Golf Empire

Who says golf is boring? Not us especially after seeing these unusual golf courses.

1. Brickyard Crossing, Indiana, USA – This is mostly an average golf course EXCEPT that four of its 14 holes are located inside of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway 2.5-mile track. You’ll even find a water hazard in the shape of a lake within the boundaries of the track. Address: 4400 W 16th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46222-2512 USA, Telephone: (317) 492-6570

2. Coeur d’Alene Resort Golf Course, USA – The 14th hole here is the site of the world’s only floating green, hovering 150 yards offshore. The putting surface is 15,000 square feet and can only be reached by taking the Putter Boat shuttle. When golfers finish the hole they receive a certificate of achievement. Address: 900 S Floating Green Dr, Coeur D Alene, ID USA – Telephone: (208) 667-4653

3. Coober Pedy Opal Fields Golf Club, South Australia – The grassless golf course here has small patches of grass planted at the tees but beyond those places, the 18-Hole Coober Pedy Opal Fields Golf Course is one seemingly endless sand trap. Address: Lot 1509 Rowe Dve, Coober Pedy, South Australia, 5723, Australia, Telephone: 08-8672-5353

4. Hans Merensky, South Africa – This par-72 golf course sits smack on the edge of Kruger National Park, an environment teeming with all sorts of exotic wildlife. Golfers encounter giraffes, elephants, zebras and more while making their way down the fairway. Address: 3, Copper Street, Phalaborwa 1390 South Africa, Telephone: +27 15 781 3931

5. Joint Security Area, Korean Demilitarized Zone, South Korea – In 1988, this course was named the World’s Most Dangerous Golf Course by Sports Illustrated. Situated in the Korean Demilitarized Zone, this single, 192-yard, par-3 hole is bordered on three sides by mine fields. When you arrive at the course, golfers are urged not to retrieve balls that have gone off course. Address: Camp Bonifas, Panmunjom, South Korea

6. Legend Golf & Safari Resort, South Africa – The 18 holes at this golf course distinguishes itself as being the longest golf course in South Africa, but it’s the optional 19th hole that makes it remarkable. Golfers need to ride a helicopter to get to the tee at this par-3 course, which is 1,410 vertical feet high. Four video cameras and tracking equipment allow golfers to track the flight of the ball. The green is in the shape of Africa in honor of the African Renaissance. Address: Block D, IL Piacere Office Park, 49 New Road, Midrand Gauteng, South Africa, Telephone: +27 11 729 6700

7. North Star Golf Club, Alaska, USA – America’s northernmost golf course and the only golf course in the world that includes an animal checklist on the score card, is great for more wildlife gazing. Tee off in the early morning or late afternoon to see the animals that wander near and on the course. You may rub elbows with eagles, mooses, waterfowl, muskrat, foxes, hawks and coyotes. Grizzly bears and lynx have been seen on the course, too. Address: 330 Golf Club Drive, Fairbanks, Alaska 99712, Telephone: (907) 457-4653

8. Nullarbor Links, Australia – This golf course is the longest in the world, being 850 miles in length! There is one hole in each participating town along the Eyre Highway from Kalgoorlie in Western Australia to Ceduna in South Australia; the average distance between each hole is about 50 miles.

9. Uummannaq, Greenland – North of the Arctic Circle, golfers gather at the course created in Uummannaq for the World Ice Golf Championship. The event is a 36-hole competition played over the course of two days, but competitors get a feel for the course via a “Ryder Cup”-style tournament held the day before the championship begins. The creation of the nine-hole course is dictated by the weather, sea, and ice, and only good weather and safe ice conditions determine whether the championship will be played each year. Address: DK-3961, Uummannaq, Greenland, E-mail: info@icegolfgreenland.com

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Today was the first round of the Verizon Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head, SC and look who’s already off to a hot start: K.J. Choi. After a solid performance at the Masters, pairing up with and outplaying (and outclassing) Tiger Woods, Choi jumped into the lead with a seven under 64 to lead all players. It looks like a certain someone might have rubbed off on K.J. last weekend (golf-wise). Also in the hunt are Mike Weir (-5) and Sergio Garcia (-4). Naturally, many of the top names took this weekend off after the Masters, so this is not a huge tournament, but will still provide some great golf.

In other news, former 49er, star dancer, and football legend Jerry Rice looks to expand his resume even more by joining professional golf. Now, Jerry is not going to be joining the PGA tour, but is entering a tournament in the Nationwide tour (not the NASCAR one) and hopes to make the cut. This is incredible for a couple of reasons. First of all, it is incredible that this man can dominate one sport and be good enough to compete with professionals at a completely different one. And secondly, and possibly even more impressive, is that the forty-seven year old only started playing golf when he was thirty. He used to wake up at 4 in the morning to go to the driving range before he had practice later in the morning. Now that is dedication.

That is Rice on the right and former Steeler great Jerome Bettis on the left, but I couldn’t pass up a chance to shamelessly plug a movie for one of my favorite actors (Don Cheadle, center). See Iron Man 2 in theaters May 7!

All eyes will be on the first tee at 1:42 pm (EST) this afternoon as Tiger Woods takes the tee for his first tournament round since his incident last year. Most people wonder what type of reaction Tiger will receive from the crowd and some about how he will react. Tiger is not accustomed to being booed, but in my opinion, I doubt the crowd at Augusta will have the audacity to heckle Tiger (do so and face the wrath of the Master’s security). This is not the US Open in New York, where things often get rowdy for the (cough) well lathered fans, but one of the most respected and polite crowds in professional golf. However this may change due to the media circus that has been created around Tiger. Personally, I think there should be complete silence. Imagine how disconcerting it would be to step up to the tee in front of thousands of people, only to hear absolutely nothing. If that wouldn’t shock you, I don’t know what to say.

In other Tiger news, Nike has released a new ad featuring the voice of Tiger’s late father and a very remorseful looking Tiger. At first watch, I was kind of shocked and confused as to why Tiger would allow such a commercial. I thought his last press conference was fine, he owes the fans and the media no other apologies. This campaign perplexes me.

At 2 pm this afternoon, Tiger Woods finally broke his “silence” and allowed for a full disclosure media press conference. No topic was off limits and it started off where the scandal began, with a question about the mysterious night when Tiger crashed his SUV. Surprisingly Tiger seemed relaxed, addressing many of the reporters by name, and owned up to his mistakes. In a brief opening statement he gratefully thanked his fans and all who have supported him, and unlike his last “reveal,” this time he seemed genuinely sorry for what he had done.

The only question that still remained completely unanswered in my mind was the possibility of a drug problem that Tiger had the night of the crash. When asked about Ambien being a factor in his impairment he immediately dodged the question and passed it off on the authorities, who fined Woods for destroying public property, but nothing else. This is completely unrelated to the accusations that were being made about possible HGH and steroid usage, which Tiger answered with a definitive no.

Tiger repeatedly address how he has grown in rehab and recognized how his behavior affected more than just himself. His regret stemmed further than the golf course and missing tournaments, going back to his personal life and how he had hurt his children and wife. Again, TIger did seem genuine and in this way won back a lot of respect that he has lost.

Finally, when asked about expectations, Tiger expected big things from this weekend. Despite having to take a few months off his rigorous training schedule, he has been working hard with Hank Haney to prepare himself for the Masters.

After all this publicity, hopefully the world can turn back to the importance of this weekend, which is the first major tournament of the 2010 PGA tour season. Tiger is no doubt expected to be a favorite to win it, but who else can step up and challenge him? Look for a preview of the rest of the field tomorrow.

A few minutes ago, Anthony Kim delivered in a sudden death playoff for his first victory of the season in the Shell Houston Open at the Redstone Golf Club. Vaughn Taylor left himself in a little bit of trouble after having to get up and down from the bunker to force a second playoff hole. Unfortunately he missed seventeen footer to tie Kim, who had a twenty foot birdie putt which he missed and an easy par putt to win the entire thing. A strong day overall, the leader going into today, Bryce Molder fell apart, posting a score of two over and eliminating himself from contention. Molder, who grew up in Augusta, Georgia (you may have heard of a small club called Augusta National) was looking for his first career victory. Now he will have to strive to achieve his first career victory in his hometown, but on the greatest of stages.

In other news (i.e Tiger Watch 2010) Tiger Woods made his first public appearance on a golf course since his last tournament. Tiger played the back nine at Augusta with his old friend Mark O’Meara and about 20 security guards. The practice round was closed to the public, however reporters were able to watch Tiger at the practice range and greens. Despite being away from professional golf for more than a year, Tiger looked sharp, and of course had his swing coach Hank Haney there to do some last minute fine tuning. With only 4 days left until the first round, everyone is wondering what the reaction will be when Tiger takes the first tee. My guess, respectful applause for the disgraced legend.