Friday, June 28, 2013

Let the War Games Begin

As civilian war games grow in popularity, so does the demand for more realistic, nonlethal weapons. The most common form of this extreme hobby is paintball. Paintball guns are very unrealistic and toy-like. The enthused hobbyist looking for a sport with more realistic weapons can turn to the world of Army airsoft guns. These weapons are exact replicas of real firearms such as the M15A4 and the M-7. The only noticeable difference is the bright orange tips with which most airsoft guns are equipped. Airsoft guns fire pellets rather than live rounds using compressed gas or even electric and spring driven pistons. Initially, the army airsoft gun was used exclusively for leisure by adrenaline junkies seeking the thrill of taking to the battlefield without the pesky threat of loss of life and limb. Today many federal and state institutions utilize airsoft weapons as a cost effective training tool and an inexpensive substitute for conversion kits for their real weapons.

The extreme hobbyist remains the main consumer of these very realistic weapons and there are many clubs and teams dedicated to army airsoft guns. Some events in Europe may have as many as 2000 participants in a single skirmish. With such stiff competition, these weekend warriors look for anything to give them the advantage over the field of opponents. Airsoft guns can be equipped with an impressive plethora of accessories including compressors, extended magazines and infrared sights. These unusual tournaments began in the 1980s in Japan and their popularity has increased exponentially. The only universal rule among the scores of tournaments available is the demand that safety equipment be used. Participants must wear protective, full-length clothing and eye goggles. A pellet traveling at full speed could result in blindness if it were to strike an eye. They have even been known to leave big bruises on protected skin. Most tournaments have a power ceiling and do not allow weapons with a velocity of more than four hundred FPS.

A good airsoft replica can be purchased for about $100 US though the price tag can inflate to $400 dollars for some of the more advanced weapons. There are also airsoft grenades and land mines to complete the simulated battlefield. These weapons are typically composed of a canister filled with BBs. The landmines are typically hidden in inconspicuous places where they may be triggered by the enemy. Many inventive participants actually construct these makeshift weapons from ordinary household products. For the less creative, there are many manufacturers of these simulated weapons from all across the world and more manufacturers toss their hat into the ring daily as the sport increases in popularity. One of the more reputable companies is the Maniac Hobby complex, a veritable warehouse of hobbies that has everything anyone would need to get into the competitive world of airsoft battles. Their facility is in Plantation, Florida but they deliver all over the continental United States. They even ship orders greater than $99 for free. Their toll free number is 888-83-HOBBY (6229) and it is recommended you visit their comprehensive website at www.maniacshobbhycomplex.com/airsoft-department.html.

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

The History of the Augusta National Golf Club

The Augusta golf course is perhaps the most famous golf course in the world. This is largely because it is the annual golf course of the Augusta Masters golf championships. The history of this great golf course is therefore intertwined with that of the Masters.

The Augusta golf course is one that dates back to the 1930s. The course was founded by Bobby Jones, and designed by course architect MacKenzie during the early ‘30s. Construction on the golf course began in 1931, and continued up until 1933. As such, the Augusta golf course was opened in 1933.

It was not long before the first Augusta Masters golf championship was to be played at Augusta. In 1934, the first Augusta National Invitational was won by Horton Smith. During the first few Augusta National Invitational championships the second nine holes of the current course were the first nine, and vice-versa. The order of these holes was reversed in 1935.

Pro golfers soon flocked to Augusta for the early Master golf championships. Among them was Sarazen who scored a double eagle on the 15th hole. As such, Sarazen’s Bridge footbridge on the 15th has been named as such ever since.

Among the club’s more famous members is that of President Eisenhower. As one of the Augusta National Golf Club members Eisenhower played a number of rounds on the course. Upon his election as U.S. president, the Eisenhower Cabin was constructed in 1956 which today is one of ten cabins at the Augusta course.

The Hogan Bridge is also another famous Bridge at the Augusta golf course. This bridge is located at the 12th Rae Creek’s hole. After Hogan set new course records during the ‘50s, the bridge was called the Hogan Bridge in 1958. Even though those records have since been eclipsed, it remains as such today.

1959 was the 25th anniversary of the Masters. As such, to celebrate the anniversary the Record Fountain was constructed close to the 17th green. Since then the record fountain has recorded a number of Master golf championship records.

In the postwar era Augusta also began to establish its first TV contracts. The first TV coverage of the Masters golf championship began in 1956. CBS has remained among the foremost broadcasters of the Augusta golf course and championship. Although, the first eight holes of the Augusta golf course were not covered by any broadcaster until the early 1990s.

In more recent years the Augusta golf course has had some further adjustments. In 2001, the Augusta National golf course was approximately 6,925 yards in length. It was then first lengthened to 7,270 yards. In 2006, the Augusta course was further extended to approximately 7,445 yards. As such, the course is somewhat longer today than it was in the 1930s.

Overall, the Augusta golf course has remained among the top ranked golf courses since it first opened in during the ‘30s. It topped Golf Digest’s America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses listings in 2011, and is usually within the top 10 of most golf publication course rankings. Check out the Augusta website which includes further details on the golf course.

Sunday, June 23, 2013

Banff Springs Golf Course Video

The Banff Springs golf course is one that has a great setting in the Canadian Rockies. The golf course stretches some 7,074 yards, and is surrounded by coniferous woodland. It includes some great holes such as the fourth par-3 that is located beside a glacial lake. Check out this Banff Springs course video.





Wednesday, June 19, 2013

When to Select Alternative Clubs for Chipping

Golf chips are those shots made from around the green, or even to lay the ball up onto a better lie. They are flexible enough not to be limited to the selection of just one or two clubs.

The 7-iron is a golf club that is often used for chipping. This is perhaps unsurprising, for it strikes a good balance of possessing a reasonable amount of loft, while also giving reasonable ball roll. As such, for a standard chip shot onto the green from 20-30 yards it might be ideal.

At any rate however, the seven iron will not always be ideal to use. Let us suppose you find yourself more like 10-15 yards within the flag, or even less, without being on the green itself. Here you might find yourself parked up close to the collar of the green, but not quite on it. As such, a 7-iron would not be a suitable club to chip with here.

Wedge clubs, such as the sand wedge, would probably be best to use under such circumstances. They have greater loft, and minimal roll, to ensure the ball will not be chipped so far and stop on the green fairly swiftly. At any rate, you could even just try putting the ball onto the green if the fairway is reasonably smooth. Consider that a long putt from 10 - 15 yards out will roll along the ground, and could be just as effective.

To chip the ball onto a green from slightly longer distance, consider using a longer iron. Let us suppose you are about 30-35 yards from the flag. A 6-iron will provide a good deal more role towards the flag stick than a pitching wedge, but the chip will have a less loft. The roll of the ball is what will give the distance.

Chipping out of longer grass will require shorter club selection. This is because you will need their loft to be able to chip through the longer grass. As such, the wedges can make the best clubs to use under these circumstances. A 9-iron might also give you enough loft to make a chip out of the rough.

A wet or dry golf course might also require different use of clubs. On a wet course the ball will not roll so far, so you might want to pick a slightly lower iron than usual. For dryer conditions it will roll further so moving up to a higher iron will reduce that.

Overall, there is some flexibility for club selection with the chip shot. Try not to limit yourself to just one or two clubs for chip shots, and take distance and conditions into account when on the course.

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Walsh And Nicholls Call Time

When two of arguably the greatest names in National Hunt Racing get together you know that success is undoubtedly on the cards. Such was the case of Irish jockey Ruby Walsh and Champion Trainer Paul Nicholls who in October 2002 formed one of the most successful partnerships in recent racing history.

In the eleven years that followed, together they achieved unparalleled success enjoying multiple victories in the Queen Mother Champion Chase, the World Hurdle, and the King George VI Chase as well as two triumphs with Kauto Star in the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Walsh enviably also partnered magnificent horses including Denman, Master Minded, Big Bucks, Silvianco Conti and Al Ferof to name just a few.

But, it seems, that all good things must come to an end and with his decision to live in Ireland, the vast amount of travelling required for the job of Ditcheat’s stable jockey took it’s toll on Walsh who announced recently that his days as stable jockey to Nicholls had come to an end.

Writing as a columnist for the Irish Examiner, Walsh cited many reasons for his departure not least of which was that his family life was clearly suffering and likened the situation to ships passing in the night.

With a wife, two young children and an over whelming schedule Walsh admitted that getting up at 4.50am, out the door at 5 to be in Dublin Airport at 5.45am for a 6.30am flight and not getting home until 8.15 or 8.30pm that evening meant that by the time the week’s done, he may have only seen his children for a couple of hours.

Understandably it was not an easy decision to make and walking away from a position that enables you to ride in and win the biggest races in the industry as well earn you a very decent living, was always going to be difficult particularly when you love it. But at 34 years of age, Walsh has decided that his family will come first and looks forward to sitting down for breakfast rather than grabbing a quick coffee while running out the door.

So what now for two of the most sought after figures in the world of horse racing? Walsh will strengthen his already existing partnership with Irish trainer Willie Mullins and concentrate on more racing in Ireland, while Nicholls must now take a serious look at his yard and decide which jockey will have the dubious task of filling such enormous shoes.

And Nicholls has his own issues to contend with, only one of which is the departure of Ruby Walsh. For the first time in eight years he lost out to competing trainer Nicky Henderson for the title of Champion Trainer in 2013 when he finished the year on total prize money of £2,924,917 versus Nicholls on £2,375,585.

That was hot on the heels of his very public split with race horse owner Clive Smith, a dramatic spat regarding the retirement of Kauto Star, that was played out in full view of the public via twitter and guest columns.

Shortly after that his long-time assistant, Dan Skelton, decided to start training in his own right and so he too left Ditcheat for greener gallops, leaving Paul Nicholls to no doubt ponder the roller coaster that has been his life for the last twelve months.

But all is not lost for the trainer who finally captured the elusive Grand National title in 2012 when jockey Daryl Jacob romped home on Neptune Collonges. Certainly with a stable yard full to the brim of horses such as Big Bucks, Silvianco Conti and Al Ferof it’s easy to see how a trainer of Nicholl’s quality has turned a small training yard with 28 loose boxes and an uphill woodchip gallop into one of the top establishments for Champion racehorses in the UK.

So from a young jockey and an up-and-coming trainer in 2002, to two of the most well known, successful and respected members of the racing community, they part as friends in 2013, and may even go head to head for the 2014 Grand National.

About the author: 

Paul Warrander is a leading contributor on some of the interest's best horse racing websites. Connect with him on Google Plus.

Be a rugby player - Get rugby boots, kit and then train hard!

Developing muscle really fast is one challenge that may come effortlessly to some. However, for others dedication and training does not always translate into developing muscle mass at a level quick enough. This information piece has been designed with 3 stages in mind. Diet training rest or food, training and restYou'll find a large number of individuals who get the working out aspect right and spend up to five hours a week at the gym but destroy all that awesome work through lousy eating habits. Men and women like this should apply the 60/40 concept whereby every day one looks at their diet as 60% fundamental whereas the exercising being 40% important. Through the use of this way of thinking the person is likely to make enormous progress in muscles tissue gain and size.

Let’s begin with your diet. Eat, eat and eat a great deal. Nevertheless, your food really needs to be the very best food, so bad fats and constant intake of very high calorie foods without protein will not pay rewards. All things considered protein is what builds, shapes and repairs muscular fibres therefore , endless intake of this nutrition type every two to three hours is important. Food is really significant, and truly being strict in one’s process is considered the only way. Daily meals cannot be skipped but sugary foods should not be consumed, it's all about a balance. As you see in the visualization beneath there are additional important things to pay attention to likewise.

Working out. It is important that when working out, all areas on the body are worked frequently. Legs, back and chest will be the 3 essential areas to target. A lot of men and women usually tend to focus just around the chest area and neglect their legs. So why? Because they believe individuals don't look at them regularly enough or they just would like large biceps and a cut chest. The fundamental problem with this is that you result in looking disproportionate and also in extreme circumstances quite silly. Getting out of proportion is not the lone thing to worry about but working on major compound routines most notably deadlifts and squats produces optimum hormonal testosterone that helps muscle tissues get bigger sooner.

And lastly is rest. Rest is very important for the reason that ultimately you're trying to gain weight which means saving as much energy as is possible while simultaneously exercising extremely hard. Walk if you do not have to run, sit if you don’t need stand and take a nap a little more than usual. Getting as regularly as sleep as you possibly can is essential so at the least 8 hours a night would be perfect. I hope you find the infographic useful.


My name is Eddard Blake and I am a freelance writer of Canterbury of New Zealand. If you are looking to get into rugby you're going to need quality rugby boots and rugby gear but you will also need to train extremely hard in the gym to get size. Hope you find this content useful.

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Radar Golf Balls

What do you get when you put a microchip in a golf ball? A radar golf ball! RadarGolf have introduced a few golf balls that have small microchips within them.

The addition of the the microchip ensures that golf balls that land in hedges, or around trees, can be found more quickly. When the ball has landed the RadarGolf Handheld will then locate the golf ball. The handheld detects the golf ball by homing in on its microchip!

The handheld includes an LCD display as well as audio tone. The audio tone strengthens as you get nearer to the ball. Consequently, when at its loudest you are closet to the ball.

Nor is the microchip supposed to have a big impact on the ball's distance etc. It's a 2-piece ball that still matches the standard requirements for golf balls. Currently they are packaged in one dozen packs.

At the moment this isn't something that's included on the PGA Tour. But with further expansions on the first RadarGolf System it could be a great golf gadget. For further details on the RadarGolf System and balls, check out this website.

Sunday, June 09, 2013

Finding new Golf Balls on the Golf Course

We've all lost a few golf balls right? As such, there's probably millions of lost golf balls scattered around golf courses the world over. That much is a guess, but for the millions that play golf, and lose balls, there has to be.

At TPC Sawgrass there is the Island Green par-3 hole. That's the one with a green in the middle of a lake. It is said that over 100,000 balls are lost in that lake each year, on just that one hole. Bring some diving gear, a couple of oxygen tanks, and you could probably find quite a few balls in the hole's lake!

The Island Green hole.
I was playing golf yesterday, and discovered three lost balls. Two were discovered in a ditch, with yellow stakes around it, which can fill with rain water during the winter period. After winter the pond becomes a ditch. Nor is that the first time I have discovered lost golf balls in hedges, ditches etc. Consequently, you can find new golf balls on the course!

To have a chance of finding lost golf balls do not go straight across the middle of the fairway up to the green when going up the hole. Stick to the left or right side of a hole, otherwise longer grass, that has trees and bushes along it. That's where lost golf balls usually are, so on your way up the hole you could pass one or two that landed in bushes.

When searching for your own golf ball in bushes, or around trees, you can also discover new ones. Even if you do locate your ball in a bush, so long as there's nobody behind you spend another five minutes checking out some other nearby bushes for lost balls. You might find more than just your own ball.

Of course, you should be sure that it is indeed a lost golf ball, and not one that's landed on the wrong hole. Do not pick up a seemingly lost golf ball from a fairway, or in longer grass close to the fairways. They might not be lost balls.

Wednesday, June 05, 2013

Famous Golf Courses in California

California is blessed with golf courses. The Californian climate is great for golf, and so there are a number of great golf courses and course designs from renowned golf course designers located in the state. These are a few of the famous golf courses in California.

Pebble Beach

No listing of nationally recognized golf courses in California would be complete without that of Pebble Beach. Pebble Beach is not just the best golf courses in California, but many consider it to be one of the best golf courses in North America. This is perhaps due to its fantastic location along the Pacific coastline of Monterey Bay. On this golf course players play along the coast, with some holes sneaking out towards the ocean. Famous holes, such as the short par-3 seventh, include a hole surrounded by bunkers and ocean. The 18th hole also has an ocean-lined fairway on the left side. As such, it is one America's favorite golf courses, and a recognized venue of the PGA Tour which has hosted a number of US Opens, including the most recent 2010 Open.


Spyglass Hill

One of Pebble Beach's sister courses is that of Spyglass Hill, another one of the highly ranked U.S. golf courses. Spyglass was designed by Robert Trent Jones who included slightly variable terrain with some holes that have sandy seaside dunes, and others passing through majestic pines with elevated greens. Like Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hill is a PGA Tour golf course which has some very tricky holes, such as the sixth and eight and a course rating that makes it one of the harder on the PGA circuit. As such, it is a course that has hosted championships such as the AT&T National Pro Am and the Pebble Beach Invitational.

Mountain Course

The Mountain Course is one of the golf courses at the La Quinta resort in California. This course has a unique design, and a great location beside the Santa Rose peaks. The surrounding mountain vistas link to the fairways, while the grassy green holes are in stark contrast to the desert landscape. Overall, the La Quinta resort has plenty of good golf courses, but the Mountain Course is one of its flagship courses that is ranked among the top 100 best public golf courses.

Torrey Pines

Another gem of southern California is that of the Torrey Pines Municipal golf course.  The golf course is a PGA Tour stop, which is up to 7,607 yards long. Torrey Pines has some great coastline views of the Pacific, and was renovated by Robert Trent Jones in time for the 2008 U.S. Open that the course hosted.

These are just four of the best nationally recognized golf courses in California. Pebble Beach, Spyglass, the Mountain Course and Torrey Pines are great courses that have hosted a few of the majors and other PGA Tour golf championships. Aside from being great championships courses, they are also resort courses.