Jordan Spieth, The Crowned Prince Of Golf

A lot of comparisons have been made between Jordan Spieth and the once-great Tiger Woods, just as Tiger Woods was once compared to the King, Arnold Palmer. Jordan Spieth’s name nowadays is being uttered by many sports experts and historians right alongside the sport’s all-time greats, and with very good reason. He is a phenomenon in every sense of the word and indeed the golfer of tomorrow that is showing the world what he is capable of, today.

Image source: golf.com

While Spieth may be wowing fans, experts, and critics, a lot of witnesses to his achievements agree that he still has room to grow and improve. This isn’t at all good news to many of Spieth’s contemporaries.

Just the past year, Spieth had an unforgettable duel with another amazing pro golfer, Dustin Johnson. Both were gunning for the number one ranking in the golf world. It was during this time that many people had come to recognize Spieth for what he was – a cut above the rest.

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Spieth is the first golfer under 24 to win three majors and at least 10 tour titles. Not even Woods had done that. Even before Spieth blasted into the professional scene, he ruled the amateurs with two U.S. Junior Amateur titles under his belt.

Omari Betts spends his free time volunteering at the First Tee program of the Langston Golf Course in Washington D.C. Other than mentoring kids about golf and life, he also enjoys fishing. To learn more about his interests, follow this Twitter account.

Efren “The Magician” Reyes: The world’s greatest pool player

In its rich history, the game of pocket billiards or pool has seen many good players who’ve won a slew of tournaments by cleaning up tables and wowing the crowd with a variety of trick shots. But none has been as dominating as the Filipino master, Efren “The Magician” Reyes. 

Image source: megabreakpool.com

Now past 60 in age, Reyes began his pool career mainly out of necessity, having lived in abject poverty in the Philippines and worked as a pool table-setter. At the age of nine, he played his first money game; at twelve he won $100 and sent $90 home to his family. By the time Reyes turned 15, he quit school and devoted his life to the game. He was already the best pool player in Manila by then. 

The moniker “The Magician” will come a few years later, of course, when at 30 in 1985, he began touring the US, beating the best players in the circuit one by one, stunning opponents by making seemingly impossible shots. It’s interesting how he already knew the value of hustling by then. He had already established his reputation in Asia by the time he reached America, thus deciding to hide his identity under the name Cezar Morales to further earn money games from unsuspecting players. He beat everyone, leaving after 21 days with $81,000. 

Over the next 20 years, Reyes would win every major pool tournament and title in the world: the U.S. Open, the Challenge of Champions, the World Pool League Championship. He is first pool player to win World Championships in two different disciplines and held the title in 70 international championships. Efren became the first Asian inductee in the Billiard Congress of America’s Hall of Fame in 2003. Everyone, from Johnny Archer to Earl Strickland and Ralph Souquet, calls Efren Reyes the best to play the game. And there’s no reason for us to think otherwise. 

Image source: wikipedia.org

Omari Betts loves playing golf, fishing, working out, traveling, and playing pool. He is based in Temple Hills, Maryland. For more of his writings, drop by this blog.

The best golf courses in the world

A game of golf provides many inherent excitements. Waiting for that favorite player to score the best under par record can fuel much of the desire to watch it. A golfer with a mission can feel supercharged to make the best shots for oneself and the fans. But the golf course itself can be a factor in the exhilaration that goes with watching or playing the sport.

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The best courses come in various configurations and levels of difficulty. The design and historical value of courses can give one an idea of the relative value of these sprawling game areas. Here are some of them:

Ile aux Cerfs Golf Club in Mauritius

The most striking feature of the course is water. With nine lakes, stunning views of the ocean and a great topography to match, the Ile aux Cerfs Golf Club is one of the most beautiful. It is also one of the most challenging.

Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, USA

The Masters Tournament is at the center of Augusta’s popularity as an exceptional golf course. Course architecture and the rich and controversial history of the golf club are also some of the reasons. It has been consistently ranked in golf magazines as one of the best courses in the world. Since the site was originally a nursery, the holes were named after trees or shrubs.

Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland

The Old Course is one of the oldest in the world and is usually called the “home of golf.” The oldest major golf championship “The Open Championship” has been played at the Old Course many times, more than any other player. The iconic Swilcan Bridge that has become a symbol of the golf world can be seen here.

Image source: commons.wikimedia.org

Omari Betts volunteers at the First Tee program at Langston Golf Course in Washington D.C. He assists in mentoring the kids by relating his life experiences to their current situations. He also helps them with their golf games and provides golf balls for the underprivileged kids. To know more about his inclinations, visit this page.

Why It’s a Good Idea To Learn Golf At a Young Age

Learning how to play golf at an early age is an excellent decision. It is the best time to be molded into being an above-average player in adulthood.

Golf is best played when the player has a lot of upper body flexibility. This added leverage allows for very powerful swings. If children play early, they can make use of their natural dexterity in learning the game. Playing golf consistently will maintain this until they get older.

Image source: lincolncitygolf.org

In golf, there is such a thing as muscle memory, wherein one seems to play the game naturally as if they do not think too much about it. When children’s muscles are oriented to work in a predictable manner, this too will be carried on to adulthood.

As children go through the developmental years, their motor skills get increasingly better. With golf, hand and eye coordination gets developed much faster. This does not only benefit them in terms of playing the sport. It also improves their other bodily functions.

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Another facet of golf which is often overlooked is the amount of walking that is involved in playing the sport. Children who do a lot of walking tends to develop stronger lungs. Their endurance will also improve.

It’s not a bad idea at all to start children early in learning the sport. It’s not too far out to claim that there are absolutely no risks of doing so.

Omari Betts is an avid golf enthusiast. He is also a youth mentor to kids. For more on what he does, visit this LinkedIn page.