Golf

VIRGINIA WATER, England (AP) -- Tiger Woods says the ''fried chicken'' comment from Sergio Garcia was hurtful and inappropriate. Two weeks after they verbally sparred at The Players Championship, Woods say it's time to move on.

(Adds Woods reaction) LONDON, May 22 (Reuters) - The feud between world number one Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia deepened when Woods described the Spaniard's "fried chicken" jibe as "wrong, hurtful and inappropriate" on Wednesday. Woods reacted on his Twitter account after Garcia issued an apology to a comment he made at Tuesday's European Tour awards dinner when he was asked on stage whether he would be inviting Woods for dinner during next month's U.S. Open in Merion. "We will have him round every night. We will serve fried chicken." Garcia was heard to say. ...

World No 12 Lee Westwood has side-stepped the on-going row between Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia that is currently threatening to engulf the world of golf.

I tell ya, golf courses and cemeteries are the biggest wastes of prime real estate! - Rodney Dangerfield (as Al Czervik) in Caddyshack Is it bad when one of the most beloved characters in golf movie history thinks golf courses are a waste of space? We love Al Czervik – we all do. But the fact remains he wanted to buy Bushwood and replace the course with condos. Granted, his motivation was purely for profit, but nonetheless he wished there were less golf courses in the world. And so do many other people. Some real estate moguls see golf courses as an encroachment on their piggybank; Some environmentalists see golf courses as an encroachment on the natural habitat of wildlife; and some non-golfers see golf courses as just a waste of space that could have some other use instead. Whatever your viewpoint might be, one can’t deny golf courses take up a good amount of space – to the tune of 2.24 million acres1 in the US alone. That’s a lot of real estate. Another mind-boggling stat is just how many golf courses there are in this country: More than 16,000. Let me put that in perspective for you: There are only 12,800 McDonald’s restaurants in the US. This means when you’re driving down the road craving a BigMac, you’re more likely to come across a golf course before a Mickey D’s. I’ll give you a moment to digest that. It’s also true golf takes up more space than other recreational sports. Baseball, softball, soccer and football fields take up 1 to 3 acres2 each while basketball and tennis courts much less still (0.1 – 0.6 acres respectively). This is a far cry from the average amount of acreage needed for a golf course (140 acres). Even a golf driving range (15 acres2) takes up more than each of the non-golf fields combined! So from a space management standpoint, you could have youth baseball, softball, soccer and football games all going on at the same time in one park (and a tennis and basketball court to boot)…or…you could have one facility to practice (not even really play) golf. Now my point in telling you all this is to give you the perspective of the non-golfer. If you’re a non-golfer and read those stats, you’d think; “Wow, that’s a lot of space for one sport that not everybody plays.” And based on that, you can begin to see why so many people have a hard time with golf and the land it takes up (see George Carlin’s famous take on this here). Furthermore, many courses are private – meaning vast tracts of land are set aside for only a select few to enjoy. For us golfers, we may have never even thought about how many golf courses there are in the world (32,000). For us, there can never be too many courses. But when we look at the stats, it’s kinda crazy. That’s a lot of land, water, fertilizer, pesticides, etc. just so we golfers can play our game. Sure golf is doing more for the environment these days, but they could be doing more. So this brings me back to the original question: Are golf courses a waste of space? I think the answer is it depends on who you ask. Clearly some think so, while others think not. For the golfer, they certainly aren’t wasting space. But the non-golfers have valid points too – especially on the topic of if there too many courses. I’ve posted about that before and tend to agree the herd could use a little thinning. And I do believe there are some courses that are indeed wasting space. But if the course is operating at sustainable levels and putting forth a decent product (they don’t have to be lush green mind you), then I say there is no better use for that land! 1See page 3 of the Golf Course Environmental Profile: Property Summary. 2See the appendix of the Reusing Cleaned Up Superfund Sites report.

Defending champion Luke Donald believes his game is in good shape as he attempts to become only the second player in tournament history to win the BMW PGA Championship three years in a row.

"We are delighted to welcome ING to our growing list of partners", said James L. Bosworth, CEO of Back9Network. "For almost a quarter century, ING has built an extensive membership of lifestyle -related golf companies, and reaches over 6 million golfers through those members. We look forward to maximizing our mutual reach to this significant demographic." read more

The picturesque Bajamar golf resort is offering Americans a unique opportunity to celebrate Independence Day south of the border. On July 4th and 5th, golfers can enjoy two rounds for the price of one at Bajamar's seaside 27-hole course, dubbed "The Pebble Beach of Mexico". read more

One of golf's iconic venues, where the legends of the game have played since the 1960s, La Costa is introducing its "Afternoon Swing" package (tee times starting from 11:30 a.m.) and the "Express Golf Happy Hour" (starting at 3 p.m.), both on the renovated Champions Course. read more

"As a group of the best public layouts in Canada, we feel a strong responsibility to get more juniors in the game," said Steve Haggard, director of golf at Silvertip Resort. "There is no better sport that encourages parents and children to play together than golf." read more

"As the leader in push carts, we feel this campaign is a great way for us to let golfers experience first-hand the benefits of walking the course and help out their local First Tee program," said Craig Ramsbottom, President, Dynamic Brands. "Our research has shown golfers not only enjoy the game and the overall experience more when they walk, but in fact play better." read more