Tiger Woods - Story of the Year

Tiger's win streak of 6, following his father's death was voted as the sports story of the year. He beat out Vince Young and his performance in the Rose Bowl to defeat USC in January. This is just icing on the cake for a year that might be the most memorable of Tiger's career. Let's hope his stunning play can carry over into 2007.

Happy Holidays

I wanted to wish everyone a Happy and Safe Holiday. I will be gone until December 29th, so the blog will not be upated again until then. Take care and enjoy time with friends and family.

Out of Bounds Stakes

There are three different colored stakes that one might see on a golf course. There are red and yellow stakes, which mark lateral and water hazards respectively. There are also the white stakes. These stakes mark the out of bounds areas. If you happen to hit a shot that ends up next to one of these stakes then you may or may not be able to move them. It is ok to temporarily move the red and yellow stakes, but if you move a white stake then you are in violation of rule 13-2. You will be penalized 2 strokes in medal play or one stroke in match play. So remember this the next time you hit a bad shot out of bounds.

Year of the Tiger

Tiger Woods just keeps winning and winning. He wrapped up 2006 by winning the Target World Challenge, which was hosted by the man himself. This recent victory brought his win total for the year to 11. He finished with a score of -16, which was 4 shots ahead of the second place finisher. The event was held at Sherwood Country Club in California.

Putt - Putt

It is against the rules to stand behind another player while he/she is taking a swing on the putting green. The idea is that another player could read the line of the putt for their own benefit. Also, if it is a partner or caddy that is standing behind you, then they could help you by telling you how hard and fast to swing. This rule only applies to standing directly behind a player and not to the side or across from them. So remember this next time you are on the green.

The Flu

The timing of flu outbreaks vary each year, but in the U.S. it usually happens during the winter months. Doctors say that the minor epidemics usually take 3 weeks to peak and another 3 weeks to wind down, while individual cases only take a few days to come and go. The flu is the cause of around 36,000 deaths and 200,000 hospitalizations each year. It costs an estimated 10 billion dollars as well. It is said the flu virus never completely goes away, it just keeps getting passed from person to person and finally multiplies ten fold in the winter months. Some reasoning behind higher outbreaks in cold months is that people tend to stay indoors more during this time of the year and are in closer contact with people because of it. The flu strain also lingers longer on surfaces such as doorknobs, car steering wheels, etc...during the cold months. It is recommended to get a flu vaccination each year to prevent yourself from becoming sick. In general, just take good care of yourself and make sure you wash your hands regularly, especially if you want to stay out on the course.

Did you know...

Did you know that the United States of America is the only industrialized nation that does not offer sick time to workers. This means that workers will not get paid sick days. There are some companies that offer one or two personal days that can be used when someone is sick, but that is it. Currently, there is no government sponsored sick time, so companies do not have to offer this to their employees. The result of this is that many workers will come to the office sick because they do not want to lose pay and many more will get sick because of this. With the Democrats now controlling the Congress, there is a great chance that they will push hard to pass a bill which will require any business with 15 employees or more to offer paid sick time as part of their benefit package. This worries some business because this will also increase their costs as well. Maybe if you take a "sick" day to play a round of golf in the future, you will get paid for it.

Course Etiquette

Being polite on the golf course is actually part of the official rules of golf. There are many times when proper etiquette is forgotten by others who may be playing with you. Make sure your cell phone is turned off or to a setting that is not distracting to others. Do not move, talk, or make unnecessary noise when I player is getting ready to swing. The putting green is one of the most important places to remember courtesy. Make sure your shadow does not go across the line of someone else's putt. Also, do not stand directly behind a player's line while they are putting. This can be viewed as unfair and trying to read the line of the putt for your own benefit. The biggest thing to remember is to keep up the pace. Make sure you keep up with the group in front of you. Do not spend hours searching for a lost ball, this can hold up the whole course. Have a great weekend!

Feeling like December

We had some frost this morning on the ground and I am sure those fairways and greens are hard and fast because of it. It has been real cold recently and we are supposed to have more of the same in the next few days. I am sure there won't be much competition on the course this time of the year.

Also, I have another golf rule that you may or may not know. Rule 4-4 states that all golfers are stuck with the 14 clubs the counted at the first tee. Many golfers think that this includes items such as tees, balls and umbrellas. This rule only refers to the clubs themselves and not equipment. So you do not have to worry about getting a penalty stroke if you borrow an umbrella in a sudden rain storm.

Did you know.....

Did you know that stomping on the area around the hole is illegal according to Rule 16-1. You may have noticed that the area just around the hole is sometimes raised due to the hole cutter's tools. By stomping on the area, the dimensions of the hole are changed and you cannot alter the line of putt in this manner. If a player notices damage in or around the hole, he/she must alert a member of the course to have it repaired properly. If a player takes it upon himself/herself to fix the damage then a penalty stroke may be tacked on.

Golf Movies

Over the years there have been quite a few golf movies made. There is one movie that stands out in my mind as the greatest golf movie ever made. This of course is Caddyshack. The cast alone would tell you that this is a movie that could make history. Rodney Dangerfield, Bill Murray and Chevy Chase are some of the big names in this movie....oh and the gopher. The movie was so good, that they even made a sequel to it. What are some of your favorite golf movies?