Tee It Forward and Weigh in for a Chance to Win

Check your ego at the tips & play like a Tour Player

If you haven't tried it yet, this would be the ideal weekend to tee it forward.

TEE IT FORWARD... for those who don't know... is a new national initiative from the PGA of America and United States Golf Association that's encouraging golfers to consider switching it up a bit... and playing from the same relative distance as a touring professional would over 18 holes.  

Perhaps you think you're doing that already... and maybe you are... but chances are great you may not be. Based on average amateur driver distance/tee selection, many... if not most... amateur golfers play on courses that are proportionally far longer than the typical PGA Tour layout.   In other words, based on the average length of their drives, lots of guys golfers are insisting on playing from distances that... proportionately... would intimidate any PGA Tour player. 


Subversive as it may sound to some, what's being advocated with TEE IT FORWARD is, simply, playing from the set of tees best suited to one's abilities.  Whether those tees are red, blue, gold or... purple with pink polka dots.  It's all about making the game more fun, faster and probably a tad less frustrating. Everything's explained at the PGA and USGA websites.  There's also a great story on how the always innovative Barney Adams (founder of Adams Golf) initiated PLAY IT FORWARD   ... and the reason I suggested this might be a good time to try it out is that it's the final weekend to enter the TEE IT FORWARD sweepstakes. All you have to do is head over to PlayGolfAmerica.com, click on the “TEE IT FORWARD” banner and then the “Enter Sweepstakes” button.  There you'll be able to weigh in with your thoughts and/or experiences on this new initiative... positive or negative... and you'll be automatically entered.  The prize... by the way... is a stay-and-play package for four at Kiawah Island Golf Resort.  Runners-up will win two tickets to either the 2012 U.S. Open Championship or the 2012 PGA Championship. 


So why not try teeing it forward this weekend you may find yourself playing more like a Tour Player.

The Top 10 Sexiest Men in Golf... As Per Me

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Sexiness is subjective... no doubt about it... and that's what inspired me to create this post.

You see, earlier this week I happened upon a Top 10 Sexiest list by funny and talented Jen McAutry, posting at ChicagoNow's Staying on Course blog. and while her selection included some of the most... universally lusted after admired players,  I quickly realized that they weren't... for the most part... the guys I'd choose.

Jen listed her criteria as: Looks, Success, Coolness, Looks, Charm, Body... and Looks.  And the thing is, those are my criteria too... well... sort of.  Actually, I guess it depends on how you define those qualities.  In any case Jen presents some very compelling arguments for her picks.  Adam Scott for example, is described as "not just the sexiest man in golf pants but the SEXIEST MAN IN OR OUT OF ANY PANTS'... and I know a great many ladies (and at least a few gentlemen) who wouldn't argue with that. 

Now my list might be a bit less conventional... but hey: "les goûts et les couleurs, ça ne se discute pas"... in other words, "different strokes for different folks".  On that happy note, here's my selection:

(click -> to advance the slides)

1.Tiger Woods - Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images Europe

2. Sergio Garcia - Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images Europe

3.Angel Cabrera - Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images North America

4.Rickie Fowler - Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images North America

5.Vijay Singh - Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images North America

6. John Daly - Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images Europe

7.Ryo Ishikawa - Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images North America

8.Tim Clark - Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images North America

9. Alvaro Quiros - Photo by Ross Kinnaird_Getty Images Europe

10. Martin Kaymer - Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship -Photo by Scott Halleran_Getty Images Europe

John Daly - Globetrotting US Golf Ambassador

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The past few weeks have brought us compelling golf... and entertaining golf stories... from all corners of the earth.

China inaugurated the celebrity-studded Mission Hills Star Trophy in Hainan and welcomed a stellar field of the world's top players to Shanghai, for the WGC- HSBC Champions.  Many of those stars then went on to play in Singapore or Australia, and some are now enroute to Hong Kong. Tiger Woods even squeezed in a charity event in Thailand along the way.

The top women golfers have been traveling as well. They've traversed Asia for competitions in South Korea, Malaysia and Japan.  This past week some headed to India while others jetted to Mexico.

Looking forward, the Middle East beckons, with the European Tour's Dubai World Championship and the LET's Dubai Ladies Masters both upcoming. 

"Global Golf" has officially become a buzz-phrase, and top players are making unexpected choices as to where they'll play in the future. Talk of an all-inclusive global golf tour is being heard more frequently as well.  Which brings me to John Daly... and a young man by the name of Alihan Afşar.

Like other professional golfers JD is traveling extensively these days.  While many US golfers played in Singapore, Australia and Orlando last week, Daly took his multi-chromatic, LoudMouth trousers to Antalya, Turkey for 2010 Beko Classic Pro-Am.

As usual, John kept his massive fan base informed throughout the trip with regular dispatches on Facebook and Twitter, often illustrated with shared snapshots.  And as always fans reacted on JD's Facebook wall... often by the hundreds... with question, comments and suggestions.   That's where I saw Mr. Afşar... who appears to be a golf-obsessed Turkish student... and his comment: "It was a great game, Mr. Daly".  Short and succinct,  yet heartfelt... and I definitely get the sense that the unconventional American golfer with the great, flowing swing and two majors under his belt, made an unforgettable impression on the young Turkish golf fan.  ~ Alihan Afşar's facebook status is currently set at "antalya walked with john daly".

John Daly is enormously popular in the US. To many American fans, he'll always be the "Wild Thing"; the one who plays by his own rules and isn't afraid to shake things up with the establishment.  ~ but his popularity overseas is also huge. From Scotland to Turkey... from Spain to Australia to South Korea... John Daly is seen as a "typical American" in the old-fashioned sense: consistently friendly, relaxed and down-to-earth... quick to smile, often self-effacing and always ready to help out with a cause. 

John Daly's two major victories are universally impressive, while his struggles with the game... and a couple of popular vices... are universally relate-able. The perfect balance of greatness and fallibility.

His delightful girlfriend Anna is almost always with him.  She's beautiful, has an amazing sense of humor and takes care of most of the photography duties on their global golf adventures. Anna is an awesome Ambassadoress.

The couple is in Hong Kong now where John will play in the  Hong Kong Open then it's on to Australia for the Australian Open and the Australian PGA Championship.   Meanwhile back in Turkey Alihan Afşar will be inspired by his memories of a day spent on the golf course with the affable golf ambassador.

Photos: via @PGA_JohnDaly