ARMCHAIR GOLF Briefs

(Josh V-R/Flickr)

A bevy of golf products, services, destinations, events, news and more. Endorsement is not implied.

• GolfTracker.com allows golfers to track scores, interact with friends, find tournaments and events, improve their game and more.

• Short men’s specialty retailer ForTheFit.com has launched the nation’s first and only pro shop exclusively for male golfers under 5’9”.

• RotarySwing.com offers videos, clinics and other information to help simplify the golf swing.

• VacationRentals.com is giving away a weekend in Las Vegas that includes golf with PGA Tour pro Charley Hoffman. More info at http://traveler.vacationrentals.com/dealscelebritysweepstakes.

• Golf’s Sacred Journey: Seven Days at the Links of Utopia by Dr. David Cook, a top sports psychologist, will be released on Aug. 1st.

• My Golf Book (MyGolfBook.com) is a combination golf accessory, book and training aid, designed to be placed in an individual’s golf bag, allowing golfers to remember and learn from their golf experiences.

• Mirimichi, a Memphis-area golf course owned by Justin Timberlake and formerly known as Big Creek, has become the first golf course in the country to receive an official Audubon Classic Sanctuary certification by Audubon International, a non-profit environmental education organization.

• The Westin Bear Mountain Golf Resort & Spa announced that the new Valley Course, an 18-hole, par-71 Nicklaus design championship course, is now open in Victoria, British Columbia.

• Two luxurious Palm Springs hotels, Agua Caliente Casino • Resort • Spa and Spa Resort Casino, offer great deals, including golf at Indian Canyon Golf Resort. The 36 holes of golf feature a championship course that was redesigned by Casey O’Callaghan in 2004 along with consultant Amy Alcott, an LPGA Hall of Famer.

• The Antigua Group, Inc. recently completed a four-year extension of its license agreement with Tournament Sports Marketing of Waterloo, Ontario – Canada. The extension continued an 18-year partnership in the Canadian market between the two companies.

• Jim McLean and Back9Fitness® have opened Fitness Fare Cafe, a 52-seat restaurant located at the Jim McLean Golf Center in Fort Worth. Open to McLean¹s students and clients as well as the general public, Fitness Fare Cafe, according to Chef Eric Tonips, will feature healthy, well-balanced, nutritious meals and smoothies made from the freshest ingredients.

• PUMA® Golf athlete and newcomer to the LPGA tour Anna Nordqvist won her first major at the McDonald’s LPGA Championship at the Bulle Rock Golf Course in Havre de Grace, Maryland.

• The Salt Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau (SLCVB) is introducing the Golf Salt Lake Super Pass, featuring 10 of Salt Lake’s top golf courses.

• The 2009 Hill Billy Terrain electric golf caddy features a 200-watt motor, light-weight frame and options for different battery sizes that allow golfers to go 18 or even 36 holes on a single charge.

• Ocean Edge Resort & Golf Club on Cape Cod is offering an unlimited golf package. Play endless golf on Cape Cod’s Only Nicklaus Design Course. One-bedroom villa and daily breakfast from $235/golfer nightly.

• Championship golf is back in the Catskills with the re-opening of “The Monster” at the Concord Resort & Golf Club. The world-famous Monster golf course has been rated by Golf Digest as one of America’s 100 Greatest Golf Coursess.

• The PUMA Golf 2009 Golf Special Edition Collection makes a bold statement in pearlized black and white.

• The historic Thayer Hotel is offering its Quadricentennial Golf Outing at the West Point Golf Course and delicious barbeque dinner on Tuesday, July 7. Built in 1926, the Thayer Hotel is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is the only full-service hotel on the Hudson River from the George Washington Bridge to Albany, New York. It has hosted a long line of dignitaries and celebrities, including General Douglas MacArthur, President Dwight D. Eisenhower, President John F. Kennedy, singer Luciano Pavarotti, actors George C. Scott, James Earl Jones and Gregory Peck, and many others.

• GOING FOR THE GREEN (Sterling Publishing/July 2009) provides a unique insider’s look at the world of top-level golfing to help golfers master three important aspects of the game: the mental, physical, and technical/mechanical. Swing coach Gary Gilchrist, golf fitness trainer Susan Hill, and sports psychologist Jeff Troesch unite in this guide to unveil the cutting-edge technique periodization, an optimal training method popularized by Tiger Woods.

• Throughout July, golf facilities nationwide will offer free and affordable activities for families during the fourth annual Family Golf Month. More info at PlayGolfAmerica.com.

• Former Super Bowl XXXV Champion quarterback Trent Dilfer has been named recipient of the 2009 Brodie Award, recognizing an individual’s accomplishments in both a chosen profession and in the sport of golf. It’s given each year by organizers of the American Century Championship (TahoeCelebrityGolf.com) celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe.

−The Armchair Golfer