Rory McIlroy

In the second of a series of interactive videos from Oakley, one of the leading sports brands in the world, the current US Open golf champion, budding golfers can go head-to-head over 18 holes at the prestigious British golf course, Wentworth Golf Club with the current US Open champion, Rory McIlroy.

The video is the second in Oakley’s You Vs. series – the first gave cyclists the opportunity to ride against the UK’s Tour de France sprint king, Mark Cavendish.

Through a series of questions, you can test your golf course management and decision-making skills against one of the most exciting young talents in the world of golf right now.  The questions are to seek out the level of your knowledge on what clubs to use, where best to place your shots and amazingly, your answers will affect the outcome of the video.  The video itself is shot in a realistic point-of-view style.

Taking part in the game is fun enough, but by doing so you can enter Oakley’s exclusive competition too, simply by ‘liking’ the Oakley Facebook page.  And if you are so good that you manage to beat Rory McIlroy over 18 holes, then you have the chance to be selected as the lucky winner who gets to meet Rory and have the honour of caddying for him, walking around the Wentworth golf course.

Oakley You vs Rory McIlroy

The You Vs. Rory McIlroy interactive video game is great fun and can be accessed from the  dedicated Oakley microsite or the Oakley Europe Facebook page.

Firstly, Like the page, select some Oakley sunglasses to wear, and then start exercising your golf expertise for a chance to win a prize any golf-fan would go crazy for!

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Ian Poulter

Sports psychology has been around for many years but over the past few years there has been an increase in various aids to help golfers concentrate and focus their mind including the wearing of wrist bands.  Power Balance® is one such product. The band is made of durable coloured rubber with a hologram on either side.  The Power Balance® wrist band is allegedly “designed to react positively with your body’s natural energy field.”

Their website states people have reported improved performance when wearing the product and have experienced improved game performance when wearing Power Balance®.

Among the many sports men and women that are wearing Power Balance® wrist bands are footballers David Beckham and Darren Bent, F1 driver Rubens Barichello, pro golfers Ian Poulter, Hunter Mahan and Ricky Barnes, tennis players Victoria Azarenka and Mardy Fish, and members of the London Wasps and England Cricket teams.

“I have been wearing a Power Balance bracelet for the past few months now and I love it. It allows me to play golf at a higher level. In fact, I wear the bracelet both on and off the golf course. Plus, they are stylish and allow me to add a little flair to my outfits.” Ian Poulter – Golf

Sceptics will question the claims made by the company and how wearing a bracelet can affect your performance; and there will always be those who don’t believe in something without scientific proof.

I’ve been wearing the wrist band on and off over the past week and wonder if it actually works or that wearing it makes me believe I should feel more focused in what I am doing.

Because the company suggest the Power Balance® may not work for everyone the product is sold with a no-quibble money-back guarantee.

The Power Balance® is available from www.powerbalanceuk.com priced £29.99.

When our fortunes as a nation were on a better footing, this was the time of year when we would be looking to plan our family holidays, but with the hardships facing us right now many will have to fore-go such luxuries or choose to holiday ‘out of season’ to save on the holiday budget.

Because of restrictions in taken children out of school during term time, the majority of families are faced with little choice over when to take their annual vacation, meaning that most end up going away to European destinations for instance, at the most uncomfortable time of the year, in July and August.

The Mediterranean coast however is renowned for its mild climate and in my opinion is at its best during Spring and Autumn, rather than during the summer months when the sun is at its hottest and resorts are overcrowded and uncomfortable.

In many Mediterranean countries the Spring and Autumn months are littered with local and national festivals, where everyone is welcome to join in with the local people in celebrating religious customs with a procession, normally followed by a night of music, food, drink and general party entertainment.

On the wonderful Mediterranean Island of Cyprus for instance, March 7th is an annual Cypriot holiday known as Green Monday.  This day celebrates the start of the annual countdown towards Easter and is the first day of the fasting period.

It is also one of the days when the local communities join together for the festivities and in this case follow the ancient tradition of excluding meat products from their menu.

The day is celebrated across the country, each city, town and village will host their own festival and for the holidaymaker there is no restriction as to where you go to take part and enjoy the fun of the day.

The recently opened luxury sports and leisure resort at Aphrodite Hills for instance, will be opening their doors to all between 11am and 3pm, with entertainment and activities for all members of the family scheduled to take place.

Traditional ‘Green Monday’ kite flying, a live dance show, mini olympics, face painting, bouncy castles, pottery painting, children’s stalls and a family scavenger hunt are just a few of the many exciting events in which you and your family can partake.

A traditional Green Monday Lunch Buffet with live music also awaits you, to mark the beginning of this important fasting period.

Throughout the year, the luxurious 5-star InterContinental Aphrodite Hills Resort Hotel continuously hosts an extensive variety of unique and value for money offers to celebrate numerous special occasions in style… and Green Monday is no exception, so contact the Hotel Reception online or via telephone at: 357 26829000 for further information.

Wherever you choose to take your holidays in Europe, remember that most of the Mediterranean resorts not only offer sun and sand, but are also steeped in tradition with religious festivals taking place throughout the year. Take time out to check what is going on around you and join in with the local people, it really is an enriching experience.

If you love nothing more than to enjoy sporting holidays then Dubai has a wide number of options for you. Built out of the very sands where it stands, Dubai is able to cater to exactly what visitors and residents want and need. This has resulted in pristine and world class venues being created, full of the amenities and services that you would expect to find around the world.

The region has also become very popular because of a number of large and iconic championships taking place. For golf enthusiasts, the PGA Dubai Desert Classic attracts world class professionals from across the globe. Meanwhile, the Middle East Championship, whilst only open to residents of the region, has become a popular spectator attraction for those involved in the golfing circuit.

It isn’t only golf that has seen success in Dubai, with tennis also gaining the notable ATP Dubai Tennis Open for male professionals. Dubai has used a number of marketing ploys over the years to highlight its facilities for tennis, including playing a match on the top of The Burj hotel, and it has now become an important location for one of the ATP’s major events. Hosted at the Dubai Tennis Stadium, which has been voted Best ATP venue for three years running, the location hosts the women’s tennis in mid February before starting the men’s ATP championship in the last week of the month.

Dubai is also a very popular location for racing enthusiasts, with the Dubai World Cup to be held in 2011 on March 26th. The Middle East has long been known for its breeding of some of the finest horses in the world, and to celebrate, the Dubai World Cup see’s eight races staged for passionate racers to enjoy. All of this in combination with the Cheap flights to Dubai create a great reason to visit this popular city of glimmering towers and awe inspiring attractions.

Aside from some of its major events, Dubai offers a wide range of activities for sports enthusiasts. Its famous inside ski slope, built in the Emirates mall, offers winter sports people the opportunity to sunbathe in heat before taking to the slope to enjoy skiing or snowboarding. Riding through the dunes will be enjoyed by many active people, whilst the Dubai Creek Striders and the Dubai Road Runners offer possibilities for athletics. Water sports are also available, with Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club offering a range of skippered boats to enjoy. Fatima Sports and Dubai Kite Club offer both surfing and kite surfing activities, and whilst a license must be held to enjoy the latter activity, both clubs can provide trainers to source such paperwork. And with world class players visiting sporting hotspots in Dubai, you can be assured that facilities and services are some of the best in the world.

I am currently feeling decidedly under-whelmed by a sporting summer that promised me the excitement of seeing sporting Gods at work and thrills and spills beyond my wildest dreams but for the most part – failed to deliver.

The 2010 World Cup – the quadrennial gathering of the greatest football talent on Planet Earth didn’t really live up to expectations for most people.

Surely the fact that the words “Vuvuzela” and “Jabulani” are now firmly planted in the mind of everyone who viewed the South African showpiece only backs that statement up.

We were talking about them because Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo and to a lesser extent Lionel Messi gave us nothing else to marvel at.

For me the game of the tournament was the Ghana versus Uruguay quarter final.

Anyone not Uruguayan must have felt a tinge of sadness when Asamoah Gyan blasted the ball against the crossbar with the last kick of extra time.

By this point England were long gone of course albeit with a hint of controversy.

Having been ripped to shreds by a German side that was, amazingly, scoring goals like it was going out of fashion, the only crumb of comfort for England’s massive support was that Diego Maradona and Argentina met with a similar fate.

Surely Germany must win the whole thing now? Er, no.

The slow burning Spain expertly put them to the sword before surviving the Dutch assault in the final.

Reports of poor infrastructure, badly organised fan zones and widespread petty crime just add to the desire that this one should be put down to experience.

But now we had the summer staples to look forward to.

Well not really. This sporting apathy lark must be catching.

The first week of Wimbledon was the exception to the rule. Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer were both stretched to five sets in the opening days at SW19.

We also had the record breaker between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut.

I feel it would also be less than honest to ignore the delight felt across at least half the nation by the return of Anna Kournikova to the British summer.

Week two reverted to type.

Andy Murray had coasted through with but was swatted aside by a rampant Nadal. The improving Czech, Tomas Berdych ended the interest of numbers three and two in the world.

Surely he could give the world number one a decent game at the very least?

You know the rest.

Ok then. Chin up David and on to the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

Perhaps more than most, this event encapsulated the summer of sport.

An exciting start with Mark Webber almost forcing Sebastian Vettel off the track before a sadly predictable procession to the chequered flag.

The high point of the day was Webber having a go at his own team. “Not bad for a number two driver!”

Come on St.Andrews. Save us.

The opening day of golf’s British Open Thursday belonged to Rory McIlroy who shot a majestic 63. The Old Course looked ready to welcome the second consecutive Northern Irish major winner.

That thought lasted less than a day as Mother Nature saw fit to sigh and blow Rory off course.

Tiger Woods, as ever, was prowling but going into Sunday it was the unfancied South African, Louis Oosthuizen who led the pack.

No way could he hold off the charge of Lee Westwood, Paul Casey et al.

It was never, EVER in doubt.

An easier final day at St. Andrews may never have been seen. On the birthday of Nelson Mandela, the South African kept his head as all around lost theirs.

What might have been this past couple of months?

So it’s down to you Mr Ryder to perk me up after one of the more disappointing summers of sport.

Don’t let me down.