Posted on

Top 10 Most Expensive Courses

It’s a golfers dream to play at the best places in the world. Though “best” does not always line up with “most expensive”, here is a list of courses that can leave a hole in your wallet, but will surely find a spot in your bucket list.

1. Shadow Creek Golf Course – Nevada, U.S.A. ($500 per person, per round)

2. Pebble Beach Golf Links – California, U.S.A. ($475 per person, per round)

3. Old Head Golf Links – County Cork, Ireland ($400 per person, per round)

4. The Pinehurst Course Number 2 – North Carolina, USA ($375 per person, per round)

5. TPC Sawgrass – Florida, USA ($350 per person, per round)

6. The Ocean Course – South Carolina, U.S.A. ($320 per person, per round)

7. The Spyglass Hill Golf Course – California, U.S.A. ($315 per person, per round)

8. Kingsbarns Golf Links – St. Andrews, Scotland ($300 per person, per round)

9. Whistling Straits – Wisconsin, U.S.A. ($300 per person, per round)

10. The Barton Creek Foothill and Canyon Golf Club – Texas, U.S.A. ($298 per person, per round)

~ If you are fortunate to play any of these courses, you deserve the bragging rights and make your fellow golfers jealous of you. To help you, at MyScorecard we give badges if you’ve played some of these courses.

~ Do you also know you can track the amount you spend on greens every year? – Just go to “change / add” under “Optional Statistics”, click on any available drop downs (you can track a maximum of 10 statistics) and select “Green Fees”.

Posted on

Man vs Machine

Ever imagined how a pro golfer would stack up against a robot? Watch this below video (or click here) to see Rory vs. the Robat – a target challenge between Rory McIlroy and a Golf Laboratory Computer Controlled Hitting Machine.

Posted on

Costliest Rulings in Golf – # 4. Juli Inkster Disqualification – 2010 Safeway Classic

Continuing with our series on “Costliest Rulings in Golf”, here is #4 on the list. If you haven’t followed our other posts in this series click here.

Juli Inkster is a legend on the LPGA Tour, with a professional career spanning 29 years to date and 31 LPGA tour wins under her belt.

It’s true that when legends violate a rule it gets more attention – that was the case with this “Hall of Famer” who was three strokes off the lead at the end of the 2nd round at the 2010 Safeway Classic.

During a lengthy wait at the 10th tee, Inkster affixed a weighted donut to her 9-iron and took some practice swings to stay loose. It was a clear violation, but went unnoticed until an email was set to the LPGA by a television viewer. Unfortunately it is illegal to use a training aid during play amd Inkster was disqualified by officials once she was back in the clubhouse.

She later said, “It had no effect on my game whatsoever, but it is what it is. I’m very disappointed.”

For your reference, here is what the rule 14-3/10 says:

14-3/10 Use of Training or Swing Aid During Round

Q. During a round, may a player make a stroke or a practice swing using a club with a weighted headcover or “donut” on it, or use any other device designed as a training or swing aid?
A. No. The player would be using an artificial device to assist him in his play in breach of Rule 14-3, but see also Decision 4-4a/7 for use of a weighted training club.

Posted on

Scientifically Improve Your Hole-in-One Odds

The odds of a tour professional to hit a hole in one is 1 in 3000. At Augusta International’s par-3 9th hole, 21 aces have been recorded – that’s 50% more than any other hole at Augusta. What enables golfers to have a much higher likelihood of a hole-in-one? Check out this video to learn the secret.

If you’ve had a hole-in-one, MyScorecard will award you a badge to commemorate your achievement! If you record your score on a hole by hole basis, the badge will be given automatically, otherwise email MyScorecard customer service and we’ll ensure we update your profile.

Posted on

Costliest Rulings in Golf – # 3. Craig Stadler & the Tree: 1987 Andy Williams San Diego Open

Continuing with our series on the Costliest Rulings in Golf, here is yet an another event that can be tagged “a misfortune” in golfing history. In case if you missed our previous post on this series click here.

# 3.  Craig Stadler:1987 San Diego Open

It was 1987 and Craig Stadler (nicknamed “The Walrus”), who was among the third-round leaders, hit his tee shot on the par-4 384 yard 14th hole at the San Diego Open at Torrey Pines. Unfortunately, the ball landed under a low-hanging branch of a large Leyland Cypress tree.

To make his swing easier, Statdler decided to hit his next shot from his knees. In order to do that without staining his expensive pants from the wet grass, he placed a towel under his knees and chipped the shot into the fairway. Little did he knew about the consequences of that.

When the 3rd round highlights were televised in NBC before the Sunday’s final round, the scenes of Stadler kneeling to his shot caught the attention of many viewers. Viewers then flooded the tournament press with phone calls saying it was a violation of PGA rule.

He finished his rounds 4 shots behind George Burns but was later informed by the officials that use of the towel was considered “building” a stance, which is a rules violation. And because he had signed the scorecard for less than the correct score (i.e without two-stroke penalty) on Saturday, he was disqualified from the tournament.

It costed him $37,000 prize money and second place.

Here is what the rule of Golf (13-2) says,

A player must not improve or allow to be improved:

  • the position or lie of his ball,
  • the area of his intended Stance or swing,
  • his Line Of Play or a reasonable extension of that line beyond the Hole, or
  • the area in which he is to drop or place a ball,


    • by any of the following actions:

  • pressing a club on the ground,
  • moving, bending or breaking anything growing or fixed (including immovable Obstructions and objects defining Out Of Bounds),
  • creating or eliminating irregularities of surface,
  • removing or pressing down sand, loose soil, replaced divots or other cut turf placed in position, or
  • removing dew, frost or water.

    • 8 years later when Tom Wilson, a member of the tournament organizing committee, heard the tree was dying by fungus, invited Statdler to do the honours and help cut down. Statdler readily accepted and said  “It’s been eight years. It’s time to put it rest”.

    Posted on

    Costliest Rulings in Golf – # 2. Ian Woosnam at 2001 British Open

    Caddies play a pivotal role in a player’s performance. The great Bobby Jones once said “If I needed advice from my caddie, he’d be hitting the shots and I’d be carrying the bag”. But yes, mistakes do happen and caddies are no exceptions to that. Such was the case in Ian Woosnam and his caddie Myles Byrne, our #2 on the list of the Costliest Rulings in Golf series. If you missed our other entry in this series click here.

    It was a wonderful start for Ian Woosnam at the 2001 British Open – against all expectations he was in contention to win his first open at Royal Lytham & St. Anne’s. Tied for the lead with three others, he marched with a lot more confidence into his final 18. He started the round with a birdie (missed a hole-in-hole by a whisker) at the opening par 3.

    The tale then had a sudden twist as something dramatic happened. His caddie, Myles Byrne, came up to him and said, “You’re going to go ballistic” – “We’ve got two drivers in the bag” as he pointed out the extra driver. That meant Woosnam was carrying 15 clubs, which indeed is a two-stroke penalty.

    Woosnam responded by throwing the extra club to the ground in disappointment. ‘I give you one job to do and this is what happens,’ he said. As a result of the penalty, Woosnam finished with 71 – four shots behind the winner David Duval, tied for 3rd place.

    Here is what rule of Golf (4-4) says,

    Maximum Of Fourteen Clubs

    The player must not start a stipulated round with more than fourteen clubs. He is limited to the clubs thus selected for that round, except that if he started with fewer than fourteen clubs, he may add any number, provided his total number does not exceed fourteen.

    It costed Ian Woosnam 218,333 pounds and a potential Ryder Cup spot. On the other hand, caddie Byrne lost anywhere from 15 to 20 thousand pounds in caddy earnings.

    Below is the final leaderboard of the 2001 Open:

    Woosnam surprisingly decided not to fire him stating: “It is the biggest mistake he will make in his life. He won’t do it again. He’s a good caddie. I am not going to sack him. He’s a good lad.”

    Ironically, Woosnam did fire his caddie two weeks later when, after a night drinking on the town, Byrne slept in and failed to turn up to tee-time.

    Byrne was last seen lugging bricks, having become a construction worker on a building site in Bray, Ireland, according to writers who cover the European Tour. And Ian Woosnam never came close to the leaderboard again. They never spoke after the split but we hear Woosnam checks with Byrne’s brothers, Brian and Dermot, both European Tour caddies, about him.

    Watch this below video (or click here) that captures the moments in disappointment of Ian Woosnam.

    Posted on

    One of the most dangerous job – Golf ball diving

    Golf ball diving is multi-million dollar business. To speak numbers, an estimated 518 millions of rounds of golf are played in the USA each year and on average, a golfer looses 4.5 balls per round .

    Unfortunately, this industry is also very dangerous as they are physically demanding, as well filled with perils in the form of snakes, alligators and even sharp metals. We also hear stories of divers drowned by either human error or faulty equipment. According to news reports, at least four golf-ball divers have drowned in this country in the last four years alone while searching what they call as the “White Gold”. Watch this fascinating video (click here) to know about the world of golf ball diving.