Category: Golf

Modern golf balls are available in two-, three-, four- and even five-piece versions, but all must meet the specifications set forth by the R&A and United States Golf Association (USGA), which govern the sport of golf. The two-piece construction, which is the most popular, consists of a spherical core, made of real or synthetic rubber, which is coated with a plastic resin, such as Surlyn™ or urethane, by injection moulding.

The three-piece construction is similar, but adds a rubber covering, in the form of liquid rubber or rubber string, between the cover and the core. Likewise, the four-piece construction adds a further layer of rubber, of intermediate hardness, between the cover and the core.The five-piece construction, introduced in 2010, adds yet another layer of rubber, for high launch and high spin rates, which afford more backspin and control. In each case, once the cover cools, each ball is sprayed uniformly with two coats of paint, stamped with a logo and mechanically dried.

Obviously, golf ball construction varies slightly from manufacturer to manufacturer depending on the desired characteristics of the finished ball. Generally speaking, though, two-piece balls are tailored towards distance and durability, three-piece balls offer a compromise between distance and ‘feel’ and four- and five-piece balls are soft, responsive and offer high ‘spin separation’, making them best suited to low handicappers with faster swing speeds.

In terms of hobbies and interests, the US is often defined by sport and casino. When in Vegas eyes turn to usa high roller online casinos, and where sport is considered, aside from the very USA centric options (NFL, NBA etc) golf is always high on the list. It’s a big money spinner that draws in huge TV audiences from around the world.

  Augusta National Golf Club, the perennial home of the Masters Tournament, remains one of the few golf courses to have never been evaluated for difficulty by the United States Golf Association (USGA). In fact, the ‘stroke index’ of each hole, which determines how handicap strokes are allocated is based on an idiosyncratic system developed by Cliff Roberts, co-founder of Augusta National Golf Club, which uses yardage as its principal criterion. Consequently, the par-5 second hole, a.k.a. ‘Pink Dogwood’, which measures 515 yards from the member tees and 575 yards from the Masters tees, officially has a stroke index, or handicap rating, of 1.

However, in the history of the Masters Tournament, the par-4 tenth hole, a.k.a. ‘Carmelia’, which measures 495 yards from the Masters tees, has proved to be the most difficult hole on the course. A steep downhill dogleg left, the tenth hole requires a left of centre tee shot to catch the downslope and avoid a lengthy approach, while the green slopes steeply from right to left and is protected by a bunker to the right and a precipitous drop-off on the left. Despite an official handicap rating of 6, the tenth hole has produced a stroke average of 4.31, the highest, in relation to par, if any hole in Masters history. On his maiden appearance in the Masters, as an 18-year-old amateur, in 2009, New Zealander Danny Lee six-putted the tenth hole, eventually carding a 5-over-par 9, which is the highest score ever recorded. He really should play the best new zealand online casinos, being that he has this level of skill and fortune!

The short answer is no, he doesn’t, at least not very often, professionally. In recent years, he has made the odd appearance on the PGA Tour, notably in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, but has essentially been reliant on past champions’ and sponsors’ excemptions since losing his Tour card in 2011.

All told, Duval won 13 PGA Tour tournaments between 1997 and 2001, including the 1999 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, in which he eagled the final hole for a closing round of 59. However, his one and only major win, in the Open Champion at Royal Lytham & St. Annes in 2001, proved to be his swansong. Duval won one more tournament, the Dunlop Phoenix on the Japan Golf Tour, on November 9, 2001 – the day on which he turned 30 – but thereafter, plagued by injuries, to his back, neck and wrist, he never won again.

Winning his final tournament in Japan, rather than a more noteworthy tournament in say the USA may not have been the dream departure from high level golf for Duval, but at the same time it is a growing sport in a country that often defaults to more insular options like baseball, sumo wrestling or karate. Of course though it has to be said that Japan recently did a stellar job of hosting the 2020 Olympics (held in 2021 due to the pandemic delay) and so that may well have planted a seed for a number of new sporting pursuits in the country as well as gifted them a more global outlook.

Following this win, his career nose-dived and, after 15 weeks ranked world number in 1999, by 2004 Duval was ranked outside the top 400 in the world. His decline continued, but he continued to play on the PGA Tour on medical and lifetime earnings’ exemptions. In 2010, two top ten finishes, including a second-place finish in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, really only prolonged the agony. In 2011, Duval managed just one top ten finish from 24 starts, lost his Tour card and failed to regain it at the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament.

Traditionally the first ‘major’ of the season, the, Georgia since 1934. The National corresponds to the regulation golf course layout insofar as it features four par-3 holes, which are nos. 4, 6, 12 and 16 on the scorecard. Collectively, they have seen 27 holes-in-one in the history of the Masters Tournament.

Unsurprisingly, the fourth and final par-3 on the golf course, no. 16, a.k.a. ‘Redbud’, has seen 18 holes-in-one or, in other words, exactly two-thirds of the total number recorded in the history of the Masters. Depending on conditions, no. 16 can require anything from a 5-iron to a 9-iron, over a pond, to a severely sloping green. However, on the final day of the Masters, the pin is invariably positioned on the back-left portion of the green, leaving a generous landing area to the right, from which the slope naturally funnels the ball towards the hole. In the 2016 Masters Tournament, Shane Lowry, Davis Love III and Louis Oosthuizen all recorded holes-in-one on no.16.

It can pay to go into such granular detail when it comes to what occurs within a sport, because it really feeds into an idea of likelihood. Once you’re keyed into how likely an outcome it can very much be used to your advantage with regard to golf odds and so on. While football and of horse horse racing betting is big business, it’s good to appreciate that golf is also right up there. That is partly down to the number of participants and also possibilities in the average golf tournament. The former can lead to some really big odds selections that are still in with a shot. The latter, leads to numerous niche betting options that you can use your knowledge to specialise in.

Many top gamblers take the approaches stated enough. Of course in the betting for any event there are a number of ‘mug punters’, but at the same time it doesn’t take a massive amount of people ‘in the know’ to cream off the profits. As such, whether its stats, a keen eye or expertise in value bets, having something to lift you above others placing a wager should always be your number one priority as a pro.

Equally unsurprisingly, granted that it is arguably the toughest hole at Augusta, the first par-3, no. 4, a.k.a. ‘Flowering Crab Apple’, has seen just one hole-in-one in the history the Masters. The tee was moved back 30 yards or so in 2006, thereby lengtening the hole to its current 240 yards, or the equivalent of a 3-iron or 5-wood. However, back in 1992, when the hole measured a ‘mere’ 213 yards, Jeff Sluman holed a 4-iron for an unlikely ‘ace’.

No.12, a.k.a. ‘Golden Bell’, is probably the most famous short par-3 in golf. Measuring just 155 yards, no. 12 is notoriously difficult to judge and has seen just three holes-in-one in Masters history and none since 1988. No. 6, a.k.a. ‘Juniper’, measures 180 yards and represents a bona fide birdie chance, but the pin is only really accessible when positioned on the front-left portion of the green; no. 6 has seen five holes-in-one in Masters history.