笠りつ子、古閑先輩に続いた！目標の大会でツアー2勝目

2012年04月01日17時16分




リーダーズボード
順位 選手名 スコア優勝 笠　りつ子 -3
2 イエ・リーイン -1
一ノ瀬　優希 -1
服部　真夕 -1
茂木　宏美 -1
6 ジョン・ミジョン 0
ヤング・キム 0
8 キム・ソヒ +1
N・キャンベル +1
10 井芹　美保子 +2


順位の続きを見る





元気一杯に勝利のV！（撮影：ＡＬＢＡ）









　静岡県にある葛城ゴルフ倶楽部で開催された「ヤマハレディースオープン葛城」の最終日。強風が吹き荒れる難しいコンディションの中、笠りつ子がこの日4つスコアを伸ばしトータル3アンダーでホールアウト。首位スタートの服部真夕との4打差を逆転し、ツアー2勝目を挙げた。

笠りつ子の今季成績

　どこよりも勝ちたかった大会だ。3月の開幕前にはこの「ヤマハレディースオープン葛城」での優勝に目標を定めコンディションを整えてきた。「古閑先輩が最後に勝った大会だったので、絶対勝ちたいと思っていた」。姉のように慕う古閑美保が、引退前最後の勝利を挙げたこの大会。次のタイトルは誰にも譲りたくなかった。

　その強い気持ちを持って臨んだ最終日は、スタートの1番こそボギーとするもその後は安定したゴルフを展開。6番、9番、10番とバーディを奪い優勝戦線に浮上すると、14番のボギーをものともせず、15番、16番とバーディを獲り返す。そして首位に並んで迎えた、最終ホール。「ボードは見てませんでした」。極限まで集中して打った、3メートルのフックラインがカップに沈んだ瞬間、力強く何度も拳を握り締めた。

　最終組がホールアウトして優勝が決定した後、さっそく「クラフトナビスコ選手権」でリポーターを務めるために渡米している古閑にグリーンサイドから電話で優勝報告。「知ってる知ってる！ あのブレザー着るの美保の次だね！」と祝福を受けた。古閑がいないトーナメントにまだ慣れたわけではないが、1人でも強く成長できていることを報告できたことが何よりも嬉しかった。

　1勝目よりも高い壁があると言われるツアー2勝目。それを成し遂げたことでトッププロへの道を歩き出した笠。「またイチからやるのみです。謙虚な気持ちを忘れず少しでも上を目指していきたい」。着実に進化を続けるツアーの元気娘が頂点を獲る日も近いか。

【最終結果】
優勝：笠りつ子(-3)
2位T：葉莉英（イエ・リーイン）(-1)
2位T：一ノ瀬優希(-1)
2位T：茂木宏美(-1)
2位T：服部真夕(-1)
6位T：ヤング・キム(E)
6位T：全美貞(ジョン・ミジョン)(E)
8位T：キム・ソヒ(+1)
8位T：ニッキー・キャンベル(+1)
10位T：原江里菜(+2)他6名

21位T：横峯さくら(+5)他7名
65位T：斉藤愛璃(+13)他3名

細川和彦は3位でフィニッシュ！「半泣きしました」

2012年08月26日17時12分




リーダーズボード
順位 選手名 スコア優勝 キム・ヒョンソン -18
2 貞方　章男 -17
3 細川　和彦 -15
4 永野　竜太郎 -14
K・バーンズ -14
6 I・J・ジャン -13
7 横尾　要 -12
Ｄ・スメイル -12
J・チョイ -12
キム・ドフン -12


順位の続きを見る





18番でバーディを奪い3位でフィニッシュ（撮影：上山敬太）








【もっと写真を見る（9）】




＜VanaH杯KBCオーガスタ　最終日◇25日◇芥屋ゴルフ倶楽部(7,146ヤード・パー72)＞

　国内男子ツアー「VanaH杯KBCオーガスタ」は4日間の競技を終了。金亨成(キム・ヒョンソン)(韓国)がトータル18アンダーでツアー初優勝、1打差の2位には貞方章男、3打差3位には細川和彦、4打差の4位タイにはカート・バーンズ(オーストラリア)と永野竜太郎が入った。藤田寛之はトータル12アンダー7位タイ、藤本佳則は2つスコアを落としトータル9アンダー22位タイに終わった。

細川和彦の今季成績

　細川はこの日6バーディ・2ボギーの68をマーク。スコアを4つ伸ばしトータル15アンダー3位でフィニッシュ。今季はシード権がなく、昨年のファイナルQTでは37位タイと出場試合が限られている。来週の「フジサンケイクラシック」にはマンデーから臨む予定だったが、5位以内に入ったことで出場権を獲得。「ボードを見ながらのゴルフでしたけど、5位以内に入れてよかった」と胸を撫で下ろした。

　この大会は1995年に初優勝を挙げた思い出深い大会。優勝はならなかったが、目標達成に「いや～半泣きしました(笑)」と笑顔。「この勢いでシード権を取りたいですね」、思い出の地で復活の狼煙を上げた細川。今後の活躍に要注目だ。

貞方章男、1打及ばず2位に「残念です」

2012年08月26日17時16分




リーダーズボード
順位 選手名 スコア優勝 キム・ヒョンソン -18
2 貞方　章男 -17
3 細川　和彦 -15
4 永野　竜太郎 -14
K・バーンズ -14
6 I・J・ジャン -13
7 横尾　要 -12
Ｄ・スメイル -12
J・チョイ -12
キム・ドフン -12


順位の続きを見る





9番、イーグルはならなかったがバーディを奪取（撮影：上山敬太）








＜VanaH杯KBCオーガスタ　最終日◇25日◇芥屋ゴルフ倶楽部(7,146ヤード・パー72)＞

　国内男子ツアー「VanaH杯KBCオーガスタ」の最終日。初優勝をかけ1打差2位からスタートした貞方章男は前半で2つスコアを伸ばすも、首位の金亨成(キム・ヒョンソン)(韓国)が3連続バーディなどで3つスコアを伸ばし2打差でサンデーバックナインへ。

貞方章男の今季成績

　10番でバーディを奪い1打差に迫ると、13番パー5でようやくヒョンソンを捉える。しかし、15番でセカンドショットを奥のカラーとラフの境目にこぼしてしまうと、ここからパーを拾えず一歩後退。そのまま1打差で迎えた最終ホール、「バーディを獲りにいくしかない」と勝負をかけた残り275ヤードのセカンドは力が入り右の林の中へ。3打目のアプローチも枝にあたりグリーンを捉えられず、勝負あり。金に軍配が上がった。

　「目の前に優勝の2文字があったのに残念です」とこの結果に唇を噛んだ貞方。しかし、単独2位に入り賞金ランクは41位に浮上。昨年喪失した賞金シードをぐっと引き寄せた。悲願の初優勝はおあずけとなったが、大きな収穫も得た貞方。「これを機にまた頑張っていこうと思います」この悔しい経験をバネに次のチャンスは必ずその手につかんでみせる。

【最終結果】
優勝：金亨成(キム・ヒョンソン)(-18)
2位：貞方章男(-17)
3位：細川和彦(-15)
4位T：永野竜太郎(-14)
4位T：カート・バーンズ(-14)
6位：I・J・ジャン(-13)
7位T：藤田寛之(-12)他4名

藤本佳則は22位タイで終戦「気持ちよくゴルフができていない状態」

2012年08月26日17時23分




リーダーズボード
順位 選手名 スコア優勝 キム・ヒョンソン -18
2 貞方　章男 -17
3 細川　和彦 -15
4 永野　竜太郎 -14
K・バーンズ -14
6 I・J・ジャン -13
7 横尾　要 -12
Ｄ・スメイル -12
J・チョイ -12
キム・ドフン -12


順位の続きを見る





22位タイに終わった藤本佳則（撮影：上山敬太）







＜VanaH杯KBCオーガスタ　最終日◇25日◇芥屋ゴルフ倶楽部(7,146ヤード・パー72)＞

　国内男子ツアー「VanaH杯KBCオーガスタ」の最終日。4打差5位タイから逆転優勝を狙った藤本佳則は3番パー3、6番パー5のダブルボギーなどでスコアを崩し74と崩れ、トータル9アンダー22位タイで競技を終えた。

藤本佳則の今季成績

　初日からのショットに不安を抱えていた藤本だがこの日も、それは解消されず「風も強かったしグリーンも硬くてコースが違っていました。なかなか打てていなかったので、こういうスコアでもしょうがないですよね」とコメント。「気持ちよくゴルフが出来ていない状態なので、いい感覚を掴めるように調整したいです」、自分のショットを取り戻し来週の「フジサンケイクラシック」では思うようなプレーをすることができるか。

【最終結果】
優勝：金亨成(キム・ヒョンソン)(-18)
2位：貞方章男(-17)
3位：細川和彦(-15)
4位T：永野竜太郎(-14)
4位T：カート・バーンズ(-14)
6位：I・J・ジャン(-13)
7位T：藤田寛之(-12)他4名

22位T：藤本佳則(-9)他8名

賞金ランキング、キム・ヒョンソンが6位に浮上！首位はB・ジョーンズ

2012年08月27日11時51分






賞金ランク6位の金亨成(キム・ヒョンソン)（撮影：上山敬太）






＜国内男子賞金ランキング＞

　国内男子ツアー「VanaH杯KBCオーガスタ」終了時の賞金ランキングが発表され、ツアー初優勝を挙げた金亨成(キム・ヒョンソン)(韓国)が6位に浮上した。

金亨成が嬉しいツアー初優勝「超気持ちいいです」

　首位はブレンダン・ジョーンズ(オーストラリア)がキープ。2位は藤田寛之、石川遼は28位となっている。

【国内男子賞金ランキング】
1位：ブレンダン・ジョーンズ　(73,062,788円)
2位：藤田寛之　(64,626,922円)
3位：イ・キョンフン　(57,455,894円)
4位：藤本佳則　(55,748,514円)
5位：谷口徹　(50,619,391円)
6位：金亨成(キム・ヒョンソン)　(47,549,833円)
7位：武藤俊憲　(36,981,108円)
8位：I・J・ジャン　(35,369,827円)
9位：J・チョイ　(32,247,857円)
10位：谷原秀人　(30,554,761円)
11位：池田勇太　(27,215,590円)

28位：石川遼　(15,289,544円)

5 Great Bits Of Advice For People That Own Swimming Pools

Having your own above ground swimming pool has many benefits for fun and for your health. Getting in the swimming pool on a hot day is a great way to enjoy yourself with your friends or family. Having your own swimming pool also gives you the opportunity to teach your children how to swim. When you have your own swimming pool it requires regular maintenance to ensure its upkeep and pools can also pose a number of safety risks. So here are 5 helpful tips to help anyone who owns a swimming pool.

1. Buy A Solar Cover For Your Pool - Solar swimming pool covers are a great idea as they are designed to heat the pool using heat from the sun. A solar cover will reduce the amount of heat that is lost when the water on the surface evaporates. As ninety percent of the water's heat is lost through the evaporation of surface water a solar cover stops this process and keeps the water warm. One of the great advantages of this is that it also helps to reduce the amount of money you will spend on heating the pool.

2. Put In Some Elbow Grease - Keeping the water topped up with swimming pool chemicals is only part of the cleaning job. It is a good idea to use a brush to sweep any algae or dirt off of the swimming pool liner. You should also get a good vacuum to clean the bottom of the pool. Automatic robot vacuums are perfect for this as you can just leave them to clean the bottom of the pool when you aren't using it. However you will still need to regularly skim any leaves or other debris that have fallen in the water.

3. Rain Or Shine Will Effect Your Pool - Weather conditions can have a dramatic effect on your pool. If you have a lot of rain and wind it will cause the swimming pool chemicals to be used up more quickly. Sunny weather conditions will have similar effects as the heating up of the water will cause the chemicals to react more quickly. One of the best ways of dealing with this problem is to regularly give your pool shock treatments.

4. Get The Right Chemicals For The Job - If you have a pool then you have to have swimming pool chemicals and a home testing kit to make sure you're putting in the right amount of chemicals. Using a testing kit will help to make sure that the swimming pool chemicals like chlorine are strong enough to kill germs with out irritating your eyes and skin.

5. Replace Your Filters - A swimming pool filter is one of the most important pieces of equipment in your swimming pool. The main function is to remove any dirt from the water and this means that they need to be cleaned a lot. If you have a sand filter then you will need to backwash the filter. For those of you with paper filters it is simply a case of washing them with a hose but you will find that you will still need to replace them on a regular basis.

Baseball Tips On Hitting: This Probably Gets My Vote For Number One!

Personally, this makes my top three list of the hundreds of baseball tips on hitting and it's probably number one. That's saying a lot but read exactly why I think it's top three material and I'm quite sure you will agree with me!

The directness of the baseball swing should be right near the top of your list of baseball tips on hitting if you are seriously trying to be a very successful baseball hitter or if you are coaching baseball hitters.

You must swing directly to the baseball and the front elbow should be pointed downward when you start the swing and not toward the pitcher. Many young baseball players were brought up constantly hearing to keep their swing level. This is only partially true. Too many players have heard this too many times and they erroneously level out their swing at the very beginning. This is not the proper baseball hitting concept. Yes, you should strive to have a level swing. But one of the best baseball tips on hitting you will ever hear is that it should level out only at the point of contact!

Not being direct to the ball is a very common problem for the majority of the weak hitters. If the front elbow is pointing toward the pitcher when you start your swing, it will create a slight loop making you a fraction of a second later to the ball. If a fast ball takes about a half second to get to the plate, you simply cannot afford to lose a valuable fraction of a second. A fraction of a second is an eternity when it comes to successful baseball hitting. This fraction of a second can very well be the difference between hitting a "seed" or being late and missing the pitch entirely.

The distance between two points is a straight line and this applies perfectly to the baseball swing. Let's call these two points A and B. When it comes to baseball hitting, you cannot go from to go from point A, where you are "loaded up," to point B, the point where you make contact, unless you do it in a straight line. The only way this is possible is if you have the front elbow pointing downward at the start of the baseball swing. If the front elbow is pointing toward the pitcher at the start of the swing, you are not going from A to B in a straight line and this will present problems.

The palms of the hands should be one up and one down only at the point of contact and not sooner! If you are not being direct to the ball, start now as it is one of the best baseball hitting tips you will ever receive. You will be "short to the ball" and your baseball hitting will improve immediately. Not being short and direct to the baseball is a very common hitting problem, especially with younger players. They feel that a very long swing will encourage hitting the ball harder. Nothing could be further from the truth. As you advance to higher levels of play, the pitchers get smarter and smarter. They will notice immediately if you are not short to the ball and they will exploit this weakness in a heartbeat. You will have a very difficult time, especially with pitchers who have a good, live fast ball. Once again, a fraction of a second is an eternity in baseball.

If you are not doing it already, keep the front elbow pointing downward at the very beginning of your baseball swing and your hitting will improve immediately!

Fantasy Golf For The Off-Season and More

Unless you live in Southern California or elsewhere along America's Sunbelt, there's going to be at least a few months out of the year during which the opportunity to spend a day on the back nine will not be possible. One option while you practice putting indoors as you patiently await the arrival of spring is fantasy golf.

Here at GolfZing however, fantasy golf is more than just an off-season pastime – it's a great way to interact with your fellow golfers online and qualify for great prizes as well! It's not hard to get started – just pick seven players from the PGA lineup and you win money for every player that makes the cut – and the top ten finishers in each event win a day on the green with three friends on us. Our online tools make it easy for you to pick your own fantasy golf league and you won't have to wait until the end of the season to find out of you've won anything.

How GolfZing's Fantasy Golf Works

In order to get started in fantasy golf at GolfZing.com, you'll first have to sign up for membership, if you haven't done so already. Membership at GolfZing.com is free and we do not share your personal information without your permission. After that however, there is no need to sign up for a tournament since our PGA fantasy golf uses your membership info.

Once you've joined our online community, simply use the tools posted on the right side of the page to research players and find out when the tournaments take place (if you've ever played the ponies, you know how this works). Players form their fantasy golf leagues by choosing seven players for the week's tournament and come up with a low score and a low total (in case of a tie).

Once you've picked your fantasy golf league, make sure you're entered by the morning of the event (you can also sign up for a specific fantasy golf game up to 72 hours in advance). You won't have to wait long to find out if you've won since we post results as soon as the scores are tallied.

Planning Ahead

You can plan your PGA fantasy golf schedule a year in advance starting in January and pick your fantasy golf leagues for every event. Since there is at least one tournament in every month (and most of the time there are multiple opportunities to place fantasy golf), you'll have many chances to win – and it costs nothing to enter a fantasy golf league.

So, whether you're doing it to pass the time until the greens dry out or you're looking for a pleasant diversion and the chance to win some great golfing prizes, sign up for a fantasy golf game here on GolfZing's fantasy golf page.

Mental Tips For Winning Golf Tournaments

Winning a golf tournament which matters to you isn't an easy task to set yourself. The very fact that it matters to you means that you become emotionally involved, and so you have to find a way in which to ensure that your emotions are controlled; you need to use your emotions to help you to win instead of allowing them to get in the way of your game.

The fact that you are even anticipating the possibility or potential of winning your tournament indicates that you know that you are good enough to do so. You have probably had pars or birdies on every single hole on the course, if not eagles or a delightful and slightly lucky hole in one. You know that you can play good enough golf to win. You also know that this is equally true of your competitors.

I was chatting to a male golfer the other day about a certain ladies tournament. He passed the comment that "those ladies get anxious" and so "you probably only need a couple of 85's to win". It was a fair observation. Upon closer examination, scores in that region had been enough to win that tournament in previous years. The inference was clearly that the ladies did not and would not play their best golf under the pressures of such an important tournament.

Another different conversation with one previous club champion revealed that she never, ever, competed against the other players; instead she always played the course. I heartily agree with her strategy, although this would not work for everyone. We each have our own individual temperament and emotional motivational strategies. The key is to discover the truth about what works for you. What is sauce for the goose is not always the best sauce for the gander.

When I want to win, I focus upon the things which I can control. I like to know where I stand and not to allow my emotions to be blown about like a leaf in the breeze. If I was competing against others my emotions would be subject to such fluctuations. If I felt I was going head to head against others, as one golfer got a par or a birdie it would affect me. If that person got a double bogie it would affect me.

Instead, by playing the course, I am purely dependent upon me. It is down to me to focus on each and every shot I take, to make wise shot choices and to commit to their execution. In this way I will play my best golf, irrespective of what is happening in everyone else's game. This is my strategy and it works for my temperament and emotional style.

You may be very different to me. You may love competition and thrive when challenged by your opponent's birdies. They may lift your mood and bring out your very best golf. Or, when another golfer hits a bad shot or misses a putt it may trigger off the killer instinct in you and fire you up to win.

Other people don't like to play with opponents who are having a bad day and find that this destroys their rhythm; if this is the case you have to learn to step back and not become emotionally involved or you will not be able to win. We each have our own unique temperament and emotional style; it's up to you to work out what works for you.

The Memoirs of Snooker

Snooker history goes back a long way, in reality to the late 19th century. Among the many British military officers stationed in India, billiards was one of the common night games. It was around 1874 or 1875 in an officers’ mess in Jabalpur that one of many officers decided to add a variation to the traditional billiards game by including coloured balls to the present red and black balls. Thus the game of snooker originated.

Snooker history says that even the name of the game originated from the defence forces. There's a model of this historical past that says that when Sir Neville Chamberlain was playing this new game in the Devonshire regiment he known as his opponent a "snooker" when he failed to pot a ball. The word snooker is definitely used to denote inexperienced army personnel or first 12 months cadets of the army.

The game of snooker grew to become so fashionable that it rapidly grew from its time of inception to the early twentieth century. The first World Snooker Championship was held in 1927. Joe Davis, an expert billiards player, organized the event in a bid to convert snooker from a sport for amateurs to one performed by professionals.

Joe Davis was not solely the primary organizer of the world championship however he additionally received each championship until his retirement in 1946. Through the Nineteen Fifties and the Nineteen Sixties the game grew to become stagnant and generated little interest among the many outside public. Joe Davis tried to reinvent the sport by introducing Snooker Plus in 1969 nevertheless it didn’t have any impact.

1969 additionally noticed a breakthrough for the game when Pot Black, a snooker championship was launched by David Attenborough, one of many top BBC officials. His goal was to advertise color tv and present the world how enticing the game seems when shown on colour. This tournament was a powerful success on BBC2 and in 1978 the world championship was absolutely broadcast on TV.

By this time, the game had really caught on among the many Commonwealth countries. The success path that was established in 1969 continued on and snooker is now ranked among the top watched games on TV throughout the world. The Snooker World Championship is televised throughout the world and there's no dearth of spectators.

Snooker history is fascinating indeed. The extra you examine the finest way the sport has developed by means of the years the more you get into it. Initially a British recreation snooker now enchants players from all round the world. Go through snooker history on-line and you will generate so much interest concerning the sport in you that you'll itch to try your hand at the game. And very quickly you will begin taking part in like a professional and wow others.

Summer And Swimming Go Hand-In-Hand

Swimming is one of the most popular sports after all the sports of the centuries. Regardless of religion, nationality, or demographic location, everyone loves to swim. Swimming is not only fun, but it can also help get our bodies into great shape or help us relax at the end of a hot work day. Some people are lucky to have a private swimming pool in their yard where they can drink a glass of lemonade and read a book with all the privacy in the world. As convenient as it would be to have your own swimming pool, like most people you have to use public swimming pools, but there is a big upside to public pools.

With a private pool you are limited to the amount of people you can meet since you have to invite them over for a swim. At a public pool you have the opportunity to meet new people and have a great time in the sun, which is the best part about the summer months. This summer before you hit the pool make sure you hit a swim shop up for the most important items to make the most of your summer swim time.

Although you can get many of the items you will need at a local drug store, the quality is not worth the price. Sometimes you just buy the equipment and it breaks soon. Sometimes you don't even get to use it that much. Swim shops are stores which specialize in the right swimming tools which are made from top quality and are desirable to be worn during swimming. You wouldn't take your vehicle to a veterinarian would you? Then why would you buy swimming equipment from a store that does not specialize in it?

Many people have been swimming for years without the proper equipment and wonder why they are not having as much fun as other people. The reason is they are missing critical items to make the most of their summer. You should exactly know what gears to choose from the swim shops so that you can enjoy the activity and have merry. For example, if you are into swimming outdoors as exercise, a swim shop representative will know exactly which type of suit will help you accelerate your swimming and give you more of a cardio workout.

Women also like to protect their hair from the chlorine in the water. So swim caps can protect their hair from the water. If a swim cap is not bought at a swim shop, it is almost guaranteed it will tear. If it tears while in the swimming pool, the chlorine will begin to do its damage. Ear plugs are an important swimming gear which is also recommended by medical professionals too. Although it would seem an earplug is just an earplug, swim shops carry earplugs especially designed to keep water out of the ears. Even though summer is meant to be relaxing and an "anything goes" kind of attitude, you want to make sure you hit a swim shop up for all the necessities you will need to make it an easy-going summer.

Bicycle Lights, A Historical View

The earliest bicycle lights were actually the lamps which were run by the fuel called acetylene gas. The same lamps were used in motor cars as well. These lamps were run by the medium calcium of carbide, which is no more in use nowadays, but the cavers do make use of it even now. The light provided by these car lamps, run by acetylene gas, was very bright and thus these lamps proved to be effective bicycle lights. Although these lamps were good at providing a bright bicycle light but they needed continuous maintenance, which made these lamps far from being hassle free. Due to the hassle of these acetylene gas lamps, the battery powered lights were welcomed in 1890’s and were adopted readily by the people, as these new battery powered bicycle lights did not need continuous maintenance and thus helped people in saving their time and effort.

The early battery lamps which were used as bicycle lights were actually run by the led acid battery. Later these lamps used as bicycle lights were replaced by an improved version of the battery. This improved version of battery was the self contained dry cells. These self contained dry cells were more beneficial than the led acid batteries, because they were smaller and were much more reliable. During the same period, a new kind of bicycle lights was developed. These bicycle lights were named as the dynamos. Dynamos are the bicycle lights that make use of the energy, which is created by the movement of the bicycle. Dynamos became popular and much more practical at that period of time, because the storage density of batteries was not too much. Dynamos proved to be much more practicable during that period of time. Not every part of the world had laws regarding the compulsion of having bicycle lights. In UK the cyclists group actually went against the law of bicycles having the rear lights. This was because; they thought that this law will reduce the significance of the motorist’s obligation to stop when they would see a bicycle within a clear distance.

Replaceable cell batteries did not stay much in demand, after the invention of the alkaline batteries which were then used to power the bicycle lights. These alkaline batteries had this great advantage of having much more storage density. At the same time, the molding techniques also started improving and the plastic molding also got refined. This resulted in a better lens optics, which made the use of light output much more efficient than it was before that time. The 1980’s was the period when the lighting market moved towards globalization. Many brands present in different parts of the world gradually disappeared from the scene, and the American, Japanese and German products became popular all over the world.

Many advances have been made in the bicycle light industry recently. The dynamos have become extremely efficient. High output Halogen lamps have also gotten improved storage density, in rechargeable batteries. In addition, more efficient bicycle lights have also emerged through the high output light emitting diodes and high intensity discharge lights.

Boxing martial arts includes Traditional Boxing

A good boxer can blend in speed, endurance, strength, and defense tactics to outfight his opponent. Here's a fast summary of the basics of boxing as a sport.

Boxing is one of the boxing martial arts, where two people fight each other primarily with their fists. English-style boxing is a sport where the combatants are supervised by a referee, and the fight takes place over a series of rounds, with each round lasting for 3 minutes unless there is a knock out. Both boxers wear heavy gloves to protect their hands and also their opponent from getting cuts.

There are two categories of boxing: amateur and professional boxing. The best know amateur boxing takes place as part of the Olympic games and Commonwealth games. Amateur boxers wear head protection gear and the bouts are usually short usually comprising 3 rounds, with each round lasting for 3 minutes for men, while for women there are 4 rounds each lasting for 2 minutes. On the other hand, professional martial-arts boxers don't wear head protection and bouts can be up to 12 rounds.

Rules
There are several rules in boxing. First, if a boxer is knocked down at any round and touches the canvas floor with any part of his or her body apart from the feet, as a result of opponent's punch and not by slipping or pushing; the referee starts to count till the boxer stands up again. If the referee counts to ten then the knocked-down boxer is ruled as knocked out whether still conscious or not, and the other boxer is declared the winner. This win is called a knockout win (KO). A technical knockout win is when the referee or a fight doctor rules that an injured boxer is unable to continue fighting due to injury or is unable to defend him or herself well.

Also boxers aren't supposed to hit below the belt, hold, trip, spit or bite their opponents. Boxers are also not allowed to kick, head butt or hit each other with other parts of the arm other than the knuckles of a closed fist. Holding the ropes for support when punching or holding an opponent while punching is also prohibited. If a boxer violates these rules, he or she may be ruled to have fouled. The referee can issue warnings, deduct points, or even disqualify the offending boxer.

Approach Strategies
Boxers use different strategies when approaching their opponents.

1) As an out-fighter: In this style the boxers master their defense and offense by maintaining a distance between him and his opponent, comes in to hit and backs off again. Most out-fighters tend to win by point decisions and they fight with rapid, long range punches.

2) The swarmer: The fighter tries to stay close to an opponent, unleashing a fury of punishment. Generally, swarmers are very aggressive and ruthless delivering good punches and taking good hits. Most swarmers are have flexible footwork and have a phenomenal speed.

3) Boxer punch: Used by sturdier boxers, they fight at close range combining technique and power, often with ability to knock out their opponents with a single strike. They employ speed and mobility tactics against their opponents wearing out the opponents and then striking a knockout punch.

4) The slugger: A slugger depends on power punches to knock the opponents out. Most sluggers are generally bigger and slower and have good chins. They are not afraid to take in a few hits, but when they throw a punch, it usually leaves overwhelming damage.

Defense Strategies
1) Slip defense is when a boxer slightly rotates his or her body so that an incoming punch passes without harm, next to the head.

2) Blocking is where a boxer uses his or her shoulders, hands or arms to defend himself against opponent's attack.

3) Ducking is a style where the boxer drops down with the back straight in the intention that the thrown punch misses entirely.

4) Bob and weave is a boxing style in which a boxer moves the head sideways and beneath an incoming punch.

The Punches
Boxers also use different punches. The four basic punches include: uppercut, jab, cross, and hook. An uppercut punch is a vertical, rising punch, thrown with the rear hand. From the defending position, the elbow is drawn back with the knuckles pointing forward and the elbow bent. From this position the rear hand is thrown upwards in a rising curve towards the opponent. A jab punch is a quick punch which is thrown with the lead hand from the defense position. The punch throw is usually accompanied by clockwise rotation of the torso and hips, whereas the fist rotates at 90 degrees. A hook punch is a semi circular punch, which is thrown with the lead hand to the side of the opponents head. A cross punch on the other hand, is a powerful, straight punch thrown with the rear hand.

Techniques to Sink Putts from any Distance

How to Golf - Keep the Face of Your Putter Square

Control of the position of your putter head is vital if you want your golf putting skills to be consistently reliable. Before implementing any information regarding special grip techniques or an ability to read the green, you must first be able to control the face of your golf putter.

A golfer’s putting competence is completely
reliant on his or her ability to maintain a club face that is absolutely square with their target line. Even when a golfer has excellent green reading abilities: if the face of their putter is misaligned while taking their stroke, it won’t be of any help. Practicing your putts on a completely flat surface is the best way to determine if you are keeping your putter face square. When you get your golf ball to travel perfectly along the target line then you know that you hit it with a putter that was completely square with the target. Practicing how to golf on a bumpy or sloped surface is not advised as it will be difficult to judge whether it was your golf putting stroke or the ground contours which caused the golf ball to veer off course.

The best way to consistently keep the face of your putter square is to begin practicing your short putts and then gradually increase the distance, and work your way up to hitting the mid-range and longer putts.

How to Golf - Tips for Successful Mid Range Golf Putting

Many golfers find mid range putts the most intimidating, not because they are more difficult than the long or short putt, but because the mid-range putt is often overlooked at practice time. The most important secret behind confident golf putting is practice and preparation! A golfer grows in confidence by building on past successes. Carrying out drills on the green places demands on the player, and sinking a series of mid range putts will greatly increase success rate when playing a round of golf. For example, the compass drill is ideal for giving golf players plenty of practice at sinking mid range putts. Several golf balls are required for this drill; place four lines of balls on the green that correspond with the four points on a compass, with each golf ball lying between seven to fifteen feet from the cup. By sinking each of these balls in succession from the different positions around the cup gives players the opportunity to work on both their golf putting distance control and green reading ability for mid range putts.

How to Golf - Controlling the Distance When Golf Putting

Distance control a very difficult golf putting skill to master. Remember, the number one tip when trying to master this skill; the distance is controlled by stroke length. Don’t try to shorten the distance that your golf ball will travel by slowing down your putting motion; a shorter backswing results in a shorter shot.

Download an iPhone or iPad app today and get a comprehensive guide on how to golf, covering all aspects of the game. Learn all the secrets from golf pro’s on how to sink a perfect putt.

Improve Your Golf Swing

Improve Your Golf Swing - Alignment When learning how to golf many golfers have a problem with their golf swing. The best tip for improving your golf swing is to check that your body mechanics are correct; your position and posture must be properly aligned with the target line. You stance must be relaxed, your arms comfortable and not reaching down towards the ball. Your entire body must be parallel to the target line; this includes your feet, knees, and shoulders. Any slight shoulder misalignment will affect your golf swing, causing your ball to veer off course. Keep your eyes and head down throughout your golf swing and follow through.

Improve Your Golf Swing – Grip A good, solid golf swing begins with a good golf grip where the clubface is square to the ball at the point of impact. How you hold, or grip, your club influences the flight and direction of the ball. Look at the way you hold your club and experiment with each type of grip such as the overlapping grip, interlocking grip, or baseball grip, and work out what is the best one for you.

Improve Your Golf Swing - Weight Distribution Finding your balance and the correct weight distribution in your feet is other essential factors to take into consideration when discussing the need to improve golf swing. If most of your weight is on your toes you will be reaching for the ball and your stance will be too far away from the golf ball, resulting in an unstable swing. If your weight is primarily on your heels you will be too close to the golf ball and lack the flexibility and stability needed for producing a quality golf swing. You should aim for an even weight distribution on the balls of both your feet. Adjustments will need to be made, depending upon which golf club will be used; short irons require about sixty percent of your body weight be placed on your front foot, while a middle iron your requires weight be evenly distributed on the balls of your feet. When standing on a tee box about sixty percent of your weight should be on the back foot.

Improve Your Golf Swing - The Shape of a Golf Swing Perfecting your golf swing takes practice; a good golf swing is a circular motion that travels around the torso of your body. The golf swing starts with the backswing which must be slow and controlled; a fast backswing does not result in the ball going further. A good follow through, with your hips turned and facing the target, will improve the impact when you strike the ball.

Download an iPhone or iPad app for a comprehensive guide on how to golf; with step-by-step information on all aspects of the game, including golf swings, golf chipping, golf putting and golf rules. Quickly learn tips and tricks to get a single figure handicap!

How You Can Renovate Tennis Court Lighting

Tennis is a game loved by many people and public tennis courts are available for people with racquets and balls. However, a court can be added to a homeowner's backyard and this is dependent on the budget of the owner. The importance of lighting in a tennis play-area cannot be overemphasized as games can last till late in the evening. Some people also love to play some games very early in the morning before going to work and the sun may not be out at this time. Lighting a court or renovating existing lights should not be a cause for worry as the following tips will guide you.

The fixtures of your existing lighting should be examined while dark spots on the court should be checked. It is also important to check for glare and how the ball is well lit when moving from one part of the play-area to another. You should endeavor to play after the sun has gone down so that you will be able to see how the light affects your games. Special note should be taken when some lighting fixtures cause a blinding when you want to serve or return a lob.

Moreover, you should draw the existing light fixtures and circle any spots on the court where you discover that there are problems. A new lighting scheme should then be designed for the court and majority of residential courts make use of low-mast lighting which gives a steady light across the whole court, reduces glare and stops light from reaching too far beyond the court. It is important to make use of forward throw light fixtures and bulbs that will spread an even light and reduce glare. You should ensure that your new design is able to project the light about 7 feet beyond the outside lines of the court.

The new fixtures should then be installed or old fixtures updated to accept high-density bulbs. High-density bulbs give more uniform light and are more durable. Majority of tennis courts make use of forward throw lighting, which lessens glare. The new lighting scheme should be tested to discover if the problem with the old scheme has been solved. If not, you should take note of problem areas so that you will be able to proffer solution to them. Your tennis court needs proper lighting so that you will be able to enjoy your games at all times.

Cool Christmas Party Ideas For Your Business

The yuletide season is approaching really fast. Individuals can feel the cold breeze and the long nights that come with the winter season. In addition, individuals have also taken out their huge and comfy jackets and have stacked them into their cabinets to provide them warmth during the cold months. As individuals walk down the streets, they may also start to notice the dazzling lights and decorations as small businesses and establishments prepare for Christmas.

Other than establishments with beautiful decorations, business owners also plan a wonderful Christmas party for their employees to give them a chance to sit back and relax and enjoy the spirit of the holiday season. However, there are times when some employees and other colleagues do not attend Christmas parties since each year, they are stuck with the same food and event.

With this in mind, business owners look for cool Christmas party ideas in order to provide their employees and affiliates a party they will never forget. Listed below are some ideas that business owners may choose to make their parties more memorable and exciting.

Indoor games - Just like kids, adults can also have fun with indoor games that are aimed to help them improve their communication skills and camaraderie. For instance, playing a photography game where employees are grouped to captures several items listed can help them enjoy their night. Another game that employees can enjoy is a guessing game where they need to guess the name of a person written on a paper.

Team activities - To increase the camaraderie in your business, you can opt for unique activities such as a cooking contest, circus workshop or even art-making. With these activities, employees can increase their cooperation and skills which are needed in order to accomplish tasks and win the game.

Outdoor adventure - Most of the time, business owners only plan for an indoor party. To make your parties more special and more exciting, why not plan your party outdoors. Business owners can create an adventurous game like the Amazing Race where employees will travel in and around the city to find clues. This activity is also exciting since your employees can visit wonderful places. Additionally, for a more heart-pumping adventure, you can also create a mini-Olympics.

With these cool Christmas party ideas, business owners as well as employees can enjoy their parties and help them strengthen their relationship and communication with other employees which can improve the performance of your business. Click here.


Teambonding.com.au is a company that helps businesses have better parties and events. From exciting games and workshops indoors up to adventurous activities outdoors, individuals can experience wonderful events. For more, go to this site.

Airsoft Guns Ancestry

It is common knowledge that the Japanese antigun laws of the 1970's and the peoples urge to own and shoot guns was the beginning of the airsoft guns and games of today. I have read that the laws Japan had passed laws prohibited citizens owning any fire arms except a shotgun. The restrictions for ownership and storage of a shotgun and the storage and purchase of the ammunition prevented the vast majority of the citizens to own a shotgun. If you do not have a firearm license it was illegal to even hold a gun. Japan has some of strenuous gun laws and gun control in the World. A BB gun requires a license if it exceeds a prescribed velocity.

Most civilians in Japan have never seen a real fire arm of any kind. The true gun enthusiasts are left with only airsoft replicas for their gun collections.

These reading have also revealed that Daisy, in the United States, was selling some spring operated low pressure BB type Guns which fired soft projectiles before the Japanese manufacturers developed their first guns. The early airsoft guns used spring power to create the air pressure required to propel the plastic BB. Spring guns have been joined by gases and batteries as power for airsoft guns.

For the people in the countries were fire arms are prohibited or seriously restricted, airsoft guns provided a way to own, hold and shoot a gun. The true gun enthusiasts want firearm replicas that fire a projectile. After being used originally for target shooting these replicas were used in games that developed into a sport. In all of Asia where guns were prohibited these guns and their recreational games was a great success, it grew rapidly in popularity. The first countries to accept and enjoy this new sport were Hong Kong, Korea, Taiwan and the Philippines. It wasn't until 1990's that the sport made its way into Europe and later to North American.

In the early years of 2000 a large increase in the number of manufacturers producing Automatic Electric Guns (AEG's) pushed this type gun to the top in sales. Manufacturers of AEG's were joined China and Taiwan. This opened a market of some very high quality replicas. The automatic feature of the AEG allowed the economical manufacture and operation of many automatic firearm replicas. The gas guns allowed for automatic replicas but not economically as AEG and cost to operate prohibited automatic gas rifles. The spring guns must be manually cocked between each shot so they cannot be automated.

We have some very realistic airsoft guns, realistic in appearance, weight, markings, logos and some have the mechanical movement (blow back) of the firearm it represents. To place the proper logo on an airsoft gun the manufacturer must obtain a license from the firearm manufacturer. This logo license adds cost to the gun. Manufacturers for the most part, will sale to various distributors, who will place their own brand names on these guns prior to distribution. This increase in sales keeps the cost of manufacturing and licensing lower and the guns more affordable.

The manufacturer of airsoft guns is almost worldwide, some are in the United States and Europe but the vast majority is made in Asia. Japan, China, Taiwan, South Korea and the Philippines are the countries that manufacturer that vast majority.

I think the mentality of "if it looks like a firearm it is a fire arm" is justified if the user presents it as such. In the United States, we have laws that require airsoft guns to have an orange tip at the end of the barrel at the time of sale. This tip is not easily removed; the states have different laws that govern their removal. At the risk of being mistaken for the real firearm it is considered dangerous to remove this tip. Police have and will continue to protect themselves and others from an airsoft gun mistaken for a firearm. It is also considered wise to be discrete in the transportation of airsoft guns as some states and cities have their own laws restricting and prohibiting airsoft guns.

War games, cops and robbers and other games have been played forever with toy weapons. Airsoft Guns have modernized these games. I wonder what toy 'weapons" of the future will be.

Wooden Baseball Bats - Wooden Baseball Bats - From Wood To Aluminum

The baseball bat is a simple concept but a pretty complicated object. Here are some baseball bats facts to enlighten you about its interesting history and design. The more you know about baseball bats, the more you will find yourself in love with this fascinating sport. It's essential to get a grip on the bat's most basic concepts before you make a buying decision. So, without further ado, here are some interesting baseball bats facts:


A baseball bat is essentially a smooth “rod” that the batter uses to hit the ball thrown by the pitcher, signaling the other players to run around the bases and ultimately try and score a homerun. The thickest part of the bat, the part that is supposed to hit the ball, is called the “barrel” and the best part of the “barrel” for hitting the ball is called the “sweet spot.” The barrel ultimately gets thinner and thinner until it forms into the handle. On metal bats, rubber may wind around the handle for good grip. The “knob” is at the very opposite end of the barrel's tip and helps a batter to hang onto the bat so that it doesn't fly away! Think about this before purchasing that cheap bat that no one else seems to care for.

In the early days of baseball, younger players were most prevalent and the majority of bats were handmade, so sizes and shapes varied wildly. But as baseball became more of an official, regulated sport, so did the baseball bats. In 1859, rules were made about the diameter of the bat, and to this day every kind of league has their own individual rules. Therefore, be sure you are clear on your league's rules on baseball bat measurements. Although all bats look very similar to each other, there are minuscule differences that are not obvious to the human eye. I hope these historic baseball bats facts were useful!

Electronic - Eagle Sea Finder 320 - Helping You Get What You Want From The Sea

The Eagle Sea Finder 320DF is a fish finder that combines many of the features that you are looking for. It will help you to bring home a full bucket of fish every time you head out onto the lake. The features of this product speak for themselves so let’s get to them.


We’ll start with the 320 DF’s LCD display. While it is only five inches, it is still one of the best around on this type of fish finder. It also features 16 level grayscale and a backlit screen and keypad. All this spells out that you have a high quality screen that you’ll be able to see details on.

The fact that the blacks and whites are so well pronounced will help you determine the object you are looking at with clarity. This is important for distinguishing between a structure, the bottom, and a fish. The backlit feature will allow you to use your fish finder in any light including that of the early morning or late night. This means you can use it when you want to!

The sonar on board the Sea Finder 320DF is pretty good as well! It has a depth capability of 1500 feet with lots of power. And, it delivers a high performance result, even while traveling at speeds of up to 70 miles per hour. It will help you expose fish targets that are hidden under surface clutter. You can separate fish from structures and the bottom. And, you can use Fish ID to show underwater targets in different sizes of fish symbols.

There are many more capabilities in this type of sonar, but it all comes down to the simple fact that the 320DF is able to provide you with a clear picture of not only what is below the surface, but what its doing and what type of fish it is. It will even find the fish for you. Imagine. All you need to do is sit back and cast.

The Eagle Sea Finder 320DF is capable of helping you get just what you want from the sea!

Electronic - Where To Take Your Fishing Vacation - Some Great Ideas

There are hundreds of locations around the world that are simply excellent locations to enjoy. You will see that many of them are listed here. Others, like the favorite one that you have may not be. There are many unique ways that you too can enjoy the waters the world has to offer.


Consider Manitoba, Canada

The area is known as Land of Lakes that have served to produce many trophy fish. Both still and fly fishing pros love the location. In Manitoba, you’ll catch some of the best northern pike and they will give you a good fight too. They strike hard and fast on the Daredevil lure. You can use flies with a good amount of success. You’ll also find brook and brown trout, rainbow as well as perch and pickerel. Go in the spring or the fall for the best fishing vacation here.

Good Old Long Island, New York

Here, you’ll find Montauk Point. Some of the world’s top naturalists have come to the conclusion that this is the place to find the most fish in the world. The point is a glacial cliff and you’ll find tuna, cod, mackerel, marlin, striped bass and white shark here. It also features the oldest lighthouse in the states. An inside tip is to cast from the rocks below the lighthouse and you’ll get some of the best fishing out there. Although spring and fall are the best times to go, you can come during the summer too.

Wyoming, USA
If you are looking to catch trophy trout in the US, a vacation to Yellowstone National Park is a must. Slough Creek is full of trophy trout, as are other streams within the Park's boundaries, and they are all stocked regularly. Streams and rivers outside of the Park also offer great fishing opportunities, as do the waters of nearby Idaho and Montana. Wyoming is home to 62 native species, including Arctic grayling, burbot, channel catfish, shiners, chub, several trout species, suckers, goldeneye, mountain whitefish, shovelnose sturgeon, and a wide variety of smaller fish.


The Florida Keys

The Florida Keys offer a wide range of fishing opportunities. People come all year round to catch them. In fact, Hemingway himself fished here. The waters are still as excellent as they were then too. You’ll find tarpin and bonefish in the Marquesas Islands. You’ll find blue marlin, King mackerel, sailfish, yellowfin, shark snapper, and a wide range of others here too.

Head To Hampshire, England

Head just outside of London to get some of the best fly fishing opportunities. Here you’ll find trout and Atlantic salmon. Check out the Itchen and Test rivers too although they are on a private island and you’ll need to pay to get in, they are excellent opportunities nonetheless. You’ll find trout fisheries here, too.

Try Missouri, USA

Go to the Ozark Mountains of Missouri. Here, you can catch bass under the limestone bluffs. You’ll find that the river itself has over two hundred different species including bass, channel catfish, sunfish, bullheads, muskellunge, walleye, shad, perch and trout. You’ll find more fish here than anywhere in the US.

Here are some tips for you.

Don’t take with you all of your equipment unless you really want to. You’ll find guide services will provide you with everything that you need.

They can also provide the necessary fishing licenses for you too. Get your information from here too. Make sure if you plan to go out of country that you are allowed to export and import the fish, though.

You can always ask other anglers where they like to fish. Some of the best locations for fishing are in those small, hideouts that are closely guarded secrets!

Scuba Diving - Scuba Diving In Boracay

Boracay is a beautiful tropical island located at 200 miles (315km) south of Manila, the capital of the Philippines. This island resort is one of Philippines' most popular tourist destinations because it is consistently voted by popular scuba diving and travel magazines as one of the best scuba diving destinations in the world.


There are many dive centers and operators in Boracay offering diving trips to top rated but hard to reach dive sites such as those in the Sibuyan Sea, Tablas, Romblon and Semirara. Close to Boracay are also excellent dive sites catering to divers of varying diving skills. Non diver will find snorkeling in Boracay an enriching experience because of its rich and diverse marine life near the beaches.

Friday's Rock is a nearby rocky outcrop in Boracay's western shore. Expect to see a variety of brilliant colored soft and hard corals, flittering butterfly fish, curious wrasses, darting damsels, playful blue tangs, ominous stingrays and snappers when diving around Friday's rock. Hidden under the rocks, crevices and corals are big scorpion fishes and lion fishes.

There are two great dive sites near the main island of Boracay, known as Punta1 and Punta2. Punta 1 is a shallower dive of the two spots and is a drop off of about 24m (80ft) and Punta 2 starts at 30m (100ft) and goes way down to about 50m (170ft). These two dive spots are home to various species of garoupas, trigger fish, angel fish, sweet-lips, tuna, barracuda and the occasional reef shark.

At the southeast coast of Boracay is Crocodile Island (the island is named as such because of its shape). The island a very popular dive location and is a wall dive to about 25m (80ft) in depth. This dive site is also very rich in marine life so much so that many species of fish and corals make this location their permanent home.

Crocodile Island is also home to some poisonous banded sea snakes some of which are long as two meters (6.5ft) in length. Scuba divers need to be very careful of sea snakes because all sea snakes are poisonous and their bites lead to fatality.


Another great dive location near the main island is the Laurel Island. This dive site is for the more experienced and advanced divers because the undercurrent here can be very strong and because of this, drift diving is the main scuba diving activity here. Furthermore, the strong undercurrent encourages corals to open up their brightly colored yellow and orange polyps to feed on passing planktons. Divers can also find big colorful sponges and huge waving gorgonian sea fans here.

At northern tip of Boracay is a dive site known asYapak. This is a deep wall diving location starting at about 30m(95ft) and descending into the depth of 60m (190 ft). Once again, the undercurrent here can get pretty strong. Scuba divers will encounter larger pelagic fishes here, such as barracudas and various species of sharks.

Hammerhead sharks and giant manta rays are the main attractions when diving in Yapak. Other excellent dive sites around Boracay are Carabao (buffalo), Cathedral Cave, Buruanga, Black Rock and Dog Drift. Is it any wonder why Boracay is consistently rated as one of the best scuba diving site in the world?

Rotata - Seven Winning Ways With Fruit Machines

Playing fruit machines, whether in Las Vegas, you local funfair or your local bar usually results in you being the loser. Now you can tip the odds in your favor by following these seven simple tips to winning. You may not win every time but this will help to tip the odds greatly in your favor.


1. Always play at the right time: Playing at the right time is probably the most important factor in winning at the fruit machines. Modern fruit machines are controlled by sophisticated computer programs which are designed to ensure that the maximum payback to players doesn't exceed the legal minimum of 70% of the total take. You can use this information to your advantage.

Choose the machine you wish to play on carefully. Watch what's going on for a minimum of thirty minutes before playing yourself.

As soon as it's free, choose the machine that hasn't paid out whilst you have been watching, this is the one that should pay out very soon and you stand a greater chance of winning or even dropping the jackpot.

2. Look for newly installed machines: Newly installed machines are often set to give a higher than the normal 70% payout for the first week or so following installation. This is to attract new punters and get the machine quickly established. For a bonus win, new machines must also pay out quickly to reach the minimum 70% return level. Keep a keen eye on the machines in your locality and make a point of targeting the newly installed machines.

3. Listen very carefully when you insert your coins: If your coins appear to fall a long way into the machine, the machine is more than likely ready to pay out. A long fall indicates that the coin tubes are probably full and the excess coins are being diverted to a lower part of the machine. If the machine is full, it suggests a win is due so keep playing.


4. Skill bonus: If you win any type of skill bonus and need time to fully understand the workings of the machine so you can work out what to do next. Press the cancel button, this generally slows everything down considerably, thus allowing you time to figure out what your next move should be and so facilitate a win.

5. Two holds in succession: If you get two holds in succession, always have another go. Most machines will then offer a third hold. And considering that the symbol you need for a winning line always seem to fall into place third time around it would be crazy to leave it to the next player.

6. You have a nudge but you don't have a winning line: When you have a nudge but you don't have a winning line, nudge two of the same symbols onto the winning line. If the next play allows you to hold, don't do it, spin all three reels and your win should come in.

7. Your winning sequence is above the win line: If you have a win above the win line and the machine allows you to hold. Always hold all three reels together, they should then all nudge down as one and give you a winning line or even the jackpot.

By following the steps detailed above you could vastly improve your chances of winning on fruit machines.

Aways remember, once the machine has paid out, move on, it is very unlikely that it will pay out again and you should then leave it for others to refill it so you can come back once more when the odds are in your favor.

Never play a machine without studying it for at least 30 minutes first and never play a machine that has just paid out, you will simply be giving your money to the machines owner without a chance of a return.

Filipina Women - Bride Tours - Pros And Cons

There are always two sides to a coin, and choosing the services of a bride tour is no different. It has negative and positive points that a foreigner who is planning to seek a Filipina bride must consider.


Bride tours have their own plus points. Instead of venturing out on your own in an unknown territory and groping in the dark to find the right person for you, bride tours offer you a chance where you only pay a certain amount and leave everything to them.

All you do is just package yourself and be prepared to be introduced to thousands of top-caliber women and the rest is up to you. If you go out on your own, it is like jumping into the dark waters full of sharks just to find the right fish, and the risk is too high.

In a conservative society, you just could not walk up to a Filipina lady and ask her to go out. Chances are you may be snubbed, ignored or find yourself at the receiving end of a resounding slap on your face. You have to shell out thousands of dollars and you may still end up with zero results. Or you could find a gold digger who will leave you penniless.

If you finally get serious with a Filipina lady, the bride tour operator will take care of the immigration paper work for you. You can go back to your home country and relax in the thought that the bride tour is taking care of everything.

A bride tour introduces you to a woman in a relaxed, public atmosphere where you will not be pressured or obliged to talk if you do not want to. You will also have a chance to visit beautiful places in the country in the company of Filipina ladies who are not only of high reputation, but educated, cultured, and most important, available.


On the other hand, it provides you a different challenge if you look for that Filipina lady by yourself in the internet, go out of your way to chat, email and call her and then finally visit her in the Philippines to check whether she is really the one you will be spending the rest of your life with.

Once you meet her, you are in control. You can manage your time and your budget and get to know your Filipina lady's relatives, meet her friends and really get to know her. You can go out on unplanned and impulsive trips to anywhere you would like to go without the restrictions of a tour group.

You can choose where to stay, where to eat and get a feel of the community by mingling and interacting with the locals. This way you can better understand the culture of the Filipinos.

Again, whatever way you resort to find a Filipina bride, you are on your own. Whether you go on your own or join bride tours, you make the final decision for this very important aspect in your life.

Golf School - Choosing A Golf School

The truth is that when it comes to choosing a golf school, there are a lot of options available, and each one claims to be the best, which can make it hard to decide, especially if you have never attended a golf school before. This article will focus on tips to help you make this important choice.


The faculty is an important factor to consider, since they are the ones that ultimately shape your experience. Many top golf school instructors have achieved their own personal brand recognition, and taking the time to educate yourself about the different faculty members, including their PGA or LPGA membership status and career bios will go a long way towards helping you decide if a particular school is right for you. Another thing to think about is whether or not you would prefer to have private or group instruction, and how well the schools that you are considering can accommodate your preferences.

The campus itself should play a major part in your decision, particularly the facilities and any extracurricular activities offered. A truly stellar school will incorporate lodging in its course packages as well. Whether you prefer a secluded mountain retreat style atmosphere or a school near a city with an active nightlife, you can find a school that meets your needs with a little research and planning. Your personal learning style and method should be taken into account when making a decision as well, since some schools are more geared towards high tech or high touch, or other types of learning styles, while other schools are equipped to handle all learning styles or combinations thereof.

When your instruction is complete, what will your next step be? You have probably heard that instruction today is focused on specialization, which is why it is important to talk with a representative of the school or schools that you are considering to learn more about the schools philosophy and also, communicate your specific needs and areas of game specialization, i.e. driving, short game, iron play, etc. before you sign up. Daily practice is also a factor to consider, since you will naturally want to practice between instruction sessions. Find out if the golf school you are considering includes the price of daily rounds in its instruction packages, or whether you will be charged extra for this.

Choosing the right golf school does not have to be difficult and it should not. Do your homework, weigh your options, and you will be well on your way to a fulfilling and productive golf school experience.

MEDINAH, Ill

MEDINAH, Ill. -- For the record, Riles had the first pick in our Ryder Cup draft and he took Team USA. Very cagey on his part. He gets to be Captain America and I get stuck explaining an uncomfortable truth:

Team Europe is going to win.

I'm certainly not rooting against the Americans, but how can you objectively look at this matchup and think Team USA is going to be showering in champagne late Sunday? How can you crunch the numbers and somehow come up with a home team victory?

Answer: You can't.

The Europeans have won six of the past eight Ryder Cups. They've won huge (in 2006, 2004). They've won small (2010, 2002, 1997, 1995). They've won over there (2010, 2006, 2002, 1997). They've won over here (2004, 1995).

They've got the best golfer on the planet -- Rory McIlroy. Greg Norman says he's so good that he intimidates the second best player in the world, Tiger Woods.

Actually, I think the only things that bother Tiger are camera shutters, TMZ and male pattern baldness. So I'm not buying what Norman is selling. But put it this way: McIlroy isn't intimidated by Woods, or any member of Team USA. And that probably goes for most, if not all, of Team Europe's players.

If you're European captain Jose Maria Olazabal, your head hits the pillow each night knowing that Team USA doesn't have a player with a winning Ryder Cup record. Not Tiger. Not Phil Mickelson. Not anybody on the 12-man roster.

Team Europe has eight players with winning records, including Sergio Garcia (14-6-4), who suddenly remembers how to putt whenever a Ryder Cup rolls around. And the only thing louder than Ian Poulter's clothes is his play during the Cup. He's 8-3-1, unbeaten in singles and generally acts like somebody plunged an adrenalin needle into his heart.

Luke Donald is 8-2-1 overall. Lee Westwood is 16-11-6. And nobody on Team USA is in a hurry to see Graeme McDowell's name (4-2-2) on the daily pairings sheet.

Did I mention that Team USA has four rookies on its team? Team Europe has just one -- Nicolas Colsaerts, and he just happens to hit the ball longer than anybody in the field.

Experience matters in the Ryder Cup. A lot. One-third of the Team USA roster has never stood on the first tee of a Ryder Cup match and experienced the sheer terror and pressure of playing in this event. Nothing against Webb Simpson and his Presidents Cup appearance, but it's not the Ryder Cup.

The Europeans have four players (McIlroy, Donald, Westwood and Martin Kaymer) who know what it's like to be the No. 1-ranked player in the world. Team USA has one (Woods).

The Europeans live for the Ryder Cup. So does their captain. Olazabal had a career 18-8-5 record in the Cup and was part of the first European team to win on American soil (1987). So he's not going to be flustered by the pro-USA crowds at Medinah. Nor will his team.

This is going to be close. Very close.

The "Medinah Maulers," as Riles calls Team USA (sounds like someone I know has already applied for a copyright and purchased a silk-screening machine), are formidable. On paper, it could be one of the strongest teams the USA has had.

But Olazabal didn't just fall off the golf cart. He isn't going to back down to DLIII, or to this being an away game. You don't think he has a plan, too?

I'll give Riles this much: the Medinah crowds will be fully engaged come Sunday. No Bears game that day; they play Monday night.

I won't be surprised if Team USA wins. But I'm still going with the defending champs, barely. A 14½-13½ finish sounds about right.

These are the facts. And sorry, but not even Captain America can refute them.

USA's Cup will run over

Things are looking good for Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk and the rest of the 2012 United States Ryder Cup team.
MEDINAH, Ill. -- Golf Chernobyls happen. Ask European Ryder Cup captain Jose Maria Olazabal. In 1999, he and his European teammates had a four-point lead going into the Sunday singles against the USA in Brookline, Mass., and wound up weeping in a huddle in the team room.

"We all cried together," Olazabal remembers, "including me."

Will Davis Love's USA team, leading 10-6 after the first two days, be reduced to blubberers at a Medinah Massacre Sunday?

Why wait? Find out now and save your Sunday for football!

Bubba Watson vs. Luke Donald -- Two complete opposites. Watson is the wild child who swings from his cleats, whose hair seems to be dried in a hurricane, and whose finish looks like the first celebrity out on "Dancing With the Stars." Donald, meanwhile, is the wine connoisseur with the perfect clothes and the impeccable swing. Should be a doozy, but you've got to give it to the local lad ... DONALD. USA 10, EUROPE 7.

Webb Simpson vs. Ian Poulter -- Poulter is a murderer, a bloodless hit man in bad pants. He's the runaway star of this Ryder Cup. He birdied the last five holes Saturday afternoon to save his and Rory McIlroy's point against Zach Johnson and Jason Dufner. Did you read that? HE BIRDIED THE LAST FIVE HOLES! Everything but everything is a challenge to Poulter. When Bubba Watson exhorted the crowd to scream and yell while he hit his drive on the first tee Friday, Poulter decided he'd do the same thing, in front of Watson, on Saturday morning. HE HAD THE ENEMY CROWD SCREAM ON HIS BACKSWING! "He done it to us, so I decided I was gonna do it to him," Poulter said. He and his Fierce Face -- the one in which he looks like he's going to throw a kitchen knife through your larynx if you so much as inhale -- is now 11-3-0 in Ryder Cups. He's a thin Monty. He's Seve with a hedgehog haircut. Webb Simpson, meanwhile, is playing his first Ryder Cup. Poulter will cut him into little pieces and eat him with A1 sauce ... POULTER. USA 10, EUROPE 8.

Keegan Bradley vs. Rory McIlroy -- Even God might switch off the NFL to watch this one. The heavyweight throwdown of the day. Bradley is the new puppy that threatens to tear the leash in half. McIlroy used to be that guy, but has settled down into the No. 1 player in the world. But McIlroy isn't playing like No. 1 this week and Bradley is ... BRADLEY. USA 11, EUROPE 8.

Phil Mickelson vs. Justin Rose -- Mickelson has the most fun when he's shepherding some wild young buck in the two team-play days (Anthony Kim in 2008, Keegan Bradley in 2012). He and Bradley went undefeated all day Friday and Saturday morning and then sat out Saturday afternoon because -- get this -- Phil ASKED to. "Phil always has a plan," Love explained, "and that was his plan. To play two or three team matches, no more." So Love benched his undefeated team. The question is, did he cool them both off? Historically, Mickelson hasn't been that sensational when he hasn't had a partner in this thing (4-4-0) ... ROSE. USA 11, EUROPE 9.

Brandt Snedeker vs. Paul Lawrie -- Here's some Ryder Cup trivia. Who was one of the few European players to win their singles match in the Miracle at Brookline in 1999? Lawrie. (He beat Jeff Maggert 4 and 3.) Sneds, meanwhile, is blown away by his first Ryder Cup. His eyes are about the size of Cinnabons. "I have a buddy out here marshaling who used to play for the [Chicago] Bears, [Hunter Hillenmeyer]. He comes up to me and goes, 'I'd rather play in one of these than 10 Super Bowls.' It's awesome. It's crazy. I love it." No wonder Snedeker has looked a little jumpy, despite going 1-1 so far. And wait until he gets to hit his first tee shot on the first tee. He hasn't done that yet. Still, there's a reason Snedeker just won $11.4 million and Lawrie still gets mistaken for your heating and air conditioning guy ... SNEDEKER. USA 12, EUROPE 9.

Dustin Johnson vs. Nicolas Colsaerts -- Oh, Lord. The longest of the long. The trees will shake. Balata will melt. But Johnson has been solid all week. Colsaerts is the Rebecca Black of golf. He had one epic day Friday (eight birdies and an eagle) and not much else. Johnson, by the way, is undefeated so far ... JOHNSON. USA 13, EUROPE 9.

Zach Johnson vs. Graeme McDowell -- There were five pro-Europe skywriting jets heckling Johnson Saturday at Medinah. The message read: "Zach Johnson Should Play From the Red Tees." That ought to light a small furnace under Johnson, who can be very flammable. Also, he's been mostly money. From the gold tees. McDowell hasn't been good from anywhere ... JOHNSON. USA 14, EUROPE 9.

Jim Furyk vs. Sergio Garcia -- Old-school grudge match. They played on Sunday at the Miracle at Brookline in 1999. Furyk beat Sergio 4 and 3. "It'd be nice to give it back to them the way they gave it to us," Sergio said Saturday night. This time around, Sergio has a bad head cold. He keeps sneezing during interviews. He looks bleary-eyed and stuffy. Fear the sick man ... GARCIA. USA 14, EUROPE 10.

Jason Dufner vs. Peter Hanson -- This is a walkover. Dufner is playing fantastic. Hanson didn't even play at all Saturday. Dufner will win the point that gives the USA the Ryder Cup trophy and react by arching his right eyebrow slightly ... DUFNER. USA 15, EUROPE 10.

Matt Kuchar vs. Lee Westwood -- Another pasting. Westwood has been just dreadful. No, he's been worse than dreadful. More people have carried him this week than carried Cleopatra. Kuchar, meanwhile, is coming off a terrific Saturday afternoon when he made five birdies. And he watched in 1999, too, so he's ready for anything. "We know this deficit is overcomeable," he said. Yes, he did ... KUCHAR. USA 16, EUROPE 10.

Steve Stricker vs. Martin Kaymer -- Stricker hasn't been great, but Kaymer is a mess. Kaymer couldn't find a fairway with a course map. If I were Olazabal, I'd put Kaymer in the injury envelope and then find a way to kneecap Bradley ... STRICKER. USA 17, EUROPE 10.

Tiger Woods vs. Francesco Molinari -- We saw this movie in 2010 in Wales and Woods feasted on sauteed Molinari, 4 and 3. Woods does not do well sharing one golf ball, but he actually played terrific when he just got to golf his in the better-ball matches. He made seven birdies and got beat on Friday by a Belgian having the greatest day of his life. Then he made five birdies and got beat by Fierce Face, who was not to be stopped by a wall, much less a man. 36 holes, 12 birdies, 0 points. Like it matters, which it won't ... WOODS. USA 18, Europe 10.

Sorry, Ollie, but a four-point deficit on the road when four of your players should be at the range instead of the Ryder Cup? That's not overcomeable.

Meltdown at Medinah

Davis Love III, captain of the 2012 United States Ryder Cup team, will need a lot of time to ponder the what-ifs after his team gave up a four-point lead, allowing Europe to retain the Cup.
MEDINAH, Ill. -- America's biennial toothache -- the Ryder Cup -- was extracted without novocaine Sunday, leaving nothing but the usual bloodstains. It was the worst choke job in Cup history. They put the "die" in Medinah.

But it didn't have to be. The USA could have and should have won.

In fact, it would have if only ...

• Captain Davis Love hadn't let Phil Mickelson push him around like a wheelbarrow. Love admitted he was considering playing his undefeated star pairing -- Mickelson and Keegan Bradley -- in the afternoon Saturday, but Mickelson talked him out of it. "Do not play us this afternoon," Mickelson said. "We're giving you everything we have." But he and Keegan hadn't even been stressed in their three wins. They had played only 32 holes, total.

Mickelson's reason?

"Historically and mathematically, guys have not done so well in singles if they have played every session," he said. It's not even remotely true (they win about half the time). Two men played all five matches in this Cup -- Justin Rose and Rory McIlroy -- and both won Sunday. Rose didn't seem tired at all Sunday. In fact, he sank three huge bombs on the last three holes to beat -- wait for it -- Mickelson.

• That Chicago state trooper hadn't driven like Jimmie Johnson through the streets of suburban Chicago to get European star Rory McIlroy to the course with eight minutes to spare. "He was asking me, 'Do you get motion sickness?'" McIlroy said. "And I'm like, 'No, no! Just get me there!'" He got there and nobody threw up, except Bradley, who got 4 down before eventually losing, 2-and-1, to a man who hadn't even warmed up. Any way to give that cop a ticket?

• Someone named Nicolas Colsaerts hadn't suddenly become Jack Nicklaus at the worst possible time. In a best-ball match Friday that included a red-hot Tiger Woods, Colsaerts was hotter. Woods made seven birdies. Colsaerts made eight. And an eagle.

Then he issued the greatest quote in Ryder Cup history: "You have just got to go with what's in your pants." Then Colsaerts went out and did zip the rest of the week, losing every match. He'd already done enough. That point cost America the win.

• Love hadn't picked Jim Furyk. Said it at the time, saying it now: Furyk has heartache painted all over him this season after blowing two majors in the final holes. Sunday, he bogeyed the last two holes against Sergio Garcia (ugh!) to give away a point he had tucked in his pocket on the 17th tee box, when he was 1 up. He's been part of six losing Ryder Cup teams and only two winning ones. Why pick him and bring all that bad Ryder mojo back? What America needs in the Ryder Cup is new, fresh-faced leaders who don't have the Ryder Cup losing gene imprinted into their cells. It needs young guys who love it, aren't afraid of it and don't know we're supposed to lose in it -- your Rickie Fowlers, for instance. Love could've picked him. Instead, he dipped back into the weeping well.

•  Martin Kaymer hadn't made that 5-foot 20,000-fathoms-of-pressure putt on 18. That would've given Steve Stricker a half point. Then chaos wouldn't have erupted, and Tiger Woods could've had some quiet and made his simple par on 18 to win his match against one of the many Molinari brothers and win the Cup. Instead, it dropped and the V-E Day erupted.

It was breathtaking theater. As Kaymer paced around that putt, trying to get a deep breath, he thought about countryman Bernhard Langer's 6-foot miss that lost the Cup for Europe at Kiawah in 1991. He let that suicidal thought pop up in his brain and still buried it. "I said to myself, 'It's not going to happen again,'" Kaymer said afterward. "'You have only one option. You have to make it.' If you ask me how that putt rolled, I have no idea. I can't remember. But I'll be able to tell my grandchildren someday." Seriously, is sports cool or what?

• They've held it on a week when Tiger Woods was busy. The man is a golf god, but he's a human Ryder Cup jinx. He does not like sharing a golf ball. He has played in seven of these and lost six. Is it a coincidence that the last time America won, in 2008, he was on his couch? That team seemed lighter, looser. Nobody was having to step gingerly around the What Do We Do With Tiger? question.

Consider: Mickelson loves taking young bucks under his arm and showing them the way. In 2008: Anthony Kim. In 2012: Bradley. Do you ever see Tiger volunteering for that job? He always asks and gets to play with cronies he doesn't have to shepherd: Furyk and Stricker. It never works. He and Stricker just kept losing last week (0-7-1), yet Love just kept sticking with them. Lunacy.

• Love hadn't sent Woods off last on Sunday. Woods always seems to get sent off last, then gets stuck playing the 18th hole through a Macy's parade. "It was pointless to finish," Woods said Sunday night, not realizing he had made a very good pun. "Tiger likes to play late," Love explained.

Really?

Then why is he always playing his practice rounds at 6 a.m.? When you know Europe's only chance is to put their big howitzers out early and get some blue going, why not put your best player out early to fight them? Why not hope he puts some red on the board and inspires the troops behind him? Why not? "Because Tiger asked to go late," Love said. Remind me, who was the captain again?

• Europe didn't find some kind of slice vaccine in the team room Sunday morning. Three guys who had been playing like groggy wildebeests -- Kaymer, Paul Lawrie and Lee Westwood -- all came out of nowhere to win points. Kaymer and Lawrie had won squat in the first two days, and Westwood had been carried by his partner to win one point. Suddenly, they were all Byron Nelson. That was murderous.

• Love had an ounce of fire and brimstone in him. I was standing on the 18th green Saturday afternoon when play was over and the USA had forged a 10-6 lead. I overheard Mickelson trying to psych up starry-eyed rookie Brandt Snedeker. "Listen," he said, grabbing him by the arm, "we have to ball tomorrow. This thing is far from over. In 1995 at Oak Hill, Corey Pavin chipped in on Saturday night, and we had a two-point lead. We thought it was over. And we lost. We have to get out there and ball tomorrow!"

Compare that to what Love told his troops Saturday night: "Hey, let's have fun and keep doing what we've been doing." And then he asked them all where they wanted to play in the Sunday order. Who wants milk and cookies?

"In hindsight," Love said Sunday night, "I guess we'd have done a lot of different things."

Next time, can we get somebody with his own plan?

Nice looking outfits, though.

FAQs for the new year

Bob Donnan/US Presswire
Peyton Manning and his frequently operated-on neck were the subject of a few of Rick Reilly's Frequently Asked Questions for 2013.
Here is the list of Frequently Asked Questions for 2013. Please consult the FAQ list before calling our service line. Thank you.

Q: Why are you always so wrong?

A: It's not easy. Ask the Mayans. So, yes, I was wrong on Notre Dame, Joe Paterno and Europe's chances of winning the Ryder Cup, among a few hundred other things. So sue.

Q: When will you stop making predictions?

A: Hard to predict.

Q: Who's going to be the MVP?

A: I know who should win it. Peyton Manning, and not just because of the unseemly way the Vikings' Adrian Peterson has been campaigning for it. "In my heart, I believe I'm the MVP. Whether I win it or not, I feel I'm the MVP." (People, we don't campaign for Nobel Prizes, Pulitzers or MVPs. Does Meryl Streep announce, "In my heart, I'm the Best Actress"?)

What Peterson did for the Vikings -- 2,000-plus yards coming off knee surgery -- was stunning. But what Peyton Manning did was mind-morphing. Playing for a new team, with a new coach, in a new city, he won 11 straight games, put up the second-best season of his career, and took his team to the No. 1 seed in the AFC, all after having more neck work done than Joan Rivers.

Just look at Manning's December alone: five wins, the highest completion percentage in the league (by 7 points), the highest passer rating in the league (by 18 points), and the AFC Offensive Player of the Month (his sixth, tying an NFL record.) He took an offense that was 25th in points last season and made it second. He took a team with the second-hardest schedule in the NFL to 13-3. And he didn't have to come back from one surgery; he had to come back from four.

"People thought he was done," says Broncos wide receiver Brandon Stokley. "People were saying he'd be a fool to play. They were saying his career was over. People have no idea what he went through just to get back on the field."

Q: Who's going to be Offensive Rookie of the Year?

A: Andrew Luck. Do you recall what owner Jim Irsay did to the two-win Colts just before he got there? He not only cut Manning, he let go of Pro Bowl C Jeff Saturday, WR Pierre Garcon, TE Jacob Tamme, Pro Bowl TE Dallas Clark and half a dozen others. And he signed almost nobody. This was supposed to be a just-drink-your-beer-and-stare-up-at-all-the-banners season.

Except Luck turned up as the reincarnation of Roger Staubach and started winning with people off the taxi squad. Do you realize his leading rusher had one fewer yard than Robert Griffin III? And yet even with every defense sending the 2nd Infantry after him, Luck still won 11 games, seven of them from behind in the fourth quarter.

Don't get me wrong. Griffin was fabulous and mistake-free and astonishing. Name a rookie who gets voted captain halfway through the season! And Russell Wilson of the Seahawks was a revelation too, and possibly the greatest player ever with two sporting goods manufacturers for a name. And Doug Martin of the Bucs. And Alfred Morris, who is not a butler but a running back in Washington. It might be the best rookie class in NFL history. And yet Luck stands above them all.

In fact, the question isn't, "Is Luck the Offensive Rookie of the Year?" The question is: "Why isn't Luck getting MVP talk?"

Q: Why should we believe you? You're wrong more than Karl Rove.

A: Because I was right occasionally in 2012, too. Predicted before the draft that Luck was "a solid-gold slam-the-door star-to-be" and could win "right away" and he has. Slammed Roger Goodell's punishment of Saints players in the bounty scandal as the "worst railroad job since Amtrak" and those penalties were reversed. I said playing the PGA on Kiawah Island in South Carolina would be a logistical "disaster" and it was, unless you like three-hour drives to see golfers play in 100 degree heat index. And I'm STILL going to be right on Jimmer (7.9 ppg, career). You're welcome.

Q: What's your Movie of the Year?

A: "Skyfall." It's about the Texans in the playoffs.

Q: What's the nastiest tweet you got @ReillyRick this year?

A: "H8 U times infinity." And that is a lot.

Q: What's the nicest tweet you got?

A: A reader said he'd waste no time reading my next column. Thought that was nice.

[+] EnlargeAndrew Luck
Brian Spurlock/USA TODAY Sports
In case you were asking, Andrew Luck is Rick Reilly's NFL rookie of the year.
Q: What's Peyton Manning like?
A: Like this: Ever since he was a kid, Manning has been writing down his New Year's resolutions on an index card and keeping them. His dad taught him to do that. That means that somewhere, he's got all his resolutions, neatly organized, just to be sure he followed up. The man is, above all else, accountable.

And like this: During the offseason, just after he signed, there was a period where no coaches could be on the practice field, because of the new NFLPA rules. The coaches weren't even supposed to look. But one day, Broncos coach John Fox couldn't help himself and looked out his office window, which sits above the field. He was shocked to see a coach running practice, marching people around in groups, keeping things fastidiously beehived. He was about to call security to get the coach off when he realized it was Manning. No wonder Fox likes to say, "He not only does his job, he does yours."

And even like this: After road wins this year, Manning has been getting on the PA system in the front of the plane and putting on a kind of one-man review. For instance, when Eric Decker tripped on absolutely nothing at San Diego, ruining what would've been a long touchdown, Manning got up and played, in his honor, "Another One Bites the Dust" on the phone. After the big road win at Baltimore, he got up and pleaded with one of the more rotund coaching staff members not to take off his shirt to celebrate. That's what you need in a leader. Somebody who knows when to push and when to back off.

Woods is teeing it up today at the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines

Woods is teeing it up today at the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines, but the buzz leading up to his PGA Tour season debut isn't about his uncharacteristically bold assertion that winning the Grand Slam this year is "easily within reason." There's still fallout from announcer Kelly Tilghman's racially charged remark about him on the Golf Channel in the season's first event.

The shock waves brought renewed criticism of Woods for failing to be more outraged and for failing to use his golf platform to become a more prominent voice for social causes. He heard the same complaints six years ago when Martha Burk began pressuring Augusta National Golf Club to admit its first woman as a member. Woods was faulted for failing to use his considerable influence to aid the cause.

Make no mistake, the PGA Tour is taking extreme measures for the first time this year to reveal what's going on internally with its players.

PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem met with pros Tuesday to review the tour's new drug-testing program scheduled to go into effect this summer. Come July, the tour will know a lot more about what's coursing through their players' systems.

But Finchem stops short in this inner exploration.

The tour ought to hook up every player to a lie-detector device and question him about where he stands on important political and social issues.

The results could be published in their player bios in the media guide.

Ridiculous? Yes, of course, but so is the insistence that we have a right to know what Tiger Woods believes beyond golf. Yes, if Woods wants to champion a cause, terrific. That's his right. There's much to admire in the personal risk celebrities take doing so, in their willingness to endure the backlash that often follows. But it's not our place to expect them to do so, and certainly not to demand they do so.

The renewed criticism of Woods' lack of social stands raises questions about how much we have a right to know about the stars we follow and what they do or don't believe.

Woods gets the same criticism Michael Jordan withstood. He gets accused of avoiding political or social stands to protect his marketing value and lucrative endorsements. Asked about holding back support for a black candidate in a tight senate race in his native North Carolina in 1990, Jordan famously said: "Republicans buy shoes, too."

Whatever Woods' political and social beliefs, they are none of our business unless he makes them our business.

As much as the PGA Tour wants the storylines to move to golf this week, the debate remains relevant with Tilghman making her return to the Golf Channel today after a two-week suspension.