To all of us golfers out there, we already know how big these two events are. But even the great Jack Nicklaus has come up to say that it could use more attention by including more players. For a short recap, the Ryder Cup is a bi-yearly affair that pits the top US players versus Europe. Whilst the latter is the US vs. the rest of the world (excluding players from Europe). I couldn’t put it in another way by that I agree 100% with Mr. Nicklaus. Why should the US play different teams and make them the anchor team (apart from the fact that they are the richest association with the biggest purse)?

A great deal has been mentioned of this 16 year old “phenom”. She drives the ball further than most men golfers. She is gorgeous and can really play. But will she be an “Anna Kornikova” or a “Maria Sharapova”? Not to presume that they are not only beauties on their own but also that they both have a tremendous ability to play tennis. Although the latter, we presume would be both a champion and a beauty. The press have given plenty of attention to charter the flight or plight of this prodigious talent.

What is the perfect build for a golfer? Barring a real handicap (no offense), anyone with a normal body frame will suit the bill. A number of beginners and even veteran golfers have asked this question; but is there an answer for everyone. Let’s look at some extreme examples.

Mr. John “Grip it and Rip it” Daly is a good example. Famous more for his outburst and “beautiful” quotes; his build has never been in question, has it? This man can really rip them. And to those non-believers, who believes that golfers with large frames have a difficulty with their shot game. This man has great hands and his shot game is quite exceptional.

This is a major cause of concern for a lot of golfers. In the game of golf, this element is the greatest and severest test for every one. This game is meant for gentlemen and ladies of the highest order (used to be). This is a game where your greatest opponent happens to be not your golfing buddies or favorite weekend foursomes BUT your own self. WHY? because if you are a true lover of the game, you can call a penalty on yourself. Read up on Bobby Jones or even watching the movie itself on him. And you will find that this golfer is the perfect gentleman. Much has been written and said of the silly rules of golf. The little small rules that people often mistake as well, a silly rule! But without these rules, where are we?

What a week we had. A total of nearly 1500 balls between all of us. Glad I still have my arms hanging from the sockets. Golfnick has been most impressed by the improvements of these guys. Kudos to all of you. However I must admit, ole olaf may not have the proper qualification for guiding these newbies but I think we are on the right track. Here are some of my views on how we can improve them from hence…

Olaf has been nursing a back injury for the past 4 months now. It’s not really as bad as it sounds but it is a really big annoyance. But the time has finally arrived for Olaf to rejoin the lush greens. Having spent a few sessions with the golfer’s meet in the driving range with my fellow beginners, seems Olaf has learned more from them than vice versa. My first round and in the very first tee, a par four 380 meter. Being very careful not to hurt my back (and my pride), I swung very smoothly and wow! A two hundred and twenty meter drive! I must be dreaming but no, it was still there! I’m back and with a vengeance!

It has been said by many a wise golfer that there are two sides to the game of golf. Is there? I had always thought that there had only been one invented by the Scots. But No! That wasn’t the point that these wise golfers were talking about. It is more towards the “physical” side and the “mental” side of golf. Olaf, never one of the intellectuals of any games (to start with) had a look at this “mental” side from his angle and bought a book called “Golf is a game of confidence” by Dr. Bob Rotella. It has been a good read thus far and helps me to understand why Olaf has never been able to break 90 in a round.