Is John Daly Good or Bad for Golf?

Ever since John Daly hit the major circuits he has been in the news for various reasons. Sometimes for the wrong reasons, based on his personal life.

big John is in the unfortunate position that he is a high profile sporting giant. This means that his private life is privy to all and sundry. With all respect to the media, printed and otherwise, the bad, or should I say sad, side of his life gets a lot of attention. It is utter sensationalism, but that is what sells in the media business.

It seems like John is in the press more for negative reasons, than his skill on the golf courses of the world, which he has more than his fair share of.

He entertains crowds by hitting a golf ball crazy distances, even with his putter. Unlike Tiger, the ultimate technician and strategist, John throws caution to the wind by ripping his driver enormous distances, where angels fear to tread. Then he proceeds by displaying unbelievable touch on and around the greens.

John is often seen during coverage to bend over, pick up his cigarette and to walk off into the sunset after his golf ball. Not the image to expose youngsters to. But then, John has never claimed to be the ultimate role model.

The big man is known as the regular party animal, not adverse to consuming large quantities of brewed beverages in relatively short spaces of time. Smoking, drinking and a good measure of domestic uprisings is just a natural part of him.

When you are exposed to the masses the way sporting celebrities are, this type of behavior just does not make for our perception of sporting greats.

Then big Bad John hits the fairways of the world, and guess what? We are still in awe of the man who, I believe, can win anything whenever he wants to.

I watched him during the recent USPGA championship. No, I watched the crowds. They still love him. They still watch in amazement as he goes about his business the only way he knows. Nobody cares about the press and whatever goes wrong in his life. They just want to see John Daly do what John Daly does best and only John Daly can do!

Good or bad for golf? That is debatable. The fact remains he still pulls the crowds and wows them with his brand of golf. Long live John Daly - we need our own characters in golf and you are one of them!

Love him or hate him, international golf will be a little duller without him.

Corrie Nel is a golf fanatic and former club captain. Submit your sport articles free:

http://www.sportatlas.com please use ID 1536

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More Yoga Strategies for Anxiety Relief

The Dr. Kataria school of Laughter yoga has received much exposure over the past few years because of the medicinal benefits of laughter. laughing strengthens your immune system and reduces anxiety.

Dr. Madan Kataria is on to something, as laughter could be combined with Pranayama sessions for maximum benefits. In life, there is a shortage of laughing. Unfortunately, too many people take themselves too seriously.

If you feel foolish laughing for 20 minutes a day for good physical, emotional, and mental health, you may want to consider laughing alone, or joining a Laughter yoga club. The benefits of laughing are too good to miss out on.

Yet, the average adult laughs less than 20 times per day. children often laugh over 100 times in a day. No wonder so many adults and teens are so stressed out.

Laughter reduces stress, protects your heart, lowers blood pressure, and is a form of quick relaxation. You could watch comedies, or listen to comedy audio recordings on CD, while you are driving on your way to, or from, work.

If you want to avoid negative thoughts, you may want to reduce the time you spend watching the news or reading depressing stories in the newspapers. This does not mean you should avoid learning new things, but be selective about the type of information you read, watch, or listen to.

Good stories do appear on the news, but how many depressing stories will you have to mentally process before you find one. The old saying, Bad news sells, often applies. There are plenty of good magazines to read, radio stations to listen to, and television channels to watch, so be selective.

Copyright 2007 Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, has written many books on the subject of yoga. He is a co-owner and the Director of yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in Attleboro, MA. http://www.riyoga.com He has been a certified Master Yoga Teacher since 1995. To receive a Free yoga e-book: "yoga in practice," and a Free yoga Newsletter, please visit: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html

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