Tag: golf

New Flying Hover Golf Cart

On By Paul1 Comment

Screen shot 2013-07-21 at 4.34.19 PM Screen shot 2013-07-21 at 4.35.32 PM

Sensational vehicle hovering over the golfing landscape

When defending Masters golf tournament champion Bubba Watson was shown in a video cruising down the fairway on his Oakley-sponsored hovercraft, the world took notice. It’s been seen by more than 60 million people after being covered by ABC, CNN, ESPN and countless websites.

Neoteric Hovercraft President Chris Fitzgerald told Yahoo News he plans to produce up to 140 of the hovercraft models this year and has had to push back his company’s other production orders to keep up with surging demand, with orders coming from millionaires even in Russia.

Other than for the obvious cool factor, why would someone spend upward of $50,000 on a golf cart hovercraft?

Fitzgerald acknowledged that it’s largely a novelty, but he said there are a few legitimate reasons. “They have a very low environmental impact,” Fitzgerald said. “They can also get up to 50 mph. You can literally fly over a water hazard.”

In addition, Fitzgerald said, he’s tweaking the golf cart cabin to make it more spacious. However, he was quick to note that along with the relatively steep price tag, this golf court requires flight training.

“It’s about a 12-hour course,” he said. “But when you’re done, you could fly your friends around the course.”

Still, Krivicka pointed out that not everything in the video, called “Bubba’s Hover,” is entirely real. For example, in its current form, the hovercraft is loud. And it doesn’t do well when traversing bumpy terrain, as a hovercraft is drawn to depressions in the ground. For example, if you drove next to a ditch, you’d probably end up crashing into it.

“The idea was a collaborative thing from us, Oakley [who is also Watson’s corporate sponsor], Bubba and Neoteric,” Krivicka said in an interview from Thinkmodo’s New York offices. “It literally all started with a napkin drawing. It has already become the most successful marketing campaign ever for Oakley.”

“I’ve been in this business for 50 years. You can pull your hair out trying to figure out how to get this information out that this technology exists,” Fitzgerald added. “In one fell swoop it’s gotten across all these hovercraft concepts to people.”

“Pretty much everything you see in the video is real,” Krivicka said. “But we staged the crowd reactions and specifically chose a golf course in Arizona that suited our needs.”

But the bottom line is you can now purchase a flying golf cart with an expected price of $65,000.

The world’s first hovercraft golf cart is the BW1, which can soar over both sand traps and water hazards and doesn’t damage grass.

How the BW1 works:

  • Classic roof adds a familiar golf cart look and shields you from sun, rain and shanked golf balls.

  • Motorcycle-style handlebar gives you tight control of rudders, which steer using airflow.

  • You didn’t pay all that cash to stay on the concrete. The inflatable skirt keeps the cart 9 inches off the ground, letting you float over rough, sand and ponds.

  • Sixty-five horses power the supercharged fans that put the hover in the hover-cart.

  • Computer-operated, reverse-thrust system makes spinning and flying in reverse possible.

  • Rear storage secures golf bags, equipment and other gear–say, a cooler full of beer.

http://youtu.be/z5u_2bGPdUY

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Hainan – “Playground of the Rich”

On By Paul1 Comment

By P Chong                    9 April 2010

"Hawaii Hainan"
Like an exquisite green gem set in the blue South China Sea, Hainan Island is a bright tropical paradise unique in its character, diversity and enduring appeal.

It is dubbed as the “Oriental Hawaii” & now plans are afoot to make it the “Playground of the Rich” – the new rich of China. Though still in its fledging state to rival the famous French Riviera or Monaco, it does possess a lot of physical attributes & potential. It has the financial resources & patronage support to make the dream come true.

The picturesque island of Hainan enjoys a tropical climate ranging from 16 degrees

during the winter months to more than 30 degrees in the summer. Its physical

landscape with the sun, surf, sandy beaches, and swaying palms, have made it

famous as the “Oriental Hawaii”.

But there is more to it than just the beach life . . . those who prefer cultural

pursuits to sunbathing can enjoy the culture and customs of the island’s

minorities as well as its many historical sites.

* One popular attraction is the Ends of the Earth, a beach on the southern

coast dotted with with large round boulders.

* The Yonado Rainforest Cultural Tourism Zone is a must-see sight.

Hainan is offering couples the chance to marry on board of luxury yachts as part of its plan in promoting the tropical island as a yachting center.

Luxury Yacht Wedding

Yacht Centre
  • Hainan is planning to build China’s first tropical rainforest park. Located in the middle of the island, the park will cover an area of 10 natural reserves and 11 forest parks.

    Tropical Rainforest Park
  • More and more golf courses are appearing in Hainan. Playing golf is cheap in China compared to in many Southeast Asian countries. Sanya Resort is one such golfing paradise armed with lady caddies.

Red Culture Tourism

When it comes to tourism, Hainan is flying high colourfully in more ways than one. Hoping to join the ranks of Hawaii, Australia and the Caribbean, French Riviera & Monaco, Hainan is seen as promoting all kinds of tourism on the island.

Here come Hainan as reflecting the style & mood of the French Riviera & Monaco. Like China’s leaping economic growth, it would be possible to see Hainan as the “Playground of the Rich” within a generation!



Laughter Is The Best Medicine

On By Paul3 Comments

By P Chong                                             Friday, 29 January 2010


Can a laugh a day keep heart attack away? Maybe so, as

testified by new research at the Medical Center of the University of Maryland led by Dr Michael Miller.

It’s pointed out that laughter reduces pain, increases job performance, connects people

emotionally,and improves the flow of oxygen to the heart & brain.

Even a little laughter is a good thing.

Mark Twain said it best:

“The human race has only one really effective weapon, and

that is laughter. The moment it arises, all your irritations & resentments

slip away, & your sunny spirit takes their place.”

Humour & laughter stir up the three Es (i.e. enthusiasm, excitement & emotion) in your body mechanism bringing on a brighter life perspective. Laughter sets you up on a higher plane from where you can view the world in a more relaxed, positive, joyful & creative manner.

Take Mike, for instance, about to retire after years of working competitively as a top-notch travelling sales executive on the international circuit, is finally looking forward to taking up golf seriously. He has always been keen on golf & played occasionally whenever opportunity arose. Although his game has improved considerably, he was always getting angry with every mistake. This was attributed to the crowd he played with who took the game too seriously. They were playing competitively more for the score than for the fun of it. So he stopped his association with them & elected to play with some friends, who like him played more for recreational fun.

Now golfing was as enjoyable as he hoped it would be & even scored better to lower his handicap. The benefits of fun become so obvious. Being able to laugh at your own mistakes take some doing but worth the doing.

Whenever you can create the opportunities for laughter. Laughing out loud may seem silly if done solely on your own, so seek out friends to watch a funny movie together. There are many places & occasions for such opportunities, You might want to:

Join a comedy club or a “laughter yoga” group

Seek out funny people for company

Try to spread cheers around with telling funny jokes or stories

Play around with pets or children

Create fun activities.

Forget about personal inhibitions. Just let yourself go. Sense of humour is not required. Just laugh out loud (LOL)! Release all the stress & strain. Let go of your worry & pain . . . for when you laugh, the whole world laugh with you! Laughter is both infectious & contagious. You should laugh till your belly aches & stomach churns . . . for laughter is feeling deeply . . . allowing you to live fully!

Laughter has so much power to heal & renew. Here below is a summary of the physical, mental & social benefits:

The Benefits of Laughter
Physical Health Benefits:

Boosts immunity

Lowers stress hormones

Decreases pain

Relaxes your muscles

Prevents heart disease

 Mental Health Benefits:

Adds joy and zest to life

Eases anxiety and fear

Relieves stress

Improves mood

Enhances resilience

 Social Benefits:

Strengthens relationships

Attracts others to us

Enhances teamwork

Helps defuse conflict

Promotes group bonding

Laughter is strong medicine for mind and body.

Clowns are always a welcoming sight!

Blogosphere Vs “Emailsphere”

On By Paul1 Comment

Blogosphere Vs “Emailsphere”

SANY2101

There’s that blogosphere, the world of weblogs for you.

Not sure if “emailsphere”

is an acceptable word for the electronic world. Nevertheless,

you know what I mean.

So there I was for the past 10 over years emailing away

until a friend recommended that:

”Since you’re so fond of writing & good at it, you should start blogging.”

Thus on 21 May 2009, my auspicious birthday, I made my plunge.

After several postings, I began to feel like retreating,

until a friend, Ean, in Singapore, whom I have not met in person,

encouraged me to go on. The rest as they say is history – if the word

applies for such a relative short time span of about three months.

At the time of my writing this, I have posted 106 variety of articles

& have reached a readership of well over 3,800.

A big welcome to you if you haven’t been there at my site!


For years I have been writing and I love it. I wanted to share this great love to the world by getting my manuscripts published, but it was all futile & vain. Rejection slips, though polite, are all that I received. I still have two unpublished poetry manuscripts and one on golf entitled “Swap Work . . . Play Golf” – essentially on the creativity of the game, its joy & frustration and the challenges that golf presents. I’ve got some successes getting articles published in the local papers & magazines including a self-published work on motivation “How To Have Motivation Unlimited”.


At Murdoch University, Perth where I spent one year in the graduate law program in 1995, I had to learn the use of the computer for the purpose of doing law assignments. So I did. From that point onwards, I was introduced to the electronic mailing world.


What a pleasure it was! Emailing is so fantastic, speedy, efficient & cheap. It’s miles ahead of “snail mail” which you have to go to the post office, purchase the stamp to post it. I guess that was how you lose track of your friends because it was such a tedious way of keeping in touch. Most people generally don’t like putting pen to paper. With emailing it’s so very convenient – the feel of the keyboard is different and with just one click you can reach a multitude of friends. In fact, there’s absolutely no excuse for people not keeping in touch with friends these days. No place is too far, no day is too short . . . the electronic world transcends both distances & time.


When told of getting into the blogosphere, I had then only fear! What would I know anything about blogging? The word itself was never in my dictionary, nor have I any connotation of its significance. Who would teach me or willing to? As it’s said, you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.


That was my initial reaction & really there’s nothing to fear except fear itself. I always believe in action rather reaction. To me, age is just a chronological number. To ward off any physical effects or defects, we have to actively & positively stimulate our mental ability & capacity. Be in it to benefit it.


In the beginning, I played around with “multiply.com”, “livejournal.com” and even Google’s Blogger. However, I didn’t get much interaction, excitement nor satisfaction, until my sister Annie told me of “Wordpress.com”. Ever since end of May this year, I have been electronically transferring all my thoughts & philosophy into this newly created blog of mine. A very warm welcome awaits you if you have not been there yet:

https://p21chong.wordpress.com

As I express, the Word presses on.

Therein I have all my messages in one place accessible by all globally. My blogosphere is my home where I store that which people can conveniently explore. Blogosphere is far more stimulating, inspiring, motivating & “sexciting” than the more traditional “emailsphere.” My blood runs to my brain & through all my veins! My perspective on life takes on a higher plane, rejuvenating life, generating sparks & fire! Life takes on a new meaning and puts you on a different level. Your boundaries are challenged beyond all limits. In sales, they would say “The sky’s the limit”.


Remember the time before Christopher Columbus when men thought that the world was flat. On the Eastern front, there was the Great Chinese naval adventurer, Zheng He. The much more publicised Columbus sailed to America in St. Maria (eighty-five feet) in 1492. Zheng He sailed from China to many places throughout South Pacific, Indian Ocean, Taiwan, Persian Gulf and distant Africa in seven epic voyages from 1405 to 1433, some 80 years before Columbus’s voyages. His 400ft. long ”treasure ship” was much larger than Columbus’s.


By the same token, “emailsphere” pails in significance when compared with blogosphere. To me, the crux of the matter is that I thoroughly enjoy being in a new sphere, making new friends on an international scale & enlarging my circle of friends globally. Not everybody, as usual, will interact with you, but those who do, I find them to be more genuine, sincere & interesting. They are taking the extra effort of interacting with you even as strangers. But a stranger is truly a friend you have not met.


In blogosphere, you are creating your treasure & asset digitally while creating new friends globally. It’s a world of virtual reality. There’s the prosperity transferable in posterity.


In this world, the question is not how many friends have you got – rather how many people are you a friend to?


Paul Chong

Wednesday, 26 August 2009 @ 4.28 am

A Chinese by Descent

An Australian by Consent

Why This Craze Over Golf?

On By Paul4 Comments

Why This Craze Over Golf?

Just part of my golf manuscript “Swap Work . . . Play Golf” demonstrating golf for challenging your boundaries, good physical activity & creativity.

SANY0871A delightful moment captured in the nick of time – one-putt shot!

What’s this silly game that I am so hooked up with? Just taking up the game at age 65 and after going through a back operation some two years ago? Like most people, I had the notion of being downright stupid chasing after a little ball not much bigger than the size of ping-pong or a squash ball, and all trying to put it into the hole, after a series of drive from the tee-off green. Most people, including seasoned professionals, encounter daily joy and frustration . . . yet they still persist and never seem to resist!

Here’s the” Golfer’s Poem” that says it all:

In my hand I hold a 1.68″ diameter ball

White and dimpled, it is rather small.

Oh, how bland it does seem to appear

This harmless looking little sphere.

By its size I just could not guess

The awesome strength it does possess.

But since I fell beneath its spell

I’ve wandered through fires of hell.

My life has not been quite the same

Since I chose to play this game.

It rules my mind for hours on end

A fortune it has made me spend.

It has made me curse and cry

I hate myself and want to die.

It promises a thing called par

If I can hit it straight and far.

To master this tiny little ball

Should not be very hard at all.

But my desires the ball refuses

And does exactly as it chooses.

It hooks and slices, dribbles and dies

Or disappears right before my very eyes.

Often it will have a whim

To hit a tree or take a swim.

With miles of grass on which to land

Yet it will find a tiny patch of sand.

Then has me offering up my soul

If only it will find the hole.

It makes me whimper like a pup

And swear that I will give it up.

And take to drink to ease my sorrow

But it knows I’ll be back tomorrow!

Have A Great Day! Yes indeed!! I am having the greatest time in my life now that I have discovered the joy of the game and no doubt too the frustration that goes with it.

This week I have played virtually everyday and even taking part in Club’s competition on Wednesday and Saturday. Last Saturday, I won a golf ball! After a round of 18 holes lasting five or six hours (sometimes more), my old bones keep telling me to quit. ‘Stop killing yourself” – my back and my legs shouting out aloud.

The popularity of golf supersedes all others. Of the ball game, whether it’s tennis, cricket, squash, hockey, football, rugby, basketball, softball or whatever ball – they all pale in significance and excitement when compared to golf. It is a game that combines all games. You wonder how such a little ball can generate so big a following all over the world with prize money unheard of with the others.

Golf is fascinating and stimulating

It’s exciting and “sexciting”

It’s exasperating and frustrating

Yet so satisfying and fulfilling

It’s exuberating and exhilarating

It’s rejuvenating and glorifying

It’s everything that you can think.

You soon run out of adjectives and superlatives when attempting to describe your feeling for golf. It’s so challenging and unpredictable. You’ll not likely to have two hits of the same!

Ever heard of “golfing widows”? That’s because the golf game has become, to the man, more than a mistress, day or night. All golfers are gripped with unsurmountable passion and such a magnificent obsession. I guess that’s the reason why more women are taking up golf, with Annika Sorenstam leading the way, even taking on the men in the battle of the sexes.

Golf needs not be an expensive game. The snob value and status symbol attached to it had put off a large portion of the general public. With more and more equipment being manufactured in China, you can quite easily pick up a starter’s set for no more than $300. This will see you through your amateur days and the golden years of your life. Of course, you can easily spend a fortune on upgrading your set and trying to keep up with the Joneses.

Golf is for all ages. Whether you’re young or old, you’ll get as much fun out of it. Tiger Woods is renowned for starting off as young as three. He is the best thing to have emerged on the golf scene, paving an inspirational path for all to follow. Hailing from Hawaii, there is this thirteen –year old girl, Michelle Wie, standing close to six feet tall and driving the golf ball some 300 yards, a distance that even the best of man cannot attain.

At Pickering Brook Sports Club, I have recently met up with a group of sprity old gentlemen and ‘young’’ ladies in their 60s, 70s and 80s, many of them been playing for over 20 to 30 years, and still going strong. They are some of the nicest people you can ever meet on the golf course. From the health point of view, you can certainly draw great inspiration from them to get started on the game and keeping on at it! There is no mandate age for retirement in golf. Some of the greatest golfers of the world, like Jack Nicholas, Gary Player, Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson and many others are still on the golf scene swinging away that little dimpled ball.

Pickering Brook Golf Course provides you with a different experience. Having played in Burswood, Hill View, Whaleback and Collier Park, which can be rather expensive even for a pensioner playing on a regular basis, Pickering Brook’s unique “sand green” course gives you that close-to-nature feeling with the natural bush and trees setting. Membership per year is only $88 and you can play everyday for the rest of your life like you have all the time in the world.

Life is one great adventure and golf provides you that! You’ll get up each morning excited, fresh and ready to go. Some say it’s better than sex!

Paul Chong

An Avid Golfer

Turn Your Disability to Victory

On By Paul2 Comments

Turn Your Disability to Victory

In golf there’s often that love hate relationship!

Do you look forward to your weekend round of golf, only to experience frustration, anger and disgust!

If so, the following story will fire you with inspiration and wild imagination!

The human body is a miraculous piece of biological mechanism capable of performing feats beyond your wildest imagination. Recently, I learnt from CBS of a young man by the name of Kyle, through the mishap of congenital birth was born without arms and legs, and yet is a champion wrestler. For the keen golfers, whether you are only a weekend player or playing more frequently, you might have heard of Dr David Gaudin, whose handicap, as low as 12, is now about 20.

single-rider-cars-1

Such a handicap you might say is nothing worth emulating. However, David Gaudin was born without legs, and like Kyle, that hasn’t stopped him from playing the game he loves. Zeke Bratkowski, that old Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers quarterback, a 5-handicapper at age 73, who’s been to places and seen lots of things, has this to say: “Dr. David shows how magnificent a human being can be.”

The amazing thing is that he uses regulation clubs and hits full shots from his stool with a conventional grip. He pitches, chips and putts from the ground. His best drives are low-trajectory fades that go some 200 yards to his target. He makes an uncommon number of putts inside 10 feet. This is what he has to say: ”We all do the best we can with what we’ve got.”

David Gaudin is 57 years old and has played golf since his Baton Rouge High School days, when a school buddy said. “Let’s get a stool.” Initially, David was falling off the stool and repeatedly getting on and was soon loving it. At Louisiana State University, whenever he and his buddy Walter Smith III were short on grocery money, they would look for golf opponents, or rather golf pigeons, eager to take advantage of a handicapped player with no legs. Smith might have negotiated three shots a hole because of David’s physical handicap – no legs and how could he ever play golf? At day’s end, two shots a hole were more than enough to feed the hungry college students.

David was born with a condition known as femur-fibular-ulna, a good-looking guy and everybody’s friend. He wrestles, plays football. With a torso of a 200-pounder, he bench-pressed 450 pounds, but they wouldn’t let him wrestle heavyweights saying he might get hurt.

Together with his wife Beth, a nurse practitioner, and four partners, they have 25,000 patients. Now a husband and father of two sons and step-father of a daughter, Dr. Gaudin drives most every weekend from Louisiana to Florida, where he pilots his 65-foot yacht and plays golf with whatever pigeons flutter his way.

Paul Chong

An Avid Golfer