Calgary - freesmoke city

One of the most controversial topics in the city of Calgary is the smoke-free bylaw that took place on January the 1st , 2007. The new law bans smoking at public places with just few exceptions. Those who are excluded from the implementation of the law are some casino and bingo halls; still they have been given one year exception. In the end, according to the new regulation, no one would be able to smoke in public places from 2008 and on. Nowadays, bars and restaurants have small designated smoking areas. In addition, one can appreciate how people are smoking outside buildings. I can have a cigarette outside the Education Tower at the University. However, we do not know what would be the future. Apparently the trend is that you will not allow smoking in any public place. Perhaps the only place where you will be able to do it will be in your backyard, if you have a house, or in your apartment’s balcony. And I wonder how bad the decision made by the city council is. Let’s faced it, of course those who do not smoke might be completely agreed with the decision. But for those who smoke, like my case, what are the consequences of it. Well, definitively this is a good topic for a debate, so what I am going to present is a good fact to be considered. From the business perspective, to go smoke free is because of the costs associated with smoking. Imagine this, there is a study from the year 1997 showing that each smoking employee costs an employer up to $ 2565 (http://www.smokefreecalgary.com/). These costs are related to: an increase in absenteeism, a decrease in productivity, a decrease in life insurance premium, and the costs of building specific smoking areas. So I do not know you, but if I were the owner of a company, I will definitively take advantage of a law preventing employees from smoking. In conclusion, besides the healthy reasons attached to a non smoking policy, there are other points of view good to be awarded of while having under consideration the new banning law.

Golf – how is it played!

Having acknowledged the basics of a golf course and the equipments used for golfing, it is time to explain how the game is played, a few rules, and other aspects that the reader may or may not find interesting. Golf is a sport where an individual hits a ball as many times as it is needed in order to complete a round of holes. The holes can be par 3, 4 or 5, which is the way each hole is classified. Par is the number of strokes that a skilled player should require to complete a hole. For example, in a par 4, one is supposed to complete the hole in four attempts. And I say “supposed” because even though it could be seen easy to do, is not. These kinds of holes are designed so a skilled golfer could reach the green with two strokes, and then roll the ball into the hole in two more. Either as singles or in groups of two, three, or four people, players walk or drive in motorized carts over the course. The player whose ball is the farthest from the flag (which stands on the hole) plays first until they all finish. Although being a game that depends on individual skills, golf could be performed in teams, and there is a variety of options for that. As we said before, hitting a golf ball could be seen as an easy task, but hitting it in a proper way requires a combination between physical and mental abilities. From the physical point of view the process depends on the swing that one makes. It should be a balance between your back swing and forward swing. The way a person stands, the distance from your feet to the ball, the amount of power you use while swinging are other physical factors involved. However, the mind plays an important role while golfing; moreover, you can say that is what makes the difference between amateurs and professional. A professional shows a level of mental focus with each stroke that sometimes even the hardest situation is turned into an easy one, but sometimes even the best golfer goes through very disappointed times because even the luck makes his touch in this game. I have had golfing since I was nine years old, and I can say without hesitation that is one of the most challenging sports I have ever played. But I can also state that is one of the most gratifying ones in which one learn and put in practice almost every mental skills. I encouraged the reader to practice it, you will not regret.

Golf - clubs

As per our previous blog, there is a specific club for each place of a hole. The woods are used usually for long shots from the tee or any other part where the ball stands and that requires achieving long distances. They are called “woods” because originally they were made from wood, but it is important to notice that nowadays the manufactures use special types of metal as building materials. Secondly, we can find the irons in a set of clubs. Even though they can also be used from the tee (depending on the distance between it and the green), they are basically designed for hitting the ball on the fairway, the rough, or the bunker. It is important to say that typically they are numbered from 3 to 9, then, the majority of the golf players have a PW (pitching wedge) and a SW (sand wedge). These last two irons are employed for very short distances, less than 100 yards. The SW is a special club very useful if someone has to play the ball from the sand. Generally speaking, for both woods and irons, the lowest the number marked on the club, the longest the distance someone could hit the ball. In other words, if you hit the ball with a 5 iron, you might probably hit the ball longer than if you hit the same ball with a 7 iron using the same force and having the same swing. The final component of a golf set is the putter. It is used on the green where precise shots are required. All the clubs have three parts: a grip, a shaft, and a head.

Golf - Overview

Tonight, I have chosen this topic because one of the best golf tournaments in the world will be played this weekend, “The Master”. The tournament is one of the four majors played during a regular PGA season (Professional Golf Association), and could be considered a dream come true for those who won it. But let’s go back to our topic, an amazing game called golf. One can track the history of the sport back to the 1400’s when it is said that the first game took place at the Bruntsfield Links of Scotland. However, the exact date of its invention remains a mystery. What could be definitively assured is that the Scots are responsible for its creation, and the way we play it today is pretty much how it was played at least three centuries ago. Basically, golf is a sport in which an individual player hits a ball into a hole using a variety of clubs. Usually the target is to complete eighteen holes in a round with the fewer amounts of hits or strokes possible. A golf course, where the sport usually takes place, is a vast portion of land in which the holes are built according to a previous design. A tee, the fairway, the rough and a green are the main four components of each hole. Sometimes, in order to add more difficulties to a hole, sand traps or bunkers (as they are referred to in the golfer vocabulary) are placed in specific points of the hole being played. The tee is the place where each player hits the ball for the first time while playing a hole. The fairway is known as the portion of the hole where the ball is supposed to be after being hit the first time. The rough on the contrary, is any place surrounding the fairway. Finally, the green is a small part where the hole itself is. The game is played with a set of clubs (special made sticks), and there is a specific club for any occasion. In my next blog I will chat more about how the clubs are used and I will detail a bit better how golf is played.