While following my father’s golf buddies in the days of yore, I witnessed several tirades so profound it would make Michael Richards blush. To this day, I’ve never heard the modern vernacular used in such a way. Something about comparing his club to a relative of a dog always preceded a lofty hurl into the oblivion.

When recounting his score, my father always used unique colloquialisms to describe his performance in relationship to a number. “Gimme an f’in MONKIES ARM (7)” or “I had an AUSTRALIAN 6 (9).” I’ve heard it all. Until recently, the only other terms I’ve heard for an “8″ are “SNOWMAN, KIDDIE RACETRACK, BINOCULARS, EIGHT BALL, HARD EIGHT, JOE JACKSON/EIGHT MEN OUT, SHOELESS JOE, 8th STREET, DOUBLE PAR, CROP CIRCLES, and my favorite A DOLLY PARTON.” However, I have never heard the term “DOGBALLS.”

According to Marc Levin, noted Yahoo and Wikipedia enthusiast, “DOGBALLS” is a term used to denote an “8″ in a round of golf. Hmm, I guess that sounds right. Marc even has a link describing this literary confection on his blog:

http://dogballs.typepad.com

Kudos to you Marc! Thanks for giving my dad yet another bomb in his golfing arsenal.

It’s no secret that living in Phoenix can be a golfer’s paradise. With the ability to play golf all year round and enjoy the largest attended golf tournament in the world at the TPC of Scottsdale FBR OPEN; golfing enthusiasts have it all. However, many golfers are unaware of a free opportunity in Phoenix that most would pay hundreds of dollars to experience. What is this you ask? Well, at the Karsten Manufacturing Corporation, you can see how one of the worlds leading manufacturers of golf equipment put together some of the finest clubs in the game. Best of all, its free!

To take the tour, you must call and make an appointment. PING offers factory tours on Tuesdays and Thursdays by reservation only. You can call the toll-free number at 1-800-474-6434 to make a reservation, at least 1-2 months in advance. If calling from outside the US, please call (602) 687-5000. Once booked, you must find it. The plant is located off 19th Avenue and Desert Cove in West Phoenix (look for the driving range netting). PING provides highly qualified guides, audio equipment, and the group size range is generally small, but varies depending on season and day of tour. Upon arrival, tour takers must register at the “brown shack” and after a short video, it’s off to the plant!

Once in the plant, visitors are given an education in “cell manufacturing” as PING workers perform tasks in designated areas while rotating those tasks to promote productivity. The actual process of assembling the clubs begins when molds for club heads are machined then, transferred to the foundry for investment casting. Next they are heat treated and then, it’s on to assembly for component matching and personalization. Quality assurance is examined by every worker that passes each component on to the next phase of production. From engineering, investment casting, and calibration, every club bearing the PING name is quality assured at every phase. PING is also ISO-9001-2000 & 14001 certified; a worldwide standard for quality assurance and environmental systems. Best known in the aerospace industry, this certification is hard to come by and is a testament to the PING ideology of doing things the right way. Worker retention is very high with many workers tenure averaging over 15 years! After taking the tour, one marvels at the process and the pride that goes into these tools of the trade.

For decades, PING has remained one of the leaders in golf club equipment design, manufacturing, and club-fitting. The family-owned company prides itself on closely controlling the entire club making process. New engineering ideas are tested daily with the goal to design the perfect custom-fit golf club. Check out the process on their site at: http://www.pinggolf.com

GolfNow.com is proud to launch a new website to cater to our St. Louis, Missouri golfers. We will be constantly adding courses so check back often if you are not seeing your favorite courses.

Our featured Course is Innsbrook Golf Course. Innsbrook Resort Golf Course is nationally recognized, havng received a “Four-Star Rating” from Golf Digest, making it the highest rated resort facility in the state of Missouri. Golf Digest describes Innsbrook as “great golf, great people, great challenge, great price.” Sports Illustrated rates it a “4.8 on a scale of 5,” with such praise as, “best value in the area, very scenic and peaceful, a real hidden gem, great rates and service, an exceptional course.”. View Tee Times For Innsbrook Golf Course.

Other courses posting tee times, include Clinton Hill, Landings at Spirit, and St. Peters Golf Course. Book your St. Louis tee time today!

My next book is going to be about golf and please feel free to make any suggestions.

Table of Contents:

Chapter 1 - How to Properly Line Up Your Fourth Putt
Chapter 2 - How to Hit a Dunlop from the Rough When You Hit a Titleist from the Tee
Chapter 3 - How to Avoid the Water When You Lie 8 in a Bunker [also see Chapter 8]
Chapter 4 - How to Get More Distance off the Shank
Chapter 5 - Proper waves to the Marshall
Chapter 6 - Using Your Shadow on the Greens to Maximize Earnings
Chapter 7 - When to Implement Handicap Management
Chapter 8 - Proper Excuses for Drinking Beer Before 9:00 a.m. (Not on Sundays)
Chapter 9 - How to Rationalize the Maintenance Crew And Their Noises
Chapter 10 - How to Find That Ball That Everyone Saw Go in the Lake
Chapter 11 - Why Your Significant Other Doesn’t Care That You Birdied the 7th
Chapter 12 - How to Let a Foursome Play Through Your Twosome
Chapter 13 - How to Relax When You Are Hitting Three off the Tee
Chapter 14 - When to Suggest Major Swing Corrections to Your Opponent
Chapter 15 - The Meaning of the Birdie-to-Bogey Three Putt
Chapter 16 - When to Re-grip Your Ball Retriever
Chapter 17 - Can You Purchase a Better Golf Game? If So Where?
Chapter 18 - Relive The Experience Of The Day At The 19th Hole, Yikes!

By Bradley Axon,
GolfNow Blog Team

Kings Mountain, located near Charlotte, has joined the GolfNow Network.

Book your Tee Time with Kings Mountain Today!

Indian Canyons Resort, located in Palm Springs, California, joins the GolfNow Network.

Book your Tee Time at Indian Canyons Today!