Happy Halloween

What is scary about golf?

Bears


Crocodiles


Black Mambas - read why

Golf in Spain

Spain is an ideal golfing destination due to the excellent weather and geographic diversity. There are a number of fantastic courses throughout the country and more continue to be developed as the popularity of golf grows there. Golf in Spain offers a tremendous variety including courses set under the 9000 foot Pyrenees as well as the consistent good weather of the southern coasts and islands.

One of the top golfing resorts to visit in Spain is the La Manga Las Lomas Village. It has been voted European golfing resort of the year many times, strongly in part to three top notch championship courses it consists of. The resort features the South, North, and West courses with the South being the premiere layout. The par 73 was redesigned by Arnold Palmer in the early 90s and frequently hosts prestigious regional and national events.

La Manga also features a golf academy which runs regular competitions that guests can enter. Once the golf is finished, the resort also has a casino for the gamblers and a nearby beach. It doesn't get much better than golf, gambling, and soaking up rays at the beach.

Read about the different golfing regions in Spain.

Sergio Garcia, Spain's most popular player, is currently playing in the World Match Play Championships in Casares, Spain. He lost his first match to Oliver Wilson of England and then halved his second match with Australian Robert Allenby.

After almost winning both the 2008 British Open and PGA Championship before losing to Padraig Harrington, Garcia has struggled since and didn't contend in any majors in 2009. He had a difficult year both on and off the golf course, and looks to rebound for a strong 2010.

Garcia photo credit - AP / Manu Fernandez

Bogey Pro Golf Gear and Apparel

Amusing website : BogeyPro.com

Frys.com Open

Cool shot of Tom Lehman at the Frys.com Open in Scottsdale, Arizona. (AP / Matt York)

Day One update and slideshow from the Frys.com Open
Day Two update and slideshow from the Frys.com Open

Barkley gives advice to Kim?

Charles Barkley seems to be pretty cool and he's definitely an entertaining personality, especially for people witnessing his golf swing. I'm just not sure why a 45 year old guy who recently got out of jail for DWI and is absolutely atrocious at golf is giving advice about drinking to a 24 year old who hasn't got in trouble (yet) and is one of the best players in the world.

From Golf.com

"I have become friends with Anthony Kim and I was talking to him the other day trying to tell him: Let this B.S. with Robert Allenby go. Nothing good is going to happen if you all are going back-and-forth. The one thing that I will say about Tiger is that when we go out, he can drink. He drinks but he never drinks when he has got a tournament. So I think you distinguish those two. If we are just going to Vegas to screw around or we are just going around, he might have a couple of beers or something. If he has got a tournament, he does not drink. .... You can have fun when you are off: Ok, I got a tournament this week. Tiger won’t even do caffeine the week of a tournament. He thought that it screwed up his putting stroke. You know how sometimes caffeine has got you jittery? I mean just simple stuff like that."


I'm sure he is just trying to help out AK and his statements are very interesting about Tiger. The part about no caffeine during tournament weeks makes a lot of sense. If you've ever drank a lot of coffee or soda on the course, or smoked cigarettes while playing, you know it can cause some jitters and shaking.

Golf and Gambling

With the Shriners Hospital for Children Open currently going on in Las Vegas, it seems to be a good time to discuss golf and gambling. For many golfers, the two go hand in hand and makes the game more fun while adding additional pressure. There are many different games that golfers can play and betting amounts can be either very small or very large.

Here are a few of the top games to play while betting on the golf course.

NASSAU
A Nassau consists of three bets in one round. You will play your opponent for low round on the front nine, low round on the back nine, and low round overall. For instance, if you are playing a $10 dollar Nassau, and you win all three bets, you win $30.

WOLF
Wolf is a game played with groups of four, and players rotate being the wolf. The Wolf tees off first. Then once the other 3 players hit their tee shots, the wolf can choose who he wants to be partner with for the hole. Or, if he wants to risk more and play against 3 players for the hole, he can do that as well. In some versions of the game, if the wolf chooses to go it alone, he will have to howl like a wolf on the tee.

SNAKE
Snake is a game played on the course that only involves putting. For instance, for any putt your opponent has on the green, especially a long putt (or snake), you can hiss like a snake to initiate the bet. Then, if your opponent 3 putts he owes you money. If he 2 putts, you owe him money. This makes putting a lot more stressful, but the hissing part makes it hilarious.


BARKIE
A barkie is a bet involving a player hitting a tree. If any player hits a tree on a hole but still makes par, the rest of the group owes him or her money.

SANDIE
A sandie is similar to a barkie. If any player gets up and down for par out of the sand, the other players owe him or her money.

There are many other ways to bet on the golf course such as skins games, match play, closest to the hole on par 3s, or paying players for birdies or eagles. Golf is already fun enough but adding games and side action raises the stakes even more.

For people who love both golf and gambling, traveling for golf in Las Vegas is the perfect choice.

For further reading, check out this casino guide.

What did we learn at the 2009 Presidents Cup?

AK feels Robert Allenby may need to practice a little more in the future. (AP / Marcio Sanchez)

• The United States has now become a very formidable threat in team events. They have a record of 6-1-1 in Presidents Cups and currently hold the Ryder Cup. It will be very interesting to see the U.S. take on the Internationals in Australia in 2011, hopefully with Fred Couples and Greg Normans as captains again.
• Tiger is Tiger
• Phil's game is in tip top shape heading into 2010. Johnny Miller called Phil "the best player in the world" and says next year could be his best year ever.
  
• Steve Stricker is becoming a ridiculous player, especially when he gets the putter rolling. Tiger called Stricker's Saturday afternoon round one of the best putting performances he'd ever seen.
• Who knows if Michael Jordan did anything to really help Sean O'Hair, but regardless, O'Hair played great and destroyed Ernie Els. Not quite sure anyway why O'Hair really needs any help as he's one of the best players in the world now.
• Ryo Ishikawa was the most exciting player to watch on the International team.
• Adam Scott's performance was, to put it mildly, not so good.
  
• The most amusing aspect had to be the comments made by Robert Allenby, when he called Anthony Kim a "loose cannon" and "the new John Daly", after getting drubbed by the American 5 and 3. Even more amusing was Kim's response, when he said "If he feels that way, maybe he should practice more."Good early controversy for 2011 when the cup will be played in Australia.
  

President Cup Photos

Tiger Woods photo gallery

Stars and celebrities at the Presidents Cup

Michael Jordan Photo Gallery

Closing ceremony and final photos from Cup

Sunday singles matches photo gallery

Saturday four-ball and alternate shot photo gallery

Friday four-ball photo gallery

Thursday alternate shot photo gallery

United States team profile photo gallery

International Team profile photo gallery

Day two pairings and tee times at the Presidents Cup

Ryo Ishikawa (AP Marcio Sanchez)

Friday tee times

Four-ball matches (best ball)

1:55 p.m. ET – Mickelson-Leonard (US) vs. Goosen-Scott

2:07 p.m. ET – Furyk-Kim (US) vs. Els-Weir

2:19 p.m. ET – Perry-O'Hair (US) vs. Ishikawa-Yang

2:31 p.m. ET – Glover-Cink (US) vs. Singh-Clark

2:43 p.m. ET – Johnson-Mahan (US) vs. Allenby-Villegas

2:55 p.m. ET – Woods-Stricker (US) vs. Ogilvy-Cabrera

Day One Pairings

(AP / Eric Risberg)

Tiger looks ready to play and ready to stop answering questions.

Day One Pairings:

MATCH 1

Anthony Kim / Phil Mickelson (USA) vs. Mike Weir / Tim Clark (International)

MATCH 2

Hunter Mahan / Sean O'Hair (USA) vs. Adam Scott / Ernie Els (International)

MATCH 3

Lucas Glover / Stewart Cink (USA) vs. Vijay Singh / Robert Allenby (International)

MATCH 4

Kenny Perry / Zach Johnson (USA) vs. Angel Cabrera / Camilo Villegas (International)

MATCH 5

Tiger Woods / Steve Stricker (USA) vs. Geoff Ogilvy / Ryo Ishikawa (International)

MATCH 6

Jim Furyk / Justin Leonard (USA) vs. Y.E. Yang / Retief Goosen (International)

Questions abound at the Presidents Cup

There are many questions and great story lines for this years Presidents Cup.

Which captain style will work out better?
Laid back Fred Couples or more highly energized Greg Norman.

How will Adam Scott play?
He's had one of his worst years ever, he's been in the spotlight more for surfing and starlets, and was the most controversial selection on either team.


How will Ryo Ishikawa play?
At 18, he's the youngest to ever play in a Presidents Cup.


Will Michael Jordan help the U.S. team?
Jordan was named assistant captain, but so far has been getting more headlines for smoking too many cigars on the course.

Will Vijay look yippy with the putter?
How will the greens hold up after being damaged?
Will there be any controversial pairings or strategies?
Who will be the U.S. team ping pong champion?
Will Tiger smack Phil across the face with a ping pong paddle?
Will there be a blow out or will it come down to the singles matches Sunday?
How many players will Johnny Miller grill during the weekend?

AP Photo Credits
Norman and Couples - Jeff Chiu
Ryo Ishikawa - Eric Risberg
Adam Scott - Marcio Sanchez
Michael Jordan - Marcio Sanchez

Golf travel in South America

The 2016 Olympics are a long way off, but now that we know they will be held in Rio de Janeiro, it will be interesting to find out what course they'll be playing on.

Supposedly the top two courses in Rio are:

Gavea Golf and Country Club

Itanhanga Golf Club

As far as South America goes, the top golf destination is Argentina. Golf was introduced there around the turn of the century by the British. Not only are there several quality locations to play, there is the constant festivals, food, wine, and amazing night life. This amazingly diverse and often beautiful landscape features beaches and vast expanses of natural forests and mountains.

The top two golf locations in Argentina are The Jockey Club and San Andres Golf Club. The Jockey club features both the red and blue courses. Both courses opened in 1935 and were designed by Alistair Mackenzie, who designed many famous courses throughout his life.


The course requires a great deal of accuracy of the tee and features sculpted and contoured greens that challenge any golfer. Angel Cabrera, current Masters champion, won the Argentina Open in 2001 at the red course.


San Andres is the oldest club in Argentina, was founded in 1892, and was named in honor of St. Andrews, the home of golf.


The course was designed by one of the early pioneers in golf design, Mungo Park. The par 72 course is 6772 yards, short by modern day standards, but features a difficult test of golf. This course is where golf in Argentina began and is a must play for anyone traveling to the country.

With golf officially becoming an Olympic sport, South America has now been thrust into the limelight for the event. It will be interesting to see how much bigger the game grows and how many new golf travel destinations come available throughout the continent.

Around the golf world

Tiger Woods is the first billion dollar athlete. Wow! That was fast and he's only 33. It will be crazy to see how wealthy he will be when it's all said and done.


Former NFL great Jerry Rice is trying to turn pro and will be playing in a Nationwide event in 2010. I believe he won Dancing with Stars. Why not become a pro golfer as well?