2012 IAGTO Awards

When considering a potential golf vacation destination, take note of the IAGTO Awards. These are the official awards of the golf travel industry, and highlight some fantastic golfing destinations. The most recent destinations selected for the 2012 awards are as follows:

Undiscovered Golf Destination of the Year

BULGARIA

Golf Destination of the Year - Africa, Indian Ocean & Gulf States

ABU DHABI

Golf Destination of the Year - Asia & Australasia

PATTAYA, THAILAND

Golf Destination of the Year - Europe

FIFE, SCOTLAND

Golf Destination of the Year - Latin America & The Caribbean

LOS CABOS, MEXICO

Golf Destination of the Year - North America

PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA

Golf Resort of the Year - Europe

FAIRMONT ST ANDREWS, SCOTLAND

Golf Resort of the Year - North America

TURNBERRY ISLE MIAMI, FLORIDA

Golf Resort of the Year - Rest of World

MISSION HILLS • HAINAN, CHINA

As such, Palm Springs and FIFE are the best destinations in North America and Europe for a golf vacation in 2012. In addition to this, the golf resorts of Turnberry and St Andrews are also well worth noting. For further details on previous winners of the IAGTO Awards, check out their website which includes full listings of previous winners. Plus, take note of Amateur Golfer’s previous poll which voted the United Kingdom as Europe’s best golf destination!

Golf Digest's Best Public Courses

Among the other Golf Digest course rankings are the best public golf course listings. These are the best golf courses that are open to the public and so do not require any membership to play at. As such, they are ideal golf vacation courses.

And Golf Digest’s best public golf course is…drum roll please… Pebble Beach! Pebble Beach in California is ranked as one of the finest golf courses in America, one of the most exciting venues on the PGA Tour that remains a resort course. Pebble Beach has hosted five great U.S. Opens, and has a great coastal setting along the Monterey coastline. It includes famous holes such as the short 7^th and the 18^th hole which plays along the ocean and is rated as one of golf’s best finishing holes. For further details on their golf vacation packages check out the Pebble Beach website.

Another notable resort courses included in the top 10 is that of the Ocean Course. The Ocean Course is one of the famed resort courses on Kiawah Island on the eastern coast. Like Pebble Beach this has also hosted PGA Tour championships as well as the Ryder Cup in 1991. This golf course has more coastal holes than any other in the northern hemisphere. 10 holes run alongside its Atlantic coastline. Along with the other courses at Kiawah Island it is another great golf vacation destination.

Another notable championship golf course in the top 10 is that of Bethpage State Park which is ranked 7^th. Bethpage has hosted two U.S. Opens golf championships, and is also great value. The course includes a variety of tees to tee-off from so its overall yardage ranges from a 7, 297 yards – 6223 from the red tees.

These are three of the great public courses included in Golf Digest’s top 10. For the full rankings, check out this page.

Strokeplay V Matchplay

As most golf fans will be aware, the two main scoring formats in golf are strokeplay and matchplay. Strokeplay is the format used in all of the Major golf championships, while matchplay is used in the Ryder Cup and other team based golf championships such as the Walker Cup. Which is the best scoring format?

Well, that’s for you to vote on in the latest Amateur Golfer poll. Do you prefer a strokeplay match with overall scoring total, or a matchplay contest in which the player who wins the most holes wins the round? For further details on the golf scoring formats check out this previous post on Amateur Golfer. 

Overall, I feel that matchplay is a touch underrated and could be included for more golfing cups. There have been some great Ryder Cups with the matchplay format, and it could be extended further for non-team golf championships. As such, matchplay gets my vote. 

White selected for French Rugby Team

Gregory White has quickly emerged as a key player for the Toulouse Olympique squad, the only French team to play in the Rugby League Championship 2011. Never before had White played a senior rugby league game in Australia before being spotted by French rugby scouts.

Now it’s an altogether different story as not only is White playing for Toulouse Olympique, but has also been selected for the French Rugby League squad for upcoming internationals with England, Wales and Ireland after some impressive try scoring form. As such, now White could be playing for France in the 2013 World Cup, possibly against the Kangaroos. For further details, check out some of the links included in this blog post.

Night Golf

Well it’s November, and that means shorter daylight hours. However, who says you cannot play night golf? In actual fact there are numerous floodlit golf courses which are lit up when daylight visibility diminishes, and even non floodlit golf courses may not change their summer course opening hours during the winter. Golf courses such as the Al Hamra Golf Club are good examples of floodlit courses for evening golf. Just input the keyword night golf into Google for a range of floodlit golf course images.

Al Hamra Golf Course

Even if you cannot find a floodlit course, you can still invest in glow in the dark light up golf balls which will illuminate at night. In addition to this, bring a torch out onto the course with you. For further details on evening golf check out this website which highlights how holes can be illuminated without floodlights.

2011 Blog Posts

There have been 42 2011 blog posts on Amateur Golfer. A record number have been added in 2011 covering golf travel, golf championships, tips and golf courses and holes. Of course, you can find these in Amateur Golfer’s archives, but here are a few links to some of the more notable 2011 blog posts on Amateur Golfer.

The Fifth Major – the US Amateur Championship

This blog post covers the US Amateur Championship. It’s one of the biggest golf championships, and was once considered to be one of the Majors.

The Texas Wedge Putt

Putting off the green can be more effective than chipping. Here the Texas Wedge putt is covered in more detail.

Great American Golf Holes

This covers some of the great American golf holes in more detail. More specifically, the 18^th at Pebble Beach, 12^th at Augusta and 17^th at the Stadium Course are all covered in this blog post with details for each hole.

Putting Tips

Looking for some putting tips? Take note of this blog post which includes some.

America's Top 10 Golf Courses in 2011

Which are the best golf courses in America? This golf blog covers America’s top 10 golf courses in 2011. As such, it includes Golf Digest’s 2011 top 10 listing.

Longest Golf Hole in the United States

The longest golf hole in the United States is… Check out this blog post which provides further details on the longest golf hole in America.

Golf Desktop Wallpaper

Golf desktop wallpaper can be a great way to enhance the desktop. This blog post includes links to websites that have a good variety of golf desktop wallpaper.

These are a few noteworthy 2011 Amateur Golfer blog posts. And there are a good few more. For some further links to some of the best blog posts on this blog both before and during 2011 you should also check out this post.

Windows 7 Golf Theme

Windows 7 has a variety of customization options, among which include themes. So, why not add your own golf theme? I have already found a suitable golf theme that you can add to your desktop themes. Check out this golf theme.

In addition to this, you can also add a golfing screen saver to further enhance the theme. Visit this site which includes a range of golf screen savers which you can add to Windows 7. Or alternatively, you can add some further golf desktop wallpaper or photos which can then be included as part of the Windows Live Essentials screen saver. Just set up a folder for this, select Windows Live Essential screen saver settings and then the folder.

Free Drops

In some cases during a round, you may have a free drop if your ball lands in a specific lie as outlined by the R&A. With a free drop you can lift and drop the ball a little further back onto a playable lie. So, when can you free drop?

If your ball lands on something artificial you can have a free drop. However, as has been noted in the previous post, this is only the case if the artificial object cannot be moved. If you can move the artificial object away from the ball, then you should mark the position of the ball with tee marker and do so.

If your ball lands in casual water this is also another time that you can pick up your ball and drop it behind and out of the casual water. Note that casual water is any heavy and temporary accumulation of water on the course such as deep puddles or ice. As such, a lake is not casual water even if the water levels can rise and fall. If you land in casual water within a bunker, then you should still drop your ball back so that it lands in a dryer spot of the bunker if that is possible.

Some parts of a golf course may be ground under repair. Ground under repair are areas of course maintenance, and the golf course should highlight this with a ground under the repair sign. When your ball lands in a ground under repair area of the course, you can also pick your ball up and free drop it just behind the ground under repair area.

A number of golf courses may have carted paths. If your ball lands on a cart path, then you can also have a free drop.

So, you can free drop your ball if it lands on artificial object, casual water, ground under repair or a cart path. However, if that is not the case then you will usually have to add a stroke to your scorecard. Note than a dropped ball, either free or otherwise, should not be closer to the hole than it was before you dropped it.

What if your Ball Lands Beside a Bunker Rake?

At least one bunker rake is included on a hole, usually in or near to a green side bunker. As such, your ball can end up landing on and rolling beside a bunker rake. Take my word for it, as this is exactly what happened during one of my rounds with my ball parked up beside a rake which ensured that with the rake there it was unplayable.

It is stated that you are entitled to a free drop if your ball lands on, or by, anything artificial which a bunker rake is. However, it is also stated that if it is a movable then you should move it away from the ball. So, mark the position of the ball with a tee marker, and then move the bunker rake away and place the ball back in its original position. As such:

There is no requirement for a free drop if you can move the artificial object away from the ball.

Golf Magazine’s 500 Greatest Golf Holes

Golf Magazine has provided regular listings as to the top golf courses in the sport, and their book also lists 500 of the best golf holes in the game. In fact, it does more than merely list them, but also includes some great photography and illustrations as well as a variety of lists such as the best golf holes by number. The Washington Times has stated that this is a golf book, “on par with no other” and the Journal Sentinal, “the definitive guide.”

So, which are among the highly rated golf holes included? Among those included in the best 18:

• The 4th at Banff Springs, 192 yard, par 3
• The 15th at Cypress Point, 139 yard, par 3
• The 17th at TPC Sawgrass, 132 yard, par 3
• The 18 at Pebble Beach, 548 yards, par 5
• The 13th at Augusta National, 510 yards, par 5
• The 17th at St Andrews (Old), 461 yard, par 4
• The 13th at Pine Valley Golf Club, 448 yard, par 4
• The 12th at Southern Hills Country Club, 445 yards, par 4
• The 5th at Bethpage, 451 yards, par 4
• The 5th at the Mid Ocean Club, 433 yards, par 4

Those are 10 among the top 18 of Golf Magazine's best golf holes which are not ranked in a specific order. The 18th at Pebble Beach is rated as the best finishing hole in golf, which plays alongside the Monterey coastline. The famed 17th the TPC Sawgrass is also included which is a hole surrounded by water. Then there is the 17th Road Hole at St Andrews which has been one of the highlights of numerous Open Championships held there. Previous posts on Amateur Golfer provide further details on some of these holes, such as Great American Golf Holes and Famous Golf Holes.

Golf Digest's Top 10 Nine-hole Golf Courses

Nine-hole golf courses are always a good alternative to 18-hole courses, as there are some great nine-hole golf courses. Golf Digest has also ranked some of the finest nine-hole golf courses in America. These are the top 10 nine-hole courses:

1.) The Dunes Club
2.) Whitinsville
3.) Northwood GC
4.) Aetna Springs GC
5.) Sunnylands
6.) Birchwood
7.) Signal Point Club
8.) Links at Fisher Island
9.) Starr Hollow GC
10.) Pocantino Hills GC

As such, it is the highly rated Dunes Club in New Buffalo, Michigan that is ranked the best nine-hole course in America. This course is approximately 3,478 yards long, and is also a private course. It includes some great holes such as the 513 yard par 8 which has an elevated tee and small green.

A number of publications rate the Dunes Club as one of the best American golf courses regardless of hole numbers. For example, in 2001 it ranked 76 in Golf Magazine’s top 100 golf courses. While there does not seem to be a website for this course, this Dunes Club slideshow is worth noting.

Putting Tips

The golf putt, and golf putting, is an important part of golf scoring. Any golf hole will most likely need at least two putts, amounting to at least 36 putts for 18 holes. More effective golf putting, will certainly enhance golf scores. There are a few tips worth considering for improving at putting.

It is worth noting, that on the green there are really two types of golf putt: lag putting and short putts. A lag putt will be a longer putt, perhaps longer than 10 or 12 feet, aimed to be as close to the hole as possible for a short putt to finish. Then there are shorter distance putts, which can be putted into the hole.

Lag Putting:

Overall, more precise lag putts that finish up to 3 or 4 feet of the hole will likely reduce the number of putts required on the green. PGA tour player Ernie Els has said:

"Effective lag putting can turn a good round into a great one."

For Els recommends that careful attention be paid to the contours around the green and hole when lag putting. As such, it is most important to adjust the speed of a longer putt in relation to uphill and downhill slopes closer to the hole. A downhill slope will require a slightly lighter putt, while uphill putts will require a slightly firmer faster putt.

Overall, to get a good feel for lag putts, you should consider putting a number of longer putts from variable longer and shorter distances on an artificial putting green. Adjust the distance and position of the lag putts, and try to hit them within just a few feet of the hole.

Short Putting:

Shorter putts, can still be missed even up to 3 feet from the hole. They need to be more accurate that lag putts. Generally, a firm grip of the putter should avoid using the wrists when putting. While putting grips can be variable, a reverse-overlap grip has been favoured by golf pros as it keeps the wrists locked in. Another alternative is a cross-handed grip where the left hand is tucked under the right, and also keeps the wrists firm. Both grips are worth considering for golf putting.

With any putting grip, it should also be light, soft and not overly tight. Avoid a tight putting grip, which can reduce putting accuracy on the greens.

Putting clubs can be of variable design. The club heads can include markings to assist with aiming. In addition, they can be centre shafted or toe and heel putters. Overall, the hinged putter is recommended, which can assist with alignment and straight putting. If you are often putting three times on a green, then consider changing your putter. If is possible, trial any potential new putter at a club store.

So, there are a few ways that golf putting can be enhanced on the green. Reading the slope and contours with lag putts, can give a better chance of reducing putts. In addition, short putting will be more consistent with a soft but firm putting grip. Overall, two putts on the green is a good total to aim for.

Amateur Golf Website

For more details on all the latest amateur golf championships why not check out this Amateur Golf website? This website lists, and provides updates on, a variety of amateur championships if you register with them. Further to this, the website includes lots of course reviews and player rankings. The website also has featured videos. For further details, follow this Amateur Golf website link.

Golf Spreadsheets

To record your golf scores spreadsheet software applications are ideal. With spreadsheet applications such as Excel you can record your golf scores, and even add some graphs as well. If you do not already have any spreadsheet software then consider the OpenOffice freeware software suite with its spreadsheet software Calc that is comparable to Excel.

For a basic spreadsheet layout you will need 20 columns. The first column will be for the golf course names, and the remaining 18 columns will be for the golf course holes. You can resize these columns and reduce the width appropriately. A final column will then be required for the golf score totals. Include a Sum function in the first cell of the column, and this can then be dragged and copied into further cells below. Of course, you can add plenty more to this spreadsheet with cell formatting and graphs.

Or alternatively, there are a few golf spreadsheet templates worth noting. This Excel template blog has one, and this website also has a golf spreadsheet template.

The Top 10 Golf Courses in the World

In addition to Golf Digest, Golf Magazine also rank the top 100 golf courses in the world. Here is the 2011 rankings of Golf Magazine's world top 10 golf courses:


1 Pine Valley
George Crump, H.S. Colt, 1918 Pine Valley, N.J. US 95.99

2 Cypress Point
Alister MacKenzie, 1928 Pebble Beach, Calif. US 91.06

3 Augusta National
Alister MacKenzie, Bobby Jones, 1933 Augusta, Ga. US 87.95

4 St. Andrews (Old Course)
Nature, 1400 St. Andrews Scotland 86.27

5 Royal County Down
Old Tom Morris, 1889 Newcastle N. Ireland 82.92

6 Shinnecock Hills
William Flynn, 1931 Southampton, N.Y. US 82.63

7 Pebble Beach
Jack Neville, Douglas Grant, 1919 Pebble Beach, Calif. US 80.49

8 Oakmont
Henry Fownes, 1903 Oakmont, Pa. US 77.36

9 Muirfield
Old Tom Morris, 1891
H.S. Colt, 1925 Gullane Scotland 76.22

10 Merion (East)
Hugh Wilson, 1912 Ardmore, Pa. US 75.22

This top 10 is in fact similar to Golf Digest's top 10 as it is dominated by US golf courses. Approximately half of the overall rankings are US golf courses. However, Augusta is not rated the top golf course, and instead Pine Valley takes top spot. St Andrews, Muirfield and Royal County Down are the three best non-American golf courses included in the top 10.

Again, it is interesting to note that all the golf courses included in the top 10 are older golf courses that predate 1950. They have remained the best golf courses in the game for decades, regardless of the more recent course designs from architects such as Dye and Trent Jones.

America's Top 10 Golf Courses in 2011

Golf Digest has revealed America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses listings for 2011. Their biennial listings were first established back in 1966, and so it is one of the oldest golf course rankings. These are the top 10 golf courses in Digest's 2011 rankings:

1. (1) AUGUSTA NATIONAL G.C.
Augusta, Ga. / Alister Mackenzie & Bobby Jones (1933)

2. (2) PINE VALLEY G.C.
Pine Valley, N.J. / George Crump & H.S. Colt (1918)

3. (3) SHINNECOCK HILLS G.C.
Southampton, N.Y. / William Flynn (1931)

4. (5) OAKMONT C.C.
Oakmont, Pa. / Henry Fownes (1903)

5. (4) CYPRESS POINT CLUB
Pebble Beach / Alister Mackenzie & Robert Hunter (1928)

6. (6) PEBBLE BEACH G. LINKS
Pebble Beach / Jack Neville & Douglas Grant (1919)

7. (7) MERION G.C. (East)
Ardmore, Pa. / Hugh Wilson (1912)

8. (8) WINGED FOOT G.C. (West)
Mamaroneck, N.Y. / A.W. Tillinghast (1923)

9. (13) SAND HILLS G.C.
Mullen, Neb. / Bill Coore & Ben Crenshaw (1994)

10. (15) NATIONAL G. LINKS OF AMERICA

As such, once again the Augusta National golf course is ranked as the best golf course in America. As the annual venue of the Masters it is undoubtedly the most famous championship golf course on the PGA Tour. At approximately 7,400 yards it is also one of the longer golf courses on the rankings.

The top 10 has not changed that much from the last 2009 rankings. Sand Hills and the National G. Links of America are two new entries into the top 10. However, aside from that the top five includes exactly the same golf courses.

The interesting thing about this top 10 is that it is dominated by older golf courses. With the exception of Sand Hills all the golf courses in the top 10 were constructed before 1950. As such, modern golf course design and architecture has not been able to eclipse these golf courses which have remained as the best in America for decades.

Another interesting point worth noting is that the list is also dominated by private golf courses. The only public golf course that makes the top 10 is that of Pebble Beach which ranks 6th. As such, Pebble Beach tops Golf Digest's America's Top 100 Public Golf Courses list. Along with St Andrews Old Course this is one of the few great PGA Tour venues that is a public course.



For further details on these rankings visit the Golf Digest website. This blog post on Amateur Golfer also covers some of the great America golf courses.

End of Golf Poll

The first golf poll on Amateur Golfer has now closed. Although there were not a huge number of votes in the poll, the United Kingdom emerged as a clear winner with 75% of the votes. As such, it is Amateur Golfer's best European golf destination.

Can this be considered a surprise? After all, it does have some great and famous golf courses and is the home of golf. Although the golf season does well and truly end in northern parts of the United Kingdom when the winter sets in. This is not so much the case in Spain, which I voted for.

Great American Golf Holes

Most of the most famous holes in golf are to be found on American golf courses. Three of golf’s four Majors are played in the United States, and so you can be sure to find some great golf holes on American courses. America’s most famous championship golf courses include the likes of the Augusta National, Pebble Beach and the Stadium Course in Florida. Golf courses such as these have famous golf holes, and there are plenty of other great golf holes on US golf courses that have not played host to one of the Majors or other PGA Tour championships. These are a few of the great American golf holes.

18th Hole at Pebble Beach:

The 18th hole at Pebble Beach is widely considered to be the best finishing hole in golf. That’s in golf, and not just the United States. This hole is a par 5 hole that extends some 543 yards from tee to the flag. Pebble Beach is a golf course located on the Monterey Coast and has a Pacific coastline which runs alongside the 18th hole. As such, the Pacific Ocean dominates the right side of the fairway from the tee up to the green. The green itself is also surrounded by bunkers for any balls that do not land on the green. As the finishing hole of the Pebble Beach course it has also been a great championship hole for the numerous US Opens that have been played on the course. This hole is therefore included in the book 500 World’s Greatest Golf Holes as the best 18th hole, and also as one of the great ocean holes.

12th Hole at Augusta:

The 12th hole at Augusta is another of America’s famous championship golf holes. The Masters is the annual golf championship that is played at the Augusta golf course, and one of the course’s highlights is that of the 12th Golden Bell hole. This hole is a 155 yard par 3 that is dominated by the water of Rae’s Creek. As such, this creek has to be cleared first before the players can cross the famous Ben Hogan Bridge that links the tee to the green across the water. The green itself is close to the water-side, and so any ball that lands on grass around it can potentially end up back in the water if the ball rolls the wrong way upon landing. As such, the Golden Bell is one of the key holes in the Masters where golfers can potentially add numbers to their scorecards if their ball lands in the water. It is perhaps the most famous championship golf hole.



17th Hole at the Stadium Course:

The Players’ Championship is one of the flagship events of the PGA Tour. It is not counted as one of the four Majors, but many consider the Players’ Championship to be a fifth Major that has always been among the highlights of the PGA Tour calendar. This golf championship is played at the Stadium Course, and the signature hole of this course is the 17th hole. The 17th hole is a short 132 yard par 3 that, to a greater extent than the Golden Bell at Augusta, is dominated by water. In fact, with the exception of the green the hole pretty much is water as it is located in a lake and the hole is called the Island Green. This ensures that the hole is one of the most exciting on the PGA Tour, and you can be sure that there are a lot of golf balls at the bottom of the surrounding lake!

These are three great American golf holes. The 18th at Pebble Beach, the 12th at Augusta and 16th at the TPC Scottsdale are all renowned golf holes at courses such as Pebble Beach, Augusta and Stadium Course.

Claim Token

5VCKAHS424RH

Golf Poll Update

There is just now six days left to vote in the Amateur Golfer poll: Which is the best European Golf Destination? At the moment the United Kingdom has the most votes, but this can change with a few more votes for another country. So, please add your vote to the golf poll.