IS TIGER GAY?

Is Tiger gay?

Probably not a question you’re likely to hear.

But why not?

After reading a survey from 300,000 golf club members, there were numerous commentators using the data to support the changing nature of the once elitist golf club membership.

However one piece of data shouted out; 86% of the respondents were male.

Not much change in the gender gap of golf club membership.

But why not?

I did my own little survey and popped into my local golf club and asked the young lads in the pro shop what they thought of the Ladies European Tour.

The consensus was ‘bunch of lesbians’.

I then asked if they’ve ever questioned the sexuality of Tiger, Phil, Luke, Rory.......

And one of them turned to me and asked
‘Are you a queer?’

So there you are. Old habits die hard.

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BEDFELLOWS

I heard a whisper that the R&A and Polo Ralph Lauren are going to jump into bed together.
 

It’s probably just me, but why wear a shirt depicting a ‘guy on horseback' for golf?

Would you play football in a rugby shirt?

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SOLHEIM CUP 2011

Is Catriona Matthew one of the most underrated golfers? 

She doesn’t make much noise, either verbally or visually. Just goes about her business in a very professional and polite manner.

You don’t get to win a major championship after giving birth just a few weeks before without having a great game and mental strength. Even Tiger didn’t achieve that.

Matthew creamed the Pink Panther 6&5 in the top singles match for the victorious European Team at the Solheim Cup.

It was her fifth Solheim Cup singles victory in succession.

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WEED KILLER

New Malton Golf Club in Cambridge is the first all organic golf course. 

Co-owner, Paul Stevenson said "it is strange that golf clubs can spray poison on the green and then a golfer can walk straight on it – it doesn’t seem a sensible approach. All of the Uk’s 1,800 golf clubs have a responsibility towards the health and safety of their members as well as the environment."

The greens at New Malton are treated with a mix of citric acid and sugar instead of weed killer.

And going ‘green’ has had a positive effect on more than just the wildlife, costs have reduced by £50,000 is just one year.

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EYESORE

Here is the first picture of Donald Trump’s proposed clubhouse for his controversial golf course on the Aberdeenshire coast.

A single-storey design made from granite with echoes of Trump’s other Scottish home, a 19th century mansion called MacLeod house, named after his mother. 

The golf course is due to open next summer after a long struggle against locals and environmentalists. We all know that money talks and greased palms are the way of the business world but what about the clubhouse design?

Golf Refugees feel it is a missed opportunity to create a beautiful, innovative building using sustainable materials.

Ironically, Trump is currently appealing against a planning application to build a small wind farm near the golf course, citing that it will destroy the views and act as a local eyesore.

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WEEKEND WINNERS

Congratulations to weekend winners;
Justin Rose (PGA), Great Britain & Ireland Team (Seve Trophy), Melissa Reid (LET) and Lexi Thompson (LPGA).

Winners prize money comparison;

Justin Rose (PGA - $1.4 million dollars)

Lexi Thompson (LPGA - $195,000 US dollars)

Melissa Reid (LET – 52,500 euros or $72,240 US dollars)

The only losers are those who do not play sport.

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SPORTS LIFE STYLE

We like Puma gear, especially from a design perspective.

We also like to know where stuff is made, and if you look inside a pair of Puma shoes you may find they are Made in Cambodia. 

Ten years ago an agreement was made where Cambodian factories were given preferential access to markets in return for guarantees about working conditions. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) would make frequent factory visits to make sure workers were being treated well and paid a minimum wage which equates to $61 US dollars a month. Everyone’s a winner; jobs for Cambodia and cheap manufacturing labour costs for western brands.

Figures released this month state a total of more than 1,500 female workers have been involved in mass fainting incidents so far this year.

The Cambodian Ministry of Labour said a variety of factors were involved, including “insecticides, smoke, high temperatures, stress and manual labour of lifting and storing”.

The Huey Chuen factory, where two of the ‘mass fainting’ incidents occurred, was making shoes for Puma.

The German sportswear brand commissioned an independent investigation and concluded that regulations had been broken. “The breaches of these standards include excessive hours of work as well as multiple occupational health and safety violations,” Puma said in a statement in June.

”At Puma we believe that our position as the creative leader in Sportslifestyle gives us the opportunity and responsibility to contribute to a better world for the generations to come.”

Next time you’re running or playing golf in a pair of Puma shoes spare a little thought for the Cambodian worker.

Your nice new shiny Puma trainers are probably being made by a young female worker enduring excessive hours, inhaling smoke and insecticides in a poorly ventilated factory where passing out is a an occupational hazard.

Sweatshop labour? You decide.

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