|
Asians
are golf-crazy. Often not very good but they have money to buy
the best equipment and golf at the world's best locations during vacation
time. 太太
has participated in a
number of such vacations. They often travel in large
groups. - 太太
 
Golf rated above par for exercise
If you're a golfer -- and there are 631,000 of you
in B.C. -- you may have been ribbed about the amount of exercise you get on
the links.
But here's your vindication: The first study to
count the number of steps accumulated in 18-hole rounds found that
regardless of the course, study participants walked more than seven
kilometres and accumulated a mean number of nearly 12,000 steps, bettering
the oft-recommended 10,000 steps daily.
"This is the first investigation to determine
the physical activity of golf in the context of steps taken during an
18-hole round," said study co-author Dr. Jay Smith, a sports medicine
doctor at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
"Despite previous research which has
questioned the intensity of golf in the context of physical exercise, our
data clearly indicate that golf participation can contribute considerably to
an overall daily physical activity plan," he said.
The study by Smith, Samantha Kobriger and
co-authors -- conducted on three public courses in Minnesota -- was
presented to 4,000 delegates from 100 countries Wednesday at the World
Physical Therapy Congress in Vancouver.
Brian Butters, executive director of the
Professional Golfers' Association of B.C., said golf is the most popular
sport in B.C. and across Canada, so the study should be welcome news for
many.
"I've heard some people say it's not really a
legitimate form of exercise but I absolutely disagree with that, especially
for people who walk the course and carry their clubs. But I would think the
less developed your skill, the more exercise you'll get, since hitting balls
wildly off the target will require more walking to find your ball. And then
of course there is the extra expenditure of energy when you wack your club
in frustration against a tree, not that I am recommending that," he
said.
Mike Longridge, assistant pro at the Marine Drive
Golf Club, agreed that golfers with a zero handicap may get less exercise
because of their shot accuracy, while golfers who slice and hook may take
more steps.
"I think better golfers probably do exert
less energy and golfers who walk the course well into their old age are
leading the most active lifestyles and benefitting from that.
"The players who take a cart are not doing it
to speed up their play, they're the ones who may be lazier -- and
heftier," Longridge, said as he was about to tee off in a pro-am
tournament at Vancouver Golf Club.
There were 42 subjects in the Mayo Clinic study,
and researchers said they would need a much larger study sample to determine
if steps would vary significantly, depending on golfer gender, handicap or
age.
In another study presented at the physiotherapy
conference, researchers from Queen Margaret University College in Edinburgh
sought to measure how much physical energy is used if an individual is
accumulating 10,000 steps a day.
University students enrolled in the study were
asked to walk on a treadmill while their steps were counted. Extrapolating
results, researchers determined that at a low speed (3.2 km/h) individuals
would expend 240 calories if they walked a total of 10,000 steps a day, and
at a moderate or brisk walking speed of 6.4 km/h, they would expend 410,
which shows that "even light intensity walking meets the minimum
expenditure recommended by the ACSM," said lead author Cliona Purcell.
"Our subjects in this study were healthy,
young, active university students so we can also say that sedentary or
overweight individuals will likely derive even more benefits," she said
in an interview. - by Pamela Feyerman, Health Reporter VANCOUVER
SUN 7 June 2007
GOLF
U.S. duffers are
joining clubs in Scotland and Ireland
Like countless business executives,
Jay Kennedy belongs to a golf club where the fairways are rolling and the
scenery is drop-dead gorgeous. One other fact about Kennedy's dreamy club:
It's in Ireland.
The insurance executive from
Chatham, N.J., joined Ballyliffin Golf Club in northwest Ireland in 2001
after his wife placed a $600 winning bid on a two-year membership at a
charity auction. Kennedy then paid an additional $4,400 to become a lifetime
member (the fee has since climbed to $7,500). He has made several trips in
two years, once playing Ballyliffin's two courses with 24 friends and
business associates. "Socially, it's a fabulous investment," he
says. "I was going to Ireland a couple times a year anyway."
Looking to expand your golf horizons? If your budget is ample and your
enthusiasm for overseas travel is undimmed by world events, try joining a
club in Ireland or Scotland. Amenities -- from course layout to on-site
hotels -- vary widely. Financial terms are all over the map, too. Lifetime
membership at some clubs can be had for less than $10,000, while others
require close to three times that but will return the money when you resign
or die.
Member demographics is another key factor. Some clubs that market to
Americans are century-old facilities where a majority of members are locals.
They began wooing foreigners to finance capital improvements. Ballybunion
Golf Club in Ireland, favored by ex-President Bill Clinton, used proceeds
from its international program to pay for a seawall to protect three holes.
At newer clubs such as Ireland's Doonbeg Golf Club, the mix favors
foreigners by design. About 80% of golfers at Doonbeg, which opened in 2002,
live outside Ireland, mainly in the U.S. and Canada. That means the course
isn't heavily played. It also means the gent who joins you for a pint after
the round isn't as likely to speak with an Irish brogue.
One thing these clubs offer: a sanctuary in which golfers feel close to the
origins of their beloved sport. "They have a sense of connection to the
game in Scotland and Ireland. They're a part of a golfing experience,"
says Gordon Dalgleish, president of PerryGolf, a golf travel agency that
books trips to courses in Britain.
That experience seemed less attractive to some jittery about overseas travel
after September 11 and, more recently, the war in Iraq. Fees even have come
down as some clubs strain to attract international members, though business
has picked up since the conflict in Iraq began winding down. "There has
been a spike in the last month," says Doug Hart, U.S. membership
director for Doonbeg. A member-guest tournament involving about 170 players
in June sold out and so has another one scheduled for October, he says.
Should you decide to go for it, you'll want to visit several golf clubs
before making a commitment. Your biggest challenge after that will be
finding time to fly away with your clubs to Europe. - By Mark Hyman Business
Week
23 June 2003
HELLO TAI TAI invited 3P
Tee, Hong Kong's popular online golf advisor to give us a few pointers
on Golf Etiquette since the game is fast becoming a popular sport with Tai
Tai's.
3P Tee has agreed to share online for free pointers on
improving your golf game so contact
us with your questions. HELLO TAI TAI has seen this
export shoot over 300 yards with ease and accuracy.
GOLF ETIQUETTE from 3P TEE
Golf, unlike almost any of the trash-talking sports you can watch on TV
nowadays, is a game where sportsmanship is paramount. Golf is an easy
game to cheat at, so every player is on his honour. But there's more
to it than that. Golf has its own code of etiquette, semi-official
'rules' of courtesy that every player is recommended to follow.
Here are a few from the Golf Code of Ethics you need to know:
- Don't talk while someone is
playing a stroke. Give your partners time and silence while they
are analyzing the situation, making their practice swings, and analyzing
the situation, making their practice swings, and actually making their
swing for real. Don't stand near them or move about, either,
especially when you're on the greens. Stay out of their peripheral
vision while they are putting. Don't stand near the hole or walk
between your partners' ball and the hole. Be mindful of your
shadow. The line of a putt - the path it must follow to the
hole - is holy ground.
The key is being aware of your companions' - and their golf balls
- whereabouts and temperment. Easygoing types may not mind
that you gab away while they choose a club, but that isn't true for
everyone. If in doubt, stand still and shut up. If you're a
problem more than once, you'll be told about it.
- Be ready to play when it's your
turn - For example, when your ball lies farthest from the
hole. Make your decisions while you're walking to your ball or
while waiting for some else to play. Be ready to play. And
when it is your turn to hit, do so without any undue delay. You don't
have to rush; just get on with it.
- The honour (that is, the first
shot) on a given tee goes to the player with the lowest score on
the previous hole. If that hold was tied, the player with the
lowest score on the hole before that is said to be up and retains the
honour. In other words, you have the honour until you lose it.
- Make sure everyone in your
foursome is behind you when you hit. You're not going to hit every shot
where you're aimed. If in doubt, wait for your playing partners to
get out of your line of play. The same is true for the group
in front; wait until they are well out of range before you hit. Even if
it would take a career shot for you to reach them. Wait.
Lawyers love golfers who ignore that rule of thumb.
- Pay attention to the group
behind you, too. Are they having to wait for you on every shot?
Is there a gap between you and the group ahead of you? If
the answer to either of both is yes, step aside and invite the group
behind you to play through. This is no reflection on your ability
as golfers. All it means is that the group behind plays faster
than you do. The best and most time-efficient place to let a
group behind play through is at a par-3 (it's the shortest hole
and therefore the quickest way of playing through). After hitting
your ball onto the green, mark it, and wave to them to play. Stand
off to the side of the green as they do. , After they have all
hit, replace your ball and putt out. Then let them go. Simple,
isn't it? Sadly, you're likely to see this piece of basic
good manners abused time and again by players who don' t know any better
and have no place on a golf course. Ignore them.
Do what's right. Stepping aside makes your round more enjoyable.
Think about it. Who likes to ruin someone else's day?
Give your ego a rest and let them through.
- Help the greens keeper out.
A busy golf course takes a bit of a pounding over a day's play.
All those balls landing on greens. Feet walking through
bunkers. And divots of earth flying through the air.
Do your bit for the golf course. Repair any ball marks you
see on the greens. (You can use your tee or a special tool called a
divot fixer, which is about 50 cents in the pro shop.)
Here's how to repair ball marks. Stick the repair tool in the
green around the perimeter of the indentation. Start at the rear.
Gently lift the compacted dirt. Replace any loose pieces or grass
or turf in the center of the hole. Then take your putter and tap down
the raised turf until it is level again. You can repair ball marks
either before or after you putt. It's a good habit to have.
Finally, smooth out or rake any footprints in bunkers, (but only
after you play out). And replace any divots you find on the
fairways and tees.
- If you must play in a golf cart
(take my advice and walk whenever you can - its good exercise), park it
well away from greens, tees, and bunkers. To speed up play, you
should park on the side of the green nearest the next tee. The
same is true if you are carrying your bag. Don't set it down near
any of the aforementioned, but do leave it in a spot on the way to the
next tee.
- Leave the green as soon as
everyone has finished putting. You'll see this a lot, and after a
while it'll drive you crazy. You're ready to play your approach
shot to the green, and the people in front are crowding round the hole
marking their cards. That's poor etiquette on two counts.
One, it delays play, which is never good. And two, the last thing
the greens keeper wants is a lot of footprints around the cup. Mark your
card on the way to the next tee.
- In case there is a lost
ball, do not waste time to find it, just play another one as according
to the rules, specially when you have a group following close to yours.
- Some people not only spending
everybody's time in finding their own ball but others in the hazards or
pond, which left by previous groups in days back. These are very
inconsiderate people who's example should not be followed
- Always keep still and
quiet when you are passing by a green or tee box when other golfers are
there ready to play their shot, give them a chance to finish their shot
and carry on quickly. Enjoy!
-by
3P Tee
U.S. groups bidding for Japanese golf
company
TOKYO
Goldman Sachs Group and Lone Star Funds, a Dallas-based
investment firm, are bidding to buy an embattled golf course owner in Japan,
the third time in a year the two companies have competed for such assets,
bankers close to the deal said Thursday.
Taiyoryokka, which has 18 golf courses and 35,000
members in Japan and France, sought court protection in Tokyo this month
because sales slumped and it could not pay employees.
Goldman, the biggest golf course owner in Japan,
is bidding with Mori Investment Trust, while Tokyo Tatemono, the nation's
sixth-largest developer, also made an offer, the bankers said.
Almost 200 of Japan's 2,500 courses have failed in
the past two years, owing a combined $37 billion. Investors are betting that
accelerating economic growth will help them revive, paving the way for them
to profit through future share sales.
"They are seeking economies of scale to cut
costs and increase profit before an initial public offering in the
future," said Issei Tsutsumi, a managing director at Meiji Golf, the
second-biggest golf-membership trading firm in Japan.
A Tokyo Tatemono spokesman confirmed that the
company was bidding for Taiyoryokka. Goldman's spokesman in Tokyo declined
to comment. Lone Star officials could not be reached for comment. Officials
at Tokyo-based Mori Investment declined to comment.
Three groups from overseas and Japan submitted
bids to become Taiyoryokka's financial sponsor, Kunihiko Nishimura, an
attorney for the failed golf operator, said at a creditors' meeting on
Monday, declining to give their names. A sponsor typically assumes
management control and invests in the business.
The company and its receivers held a two-hour
meeting with creditors and more than 1,300 golf club members Monday at the
Nippon Seinenkan Conference Center in Sendagaya in Tokyo.
Taiyoryokka has three golf clubs in Kyushu, the
southernmost of Japan's main islands. It also owns Kyo Country Club and
eight other courses located within a two-hour drive of Tokyo.
Annual revenue at Taiyoryokka fell by a third in
the past six years to ¥7 billion, or $64.5 million, in the year that ended
Dec. 31, according to documents distributed to creditors this week.
Goldman and Lone Star squared off three times in
the past year to buy Japanese golf courses, betting that an economic
recovery would enable them to generate a profit either by selling shares or
redeveloping the properties.
Goldman already controls 109 courses in Japan and
last week was chosen by receivers to be the financial sponsor for Japan Golf
Promotion and three affiliates that own 28 golf courses.
Lone Star, the largest creditor of Japan Golf,
failed in its bid for the company after it did not agree with the court
receivers on how to reorganize the assets, according to a statement on the
golf company's Web site. - By Takahiko Hyuga and Kazu
Hirano Bloomberg
News
|
