ABC Wednesday: "G" is for Golf

Our ABC Wednesday this week is brought to us by the letter "G" - is for Golf.

The first game of golf for which records survive was played at Bruntsfield Links, in Edinburgh, Scotland, in A.D. 1456, recorded in the archives of the Edinburgh Burgess Golfing Society, now The Royal Burgess Golfing Society.

To put that into a bit of perspective, 1456 is a year before King Henry VII - the first Tudor king of England - was born. The English "War of the Roses" was in its infancy. Joan of Arc was burned at the stake 25 years prior. Ferdinand and Isabella wouldn't unite Spain for another 13 years.

But that year was just the first documented case of a round of golf. Other evidence suggests golf actually began in the 1100's - during the high Middle Ages and the century of the Crusades. Moral of the story? Golf is old. :)

While golf is most likely based on a Scottish word meaning "to hit or cuff" or a Dutch word meaning "bat or club", in reality, golf was used because all other four letter words were taken (and can be heard in abundance on most golf courses even today - "@#$& Clubs", "$@#* Ball", "#$%& Grass", etc.) ;-)

As the great golfer Ben Hogan once said, "All a golfer needs is more daylight." Amen.

So while it is dark (unless you have glow-in-the-dark golf balls or a lighted course - both of which exist!) head over to http://abcwednesdayround3.blogspot.com/ to visit all the other ABC Wednesday blogs until the sun comes up for more golf tomorrow. :)

Tee Time

Sky Watch Friday

There wasn't much going on in the sky last week while I was at the TPC @ Sawgrass, so rather than looking up I caught this week's Sky Watch Friday post by looking down into the reflections on the canal of the 6th hole.


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Hole Sign and Flowers

Golf Course Wildlife

A heron (I think) flying up to land in a tall tree:

A blue heron standing quite clam next to a walking path by the lake - not shy at all:

A great egret soaring right past me on the breeze - caught me by surprise so I was thrilled even to get this somewhat unfocused shot:

Rope Rails

Many of the bridges for the cart paths that cross the many canals and ponds at TPC Sawgrass have these nautically inspired railings made of wood posts and heavy white rope.

TPC @ Sawgrass: 17th Hole

One of the most famous holes in golf, the island green 17th at the TPC @ Sawgrass. A short hole, a very easy shot - especially for a professional - under normal circumstances, but when the green is surrounded by water it gets into your head and suddenly even the pros start hitting balls into the water.

Near the green is this lovely smaller island with a large tree and some decorative flowers.

Also on the back side of the smaller island is a platform to hold a TV camera. How do you get a TV camera or camera man onto a tiny island in the middle of a lake? By boat, of course!

During tournament rounds this whole area is full of spectators, nearly surrounding the area, and they cheer exuberantly for great shots, and "Awwwwww..." sympathetically when a bad shot goes into the water - most of them, anyway; some people actually enjoy seeing the pros hit bad shots into the water. ;-)

Sky Watch Friday

For Skywatch Friday this week, no storks! :) Instead, a shilhouetted oak tree in the rising Florida sun, taken on the golf course of the http://www.tpc.com/sawgrass/, home of the PGA Tour's "The Players Championship" held this week in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL.

Visit Tom for more Sky Watch Friday photos.

TPC Sawgrass Clubhouse

More shots of the beautiful clubhouse at the TPC @ Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL.

TPC Sawgrass Week

This week in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL is the annual Player Championship golf tournament of the PGA Tour, held at the TPC Sawgrass (TPC = Tournament Players Club). I am fortunate enough to have received a few tickets from my employer (thanks!) so I took the camera with me this morning as they are only allowed Monday through Wednesday during the practice rounds. For tournament rounds (when the scores count) Thursday through Sunday cameras are prohibited.

I will post many pictures this week but just to get the ball rolling, a nice shot of some agapanthus blooms with the beautiful Spanish renaissance style clubhouse in the background.