Divot Mix

"The behavior etiquette for a greenside bunker should go into reverse. Players should be forbidden to smooth them in any way. The bunker should be the fearful place it once was, not the perfect surface from which a pro expects to float his ball out stone dead, something he doesn't expect when chipping." -- Author Michael Hobbs

Planning moves ahead for giant golf course

The proponents of a plan to build the "world's longest golf course" in Australia's Outback say the concept is on track to open by December 2006.

Following the Eyre highway as it winds across Nullarbor Plain, the Nullarbor Links would be an 18-hole golf course with one hole in each of the towns along the highway--with as much as 62 miles between holes.

The course would begin starting in Kalgoorlie-Boulder in south-east Western Australia, cross the Nullarbor and end more than 850 miles away in Ceduna in South Australia.

It was dreamed up by Bob Bongiorno a roadhouse manager in Balladonia, who said it combines his love of golf and hopes of boosting tourism. "I brought my golf clubs when I first came out here seven years ago and tried hitting a few balls in the bush. I had to fight the spiders to get them back, though, so I gave (them) away."

Bongiorno said about 300 vehicles pass along the Eyre Highway each day, but most motorists are intent on completing the journey as quickly as possible and don't stop.

The hope is that Nullarbor Links will provide the travelers a reason to stop along the way. Every course will showcase a local feature – from whale-watching spots near the highway to ancient fossil beds

"There's a lot of people who believe it could become Australia's next great icon, you know, like the Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge because not only is it a game, it's an interpretive story of the Nullarbor," Bongiorno said.

Unfortunately, since Nullarbor (No Trees) is the world's largest single piece of limestone, there's probably not going to be an opening for a golf course superintendent at the links.

For more, click here.

Flu news prompts concerns on golf courses

Recent news of avian flu and its potential to spread to humans has prompted questions in the golf industry about the whether golfers and course workers are at risk from the migratory birds often found on golf courses.

The Influenza A (H5N1) virus – also called “H5N1 virus” – occurs mainly in birds, is highly contagious among birds, and can be deadly to them. On golf courses, geese and ducks would be the most likely carriers.

Officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Centers for Disease Control, report that although the virus does not usually infect people, more than 100 human cases have been reported – none in the United States.

Most of the cases were caused by contact with infected poultry or contaminated surfaces (through feces, mucous and saliva of the fowl). A few cases of human-to-human spread of H5N1 virus have occurred.

USDA and CDC officials also said:

• They don't think golf course workers and golfers are at an elevated risk.
• Both golfers and workers should wash their hands after activities that bring them in contact with contaminated surfaces, animals, chemicals, etc. (This should be communicated on a daily basis, regardless of the concern over avian flu.)
• State and local health guidelines should be followed in the discarding of dead birds from facilities.
• Where permitted fowl reduction program are being conducted, appropriate guidelines should be followed, with consideration given to wearing breathing masks, gloves, etc.

For more from USDA, CDC and OSHA on the flu, visit

• http://www.cdc.gov/flu/pandemic/
• http://www.osha.gov/dsg/guidance/avian-flu.html
• http://www.usda.gov/

Experts review record-setting hurricane season

Now that the record-setting 2005 hurricane season over, experts from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration are looking back at the impact it had to both coastal areas and inland.

They are also issuing a warning that the active storm season is a trend that's likely to continue for years to come.

“This hurricane season shattered records that have stood for decades -- most named storms, most hurricanes, and most category five storms. Arguably, it was the most devastating hurricane season the country has experienced in modern times,” said Conrad C. Lautenbacher Jr., NOAA administrator. “I'd like to foretell that next year will be calmer, but I can't. Historical trends say the atmosphere patterns and water temperatures are likely to force another active season upon us.”

The Atlantic Basin is in the active phase of a multi-decadal cycle in which optimal conditions in the ocean and atmosphere, including warmer-than-average sea-surface temperatures and low wind shear, enhance hurricane activity. This increase in the number and intensity of tropical storms and hurricanes can span multiple decades (approximately 20 to 30 years).

“Evidence of this active cycle was demonstrated this year as the Atlantic Basin produced the equivalent of more than two entire hurricane seasons over the course of one. Because we are in an active hurricane era, it's important to recognize that with a greater number of hurricanes comes increasing odds of one striking land,” said David L. Johnson, director of the National Weather Service.

Records set this season include:

• Named storms: 26; previous record: 21 in 1933
• Hurricanes: 13; previous record: 12 in 1969
• Major hurricanes hitting the U.S.: Four (Dennis, Katrina, Rita and Wilma); previous record: Three, most recently in 2004
• Hurricanes of Category 5 intensity (greater than 155 mph): Three (Katrina, Rita and Wilma); previous record: Two in 1960 and 1961

Letters of the Greek alphabet were used to name storms for the first time since storms were given names, in 1953. Hurricane Wilma exhausted the original list of 21 names.

NOAA's National Weather Service is the primary source of weather data, forecasts and warnings for the United States and its territories. NOAA's National Weather Service operates the most advanced weather and flood warning and forecast system in the world, helping to protect lives and property and enhance the national economy.

For more, visit http://www.nws.noaa.gov.