This Ryder Cup mania has gone absolutely crazy!

We were prepared for 300,000 disappearing for a few days and mysteriously turning up on Monday with a slight Irish accent, we were even prepared for a huge upsurge in electricity use during TV breaks and had notified the relevant authorities. But what we weren’t prepared for, what you could of knocked us down with a feather with, was the news that one of our GolfPunk stable would go renegade!!!!!

In the run up to the Ryder Cup we rang around and checked to see how all our GolfPunks against the World were getting on. Ollie Fisher was doing what Ollie Fisher does. Playing golf and winning. Suzann and Jonathan are playing over in the States, which is fair enough. James Heath is plying is trade on the Challenge Tour trying to get onto the big boys tour next year. We phoned the tow Graeme's Storm and McDowell, which went something a bit like this....

GP: "Hi guys, how are you?"

Graemes: "ROOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAARRRRRR!!!!!!!"

GP: "What the hell was that? Where are you??"

Graemes: "Yoooooooouuuuuuuu ddaaaaaaaaaa mmaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn!!!!!!" (Line goes dead)

It turns out that the duo are at the Ryder Cup following Europe and mingling with the fans. So say hi if you see them. Then we went to check on Sam. A certain Mr Torrance. But we got no reply. That's not unusal. Normally he's on duty with the BBC. So we tried again later, but still nothing and the parental instinct in us started to worry. He hadn't called, left no note etc, etc....then we heard that he was definitely at the K Club, so we sent a craic (see what we did there) unit to find him, but they've taken over a pub in Naas called the Ivy and apparently, he isn't there. But they did give us this...

Sam Torrance Blog 

Live commentary A not so serious look at the action as it unfiolds. 

The Atlantic Divide A bit of banter from both sides of the pond. 

It's the Ryder Cup coverage on AOL and if you look closely you'll find a certain moustachioed Scottish fella filling you in on all the juicy gossip behind the scenes at the Ryder Cup. We've been on it all day - checking in to see that he's behaving himself - and we recommend you do the same. And if you see him, tell Sam we know what he's been up to!!!

9/22/2006 7:48:08 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)    Comments [0] 

• He pulled out of the pre-tournament pro-am with a stiff neck
  
• He was unable to practice before the tournament because of the injury
• He had a whole new set of clubs, which he was testing for the USPGA
• It was the first time he had played the course

8/11/2006 2:42:46 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)    Comments [0] 

Once, these wayward balls plopped into ponds on courses across the state, and then a scuba diver scooped them up and gave them to David and Steve Blocher.

The father-and-son team gives the balls new life, scraping off the mud and ink to reveal shiny white spheres ready to be launched by another golfer.

In unmarked crates that only they know the names of, they toss Nikes, Callaways, Pro V1's. The beat-up ones will be sold for pennies to be hit far into fields. Unblemished ones, packed into neat sea-green egg crates, will sell for $23.99 a dozen.

In a week's time, the Blochers lay hands on 20,000 balls from 17 courses in the state. Golfers across the country buy them at half price or less at T & D Golf Stores in Tampa and Oldsmar. Some customers pull the Pro V1's right off the delivery truck.

There's even a picture!!!! Link:http://www.sptimes.com/2006/08/10/Hernando/Giving_golf_balls_a_b.shtml

8/10/2006 6:39:51 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)    Comments [0] 

Sitting in the stands at the Open Championship at Hoylake this weekend, I had a kind of epiphany. I suddenly realised that golf, not football, is the people's game of the modern era - and that this is as it should be.

I've spent too much of my life going along with the old lefty prejudices against golf: against its snobbery, against its traditionalism, against its cost, against its whiteness, against its environmental problems, against its clothes, against its individualism. I'm not saying these aren't problems, or that they have all been solved. But I think they pale into insignificance against golf's bigger reality.

Here are some of the things that struck me at the Open. And no, they don't include a golf ball.

First, this was a crowd of ordinary people. Sure, there were some toffs in blazers and, yes, there were a lot of corporate guests, but basically this was a crowd of all classes who were there simply because love the game.
Second, the crowds are tremendously knowledgeable because most of them play golf. If you ignore walking, cycling and jogging, the General Household Survey says that golf is Britain's biggest participation sport - more people in this country play golf than play football. for instance - and after chatting to some of my fellow crowd-members at Hoylake I believe it. All of them, to a man and a woman, were golfers. I bet the percentage of people at the Cup Final who play football is far smaller in proportion.

Link: here

8/2/2006 3:27:46 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)    Comments [0] 

POLICE had to be called after a group of youths disrupted a Bolton golf club's match.

Up to 30 teenagers invaded the Lostock course, where members of the Regent Park Club were trying to hold their championship final night.

Police were called to the incident, which happened at the club, off Chorley New Road, at 8.20pm on Friday.

continued...

A police spokesman said: "We had reports of a disturbance involving up to 30 youths who were attacking golfers. No one reported an assault.

"Officers went to disperse the group, but the teenagers had already started to make their way off the green."

It is believed the confrontation between the youths and golfers took place at the 13th tee.

A resident, who lives in Regent Road, which is next to the golf club, said it was not the first time there had been problems at the club. "It looks like there was a clash between the golfers and the youths and police arrived to sort out the problem," she said.

"The kids were drinking and being rowdy, which has been a problem for some time, but it came to a head on Friday night.

8/2/2006 3:24:15 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)    Comments [0] 

Paul Addison, 40, pleaded guilty to five counts of criminal damage at the Wirral magistrates court near Liverpool.

Stephen Fletcher, 35, was sentenced to five weeks of unpaid community services after pleading guilty to the same charges.

The two said they represented a pressure group called "Real Fathers 4 Justice." The group says it is fighting for the rights of fathers in custody cases.

The incident left purple stains on the grass as Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia approached the final hole on Sunday at Hoylake. The players didn't seem affected, and Woods made a par putt to win the tournament by two shots.

Eight weeks: You don't even get that for committing serious fraud these days, but then it is a bugger to get off that purple dye.

8/2/2006 3:12:11 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)    Comments [0] 

Parents are falling over themselves to send their children to high-class sport training to cultivate high-class manners.

Golf clubs in the capital including the SGA Golf Club, the Beijing Sports Bureau Training Division and Tianyi Golf Club are offering summer classes and weekend training courses for young children.

Golf camps became popular in Beijing last year, and the popularity has peaked this summer. The high tuition fees of these courses hasn't deterred parents.

"We received hundreds of calls about the courses before our first summer term began. The number of applicants was double last year's figure," The First newspaper quoted an executive from Tianyi Golf Club as saying.

The cost of tuition ranges from 2,000 yuan to 4,000 yuan (200 U.S. dollars to 500 dollars).

Long-term courses are also available. At 800 yuan (100 U.S. dollars) for a half and an hour training at SGA Golf Club. It costs about 10,000 yuan (1,250 U.S. dollars) for a kid to take a three-month course, according to Li Nan, principal of the club.

"Most of the children's families are well off," Li said. "Many parents work for multinationals and their children were born abroad. Many of the parents play golf themselves."

Young trainees at the SGA camp have no problems communicating with their Australian coach.

"Playing golf can help children cultivate high-class manners, " a trainee's mother said.

Just as her young child wiped his nose on the bottom of her skirt...(no, that didn't really happen)

8/2/2006 3:00:51 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)    Comments [0]