Robot Carts in Japan

Following my post related to golf carts, David from Golf Crisis community talked to me about a very found a very unusual way of playing golf…

The robot golf cart!

The Showa-no-mori Golf Course in Akishima, Japan offers to their golfers the possibility to put their golf bags on the cart and it follows the golfers on the course.

The Windsor Golf and Country club in Tomobe, Japan use carts about the same size but with traditional wheels. The cart picks up the radio tags buried in the ground and follow that as you walk around the course with a corresponding "beeper-like" device.

Did you see other unusual features in a golf course or golf gears? Let us know!

Thank you David for your sharing!

Source:

Japanese golfing gadgetry

Keep Golfing!

Rule 25-1: What to do if your ball is inside a bunker filled with water?

Let's discuss about a very sensitive subject among golfers...

What to do if your golf ball is inside a bunker filled with water?

Some golfers will say... Take a free drop out of the bunker (not nearer to the hole of course...)

You can do this only if you're willing to take a one stroke penalty...

"If your ball comes to rest in casual water within a bunker, you may drop without penalty at the nearest point of relief within the bunker, no nearer the hole. That applies no matter what the condition is of the rest of the bunker.

If the rest of the bunker is dry, great. But even if the entire bunker contains water, the same rule applies. According to the USGA Web site, "the player may drop the ball in the bunker at a point that provides maximum available relief (i.e., in 1 inch of water rather than 5 inches)." Alternatively, the player may take a one stroke penalty and drop outside the bunker."

Source:

Rules FAQ: Do I Get to Drop Out of a Bunker that's Filled with Water?

Rules of Golf - Rule 25: Abnormal Ground Conditions

Keep Golfing!

Avoid any kind of hazards with these Magic balls!

I just discovered this amaaaaaaazing (just funny, really) golf product...

Just look at the following from their website

"Surprise your friends with these amazing golf-balls. The logo indicates what hazard you want to avoid, and our technology, combined with your golf game, will make your next golf stroke an exciting and successful addition to an already satisfying game."

or

"All golfers agree that golf is more fun in the fairway. Stay there with NoWaterBall brand golf balls. Now 50% more reluctant to go into water."

and even better...

"Developed with weapons grade guidance and tracking technology. Moisture avoidance coating. Space-aged polymers used by NASA. These balls have none of those things. But that would be cool, wouldn't it?"

I love the ad on the top right "Number of hazards avoided: 32,496,260"

Do you have any experience or input related to this product?

Keep Golfing!

P.S. This is just for fun, I do not recommend you to buy these balls in any way!

Etiquette: Golf Cart, the 90 degree rule

Last week, I saw an ad related to 90-degrees rule and I wondered if Golf Crisis readers know about this.

90-Degree Rule In Effect

The "90-degree rule" means that the golf course is allowing carts onto the grass - but only at 90-degree angles from the cart path. In other words, don't drive the golf cart up the middle of the fairway from the tee box to your golf ball. Stay on the cart path until you are parallel to your golf ball, then turn off the cart path and drive straight to the ball.

The "90-degree rule" minimizes the time a golf cart spends rolling over the grass, while still allowing convenience for golfers.

Source: Golf Cart Rules and Etiquette

Keep Golfing!

Jesus shot!

Wow

Watch this Amazing water slide trick shot by Tiger Woods

Even his golf balls are walking on water!

Another super shot not from Tiger woods... Most Amazing Golf Shot In The World

Keep Golfing!

Golf is good for the heart

Are you a golfer and little bit overweight? In such case, this advice is perfect for you!

Golf is a sport that has the characteristic of lowering the risk of cardiac events by practicing it regularly.

The American Heart Association stresses the importance of practicing these exercises periodically. They warn of risks of obesity, increased blood pressure and risk of physical inactivity. All the benefits are visible to all people, young men and women, young at heart ...

Walking, jogging, gardening or cycling for 30 minutes a day also brings its benefits.

Regarding golf, if you walk let's say 5000 to 6000 meters you can burn up to 1100 calories.

Therefore enjoy walking while playing golf and definitely ban Golf Carts.

Keep Golfing!

Tiger Woods golf swing in slow motion

Watch this amazing video… 

Tiger Woods golf swing in slow motion

1 minute 07 seconds of pure poetry!

On a funny note... players got Tiger Woods to stand on a rock. He's really bendy in this game :)

Keep Golfing!

Join Our Golf Community!

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Get the instant Golf Crisis Blog articles as soon as they are published!

More than 1,000 golfers are now following Golf Crisis... YOU SHOULD BE PART OF IT! :)

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Keep Golfing!

Golf Divots: why use sand or green mix stuff?

Did you ever asked yourself the question: why do they use sand or green stuff to repair golf divots?

If you put back the divot directly, the grass will die. But if you put some sand or sand mixed with seeds, the grass will grow back.

I found some articles that is in relation to this mystery...

"All depends on the grass type used on the fairway and tee box. If the grass is Bermuda, you would not seed, just sand to level the divot. Bermuda grass "creeps" (grows horizontally) and needs a soil/sand base to grow effectively."

"In most cases the divot mix is used to fill in the divot so there will not be a depression in the fairway or tee. The divot is usually not deep enough to kill the grass. Also, the grass has stolons or rhizomes, which when the plant is damaged will start the regeneration or spreading of the grass plant."

Source: Golf Business - Divot Repair Mix

Keep Golfing!

Golf Swing: 1.5 seconds of thoughts

Just found this very interesting drawing about a golf swing.

You may need to enlarge the picture to see clearly the text. 

This is everything you have to think in just 1.5 seconds (the time to execute a swing).

Amazing no? Let me know what you think!

Keep Golfing!

Bingo, Bango, Bongo Golf

Dear all,

David, our fellow Golf Crisis community member located in Japan wants to share with us a new way to enjoy golf for players who have high handicap difference.

Thank you David for sharing this with us :)

"Bingo/bango/bongo is a great game that makes it easy for both beginner golfers and experienced golfers to have a bet that everyone has a chance of winning. In Japan, you usually see bets placed on long drives, nearest to the pin on par 3's and lowest scores. It almost leaves the beginners with no hope.  This game is an equalizer and keeps everyone in the game.

Bingo/bango/bongo can be played in two different ways. A bet on each of them, or as a total score. It goes like this....

Bingo....

First player on the green wins the bingo.  Generally the better player will have the longer drive, but he is going to have to play last. The guy further back, if only by a few yards, has a bingo chance. You can drive it 300 yards, but the guy with a 200 yard drive still gets the chance before you. In fact, he can duff it 2 yards behind your ball and he still gets the bingo chance.

Bango...
Once everyone is on the green, the person closest to the hole wins the bango.

You can hit the green from 200 yards out, but the guy that puts it on the fringe, then putts it closer than you, wins the bango.

Bongo...

First in the hole. Now Bango has a disadvantage. Everyone putts before him.

Wonderful betting game for players with large handicap differences. You never know who is going to come out ahead. Final score means nothing."

Keep Golfing!

Tiger Woods: At the age of three he was playing golf your level

As a golfer, you surely think: THIS IS NOT POSSIBLE...

Well, watch this video: Tiger Woods hitting a driver at the age of three

For the record, Tiger Woods at the age of 3 shot a 48 over nine holes at the Navy Golf Club in Cypress, California.

Keep Golfing!

Rule: 13-1 Golf ball hit the fairway and lands in a divot

Some of my friends asked me the following question on the course:

If a golf ball is hit onto a fairway and lands in a divot, are you allowed to move it out of the divot without a penalty?

And the cruel answer is: of course not!

See rule 13-1 of USGA rules of golf: The ball must be played as it lies, except as otherwise provided in the Rules.

However, some golfers want this rule changed whenever the ball land on a divot...

See A Needed Rule Change in Golf (The Ball in the Divot Scenario)

"From a purely logical standpoint, why penalize a player for hitting the ball down the fairway?  If golf, in all of its majesty and historical significance, is a game of individual accomplishments where excellence is judged by the physical execution of the golf swing and the positive outcome resulting from those actions, why should a player be penalized for the actions of another player (the player who made the divot)?  If the ball lands on a sprinkler head in the middle of the fairway or in an area soaked with water, the ball is moved, albeit no closer to the hole.  Why not afford a player the same consideration for a condition on the course not cause by them?"

"It's time for another change – divots in the fairway should be considered ground under repair."

And you, what do you think about it? Give us your opinion!

Keep Golfing!

Golf Etiquette: Things you should never do with a golf cart

Find below a couple reminders of things you should never do in a golf cart:

Never drive the cart within hazard boundary lines, or within about 10 yards of water hazards or bunkers, or within about 50 yards of greens (unless you're on a designated cart path, of course). These areas are especially susceptible to damage by the wheels of golf carts. Never drive onto or close to tee boxes, either, unless on the cart path.

Never drive the cart through mud, on or off the fairway.

Never drive through casual water on any part of the golf course (unless it's a little bit of water over a paved cart path). The wheels of the cart can do serious damage to the turf, including leaving ruts, in wet areas.

Never go joyriding in the golf cart. In other words, don't act stupid! People do get injured in cart accidents.

There is also some other rules related to golf carts:

• Cart Path Only
• 90-Degree Rule In Effect (see my previous article)
• Cart Path Only on Holes X and X
• No Carts Beyond This Point

Source: Golf Cart Rules and Etiquette

Keep Golfing!

Night Golf

Last week I went to play night golf at Windmill Golf Course in Bangkok, Thailand.

I was with a friend and we enjoyed a lot playing in the dark.

Fortunately, the lighting of the golf course was good enough to play in a normal condition

They use massive lights projectors to light the fairway and some zones of the rough.

(if you slice a bit with your driver, you may not have the chance to find your ball in the dark zones...)

The atmosphere is completely different compare to playing during day-time:

• The surrounding is very quiet
• Many mosquitoes are present to bite you
• You see different animals compare to day-time... bats, fishes, insects, etc
• The grass is very soft and it is a pleasure to hit the ball
• The lines on the green are pretty hard to read because of the lighting
• You need to be extra careful when you hit the ball... any big mistake can lead to a lost of ball

I really enjoyed it so... give it a try, start golfing at night!

Keep Golfing!

How to repair a golf divot

According to some golf club rules, "players are required to REPLACE DIVOTS, rake sand traps, repair ball marks on greens and help maintain the condition of the course. It is the players' responsibility to see that such repairs are made."

How to Correctly Repair a Golf Divot?

1. Follow the flight of the ball to where it lands.
2. Look in the general direction of the golf ball - the divot will usually be 5 to 15 yards ahead of you.
3. Walk up to the divot, pick it up and return to the spot where you hit the ball.
4. Keep in mind that sometimes the divot can break into five or so different pieces of grass or dirt.
5. Match the grass and dirt back together like a puzzle so the divot is in one piece.
6. Place it on the spot where it was torn from.
7. Step on the grass that you've replaced until the surface is smooth with the rest of the grass.

Of course in Asia and some areas in the world, you got a caddie who does this job for you :)

Keep Golfing!

Source:

How to Repair a Golf Divot

Phil Mickelson's famous backward shot and more

Okay, now we talk about an extra terrestrial golf shots...

Let's watch this video: Phil Mickelson's Famous Backward Shot

See also Phil Mickelson's unbelievable save at Colonial '08

Simply magic!

And to prove that Phil Mickelson is a human like us after all...

Phil Mickelson 13th Hole US Open 2008 Disaster (+4... a lot of golfers would get a mental breakdown for this!)

Keep Golfing!

Are you an environment friendly golfer?

When I play golf, I always find plastic objets on the golf course.

The picture above shows the number of objects I collected after walking 200 m...

Let's take action together to protect our golf environment!

As a benefit, you will have a great feeling and you will play on clean golf courses.

What you can do to protect the environment on a golf course:

1. Put all plastic and wastes in dedicated bins (there are plenty on the course)
2. Collect plastic items you find while walking and put them in the bin
3. Throw your cigarettes in the sand bins
4. If you buy second-hand balls, throw your plastic bag in the bin
5. Put your used and damaged tees in the bin (they still have paint on it that can damage the environment)
6. Respect the animals: birds, squirrels, ants, fishes, etc
7. Respect the young and old trees (even if they grab your balls sometime, they are not your enemy! :) )
8. Do not hesitate to explain other golfer why to respect environment is important

Now let's take action a golf course point of view...

What are golf's potential environmental impacts?

• Pollution of ground water and surface water caused by the use of pesticides, fertilizers, and other contaminants
• Poor stream water quality due to eroding shorelines
• Withdrawal of large quantities of water for irrigation
• Degradation or loss of natural areas
• Health hazards from chemical handling and applications
• Negative impacts of chemical use on "non-target" wildlife
• Unsound turf management driven by increasing and unrealistic golfer expectations and demands

"Environmental researchers can't say for sure how long it takes a golf ball to break down, according to the New York Times. But that hasn't stopped them from guessing about the potentially negative ecological impact that the millions of dimpled spheres rotting in ponds, wetlands, and woodlands might produce." See Tiger Woods' wayward golf game may harm the environment but it's a boon for lost-golf-ball business

What are golf's environmental opportunities?

• Provide needed wildlife sanctuaries
• Preserve natural areas within urban environments
• Support plants and wildlife native to the area
• Protect water resources
• Filter stormwater runoff through golf course wetlands and turfgrass
• Rehabilitate degraded landscapes
• Promote physical and mental well being, reducing stress for more than 25 million U.S. golfers
• Improve air quality and moderate temperature
• Educate golfers and the general public about the nature of the game and promote environmentally-sound management

See what St Andrews Old Course is doing for the environment... it is simply amazing!

What are the benefits of environmental performance?

Image and Reputation

Good environmental performance can help you differentiate your course from others in a crowded market and add value by improving public relations and marketing opportunities that attract new golfers or club members.

 

Customer Satisfaction

The nature of your course can enrich golfers' experience of the game.  Surveys have shown that golfers report that playing quality is maintained or even improved as a result of steps taken to manage a course in harmony with the natural environment.

 

Financial Performance

An effective golf course environmental management program can result in reduced insurance premiums, as well as reduced costs for energy, water, pesticides, or fertilizers.  

 

Worker Safety and Reduced Liability

Best practices for chemical management reduce exposure and liability risks from storing, handling, and applying chemicals.

 

Improved Efficiency

Sound environmental management cuts down on waste and promotes efficient operations.

See some examples of golf courses who took action to protect the environment and got great results: Ways Golf Courses Can Help Protect the Environment

See also the Seven Most Gorgeous Eco Friendly Golf Courses (Yes, Golf Courses Can Be Eco)

And last but not least, you could win a golf date with Bill Clinton, help save the environment

Keep Golfing!

Sources:

Potential Impacts and Opportunities of Golf

What are the benefits of environmental performance?

Rule 26-1. Relief for Ball in Water Hazard

Ok, now let's talk about a point of rule that few golfers actually know: the relief of a ball in water hazard.

We will see in this article specifically the rule 26.1 / 2. (I put the essential part in red)

A normal water hazard is marked by yellow stakes. 

26-1. Relief for Ball in Water Hazard

It is a question of fact whether a ball that has not been found after having been struck toward a water hazard is in the hazard. In order to apply this Rule, it must be known or virtually certain that the ball is in the hazard. In the absence of such knowledge or certainty, the player must proceed under Rule 27-1.

If a ball is in a water hazard or if it is known or virtually certain that a ball that has not been found is in a water hazard (whether the ball lies in water or not), the player may under penalty of one stroke:

1. Play a ball as nearly as possible at the spot from which the original ball was last played (see Rule 20-5), or
2. Drop a ball behind the water hazard, keeping the point at which the original ball last crossed the margin of the water hazard directly between the hole and the spot on which the ball is dropped, with no limit to how far behind the water hazard the ball may be dropped; or
3. As additional options available only if the ball last crossed the margin of a lateral water hazard, drop a ball outside the water hazard within two club-lengths of and not nearer the hole than (i) the point where the original ball last crossed the margin of the water hazard or (ii) a point on the opposite margin of the water hazard equidistant from the hole.

When proceeding under this Rule, the player may lift and clean his ball or substitute a ball.

As a summary, If this happens there is a one shot penalty. You take the ball out of the water and you drop it either two club lengths away from the edge of the hazard on the line you entered.

Red stakes are used to mark a lateral water hazard. A lateral water hazards is exactly the same as a normal water hazard - and in some cases may be a different stretch of the same stream. But instead of running across a hole, a lateral water hazard runs towards it.

The rules for playing and dropping the ball are the same as for the normal water hazard except in one regard.

Special case for casual water, GUR and abnormal ground conditions - If your ball is in casual water, ground under repair, a hole or cast made by a burrowing animal (eg rabbit), you may drop without penalty within one club length of the nearest point of relief not nearer the hole.

Keep Golfing!

Sources:

Rules of Golf - Rules 26: Water Hazards

Basic rules of Golf

What happens in golf when you hit your shot into the water?

Tiger Woods plays on Water

Do you play Golf video games?

A glitch in the game "Tiger Woods 2009" (the player could play ON WATER) made EA sport to react to this bug with the real Tiger Woods.

Watch the original video from a gamer: Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 Jesus Shot

and watch the response from EA sport: Tiger Woods 09 - Walk on Water

In fact, Tiger is REALLY able to play on water!

"It's not a glitch, he's just that good" :)

Keep Golfing!

It is time to calculate your handicap!

One of the most important factor at golf is to track everything you do when you play golf.

Why? Because every parameters are important at golf (success on drive, number of shots to be on the green, number of putts, etc) 

I will post soon an article on which data are essential to be tracked but today let's talk about calculating and tracking your golf handicap.

How to calculate your golf handicap?

1. Take the scores from the last five rounds (18 holes each) that you played.
2. Look up the rating and slope for the course that you played for each of these scores. This information is usually printed on the scorecard, although you can also get the rating and slope by calling the course.
3. Subtract the course rating from the score you earned on that course.
4. Multiply that number by 113.
5. Divide that number by the slope of the course. This number is the differential.
6. Take the lowest of your five differentials and multiply it by 0.96, and you have your handicap.

Online Handicap Calculator

Okay, I know that you do not want to to this manually every time so let's go straight to the easy solution.

You will find on the internet many websites that will help you to calculate your handicap automatically.

Some of them will even help you to track your score which is very convenient.

• Golf Handicap Calculator
• Golf Handicap Calculator
• Online Golf Score Tracker and Golf Handicap Calculator
• Online Golf Stats - Golf Score Tracker
• Golf handicaps, score tracking and community
• If you live in Thailand, you can use Thaigolfer.com

To add your golf handicap online is very simple, you just need to login and input the following:

1. Select Golf Club Name
2. Enter where you started (Blacks, Yellows, Whites, reds)
3. Enter the date
4. Enter your score

The system will calculate your handicap automatically based on a USGA formula.

USGA Handicap Index Formula

The USGA Handicap Index Formula is based on the best handicap differentials in a player's scoring record. If a player's scoring record contains 20 or more scores, then the best 10 handicap differentials of the most recent 20 scores are used to calculate his USGA Handicap Index.

The percentage of scores used in a scoring record decreases from the maximum of the best 50 percent as the number of scores in the scoring record decreases. If the scoring record contains 9 or 10 scores, then only the best three scores (30 to 33 percent) in the scoring record will be used. Thus, the accuracy of a player's Handicap Index is directly proportional to the number of acceptable scores he has posted.

A USGA Handicap Index shall not be issued to a player who has returned fewer than five acceptable scores. The following procedure illustrates how authorized golf associations and golf clubs calculate a player's Handicap Index if the number of acceptable scores in the player's

record is less than 20.

Apply the handicap on your score

Once you know how they calculate the handicap, you can apply the following rule on your score once you finished playing.

Golfer Handicap   |   Maximum Number On Any Hole

9 or less                |   Double Bogey*

10 through 19         |   7

20 through 29         |   8

30 through 39         |   9

40 or more             |   10

Source: USGA Handicap Formula and Thaigolfer.com

Keep Golfing!

How to swing a golf club like Tiger Woods

I discovered this video on Youtube that summarize how to make the perfect golf swing in 7 steps.

How to swing a golf club like Tiger Woods

Keep Golfing!

P.S. Watch also Tiger Woods at the driving range (funny advertising)

Golf Course Slope & Rating Explained

One of my friend played in a new golf course this week and did not know what was the slope & rating of this course. I think it is time to give a little summary of what is slope and rating for a golf course.

History

Slope was tested at six extreme courses in Northern California in 1981 and state-wide in Colorado in 1983. The USGA trained more than 4,000 volunteers from all 50 states to rate courses. Since then, Slope has been implemented nationwide in America and is in use at 10,000 golf courses by more than four million golfers. The portability error has been reduced to a level within the noise of sampling errors.

Quick Answer

The quick answer is that it's a single number indicating the difficulty of a golf course to an expert golfer, a "par golfer". The figure is used when calculating handicaps. 

The Course Rating is a number, close to par for the course, and is expressed with a single decimal digit. For example: If par for a course is 72, it's Course Rating might be 71.4. 

Rating values go up with difficulty. 

Actually, for any given golf course, you can expect to see three (or even more) values for the Course Rating. Each value corresponds to a different tee. 

For example: On this same course, the Course Rating for golfers who play from the men's blue tees might be 72.8. From the men's white tees, the Course Rating might be 71.0. The ladies' red tees may be rated at 73.3. 

These figures are almost always printed on the score card.

Why are there two numbers to describe the difficulty of a golf course?

The Course Rating is simply the average score compiled by the par golfers. In most cases, it's 72.

Most course ratings will range from the upper 60s to the mid 70s.

The Slope is a measure of how much difference a course's difficulty is for the average bogey golfer compared to the scratch golfer.

The minimum slope is 55 and the maximum is 155 (slope does not relate specifically to strokes played as course rating does). The slope rating for a course of average difficulty is 113.

Did you say yardage rating?

Following are the obstacles factors considered by rating teams in determining the amount of adjustment of the Yardage Rating in arriving at the USGA Course and Bogey Rating along with the weighting factor applied to each obstacle value rated on a scale of 0 to 10.

	Weight
Obstacle		Scratch		Bogey
Topography		.10		.12
Fairway		.11		.09
Recoverability and Rough		.14		.15
Out of bounds		.10		.09
Water Hazards		.14		.14
Trees		.09		.14
Bunkers		.07		.10
Green Target		.09		.06
Green Surface		.11		.08
Psychological		.05		.03

If you wish to know more about how slope and rating are calculated, see the references below: 

Slope & rating explained

Golf FAQ: What is Slope Rating?

A two parameter golf course rating system

Keep Golfing!

Check the hole handicap before you play!

This seems obvious but do you really do it every time you are about to play a new hole?

It is very important to always check the hole handicap before you play.

• Did you notice this naughty bunker on the right? the water on the left?
• Did you notice that if you go to on the left you will be out of bound?
• Did you check the number of shots you need to do to achieve PAR?
• Did you check the distance?

Avoid any catastrophe and make sure to do this check before you tee off

These are really simple questions to ask yourself before you start to play.

Analyze the best options to "attack" the green and THINK before you play!

Keep Golfing!

Golf Rule: what if my ball is just near a tree

As this happened to me last tuesday (see the photo...), I applied the rule 28 and got a one stroke penalty.

When I came back from the golf course. I checked immediately the rules so that I can confirm my thoughts.

There is in fact 3 possibilities and I want to share with you this point of rule:

Question: My Ball is Stuck in a Tree - What are My Options?

So your golf ball hit a tree beside the fairway ... and never came down. It's stuck up there in the branches. What are your options?

If you're like most golfers, you'll either curse your luck or get a good laugh out of the predicament. But what courses of action are you allowed to take?

There are three options for continuing play when your ball gets stuck in a tree: play the ball as it lies; declare the ball unplayable; or take a lost ball.

1. Play It as It Lies

What this means, of course, is that you're willing to climb up into the tree and take a swing at the ball. And if you did, you wouldn't be the first. Nick Faldo famously played a ball from a tree once.

But the odds of coming up with a decent shot in such a scenario are mighty slim. The odds of further messing up the hole are much greater. So this option is best left to golfers who are even crazier than you.

2. Unplayable

You can declare the ball unplayable under Rule 28, take a one-stroke penalty and, most likely, drop within two club-lengths of the ball (there are other options for continuing under the unplayable rule, but this is the most likely to be used in this scenario). The spot from which you measure the two club-lengths is that spot on the ground directly under where the ball rests in the tree.

But in order to use the unplayable option, you must be able to identify your ball. You can't just assume that it's up there somewhere, and you can't just assume that a ball you see in the tree is yours. You must positively identify it as yours.

That might mean trying to shake it loose from the tree, or climbing the tree simply to retrieve the ball for ID purposes. Before you do either, make sure you've announced your intention to treat the ball as unplayable. If you dislodge the ball without having made your intentions clear (to continue under the unplayable rule), you'll incur a penalty stroke under Rule 18-2a (Ball at Rest Moved) and will be required to put the ball back in the tree! (Failure to replace a ball such moved would result in an additional 1-stroke penalty.) However, if you proceed directly under one of the options of rule 28, you need not replace the ball (see decision 20-3a/3).

So make sure you identify your ball before continuing under the unplayable option, and make sure you declare your intentions before retrieving or dislodging the ball from the tree.

3. Lost Ball

Of course, you may not be able to find a ball that has lodged in a tree, even if you know it's there. The only option then is to accept the penalty for a lost ball and proceed under Rule 27 (Ball Lost or Out of Bounds). The lost ball penalty is stroke-and-distance; that means assessing a one-stroke penalty and returning to the spot of the previous stroke, where you must replay the shot.

Even if you see a ball up in the tree, you'll have to take a lost ball penalty unless you can positively identify it as yours.

Source: My Ball is Stuck in a Tree - What are My Options?

Keep Golfing! 

Solving the mystery of a golf hole's assigned handicap

Just found a good SHORT article from Golfdigest.com about Solving the mystery of a golf hole's assigned handicap

I give you a sample below:

"How can they call this the No. 1-handicap hole?

It's a question that confounds many golfers, but there's an easy explanation. The handicap ranking assigned to each hole on a course doesn't necessarily reflect the difficulty of making a good score there. The lower-numbered holes are where higher-handicap players most need a stroke to halve the hole when competing with a better player.

To rank each hole, the U.S. Golf Association recommends courses collect 200 scores from higher-handicap players and 200 from lower-handicap players and calculate the average score on each hole for the two groups. The holes with the largest difference in scores between the two groups get the lower-handicap numbers, says Dean Knuth, former senior director of handicapping at the USGA and creator of the Golf Digest Handicap.

Typically a course puts its odd-numbered stroke holes on the front nine and evens on the back to spread out the strokes and ensure that a player receiving an odd number of strokes gets one more on the front than on the back.

This helps make the end of the match more equitable."

Keep Golfing!

Golf Rule: what if my ball is inside a bunker that's filled with water?

It is good sometime to review the rules of golf :)

I just found an interesting article from About.com

"If your ball comes to rest in casual water within a bunker, you may drop without penalty at the nearest point of relief within the bunker, no nearer the hole. That applies no matter what the condition is of the rest of the bunker.

If the rest of the bunker is dry, great. But even if the entire bunker contains water, the same rule applies.

According to the USGA Web site, "the player may drop the ball in the bunker at a point that provides maximum available relief (i.e., in 1 inch of water rather than 5 inches)."

Alternatively, the player may take a one stroke penalty and drop outside the bunker."

In the Golf rulebook, see Rule 25-1.

Keep Golfing!

P.S. On the photo, my ball is NOT inside the water, therefore I cannot take a free drop.

Hole-In-One: Did You Say Pressure?

Following my previous post regarding hole-in-one statistics (see the magic hole-in-one board)

I want to share with you a hard situation I experienced last week end:

A big prize and some cute girls... what a big pressure to achieve a hole-in-one!

Remember that one of the most important aspect in golf is to

Stay Focused.

Keep Golfing!

Golf Balls: Will It Blend?

This article is not related to advices I could give you but fun and only fun.

I found a new video from Blendtec crazy advertising campaign.

Very funny, they manage to blend... GOLF BALLS!

See it here: How to Blend a Golf Ball

Watch also the following videos, they manage to blend an iPhone, an iPad and even a ski!

Keep Golfing!

P.S. Please do not try this at home!

Ways to Improve Your Golf Game

Just found a great article on additional ways to improve your golf game from SCTimes.com

"If you have not purchased clubs in the last five years, your clubs may be holding you back. According to articles in the five leading golf magazines, purchasing new clubs will enhance the pleasure of playing this exacting game.

There are now sites that will inform you the value of your clubs on a trade-in. Check out PGA.com Value Guide, your pro shop or sporting goods store to determine what your clubs are worth.

Since most golfers love to hit the long ball, the driver seems to be the most logical club to purchase. For most experts, the No. 1 suggestion for the average golfer is to buy a driver with more loft.

In the past, the low lofted drivers were in vogue, since roll was important. Today, the consensus is to launch the ball higher and carry is more crucial than roll. Some experts are advocating drivers with 10-12 degrees of loft. Also, Cleveland, a major golf company, has introduced a lighter driver head (Launcher DST) that it claims will increase club head speed by five miles per hour.

Other resolutions would be to replace your worn out spikes, throw away that old glove and regrip those shiny Golf Prides."

Want More Tips? Golf Crisis Ebook will give you advices on how to improve your golf game and lower down your score.

Keep Golfing!

The Magic Hole-In-One Board

Every golfers dream of course to be on the Hole-In-One board and I was curious to know the odds for it.

I found today a very interesting article on About.com

Question: What Are the Odds of Making a Hole-In-One?

Some people seem to make aces left and right. Other golfers go their whole golfing careers without one. Just how hard is it to make a hole-in-one? Exactly what are the odds? The odds vary, it turns out, depending on who you ask, but we're willing to bet that the odds aren't as long as you might have expected.

Answer:

The odds of making a hole-in-one do vary somewhat, depending on the source and the numbers used for calculating the odds. One problem is that nobody knows the true number of aces made every year.

There are numerous organizations that track holes-in-one, but not every ace that is made is reported. And, as we all know, not every ace that is reported was actually made!

In 1999, Golf Digest reported, "One insurance company puts a PGA Tour pro's chances at 1 in 3,756 and an amateur's at 1 in 12,750."

The Golf Digest study provided many great nuggets of information, even breaking the odds down by quality of play:

• Tour player making an ace: 3,000 to 1
• Low-handicapper making an ace: 5,000 to 1
• Average player making an ace: 12,000 to 1

Some other highlights from Scheid's calculations:

• Average player acing a 200-yard hole: 150,000 to 1
• Two players from the same foursome acing the same hole: 17 million to 1
• One player making two holes-in-one in the same round: 67 million to 1

More Information

See About.com article: What Are the Odds of Making a Hole-In-One?

More info on acer odds and holes-in-one can be found in the Sept. 2005 issue.

Watch also the AMAZING video of a hole-in-one made by Fuzzy Zoeller

Remember, Golf Crisis Ebook does NOT teach you how to make a hole-in-one. It just helps you to lower your score big time :)

A Beautiful Par 3 in Phuket, Thailand

What a beautiful photo of Red Mountain Golf Course, Phuket, Thailand.

Hole 17th, Par 3, 130 yards.

Thank you Pascal for the photo!

Send us your photos and we will post them on Golf Crisis blog!

Keep Golfing :)

Golf Crisis Ebook Is Now On Facebook And Twitter

GREAT NEWS FOR GOLFERS!

Golf Crisis Ebook is now on Facebook and Twitter!

Join: Golf Crisis Ebook On Twitter

Become a Fan: Golf Crisis Ebook On Facebook

What is Golf Crisis Ebook?

"Ebook Golf Crisis: How To Lower Your Score by 10 Strokes"
This ebook will give you complete instructions on how to golf better, and will teach you successful techniques for lowering your score.

Enter your email address and get a free chapter now!

Just follow this link: Lower Your Golf Score Ebook

Keep Golfing!

A huge bunker

If by chance, you go to Mui Né, south Vietnam, you may go to visit the
beautiful white sand dunes.

If you are obsessed like me about getting out properly of bunkers on a
golf course, it is impossible not to think about it when you see this
dune... A HUGE bunker!

Did you say obsessed about golf?

Keep Golfing!

Some Nice Palm Trees

I was playing in a very nice golf course last week in Bangkok, Thailand.

The golf course name is "Green Valley" and everything seems to be
great there:

- Very well maintained golf course
- Good caddies
- Nice restaurant
- The pro shop is ok
- A massage room is available when your are tired after playing golf

What is related with Golf Crisis Ebook you may ask me?

In the ebook, you will discover a chapter called "Enjoy Playing Golf /
Have Fun". Beside the advices I give you, the advantages you can have
from one golf to another are quite different.

Be sure to select the golf course that will satisfy your needs and
make you enjoy golf.

Keep Golfing!

Where is the pin?

Let's Imagine that your ball hit a bunker like the one on the photo.

This situation can be extremely dangerous for your golf score...

It is time to calmdown and analyse the situation:

- Quick check the green surface
- Pin is at the center of the green
- There is a bunker behind
- There is some wind that will modify the trajectory of your ball

Now relax, do not think of the potential dangers around and do the
shot you learn in golf crisis ebook to come out from this bunker.

Keep Golfing!

You do not want to be in this bunker!

What would you do if your ball stands at the border of a huge bunker?

A. Panic and run away?

B. Take your longest club and hit as hard as possible?

C. You are very confident because you have read Golf Crisis Ebook
before and know exactly what to do.

Give us your answer, leave your answer on our Facebook wall.

Keep Golfing!

Golf Can Be Dangerous!

Nice warning sign for Thai and English speaking golfers!

Thank you Matt for sending this photo to me!

If you have great / funny photos related to golf, please send it to us or post it directly on the wall: Facebook.com/golfcrisis

Keep Golfing!

Nice landscape at Green Valley Golf Course

This photo was taken early morning at Green Valley, Bangkok, Thailand.
You can see the club house in the background, the big hazard and the nice palm trees.

Keep Golfing!