Sports Then and Now

Golf is one sport where practice is essential.

If you watch any professional golfer in action, you will have noticed that they all have their own pre-shot routine and if they get distracted for any reason, they step back and start all over again.

Developing your own pre-shot routine will really help you to improve your golf game, and if you really needed any proof of that, you only to have remind yourself why all the pro golfers do it.

If you check out a resource like BirdGolf, you can find some help with your game in the form of professional tuition, but in the meantime, there are some methods you can work on as well in order to improve your scorecard.

Developing good habits

Golf will never cease to be a challenging game, which is why we love it so much, but it is made harder by the fact that it many of us find it so tough to get a great swing and contact every time we play.

The secret to a successful game and what keeps the professionals in contention, is developing some good habits and sticking to them with a disciplined attitude and approach, so that you can respond well to changing conditions and become more consistent.

One of the best habits you can develop is a good pre-shot routine. If you go through this same routine every time you step up to take a shot, you will improve your confidence and have a much better chance of performing to the best of your ability every time you play. Read the rest of this entry →

The golf courses at Mont Tremblant are among the most picturesque around.

There are a lot of factors that play into a tourist’s decision-making process. Selecting a destination is based upon a number of factors, including ease of travel, local accommodations, attractions, and the local environment. When it comes to traveling in pursuit of sport, golf is one of the few sports that draws people to all corners of the globe for a mix of natural splendor and sporting challenge. If you’re contemplating a visit to Mont Tremblant, what tips do you need to plan the perfect golfing trip?

Mont Tremblant Golf Courses

A visit to Quebec is not complete without a day on the links at Mont Tremblant. The facility boasts two championship courses with spectacular plateaus, beautiful greens, and impressive views that challenge you to keep your focus on the game, and not on nature. Le Diable lives up to its name, with devilish surprises hidden at every turn. The course features long, narrow fairways which are bordered by dense forests. Massive red-sand bunkers await any wayward shot.

Le Géant offers a similar challenge to golfers, with impressive mountainside views of the vast Laurentian landscape. The course at Le Géant exists in perfect harmony with the dense forests and impressive mountain landscape surrounding it, challenging you to remain focused on your next shot rather than the scenery around you.

Accommodations

Golfers don’t cross international borders to sleep in tents before hitting the links. Before you spend four hours on the fairways and greens of Mont Tremblant, you’ll need a good night’s sleep. There are a variety of Tremblant rentals available that will wrap you in luxury, power up your game with good sleep, and help you relax after a day on your feet. Vacation rentals in Tremblant include amenities such as sledding for kids, skiing for your travel partners ice skating, and spa retreats to help soothe your muscles at the end of the day. Read the rest of this entry →

Everyone’s got at least one hobby.

It is the competitive nature of certain pastimes that raises the question as to whether they are sports or hobbies. A sport could be defined as a competitive activity that can be performed by an individual or team that is played against others for entertainment purposes. The activity typically involves both physical exertion and skill.

Meanwhile hobbies are understood to be activities done alone or with others in one’s spare time for personal enjoyment. You can immerse yourself in a myriad of ways such as exchanging sports trading cards with others, as well as playing with friends and family. While certain hobbies can be done competitively, practically all sports function on a timetable laid down by an organization responsible for governing all related competitions.

Compare that to competitive hobbies that are done in one’s selected free time.

Some pastimes can be performed either as hobbies or sports, which leads to some general confusion. Are the following activities hobbies or sports? Let’s find out!

Golf

We begin this list with a sport that is often associated with leisure time afforded to older retire gentlemen or a “paper pusher” hoping to make a good impression on his boss.

For some, golf is very much a hobby. This is because it is strictly done during free time. But this game’s long history suggests that it is indeed a sport.

The sport of golf meets all three major requirements to be considered such. Read the rest of this entry →

St. Andrews in Yonkers, New York is billed as the first golf club in the United States. But is it really?

It’s commonly claimed that the oldest golf course to be founded in the United States is St. Andrews, in Yonkers, New York. It’s one of those little bits of trivia meant to show that you are a true aficionado of the sport rather than a mere schlub. Doubt it? Go visit their website. It’s the very first thing they say about themselves.

Except, it isn’t.

It’s not even true that it’s the oldest U.S. course to still be in use, or even in continuous use since it was built. First started as a three hole course in 1888, St. Andrews has been open every year since, providing 126 years of continuous play for golfers in the States. During that time it has expanded from three holes to the “standard” eighteen hole, par 71 course that is known and loved today, and lauded as the first and oldest golf course in the U.S.

Unfortunately, neither claim is true. Those titles were earned earlier, in 1884. There’s just one small problem with naming who holds them. Two courses were founded that year, and no one is quite certain which opened first. One is the Foxburg Golf Club in Pennsylvania. The other is Oakhurst Links in West Virginia.

Which came first? It’s hard to say. Both have a claim for that preeminence. But the exact date of the first game played on the course is uncertain. Without knowing that, it’s impossible to appoint a single winner. So let’s take a quick look at both.
Read the rest of this entry →

The Masters Tournament is held every year at the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga. Originally established in 1934, the tournament has become perhaps the most renowned on the PGA Tour because of the history and traditions that are associated with it. Organizers have reshaped and redesigned the course over the years, but these traditions remain and will continue to do so well into the future.

Green Jacket

Since 1949, the winner of the Masters has been awarded a green jacket. This golfer is only permitted to keep the jacket until the following year’s tournament, at which time it must be returned to the clubhouse. Past champions are allowed to wear the green jacket that they have won whenever they return to the golf course, but should never wear it anywhere else.

Read the rest of this entry →

Even though he hasn’t won a major tournament in five years, Tiger Woods is still the richest golfer in the sport.

During 2013 we have seen a number of golfers hit the sports rich list keeping themselves amongst the world’s greatest footballer, basket ball stars and boxers. Express Golf has been through the Forbes rich list to pick out the 2013 top 5 richest golfers and a bit of background info on how they achieved these earnings.

5. Brandt Snedeker
The Nashville resident golfer Brandt Snedeker holds the fifth spot in our rankings after a great 2012 where he won the PGA Tour championship which left him at a record high world ranking position of 4 at the beginning of the year. Its estimated that his combined earnings left him with around $19m with $17m of that coming directly from tournament purses and the remainder coming from sponsorship deals.

4. Ernie Els
PGA Tour veteran Ernie Els is still keeping up his position in the rich list with an increase in the sports rich list from position 91 to 78. Ernie Els might not have collected as much in tournament purse as Snedeker but a thriving course design business as well as some high profile sponsorship deals including one with Breitling ensures that he estimated endorsement and sponsorship earnings of $16m take him above the Texan with a combined estimated earnings of $19.5m. Read the rest of this entry →