This Week at WorldGolf.com: August 24, 2006

Televised golf may bore some, but Tiger has made our game impossible to ignore

Having a player like Tiger Woods around makes it easy for golf fans to ignore the greatest complaint of non-golf fans: that golf is horribly boring to watch. In fact, few televised activities that aren't actually about grass growing or paint drying will elicit so many comparisons to those two pursuits.

Golf is in a flush time, however, as Woods has been a galvanizing force, drawing in millions of spectators who would normally rather spend a Sunday afternoon playing a rousing game of "pin the pick-ax on their own forehead" than watch golf. Tiger has shown that true athletic greatness is hard to avoid watching, regardless of the sport.

Accusations of being boring are not the lone domain of golf, however. TravelGolf.com writer Chris Baldwin gave himself a few chuckles with his Tiger Woods' hilarious soccer rip more impressive than his PGA Championship" blog, which somehow managed to hit the daily double of being neither hilarious nor impressive.

"Tiger understands a good joke. He knows that soccer is ridiculous," wrote Baldwin. Of course, this came out right about the same time as one headline trumpeted: "World Cup ratings equal 64 Super Bowls." Obviously, someone doesn't find soccer ridiculous.

But you will hear the same of any sport. Ask a Scotsman about American football, and they will be amazed it's popular, complaining it's a game that consists of five-second bursts of action culminated by everyone falling down.

Or someone will mention the eternally long final few minutes of an NBA game. Or the fact that baseball is mainly a bunch of guys just standing around. Or that ice hockey is figure skating spliced with boxing. Or that figure skating is, well, figure skating.

In the end, sports fans are stunned and hurt that others would find their passion dull. It is like the art lover who is perplexed that so many can't appreciate the beauty of a Jackson Pollock. With Tiger Woods, however, fans of golf get to live in a time when they know that they are privy to a work of art that nearly everyone can value.

As always, WorldGolf.com welcomes your comments.

Florida's college football teams
tailgate next to great golf courses

College football season is getting closer, and no state breeds football powerhouses like Florida. The Top-10 college teams always have at least one Sunshine State squad among them, and 2006 should be no different. And while college football fans are spoiled in Florida, so are golfers, as Florida's top schools are surrounded by some of the best golfing options you can dream of finding.

Podcast: Disney and other Florida golf vacation spots

How to measure a golf course,
rangefinders, Annika's tempo tips

Watching Tiger Woods attack the pins during the PGA Championship got Barry and Stacy Solomon thinking about tempo on the golf course, and they take a look at how some of the best keep control of their swings. Also, the duo take a look at rangefinders and get some tips from Annika Sorenstam.

Also: Subscribe to our podcast via RSS

Hidden gems are sprinkled
through the Irish countryside

With more than 400 golf courses, Ireland is full of surprises. Just within a short drive of Dublin you'll find some amazing courses that often get overshadowed by their more famous neighbors. But amazing runs like Dundalk Golf Club and Mullingar Golf Club are not only noteworthy for their antiquity - they'll also give you a great and memorable day at the course.

Also: Scotland vs. Ireland not decided by your wallet