World Series of Golf

Over the years I have played a lot of poker, and worked on a lot of poker shows. And of the many things I have come to understand about the poker subculture, one of them is that most poker players love to gamble big on just about anything. But there is one thing they all seem to gravitate towards in their thirst for alternate betting platforms: golf.

So when CBS Sports needed a color commentator for the 2nd annual World Series of Golf (http://www.worldseriesofgolf.com/), a golf-meets-poker invitational tournament, I jumped at the chance. The field was all amateur and included celebrities, poker players, and self proclaimed golf hustlers - a zesty recipe for 3 days of fun at the Las Vegas Paiute golf resort. Here were my observations:

1. The desert 30 minutes outside of Vegas is just that – desert. The course was beautiful but the conditions were hot, dry, and incredibly windy the whole time I was there. I might have spent my whole paycheck on Visine, Coppertone, and Claritin!

2. There is a big untapped market for off road spec golf carts. I can’t tell you how many times I nearly killed myself whipping around in one off the beaten path. Who can resist?

3. Golf is hard (and not as fun when you aren’t putting into motorized clown mouths). Golf is expensive. Golf is not however, a sport. It is a hobby, as most anything you can do professionally while drinking a beer and smoking a cigarette should be.

4. Rabbits, snakes, lizards.

5. Golfers like to eat and drink well. The clubhouse was well stocked with top shelf liver assassins, and a fully catered spread that far outdid any tailgate I’ve ever seen. Wine, cheese, and real food that manages to avoid the dreaded deep fryer is eatin right!

6. Sitting in the heat is as exhausting as working out on a normal day.

and finally…

7. Blogging isn’t as easy as it looks. I promise to keep on top of things more in the near future.

Show airs June 28th and 29th at 2pm (EST/PST I think) on CBS.

=)
Ali