THERE is indeed a Tiger factor. It was to be seen this week around the courses of his native state of California, despite a decidedly modest showing by Woods in the US Open at Congressional. I came across it at La Content a public course, situated in the charming northern town of Valley Springs, in the heart of gold country.
Everywhere one turned, there were children with golf clubs - taking tuition at the practice nets, on the putting green or in the clubhouse noisily gulping soft drinks. "We run junior clinics here and our numbers have doubled from last year," said Marty Davis, the head professional.
At the moment, Davis has 48 youngsters under his care, compared with 24 last year. "We charge $40 for a series of six lessons, so that the parents will take it seriously," he said. "But we give most of that money back to the kids in the form of golf balls, a Rule book, tees, markers and other items."
Significantly, the Edwin Watts chain of golf shops in the Florida area, where Woods is resident, report an increase of 100 per cent in the sale of junior clubs during the last 12 months. Davis, however, makes special, cut-down clubs for his pupils, with lightweight shafts and special grips. "But the heads are heavy, like an adult's, so they can get the feel of hitting it," he said.
The professional went on: "There are five other facilities in our organisation who are also experiencing the Tiger factor. It's pretty obvious that most of these kids are coming here because of what they see in the media. But the great thing is that the game wins them over when they realise how much fun it is.
"I saw Tiger play as a junior and the improvement in his game over the last few years has been tremendous, particularly with the short irons. He's now playing little knock-down shots which are helping him to become a great player."
Clearly, they have already made him a very wealthy one. The estimated annual salary of the average graduate from the school of humanities and sciences, where Woods studied for two years at Stanford University, is $32,399. The estimated earnings of Woods from endorsements alone, since he turned professional last August, is $12 million.
Meanwhile, his average return for the first 15 professional tournaments in which he played was $ 117,130, compared with $1,194 for Jack Nicklaus, 35 years ago. And if you're wondering if Nike can afford to honour his contract of $40 million, they expect to gross $ 180 million next year from their golf division alone.
His other main sponsor, Titleist, are also doing rather well. For instance, 35,000 Scotty Cameron Terrylium putters - just like the one Tiger uses - are scheduled for production this year. And the current waiting time for orders is 12 months.
EVER wondered about the origin of the term bounder, as in cad or scoundrel? Apparently it was coined at the turn of the century by golfer who felt that those using the new, bouncy rubber balls, were gaining an unfair advantage.
THE celebrated American writer, F Scott Fitzgerald, once claimed that a test of first-rate intelligence was the ability to hold two conflicting ideas in the mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function. It is widely acknowledged, however, that the successful golfer keeps only one thought in mind at any given time.
By way of applying the idea to club players, a group of professionals at the US Open last weekend were asked what single thing would do most to improve a handicapper's game. "Practice," said Craig Parry. "Practice, particularly the short game," concurred Brad Faxon.
Scotland's Andrew Coltart disagreed. "Go read a psychology book," he said. "Then you should whistle a tune to yourself It calms the mind, makes you relax - and maybe makes you swing a little slower.
IT IS 20 years since widespread publicity was given to the death of Bing Crosby on a golf course in Madrid. And one repeatedly hears of physical problems which people attribute to the Royal and Ancient game. So, how safe is golf? Or to put it another way: can golf be damaging to one's health?
According to Paul Darby, who is a leading British sports therapist and an adviser to the English Golf Union and the Ladies' Golf Union, those taking a sensible approach to the game have nothing to fear. For instance, he claims that many of the physical problems golfers encounter stem from poor technique in the way they swing or hold the club.
"An hour's lesson with a club professional can prevent this," he says. And on the question of golf-related deaths, Darby claims: "For every person who has a heart attack while playing golf, more people who have had heart attacks and angina will have used golf as a form of rehabilitation.
What then are the fitness benefits of golf? For a start, a player will use about 500 calories in 18 holes. He or she will use back, abdominal, arm and leg muscles while walking approximately 7,000 yards, so it is considered to be excellent cardiovascular exercise. It also improves flexibility and co-ordination.
On the debit side, there is no doubt but that the rotational movement involved in swinging a golf club can be stressful on the joints. And the force required to hit the ball can put a lot of strain on the back muscles. The risk of such damage could be greatly reduced, however, by warm-up exercises.
HORROR of horrors, they were visible even on the hallowed greens of Augusta during this year's Masters. But the British Sports Turf Research Institute at Bingley has come up with an admirably innovative way of getting rid of worms casts. They discovered that a sprinkling of curry powder on the greens brings the pests to the surface, there they can be swept away.
AT the last count, there were about 4,000 driving ranges in Japan. Having experienced the extraordinary demands on them in the Tokyo area, however, I can well imagine how supermarket owner, Katsuaki Takahashi could have become thoroughly frustrated by the difficulty of finding a spare booth.
In the event, Takahashi hit on a solution to the problem. Over a period of three months, he drove more than 4,000 practice balls off a pier into Tokyo Bay.
His ball-bashing came to a rather abrupt halt, however, when he was arrested recently by the coast guard, who were acting on a tip. Charged with pollution, he now faces a fine of about £23,000. Which, come to think of it, would buy quite a supply of floaters.
MILDRED "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias was born on June 26th, 1914. Three days before her 33rd birthday, Time magazine printed this item on June 23rd 1947 50 years ago on Monday next.
"`She must be Superman's sister,' one spectator whispered after Babe whacked a whistling drive down the fairway last week in the British Women's Amateur Golf Championship at Gullane, Scotland. The Babe nearly always outdrove her opponents by 50 to 100 yards. On one nine, she came in two under the men's par.
"Between rounds she entertained galleryites with trick shots and her impressions of the highland fling. A few tweedy old ladies in the gallery were horrified. One remarked to Scotland" Helen Holm, one of the quarter-finalists, that the Babe was `altogether lacking in refinement.'
"Golfer Holm cut her off: `You're speaking of the finest woman golfer that has ever been seen here.' `And what if she does clown a bit?' asked the father of golf pro, Jimmy Thomson. `That's just her way, and only an old tabby would object to it."'
Having been reinstated as an amateur in 1943, Zaharias captured the US Women's crown in 1946. And, of course, she went on to become the first American winner of the British event since its inception in 1893. Then she returned to professional ranks in 1948.
TEASER: In a match between A and B, A putts out of turn. B incorrectly claims that A loses the hole for putting out of turn. A protests but concedes the hole Later, A, having consulted the Rule book, lodges an official protest with the committee. How should the committee rule?
ANSWER: Although B's claim was invalid (Rule 10-1c), A lost the hole when he conceded it (Rule 2-4).
