GolfStinks

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Golf: A Royal And Ancient Mess

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With the marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton today, the whole relationship thing was on my mind. As long as there have been relationships, there has also been something to screw them up. That being said, why does it seem like golf is associated with one of those things?

Whenever I want to golf, there’s an issue. I’ll bet that if I just lay on the couch all morning there wouldn’t be a problem. As soon as I say I’m going golfing…world war III erupts and the garage needs to be organized. Wait a minute, laying on the couch is a viable reason to NOT do work around the house?

So, is there really an underlying reason why golf is a catalyst for quarreling? Maybe it’s not just the actual golfing that’s a problem. Could it be the extra-curricular activities after the round that ruffle the feathers? After some self-analysis I’ve come to the much researched conclusion that sand traps are like bars…rarely do I get out after one shot.

Now, I’m pretty sure there’s a few golfers that get stuck at their local “sand trap” but, in my case there are potential dangers. This could lead to coming home late, which leads to friction and problems on the home front, which could possibly lead to an unfortunate result – the ol’ split up. Golf is already an expensive sport, who would have thought it could drain you for half your net worth too?

Looking at this on a grand scale, we can use Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, Boo Weekley and Mark Calcavecchia as examples. They shelled-out a lot of dough to their ex’s. All I’m saying is, don’t be statistic and take a second to analyze your situations…Do the right thing.

Hit’em long…yell FORE!!!

Golf Ball Technology Improves Your Gas Mileage!

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I don’t know about anywhere else in the country, but here in CT, I paid $4.03 for a gallon of gas a few days ago. And by the time you read this post I’ll be filling up again for, if I’m lucky, $4.11. $4.11 a gallon!!

It’s partially my fault for driving the type of car I drive. But I can’t help it. I like driving a sports car. Just for the sheer enjoyment a sports car brings me, I’m willing to make a sacrifice…such as getting only 18 or 19 mpg’s. But with these gas prices, I wonder how much longer I can go without taking drastic measures.

Get rid of my car? No way! Not unless it’s to upgrade to something even faster and more aggressive..but that normally equals even worse gas mileage. I suppose I could look for something a little more efficient…but don’t even speak to me about a hybrid! I’m certainly not ready to go that route. But thanks to the MythBusters, there may be a solution!

Pictured above is what was a relatively pedestrian Ford Taurus. Until the MythBusters got hold of it that is. It then became, well, one hell of a drive!

The question was, could the effect dimples have on a golf ball be the same on an automobile? Leave it to the MythBusters to find out! And find out they did…That Ford Taurus pictured above, when coated in a smooth coat of clay, achieved a respectable 26 MPG. However, when golf ball dimples were carved into the outer layer of clay, that MPG rating certainly did change, increasing to 29 MPG! So all I have to do is get myself some clay, use a little bit of golf ball technology and BAM! I get to have all the exhilaration I normally have in my daily commute, and actually increase my gas mileage!

Of course, this episode does beg the question, when will we see the Titleist edition of a Buick? Or the Cadillac Taylor Made Series?

You can get a look at the segment of the MythBusters episode here.

Swing ’til you’re happy!

Golf by the Numbers

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What really fuels the golf market and keeps courses up and running? Pro’s? Scratch golfers? Avid golfers? The answer is quite simple – the average or moderate golfer. If there are 27 million or so golfer’s in the U.S. and less than 1% are pro or scratch golfers, count them out.

Ironically, a lot of pro’s who can afford the game rarely pay for it or get great deals. As for avid golfers (25+ rounds per year), they only account for roughly 3-5% of the market, which leaves the average and beginners (less than 7 rounds per year).

The average golfer is statistically a mid to upper-mid working class person playing around 20 rounds a year. Funny thing is if it wasn’t for this demographic, 80% of golf courses would probably shut their doors. Here’s a reality check: average golfers use more golf balls, period. They or we go through 3-5 balls (or more) a round.

Let’s do the math; say an average golf ball costs $1.00 times 4 balls a round times 20 rounds a year. That comes out to $80 dollars in golf balls per average golfer per season. Now multiply that times the roughly 20 million average golfers and there you have 1.6 billion dollars spent a year on golf balls. Sounds crazy, huh…how about those greens fees?

These numbers represent a driving but unheard voice in the golf community. We can take these stats and apply them to other commodities in the golf industry like clubs, apparel and accessories and get a good idea of the revenue we spill into this game we love.

What’s in store for the future? I guess only time will tell…but as long as average golfers keep losing balls on the course, the golf economy will continue to drive forward…

Hit’em long…yell FORE!!! Love your balls.

Fueling A Passion For Golf

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I’m a pretty big sports fan. Always have been. Although I was too young to remember, my mother tells me how my father would keep me up at night as a toddler to watch Monday Night Football. It probably dates back to those days, but ever since, I’ve been a huge football fan.

It was my father who really introduced me to sports. My first pro football game was with my dad and two of my friends. The first pro baseball game I attended was a Mets-Cardinals game, also with my dad, as well as my uncle and a neighbor of his. Even my first pro basketball experience, a Knicks playoff game, was with my dad and two of his work buddies.

I’ve tried to do the same with my boys. I’ve taken them to their first pro baseball game as well as their first pro basketball game. We’re still working on football and a PGA Tour event is also on the horizon. I’ve found that a father-son connection helps create a love, or passion, for sports in general. But along the way, I’ve also discovered something else that has fueled my passion for sports…memorabilia.

Sports memorabilia helps keep me connected with my youth. When I first started collecting memorabilia, I did it strictly for monetary reasons. All I could think of was how, years from now, I’d be able to cash in on my acquisitions. However, as time went on, I started to realize my collection meant more to me than dollar signs. I began to realize how the thousands of sports cards, hundreds of autographs and various pieces of sports history brought me back to a time when I didn’t see sports as a business. It brings me back to the days when I would come home from work at night to find my father in front of the TV watching a ball game, waiting for me to join him. It reminds me of those games I attended with my dad.

I wonder if this is a reason I don’t have this same passion for golf or golf memorabilia. My father played golf a few times…found he didn’t care for the game…and promptly retired his clubs. Therefore, I wasn’t introduced to the game until my fellow stinky golfers lured me in roughly twelve or thirteen years ago. Had I been introduced at a younger age, I may view the game differently than I do.

Now, years later, I’ve gotten my boys interested in football, basketball, baseball…and somewhat, golf. I’ve seen this done by having me pass along my passion for the sports. However, they have seen my collection of memorabilia and have begun to show interest just as I did, and right around the same age. Maybe that’s the secret.

So maybe it’s time I start looking into some golf memorabilia for the boys. Then again, maybe it’s time I start looking into it for myself as well. After all, I haven’t completely ruled out financial gain…

Swing ’til you’re happy!

POLL: U.S. Open…Public or Private?

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Fellow Americans, is this not land of the free? So, why is this years U.S. Open being held at a private course? I understand it’s at the Congressional Country Club in Bethesda but that doesn’t make it any better. In fact it makes it worse. Let me break this down…

Last time I checked “U.S.” meant the United States, our country. This should be our tournament. In the past they have held it at municipal courses and that’s the way it should be.

Diving deeper into this I realized that hosting tournaments at muni’s gives the game of golf such a unique position in the world of sports. What other sport allows regular old hacks, such as you and I, to play where the pro’s play. I really don’t see the Yankees letting the ol’ local Bronx beer league have their Thursday night softball games there. Never in a million years plus the beer can pyramid on top of the dugout might not bode well.

I think a lot of golfers would enjoy playing where their favorite golfer has played. I know I would. Not to mention it would probably attract more golfers and help out the declining golf market. According to the National Golf Foundation (NGF), they found that 37% of public courses have had to lower their course maintenance standards, and 71% have had to defer capital improvements in recent years due to financial considerations.* In a nutshell this means the courses are not kept as well as they should be…damn recession.

So what do you think?

Where should the US Open be played?

*Click here for the NGF story

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