Travel
Ok, so we have to do *something* during the (very likely) upcoming rain delays at Bethpage Black. So here are a few (hopefully) worthwhile ideas to consider..
1. Listen to a TED speech online - As the title says, "Riveting talks by remarkable people, free to the world" - I cannot think of a better way to spend a few free moments than by listening to one of these amazing talks. I just listened to one by John Wooden, the former esteemed UCLA college basketball coach (just search for John Wooden) He is in his nineties in this is talk and as sharp as a tack. Check them out here at ...
In the past decade, retirees have flocked to this tiny Central American country as much for its superb weather as its friendly people, lush landscape, and gorgeous white sand beaches. And with its world-class medical facilities, stable economy, very low crime rate, and low taxes, retiring to Panama has never been more attractive—or more affordable.
Add to those pros the fact that Panama has no hurricanes, no earthquakes, and enjoys rainforests, mountains, and the thrills of two oceans—Atlantic and Pacific—as well as the some of the world’s most exciting bars, discos, casinos, and nightclubs, and you’ll begin to realize why so many Americans are calling Panama home.
All this is great, of course, ...
As I've mentioned in other blogs, you can go to Scotland and do a big hotel with spa services and all the rest that goes with it at places like Gleneagles and Turnberry. However, if you're adventurous and want to play more of the fabulous links courses available, then B&B's are the way to go. They are beautiful, accommodating, have terrific hosts and the breakfasts will give you enough energy for 36 holes!
You never have to worry about quality because the Scottish Tourist Board rates the best ones with 4 and 5 stars. Cleanliness is impeccable, as it is everywhere in Scotland, including public bathrooms.
The B&B's exude tons of European charm. Most are in beautiful homes built hundreds of years ago with high ceilings, ...
Who doesn't want more power, or more precisely more distance! So what's the secret? Bulk up so you can swing like a wild man? Of course not.
Golf is a game where all the strength in the world isn't going to do you any good if you don't control timing. We've all seen the guys who swing out of their shoes only to have their shots go everywhere but straight and long.
First and foremost, you've got to be flexible. Said another way, you can't swing beyond your 'flexibility' range. Why, because you'll pull everything out of sync and out of plain and all the strength in the world isn't going to right the ship.
You'll find thousands of articles in golf magazines about what to do if you're hitting the ball every which way - right, left, fat and thin. The one fix that addresses 90 percent of the problems is to swing within your flexibility range.
If you want scientific proof of this, take a look at the book
'The Golf Biomechanics Manual' by Paul Chek. It's written more for physical therapists than golfers, but the logic is irrefutable.
I love listening to peoples who are masters of a particular skill.
Now (to me anyway) Ben Crenshaw is the quintessential putter. I can watch him putt time and time again and not tire of it. His putting stroke is as smooth as silk.
Check out the video below to hear Ben share his thoughts on how to improve your putting.
He shares some great tips, particularly about grip pressure. Listen and improve your putting!
PS: Just listening will not improve your putting. You actually have to go out and practice and integrate some of the tips Ben shares. If you make a commitment to do this your putting definitely WILL improve!...
I want to wrap up the Scottish golfing trip with a piece on the golfing highlights of every course we played. I'll follow this with coverage of our B&B accommodations which, with one exception, were superb.
If you happened to catch The 3 Irish Open last week, that's exactly what the courses we played looked like. It was great seeing the pros trying to make some of the same shots we had and, under the same conditions.
We started with Royal Dornoch. The highlight was playing in the wind and rain. Yes, you heard me right. If you go to Scotland and don't play in the wind and rain ONCE, then you'll feel gypped.
You won't be able to say you really experienced the game as it's often played there. And you don't really appreciate how difficult the courses can be unless you have wind.
As much as pot bunkers are part of most holes, the hole I remember the most from Dornoch was number 14 with no bunkers but one of the most interesting layouts in golf. The long narrow green is set to the right of the fairway and behind a row of 5 berms that stretch for 50 yards. This green is incredibly hard to hit and hold.
[caption id="attachment_1918" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="It Does Rain From Time To Time In Scotland"]
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I'm not going to try and give absolute ratings of all the courses we played. That would be presumptuous having played them only once. First impressions are also influenced by the weather, how well you played and course condition. It would be wrong to brand a course's image on one day's experience. However, I do think I can provide you with enough input to plan your own trip wisely.
One last point, except for Royal Dornoch, all course staff and members couldn't have made us feel more welcome. It was a rainy, windy, nasty morning when we teed off at Dornoch, so maybe everyone was affected by the weather. Unfortunately the pervasive attitude there was 'why don't you go play somewhere else'. I hate to say that as I love the Scottish people, but I feel I have to be honest. Royal Dornoch is out of the way, even from Nairn, so it would be understandable to leave it off your dance card. And, it doesn't have anything that you won't find at the other top level clubs.
[caption id="attachment_1893" align="aligncenter" width="631" caption="14th Fairway Cruden Bay"][/caption]
Scottish links golf, the way we did it, is not for everyone. If you're looking for the resort destination experience, then you're limited to the Scottish resorts like Turnberry or Gleneagles.
The typical Scottish course is a no frills operation, just like most Scots. You park your own car, carry your own bag to the pro shop as well as lugging it around the course. When you finish no one is going to be waiting to wipe down your gear, even if you're a member.
Scottish golf, is just golf - you and the course and the weather. The wind blows you backwards and ...
Our trip went very smoothly, thanks to Dave Saunders at LondonGolf who arranged the whole thing. He did a spectacular job and, in general, everything went as planned. We did learn some things along the way that may be of help to anyone else interested in making the journey to golf's mecca. In no particular order...
If you're a Scotch drinker and want to enjoy it while you're there (as we did), definitely buy some at a store or distillery in Scotland. If you plan to take some home, it's a better deal to buy it at the Duty Free shop at the airport. It's cheaper and you don't have to pay ...
[caption id="attachment_1832" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="Royal Dornoch in a drizzle"][/caption]
What can I say? It was a great trip and, surprisingly, we had only one real day of rain at Royal Dornoch - see above picture. Over the next few days I'll do the best I can to describe what we experienced. First, I'll cover some general travel tips that might be of help for your own golf vacation to Scotland. Next will be the courses we played, how they stacked up, which ones should be on anyone's dance card and which can be left out. There will be plenty of pictures. Lastly, I want to talk about accommodations and some of the characters we met.
If you're fortunate ...
