Source: Vietnam News

Tiger Woods was embarrassed about the way he won a tournament when John Daly missed a three-footer in a play-off. He said golf tournaments shouldn’t be won that way…

On one hand, I agree that it is heartbreaking to have four rounds of competition decided by a single putt in a playoff, but on the other hand, that’s what happens when TV is involved.

People complained about the unfairness of 36-holes in a single day, which was the old US Open format, so they changed it.

People also supposedly complained about a full 18-hole play-off, which is the way the USGA decided championship-level ties in the US Open.

Chances are John Daly would probably prefer the 18-hole playoff format over "sudden death" after that loss…and who could blame him?

Nick Faldo started a trend, which immediately aggravated golf purists, by having his caddie stand behind him while he lined up a putt to ensure his alignment was correct. Later, other players started doing this, not only for putting, but also for their regular shots as well. In the view of many, including myself, it has begun to turn golf into a "team" sport instead of the original intention of being a solitary journey.

The argument put forth by highly respected golf writer James Achenbach is that "Caddies should not be allowed to stand behind a player for the purpose of alignment. Period."

He maintains that the act of alignment is as rudimentary the swing itself, in fact is part of the swing, and as such should be the sole responsibility of the player to execute.  Is there any other individual sport in which a second party stands behind a performer, giving where-to advice? Bowling, Tennis, Archery?

Here in Asia, I witnessed one player take this alignment issue way over the top, by actually having the caddie line up the putter-head for the player from behind, then the player stepped in make the putt while the caddie stayed behind the ball "coaching him" during the stroke..

Sorry, but this is not golf.

As I maintain endlessly, golf is a test of your character and teaches you to take responsibility for your own actions. Therefore, if you cannot align properly, practice until you can. A caddie is there to advise you help you, but not play the game for you.

If you go to a professional tournament, you will see the top players hitting balls on the range and constantly fretting about their alignment. They ask their guru to check, they ask their caddie to check, they ask each other to check…one time I even saw someone ask a hot dog vendor to check!

It is no secret that most players screw up their swings trying to "fix" something, when in reality all that was wrong in the first place was their alignment.

People always take their car into the shop for a check-up and golfers should do the same for their golf swing periodically.

Have your favourite local pro check out your swing, especially alignment, it will save you aggravation later…

A friend sent me an advertisement for "Lifewave Patches" which are touted as a way provide more energy, improve physical and mental focus. They claim the patches are worn by PGA, LPGA and champion tour professionals.

According to the advertisement, the patches do this by "creating ATP Cellular Energy, turning fat into energy. The patches help the libido by delivering resonant energy to the cells."

Right. Uh huh, ok…

If that’s the case, it seems I can do the same thing more cheaply just by sticking my mobile phone in my pants front pocket, set it to "vibrate" and have my caddie call me repeatedly during the round…

Where do people come up with such nonsense?

Look, if you want more energy, the secret is simple, its free and your mother and doctors have been telling you the same thing for years…

Eat well-balanced meals, watch your weight, get enough sleep, drink sensibly and don’t smoke. If you’re playing in the hot sun, drink lots of water and eat fruit when taking breaks.

So simple, so easy…