Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Croc Makes Itself At Home

A golf club owner in Twonsville, Australia, said a crocodile decided to take his golf course as its home, media reported Wednesay.

Don Matheson, owner of Willows Golf Club in Queensland, said a 1-meter crocodile moved into a lake at the 14th hole.

"It's quite novel that we have got a croc who has made his home here. If we allowed it, he would stay here," said Matheson.

That's the last time they use my family to make a golf bag.

Although it has not posed any "significant threat" to people, the club would not allow it on the course, adding that he would ask wildlife authorities to place the animal back in the wild.

The crocodile found his new residence during flooding that followed heavy rains in recent weeks, according to the club owner.

Wildlife authorities last week warned residents in the Queensland tropics to be alert for crocodiles and snakes carried onto properties by floodwater.

We at GolfPunk love our animals, in a good way, but we also love our golf. Perhaps most importantly we love our arms and legs so the benefits of having a croc on your home course are still lost on us.

If you have any suggestions let us know.



1/30/2008 6:20:08 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [1] 

  Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Golf For All

This is a story that is important to us at GP Towers.



Back in the summer we invited ourselves along to the Southport Disabled Golfers’ Charity Day and what a bleeding good time it was. It was refreshing to see people just enjoying their golf, grateful to get out and have a foozle instead of crying into their course planner because they shot an 85.



Even though accessibility in golf was not something we thought about much before, the characters we met that day reminded us why we started GolfPunk in the first place. We are ‘the golf mag for everyone’ after all.

“A federal judge in San Francisco ruled today that Marriott Inc. is obligated under federal and state laws to make accessible golf carts available to disabled golfers.

U.S. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton ruled in a lawsuit filed against the hotel and resort chain by three disabled golfers who said they need special carts known as single-rider carts in order to play the game.

The carts have hand-operated brakes and accelerators and rotating swivel seats that enable mobility-impaired people to hit a golf ball while seated.




Hamilton said the company's refusal to provide the carts violates the U.S. Americans with Disabilities Act as well as two state laws, the California Disabled Persons Act and Unruh Civil Rights Act.

The judge wrote, "Marriott's current policy does not provide plaintiffs, mobility-impaired golfers, with an experience that is functionally equivalent to that of other non-disabled golfers."

Sid Wolinsky, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said the ruling will apply to the 26 golf courses owned or operated by Marriott nationwide.

Nance Becker, another lawyer for the golfers, said, "We hope today's decision will make Marriott resorts more welcoming for their potential customers and encourage other golf resorts to do the same……"

To find out more about this story click here...





1/29/2008 6:18:38 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [1] 
Not Any Old Irons

As good as your irons are they've not been custom made for you. That's where Scratch golf come in offering a massive choice of finishes, grinds, and stamping to perfectly fit your golf game. Without paying any players to use their clubs, they are the fastest growing wedge brand on the US professional tours. Here's some of the the stuff they're building for the tour at the moment.






Golf News
1/29/2008 11:35:25 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [1] 

  Monday, January 28, 2008
Adam Scott Wins In Qatar

Adam Scott lit up the European Tour with a a dazzling 11-under-par 61 to win the Qatar Masters for the second time.

Scott, who began three behind overnight leader Johan Edfors, birdied the first five holes and never looked back.

The 2002 champion opted for safety at the last where a par-five left him 20 under for a sixth European Tour title.


Adam Scott shooting the lights out yesterday*.

*Not really

Henrik Stenson (65) was runner-up on 17 under, with England's Lee Westwood (65) fifth on 13 under and Scot Colin Montgomerie (69) one shot further back.

A hat-trick of birdies from the 10th tightened his grip on the tournament and raised the prospect of him equalling the European Tour record for the lowest final round by a winner.

The 27-year-old needed to birdie the last to match Jamie Spence's 12-under-par 60 at the 1992 European Masters.

But he chose to lay up short of the water and sand guarding the front of the green and had to settle for a par after his pitch was off-line.

The showman in us wanted Ads to go for it. Although we were shouting at our TV at the time this was clearly the right decision. Just another reason why we watch golf tournaments and Scott plays in them we suppose.




1/28/2008 8:46:34 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [1] 
Woods Winning Start

Tiger’s back, so who’s up for second place? The world number one made a triumphant start to the 2008 season by bagging his fourth straight victory in the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines near San Diego.

This victory put Woodsy alongside Arnold Palmer with 62 career victories in joint fourth place on the all-time PGA Tour list.

TW now only trails Sam Snead (82), Jack Nicklaus (73) and Ben Hogan (64) in the standings. The ways he’s playing it could be done and dusted in his next twenty-one tournaments.

He has now won the Buick in five of the last six years, and added: "Ever since junior golf, I really seemed to have played well here. It fits my eye, I feel very comfortable.
    
"It's just one of those things where some people just have an affinity for certain golf courses.”

Apparently Tiger knows his way around Augusta and don’t forget the US Open is held at at Torrey Pines this year. World golf had better watch out.


Check out Tiger taking the mickey out of people by clicking the image below.




1/28/2008 8:28:05 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [1] 
Camo Have A Go If You Think You're Hard Enough

All this talk of being fit for your shafts is poppycock. Well ok, it's not, it makes a massive difference in getting the most distance from your shots. But why can't all shafts look as good as these bad boys.



These limited edition camouflage Fujikura Speeders will probably be sold out by the time you read this post, but it can't hurt to get in touch with them at www.fujikuragolf.com to double check.




1/28/2008 2:16:16 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [2] 

  Friday, January 25, 2008
Bunker Babe Of The Year

The votes have been counted, the gongs dished out, now see what all the fuss was about.

Click here to check out the runners and the riders vying to be GolfPunk Bunker Babe of the Year.

Or check out all the Bunker Babes at www.golfpunkonline.com/bunker-babes




They've been expecting you.


1/25/2008 4:31:15 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [1] 
Meteorite Hunters Come Up Short

Now we at GP know that the only water the average amateur likes on a golf course is safely tucked away in a bottle inside their bag. However, two divers in Edmonton searching for a meteorite just reinforced to us that golf balls and water are about as synonymous as butter and toast.

Indeed, when two loopy divers, Aaron Soas and Derek Zienowicz plunged themselves into the frozen water of a pond on an Edmonton golf course, with the aid of a chainsaw to create the hole, they didn’t find the meteorite they were searching for, but a load of stray golf balls!


The new Srixon Meteorite TM. Get's unbelievable distance but pitch marks are no fun.

The pair, who contrary to rumours aren’t crazy, embarked on their adventure after hearing the meteorite, which is as small as a driver head-cover, could fetch up to $10, 000. The mission was unsuccessful and was like trying to find a person who appreciates good music at a Spice Girls Concert.

The discovery is rumoured to have caused a frenzy of golfers flocking to the lake to retrieve their wayward Pro-V1s. None of the lily livered, cold weather wusses at GP Towers are prepared to risk pneumonia for golf balls. But that’s no reason to stand in the way of men and their meteorites.




1/25/2008 4:27:27 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [0] 
Is Drug Testing Taking Place On A Level Playing Field?

If Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson give something their approval (and it is rare that they see eye to eye on anything) then, naturally, you assume everything’s kosher. The thing is, the pair were talking about the recently introduced drug-test plan on the PGA Tour, which naturally favours players on the tour (who are predominately American) rather than favouring worldwide fairness.

While most concede that golf needs some form of testing to prove it’s clean, the PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem doesn’t believe the sport will encounter the same problems as cycling, baseball or athletics: “I just don’t see it becoming a problem,” said Finchem. “What I do see as a problem is that people don’t believe that.”

The main flaw of the testing-plan is that is not universal. There are differences in policies between the US PGA and other tours. With some nations having more stringent rules than others there is a real chance that a law-abiding player in one tournament could be a ‘drug cheat’ in another.

Finchem sees the danger. Players who don’t have awareness of testing programmes can potentially left themselves open for accidental positive tests putting pressure on globetrotters like Ernie Els to be extra careful with what they consume.          

“Guys like that, they are going to have to watch what they take, pay more attention to it,” said Woodsy about this, who will probably not be fussed about the changes, as he will only venture outside America once or twice a year to play a tournament.


The 2010 Ryder Cup Team yesterday.

Mickelson believes there are no problems of doping in golf, but felt it was a positive thing to have an anti-doping policy in place to preserve golf’s integrity.

“I don’t think there’s anything there to find but it’s better to have testing there, it will show that golfers hold the rules of golf in high esteem, not just on the course, but off it as well,” said the world number two.

Having an anti-doping policy is all well and good fellas, but if in America you can get away with taking some things where you can’t in another country, then the World-Anti-Doping-Agency have dug a divot that might cause more problems than they solve.




1/25/2008 1:40:53 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [2] 

  Thursday, January 24, 2008
GolfJunk

The latest GolfJunk is up and ready to gawp over.

Check it out at www.golfpunkonline.com/golf-junk

It's stick central.


1/24/2008 7:22:17 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [1] 
Champions Collection

I'm guessing you've all seen the advert where the world's greatest golfer, the world's greatest tennis player and Thierry Henry mug for the camera in an attempt to sell us chin blades.

It has had a mixed reaction in the office, much like Marmite, people either love it or hate it. However there is one bit that we're in unniversal agreement with. The end where Tiger shoves Roger Federer and turns to TH. We all have our own ideas about what's said, the current favourite is, "Excuse me strange man, is he with you?" as it appears that Woodsy has no idea who either of these people are.


"Hey janitor, that valet is getting a bit above his station."

Click the image or here, watch the clip and let us know what you think is going on, play nice now or we'll report you but a really good suggestion will receive...

Check out loads of great videos at Channel Fore!


1/24/2008 4:36:04 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [2] 

  Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Europe Reclaims It's Tour

The European Tour is in danger of hitting a major shank if it continues to allow marquee players to pick-and-choose the tournaments they play in according to some seasoned tour pro’s.

The long-standing issue was highlighted further when last years Order of Merit winner Justin Rose teed it up in a miserly 12 events, the lowest tally by an Order of Merit winner since Seve Ballesteros played in the same amount in 1978.

So no change you’re thinking? Well, Rosey’s 11 events consisted of the three Majors in America and the four World Golf Championships, which all count (since 1999) to the minimum requirement of playing in 11 tournaments to gain full tour membership. This meant Rose, and other high-ranked players could choose four lucrative tournaments to make up the 11. Seve’s 12 were all standard tour events.

The minimum events required to retain tour membership is likely to increase from 11 to 13 after players lodged their concern over the future of the regular tour events.

“It’s hardly asking a lot to play what is basically once a month in Europe. When I was winning my eight Order of Merits, I did it because of what happened in Europe, not America,” said a concerned Colin Montgomery.

So will raising the minimum required events be enough to save historic tournaments as if they struggle to attract good fields? Consequently, the sponsors will become more and more reluctant to brush the cobwebs off their money and support events.

You cannot heap the blame on the players though, because while they have the freedom to choose where has the most £ signs, then ultimately they will. If the choice is taken away then they have to commit to more regular events to preserve their longevity.  

The casualties that are already in the morgue are evidence for George O’Grady, the European Tour executive director, of the dangers that potentially lie ahead. The Belgium Open, German Open and the English Open are now just a piece of golfing history.

“We need our bigger players to commit to more of the bread-and-butter continental tournaments like the Irish and French Opens because right now we are in danger of losing them,” said Paul McGinely. Here here Paul, here here.




1/23/2008 5:17:23 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [1] 
Barry Lane Joins The 600 Club

Barry Lane will become only the fifth player to surpass 600 European Tour events when he pegs it up at the Commercialbank Qatar Masters at the Doha Golf Club tomorrow.

Lane joins Sam Torrance (702), Roger Chapman (617), Eamonn Darcy (610) and Malcolm Mackenzie (603) as the golden oldies of golf.

What’s remarkable is that Lane has not lost his card since coming through Tour School in 1985, which we at GP feel is a marvellous achievement.

Bazzer agrees: “That is quite an achievement, last year I struggled a little bit but played better towards the end of the season. There are not many guys out there who have played 600 events and there are not many out here who have always kept their cards either, so I am proud of myself for that.”

Lane has won five times on tour, stretching as far back to 1988 when Bell’s sponsored the Scottish Open, the 1992 Mercedes German Masters, the 1993 Canon European Masters, the 1994 Turespana Open de Baleares and more recently the 2004 Daily Telegraph Damovo British Masters.

“All of my victories are obviously very special, but probably winning the British Masters after such a big gap since my previous victory gave me particular pleasure, proving that I could win out here on tour at 44, as I was then,” he reflected.


"If you shank it out right again you're on the couch."
"Yes dear."

We at GP believe that it was the missus kept Lane in check for so long, not letting him out of her sight, and even being his caddie.

“We have a good time and she looks out for me, keeps me on my toes and tries to keep me smiling and positive,” said Lane about his wife Camilla. They say the success to every good man is the backing of a smart woman. Barry would holla to that!




1/23/2008 2:40:05 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [2] 

  Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Tiger And Tilghman Back On Course

Tiger Woods will take a week off from nappy changing to make his first appearance of the 2008 PGA Tour season at the Buick Invitational on Thursday. The tournament also marks Kelly Tilghman's return to the commentary box after the infamous "lynch" comments. Coincidence? Well, yes actually.

It’s fair to assume the players will not follow Tilghman's words to the letter, so look for Woodsy to maintain his form of last season and continue to dominate the game.

Tiger has won four out of the last five Buick Invitationals at Torrey Pines and it’s one of the world number one’s favourite tracks. "I've loved playing Torrey Pines since my days in the junior world and look forward to the tournament. Even though they have redesigned the South Course, it's still a wonderful layout and I always enjoy San Diego," said Woods. Uh oh, sounds ominous.

Oh yeah, the US Open takes place there to, so a 14th or possibly 15th Major (The Masters permitting) is on the cards.

Woods' dominance over his rivals has become such that if he wins in San Diego, he’ll take his strike-rate on the PGA Tour to one victory in every two events since the start of 2006. Which is frankly ridiculous.


"The rest of the competition is miles behind over there."

The Majors are what really turns Woods on though and you can get 20-1 for him to win all four this year and 50-1 for him to overhaul Jack Nicklaus by 2009. I sense wallets coming out of pockets people.



1/22/2008 6:33:53 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [1] 
Westwood Shapes Up For Big Things In 2008

Lee Westwood is now a lean, mean golfing machine, a man transformed and ready to take on the golfing world again.

Westwood has not only been hitting irons but pumping it too, four times a week in fact with Steve Hampson, Darren Clarke's former personal trainer.


"Swap it for a cornish pasty."
"Naaa mate. Not interested."

And, his belt size is dropping as fast his World Golf Ranking, where he's reached 20 (that would be a skinny). Seriously though, his waist has shrunk by 3 inches and he his heavier by 2kg, which is muscle incidentally. Lee recently finished second in Abu Dhabi and revealed: "This is the best I've felt going into a season."

He did confess though that he needed to step up his fitness regimes: "To compete with these younger guys you have to follow them to the gym," said Westwood whilst bench-pressing Colin Montgomery. Just joking, But Westwood is serious and a man on a mission. The golf world watch out!



1/22/2008 6:17:18 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [2] 

  Monday, January 21, 2008
Kaymer Comes Good In Abu Dhabi

Last year's Rookie of the year Martin Kaymer got his 2008 season off to a flier, securing The Abu Dhabi Golf Championship for his maiden win on the European Tour yesterday.

The German kept his nerve to shoot a final round 74 to win by four shots from Henrik Stenson and Lee Westwood, after being six ahead going into the final round.

Kaymer, who led from start to finish in Abu Dhabi, moved into the top 35 on The Officical World Golf Rankings and became the youngest German winner on the European Tour at the age of 23 years and 24 days, 14 days younger than Bernhard Langer was when he won The Dunlop Masters in 1980.


"When you get over there save us a seat."

Cradling the falcon trophy, Kaymer said: "The feeling is unbelievable, I did struggle on the front-nine, but I tried to stick to my gameplan- hit fairways and greens.


"Someone's sitting there mate."

"For those guys to catch me they had to make birdies and I really tried to stay patient and just try to make pars. It is not always an easy thing to do, but I was very proud of the way I handled myself and I am thrilled with the way the day worked out."

Completing the top five were England's Richard Finch and Ignacio Garrido of Spain, who finished in a share of fourth place on ten under-par 278.





1/21/2008 1:54:39 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [1] 
Golfweek Sack Editor

And the beat goes on.

Two weeks after the original furore over Kelly Tilghman’s comments Golfweek have clumsily entered the debate and got it spectacularly wrong.

With the suspension of Tilghman it looked like the biggest controversy to hit golf this year was winding down, until Golfweek used the image of a noose on the cover of its Jan. 19 issue to illustrate their coverage of the story.

Following the publication of the now infamous “caught in a noose” cover Golfweek magazine sacked it’s editor Dave Seanor on Friday.



Dave who on Thursday defended the cover choice as one that was not intended to be “racially provocative,” was subdued on Friday. “Sitting in the editor’s chair in this day and age is sort of like walking a tightrope,” he said in a telephone interview. “I lost my balance and slipped off.”

But this doesn’t look like the end of it.

A US source has revealed TaylorMade are poised to pull their advertising from Golfweek and if other manufacturers follow suit, as some are suggesting they will, Golfweek could be left fighting for it’s existence.  

With all the negative publicity and with so much at stake it’s no surprise that the first task of the new editor of Golfweek magazine, Jeff Babineau, is a PR offensive. "We're going to say we're sorry," said Babineau, "We know we've offended a lot of people. We want to apologize."

Criticism of Golfweek has come from wide and varied sources and it remains to be seen if they can survive the current uproar.

For more on this story click here...

For our previous comments click here for our first post...

And here for our second post...
 




1/21/2008 1:15:05 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [1] 
Phillipines Win Women’s World Cup Of Golf

The Philippines shot a three round total of 18 under-par to win the Women's World Cup yesterday by two from South Korea in Sun City.

Playing together for the third time in the event, Dorothy Delasin and Jennifer Rosales fired a first round 65 in the opening betterballs, followed by a 68 in the foursomes and another 65 in the final days fourballs.

They played their final nine holes in six under-par, with Delasin birdieing the last four holes, capping a phenomenal week of team play.

"I had some adrenaline pumping, it was so cool, like I said all week we were ham and egging," said 27 year-old Delasin, a four time winner on the LPGA Tour. Ham and egging indeed...(answers on a post card to the usual address if anyone can tell us what this means).


Dorothy Delasin and Jennifer Rosales on top of the world.

The 29 year-old Rosales, a two time winner on the LPGA gave a more traditional response, declining to comment if she was cheese and baconing it (excuse our humour). "We had fun all week, it was really good team work today too. I want to thank all of the fans who came out here to support women's golf."

The Philippines were tied for the lead with Korea on 11 under-par after day two, but the Koreans were one ahead going onto the 15th tee before Delasin began "ham and egging it" on her birdie blitz to ultimately seal victory for the Philippians.

For more on this story click here...



1/21/2008 12:16:32 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [1] 


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