Golf Empire

It has recently come to my attention that there is a new longest golf course. Opening sometime in the next year is a course in Australia that stretches nearly 1,365 kilometers (or 848 miles for you Americans out there). And no, this is not a typo or a terrible math calculation gone wrong, this course is actually that long! The idea came to some Australian guy over a “couple of beers” as he pondered a way to draw tourist to the Eyre Highway in Southwest Australia. The Nullabor Links spans two time zones and will take golfers an estimated 4 days to complete. Golfers will play a hole along the highway and then drive (sometimes around 100 kilometers) to the next hole. Every stop along the way will showcase a specific treasure of Australia and when completed, golfers will receive a certificate.

When I first read this article I was shocked. It was such a great idea that I wanted to jump on the next plane to Australia and be there for the opening ceremonies in October. Alas, I do not have the time or money to make the journey, but hopefully one day I will be able to. Maybe this will start a new type of golf course that will take the world by storm. Image a California course like this. First hole in the Redwood Forest up in northern California. Stop off near Pebble Beach for the 5th. Hit the farms out in Central to finish up the front nine. Finally make it down to Hollywood and the Los Angeles area for a few holes before finishing up on 18 right at the border of Mexico. If this does happen, I want some sort of credit for the idea!

This weekend is the Crown Plaza Invitational at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth Texas. The Colonial Open is regular event on the PGA Tour schedule and is only one of four invite-only events. It is also the longest running event on the Tour to play at the original course, starting way back in 1946. Some people may recognize the name because it was famous for allowing Annika Sorenstam to play in a PGA event since Babe Zaharias back in the forties. This was also when Vijay Singh complained about playing with a woman, exposing his chauvinistic tendencies and giving golf fans around the world one more reason to like Tiger Woods.

Due to the exclusive nature of the event, the only guaranteed spots are given to the top 80 players on the previous years money list. However, many decline the invitation, so others are given a chance to step up and make a run at the million dollar winning prize (1.6M to be exact). Another cool tradition that the club has is the Champion’s Choice. This tradition gives the previous year’s winner the choice of any two young deserving golfers the chance to compete in the tournament. Notable choices of the past have been Mark O’Meara, Paul Azinger, and Davis Love III.

Last years champion was Phil Mickelson, who is unfortunately unable to compete due to his wife’s health, so this year, there will be a new champion at Colonial. A few golfers to watch are Kenny Perry, Rory Sabbatini, and Paul Casey. Kenny Perry is a two time champion at Colonial and looks to get his third victory in six years. Rory Sabbatini is fresh of a win last week and looks to continue his streak by playing well in this tournament. Finally there is Paul Casey who won the BMW Open in England last week and now has the number three ranking in the world, behind Tiger and Phil. Look for him to step his game up to live up to his high ranking.

Finally summer is here and it is time to golf. After a week of doing just this, I have rediscovered my swing and can hopefully continue playing some of the best golf of my life. A couple days ago, I returned to the northeast from a week of golf down in Florida. One of my friends owns a condo down in Naples, so a couple of my friends and I decided to celebrate the end of classes with a little golf vacation. To those who are unfamiliar with Florida geography, Naples is located on the west coast of the peninsula, two and a half hours south of Tampa and and a little more than an hour west of Miami. A relatively short plane ride for most of the eastern seaboard, Southwestern Florida provides a fun and sunny place for golf enthusiasts and retirees alike.

Most of the courses around this area are located in private communities, but if you plan ahead and find a place that allows non-members, it is a great way to explore some awesome courses. Another way to save a lot of money is to travel in the offseason (this is generally in the summer for places like California and Florida where it is often too hot for casual golfers). Greens fees run for about half the price of normal times, and courses often provide other incentives (free golf balls, a complementary lunch, etc.) that help to sweeten the deal. One day we played the Lely Resort Mustang Couse and it was well worth it. Designed by Lee Travino, the Mustang is one of three courses at the Lely Resort and one of a dozen in the village of Lely. This course is tough, yet forgiving for golfers who are willing to hit the safe shot instead of going for the best shot. Of course, I was not the one to do that, and my score reflected this, but I still had a good time and found the course to be both interesting and fun. In addition, there is no shortage of water, so do not forget to bring some extra balls just in case!

Here is an overview of Haworth Country Club in northern Bergen, New Jersey on April 25. It was a beautiful, warm spring day with very little activity early in the morning. A perfect day for golfing.