Golf Is A Dangerous Game?

When you think of golf you think of beautiful fairways and fast greens. Sometimes you think of the great shot you hit or maybe the one you wish you could hit again! But have you ever stopped to think how dangerous golf can be?

Probably not, but it can be a dangerous sport if you and your playing partners don’t follow a few simple tips:

1. Control your anger: We all have seen it happen a player gets upset about a bad shot or a missed putt and there goes the club like a helicopter blade going through the air. Throwing a club is a bad idea! Enough said!

2. Respect the golf cart: Too many times I have seen golfers ride with their leg hanging outside, drive down a hill sideways or drive the cart to close to the water and  somehow the cart and sometimes the golfers end up in the water. Just another reason not to drink and drive!

3. The final tip to playing safe golf, Pay Attention: This may sound simple but believe me it’s not! How many times have you or your buddy taken a practice swing and almost be-headed each other? Or maybe you were putting your tee in the ground and the golfer who just hit decides to work on his or her game and whiffs your head by an inch or two!

This all brings me to the near death experience one of my friends had on the golf course a few weeks ago.  My two friends Paolo and Fausto were playing golf together like they do on everyday that ends in “Y”. Paolo’s ball was plugged in the fairway in front of Fausto’s ball and Fausto recommend that Paolo remove his ball from the plug.

Since they were 210 yards away from the green and there were people still on the green Paolo agreed and went to his ball bent down lifted his ball out of the plug and as he started to stand up the people had vacated the green. Fausto somehow lost track of the fact that Paolo was still in front of him and decided to hit his 5 wood. The ball flew directly over Paolo’s head missing him by inches.

Paolo responded like most of us would he yelled “Fausto what the “bleep” are you doing!!!” Fausto replies “Oh my god I’m so sorry I almost kill my best friend.”  Clearly shaken Paolo forgives him and they continue to play and finish the round! I’m sure both Paolo and Fausto still have nightmares about that shot.

It is a funny story when they tell it now but it could have been a tragedy! So the next time you tee it up try to follow these simple tips and keep one eye out for Fausto!!

“Hit em straight”

Bobby Vermillion
Endless Golf

Playing Hole #2 at Bayside Resort Golf Club

The 2^nd hole at Bayside Resort Golf Club is a challenging par 5 that plays from between 426 yards from the Forward tees up to 614 yards from the Signature tees.  The left side of the hole is lined byRoy’s Creek and the right side by a lateral water hazard. 

The key to playing this hole successfully is getting off to a great start with a drive that favors the left side of the fairway.  On the second shot you have a couple of options.

You can lay up down the left side to around 130 yards leaving a short iron into this small green or you can go down the right side taking a little more risk by carrying the bunkers located at the end of the pond.  Over the bunkers may feel as though you are trying to land in a small area; however, there is ample room for a well struck shot that will leave 75 to 100 yards to the green. 

The green complex at Hole #2 is very representative of all the greens at Bayside.  As the architect, Jack Nicklaus wanted to create a more traditional golf course so the greens are slightly elevated and the bunkers are small and deep.  When hitting your shot to this green, you will want to avoid the left side and over the green.  If you miss the green err to the right side. 

 Although this will leave you with a chip up a steep slope, the putting surface slopes to the right making this shot manageable.  A good shot to play from this tightly mown chipping area is a bump and run with a mid-iron or hybrid.

 

Bad Golf Shot Excuses and Funny Comments

Here are a few bad golf shot excuses and funny comments we have all heard out on the links or at the 19th hole….

1 .A fly flew in my ear. 
~ Golf does make us all a little buggie.

2. My clubs need new grips. 
~ Must not need them on the good shots.

3. Is the flag in the front of the green ?
~ Like it really matters.

4. I pushed it! I pulled it ! I skyed it ! 
~ Oh yeh, we didn’t see that.

5. What club did you use ?
~ I didn’t know every golfer hits a 5 iron the same distance.

6. I’m in between clubs !
~ My sons comment to me while on the green facing a 60 foot putt.

7. Got to get a new ball in play. 
~ This one is getting tired.

8. If that tree wasn’t there I could get on!
~ There is a chain saw in my bag!

9. I missed a putt and it rimmed out.
~ Just like a prom queen, all lip and no hole.

10. I’m using stolen clubs (after slicing every drive)
~ Found out later he wasn’t joking.

11. “Ooh, I hit a Roseanne Barr”
~ When I asked what that meant, my friend says… “I caught it a Little fat”!

12.  “If the wind wasn’t blowing so hard I would have been on.”
~ “Say what, you figured that out before or after you swung?”

Have you heard a good one while on the course?

Please share any good excuses or funny comments you have heard out on the links or at the 19th hole. Email them to dana@pamsgolfoc.com.

13. “How in the heck did I do that ?”
~ “I see your problem, you’re standing too close to the ball AFTER you hit it.”

The History of Women in Golf

The history of women’s golf closely follows the history of women’s emancipation in western society. Although early golf got a strong push by a woman in the 1500’s, it wasn’t until the 19^th century that women were able to pursue golf as a hobby and it wasn’t until the 20^th century that women played the sport professionally.

The Rise Of Women’s Golf
In the 1550s, Mary Queen of Scots commissioned the building of the golf course at St. Andrews. An avid fan of the game, she is also credited with coining the term “caddies”. In France, where she grew up, military cadets carried clubs and assisted on the course. Historians believe Mary brought this tradition with her to Scotland where it was embraced by local golfers.

Following Mary’s reign, women’s golf entered a fallow period. There are very few records of women in golf for hundreds of years until the 1800s.

The History Women’s Golf
The first known women’s golf tournament was held in 1811, at the Musselburgh Golf Club in Scotland.

In 1867, St. Andrews again becomes a haven for women golfers, creating The Ladies Club-the first women’s golf organization.

In the late 1800s, Issette Pearson Miller assisted in the creation of one of the first golf handicapping systems in London, England.

In 1894, the first women’s tournament is held in the US, hosted by the Morris County Golf Club in Morristown New Jersey. The course had only seven holes.

The United States Golf Association, founded in 1894, held the first US women’s amateur championship in 1895.

The Modern Era
Although women’s golf gained in momentum in the early part of the 20^th century-most notably, Babe Didrickson-Zaharias’ popularity in the 1930s-it wasn’t until after World War II that women’s golf really took off.

In 1950, the Ladies Professional Golf Association was formed. Babe Didrickson-Zaharias, Patty Berg and Louise Suggs were some of the most popular golfers in the early years of the LPGA.

In 1978, Nancy Lopez captured women’s attention, becoming the first female golfer to earn both rookie of the year and player of the year honors in the same season.

In 1996, Karrie Webb became the first LPGA golfer to earn one million dollars in a single season.

Ironically, the club at St. Andrews came full circle in 2007, hosting its first women’s professional tournament, the Women’s British Open.

Gene Rodriguez, III

Why is the Golf Hole Size 4.25 Inches in Diameter?

How many times have you lipped out a putt and wished that the size of the hole on the greenwas just a smidge larger? Why is the hole that size to begin with? That’s one our most frequently asked questions: How did the hole come to be standardized at its current measurement of 4.25 inches in diameter?

Like so many things in golf, the standardized size of the hole comes to us courtesy of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, with an assist from the links at Musselburgh.

In new rules issued in 1891, the R&A determined that the hole size should be standard on golf courses everywhere. So the R&A discussed just what exactly that size should be.

The size they decided on was 4.25 inches in diameter. The reason is that the folks at Musselburgh (now a 9-hole municipal course on the Levenhall Links near Edinburgh, Scotland) had invented, in 1829, the first known hole-cutter. That ancient hole-cutter is still in existence and is on display in the clubhouse at Royal Musselburgh, an 18-hole course in Prestonpans, Scotland. (That’s where the Royal Musselburgh Golf Club that used to play at the 9-holer outside Edinburgh is now based.)

That first hole-cutter utilized a cutting tool that was, you guessed it, 4.25 inches in diameter. The folks running the R&A apparently liked that size and so adopted it in their rules for 1891. And as was usually the case, the rest of the golf world followed in the footsteps of the R&A.

The exact reasons for why that first tool cut holes at the now-standard diameter are lost to history. But it was almost certainly a completely arbitrary thing, a notion supported by the story that the tool was built from some excess pipe that was laying about the Musselburgh links.

 

 

By Brent Kelley, About.com Guide

Top Ten Signs It’s Too Cold for Golf

1. Even with Mr. Rogers and Martha Stewart in your group, you still don’t feel warm and fuzzy.

2. You have to wear the visor with the plaid, woolen ear flaps.

3. Your hands feel warmer when they toch a witch’s breast.

4. Your cart sinks when it hits an iceberg.

5. It’s hard to read a putt with Tammy Faye Baker icicles on your eyelashes.

6. It drops below the temperature of an IRS agent’s heart.

7. When you fell through the ice, you realized taking a divot on a frozen pond wasn’t such a hot idea.

8. You’re trapped by snow in the course’s restaurant, ominously named the Donner Party Grill.

9. The greens are groomed by a Zamboni.

10. Your balls are blue!

Winter Golf Rules

Definition: “Winter rules” (also called “preferred lies”) is a condition that exists by local rule only and under which golfers are, on certain parts of a golf course, allowed to improve the lie of their golf ball without penalty.”Winter rules” is not codified in any of the 34 rules that make up the Rules of Golf; it exists only in an appendix to the rules, where there is a sample local rule for use by courses, clubs or committees.

Generally, winter rules are put into place during, of course, the winter, when adverse weather conditions can impact the golf course itself. Or winter rules – a k a, preferred lies – might be put into place at any time of year on a course that is suffering damage; for example, if extreme drought kills large swathes of fairway.

Here’s how it works: You show up a golf course and are told (or read via signage) that “winter rules are in effect today.” You tee off No. 1 and hit the fairway. But when you reach your ball, you discover it sits on bare hardpandespite being in the fairway. Under the most common traditions for preferred lies, you have the right to move that ball up to six inches in any direction to improve the lie, without penalty (picking it up and placing it).

Important:You can only apply “winter rules” if the course or competition has invoked the local rule. You cannot simply take it upon yourself to start improving your lies because the fairways are thin. (That’s called cheating.)

If winter rules are in effect, the course or committee should spell out exactly what that means and inform all golfers. If you carry a handicap, rounds played under winter rules mustbe reported for handicap purposes. But if winter rules are in effect, you are not required to abide by them; you can choose to play it as it lies.

To learn more about winter rules, read the following  in the Golf Rules FAQ: “What are winter rules (preferred lies)?”

By Brent Kelley, About.com Guide

Women’s Golf And Exercise

By Susan Hill

While golf is long overdue to benefit from the application of fitness, thanks to women like Annika Sorenstam, women are now realizing strength training and flexibility conditioning aren’t just for men. The benefits on the golf course are well worth the effort of sticking to a regular golf fitness regime.

Today’s women golfers are more determined than ever to stake their claim to the golf course and a higher standard of performance. One of the primary factors allowing women to compete more competently on the course is fitness. From the baby boomers to the juniors, golfers are beginning to realize the advantages of increasing strength and flexibility. The women are no exception.

Here are some things women should keep in mind as they begin regular golf fitness training:

Women tend to be more flexible than their male counterparts. While there are exceptions to every rule, women can typically use stretching more for maintenance of flexibility as opposed to achieving or re-establishing full range of motion.

While flexibility for female golfers is important, strength is essential. Most women would be well served to place emphasis on building muscle strength to be more competitive. You should place emphasis on strength of the posterior chain muscles (lower back, glutes, and hamstrings), the abdominal muscles, and the shoulder girdle.

Females tend to be quadriceps dominant in most activities requiring lower body force production. When is comes to golf, your power will come from the muscles you don’t see in the mirror, not so much the front of your thighs. Be certain to include exercises that focus on the posterior chain like deadlift variations, good mornings, rowing variations, and total body rotational patterns like medicine ball wood chops.

Susan Hill is a nationally recognized fitness trainer, CHEK golf biomechanic and sports nutrition specialist. For more information on golf specific nutrition, exercises or stretches, visit http://www.fitnessforgolf.com.

Lee Trevino – A True Story

The following story was sent to us by Geoff B.  from Harleysville ,PA

One day, shortly after joining the PGA tour in 1965, Lee Trevino, a professional golfer and married man, as at his home in Dallas , Texas mowing his front lawn, as he always did.

 A lady driving by in a big, shiny Cadillac stopped in front of his house, lowered the window and asked, “Excuse me, do you speak English ?”

Lee responded, “Yes M’aam, I do” The lady then asked, “What do you charge to do yard work ?” Lee said, “Well, the lady in this house lets me sleep with her”. The lady hurriedly put the car into gear and sped off.

 

Golf Balls and Cold Weather

Professional baseball players and ordinary golfers share a common disdain for playing in the cold. Batters face the stinging sensation that accompanies a 95-mile-per-hour fastball in on the hands, and golfers face the stinging sensation associated with thin shots and hard golf balls. Ouch.

For those brave enough to get out there in the frigid winter months, consider changing to a low compression ball. Choosing the nuggets that have been marinating in your trunk or basement since last October is a mistake. Air temperature wreaks more havoc on distance than the temperature of the ball itself, but balls left in cold places tend to harden, making mis-hits harsher on the hands.

“There are two important points to keep in mind about playing golf in cold weather,” said Steve Ogg, vice president of golf ball research and development for Callaway Golf. “The first is that golf balls are not as resilient, and the second is that the air is denser as compared to warm temperatures. Both of these factors result in a loss of distance. You may even need to adjust your club selection, depending on how cold it is.”

In other words, those high compression balls will not go as far as low compression balls when the mercury drops below about 50 degrees. And if you store them in a cold climate, like your trunk or garage, they’ll harden, which will result in more sting on your mis-hits.

The optimum temperature for a golf ball is 80 degrees. As a ball’s temperature drops, it won’t compress as much off the clubface. For maximum playability, store the balls at room temperature.

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By TOMMY DEE
Golf.com