Johnny Miller showed why he is the best, most brutally candid golf analyst yesterday with his comments on Tiger Woods. Woods, as most people might know, talked early in the season about his pursuit of the Grand Slam. Miller must have been thinking what I and a million other golf fans were thinking. Isn’t it a little early to be making such a bold prediction? Even if it’s Tiger Woods doing the talking? “I’m not taking a slam at Tiger, but I think the Grand Slam is something you start thinking about on the first of August, after you’ve won the three other ... full post »

The differences between commercial airlines in America and everywhere else in the world, including Africa, Asia, Antarctica and any other continent they happen to find would fill a Super Wal Mart. American planes are dingy, grubby and probably contagious. There’s an air of desolation as soon as you walk into the cabin. It’s like being locked away in a Mexican jail on trumped-up drug charges. The seats were designed by midgets, for midgets. A chimp might be comfortable, but only if he were a very small, tranquilized baby chimp who didn’t mind sitting erect, like a granite statue, and did not require ... full post »

I haven’t played enough golf yet in eastern Denmark and southern Sweden – a geographical area known as Oresund – to call it the Great Undiscovered Golf Destination, but I can definitely say it’s promising. First of all, golf is cheaper here than probably any other place in Western Europe, and cheaper than many places in the U.S. The game is growing like wildfire in Denmark – second behind only soccer – and it’s been a mainstay for family fun in Sweden for years. Secondly, there are quite a few golf courses to choose from. In Skane, which takes up much of ... full post »

I’m not sure if I’m a lightning rod for violence or if a divine force is trying to tell me something. Last month I was lying in a hotel bed in Branson, Missouri, when I was jostled awake in the middle of the night. The entire hotel was vibrating. I remember thinking, “This is interesting. I should probably remember this.” Then I went back to sleep. The next morning, I learned there had been a 5.2 magnitude earthquake in Illinois that was felt from Nebraska to Atlanta, in places as far-flung as Milwaukee, Louisville and Cincinnati. Then, last night, I was again sleeping ... full post »

The crown prince and princess of Denmark are members of the Royal Copenhagen Golf Club, but the Danes – never ones to put on airs, or heirs for that matter – call it simply the Copenhagen Golf Club. If an American golf club had royalty for members, they’d plaster it in neon 50 feet high. The Danes don’t like to brag. Chances are you won’t run into royalty on the course, outside of the huge, historic city. But, you will run into a variety of other species. The course sits in a park about 400 years old, and is open to the ... full post »

The woman in the black dress standing by the airport gate waiting for her plane to board wasn’t beautiful. The best you could say was that she was merely attractive. Nor was the dress she wore that revealing. It ended somewhere below the knee and there was no cleavage at all. All of these things would have been good excuses to surreptitiously gawk, a specialty of mine, but I can’t use them. Because there I was, staring. Finally, feeling like a stalker, I looked away. It didn’t take long to dawn on me why she attracted such attention. She was wearing one ... full post »

Greg Norman has it too good these days. Jets off in his private jet to Shanghai with his fiancé, a still gorgeous Chris Evert. Says he’s going to do a little business over there. His “business” includes golf course design, real estate, a clothing line and wine. And while he’s in this exotic location, with a beautiful, former tennis queen, he uses his idle time to play in the $2.3 million Asian Open, where he shoots a 1-under 71 in the opening round. Wears a hat with “Great White Shark,” written in Chinese. As I write this, I’m sitting at my desk ... full post »

Before the Masters, Trevor Immelman was just sort of a name, a good, solid pro, but essentially just an also-ran with a mildly-amusing name. Now, he’s leapt to the front of my leaderboard! After his Masters win, Immelman did the whirlwind-celebrity deal all Masters winners do, and one of those was going to New York. “The thing that I personally enjoyed the most was going to Madison Square Garden to go watch the basketball game,” Immelman told Kevin Currie of The Sports Network. “That was fantastic. I’m a huge basketball fan and to go there and watch the Celtics play against the Knicks ... full post »

You’d expect a golf course with the name: “John Daly’s Murder Rock Golf and Country Club” to be a handful, wouldn’t you? It isn’t. It’s a good course, definitely, but it’s no John Daly-sized back-breaker. Daly had nothing to do with the design, and the name “Murder Rock” comes from a Civil War-era bushwacker who used to ambush travelers under a nearby rock. So, with that out of the way, Murder Rock is worth a visit when in the Branson, Missouri area. It’s situated on the highest point in Taney County, 300 feet above its superb neighbor, Branson Creek; both are located in ... full post »

Branson Creek, just outside Branson, Missouri, is one of those must-plays if you love mountain golf and are anywhere in the area. It plays up and down the hills of the high plateau that takes up most of southern Missouri. Those holes that play along the high, rocky ridges give off grand, misty views and the holes that plunge down to the valleys are perhaps even more scenic, with purple-flowered hills rising gracefully above the fairways. It is a dazzling layout in this part of the postcard-ready Ozarks, outside the town of Hollister. Its scenic beauty is matched only by the artistry of ... full post »

Branson, Missouri has a lot of slick performers, both country and otherwise. Beatles impersonators, formerly famous rock bands, wild comedians. They have elaborate stage acts, fancy hairdressers and all sorts of pyrotechnics. It’s all entertaining, if you go in for that sort of thing. But, for my money, the best act in town is Roy Rogers Jr. and his band, the High Riders. Roy Jr., better known as Dusty, comes out on stage at the Happy Trails Theater with his band behind him and just sings. No fancy stuff, just some old-time songs you probably heard your parents or your grandparents sing: Tumbling ... full post »

Being from a very flat state, I love mountain golf courses. I found a gem just outside of Branson, Missouri, called Ledgestone Golf Course. It’s set in a ritzy neighborhood called Bridgestone, and it has some serious elevation changes – I defy anyone to play No. 15, a par-3, and not get at least a mild case of vertigo. No. 15 is the most dramatic example, but quite a few other holes highlight this part of the Ozarks. It does take some getting used to. With all the twists and turns and elevation changes, you need to play this course a few times before ... full post »

You may have heard of Branson, Missouri, most likely from your parents, grandparents or great-uncle. They probably had a great time and told you all abut it. What you might not know, and which might prompt you to pull the Trigger (get it? Roy Rogers?) is that the famous country music city is trying hard to become a golf destination, and they’ve got a pretty good start. They have about a dozen courses in the area now, with more to come, including the Payne Stewart Golf Course that’s scheduled to be completed this fall; it should be a doozy. Just played Ledgestone today, and ... full post »

Tiger Woods has shown time and time again he is no charger. He may be the most dominant player of all time, but he doesn’t set hearts aflutter like Arnold Palmer used to do during one of his famous charges. Give Woods the lead and he’s a pit bull. Put him a few strokes back and he turns into Shelley Winters. Woods had tons of opportunities to make a serious run for the lead Sunday during the final round at The Masters, but never got around to doing much. He actually looked bored. Hey, Tiger, I wanted to yell, this is the ... full post »

One of the semi-cool things about the Masters is the way it lets in the old-timers, past champions well past their primes who don’t stand a chance in hell of contending. It’s a link to the past, a historical showcase that’s fun to watch. Most of the time. Still, I think Gary Player shouldn’t be playing this year, his 51st. He’s obviously in it solely to break Arnold Palmer’s record. “We both had that record and I think that’s really the motive in the back of my mind,” Player told the media this week. Players has always been fiercely competitive, but it would ... full post »