Bermuda is a cool place now, but it must have been really cool in the early 1940s. That’s when cars were banned. That’s right: no cars allowed. They eventually bowed to pressure, of course, in 1946 and allowed cars, but they still restrict them to one car per family unit. The place is still jam-packed with vehicles, mostly taxis full of tourists and those annoying, buzzing, 50-cc scooters you see everywhere. I bumped into a 30-minute traffic jam one day there recently, for example. Here’s another thing you may not know about Bermuda, even if you’ve been there. Most of the trees ... full post »

I always thought those people who proclaimed walking was the only real way to play golf were tiresome. Actually, I still do. I don’t take seriously those people who are always teling you the way things ought to be done. That hasn’t changed. If I want to exercise, I’ll play basketball. If I want to play golf, I’ll take a cart. But, my atittiude toward walking around a golf course has changed in another way, but not because it makes me more in tune with the game or any of that nonsense. I went to Ireland and Scotland recently and, of course, you ... full post »

Bermuda, as most people know, is ridiculously expensive. If you want to go to a decent restaurant, you will pay for it. But, here’s one that is worth it, especially if you like Italian food: Portofino’s. It’s in downtown Hamilton, and it has great, Italian food. Try the grilled, jumbo shrimp with vegetables. And, for dessert, if you pass up the homemade banana bread with chocolate sauce, you will have deprived yourself of one of life’s great pleasures. full post »

The best deal in Myrtle Beach these days may be the $175 package that gets you on Indigo Creek, Prestwick and Wicked Stick in Myrtle Beach and River’s Edge, Carolina National and the Pearl at the North end. Prestwick is one of my personal favorites, as is the Pearl. River’s Edge is an Arnold Palmer design that can be a bear, especially if you play from the tips. The others are solid courses. The cost is $175 based on quadruple occupancy in a two-bedroom condo. Contact Myrtle beach Tourism at 866-499-4653 or mbtourism.com. full post »

At the risk of alienating my fellow TG bloggers, in particular, Barry and Stacy Solomon, I have to say I agree with the LPGA’s stance not to issue credentials to tournaments for bloggers. Now, this is nothing personal against Barry and Stacy. Their blogs for us are top-notch in quality and chock full of interesting information. We are lucky to have them aboard. But, not all golf bloggers rise to their standard. Let’s be honest here: a great many bloggers have absolutely no journalistic experience or expertise. What does it take to be a blogger? A PC and a mouth. Nothing more. Bloggers ... full post »

Crow Creek Golf Club in Calabash closed last Thursday, and will be closed til mid-June because of a disgruntled employee. According to sources, the employee dumped chemicals on the greens, ruining them and forcing the closure. Sources also said the club stood to lose close to half a million bucks because of it. The club, according to an official there, is issuing rain checks to golfers with confirmed tee times. full post »

I’ve seen media hysteria before, and here’s another perfect example of it. All these alligator attacks – three fatal attacks in six days – in Florida are weird, but I hardly think we should go out and kill them and rip their bellies open to see who’s in there. I was born and raised in Florida and seen more than my share of gators. I’ve seen hundreds on golf courses. I was chased once as a teenager as I was wake-boarding in the Santa Fe River, but other than that, I’ve never had a problem with gators. The only problem I see ... full post »

A moment of silence, please. With the retirement of Hootie Johnson at Augusta National, the only Hootie left in major sports is University of Alabama athletic director, Hootie Ingram. You didn’t really think the departure of Augusta’s Hootie would change things, as far as the ladies are concerned, did you? What, you were expecting maybe Alan Alda would get the nod? New Augusta National chairman Billy Payne let women’s rights champion Martha Burke know, through the media, not to bother calling – no female would sully the membership at the revered club. “I think I’m aware of her positions on all issues as ... full post »

Has the Cheap Bastard been seduced by the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) and its fawning members? The Cheap Bastard, in his latest blog, points out these great deals in Barbados, but never mentions the down side of visiting. True, in relation to other areas in the Caribbean, the crime rate in Barbados is relatively low, but recent data suggests it is on the rise. There has been an increase of robberies on tourists, including armed robbery. And don’t forget the dengue fever, which can be caught from mosquitoes, or the pot-holed, narrow roads with no lighting or street signs. You ... full post »

There is good news and bad news for Myrtle Beach golfers. After all the recent closures, they will get to finally play a new course – sort of. The Reserve Club at the St. James Plantation, just over the border, is opening July 1. However, the public will only be let in for 18 months, then the club shifts back to a private club. It’s the first public courses to open along the Grand Strand in five years. Oh well, 18 months is better than nothing. “We wanted to give everybody a chance to come out and try it out,” Reserve Club ... full post »

Did you hear that huge, collective sigh of relief early this morning? It seemed to be coming in the general direction of South Korea. Michelle Wie made her first cut at at a men’s tournament, after eight tries. Granted, it wasn’t exactly the Masters, but this is a big, big first step on her inexorable march to the Hall of Fame, which Nike and Wie lovers everywhere assure us is only a matter of time. Wie is the second woman to make the cut at a men’s tournament in South Korea, Se Ri Pak doing it in a less prestigious tournament in ... full post »

All those pushy parents living vicariously through their athletically gifted offspring could take a lesson from Tiger Woods’ father, Earl, who died Wednesday morning. Earl Woods never pushed his son. He just showed him the direction, gave him some fatherly advice, and let him do it on his own. He also made it known what his priorities were. “I make it very, very clear that my purpose in raising Tiger was not to raise a golfer,” Earl Woods once told Golf Digest. “I wanted to raise a good person.” Whether he did or not is not up to us to judge. But, by ... full post »

I always pictured the pubs in Dublin, the heart of all things Irish, to be like the ones in the movie “The Quiet Man” with John Wayne. They aren’t. I was originally disappointed with Irish pubs. To me, they looked like American versions of what an Irish pub is supposed to look like. I grew to like them, though, and embarked on a story on the “best pubs in Dublin.” Tough gig, what? They aren’t as shabby as I was hoping. In fact, they’re cleaner than most American bars. And more expensive. And in some of them, the ones in downtown for example, ... full post »

Here’s more in a continuing series on the differences between golf – and life – in the U.S. and Ireland and Scotland. My likes and dislikes: LIKE: Driving on the left is safer. You can see cars in the opposite lane better. It’s tougher for parallel parking, though. DISLIKE: ridiculously narrow roads and idiots parking on the side of the street, which they do in every town, city or village, thereby making the roads even narrower and more dangerous. LIKE: The fact you can get most places in a relatively short time. DISLIKE: The fact you can’t just get in your car and drive ... full post »