Physics of Golf: The Effect of Humidity

Everyone knows that playing golf at a high altitude will make your golf ball travel further as the air is less dense. But did you know high humidity also causes your golf ball to travel further?

It is counter intuitive and the reason isn't immediately clear. Surely the air is more dense causing more drag on the golf ball?

The answer lies in the make up of the air itself. Air is made up predominantly of nitrogen, oxygen and water vapour molecules. The nitrogen and oxygen molecules are heavier than the water vapour molecules.

A volume of air of high humidity contains more water vapour molecules than one of lower humidity and therefore weighs less and is less dense per cubic metre.

This leads to less drag on the golf ball which means it travel further in the air.

So ideally, if you were looking to play in conditions where your golf ball will travel the furthest, high on a mountain in high humidity would be perfect.

Or on the moon.

Kiwi's get nude on the golf course

Now you have cleaned up your coffee, read on.

The above photo was taken at the weekend's Nude Golf International held in Wairau Valley, New Zealand.

Wairau Valley is about 200 kilometers north of Christchurch and is home to a naturist resort where golfers took to the local 9-hole golf course with nothing but their sticks and balls. The trophy went to a first time naturist who remained unnamed.

Feel free to comment below. I'm sure there are plenty to be said on this one.

See stuff.co.uk for the full story. A tip of the hat to Golf Industry Central for the link.

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Photo courtesy of Scott Hammond/Marlborough Express

So they’re not robots after all...not outside the ropes anyway

Today post comes courtesy of Dean Dyer at foundgolf.com. The Australian website aims to find and share the best golf information on the internet.

by Dean Dyer at foundgolf.com

Special to Aussie Golfer

I'm a regular visitor to the PGA Tour website, but only recently came across their 'Outside the Ropes' video series. It's basically a series of short (2-3 mins), lighthearted interviews with PGA Tour players. There are about 40 interviews in all (no Tiger or Phil though).

They're pretty good - interesting to get a little insight into the person behind the persona. I've looked at a few and, not surprisingly, haven't found anyone quite as candid as Ian Poulter.......I like his style, but I'm sure others find him a bit brash.

You can find the videos on YouTube as well, which is probably the best place to go - they seem to load faster and don't have any ads, unlike the videos on the PGA Tour site. Anyway, worth a look.

[I've included the Michael Sim interview below........I get the impression he likes cars!]

Augusta under snow

Here is something you may not have seen before. The great Augusta National Golf Course under snow.

Someone sent a whole set of photo's to Jim Frank's website including the image of the par-3 16th below. Check out all the images at his blog.

How far away this hole looks from Tiger's epic chip-in from 2005.

Golf in general has changed a lot since then.

Thanks to Ryan at the Waggle Room for the heads up on this.

World Golf events should be held...around the world

If only the World Golf Championships were just that, events involving players from all around the world and played around the world.

There are now four tournaments that comprise the WGC events each year and of the 34 that have been held since 1999, only 7 have been held outside of the United States.

Had for example, this past weekend's World Matchplay Championship won by Ian Poulter, been held elsewhere, say England, Japan or Spain, several things would have been different.

The tournament would have been less affected by Tiger's apology

While the timing of Tiger's apology was not ideal, the tournament would have been less affected had it been staged outside of the US. Granted there was still some good coverage of the event in the press but most of the focus was elsewhere and the lack of respect for 66 of the top 68 players in the world was generally abysmal.

More people would have watched the event live

After the rains on Saturday, Camilo Villegas and Paul Casey battled it out with some of the finest golf seen in the tournament's history. David Feherty described Camilo Villegas's bunker shot on the 22nd hole as the best he has ever seen. Reports indicate fewer than 1500 were even in the vicinity.

Can you really imagine a crowd of this size if it were held near London or Tokyo? Some of the Saturday weather is considered a fine day in London! Maybe explaining the charge of the English at this event.

Another reason for the small galleries was the lack of Americans making it through to the weekend. I have had enough of the "Players in the Top 64 in the world you've never heard of" articles each time the event lands in Arizona.

Move it around. I wanna read more "Players in the Top 64 who have never travelled overseas before" stories.

TV coverage would have been better

I know there's a lot of cacti in Arizona but I think a few were cardboard cut-out's designed to look like golf fans. It made for some pretty boring coverage. Any non-golf fan wouldn't give the coverage more than a few seconds. It looked like the Dubbo Club Championship.

Ok. All a bit harsh. But this is one of my favourite golf events of the year and it is heartbreaking to see it appear second rate. I'm not suggesting we move any of them out of the USA for good. It is home to the best golf tour on the planet after all. I'm merely suggesting each WGC event be held internationally every two years for example.

It has been reported that Accenture have the power to move the matchplay event to wherever they choose after 2011. Accenture sponsor the event but how is it they have a say in where it moves? I thought the International Federation of PGA Tours were in charge of all this?

With the timing of Tiger Wood's apology last week, it is odds on to be moved. But to where?

As usual, money is the big talker. Not the PGA Tour and not the International Federation of PGA Tours.

It makes me yearn even more for Greg Norman's old world golf tour proposal.

Image source: Agence France-Presse

Review: Inner City Golf

Aussie Golfer was recently asked to go and check out the new indoor golf facility that has opened in St.Leonard's in Sydney. I had heard of these indoor facilities before and and wondered if was any different to Wii Golf.

I'd been told there was a bar, we would be playing 18 holes and be ready for some serious competition. It was getting more serious by the minute. Would my casual attire be appropriate such an occasion? Would my shorts and thongs cut it? Perhaps I should take my golf shoes and glove just in case? No, best not to look too serious. It is indoor golf after all.

I walked into Inner City Golf and sat in one of the comfy couches near the bar for a beer to settle the nerves. My golfing mates shuffled in equally nervous and confused by what lay ahead. None were wearing golf shoes but all were looking formal coming straight from the office.

We were led to our "booth" which contained a driving range mat, a set of golf clubs and a large screen. The set up is similar to the club fitting booths you may have seen at your local golf store.

The technology is impressive. Two infrared lasers meshes detect the ball's initial direction and spin giving a fairly good representation of the ball flight.

We had an absolute ball as we played a round at Torrey Pines. Different surfaces on the range mat provide lie options equivalent to rough and bunker shots. Putting is tricky and a good test on how well you can hit to a point on the screen.

From a purely golf perspective, it took a little while to get used to the direction you should hit into the screen. The booths for lessons are more accurate than those assigned for game play with more numbers and data appearing on screen than a Bloomberg report.

I can't imagine any lesson being as much fun as the game play though.

Inner City Golf have conference room facilities and are running competitions playing on courses aligned with the PGA Tour throughout the year as well as corporate events and tournaments.

It is a great place to get your golfing fix any time of the year or day. Post-round chat centred around how realistic it was compared to a real round of golf. Opinions were varied with one customer claiming the round of golf was just a game.

"It's a computer game. That's all it is really. It's great fun but it's only a game. Not really golf".

I'm not sure I agree. But isn't golf just a game too?

Either way I loved it. I'm wearing taking my golf glove next time. The golf shoes might even get a run too.

Fairway Footy

Aussie Golfer scours the internet and media to keep you up to date with new ideas and information from the golf world, usually with an Australian bias.

With footy season almost upon us (is it getting earlier and earlier each year?) I found this concept which combines your footy team with your own golf score!

Here's what Fairway Footy is about. You get a team of four golfers together from your home golf club and nominate the team's favourite football team from the AFL or NRL when you register.

Each week a score is calculated from your golf team AND you nominated footy team. And just like the footy, if you finish in the top 8 teams, you play finals.

It is a bizarre concept but sounds like it just might work!

There's some pretty good prizes on offer such as 2011 Presidents Cup packages and Callaway drivers. See Fairway Footy website for all the details.

Tiger Woods to speak on Friday

On the back of a photographer snapping a pick of Tiger Woods taking a run, news comes that he will be speaking at a press conference on Friday (Saturday 3am AEST) at the TPC Sawgrass Clubhouse in Florida.

The word "conference" usually implies some sort of two way discussion but there will be none of that. There will be no questions allowed and apparently he will be speaking to a small group of people including his close friends. No video cameras will be allowed except for the Golf Channel who will be broadcasting the event.

According to his agent, "Tiger plans to discuss his past and his future and he plans to apologize for his behavior. While Tiger feels that what happened is fundamentally a matter between he and his wife, he also recognizes that he has hurt a lot of people who were close to him.”

This all had to happen at some point. But why now?!

Why in the middle of the first big golf event of the year? As first pointed out first by Wei Under Par, could it be to give the finger to Accenture who are sponsoring the World Matchplay Championship? The rest of the tour players are going to be very annoyed. this is not good for his already sour on tour reputation.

Either way, the timing is poor and the press statement very controlled. It could have been scheduled for next week.

Maybe with more coyotes watching some matches than people and Americans dropping like flies from the matchplay event, this is the spark they need over there!

Look out for a comment on when he'll return to golf and some tears.

Update (19/2/2010): If your sick of watching the golf you can watch the interview over at the CBS UStream channel.

Photo source: Getty Images, Sam Greenwood

Need a new doormat?

Give your golfing mates something to do while they wait for you to open the door. The golf green doormat.

After a quick search I've found stockists at Oz Gadgets, Latest Buy and dstore and plenty others I'm sure.

Accenture World Matchplay on TV

Channel Ten's One HD has 28 hours of live Accenture World Matchplay coverage this weekend at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Dove Mountain, Arizona.

Thursday, Friday and Saturday: 6am - 10am

Sunday and Monday: 2am - 10am.

Ogilvy aiming for three World Matchplay Championships

The first big golf event for the year is held this week, the World Accenture Matchplay Championship in Arizona.

I really do love this tournament. Matchplay is the best golf format to play and watch. The match-up's are always intriguing despite half the field disappearing after one round and Sunday only featuring four players.

Australia's Geoff Ogilvy is the current tournament champion after he defeated Paul Casey is this matchplay format last year and is a favourite to win the event for a third time.

Ogilvy's form last year was phenomenal and rarely looked like he was going to be beaten he has a 17 - 2 record in this format and must be a big favourite to win his first match against Sweden's Alexander Noren.

The other Aussies

Only four Australians have qualified for the event this year compared with seven in 2009. It says something about the sort of year Australian golfers had last year. Geoff Ogilvy is joined by Robert Allenby, Adam Scott and Michael Sim who makes his debut in this tournament.

Robert Allenby hasn't faired well at this event in the past but has some great form. He's up against another Swede in Peter Hanson and will go into that match as favourite.

Adam Scott has started the year poorly but I find it hard to believe he could lose his great form at the Australian Open so quickly. He faces El Pato, (the duck) Angel Cabrera in his first round match and an early victory may get his game back.

Michael Sim's debut at the WGC event has seen him come up against another young star, Japan's Ryo Ishikawa. This is going to be a great match to watch. The winner may potentially meet the most in form golfer on the planet at the moment, Steve Stricker.

There's a complete printable bracket (pdf) for all 64 players for the World Matchplay Championships at the PGA Tour website.

More Q&A on the handicapping changes

Stay up to date with the latest on any handicapping changes by signing up to Aussie Golfer with your email address on the right hand side of the page!

Here's a few more questions Aussie golfer has been asked with regard to the new handicapping changes set to roll out across Australia on April 9, 2009.

How would this system work when playing stableford? We play on the same course weekly.

In fact in the future, all scores will be converted to a stableford score. In the meantime, the stableford score will be entered just as it is on Golf Link now and the difference between the course rating and the score (had it been a stroke round) calculated. A score of 36 points off a handicap of 15 will result in an equivalent round of 15 over par.

What happens if I don't hand in my card?

The new system penalises anyone who didn't hand in their card by assigning the

worst score from the golfer’s most recent

19 scores. It then is considered part of the golfer's previous 20 rounds.

What if I haven't got 20 previous rounds to calculate the handicap from?
All previous rounds will be re-calculated for your new handicap on April 9. If you have 20 rounds previously played in the system then your 10 best rounds will contribute to your new handicap according to the new method described here.

If you do not have 20 rounds in the system, the new system calculates your new handicap in based on a lesser number of best scores.

# rounds	# best scores used
3 to 6	1
7 or 8	2
9 or 10	3
11 or 12	4
13 or 14	5
15 or 16	6
17	7
18	8
19	9
20	10

I use the phrase "best scores" a little flippantly. "Best scores" refers to the difference between your gross score and the rating for the course you played.

These are then averaged, multiplied by 0.96 and figures after the first decimal point removed to acquire you're new handicap.

Related articles
New handicapping set for Australian golf
Australian handicapping changes
Australia adopts US course rating system
Reasons for Australia's new course ratings
Golf handicapping: What's with the 0.96?
New handicap system: how does it work?

Andrew Dodt wins on European Tour

Until last night, whenever I heard the name Andrew Dodt I was always thought, "Oh yes, that Australian golfer that looks like Gary Busey". Sometimes I thought he looked more like his son, Jake Busey.

I won't liken him to anyone any more after he won his first professional tournament, winning the Avantha Masters in New Dehli. The event is part of the European Tour and claiming the winner's cheque opens up a multitude of doors for Dodt.

Dodt claimed the win under a lot of pressure coming from behind on the final nine holes. His bunker shot on the last hole was exquisite to birdie and win by a single shot.

The win is not completely out of the blue. He has had a great summer beginning with a great finish at last year's Singapore Open, second at the New Zealand Open two weeks ago and a Top 10 finish at the Moonah Classic last week.

Dodt has a few decisions to make now regarding his playing schedule for the year. there may even be a few movie goers who'll see Gary Busey in his next movie and say "Hey, he looks like Andrew Dodt".

Gary and Jake Busey

Andrew Dodt image courtesy of AP, Getty Images.

Kingston Heath #1 golf course in Australia

Australian Golf Digest have released there annual list of Australia's Top 100 Golf Courses and Kingston Heath has taken top spot for the first time. It pipped NSW Golf Club by the barest of margins.

It is the first time that Royal Melbourne has not occupied the top spot but in past years it has always been the composite course in this position. Australian Golf Digest no longer rank the composite course to be played in next year's Presidents Cup, as only the professionals ever play that design.

Combined with a few conitional problems Royal Melbourne West comes in at number 3 and the East at number 8. With conditions on the way up, expect these courses to rise back up the rankings next year.

My only gripe is the inclusion of Ellerston in the list. It is easier to find Tiger Woods than get a tee time on the late Kerry Packer's private golf course.

I'll list the top 25 below. For the full Top 100 you'll need to buy the latest Australian Golf Digest magazine. Which is fair enough.....as they did all the "work".

Anyone played many of these courses? Any comments? Add them below.

1 Kingston Heath (Victoria)
2 New South Wales (NSW)
3 Royal Melbourne (West) (Victoria)
4 Barnbougle Dunes (Tasmania)
5 Ellerston (NSW)
6 The National (Moonah) (Victoria)
7 Metropolitan (Victoria)
8 Royal Melbourne (East) (Victoria)
9 Royal Adelaide (South Australia)
10 Victoria (Victoria)
11 The Australian (NSW)
12 Lake Karrinyup (Western Australia)
13 Moonah Links (Legends) (Victoria)
14 The Dunes (Victoria)
15 Royal Sydney (NSW)
16 The National (Victoria)
17 The Lakes (NSW)
18 Newcastle (NSW)
19 Joondalup (Quarry/Dune) (Western Australia)
20 The Links Kennedy Bay (Western Australia)
21 Barwon Heads (Victoria)
22 Woodlands (Victoria)
23 Kooyonga (South Australia)
24 Commonwealth (Victoria)
25 Peninsula (North) (Victoria)

Steve Williams knew when Norman had sex

Here at Aussie Golfer your comments and feedback is important.

So important that it can spawn new stories and in this case, new jokes.

I thought I was pretty clever by including my own gag concerning Tiger Woods' exploits in a recent article surrounding his New Zealand caddy Steve Williams. But it was topped by another gag concerning Steve Williams by "Merce" in the comments section under the article.

It is so good and so subtle I'm reproducing it here:

"Steve was quoted once as saying he always knew when the Shark had had "sex" because of his filthy mood on the next tee."

Let it be known that Chris is also a Kiwi so he knows the accent well. Thanks Chris. I haven't stopped laughing.

Why are handicap rounds restricted to competitions?

Aussie Golfer has previously discussed the new handicap system rolling out across Australia on April 9, 2010 (see new handicapping changes). But one aspect of the new system is puzzling.

Why will all rounds of golf entered for handicapping purposes be restricted to competition rounds?

The new handicapping system abolishes the daily course rating (i.e. CCR) and is compared to the official course rating only. No longer is your golf round evaluated with respect to other scores but to the course difficulty, which will not change from one day to the next.

A minimum number of golfers playing the course on a given day is no longer needed to calculate a course rating and therefore the idea of playing competition golf in order to contribute a score to your handicap is made redundant.

I have always resented the idea that I cannot play a round of golf when I choose (say late afternoon) and hand the card in to contribute to my handicap.

A simple sign-in system to register the round and a partner with an official Australian handicap to sign your card should be suffice to hand in your card without being in the midst of a club competition.

Aussie Golfer posed the question to Golf Australia recently. The response indicated it will not be implemented until 2012.

Initially there will be no change to the existing regulations re this however by the time the full USGA Handicap System is implemented in 2012, we will be using social rounds for handicapping in addition to competition rounds. GA is yet to make a determination re the precise schedule for the implementation of this change.

Why do we have to wait two years? Is there a fear of a backlash from club professionals who make money from competition rounds? I don't believe competition rounds will be greatly affected by the change.

Any thoughts on this? Or answers?!

Fake golf magazine

I was forwarded this obviously fake magazine cover made up by a clever (and somewhat mischievous) golfer from out Gosford way.

Apparently the joke didn't go down too well when his club and greenkeepers found out about it.

It is all in jest of course but as we all agree, they could work on their on-course demeanour. :-)

Click image to enlarge

Recalling Eldrick 'Tiger' Woods

Rumours of Tiger Woods' return to golf are rampant as the 2010 PGA Tour is now well underway. His usual opening tournament has come and gone, but the biggest event for the year is just a few weeks away, the Accenture World Matchplay Championship.

Accenture was one of Tiger's big sponsors and they were one of the first to drop him in favour of an elephant on a surfboard. It would be somewhat ironic and unlikely, if he made his return for this tournament.

Like all massive sports stars or celebrities who slip up or "transgress", open season is quickly declared on them. No one has been light on Woods and I've been amazed just how many non-golf followers have joined in.

It has surprised me just how famous he was outside of golf circles as a name as much as anything. Most people would struggle to tell you how many majors he won an very few know his real name.

Some ardent golf fans have fervently claimed Tiger is not taking a break from golf. Many are adamant this is NOT a break and he's just going through a rough patch. He will be back playing as usual.

In truth, it doesn't matter. When he comes back it is going to be massive and all focus (once he steps on the fairway) will be on his golf game and whether he can play as magically as he always did.

The three most interesting comments from fellow professional golfers during his "break from golf" have come from Jesper Parnevik, Geoff Ogilvy and Tom Watson.

Jesper Parnevik gave Woods a right royal flogging over his "transgressions" and given his proximity to Tiger and his wife (he introduced them), then it is probably fair enough.

Geoff Ogilvy has been as candid as anyone when asked about the situation. He suggested he should emerge and speak to the media well before he steps out on to the golf course. This way the rest of the golfers on the PGA Tour can be spared the chaos that will ensue at the tournament if he doesn't. Nicely put and again hard to fault despite the fact that I think chaos will ensue anyway.

Tom Watson has suggested that when Tiger returns, he not only cleans up his private life but his on-course attitude. He admitted to sending Tiger Woods a private letter well before the affairs were made public, encouraging him to stop the tantrums and club throwing. Tiger is supposedly the most fined player on tour, so once more this advice is hard to fault too.

The Herald-Sun's Mark Hayes hinted that Woods will be teeing it up again in two weeks at the Accenture Matchplay Championship. It is hard to believe this coming from anyone let alone an article in the Herald-Sun but I, like Padraig Harrington found the whole transgression story hard to believe from day one.

But when he does return, maybe Tiger's given name is more appropriate. Eldrick. It is rather plain, less feisty than Tiger and more like a player on tour trying to prove himself once again.

Think of it like when Prince changed his name to the symbol. Once he shows the world just how good he is at his chosen profession, he can reclaim the "Tiger" moniker.

Related Stories

How the Tiger Woods story has affected me
This murky Tiger affair
Tiger admits to "transgressions"

A tip from Seve Ballesteros

Here's one for those suffering on the golf course at the moment.

Seve Ballesteros was asked during his prime about how he manages to subdue his anger hitting after a bad shot.

"Instant Amnesia".

Image Source

Aussie Golf Players Facebook Group

Just a quick note to say a Facebook group has been added for Australian Golfers.

The group description is:

For Aussie Golf Players who play Golf at least once a year!

Get the Latest Offers, Freebies & Discounts from some of the top Golfing Businesses Australia-wide. Invites to Industry Events & Expos. Beginners & Professionals welcome. Save thousands of Dollars!!!

If you're on Facebook, what have you got to lose?! Join up to Aussie Golf Players here.

Related Post

Create your own live leaderboard using Twitter

Funky new PGA Tour Website

Skim it across the water - for a hole-in-one.

This golf shot video has had a resurgence of late going around on email once again but many people are questioning its legitimacy. As it hadn't been posted on Aussie Golfer before I figured now was a good time.

This is completely real. It is more real than Phil Mickelson's man-boobs.

The hole-in-one was made by Vijay Singh during his practice round at the US Masters at Augusta National last year. It is a bit of a tradition for the golfers to try it during their practice rounds but this was the first that actually went in the hole.

Here is the infamous shot, taken by members of the gallery that day from two different angles.

Other great hole-in-one videos

Million dollar hole-in-one

Amazing hole-in-one

A search for the most comfortable golf shoe

Aussie Golfer has been on a bit of a mission over the past few months to find the most comfortable golf shoes available.

Many golf shoes look great, some feel pretty good in that golf shoe kinda way but very few give that feel like wearing runners.

I've been eyeing off all golf shoes that walk past like some sort of golf shoes fetish freak, assuming (incorrectly) that I can glean some idea of comfort with an owl like stare.

This unblinking gaze was squarely aimed at Fred Couples' golf shoes during last weekend's Champions Tour tournament. What are they? Sneakers?! They look like a pair of Tom Boyle's that I used to have. The comfiest shoes I've ever worn I might add. Ask any skater if you don't believe me.

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They turned out to be Ecco's new range of golf "street" shoes. I never knew Ecco made golf shoes and Fred Couples could probably make clogs look comfortable but they look fantastic except for one thing.

They have no spikes in the bottom of them. They can't of course as they couldn't be worn "on the street" if they did but will all golf courses allow them? Can you really see members of Pennant Hills, Royal Adelaide or Kingston Heath letting these through the door?

I still want a pair. They'll look good when I hit my ball over the fence onto Links Street.

Photo courtesy of Getty Images. Source