Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Hand of a Legend art series to feature golf greats

Artist Jack Kimmich of JHK and Company is introducing the first in a series of limited-edition, life-cast bronze hand sculptures of golf's living legends teeing up a golf ball, beginning with World Golf Hall of Fame member Jack Nicklaus.

Licensed by the PGA TOUR and the World Golf Hall of Fame, this unique series of bronze art will be produced from a casting of the actual hand of one of golf's legendary figures. Each piece will be made in the United States in museum-quality art bronze employing the "lost wax" process -- used by artists for more than 2,000 years to hand-craft high-quality bronze art pieces. The casting will be presented on a base of black granite to complete the truly exquisite work of fine art.

A new edition featuring a Hall of Fame member will be introduced periodically, and a casting of each of the legends will be placed on permanent display in the World Golf Hall of Fame & Museum in St. Augustine, Fla. Only 1,500 pieces of this first edition in the series of collectibles will be cast.

The castings of the Jack Nicklaus edition and each future edition will be sequentially numbered with the year of issue and signature of the legend engraved into the bronze sculpture itself. A Certificate of Authenticity, signed by Kimmich, with the name of the original purchaser and the raised corporate seal of JHK and Company, will accompany each piece. Patrons of Hand of a Legend will be notified each year in advance of the public offering of each new edition, to provide them the opportunity to reserve the same edition number each year -- completing the list of items of authenticity necessary to make the Hand of a Legend series a truly compelling offering for collectors of golf memorabilia.

"This is such a unique piece of golf history and to be able to create a fine art piece such as this while supporting the Nicklaus Children's Health Care Foundation and the World Golf Hall of Fame & Museum is particularly gratifying," Kimmich said.

Patrons acquiring this unique art piece/golf collectible recognizing Nicklaus will also be helping two very worthy institutions -- the Nicklaus Children's Health Care Foundation, which is dedicated to supporting the health, safety and well-being of children, and the World Golf Hall of Fame, which preserves the history and legacies of golf's greats.

"Jack and his team have done a beautiful job with this piece," Nicklaus said. "The fine details and craftsmanship are outstanding, and it's very obvious that they have poured a great deal of time and themselves into this project. I am honored and humbled that the artist and the World Golf Hall of Fame chose me to launch this series. I am even more honored that they have dedicated proceeds to the Nicklaus Children's Health Care Foundation. It's ironic that the true hand in this project is the helping hand they are providing young boys and girls, as well as their families, who are in need of pediatric health-care services."

"This is a unique product that we are honored to feature in the World Golf Hall of Fame," said Jack Peter, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the World Golf Hall of Fame. "This piece of art will enhance the experience for our guests in the Museum, as well as continue our mission of celebrating the legacies of the game's greatest players."

Hand of a Legend castings will be announced as available on a first-come, first-served basis, and the opportunity to own this "piece of history" is truly limited by the small number of castings to be made. The pieces are now available for ordering at $2,035 each, including shipping within the continental U.S. Go to www.JHKandCompany.com to learn more about purchasing Hand of a Legend.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Tiger Woods Down to Number 7 in New Golf World Rankings

Tiger Woods drops slightly further down the golf World Rankings as Lee Westwood's victory in South Korea keeps him at No.1

Europe’s grip on golf’s World Rankings appears to be as high as ever in the new list which was produced on 1st May 2011. Tiger Wood’s continued absence from tournaments means he is failing to keep hold of many of the points he has picked up in previous years.

The New Order at the Top of the Rankings

Lee Westwood has been the golfer to capitalise on the fall of Tiger Woods the most over the past few months. He has backed up his number one sport with two victories in the past few weeks, the first at the Indonesian Masters and more recently at the Ballantine’s Championship in South Korea. After losing the position to German Martin Kaymer earlier in the year, he has reclaimed the spot with some excellent performances in Asia.

Westwood and Kaymer aren’t the only Europeans vying for a place at the head of the rankings though. Luke Donald won the WGC Accenture Match Play in February and is on the heels of Westwood. He was runner up on the PGA Tour in America only last week, losing in a playoff to Brandt Snedeker at the Heritage Championship. A victory there would have seen him usurp Westwood at the top.

21-year-old Rory McIlroy is another European who has overtaken Tiger Woods. He has jumped up to a career high of sixth on the rankings, level with Woods on points average score but ahead of him on total points. The system as in most sports seems rather complicated. Best left to those in charge to work it all out. His good showing in the first three rounds at Augusta may have helped him in this. His fellow Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell is his next target in the list.

We have been very used to seeing the rankings list full to the brim with Americans at the top, with Woods, Phil Mickelson and Jim Furyk all in contention for World No.1. However, Mickelson is taking some well-earned time off from the game, only participating in bigger tournaments. When he and Tiger Woods come back properly to the Tour there may once again be a changing of the guard.

Three Americans to watch out for are Matt Kuchar, Bubba Watson and Nick Watney. They are 10, 11 and 15 in the list respectively and all have a promising year ahead of them. Bubba Watson claimed the Zurich Classic in New Orleans and is at his career high in the top 10. Kuchar has been very consistent over the last year and he may be working his way slowly be surely into striking distance of the Europeans. As for Watney, his ability to shoot extremely low scores when others are struggling puts him into contention anywhere he plays.

Tiger Woods showed us big glimpses of what he was still capable of at The Masters at Augusta and so we should continue to look out for his presence in the rankings. He is the star attraction wherever he plays and it may not be long before his is challenging the Europeans at the top of the game once again.