Sunday, December 30, 2012

Magnetic Golf Hat

A few days back I unwrapped a golf hat. This was a Titleist golf hat that had one notable addition that most likely do not include.  A magnetic ball marker came included with it. At the front right of the golf hat there is a magnetic field. With this magnetic field you can stick golf ball markers of various shapes and sizes so long as they are magnetic. You can even stick coins to the hat as well!

With a magnetic golf hat such as this you won't lose your ball markers. With those you can mark your ball on the putting green, and lift it up if required. If your ball has accumulated mud from the course it can then be wiped, and placed back down where you left the ball marker.

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

The highest Golf Course... anywhere!

Apparently there was a golf course at Tuctu that rised some 14,000 feet above the sea. That's some altitude, and needless to say it was the highest golf course with fairways that flirted with the clouds. However, now that it has been abandoned since the '90s, with the former course overgrown with vegetation and weeds other mountainous courses lay claim to the highest golf course altitude record.

In the USA you can sure find some of the highest courses. Take a trip to Colorado which includes a few that rise over 9, 000ft, such as the The Lodge Resort at Cloudcroft. Whilst they certainly set the records in the USA, a higher altitude golf course can be found in Bolivia.

That golf course is La Paz at the Valle de la Luna. This golf course rises some 10,695 ft which is the record altitude. From the gold tees it is approximately 6,771 yards. Here you can play golf over eroded sandstone mountains which have left a flatter landscape for the course itself.

It is indeed unique terrain, and the course has some interesting holes. When you make it to the 12th you'll find an island hole and cross two bridges en route to the tee box. From here the ball will travel over rocky outcrops before landing on a flatter fairway.

One thing you can sure of at this golf course is that your ball will travel further. That's because your golf balls go that much further when playing at higher altitude courses. At Le Paz you could expect an additional 20% more distance, that's 20 more yards for every 100. Thus mountain courses are in fact somewhat shorter than their yardage charts may suggest.

Sunday, December 23, 2012

Xmas Golf Game

I have my own Christmas gift for the thousands that flock to this blog. Check out this link for an Xmas golf game. Leave some of your scores at the bottom of the post.  Merry Christmas! 

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Browsing the Archives

Today there are hundreds of posts on Amateur Golfer. So, I've selected a few notable blog posts from the blog's archives. Check out some of the following:

Golf Stats for the Golf Course: 

This blog post includes some golf stats for course. Stats such as stroke average, putting average etc.

Ryder Cup of Amateur Golf: 

As a team based golf championship the Walker Cup is similar to the Ryder Cup. The Ryder Cup of Amateur Golf post covers the Walker Cup championship.

Golf at the Olympics:

A brief blog post about Olympic golf championships. Only a few championships have been played at the Olympics, but golf will return.

Cypress Point Golf Slideshow: 

Check out this post for a great course video. The video includes a photo slideshow for the Cypress Point golf course.

T - Rex at St Andrew's Old Course: 

Believe it or not a T - Rex was discovered. This blog post includes a remarkable photo of a T - Rex at the St Andrew's Old Course. Add it to your desktop wallpaper.

Great Mackenzie Golf Courses: 

Mackenzie has some great golf courses from Georgia to California. Among them the Augusta championship course. This blog post covers some of Mackenize's more famous courses in the United States and beyond.

The Ideal Half-set of Golf Clubs: 

Check out this post for some golf club selection suggestions. It includes details for golf half-sets, and which seven or eight clubs should be included in your bag.

Those are just a few from the archives. The links included above will take you to the posts. Browse the blog archive on the right, below the article links, for additional posts on Amateur Golfer.

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Video tour of the PGA Golf de Catalunya Stadium course

Today I've dug up a video tour of the classy PGA Golf de Catalunya Stadium golf course. As you may recall this was ranked within the top 10 European golf courses beyond the United Kingdom, and has a variety of lakes which are combined with the course holes. This golf course stretches approximately 6, 588 yards from the white tees. 


Sunday, December 09, 2012

Battles of Pacific War blog

Battles of the Pacific War blog is another of my blogs included on the links to the right. This is the blog for my book Battles of the Pacific War 1941 - 1945. Here you can find all the details on my book, which alas has absolutely nothing to do with golf! The blog includes colour video footage from the Pacific War and some photography from the Pacific, alongside further details for the book. If you have any questions about the book you can put them on that blog, or at the end of this post. So why not check the blog out?

Wednesday, December 05, 2012

Europe's top 10 golf courses beyond Great Britain

Today I found interesting course rankings from Golf World Magazine. Golf World Magazine's top 100 courses in Europe ranks those within mainland Europe, leaving out those in Britain & Ireland. The top 10 of the rankings are as follows:

1. Les Bordes Golf Club
2. Golf de Morfontaine
3. Royal Hague Golf & CC
4. Royal Zoute Golf Club
5. Le Golf National
6. Valderrama Golf Club
7. Kennemer Golf & Country Club
8. PGA Golf de Catalunya
9. Noordwijkse Golf Club
10. Bro Hof Slott Golf Club

And so it is Les Bordes Golf Club that is the top course for continental Europe. Not a golf course that I've heard much about, but it's a large one that stretches approximately 7,000 yards. The course is set in the forests of Sologne, in France, alongside the River Loire. As such, this golf course's holes are combined with both water and the birch forest.

A number of other French golf courses are included on the list. Among them the Le Golf National which is a future venue for the Ryder Cup, and the Golf de Morfontaine is another of France's gems which ranks in at second. Both climb above more famous courses such as the great Valderrama Golf Club, a golfing mecca that has formerly hosted the Ryder Cup. Set alongside the Pyrenees, on the eastern Spanish coastline, is the PGA Catalunya Golf Course which is another PGA Tour course in Spain ranked among the top 10.

I'm not sure how many of these courses are public ones, but if membership is not required they are certainly worth noting for a golfing vacation in Spain and France. Check out the Planet Golf site for the full rankings of Europe's finest courses. Additional Golf Digest course rankings for the USA can be found in previous posts on this blog.