Virtual Golf

Aussie Golfer has previously mentioned the World Golf Tour. It's not Greg Norman's idea to get all the best professional golfers touring the world in a mega-tour but an online golf game that has incorporated real images from some of the world's top courses.

While still in it's beta stages, it's the most realistic golf game I've seen. there a host of little challenges and tournaments to play at the moment including qualification rounds for the 2009 Virtual US Open at Bethpage Black!

If you have time or if it's wet outside and you can't get to the course, sign up and play. It's very cool.

Ian Baker-Finch: The videos

Ian Baker-Finch’s return to professional golf went very well this morning after shooting a very respectable 2-under 68 at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. Let’s hope cards another good score to keep him on the course over the weekend. Maybe Brett Ogle could fill in for him in the commentary box.

Let’s celebrate his good round with a couple of videos of IBF in action. The first is the footage of that infamous tee shot from the British Open in 1995 that Aussie Golfer spoke about yesterday. The second concerns what is known as the “Ian Baker-Finch shot”. Henrik Stenson tried one a few months ago. It involves taking your pants off to play a shot, usually from the water.

Hey, we’ve all done that right?

Baker-Finch and that tee shot

Ian Baker-Finch returns to tournament golf this week at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. His last outing in any form of professional golf was at the same event in 2001 but previous to that it was at the 1997 Open Championship.

It was part of Ian Baker-Finch's chequered past that drew me to the golfing mecca of St.Andrew's last year. I'd been there as a kid but it was only a vague recollection and so much golf had gone under the Swilcan Bridge since then. In fact, the particular incident I was interested in had gone straight past the Swilcan Bridge which crosses the burn on the 18th hole at St.Andrew's.

At the 1995 Open championship, Ian Baker-Finch had hooked his opening tee shot across the 18th fairway passed the bridge and out-of-bounds. All done under the gaze of Arnold Palmer who was in the same group. I wanted to know was how difficult (or easy) it was to hit it out-of-bounds this way.

Baker-Finch was the 1991 Open champion. You need to be a good golfer to become 1991 Open champion but by 1995 his game had deteriorated. In truth, it wasn't his game that had deteriorated, it was his golfing mind. He'd play perfect practice rounds but come big tournaments, his game went the way of the 2001 Argentinian economy.

This hook shot out of bounds from the first tee at St.Andrew's was in the middle of the downfall. He missed the cut, withdrew or was disqualified in all twenty nine PGA Tour events that he entered in 1995 and 1996. In 1997, he shot a 92 at the Open at Royal Troon and retired from tournament golf.

I considered playing The Old Course but the Dunhill Links Championship had been rudely scheduled for the same weekend so I was confined to watching some guys who seemed know how to play the game a lot better than I did. I eventually dragged myself away from the action at the roadside hole, walked around the 18th green and stood behind the 1st tee. There was a nice tense three-man playoff going on which was eventually won by Robert Karlsson but Ross Fisher managed to scuttle a low draw into the burn to blow his chances. It was still a long way from the out-of-bounds alongside the 18th fairway though.

Standing behind the tee I could see how it could be done. The fairways at St.Andrew's are cut short and extremely wind blown. They'd pass for greens at 50% of the golf courses on the planet. Both errant and well hit shots can run forever. If I could latch onto my duck hook that appears from time to time, I think I could pop it over the other side of the 18th easily.

But I'm just some amateur golfer with a golf website and as amazing as this may sound to some of you - I didn't win the 1991 Open Championship.

Ian Baker-Finch: The Videos

P.S. I can recommend the video over at the PGATour website. Here IBF talks about taking his pants off to play a shot out of the water at Colonial many years ago. I think that's where Henrik Stenson got the idea from.

Rules of Golf: Embedded Ball

Winter has begun to clasp it's cold hands around much of Australia and while we don't have the extreme winter weather like the rest of the world, it does make for some different golf course conditions. As the rain sets in and low lying fairways become wet, golf balls are more likely to become embedded into their own plugmark.

So what's the ruling on golf balls embedded in the fairway?

According to Rule 25-2 Embedded Ball, you get relief without penalty.

A ball embedded in its own pitch-mark in the ground in any closely mown area through the green may be lifted, cleaned and dropped, without penalty, as near as possible to the spot where it lay but not nearer the hole. The ball when dropped must first strike a part of the course through the green. “Closely-mown area” means any area of the course, including paths through the rough, cut to fairway height or less.

Interestingly, it's a drop "as near as possible to the spot where it lay" rather than a drop at the self-determined nearest point of relief - as is the case for GUR and casual water.

So you won't get an extra 30 metres of run on your drives you get during the summer, but you will get a nice lie and a clean ball.

I'll leave you with these questions. What happens if you lose your ball after it was deeply embedded into the fairway? And do you think the rule above should also apply to a ball embedded in its own plugmark in the rough?

Related Golf Rules posts
Signing your card
Things you CAN do on a golf course
Red and yellow stakes
Embedded ball
Attending the flagstick

Aussie Amateur turns pro

As reported by Aussie Golfer a few weeks ago, the world's top amateur golfer, Australian Scott Arnold has turned professional and will start his professional career at this week's European Open at the London Golf Club in Kent.

Arnold, a member at New South Wales Golf Club (home of this year's Australian Open) has had a fantastic year and rumours have abounded for a while now that he would join the professional ranks. He rose to the top of the amateur rankings after Danny Lee turned pro a few months ago.

It's going to be a fun week to watch the European Tour. Joining Scott Arnold in making his debut as a professional golfer will be the well-rounded Shane Lowry who made headlines winning the Irish Open a few weeks ago as an amateur.

Henrik, Sergio, Angel and Rory are all playing and if that's not enough, John Daly is too! He's wrapping up his European golfing tour before heading back to the US PGA Tour as his suspension has come to an end. No doubt he'll have some loud pants on which has fast become his "thing". It beats some of the other "things" he used to be known for.

Tasty Tees

Do you chew on your golf tee? If so, this is for you. Flavoured golf tees.

This is definitely the strangest golf product I've ever seen. Thanks to Patricia over at Golf Girl's Diary for alerting me to this. Tasty Golf Tees come in cherry, cinnamon, grape and strawberry flavours.

I'm speechless.

Tiger Woods 10 for Nintendo Wii

This preview video looks pretty cool adapting Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 for the Wii. Soon we won't need to leave the house.

The Science of Happy Gilmore

The Butler

My father-in-law passed away on this day last year. Alf Sturnieks was a golfers golfer. He was gifted at all sports and despite a swing like Jim Furyk's he also mastered golf. He was the first person to look for your ball, the first to congratulate you on a great shot and the first to tell you you'd just played a bad shot.

Known as The Butler, Alf's wit was sharper than a Stanley knife and he had an uncanny ability to make jokes and comments that gave you the impression he had missed the last five minutes. The best example of this was a story recounted to me by The Dish after Alf's funeral. It still rates with one of the best comments I've heard on the golf course.

A golfer, let's call him Phil, had joined Alf's group for the day. He had talked up his game before the 1st tee and looked a million dollars. He may well have been a great golfer but on this day he was looking like a bad one. He was one of those golfers you feel uncomfortable to be around when things go bad. Swearing and club throwing soon crept in.

Heading up the 14th, our friend squirted a shot out of the left rough across the fairway and deep into the right rough. The offending club was promptly dispatched into the trees 20 metres ahead. Alf watched closely but was giving the impression he hadn't seen the angry throw.

Phil went looking for his club.
"Hey Phil," Alf says, "what are you doing over there? Your ball's over on the right."
Phil grumbles and mumbles, "I've lost my club".
As Alf begins to walk up the fairway he responds, "Maybe you'd better go back and throw a provisional."

Baddeley and Bonds

Aussie Golfer just thought this photo was a good one. It's Aaron Baddeley at the US Masters a few weeks ago chipping onto the 18th. I didn't realise Baddeley was sposored by Bonds but it's nice to see them getting some worldwide exposure. Whoever brought about their resurgance deserves credit. It still feels a little retro every time I see the penguin logo but it's popping up everywhere. Maybe Pat Rafter has helped.

Erratum: Since I came acroos this photo I've been doing some digging. Over at Aaron Baddeley's website, Badds.com he says Penguin are his sponsor. Not Bonds. They apparently made the very first golf shirt but you can't believe everything you read the internet. Here's the thing, Bonds certainly did make a "penguin" polo shirt.

So now I'm confused. It's still a good photograph. And in it, Badds is wearing a shirt with a penguin on it. Fact.

I emailed Bonds to ask about these shirts and their sponsorship of Aaron Baddeley. The response:

Unfortunately bonds is not Bradley's sponsor. I can't seem to see the polo shirts he is wearing to tell you if they are Bonds, but Bonds do sell polo shirts.

Hmmm.

Photo courtesy of AP

Leadbetter golf tip

David Leadbetter tells us how to hit a low wood down the hotel corridor.

RIP: Four-Hour Round of Golf

Does anyone remember the days when you could play a round of competition golf in under four hours? Not just once in a while, but every week?

I can, but it feels like a long time ago. As a junior me and the other aspiring professional golfers did it all the time. Occasionally, we'd even play in under four hours including downing a pie and a coke halfway round. I'd eat an Aero Bar as I walked down the 10th.

Like the persimmon wood the four-hour round is now a thing of the past. I've lost count of the number of times I've finished 18 holes only to hear my playing partners say, "Four and a half hours, not too bad at all". It's no wonder clubhouses are now resembling furniture warehouses. Who has the time to play five hours of golf and then stick around for an hour or two waiting for competition presentations?

I'm hoping the new Australian golf handicapping changes will allow handicap contributing rounds to be played outside of competition times. I might then get a 3 hour round in - with a pie and coke thrown in.

Norman kicks off President’s Cup countdown

President’s Cup captains Greg Norman and Fred Couples were at the Washington Press Club yesterday and gave interviews regarding the upcoming event. The Presidents Cup will be held at Harding Park in San Francisco on October 8-11 this year and team selections are going to prove difficult.

Norman has previously had a lot of issues with the PGA Tour. I personally wish he’d do something akin to Kerry Packer’s revolutionary ideas with cricket in the late 70’s and set up a rebel, world golf tour.

It sounds like Norman’s getting a little fired up for this one, here’s a few quotes from the past few days:

"America seems like it has dominated the Presidents Cup," he said. "This year, it's going to be a different.

"It will be a different result. The countries that I grew up with, and the respective countries of the International team, we're full of team sports, whether it's cricket or soccer or rugby, we are team sport nations. It's important for us to feel that. There's no better feeling being in a locker room with a bunch of great guys.

"To share their thoughts and feelings as a team was important to me as a player. I sense it's an even greater magnitude now that you are the captain."

And concerning his team selection difficulties:

"My choice in the two picks I have, mine is really a tough one because my well of information and well of depth of players is so deep compared to America," Norman said on Wednesday.

"I can go anywhere, and I think the International team may be a lot different than a lot of people think. I wish we had more choices, actually. If I had four picks it would be great because it would help me balance out the team a little bit better."

And lastly his problems with selecting the team uniform:

”Remember, I’ve got to pick the same clothes for Vijay Singh as I do for Camilo Villegas,” said Norman.  Freddy countered with, “And I have Kenny Perry and Anthony Kim.”

Golf Trivia Answers #6

1. What former Australian professional has turned up on new reality show Masterchef?
   Lucas Parsons
   
   
2. True or false: You can pick up the rake and lay it down in the sand before your bunker shot.
   True. Provided it does not constitute a testing of the condition of the hazard. (Rule 13-4)
   
   
3. Where is the oldest known golf course outside of Scotland?
   Ratho Links, Bothwell, Tasmania
   
   
4. What four Australians currently on the PGA Tour have surnames beginning with "L"?
   Marc Leishman, Peter Lonard, Stephen Leaney and Jarrod Lyle.
   
   
5. What golf course is pictured below?
   Alice Springs Golf Club, NT.
   

Previous Golf Trivia Quizzes
Golf Trivia #1
Golf Trivia #2
Golf Trivia #3
Golf Trivia #4
Golf Trivia #5
Golf Trivia #6
Golf Course Quiz

Bring Me the Head of Sergio Garcia!

Years ago now, good friend and Aussie Golfer reader Paul Arnfield passed on a book to me called Nice Jumper by Tom Cox. Paul is an avid golf fan and he'd just finished reading it and said I'd love it. His wife Belinda (no huge golf fan) also read the book and said the same thing. Two glowing reviews, I couldn't help but read it.

Golf books have always been a problem area. There's been plenty of them ranging from self-help to biographies but none truly capture the complexities of the game or keep me wanting to read more. Until Nice Jumper came along Michael Parkinson on Golf was as close as it got.

Nice Jumper was a brilliant read. Tom Cox writes in similar style to Nick Hornby or David Sedaris. The book rolls along at a perfect pace. If your a golf fan you'll enjoy it I'm sure. If you're a golfer who grew up on a golf course with stuffy old members, wasting days with fellow juniors and getting up to no-good, you'll love it.

Aussie Golfer has recently come across Tom Cox's new golf book called "Bring Me the Head of Sergio Garcia!". I'm only a few chapters in but I'm completely taken with it. Tom decides after an eight year hiatus from golf (concentrating on his freelance journalism) to pursue something that had been nagging at him for years. Could he make it as a professional golfer? He makes the transition and attempts to qualify for The Open.

It's hilarious and all golfers can relate to his crazy thoughts and golfing dreams. Get it. Read it. I'll keep you informed as I pass through the chapters. Here's a taste of Tom's writing, his latest article for the Financial Times.

Coincidentally, a fellow golf blogger, Shane Bacon over at Dogs That Chase Cars also attempted to fulfil a golfing dream this week by playing in a US Open qualifier. Check out his fascinating account at Golf Fanhouse. His conclusions about tournament golf are very interesting.

Betting on Golf

Aussie Golfer's advice to anyone thinking about betting on golf is...don't. I realise that there's a few websites out there devoted to providing statistics and offering expert golf knowledge in order to make your bet in informed one but in truth, it’s still a suckers game and golf must be one of the hardest sports to bet on.

This hasn’t stopped yours truly from sticking a few dollars on the odd golfer now and then and I’m amazed at some of the ridiculous odds provided by some of Australia’s leading sports betting organisations. I always assumed they’d entice suckers sports fans with some half decent odds, not be put off by scenarios that have less chance of happening than Ian Baker-Finch winning the Colonial Open.

For example, before the US Masters you could place a bet on golfers that they to finish in the Top 10 at every major this year. Apart from you-know-who, is there anyone you would seriously consider doing put some money down for?!

The bet is still available but obviously restricted to those players who finished in the Top 10 at Augusta, here they are:

Tiger Woods 2.10	Shingo Katayama 26.00
Phil Mickelson 3.75	Steve Stricker 15.00
Jim Furyk 11.00	Sean O'Hair 15.00
Hunter Mahan 17.00	Steve Flesch 26.00
Angel Cabrera 15.00	Chad Campbell 19.00
Kenny Perry 13.00

Let me highlight so problems with this. Tiger Woods, the world’s best golfer has only ever done this twice (‘00, ‘05)! Figjam has achieved it once before (‘04). At only 2.10 and 3.75, are they really worth a bet? Kenny Perry decided not to play The Open last year and Campbell, Mahan, Katayama, Stricker and O’Hair have never played all the majors or made the cut in a year yet the longest odds are at $26! Does anyone really think it’s worth a bet on Furyk at $11?

I’m not saying one or more of these guys could achieve this feat but the odds don’t seem realistic enough in terms of how difficult the task is. I’d love to know how many people actually bet on this scenario.

One more thing. I placed an each way bet on a golfer recently meaning he could win the event or finish Top 5. He surged on the final day to finish 5th. More specifically, a three-way tie for 5th. I was fairly happy with that little wager until I was informed that because it was a tie, the dead heat rule applies and my winning dividend was divided by 3.

Tipping the winner of a golf tournament is extremely difficult. Tipping a golfer to finish Top 5 or Top 10 is still difficult. All of the large Australian betting agency’s appear to use this dead heat rule and it is in the fine print.

I’m making the print a little bigger so if you bet on golf in future, you’re now a little more informed.

Tuesday Golf Trivia #6

It's been a few weeks but it's back. It's Tuesday Golf Trivia.

1. What former Australian professional has turned up on new reality show Masterchef?
2. True or false: You can pick up the rake and lay it down in the sand before your bunker shot.
3. Where is the oldest known golf course outside of Scotland?
4. What four Australians currently on the PGA Tour have surnames beginning with "L"?
   
5. What golf course is pictured below?
   

Answers

Previous Golf Trivia Quizzes
Golf Trivia #1
Golf Trivia #2
Golf Trivia #3
Golf Trivia #4
Golf Trivia #5
Golf Trivia #6
Golf Course Quiz

New Gillette Ad with Tiger Woods

I kinda cringe when I see this ad. Sportspeople shouldn't be made to act.

Figjam kicks out spectator

The most famous Australian sportsperson with the nickname "figjam" was probably Nathan Buckley. It was assigned to him somewhere between playing for Port Adelaide and playing for Brisbane. Finally spending many years at Collingwood, he suited the name well and reportedly never liked it. But often with nicknames, it's not your choice.

Since Buckley's retirement, the most famous "figjam" is Phil Mickelson. He's had it for years and with a nickname like that I'm often bemused at American hatred for Sergio and their love for Phil.

Anyway, Phil's living up to his nickname. During the first round of The Players Championship, he heard a spectator yell out "Way to go, figjam". He confronted the spectator and he was kicked out of the event.

I think Phil has just earnt himself a few other nicknames.

World's Worst Golf Tournament

Australian Handicapping changes

As reported by Aussie Golfer last week, Golf Australia is on track to introduce the USGA handicapping system in Australia. And it's about bloody time.

Yesterday's media release from Golf Australia indicates that handicapping changes will soon be made across Australia and a variation of the USGA system will be implemented.

Golf Australia Chairman Anne Lenagan explained the challenge which Golf Australia has been debating for the past three years:
“Right from the outset, we knew we were going to have to commit money either to making overdue amendments to our current systems or on implementing a new system. “We weighed up continuing to invest in our unique method against implementing a system that’s widely in place around the world, and the arguments just kept coming down in favour of the USGA System.

She went on to say (and I love someone who asks and answers their own questions:

“Does Golf Australia want to adopt the USGA Handicap System? The answer is absolutely yes. Does Golf Australia want to make a few minor modifications to the system to have it better reflect the typical characteristics of Australian golf? Yes. Have other countries been able to secure similar modifications? Yes.

Golf Australia CEO Stephen Pitt went on to say a few things about the new system I've touched on in previous articles. I'll outline them in another post soon. In the meantime, I strongly suggest you head to these Golf Australia sources.

1. A Q&A sheet produced by Golf Australia on the USGA Handicap System in Australia.
2. Operating points of the USGA Handicap System in an Australian context.

The times they are a-changin'.

Goydos praises Australian golf

Aussie Golfer referred to an article yesterday on the trials of Paul Goydos over the past year. Watching the Goydos at last years Australian Open, he seemed to be one of the few golfers who wasn't strutting around like they invented the game.

I've just stumbled upon another superb article by John Huggan at the Scotsman concerning Goydos. I urge you all to read the whole story. It outlines his state of mind before last year's final round at The Players Championship:

"How did you sleep?" enquired the interviewer. "On my back," replied Goydos.

It gives a fabulous account of Goydos making a stand at a dinner one evening against some of Tom Watson's views on gangs in rough parts of big cities:

"Tom's take was that they were all just bad kids and we needed to do something about it. My reaction was that 'this guy went to Stanford? Are you kidding me?' "

And lastly he rounds out with some of his views on his time in Australia last year, offering some advice for US golf course setup:

"It would do wonders for American golf in general to go to Australia to take a look at the courses," he says. "The greens there are the best in the world. So are the fairways.

The Age reported today that Goydos is keen to come out to Australia again at the end of the year:

"Coolum and Royal Sydney were great and I don't think those courses are even close to (the quality) of Kingston Heath and New South Wales. From what I understand, Kingston Heath and New South Wales are two of the five best golf courses in the world.

Tiger's getting the money to play here this summer but Paul Goydos should be given a free pass to come and go as he pleases. Yes, he does say nice things about the place but it's not hard to see the guy is all class with a view on life rarely seen. He should be warmly welcomed.

Photo: Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Other stories: Garcia and Goydos

Just thought I'd let everyone know about these golf articles I found on the internet this week.

The first concerns PGA tour player Paul Goydos who's ex-wife died last year - only a day after losing the playoff to Sergio Garcia at the TPC Sawgrass. I watched Goydos play the Australian Open last year and during the rain break, he casually strolled around the clubhouse. He seemed more grounded and less concerned with not only the bad weather but his self importance as one of the big name players at the event.

I wish I'd said hello now, he seemed like one of the few in the event who may have been up for a friendly chat. After reading this article on Paul Goydos at GolfWeek it's probably not hard to see why he's a little more grounded than most players. I hope he wins this week.

The second article is a nice little piece on Sergio Garcia at The Golf Watch. Sergio gets hammered in the American press and sometimes he's said some dumb things but I think this summarises it nicely. The rest of the world still likes him anyway.

Hawaiian Golf - Ko'olau Golf course

Aussie Golfer was lucky enough to find himself in Hawaii last week and knowing its reputation for golf, I couldn't resist a game. But with limited time, which course to play?

Kapalua Plantation Course is the course everyone wants to play right now due to the PGA Tour stopping by for its opening season event. Australian's have had a pretty good run there with Geoff Ogilvy winning this year and Stuart Appleby having the event on a string for three years. But at US$298, is it really worth it?

Confined to the island of Oahu I consulted online tee time websites for some deals. I searched GolfSigma, TeeTimesHawaii.com and GolfNow.com and I found a great deal at Ko'olau Golf Club. US$59 for an afternoon round on America's most difficult golf course - bargain.

Practise fairway and clubhouse at Ko'olau Golf Club

The drive to Ko'olau Golf Club on the opposite side of the road to Australian roads went smoother than expected with the only issue occurring as I entered Ko'olau an caught sight of the course. My photos don't do the course justice but "breathtaking" is probably close to the appropriate word.

The course marshall greeted me before commencing my first drive and warned me of the possible dangers on course.

"It's rated third hardest in summer but is the hardest over the winter period. The last hole is considered one of the hardest and memorable in American golf so it's not over 'til it's over. Are you from New York?"

I questioned his judgement on the course after the last statement but I left the first tee in fear of the course and with a little knowledge of some seedy establishments to frequent later in the evening if I so desired.

View from behind the 6th green at Ko'olau

The marshall mentioned the course is a supreme test of target golf. I knew what that meant but in Australia the sort of target golf he was talking about is very rare. Playing Ko'olau I began to fully realise the difference between target golf and working your way around a course playing a series of different style of shots. Don't get me wrong, I think they are both equally enjoyable but I can see where some golfers are now coming from when they say things like "I don't like links golf courses".

I vowed to not offend this mighty track and played conservatively wherever possible which resulted in a fairly decent score and I cannot recommend this course enough. Sitting in my cart behind a foursome I sat with my mouth agape at the awesome scenery. The steeply rising mountains which impose themselves on many holes are quite something to behold.

The view from the back tees at the 15th.

The difficulty of the course lies in the ravines which litter the course. Most are at least 100m across. Some mercy is given with all drop zones positioned on the other side of the ravine - again a sign of how difficult the course is despite this forgiving local rule.

Many elephants and VW Beetle's must have been sacrificed to lie under the greens. Three-putting is a piece of cake if you're not within 20ft of the hole but the greens (seashore paspalum) are very true and birdies can be taken if your near the hole.

I could wax lyrical forever about this course and my experiences from chasing mongoose away from my tuna sandwich, the view from the black tees on the 15th and the beautiful sight that greets you as you reach the 16th green but I'll leave you all with a description of the last hole.

The green at the spectacular 16th hole.

A 435m par-4 is the 18th at Ko'olau and at first glance it is possible you're not entirely sure which direction you should be hitting. The first ravine is at least a 200m carry to a transversely lying fairway. Hit it longer than 250m however, and you've overshot the fairway.

Either way a superb drive means little when you take a look at the approach to the green. Again, a ravine separates the fairway from the green. It is awkward shot and one of the toughest I've ever been presented with.

I realised everyone should play this golf course. It is the most spectacular golf course I've ever played. Perhaps not quite the hardest but very, very unforgiving. It is the kind of course you could easily lose 20 balls on and still be happy. I went back and played again the next day.

The view from the back of the 18th green at Ko'olau.

Duelin' Drivers

Never thought I'd see Boo and Vijay in the same advertisement. The new Cleveland ad is pretty funny though.

Australian world top amateur

Following the US Masters the world's top amateur golfer, Danny Lee turned professional. So who is now the world's top amateur golfer?

As of last week it's now Australian Scott Arnold, a member at NSW Golf Club. He's been rising up the list for some time now and has assumed top position but according to several Aussie Golfer sources he may not stay there long. Apparently Arnold will soon make the transition to professional golf giving up his amateur status and pennant matches for NSW GC. Look out for this new Aussie talent on the world stage - coming soon to professional golf.

The top 20 on the R&A top world amateur golfers is listed below:

1 Scott Arnold AUS 1242.50 2 Morgan Hoffmann USA 1173.21 3 Rickie Fowler USA 1169.33 4 Jorge Campillo ESP 1161.97 5 Stephan Gross GER 1144.62 6 Nick Taylor CAN 1125.00 7 Sam Hutsby ENG 1122.22 8 Mike Van Sickle USA 1104.84 9 Billy Horschel USA 1094.34 10 Reinier Saxton NED 1090.00 11 Matt Hill CAN 1072.41 12 Erik Flores USA 1046.27 13 Kyle Stanley USA 1043.08 14 Cameron Tringale USA 1034.00 15 Shane Lowry IRE 1027.12 16 Russell Henley USA 1024.00 17 Adam Mitchell USA 1017.24 18 Dustin Garza USA 1008.70 19 Adrian Ford RSA 1005.26 20 Matthew Giles AUS 995.16

Tiger's a Loser

Thanks to The Golf Watch for bringing this to my attention. Here's David Feherty calling Tiger Woods a loser at last weekend's Quail Hollow Championship won by Sean O'Hair.

Golf Music

I've added a little link on the right hand side of this page to enable some music to be played. It will normally be filled with Australian music of course and will be changed from time to time. The teething problems have now been ironed out. Enjoy!

Music is another big passion of mine and after seeing many amateur and professional golfers with the headphones on around the clubhouse I've been considering it's connection with golf.

There are always golf drills around relating to tempo and Aussie Golfer has read golf tips relating to singing a tune during the swing in order to create good timing at impact.

On a recent drive to a fairly major (amongst my mates) tournament, I was deciding what sort of music would put me into the zone before the round. It was a very tough choice and the only clear conclusion I came up with is that there are driver songs and putting songs. Perhaps there are some in between as well and just like the game of golf which is divided up into power and finesse, a pre-golf playlist will be a mixture of both.

I'd be keen to hear what you think of music and golf or can suggest any tracks for a pre-game playlist. If we're talking golfing puns, this is the best I've come up with so far:

1. Hit Me with your Best Shot - Pat Benatar
2. Rip, Rip Woodchip - John Williamson
3. Take the Long Way Home - Supertramp
4. The Green Green Grass of Home - Porter Wagoner or Tom Jones
5. Holes - Mercury Rev
6. Straight Down the Middle - Bing Crosby
   
7. Eagle Rock - Daddy Cool
   
8. Any Old Iron - Harry Champion
   

Kylie takes up golf

So Kylie Minogue has taken up golf...or maybe just buying golf equipment. Does that count? I think it does if you spend $82,000. You could just about buy the perfect golf swing for that much. Maybe not.

Golfer turns chef

Anyone remember Lucas Parsons? He played on the PGA Tour for a year and also on the European Tour with a career high ranking of 37th in 2000. So where is he now? Well he turned up last night on Channel 10's new reality show called Masterchef and it appears he's doing well.

Lucas Parsons featured prominantly on Australia's home tour in the late 90's. He won the Victorian Open, Queensland Open and the New Zealand Open but his biggest professional win was the Greg Norman Holden International in 2000 at The Lakes in Sydney.

Parsons is good mates with Michael Campbell (who was best man at his wedding) and he's recently opened a bookshop cafe on Avoca St, Randwick. The guy could play golf and I tuned in to Masterchef briefly to see if he could cook. Like most reality shows it was tough viewing with judges you could deep fry. At one point one asked Parsons if he could putt with a pork chop.

I hung around long enough to see him make it to next week's episode. I'm not sure I will.

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