Tom Lehman’s selection of captain for the next US Ryder Cup team has apparently re-opened old wounds for the Europeans and not because he was on the team the last time the US won the Cup in 1999, but rather because of the distasteful memories of what happened during that time in Brookline, Massachusetts.

For those of you with a short memory, allow me to quickly recap…

After a lot of hard work and prayers, Kings’ Island Golf opened the 2nd nine holes of the Mountainview Course last weekend for the "Winter Classic" golf tournament. The opening makes Kings’ Island Golf the 2nd 36-hole golf facility in Vietnam.

While some people claim that the 1st nine holes of the Mountainview Course was easier than the old Lakeside Course, their claims are not supported by the handicap computer. One factor which makes the two courses radically different is length.

In today’s world, we have an amazing array of choices in just about everything. Golf clubs, balls, shoes, foods, drinks, vacation spots. You name it and there’s a gazillion choices which are equally attractive.

I have always taught my students that 14 clubs in the bag does not limit you to 14 shots if you learn how to hit each club many different ways. However, too much of a good thing can have an opposite effect and lead to "paralysis by analysis."

Under normal circumstances, golf courses are usually remodelled, revamped or upgraded on an average of every 10 years due to the amount of wear and tear on them. People tend to forget that golf courses are a living breathing thing and get tired, just like you and I.

However, due to the impact of modern technology, such as titanium-headed drivers and supercharged golf balls, many golf courses do not provide the level of challenge that the original designer intended when the course was first built.

Last year was very strange in many respects, not the least of which was the horrific disaster in South Asia due to the earthquake and Tsunami. Unbelievable. It just goes to show you that you never know what can happen when you least expect it.

After surviving a horrible car accident in 1988, I always felt that I was on "borrowed time" and lived each day as if it could be my last. I know that the unexpected can happen and I wouldn’t want to feel that I had left things unfinished, or unsaid.

You can tell that Christmas is coming by the increased amount of e-mail spam crammed into your inbox offering on deals on things that would never cross your mind to buy, yet they keep trying.

Spam offers of super discounts on Viagra, Cialis and 101 ways to (ahem) achieve glandular enlargement have thankfully been replaced by fake Ex-Lax…er, Rolex watches. Do these spammers know that we can get great fake watches at any Bangkok street stall for far less than they’re offering? They really need to research their targets a little better.

In preparation for the 2006 Ryder Cup to be played in Ireland, the US PGA has announced that they will use a different selection system for the Ryder Cup following the last debacle.

This new system will give more weight to players who are doing well in the current Ryder Cup season and less emphasis on past glories. As only five of the US players on the last team had won an event in 2004, it is hardly surprising that they had their heads handed to them, especially with a Team Captain who acted like a buffoon.

One of my pet peeves is golfers wearing all sorts of appliances to treat injury. We have all seen players wearing inflatable pillows on their forearms to treat tendonitis from either golf or tennis and what irritates me is that these people wear them as if it were a badge of pride.

Sorry folks, but you shouldn’t be proud of injuring yourself through ignorance. There is something fundamentally wrong in your technique and you’re too probably too stubborn to admit it.

Ever consider the thrill of owning your own golf course?

Many people who love golf often dream of owning their own golf course, thinking its an easy way to make a lot of money and would allow them to play golf every day. Hey, what can be so hard about it – plough up a few fields, throw down some grass and some water pipe, get a few lawnmowers and count the money as it rolls in…right?