Review of Shadow Creek Golf Course

03 May 2011

Shadow Creek is probably the most unique golf course in the entire world. It was created on a desolate piece of land to become a typical Las Vegas feature built out of nothing into an extraordinary landscape. Everything about it is larger than life, from the huge pine trees that line the fairways to the crystal clear lakes that appear to have no boundaries.

It is one of the most exclusive, most expensive and most improbable golf courses in the whole of America. It has a waterfall with a creek that runs down the left side of one of the holes and across the green and offers players a game of golf that no other course in the world will ever offer them.

This 18 hole course was the creation of Steve Wynn, who developed Casinos in Las Vegas. He was responsible for some of the most extraordinary features that have appeared in the city and with his golf course he managed to create something that many people have marveled at since it was first built.

Read the rest of this entry »

Does Phil Mickelson Have What It Takes to Win the 2011 Masters?

10 April 2011

Phil Mickelson was the winner of the 2010 Masters Tournament in August, Georgia in the United States. Can he do it again at this year’s tournament?

Phil Mickelson was born in June 1970, making him 41 on his birthday in June this year. He turned professional in 1992 when he graduated from his golf scholarship at Arizona State University. And in his 19 years of professional golfing, he has achieved no less than 46 professional wins.

Before he turned professional however, he even managed to rack up 7 wins at amateur level. In 1981 at the age of 10, he won his first championship - the Junior World Golf Championships for boys aged 9-10. Eight years later he won the NCAA I Championship and he also won this the following year, when he also won the US Amateur and the Porter Cup. In 1991 he won the Western Amateur and he also entered into the Northern Telecom Open as an amateur. He then returned to win the NCAA Division I Championship in 1992 for the third time in his amateur golfing career.

Read the rest of this entry »

Top Runners for the 2011 Golf Masters Tournament

09 April 2011

The Masters Tournament, held in Augusta, Georgia in the United States is just around the corner, kicking off in the first full week of April. But who are the favourites for this year’s tournament?

Although Tiger Woods has had a bit of a dry spell in recent years, he is still the favourite for the 2011 Masters Tournament. Since his last championship win at the US Open in 2008, Woods has been plagued with rumours about extramarital affairs, and a car accident in 2009 which left him with facial injuries. Since then, he has won the WGC Bridgestone Invitational but no majors. But bookies think he is now almost back on top form and that we will see a comeback in April. Tiger is at the top of the Official World Rankings and has been given odds of 5-1 to win.

Other top runners include Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy, Lee Westwood, Dustin Johnson, Anthony Kim and Padraig Harrington.

Phil Mickelson is an American professional golfer who has won four major championships and 38 PGA Tour events during his professional career. He was born in June 1970 and he was the winner of the Masters Tournament last year in 2010. Mickelson started his golfing career during college, when he began a golf scholarship at the Arizona State University. He graduated from college in 1992 when he turned professional. He won his first Masters Tournament in 2004, the second in 2006 and the third last year.

Read the rest of this entry »

The History of the Masters Golf Tournament

07 April 2011

The Masters Tournament is a golfing tournament that takes place every year in Augusta, Georgia in the United States. It is one of the four annual major professional golfing events and is usually held in the first week of April each year. The Masters Tournament is the only one of the four major golfing events that takes place in the same location every year. The other major events are the US Open, the British Open (also known as the Open Championship) and the PGA Championship and each event changes location annually.

The Masters Tournament was established by Bobby Jones who was the most successful American amateur golfer that has ever competed nationally and internationally. He was a lawyer by trade, but had a real passion for golf, and after he retired from being a lawyer he wanted to build a golf course.

Out of his dream for building a golf course was born the Augusta National Golf Club which is the club that houses the Masters Tournament in Augusta. Bobby Jones took the advice of Clifford Robert in building the club house, who was an American investment dealer and Golf administrator. Clifford Roberts then took the position of Club Chairman.

Read the rest of this entry »

Will the Fortunes of Tiger Woods Change at the 2011 Masters Tournament?

03 April 2011

Tiger Woods is one of the most renowned professional golfers of today, but what are his chances for the 2011 Masters Tournament?

Tiger Woods was born on 30th December 1975, and he grew up in Orange County, California. His father urged him into golf, and by the age of two Tiger Woods already knew his way around a golf club. When he was only 3 years old, he was featured in the ‘Golf Digest’ and on ABC. At age 6, Tiger entered the Drive, Pitch and Putt Competition and won the under 10s in Cypress, California. At age 8 he won the Junior World Golf Championships.

Later, he won the championships  another 6 times. His father (Earl), who was an amateur golfer, wrote in his memoirs that Tiger at the age of just 11 beat him, even though Earl was trying his hardest at the time. It was clear from very early on that Tiger had a special talent for golf and that he would become a very famous golfer.

Read the rest of this entry »

A Quick Visitor Guide of Augusta National Golf Club for 2011 Masters Spectators

01 April 2011

The Masters Tournament is the only major golf tournament to be held at the same location every year, and its home is the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia in the United States.

The Augusta National Golf Club was commissioned in 1931 by Bobby Jones who also established the Masters Tournament. Clifford Robert, an American investment dealer and golf administrator of the time also became the chairman, and the club was then built by Alistair McKenzie and completed in 1933 when it was opened for play.

A Guide To Augusta National Golf Club

 As you enter the main gates of the club, you walk along to the main plaza area. There is an indoor area here where there is an exhibit area, where you have the opportunity to look at previous Masters Tournaments. There are displays with information of each Masters Tournaments and the winners of significant tournaments, showing photos, text information and even clothing from the previous winners including a display of Tiger Woods’ historic Masters win in 1997.

Read the rest of this entry »

Will Australian Grand Prix Boost Melbourne and Australia After Recent Issues with FIA?

27 March 2011

The Australian Grand Prix is just under a month away, with the first practice runs and qualifiers to take place on March 24th. There will be further races on 25th and 26th before the main Grand Prix event which will run on Sunday 27th March. But it looks set to be under fire as many residents seem to complain regularly about the noise levels from the Grand Prix event in Melbourne every year. It has also come under question about how much the Grand Prix is costing.

In 1996 the Australian Grand Prix was only costing the Australian government £1.7 million Australian dollars, but the number of spectators appears to be dropping and the bill has increased to $50 million Australian dollars per year, so it is no longer feasible the local MPs have said.

A spokesperson said that it used to be a god idea when costs were lower, but it has become far too expensive to justify. And to add to the stress of the whole situation, local residents are complaining that the event is just too noisy and it disrupting their lives over the four day weekend event. They have also complained about access to roads around the track being blocked off.

Read the rest of this entry »

What are the Fundamentals of a Good Boat Race Team?

27 March 2011

The Oxford and Cambridge Boat Races are due next month, so we’re looking into what makes a good boat racing team in preparation for the exciting rowing event.

In September every year, a number of hopefuls enter in for trials. Those who get through the trials can be involved in the boat races on Race Day. Three months later, each of the clubs (Oxford and Cambridge) have 24 hopefuls left.

The coach of each team then split their team into two and begin test racing them along the race course to see how they measure up. Over time, the strong candidates become clear and the teams and reserves are officially announced approximately a month before the race day.

Read the rest of this entry »

Will Oxford or Cambridge Win the 2011 Boat Races?

27 March 2011

The Oxford and Cambridge Boat Races take place in just over a month, so who is most likely to win this year’s races. Well first off, let’s look at the recent wins.

From 2004 - 2009, Oxford won four out of the five boat races, with Cambridge winning on the 2007 race. That year Cambridge had help from the German world champions Thorsten Englemann and Sebastian Schulte, as well as Kieran West MBE who is an Olympic gold medal holder, and GB medal holder Tom James, so it’s not surprising that they won. 2008 and 2009 were won by Oxford again, but Cambridge pushed on to win last year’s race although it was still very close. Oxford were in the lead most of the way but came from behind and overtook Oxford towards the end, finally winning the race by 1 1/3 lengths.

Since the beginning of the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race in 1829, Oxford have won 75 races and Cambridge have won 80, so as you can see from these figures it’s very close with not one team taking a huge lead over the other.

Read the rest of this entry »