The official Tomorrow Golf League (TGL) schedule has been published: The indoor golf league starts on January 7, 2025.
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Making The Best Choice When Betting
Although the internet has transformed many industries over the last 20 years, there’s a strong argument that few have changed as profoundly as the gambling industry has. It doesn’t matter if you’re a sports bettor or somebody who prefers to play casino games; the last two decades have witnessed the most significant shift in an industry that some historians trace back to the beginning of the 1600s.
Now that it’s a multibillion-dollar industry and a predominantly digital force, mobile phones, laptops and PCs have become the new battlegrounds for iGaming companies looking to get a piece of the proverbial pie.
However, today’s quest sends us down the sportsbook route. With hundreds of sports betting markets, some of which have tens of thousands of potential markets to explore, it’s crucial to make the best choice when betting and that you find a platform that you enjoy using to maximize your gaming experience.
Factors to consider with a new betting site
There are new sports betting companies appearing online every week it seems. With all of them offering some sort of offer or new customer promotion, it can be dizzying just to keep up with all the new names and logos spinning around. However, you can implement a few handy tips to help you save time and differentiate providers with decent potential from those with a subpar service.
The newest betting sites should ideally be able to tick every box. Not only are they entering a market where some of the most established companies at the top have multibillion-dollar strongholds, but they need to offer something genuinely different to make up ground on the established names in the industry.
Here are some of the main factors to consider. Understanding these will give you a better understanding of how to make the best choice when betting:
Promotions and bonuses
Sports betting companies can gain ground by offering a quality platform combined with bonuses and promotions that help them stand out. A platform that balances cost-effective bonuses with various markets and a good balance of promotions for new and existing customers is often the sign of a platform with a good business strategy and an eye towards bringing in new customers.
Quality of customer service
It should be a given that a company handling your financial and personal data has efficient and friendly customer service you can contact at any time. We’d expect the same from any other company we use online. However, if you’re having an issue with a payment or a withdrawal, this is where a company with a good customer service setup will shine.
Customer service quality can take many forms, but you want to ensure that the site you use has a multi-faceted approach, including live chat and social media, which are now some of the most popular ways customers seek assistance and lodge complaints.
Range of sports betting markets available
Aiming for a sportsbook that offers your favorite sports betting markets is important. With growing niche markets proving to be a hit in the gambling world, more providers than ever are looking to branch out into virtual sports, esports and smaller markets, such as badminton, athletics and boxing.
While having the most markets doesn’t necessarily equate to having the best platform, whether we’re looking for sports news or a sports betting site or app, the whole industry has now shifted online. So, it’s important that a website can respond to this growing digital demand and provide value and scope to its budding new user base.
Responsible gambling
Another green flag to look for is companies that have a clear section of their site dedicated to responsible gambling and how to identify problems. Although companies are often mandated under legislation to provide tools to assist people, some sites will not have clear guidance regarding responsible gambling; those that don’t are ones to be aware of. Responsible gambling measures include:
- Time and deposit limits
- Self-assessment tests
- Self-exclusion requests
- Providing contact phone numbers or e-mails of problem gambling organizations
Sites that go above and beyond to protect their customers show they have a good ethos and company culture. Responsible gambling should be the most crucial variable you implement into your gaming. By exploring social media comments and expert reviews, you can often get a good indication of which betting sites fit into this category, both old and new.
Social media and expert reviews
Exploring what the experts say can be a great eye-opener into the quality of a site. If somebody with expertise has had a detailed look at a sports betting platform, not only will experts be able to tell you in detail what the platform does well and where it can improve, but they’ll also indicate the elements to look for so that you can learn how to spot the pros and cons yourself.
A strong social media presence is important for any company; this extends beyond the betting industry, too. While social media platforms have their own characteristics and perceived user base, a betting company with zero social media presence or inactive profiles that do not engage with customers is something to be wary of.
Summary
Understanding how expert reviews can be used as a guiding light to help you find the best platform and develop the best practices when betting is probably the most critical aspect. They’re provided by the people who have tried-and-tested experience and know what they’re looking for. Other angles that speak about their broader business culture include:
- Social media presence
- Responsible gambling measures
- Quality of customer service
We understand that these might not be the integral factors that makes you choose them, but they signal the underlying culture, which experts agree on too. The more sports betting platforms you explore, the easier it becomes to spot the promising platforms and those that are best to avoid.
All-clear: Augusta National Golf Club has taken stock after Hurricane Helene and announced that the 2025 Masters (10 to 13 April) is not at risk and will go ahead as usual. ‘The course was really hit, as was the rest of the community, and there was severe damage,’ explained club boss Fred Ridley. But we have a lot of people working hard to get us back up and running. The Masters will go ahead – on the planned date.’ The famous Magnolia Lane in particular has been affected, with several of the mighty old trees bent or having lost part of their crowns.
#NEW: Drone footage shows the devastation to Augusta National’s Magnolia Lane (video via MrHushpuppy / YouTube) pic.twitter.com/uhKifmThZ4
— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) September 28, 2024
However, the grandees in green are not only thinking about their refuge and their tournament, but also about the affected communities in the surrounding area, as Ridley repeatedly emphasises in his statements. Augusta National has therefore donated five million dollars to the Hurricane Helene Community Crisis Fund, which has been set up to help those affected.
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Helene was a category 4 hurricane and the most violent storm to hit the USA in 19 years. The hurricane’s rage on the south-east coast claimed over 200 lives and rescuers are still searching for survivors in the rubble.
Hurricane Helene also destroys John Daly’s house
Homeless: Another member of the golfing world has become a victim of Hurricane Helene. As John Daly announced recently, his house in Clearwater/Florida was completely destroyed: ‘It’s devastating. It’s the worst thing I’ve ever seen. Besides the damage, it’s the memories that are lost with such devastation.’ Speaking on the sidelines of Constellation Furyk & Friends on the PGA Tour Champions circuit, the 58-year-old said that parts of his family and close friends were also affected by the hurricane. ‘I hope everyone is safe. We will have to rebuild three or four houses,’ said Daly, who lives mainly in Arkansas.
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As bunkered.co.uk reports, Viktor Hovland will have to take the rest of the season off due to injury and will not compete in any more tournaments this year. His injury has not been specified and no further details are known. Although he is therefore short of the required minimum number of four DP World Tour tournaments, he will probably not have to worry about losing his tour card thanks to an exemption.
Viktor Hovland 2024 With a Mixed Season
Hovland had already cancelled his participation in the BMW PGA Championship in Wentworth in September. He was last seen at the Tour Championship, the final of the PGA Tour‘s FedEx Cup, which he finished in a tie for twelfth place. He had crowned his successful 2023 season with victory at this tournament.
However, the Norwegian was unable to build on his success in 2024: he went the whole year without a win, missed the cut in three of the four majors and only reached the top 10 in two tournaments, including the PGA Championship.
Due to his injury, the eight-ranked player in the world will no longer be able to compete in the Race to Dubai. He will miss both the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and the DP World Tour Championship in November.
Viktor Hovland’s “miserable” year has a miserable end. Understand he’s been sidelined for the rest of the season with injury.
— Ben Parsons (@_benparsons) October 3, 2024
Story here – including what that means for Ryder Cup – for @bunkeredgolf: https://t.co/heI5TYlgv0
Hovland’s Ryder Cup Eligibility Probably Not Jeopardised
For European players, membership of the DP World Tour is a condition of participation in the 2025 Ryder Cup, which can only be maintained by playing at least four tournaments on the DP World Tour. Although Hovland is now unable to play the required number of tournaments due to his injury, this is unlikely to be his undoing: The DP World Tour announced that an exception could be made due to the medical reason and that Hovland would be exempted from the playing obligation.
Martin Kaymer celebrated his wedding to Irene Scholz in style at the weekend. The couple had already married in a small civil ceremony in October 2022, but this was followed by a lavish celebration. The couple, who became parents to little Sam for the first time at the beginning of 2022, spent the special day with family, friends and some of Kaymer’s golfing colleagues.
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Martin Kaymer’s Wedding Celebration
Martin Kaymer and his wife Irene Scholz celebrated their civil wedding in Wiesbaden in October 2022 two years later. Back then, the former world number one and the sports scientist tied the knot in a very intimate setting. Both had already planned to make up for their big celebration with the most important people who had accompanied them on their journey so far. Last weekend provided the perfect opportunity to realise these plans.
The celebration took place in a breathtaking mountain setting at the exclusive Schloss Elmau. The German golf pro and his wife invited friends and family to a special weekend in the stunning Bavarian Alps to celebrate their love for each other.
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Her little son Sam, who was born in January 2022, was also there and was included in the celebrations. Irene Scholz shared her joy on social media that her son was able to take on this special role and humorously wrote that Sam was allowed to ‘bring the rings’ this time. In the posts, the couple were visibly moved and grateful for the celebrations and the people who took part.
Celebrity guests and team colleagues at the ceremony
In addition to close friends and the couple’s family, some familiar faces from the world of golf were also in attendance. Kaymer’s LIV Golf team-mate Adrian Meronk was among the guests and shared impressions of the celebration on his social media. Other personalities such as Leanne Hainsby and Benjamin Alldis were also present at the event. The celebration was accompanied by congratulations and warm comments from the golf world.
Legal dispute: Tiger Woods is in trouble with his new outfit label Sun Day Red. The company Tigeraire from Baton Rouge/Louisiana has filed a trademark lawsuit against the 15-time major winner, Sun Day Red and the outfit manufacturer TaylorMade.
Tiger Woods’ Logo is Claimed to Confuse Consumers
According to Tigeraire, which manufactures cooling systems for the sports sector, such as ventilation systems for football helmets, the trademark, which has existed since 2020, is being blatantly ignored, protected trademark rights and brand identity are being infringed and consumer confusion is being created: the application to register Sun Day Red’s trademark must therefore be rejected. Tigeraire refers to the similarities and likelihood of confusion between the logos of the two companies, which each show a stylised tiger. David Abeles, CEO of TaylorMade, commented on the process: ‘We have full confidence in the protection of our brand.’
Insight: A few weeks ago, production began on the long-awaited sequel to the golfing comedy Happy Gilmore; filming is mainly taking place in New York. And so it can happen that you open your front door in the morning and witness lead actor Adam Sandler shuffling around in his bathrobe, lugging a golf bag with him. This is exactly what happened to ‘TikTok’ user Ariana Hailand, who of course immediately shared this very special sighting with the world:
@arianahailand The nicest guy in Hollywood is now the nicest guy in Jersey #AdamSandler #HappyGilmore2 #HappyMadison #Netflix #fyp #NewJersey ♬ Good Day – Nappy Roots
Happy Gilmore 2 Will Be Distributed by Netflix
Some time ago, Christopher McDonald aka Shooter McGavin revealed that Sandler was working on part 2 of Happy Gilmore, and Netflix confirmed this a little later. It is still not known when the film will be finished and aired. But all fans waiting for the continuation of the duel between Gilmore and McGavin can rejoice: it continues just as weirdly.
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Jon Rahm Announces Birth of Third Child
Professional golfer Jon Rahm’s third child has been born. Rahm was therefore able to compete in his first DP World Tour tournament of the season.
Birth causes a slight change in plans
After Jon Rahm was unable to take part in the LIV Golf Team Championship last week due to ‘severe flu symptoms’, according to LIV Golf, his participation in this week’s acciona Open de España was uncertain as well. In fact, Rahm’s arrival was delayed by one day: instead of arriving at the Club de Campo Villa in Madrid on Tuesday as planned, he arrived on Wednesday and thus missed the Pro-Am tournament. However, the reason for his delay appears to be a happy one: The Spanish newspaper ‘Marca’ reports that his wife Kelley Cahill gave birth to their third child a day earlier, on Tuesday.
The couple announced the pregnancy on Instagram in March 2024. The post shows Rahm and his wife Kelley holding their two sons, Kepa (3) and Eneko (2), in their arms. Rahm wrote ‘Officially moving to zone defense, baby Rahm #3 coming soon!’.
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At an Open Championship 2024 press conference in July, Rahm hinted at complications with the pregnancy, but did not elaborate.
Now the new baby is born and Rahm is competing at the Open de España with the aim of reclaiming his title. The 2018, 2019 and 2022 winner has the chance to win the trophy in his home country for the fourth time this week.
Jon Rahm’s participation relevant for Ryder Cup eligibility
Rahm’s participation in the DP World Tour tournament is also important for his potential Ryder Cup participation in 2025: only European players who are members of the DP World Tour can represent Europe in the Ryder Cup. The prerequisite for membership is playing at least four DP World Tour tournaments.
After Rahm switched to the LIV Tour in December 2023, he no longer took part in any DP World Tour tournaments. As the Olympic golf tournament also counts, the Open de España is Rahm’s second of four necessary tournaments. Next week he is on the list of participants at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland and in October he would like to play the Andalucía Masters in Spain.
Justin Rose and Billy Horschel, two of the biggest names in golf, met at the first DP World Mini Golf Invitational. But instead of the big golf courses, a completely different terrain awaited them: the 8-hole jungle course at Bear Mountain Adventure Golf in London. This unique event promised not only fun, but also exciting challenges for the two professionals.
Golf Professionals in Miniature – A Duel of the Highest Class
Although the tournament looked like a casual game of fun at first glance, the ambition of the two professionals seemed unbroken. “There’s nothing mini about my game” joked Rose before the duel, while Horschel emphasized: “To win big, you have to think mini”. These humorous remarks made it clear that both players were prepared to give their all to win their first mini golf title. The event was not only an opportunity to put their skills to the test, but also a chance to celebrate their sporting rivalry in an unusual setting.
Precision and Strategy on the Mini Golf Course
The course put the golf stars to a completely new test. Winding fairways, tricky obstacles and heated discussions with their caddies ensured a mixture of laughter and concentration. The jungle course not only demanded precise putting, but also strategic thinking to find the best solutions to each challenge. Horschel, who jokingly referred to the tournament as “the fifth major”, took the competition with a good dose of humor, but also with ambition.
In the end, Billy Horschel triumphed and not only secured victory in mini golf, but also crowned a historic week. After his victory at the BMW PGA Championship in Wentworth, he added another extraordinary title to his collection. The battle for the mini golf crown was fierce, but Horschel eventually prevailed and won the inaugural DP World Mini Golf Invitational.
The R&A today announced new participation figures that show an increase of more than three million adult golfers playing the sport.
According to new research undertaken for the governing body, there are now 42.7 million on-course golfers (9 and 18-hole) in R&A affiliated markets (outside the USA and Mexico).
The research figures for 2023 indicate a growth of 3.1 million on-course golfers since 2022. The growth trend began before the onset of Covid-19 and is now accelerating faster than the 2020-2022 pandemic period when there was an average of 2.5 million new on-course golfers per annum. The sport continues to increase in popularity, now up 44% from 29.6 million on-course players in 2016.
The new data is provided by national federations in The R&A’s affiliated markets in Asia, Africa, Canada, the Caribbean, Central and South America, Europe, the Middle East and Oceania.
R&A: Global Surge in On-Course Golfers
The research also shows that 62.3 million adults (outside the USA and Mexico) consume the sport in some format, an increase of 1.1 million since 2022. It is just the second time an estimate has been made beyond on-course activity to include alternative-only formats, such as pitch & putt, indoor simulator golf and driving range use.
Phil Anderton, Chief Development Officer at The R&A, said, “Golf’s popularity continues to grow with a significant increase in the number of people playing the sport both on and off the course.
“There are now 13 million more golfers playing on the course since 2016 in R&A affiliated markets, while there are also millions of others enjoying alternative formats of golf, such as driving ranges, adventure golf and simulator golf, which are vital to the growth of the sport.
“New golfer participation programmes with appealing propositions, promotion and imagery are important for encouraging more people into the sport and retaining them in greater numbers. This is why we continue to work collaboratively with our affiliated national federations and stakeholders to build on this momentum and ensure golf continues to thrive.”
The top five on-course adult golfer markets overall reported are in: Japan (11.4 million), Republic of Korea (8.7 million), Canada (6.3 million), England (4.2 million) and Germany (2.4 million).
Women’s Participation on the Rise
Asia is the leading region for people engaging with golf among R&A affiliated regions, with total adult engagement in golf of 26.2 million. Europe is next highest with 19.7 million adults having some form of golf engagement.
The number of adult registered golfers (those members of a golf club within their national association or affiliated through a direct subscription) increased from 8 million in 2022 to 8.2 million in 2023, with an overall growth of 10% since 2020. Registered women golfers have grown from 1.5 million in 2020 to 1.6 million in 2023.
There was a decrease in those adults who only played formats other than 9 or 18-hole golf – 21.6 million in 2022 to 19.6 million in 2023 – but this is likely to positively reflect on those moving instead to full-length on-course golf. The percentage of golfers only using alternative formats that are women did grow from 47% in 2022 to 52% in 2023, specifically in key golfing markets.
The R&A is continuing its commitment to invest £200 million over ten years (2017-2026) in developing golf, including sustained work to encourage participation through various initiatives.
(Text: The R&A)