but expensive, club.

Now, I’m not smart enough to be a white-collar criminal. Plus I don’t even have any white collars except on golf shirts.

However, I’ve decided to start knocking off the convenience stores that seem to dot the corner of almost every block in the world. I figured two-to-three holdups per week should cover the ongoing cost of the club with little problem.

By the way, if you are a convenience store clerk reading this, please, don’t mistake me for a real burglar when I enter your store and say that I have a gun.

Don’t worry ! That’s just my finger under my golf shirt. Don’t shoot me ! Just give me the cash and I’ll send it directly back to the Blue Canyon Club.

You’re probably thinking, “What’s in it for me ?” Listen up. I plan to put all the names of the convenience stores that I rob into a hat. I’ll have a drawing, and the lucky winner will join me in the annual member-guest tournament, on me – my treat !

What could be better than that ?

It’s the Canyon Course – the elder of the two golf courses at Blue Canyon – which has the pedigree even the winner of the Westminster Dog Show would envy.

It has been named “The Best Course in Thailand,” “The Best Course in Asia,” “The Best Championship Course in Asia,” and “The Asia and Pacific Golf Resort of the Year,” as well as holding numerous major world professional tournaments including the Johnnie Walker Classic – won by my fellow millionaire (not that I’m letting the whole experience go to my head or anything) Tiger Woods in 1998.

The week before I played the course, two of my future clubmates – Ernie Els and Nick Faldo – had been at Blue Canyon, relaxing and preparing for the upcoming Johnnie Walker Classic to be held in Bangkok the following week.

To think that I’m only one measly little million dollars away from saying, “Good morning, Ernie ! That was one hell of a good shot you hit on eighteen yesterday, big fella.”

Or, “Hey, Nick! Fancy a game today? I’m just going to need my usual twenty shots a side.”

Oh, what fun we’d have!

Built on an old rubber plantation with natural ravines and valleys, Blue Canyon is a symphony of green fairways, fragrant flowering trees, and wondrous foliage that would force Monet to get the easel out of his golf bag and start painting.

The Canyon Course has it all: large, fast, undulating greens, tricky water hazards, and naturally rolling fairways that turn each hole into a mini-SAT golf test.

Several holes are outstanding. My favorite was the par-four 390-yard thirteenth hole –a real gem – which horseshoes around a deep ravine that must be cleared on your drive.

If successful, your second shot is 185 yards uphill to a severely bunkered green that rests peacefully beside the grand, elegant clubhouse. Playing this hole when he won there in a play-off against Ernie Els in the Thailand Johnnie Walker Open in 1998, Tiger drove the green !

Standing on the tee-box, it would never even occur to me that route was a possibility. We’re talking a carry of 340 plus yards straight across the unforgiving ravine to an uphill green sitting behind a grove of tall rubber trees standing watch on the edge of the cliff that must be cleared as well.

No way! I couldn’t think of a more difficult golf shot, or anyone with the ability or imagination to try such a heroic feat.

The next hole, the fourteenth, presents itself like a wolfish par-five wearing a lamb’s par-three clothing. Playing this diabolical hole is as scary as waking up next to Bea Arthur.

While it looks nothing but beautiful, resting all peaceful-like in the middle of the lake – a veritable torture chamber of evil awaits your innocent little ball. The wind, the water, the tiny target, your nerves – you really don’t have a chance.

Best to just hit your shot quickly knowing that it’s going straight into the water, then proceed rapidly with a rueful smile to the drop area.

The terrific holes go on and on. Course record holder Freddy Couples calls the par-three seventeenth, one of the best par-three’s in golf. He’s not alone – the 221-yard hole has been named in the top 500 golf holes in the world.

The finisher is excellent as well with water flanking the eighteenth fairway to catch the errant drive. The second shot on the stout par-four plays directly toward a peaceful waterfall that cascades gently down the hill on which the grand clubhouse sits regally perched. It’s the perfect setting to finish playing a great course.

To be fully forthcoming, all the holes are remarkably memorable. I could go on and on about this golf wonderland. How is it that I can never remember where I put my car keys, yet I can recall every blade of grass at Blue Canyon ?

After playing, I sat on the elegant clubhouse patio overlooking the course mesmerized by all the colors as the sun started to slowly descend over beautiful Phuket.

I dreamed of playing this course on a daily basis and then relaxing in that very spot taking in the awesome view. What could be better ?

Purples, reds, greens, and blues – the full spectrum of the earth’s finest colors – formed a serene palate soothing my constantly restless mind.

The spell had been enhanced by an orange butterfly that suddenly flittered directly past my gaze as if to tell me that the glories of life are fleeting and time is racing by.

I summoned the cheerful waitress and asked, “Excuse me, would you please tell me where the nearest convenience store might be ?”

The guys over at Ryder Cup Diary did a great post about volunteering at Valhalla for the 2008 Ryder Cup.

They’re also doing a good job of keep us up to date about that coming storm that is The Ryder Cup.

I work in Louisville two days a week and used to live there, so I’m looking forward to being around there when it happens.

Wonder if they’ll give a local golf blogger a Press Pass ?

If you’re looking to volunteer, follow this link to find out how

If you’d like to see a map of the location, follow this link.

Sometime in the past, I wrote a post about advertising on flagsticks.

I haven’t actually seen any as of yet, but I read that Golf Flagstick Advertising made their debut in Phoenix back in February at the FBR Open.

Has anyone seen this in play on a course ?

At the FBR Open, FBR branding was used together with the distinctive Thunderbirds logo, PGA Tour logo and Fedex Cup logo.

Golf Flagstick Advertising, based in Scottsdale, owns the patented Advertising Flagstick.

It wouldn’t bother me if my course sold ads on flags. How about you ?