What is going on the world of golf, pro and not, that's got your attention these past months? Let me know, and we'll talk about it  -  golfbythecup1405@verizon.net.

Here are a few things that have grabbed my attention of late - in no particular order. Feel free to elaborate on any or all of these thoughts. Here goes  . . .

• I thought this past week Morgan Pressel would bring home the bacon by winning the 2008 Wegmans LPGA. She started off great, but ended up tied for 10th place with Paula Creamer. They both ended their tournament at -8, while the winner, JI Eun Hee, finished at -16; quite a stretch.
• Is it just my opinion, or is Michelle Wie finally, after all this time, on the right track - career-wise? She has taken some horrible press over the last couple years, and quite frankly, it was all well deserved. Whoever was pulling the strings at Wie, Inc. in the past made all the wrong decisions for her. Hopefully, Michelle will focus on playing the best golf she can competing with women, now that she has realized playing with the big BOYS, competitively, just ain't gonna happen.
• Love her or hate her, Christina Kim is always fun to watch, in my book. Even up at Kingsmill this year when Christina was playing with Annika, she maintained her usual demeanor. And, I might mention that Annika went right along with her and seemed to be having a great time. Sometimes 'prim and proper' needs to take a vacation and when it does - Ms. Kim gives us just what we need - a reminder that just because thousands of $$$ are on the table, golf is still a game. Have some fun.
• Hasn't Dottie Pepper turned into a very good announcer? She's knowledgeable and she's not full of sappy, sweetness, such as Jim Nance. And, while we're talking about the folks in the booth, wasn't it a pleasant surprise seeing Curtis Strange? I confess to not being Curtis's biggest fan when he was announcing, but he brought something to the table during the U.S. Open that was fun and interesting. Thanks, CS.

. . . and, a few more thoughts on PGA's U.S. Open -

• It seemed like this year's Open was played by two people, Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate, but in reality, the final scores of the players following the leaders weren't at all shabby. Tiger and Rocco both finished at -1 and we all know how that tie ended - whew! But, right behind them were Westwood at even par, Trahan and Karlsson at +2, and Jimenez, Merrick and Pettersson at +3. No one really ran away with the tournament - it just seemed that way.
• After reading several discussion boards about the Open, it appears many, many people really and truly don't like Tiger Woods. More than a few posters and bloggers thought that he was faking the pain in his knee, They thought 'the grimace' was a new attention getter, purely for dramatics. Yeah - like Tiger Woods needs to make ugly faces, bend over double and limp with the use of a club/cain to get attention.
• Could we have asked for more polar opposites to play in the Monday 18-hole playoff? Tiger - trying to outrun the pain and stay focused; and Rocco, chatting with the gallery, smiling the entire way and enjoying the great adventure and opportunity in the lime light.
• Rocco Mediate's great golf, great personality and terrific sense of fun will never be overlooked in the future, when U.S. Opens are discussed.
• Rocco was classy and sincere from start to finish - and throughout the post-tourney chit-chat, as well. As big of a Tiger fan as I am, I never once found myself rooting for Rocco to miss a shot, be it a drive, pitch, chip or putt. In all honesty - I would have been happy regardless of which player hoisted the Championship Cup.
• It was nice not to have many (if any) super ridiculous statements and actions before and during the tournament. (Which makes me wonder if Boo and Rory even showed up  . . . )
• I spent way, way too much time watching this Open, and I DON'T REGRET A SINGLE MOMENT OF MY COUCH-POTATOE 5-DAY EXISTANCE.
• Tiger Woods. What can be said that hasn't already been said? Nothing, really. I'll just say he took us to a place we rarely get to see, close up and personal. That place is called determination and pure will. It also gave us a 1st hand look at what 'mind of matter' really requires.
• It remains to be determined how Tiger's absence during the rest of the year will affect the PGA Tour, and the TV ratings for broadcast golf. My opinion - golfers will continue to tune in to see what's happening with the pro's, but overall ratings will drop, maybe even drop a lot. I hope I'm wrong, but without the level of excitement Tiger brings to any event, I don't see golfers being all that anxious to sit and watch golf, rather than play golf, themselves. And, non-golfers - hmmm - I think moderately interested people will go back to their Saturday and Sunday gardening and other activities BT (Before Tiger).
• Much has been written and said about Tiger being arrogant and foolish in his desire to win this year's Championship. They point to actions that could very well lead to an end to his golf domination, possibly even an end to his competitive career. I can only disagree with one part of that opinion - and, that is the inclusion of the word 'arrogant'. Tiger may have been foolish to ignore his doctors' advice. But, I don't believe that arrogance played a part. One definition of arrogance states: "... an attitude of superiority manifested in an overbearing manner or in presumptuous claims or assumptions ..." Well, the 'presumptuous claims' part might apply, but I think that's all. I think Tiger - pure and simple - really wanted to win this tournament. He wanted to close in on Jack Niclaus's record of majors. I think he believed he could do it (and he was right); and, I think he believed he could mentally block out the pain when necessary, if it became a factor, as it did. He was right with that one, also, to the extent that he could pull off the necessary shots when needed. Also, once he'd invested so much time into the tournament, and knowing something was wrong with the knee's healing, he most likely knew he was going to miss the other majors (British and PGA) this year.
• One last thought about Tiger's Open and his decision to play. I love this guy and I don't think we'll ever see the likes of his expertise in the sport of golf again, in our life time. However, the one thing Tiger seems to have overlooked is the control of the body. He owns the most focused mind we have ever seen. He can block out all the side actions and see only what HE needs to see and do. He cannot, however, treat the body and own the performance of the body in the same way. No amount of focus, in-the-moment drills or other training skills can allow him to force body parts but so far beyond their ability. As much as we may want him to work toward attaining it, and as much as he may try to attain it, Tiger does not have the body of The Terminator. He can't self-heal in minutes, and he cannot grow another knee, himself. With the use of metal re-placements, pins, screws and clamps he can keep using 'a' knee. But, it won't be that original knee that has served him so well; the one that made that wondrous power-swing so BIG. All Tiger can hope for in the future (unless I'm missing something) is some parts that will serve him with the least amount of pain, resistance, squeak and friction.
• Needless to say - I hope I have to eat those last words I just wrote. I hope I AM missing something, and I hope Tiger comes back as good, if not better, than ever. I'm no doctor and I certainly have no insight into the future - so, in this case I want to be totally, completely and stupidly off base. That's the world I live in, most the time anyway - I can only hope it holds true regarding Tiger Woods.Also, I'm saying all that with the sincere hope that medical science will make it possible for Tiger and all the rest of us with bad knees, hips and rotator cuffs to grow 'new ones' made of real cartilage and tissue attachments, while we are still young enough to get some use out of them.

Please feel free to jump in and reply to any of this that you want. My correct, new e-mail address is  golfbythecupful1405@verizon.net  . I look forward to hearing from you.

/Golf by the Cupful

The Golf Channel has been talking about the news all day, and here's what Tiger had to say on his own website:

"I know much was made of my knee throughout the last week, and it was important to me that disclose my condition publicly at an appropriate time. I wanted to be very respectful of the USGA and their incredible hard work, and make sure the focus was on the U.S.Open. Now, it is clear that the right thing to do is to listen to my doctors, follow through with this surgery, and focus my attention on rehabilitating my knee."

"While I am obviously disappointed to have to miss the remainder of the season, I have to do the right thing for my long-term health and look forward to returning to competitive golf when my doctors agree that my knee is sufficiently healthy. My doctors assure me with the proper rehabilitation and training, the knee will be strong and there will be no long-term effects."

And, if that's not enough, besides having to have more surgery on the knee, he will also be recuperating from a stress fracture in his left leg that he experienced a couple weeks before the U.S. Open. That was causing him plenty of pain, also, during the OPEN. 

There is a very good article in today's Virginian-Pilot about Tiger, by David Brooks of the New York Times. The headline is,  'In distracting age, Woods a model of mental toughness.' If you haven't had a chance to read it, it's well worth the look. Brooks  talks about the mental discipline Tiger Woods possesses, as well as his ability to stay focused and in the moment while all the peripheral madness goes on around him when he's on the golf course.

To have got through this U.S. Open tournament, an extra day of play, PLUS an extra hole - AND to win the thing - mere mortals like you and I can only marvel at the 'winning mentality' Tiger needed for this win. 

Good luck Tiger Woods! You'll be in many of our thoughts and prayers for a speedy and full recovery.

/Golfbythecupful

[NOTE: My email has changed, so if you want to comment on this blog, or ANY of the 80+ blogs below - please disregard the old email and use this new one:   golfbythecupful1405@verizon.net.  I look forward to hearing from any and all readers, and will be glad to post your thoughts and emails here. ]

It's Tuesday, and I am still worn out from all the drama - ups and downs - after the 5 days it took to deliver us the 2008 U.S. OPEN. And, I'm betting you are probably feeling just as spent.

I would love to hear your thoughts - good and bad - about what we have witnessed since last Thursday . . .  the golf play, the players, the shots, the makes/the misses that went into this year's championship.

You can  email me at golfbythecupful1405@verizon.net - I don't mind. I'll post your e-mails right here. Or, you can click on the 'add new comment' button below, if you're registered with HamptonRoads.com.

Here's some thoughts from different sports boards I've checked out, and what other golfers and fans are talking about - feel free to comment and elaborate on any/all of them:

• Did the field fold?
• Did the field actually hang pretty touch considering the OPEN course set up?
• Were you held captive by your TV for 5 days?
• Did you think Tiger stood a chance of winning after his knee surgery?
• Maybe you have had this type of orthoscopic (is that the word...) surgery - what was your experience with pain?
• Did you think Rocco Mediate's loose "I"m just having fun." temperament was the perfect opposite of Tiger's well-known focus?
• Did you think Tiger played up his pain, indicating more pain than he may have actually felt?
• Do you think he played down the pain from that knee after some of those shots.
• Who were you pulling for? Even it wasn't Tiger or Rocco - who were you pulling for?
• What other issues were a factor for you regarding this tournament?
• Did you skip the whole damned thing, and just went out and played some golf, YOURSELF?
• You just want to talk randomly, about the OPEN? That's fine - go for it!

I hope you enjoyed our 2008 Championship as much as I did.

/Golf by the Cupful

If you watched the 3rd round of the U.S. OPEN today, played at Torrey Pines in San Diego, CA, you know why I used the word, WOW, in the title for this blog. Torrey Pines, just as it has for the first 2 days, continued to beat up on the best golfers in the world. The greens were fast and the rough was long and, well, roughter than rough.

With his left knee giving him some pain, Tiger Woods managed to end the day as the sole leader by one shot. On the way to today's finale, Tiger screwed up his face in pain, hit almost no tee shots in the fairways and still managed to end the day ahead of the entire field.

Rocco Mediate had a fantastic day, and it only went south toward the end of the round. Rocco will be playing in the next to the last group, but I'm sure he made many new fans these past 3 days. He had a smile on his face continuously, and chatted non-stop with his caddie. He played great, up until the last couple holes where he made some bogies. Still, if he regroups and gets his game back on the same track it's been on for this tournament, Tiger and Lee Underwood should look out.

Were you watching? Let me hear what you thought. Were you pulling for Tiger, against Tiger, or just watching with no particular favorite?

Email me at golfbythecupful1405@verizon.net , or leave me a comment by clicking on the 'Ad new comment' button below this post. I'd love to hear from you.

Golf by the Cupful/

Today was one of those hot, hot days where I wanted to do nothing but stay inside and soak up the AC. Luckily for me - I had plenty to watch on TV while ironed every pair of slacks and shorts that the ‘better half’ and I own. So, I wasn't JUST sluggin’ out on the sofa. I started out on NBC, moved over to ESPN at 3:00, and finally quit watching at 9:30 p.m.

If you watched you know it was a pretty exciting day. The Torrey Pines golf course in San Diego, CA was giving the players a major fit, with it's thick, coarse rough and lightening fast greens. By the end of today, Stuart Appleby had a one shot lead over Rocco Mediate, Robert Karlsson and Tiger Woods.

Now, Thursday's 1st round was pretty good, too; but, being a Tiger fan, today was the day I was waiting for. We Tiger fans wanted to see if the knee held up after yesterday's inaugural round after his surgery. I think we can all agree that it held up quite well.

What fun it was to see at least one of Tiger's must-have, miracle shots. On hole # 1 (his 10th, since he started the round on hole # 10) he had to stand on the cart path to hit a shot. It turned out well, and then he made a long putt for his par. It was THE shot that turned the round around for him and got his mojo working. I thought that, and so did the commentators. Up to that point, Curtis Strange, in the booth for the 1st time in ages, said it had sure been some 'sloppy' golf played by the number 1, 2 and 3 players in the world (Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Adam Scott) who played together yesterday and today.

Tiger tees off tomorrow in the 2^nd to last group, but we all know he’d rather be in that last group. His knee seems to be working alright, and he made some great putts today to leave him just one off the lead.

If you're watching and have any comments you'd like to share and have me to post, e-mail me at golfbythecupful1405@verizon.net  or leave a comment by clicking on the 'ad new comment' button below. Let me hear what you think about the Open, the players, the shots, the gossip, etc.,

(Personal note: I have been away from my GOLF BY THE CUPFUL blog since April, and I'm glad to be back. There were issues with our internet carrier after we changed, and getting a new email working turned out to be a month-long nightmare. But, I'm back up and working, and once again ready to talk golf, golfers, your golf game, my golf game . . .  or, anything else related to golf that grabs our fancy.

Golf by the Cupful/

[PHOTO: Yep, that's me. Par 3 Course, ANGC, April -2007]

I big, hearty THANK YOU, to ESPN and to the Masters Committee at Augusta National Golf course, is in order.

A good look at the beautiful Par 3 Course at Augusta National Golf Course is usually reserved for people who get to the Masters, either on practice days or tournament days. Except for highlights, the annual Par 3 Contest which is held on the Wednesday before the tournament starts, the TV viewing public doesn't get much of a glimpse of the little course.

Not so this year. For the first time the officials at Augusta National are allowing the Par 3 Contest to be televised on ESPN. So, today at 3 P.M. I'll be tuning in to watch it. This has nothing to do with the actual Masters scoring, but it's a fun-filled couple of hours where PGA pros and past Masters' winners play, and use interesting people as their caddies. You might see someone's young child dressed in the white Masters' caddie overalls; or, a wife, friend, or even a commentator. It seems that Kelly Tilghman caddies for Arnold Palmer for these events.

The one year my husband and I walked over while this competition was occuring, we only stayed about 20 minutes. Although the course is probably the prettiest little par 3 course you'll ever lay your eyes on, it's very small, and the sitting/standing area around each hole fills up quickly. To get a good tee-side spot or green-side spot to watch from, you need to get there early and plant yourself. Neither my husband nor I were willing to invest that much time into it, so we just watched a little of the action from way back for a few minutes, before heading back to the 'real' tournament course.

If you're not busy around 3 today tune into ESPN and check it out. It promises to provide a better view and much more action than if you were there. 

No tickets for me this year, but next year's another year. If you're interested in getting in the lottery drawing that Augusta National does each year, to allow people to purchase 'practice round' tickets, check out this site:  http://www.masters.org/en_US/index.html  and put your cursor over TOURNAMENT INFORMATION. You'll see the line just below change and then you can click on 'TICKET INFO.' If you get tickets for a Wednesday, it includes free access to the Par 3 Contest, as well as the pros playing practice rounds on the tournament course.

I have had my name pulled two different years in the lottery, and I accepted whatever they offered. Once I could buy tickets for one day, the other time, they allowed me to buy tickets for two days. Ticket prices ranged this year from $31 - $36.  Amazingly, cheap, isn't it? We drive down, stay just north of Augusta, and enjoy the great southern hospitality. You don't have to spend a fortune to enjoy a day or two and see all the pros. This is how I saw Tiger play in 1996 just months before he turned pro.

E-mail me at  golfbythecupful1405@verizon.net   and I'll post your comments from your e-mail; or, leave a comment by clicking the 'Add new comment' button below.

/Golf by the Cupful

On March 19, I wrote the blog titled: "Whoa, Rev. Wright. Leave Tiger Woods Alone." I quoted some lines I'd heard earlier from one of Rev. Wright's church sermons on Rush Limbaugh’s radio show. Rev. Wright, as most everyone knows by now, was Senator Barack Obama's pastor for nearly 20 years, before retiring a few weeks ago. Obama and his presidential campaign have taken some heat lately for certain sermons of Wright’s that seemed anti-white and anti-American. My blog was about the sermon that had this particular quote from Rev. Wright while in his pulpit:

"For every one Oprah, a billionaire, you've got five million blacks who are out of work. For every one Colin Powell, a millionaire, you've got 10 million blacks who cannot read. For every one Condoskeeza (sic) Rice, you've got one million in prison. For every one Tiger Woods, who needs to get beat, at the Masters, with his cap-blazing hips, playing on a course that discriminates against women. For every one Tiger Woods, we got 10,000 black kids who will never see a golf course."

If you read the blog, you know I questioned the comment about 'Condoskeeza Rice, and mentioned it had gone right over my head.

A very nice young man from Texas e-mailed me with the following clarification:

"What the 'good reverend' said was a racial slam at our beloved Tiger Woods.  Here's your quote and his quote.  In your quote from Rev. Wright's speech. you misspelled a word because you weren't sure what he said or to what he was referring [to].

What Rev. Wright said: For every one Condi-Skeezer ["skeezer" is a derogatory term for a black woman, used sometimes by rappers... like the words "ho" and "bitch."] Rice, you've got 1 million in prison. For every one Tiger Woods, who needs to get beat at the Masters, with his Cablanasian [referring to Tiger Woods multi-racial heritage; it's actually a word Tiger made up.  It's as if Wright is trashing Tiger Woods because Tiger claims to be of combined races, not claiming that he is exclusively black]  hips, playing on a course that discriminates against women, God has this way of bringing you up short when you get too big for your Cablanasian britches."  

The e-mailer provided this link:  http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,,1934219,00.html  which has an article by Anna Kessel, discussing Tiger's multi-racial heritage, and the word 'Cablanasian' which he has coined.

Regarding the e-mail, I would only add that I didn't simply attempt to quote the snippet from the sermon as I'd heard it on radio; but rather, I took a direct quote from the ABC NEWS website. So, I'm not in such bad company if I miss-quoted the Rev. And, after receiving the Texan's e-mail I GOOGLED 'cap-blazing hips' and came up with quite a few references to this same sermon.

I do have to thank the e-mailer for setting me straight about Wright's Condoleezza Rice comment, and for sharing the meaning behind the word 'Cablanasian', even though I don't think that's actually what Wright said in his sermon. I believe he was being sarcastic by substituting 'cap-blazing hips' for Cablanasian, in the same way he substituted 'Condoskeeza' for Condoleezza. But then, that's just my opinion.

I wanted to share this little bit of clarification with my blog readers, and I sincerely thank the man who took the time to write me.

* Leave a comment by clicking on the 'Add new comment' button below; or, send me an e-mail at golfbythecupful1405@verizon.net and I will post it as comment. Please keep comments to a reasonable length. If they are too long, I will edit for length. / /Golf by the Cupful

I don't like to mix my pleasures, in this case golf and politics, but Rev. Jeremiah Wright's latest rant from the pulpit referencing Tiger Woods is too good to pass.

As you know, we're hearing bits and pieces from sermons delivered by Barack Obama's friend, mentor and spiritual advisor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, because of angry, over-the-top comments he's made from his church's pulpit. I've been listening to the news and wondering why Sen. Obama waited so long to disavow his minister's racist and anti-American comments.

Tuesday, I'd listened to Barack Obama's speech regarding racism in American today and in the past, and I was appreciative of his calm reasoning and seemingly honest attempt to approach the racial problems in our country. I'm not getting into all the side-line issues about why he gave this speech now (we all know why), but overall that speech gave me an added respect for the Senator. I get the feeling he seriously wants to change the racial atmosphere. Whether he does it as President of the United States or as a concerned citizen is of no real concern to me - but he is the first person, black or white, who I've felt addressed issues from white and black perspectives, and who could be a much needed UNIFYING voice.

Later in the day I was in the car and I turned on the radio to hear what Rush Limbaugh's opinion was, not that I care much about Rush's opinion on the soup du jour, much less politics.  As usual he was rattling on and on, but then he started to play a clip from Obama's pastor, and he said, "You'll want to hear what he says about Tiger Woods."

That got my attention, but I had a sinking feeling he wasn't going to talk about that terrific approach shot on the number 18 in Arnie's tournament on Sunday, or the finishing birdie putt. I was right. Here's the quote I found online from the clip Limbaugh played:

"For every one Oprah, a billionaire, you've got five million blacks who are out of work. For every one Colin Powell, a millionaire, you've got 10 million blacks who cannot read. For every one Condoskeeza (sic) Rice, you've got one million in prison. For every one Tiger Woods, who needs to get beat, at the Masters, with his cap-blazing hips, playing on a course that discriminates against women. For every one Tiger Woods, we got 10,000 black kids who will never see a golf course."

What was that 'Condoskeeza Rice' comment all about? Did you get it? It went over my head and left a part in my hair.

But, what the heck is Rev. Wright's purpose in messing with Tiger Woods? Doesn't he know Tiger is having a splendid year thus far, and doesn't need all this nonsense to try to pull his focus away from what really matters - other fantastic approach shots and final-hole birdie putts.

Ok, I know there are other things that matter besides golf, but Wright's statements about Tiger were ridiculous to say the least. Of course he's saying Tiger should be speaking out. But, why? Actions DO speak louder than words; and, a picture IS worth a thousand words. I doubt that the familiar, celebratory fist pump is always JUST for a putt that dropped.

Tiger has said more to young black children, and all children for that matter, by getting an education, keeping his body in good shape, working hard, hour after hour, on his profession and getting the job done, than if he'd walked in a hundred protest rallies, or given dozens of speeches decrying perceived (or not) injustices that occur at Augusta National every spring. 

In 1997 Tiger's protest was to give all of America a view of a black, professional golfer breaking record after record formerly set by white, professional golfers at Augusta. He didn't need to say one, single word about it - we all knew what had happened - Tiger had  just stuck it to THE MAN, or, in that case, THE COMMITTEE, and on it's own playing field, no less. End of protest.

So, Rev. Wright, in my opinion you're an angry looney-toon. I don't say that because of your preaching style of fire-and-brimstone; I grew up in a religion where all sermons were delivered just like yours - loud and fierce. Big difference though. I never heard one of my pastors say vile things about our country like you have.

And, I certainly never heard one of them angrily rant about a young man, one of their own, at that, who came along at a perfect time, and did more with the simply swing of a golf club than ugly, harsh words ever could.

Why jump all over Tiger Woods? Or, a better question might be, why look a gift horse in the mouth? If Tiger Woods didn't motivate people, Mr. Wright's changes are just about zero.

The Rev. is correct, I suppose when he says, "we got 10,000 black kids who will never see a golf course;" however, that could also be said about a million underprivileged white kids.

The big thing Wright misses is that there are many, many kids, black and white, who frequent golf courses today, because of Tiger Woods. Tiger not only changed the look of a world-class golf swing, or the look of golfers, themselves - he also changed a basic mind-set regarding golf courses.

No one sees a golf course any longer as only a haven for wealthy, white guys. Tiger coming on the scene has made all us feel welcome - regardless of our age, our gender or our race. 

I doubt that a thousand anger-laden outbursts from Rev. Jeremiah Wright's pulpit could have impressed and motivated black children the way one picture of Tiger Woods hoisting the winner's trophy from just one tournament has done.

/Golf by the Cupful

Leave me a comment at golfbythecupful1405@verizon.net  (cut and paste the e-mail address if it works better that way for you), or leave me a comment by clicking on the 'ADD NEW COMMENT' button below.

I was thrilled that Tiger's winning streak continues, with yesterday's (Sunday) win in the Arnold Palmer Invitational. And, what a finish, in Jack Nicklaus style - no less, to win on the last hole of the tournament with a birdie putt that tracked all the way to the hole. I lept off my chair so fast, the beagles thought their dinner was ready.

To make that putt after missing several shorter ones was stunning. Obviously Tiger thought it was special, too, not just celebrating with the familiar fist pump, but also slamming his hat onto the green. The commentators said that's the first time they've seen that level of celebratory excitement from Tiger in a long time, if ever.

The win tied Tiger with Ben Hogan for third place in PGA wins (64), and gave him his 5th PGA tournament win in a row. The Dubai Desert Classic and the Target World Challenge don't count - but, for those of us who think a streak is the number of tournaments won in a row - period - we're saying the number stands at 7.

Now, he starts the leg of his career that will have him chasing his hero, Jack Nicklaus. If he can match Nicklaus' 73 wins, Tiger then goes after the top record - Sam Snead's 81.

Tiger Woods has brought a level of excitement and fun to golf that the game has never quite experienced before. Fans love all the golfing greats and most recently Arnie and Jack; but, Tiger has rallied the kids, the moms, the dads and the grannies to think,  'this is a game that looks like fun, and a game I can play for many years.'

It appears that 2008 is going to be another spectacular year for Tiger. Look out Jack - he's not too far behind. And Sammie - you might want to start making some room on your throne - looks like company might be comin'.

E-mail me with comments at  golfbythecupful1405@verizon.net, and I'll post them right here for you; or leave a comment from here by clicking on the ADD NEW COMMENT button below.

/Golf by the Cupful

Golf courses look like pristine little sanctuaries, where people talk in hushed tones, enjoy nature and play a game they enjoy. Well, yes - all those things do happen; but don't be misled. There is a lot of rudeness that occurs, also -. rudeness, bad manners and general unaware-ness (if that's a real word) to be exact.

A good friend of mine and 11 other guys were finishing up an afternoon round of golf recently. It wasn't dark, but the 3 foursomes were glad to be on holes 16, 17 and 18.

My friend was in the group on # 18, getting ready to tee off when a foursome of women drives up. Since the guys already at the tee area assumed the women were going to drive on down the cart path to the club house, they told the women they were welcome to go ahead, and that they woudn't hit until the women were out of range.

The woman driving the cart told the men that her group was just going to play the last hole, because it was getting dark.

["Say what?" was my comment at this point in my friend's story.]

One of the men said, "I'm sorry, but we've got three groups that are finishing up. There are two groups behind us, and you can jump in if you want after they finish."

Obviously, this wasn't good enough for the women. They waited at the tee area for my friend's group to hit and get in the middle of the fairway to where their balls were, and then a woman started walking to the tee box. She was immediately yelled at by the 2nd group of men, who had driven up and were waiting to see what the women were going to do. "Hey, Miss, we're following those guys," one of the men said. "You can't jump in here."

"We are just going to play on in," the women said. "It's getting dark."

"We are trying to finish up, too." Said one of the men. "You had to have skipped a couple holes to be here, anyway, since you were behind us."

Bottom line - the women had to wait until the 3rd foursome had hit their tee shots before they could hit. By that time it was too dark for them to tee off, so they huffed and puffed into the club house - ticked.

I heard this story and had to laugh. It's so typical of many golfers playing the game these days. They assume all there is to 'golf' is hitting a ball. They need to learn a little bit about moving around the golf course.

It's true, as someone pointed out when I told this story, that late afternoon golf is anarchy - everyone for himself/herself. However, people who golf a lot know that you don't just break in the middle of groups that following, and who are not lagging behind, regardless of the time of day.

If a hole with no one on it was available, anyone could have jumped in. In doing so, though, the polite thing is to make sure your group can hit and get moving and not cause the group behind to have to wait - even in late afternoon golf, some semblance of etiquette is expected.

Sorry ladies - whatever the problem was that caused the lapse in consideration and etiquette from your group, it's no excuse for making yourselves look like rookies who have never been on a golf course before.

Just my opinion - /Golf by the Cupful

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