Every sport has its share of ridiculous names, but few sports have names and nicknames that are so in-line with the “aura” or the sport. For a long time, golf was for the upper-crust, but in recent years, we have seen a surge in the presence of southern players in the PGA. And where there are southern players, there are really goofy names. How goofy? So goofy that a guys named “Fuzzy” and “Chi-Chi” didn’t even make the list.

5. Charles Howell III
Pretty sure this was the millionaire’s name on “Gilligan’s Island.” Ok. That was “Thurston” Howell, but it’s not far off. Golf has a well-deserved reputation as being a sport for the blue-blood country club set, and this name does little to dissuade people of that notion.

I’m far from a golf scholar, but “Charles Howell III” is such an awesomely stereotypical golf name that when I glance at a leader board at a golf tournament (which, admittedly, isn’t all that often) I just see “Charles Howell III” like 60 times, and then “Tiger Woods” mixed in there somewhere.

It sounds like Charles Howell II would have been one of those heartless real estate developers that tears down rec centers in order to build golf courses. Like Troy’s dad in The Goonies.

4. Dicky Pride
You wouldn’t expect a golfer with the name “Dicky Pride” to be very good, would you? Well, you’d be right. Holding strong at around 200 on the annual money lists, this guy is proof that Dicky Pride is a name better suited towards NASCAR or the PBA. I would toss $1,000 into a pot in order to get someone named “Penis Shame” in his foursome. I know that there probably isn’t a dude named “Penis Shame” on this Earth, but we could forge some birth certificates.

3. Duffy Waldorf
Seriously? Couldn’t he just simplify his name and change it to “White Guy?” Ole’ Duffy made $32k on the tour this year, then $7k in 2008, with no money stats in between. I hope he’s got a rich wife or something, because the only thing funnier than a golfer named Duffy Waldorf is a homeless dude named Duffy Waldorf.

I would like to go back in time and christen Craig Stadler with this name. Doesn’t Stadler just look like he should be named “Duffy Waldorf?” If you’re say “no” right now, you’re lying.

2. Willie Wood
Never mind about “Penis Shame,” “Willie Wood” is the guy I want teeing off with Dicky Pride. To spice things up, the PGA should take the four guys with the most suggestive names and make each of them drink two bottles of Mad Dog 20/20 before teeing off. I don’t care if Tiger Woods is setting the Augusta course record left-handed, if you find out that there are two golfers named Willie Wood and Dickey Pride bombing around the course with a healthy buzz on…sorry, Tiger.

1. Padraig Harrington
I think this guy might be Irish. Let’s take that a step further: I think this guy might be a leprechaun born in a barrel of Guiness that carries a pot of gold and sneezes shamrocks. Padraig clocks in as the most successful golfer on this list, having finished as high as fourth on the 2008 money list with $4,313,551. Do you have any idea how many potatoes he can buy with that much money?

Seriously. That wasn’t rhetorical. I have no earthly idea how much a potato costs.

The first chance I had to get on a golf course and give the Happy Gilmore drive a go I did, and its definitely was one day in my life I will never forget.  Approaching the ball, I swung with all my mite, embarrassing myself by hitting the ball no further then the womens tee along with blowing out my right shoulder because of the unconventional swing.  I was sidelined for a month and a half with a separated shoulder and to this day I still feel the pain.

13 years later the people at Sport Science decided to test out the Happy Gilmore swing and recruited PGA Pro Padraig Harrington.  So what were the results????  Lets just say his form on the drive was identical to his standstill drive but using the Happy Gilmore swing he added a whopping 30 plus yards.

So will Padraig use this swing on the golf course?  He says never! because of the consistency and accuracy that doesn’t comes with the Happy Gilmore swing.  But he does recommend an average golfer giving it shot because they got nothing to lose except the ball.

I’m sure each one of those 18 holes is a perfect mini-masterpiece of challenge and reward. Along with, apparently, a lion or two along the way, if we’re to believe the brochures.

Whats so special about this golf course is not the amazing first 18 holes, it’s all about the bonus 19th hole.

The course’s so-called “Xtreme 19th” hole is a par 3 — a par 3 whose tee is atop a cliff on Hanglip Mountain, more than 1,400 feet above a green carved like the continent of Africa. You’ve got to take a helicopter to get to the tee box, and from there it’s more than 630 yards to the pin. Once you tee off, it takes nearly 30 seconds for the ball to hit the ground.

So you ask how much for a round????   Not much a full 19 holes of golf will get cost you $220 USD or 2,000 South African rand.  Included in this round is a 19th hole helicopter ride, plus a bunch of souvenir and a DVD of your shot.

If for some odd 1 in a billion chance you manage to get a hole in one on the 19th, you win a coll $1 million and right to call yourelf the most Xtreme golfer in the world.  So make sure you book your tee time in advace because this course is booked solid all year round.

Total Pro Sports – As another season of PGA golf is upon us, the focus once again will be centered around  Tiger Woods‘ pursuit of Jack Nicholas‘ Major Championship all time mark of 18. At 33 years of age, Tiger is said to be in the prime of his career as most golfers reach this point in their mid-30.  However, given the season ending knee surgery he is coming off of which ended his 2008 campaign early, it will be interesting to see how Tiger fairs this season on tour.

With 14 Majors to his credit, Woods has the potential to tie Nicholas’ mark this season if he could capture the Grand Slam by winning all four events in the same calendar season.  Given that Tiger has won each major at least 3 times each, this feat is not entirely a bogus assumption.  In order to do so, Woods will not only have to stay healthy, but he will also have to elevate his game in order to compete with the ever improving depth of talent on the tour.

Some players to watch out for this year include last years PGA and British Open champion Padraig Harrington who was also named both the European Tour and PGA Tour player of the year in 2008. Australian Adam Scott is poised for a break out season and at 28 years old was ranked second in the world behind Tiger Woods at one point in 2008.  Spaniard Sergio Garcia is still searching for his 1^st Major Championship crown, and given his victory at the Players Championship last season, Garcia could make that a reality in 09.  Lastly, lest we forget about the usual suspects in veterans Phil Mickelson, Kenny Perry, Vijay Singh and of course the two South Africans Retief Goosen and Ernie Els.

Perhaps never before has Tiger had to overcome such a deep pool of competition on tour.  This should provide for some exciting tournaments over the course of the 2009 golf season.