Tag Archives: Video

Nicknames for Golf’s Toughest 3-hole Stretches

Posted on by
2

This week the Honda Classic is played at the Champions course, PGA National in Florida.  It is most famous for three holes (15,16, and 17) that are statistically some of the hardest holes on the PGA tour.  This 3-hole stretch of golf is called “The Bear Trap.”  At the 15th hole there is a large bear statue and a plaque for The Bear Trap.

It was designed by Jack Nicklaus (whose nickname is “The Golden Bear).  Below is a video of Nicklaus describing the holes; as well as Nick Price describing it from a players perspective.

It got me thinking about what other nicknames I could remember from watching golf on TV and surprisingly I could think of quite a few nicknames for other 3-hole golf stretches including:

Amen Corner at Augusta National (holes 11,12, and 13) where the Masters Tournament is played in early April.  This is probably the most famous nickname and was coined by Herbert Warren Wind in an article he wrote for Sports Illustrated in 1958.

The Green Mile at Quail Hollow (holes 16,17, and 18) where the Wells Fargo Championship is played end of April.

The Horrible Horseshoe at Colonial (holes 3,4, and 5) where the Crowne Plaza Invitational is played in late May.

Of course, this makes we wonder if I have a really good memory or watch way too much golf (I’m afraid it is probably the latter).

Eagles for Education

Posted on by
Reply

This week I want to highlight another interesting charity that is tied to the performance of the golfers during a tournament, Eagles for Education.

Chevron Corporation introduced Eagles for Education last year at the tournament they sponsor in December.  The donation amount increased each day and on the final day of the tournament an eagle was worth $100,000.  According to Chevron’s State of Energy Newsletter, “A total of 13 eagles and one double eagle were scored, resulting in an additional $530,000 for the nonprofit partners.”

Chevron has continued this charitable program in 2012 and this week at the AT&T Pebble Beach ProAm, 46 eagles were recorded.  The donation amount per eagle was not as significant as it was at Chevron’s event last December but it still generated a great deal of money. The per eagle donation was $8,000 for a total of $184,000.

The next stop on the tour is the Northern Trust Open and according to their website Chevron is bringing Eagles for Education to the Northern Trust Open and donating $2,500 for every eagle recorded during the tournament.

The other interesting event that Chevron ties to their participation at the tournaments is a STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) Zone to educate youth. At the tournament they will have a demonstration on some type of science or technology based on golf to make it fun.  For example, the flight of a golf ball which is demonstrated in this Chevron World Challenge video.

If you want to see a more in-depth discussion of the program watch the Golf Channel’s Video on the Chevron STEM Program.

A Tribute to Annika Sorenstam

Posted on by
Reply

I think if you ask the average person who is the best female golfer of all time, many would say Annika Sorenstam.  Annika turned pro in 1993 but her career took off in 1995 when she won her first US Women’s Open.

In 2008, Annika retired at the age of 38 from her professional golf career with an astonishing 89 career wins, 72 LPGA tour victories, and 10 major championships.  To put that in perspective; Tiger (now age 36) has 95 worldwide wins, 71 PGA tour victories, and 14 major championships.  In terms of on course success, Annika is the “Tiger Woods” of women’s golf.  However, unlike her male counterpart she has lived her personal life with complete integrity (no scandals for this great golfer).

Annika  was named the 2012 recipient of the Bob Jones award.  This is an honor bestowed upon by the USGA to a person that epitomizes “distinguished sportsmanship in golf.”  Annika still plays a huge role in golf today with her efforts to grow the sport. She is a very busy lady with her foundation, her golf academy, and her involvement in golf course design (she and Jack Nicklaus have submitted a bid to build the golf course for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio.)

The tribute video below is lovely because it is a mix of her personal life (her family speaks), the impact she has had on golf, and her focus on the health of children.

Congratulations to Annika!