Golf: A Royal And Ancient Mess

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...

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Golf and the Environment...Enough Already!

Dear golfers of the world,Haven't we heard enough about eco-this and eco-that? The tree-huggers already have a day dedicated to the well-being of the planet: Earth Day...and it was last Friday - I think we're good till next year, no?It's bad enough Al Gore is running around like Chicken Little yelling the sky is falling, but now the "green" movement is encroaching on our golf games to boot. First the environmentalists complained that golf courses messed up the local wildlife (big deal - it's not like the golf industry is BP). Then they observed that it takes a ton of water to keep a course green...not to mention a ton of chemicals (so there's a little chemical run-off - who drinks out of a stream anymore anyway)? I mean, what's next - outrage...

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Golf Ball Technology Improves Your Gas Mileage!

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...

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Golf by the Numbers

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...

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10 Golf Etiquette Rules Most Jackasses Ignore

I've been playing golf for over 20 years and am quite comfortable with the fact that I stink. And to be honest, I'm quite comfortable in the fact that most people I'm paired-up with also stink. I've always said: "You don't have to be good at golf to love it or play it." However, golf etiquette is another story completely and quite necessary on the golf course.Anybody who was taught to play this game the right way knows what I'm talking about - those unspoken rules of golf that show respect to your fellow players. You know; don't step in someone's line; don't put your bag on the green; don't talk while someone is swinging; etc.The aforementioned rules are classic and well-known. But there are other, less obvious etiquette laws that golfers ignore...

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Fueling A Passion For Golf

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...

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POLL: U.S. Open...Public or Private?

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...

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My Balls are Freezing

So my father-in-law was visiting from out of state a couple of weeks ago. One of the days during his stay, I began explaining some of the things I do to prepare for the start of the golf season (keep in mind this is a man who's never played golf in his life).In the middle of this conversation, he walked over to my refrigerator, opened the freezer and began looking inside. After staring at him for a few moments (wondering if my golf talk was boring him), I asked if he needed something. Here was his reply:"No, I was just looking for your golf balls."WTF?Me: "Pop, why would I keep my golf balls in the freezer?"Him: "Well, I've always heard if you freeze your golf balls, they go farther. So I assumed all golfers froze their balls."Just then my...

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Why I'm Happy Tiger Didn't Win The Masters

Before anyone gets the wrong idea about the title of this post, I'll explain. It has nothing to do with Tiger as a person. Tiger as a person will forever be viewed as, lets say, not the nicest guy you've ever heard of. But that has no bearing on this particular post.It also has nothing to do with Tiger's ego. You know, that ego that never just comes out and says, "He played better than me." Rather, the ego just makes excuses for why he lost. That also has no bearing on this post. Nope, it's none of those things. What makes me happy about it is the fact that, for a few days anyway, the younger and/or lesser known players on the tour got a good amount of attention at a major! Whether the PGA knows it or not, this is just what they needed! Tiger...

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Screw Full Price, I Want A Deal!

That's right, who the heck pays full price anymore? It seems this little invention called the internet has slowly put retailers in a rat race they never thought they would be in. Especially when it comes to golf gear. We all know how expensive golf equipment can be. Is it because of the R & D that went into it? Maybe the materials used? Who cares! With new sites popping up that find deals for consumers/golfers it doesn't matter. Now the sellers have to battle it out to get the sale.Companies like Groupon and LivingSocial have been gaining popularity featuring deals available in your area. Now, let's say we had something dedicated to finding deals for golf related stuff - like our friend Ed Abrams at Deal Tracker Golf does. Ed offers daily...

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Don't Dress Like a Fool on the Golf Course

The following is a guest post from our buddy Joe Sponcia over at Pillars of Golf. While Joe's blog is geared more toward helping golf courses succeed, he penned this post in the hopes that these fashion offenders would take the hint.We all have a few items in our closet that have run their course, hoping if a few years pass by, the item will come back into vogue. This guide isn't for the hopeful hoarders that hold onto clothing for decades (but know not to break them out), its for the oblivious among us that still have �members only� jackets...and wear them when the mood is right.Look, twenty years is often too long to wait for the fashion boomerang to return, not to mention kids, divorces, job failures, all-you-can-eat wing night...etc., etc....

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Variations on the Game of Golf - Project Flogton

I think we are all in agreeance by now that the game of golf needs help. We all know that fewer and fewer people play the game every year, and even less take up the game. Private courses are going public and public courses are closing their clubhouse doors. TV ratings aren't all that great and even worse if Tiger isn't playing.So what can be done? How do we get more people out on the golf course? How can we get more people interested in the game? In my search to find the answers to the above questions, I've stumbled across an organization who is looking to get more people out on the course by using one simple idea...make the game of golf easier. The Alternative Golf Association, or Project Flogton (Flogton being "not golf" backward) has come...

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Golf Genie iPhone App Giveaway!

A couple of months ago, we reviewed the Golf Genie Practice Drills Pocket Guide. At the time, the good folks over at Golf Genie provided a bunch of Practice Guides to give away to our readers, and boy did we give them away - to 25 lucky Golfstinks fans!Well, now Golf Genie has released its Practice Guide app for the iPhone and our buddies over at Golf Genie have come through once again - providing us 10 free codes to give away! If you've got an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch, don't miss out on this opportunity to win an invaluable on-course resource: The Golf Genie Practice Drills PRO app!All you have to do to enter is send an email to info@golfstinks.com with "Golf Genie" in the subject. That's it! The first 10 emails we receive will win the app!Good...

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Golf Stinks Exclusive With Charlie Sheen

A few weeks ago I sent a crap load of emails to Charlie Sheen and his reps asking if he could answer a few questions that we had for him. Not thinking anything of it and not expecting to receive any response, I went about my business as usual...that was until last night when in my inbox sat a reply from Mr. Winning himself! He was kind enough to answer a few of my questions and I've taken the liberty of pasting them below:-----Original message-----From: "Pete Girotto"<pete@golfstinks.com>To: ###############Sent: March 31, 2011 9:23:17 PM EDTSubject: Golfstinks is winning too!Mr. Sheen,We were referred to you by (name deleted for legal matters) and he had mentioned that you enjoyed some of our posts. I cannot thank you enough for reading...

Thanks again to Mr. Sheen for taking the time to answer these questions.

Next week we have a special interview with the Bronx Zoo Cobra and Tiger Woods.

Hit'em long...yell FORE (immediately followed by APRIL FOOLS')!