Golf Technique

Some individuals hold that cigars should only be smoked halfway. There are many axioms such as these and there are enough individuals who adhere to them to keep them alive. Like most such axioms, this one is based more in myth than in reality.

This debate stems from inevitable changes that occur in the flavor of a cigar as it is smoked. This results from the act of smoking itself and from the build-up of tar in the tobacco as one works their way through the cigar. Some find this taste objectionable and some find that the cigar improves as one smokes it.

Relighting the cigar is the origin of much of this debate. A cigar which is relit must be lit in the same fashion as is a fresh cigar. One takes a match or a high-quality lighter"Nibo lighters are popular with cigar aficionados"and toasts the tobacco a bit before lighting. This ensures a good light. Many half-smoked cigars are simply plunged into the flame which results in a much harsher taste due to excessive temperatures. Remember to relight a cigar with the same care afforded a fresh stogie.

If a cigar is smoked halfway though, the same change in taste will occur but it will be less pronounced. Some smokers find this change in taste very unpleasant and, therefore, they stub out"and waste"the majority of their cigar. One should avoid this at all costs. Cigars are gourmet indulgences and should be enjoyed all the way through. There are several ways in which one can mitigate the change in taste.

One may choose a mellower cigar, for starters. Though it may taste much lighter when first lit, it will become less sharp as one puffs their way toward the end. This is far-preferable to wasting so much tobacco. Some smokers actually find the last half of the cigar to be the most enjoyable. Experiment a bit with different brands to see which one proves to be the best. It's likely that there's a brand out there that will appeal to any smoker, no matter how far along they are in the process of burning the entire cigar. Waste is not a desirable thing where the prices of some cigars are concerned and finding a different brand is a good way to avoid it.

Tags: golf by Dave Sabot
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For those who have a real love for golf and a need to travel someplace to play it, golf vacation resorts as a real getaway really can't be beat. And the idea of golf combined with a vacation in a luxury resort can't be overemphasized. As far as trying to find any sort of fault to pick out, there really doesn't seem to be any when it comes to four-star resorts combined with four-star golf courses.

What's really attractive about the idea of a golf vacation resort is that these places are beginning to appear all over the world, and even in Scotland. The birthplace of the game features a few spots that include courses on which the game was played in the mid-1800s. For the best experience, though, the resorts in North America are the leaders of the pack, at present.

Golfers who want to golf on courses that play host to some of the top tournaments in the U.S., including the Open, can head to the Monterey Peninsula and the Pebble Beach Links courses. They're rated the number one public courses in the country, at present. And the quality of accommodations is as good as the quality of the courses.

The level of class and style at many of the hotels at these golf vacation resorts is also top-notch. For example, North Carolina's Pinehurst Resort has an array of lodging that's the equal of any four-star hotels in the country. Plus, it's the current 2008 winner of the Best Golf Resort accolade from Travel and Leisure magazine. The hotels and the courses meet or exceed every expectation.

Golf vacation resorts as a real getaway is a vacation idea that's really hard to top. They combine the best of golf and golfing activities with the best of hotel and resort living into one beautiful package. Most avid golf enthusiasts pine for a chance to play on some of the major-league, PGA-certified courses at many of these resorts, and now they finally have an opportunity to do so.

Tags: golf by Bella Holly
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Jack William Nicklaus, well known as "The Golden Bear," was born on January 21, 1940 and may well be, as his fans will tell you, among the greatest pro golfers ever. Growing up in Columbus, Ohio, a pharmacist's son, he was a student in Upper Arlington High School and beat a mild case of polio as a youth. Turning to golf at ten years old and shooting an amazing 51 for nine holes, he broke 70 at age 13 on eighteen holes.

He won the 1956 Ohio Open while only 16 and the US Amateur twice, in 1959 and 1961 - and in the 1960 open, he came in second only to Arnold Palmer. In the same year, Nicklaus was part of the team which won the Eisenhower Trophy, scoring a still-standing 269 four round score.

Nicklaus was playing on the pro circuit by 1962, when he won his first US Open. Defeating Arnold Palmer in this tournament made him a household name overnight. He would win the Masters twice in the 1960's even though it would be 1970 before he would win his next US Open. He took nine more major titles in the 1970s, breaking the 13 title record held by Bobby Jones. His last major tournament can in 1986, when he was 46; the oldest player to win this tournament.

He joined the Senior PGA Tour in 1990, where he racked up 10 wins by 1996 - eight of which were major tournament wins. His made his last Senior PGA tournament appearances in 2005. However, he has stayed active in the sport, writing on the subject, designing courses and even holding his own PGA tournament, the Memorial tournament. Hi runs one of the world's leading golf course design firms and has written autobiographical titles as well as instructional works on playing the Nicklaus way.

Like his long-time rival Arnold Palmer, Nicklaus came to prominence as golf was beginning to be a televised sport. He quickly became one of the highest paid players, earning a then unheard of $60,000 in 1962; a year he would also win Rookie of the Year. 1963 was an even better year for Palmer as he captured the PGA and Masters championships.

His records include one for lowest score in the last 36 holes (in the 1964 British Open) and his 1965 Masters winning tournament record of 271 (which stood until 1997 when until Tiger Woods hit 270).

Asked to describe himself and his career in a 1970 interview given shortly after the death of his father, Nicklaus remarked: "I was playing good golf, but it really wasn't that big a deal to me one way or the other. And then my father passed away and I sort of realized he had certainly lived his life through my golf game. I really hadn't probably given him the best of that. So I sort of got myself back to work. So 1970 was an emotional one for me from that standpoint-it was a big boost." This may be the case; Nicklaus was certainly a record setter - he was the first player to win all four major tournaments twice in the course of his career.

In 1974, the PGA Player of the Year was given to Nicklaus for the third time and he was among the first to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. In 1975, he won his fifth Masters and his fourth PGA Championship. ABC named him Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year. Again, at the top of the money list in 1976, he played what he liked to call, "hang-back-and-hope golf." In 1986, he won his sixth Masters-again and unbelievably was still going strong. His 1978 British Open win gave him a place in golf history where he won each major championship three times-a record finally tied by Tiger Woods in 2008. His Senior Tour wins include The Tradition (four times), the Senior Players Championship, and the US Senior Open. Along with his 100th career win (The Tradition) in 1996, he and his four sons and son-in-law had 299 courses open in 2005, an impressive 1% of all the courses in the world. Jack Nicklaus is The Golden Bear for record breaking, his playing style, and his off-the-course achievements and will remain one of golf's greatest players of all time.

Tags: golf by Denise I Smithson
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Which are your favorite 5 great moments in golf? There are as many answers as there are fans of the sport and you can find any number of different picks online, on DVD and VCR format, in magazines and in many other places. There are a lot of memorable golf moments and there are a lot of different ways to relive them or experience them for the first time.

Not only golf fans, but golfers have their own 5 great moments in golf which they consider to be the most memorable. It may be a comical event which happened decades ago but still brings a smile to their face each time it is recalled or that amazing once in a lifetime hole in one they have see. All of us bring our own ideas to the table which affect which of the most remarkable moments in golf are our own favorites.

The Internet is the best place to seek out 5 great moments in golf. It is convenient because you can sit in the comfort of your own home at your computer and search for videos, articles, and other golf resources. The Internet is probably the best option for finding great moments because you can get comments from other people and find out what they think about them too.

Most of the 5 great moments in golf can be found on VCR or DVD. You can purchase them or rent them out of your local video store or even online with places like NetFlix. Most compilations of great moments include hundreds of different scenarios on the golf course with famous golfers that you know today like Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, and others. You can make the decision which five you think are the best and it may be very difficult to decide.

Your own local library will also have a lot of resources to help you find the best 5 great moments in golf. You can look up golfers by name and find books, news clippings and other information on the high points of their careers.

Of course, golf magazines are one of the best places to search when looking for news and highlights in the golf world. When the tour is on, you can probably identify 5 great moments in golf just about every weekend if you're making an effort to stay current with the goings on in the sport through golf magazines. You'll be able to see what the events of the week are in these magazines, as well as see what the sportswriters think of as the best moments of the week or month.

When you are looking for 5 great moments in golf you may find them in many different ways which include magazines, the library, the Internet, and even on video. There are hundreds of great moments to choose from. It is usually best to determine if you think great moments are of amazing shots or of accidental follies that make you laugh.

Tags: golf by Denise I Smithson
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Born in Latrobe, PA, Arnold D. Palmer is widely thought to be one of the best golfers ever to play the game. Palmer has been the winner of a number of PGA Tours as well as the Champions Tour since his first big tournament win in 1955. Palmer is simply known as "The King" among many fans and players alike and has achieved worldwide fame. He is acknowledged, along with Gary Player and Jack Nickaus as one of the Big Three in the game. With the advent of televised golf matches in the 1950's, Palmer's playing which led to a growing interest in the sport.

Arnold's father Deacon Palmer was a greens keeper at the Latrobe Country Club (which Palmer bought in 1971), where he learned the game on the then nine hole course there. When he was only seven years old, he scored an impressive 70 - quite an achievement for a seven year old.

It should come as no surprise that Palmer went to Wake Forest University on a golf scholarship; afterwards, he served in the Coast Guard for three years, keeping his golf skills sharp all the while. During his stint in the Coast Guard, he married Winifred Walker, whom he met at a golf tournament in Pennsylvania. In his first season, Palmer came out on top in the Canadian open - he followed up this impressive win with something of a charm offensive, quickly becoming a fan favorite and helping to increase the popularity of the game.

He won his first major championship at the 1958 Masters and by 1960, he claimed his title as one of golf's leading stars. Signing with sports agent Mark McCormack, in 1960, McCormack was asked in later years what made Arnold so special. He replied, "his good looks, his modest background, the way he played golf, his risk taking and wearing his heart on his sleeve, and his involvement in so many exciting early televised finishes." Palmer was one the first US player to win The Open Championship in England-Ben Hogan won it in 1953; making Arnold an international star in the eyes of golf fans everywhere. Arnold won seven major championships including The Masters in 1958, 1960, 1962, and 1964; the US Open in 1960; and, The Open Championship in 1961 and 1962. His best years were perhaps 1960-1963 where he championed 29 PGA Tour events in just four seasons.

In 1960, Arnold was named Sports Illustrated top pro athlete of the year and he won the Sportsman of the Year award. His fans, known as "Arnie's Army," cheered when their Arnie became the first man to reach one million dollars in career earnings in 1967. Even with pros like Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player playing alongside him, Arnold managed to win a PGA Tour every year all the way up to 1970 and in 1971 he enjoyed a rejuvenation of his career winning four events.

The winner of four Vardon Trophies for low average score and a member on six different Ryder Cup teams, Palmer was by 1980 eligible for the PGA Senior Tour - an event which his famous name brought success to. The event would eventually be renamed the Champions Tour; Palmer won ten events on this tour and thanks to the talent of his agent McCormack, Palmer earned more in endorsements, charity events and sponsorships than any other player in the sport. Arnold Palmer has even won the highest honor given to civilians in the US - the Presidential Medal of Freedom Award, which was presented to Palmer by President Bush.

In 2004, Arnold played in The Masters for the last time-his 50th consecutive appearance and when he missed the cut at the 2005 US Senior Open, he then announced he would not play any further senior majors, retiring from golf in 2006. To the delight of Arnie's Army, one of his most memorable events was during the 2004 Bay Hill Invitational where standing over 200 yards from the 18th green, he lashed his second shot onto the green with a driver. Even Arnold smiled and celebrated the moment along with his grandson/caddie, Sam Saunders.

Arnold Palmer remains active in the golf world, being involved in the Bay Hill Club and Lodge (which is where the Arnolf Palmer Invitational is held), being one of the driving forces behind the Golf Channel and assisting in the building of one of China's first golf courses. Palmer also started the Arnold Palmer Design Company and since 1971, he has been owner of the Latrobe Country Club where he got his first taste of the game. Golf Digest ranked Palmer as one of the top ten players of all time and is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame and a winner of the PGA Tour Lifetime Achievement Award (which he won in 1988). Palmer lives in Orlando, Florida where he still enjoys getting in a round of golf - and being an ambassador for the game of golf to the world.

Tags: golf by Denise I Smithson
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