Four Days in Dubai
by pingforever on Feb 10, 2011 5:44 AM EST
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PrintDespite all the hoopla from the Europeans, the words "Dubai" and "golf" don't belong in the same sentence. I'm fully aware of the bussiness and economic aspects of professional golf, but golf in the Middle East will never make sense to me. So it's more than bizarre that the first confrontation of 2011 between Woods, Westwood and Kaymer would happen there. I'm sure it would have been more satisfying if it had happened at a more traditional event. Maybe one not awash in appearance money.... But this is what we've got... There are few stories more compelling than the rise and fall of a celebrity, be it an actor, a politician or an athlete. But Tiger Woods is in a class by himself...he was the #1 GOLFER in the world...for years!!! His is the FIRST scandal in golf. He was a child prodigy that transcended the sport. Like President Obama he was also a symbol of a changing America, and a polarizing figure, embraced by some, reviled by others. Because of these things, the Woods scandal was/is very different from others. Like the revelation about the stained blue dress, that short phone message to Rachel Uchitel sent shock waves. That video of him giving that "I cheated" press conference is right up there with " I did have have a sexual relationship with Miss Lewinski"..... Both men throwing themselves on the mercy of the public, essentially asking to be forgiven.... We all know about Clinton's "come back"... Now there's a documentary on MSNBC called "The President of the World". Will Tiger have a come back like that? Most say that if he starts winning again, that will go a long way in silencing his critics and "rehabbing" his image... Lately I've thought a lot about the new strength of European players. But looking at it objectively, none have done anything extraordinary. What's actually happened is Tiger Woods was leading by 8 shots with 3 to play and he went quad, double, double to let everyone back into the tournament. And that's being called parity.
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OK - I'll play
Why do Dubai and the word golf not belong in the same sentence? Should golf only be played in the the UK and the US, with the odd supporting role from the Antipodes and South Africa?
Hey Chip...you have to understand Ping-a-ling
he gets his jolly’s from stirring the pot…Even an OLD SOUR SOUP like this one…Just remember, we have had this beat to death on how many Posts?….Hey, I been looking at my world Globe…You is a long way from home….How many hours flying time does it take to get back to NZ?….STUB
STUB
Chip n' putt
It becomes awkward to begin every sentence with “I think” or to end every comment with “IMHO”…. Having worked in golf course maintenance, I’m accutely aware of the cultural practices employed to maintain golf courses in a variety of climates, from the desert Southwest (which includes Arizona and the Palm Springs area) to the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the Midwest. I’ll call myself a climatological natural purist when it comes to a golf course. To begin the cost of building a golf course, even a simple, non-technical one is huge. A lot of good land has been snapped up, leaving course designers with little option but to move often millions of cubic yards of soil to “sculpt” their design. Right there, the cost of golf gets very high. Then there’s the “green mania”. Grass is not always green and most of all it’s not meant to grow in every climate zone on the planet. Here in the Midwest, where I last worked on a golf course, when the cold weather descended we brought in the tee markers, flagsticks and all the other furniture on the course. We had bentgrass greens and fairways. We allowed some late season play by putting the flag in the approach, thereby protecting the greens that had gone dormant. When winter arrived we put the course to bed. All the flora got a chance to rest. The first time I witnessed the over seeding process I was shocked. I was even more shoicked when I learned of the costs. It was extreme environmental manipulation. My last job before retiring was doing lawn care application for Tru-Green. Every April I had to field the same questions from customers who wondered why their fairly costly lawn care service didn’t make their lawn look like Augusta National…. I wouldn’t put Skiing and Dubai in the same sentence either. I’ve already gone on too long and I did not mean to say you are not aware of the things I mentioned.
Fair enough Ping
but we are talking about Dubai, not Arizona. The water they use for the courses in the Middle East are from desalination, so where is the ecological problem in that? They don’t overseed, they don’t need to, as their winter is a cool summer in Maine. They have the money and the land to do what they want and in doing so, they are promoting the game in a part of the world that until now, had golf as something strange and foreign. That can only be good – or not?
by chip n'putt on Feb 10, 2011 10:42 AM EST up reply actions
with you again, chip. These guys don’t build golf courses with the idea that they are going to lose money. The technology is there to have grass in the desert (and it’s a lot easier to shape sand than it is a mountain course). Truth be told, there is no such thing as a natural golf course. Nature has to be manipulated to play this game.
Dubai was on its way to becoming a true world class resort destination country before the bottom fell out of the economy. They were criticized for turning their backs on the oil business – but they said that the world was trying to get off the oil dependency and they wanted to be forward looking for their country.
Ping – I would have loved to be a fly on the wall when you were asked that question about why their lawn care service didn’t make their lawn look like Augusta National. :-D
Fathom the odd hypocrisy that the government wants every citizen to prove that they have health insurance, but people don't have to prove they are citizens.
All true Court
Dubai will bounce back so long as we need oil and you have to applaud them for thinking beyond that.
I think though, that a lot of the old courses in various arts of the world, especially the links courses, were pretty much “God” made. We very rarely have that luxury anywhere in the world these days… unfortunately.
Ping. You should have pointed out that Augusta National is closed for 6 months or more, of the year.
by chip n'putt on Feb 10, 2011 11:14 AM EST up reply actions
really ? god keeps the grass short ? the Scots truly ARE the chosen people….oh wait… :-D Centuries ago – sure, but not today. They do a lot of work at St Andrews to keep those courses “natural”, but I know what you mean.
Fathom the odd hypocrisy that the government wants every citizen to prove that they have health insurance, but people don't have to prove they are citizens.
The Scot’s had sheep before the Kiwis….
by chip n'putt on Feb 10, 2011 11:27 AM EST up reply actions
Also, it’s too bloody cold for the grass to grow up there. That cuts down on the mowing somewhat.
by chip n'putt on Feb 10, 2011 11:29 AM EST up reply actions
It is right now..
but twice a week in the hieght of summer…18 hours of daylight makes that grass grow fast !
That video of him giving that "I cheated" press conference is right up there with " I did have have a sexual relationship with Miss Lewinski
And prior to his ‘carefully scripted apology written by a PR team,’ He stood on National TV and said, “All the allegations about me having affairs are false” The same statement was up on the TW website as well. Go Rory, Nice round today.
"pain is only weakness leaving the body" jumpn
I must have missed something – to this day, I don’t remember Clinton admitting that he was boinking the skanky interns (and worse – destroying top level cigars !). Clinton went on TV and purgured himself by saying “I did NOT have sexual relations with that women….Miss Lewinski…”
Fathom the odd hypocrisy that the government wants every citizen to prove that they have health insurance, but people don't have to prove they are citizens.
Woods struggled today
but the eagle on 18 got him into red figures. Hot and cold like last week. His distance control is off too. This “parity” ping goes on about is transition in golf really, Woods may recover some lost form, but in a few years, a few will separate from the pack. Just takes time.
You guys don't remember him...
saying I did have an inapproapriate relationship…. And that "it all depends on what your defininition of “is” is."?
Progolf: No multimillionaire would ever go before a national audience and give an extemporaneous press release…
lol – Clinton should have been dragged out to the bay and thrown in naked after that “definition of is” statement.
nope – don’t remember any “inappropriate relationship” statement.
Fathom the odd hypocrisy that the government wants every citizen to prove that they have health insurance, but people don't have to prove they are citizens.
Easy, Ping, Court and Jump have got it
wrong….Clinton DID say he had been a bad boy….I don’t remember exactly who said it ot when it was said, or who leaked it, but when he was fessing up to Hillary, his exact words were “well, if you had given me oral sex, I wouldn’t have needed Monica”….And Ping…Your wrong again…I happpen to know a few Multimillionaires who write their own speeches and a few that have given a talk off the top of their heads….Not all people are as tightly controled by the PR goons as Tiger was and still is….STUB
STUB
He said that in public ? Or was that another slip of the tongue in earshot of the help that got to the media ?
Either way, he lied about it in public. I didn’t really care that he was getting a litle on the side – especially considering who he’s married to – but not in the Oval Office, and for god’s sake – keep it private ! That action had tidal waves of affect on kids across the country.
true on the public speaking part – people are different – some are comfortabe talking off the top of their head and some aren’t. People like Tiger, who get victimized by the media every time they open their mouths have to be more careful with what they say. That’s why you never get an answer worth repeating from a Woods press conference.
Fathom the odd hypocrisy that the government wants every citizen to prove that they have health insurance, but people don't have to prove they are citizens.
it’s a constant thing – and not just with Woods – the media takes what it wants and runs with it. don’t pretend you don’t see it
Fathom the odd hypocrisy that the government wants every citizen to prove that they have health insurance, but people don't have to prove they are citizens.
Pretend is not a word you can associate with me.
Again, Woods has been so gaurded, I can’t recall when he was victimized by what he has said.
lol – ok
Fathom the odd hypocrisy that the government wants every citizen to prove that they have health insurance, but people don't have to prove they are citizens.
I don’t understand hating the guy – but yes – I do enjoy watching him play and hope he gets things rolling again.
Fathom the odd hypocrisy that the government wants every citizen to prove that they have health insurance, but people don't have to prove they are citizens.
Hate is a strong word.
I think a few are jealous of his sucess, some are racist. But I think most dislike the media pigrimage to Woods. Personally, I think he could try not to talk to a script when being interviewed. he is like a robot. I don’t like , or dislike him, he doesn’t stir the emotions like some stars. I have marveled at his amazing golf at times, of course. I just can root for him for who he is…I don’t think he knows himself yet.
if hate is a strong word – then so is love.
exactly right – so stop taking shots at Woods and point your finger where it belongs – at the media. of COURSE he’s like a robot when answering media questions. most of the questions are ridiculous and repetitions – and when you get hammered with the same question again and again after you already gave your answer – they are looking for a slip of the tongue to jump all over whoever is being asked the questions. It’s not just Woods.
By the way – Mickelson does the same thing – just a little different. His answers are 30 minutes long and full of all kinds of technical jargon that they are boring and unprintable. Either way – it keeps the media from misquoting and spinning for their own purposes.
Fathom the odd hypocrisy that the government wants every citizen to prove that they have health insurance, but people don't have to prove they are citizens.
I get your point
Faldo never trusted the media…and he got burned a lot more than Woods by them. All the crap Woods got from the media was because of his private life. Faldo too, had a dodgey private life, but the media here used to make things up like you wouldn’t believe. There are ways to be geniuine to the media…Federer and Nedal a good examples.
Taking shots at Woods ? I’m not. But, I do think he isn’t very good with people in general.
I’M not very good with people – I’m a terrible talker – hate being put on the spot – but I can write – you can edit yourself before letting anybody else see. :-)
Whew – good example with Faldo – I really felt bad for him – especially since we got to see his real personality. His focus on the golf course was what made him great – but it wasn’t how he was all the time. I always loved watching him play – but when he put on that wig and caddied for Costner at Pebble during a rain delay, I became a fan for life. He was hilarious.
Fathom the odd hypocrisy that the government wants every citizen to prove that they have health insurance, but people don't have to prove they are citizens.
I remeber that...I thought it was Huey Lewis, but Costner is good too..
Norman once said, the British and Aussie tabloids are the worst on Earth..can’t argue with him there. The things they make up here are off the scale.
You not good with people ? Can’t think why…you seem confident here (editing doesn’t always get rid of the crud ) :)
When put on the spot, instinctive talk is what gets one out of it. Thinking what to say in those situations takes too long, talking is like counter-punching, lol.
Could’ve been Lewis’ bag – Costner was out there playing, too.
exactly – that’s why these guys memorize cliches. :-) Rent “Bull Durham”
Fathom the odd hypocrisy that the government wants every citizen to prove that they have health insurance, but people don't have to prove they are citizens.
I could never memorise anything
Just said what came to me…worked 90% of the time…the other 10% i got in a fight, lol
Agreed Easy
Tiger played 18 beautifully. Martin was unlucky on the 9th as were Quiros and Miguel(there may have been others) .Think the hospitality units will have to be moved??? Glad rory had a great day I had a flutter on him to win-Stand up for the Ulstermen!!!
by scrumsndswings on Feb 10, 2011 11:53 AM EST reply actions
Rory did play great
was fortunate on one hole but missed a few inside 10 feet as well. Sergio looked very good too. David Howell got an ace, was a nice moment for him.
Nice to see
Sergio having a good round,Yep l Rory left a few out there….as usual….He says he’s working on his course management.When he gets it all together he could win a shedload of tourneys.
by scrumsndswings on Feb 10, 2011 12:07 PM EST reply actions
Rory has the best swing in golf right now
he crushes the ball without trying. Once he manages himself well, I see him winning more majors than Harrington at least. He doesn;t seem to have the putting demons that has been with Sergio since his early 20’s. Hope Sergio learns to love the game again, he’s too good to lose to golf.
has he fixed that hitch in his swing that has affected his back ?
Fathom the odd hypocrisy that the government wants every citizen to prove that they have health insurance, but people don't have to prove they are citizens.
He never mentioed it.
Must have been growing pains. He went to the gym after his 1st round, then the water park nearby.
how's that group workin' out for you ?
-3 -3 and -1 – woohoo ! lots of bogies and birdies – but no consistency and lots of missed putts.
on the other hand – the guy who got left out of the spotlight torched the course – Rory McIlroy
Fathom the odd hypocrisy that the government wants every citizen to prove that they have health insurance, but people don't have to prove they are citizens.
Westwood blew the last hole
he was 5 ahead of Woods on the 18th tee. Not as close as the score suggests.
right – Westwood bogied – Woods eagled – three shot swing. You have to play all 18 – doesn’t matter how far they were apart after 17. Woods was 2 over twice during the round and fought back. Westwood were up and down all day. That’s the game.
Fathom the odd hypocrisy that the government wants every citizen to prove that they have health insurance, but people don't have to prove they are citizens.
Lol
of course it is. But the gulf in their play was certainly wider than the score margin, jus sayin.
and yet – at the end of the day – they were 2 shots apart or tied. Tiger had a wider swing of performance – but he balanced his double with the eagle.
me ? I balance a double with…another double. :-)
Fathom the odd hypocrisy that the government wants every citizen to prove that they have health insurance, but people don't have to prove they are citizens.
You got that right Court
Rory was the bride today and the others the Maids of honour. Hope he keeps it going and makes me a little richer!!!!!
by scrumsndswings on Feb 10, 2011 12:24 PM EST reply actions
Kaymer too
Should have finished 5 under,that 9th took a lot of prisoners.
by scrumsndswings on Feb 10, 2011 12:30 PM EST reply actions
again – all 18 – not just the front 9
Fathom the odd hypocrisy that the government wants every citizen to prove that they have health insurance, but people don't have to prove they are citizens.
White House???
What was Monica Lewinsky’s position at the White House……………missionary???
by scrumsndswings on Feb 10, 2011 12:45 PM EST reply actions
If you haven't heard...
…Alex Cjeka tossed up a tidy Albatross on his very first hole at Pebble today. He was 5 under through 4 holes.
http://tourreport.pgatour.com/2011/02/10/cejka-makes-rare-albatross/
Fathom the odd hypocrisy that the government wants every citizen to prove that they have health insurance, but people don't have to prove they are citizens.
beats me – either way I know what they mean.
Fathom the odd hypocrisy that the government wants every citizen to prove that they have health insurance, but people don't have to prove they are citizens.
LOL – they probably just haven’t studied their Monty Python
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PJix23IeF8
Fathom the odd hypocrisy that the government wants every citizen to prove that they have health insurance, but people don't have to prove they are citizens.
What in the name of all that's holy!!!!
is Harrington doing at Pebble Beach! My heaven doesn’t he understand how great the European Tour is??? What a turn coat! Have him drawn and quartered!
The same could be said for Tiger playing over there....
"pain is only weakness leaving the body" jumpn
Cool.......Have TW drawn and quartered too......:)
The Saints were the SUPER BOWL CHAMPS for a year...hope I don't have to wait another 44 years for #2....WHO DAT!......:)
I'd like to see Paddy get a W....
Sometime soon, he’s always a good watch when he gets TV time and playing well. He looks like he could use a boost these days.
"pain is only weakness leaving the body" jumpn
He played well before he got dq'd
but something is missing, don’t know what. I’d expect him to win in bad conditions, no one grinds it better in bad weather…including Woods.
Both tournaments drag on....
One thing is for certain, I’m very tired of two words applied to Tiger Woods: Roaring and stalking….. As this season progresses, the parity thing is wearing thin. I’d like to see someone, anyone, take charge….become “The Man”…. I don’t care who. It gives a golf tournament some focus. Right now it seems like the only suspense is which of the top players will trip… They’ve all taken a turn at being lack luster so far.
Tough conditions today Ping
And forcast tomorrow. Anything around par is a great score. Reading your post, I have to ask, do you like watching great golf ? Or do you prefer watching one person killing off the week dominating ? Woods and Nicklaus turned pro 36 years apart. The golf between them was still great ( thanks to the emergence of Europeans in the early ’80’s). Golf or the golfer. They are not the same thing.
I'm just tired of the hype.
I’ve had too much Tiger Woods. And nowthat he is where he is the media are trying to fill that spot with almost anyone who wins a tournment. Seems like you came to this game somewhat late in life. If that’s true I envy that. I started playing when I was 15…and that’s not a boast. I still have an affection for golf, but with each passing year I enjoy PROFESSIONAL golf less and less. At this point I can pretty much tell from the scores what conditions are like. When I see the leaders on Saturday shooting par and over par, I know something’s a foot. Not all golf is great golf…..
by pingforever on Feb 12, 2011 11:42 AM EST up reply actions
Ping, I understand but
hype and the real thing are different creatures. Yes, I started playing 20 years ago, but I know the difference between hype and the real thing. I have to say, a lot of the hype you mention is American…the big sell so to speak. I’m not knocking Americans themselves, before em jumps on my back, but the media in America. The Golf Channel in particular are gulity of this. And I know you still blog on that site a lot. They seem terrified if Woods isn’t competing, golf will go down the drain. This notion is only held in America. Golf is doing very well. As for par, the US Open prides itself on it. Not very exciting, but a great test nevertheless. The trouble is, events like the Hope, set up relatively easy compared to top events, yeilds so many birdies for TV, par seems boring for some. one of the reasons the Open, IMO, is the best tournament in golf, it is usually set up fair and the rest is down to the weather. Some days, 75 is a great score. the next day, 66 is almost common. Too many events in the US are in benine conditions and it can produce the same golf, week in, week out. Europe has gone to target golf to some extent as well, but the weather here is more changeable and makes events a bit more exciting to watch. Jumpin may agree with me on this, he may not. But it does encourage more shotmaking, something the bomb and gauge game in America has lost to some extent.
When the weather clears up there why not have 9 holes again…it won’t be boring !
Ping......If you're bored,
I can send you some videos of me playing. You won’t hear TW mentioned on time, I promise…….:)
The Saints were the SUPER BOWL CHAMPS for a year...hope I don't have to wait another 44 years for #2....WHO DAT!......:)
Just trying to help.....:)
The Saints were the SUPER BOWL CHAMPS for a year...hope I don't have to wait another 44 years for #2....WHO DAT!......:)
Ping
You’re starting to sound very cynical. There’s a simple solution, if you don’t like it, don’t watch it or spend your time writing about what you don’t like. I’m sure you could find a better use of your time. Just saying….
The man who never alters his opinions is like standing water, and breeds reptiles of the mind.
~ William Blake
Now, now TH...don't let Ol Ping-a-ling push yur buttons...Take a deep breath
a big sip of the Gin and Tonic and settle back and watch the action….There now, don’t you feel better already…Sure, go ahead…suck all ya want on the Gin and Tonic….STUB
STUB
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