After writing my Ghosts Of The Golf Course blog yesterday I was too scared to get out to the range… maybe this Caveman’s not as tough as he looks! Well, they say you gotta face your fears to get passed ‘em, so here we go with round two, covering haunted golf courses from around the world!

• Old Course at St. Andrews – It only makes sense that one of the world’s oldest golf courses would be haunted, doesn’t it? Behind the 18th hole you’ll find Martyr’s Monument (click for picture), dedicated to five 16th-century Protestants who were burned at the stake on that spot. And for golfers that wouldn’t mind being haunted by a golf legend, at St. Andrews you’ll be near the area where Old Tom Morris fell to his death. While looking for a restroom at the New Club, he plunged down a flight of steps and succumbed to a fractured skull.
• Victoria Golf Course – British Columbia, Canada, is one of the few places on Earth where you can ski, swim and golf all in the same day. But if you manage to make it out for 18 holes at this seaside track, your foursome might just become a fivesome by the 7th fairway. That’s because the ghost of Doris Gravlin has been known to appear, either as a human figure wearing white and shrouded in a mist, or as unexplainable blinking lights since her husband murdered her in 1936.
• Church Stretton Golf Club – Keep a close eye on your golf ball when you play this 100-year-old course! Set in the picaresque South Shropshire Hills, England, golfers have seen their drives on #13 land in the fairway only to disappear without any human intervention. Ghost, gopher or groundskeeper – I’ll reserve my judgment until MY ball is the one taken, but you never know!
• Mt Lawley Golf Club – Who would think there would be evil spirits near the hole in “Satan’s Elbow?” Golfers playing this course in Perth, Western Australia, noticed glowing orbs and felt uneasy as they finished their round. After some investigating, the story came out: in the 1930s a man died right where they had noticed the strange lights. Michael Oakleigh’s death was officially ruled a suicide by poisoning, but several sources cited contradictory evidence and speculated it was a murder most foul. When you consider that the modern-day golfers had no knowledge of the tragedy, it adds a whole new layer to the mystery…

Alright Rock Heads, that’s all this cowardly Caveman can stand! Have a safe & happy Halloween, and leave your responses in the comments below!

~Scratch

Ever been alone on a golf course, maybe finishing up a quick twilight nine after work, when suddenly you feel someone – or something! – watching you? You get the goosebumps, give a little shiver, take your shot and hurry on, uneasily looking about for the cause of the alarm. Chances are that spooky, pale entity you sensed was only the marshal comin’ to tell you to hurry up, but in the Halloween spirit this Caveman’s compiled a list of haunted golf courses!

• Willbrook Plantation Golf Course – Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, is a golfer’s paradise and offers incredible courses for just about any skill level. But only one course can claim to have been built over an ancient graveyard. Tread lightly around the eighth hole, as local folklore says that restless spirits still wander the golf course.
• Trails West Golf Course – This course near the prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is supposedly haunted by the ghost of Catherine Sutter, who was traveling west in the 1880s. Somehow along the way her husband and children disappeared, and legend has it that she still wanders the grounds, looking for her lost family.
• Garrison Golf Club – The Hudson River Valley in New York state was the setting for Washington Irving’s famous short story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, so it should come as no surprise you can find this haunted golf course there. Built adjacent to a 19th-century graveyard, the 215-yard par 3 #14 overlooks the hundred-year-old tombstones and might make keeping your head down even harder than usual.
• Trilogy at Vistancia – Near Phoenix, Arizona, many golfers have encountered swirling winds that may seem harmless at first, until you remember the long (and sometimes bloody) history of the area and observe the winds’ behavior, described by some as moving in odd or eerie ways. “Our group saw two different whirlwinds – what Native Americans call restless spirits. Whipping around in the distance, with winds hitting 60 to 70 mph in the whirling, small funnels,” said one golfer.
• City Park Golf Course – New Orleans is no stranger to spooky scenarios, but the early-morning reenactment of a woman golfer’s death may take the cake for scary in the Big Easy. It begins with the distinctive crack of a drive, followed by otherwordly laughter and the voices of two women. Suddenly, a gunshot is heard, and one of the disembodied voices screams, “I’m hit!” This situation originally played out in the early 1960’s and has been repeating itself ever since. The suicide of the lead investigator’s son on the course only adds another layer of intrigue.

Did I miss any? Add your favorite golfin’ ghost stories in the comments below! And keep an ear open next time you’re in a pro shop and you might overhear a story that’ll make your spine tingle… Hope all my Rock Heads have a safe & happy Halloween!

~Scratch the Caveman

PS: Want more? Check out Part 2 for haunted golf courses from around the world!

Ever wondered why golf balls have dimples, or thought about who added them in the first place, and why? (Maybe this Caveman just needs to get out of The Cave more often, but that’s the kind of stuff I think about!)

The first golf balls were all made out of wood, and innovations were few until the 17th century when “featherie” golf balls were invented. Just imagine taking a leather hackey sack, stuffing it with feathers, then boiling it. As it dried, the feathers would expand, the leather would shrink, creating a very compact ball. Obviously it wasn’t easy to produce these quickly, making them extremely expensive. Plus they were known to split if they got wet or hit a hard surface. But they flew better than wood, so that’s what golfers used….

…Until 1848, when Dr. Robert Adams Patterson figured out a way to mold the dried sap of a sapodilla tree into some kind of a sphere. Over time the small imperfections from the molding would be joined by the usual nicks, scrapes and cuts from a few flights down the fairway, but seemed to actually increase the distance a ball would fly!

Why is that, exactly? A quick physics lesson: As a ball travels through the air, there’s an area of smooth-flowing air that wraps around the ball. This boundary layer is stable at the front and sides of the ball, but as air gets toward the back of the ball, an area of turbulence develops where the low-pressure pocket behind the ball pulls away from the surface of the ball.

So? Well, adding dimples increases the “hold” and shrinks the turbulent zone. And with less turbulence, there’s less drag, so the ball can fly further. So golfers started putting patterned dimples into their ball, their balls flew further, and there we are!

-Scratch

PS: By the way, it’s not just golf balls that have benefited from dimples. From swim suits with microbeads to jet fuselages, dimples are being used to reduce drag all over the place! My favorite example? The Mythbusters were able to bump up the gas mileage on this car by making it look like a Titleist.

When you’d swear you can almost SEE the ghosts of another year’s worth of missed birdie putts, hovering over the green like a fog, you know it’s almost Halloween! Hopefully you didn’t have too many bad rounds in ‘09, but even if you did, chances are your WORST round couldn’t hold a candle to some of these GOLFIN’ HORROR STORIES from years passed:

From the golfer who lost his arm to an alligator in South Carolina while attempting to fish his ball out of a water hazard, this Malaysian golfer who got 38 stitches in his leg from a crocodile he thought was a log and this teenager in Australia who wandered into the long grass and found an angry kangaroo, and many more, it’s apparent that leavin’ behind a sleeve or three of golf balls might not so bad after all.

Besides, it turns out you don’t even need to be playin’ golf to get in trouble with the wildlife on a golf course! Just ask George Petta, who suffered some serious scratches to the face from a large bear as he worked on a course in New Jersey. Luckily George got away from Yogi and was even able to return to work that same day. [New Jersey Herald, 07-04-2006]

Sometimes it’s the human animals you’ve got to look out for. We’ve all heard about tragedies like these:

• A 79 year old golfer was beat to death on a golf course over a lost golf ball. Robert Carnathan, 54, was charged with the death of the 79-year-old man. Apparently it was Carnathan’s regular turf for lost golf ball collection, but the victim had picked up a single ball that he had stumbled upon for his grandson. [Daily Press (Victorville), 12-5-02] [Boston Herald, 11-13-02]
• William Michael Grant, 61, slipped and fell to his death while reaching to retrieve his ball, which he’d hit over an island green during a tournament at Sherrill Park Resort in Texas.

I’ve often heard that golf is a game you play against yourself. Well, a Florida man took that saying too far during a day at the driving range when he struck a golf ball which immediately hit the tee marker, ricocheted back and hit him in the eye.

And as bad as that is, the ultimate golf course tragedy belongs to Scott Parlin, of Dallas, Texas, who was out enjoying a round of golf at the course where his father worked as a marshal. Unaware that his father was watching him, he teed off as normal. Scott’s shot bounced off of a tree and struck his father in the neck, killing him.

Hopefully these horror stories will help put your missed putts and short shanks into perspective: Any day every member of your foursome makes it back to the parking lot counts as a great round compared to these stories. That said, I’d like hear from my Rock Heads – what are some strange or awful golf stories you’ve come across? Feel free to share your stories or respond to any of the ones I have listed above.

-Scratch

PS: Need a pick-me-up? To lighten the mood a little, check out this video of amusing golf mishaps.

Alright Rock Heads, any big-time movie buffs out there? This Caveman may never make the guest list at a Hollywood Hills party, but I sure do enjoy watchin’ movies whenever I get the chance! Unfortunately, there really aren’t that many flicks that focus on my first love, golf. To prove my point, I threw together this list of the best (and worst!) golf movies ever made.

#5. The Greatest Game Ever Played (2005) – Shia LeBouf, Bill Paxton
Based on the true story of Francis Ouimett and how he overcame prejudice to not only gain entrance to, but WIN the 1913 US Open against his hero and rival Harry Vardon.

#4. The Man with the Perfect Swing (1995) – Suzanne Savoy
This film may have been low budget, but my Rock Heads know that can be a good thing! This one’s a story of a man who stumbles upon the “perfect” golf swing and how he plans on capitalizing on the idea to revolutionize the game of golf. Back in ‘95 you could probably hear the groans from every golfer who wished they’d written this one!

#3. Legend of Bagger Vance (2000) – Will Smith, Matt Damon, Charlize Theron
A bit more of a drama than this Caveman usually cares for, but good nonetheless! The movie follows a down & out WWI vet as he attempts to pick up the game after 15 years. As if that weren’t enough of a challenge, his ex-lover’s involved with the tournament. Luckily he gains the help of a mysterious man offering to be his caddy and guide him to find his “authentic” swing.

#2. Happy Gilmore (1996) – Adam Sandler, Christopher McDonald
A great comedy that happens to be all about golf! Happy is a a short-tempered hockey player who picks up the sticks to raise enough money to save his grandmother’s house. His unorthodox driving methods and odd behavior draw crowds and the attention of long-time Tour champ Shooter McGavin.

#1. Caddyshack (1980) – Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Ted Knight, Bill Murray
The grand-daddy of all golf movies! An instant classic that still gets quoted only a couple thousand times a day at golf courses around the world. From Murray’s gopher-huntin’ groundskeeper to Rodney Dangerfield’s crack-up Al Czervik, Caddyshack really does deliver about a laugh every minute.

Now, while Caddyshack might even be my favorite movie of all time, I must warn my Rock Heads to avoid the sequel, Caddyshack 2. The less said about that movie, the better.

-Scratch

PS: I know a few more golf movies that occasionally find their way into the Cave… everything from Tin Cup and The Caddy (starring Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis) to Bobby Jones – Stroke of Genius and even The Three Stooges and their short, “Three Little Beers.” Care to share YOUR favorite? Leave a comment below!

So last week this Caveman discussed the longest golf course in the world, but what about the longest hole? Turns out there’s a strange golf tourney that takes place in New Mexico every year that just might take the cake!

The Elfego Baca Shootout has only one hole, and the cup is just a bit outside the USGA’s regulation for diameter: it’s basically a 50’ pit. Now before you start thinkin’ you’d be pitchin’ it in from 100 yards out, you gotta know that the tee box isn’t your run-of-the-mill starting spot, either: The tee sits almost 2,550 ft up the side of a mountain, and about 3 miles from the green!

This ain’t your typical cart path & Bermuda grass kind of hole, either… you’re working with abandoned mine shafts, canyons, rattlers, maybe even a mountain lion or two! But it’s not all bad news, since you’re allowed to bring as many as 3 spotters to help track your shots, and you get to tee up on every shot.

The course record currently stands at 9 strokes, which when you think about it, is pretty amazing! So whatcha say Rock Heads, would you be game for a rough-and-rugged Elfego Baca Shootout sometime?

-Scratch

Golfers and giving back seem to go together like milk and cookies, and with the end of the PGA season (and its suddenly much more available tour pros), charity golf tourneys seem to be poppin’ up all over the place!

All this week notable names from the world of golf, sports and entertainment have been playin’ some golf at TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas for the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. Aside from gettin’ in a few Pro-Am rounds, participants contribute to the Shriners’ cause and raise money to help support sick children.

Also underway this week was the 3rd Annual Caddy For A Cure Golf Tournament, hosted by the TPC at Eagle Trace in Coral Springs, Florida. One of my Rock Heads from Australia, Paul Miles, gave me the heads up on this one via my Facebook page. I was too late to get involved with this year’s outing, but this group does a whole lotta good all year round. They support a couple different charities, including the Fanconi Anemia Research Fund which helps people like Paul’s son Jasper who have Fanconi Anemia. (Be sure you check out their newsletter to see a feature on Jasper!)

Another Rock Head (who happens to be a frequent contributor to this blog) has been workin’ hard already this summer and fall to prepare for a tourney next May to support the Navy Marine Corps Relief Society. John Barry’s doing a lot of good for this worthy cause, and you can keep tabs on his efforts through his blog, The Golfer’s Trip.

There’s only about a million more charity golf outings, tourneys, auctions, and fundraisers, and this Caveman just can’t keep up with all of ‘em. But I do encourage ALL my Rock Heads to get out there and give back by finding their favorite charity or good cause, and I’d love to hear about YOUR experiences with golfin’ for a good cause – just leave a comment below!

-Scratch

Have you ever been on a long car trip and just started jonesin’ for a quick round of golf? Well, the Nullarbor Links Golf Course takes that feelin’ to a whole new level!

This 18 hole, 72-par course is set to open in the Australian Outback later this month. But here’s the catch: the total distance between Tee #1 and the 18th green is almost 850 miles! Nullarbor calls itself the world’s longest golf course, and this Caveman has to agree…it’s hard to find courses that are longer than 8,500 YARDS, let alone 850 miles!

You start in Ceduna, South Australia, and wind yourself through extreme conditions like 100+ degree heat and terrain that boasts as many as three types of poisonous snakes! By the time you finish in Kalgorlie, Weestern Australia, you’ll probably have seen more than a few kangaroos, dingos, and other wildlife. One golfer even claims to have a few of his balls stolen by a crow while trying to play – anyone know what the rule book has to say about that one?

I send more than a few packages Down Under each month, so I know I’ve got some Aussie Rock Heads out there somewhere… you guys & gals heard anything about this, or maybe even teed it up on a hole or two? I’d love to hear from you – just leave a comment for me!

-Scratch the Golfin’ Caveman

PS: I was talkin’ to my buddy Burnz a few weeks ago about ways to get a little more extreme with golf course designs… but I don’t think either of us saw this coming!

Hey there Rock Heads! Scratch here lookin’ for your help with a classic quandary across the pond in Scotland. Take a minute or two to get familiar with the situation, then chime in with your opinion with a comment below!

You see, back in ‘08 good ol’ Donald Trump bought a bunch of oceanfront property near Aberdeen, Scotland. Besides building another world-class resort to put his name on, The Donald planned to carve out a links course as well. Which is kinda like bringin’ sand to the beach if you ask me, but if you’re gonna build a new links course, might as well be in Scotland, right?

Trouble is, the dunes that Trump wants to convert are environmentally protected land. Add in the handful of homeowners who refuse to sell or vacate their properties (and their lawyers!) and you’ll see why Donny might want to take a few Tylenol and lie down in a dark room for a while right about now!

Supporters make the case that ANY new development in the current world economy should be encouraged and that denying Trump’s plans might keep other investors away from Scotland. Residents and other protesters (Scottish actress Tilda Swinton recently jumped into the fray to work against the project) say the land should stay with the original owners and that the government shouldn’t cave in on the environmentally protected land laws.

Anyway, the dispute is locked in a bit of stalemate right now. Trump and his team of lawyers keep inchin’ forward, but the opposition keeps countering with protests and petitions of their own.

So, should Trump be allowed to build his golf course? I want your opinions Rockheads, please comment with your thoughts!

-Scratch

PS: If you want to read more than just this Caveman’s quick summary of the case, be sure to check out this article in Vanity Fair!

Congrats to the US Team for takin’ care of business & beating the International Team last weekend at the Presidents Cup! It was a solid team performance lead by (who else?) Tiger Woods, while Phil Mickelson and Steve Stricker both played impressive rounds for Uncle Sam.

But boy, watch out for Ryo Ishikawa! For being only 18 years old, this Japanese golfer showed some nerves of steel and TONS of potential. Between him and Rory McIlroy, the game of golf has some strong young prospects on the horizon.

Other than that, this Caveman’s gotta say it was business as usual at the Presidents Cup. Except I can’t quite figure out why Michael Jordan was there… any theories? A few final thoughts: This pretty much marks the end of the golf season as far as the major television networks are concerned… Anyone else get a little sick of Dan Hicks constantly referring to Tim Clark’s (lack of) height? … Gotta say the Ryder Cup is still my favorite – do you agree?