The Top Golf Stinks Blog Posts of 2011!

So it's the end of December and 2012 is right around the corner. But before we pop the bubbly and don our party hats tomorrow night, we here at the Golf Stinks blog would like to thank our readers for their continued support!

And to do that, we're going to carry on with the tradition we started two years ago: It's time to reveal our top ten posts of 2011 (based on page hits)!

Number 10

The Beginning of the End to my Golf Season - In September, Stinky Golfer Chris explains why the start of the NFL season pretty much marks the end of his (as well as many others') golf season.

Number 9

Golf Course Bankrupt? Blame Tiger Woods - Way back in January, Stinky Golfer Greg pondered why more and more golf courses are going belly-up these days and is led to conclude it's all Tiger's fault!

Number 8

Analysis: What Makes a Golf Course Great - In March, we revealed the analysis results of our "What Makes A Golf Course Great" survey. The results may surprise you!

Number 7

Don't Dress Like a Fool on the Golf Course - In this April guest post from Joe Sponcia over at Pillars of Golf, you will learn how not to dress for a round of golf!

Number 6

Why Golf is Aggravating - In this "reality bites" post, Stinky Golfer Pete comes to the frustrating conclusion that average hacks will always be average hacks.

Number 5

Variations on the Game of Golf - Project Flogton - In his continuing series on alternate versions of golf, Stinky Golfer Chris explores the cheating interesting format of Project Flogton.

Number 4

Does Golf Apparel and Equipment Fuel the "Rich Man's Sport" Stereotype? - Stinky Golfer Chris tackles one of the biggest stereotypes in the game - that you have to be rich to play golf. He suggests that merchandise retailers (and their marketing efforts) aren't helping.

Number 3

Why Do Non-Golfers Play in Golf Tournaments? - In this post from August, Stinky Golfer Chris ponders why people who rarely play golf, play in golf tournaments - could it be the food?

Number 2

5 Reasons Why They Hate Golf - In July, Stinky Golfer Greg provides his explanations as to why some people just don't appreciate this game we know and love.









And receiving the most page views in 2011...

Number 1

10 Golf Etiquette Rules Most Jackasses Ignore - In this April post, Stinky Golfer Greg lists his biggest golfer pet peeves in a no-holds-barred rant about cell-phone use; playing from the wrong tee-box; and giving unwanted swing advice.


So there you have it; our top posts of 2011! Thanks again to all our readers - without average hacks like you, golf just wouldn't be the same!

Best wishes for 2012!

-The Golfstinks Team

Related Posts:
The Top Golf Stinks Blog Posts of 2010!
The Top Golf Stinks Blog Posts of 2009!

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Super Bowl Hype For Golf?

So, much like 100+ million other people, I watched the Super Bowl this past Sunday. Another good game for America's favorite sport as, once again, the big game lived up to it's hype.

It kind of makes you wonder why the Super Bowl is as revered as it is. What does the Super Bowl have that the World Series doesn't? Why are we all excited to tune into the Super Bowl, but not as much the NBA Finals, or the Stanley Cup Finals? And where does golf rank in this question?

Well, to get it out of the way quickly, my short answer to why the Super Bowl is so much more popular than the championships of other sports is...there's only one championship game. The whole season and everything a team has played for, comes down to one game. That right there is part of the popularity for two different reasons.

Reason 1 - The sporting reason - There simply is no second chance. The team has one chance to win. It's not a series. There is no game 2 (or 3,4,5,6 or 7 for that matter). You lose, you're done. It's exciting! What if there was no series in the World Series or NBA Finals. Would it have made Rangers-Giants or Lakers-Celtics even more exciting? My guess is yes!

Reason 2 - The entertainment/get-together reason - It's just so much easier to gather friends and family for one game than it is for, somewhere between, four and seven games. Who gets together for the entire World Series? Maybe a game or two...and a game 7 if there is one. But unless there is a game 7, then who knows when the last game (the actual championship game) will really be? See, the logistics of it are just too tough to figure out.

Now take golf...it's just a mess. The Maters, The PGA Championship, The Opens, The FedEx Cup, the money list, the rankings...what the hell?! Who's #1 and why? I mean, I can see who's ranked #1...but how did they get there? Especially if they haven't actually won any tournaments! Drawing on stinky golfer Pete's idea - there should be one single tournament to determine the season's champion!

But since it seems highly unlikely that the PGA would completely rearrange its entire structure to accommodate a complaint that a couple of hacks at a place called golfstinks have made, it seems the next logical step to add some hype to the boredom of the golf season is...halftime shows!!

Look, the Super Bowl is a huge draw every year. But ever since 1993, when Michael Jackson performed, it's obvious the NFL changed it's perspective on halftime and has made every effort to bring in big names rather than the college band theme they had been doing previously. And the result? One could argue that a significant part of the reason some people watch the game at all is for the halftime show! I would rank it with the commercials, but they seem to fall flatter and flatter every year. (On a side note, beer commercials used to be funny. Now, they are just awful).

So what better way to draw more viewers (and fans at the gate), whether fans of golf or not, than to book a kick-ass rock group for the Friday (halftime of a golf tournament) night festivities? It's working for the NFL, isn't it? MLB and the NBA are beginning to work it in at their all-star games. Why not give it a shot?

OK, so I'm really reaching again. But hey...I'm just trying to help. A little music and entertainment never hurt anyone. Just one request...if anyone involved in the PGA halftime entertainment division is reading this...please don't book the Black Eyed Peas. Was the halftime show a spectacle? Yes. But it was likely the worst music to ever make it to the Super Bowl.

Swing 'til you're happy!

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3-D Golf Swing System Helps Wounded Warriors

Back in March, I posted about how one man was able to help troops cope with life on the battle front by donating used golf balls and clubs. These service men and women use this equipment on make-shift driving ranges in Iraq and Afghanistan to help relieve stress and unwind. I'm happy to report that recently, the organization donated its one millionth club!

But what about the troops that have come home? Well there's a grassroots movement from a small group called "Wounded Warrior Golf" that is working with Taylor Made to help wounded vets make rehabilitation more fun...by swinging a golf club.

The group is using 3-D motion capture swing analysis to help service men and women get back their full range of motion:

Using the high resolution system that helps Tour players and amateurs alike see their swing with 1/10 degree accuracy, we can show disabled Veterans how they are moving. The built-in biofeedback capability can then be used to help them move more efficiently.

Wounded Warrior Golf is donating a portion of the proceeds from this 3-D golf project to Quality Life Plus (QL+), an organization that "fosters and generates innovations to aid and improve the quality of life for those injured in the line of duty."

Now the guys over at Wounded Warrior Golf are looking for a little publicity to help with their first charity golf tournament. The tourney (which is being held at the Harmon Golf and Fitness Club near Boston) is taking place on October 4th, with 100% of the profits going to QL+.

They still need a few golfers, but if you don't live in the New England area, they could use donations too. Check out the golf tournament page on their site to help. It just feels right anytime you can use golf to help others...and helping our returning vets seems pretty right to me.

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