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Every October the greatest golfers in the game gather together at Myrtle Beach for a three-day Masters tournament worth $4000! Not as much money as you would have thought? Perhaps that’s because it’s a tournament for the world’s best “mini-golfers.”

According to Golf.com, the courses are more difficult than just your typical round with the kids:

If mini golf’s most prestigious tournament sounds like a big leap from a Putt-Putt game with your pals, that’s because it is. The Mini Masters, a three-day, 180-hole putt-a-thon contested each October, resembles the unholy spawn of a Hooters Tour stop (no one pays much attention), a Star Trek convention (lots of middleaged men, invariably in baseball caps and sunglasses, many with facial hair) and your weekly poker game (despite a modest purse, the competition is taken with grave seriousness). It is one of about 30 events sanctioned by the U.S. Pro Mini Golf Association, and the most coveted title among the tour’s few dozen full-time pros.

The pros play four rounds on Thursday, four on Friday, and two more on Saturday. The player with the lowest aggregate score wins, bringing home $4000 and a green jacket - not to mention becoming a lifetime legend in the world of mini-golf. Over 60 players participate in the event every year.

The USGA and R&A have announced some rule changes in golf. One of those changes could have made a world of difference for Jeff Maggert if it had been made five years earlier.

On Wednesday, golfs governing bodies announced that they have amended 28 of the 34 rules starting in 2008, with a few of them being quite significant changes. The big news is the change regarding the revision of rule 19-2, the rule which penalized Maggert two strokes in the final round of the 2003 Masters, a penalty that he was never able to recover from. When a ball deflects off of a player, as happened to Maggert five years ago when his fairway bunker shot hit off the lip and deflected into his chest. The penalty is now reduced to one negative stroke.

According to PGA.com, other changes include:

– Rule 12-2, which allows a player to lift a ball in the bunker or a water hazard for identification purposes.

– Rule 4-1, which reduces the penalty for carrying — but not using — a non-conforming club from disqualification to two strokes per hole, with a maximum penalty of four strokes per round. In match play, the penalty is loss of hole with a maximum of two holes per round.

For information on all of the rule changes, go to PGA.com for more details.

Wade Pearse, a mental coach, posted an excellent article on Mike Pedersen’s golf blog. In this article he discusses a few ways to make the rules of golf work to your advantage. Here’s an excellent excerpt:

No matter what occurs during a round of golf treat it with a curious, almost excited state of mind. You might say to yourself after hitting O.B., “Ok, how cool will it be when I get a bogie on this hole even after hitting O.B.?” I teach players to keep the exact same perspective on a birdie or a quad. After a bad hole where a rule seemed to cost a stroke my players know it had nothing to do with the rules.

They immediately gather their attention and double their focus. Unlike the majority of players who turn an already bad hole into a nightmare and let the round get away from them.

Check out the whole article, it really is a must-read.

According to an April study by the Darrell Survey, 31 percent of golfers have a hybrid club in their bag, compared with 7.5 percent in 2004.

FanNation tells us that 148 hybrid clubs were in use at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am this past February, compared to zero in 1997. While Hybrid’s haven’t become a necessity on the Tour, look for them to continue to grow in popularity as players get more and more used to them.

Some of the players that have put this club to use include: Todd Hamilton, Zach Johnson, Jim Furyk, Retief Goosen, Ernie Els, David Toms Mike Weir, and Tom Watson. Supposedly the clubs are gaining popularity on the LPGA Tour as well.

Golf.com reports that Gary Player has decided to hold back on naming the drug cheats that he had previously mentioned to the media.

“Gary Player insisted today that he would not expose two professional golfers who he claims told him they had used performance-enhancing drugs. The South African legend stirred controversy at the British Open in July when he claimed that two pros told him they had used human growth hormone. Several top golfers — including his countrymen, Ernie Els and Retief Goosen — quickly dismissed Player’s claims of drug abuse in golf, but the PGA Tour quickly announced that drug testing would begin in 2008.”

On Tuesday morning, Gary Player had an exclusive interview with Golf.com from Austin, Texas, saying that the two golfers in question had approached him for advice.

“They said, ‘We’d like to discuss this with you but would give us your solemn word that you will never discuss this with anybody?” the 72-year-old, nine-time major championship winner said. “And I said, ‘Yes, I give you my word.’ And they said, “Well, we tried these growth hormones. What do you think?’ And I said, ‘I think you shouldn’t [use them] in my opinion.’ I said, ‘It can only do you harm. Athletes are dying all around the world like flies. Don’t dare try any of this.’”

While his take on a possible scandal has been pushed aside by most golfers on the circuit, Player insists that it’s a legitimate concern: “I couldn’t imagine playing a tournament and having lost by one shot,” he stated, “knowing that that guy was on beta-blockers or human growth hormones to make him stronger.”

If golfing follows the paths of baseball and cycling, it will be a sad future for our beloved sport. For now, however, I’ll continue to have faith in the players and organizing body of professional golf.

Golfers aren’t the most honest people in the world. Many will kick their ball out of the rough if they know that they can get away with it, play dumb to penalties if it goes unnoticed, and forget miserable shots that would negatively impact their score card. While we aren’t the best of people on the course, there are three main lies that golfers tell off of the course. Although these aren’t as big of a deal as cheating, they have still earned their right in the Golf Hall-of-Shame.

1. “I’m not that good.”

Every golfer says it. It doesn’t matter whether you shoot 70 or 125, you’ll still tell others that you’re a terrible golfer. This is a frustrating lie for those that are just learning the game - as they’ll be thinking that they’re doing pretty good, until they hear you complain about your awful round of 80.

2. “I haven’t golfed forever/I have sore muscles”

Golfers often give some of the worst excuses for poor performance in all of sports. If something goes wrong, it most certainly isn’t your fault. A bad shot could easily occur because of grass on the clubhead, a sound from the forest, a king in the neck, sun in the eyes, or any other reason. If you’re a golfer that doesn’t shoot perfectly - you’ll notice that you have a number of excuses that, quite frankly, are silly.

3. “It’s an easy game to learn”

Although this lie is probably one of the least common, it is one of the most blatant and shameful. I’ve heard it on a number of occasions when hearing amateurs teach beginners. “It’s an easy game to learn, you’ll be playing decent in no time at all. Sure, this might contradict the first lie - but it does happen.

Golfing, however, isn’t an easy game to learn - just ask pro golfer JC Anderson.

You might think that I’m going to answer the title question in great detail, but I’m not. Instead, I’m going to explain why this is such a ridiculous question.

The main reason that professionals can drive the golf ball longer and more accurately than the average golfer is because they are professionals. They have trained their whole lives to hit the ball at the perfect angle, they have worked their muscles for the sole purpose of hitting a golf ball, and they have gain comfortability and confidence with their clubs.

While you may have gained one of those attributes, you most likely have not perfected all three.

“Why can pro golfers drive so much longer” is no better a question than “why can NBA guards shoot so much better” or “why can NFL quarterbacks throw so much better.” Next time you find yourself asking that question please remember that it’s not a $500 golf club that does the trick, it’s years of dedicated practice and training.

I have golfed for over ten years. However, it wasn’t until this season that I decided to buy myself a pair of golf shoes. It wasn’t that I couldn’t afford to get some before, it was that I didn’t see a need. I’ve never found myself slipping on the grass or sliding out of my swing, so I didn’t think there was any need.

Then I saw some shoes on a ridiculous sale and figured, “why not?”

The shoes that I bought improved my game more than any other single factor this year. I’ve shot an average of four strokes better per round this year compared to last, and attribute at least 2 of those shots to the shoes.

While I never found myself slipping around before, I certainly didn’t feel as confident and stable. It’s incredible how much a simple purchase such as shoes can do for one’s game. I highly recommend golf shoes for anybody who is serious about golfing.

One way to improve your overall golf score is to play within your capabilities. How many times have you tried cutting a corner only to end up in the rough? How many times have you tried to clear the water instead of laying it up short? We all do it, it’s human nature.

When golfing, we tend to be risk takers. However, if you learn to control yourself, you are much more likely to come out with a better score in the end. Here are three simple guidelines to decide whether or not the risk outweighs the reward:

1. Are you on a roll?
If you’re having a great day, it might be worth taking a risk. You’ll need confidence and accuracy to make the shot worthwhile. If you’re at hole 18 and have had a horrible day, then you probably shouldn’t try anything too fancy.

2. Have you practiced this shot?
If you haven’t practiced a shot like the one that you want to attempt, then you should probably try to play it safe. The driving range is where you need to get the kinks out, not the actual course.

3. Will it eliminate a shot?
There is no point in cutting a corner if you’re going to be one shot away from the green either way. If a risk does not come hand-in-hand with a reward, then there is absolutely no reason to take it.

Slow play on the golf course is one of the most fixable bad habits in golf. Those who do it most often are the ones that are least aware of the importance of keeping up to speed.

Everybody complains about slow play ahead of them, but we tend to ignore those behind us when we’re looking for a lost ball. While you should never rush your golf game, there are a number of tips that you can apply to improve your overall pace:

• Know your ability. If you’re an average golfer, don’t drive from the championship tees. While you may think that you’re prepared for the challenge, you’re actually just preparing yourself for a long day of golf.
• Know what ball you’re playing with. Make sure to take note of the brand and number on the ball so that you don’t mistake another ball as your own while in play.
• Watch your shot. Try to pay attention to where your ball landed. If you lose sight of it, ask one of your playing partners where they thought it may have landed.
• Plan your shot. After your foursome has shot, walk directly to your ball instead of moving from one to another (assuming you aren’t at risk of being hit). While waiting for others, plan your shot by selecting your club and knowing where you want to aim.
• If you think you’re ball may be out of bounds, take a “provisional shot” to ensure that you won’t have to backtrack later on. Also, try to limit mulligans (if you’re playing with those) when there is pressure from the group behind you.
• Read the green. Watch what other putts are doing and have your shot prepared before it’s your turn.

While those are the basics, there are many other ways to limit slow play. The main rule of thumb should be to “play as you’d want those in front of you to play”. By doing this, you’ll most likely keep a good pace without having to rush yourself through the process.