Sunday, July 24, 2011

The Best of this Blog

Now there are almost 50 posts on this blog it’s worth browsing through some of the archives for older blog posts included on Amateur Golfer, in addition to the most recent blog posts that I have added. Here are a few links to some of the best posts and highlights of the blog to date.

On-line Golf Games

This post covers some of the great on-line golf games. The blog also includes links to the golf game web pages.

Golf at the Movies

Golf at the Movies covers some of the best golf related films for cinema. Great golf films such as Tin Cup and Caddyshack. The post also includes a video clip from the golf film Tin Cup.

Golf Stats for the Golf Course

There are a number of golf stats that can be recorded during any round. This covers some of the best golf stats such as putting averages etc and the mathematics behind them.

Longest Golf Hole in the United States

There are some very long golf holes on the PGA Tour. Some of these may even be new par 6 holes which are being added to some golf courses. However, none of these are the longest, and this post covers the Guinness Record listed longest golf hole in America.

Top 100 Golf Courses


This is an early post on this blog which includes the Golf Magazine’s top 100 golf course list. Although the list may have changed slightly since then, it is still a good guide as to which are the best golf courses in the sport.

These are a few of this blog’s posts that are worth revisiting. Just click on the links included above for the blog posts. Also consider browsing through some of the older posts I have included on my other blog which is included under my links.

Sunday, July 17, 2011

The Fifth Major – the US Amateur Championship

In the amateur game the US Amateur Championship is the golf trophy to win. The US Amateur Championship dates back to the late 19th century, and so predates both the USA PGA Championship and the US Masters. As such, before the US Masters or PGA Championships were established it was considered to be one of golf's Majors, alongside the UK and US Open.

The US Amateur Championship has a great history, and many of the game’s great players have played in and won the US Amateur Championship before they turned pro. These are just a few of the great golfers that have won the US Amateur Championship and the UK Open that is currently being played: Nicklaus, Woods, Palmer, Jones, Trevino, and O’Meara.

Woods won the US Amateur Championship three years running during the ‘90s. This was just a couple of years before winning the first Major at the Augusta Masters. Of the above listed golfers Jones was the most prolific in the US Amateur Championship winning five US Amateur titles. Jones never actually turned pro, but still won the UK and US Opens as an amateur.

So overall, as many great golfers have played in the US Amateur Championship today it can still be considered a fifth Major even if it not a pro golf championship. The US Amateur Championship provides the first glimpse of future UK Open champions and other Major champions. The 2011 US Amateur Championship will be played at the Erin Hills golf course next month in August.