Modified from a hockey shot, this is an unconventional way of chipping the ball when close to the green. This shot was made famous by James Lepp from Big Break Greenbrier (Golf Channel TV show). I understand as long as there is some kind of backswing on the stroke it is a legal shot to use. If you are a hockey player and have trouble with your short game this may be something you could try out!

Phil Mickelson is considered one of the best short-game players in the world. In this short video he demonstrates his over the head flop shot. This is a clip from Phil Mickelson’s Secret of the Short Game DVD.

Former F1 driver David Coulthard catches a 178mph golf ball in a Mercedes SLS. The ball was hit by pro-golfer Jake Shepherd. This video was filmed on the famous test track from BBC’s TV show, Top Gear.

I have no idea of how many attempts it took for each shot, but it is pretty cool video. Looks like a great way of practicing your chipping. If you are trying this at home, note they are using ping pong balls, not real golf balls!

Sean Connery, Chris Ware/Keystone/Getty Images

1. Fred Couples
2. Seve Ballesteros
3. Walter Hagen
4. Arnold Palmer
5. Mickey Wright
6. Sean Connery
7. Ben Hogan
8. Justin Timberlake
9. Miguel Angel Jimenez
10. Adam Scott

Honarable Mentions
Rickie Fowler
Jimmy Demaret
Tommy Armour III
Babe Didrikson Zaharias
Graeme McDowell
Humphrey Bogart
JFK
Samuel L. Jackson
Ty Webb from Caddyshack
Michael Jordan
Willie Nelson

http://www.golfdigest.com/magazine/2013-05/photos-coolest-golfers

4989 Sepulveda Blvd.
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
(818) 756-9459

Castle Park is a “family entertainment center”. They have miniature golf, batting cages and an amusement arcade. It is located just off the Sepulveda Blvd exit of the 101 freeway. There is a large parking lot which is free to park.

As this is a golf website we are obviously focusing on the miniature golf. We all have to start somewhere and many of of us first hit a golf ball on a mini golf course. Castle Park has three 18 hole courses. I have played all three and personally think that course #3 is the best of the bunch. The staff are friendly and accommodating. If you ever loose your ball, they give you another for free without hesitation.

The prices are fair – $6.50 for adults and $5.50 for kids (5-12). They have an early bird special – if you go between 9am and 10.30am at the weekends, it is only $3 per person!

Once you pay you are given a token to a machine where you get your ball. They have about 8 different colors and they are dispensed by a gum-ball style machine. The courses are of standard mini golf spec. Each hole is about 20-40ft long, carpeted and have a lip around the playing area so the ball can bounce around and not spill out onto the surrounding landscape. The quality of the courses seem to deteriorate further with each time I go. There seems to be a lack of general maintenance and the course needs some renovations. But despite this, many of the holes are playable and for the money it is a fun way to spend an hour with the kids.

I think that by having three separate courses it helps with congestion. We have played in evenings and at the weekend. We have never had to wait much while playing. At the start of each hole there is a wooden bench where you can sit while you wait. There is also a table at each hole where you can place drinks. Each course has a couple of feature holes, where you have to hit the ball through a lighthouse or some other object. But the majority of holes are just standard holes with no additional challenges. There are no windmills with moving blades et, like you find at a Boomers.

Here you can get an idea of the course condition

Castle Park offers package deals for parties and have areas where you can seat a lot of people. There is a cafeteria on site, selling pizza, hot dogs etc. But the food never looks that great. It looks like some of the food in the warmer has been sat there for a while.

As I mentioned earlier Castle Park is not exactly the best maintained mini golf course in the world, but it is a fun way to spend an hour. It can be a cheap date spot, or a good way to introduce kids to golf.

This video was filmed last summer just before the London 2012 Olympics. This was set up to celebrate the return of golf to the 2016 Rio de Janerio Olympics. Golf has been absent from the Olympics for over 100 years. Golf was last featured in the 1904 St. Louis Olympics.

The floating green was 75 yards away and the two players (Sergio Garica and Dustin Johnson) used purple colored balls. Purple being the official color of the London Olympics. Garcia hit 3 of his 5 shots onto the green, Johnson hit 2.

I dusted off my PS3 and  recently picked up a copy of Tiger Woods PGA 14 Masters Historical Edition. I thought that I would post a brief review of my first impressions on this golf video game.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour has been around since 1998. For those who are unaware, it is a golf based video game. You can develop your own character or play as one of the real PGA professionals which are on the game. In a nutshell as you play more and hit good shots, you gain experience and credits. These credits can be used to customize your character. You can change your outfits, clubs, golf balls etc.

The Masters Historical Edition is about $10 more than the basic game. But for that you get six extra courses. You can also purchase extra courses online from EA Sports. If you wish to play and complete the PGA Tour season aspect of the game, you will have to purchase at least 4 additional courses regardless of which version you use (the extra courses are $5.99 to $7.99 each).

Standard Edition
Muirfield Village (new)
Oak Hill (new)
Mission Hills (new)
TPC Louisiana (new)
Royal Troon (new)
Pinehurst No. 2 (restored version)
Valhalla
Augusta National
Pebble Beach
St. Andrews
TPC Sawgrass
Oakmont

Playing the Old Course, St. Andrews (historical mode)

Royal Birkdale
Torrey Pines
East Lake
Spyglass Hill
Crooked Stick
PGA National
Atlanta Athletic Club
Kiawah Island

Historic Edition (more courses)
Augusta National (1934)
Augusta National Par 3
Sheshan
Royal County Down
Royal Melbourne
TPC Blue Monster

Downloadable Content
Bethpage Black
Pinehurst No. 2 (old version)
Whistling Straits
Colonial CC (new)
TPC Boston
TPC River Highlands
TPC Scottsdale
TPC San Antonio
Wolf Creek
Blackwolf Run
Banff Springs
Costa Navarino
The Els Club
Celtic Manor
Greek Isles (fantasy)
Highlands (fantasy)
The Predator (fantasy)
Emerald Dragon (fantasy)

The last time I played Tiger Wood’s was about 4 years ago. So I can not compare this version to the last. I will just say that the graphics seem consistent with what I have seen in the past. The graphics are not going to blow you away, but I thought they were fine and had no issues.

To play a quick round of golf takes about 30 minutes. I started off using the controller and once I had played a couple of rounds I started to pick up the mechanics and play some good shots. I then started using the Move Motion Controller. This was a lot trickier than I expected. I couldn’t get the hang of it in about 10 minutes of practice, so I switched back to the standard controller. I felt much more at ease and could play a lot better with the normal controller. I was also worried that if I played frequently with my improvised Move Motion swing, it could affect my real golf swing.

There is an online component. You can play tournaments and opponents from around the world. There is also a country club option, where you can add your friends and play your own customizable tournaments and challenges. Scores and stats are saved and rankings for the clubhouse members are displayed.

The main negative for me was the load times. It must have taken almost 5 minutes from turning on the PS3, to being able to play. Also between each hole there is a 1-2 minute wait before you can tee-off on the next hole. The frustrating thing for me was with the main menu. There were long load times, especially when trying to make changes to your golfer. I also found a few glitches. I uploaded my photo to create a “game face” and the computer froze and crashed a couple of times before it worked. I also found a glitch that you can not upload pics of people with glasses. Once you get the finished face, the glasses are removed and there are lines around the eyes on the face. It then just crashed each time when I went to save the avatar.

It is great to play at some of the best golf courses in the world from the comfort of your living room. Overall I think the game is fun and worth buying for the avid golfer. If you already have a recent version of the game, I doubt there is any need to buy this one also. I really enjoy playing all of the different famous courses and customizing my golfer. Plus there is a fun par 3 course on the game!

If you have this game and looking to play other like-minded folk online, I have set up a Richie’s World of Golf Country Club for the game. To join just search RichieGolf when you are in the country club menu.