Secrets of the Irish Links

Did you know there are more than 300 total golf courses in Ireland—BUT only 44 of them are "links."

In fact, in the entire world, there are only about 150 true links golf courses. And Ireland has nearly one-third of the world's total.

And I know you've heard the term links hundreds of times, but you may be wondering: What exactly is a "links" course?

In short, it's a golf course that's next to the ocean, peppered with giant grass-covered sand dunes, excruciatingly high maram grass rough, deep valleys, and spectacular views of the cliffs and sea.

Which brings me to the book pictured above: Secrets of the Irish Links

Author, Mike Palmer, has compiled a thorough - yet, clear and concise - book containing the details of what he calls, “the Best Golf Vacation in the World.”

This book details Mike’s journey through Ireland - over the course of a month - on his quest to find the perfect golf vacation. He flew 3,000 miles across the Atlantic, traveled 2,200 miles by car and ferry—playing almost four-dozen golf courses along the way in four weeks.

All No Three Putts can say is, “What a LUCKY BASTARD!!!”

His days went like this: Wake up at dawn, play golf, then drive to find the next course. Often playing one course in the morning, driving 20-30 miles and playing another round in the afternoon. Ah, what a rough life…

He showered... ate dinner, then drank beer and talked golf with the locals. Then did it again the next day. Why? Well, first, because his wife actually let him... and second because he wanted to get the full story on the secret mid-summer getaway of many of the world's top pros.

While Scotland and Britain have the most famous links courses in the world—Ireland has the best collection. Ireland is the only golf destination, that I know of, where every course is open to the public.

That’s right, every course is open to the public. In other words, every golf course... even the best links, which have been around for almost 150 years, is open to visitors.

Imagine being able to play the best courses in America—Augusta National, Oakmont, Winged Foot. Odds are, unless you have a lot of money, or a rich and well-connected uncle, you'll never even get onto the grounds of these places.

Well, in Ireland, you can play the best of the best. And, there are about two-dozen of the world’s best golf courses—on an island that's about the size of West Virginia.

Irish Golf Secrets Revealed

Of course, Irish golf is not the secret it was 20 years ago.

But what Mike found during his travels is that, if you look hard enough, a good many secrets still remain. For example... There's a great course in County Donegal that even hard-core Irish links fanatics have probably never heard of.

It costs just $40 a round—and, incredibly, is one of the 10-best courses in the entire country. It's located next to one of Ireland's most beautiful beaches... with spectacular valleys... mountains in the background...

Or: The best golf resort in the county also happens to be one of the best bargains—and it’s almost totally unknown, hidden next to two sweeping bays and several beautiful beaches.

The place has 36 of the best golf holes in the country… a spa… a great bar and dining room overlooking the sea… yet rooms cost less than $100 night.

Along the way Mike learned dozens of other secrets… all of which are revealed in his new book: Secrets of the Irish Links.

And what Mike did is interesting… He ranked every Irish links course from top to bottom, based on design, challenge, condition, the welcome, and the facilities. Like a bottle of wine, each course received a score from 1-100.

His final results surprised me... and I’m confident they will surprise you too. Although I’m not going to reveal the breakdown of all 44 of Ireland’s links courses here.

I’ll tell you this: Mike’s book is very thorough, well-written (meaning it’s a fast read with a lot of good pictures), and he offers an honest review of each course.

And by the time you’re done reading this you’ll know exactly where you can go to buy his book, for a ridiculously low price…

It’s More Than Just a Golf Book…

If you plan to take a golf trip to Ireland, Secrets of the Irish Links is filled with practical advice that will make your golf trip easier, cheaper, and more fun. For example, you'll discover:

How to save hundreds of dollars on a rental car. Rental cars are much more expensive in Ireland than they are in America. But you can save considerably by making two simple moves before you leave home. (page 210)

The best brand of waterproof clothing on the market. Spend a week in Ireland, and you're almost guaranteed to see rain. It's no problem if you have the right gear. I learned this the hard way. (page 204)

The easiest way to find your own castle, cottage, or manor house anywhere in the country, perfect for a golf vacation. (page 202)

The secret to not getting lost on Irish roads—ignore this advice at your own risk. (page 210)

Where to go if you plan to take the wife and kids (page 200), and how to have a great Irish golf vacation without ever having to pack up your suitcase and change hotels (page 200).

You'll also learn about the history of golf in Ireland— there's a chapter on how the game and the country as a whole have changed over the past 100 years.

That’s Just the Tip of the Iceberg…

You’ll also find more great info, like:

• How to get around in first-class comfort... on a shoestring budget (page 206)
• Secret shortcuts that will shave hours from your driving time (page 213)
• The secret to staying dry and warm. Hint: It's not about having the right clothes. (page 209)
• How the Irish rules of golf are different from those in America (page 211)
• How to save 15% on everything you buy (page 209)
• How to stay at Ireland's most luxurious resort, and be within reach of 5 of the country's top-10 golf courses (page 201)
• How to play the 10 best courses all over Ireland, while avoiding the Irish roads altogether (page 197)
• How to play Ireland's great "undiscovered links gems." On several of these courses, you won't see another foreigner all day. (page 216)
• How to save about 75% off the regular phone rates to Ireland (page 210)
• How to play the one course in Ireland that's been used for the British Open—and is scheduled to be used in 2007 for the Senior's Open. (page 141)
• The least crowded top-10 course in Ireland (page 160)
• The best course near Dublin (page 166)
• How to bet like the Irish (page 207) How to find out how much better Tiger Woods is than you. (page 160)

If you'd like to read a more detailed account of Mike's travels and find out more about his book, simply READ HERE to go to his Irish Golf Secrets website.

Or, you can CLICK HERE now to buy his book today.

John Daly Gets Hamered in Los Angeles

John daly has withdrawn from the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic Saturday morning with a supposed "rib injury".

Hmmmm.... "Rib injury" sounds like a not so clever way to say "Hungover".

Here's a blurb from today's Los Angeles Times: Daly has been a regular this week at the Hope's tournament parties. He attended two more tournament parties Friday night, including an after-party, and told one local reporter to ignore the fact that he was drinking. At the first party, Daly sang "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" in a duet with Alice Cooper. Eyewitnesses said Daly was helped out of the after-party by an unidentified man.

Maybe the "rib injury" was so painful that he had to get out for a night on the town... have a few drinks to alleviate the pain.

Do you think partying it up was in Butch Harmon's plans.

You'd think a guy without his tour card - yes he's playing on a sponsor's exemption -might be just a little more responsible.

I guess it kinda makes sense, when I was in college, I used to have a few pops every once and a while... and sing a few tunes... perhaps the Squeeze or Meatloaf. Oh, but my ribs weren't injured.

Golfweek Fires Moronic Editor for Noose Cover

WTF were the folks at Golfweek magazine thinking?

So you'd think the entire golf world would want the Kelly Tilghman lynching Tiger Woods comment to go away forever, right? Uh yes. What in the hell was the entire staff at Golfweek thinking? Print a noose on the cover of a golf magazine. Are they insane? It's stupidity at its finest folks.

Here's their 'formal' lame ass apology:

"We apologize for creating this graphic cover that received extreme negative reaction from consumers, subscribers and advertisers across the country," Turnstile Publishing Co. president William P. Kupper Jr. said. "We were trying to convey the controversial issues with a strong and provocative graphic image. It is now obvious that the overall reaction to our cover deeply offended many people. For that, we are deeply apologetic."

They fired Dave Seanor, the vice president and former editor of Golfweek. Duh. Seanor said that he took responsibility for the cover, of a noose against a purple sky with the title, "Caught in a Noose."

The subtitle said, "Tilghman slips up, and Golf Channel can't wriggle free."

Here's what PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem had to say about Golfweek: "Clearly, what Kelly said was inappropriate and unfortunate, and she obviously regrets her choice of words," Finchem said in a statement. "But we consider Golfweek's imagery of a swinging noose on its cover to be outrageous and irresponsible. It smacks of tabloid journalism. It was a naked attempt to inflame and keep alive an incident that was heading to an appropriate conclusion."

The Book of Caddyshack

There's finally a brilliant book with everything you ever wanted to know - and a bunch of crap you didn't want to know - about the greatest movie ever made...

Scott Martin, the author, golfer and whack-job who wrote this book leaves no bunker unraked...

Imagine, if you can, a Caddyshack bible... one with over 250 pages.

With behind-the-scenes looks at this classic comedy. There's a full description of every scene... and everything going on in the background. Along with details on the actors and every single person involved in the movie. Get the skinny on key props... How the plot/script progressed from the original - to the eventual masterpiece... And every possible bit of trivia about the movie known to man.

But wait, there's more... That's right, you'll also learn what PGA Tour stars and other high people in the golf world like about the movie.

Click Here to read some excerpts.

To grab a copy of The Book of Caddyshack click here.

Kelly Tilghman Suspended for Lynching Tiger Comment

Three hours after the big mouth Al Sharpton made a call... Kelly Tilghman has been suspended from The Golf Channel for two weeks.

Here's the official statement from The Golf Channel: "The Golf Channel regrets the poorly chosen remarks made by Kelly Tilghman on a recent broadcast and, again, extends our apologies to anyone who was offended. There is simply no place on our network for offensive language like this. While we believe that Kelly's choice of words was inadvertent and that she did not intend them in an offensive manner, the words were hurtful and grossly inappropriate. Consequently, we have decided to suspend Kelly for two weeks, effective immediately."

Do You Wish You Were a Rich Jerk?

This Site is too damn funny. Loser.

Kelly Tilghman says "Lynch Tiger Woods"

Seems to me the The Golf Channel's PGA Tour broadcaster Kelly Tilghman has potentially ruined her career. You see, Kelly made the racist comment that today's young players should lynch Tiger Woods in a back alley.

Yes. she apologized two days later... but WTF was she thinking? And why didn't TGC make her apologize that day?

I'm not a fan of Tiger Woods myself, but to make racist comments like this are absurd.

Will she get fired? Should she get fired? Is Arnold Palmer's former caddy a racist? WTF should happen? I'm sure there will be more to this story soon...

And of course The Golf Channel has NOTHING about her comment on their homepage. Instead there's some lame article about Daniel Chopra winning in Kapalua. Who the hell is he anyway?

Here's a link to the Golfweek noose cover: Click here to see the cover.

Adams Golf Signs Rory Sabbatini

Rory Sabbatini has just joined elite company. I'm talking about golfers like Tom Watson, Bernhard Langer... oh and lets not forget Aaron Baddeley.

These are the guys who have helped build the Adams Golf brand.

Sabbatini has been playing Adams Idea Pro hybrid for two years, and he recently tested the Idea a3 irons. Obviously he liked 'em.

Sabbatini had his best year on tour last year. He won the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, finished in the Top 10 at nine other tournaments, including a tie for second at The Masters. Plus, he was the only player to have Top 10 finishes at all four FedEx Cup Playoff events. He finished 2007 ranked sixth on the Money List winning over $4.5 million.

But is it his playing ability or his verbous dislike for Tiger, and the great press he gets because of it, that caused Adams Golf to sign him? I definitely think its a combo of both.

By the way... I think it's about time someone on Tour has had the balls to call out Tiger and stop kissing his ass.

Good luck to Rory Sabbatini with your new Adams Golf sticks... I hope you have even more success kicking Tiger's ass in 2008.

Brian Kontak Winner of Big Break Mesquite

Yes, we all know that Brian Kontak defeated Josh Warthen in the 18-hole match-play to win Big Break Mesquite. He won the match, 6 and 4, and schooled Josh Warthen pretty good.

But I personally think Kontak is NOT, I repeat NOT, the best golfer on the show.

If there had been a 72 hole event. Hiroshi Matsuo would have easily beaten Kontak and every other golfer on the show. Without a doubt Hiroshi is the most talented golfer in Mesquite.

I'm not saying this because he lives in Jupiter, like I do... or because I eat at his restaurant a few times a year. I'm saying this because he led the way for the entire show. He was the only player that every golfer turned to when it was crunch time.

Brian Kontak talked a good game, but he'd shut up quickly if he ever had to go head to head with Hiroshi.

PGA National Golf Club

About 9 months ago my father retired after 40 years as a jeweler. But what's a retired jeweler with not too many hobbies, besides golf, to do?

Get a job at a golf course, of course. Become a ranger/starter. And that's exactly what my Dad did. But he didn't go to some public rat trap... Oh No... he went to a gem about 5 miles down the road off PGA Blvd... PGA National Golf Club

And on New Years Day we had our first round of the year together on the Squire Course. I played ok. Had a bunch of pars, a birdie and one hole I'd rather forget about.

One thing about my round... we played with a two-some that had no idea what Ready Fire Golf is. Meaning walk up and hit your ball. No etiquette crap. It doesn't matter who is farthest from the pin... blah, blah, blah.

The only reason I mention the need to play quicker is because it was getting dark and we didn't get to play the last 3 holes. Which kinda pissed me off, but what can you do? At least I know I'll have many rounds at PGA National this season. Looking forward to playing the newly remodeled Palmer Course and I'm giddy thinking about beating it around the Champion.

ADT Golf Skills Challenge

Did anyone watch the horrible ADT Golf Skills Challenge at The Fairmont Turnberry Resort & Club in Miami, FL?

I'll admit I watched about 15 minutes of this event, but what a joke. Seriously though, watching pros like Greg Norman (He still plays golf?) and Bubba "I've never won a PGA or Nationwide Tournament" Watson is a waste of time.

At least Peter Jacobsen and Natalie Gulbis are both active and can win. But then there's the athletes...

Dan "I need to lose another 30 lbs" Marino and Roger "I'm a drug-takin' cheater" Clemens... and Jerry Rice is just so arrogant and annoying to watch, I never realized what an a-hole he is. Ok, so of the athletes that competed I guess John Elway was as good as it gets.

IMHO this event is a complete waste of time. Watching celebrities/'former' athletes is just stupid.

Here's how I would format the ADT Skills Challenge... For starters, say goodbye to the washed up former athletes. Then pair up the top 2 golfers from the following: PGA Tour, Nationwide Tour, Champions Tour, LPGA, European Tour, Asian Tour and the two finalists from the US amateur.

Then lets see who has the real skills. I'll never watch the ADT Skills Challenge again, until they let real golfers compete against one another.

How To Break 80 Newsletter

Here's an excerpt from: "The Web's Most Popular Golf Improvement Newsletter" I get this for FREE. I think it's worth checking out...

How To Break 80 Newsletter from December 26, 2007

In this issue we'll discuss...
1) Eliminating Tension Cuts Strokes
2) Getting Hip To Power
3) Question of the Week - Hitting From a Sidehill/Uphill Lie
4) Article - Change Your Game Without Changing Your Swing
5) Article - Grooving Your Swing
===============================================
1) Eliminating Tension Cuts Strokes
Tension is an insidious golf "disease." Usually, it starts in your hands and then creeps into every muscle in your body. It breaks down your golf swing. And it strips it of power and accuracy. When tension gets into your address position, it generates mistakes like the dreaded pull hook.

Eliminate tension from your body and you eliminate strokes from your score.
Bad swing thoughts cause tension. They include thing like:

• Thinking about swing technique
• Confusing power with speed
• Recalling a bad memory or experience
• Doubt about the shot

To eliminate tension, focus on the bad thoughts causing you to tense up and eliminate them. Doing that produces a smoother, more rhythmic swing that drives the ball longer with much less effort. Here are some suggestions for achieving a tension-free swing.

Add to your pre-shot routine a starting thought of feeling relaxed by focusing on slowing down your heart. Take deep breadths with an inhale count of five and an exhale count of five. This exercise prepares you for taking a lighter, softer grip.

Make mini swings in slow motion. Concentrate on your core rotation, with your hands and arms swinging freely and the weight of the clubhead moving slowly through the impact zone. Make a conscious effort to relax your hands.

Before walking into your address position recall the feeling of your most solid shot and how great it felt when the ball left the clubhead. If you don't have any good shots to recall, think of a memory (family, pets, jokes, etc.) that makes your feel good.

To read the rest of this newsletter... so you can create a more reliable and consistent swing... and to read all of the secrets revealed: Click Here.