FF: The Donald Wins Again, Curtis Cup Picks, and Why I Hate Golf Conventions

I hope everyone had a great week as we close out the middle of January. This week's Friday Fun post focuses on a few stories from around the golf world that many fans are talking about (and even one story that I just couldn't keep to myself). Click on the jump to read more about how "The Donald" made golf headlines this week, who the USA chose for the Curtis Cup, and why golf conventions confuse the hell out of me.

Donald Trump Approved to Run Course - For those who don't know, Donald Trump likes golf just a bit. He also has a little money saved away, you know, for a rainy day. This week "The Donald" scored one of his best "holes-in-one" (figuratively, of course) by earning the right to run a new course in the Bronx, New York.

As Dan Collins of the Huffington Post writes, taxpayers in the NY borough are currently paying to build to course already, which will ultimately cost upwards of $184 million when all is said and done. Trump and the City of New York agreed to a 20-year deal (!!!) that will grant Trump complete ownership to the course while not paying anything to the city for the first four years of the deal. Afterwards, Trump will only be responsible for a few licensing fees (on top of everything else that goes along with owning a golf course).

Developers suggest the course will be finished by 2014. Trump reports to have plans underway to build a $10 million clubhouse on the property. On second thought, this story sucks. The rich get richer, and another course is being built that I'll never play unless I become a member. Whatever.

USA Finalizes Curtis Cup Roster - Women's golf is going to have a huge year (again) this season, and that includes much more than just the professional ranks. This week the United States Golf Association (USGA) named the final three golfers to the USA's Curtis Cup team: collegians Lisa McCloskey, 20, of Houston, Texas; Erica Popson, 20, of Davenport, Fla.; and Emily Tubert, 19, of Burbank, California.

As the PGA website states, the trio "joins Amy Anderson, 19, of Oxbow, N.D.; Lindy Duncan, 21, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Austin Ernst, 19, of Seneca, S.C.; Tiffany Lua, 20, of Rowland Heights, Calif.; and Brooke Pancake, 21, of Chattanooga, Tenn., who were named to the team in late December." The Curtis Cup matches - which pits eight-player teams from the US, Great Britian, and Ireland - is scheduled to tee-off on June 8th, 2012.

Golf Conventions Are Silly - On a more personal note, the other day my wife and I visited the DuPage County Expo Center in St. Charles, Illinois to attend one of the few golf conventions that make their way through the Midwest during the winter. My goals were simple going into the convention: haggle for a new lob wedge, buy some more golf balls for the Mrs., and escape with all of my fingers and toes in tact.

Something that has always fascinated me when watching other amateur golfers shop for merchandise is the method they all use when fiddling with golf clubs: the Grip-Waggle-Regrip Method (patent pending). Essentially this method consists of three stages:

Stage 1: Grip the club while holding it parallel to the floor and obstructing as many fellow shoppers as possible. For added effectiveness, extend your arms as far as you can to increase your vision of your grip (and to hit me in the back of the f*cking head).

Stage 2: Address an imaginary golf ball and begin your pre-shot waggle. This makes everyone around you immediately aware of the fact that you think you are a better player than your 20-handicap indicates, or that you are sleepwalking and actually believe you are on a golf course.

Stage 3: Pick your arms back up and hold the club parallel to the floor (see Stage 1) and regrip the club multiple times. You obviously gripped it wrong the first time, so you better get it right.

After about an hour I was able to buy a new wedge and my wife picked out some annoyingly-pink golf balls.