The Masters Golf Tournament is one of the two golf majors that has a permanent home.  The Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, plays host to the annual golf competition that’s rich in both history and tradition.

Bob Jones and Clifford Roberts purchased the Fruitlands Nurseries in 1931, and with the help of golf architect “supremo”, Alister Mackenzie, turned the turf into one of the finest and most traditional golf courses in the world.

They proceeded to invite all of the top American golfers of the era to an inaugural tournament on March 22, 1934. Six years later, the Masters was re-scheduled to be played the first full week in April.

Since then, the Augusta National has played host to one of the most illustrious events on the international golf calendar.

Masters Golf Tournament is golf’s most unique major championship and is possibly most famous for its ceremony of the tournament winner. Each year the victor is awarded a Green Jacket, usually presented by the previous year’s winner.

However, on three occasions there has been a successful defense of the crown.  The first instance was in 1966 when Jack Nicklaus personally slipped the jacket on himself.

The Augusta golf crowd was highly delighted that day. It now seems a fitting gesture from the golf legend who would go on to win The Masters six times in his successful career.

Although dominated by American golfers initially, South African legend Gary Player broke the international drought by winning the U.S. Masters title in 1961. Prior to that time, American giant Arnold Palmer, had made the course and title his own.

On other occasions, such as with Nick Faldo in 1990 and Tiger Woods in 2002, the club chairman was on hand to check that the famous jacket’s collar was straight.

It was way back in 1949, that the first Green Jacket was awarded. That year the Masters champion was Sam Snead.

The prestigious Masters Golf Tournament takes place in breathtakingly beautiful surroundings. The course is famous for its Azalea-draped scenery. The golf course was built on the former Fruitland Nurseries.

Its heritage is still obvious today, beautifully showcasing many varieties of shrubs and trees that decorate the golf course.

In fact, every hole takes the name of a different plant. For example, the 13th is called Azalea, while the 3rd is called Flowering Peach.

Only one hole is not protected by a bunker – the 14th. The greens at Augusta are known to be notoriously fast.

The 2010 Masters will be more significant than usual, due to the return of Tiger Woods to golf after his highly publicized extra-marital affairs.

Photo courtesy of John Hoeft

When you think of cycling, there is practically no other name that comes to mind other than Lance Armstrong. His legacy in the world of professional cycling will last for many years.

Last fall, Lance Armstrong announced that he was planning to race in the 2009 Amgen Tour of California with the Astana Cycling Team. Amgen is cycling’s most important and successful road race in the United States.

After a three-year hiatus from racing, the world’s reaction was widespread. Some doubted he could regain his championship form, but most others proudly cheered him on. Lance Armstrong, the cycling icon was back.

Just completed, the Amgen Tour of California was Armstrong’s first event on his native soil since the seven-time Tour de France winner began his comeback.

Armstrong announced he will address head-on the suspicions of doping that have followed him for years, by submitting to a rigorous testing regime.

At news conference prior to the start of the Amgen race, Lance stated that he’s “clean as a whistle” and that his mind is “fresh” after a break from cycling. Armstrong continued, “I’m telling you, I’m clean as a whistle, and I think that the testing will prove that.”

Armstrong was the center of attention when four bikes of the Asthana team are stolen in Sacramento. The stolen bikes included a one-of-a-kind 10K dollar bike of Lance. Using the Internet, Lance communicated about the theft to his fans using Twitter. Lance was grateful that the Sacramento police recovered two of the four lost bikes, including his.

The Amgen was won by Lance Armstrong’s Astana teammate Levi Leipheimer, who clinched his third straight victory in the Amgen Tour of California.

Lance was born September 18, 1971, in Plano, Texas. Cycling was in his blood from an early age.

In 1996, Armstrong made a shocking announcement that he was diagnosed with testicular cancer. The tumors were well advanced and spread to his abdomen, lungs, and lymph nodes. The testicle was removed, and Lance began his racing comeback.

The most remarkable feat of Lance’s famous career, is how he dominated the Tour de France. The Tour is the toughest and most prestigious cycling event in the world. Armstrong won the premier racing event 7 consecutive years, from 1999 to 2005.

Squaw Valley is the American birthplace of extreme skiing. About twenty years ago, Squaw locals began skiing impossible lines from the Palisades, essentially a cliff with snow stuck to it.

To earn your spurs as an extreme skier or snowboarder—or “freerider” in the current nomenclature of mountain sports—all roads lead through Squaw.

But the extreme reputation aside, Squaw is actually a reasonably well-rounded ski area. There’s a good amount of skiing for all ability levels, and the relatively new Resort at Squaw Creek is an exercise in extreme pampering. Squaw skiing can be ridiculously intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. An on-mountain demo center opened in 2005.

Squaw’s extreme rep may overshadow the mellower side of the mountain, which is more substantial than you might think. From High Camp, about halfway up the mountain, there is plenty of novice and lower-intermediate terrain.

Intermediates tend to congregate around High Camp, too, although there are longer intermediate runs from the Squaw Creek Chair.

As for expert skiing, the number of intriguing lines is impossible to calculate. KT-22 and the Headwall Express are particularly popular.

Squaw Valley USA
Snow Phone/24 Hour Info: (530) 583-6955

It’s no secret that Super Bowl Sunday is the biggest sports gambling day of the year. The various sports books in the state of Nevada expect to take in over $90 million in bets! This estimate is slightly down from last years amount of $92 million.

Anybody who visits bustling Las Vegas knows it’s a whirlwind of sensory on steroids overload. You experience smoke-filled rooms and larger-than-life televisions in sparkling high-definition.

As the big game nears, betters wait in anticipation of Sin City’s biggest sports gambling day of the year. While the rest of the nation recently wrapped up its holiday season, Las Vegas sports books are readying themselves for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve all wrapped in one glorious afternoon of hedonism – Super Bowl Sunday.

All that matters is what happens on the field, not what bets are made in Las Vegas. The Pittsburgh Steelers are one touchdown favorites in most betting books, over the surprising Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII. A missed call by the refs or a muffed play by some rookie back-up can mean a swing of millions of dollars either won and lost.

Yes, economic hard times have even affected the usually nonplussed gamblers among us.

The allure of Super Bowl Sunday is not easy to miss. Given the pairing of our national obsession with the NFL and gambling, it makes sense that the two paradymes join forces so nicely on Super Sunday, considered by many a national holiday.

Regardless of how you feel about football or betting in general, this is really big business, and not for the faint of heart.

In Las Vegas, even though the game is often played on the other side of the continent, the Super Bowl draws visitors at a rate comparable to any national event such as New Year’s Eve, the Chinese holidays and college basketball’s March Madness.

What many don’t realize is that the bets are not only made on the final winning team or score but hundreds of variations and even events that don’t transpire between the two football teams.

For example, sports books take bets on which team will win the coin flip, how long it will take Jennifer Hudson to sing the national anthem (with the over-under opening at 1 minute, 55 seconds), which song Bruce Springsteen will begin the halftime show with, and how many different food types broadcaster John Madden will mention during the telecast.

South Carolina has historically slipped below the radar when it comes to vacation spots. In recent years, this has turned around as excellent resorts have appeared. If golf is your thing, the Kiawah Island Golf Resort, near Charleston S.C., will qualify as a slice of heaven.

Walking into the grand lobby of the resort is to step back to a time of elegance, beauty and traditional Southern Charm. From silken chairs to marble facades to a giant fireplace, the entire atmosphere is one that remains you of a grander time and place.

Lest I get carried away, the resort is not all southern charm. The layout is more of a modern platform with the units to the resort being similar to townhomes running down the golf resort. This makes the resort an old world destination with a seamless modern trend.

The meshing of time periods works even if it is somewhat eccentric. This was obviously given serious consideration by the designers. The real find of this resort which was built in 2004, however, is not on the outside of the facilities but on the inside.

And then we get to the spa. Oh, my. The resort has a top rated spa that is simply sinful. From wraps to massages to facials, the spa has a little of something for everyone. Not only will they get rid of your obvious problem points, they will get the subtle ones as well.

At the end of the day, it is time to just relax and take it all in. Oh, and get a bit to eat. The resort has a variety of restaurants in the Southern and French style. Seafood is a definite specialty, so give it a try.

There is no doubt that you will feel elevated, alive, and rejuvenated once your vacation is through, though you may not get a large helping of that southern flavor from this hotel. Those that solely focus upon spa and golf offerings will be thrilled at the location and selection, which is why most people travel to this spot.

Just picture your day. You rise early to play 18. After that, it is a light lunch and a walk on the beach. Then to the spa for a bit of pampering. Take a bit of a nap and then head out for an epic meal and a bit of dancing. That is what the sanctuary has to offer you.

Kiawah Island Golf Resort
One Sanctuary Beach Drive
Kiawah Island, SC 29455
(800) 654-2924

Author: John Grimmes

Silverstone Golf Course Las Vegas was designed by Robert Cupp, Golf World’s 1992 Architect of the Year.  Silverstone Golf Club features 27 holes of championship golf just minutes from the Las Vegas strip.

The course is located north of Centennial and east of U.S. 95 near the old Floyd Lamb State Park with a spectacular view of the Sheep Mountain Range.

Opening in June 2001, the courses feature three rotating championship style nines of bent grass on the greens and rye grass for the fairways and rough. Various water features and fresh landscaping make for a challenging and enjoyable experience.

There are six Par 5 holes that average 590 yards from the tips, with another 4 holes over 600 yards. The longest hole on this Las Vegas golf course is a 653 yard hole on the Mountain course with a large lake protecting the green. Each course will play 7,000 yards.

All of the problems are in plain view of the player, with no hidden tricks. However, there is plenty of trouble for wayward shots and the greens that are small and undulated. If the wind is blowing, SilverStone vastly increases the degree of difficulty. For discounted tee times call: 1-877-669-4653

Directions
Take Interstate 15 North to U.S. Highway 95 North. Follow 95 N to Durango Dr. exit (Right). Follow Durango to Grand Teton (Right). Take Grand Teton to Buffalo (Left). Follow signs to Silverstone Golf Club. Allow 30 minutes for driving time from the Las Vegas Strip.

Source: LasVegasGolfCourses.com

Avid golfers know that it’s a challenge to play 18 holes during Winter, without braving the unpredictable elements of Mother Nature.  Fret no more.  As luck would have it, some of the U.S.’s finest golf resorts lie south of the winter golf border.   Several golf travel experts offered Forbes Traveler their top 10 picks.

There are many luxury golf resorts to stay at. If you want to play 18 holes and have a great VIP experience, do your research and look for luxury travel deals to match your budget.

From the northernmost course, Pinehurst in the lush, Sandhills region of North Carolina, to La Quintain Palm Desert California, to the Plantation Course at Kapalua, Hawaii …. there is something memorable for any golfer.  Full article

As millionaires look for more ways to spend their money, they also look for different avenues to be break away from the pack of haves and have nots.

It seems everybody these days has their prized piece of art, luxury yacht or huge diamond jewelry. But what about a gold bicycle?

Scandinavian design company Aurumania, recently launched a limited edition run of 10 of the world’s most expensive bike.

Each of these bikes is hand-built and gold-plated with 24-carat gold. They are then decorated with over 600 Swarovski crystals.

Hand-sewn leather grips and a Brooks leather saddle provide finishing touches to the bike, with each limited edition number embossed with gold leaf and set into a leather badge onto the bike’s headtube.

The price for the golden bike will cost you an eye popping $118,000! I guess that’s chump change for a true millionaire, right?

The company has also created a 24-carat gold wall holder for the bike, so your prized bike can be proudly displayed as a fine work of art.

It’s sometimes hard to tell if that thing behind Wynn Las Vegas is a golf course or a CIA annex.

The staff treats Steve Wynn’s latest $500-green-fee course (he introduced that nice round number to Las Vegas golf with Shadow Creek, which he no longer owns) like it houses national security documents. Maybe the real dossier on weapons of mass destruction is buried under the fifth green.

Hey, it’s Vegas. Anything is possible.

The Wynn Las Vegas Golf and Country Club is the second collaboration of Tom Fazio, Steve Wynn and Mother Nature has resulted in 18 unforgettable holes. Right outside the resort’s back door.

That would explain the paranoia surrounding the Wynn Golf and Country Club. Pro shop attendant Heather Wicks made it seem like she was letting a few potential customers through the pearly gates when she allowed them to walk out onto the patio that overlooks the 18th green.  Full article

Wynn Las Vegas Golf and Country Club
3131 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV, 89109
Phone(s): (888) 320-9966
Fax: (702) 770-1570

Misty May Treanor and “Six Feet of Sunshine” Kerri Walsh, won their second consecutive gold medal in beach volleyball Thursday at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing China.

Playing through a steady and sometimes driving rain, May and Walsh defeated China in straight sets and extended their amazing winning streak to 108 matches in a row.

The winning American team defeated Wang Jie and Tian Jia 21-18, 21-18 for their second Olympic gold medal, after also winning in Athens. This win confirms their dominance of the sport.

May and Walsh did not lose a set in seven Olympic matches, playing through smog, sweltering heat and a drenching gold medal game before a loud, sold-out crowd.

Few athletes are identified with their sport more closely than the face of women’s beach volleyball, Misty May-Treanor. Misty was born July 30, 1977 in Santa Monica, California and is married to Florida Marlins catcher Matt Treanor.

May-Treanor attended Long Beach State where she was part of the 1998 NCAA Championship, defeating Penn State. Nicknamed “Turtle,” she paired up with Holly McPeak early in her career, collecting her first five career wins in addition to placing fifth in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. In Huntington Beach in 2006, she surpassed $1 million in career earnings, just the second American woman to accomplish that feat.

Kerri Walsh is nicknamed “Six Feet of Sunshine,”  was born in California and grew up in Saratoga, California. Beyond winning dozens of tournaments, Kerri is an extremely valuable marketing image for the sport. Her friendly and personable demeanor, great sportsmanship, and imposing presence on the court have done much to fuel the popularity of beach volleyball in the 2000s.

Walsh has appeared in several television commercials, and has been a guest on a number of popular talk shows as a result. In February 2006, Kerri Walsh had a guest starring role in an episode of CSI: Miami along with several other AVP Volleyball players.

It is the quintessential baseball stadium. It is “The House that Ruth Built,” and “The Home of Champions.” It is none other than Yankee Stadium. Yankee Stadium is a cultural landmark with a history like no other ballpark.

But this year will be the last one for Yankee Stadium. The stadium will be replaced by a modern, more fan-friendly facility across the street – one that will feature a martini bar.

Yankee Stadium has come to represent an oasis in the midst of one of the worst sections of New York City, the Bronx. Her majestic facade beckons you to enter. Looking out upon the field one can view the clean dirt, impeccably lined along the baselines. The perfectly cut green grass appears to never end, fading out of sight into the vast, cavernous outfield.

The smell of the hot dogs and peanuts, the sound of the bat cracking, the feel of a crisp autumn day brings one’s senses alive. Today, Yankee Stadium draws fans from all over the world to experience the game of baseball. But, back when the stadium was built, the sport was being resurrected by the likes of one man, Babe Ruth.

Only one year after the Yankees purchased Babe Ruth from the Boston Red Sox,  the Yankees made one more buy that would forever change the way the game was watched.

In 1921, the management team of the New York Yankees announced that it had purchased a 10-acre lot in the west Bronx. The land was purchased for $675,000 from the estate of William Waldorf Astor. The land was positioned across the Harlem River, where the former of the Yankees, the Polo Grounds, sat.

Up until the new stadium was built, the Yankees shared the Polo Grounds with the National League Team the Giants. However, because of the Babe Ruth acquisition, the Yankees were clobbering attendance records, shattering the draw of the Giants, and other major league teams, for that matter.

The fans came to see Babe. He was the drawing power that helped to save baseball and generate ongoing interest in the national past-time. In just one year after acquiring the Babe, the Yankees’ attendance had doubled. The Yankees attendance put the Giants to shame, which prompted the owner of the Giants to promptly evict the popular team from the Polo Grounds. The year was 1921.

Later that year, the Yankees’ owners resolved to build a spectacular stadium of their own. The goal was to create baseball’s first three-tiered structure, with a capacity of 70,000. It would be baseball’s first official stadium.

Originally, the plan was for a triple-decked stadium, with a roof all the way around. Because the stadium seemed too much like a tower and too foreboding, the original plans were scaled back. The triple deck would no longer go all around the stadium, but would end at the foul poles. A 15-foot copper facade was also erected to adorn the stadium’s third deck, which became one of the stadium’s most recognized and grandest feature.

The original Yankee stadium, like today’s, favored left-hand hitters. The original dimensions of the stadium were 295 to dead right, 395 to dead left, and up to 429 feet to center.

Amazingly enough, Yankee Stadium was constructed in only 284 days, and it was ready for its inaugural game against the Red Sox on April 18, 1923. During that game, Babe Ruth officially christened the stadium with a three-run homer. It was easy to see why Yankee Stadium was commonly referred to as “The House that Ruth Built.”

The first game in the stadium yielded a crowd of 74,200, topping what had originally been expected. The stadium also pleased its fans with an unheard of eight bathrooms for men and women.

Yankee Stadium’s five monuments include tributes to Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, Miller James Huggins, Mickey Mantle, and Joe DiMaggio.

Many facelifts and modernizations later, Yankee Stadium has withstood the test of time, and is still held by many, as the greatest venue in all of baseball.

Even though the new stadium will welcome the Yankees next season, none of us will ever forget the original – Yankee Stadium.