Sports Then and Now

To the surprise of many GPS (Global Positioning Systems) have been around for several decades. In fact, GPS units were in use in most of the best golf courses and aided players in improving their score. The reason why GPS units were not so popular in the past is that they were very expensive. However, the growth of technology has seen to it that it is now cheaper to acquire GPS services. If anything, any regular golfer can afford a GPS units today. In this article, we look at some tips on how to improve a golf score using GPS.

Tips for improving your golf score using GPS

Because golf is a sport like any other, you will always want to achieve the highest scores possible. However, it is only through dedication and putting some measures in place that you can achieve that. Here are some GPS tips help you achieve your golfing goals:

1. Courses verification

For a GPS unit to work perfectly, the courses where you will play have to be GPS mapped. Before the game, make sure that you verify your course for better results. You can get this information from the golf course’s website, or you can contact the manager for more information. Do not leave anything to chance.  Read the rest of this entry →

If you’ve ever spent your Sunday’s sat with your feet on the table, a bowl of nachos in your lap and nothing but sport on the television, then we can almost guarantee you’ll have seen a plethora of commercials peddling golf equipment, and all of them will promise to make you a better golfer. Better grips, better heads, better shaft, better balls, better everything.

Of course, this is nothing new. Nor is it a shock. After all, every single pro, from Tiger Woods to Rory McIlroy, talks about how the latest equipment has made them a better player. That’s why we wanted to do some digging and see just how much the technology and equipment have changed between then and now.

1. A Better Ball

Golf has been a recognized sport for over six-centuries, so it’s only right that it has progressed a fair amount, especially the ball. Originally it was wooden balls before the game decided to embrace the Featherie, which was a leather pouch stuffed with goose feathers. It’s no wonder this didn’t hang about forever. Then, in the mid-nineteenth century, the Gutty ball came along and changed everything, not least of all the cost of manufacturing. The cheaper it is to make, the cheaper it is to play, and that’s when things took off. Read the rest of this entry →

Tiger Woods is regarded as one of the best golfers in the history of the sport, tracing all the way back to its Scottish ancestry. Woods, now 42, has had a glittering golfing career, despite his tarred reputation due to his less-than-inspiring personal life. However, the question of can Tiger Woods’ golf history help to predict his success in 2018 while on his PGA Tour this year is on every avid golf fans’ lips – and is a debate that has been weighed into by commentators and professionals alike.

Hank Haney, Woods’ golf coach from 2004 to 2010 told The Man Out Front he “think[s] he’s going to win another major”. Despite his confidence in Woods’ ability to win another major, Haney is less certain on a Woods victory at a Masters this year. But does Woods’ history of winning contradict his former coach? Let’s take a look, what exactly is Woods polishing his signature golf clubs for this year.

1997, Atlantic City

Woods devoted himself to professionally playing golf in 1996, just a year before his swooping triumph in Augusta. This victory was significant for two large reasons: Woods was the first black player to win the tournament and also the youngest, at the tender age of 21.

Atlantic City for Woods put his ‘X’ on the map and showed him marking himself out to be one of the greatest players of all time. At such a young age, it shows Woods’ determination and skill more than anything else, meaning a victory in 2018 is almost just as possible now as it was back then. Read the rest of this entry →

Back injuries have derailed the once great career of Tiger Woods.

Out of all the sports known to man, golf is the least aggressive and the least violent. Yet, every year professional golfers suffer serious injuries, some that threaten to remove them from the game forever. In 2014, Tiger Woods, formerly the world’s top golfer, had surgery to repair a pinched nerve in his back. In 2015, he underwent a second microdiscectomy surgery with a follow-up procedure on his back. And this year, he had fusion surgery on his back as well.

After these, and other procedures, the golfer told reporters that he is unsure if he will ever play competitive golf again.

Back Pain: The Cost of Golf

According to Spine-Health, golfers can be afflicted by three different forms of back injury. First is muscles strains which “typically occur with rough or forceful golf swings or a sudden shift during the downswing.” Second, is muscle and tendon attachment which “generally occur due to excessive use, accidents, or swing abnormalities while playing golf.” Third, is disc injuries which also “occur from swinging abnormalities.” Additionally, low back pain and back injuries occur frequently because of repetitive bending over to pick up golf balls and line up shots.

Getting back injuries treated can be an extremely costly procedure. Spinal fusion surgery, such as what Tiger Woods had to undergo, can cost from $100,000 to $115,000. While Woods, who has 79 PGA Tour wins and has been one of the highest-paid athletes in the world for years, can easily handle such a cost, the everyday golf enthusiast or the occasional leisure golfer who can’t hire a personal caddy (or who doesn’t have an enthusiastic grandchild who loves chasing balls) won’t be able to. So what can be done?

Golf Ball Retrievers Help Eliminate Back Pain

Well, there is a tool that eliminates the constant need to bend over while playing — the golf ball retriever. The best golf ball retrievers allow you to only have to exert your arm and your hand to pick up golf balls — not your back. They typically run in the $15 range and can easily be ordered online or at many golf shops. Golf ball retrievers are usually extendable — they can extend from six feet to up to fifteen feet, ensuring that a stray golf ball is never outside your reach. They are conveniently foldable and easy to carry. Getting golf balls out of water holes or sand traps is a lot easier with a retriever. Read the rest of this entry →

The PGA Championship is here and the top brass in the golfing world are all set to go at it and make history. In the past years, Tiger Woods used to dominate the PGA Championship tournaments. However, a wave of new faces of young golfers has risen to take that spot. In this year’s PGA championship in Quail Hollow things are set to be different as anyone among the top 10 best ranked golfers can win it.

Jordan Spieth

He is currently ranked at the number 1 in the PGA tour, and number 2 best golfer in the world. His statistics have been great this year and he is favored to win the PGA championship. Having come second in 2015 PGA tournament, he might come on top. Since this is the PGA championship which is different from any other tournament in golf, Spieth is the favorite to take the day on this.

Rickie Fowler

He has been doing great at the PGA tour in the last could of years. He has beaten the best in big tournaments like Rory McIlroy. As a professional golfer, Fowler is among the 12 who have averaged at least 71 in scoring for the past 5 years. His PGA tour ranking is among the top five. Read the rest of this entry →

Andy North won only three PGA Tour events, but two of them were U.S. Open Championships.

If you need any other illustration of how crazy the world of sports can be, all you need to look at is the history of the U.S. Open golf tournament. It is a tournament where two of the greatest champions of all-time, Phil Mickelson and Sam Snead, have a combined total of 10 runner-up finishes without never hoisting the tournament trophy, while there are 5 players over the last 50 years who have won the U.S. Open multiple times without winning any of the other three major titles.

Here is a look at the careers of those five champions who “got lucky” multiple times:

Hale Irwin – 1974, 1979, 1990 – Of the players whose only grand slam championships are at the U.S. Open, Irwin was the most successful in the other tournaments. He had at least one top five finish in each of the other three major championships, including a tie for second place at the British Open in 1983, and a total of 10 top 5 finishes and 20 top 10 finishes in majors. After winning his first U.S. Open in 1974, Irwin finished in the top 10 in each of the four majors in 1975. However, it would not be until 1979 when he claimed his second U.S. Open at the Iverness Club in Toledo, Ohio. Between 1980 and 1984, Irwin had four top 8 finishes at majors. However, he finished no higher than 14^th in a major for the remainder of the decade. So, it was quite a surprise when at the age of 45, he defeated Mike Donald in a playoff to become the oldest U.S. Open Champion. His final run at a major title was in 1993 when he finished tied for 6^th at the PGA Championship at the age of 48.

Andy North – 1978, 1985 – Anyone who watches golf analysis on ESPN is familiar with Andy North. He has been part of their golf coverage for more than two decades. North played college golf at the University of Florida before turning pro in 1972. In 1975 he registered his first top 5 finish at a major with a fourth place showing at the PGA Championship. In 1977 he won his first PGA Tour title capturing the American Express Westchester Classic. The following year he claimed the U.S. Open title by a single stroke over J.C. Snead and Dave Stockton. Though he finished in the top 10 at the U.S. Open in 1980 and 1983, he had very little success in other major tournaments prior to the 1985 U.S. Open. He overcame a four-shot deficit during the final round to win the tournament by a single stroke and claim his second U.S. Open title. He made only a handful of cuts at major championships over the remainder of his career. Read the rest of this entry →