Woods grabs lead at Dunlop Phoenix golf tournament » Present Sports

MIYAZAKI, Japan — Tiger Woods shot a 5-under-par 65 Friday to take one-stroke lead into the third round of the Dunlop Phoenix golf tournament.

The two-time defending champion used an early eagle at Phoenix Country Club to post a two-round 8-under 132 and move past Ireland’s Padraig Harrington (66).

“I’m very happy to shoot that and to have that be the lead is awfully nice,” Woods said.

Woods, who took a five-week layoff before last week’s HSBC Champions at Shanghai, is looking to join Japan’s Jumbo Ozaki (1994-96) as the only three-time winners in the $1.69 million Dunlop Phoenix.

“Hitting the ball as well as I did today, it was a nice positive sign going into, potentially, a very difficult weekend,” Woods said, referring to the forecast for stormy weather.

“I hit a lot of good shots,” he added. “I just need to clean up a bit and I should be all right. You can’t miss it around this course and expect to win. these greens are too difficult and this year with the rough being up, you’ve really got to hit good tee shots as well.”

While Woods is in a good position to defend his title, some quality players are close behind, including Harrington, whose solid round included a lone bogey at the par-3 11th, where his 7-iron found the pond guarding the green.

Harrington said he looked forward to playing the third round with Woods.

“I’m happy for the opportunity,” Harrington said. “You’ve got to play with Tiger if you’re going to win the majors basically and the more you play with him, the more familiar you get, the easier it is to play with him, so I always see it as an opportunity.”

Englishman Ian Poulter, who finished tied for second behind Woods at the World Golf Championships-American Express Championship seven weeks ago, continued his recent good form with a 64 to sit two stokes off the lead in third place. Three of Poulter’s seven birdies were tap-ins, and two others were from inside 10 feet.

“I hit a lot of fairways, a lot of greens, had an awful lot of chances,” Poulter said. “I’m in form, just playing the way I’ve played all year.”

As well as Poulter played, it wasn’t enough to catch Woods, who made his eagle at the par-5 fourth, where he chipped in from 25 feet.

“to be honest, I hit it too hard,” Woods said. “If I’d missed, it would have gone about six feet by, but it caught the right edge and it went in.

“Conditions were a little easier than yesterday and you could see some of the guys really went low today. You had to shoot something in the mid 60s in order to have a chance of getting in that final group.”

It wasn’t all smooth sailing, though. At the par-4 17th, he pushed his drive up against a temporary fence. Though he was granted a free drop, trees blocked his route to the green, so he chipped out sideways and settled for a bogey rather than risk a try for a miracle shot.

Overnight leader Shingo Katayama of Japan fell three shots back after a 70, while Englishman Justin Rose carded the day’s best score, a 63, to move within four of the lead.

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Woods grabs lead at Dunlop Phoenix golf tournament » Present Sports

Lara disqualified in Cologne

Last updated: 23rd June 2012 Jose Manuel Lara

Jose Manuel Lara has been disqualified from the BMW International Open for having an extra club in his bag.

What was particularly damning for the Spaniard was that his caddie tried to hide the indiscretion by trying to get rid of the club once he realised that Lara had one too many.

European Tour chief referee John Paramor said: “His caddie noticed that he had a 15th club and on the second hole he attempted to lose it in a thick bush.

“He was seen entering the bush with the bag of clubs by his playing partners (Ireland’s Damien McGrane and Swede Peter Hedblom), who thought it was a little bit suspicious.

“They went and asked the chap ‘What are you doing?’ and he sort of fumbled out an answer saying ‘I’ve got this wrong – I’ve done something bad. I wish it hadn’t happened, etc etc’.

“It was clear the club was out of the bag and in the bush at the time. He admitted it straight away and regretted his action.

“A ruling was sought over what was the penalty for carrying an extra club and he was given two shots for the first hole and two for the second.”

After speaking to colleagues on the referees’ panel Paramor ruled that it was a serious incident and warranted disqualification, though they have taken the caddie at his word that Lara had no knowledge of what was going on.

“Hopefully we won’t have too many more of those,” Paramor told Sky Sports.

“We interviewed the player and are perfectly satisfied that he had no knowledge of what was going on.

“It was clearly the caddie doing what he felt at the time was the right thing, but was clearly the wrong thing. He’s kind of been asked not to come back and that’s how the matter has been resolved.”

Lara disqualified in Cologne

BMW International Open: Joel Sjoholm Leads in Cologne

Sjoholm, looking for his first European Tour win, managed to record two eagles at the par-five third and 16th holes, despite the windy conditions, in addition to four birdies and two bogeys, putting him at 11-under 133 after 36 holes.

“I’m just enjoying it so much and am not thinking too much about it, but of course I want to be a winner,” Sjoholm said.

The 27-year-old enters the third round two ahead of English duo Chris Wood (70) and Danny Willett (70), Ireland’s Paul McGinley (70) and Paraguayan Fabrizio Zanotti (71).

“It was much tougher – a real good test of golf,” said McGinley, who is chasing his first win in seven years. “You had to work the ball and it’s very important to keep it on the fairways.”

Zanotti shared the first round lead with Marcus Fraser but the Australian has fallen five behind into joint 13th after carding a second round of 74.

Former world number one and local favourite Martin Kaymer missed the cut after recording two poor rounds. his compatriot Bernhard Langer shot a five-under 67 and remains very much in the running.

David Colyer from Leaderboard’s Dale Hill course said:

“Joel Sjoholm has been slowly proving himself since graduating to the European Tour a couple of years ago and I believe he has what it takes to make his mark in the world of professional golf.”

BMW International Open: Joel Sjoholm Leads in Cologne

Architect Roger Rulewich: Building RTJ Trail greatest time of my life

The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail Oxmoor Valley course opened in 1992, the first course on the trail. (The Birmingham News)

Last week the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail celebrated 20 years of golf in the state with an event at Oxmoor Valley, the site where it all began.

David Bronner, head of the Retirement Systems of Alabama that funded the trail, and Roger Rulewich, lead designer for Robert Trent Jones Sr., attended.

The trail has come a long way in 20 years, but last week’s gathering showed it has not forgotten its past as a number of former trail employees attended including Eric Eshleman, Kim Worrel, David Taylor, Bobby Vaughan, Russell Redford, Bucky Ayers and Buster Inman.

Rulewich, who is 74 but still does some design work, recalled the genesis of the trail.

“Jones got a call (from Vaughan) and I suppose there was some disbelief that they wanted to build as much golf as they ended up with.

“I was over in Ireland at the time and I get a call from Jones and he says ‘There’s something going on in Alabama, I think you better get there.’”

That was in 1990 and Rulewich left Ireland and came directly to the site that would open as Oxmoor Valley two years later.

“It was the greatest time of my life,” Rulewich continued. “It’s the greatest tribute to Jones, who I worked for for 34 years before we closed his company in ’95.”

Jones, who died in 2000, was the most prolific course designer in history, designing close to 500 golf courses in at least 40 states and 35 other countries. It has been said tongue-in-cheek that the sun never sets on a Robert Trent Jones golf course.

The trail concept has been mimicked across the country, but the RTJ Golf Trail is the true original and, other than the Bear Trace in Tennessee, the only original build concept. Others are existing courses grouped together for marketing purposes.

Bruno Event Team

Birmingham-based Bruno Event Team will manage the LPGA Tour’s Kingsmill Championship in Williamsburg, Va., which will be played Sept. 6-9.

This event was played from 2003 to 2009 with former champions such as Annika Sorenstam, Karrie Webb and Cristie Kerr, but then went on hiatus.

Bruno Event Team manages the Regions Tradition for the Champions Tour, and has done the same for many editions of the U.S. Senior Open and U.S. Women’s Open for the USGA.

Ian Thompson’s golf column appears every Thursday in The Birmingham News. Email him at .

Architect Roger Rulewich: Building RTJ Trail greatest time of my life

TRIBUTE: For Marblehead’s O’Leary, family ties to sea strong

one could say Brendan O’Leary was born with saltwater in his blood. Spawned from a very long line of sea captains, fishermen and boat engineers dating all the way back to his family’s native land of Ireland, O’Leary was destined to follow in those same footsteps.

and so he did, and was made a tugboat captain 15 years ago through the company Reinauer Transportation where his dad was also once a captain. he worked for the company for 26 years.

“There are other ways of making a living, but Brendan chose to go to sea,” said his father, Doug.

But just this past week, O’Leary’s path unexpectedly changed course, when his fellow shipmates aboard the 91-foot tugboat Steven-Scott reported him missing Wednesday afternoon, April 25, approximately 9 miles off of Newport, R.I. he is believed to have fallen overboard.

the Coast Guard received the call at about 2:40 p.m. reporting that O’Leary was last seen a little over an hour earlier, at 1:30 p.m., after he had told his shipmates he was going to take a nap. the New-York-based tugboat was on its way to Boston, towing a barge carrying 45,000 barrels of jet fuel.

several boats and a helicopter were sent out to conduct the search, which lasted throughout the night and into Thursday. Crews covered more than 775 square miles, according to a Coast Guard press release. But the search was suspended just 24 hours later when rough conditions and 52-degree water made survival unlikely. O’Leary was also not believed to have been wearing a lifejacket. 

“the Coast Guard searches with every available asset we can search with for as long as we think someone can survive depending on conditions,” said Coast Guard Petty Officer Connie Terrell. “What they’re wearing, what the weather was like, were they wearing a lifejacket? We can determine approximately how long a person can survive in these conditions with their age, weight, and then we go past that and continue searching. … There was nothing else leading us to a location where he could be found.”

the Coast Guard made two more flybys on Friday and Saturday to make sure there was no sign of him, according to O’Leary’s wife, Kate. nothing was found. 

“the search is really completely, completely over,” said a disheartened Kate O’Leary. “and the chances of finding him are not in our favor. everybody is really saddened and really hurt and confused right now.”

one could say Brendan O’Leary was born with saltwater in his blood. Spawned from a very long line of sea captains, fishermen and boat engineers dating all the way back to his family’s native land of Ireland, O’Leary was destined to follow in those same footsteps.

and so he did, and was made a tugboat captain 15 years ago through the company Reinauer Transportation where his dad was also once a captain. he worked for the company for 26 years.

“There are other ways of making a living, but Brendan chose to go to sea,” said his father, Doug.

But just this past week, O’Leary’s path unexpectedly changed course, when his fellow shipmates aboard the 91-foot tugboat Steven-Scott reported him missing Wednesday afternoon, April 25, approximately 9 miles off of Newport, R.I. he is believed to have fallen overboard.

the Coast Guard received the call at about 2:40 p.m. reporting that O’Leary was last seen a little over an hour earlier, at 1:30 p.m., after he had told his shipmates he was going to take a nap. the New-York-based tugboat was on its way to Boston, towing a barge carrying 45,000 barrels of jet fuel.

several boats and a helicopter were sent out to conduct the search, which lasted throughout the night and into Thursday. Crews covered more than 775 square miles, according to a Coast Guard press release. But the search was suspended just 24 hours later when rough conditions and 52-degree water made survival unlikely. O’Leary was also not believed to have been wearing a lifejacket. 

“the Coast Guard searches with every available asset we can search with for as long as we think someone can survive depending on conditions,” said Coast Guard Petty Officer Connie Terrell. “What they’re wearing, what the weather was like, were they wearing a lifejacket? We can determine approximately how long a person can survive in these conditions with their age, weight, and then we go past that and continue searching. … There was nothing else leading us to a location where he could be found.”

the Coast Guard made two more flybys on Friday and Saturday to make sure there was no sign of him, according to O’Leary’s wife, Kate. nothing was found. 

“the search is really completely, completely over,” said a disheartened Kate O’Leary. “and the chances of finding him are not in our favor. everybody is really saddened and really hurt and confused right now.”

Kate and Brendan, who were married last year, have three children: Seamus, 20; Connor, 18; and Mia, 7.

“everybody is doing OK,” said Terry Camarda, a close friend of Brendan’s since childhood and the one who introduced him to Kate. “the hard part is dealing with closure — dealing with that piece, and putting the pieces together.”

Not new to tragedy

the family has seen its fair share of sea tragedies.

O’Leary’s uncle, a fisherman, was lost at sea at the age of 32 off the continental shelf south of Nantucket, while his cousin disappeared fishing on a tuna clipper in the middle of the Pacific.

“We’ve seen both sides of the coin here,” said Doug O’Leary.

But accidents are bound to happen with such a long line of fishermen.

“every [O’Leary] who came over here was a seaman and they fought in the Civil War,” said Doug O’Leary. “It’s in the family. They were fishermen in Ireland before they came over here.”

Brendan O’Leary went right into the lobster fishing business after graduating from Marblehead High. later, he would ask his father if he could join him on the tugboats, which he did, quickly moving up the ranks.

he followed in his father’s footsteps, and even the tugboat Steven-Scott was graced with both O’Leary men at different points in time. 

“I retired from that, and he kept going,” said Doug O’Leary.

as for what kind of man O’Leary was, Camarda said he was generous, radiant and one of a kind.

“Brendan would come into a room and he would relax everybody,” said Camarda. “His infectious smile would just light up the room. he had a wit about him. everybody who met him loved him instantaneously. he was always laid back. he put everything together.”

O’Leary loved hockey and golf, and would often participate in tournaments, always enjoying the Gerry 5 opener, according to Camarda.

and, of course, he was a great seaman.

“I know my son was an expert mariner, I can tell you that,” said Doug O’Leary. “he knew his stuff. When he was working up the ranks on the tugboats, he worked with a captain who took him under his wing. he was a super duper tugboat guy, and so was my son. and I hear from people on the harbor how good he was at handling the boat.”

In addition to being a natural born mariner, O’Leary was also a true Marbleheader, according to his wife.

“he was a Marblehead fixture. he loves this town and he never wanted to leave,” said Kate O’Leary. “That was the deal, he was staying in this town forever.”

a memorial service to celebrate Brendan O’Leary’s life is being organized, with a date to be announced in the near future.

TRIBUTE: For Marblehead’s O’Leary, family ties to sea strong

Survived the Vigilantes, and thrived « Golf Driver City

CON MARTIN will be 83 tomorrow. his life has been a sportsman’s life. He played Gaelic football – his first love – basketball, cricket, golf and, of course, football. But his life, which began as the State’s did, was marked by the political upheaval in the country. in 1941, he won a Leinster championship medal with Dublin. they went on to win an All-Ireland that year, con didn

CON MARTIN will be 83 tomorrow. his life has been a sportsman’s life. He played Gaelic football – his first love – basketball, cricket, golf and, of course, football. But his life, which began as the State’s did, was marked by the political upheaval in the country. in 1941, he won a Leinster championship medal with Dublin. they went on to win an All-Ireland that year, con didn’t. a member of the Vigilantes Committee spotted him playing football for Drumcondra and he was expelled by the GAA. thirty years later, once the ban was lifted, con Martin finally received his provincial medal.

Vera knows where it is. Vera knows where everything is. con might be slowing up a little bit, but Vera, his wife of 58 years, remembers everything. She names the Aston Villa team from the early 1950s, tells stories of the players and keeps all the cuttings. She has been busy. With seven children, one of whom, Mick, like con, has been inducted into the FAI’s Hall of Fame, she has spent her time collecting newspapers. Vera and Con’s grandson Owen Garvan is playing and scoring with Ipswich. The bloodlines go on, the Martins haven’t finished producing for Irish football yet.

Vera returns with the Leinster medal. “my family were very upset about it,” con says of his expulsion. “they were all big followers of GAA. I didn’t mind so much. I was young.”

Perhaps he welcomed the break. As a boy he would cycle from Rush to play football in the morning for Drumcondra, then take his bike back to Skerries to play Gaelic in the afternoon, then home to Rush. Sport came easy to him. Later, when he joined Aston Villa, Warwickshire asked him to play cricket in the summer but he preferred to come back to Dublin. But he didn’t stop, playing cricket for Rush where he once hit four sixes and two fours in an over.

When he was 18 he was playing senior football for Dublin, having skipped minor football completely. He was also an apprentice mechanic in the Air Corps – “I hadn’t got a clue, of course” – where his commanding officer’s brother was secretary of Drumcondra. his double life began.

The ban impacted little and he thought infrequently of the medal he hadn’t been awarded until 30 years later. “It was just by chance. they had a dinner down in Donnycarney and the county board presented the medal. one of my regrets is that I never got a chance to play in an All-Ireland.” now he hopes to be a guest at Croke Park when Ireland play Wales, a reminder of a less harmonious era.

At the time, he continued to play everything else. He represented the Air Corps in basketball, playing against the American Forces.

in 1946, he was bought out of the Air Corps and went to play for Glentoran when he was first called up for Ireland. At Drumcondra, Martin had been mainly a centre-half, occasionally a centre-forward and when the regular goalkeeper was injured, a stand-in goalkeeper.

He was the reserve for Ireland during a tour of Spain and Portugal when Ned Courtney, the regular ‘keeper, got injured after half an hour of the game against the Portuguese. Martin came on and made his debut in goal. He stayed there for the game against Spain. “I shook hands with General Franco, or he shook hands with me,” he laughs in his Glasnevin home 60 years later.

soon Leeds wanted to buy him as a centre-half, but Jackie Carey was captain of Manchester United and Ireland and he told Matt Busby, who was looking for a goalkeeper, about Martin. Carey and Martin had been friends since childhood but Busby’s interest and his friendship with Carey didn’t change things. “Busby wanted me to go as a goalkeeper and I preferred to go to Leeds as a centre-back.”

from Leeds he moved on to Aston Villa. in 1949, he travelled from Birmingham to Liverpool to play against England for Ireland in a game which would turn out to be the most splendid day he had for Ireland.

“we were stationed outside Liverpool in Southport. we went from there to Liverpool on the day of the match and I remember thinking ‘we’re in for a hammering here’ because everyone was in such a good mood, especially the lads who were playing. But as the game progressed I thought we had a chance.”

The chances were helped when Martin scored a penalty following half an hour of English pressure. in the second half it continued but the late Peter Farrell scored a second on a counter-attack. Martin remembers a celebratory mood in the dressing room, but there wasn’t a night of celebration. Instead he took a lift home with Davy Walsh, the centre-forward, and the West Brom trainer. “we didn’t talk much about it, I think it was a different story on the boat home.”

It was England’s first defeat in England by a foreign country. “they kept very quiet about it in the Villa dressing-room.” Ireland weren’t regarded as a foreign team and they certainly weren’t alien as the Hungarians, who beat England four years later, would be regarded.

Martin was able to represent Northern Ireland at that time too, which he did with enthusiasm. “I loved playing for Northern Ireland,” he says, “but I was asked not to by Aston Villa.”

It was part of a campaign to stop southern Irish players playing for Northern Ireland. Martin was the most high-profile player so he was the main target. Villa, Martin says, were told they wouldn’t be welcome in Ireland if he continued to play for Northern Ireland.

MARTIN had just played and captained Northern Ireland against Wales at Wrexham. on his return to Birmingham, the Villa chairman Fred Normansell told him not to play for them again. “He had a bit of an interest in Shamrock Rovers and there was a feeling we shouldn’t have anything to do with Northern Ireland. I was asked to refuse to play for Northern Ireland.”

He did so sadly. “I had to do it for the club that paid my wages, not that I wanted to. It was very sad. I had lots of friends there. I was sorry that I had to make that decision.”

con returned to Ireland to raise his family, finishing his playing days with Waterford. after that, days were spent playing golf with Tommy Eglington and Peter Farrell, his great friends. Eglington, he says, could be a bit “argumentative” on the football field. Liam Whelan was the finest prospect. He remembers the day of the Munich disaster. He was working for new Ireland Assurance company at the time and he pulled over in his car on O’Connell Street. “It was very sad to hear about all the lads that I used to know. Liam was a great player.”

Danny Blanchflower was the best player he played with, he says, while he considers Paul McGrath to have been the finest Irish international he has seen. Roy Keane was good too, but a little argumentative himself.

that was never Con’s way, but he had a way. his son con Jr remembers a day at Vincent’s in Glasnevin when his father drove into the school in his Ford Prefect. He was delivering some books, but Brother Cahill wanted a word.

“my da was a big man but Brother Cahill dwarfed him, he was a former boxer with hands like shovels,” his son remembered. Cahill challenged him to a game of handball, con said no, he had an appointment. The brother challenged him again, but he said no. one more time the brother, who had been a handball champion, asked con Martin to play a game. this time he agreed but only if the boys got a half-day and were excused homework. The brother, desperate to prove himself, agreed.

they went into the handball alley. con Martin was a reluctant warrior, the Christian Brother more aggressive. As they knocked up, it remained sedate, con wearing his sports jacket, the brother his vestments. But soon they were removed as the competition intensified. The brother was a more experienced handball player but soon Con’s sporting gifts took over. a crowd of schoolboys, to whom con was a sporting hero, had gathered and the match became intense.

“It seemed to go on all afternoon,” con Jr recalls and at the end there was one, inevitable winner. Brother Cahill was left to fume. “my father looked like a million dollars that day,” his son remembers.

It is not an image anybody who saw con Martin play would have difficulty picturing.

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Survived the Vigilantes, and thrived « Golf Driver City

Living longer, loving life

The Irish Times – Monday, February 13, 2012

IT WAS Otto von Bismarck who decided we should retire at 65. the Iron Chancellor was terrified by the growing popularity of the German Socialist Party and to win the support of the working classes, he decided to give a social welfare payment to those of a certain age and beyond. but while Bismarck wanted to appease the masses, his coffers were empty following a decade of war so he set the qualifying age at 65 knowing full well that very few poor Germans would get to see 60 never mind 65.

And so the retirement age has been set in stone in most of the developed world for more than a century. but while the age has not changed (yet), the life expectancy of pensioners has changed dramatically and anyone who retires in Ireland today can reasonably expect to live for decades after they leave the workforce.

Stories stereotyping older people as frail, vulnerable and impoverished are legion but that is not the full picture by a long shot. while it would be foolish not to acknowledge that many people are indeed struggling, there are also many others who are set to retire in the weeks and months ahead and who are the envy of their children, as they will exit the rat race with no mortgage, free of debt and full of plans.

But unless a person has won the Lotto or is retiring on a particularly envious pension, they will have to work at making their money last. Luckily there are a whole lot of ways to do just that.

DISCOUNT HEAVEN 

Anyone over the age of 55 who lives in the Dublin City Council area should get themselves a “passport for leisure” immediately. this discount card is aimed at helping people live “a richer, more active and exciting life,” according to the council. It was launched as part of “Embracing Ageing”, the Lord Mayor’s initiative for older people and at €10, represents excellent value for money.

The passport includes vouchers and discounts worth hundreds of euros, including free access to the council’s sport, leisure and recreation facilities as well as cheaper meals in participating restaurants, cinemas, golf clubs and a host of other activities. more details are available from passportforleisure.ie.

There are other discounts. Woodies DIY store offers a 10 per cent discount to older people who shop there on Thursdays. Last month Superquinn trialed a 10 per cent off day for older people, while pubs all over the country offer cheaper pints for pensioners and hairdressers do special deals. the key is to ask. always ask and never feel remotely embarassed about doing so.

The Irish Film Institute in Dublin’s Temple Bar has Wild Strawberries, a bi-monthly film club for the over 55s which offers heavily discounted cinema tickets to art house and less mainstream films on certain mornings with the admission price including tea or coffee. the cinema told Pricewatch that the scheme is very popular with up to 250 showing up to each screening.

And here’s a timely offer (sorry). Seiko has an offer for the colleagues of all those retiring in the weeks ahead. the company will give the VAT back on the most traditional of retirement presents. the web site timemark.iehas the entire Seiko range, with next day delivery nationwide. at the point of payment, you just enter the promotional code “retire” and the VAT will automatically be refunded, then you choose the local, most convenient jeweller for the recipient, who will carry out any bracelet or other adjustments or changes required.

ACTIVELY LOOKING 

Active Retirement Associations (ARAs) which have mushroomed in Ireland over the past 20 years are a phenomena and with more than 23,000 members they have some considerable clout when it comes to negotiating discounts for members on everything from holidays to legs of lamb.

There are 535 associations around the country with members aged from the 50s, up to 100. Maureen Kavanagh is the chief executive and she points out how much older people can and do contribute to the societies in which they live both financially, socially and culturally, something she says is beginning to be recognised by more businesses around the country.

“at a national level, one of our roles is to ensure that there are good discounts made available,” she says adding that hoteliers and restaurants are particularly clued- in. “Short breaks tend to be an area where big savings can be made because older people can travel mid-week and off peak so there can be very good discounts,” Kavanagh says.

Many ARAs plan holiday breaks around the country for their members each year and set up savings clubs to allow members pay it off slowly so that even those on the too meager State pension can afford them.

“Older people have time on their hands and if the price is right they are happy to spend money,” she says. at a local level, ARA’s get members group discounts on home heating oil and they approach retailers and promise a certain level of business if discounts are offered to members. “We have butchers who will give our members a 10 per cent discount on certain days of the week and other local shops who do the same. It is very important to us that the money is spent in the local community.”

HEALTH MATTERS 

Three companies who are not lining up to give their customers discounts for being older are health insurance providers. one of the most depressing things about the crisis that has engulfed the private health insurance market in recent years is how shamefully older people have been treated and how frequently they have been asked to bear the brunt of the price hikes. As if being asked to pay more wasn’t bad enough, they also have to put up with being accused of being a “burden” on the State’s largest provider of private health insurance, the VHI.

The reality is, however, that many of these so called “burdens” have been loyal members for generations and have paid for themselves and their children for more than 40 years.

In January 2011 the cost of the plan B Options policy, now known as HealthPlus Extra, stood at €986 for an adult. the VHI announced a 45 per cent increase that month which took the cost to €1,429. It rolled out a further two per cent increase in November which saw the price rise to €1,461 and the latest increase in the policy will see it climb to €1,644, 65 per cent higher than it was at the beginning of last year.

While many older people are reluctant to switch providers for fear of losing cover at a time they might need it most, they can modify their cover and move from provider to provider without fear.

Big savings can be made. There are corporate deals which are cheaper than private plans and offer the same if not better cover for less. A simple phone call to a provider should shed some light on that. There are also tweaks which can be made without going down the corporate route. the VHI’s Forward plan Level 2 costs €2,055 for an adult. that same level of cover, with a €2,000 excess for orthopaedic care and an in-patient excess for day cases and overnights in private hospitals of €75 a night, is available with Aviva for €974. A couple taking out such a policy will save over €2,100 – or the cost of the orthopaedic shortfall – in just 12 months.

Another alternative to high-priced insurance policies is the Hospital Saturday Fund (HSF).

Although this cash-back scheme, run by a charity, is most effective for those with dependents under 21, there are individual policies starting at

€14 a month which offer a safety net to people should they become ill.

The HSF gives cash payments to policyholders to offset day-to-day “outpatient” expenses including GP fees, prescription costs, consultant and dental fees, and physiotherapy visits, as well as grants for hospital stays, births and worldwide accident cover.

At the lowest level someone can get €8 back for a GP visit and €25 for a night in hospital.

A subscription of €56 a month gives someone €100 for each night spent in a hospital and €25 back on each GP visit.

TRAVELLER’S FRIEND 

Yes, people who live permanently in the State and are over 66 get the free travel pass – and so they should – but that is not the only way to economise on travelling.

Pricewatch would imagine that one of the best things about retirement is that in addition to marking the end of paid work, it marks the end of the daily commute, the snarling traffic and the hideous cost of keeping a car on the road.

So, now that that has been knocked on the head, can we suggest that those who have retired adopt a completely different, healthier and cheaper way of getting around by getting on their bikes. A good bike costs anywhere between €150 and €500. Throw in the cost of lights (€25), helmet (€35), good quality rain gear (€100) and lock (€50), and you can get a decent mode of transport for around €500. if you use your car to drive just 16km each day, then swapping it for your bike will save around €400 in petrol in a year. the savings on tyres, servicing and repairs will be around €300 a year.

And as if that wasn’t enough – and really it should be – a nice gentle cycle away from the maddening rush hour crowds is pleasant, easy on the joints yet still burns about 400 calories an hour.

You want more? It dramatically increases aerobic fitness, reduces the risk of heart disease and strokes, lowers blood pressure, reduces stress, lowers cholesterol and boosts energy.

You need even more to convince you? Surely not? oh, alright then. Research from Denmark has shown that its cycling citizens live seven years longer than its non-cycling ones.

FINDING ENERGY 

There are few things more depressing than the thought of people sitting in cold dark houses which they can not afford to heat properly but that is the reality for a lot of older people. By being proactive and switching utility provider you can reduce your bills by more than 10 per cent or over €200 a year. Airtricity’s bundled gas and electricity deals are the cheapest, once you agree to e-billing and paying by direct debit and sign up to a two-year contract. do all three and you can save up to €240 a year. Remember all discounts expire after a period of time so, for example, if you switched to Bord Gáis Energy two years ago, you will have lost the discounts by now so make another switch.

CALL CENTRED 

Why pay for calls when you can Skype for nothing? Download the software at skype.comand get free calls to other computers (or indeed smartphones that have a wireless connection). Calls to regular numbers anywhere in the world cost a fraction of the normal cost – calls to Australia cost less than two cent a minute.

Carry out a mobile phone audit to make sure you’re on the best package for your usage. Phone users who have no idea how many “free” minutes or “free” text messages they are getting could be spending €150 more than they need to each year. Don’t be loyal to your phone provider, landline or mobile. the sector is increasingly competitive so take advantage of introductory offers rival providers dangle in front of you to encourage you to switch. There are savings to be made on landline calls.

The website cheapcalls.ieallows people to make long-distance calls for much less than the regular providers do from landlines. It is very simple to use.

On the site are a series of Irish-based numbers with prefixes such as 1890 and 0818 and 1530. you dial the number listed opposite the country you want to call, a voice prompts you to dial the number of the person you want to speak to in that country and you get connected.

Instead of paying the regular charges associated with calling countries overseas, you pay the cost of calling the Irish number you dialled first.

So if you want to speak to someone in Canada, you dial an access number which is prefixed 1890 and when you get through, you are paying Irish local rates. Ditto if you dial an Australian landline. if you dial an Australian mobile, the access code is prefixed with a 1520 number so you pay 15 cent a minute.

The company uses internet telephony to make the connections so it is like having Skype without having to have access to a computer.

SPEND A LITTLE 

A health check could be the best investment you will ever make particularly if you’ve got a retirement lump sum to play with. obviously a trip to your GP is one way of doing that, but unless your GP is very advanced, the range of tests they can carry out on the spot are limited. the Blackrock, Hermitage and Charlemount and Galway clinics all offer health screenings, as does the Mater Private in Dublin and the Bons Secour in Cork

If you don’t have one, you should buy yourself a smart phone. your old phone might be grand go more high tech and you will be able to surf the web, take amazing photographs and high-definition video, access email, make calls for free using free apps which are easily downloaded, play games and challenge yourself by learning a new skill.

There is no point saving money if you’re not going to spend it on stuff you enjoy doing – such as holidays. Flying has never been cheaper, and retired people have the option to travel out of season which can save a packet on holidays. Hardly a day goes by without airlines launching a new seat sale. if you do take the DIY route, only pay by credit card, as it offers you a degree of financial protection, and make sure you take out a good travel insurance policy.

There are also scores of websitesoffering to put you in touch with owners of houses and apartments. here are three: villarenters.com, holidayhomesdirect.ieand vrbo.com. the latter is particularly good for citybreaks – apartment living in any European city is more fun and much cheaper than a hotel.

Get ready to go 

THE HOLIDAY WORLD last month included a new focus on the over-55s and it’s not hard to see why. A survey published ahead of the show found that one in four over 55s planned on taking three holidays this year while 40 per cent said they would be taking two.

Rathgar Travel in Dublin has been targeting the market with good-value deals for just over three years and business is going well says owner James Malone.

Its website seniortrips.iehas some very enticing deals at present. an all-inclusive 14-night package including all flights, transfers and wine costs €619 in March and April with the price rising slightly in May. Seven nights full board including wine in the Hotel Torreblanca in Fuengirola meanwhile has a price of just €410 per person.

Senior Trips also offers holidays in Malta and Portugal with half board holidays in the former costing as little as €445 for a week over the next couple of months.

“if holidays are not affordable and don’t represent good value for money then people will not go, that is the bottom line,” says Malone. “Older people like the all inclusives because they can see at a glance what they will be spending. Most people don’t want to be somewhere that caters exclusively for retirees but they also want somewhere that caters for their needs, so it is about striking a balance, he says.

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Living longer, loving life

Hoping to Play Golf in Orlando – Here Are Several Options

So you are visiting Orlando on vacation, and you want to know where the best golf courses in Orlando will be. and also you would not object getting a discount on your round of golf. Then we have the website for you, not only for Orlando but for wherever you would like to play the game in the United States, Canada and Ireland. As I write this, I will give you an example occurring at the present of one of these outstanding deals. by the point you look at this it might have already been taken down. However take a look at your savings on their site, as great offers on tee times are always coming up.

Timacuan Golf and Country Club has been traditionally ranked within the top twenty courses within Florida; it is 18 holes of beauty, having scenic wetlands to moss-draped oaks. It is really a test with the top golfer and fair to the mid and low handicap golfer, using five sets of tees maxing out at 7000 yards and lower than 5000 yards from the front tees. With the GolfNow website you will get a detailed description of this course, along with photos, and also a list of golf course amenities, easy to follow directions to get to the course, and even weather forecasts, plus a copy of their scorecard.

The course you decide to play by using GolfNow will certainly allow you to acquire as exact an analysis for the course you can get. now for the deal: If you were to reserve at the time I write this your golf green fees would be $28, a savings of 53%. This deal is valid just during weekdays after 9AM and weekends later than 11AM. This clearly is a heck of an offer for an excellent course like this, and is also a way for them for picking up a little business during off times. those periods are always going to be when the bargains are, but you need a place to convey them to you, and that is what GolfNow accomplishes.

Orlando courses have added a new feature for active vacationers, and that is nine-hole golf course tee times. Simply click on the point promoting nine holes, and then a display will appear that has a wide range of course possibilities as well as the tee times open for the next couple of days. It could not be an easier solution to immediately locate a golf course to play, and you can get fantastic bargains here as well offering as much as a 50% reduction. you will find par three courses available, executive golf courses, as well as full distance golf courses such as Mystic Dunes in Kissimmee. you can play nine holes at bargain rates and still return for virtually a complete day at the parks.

Golf is just one more option for all the things there are to accomplish in the Orlando area, as of course there will be the theme parks in Orlando, too. Reserving tee times on a number of the best golf courses in Orlando is straightforward through GolfNow.

Hoping to Play Golf in Orlando – Here Are Several Options

12 Travel Resolutions For 2012 – 7-12

Denying yourself this particular enjoyable habit, doing awaywith that little luxury … if the sound of rain beating againstthe window pane isn’t enough to have you feeling downbeat, a regimeof self-imposed restraint will surely do the trick. So this yearwhy not adopt a different set of resolutions – ones that do awaywith miserable midwinter weather and cling to the bright,optimistic world of travel? Here the best of travel in 2012 is laidout in 12 simple steps – all of them more exciting than yet anotherunused gym membership. let the Independent on Sunday be your guide.

Click here for TravelResolutions 1-6

Here are resolutions 7-12 -

7. Get fit – and stay sporty

With the Olympics and football’s European Championships in theoffing, this will be the year of sporting endeavour. and those whowant to participate rather than merely watch can hone theirfootballing skills in a warmer setting than Poland or Ukraine byopting for one of the training camps on offer at Buccament Bay inSt Vincent (buccamentbay.com).

This Caribbean resort is staging coaching sessions throughout2012, led by football players such as former Ireland internationalsSteve Staunton (13-20 February) and Ronnie Whelan (8-15 April) andEngland’s Gareth Southgate (28 October to 4 November). Tuition isaimed at adults, as well as children aged five and up. a week’sbreak at the resort costs from £2,095 per person – withall-inclusive accommodation, transfers and flights – through HealthAnd Fitness Travel (0845 544 1936; healthandfitnesstravel.com). Ifyou prefer individual pursuits, the resort has a tennis academy.Pat Cash will be coaching in April, in the build-up to the 25thanniversary of his Wimbledon win.

England enter 2012 as the world’s top-ranked Test cricket teamand two of the players who were pivotal in ushering in this goldenage are to share their expertise at the Forte Village Resort inSardinia (fortevillageresort.com) later this year (from 14-21April). Michael Vaughan and Matthew Hoggard – captain and bowlerrespectively in 2005 when England notched a first Ashes triumphover Australia in 18 years – will teach children aged five to 12 intwo-hourly sessions over five days. a week’s half-board for afamily of four (children under 12) starts from £3,649 through SuperSkills Travel (01858 545 918; superskillstravel.com), excludingflights. You can fly from Stansted to Cagliari on easyJet (09058210905; easyjet.com).

The route of the 2012 Tour de France (above) which runs from 30June to 22 July has an extra emphasis on brutal climbs, includingthe race’s first ascent of the 4,925ft Col du Grand Colombier inthe Jura range (11 July). Amateurs can sign up for the "ThreeAlpine Stages" break operated by Sports Tours International (0161703 8161; sportingtours.co.uk) – a four-day trip (10-14 July)that lets cyclists see the most dramatic part of the Tour, or rideit themselves. From £749 per person, with transfers from Geneva,breakfast and accommodation in Annecy, but excluding flights orrail travel.

Watch out for the bunker

In golf, the idea is usually to steer clear of the sand. Butthis may prove trickier than usual for players at Shangri-La’sVillingili resort in the Maldives (shangri-la.com/maldives). InMarch this luxury hideaway will open the island nation’s firstnine-hole golf course. a week’s half-board before the end of April,with flights, costs from £3,250 a head based on two sharing, viaCarrier (0161 492 1358; carrier.co.uk).

8. be kind to animals

The BBC’s Frozen Planet series has aroused plenty of interestover the past two months – and 2012 will be a year to make good onour fascination with the Arctic.

Discover the World (01737 214251; discover-the-world. co.uk)runs a "Spitsbergen to East Greenland Cruise" that visits threegreat northern islands (Iceland is the third) and offers thepossibility of encounters with polar bears, narwhal whales andArctic foxes. three of these 13-night voyages are planned duringAugust and September and cost from £3,469 per person, full-board,excluding flights.

If you prefer spotting large mammals in warmer climes you canwatch whales, notably from the Kuri Bay property that is due toopen in the Kimberley region of Western Australia in April. Thisluxury retreat, accessible only by seaplane or helicopter, offers aperspective on the calving grounds of humpback whales. Wexas(020-7838 5892; wexas.com) has a "Kimberley Complete" itinerarythat unveils this most remote of Australian regions. Prices forKuri Bay are not yet confirmed, but this 13-day jaunt currentlycosts from £5,860 per person (based on two sharing), includingflights.

Another isolated area will come into focus in May with theopening of the twin Odzala Camps in the Odzala-Kokoua NationalPark, north Congo. these tiny boltholes (Lango Camp and Ngaga Camp)have six rooms each, and are perfect bases for tracking gorillasamid thick rainforest. Rainbow Tours (020-7666 1250;rainbowtours.co.uk) can arrange a six-night holiday that featuresthree nights at each camp. It costs from £4,695 per person (basedon two sharing), including full-board accommodation, flights andexpeditions.

Although Kenya is better known, it also has its out-on-a-limbpatches. Kicheche Valley Camp, in the Naboisho Conservancy (in theMaasai Mara), had a soft launch in August, and is introducing afly-camping option for 2012 that will take guests deeper into thiswildlife-rich zone. Safari Consultants (01787 888 590;safariconsultants.co.uk) offers an all-inclusive week from £2,730per person, including flights and transfers.

9. Take time to relax

Those seeking to cast off their recessionary concerns and baskin a little luxury will find new pockets of exclusivity in 2012 –notably Song Saa (songsaa.com), a retreat that will bring thefive-star stylings of the Maldives to the Cambodian side of theGulf of Thailand (an area where the accommodation, to date, haserred towards the rudimentary). Laid out over two islets in the KohRong archipelago, the resort offers 27 villas, a spa, gourmet foodand a whiff of the jet set. a week’s full-board stay costs from£3,736 per person with ABOUTAsia Travel (020-7193 8561;aboutasiatravel. com), excluding flights.

Elsewhere in South-east Asia, the Gaya Island Resort(pulaugayaresort.com) will perform a similar makeover for the westcoast of Malaysian Borneo. Set on the island of Pulau Gaya, thishideaway is due to open in April amid protected mangroves and coralreefs – and will come equipped with 121 villas. an eight-night stayhere costs from £1,489 per person, including breakfast, returnflights from Heathrow with Malaysia Airlines and transfers. SeeDestinology (0800 210 0422; destinology.co.uk) for details.

On the far side of the Pacific, a more established type ofluxury destination will be marking 2012. Long a fixture on SunsetBoulevard, the Los Angeles institution that is the Beverly HillsHotel (left) will raise the flag on its centenary on 12 May (001310 276 2251; beverlyhillshotel.com) .

Guests can check in from $583 (£372) per double, excludingbreakfast, knowing that the hotel’s corridors have been stalked byMarlene Dietrich, Humphrey Bogart, Katharine Hepburn, John Wayne,Elizabeth Taylor and Marilyn Monroe (although not all at the sametime).

10. Care for the planet

There is one simple way to ensure that your carbon footprintdoes not expand this year: ignore the airport. But those whoholiday in the UK in 2012 will be rewarded – Britain has red-letterdays scrawled in its diary for the next 12 months.

The movies and books may be consigned to the past, but the cultof Harry Potter still has a way to run. On 31 March, the making ofHarry Potter – a tour that gives access to the film sets where theseries was created – opens to the public at the Warner Bros Studiosin Leavesden, Hertfordshire. This cinematic showcase (0845 0840900; wbstudiotour.co.uk; adults £28, children £21) will bring theworld of teenage wizards to life, with guests able to go inside"locations" such as the Great Hall at Hogwarts and Dumbledore’soffice.

Another fixture of the British written word hits a milestonedate this year, with the bicentenary of Charles Dickens’s birth on7 February. (See pages 24-25 for our Dickens Quiz.) an array ofevents is planned (see dickens2012.org) including a Dickens andLondon exhibition at the Museum of London (020-7001 9844;museumoflondon.org.uk; until 10 June; £8).

Martin Randall Travel (020-8742 3355; martinrandall.com) isrunning a five-day Dickens bicentenary trip that features keyscenes from his life and works (in London, Rochester, Broadstairs,above, and Portsmouth) with Professor Michael Slater, a Dickensspecialist from the University of London. It departs on 31 March,starting at £1,880 a head, including hotels, transport and mostmeals.

London will witness a present-day celebration on the longweekend of 2-5 June, when the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee extravaganzatakes over the capital (the highlight likely to be a regal paradeof boats on the Thames on 3 June). a corresponding four-night stayat the Cumberland Hotel, Marble Arch costs £704 for a double room(excluding breakfast), via Travelocity (0871 472 5116;travelocity.co.uk). Alternatively, if royal pageantry – or theOlympics – leaves you cold, McKinlay Kidd (0844 804 0020;seescotlanddifferently.co.uk) can offer a six-night self-drive triparound the Outer Hebrides. a break in early August, during theOlympics, costs from £595 a head, including breakfast andferries.

11. Get out more

Some might say that fresh air and glorious scenery are all youneed for a holiday. You can find both in Les Calanques, the untamedexpanse which is finally due to be ordained as France’s latestnational park (and first since 1979) this year (parcsnationaux.fr). Rugged inlets cut into the limestone coastimmediately south of Marseille, making this enclave ideal foractive breaks. Headwater (01606 720 199; headwater.com) runs aneight-day "Cassis and Les Calanques" walking tour that traces a40-mile southerly route, beginning in Aix-en-Provence. the jauntheads out every week from March to June and September to October,priced at £1,179 per person based on two sharing, including flightsand breakfast.

The Australian state of Victoria (above; visitvictoria.com) willalso pull on its hiking boots. the new year means the advent of theMornington Peninsula Coastal Walk, a 70-mile path along the lip ofthe promontory that juts out below Melbourne. Here is raw beautygalore, all wild shore and waves for surfing at Gunnamatta Beach.Trailfinders (020-7368 1200; trailfinders.com) offers a six-nightGreat Southern Touring Route through Victoria that can be tailoredto visit the peninsula from £705 a head, with car hire, butexcluding flights.

Then again, there is no need to rush to the Southern Hemispherefor al fresco thrills. due to be officially opened in the spring,the Great Glen Canoe Trail will be Scotland’s first formal canoeroute, cutting through 60 miles from Fort William to Inverness, andtaking in Loch Ness en route (greatglencanoetrail.info). WildernessScotland runs a five-day "Canoeing the Great Glen" guided trip(with four nights of wild camping). the first of four forays thisyear leaves on 20 May, priced £575 a head (0131 625 6635;wildernessscotland.com).

Raising the Titanic

The 100th anniversary of the sinking of the RMS Titanic on 15April will be one of 2012′s more maudlin moments, but the linerwill be remembered in happier times in Northern Ireland when theTitanic Belfast museum launches on 31 March (02890 766 399;titanicbelfast.com; £13.50). the date is deliberate, marking thecentenary of the day the doomed vessel was completed at the Harlandand Wolff shipyard – the site where this sleek new institution nowstands.

12. give something back

Those keen to use their time off to help others will have plentyof opportunity in 2012. On home turf, active types can gain a tasteof this summer’s main event while raising cash for charity with aride on the route of the Olympic cycling road race. This 90-mileloop through London and into Surrey can be tackled via DiscoverAdventure (01722 718 444; discoveradventure.com), which has two"London Ride of Champions" days – complete with guides, routemarking, mechanical support and lunch – planned for 10 June and 2September. a fundraising target of £150 is suggested in addition toa £59 registration fee.

Figures from the CIA World Factbook currently put Swaziland(above) in the bottom five nations on Earth for life expectancy (anaverage age of 48.66 years). But this tiny African country is thesubject of four new breaks run by i-to-i Volunteering (0113 2054609; i-to-i.com). Aimed at those on a gap year (but open to anyoneaged 18 to 65), these include teaching English to orphans lefthelpless by the HIV epidemic (£1,540 for four weeks), and coachingkids at football (from £1,029 for a fortnight). Both projects arebased in the impoverished Ezulwini Valley. the price coversdormitory accommodation and meals, but excludes flights.

Back where we started in Mozambique, Inspired breaks (0844 4734101; inspiredbreaks.co.uk) arranges trips such as the "MozambiqueWhale Shark Conservation" holiday, where volunteers monitor thesehuge animals (as well as loggerhead turtles and manta rays) at Tofobeach on the southern coast. a two-week placement costs from£1,124, with meals and stay in a beach cottage, but excludingflights.

12 Travel Resolutions For 2012 – 7-12

A Valuable Mortgage Lesson Learned From Tiger Woods

Unless you’ve been living in a cave or under a rock the last few years, you’ve seen first hand how Tiger Woods has become one of the most dominate forces in men’s golf.

We watched as he won the CA Championship at Doral Golf Club a few weeks ago by two strokes. Woods won this event for the sixth time, more than any other tournament. Tiger is believed to be the first player to win a tournament six times on six courses – in Spain, Ireland, Atlanta, San Francisco, London and Miami, the latter on a Blue Monster course where he has won the last three years.

There is no doubt we are witnessing the performance of a truly great athlete. His dedication and preparation is truly amazing. he finished at 10 under par at 278 and earned $1.35 million for his second victory of the year, and 56th of his career.

You’re probably asking.Where’s that mortgage lesson you talked about? OK.Here we go

On every hole that Tiger plays (whether it is practice or sanctioned play) a gentleman follows Tiger closely.charting each stroke and documenting the results. he maintains a low profile and you would find it difficult to pick him out from the gallery that follows Tiger on every hole. he documents each hole, of each round, at each location that Tiger plays.

Just so you know, the gentleman’s name is Hank Haney and he is the Swing Coach of Tiger Woods. Tiger pays Hank one million dollars a year plus expenses to perform this function. Hank Haney charts each stroke from tee to green, analyzes each stroke, and then recommends the appropriate practice to correct the problems that he may have noted.

Hank Haney doesn’t organize Tiger’s travel plans or make hotel reservations, and he doesn’t chart the golf course (that’s the job of Steve Williams, Tiger’s caddie of six years). As a side note, Tiger pays Steve some 10% of all purse monies. Hank Haney gets paid to do just one thing.to be Tiger’s Swing Coach.

Today, most of the top pros on the tour employ a Coach. We picked Tiger to underscore our point here: Why would a man so naturally talented and currently so dominating in his profession, be willing to invest such a huge amount of money into his game?

The answer is simple He’s investing in his business.his livelihood.and, his future. he knows that to stay ahead of his competition he needs to invest, or better yet.re-invest in his business at every opportunity. with tour earnings of $9.9 million in 2006.Tiger spent more than 20% of that amount to improve his business.

I am always amazed by the number of Loan Officers/Mortgage Brokers who don’t spend more than fifty dollars a year on their own professional growth. We’re in a profession that’s changing daily and by leaps and bounds, and most mortgage folks refuse to invest in their business.

There’s no doubt, you began a strong mortgage career, and you really got into it – but then you fell asleep at the switch and forgot to do those basic things like read industry publications or new books by sales masters. You don’t go to sales seminars. You don’t listen to audios or view videos on sales-related topics. You don’t have any paid subscriptions to newsletters that could improve your mortgage knowledge or capability. in short, you don’t constantly re-invigorate and improve your business or yourself.

If you want to survive and prosper in the Mortgage Business today.you need to be a Tiger and invest in your profession and your future.

A Valuable Mortgage Lesson Learned From Tiger Woods

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