GOLFBALLS2000.COM

The Golden Bear: Nicklaus’ Command Over Golf

www.golfballs2000.com — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Jack Nicklaus, The Golden Bear, is one of the greatest golfers in the history of the sport. A look at the man and his resume can easily explain why he commands such an influence on the past, present and future of the game.

A native of Columbus, Ohio, the Ohio State Buckeye won two United States Amateur Championships and the NCAA Championship. Not to mention the fact, that Nicklaus, as an amateur was in competition to win the 1960 U.S. Open. Turning pro in 1961, Nicklaus left no doubters smiling as he quickly established himself by winning the first of his record eighteen major tournament title at the 1962 U.S. Open. Confused? Here ‘s a little help. To even further his potential for the legendary, he defeated established golfing great, Arnold Palmer in a playoff to secure the title.

Nicklaus would go onto win seventeen other majors, including six Masters, four U.S. Opens, three Open Championships (the British Open) and five PGA titles. This record of eighteen has only been challenged by one serious challenger (Tiger Woods) in the last few decades. Nicklaus also was the leading money winner on the PGA tour eight times and the player of the year in the PGA five times.

Lefty: Phil Mickelson’s Struggle To Play Second Banana

admin — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

With four major wins and 39 total PGA Tour wins in his career, Phil Mickelson has erased any doubt as to whether he can be considered a great golfer. He is truly one of the greats now, and is still, at age 41, a force to be reckoned with in any tournament he enters. But for a long time, it wasn’t that way at all.

For years, despite being considered a star by winning a number of difficult Tour events, Phil carried the label of “best golfer never to win a major.” He finally broke through in 2004 with a dramatic Masters victory after a tense back-nine duel with Ernie Els. He won another major in 2005 at Baltusrol for the PGA Championship, but still battled the stigma of being second-best. Though he was winning majors, Phil’s success coincided with the peak of Tiger Woods’ career, in which Tiger put the number one world ranking far out of reach.

Phil also continues today the quest for his own personal holy grail, a U.S. Open title. He’s never won one, but fittingly holds the all-time record for second-place finishes in the event, with five. He has never been ranked number one.

The Tiger Era: Will He Set Records?

admin — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The Tiger Woods era of golf is over. His dominance that spanned a little over a decade has come to a halt due to an inability to stay healthy. Woods had won major after major in the mid 90′s to the 2008 U.S. Open where he defeated the likable Rocco Mediate by one stroke.

Woods’ personal life has also been of no help to his golf career. The golfer has divorced his wife due to marriage infidelity. This disturbance in his personal life has translated over to the golf course. Once known as the mentally toughest player on the planet, Woods now possesses a weak psyche that is affecting his performances.

When Woods stepped up to the tee during his prime, the other competitors were scared of this monster. Nobody truly believed they could be Woods because they couldn’t. His ability to strike the ball up to 300 yards and his amazing accuracy with irons on the fairway was unmatched. He could putt with the best of them and during pressure situations, he putted even better than that. With age and injuries coupled with personal problems entering Woods’ life, the era of dominance for Woods is over. He will not surpass Nicklaus’ major record.

Our Favorite Three Courses

www.golfballs2000.com — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

You’ve seen the big guys play on Sundays on your Direct TV golf channels but haven’t you always wanted to take on some of the courses they seem to have no trouble with? If you’ve got a wish-list of golf courses in the US to hit up we think you should add these to it…
Pacific Dunes: Located in Oregon, Pacific Dunes provides Pebble Beach-esque ocean views and one heck of a course to boot. Golf Digest consistently ranks it in the top 20 courses and if you get lucky you might even catch an open tee time.
Pinehurst: This is actually a collection of courses located in the Sandhills of North Carolina but you’ll be hard pressed to find better greens and smoother fairways anywhere in the world. The world famous Pinehurst resort is here too, so splurge a little.
The Ocean Course: Located on Kiawah Island, SC, The Ocean Course is next to none when it comes to panoramic sea views. It’s nearby Charleston as well so after you’re done playing you can head in for a gourmet meal or a spa massage.

It Takes Practice To Be Good

admin — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +0000

There are some people that have an extraordinary talent when it comes to certain things. They may excel at a sport without having to put that much practice into it. For the rest of us, practice makes perfect. If you want to be good at something, you must put in hours of practice to get good.

When it comes to golf, those that want to set themselves apart from others must put in the time and effort to do so. If you want to have an outstanding shot off the tee, you have to practice at the driving range. If you want to be able to have a great putting game, you must practice with your putter religiously. Golf isn’t an easy sport to get good at. Perhaps that is why there aren’t that many good golfers.

If you think your can just spend a few minutes before your golf game hitting balls at the driving range and be a good player, you are sadly mistaken. Most of the good golfers that you see on the golf course, have put endless hours of practice in to hone their golf skills. They didn’t just pick up a golf club and become good players, they practiced.

Golf Is One Of The Oldest Sports

admin — Mon, 23 May 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Golf is one of the oldest sports with roots beginning in Scotland as far back as the 1400s. Several other countries invented sports similar in ways to golf, but Scotland gets the proud honor of its invention. It was in 1457 that James II of Scotland tried having the sport banned through a legal Act of Parliament, apparently it was causing conflicts with the practice of local archery. Another story claims that near St.Andrews in Scotland, that shepherds came up with the game to pass the time while guarding their sheep on the fields. This tells of the shepherds using wood crooks as primitive clubs to hit rounded rocks for balls. Perhaps they hit them into gopher holes. King James VI was the Scottish baron who brought golf to English territories in the 1600s. Written histories make note that the game found its way to the United States about 1659. That year golf was made illegal to play on the streets in Albany, New York. By 1744 there were rules of golf written by the Honorable Company of Edinburgh Golfers. The history of golf really begins about here, as the first tournaments between England and Ireland were soon officially played.

The History Of The Most Frusturating Game On Earth

admin — Fri, 20 May 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Golf is the most frustrating game on earth because you have no one to blame expect yourself. There are few, if any, sports out there that depend so much on your own skill and concentration, and so little on your opponents. With that in mind, if you go out there and shoot a bad round you have no one to blame but yourself, which is why so many people love, and hate, the game.

Though there are varying theories on who first played the first golf “like” game (whether the game started in the Netherlands, China, Greece, or Rome is up for debate), most historians believe that the first modern game of golf was played in Scotland in the 15th century. Through centuries, golf courses were built around Scotland, before spreading to England and the rest of continental Europe as well. The game would spread to the United States in the late 18th century, becoming big in the early and mid 20th century. Now, the game of golf is played around the world both by league professionals, and by the weekend warrior looking to work on his or her handicapped. Golf itself is a multi-billion dollar a year industry and a sport that crosses all racial and social-economic lines.