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USA TODAY 10:42 p.m. EST December 30, 2014 This Sunday, Dec. 28, 2014 photo provided by Keao's Photography shows Natalie Heimel, second from left, and Edward Mallue Jr., third from left, both U.S. Army captains stationed in Hawaii, reacting with their wedding party after getting a phone call from President Obama during their ceremony at Kaneohe Klipper Golf Course in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. The couple was told on Saturday they would have to have to move their wedding away from the 16th hole because Obama and his friends planned to golf. Obama called the newlyweds to apologize for disrupting their plans and offer his congratulations. (Photo: AP) HONOLULU â€" Brick native Ed Mallue Jr. and his bride Natalie Heimel have a very unique wedding video â€" one featuring a phone call from the president of the United States. President Obama called the newlyweds to apologize after they moved the location of their wedding because the president was playing the golf course...

This Sunday, Dec. 28, 2014 photo provided by Keao's Photography shows Natalie Heimel, second from left, and Edward Mallue Jr., third from left, both U.S. Army captains stationed in Hawaii, reacting with their wedding party after getting a phone call from President Obama during their ceremony at Kaneohe Klipper Golf Course in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. Keao Sunaoka | Keao's Photography via the Associated Press   HONOLULU (AP) -- A couple getting married near President Barack Obama's vacation spot in Hawaii learned the hard way that the big day rarely goes exactly as planned. Natalie Heimel and Edward Mallue Jr. -- both U.S. Army captains stationed in Hawaii -- were scheduled to tie the knot Sunday at Kaneohe Klipper Golf Course, a military course with ocean views near Obama's rented vacation home in Kailua. But after their rehearsal Saturday, they were told they'd have to move their wedding away from the 16th hole because Obama and his friends planned to gol...

Dec. 24, 2014: President Obama tosses a golf ball between his hands after finishing the 18th hole at Marine Corps Base Hawaii's Kaneohe Klipper Golf Course in Kaneohe, Hawaii.  (AP) Before they could say "I do," President Obama needed to play through.  Two Army soldiers reportedly had to relocate their Hawaii wedding over the weekend so the commander-in-chief could play golf.  Bloomberg reports that the Army captains, Natalie Heimel and Edward Mallue Jr., had planned to get married at the 16th tee box at Kaneohe Klipper Golf Course, on Marine Corps Base Hawaii, on Sunday.  But just as they were finishing their wedding rehearsal on Saturday, they were told they'd have to move -- to accommodate the president's round the following day.  "It was emotional, especially for her -- she's the bride and in less than 24 hours they had to change everything they had planned," Mal...

A day before their Hawaiian wedding, two Army captains heard from President Obama that he would not be able to attend. Then they heard they would have to change their venue because of his golf plans. Couples and others planning events at the site are routinely advised that the president's vacation visits may disrupt their plans, so the captains, who are stationed in Hawaii, switched their venue; wedding planers moved the ceremony from the 16th tee box on the golf course on the Marine Corps Base Hawaii, which Obama regularly plays, to what Bloomberg News called "the lush, green lawn near the home of Colonel Eric Schaefer, the commanding officer of the base, which offers an elevated view near the 16th hole." Bloomberg broke the story, but others quickly teed off Monday. Cue the golf puns and playful headlines and the personal apology from Obama, who has played five rounds of golf at the venue in 10 days on his vacation. Politico: Barack Obama, wedding crasher ABC News: Obam...

Natalie Heimel and her fiancé, Edward Mallue Jr., a pair of captains in the Army, were walking from their wedding rehearsal on Saturday at the 16th tee box at Kaneohe Klipper Golf Course in Hawaii when they were informed they'd have to move their wedding, scheduled for the next day. President Barack Obama wanted to play through. It was the second time that day that the couple heard from the nation's commander in chief, whose affinity for golf has, at times, caused political headaches for the White House. Stationed in Hawaii and knowing the president spends his Christmas holiday on the islands, they invited him to their ceremony on a lark. They had received a letter earlier on Saturday saying Obama regretted he couldn't come and wishing them happiness on their wedding day. “He apologized and congratulated them.” Jamie McCarthy “It was kind of ironic they got the letter from them and then, within hours, they were told they had to be...

Rory McIlroy has already been serenaded by a rugby crowd with "Sweet Caroline," and now he might have to worry about teeing it up next to his former fiancé on a driving range. Caroline's caption: " Not the prettiest golf swing, but 200 yards on the first try... Boom!  #notprettybuteffective" Some of you reading this are yelling: "I go 18 holes without hitting the ball 200 yards!" Ms. Wozniacki joins Ms. Vonn and Ms. Gretzky as females currently or formerly linked to golfers whose on-course exploits we montior with great zeal. The 2015 U.S. Open will be held at Lancaster Country Club from July 9-12  in Flushing, New York, from Aug. 31-Sept. 13.

(Editor's note: This is part of a series in which GolfChannel.com staff reveal their favorite or personal moments of 2014.) The assignment here is to write about my favorite moment covering golf in 2014, and I’ve got plenty of ‘em. There were weighty moments, such as listening to Martin Kaymer deftly articulate the importance of winning The Players Championship on Mother’s Day in honor of his late mother or watching Erik Compton embrace his father after a runner-up finish at the U.S. Open on Father’s Day. There were eye-opening moments, like Jordan Spieth telling me on New Year’s Day about his long-term goals while we rode around Kapalua in a golf cart. And fun moments, like taking the Ice Bucket Challenge on live television from The Barclays while Ernie Els walked past laughing. Nothing will stick with me longer, though, than the five-minute, 51-second conversation I had with George McNeill after the final round of The Greenbrier Classic. During that day’s tele...

In the game of golf, talent alone won’t get the ball very far. While spiked shoes, collared shirts and cigars are synonymous with the game, all you really need on the course is a club. And while there’s no promising that using a more expensive club will lead to a lower scorecard, there’s not harm in checking out the world’s most luxurious options, is there? It’s hard to top Honma Golf’s Five Star Set  in any model (clubs start at $5,400 each). The company, over half a century old, uses the finest materials and hand-crafts each club made to order in Japan, which explains the two month turn around time. But the wait just might be worth it, if 24-karat gold-plating and Pt1000 platinum is your thing. Honma’s 14 piece five star sets, including the bag and accessories, hover around $76,000. A five star club, in Honma terms, means that it was produced by the hands of the world’s most senior club makers, the Takumi craftsmen. Honma Five Sta...

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Martin Kaymer Martin Kaymer is targeting an immediate return to form when he takes part in the Thailand Golf Championship for the first time. The 29-year-old has struggled to maintain the form that swept him to a dominant victory at the US Open in June, ending six of his past eight tournaments over par and finishing 12 shots adrift of winner Henrik Stenson at the season-ending DP World Tour Championship. While Kaymer’s recent displays have failed to see the former world No 1 challenge for silverware, the German remains confident of ending 2014 strongly at the Amata Spring Country Club. “I’m here to win and that’s the reason why I’m here,” declared world No 13 Kaymer. “I haven’t played in Thail...

Meet Nathan Brown. He's 27 years old, resides in Missouri, and apparently, loves stealing golf balls. Brown, who has been nicknamed the "golf ball bandit," recently confessed to stealing golf balls from a Maryland Heights (Mo.) driving range on three separate occasions dating back to November 2013. The total number of golf balls stolen? A whopping 42,000.  Brown stole all of the golf balls, valued about about $20,000, from the Golfport Driving Range. His most recent theft occurred in October. "That almost put us out of business because you need golf balls to operate," owner Carol Boggs said. "We couldn't imagine that anybody could come in here and pick up that many golf balls without somebody recognizing that there's somebody out there picking golf balls," added Boggs.  Smartly, Golfport Driving Range puts its own logo on the balls and updates it each year. That probably made it a bit tougher for Brown to unload his...

Hitting golf irons effectively is often the difference between scoring low and scoring high. Those golfers and you know who you are that can not effectively hit your irons will have a tough time scoring low on your round. If you are using hybrids to mask your lack of skill with irons, your only delaying your improvement. Bottom line is that you need to develop your whole game, irons included to improve your game enough to meet your goals. Keep in mind that it will take time and patience to improve and the best way to start is just that get started. Furthermore, a training aid will help you improve quicker than just doing it on your own. To hit irons solidly, which is the key to distance control, you need to hit down and compress the ball between the ground and the face of the club. This produces backspin which, added to the club's loft, makes the ball rise. When hitting your irons, learn from your divots. A good iron player will hit the ball first and ...

If you love to play golf as much as most golf enthusiasts, you would probably play more if the great game of golf and most golf equipment wasn't so grossly expensive. An 18-hole round of golf at even a moderately expensive golf course averages about $36.00. A decent box of 12 golf balls costs roughly $19.00, and golf clubs are hundreds. Although it's impossible to get it all for free, there are ways to get free rounds of golf and huge discounts on golf equipment. Here are some guidelines to help you play more rounds of golf for free, get some free golf equipment and get huge discounts on other golf stuff: Free or reduced rounds of golf: Play golf writer for a day. Since anyone can contribute articles on the Internet, call the golf resort or club where you'd like to play and ask for the club pro. Tell him that you write reviews of golf courses for an Internet site (you can create the site yourself, or put them her for ezines). Tell the golf ...

The popularity of golf is gradually increasing day by day. The sport which originated in Scotland has now been played in almost all nations of the world. Beautiful golf courses are now prepared on the lush green firms, coastal areas, plains and even in sandy regions. The game has always been known for its class and taste. The players of the game generally belong to the elite class. Though the game was known to be a popular pastime for the rich but now days it has become a driving sporting event for many golf enthusiasts. Especially due to the contribution made by stalwarts like Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson the game has earned its popularity among young affluent men. The game requires high level of concentration and consistency. Though the format of the game might apparently seen to be quite simple but the techniques of playing it with perfection is quite challenging. The standards attained by Woods are regarded as unreachable. There are many other famous g...

During the golf swing the most important multi-function muscle is the butt. There I said it. It may be crude to some. But the butt is one of the most under utilized, under rated, muscle groups. Let me explain, most people, unless there out on the PGA tour, there at a desk sitting, working Monday through Friday. Sitting for prolong periods of time tends to be the biggest culprit of dis-function in human performance both in the gym and on the course. Most recreational players (and some pros for that matter) will have weak hip flexors, weak hamstrings, weak buttocks, weak para-spinals, and a weak protracted shoulder complex from sitting too long. So where does this leave us, well lets start with the butt. This entire muscle group is vital in helping the player to maintain lower body stability throughout the swing. It is also plays a large role in maintaining core stability throughout the swing. It is this one muscle group that helps to blend the lower body movement ...

The only part of your body that ever touches a golf club is the only part of the body able to control the club... and that part of your body is your hands. Your grip is an important placement because they literally are the only parts of your body in contact with the club. If you do not have the correct grip, small problems could be affecting your swing! Here's why: If the clubface is not square on impact, it will cause unnecessary spin on the ball (or cause it to simply fly in the wrong direction). An "open" or "closed" clubface is the cause of bad shots. It can be said that improper hip rotation, or arm positioning could be the cause of bad shot and that is absolutely true. But the fact remains, is that the club did not make solid (and square) contact with the ball. Pretend for a moment that a golf swing robot is swinging the club... the robot has a perfect swing right? Something no human can consistently do. If you turned th...

An efficient golfer is one who's getting better with each passing game. Opportunely, there are varieties of ways to boost your game, from training intensely and executing a swing change to perfecting the biomechanics of the golf swing in order to stumble upon that one tip that makes everything on the same wavelength. You may find the word biomechanics a little bit technical. In actual fact, it is indeed a complex jargon, but one must understand that it actually relates to the basic concepts of swing positions. It is all about following a small set of basic principles in order to hit a solid game and be able to pull off excellent shots. To endow you with supplementary niceties and fine points, here's a better way of understanding what biomechanics of the golf swing is all about. Presenting below are biomechanical rudiments of the body that shall work in agreement for crisp contact and good distance control on all greenside shots. 1. Posture - Right ...

You've been playing golf forever and you still stink when you're out on the green. You've got all the necessary gear, all the training stuff, and you've watched videos and tutorials online. So, what's the problem? Even if you play golf as a hobby, you'll always need to be concerned with correcting golf swing problems. There's nothing more rewarding than noticing that you're scores are getting lower. You'll gain more confidence and feel better about your game. Here are some simple tips for correcting golf swing problems. Keep Your Eyes Open When you go golfing with friends, watch them. During the first few holes, check out everybody and see who's the best player. Don't worry about all your own slices and mistakes; find out who's the best in the group and study their moves. You'd be surprised what you can learn just by watching others play. If you don't get out to play as much as you'd like ...

'Golf is not a Game of Perfect' is one of Dr Bob Rotella's masterpieces, and one of Golf's bestselling books. It is 'one of the three best selling golf books in history' and is 'the best selling sports psychology book of all time'. 'Golf is not a Game of Perfect' explains how important and significant the mental side of the game is on performance and provides you with simple and easy instructions to help you think more positively and increase your level of play. Dr Bob Rotella believes that once you have learned the basic techniques of the golf swing, then technique actually only plays a part of about 10% of the game, with the remaining 90% made up of the mental approach. How you apply this mental approach will ultimately determine how successful you will become as a golfer. Dr Bob Rotella reveals many of his amazing experiences that he has had whilst working with some of the games greats, such as Tom Kite, Brad Faxon...

Golf cart batteries are the life-force behind your electric golf cart. Golf carts run off of what are called deep-cycle batteries. Although they look similar to normal car batteries, deep-cycle batteries serve a completely different purpose. While both are lead-acid based, deep-cycle batteries provide a steady current over a long period of time, whereas car batteries provide a very large current over a short period of time. This is because golf carts, like other electric vehicles, derive all their power from their batteries. One battery is not enough to run a golf cart. Instead, they use battery packs that consist of multiple batteries. Individual golf cart batteries usually come in 6-volts or 8-volts. The combined total of the voltage from each battery makes up the total golf cart voltage. For instance, a 36-volt golf cart probably has six 6-volt batteries. And a 48-volt golf cart probably has either eight 6-volt batteries or six 8-volt batteries. And as you...

A fat golf shot is where the golfer hits behind the golf ball causing a big divot and little ball flight. When this happens it can be embarrassing and at times can cause injury. Fat shots are commonly caused by swaying at the time of the swing. Though the fat shot isn't counted among the seven most dreaded golf shots that include... (a) Pitch over a deep bunker; (b) Approach Shot over water; (c) Dreaded half-wedge; (d) Beginning hole tee off; (e) Fairway sand shot; (f) Downhill four-footer and (g) Follow up shank shot, However, hitting behind the ball has its problems, drawing golf players to find the secret behind how to stop hitting fat golf shots. Hitting fat shots nonetheless, is not a very uncommon event for beginners who try to blame their irons for hitting the ground instead of hitting the ball. So do not get disappointed if you end up hitting a fat golf shot, there are many other beginners out there who do this quite a bit as well. The main reaso...

Before buying antique golf clubs, you must get into the habit of appraising it properly. Unfortunately, most of us at some time have had the experience of giving a club a simple once-over glance and then finding out after we've purchased it that it may not be the antique that we thought it was. Here's some advice to help you appraise vintage wooden shafted golf clubs. The most important thing is to start at one end of the club and carefully work along the club, reviewing all of its components, ensuring that you have an antique golf club appraisal which is sound and reliable. As always, if you have any questions, there are a multitude of experts available who can assist you with questions or concerns. There are also many great reference materials which make appraising an antique golf club much easier. Here in this 3 part series on antique golf club appraisal, we look at the grip, the end grain of the shaft, and wood rot as factors in determining the a...

Now there's an ambiguous title if ever I saw one! I'll leave you to ponder its double meaning....the secret that is. Late September and for most players, professional and amateur alike, the golfing seasons are winding down. Regional PGA events in the UK have concluded, amateurs are clearing a little space in the corner of the shed to place their clubs and bringing out their special 'hibernation blankets' to keep their clubs safe through the darker evenings. OR the special blanket has long been discarded as they launch the clubs into a corner....quality clubs my arse. Waste of time again this season!! Another season winding down and the golfing gold you promised yourself back in the spring, nowhere to be found. The road to the promised land seems to permanently be plagued with road works.....maybe next year comes the call from your onboard agent...yeah, like you believe a word he says. Same old message year after year- a lot of effort, no gold....

Nov 9 (Infostrada Sports) - FedEx Cup rankings 1. (1) Bae Sang-Moon (South Korea) 605 2. (2) Robert Streb (U.S.) 600 3. (3) Ben Martin (U.S.) 552 4. Bubba Watson (U.S.) 550 5. (4) Ryan Moore (U.S.) 541 6. (84) Tim Clark (South Africa) 366 7. (5) Brendon De Jonge (Zimbabwe) 363 8. (6) Kevin Streelman (U.S.) 356 9. (7) Steven Bowditch (Australia) 325 10. (9) Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) 265 11. (8) Will MacKenzie (U.S.) 263 12. (10) Kevin Na (U.S.) 259 13. (10) Sergio Garcia (Spain) 249 14. (10) Gary Woodland (U.S.) 222 15. (13) Tony Finau (U.S.) 200 16. (14) Brooks Koepka (U.S.) 193 17. (15) Russell Knox (Britain) 192 18. (16) Hudson Swafford (U.S.) 189 19. (17) Martin Laird (Britain) 174 20. (22) John Senden (Australia) 172 21. (18) Kevin Kisner (U.S.) 169 22. (28) Hunter Mahan (U.S.) ...

New Delhi (AFP) - Shiv Chowrasia of India clinched his third Asian Tour title when he defeated compatriot Rahil Gangjee and Mithun Perera of Sri Lanka in the play-off to win the Panasonic Open on Sunday. Chowrasia, who began the final round five shots off the lead, made a remarkable comeback by rolling in a 15-foot birdie in the play-off to win the $300,000 event at the Delhi Golf Club. The 36-year-old, whose final-round score of six-under-par 66 included eight birdies, said he was delighted to win a Tour title after three years. "I worked very hard for this win because I wanted to boost my confidence," Chowrasia said. "It is three years since I last won and I will take a lot of positives from the win. "I’ve lost in two play-offs before but that never crossed my mind. I was focused on making the birdie putt in the play-off. I always had the belief that I could win on the Asian Tour again and I did." Gangjee, who finished with...

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Local favorite S.S.P. Chowrasia lifted his third Asian Tour title on Sunday, coolly rolling in a 15-foot birdie putt to prevail in a three-way playoff at the Delhi Golf Club. Fondly called "Chipputsia" for his impressive short game, the Kolkata golfer began the final round five shots off lead before firing eight birdies in the day's lowest score of six-under-par 66 to join compatriot Rahil Gangjee (71) and Sri Lankan Mithun Perera (70) on 12-under-par 276. "It is three years since I last won and I will take a lot of positives from the win," said the 36-year-old Chowrasia, who won his first Asian Tour title at the 2008 Indian Masters at the same venue. "At the start of the day, I was thinking that if I could shoot a four or five-under, I will have a chance to win. I was confident I could catch the leader." Gangjee, who led for three days, foun...