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06/21/2010 - Monterey, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Most golf nuts are always searching for that ultimate buddy trip. To play 12 rounds of golf in 5 days, visit the local establishments and enjoy the fruitful libation to the wee hours of the morning.
Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head, Bandon Dunes, even Whistling Straits come to mind for the golf junkie seeking such an excursion, but have you ever thought of the Monterey peninsula in California?
The golf enthusiast virtually has no shot at playing Pine Valley or Augusta National, but you can play Pebble Beach Golf Links.
Certainly the granddaddy of golf on the west coast, Pebble Beach has been ranked in the top-10 in the United States for as long as I can remember...and with good reason.
It has hosted five U.S. Opens, four U.S. Amateurs, a PGA Championship and a yearly PGA Tour event since 1947. The views are sensational along the Pacific Coast and when you can walk the fairways where the greats of the game strolled, why not? Yes, it will cost an arm and a leg - a round will cost you $495 - but you only live once.
However, Pebble Beach is just a small part of what the Monterey Peninsula has to offer.
The ultra-exclusive Cypress Point Club is for the most part out of the question, as you'll need to be hosted by a member. But how about Spyglass Hill Golf Course?
Opened for play in 1966, Spyglass Hill was designed by legendary architect Robert Trent Jones Sr. The holes are named after characters from the Robert Louis Stevenson novel, "Treasure Island." Your approach shot on the opening hole plays toward the ocean and doesn't leave the seaside until you head inland on the uphill sixth. A true masterpiece, and Jones' highest rated course in the U.S.
Poppy Hills Golf Course is another outstanding venue near the California coast. Carved inland through the forests of Monterey, Poppy Hills is rated 4 1/2 stars by Golf Digest's Places to Play. It features undulating greens that are guarded tightly by plenty of sand. The back-to-back, risk-reward par fives on holes nine and 10 are quite enticing. For years, the course was part of the AT&T Pro-Am rotation, and its current course conditioning is as good as it gets.
Often overlooked is The Links at Spanish Bay. The trio of Robert Trent Jones Jr., Tom Watson and former USGA president Sandy Tatum put their talents together to create a Scottish-style layout along the coast. Rated as one of the top-25 courses in the state, Spanish Bay is very reminiscent of the wonderful layouts across the pond.
Monterey Peninsula Country Club boasts a pair of wonderful courses, the Shore Course, which was added to the Pro-Am rota in 2010, and the Dunes layout. Both courses boast a celebrated history, as the Dunes was designed by C.B. Macdonald and Seth Raynor in 1925 and the Shore venue was crafted by Pebble Beach co-designer Jack Neville and Robert Baldock, and then redesigned by the late Mike Strantz. It's no wonder that the Shore Course is rated in the top-10 in California.
Designed in 1932, Pacific Grove Golf Club is another gem along the Pacific Coast. Neville and H. Chandler Egan had their hands in this layout that traverses through the trees for nine holes and then along the sand dunes by the coast. Just drop a zero off the cost at Pebble Beach, and Pacific Grove might be the best ticket in town.
Just a few minutes north of the peninsula are two courses that some consider the best 36 holes in the Monterey region, the Bayonet and Black Horse layouts at Fort Ord. Named after the Army's 7th Infantry, the Bayonet stretches over 7,100 yards and features tree-lined fairways. The Black Horse course honors the 11th Cavalry Regiment that was stationed here for over 20 years. The championship tees now possess a slope of 141 and a rating of 73.7, with views of Monterey Bay.
Golf is just a smidgen of what the Monterey region has to offer. First and foremost is the quaint town of Carmel, with its beautiful bed and breakfasts that line the streets and the plentiful shops and restaurants. An artist's haven, Carmel-by-the-Sea boasts some of the most charming galleries on the west coast.
A must attraction is the Monterey Bay Aquarium, located in Pacific Grove. From Pink Flamingos to Seahorses, Penguins and Otters, not to mention the giant Pacific Octopus, the Aquarium is a great way to learn about our ocean friends.
A favorite activity of all visitors is the majestic ride through 17-Mile Drive. This scenic road traverses through some of the most beautiful golf courses in the country, Cypress Point and Pebble Beach among them, as you hug the coastline. The lone Cypress, a symbol of California and the Pebble Beach Company, stands tall as one of the most inspiring spots on the coast.
So boys (and girls), if you're tired of the same old, same old, then it's time for a trip to the west coast and some of the best golf on the planet. Sure, Pebble Beach receives all of the accolades, but the Monterey Peninsula is a golfer's dream.
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Super Bowl XLIII isn't even a week old yet and oddsmakers have already released Super Bowl XLIV odds.
Despite the Pittsburgh Steelers winning Super Bowl 43, the New England Patriots are 8/1 favorites to win Super Bowl 44.
Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds
With their 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, the Steelers became the latest NFL champion. But believe it or not, oddsmakers from online sports book MySportsbook.com don't have the Steelers the favorites to win Super Bowl XLIV next season.
That honor belongs to the New England Patriots, who are 8/1 favorites to win despite not even qualify for the postseason in 2008. The Pats also have a major decision to make regarding what to do with Matt Cassel, who played well in Tom Brady's (knee surgery) absence last year but is also a free agent this offseason.
Ironically, the Steelers aren't even oddsmakers second choice to win Super Bowl 44, as the Dallas Cowboys are listed right behind the Patriots at 9/1 despite not making the playoffs themselves. Clearly oddsmakers think the public will hop back on the Cowboys' bandwagon considering the immense talent they have and the opening of a brand new stadium.
After Dallas, then comes Pittsburgh at 10/1, but they share those odds with the New York Giants, who won Super Bowl XLII. The Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers round out the top six teams at 12/1, while the Baltimore Ravens (14/1), Tennessee Titans (16/1), Carolina Panthers (18/1) and Philadelphia Eagles (18/1) complete the top 10.
The NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals got no love from oddsmakers as they were established as a 30/1 long shot to win next year's Super Bowl. They share those same odds with the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers – two teams that didn't even qualify for the postseason. Other long shots are the Kansas City Chiefs (100/1), Detroit Lions (100/1), St. Louis Rams (75/1) and Oakland Raiders (75/1).
To see a complete list of all the team's odds to win Super Bowl XLIV, check below.
NFL TEAM FUTURE ODDS TO WIN SUPER BOWL XLIV
New England Patriots 8/1
Dallas Cowboys 9/1
New York Giants 10/1
Pittsburgh Steelers 10/1
Indianapolis Colts 12/1
San Diego Chargers 12/1
Baltimore Ravens 14/1
Tennessee Titans 16/1
Carolina Panthers 18/1
Philadelphia Eagles 18/1
New Orleans Saints 20/1
Atlanta Falcons 25/1
Denver Broncos 25/1
Green Bay Packers 25/1
Jacksonville Jaguars 25/1
Minnesota Vikings 25/1
New York Jets 25/1
Arizona Cardinals 30/1
Chicago BearS 30/1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30/1
Buffalo Bills 35/1
Houston TexaNS 35/1
Miami Dolphins 35/1
Washington Redskins 35/1
Seattle SeahawkS 50/1
Cleveland Browns 55/1
Cincinnati Bengals 60/1
San Francisco 49ers 60/1
Oakland Raiders 75/1
St. Louis Rams 75/1
Detroit Lions 100/1
Kansas City Chiefs 100/1
Odds as of: 2/2/09
Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds
To visit this online sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.
In any football or basketball game (the main sports that use point spreads) there are two teams playing against each other.
Those teams, though, are rarely exactly evenly matched – meaning that typically one team has a better chance than the other to win the game. If bettors were allowed to bet on who was simply going to win the game, smart ones would obviously bet on the better team (likely winning more than 50% of the time in the process).
If winning were that easy the Las Vegas and online sportsbooks would stop taking any bets! This is where the point spread comes in: the basic function of the point spread is to balance the likelihood of each team “winning” by adjusting the final score by the point spread. After this adjustment is made you get the Against The Spread result (ATS result for short).
Let’s look at Super Bowl XXXIX, New England Patriots vs. Philadelphia Eagles. Most people believed the defending champ Patriots to be the better team – so if betting were simply based upon which team would win the game, an uneven majority of people would have wagered on New England. But, by using the point spread, the bookmakers adjusted the terms of the bet, evening the proposition so about half the people believed the Pats to be the smart bet, while the other half considered Philly to be the smart bet.
New England Patriots -7 vs. Philadelphia Eagles
The better team, called the Favorite, is expected to win the game and must “give” or “lay” points to the weaker team. The favorite is listed with a minus sign and the number of points they are favored by (e.g., New England -7)
In the case of our example, New England must not only win the game, but they must win by more than 7 points for Pats bettors to have a winning ATS result. An Eagles bettor wins his bet either if:
There was also the possibility that the final score could land exactly on the spread number (for example, the Pats winning 28-21 when -7), which is called a “push” or “no action” and a refund is then issued to bettors of both teams.
The same game with the same point spread can be considered from the weaker team’s perspective: The Underdog (Philly in the case of our example) is not expected to win the game and online football betting thus receives or “gets” points given by the stronger team. When a game is stated from the underdog’s perspective the team is listed with a plus sign and the number of points they are underdogs by:
Philadelphia Eagles +7 vs. New England Patriots
Keep in mind that Philadelphia +7 and New England -7 is the same point spread on the same game, simply stated differently. The first is from the underdog’s perspective; the later is from the favorite’s.
Not a must, but for some a mathematical approach is insightful. You can determine the ATS winner by either:
Let’s look at the actual result of Super Bowl XXXIX: New England 24 Philadelphia 21
The favorite, New England, won the game but not by more than the point spread they were favored by (7), so the ATS result was a LOSS for Pats bettors.
Looking at it from the underdog’s perspective, Philly did not win the game, but they lost by less than the point spread (7), so the ATS result was a WIN for Eagle bettors.
Mathematically considered, 24 for the favorite Pats minus 7 equals 17, which is less than the 20 the Eagles scored, so the underdog Eagles win the ATS result (or you could figure 20 plus 7 equals 27 for the Eagles, which is more than 24 for the Pats).
Emily’s boyfriend understood the point spread and wagered $100 on the Eagles at +7. The Eagles may not have gotten a Super Bowl ring, but since they won the ATS result Emily’s boyfriend cashed his bet – giving him money to take her out to a nice dinner.
And now hopefully you understand how to read point spreads, putting you one step closer to joining the fun of sports betting.
To visit this internet sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting and World Series odds.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting