If your crazy or extremely bored, check out the link below. It’s on the USGA website and it’s a golf rules quiz. There’s different difficulty levels depending on your skill level and you can choose 10, 18, or 25 question quizzes.
I took a 10 question basic and scored 6 out of 10.
It’s an interesting way to learn some of the more obscure rules 
Dave
Golfnow – Discount Online Tee Times
This is Ridiculous!
A 66 year old long-haul trucker scores two holes-in-one in the same round! Bob Hickey, from Gaylord Michigan (hickey, gaylord, man, it’s almost too hard to resist..), was playing Marsh Ridge when it happened.
His first-ever ace was on the 10th hole a 167-yard par 3, using a 7-iron.
This is an amazing hole
and his second-ever was with an 8-iron on the 147-yard 17th.
For a man who’s been playing golf for 50 years and never had a hole in one, this as he described it is “just pure luck.”
According to a 2000 Golf Digest article, the odds of a player making two holes-in-one during the same round are 67 million to one.
sigh… Just think, if he had purchased a lottery ticket instead of playing a round of golf, he’d be rich!
but then, that begs the question, which would you rather have? two holes-in-one in the same round or winning the lottery……?
Dave
Golfnow – Discount Online Tee Times
Interestingly enough, I found myself yet again at PGA.com…. I came across an article about golf etiquette and figured it’d be worth sharing.
Arrive:
* If caddies are available:
o Remember caddie programs are an excellent way for young people to earn some money and be exposed to a sport that they can enjoy and might help shape their character.o A good caddie can make the round more enjoyable by giving you hints that might lower your score.o A good caddie can provide information on yardage, club selection, reading the greens and the layout of the course.
* Warm Up:
o Try to arrive soon enough to give yourself time to warm up properly.
o Work your way though the bag, beginning with the short irons, moving onto the mid-and long irons and then the woods.
o It’s often a good idea to finish warming up by hitting a few soft wedge shots before heading for the practice green and hitting a few putts.
o Don’t hit hundreds of balls and leave your game on the practice tee.
* First Tee:
o Check the scorecard to learn any local rules.
o Local rules apply only to the specific course you are playing.
o If your playing companions suggest a match, it’s a good idea to make sure everyone is comfortable with the stakes.
o Make sure to place an identifying mark on your ball and inform the other players the type and number ball you are playing.
Avoid Slow play:
* When your group is not keeping up with the pace of play of the group in front of you:
o Walk at a reasonable speed between shots.
o Begin planning your next shot as you approach the ball by studying the strength and direction of the wind.
* When you reach your ball, check the lie, select your club, visualize your swing and shot, and then play your shot.
* From the time you select your club until you actually hit your shot, you should take no more than 30 to 45 seconds.
* If you aren’t ready to play when it is your turn, encourage one of your fellow players to play.
Maintaining the course:
* Replace your divots!!!!!!!
* Turf tends to explode on impact, making it difficult, if not impossible, to replace the divot. In this case, you have two options:
o You can use the toe of your shoe to kick in the turf around the edges of the divot.
o Many courses often put containers of a soil/seed mixture on their carts and tees. If this is the case, simply fill in the divot with the mixture.
* Bring a rake into the bunker with you — remembering that you should always enter the bunker from the low side at a point nearest to the ball.
o Whenever possible, avoid walking on the steep face of a bunker.
o After hitting your shot, rake the area you played from, as well as all your footprints and any others within reach.
o Rakes should be left either in or nearby the bunker.
* Important to repair any pitch marks or indentations caused by the ball hitting the green.
* Using a tee, knife, key or repair tool, repair the mark by working the edges towards the center, without lifting the center of the mark. Don’t tear the grass. Finish by smoothing the area with a club or your foot. Try to get the area smooth enough to putt over.
* Just remember that while the Rules of Golf allow you to repair pitch marks on your putting line, you cannot repair spike marks on your putting line until after you have putted.
On the green, remember:
* Don’t step on your fellow players putting lines — the imaginary line that connects the ball to the hole.
* If your ball is on a player’s line, volunteer to mark the ball.
* If you’re ball is not furthest from the cup:
o Mark your ball, either with a plastic marker or a small, thin, dark coin such as an old penny.
o After you have marked your ball, place your putter down at a 90-degree angle with the heel touching your marker.
o Move the marker from the heel to the toe of your putter. Reverse the procedure to return the ball to its original position.
* Do not stand where you might distract a fellow player and don’t move.
* Don’t make any noise when your fellow player is preparing to putt.
* If you don’t have a caddie and are asked to tend the flagstick, make sure you aren’t standing on anyone’s line.
* Hold the flagstick at arm’s length so the flag doesn’t flutter in the breeze, and make sure your shadow doesn’t fall across the hole or line. Loosen the bottom of the flagstick so it doesn’t stick when you try and remove it by pulling it straight up after the other player has putted. The flagstick should be removed right after the player has hit the ball.
* If you lay down the flagstick, lay it off the green to prevent doing any damage to the green.
* Generally, the player closest to the hole will tend the flagstick.
* After everyone has putted out, immediately walk to the next tee.
Miscellaneous:
* If you hit a tee shot into the woods and suspect that it might be either lost or out-of-bounds, the Rules of Golf allow you to play a second or provisional ball.
o You then have five minutes from the time you reach the spot where you suspect the ball landed to find the ball. If it is not found within that five-minute period, you must declare it lost and play your provisional ball with a one-stroke penalty
o If, however, you play the provisional ball and subsequently find your original ball in-bounds, you must pick up your provisional and continue to play the original ball, in-bounds.
o Out of bounds balls are assessed the penalty of “stroke and distance.”
o For a complete discussion of the Rules of Golf, visit the USGA’s web site.
* For safety’s sake, never hit when there’s a chance you might be able to reach the group ahead of you, and anytime you hit a shot that you think even has remote chance of hitting any other players, yell “fore” immediately, and make a point of apologizing to any players your ball lands near.
* Displays of frustration are one thing, but outbursts of temper are quite another. Yelling, screaming, throwing clubs or otherwise making a fool of yourself are unacceptable and, in some cases, dangerous to yourself and others.
* As a player, you also have a responsibility to learn and understand the Rules of Golf.
* Five of the most common Rules are those deal with Out of Bounds, Lost balls, Unplayable lies, cart paths and water hazards.
* Moving on, if your group stops for refreshments, either at the turn (the end of nine holes) or following the round, volunteer to pay for them, as well as offer to buy drinks for the caddies. (Hope my golf partners are reading this!)
* Whoever pays at the turn, however, should not be expected to pay for refreshments at the end of the round. (But not reading this!)
* Finally, at the end of the round, shake hands with your fellow players, congratulate the winners, console the losers, and thank them for their company. At the end of the day, the great pleasure of the game is the time you get to spend with your friends whether old friends or new friends you just made through the game.
-Dave
he website is called Stracka.com.
It’s a myspace/facebook for Golf. Click on the link above to create an account.
You create an account for free and you gain access to a whole bunch of goodies. It has a handicap calculator that displays your handicap with and without ESC. You can record your golf rounds, they have a very comprehensive list of courses nationally as well as globally. If you don’t find the course you played in the list, you can add it.
The round tracker is cool, it offers you two ways to track your scores, first way, just log the course, the tees you played from and the score and it’ll calculate your handicap and post the score for everyone to view. The 2nd way is a bit more in depth and it tracks, FIR, GIR, putts, chips, drives, etc.. and displays a more detailed breakdown of your game and like I said, free!
I pulled the map of Falcon’s Fire from their site, check it out.
You can upload swing videos and it has a simple swing analysis tool that allows you to analyze your swing. Everything uploaded is public so other members can view the video and add their feedback. You can upload photos as well which people can rate.
I’ve uploaded a video of yours truly swinging his mighty SuMO BOOMSTICK., definitely need to check that out.
Yes, you might have to tilt your head to the left to fully appreciate the shot….
Oh, in case you were wondering, yes, I am wearing Tattoo Golf!
You can search for other golfers in your area, post up blog entries, visit the forums and more.
When you create your profile, it asks a series of questions about the type of games you like to play (betting, competitive, etiquette, etc) and you can search by those same questions and partner up with players based on that criteria.
Create or join golf groups, meet new people, view others photos, videos, stats, equipment, handicap and style.
Here’s something that sets them apart from other sites doing similar things. It’s called The Stracka Line.
It’s a patented process designed to aid a golfer’s ability to read the complex breaks on a putting green. They use state of the art laser land surveying technology to scan the surface of the green for millions of data points accurate to the millimeter to pick up even the most subtle elevation changes.
The topography maps are then run through industry leading software used to determine the fall lines of how water would drain off the surface, which is then applied to how the ball will roll off the slops on a green.
So far they only have a handful of courses that offer this feature and regrettably none are Orlando Courses 
I created a profile named OrlandoGolfBlogger (the names a bit unexpected, I know..) and an Orlando Golfers Group. So create yourself a profile and add me to your friends list!
I’m still working on organizing a golf outing/scramble for all who are interested, so let me know if you wish to be included in the list.
Leave your Comments!
Dave
These guys are based out of Michigan, so it’s not exactly an “Orlando Specific” deal, buuuut… due to the wonders of the internet, you too can partake of the celebration! I received an email about this and figured it was worth mentioning.
For their 50th anniversary, they’re giving away 50 Ultimate Golf Experiences.
I say good for them, way to reach the Golden(??) Anniversary!
I’m look forward to that golf outing with ‘Ol Tiger!
I was contacted by a gent named Nev, who is helping them get their blog started and train their staff on blogging and I thought that was pretty interesting. It seems to me that more and more businesses are getting into blogging. Blogging is no longer only for those of us who like to rant and rave about various things, hoping to one day get some free crap out of it (or am I the only one? ). Blogging has becoming a recognized and accepted media outlet for marketing and advertising and now the big dogs are paying folks to help them create them. Think it’s time to write a book!
“How to Create a Blog in three easy steps” by Dave, writer of Orlando Golf Blogger.
Catchy, no?
Below is the history of The GolfLand
The Golfland Story
The year was 1958. There was a total eclipse of the sun. The New York Yankees won the World Series and Arnold Palmer won the 1st of his 4 Masters Championships. And while the first satellite from the United States was launched into space, the first golf ball was launched from Carl’s Golfland.
Starting as a small driving range on the outskirts of Pontiac, Michigan, Carl Rose and his wife Donna opened the original Carl’s Golfland. Golf was a little known sport back then. But the Roses had a dream.
As the game of golf grew so did Carl’s. In 1962 Arnold Palmer won the Masters for the third time, the Yankees again won the World Series and Carl’s Golfland moved to what would be our present location in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. What started out as a 750 square foot building, has grown to our present capacity of over 20,000 square feet of store plus a 15-acre-world-class practice facility.
Carl’s Golfland is proud to be the only off-course golf store to be named to the prestigious Golf World Top 100 Golf Shops every year since the award started in 1985. In addition Golf World named Carl’s Best of The Best in 2006.
In October of 2000 Carl’s Golfland opened a second location at the St. John’s Golf and Conference Center in Plymouth, Michigan. The new state of the art store is a showplace among all the golf retail stores in the country. The Plymouth location also has a full practice facility featuring: grass tees, heated tees, putting green, sand bunker and chipping area. The St. John’s Golf and Conference Center features a challenging 27-hole golf course, full service conference center and world-class hotel.
Carl’s Golfland prides itself on offering only pro-line equipment and the finest names in apparel. We carry the largest selection at guaranteed lowest prices. Carl’s Golfland is proud to have on staff PGA Class A Professionals giving lessons to all ages. A PGA Life Member, Carl Rose is still an active part in the growth and direction of the business that bares his name.
Carl’s Golfland. Because When All You Do IS Golf, You Do Golf Best!
Leave your comments!
Dave
The excerpt says this shot was for a car, watch where the ball goes. It looks like it went in the hole and bounced out to the left. Crazy…..
and just to kill some more time with some impossible shots, check out this one. It’s Michael Jordan hitting a shout out of the sand. Guess Basketball should have been his second calling.
Last one, Here’s a clip of Tiger Woods when he was two years old on the Bob Hope show.
Ah, well, ok, so I found one more that I HAD to post. It was a Nike commercial I believe, but man almost brings a tear to your eye.
-Dave
Yes, crazy I know…
Johnny Miller, one of the old school greats, was quoted saying “Players these days, ain’t got no class, no style in their swing, all they got is long hits and good technology, none have the finesse of the old days!”
He was mentioned in an article where Mike Malaska asked him which club he would use if he was 100 yards away, to which he replied, I could use any of these 14 clubs. Mike said “I don’t think you understand the question,” to which he replied “I don’t think you understood my answer.” He then proceeded to hit every club 100 yards.
He went on to say that the minds of the most talented players are trained to think creatively. They consider themselves problem solvers, they see many different ways to hit a single shot.
Ok, ok.. so the quote above didn’t exactly come from his lips, I read the excerpt of his quote and added some flair. So sue me. What he actually said was that you don’t see creativity like that in todays power game, guys like Lee Trevino, Seve Ballesteros and Chi Chi Rodriguez could really work the ball.
Average golfers could lower their scores if they worked more on their shot making skills.
Next time you’re at the range, practice hitting the 100 yard mark with every club, it’ll be fun and you’ll quickly gain a sense for playing shots.
Dave
I’ve encountered this same article on more than one occasion and I read it every time I do. A lot of it is common sense, but there are some nuggets to be found. It’s written by a lady named Lisa Furlong and she gives tips on what to do if invited to play golf with the boss.
1. Invitation
You’ve just been invited to play a round with the boss, don’t panic, get into the right mindset and tell yourself your going to make the most of this great opportunity. Executives who play frequently say they pay close attention to the other golfer’s demeanor under pressure.
“You really don’t want to see someone swearing or throwing a club,” says MGIC Investment Corp. CEO Curt Culver, a 2-handicapper ranked third among Golf Digest’s best CEO golfers in 2006. “Just as bad would be someone who fails to take care of the course, who doesn’t repair ball marks or replace divots. That would make me want to replace that person in my company.” That’s a scary thought… Hey Dave, heard you got fired, what the heck happened?? Oh, nothing much, I forgot to replace my divot on the 13th..
2. Preparation
Hit the range a couple times (if you can) before you play to knock some of the rust off your swing. Take some time to check over your gear, ensure clubs, towel and rain gear are clean (not caked with a couple inches of dried mud. go through your golf bag and remove all the accumulated junk. Research the course your playing, ensure you know how to get to the course, being late is inexcusable. Get an idea of how formal the course is and on the day of the round, get out there early, scope out the course, hit some warm up shots so when the boss arrives you are ready to go. Definitely go with a collared shirt and if you wear shorts, ensure they are smart, tailored golf shorts. Shoes should be clean and brushed down, there’s no excuse for poor taste. This is not part of the article, but make sure you’ve got plenty of Tee’s and if it were me, I’d probably spend a little more than usual on golf balls, I imagine if you were to pull some Ti-techs out it might send out the wrong impression
3. Banter
Your mission of the day is to keep your foot out of your mouth. Prior to the round, read the newspaper cover to cover so your up to date on the news should the topic arise. Don’t talk for the sake of talking, don’t assume you and the boss man are now the best of friends. Unless the boss brings it up, try to avoid discussing work and business, stick to sports, family, etc.. Don’t have too many beers, the last thing you need is your boss seeing you in anyway other than your best.
4. The Game
Let the boss decide the stakes of the match. Don’t take a mulligan off the first tee unless it’s offered, stick to weekend golfer rules. If you lose a ball and don’t hit a provisional, the article says don’t go back and hit another, concede the hole. I don’t agree with that, I think you would drop a ball and take your strokes as you would on any other day. Conceding putts, within the leather is a good rule, but if the boss is shooting them back to you from further away, follow his lead. Do not let the boss win, play your best and win or lose with grace. The round isn’t so much “boss & subbordinate” as it is golfers who love a good round.
5. Follow up
Send the boss a letter (not an email) thanking him for the opportunity and making note of a particular aspect of the day you really enjoyed or appreciated. In today’s E-world, a letter will set you apart.
Just because you’ve had a round of golf together, don’t assume you’re now The Boss’ new best friend. “It’s most important to me that a subordinate doesn’t use golf to prove he or she is in with The Boss,” says Macadam. “This really turns me off more than anything.” If colleagues know about the round and ask about it, “treat it as if it were no big deal,” says Corrigan. “And don’t discuss The Boss’ performance if he or she had a bad round. If The Boss played well, say so. And please, spare your co-workers a hole-by-hole description of your own game.” When The Boss starts to talk about his or her game, however, listen up. Or at least pretend to.
How To Play Golf with the Boss
Enjoy!
Dave
Tried to play Dubsdread over the weekend but they were booked until 5:30pm on both Saturday & Sunday! I suppose it’s for the best, I contacted SkyCaddie about the new course layout to see if they had mapped it yet and they said there’s someone scheduled to map it but it hasn’t occurred yet.
So I went to ‘ol faithful Golfnow.com on Saturday night and booked a round for $27 bucks.
The course wasn’t too bad, it’s kind of a sleeper course, it starts out pretty average and starts to develop more character as you play through the course. There’s more than a few blind holes on this course most of them being an elevated fairway where you aren’t really sure what awaits you on the other side. be wary of the 6th, it’s a blind tee shot with a strategically placed bunker on the left side of the fairway right about 245 yards out.
Like I was saying before, this course has some character, a couple named holes like #5 “Devil’s Kitchen” which features a tee shot over water with a semi narrow fairway waiting on the other side and it severely punishes you if you go anywhere left of the fairway, which of course, is exactly where I went. Also, #9 affectionately called the “Train Wreck,” a painful dogleg left where the entire left side of the hole slopes down into the “Train Wreck” of rough, swamp, and water. I managed to avoid most of the damage until the turn where an errant pitch hit a tree branch and “wrecked.” It was not a very enjoyable hole for me…
Here’s an image of the train wreck
If you manage to survive this, on the back nine, holes 12 through 16 have been labeled “Crater junction” because they all dogleg around this huge natural crater. At first I was asking myself “what crater?” That was until I hit my ball into it… Then I was asking, what ball? #12 is a pretty straight forward 175ish par three no real affect of the crater is felt here, same goes for #13, but #14 on is where you know its there, stalking, waiting to eat some ionomer..
Here’s a picture of #12
Here’s the beast! #14, ball stealer. I hit a beautiful drive right into the shade of that huge oak tree on the left.
Here’s a picture, closer to the turn.
Notice where those carts are? The hole is left of those carts. Notice the houses on the course? Not your typical golf course housing, the entire course has houses like these on it. I dunno if they’re called economy houses, but this course is smack dab in the middle of a retirement community, so it wouldn’t surprise me at all…
Hmm.. oh, this course boasts a par 3 that’s longer than any par 3 on the PGA tour, it’s the 17th and 243 yards. It also has two drivable par 4’s (264 & 266) yards. The course is in good shape, the greens are pretty fast and spongy. There wasn’t much difference in ball speed on the greens even as the day warmed up.
It was a fun course to play, especially for the price! Not to mention how cool it feels to be playing golf on the set of Cocoon…..
I look forward to your comments!
Dave
If you liked this one, feel free to check out my other Orlando golf course reviews
It is a very exciting day today! Dubsdread Golf Course has re-opened its doors today July, 11th 2008 after being closed for what.. two years renovating the course?
It was originally opened in 1923 was the former site for the Orlando open and has hosted golf legends like Sam Snead, Ben Hogan and Claude Harmon.
I spoke to Erin Durning out there and she said that every hole has been renovated and the course layout has changed. The website doesn’t have the new layout posted up yet, but as soon as I find it, I’ll post it up.
I really hope to get out there and play this weekend so I can have a review posted up on Monday, but no promises!
Oh, you can sign up for their eClub and receive a free round on your birthday. Here’s the link.
If you’ve played it let me know how it is!
Dave
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