I used to like watching Tiger Woods win golf tournaments. I wanted him to recover from the events of recent years. I wanted to see him win again. My enthusiasm is starting to wane. I’m getting bored of it all.

Every morning I begin my day with a click through my emails, then I visit the BBC News website followed by BBC Sport with the ultimate destination of the Golf section. It’s a routine. When it comes to the sport and golf sections, I know what I’m going to read about, it’s the same headlines I checked before I went to bed. This morning I was surprised. Then I wasn’t. Finally, I was annoyed enough to write this blog.

Yesterday, I watched Europe win the Solheim Cup in dramatic fashion. Last night I watched Bill Haas win $11.4m in a dramatic playoff that saw him flop the ball to 2 feet from the water. Look at the BBC Golf homepage below.

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I love to gamble. It’s pretty straightforward; if you offer me a bet I bet you I’ll take it. With golf being my sport of choice, whether that’s playing on the pristine (not so much) fairways of Buckinghamshire, or planted well and truly into my imprint in the sofa enjoying Sky HD’s finest with a Budweiser, I love to get some money involved. Skybet have coined the phrase ‘it matters more when there’s money on it’ and I couldn’t put a more apt phrase into words on betting.

The PGA Championship week is an important week in golf and to quote Andrew Cotter, ‘the last shot at glory in the golfing calendar’. Being the last major of the year I felt it was only fair that I placed a sizeable wager on the event. Rickie Fowler was my first pick. Why wouldn’t he be? He came a close second the preceding week to a resurgent Adam Scott and at 25/1 he was a steal. I eagerly sipped at my bud whilst watching Rickie hit his 1st tee shot of the week, but slowly lowered my ice cold beer from my now gaping mouth as it went straight into the bunker resulting in a first hole bogey. Rickie would go on to shoot +4, thanks mate. Never to mind, at least I had backed Tiger Woods when he was -3 after his first 4 holes. ‘He’s back!’, I exclaimed to anyone who hadn’t already grown bored of my incessant announcements throughout the afternoon in the office. 21/1? A £10 stake is guaranteed to fill up the coffers with a healthy return then. I left the office and by the time I’d walked in Tiger had finished on +7 – never wanted that tenner anyway. More...

In this day and age we are ever more conscious of staying healthy and keeping fit. We are surrounded by health crazes that promise to keep us fit just by picking them up off the shelves. There are constant reminders of the health implications if we do not stay active and look after our selves.

I have always been health conscious, yet the prospect of spending hours in a sweaty gym has never particularly appealed to me. For me, it is so much easier to maintain a healthy lifestyle if you enjoy the exercise you do. Golf is such an enjoyable and social sport it is easy to forget the fantastic health benefits we can gain from it. An average round of golf can burn at least 300 calories. Past all the calorie counting, golf offers more than just a trimmer waist line; studies have shown that by exercising we sleep better and remain in a deep sleep for longer. Sleep is vital for our immune system, muscle repair and a range of other bodily processes that many of us don’t even stop to think about. It’s also worth mentioning that by carrying your clubs muscle tone is built up leading to a better cardiovascular workout. So instead of dragging yourself to the gym, have a round of golf and enjoy the many health benefits that come along with it! More...

On Saturday 6th August Nick carried out the third stage of The Ultimate Tuition Break. Here is his account of his experiences at St Omer...

Having spent the last month since The London Club trying to accurately retain the knowledge imparted and diligently follow the drills supplied by Simon Holmes and JJ Rivet, I felt quietly confident that my swing had started to take shape. The personalised exercise program had started to pay dividends in that my initial physical restrictions had began to be removed and I was able to get in the positions that Simon and JJ were trying to get me into.

We arrived at what must be the premier golfing venue in France, St Omer, and had the opportunity to test the course prior to the reassessments the next day.  Having recently staged a European Tour event we knew that we would have our games severely tested.

The golf course at St Omer is very challenging with numerous changes in elevation, though it is very fair from the tee. Club selection is tested throughout the round with every club in your bag in play. The greens were large, a nice pace and with lots of very tricky putts you will need to putt well to put a score together. More...

Darren Clarke, Open Champion. You wouldn’t have believed it a week ago. Here in the office we like to back a couple of long shots for the majors, this year I had big John Daly at 800/1, a couple of my colleagues had Jimenez and Watson, probably better bets in hindsight. No-one mentioned Darren Clarke at 200/1, but why? If you look at the facts it was obvious. He’s won on tour this year for the first time since 2008 (with a new caddy I might add), he’s taken time out recently which he’s spent playing links golf, oh and he’s Northern Irish. 50% of the last 6 majors have been won by Northern Irishmen. Shame I didn’t think of that last Thursday morning. All joking aside, Clarke knew he could win, he just needed to have the right attitude and it all came together at the right time.  

Just in case you’re skim reading this blog, I’ll repeat, 50% of the last 6 major winners have been Northern Irish. Its staggering. 50%. They must be putting something in the water. How has this happened? Luckily, I’ve been there and can tell you why. More...

After hearing from Chris about the first part of the Tour Fit For Golf Programme, here is Nick's run down of his experience on the next stage at The London Club... 

So with a sense of achievement of having eliminated a sway from my swing and incorporating a ‘proper’ turn I arrived at another premier Golfbreaks.com venue - The London Club for my first reassessment. 

Since the initial assessment at Celtic Manor I had received my personalised exercise program and thrown myself head first into improving my flexibility as well as diligently following the drill provided by Simon Holmes which saw me tethered to the ground, by a bit of equipment called the Power Hip Rotator, hitting countless balls on the range much to the amusement of my friends and colleagues at my home club.

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When Chris Hughman and Nick Blunt won the superb Ultimate Tuition Break prize, we asked them if they could blog about their experiences. Over the next few months they will be working with the likes of JJ Rivet, biomechanics expert for some of the top European Tour golfers, and Simon Holmes, world renowned golf coach and Sky Sports commentator. By the end of their 5 month intensive training course both golfers will have improved their health, fitness and, ultimately, their golf handicap – just in time for their appearance in the Portugal Masters Pro Am in October...

Here is Chris' rundown of the launch of the programme at Celtic Manor..

If the prize that myself and Nick had won was simply a night in the hotel at Celtic Manor and a round on the Roman Road course, I would have been chuffed to say the least.  Celtic Manor is simply a fantastic golfing experience.  From the second you see the stunning hotel looming over the M4, it’s clear what an extraordinary resort your heading to.  The Roman Road golf course was immaculate with a nice variation of holes, and to put it into perspective, the tees were comparable to the greens I’m used to putting on!  The Hotel is first class, the food is amazing, and just to stand next to the 18th green on the 2010 course, the scene of so much drama in last year’s victorious Ryder Cup brings home what a special destination Celtic Manor is.

Nick being prepped..                                        Chris with JJ Rivet..                                            Tour Fit For Golf Team & our winners..

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