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Extreme Golf Course Design

I’m not a professional golfer, but I do enjoy 18 holes every now and then.  However, when I golf at a new course, I usually rate that course not so much on the technical aspects of golf course design, but more on how entertaining I find the terrain.  I appreciate grand vistas from the tee box, or impressive trees in the middle of the fairway.  It doesn’t matter to me who designed the course, whether it’s Nicklaus, Palmer, Miller, or any of the host of golf course designers out there.  What I care most about most, is that the designers make the course visually appealing.  Give me something to look at while I wait for my brother to complete his 15 practice swings.

About two minutes from my house there is a country club.  The parking lot is full of expensive cars, and you can order lobster from the menu.  But when it comes to the golf course, it’s about as bland as a rice cake.  Luckily, a 30 minute drive will take you to a different kind of course.  At this golf course the only food you can purchase is of the fried variety.  The parking lot is full of old jalopies, and on a hot summer day you might see a golfer with his shirt off.  Even with the shirtless course patron, the loss of decorum is more than made up for by the entertaining design and terrain of the course.  For me it’s not what’s on the menu back at the club house, but what’s out there on the course.

Recently, I was able to play at just such a course.  This was at the Four Seasons golf course at the Papagayo, in Costa Rica.  I was there during the dry months and even though the scenery was not as green as I had imagined, the views from some of the tee’s were fantastic.  Even with the brutish heat and the five dollar candy bar, this place was as fun as they come.

Right off you know you’re playing somewhere special, but it isn’t until the third hole that you really grasp the beauty of the place.  From the third hole you get a great view of the pacific ocean with rocks jutting from the sea and the surf breaking in white splendor  as far as the eye can see.

However, it was at the sixth hole, where I found a hole that embodied everything I love about golf .  It has a tremendous view of the water and the coast, but what makes it so spectacular is the nearly 300 feet of sloping decent  down to the flag of this par 4.  I spent some time craning my neck and straining my eyes, looking down this U-shaped valley, trying to catch a glimpse of the flag far below.  I could have hit balls all day off of the box, but instead I hit only two after my first ball sailed into the trees on the left.

A couple of holes later we found ourselves at another big downhill tee off.  Only this time we had some company.  A group of howler monkeys relaxed in the trees above us, making distracting noises.  It was as if they were mocking warm up swing I took.    In the end it didn’t matter, and I was able to put one down on the fairway.

The thing about Papgayo is, it’s not just exciting to play the course, it’s also a thrill ride on the golf carts.  Some of the descents golfers have to negotiate in their carts are best described as precarious.  Not only are they steep, but for some reason they have installed speed bumps.  As if anyone would voluntarily try to break the land speed record, in a golf cart, on one of those hills.  There must have been two or three descents where my passenger gripped the side bar with white knuckles.  I even think I heard him mutter a prayer.

As I finished the course I reflected on how awesome the experience had been.  All the elements that make up a good day of golf were there,  Monkeys, large lizards, extreme golf cart driving, long drives off of hilltop tee’s and most of all stunning views of the pacific ocean and it’s rugged coast were present at Papagayo.  As I sipped my nine dollar Gatorade I thought about the golf course back home with the fried foods and shirtless players.  I realized that even though I’m not a professional golfer.  This is an element of the sport that I particularly enjoy.

Four Seasons Golf Club Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo

Four Seasons Golf Club Costa Rica

Designed by Arnold Palmer, this 18-hole, par-72 championship course was designed with the resort golfer in mind. Spanning over 50 hectares (125 acres), this beautiful piece of property sits on the tip of Peninsula Papagayo, nestled in the mountainside along the Pacific Ocean.

Twelve holes of the course feature spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean. The course plays 6,788 yards from the championship tees for the low-handicap golfer, but is accessible to golfers at all levels, with four other sets of tees. For example, from the forward tees the course plays only 4,880 yards.

For a Hole-by-hole description -  click here to visit their website

Have A Golf Wedding

A Golf Wedding

There are lots of sport mad couples whom, when planning their wedding desire something different and related to the sport they love. Golfers are no different in this respect. Planning a golf wedding theme can be a lot of fun, particularly if there are not many guests and all those invited like/love the game. Your wedding theme can be anything you desire and if you choose golf, you will find a variety of ideas to plan your wedding and reception. The wedding itself can be formal in a church, but imagine planning the reception at the golf club and playing around of golf before the dinner.

The chances are you probably have never heard of a wedding like this before, so it is definitely going to be unique. Your wedding invitations can explain the plan and ask to see how many people would enjoy a day of golf after the wedding. If you are an avid golfer getting married in the summer on a Saturday, you are going to love the idea of getting married and playing a round of golf to seal the marriage. You can book the course for as many players as you are going to have and enjoy nine holes of golf that will lead into the dinner.

The reception tables can be decorated with wedding favors that pertain to golf. You might choose a golf ball with your name and date of wedding engraved or a golf ball with your picture with the date under the picture and the names on top of the picture. When it comes to golf balls, you can have them engraved with almost anything. These make nice wedding favors. You might also consider dime or quarter size ball marker with your name and wedding date engraved. Divot fixers are another great wedding favor with the names engraved on it.

The wedding cake for a golf wedding theme can be as entertaining to create as the wedding itself. Imagine a wedding cake in the shape of a golf course or one specific hole. You could have the little bride and groom standing on the cup in the middle of the green. This is so unique that not many people would think about making a cake like this for a wedding. This would match your wedding theme so well. It is so exciting when planning a golf wedding theme. You will have the most unusual wedding anyone has ever seen or heard about.

With the wedding being so interesting, it would be nice to receive some new golf clubs or even some golf balls as a wedding present for the game. You might even decide to take a golf trip for the honeymoon. Jamaica or Hawaii are a nice honeymoon destination and the golfing is superb. You can do so many different things when planning a golf wedding theme, even if you do have a traditional wedding ceremony. However, you could decide to have your ceremony on the first tee, so the first game can be started right away. Remember it’s your wedding which means you call the shots and can do anything you want.

Tiger Woods Golf Swing Technique

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34 year old Californian born Tiger Woods Player of the Year Winner in 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2009

Winner of 14 Major Titles:
The Masters 1997, 2001, 2002 and 2005,
The US Open 2000, 2002 and 2008,
The British Open 2000, 2005, 2006,
The US PGA Championship 1999, 2000, 2006 and 2007

His golf swing technique has understandably been the subject of many studies.

His amazing technique is his flexibility and high fitness level which have contributed tremendously to his golf career. A career that has seen him crowned in the minds of many as the undisputed greatest golfer in the history of the sport.

The Tiger Woods golf swing technique sees Wood utilizing his flexibility at the back of his swing to comfortably reach far back.

As he begins his swing, his level of fitness and muscle strength enables him to build up club head velocity by turning his torso quickly and pressing his right leg forward. There is minimal waste of energy as he maintains his position above the golf ball.

Driving through, Woods uses his hips, shoulders and wrists to concentrate his force and create a high initial ball speed. Research has shown that within a few feet off the tee, the ball is usually traveling at about 180 miles per hour. The average tour pro usually manages only 160 miles per hour.

If you have carefully watched woods and his golf swing technique, you will note that he usually allows the club head’s momentum to extend his follow-through far around his back, thus completing a long and smooth club-head rotation.

Tiger’s golf swing technique cannot possibly be achieved by somebody who is not physically fit or somebody who does not work out regularly. In fact achieving an effective golf swing technique these days requires conditioned muscles that will enable you to perform consistently and at your best.

Gone are the days when golf was viewed as a leisure sport where players would move around the course in electric golf cars to avoid breaking into a sweat of any kind.

This is not to say that a good golf swing technique calls for rigorous golf strength exercising and golf stretching. Actually, most of the critical golf-specific exercises involve stretches. There is also the lifting of light weights to build specifically on strength rather than muscle.

Clearly golf-specific exercises are the only way to develop a good golf swing technique.