An interesting yarn about a seven year old golfing prodigy. According to his mum Galven Kendall Green’s victory in the US Kids Golf World Championships is pre ordained. Not just because of the huge amounts of work he puts in or undeniable natural talent. Although they both contribute she puts part of his success down to the lucky numbers in his birth date. I mean if that’s all it took….

”His mother thinks that his auspicious birth date is one reason for Malaysian golf prodigy Galven Kendall Green's phenomenal victory in the US Kids Golf World Championships.

The seven-year-old, who was born on Aug 8, 1999 (8/8/99), beat 111 other players in his age group on Saturday, making the nation proud with his second international title.


Lucky (and talented) lad.

Last year, he became the first Malaysian to win the prestigious international junior world golf tournament (under-6 category) in San Diego, California.

Mum Vivienne Beh quipped that the “ong” (lucky) numbers of Galven’s birth date could very well have contributed to his success…”

For more on the amazing Galven Green (the golfer not the clothing make) click here…

8/6/2007 3:47:19 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)    Comments [0] 

Bob Gillespe has penned a piece on Carolina Golf about the joys (and pain) of being a golfer over 50. It’s an interesting read even for whipper snappers like myself. So a bit of respect please and listen to what the old fellow has got to say.

”I still remember the phone call from my mother shortly after my 50th birthday. "How are you feeling about (turning 50)?" she asked. Fine, I told her. "Oh, good," she replied. "Your father went totally to pieces when he hit 50." Thanks for sharing that, Mom. Seriously, the best thing about hitting the big 5-0, at least for golfers, is that whole "mulligan" business. In professional golf, you turn 50 and you start playing the Champions Tour, against a crew of guys who now call you "junior." Most of the money won on the Champions Tour usually comes in the first three-to-five years after 50; then, unless your name is Hale Irwin, the descent starts, and it's not pretty. And there's really not an equivalent bonus when you hit 60; you're just getting old, pal….”


An Older Golfer
For more on this story click here….

8/5/2007 3:44:49 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)    Comments [0] 

Not quite the GP Essential 100 but Golf Digest has compiled a list of the 100 greatest golfers from the world of sport. Most of them are people I have never heard of but American sports fans are sure to see a few familiar names.

“Following in the tradition of its best musician and best Hollywood golfer lists, Golf Digest released its ranking of the top 100 golfers from the world of sports. Using official USGA handicaps to compile the rankings, the magazine determined that former pitcher Rick Rhoden is the best athlete golfer. Rhoden has been the “Tiger Woods” of the Celebrity Golf Tour, wining more than 40 events while boasting a +2.5 index.

Other successful athlete-golfers include ex-Green Bay Packer Sterling Sharpe (+2.4), ex-Ravens quarterback Trent Dilfer (+1.5) and retired slugger Mark McGwire (+.7). Among non-retired athletes, quarterback Brett Favre (+.8) and Seattle Supersonic Ray Allen (1.2) are notables.

New York Yankee Derek Jeter’s 30 handicap is surprising. Jeter will likely follow in the footsteps of NCGA Golf Q and A subject (Bluebook 2007) Jerry Rice. The NFL legend, an NCGA member through Sharon Heights, has played to as low as a .8 index after not playing golf seriously until his playing days were over.

Who says golfers aren’t athletes?”

For more on the list click here….

8/4/2007 3:43:04 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)    Comments [0] 

Wonder workie Alex "Pat Sharp" Dimond has penned this blog because I had a headache.



Take it away Princess Di...

Here at GP Towers we are never ones to blow our own trumpet (well, not if someone else can do it for us) but with the dust settling on Padraig Harrington’s epic Open victory, now seems as good a time as any to proclaim that we knew it first. In an age when ‘The Sun’ brand their latest story on Carlos Tevez an ‘EXCLUSIVE!’ (even when everywhere from Sky Sports to the Independent has the story covered), we actually knew Paddy’s future before even he did.



Way back in GP11 (Sept 05), in an article generously entitled ‘The Grinder’, we announced that Harrington was ‘the man who took Tiger’s breath away at Sawgrass and will one day win a major’ – although for the sake of suspense we refrained from publishing the exact time and date of this success.



Aside from the golf, we had the scoop on Paddy’s private life, including facts about his Ipod (“it’s still in the box, can’t work it out”) and his leisure interests (“cinemas and restaurants, that’s my thing”). Unfortunately, with son Patrick only two at the time, there is no mention as to where the family ladybirds were kept.

Harrington is, of course, a famous teetotaller. Fans and media alike went into raptures when he admitted to a cheeky swig of a John Smith’s after that particularly arduous Sunday’s work - which he explained was down to a bet he had with his manager (and new found drinking buddy) Andrew ‘Chubby’ Chandler. Back in GP11, our intrepid reporter questioned Harrington on his activities after winning the ’02 Ryder Cup – where it appeared to all the world that he downed half a bottle of finest champagne:

http://delivery.viewimages.com/xv/71981688.jpg?v=1&c=ViewImages&k=2&d=17A4AD9FDB9CF193F669B259AB992A04CE02CA8B28D8C69D450D130E33168C39

“How do you explain the picture of you swigging from a bottle of champagne after the Ryder Cup win then?” “I was thirsty” came Paddy’s response. So it seems it is true what they say about the Irish needing any excuse to get the alcohol flowing. Lets hope we see Paddy plastered a few more times in his career…….



To get your mits on Golf Punk 18 and read the ‘Mystic Meg-esque’ article on Padraig Harrington, click here.

8/3/2007 3:40:01 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)    Comments [0] 

Our campaign to make golf the number one sport may just be working. World.com say that it was the No.1 Profesional sport in the US during July.



” Historians will look back to July 2007 and reach a startling conclusion - golf is the greatest sport in the world. It reached that lofty height by default, of course, but there can no longer be any doubt - golf is king of all professional athletic endeavours. Cycling, which has officially ceased being a sport and is now a pharmacy on wheels, took another hit as Tour de France leader Michael Rasmussen was tossed from his team and the race after violating Rabobank team rules. Rasmussen grows the growing list of cyclists who have at least been accused of using performance-enhancing drugs, a list that now includes everyone from Floyd Landis to Lance Armstrong to Robin Williams. But that's just cycling, and face it, it's a sport that committed seppeku about this time last year with Landis. But right now is about the most miserable time in professional sports history….”

For more on this story click here…

To join our campaign click here…

8/2/2007 3:28:16 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)    Comments [0] 

Book your holiday, build up your browny points and start saving up. It's that bleeding game again.

8/1/2007 3:24:30 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)    Comments [0] 

Need lessons, can’t rally afford them. Then look no further than Best Golf who have a critique on “other ways” to get your instruction.

We recommend reading the tuition in GP, then again we would.



”If you wish to learn how to play golf, you can hire a golf instructor to guide you. However, if an instructor is not available or you just can t afford one, you can always refer to books and magazines to know how the game is played. This can be especially helpful if you prefer self-study. Golf literature can teach you about preparation for a game, rules and etiquette, and the best and latest golf equipment on the market….

For more on this story click here…

Tips and Swing thoughts
7/31/2007 3:14:48 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)    Comments [0] 

Now the dust has truly settled on the open, Jean Van De Velde has chucked his two euros in about the differences between this years event and his fateful tournament of 1999.

” I'm Jean Van de Velde, and I can't believe my eyes. The soggy final round of the 2007 Open Championship is on TV, and the cameras are showing Carnoustie's 18th hole from every angle. Or at least they say it's the 18th hole. Where's the boomerang board that smacks two-iron approaches backward across the Barry Burn? Where's the knee-high rough that swallows golf balls without even a hint of a burp? Where are the swarms of African tsetse flies and the blinding smoke from brush fires set by the R&A? When I famously blew my three-stroke lead on the 72nd hole of the 1999 Open, the 18th was so tough that you needed a team of Navy SEALs to get across the Burn. Paul Lawrie, who beat me and Justin Leonard in a four-hole playoff, celebrated by getting a tattoo: I BIRDIED THE LAST AT CARNOUSTIE. And it wasn't only the 18th hole. The fairways at the '99 Open were 12 yards across at their widest point, the greens were overseeded with ornamental cactus, and the par-3s had pot bunkers--between the tee markers! Only one guy equaled par in the first round, and that guy, Rod Pampling, shot 86 on Friday and missed the cut by three strokes. The headline writers dubbed it carnasty, and it was. When I jammed home my clutch putt for a triple-bogey 7 to gain the playoff, I joined Paul and Justin at six-over-par 290. It was the highest winning score in an Open since 1946, when Sam Snead won with the same number at St. Andrews…..”

For more on this story click here…

7/28/2007 3:06:17 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)    Comments [0]