First and foremost, take your time when shopping for golf shoes.  Put them on and walk around in them to make sure they feel good on your feet and that you can move about without any restraints or discomfort.

Feet do expand, so when you go to shop for your golf shoes, do so after walking for about 20 minutes or so.  It’s for this reason specifically that it’s better to shop for golf shoes – or any shoes for that matter – in the afternoon rather than in the morning.

When you shop for your golf shoes, you should wear the style of socks that you would normally wear on the golf course.  This way, you will know you will be comfortable on the golf course while wearing your golf shoes and not have to worry about discomfort during your backswing.

There are all types of golf shoes available these days.  No longer are you restricted to oxford-style.  Manufacturers are now making golf sandals, golf boots, and even golf shoes that really resemble tennis shoes.  The cleats on these types of shoes can be quite different so be sure that when you buy a golf shoe, it’s going to give you the results that you are looking for.

Depending on your budget, you will be able to find golf shoes in all sorts of different price ranges.  The general rule of thumb is that you should buy the best pair of golf shoes that you can possibly afford.  If you go for the cheapest pair, you will probably have to replace them within a short period of time.  However, if you can afford the extra twenty dollars, go ahead and upgrade just a bit and have them last just a bit longer.

Golf shoes may not be first and foremost on your mind when you are thinking about what you need to be a good golfer, but the right pair of golf shoes can really make a difference in your golf game.  You want to be comfortable, you want to have stability, but most of all, you want to look good – now don’t you?  Seriously, though, find a good pair of golf shoes and then put them to use on the links.  Then see how much they make a difference when you are swinging your club on the first tee!

Each Ryder Cup team is captained by an experienced golfer.  They will get to choose some of the golfers who will play on the team, but most of the team is chosen according to how well they have played since the last Ryder Cup.  There is a point system that is in place and their position on the team is dependent on their points.

The matches in the Ryder cup involve various match play matches.  Currently, the matches consist of eight foursome matches, eight four ball matches, and twelve singles matches.  The winner of each match scores a point for their team with ½ point each for any match that is tied after 18 holes.

A foursome match is competition between two teams of two golfers.  The golfers on the same team take alternate shots throughout the match with the same ball.  A team takes the hole when it completes the hole with the fewest shots.

A four ball match in the Ryder Cup is also a competition between two teams of two golfers, but all four golfers play their own ball throughout the round rather than alternating shots.  Whichever golfer completes the hole with the lowest score wins the hole.

A singles match is a standard match play competition between two golfers.

Many changes have been made to the Ryder Cup over the years, but it still remains one of the most exciting and competitive tournaments in the golf world.  The next Ryder Cup competition will be held in 2008 at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky.

While teams have yet to be officially picked, we do know that the United States Ryder Cup team will be captained by Paul Azinger.  Right now, it appears we’ll probably see Tiger Woods, Jim Furyk, and Davis Love III as team members based on their points they have accumulated.

The European Ryder Cup team will be captained by Nick Faldo.  Expect to see names like Colin Montgomerie, Sergio Garcia, and Luke Donald as probably team members.

Many people think that the U.S. Open was the first open championship to be founded, but that just isn’t true.  The British Open was being played 35 years before the United States got in on the open tournament phenomenon.  Since the turn of the century, the British Open has included amateurs from all countries.  The U.S. Open is currently trying to make a move towards this trend, but for years, The British Open has been known as “The World Open”.

Originally designed as a way for unknown golfers to make a name for themselves, the “opens” have long been touted as the greatest chance an amateur has for worldwide fame and fortune as a professional golfer.  The British Open was the first tournament to bring forth this amazing idea, and golfers all over the world became excited at the prospect of becoming a pro.

The British Open is one of the four major golf tournaments of the year and winning it is a great honor.  Just as with the U.S. Open, it is one of the championships that tournament professionals strive to achieve and wear the honor with pride.  However, amateurs should beware.  Because the British Open is an open event, the pros can play too.

The last time an amateur won a British Open was back in 1930 when American legend Bobby Jones won with an overall score of 291.  Since that time, there have been many amateurs who have made good showings, but as far as winning the open, that hasn’t happened in quite some time.

To qualify for the British Open, you must strive for one of the 156 places that are available.  Most of the field of players has achieved entry into the open through exemptions by playing well throughout the year on the tour.  The rest of the field has won qualifying rounds in local events that lead them to the “big show” and perhaps the chance of the lifetime!

The British Open – just like the U.S. Open – is a wonderful way for excellent amateur golfers to break into the professional circuit by doing what they love – playing the game of golf.  The British Open has a long and storied history and while considered one of the major events in the PGA, still holds a bit of mystery and hope for those who dream of a life as a PGA professional.

The Skins Game differs from most PGA tour golf tournaments for several reasons.  First, only four golfers are invited to the tournament and the golfers play to win individual holes or “skins” in a match play format.

Each hole is assigned a different monetary value and the golfer who has the lowest score on the hole wins the money for that hole.  In the event that two or more golfers tie (which is called “halving) on a hole, the skin money carries over to the next hole.  If two or more golfers would happen to halve the final hole, a playoff begins until one golfer wins the hole outright.

The Skins Game has a long tradition for being highly competitive, but also very fun both to play and to watch.  In 2001, the player winning a hole outright had to tie or win the next hole to collect his skins from the previous hole.  This was very tough to do.  Greg Norman was the only golfer that could back up his win on the previous hole.  He won the 17th and tied for low on the 18th to collect $800,000 which was the largest skin ever collected for one hole.  He would go on to win $200,000 in a playoff to win the entire $1 million dollar prize money.

In the 2004 Skins Game, the first six holes were worth $25,000 a piece.  Holes 7 through 12 were worth $50,000 each.  13 through 17 were valued at $70,000 a pop, and the 18th hole – known as the Super Skin – carried a value of $200,000.

Fred Couples is given the nickname of “Mr. Skins” because of his dominance in the Skins Game.  He has won $3,515,000 and 77 skins in 11 appearances.  He has won five of the Skins Games overall.

You can conduct your own skins game when playing golf.  Of course, your holes won’t be valued quite as high as the pros are, but you can sure have a blast as you compete to see who can become your own club’s “Mr” or “Ms” Skins.

In 1934 Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts wanted to provide a service to golf by hosting an annual golf tournament.  Roberts proposed the event be called the Masters Tournament, but Jones objected thinking it sounded too presumptuous.  The name Augusta National Invitation Tournament was adopted and that title was used for five years until 1939 when Jones relented and the name was officially changed.

The tournament is held at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, GA, where it is still hosted today.  Many decisions made in the early days of the Masters still remain today.  Among these are

* The four-day stroke playing of 18 holes each day instead of the then customary 36 holes on the third day
* Eliminating qualifying rounds
* Denying permission for anyone except the player and the caddie to be in the playing area
* Commercialization in any form of the tournament was limited.

The first Masters Tournament was held on March 22, 1934, and beginning in 1940, the Masters was scheduled each year during the first full week in April.  That first tournament was won by Horton Smith.  In 1935 Gene Sarazen hit “the shot heard ‘round the world” scoring a double eagle on the par five 15th hole tying Craig Wood and forcing a playoff.  Sarazen won the 36-hole playoff the following day winning by five strokes.

In 1942, Ben Hogan lost to Byron Nelson by one stroke in an 18-hole playoff and the tournament was not played the following three years:  1943, 1944, and 1945 during World War II.  To assist the war efforts, cattle and turkeys were raised on the Augusta National grounds.

Many milestones have occurred throughout the history of the Masters.  In 1965 and 1966, Jack Nicklaus became the first Masters champion to defend his title successfully.  Many others would have consecutive wins, but The Golden Bear was the first.  Tiger Woods broke the four-day scoring record that has stood for 32 years in 1997.

The Masters is characterized by offering the winner a green jacket and having that jacket is considered a great honor in the golfing world.  The previous year’s winner would always present the jacket to the current year’s winner and it is done with great flourish.

The Masters is one of golf’s greatest tournaments.  The best part is that amateurs can gain entry into the tournament by invitation only giving them dreams of winning the big prize against the best in the field!