Purgatory Golf Club co-owner and photographer Tenna Merchent has published a book, More Heaven than Hell, about the golf course located on 220 acres of rolling farm land outside Noblesville, Indiana. The course has been described by Golf Digest as "more heaven than hell." The 18-hole course boasts six sets of tees, that range in length from 4,562 yards to 7,754 feet.
The book is available in two versions: a free iPad version available here and a $4.99 iPad version available here. The book includes chapters dedicated to each hole at Purgatory Golf Club, with names such as Stains of the Inferno (par 4, 2nd hole), Everlasting Torment (par 5, 13th hole), and Hell's Half Acre (par 3, 17th hole). The paid version of the book includes flyover video and interactive element.
Lucas Glover currently has a 2 stroke lead at the Zurich Classic in Arizona. There was one unusual incident when an alligator decided to talk a walk on the fairway. The alligator was 12-feet long, but had only three legs so it likely could not run as fast as normal gators. The alligator came right next to a man on a golf cart and stopped for a rest. The alligator's nickname is Tripod. Take a look:
Sergio Garcia Hits Ball Off Tree Limb at Arnold Palmer Invitational
Sergio Garcia's ball ended up in a tree at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Florida. Garcia decided to play the ball. He climbed the tree and somehow managed to hit the ball back on to the fairway from a tree limb. Garcia ended up with a double bogey on the hole. Unfortunately, he also injured his shoulder by taking the unorthodox shot from the tree and later withdrew from the final round. Take a look:
Here is a bizarre golfing story. Mark Mihal, a golfer in Illinois and founder of golfmanna, was swallowed by a sudden sinkhole on the golf course in Waterloo, Illinois. The sinkhole was 18 feet deep and about ten feet wide. Mihal dislocated his shoulder in the accident, but survived after a friend helped pull him to safety.
Lori Mihal tells the story of her husband's fall into the hole here on golfmanna.
Mark has always been claustrophobic. He was beginning to panic and was in shock; he was also in excruciating pain. The clubhouse respondents brought a 12-foot ladder, which they put down the side of the hole and propped on a mound of mud within it. However, Mark was another six feet below that level and had dislocated his shoulder during the fall; he only had the use of one arm and couldn’t pull himself up to the ladder.
Lori says the fall reminded her of a scene in Space Jam when Michael Jordan suddenly vanished into the ground while golfing. Hopefully, the course will be thoroughly inspected for any other weak spots in the ground that could catch golfers by surprise. Here is CNN's report on the incident. Take a look:
Media Backlash Over President Obama's Golf Outing With Tiger Woods
President Obama went on a golf outing with Tiger Woods last weekend. The media was shut out of the golf event and they were not happy about it. No pictures were allowed. Maybe the President just did not want the media to see Woods embarrassing him on the golf course. There is also a backlash because Obama is staying at a golf resort called The Floridian, which CNN says is an invite-only club that costs $25,000 to join and $12,000 in annual dues. Take a look:
Oakley, Inc. announced the addition of Bubba Watson to its roster of professional golfers. Watson is wearing Oakley Performance Golf Apparel in the photographs.
Watson said in a statement, "Oakley gets it. I'm proud to join their family because they love the game and they never stop pushing technology to make the game better. Whatever they can do - whatever can be done - Oakley will do it. I respect that. Oakley has the kind of attitude I connect with. It's about keeping it fun but staying locked-in on achieving the best, even when it means taking chances. Oakley doesn't get bogged down with the kind of thinking everybody else is stuck on. They respect the game as much as I do, and they take good care of their family. That's why I'm happy to join them."
Augusta National Golf Club Admits First Two Women: Darla Moore and Condoleezza Rice
The Augusta National Golf Club has admitted its first two women members. They are former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and South Carolina businesswoman Darla Moore. Augusta says the women will be presented with their green jackets women the club opens this fall.
Augusta National and Masters Tournament chairman Billy Payne said in a statement, "This is a joyous occasion as we enthusiastically welcome Secretary Condoleezza Rice and Darla Moore as members of Augusta National Golf Club."
The Wall Street Journal's Wendy Bounds talks to golf columnist John Paul Newport about the historical change. Newport said it is "big news" and "great news" for golf in nearly everyone's eyes. He also says it was long overdue. Take a look:
Rory McIlroy won the 2012 PGA Championship on August 12, 2012 at the Kiawah Island Golf Resort in South Carolina. Rory is now the number one ranked golfer in the world. McIlroy won by a record eight strokes. McIlroy has been congratulated by Oakley, Inc. McIlroy is an ambassador for Oakley and wore Oakley apparel during the tournament. Rory's wearing Oakley shirt, belt and pants in the above photograph.
McIlroy says, "Winning the PGA in the way it ended up on this course is unbelievable. I felt great going into the tournament this week and everything came together on the weekend. While I have worked hard to get to this point, I feel very fortunate to have my name on the Wanamaker Trophy alongside the legends of the game. The test of Kiawah was exhausting but I truly can't wait to get out and play again."
Any criticism that Rory's game has diminished due to his being distracted by dating tennis star Caroline Wozniacki should stop now. Here is some analysis of Rory's historic win from Golf Digest. Rory's strong putting while those around him (including Tiger Woods) failed was key to his victory. Take a look:
Callaway Golf has announced plans to reduce it workforce by 12%. The company has sold its Top-Flite and Ben Hogan brands over the past few months. Reuters says the company has been dealing with weak demand for golf equipment.
On the positive side, the company says it has made changes to its 2013 product line. Chip Brewer, President and Chief Executive Officer of Callaway, said in a statement, "I am very excited by the consumer-oriented changes we have made to our 2013 product line and look forward to providing more information about those new products later in the year. There is certainly more work to be done, but I am very pleased with the progress we have made in just the past few months and am excited by the potential opportunities I see for the Company's turnaround."
Donald Trump has opened his golf course in Aberdeen, Scotland. The golf course is one of several owned by Trump. There was much opposition to the Trump golf course. The golf course was launched with bagpipes. Colin Montgomerie attended the opening of the course. Take a look:
Justin Povick from AccuWeather explains how the weather affects you golf swing. Playing on a hot, muggy day will enable you to hit the ball a little farther. It is great to be able to get a little extra distance, but a downside is the weather is more uncomfortable on those hot humid days. Take a look:
An Iowa man has an enormous collection of golf balls. Cletus Meyer finds most of them on a local golf course. Meyer polishes each of the golf balls by hand and then sells them on his front lawn. Take a look:
Golfers May Sink More Putts by Visualizing Hole as Bigger Says Purdue Scientist
Golfers looking to improve their putting may find an advantage in visualizing the hole as bigger, according to a new study from Purdue University.
In this golf study, 36 participants putted to two different-sized holes while a projector displayed a ring of smaller and larger circles around each hole to create an optical illusion. The smaller circles around the hole made it look bigger. Before putting, the person's perception of each hole was measured by having them draw the estimated size of the hole. Their perception was correlated with their scores. The participants who saw the smaller hole (which was 5.08 centimeters in diameter) as bigger putted about 10% more successfully.
Jessica K. Witt, an assistant professor of psychological science who studies perception in sports (pictured above), says, "People in our study made more successful putts in a smaller hole when a visual illusion helped them perceive it as large. We know that how people perceive the environment affects their ability to act in it, such as scoring as basket or hitting a baseball, and now we know that seeing a target as larger leads to improved performance."
Witt's previous work has shown that perception and performance also work together in softball, tennis and football. For example, softball players who hit the ball better saw it as bigger, and people successfully kicking a football through the goal posts saw the target as larger.
Obama: Women Should be Admitted to Augusta National
President Obama thinks women should be admitted to Augusta National golf club, the home of the Masters, and a mens-only club. Obama thinks the private club should allow women to be members. Jay Carney said the President's personal opinion is, "Yes, his personal opinion is women should be admitted." Take a look:
Tiger Woods Ends 30-Month Winless Drought at Arnold Palmer Invitational
Tiger Woods has ended his 30-month winless drought. It was his first win in 924 days. Woods stepped out of his loser dome with a win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill. Woods won the event by five strokes. This is the seventh time in his career he has won the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill. Take a look:
Callaway Golf has 
