Golf Spelled Backwards

The answer to the question in the headline is "no." But there is a legend, apparently, that golf's origins go something like this: "Golf may have first been played by shepherds somewhere in the Highlands of Scotland. While walking their flocks through the Highlands, the shepherds carried with them herding staffs called shillelaghs. These shillelaghs were fashioned from tree limbs and typically had a large knob on the top end. Used also as walking aids, these sticks helped the shepherds traverse the rocky, rain-soaked and often muddy hillsides. They also used them to move their flocks from pasture to meadow, and as weapons when protecting their herd from common predators such as wolves. "There were certain mountain pathways in the Highlands that were more important than others. These were the paths that would lead to water, be it either a simple running stream or a deep well somewhere in the wilderness. These common pathways would often become littered with i...

Roger Maltbie was a player on the PGA Tour from 1975 through 1996. Hale Irwin's career overlapped with Maltbie's for much of that time. The two of them engaged in a playoff for the title at the very first Memorial Tournament in 1976, which Maltbie won on the fourth hole. I stumbled across a Golf Digest interview with Maltbie from 2003 in which Maltbie tells the story of the terrific bounce he got that helped him in that playoff - and why Irwin refused to speak to him for six months after. Read the full Q&A here . Here's the story from Maltbie: So we both birdied 15 and we both parred 16, so now, playing the third hole, we're in sudden death. It's set up to finish on 17. We both drove into the fairway. I was away and the hole was cut on the left side of the green, and I pulled the ball left. It hit in the gallery, and all of a sudden it bounced out on the green. My first reaction was, "I've hit somebody's head! Something awful's happe...

Here's some old newsreel footage of professional golfer Joe Kirkwood Sr. (one of the first Australian golfers to make a mark internationally) hitting some golf trick shots (no sound): This clip is from 1930. Trick shots haven't changed much.

By Jeffrey Wright, guest author Most golfers tend to have their equipment, bag, shoes and clothing generally figured out. So buying a gift for a regular golfer can be a bit of a challenge. However, he or she can’t play golf all the time, so a great gift is a book about golf. That said, manuals on how to play golf can be a bit dry to read. So instead, appeal to your golfer’s zest for the game with the following 5 books for the golf lover in your life. Book 1 – The Story of American Golf by Herbert Warren Wind If your golfer ever wanted to know how the Scottish game of golf migrated to the U.S. and became established here, this is the book to find out. Starting at the end of the 19th century, Wind discusses the history of golf to the mid-1970s. Wind himself is a well-known name in golf literature, so The Story of American Golf won’t disappoint. A reader comes away with both facts and insights on how the sport was shaped over the centuries to the game it is today. Book #2 – Harvey...

You weren't expecting him to look like a troglodyte, were you? The photo was posted on Twitter by Claude Harmon III, Butch's kid and Adam's friend (even though Scott no longer works with Butch as an instructor). What makes this Adam Scott high school yearbook photo so great isn't the photo itself, but how Scott answered the questions: Ambition? "To be the best professional golfer in the world." Favorite expression? "If all else fails, birdie the last." Final comment? "I am Adam Scott." Yes he is. Yes he is.

Our first Paula Creamer in a Bikini post remains one of the most-popular on GSB, probably because it was the first photo of Paula in a swimsuit on the web. At least, one that wasn't stolen or obtained from some creeper. We now use this post to archive new pics of Paula in swimsuits as she shares them on social media. Newer updates are added to the bottom. Think of this as a treasure trove of Paula Creamer bikini pics! 4-15-13 : Like the original, these bikini pics of Paula were posted on her public Instagram page, where Paula chose to share them. She's with some of her LPGA buddies in Hawaii, where the LPGA LOTTE Championship takes place this week. Here is Paula on the left, next to Brittany Lang and Nicole Hage: Here, Paula is surrounded by (from left) Jessica Korda, Lang and Hage: And here's another of Creamer with Lang:   Let's hope Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition editor MJ Day is paying attention. 12-18-14 : Here are two pics that Paul...

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Talking about the Tiger Woods ruling at The Masters, of course: 2-stroke penalty, but no DQ. I like that ruling, I think it's fair and in keeping with the spirit of the new decision regarding DQ'ing players at-a-later-date for wrong scorecards. Remember, almost every time in the past when a golfer has been DQ'd next-day or later-on over an incorrect scorecard, most of the golf world has gotten up in arms about the unfairness of it. So the governing bodies added a decision giving discretion to committees to waive such a DQ. Tiger is one of the first test cases, he had his possible DQ waived under the new rule ... and now lots of folks are up in arms about that ! Just goes to show: When it comes to a high-profile penalty or DQ in golf, there is never going to be consensus. Anyway: Lots of PGA Tour players are reacting on Twitter, and here are some of those reactions: @ tigerwoods @ the_masters took his penalty and should play! He's my pick to win. — Ted Purdy (@...

You remember Tommy Nakajima , right? Great player on the Japan Tour, but remembered best (if that's the word) for making a 13 on one hole at The Masters in 1978, and then a couple months later getting stuck in the Road Hole bunker at St. Andrews during the British Open. Which is why that bunker is sometimes called "The Sands of Nakajima." Tommy didn't have a lot of luck. According to Wikipedia, his 13 on No. 13 at Augusta National went like this: "After hitting his fourth shot into Rae's Creek, Nakajima elected to play the ball rather than take a drop. He popped the ball straight up and it landed on his foot, causing a two-stroke penalty. When he handed the club to his caddie, it slipped out of his hand and fell into the creek, incurring another two-stroke penalty. He chipped over the green, chipped back on and two-putted." Ouch! But Nakajima was involved in another odd incident, this one at the 1987 U.S. Open at Olympic Club. His approach to the gre...

Golf is hard. We can all agree on that, right? Lots of people think that golf is too hard, and if only we changed golf so that it was no longer, you know, golf more people would play whatever it is that "golf" turned into. Here's one: EZeeGolf. EZeeGolf's motto is, "Now everyone can play!" Kudos to them for not claiming that is it real golf that is being played using the EZeeGolf club; they call EZeeGolf "an exciting new sport that is fun and easy to play." The explanatory video speaks for itself, so let's watch: It's basically a golf ball gun! Place it on the ground behind the golf ball, aim it towards the target, and watch that little white pellet be propelled up to 225 yards through the air. Imagine, if you will, that something like this actually catches on and becomes popular. Does that bring more people into real golf, or does it steer people away from playing real golf?