This Week at TravelGolf.com: Jan. 2, 2007

As a dad, Tiger Woods will not use those same baby excuses that Jack Nicklaus did

Sergio Garcia needs to put down that glass of champagne. Adam Scott should save that Crocodile Dundee yelp for another occasion.

They all - the whole gutless lot of pretend challengers in golf - can forget about Tiger Woods taking a step back because he's having a baby.

Not that you can blame Sergio, Scott or anyone else destined to be dominated in the era of Tiger for hoping against hope. After all, it's pretty much their last grasp at seeing any consistent major hardware. (Hopefully, Phil Mickelson's smart enough to realize his time's gone, no matter what Tiger does.)

Maybe, just maybe, though, Tiger will become so enamored with the dad thing that he losses a little focus. After all, Jack Nicklaus himself has said that having kids took some of his concentration from golf.

Only Tiger isn't Jack. This is one of the reasons Woods is going to smash Nicklaus' majors record.

Nicklaus got married at age 20, had kids before he even dropped that reputation for being a fat kid from Ohio State himself. And if you don't think it's a far different sports world today, even comparing the lives of the very best golfers on the planet, you should be helping O.J. search for the real killers.

Tiger's kid will have so many nannies, bodyguards and personal baby chefs that the entourage will more closely resemble an army.

This doesn't mean Tiger won't be a doting dad. Maybe, he will even say something similar to what Nicklaus said: "I refuse to have my kids go off to college and say, 'Gee, I wish I had known my dad.'"

It's still not going to affect his preparation for the majors: the only tournaments that matter to him and history. Woods will find plenty of time to get his exacting work in for golf's four yearly Super Bowls. He'll play enough to stay sharp enough to crush his peers' spirit.

Anyone who thinks Tiger will put everything in his life aside for his child the way Earl Woods essentially did for him is dreaming. Tiger Woods was raised to rule golf. He isn't about to stop.

He'll leave any diaper excuses to Jack.

As always, TravelGolf.com welcomes your comments.

Las Vegas hotels: Let them
have golf money! Save without
slumming in Sin City

These days, going first-class is the only way to go in Las Vegas. Everyone seems to want to stay at the Bellagio, The Venetian or the Wynn Las Vegas. But a stay like that eats up a lot of dough. Accommodation is the easiest way to stretch your dollars (meaning more money for golf!), and that doesn't mean sleeping at the Motel 6. You can still stay at top resorts – just do it in a four-star hotel that's not all the buzz.

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Golf resolutions: Michelle
Wie to grow up, Long John
Daly to settle down, more

To help golf newsmakers make the most of 2007, Tim McDonald offers his list of resolutions they should aim for this year. He also lists a few things he's going to be working on himself in the new year, including being more sympathetic to the ever-growing throngs of Michelle Wie worshippers who"blindly ignore her shortcomings and excuses while burrowing through the stats in vain attempts to present her as the best female golfer of all time."

Also: The latest from TravelGolf.com's blog squad

The Rookery at Marco on Florida's
Gulf Coast, offers golfers a natural
setting near the 10,000 Islands

Perched on the edge of 10,000 islands, the Rookery at Marco golf course in Naples, Fla. does its surroundings justice. The Joe Lee-design is a beautiful, low-key layout, with wild, native grasses and a watery interior. But don't get transfixed by its beauty. The Rookery is a seriously challenging golf course, with several potentially punishing risk-reward holes. Watch out for No. 7, a doozy of a hole that requires a Tiger-like drive to make it over.

Blog: Got a problem with the island green at TPC Sawgrass?