The city of Denver got their shiny new Christmas present early: Allen Iverson, the much-maligned Philly point guard who was finally traded after a decade of turbulence with the 76ers and nearly two weeks of exile. Iverson is one of those sports figures who garners controversy because of hypocritical hack sports writers eager to “Kobe” any star they can once a blemish is found on their record. In reality, between the cornrows and tattoos, he exemplifies more traits I admire than Tiger Woods. Tiger’s childhood was more or less perfect. He had a mentor in his father and a supportive ...

Last week I flew back to America after being stationed in Europe six months (tear). It was a lovely time, which was soon forgotten once I found myself hauling four overstuffed bags through what seemed like countless airports, each bigger than the next. One of the side effects from having this much luggage is you kind of just stuff things where it fits and towards the end you really have no idea where anything is. I flew from Prague to Amsterdam to Chicago and finally ending up in Washington D.C. a couple days later. As I sorted through my assortment ...

I haven’t golfed since an early November trip to sunny Portugal, so my itch is spreading a bit. Imagine my glee when at the ESPN Zone just off Michigan Ave. in downtown Chicago boasted a putting simulator amongst its plethora of sports video games and simulations. But the thing is a joke. I didn’t waste my points (it wanted 12, which is a jip. 60=$15). It also has an old, tiny blade putter that old-schoolers like Gene Sarazen might call low-rent attached to the machine with a rope. Other flaws in the game include a lack of importance on lag ...

Who says golf isn’t a contact sport, especially when you’re riding around on the roof of your golf cart at a charity tourney? Nextel Cup winner Jimmie Johnson has learned the hard way that shenanigans on the golf cart should be left with teenagers and cart barn staff at the muni. He simply couldn’t hang on as the driver took a sharp left, he fell off and broke his wrist. Though I’ve spent my time beating the hell out of carts on golf courses in my days working in the barn at a country club, I’ve never been on the ...

Golf course rankings: subjective, arbitrary, incomplete and AWESOME! Who doesn’t like looking at rankings, especially right before or after a big golf trip where you played a bunch of nominees of the world’s best? I recently posted my Official Scotland Top Ten at GolfEurope.com: ranking the best courses I played while over there in the fall. I have now compared the list to three others: Golf Digest’s Best outside America, Golf Mag’s Best in the world, and Golf Monthly’s best in the UK and Ireland. Now, I do have one - count ‘em one - trip to Scotland under my ...

I never thought of Michigan as a cheap golf destination growing up there. It wasn’t until I saw gaudy prices in Florida, Scotland and Las Vegas that I realized I was blessed to be in the backyard of some fantastic courses at a great value. Golf Digest seems to agree in their Top Ten new courses for 2006 under $75 list. The Sundance course at A-Ga-Ming in Traverse City finished 3rd and The Mines in Grand Rapids placed 10th. I played both earlier this year. The Sundance I thought was still very immature when I played it. The ground is ...

The latest terrorist threat to airline travel is flatulence. And no, I’m not making this up. A woman caused a flight to be diverted to Nashville after she lit a match after she passed gas while in the high skies. Terrorist paranoia has gotten so out of control that common courtesy has become cause for extreme inconvenience. For no reason should anyone have to land in Nashville. Sure, she should have known better. But a suitable punishment could have been simply sticking her in the restroom for the rest of the flight, not causing 100 people to be unecessarily searched, ...

We live in a superficial world full of fashion statements and preconceptions based on looks. This is especially true in the world of golf blogging. So when TravelGolf.com asked me to submit a bio pic for my blog, I was unsettled. As a result of my mug shot - the only glimpse one can get into the person behind the internet’s shield - many readers out there have made their own conclusions about my age and how it affects my views on golf and the world at large. “Brandon, I can’t believe you actually “get it” about Michelle Wie. ...

Sure, a shiny new driver fits under a tree better than stuffing some 40-year old pro in a stocking, but if you really care about your loved ones, you’ll get them golf lessons, not new equipment this holiday season. Getting someone a new club is a temporary fix, not a solution. You’re really just buying someone who is broke a shiny new set of rims. It’s appreciated, but won’t get him out of the poor house. Lessons provide substance and the chance to be a better golfer. My parents would get me winter lessons when I was playing competitively ...