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Rio Olympics golf organisers have a new challenge preventing the spread of the zika virus. They are taking advice from the World Health Organisation on how to prevent golfers and spectators contracting the disease because there are two standing water hazards on the new course built by Gil Hanse and Amy Allcott.

The disease is carried by mosquitoes who gravitate to standing water. There are two hazards, the larger lake dissects holes 2,3 and 5 and a smaller one on hole 10. Althouh the disease is not life threatening it does cause birth defects. 1.5 million people have already been infected in Brazil and with 500,000 visitors expected for the Rio Olympics urgent action is being taken to educate players and spectators, offering mosquito repellent and introducing movement to the still ponds.

Golf returns to the Olympics after 112 years Aug 11-14 for the mens event and Aug 17-20 for the womens event. A test event will be played over the newly built course at Barra dia Tijuana next month.

The Major of Rio de Janiero, Edoardo Paes has said about the golf event: “In Brazil I dont think there will be much of a legacy, It is not a sport people in Brazil are interested in, its not a popular sport in Brazil”.

However, the Head of the Rio Olympic Games, Carlos Nuzman disagrees: “There could be a big legacy. There are a lot of young kids who will want to participate it’s a big chance for golf to be developed in this part of the world”.

Women professional golfers are concerned about the situation. LPGA Chief Executive Heather Daly Donofrio said they were closely monitoring the situation and working with the IGF. Lydia Ko, the World Number 1 player says that “nothing would prevent her from competing in the Olympic Games and there are some things we cant control and are out of our hands”. However Azahara Munoz says “I would go anyway but I hope they deal with the situation bcause it’s scary”.

This week the Club Captain at Wentworth Club told the Financial Times ” I dont think the PGA Championship can go ahead at the moment in such an environment, such a situation”. Disturbing thoughts for the European Tour which also has its base at Wentworth.

The ongoing dispute has escalated between the Chinese owners of Wentworth and the existing members who are reeling at the impostion of a £100,000 debenture and annual fees of £16,000, twice the current fees. In a 15 page letter to the owners, it was said that “if residents are effectively excluded from the club they may be minded to refuse permission to close roads on Wentworth Drive. They mention that covenants in their deeds will allow them to object to grandstands, hoardings and the noise from the Saturday night rock concert. They may object to the disruption the roads closure causes them.

This could cause a logistical nightmare for the organisers. A spokesman for the Tour says that “it would be extremely unfortunate if the current dispute between Reignwood and Wentworth residents had effect on the BMW PGA which shows golf round the world and raises hundreds of thousands of pounds for local charities”.

On February 6 1971 astonaut Alan Shepard hit a 6 iron on the surface of the moon. See the film here.

Martin Slumbers took office as Chief Executive of the Royal and Ancient last September and has just given his first major interview to BBC Sport. Here are the main points:

In the wake of the tennis betting scandal he said that the Royal and Ancient have no evidence of this happening in golf but they remain vigilant. “We are not complacent. Inappropriate betting undermines the sport. We are looking at the implications and keeping a close eye on it”. Currently all European Tour players and competitors in The Open sign a declaration preventing them from betting on golf.

He says that golf’s return to the Olympic Games this summer is a massive opportunity to grow the sport on a global scale. The exposure of the sport to hundreds of millions of people could lead to a long term surge in participation. As well as ensuring that they work alongside the International Golf Federation to ensure the event is a great success and then capitalise on that success beyond the event.

He says a major challenge which the R & A is tackling is making the game more relvant to younger people. He admits old fashioned stuffiness remains prevalent in the sport. He says that the rivalry between McIlroy and Fowler two weeks ago at the Abu Dhabi Championship was a great image for the game. The sport needs to be more relevant for younger people to come out and play.

With the European Tour this month relaxing its dress rules allowing players to play practice rounds in shorts, Martin Slumbers says this would ne something the R&A might consider in the future, but not for this year’s Open Championship.

He says “golf shouldn’t be frightened of making sure it is modern and relevant, but balancing that with preserving the history and integrity of the game”.

Just a few weeks into the new year and already Phil Mickelson has had a couple of what he calls “pearls”. These are incidents when he gets stroppy about something, tells everyone about it, and then thinks again. There have been some prize pearls in the past, but let him open his account for this year.

First he wasnt chosen to re-design Torrey Pines North, a course which he has known since his youth and has won several events on. When Tom Weiskopf was chosen over him he didnt hold back. “It is certainly disappointing for me. I dont understand the politics of it all. It’s terrible business practice, it makes no sense, but I’m not bitter about it”.

Following on from this before the Farmers Insurance Open he and brother Tim played a practice round with 17 year old Australian Ryan Ruffell who has just turned professional. Being Phil there was a little financial wager going on and Ruffell told a reporter from the Sydney Morning Herald about it in passing. Whether the reporter exaggerated or not, the figure of $5,000 was mentioned and said “taking his money was pretty cool”.

When Mickelson doesnt like something he often begins “that’s interesting”, and he said that this was. He then said that
“He’s young and he’s got some things to learn. One of them is you dont discuss certain things, you dont embelish and create a false amount for your own benefit. That’s High School stuff. He’s got to stop doing that now he’s out on the PGA Tour”.

So Ryan Ruffell was ticked off publicly. He said the backlash was “difficult, a little added pressure”, but tellingly he made the cut, which Mickelson didn’t. Another day, another drama Phil.

Mickelson’s form under his new Australian coach Andrew Gerson has been patchy – T3 in San Diego and T11 at Phoenix with missed cuts to add to the mix. Nothing like the supreme form of Rickie Fowler who now has much more of Butch Harmon’s attention now he no longer coaches Mickelson. If he’s not winning, these dramatic pearls ensure that Phil gets the attention he so craves, positive or negative.

The announcement on BBC radio at 9am this morning was conveyed in such a respectful way that it was almost as though a member of the royal family had died. Only for such a special person as Sir Terry Wogan would the preference “we begin with some very sad news” preparing us before it was announced. Later in the day Peter Alliss spoke to say that he had been in tears all morning at the loss of such a dear friend. Let’s remember the two friends together during BBC2’s Pro Celebrity Golf in the 1980s. And here is Sir Terry’s longest ever televised putt filmed during the series.

Although I never met Sir Terry I did meet his wife Lady Helen. Sincere condolences to her and her family on their loss, which today has been felt by so many of us.

Earlier this month the 2nd Footgolf World Cup was played over the Pilar Golf and Country Club outside of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The United States team won the team event.

The individual World Footgolf Champion is Christian Ortero from Argentina. The United Kingdom had three players in the top 10 – Paul Oliver, Ben Clarke and Dan Spice who ranked 4th, 5th and 10th respectively. Paul Oliver is now the number 1 Footgolf player in the UK and ranked 4th in the world. The former Director of Golf at Addington Court Golf Centre, Croydon he is now Director of Development for the UK Footgolf Association. I once kicked some shots around the Footgolf course at Addington Court and Paul powered round the course. having played Footgolf since, where my group abandoned after the 13th hole because certain players were complaining they were finding it hard to kick the ball because their trousers were too tight and those watching were teetering round the course in high heels I can conclude that it is a sport not for the fashion conscious.

What do you get when you bring the world’s best soccer players and professional golfers together? Footgolf! For the very first time, golf and soccer are collaborating to help kids in need in the Greater Orlando area.
On February 22, the Kate & Justin Rose Foundation and the Orlando City Soccer Foundation will host “Kicks Fore Kids,” a footgolf tournament at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club at Grande Lakes. This unique event will pair one celebrity golfer or soccer player with each three-some in a footgolf match played on a regulation footgolf course.“Kicks Fore Kids is a wonderful opportunity to bring two popular sports together to benefit our community,” said Kate Rose, president of the Kate & Justin Rose Foundation. “Partnering with the Orlando City Soccer Foundation brings together two foundations that have similar missions, helping children in need. The proceeds from this event will impact many children in the Greater Orlando area.” ”
We are very excited to host this footgolf tournament with Orlando City Soccer” said international golf star Justin Rose, who is vice president of the Kate & Justin Rose Foundation. “Combining the world’s best soccer players with golfers in a friendly competition should provide an entertaining event for participants and observers alike while raising money to help children in need. We hope everyone will come out and join us!”“This will be a fun event for the players and spectators are encouraged to come and walk the course with their favorite team or stay at a hole and watch all the teams come through,” added Kay Rawlins, President of the Orlando City Soccer Foundation.
“Kick off” for the tournament will be at 7:45 a.m. on Monday, February 22. If you’re interested search for Kicks Fore Kids Sign-Up.

Found on a financial website this week, wonder how many will just go into clubs and start swimming without permission?

“It is estimated that there are around 50 million lost golf balls in lakes around the UK, largely because of bad shots.

Most golfers don’t fancy going in and recovering these balls and so they’re lost forever unless a golf ball diver recovers them.

A lot of golf balls are valuable, so a golf ball diver recovers these balls and often restores them, and then sells them on.

The amount you’ll earn is dependent upon how many balls you can recover, plus you’ll need to be a strong diver to earn a living doing it.

It’s a business that you would set up on the side something to do at the weekends if you’re a keen diver and live near a golf course.

Recovering golf balls might sound easy, but don’t forget you’ll be swimming among weeds, fish, shopping trollies and who knows what else so it can be quite a struggle. People have died trying to recover golf balls.

Also, if you do end up golf ball-diving make sure you’re not breaking any laws, particularly trespassing laws. An accomplice of a golf ball diver was jailed back in 2002 for just this crime, not the greatest way to reward the entrepreneurial spirit.

Still, If you think British golf ball divers have it hard, spare a thought for some American divers. To recover golf balls some have to fight venomous snakes and alligators!”

This week saw the first meeting of the all-party, both House group Parliamentary Golf which has been set up by Karl McCartney MP,the Member of Parliament for the City of Lincoln. It is partnered by the Royal and Ancient and supported by MR Sport. The meeting on 19 January saw a lively debate about the peception of golf, access for those wanting to play and club financing and taxation.

Associate memberships, and the opportunity to attend and contribute to meetings are currently available at just £25. The forum is to tackle issues central to the sport of golf and drive economic development. Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of the Royal and Ancient said he was looking forward to working closely with the group to provide a strong voice for our sport.

Future meetings will be held at the House of Lords on 18 April, 4 July, 24 October and the Annual Dinner will be held on 22 November.

Full details can be found at Parliamentary.Golf and @ParliamentGolf on twitter.