Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Did You Win YOUR Bet That Mandela Would Make it to the European Tour?

The European Tour is the second largest tour in the world of golf coming in second only to the PGA Tour. The increase in popularity of the European Tour can be attributed to its broad inclusion in other parts of the world featuring venues held not only in Europe but also in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Smaller tours, such as the Sunshine Tour, are part of a global constinuency which makes up the International Federation of PGA Tours, co-sanctioning four events with the European Tour.

That being said, the most recent event played this past weekend on the Sunshine Tour was the inaugural Nelson Mandela Championship. A possibly more well-known tourney taking place this week on the Sunshine Tour is the Alfred Dunhill Championship. Both events count toward the Race to Dubai, a year-long global affair with a prize in excess of $1 million dollars.

Although few Sunshine Tour events attract top names in golf, this week, Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel are both competing: adding the name Mandela to any event also elevates it don't you think? These golf tournaments also give rise to fresh faces who might one day move toward a permanent spot on the Euro Tour.

Since gambling is an inherent part of golf, with these events comes the opportunity for sports betting.  As I have come to learn (no, I don't gamble but I read a lot), in the past, these sorts of transactions were done with a bookie, however, with the rise of the internet over the past few years many forms of gambling have taken full advantage of the online culture of this medium. Now bookmakers and casinos can be found online and everything that goes with them. People who fancy a quick go on the slots on their computer, or even their smartphone, can now do this at sites such as LuckyNuggetCasino.com online casino, along with card games such as Poker or Blackjack which are usually found to be more popular among sports fans. Betting on golf can now be done before or even during the game wherever they are; this new face of gambling also has expanded the types of sporting events on which bets can be placed.

The Nelson Mandela Championship, for example, showed me that a bettor would be able to predict finishing positions. This type of sports bet is where you make a prediction on where a golfer will finish at the conclusion of the tournament. This is a bit different than other bets as you can bet high which means you expect your selected golfer to do poorly in the tournament. On the other hand, you can decide to go low which means you expect him to do rather well. To know specifically what this looks like depends on the quote associated with a specific golfer. For instance, he may be quoted to be 5-8. This means that the sportsbooks have him predicted to finish either 6th or 7th. If you want to bet low, meaning he will do well, you would sell the finishing position at 5. If you expect this golfer may not place as well as expected, you would sell the finishing position at 8.

Where I do not condone gambling, I found the process quite interesting and wanted to share it with the audience. There are many people who go in ready to place a bet but not understanding the modus operandi in order to give themselves a chance at success.

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Friday, December 07, 2012

Are These the Best Golf Courses to Play in the USA for Beginners?

Golf blogger Angela Harper has compiled a short list of a few of the best golf courses in the United States and has shared it with Golf for Beginners blog. In the opinion of GFB, these courses are not meant for beginners nor for the faint of heart. Do you agree? 

Golf can be a wonderful game, ripe with precision and either tension or relaxation... depending on who you're playing with and the course you've decided to play. For the most part, even if you're a beginner, you should still start on a regular field where you'll be able to practice real swings instead of a typical mini golf course. You may believe a smaller course will be easier to master, however if you want to be really good as gold you will need to practice your swings at full force and in the exact conditions you were meant to play. Although the golf courses listed below are a few of the best courses to play in the USA, I recommend you play courses which are more forgiving, or from more forward tees allowing you to get the most out of your game.


1.      Pacific Dunes in Bandon, Oregon
This 18 hole has a par 71 and it opened back in 2001 by design of Tom Doak. There is a great variety of terrain here ranging from nice green grass to sand dunes and you'll have a wonderful chance to enjoy golfing here at its best. You can even attend the training facility available on the grounds as well as the driving range. You can find it on the following address:
57744 Round Lake Drive, Bandon, OR 97411



2.      Tournament Players Club at Sawgrass
Located in Jacksonville in sunny Florida, TPC Sawgrass was built in 1980 and has served as the location of The Players Championship for many years now. The area is specifically built to accommodate spectators so if you're feeling brave you can invite your friends to behold your incredible skills. The island green on the 17th hole is a great place to go diving for golf balls! It is an 18 hole, par 72 golf course and you can have some quality time there on this address:
110 Championship Way, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082

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TPC Sawgrass 17th hole





3.      Pebble Beach Golf Links
A rather more difficult 10-hole, par 72 golf course located in Pebble Beach, California. You can enjoy a better challenge here and their driving range and training course as well. The place was founded in 1919 and it carries quite the history with it. The prices for the green might be a little steep though they are definitely worth it because of its gorgeous destination right by the ocean. You can find it here:
1700 17 Mile Drive, Pebble Beach, CA 93953

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Pebble Beach Golf Links



4.      Spyglass Hill, California
Once again located in Pebble Beach, this particular course was created in 1966 by the famous golf arhitect Robert Trent Jones Sr. who created an incredible amount of those around the 50 states. It is said that the first few holes of this course are the most difficult in the world, so you might want to skip it if you're not feeling up to the challenge. You'll be able to find it on here:
Spyglass Hill Rd & Stevenson Drive, Pebble Beach, CA 93953



5.      Whistling Straits, Wisconsin
Created by Pete Dye and designed on par with the instructions of the founder Her Kohler, this is a nice 18-hole, 72 par golf course right on the shores of Lake Michigan. Whistling Straits been the host of the PGA Championship in 2004 and 2007 US Senior Open as well as being a wonderful place to play links-style golf. You can visit and play on the following address:
N 8501 County LS, Sheboygan, WI 53083

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Whistling Straits



Guest post by A. Harpert- a passionate traveler and adventurer by hobby and calling. She's a real expert in finding the most amazing holiday rentals for your vacation.


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