King of Youth Golf

If I was the king of youth golf, I would change it all for the better. I would like to get more kids involved with the game at a younger age. I would do that by promoting and advertising golf to all the young age groups. The country clubs would have to help me out by running fun camps and getting kids involved. I would also like to start YGDA (youth golf development association) instead of the PGA youth program. I believe that the PGA program is to much pressure because of the actual title of the league. The YGDA sounds more appealing to parents and kids. Golf needs to be more youth oriented, so kids can start at young age, and get better as the years go on.

                                         

Drive Chip and Putt

Every year at Augusta National the Masters golf tournament is played. There are a few other events played during Masters week such as the par 3 competition, many practice rounds, and the youth Drive Chip and Putt. Every year kids from all kinds of age groups compete in the long drive, closest chip, and longest putt.  Eight former Masters champions and eight 2015 Drive, Chip & Putt National Finals champions all assembled under the iconic oak behind the Augusta National clubhouse on Sunday and it was hard to distinguish who was more excited. Every kid dreams of competing in the event, but you have to be invited to compete and pay a lot of money to compete. “Being here at Augusta National is a big deal,”said Bubba Watson. “I would have tried to compete in this when I was young. This is an honor.”  Both gender groups compete in the event. Morgan Goldstein stood out from the winners in four different age groups, becoming the first competitor to win all three disciplines for a four-point victory in the Girls 12-13 division. “When I stepped up to the first tee I was really nervous, but I calmed down,” said Goldstein, who won the driving portion with a 244-yard drive, chipped in and made a 15-foot putt for the victory. Jay Leng Jr. from Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., who won the 7-9 age group, was almost as impressive in his victory, holing a winning putt in a playoff after finishing tied with Peyton Blackard and Logan Medcalf. “Putting is my strength,” Leng said. “I’m a natural putter.” Effie Perakis from Glenview, Ill., won the Girls 7-9 trophy; Lydia Swan from North East, Pa., the Girls 10-11 division; and Alexandra Swayne from Maineville, Ohio, won a playoff for the Girls 14-15 division title. Jack Peacock from Alpharetta, Ga., won the Boys 10-11 division; George Duangmanee from Fairfax, Va., won a playoff for the Boys 12-13 division title; and Toby Wilson from Bartlett, Tenn., took the Boys 14-15 division crown by a half a point. Every kid watching the Drive Chip and Putt at home wishes they could be competing. This event inspires kids to get out and play. 
                                

College Golfers and $$$

Should NCAA golfers get paid for winning a tournament? This question comes up more often than not when talking about college golf. People think that no college athlete should be paid regardless of the situation. On the other hand many people think the opposite and think that college athletes deserve to be paid. I think that college golfers should receive prize money if they win a tournament or place in a tournament. I am not saying that they should receive the amount PGA Tour players receive, but if they win a tournament they deserve some money. If the golfers are dedicating 4 days during the week to play in a tournament, I think they deserve some money. The student athletes are supposed to be "students" before athletes, but if you have a golf tournament every week then I do not see how you can be a student first. The golfers are pretty much employees of the college. Although most of the golfers are going to school for free, I still believe they need an income. There is no way a college golfer can juggle school, golf, and a job all at the same time. So if college golfers were rewarded for their great play, there would be no dispute. A small amount of money for the each golfer who wins a tournament would not be a crazy thought. If you are dedicating many hours to practice and not school work, you should be declared as an employee to make the colleges look better. The least the NCAA could do is come up with a small amount of money for the individual golfer who wins a tournament.
 http://www.usnews.com/debate-club/should-ncaa-athletes-be-paid
http://www.newhaven.edu/20719.pdf

                               

NCAA and Golf

Every sport in the NCAA always has an illegal scandal almost every year. In 2013 the NCAA golf program was accused for gambling. Golf is the leading sport for all divisions in college sports for gambling. Betting is a large part of country-club culture, and a recent NCAA survey shows that also is the case among college golfers. The total number of athletes both male and female who report wagering on sports has decreased or remained stagnant in all three NCAA divisions since the 2008 study. Men’s golf, however, stands out at every level for high numbers in gambling cases. 1/5 of male D1 golfers reported wagering on sports. Among the men’s golfers surveyed, 56 percent admit to wagering on personal skill, which includes on-course bets. It’s the most frequent betting activity among men’s college golfers, followed by purchasing lottery tickets 45.7 percent, and playing cards for money 43 percent. The Virginia Tech head coach Jay Hardwick does not think on course betting is a violation. “I don’t think it’s a thing that’s out of hand,” Hardwick said. “I've never had guys betting on football, basketball. We’re very adament about that. I think kids going out and playing for a soda, for a dollar, on their own ability, it’s a way to kind of challenge themselves.” He believes that the betting is form of competition. The SMU freshmen were surprised to hear that on course gambling ids prohibited. The SMU team thinks that everyone plays better when money is on the line. To solve all of these problems the college teams are all having compliance meetings every month and the main focus is gambling and wagering. The college teams think the gambling issues are ridiculous, but they are going to follow by the rules.  
http://golfweek.com/news/2013/may/09/ncaa-report-gambling-most-widespread-mens-golf/

                            

Owe it all to the Fans

The fans in Philadelphia are the toughest to please. One minute you can be a hero then the next you are afraid to show your face. Over the years, Philadelphia fans have booed Santa Claus as well as their own star players. They've even booed a guy who just helped the city win a World Series title—while he was getting his ring. Even though Philadelphia fans might be the toughest to satisfy, they have the heart, passion, and determination. 
The Philadelphia Eagles owe the city a Super Bowl. The Eagles have been way too close way too many times and still no Super Bowl. The Eagles have lost and gained many supporters throughout the years. This upcoming year is a big test for the Eagles. The Eagles have brought in many new players and got rid of many a couple valuable players. The Eagles in the 2015/2016 will either gain support or lose support by failing or achieving the ultimate goal. A step short of a Super Bowl will be declared a failed season, and Chip Kelly might be on the move if a Super Bowl is not won. Even when the Eagles had a great season and lost to the Patriots in the Super Bowl, so many fans were beyond disappointed. Every Eagle fan is tired of being almost successful. The entire Eagles organization owes a Super Bowl to the fans of Philadelphia. The drought of no Super Bowls for Philadelphia has to end soon! 
http://www.bleedinggreennation.com/

                                                

Fan Bill of Rights

There have been many incidents where a fan has crossed the line. A fan might have said something to a player during a game, made racial comments, went streaking on a field, caused violence and disturbance in the stands, or interfering with play during a game. The following rights should be followed by every fan when entering a sporting event.

1. Do not say any comments to a player during game.
- There have been many cases where a fan gets thrown out of a game for saying a comment to a player. Just last year a fan from Texas Tech made a comment to Marcus Smart during the game when a play ended up near the stands. The fan called Smart inappropriate names which offended Smart and led to Smart pushing the fan. "My actions last night were inappropriate and do not reflect myself or Texas Tech -- a university I love dearly. I regret calling Mr. Smart a 'piece of crap' but I want to make it known that I did not use a racial slur of any kind," Orr said in a statement released by Texas. Tech. http://espn.go.com/dallas/story/_/id/10429666/after-marcus-smart-incident-texas-tech-needs-suspend-fan-jeff-orr-rest-season The fan was suspended for the rest of the season from entering the stadium and Smart was suspended 3 games. 

2. Do not run on to a field/course/court while a game is still in progress. 
- Although it is very funny when you see a fan go streaking on a field during a baseball game and get tackled by security guards, it is disrespect to the sport and game being played. It is against the rules to run onto a field during play. In 2012 at Olympic Club the U.S. Open golf tournament took place. The event resulted in Webb Simpson winning the tournament. During his post victory trophy ceremony, a fan came onto the course and interrupted the ceremony. You very rarely hear of a fan misbehaving at a golf event, but this fan did a very odd thing. The fan ran in front of the camera and started making bird noises. The man was quickly arrested, but he now has the reputation of the Birdman. //www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_rR6j4flbw&noredirect=1

3. Do not interfere with play. 
-This rule usually applies to fans at a baseball game. The fan reaches over the fence to catch a home run and interferes with play and the umpires award a home run when the ball was clearly not going over the fence. This happened to Derek Jeter when he hit a ball that seemed to be short of the fence but a fan reached over to touch the ball and the ump awards a home run. That home run tied the game and even Jeter said after the game that it was interference, but Jeter did not care. http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/6479266/v3345251/bb-moments-96-alcs-gm-1-fan-helps-jeters-homer. The most famous case is the Steve Bartman incident. Steve reached over and touched a foul ball that eventually cost his team the playoff series. This case was different than the Jeter case because the fan that touched jeters home run helped out his home team, but the Bartman case was completely different. Steve was tormented and he eventually went into hiding after this incident happened to him. Every Cub fan hates Steve Bartman because he put a curse on the team and the entire organization. http://m.mlb.com/video/v3188917/2003-nlcs-gm-6-bartman-interference

      

Johnny Miller

Many people know Johnny Miller as a professional golfer back in the day. Johnny was one of the top players in the world during the mid-1970s. He was the first to shoot 63 in a major championship to win the 1973 US Open, and he ranked second in the world on Mark McCormack's world golf rankings in both 1974 and 1975 behind Jack Nicklaus. Miller won 25 PGA Tour events, including two majors. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1998. Although Miller was a great golfer, he is still one of the best golf analysts of all time. He is currently the lead golf analyst for NBC Sports, a position he has held since January 1990. Johnny Miller is famous for calling the play by play for the US Open every year. Unfortunately no one will be hearing Miller's voice or anyone's voice from NBC during the US Open, due to FOX sports taking over the US Open starting this year. We may not be hearing Johnny Miller's voice for the US Open, but his broadcasting career is surely not over. NBC will still cover the Ryder Cup and the Players Championship. Many fans will miss hearing Miller talk about his 63 in the 1973 US Open, but we will still hear Miller criticize fashion choices and question USGA pin placements. http://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/06/johnny-miller-nbc-goodbye-us-open Many people have mixed feelings about Miller. Usually every article about Miller starts off with "love him or hate him". Johnny Miller loves to point out the weaknesses of golfers. When a player makes a mistake on Sunday, Miller is quick to say "That's nerves". Sometimes it may be nerves and sometimes it might of just been a poor golf shot. Johnny Miller is the only guy to be able to criticize a golfer and get away with it because hes Johnny Miller and no one is going to tell him different. The players should have been thanking Johnny all along—he was helping them by illuminating to the viewer the exquisite torture of tournament golf. Johnny wasn’t a critic, he was a serial empathizer. http://www.golf.com/tour-and-news/johnny-miller-case-him-golfs-best-announcer. All in all Johnny Miller is the perfect analyst for the game of golf.