Can you believe it? Another year almost over.
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Stay tuned - we have many new and innovative programs on the agenda for 2007.
We can't wait to get started.
Here's wishing you and your's a happy and prosperous New Year!
Doug
Happy Holidays!
This holiday season we hope you can take off work for a few days and spend the time with friends and family.
Relax, turn off the computer, and enjoy the season and all its meaning.
Best wishes for a joyful holiday,
Doug Farrick
John Diekmann
I am curious to know what dream courses you would like to play and why. They can be anywhere in the world. Personally, I would love to play Royal Dornoch in Scotland. I have been to Scotland a few times but never had a chance to play golf there.
Royal Dornoch sort of epitomizes what golf is all about for me – the scruffy, natural sea-side links style course, the challenging venue, the beauty of Scotland and the magical quality of the game.
One of these days soon...
Royal Dornoch Golf Club
Mike Pedersen's new DVD, "Golf Stretching for a Better Swing" is a stretching program I highly recommend.
I am not really sure how many golfers actually incorporate stretching into their golfing regimes. I would guess not many - let's face it, stretching takes work, especially if you have not done it in some time (or at all)
I believe stretching to be vitally important to your golf swing. Personally, I stretch at least 4-5 times per week and I have for some time. It helps me to feel more fluid and relaxed. I would also suspect it is more important the older you get. But beyond golf it (like Yoga) has been documented to be an important stress reliever - so keep in mind the stretches on Mike's DVD are valuable to your TOTAL well being (not just golf)
The nice thing about Mike's DVD is that it is very clear. He goes through the various stretching sequences very slow and speaks clearly. The exercises cover the entire body. Although ALL the exercises are beneficial to golf, Mike also adds some *bonus* ultra-spefic golf stretches. I have been stretching/doing yoga for some time and found these *secret bonus* exercises to be worth the entire cost of the DVD.
This is a DVD that you will view on a regular basis. I would recommend viewing the DVD once, get to know some of the sequences and pick out a few stretches (upper/lower body) and start there. Start with only 10-15 minutes. Then review the tape again in say a week or so and pick up another exercise or two. Soon you will have a routine that works for you and you will be addicted to feeling great.
Get the DVD for you (or give as a gift!) here: Golf Stretching for a Better Swing
Guess what Middle East season opening golf tournament Tiger will be playing in for probably the next 20 years. Does Dubai ring a bell?
Some writers have taken issue with Tiger's new course design company, theorizing that being a great golfer doesn't make one a great golf architect. If you're a reader of this blog, then you know I immediately took the other side of the argument. I have hopes that Tiger will not only do course design right, but might even be the guy to take it back to it's golden age by using many of the same principles as the classic early 20th century architects such as Alister MacKenzie.
Last week's announcement that Tiger's company's first project will be a 7700 yard course in Dubailand has me wondering if I'm not sadly mistaken. I don't have anything against Dubai. If you're in real estate development it is THE place to be. They mint money faster than they can spend it and are intent on converting their entire desert country into an oasis that will surely be one of the new 7 wonders.
Imagine being a young designer and your first project is the Taj Mahal of golf. This place will be Disneyland, Augusta National and Marina del Rey rolled into one. The resort will be called Al Ruwaya and come complete with VIP suites, luxury villas, mansions and plenty of swanky retail space.
I know there's more to a course than length, but at 7700 yards what are they thinking? If you've seen some of the other stuff being built in Dubailand, then it's not hard to imagine them demanding their signature course to be the longest in the world. And who's Tiger to say no when there's enormous money on the table even by his standards. Unfortunately, sometimes your first attempt sets the stage for what is to follow.
Most courses are too long for the average golfer already. Length is the key factor in slowing play, with 5+ hour weekend rounds all too common nowadays. 7700 yards may be fine for Ernie, VJ and Freddie, but the rest of us shouldn't be playing this length unless we have the course to ourselves. Golf needs to become easier, more enjoyable and take less time if it's going to grow as a sport. A 7700 yard Disneyland course built on the Tower of Babylon is not the way to get there. I can see it now - 'new Nicklaus course to be 7800 yards', 'Robert Trent Jones layout rumored to be 8000 yards', 'Faldo designs 8500 yard monster'. You get my drift.
The course is also rumored to have dramatic elevation changes. Usually this means no walking unless you're in training to solo Everest, which to me is 180 degrees from what golf is about. I had the great good fortune to play Bandon Dunes in Oregon recently where you have to walk unless you've got a letter from your mother. What a joy. It's not that I'm ever going to be in a position to play any course in Dubai mind you, but I can't get away from the feeling that this course is somehow going to set the theme for Tiger's future courses. Please say it ain't so Tiger.
Have you tried the new TaylorMade TP ball? You realize what marketing is all about when you read the descriptions of both balls on this page:
TaylorMade TP
TP Red: Tour Launched. Increased distance.
TP Black: Higher launch. Increased carry.
OK, clear now?
I then went to the specs page only to find out the TP Red is slightly larger than the TP Black. But the lingo only gets more confusing when terms like, "multi-blend ionomer mantle," "tour-caliber launch angle,""Advanced 322 PDP (pentangular di-pyramid) are used.
I do get the stamp on the seam (for alignment) and that it is available here in the USA and Canada but the rest...
Well, maybe that's the point.
