Lets take a broad look

I spend a lot of time in my blog looking at what is up and coming, new, or fresh, but today lets take a step back. How a step to look over the entire last century, to the top ten male golfers of that century. The list includes the usual, Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, but let's take a look at Gary Player. The South African is the only international player to ever win the Career Grand Slam. He won nine majors in the period between 1959 and 1978, now that's longevity. Since his PGA days he has continued to play on the Champions Tour and is the only player to have won a professional event in 5 consecutive decades.

Trouble in Vietnam

There has been a lot of backlash to the many new golf courses going up in Vietnam. According to the New York Times the country only has about 5,000 golfers but until last year an average of one golf course a week was being issued a license. The Vietnamese have good reason to be upset. I love golf and all but what is going on here is terribly wrong. the development of unnecessary golf courses had depleted the production of rice, a staple to the Vietnamese economy, and displaced thousands of farmers. Golf as a hobby is great but a line needs to be drawn.

Diversifying College Teams

I know about college teams, I am on one after all. what's crazy is the huge percentage of internationals who are playing for American universities. It feels like when you walk on a practice green for a tournament you can hear at least three different languages being spoken. On my women's team alone 5 of our 9 players are international. And it's not like Gardner-Webb is a fluke. After a trip to Europe six years ago Arizona State's team has developed to where 5 of the members who made it to the NCAA quarterfinals were from Europe.

Getting the Buyer Involved

Hireko is a golf equipment company who sells their custom products all over the globe New Zealand, to Italy to Singapore. Like man other companies they have offshoot brands and many ways to access their products. However, according to their blog, they are trying to go about product development in a different way for their 2010 products. Unlike other companies they want to know what you, the customer want. What type of diver? Square head or pear shaped? What type of shaft? Just post it on their blog and it will be taken into consideration. Overall its a cool new way to give the consumer what they really want.

Simply the best

If your ranked number one in the world you better have a cool website. Well, Mexican golfer Lorena Ochoa has one. To cater to her Spanish and English speaking fans before you enter the website it asks you to pick the language of your liking. Her homepage shows her upcoming tournament schedule, ones she recently won and links to her sponsors.

Desire for Difficulty

This blog is unlike any of my previous ones. It's not about a tour, or clubs, or professionals in any manner. It's about one woman and her love for golf. Anna-Lena Gustavsson sold her car and rented her house in order to play eight of the world's most extreme golf courses. She started on July 17, 2008 and finished on May 5, 2009. To any golfer the idea of traveling around the globe for a year to play golf sounds like way too good of a vacation but Anna-Lena didn't do it for herself. Along her trek she asked for donations of which 100% went to the Pattaya Children's fund. To read more about her journey or to donate visit extremegolfbliss.com and it will be worth your while.

Making History in Taiwan

From today until the 16th some of the best in their field will be competing in Taipei at the Pei Tou Kuo Hua Golf and Country Club. This is the first time that Taiwan has held such a prestigious event. With the support of five Taiwanese LPGA players, the Special Olympics will go on. The determination of these athletes should spur on, and does for Yani Tseng, to be determined for success when they get their shot in Brazil in 2016.

It's Official

A few blogs ago I discussed the possibility of golf being in the Olympics. Well as of October 9th it's official, golf will be in the 2016 Olympics according to The Gaurdian. With a vote of 63-27 , players will hit the links in Rios de Janeiro in a few years. In addition to golf Rugby will also be included in 2016. The details are limted but I'm sure everything will be opened up short.

Are International Exemptions Needed?

For every PGA tournament the sponsor has eight exemptions. Two of those go to q-school qualifiers or Nationwide winners, but the rest are really for whoever. There once was a need for those exemptions to have designated international restrictions, so enough international players would come, but this isn't the case anymore. On February 11, 2009 the article "PGA TOUR in high demand for international players" discussed how the landscape of the PGA is changing. For example, in 1999 there were 33 Americans in the top 50, now there are only 13. Also, tournaments are popping up and changing dates, so internationals will come to them by staying in the states between World Championships. It's a very exciting time in the PGA and as international strength keeps growing there may be a day when Americans need exemptions.

Presidents Cup

Like the Ryder Cup, but with more drama, the Presidents Cup started today. It's 24 of the worlds best players led by Fred Couples (US Captain) and Greg Norman (International Captain). There is sure not to be a bad pairing and as always when country rivalries are involved you never know what to expect. For the international spotlight, the International team consists of Mike Weir, Tim Clark, Ernie Els, Adam Scott, Vijay Singh, Robert Allenby, Angel Cabrera, Camilo Villegas, Geoff Oglivy, Ryo Ishikawa, Reteif Goosen, and Y.E. Yang.

Starting them Young

The International Junior Golf Tour, better known as IJGT, is a tremendous opportunity for young golfers. It hosts tournaments in the U.S., Canada, Scotland and Mexico for boys and girls nineteen and other. Not only does the IJGT host tournaments, it also provides resources, such as contact information of college coaches, for the players to take their game to the next level. Opportunities even exist after college as internships are available to eventually incorporate new staff. This program is just full of opportunities and is a great way to integrate youth of all nations through the common love of golf.