Play Bogey Golf

photo credit: danperry.com   The trouble with most players is that they judge their game in relation to par.  It’s safe to assume that most players will never shoot 72 (par) no matter how much they practice, unfortunate but true.  The trouble is that they judge how well they play on how high they are above par.  If a scratch player shoots 79 he has reason to complain.

I contend that playing bogey golf should be the goal of the majority of players.  Every bogey made would be compared to a par for a scratch player.  Every par that’s made is comparable to a birdie for a scratch player.  The score to shoot for is 90 or, 18 over par (a bogey per hole).  Try this method during your next round, the lack of pressure will actually improve your game.

Interesting Records

photo credit: foto footprints   From the pages of GOLF DIGEST:  1)  Lowest Course in Elevation > The Death Valley, CA. Furnace Creek Golf Course is 214 feet below sea level.  2)  Longest Hole-in-One > Michael Crean at the 517-yard, par-5 ninth at Green Valley Ranch in 2002.  3)  Lowest Score Using One Club > Durham N.C., the club was a 6-iron, the score was a 70 (two under).  4)  Longest Golf Course > Bolton Mass., par 73 Pines Course at the International is 8,325 yards from the blue tees.  5)  Longest Putt > Bob Coughlin sank a putt of 149 feet, two inches at Schalamar Creek golf Club in Lakeland, FLorida.  6)  Oldest Masters Contestant > Ernie Ball, age 99, is the only living golfer from the first Masters, played in 1934.

Thoughts About Your Game

photo credit: OCVA   1)  The shank is caused by the club entering the impact zone on the outside of the ball.  2)  Let the club travel in the direction you intend the shot to go.  3)  Always execute a good follow-through, a good finish usually means a good shot.  4)  Use a system when playing, it’s better than relying on just luck.  5)  Topped shots are caused by a closed clubface or stiffening the knees.  6)  Slicing is caused by an open clubface that exerts side-spin on the ball, the harder it is hit, the more slice it will have.  7)  Better to pick a ball out of a bad lie than gouge it out.  8)  Always hit the ball then the ground on all iron shots.

Amazing Coincidence

photo credit: nsaplayer   The odds of four  pros getting a hole-in- one on the same hole, on the same day are 8.7 million to one. 

In the fifty four U.S. Open Championships held prior to 1989, only seventeen holes-in-one had been registered.  At the 1989 U.S. Open Championship at Oak Hill Country Club in Pittsford, New York, a new record was about to be established. 

In just over 90 minutes four aces were made on the 160-yard sixth hole.  USGA officials cut the hole in a trough.  Nearly every shot that hit behind the hole funneled into the trough and towards the cup.  Doug Weaver, playing in his first Open, was the first to make an ace.  He was then followed by Mark Wiebe, Jerry Pate and lastly, Nick Price.

Choosing a Golf Ball

photo credit: TheTruthAbout…Most golfers choose a golf ball that will give them a few extra yards, or more, off the tee.  This may not be the correct criteria to use when deciding which ball to play. 

One of the most important shots you can make, is the approach shot.  With this in mind, you should choose a ball that will give you the most performance on this type of relatively short golf-shot.  A golfer takes his driver out of his bag only 14 times per round.  Even 14 perfect drives won’t help your score as much as “sticking” it on the pin with a high soft approach shot.  Choose a ball that will do what you want it to do on your approach shots.

Jack Nicklaus Awards

photo credit: nessguide   Jack Nicklaus has been presented over 33 awards during his professional career.  Here are just a few:  >Honorary Doctorate, Ohio State University 1972.  >Inductee, World Golf Hall of Fame, 1974.  >Bob Jones award USGA 1975.  >Athlete of the decade, 1970s, National Sports Writers.  >Golfer of the 1970s, Golf Magazine.  >Honorary Doctorate, St. Andrews University, 1984.  >Inductee, Canadian Golf Hall of Fame, 1995.  >Distinguished Service Award, 2000, PGA of America.  >Vince Lombardi Award of Excellence, 2001.

Florida Athlete of the Century, Florida Sports Award.  >Best Individual Athlete of the 20th Century, Golf Magazine, Golf Digest, Golf World, BBC.  >Mohammad Ali Sports Legend Award, 2003.  >Old Tom Morris Award, Golf C. Superintendents Association of America, 2005.  >Presidential Medal of Freedom (the highest civilian award in the US.) 2005.  >ASAP Sports/Jim Murray Award, 2006, Golf Writers Association of America, for cooperation with the media.

Naming Names

photo credit: Keith Allison   What follows are the names of the fifteen sponsors that pay Tiger Woods millions of dollars each year:  Nike, American Express, Tag Hueur, Accenture, Electronic Arts, General Motors, Buick Golf, Gillete, Golf Digest, NetJets, Target, TLC Laser Eye Centers, TV Asahi, Upper Deck and Yahoo Sports.

Do you feel that these sponsors should pull their sponsorships from Woods in light of his alleged immoral behavior?  Many people feel that Woods no longer deserves the adulation that he receives from sports fans all over the globe, therefore, sponsors would only be hurting themselves by continuing on with Woods.

Sponsorships depend on the popularity of the person being sponsored.  The big question is:  What will happen to Tiger Woods’ popularity after his scandalous behavior has had time to ”sink in?”  We would love to hear from you.

World Famous Hazards

photo credit: jonnyr1   RAE’S CREEK:  Running through Amen Corner, on one of America’s most famous courses, Augusta National, the home of the Masters golf tournament.  Rae’s Creek runs adjacent to the 11th, 12th and 13th greens.  The creek is named after John Rae, who was responsible for building a Savannah River fortress that protected the town of Augusta from Indian attacks.

SPECTACLES:  The Spectacles bunkers lie side by side in the middle of the approach to the par-five 14th hole at Carnoustie, 50 yards short of the green.  The hole is 513 yards in length and most professionals don’t even know these bunkers are there as they fly their approaches by.  For the average player, the strategy is whether or not to try to carry the bunkers and reach the green in two.

Moon-shot

photo credit: Waifer X   On February 6, 1971 Alan B. Shepard, America’s first man in space, was preparing to hit a 6-iron on the moon’s surface.  Shepard brought a 6-iron clubhead and two golf balls, on the quarter-million mile journey to the surface of the moon.  Shepard attached the clubhead to a moon-rock soil sampler.

Shepard was able to swing the club with only his right hand because of the bulky space-suit.  On the first swing, Shepard topped and buried the ball in the moon’s thin dusty surface.  His second shot pushes the ball approximately two feet.  On the third shot he connected and the ball sailed away to an estimated distance of 400 yards.  Before concluding the spacewalk, Shepard referred to his escapades as the “Lunar Olympics.”

Long, Longer, Longest

photo credit: Felipe Skroski   The lengthiest non-tournament golf course for years been the Pines at the International in Bolton, Massachusetts, which plays to a length of 8,325 yards. 

A recent contender for the longest  course in the world is the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Golf Club in the Chinese province of Yunnan.  The course is 8,548 from the Record tees.  It has four par fours in excess of 500 yards each, no par three shorter than 236 yards and unlike the International, it calls its 700-yard-er a mere par five. 

The location of Jade Dragon is in the Himalayas, at an elevation of over 10,000 feet.  Golf shots travel approximately 20% farther through the thinner air.

St. Andrews Hill G.C. in Rayong, Thailand has a par five that is an awesome 878 yards.

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