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The 2007 British Open will be played at Carnoustie Championship course. For four days fans will see the world's greatest golfers tested by one of the toughest links courses in scotland, if not the toughest. Links courses aren't as popular in the United States as they are in scotland, which means you may never have played one. But if you have, you know that you must adopt a different style of play to score well on the course and keep your golf handicap down.

A links golf course, as I've explained in my golf tips, is the oldest style golf course. It was first developed in scotland. The word comes from the Scottish language and refers to both an area of coastal sand dunes and sometimes open parkland. Many links courses though not all are located in coastal areas, on sandy soil, often amid dunes, with few water hazards and few if any trees. Links courses reflect the nature of the scenery where the sport originated, and the fact that only limited resources were available to golf course architects at the time. Earth moving had to be done by hand, so it was minimized.

Challenges of A Links course Uneven fairways, thick rough, and small deep bunkers known as "pot bunkers" characterize links courses. Many links courses are frequently windy, affecting the style of play required. Since many links courses consist of an "outward" nine in one direction along the coast, and an "inward" nine that returns in the opposite direction, players often have to cope with opposite wind patterns in each half of their round.

Playing a links course is demanding. You're often exposed to extreme weather conditions and usually play in winds far stronger than you experience inland, so you need to keep most shots low and/or on a line. A links course may look flat and featureless from a distance, but once you start playing you'll discover the ground is a mass of humps and hollows. Many tee shots are semi-blind.

Hard, fast-running fairways cause unpredictable bounces. Your ball shoots forward on the first bounce, while the same shot pitching into a hump stops quickly. Occasionally, a ball flying in the middle of the fairway kicks into the rough. The short grass and closely mown fairways on a links course remove some of the fear of mid-range approach shots. But a crisply struck iron generates a great deal of backspin because very little grass comes between the clubface and the ball at impact.

Take Advantage of the Wind The wind is almost always a factor on a links course. Use it to your advantage. With a tailwind you should hit the ball higher to gain maximum distance on the shot. With a head wind it's difficult to put enough backspin on the ball to pitch and stop it neatly on the green. Also, forget the distance you usually hit a ball because the wind drastically alters your normal club selection. Take less club, swing smoothly, and let the wind carry the ball well short of the green and expect plenty of run on the shot. Crosswinds force you to aim way off line and allow the ball to be blown back on target.

Wind Also Affects the Short game The wind also affects the short game on a links course. A low pitch and run is safer when playing in the wind than a high lob, as I've explained in my golf tips. A 7-iron is the ideal club for the shot. Bunkers are hard to spot in the humps and hollows of a links course and devilishly difficult to escape from. Don't take risks it's fine to sacrifice distance particularly if it keeps you on the fairway.

When you land in a fairway bunker it's unlikely you'll have a direct route to the green. Concentrate on making sure your next shot isn't from the same spot. The powdery fine sand is perfect for the high splash shot. Open your stance and keep the clubface open. swing long and smooth on an out-to-in path. Huge sandy dunes are punishing hazards that surround many fairways and greens. The thick, wiry grass doesn't let go of your ball easily.

Putting o a links course is no easy task, either. A long putt on a large sloping links green often takes two or three different breaks. It's important to study the green's slope carefully. Look at a putt along the ball-to-target line and then from the side on to give you a better perspective. Wind also affects the ball's roll. Occasionally, a long putt drops, but you should never be disappointed to get down in two strokes

Playing a links course for the first time is exciting. But you need to adjust your game to make up for the differences in a links style course and to set realistic goals for yourself. If you try to be too aggressive, your scores-and your golf handicap-will suffer.

Jack Moorehouse is the author of the best-selling book How To Break 80 And Shoot Like The Pros He is NOT a golf pro, rather a working man that has helped thousands of golfers from all seven continents lower their handicap immediately. He has a free weekly newsletter with the latest golf tips, golf lessons and golf instruction

Copyright (c) 2007 Jack Moorehouse

For anyone looking to take on a large project like remodeling a kitchen or bathroom, or adding a porch or in-law suite, for example - here are six things for the top of your home improvement to-do list, according to Ed Campbell, VP for Nashua, NH-based remodeling firm G.M. Roth (gmroth.com):

Be realistic about the project timeline. Though we all have good intentions and we like to hear the best-case scenarios, life isn't always that simple, and unfortunately neither is a remodeling project. It is important to ask every contractor, from whom you get a quote, for an honest estimate of how long the project will take - with no sugarcoating, no rose-colored glasses.

Better check the weather. Depending on where you live, rainy days may still be frequent in spring and summer months, and depending on the length of time your remodeling project will take, you may need to protect all or part of your home from the elements, as well as, from contractors tracking the elements into your home. Make sure you take this possibility into account before and during the remodeling process.

Don't forget about winter too soon. The weather may be warming up but if your remodeling project requires new doors, windows, or changes to exterior walls, be sure to discuss insulation and energy efficiency options with your contractor. You don't want to be left in the cold come winter time.

Make sure to get it all in writing. Your agreement with your contractor should specify who's responsible for cleanup during and after the remodeling project is done Responsibility for protection of your property from construction damage should also be clearly spelled out, too.

Give your insurance agent a call. Home remodeling often increases the value of your home, so you'll want your insurance coverage to come up to speed with the improvements. Your agent can also tell you if you'll be covered in case of problems like weather damage during the remodeling, injuries to workers, and other unexpected events.

Get out, if you can. During the construction process, there may be times where fumes or dust give you no choice but to stay with family, friends, or a local motel for short periods of time. But some projects, kitchen remodeling for example, often deny homeowners the use of major appliances and drinking water, etc. Rather than setting up a temporary kitchen in the spare bedroom, it might be easier to crash with the in-laws for a couple of weeks, and spring for their groceries as well as yours.

Plan ahead. This key to success, in so many areas of life, is just as important for remodeling projects. Taking time to plan before you start a major home improvement won't just increase the value of your home. It will bring you peace of mind as well.

Learn more about avoiding potential home improvement problems by visiting http://easyhouseremodeling.com, a popular house remodeling website that offers information, tips and free house remodeling resources and home improvement advice.

Weight is always a concern with backpacking food you'll be carrying everything on your back. Some will tell you to find your weight savings in other areas, and argue for the necessity of healthy, meaning heavy, food. My experience, however, tells me that we can enjoy lighter loads and worry less about healthy food on short trips.

In the Sierra Nevada I ate more than 60 granola bars in five days with no ill effects. No stove meant a lighter pack, and it was very convenient to not cook. Of course, I usually supplement my backpacking diet with berries and other wild foods, so it probably wasn't all that unhealthy.

Different Foods For Different Backpackers

Each of us is unique. I don't suffer when I have no cooked meals, but you may. There isn't a one-size-fits-all solution to the backpacking food question. You have to balance the weight/health/taste/cost issues in your own way. Consider the following points, though, in making your choices.

The lightest food is that which has the most calories per ounce. Pure fat wins the contest (oils), followed by high-fat foods (nuts), low moisture carbohydrates (granola bars), proteins (beef jerky), and then bread, fruit, veggies, etc. Nuts, for example, because of their fat content, have 50% more calories per pound than pure sugar.

Look at the lables. Choose foods you like, but choose the ones that are higher in calories for their weight. In that way, you get what you want, what your body needs for energy, and you keep it light. I usually plan for about 3000 calories a day. This isn't quite enough (I'm 6'3", 160 pounds), so I'll lose a pound or two on a weekend trip.

Bringing high-calorie foods like mixed nuts (2700/pound) and tortilla chips (2100/pound), I can get by with about 20 ounces of food per day. For a four day trip I'll carry around 5 pounds. Eat a big meal before you go, and you can carry less food (although you'll carry it inside you anyhow). You can cut weight if you know which berries to eat along the trail. I've eaten an entire meal of rasberries during one break while hiking in Colorado.

Healthy Backpacking Food

For a healthier trip, try this: Eat a large salad right before you leave, and right after you get back. If you also eat berries and herbs along the way, you can concentrate on bringing only light backpacking food, and your health won't suffer.

A more obvious alternative is to spend some money. Enough money, and you can feast on nutrition-packed, calorie-rich foods the whole time you are hiking. Try bee pollen, spirolina, raw nuts and seeds, molasses, dried papaya - I could go on, but you get the idea.

Finally, don't forget the freeze-dried meals and other traditional backpacking foods. They are not necessasrily healthy, and can be very expensive, but they sure are convenient and tasty. You can always pack ramen noodles if you want cheap food.

Steve Gillman is a long-time backpacker, and advocate of lightweight backpacking. His advice and stories, and a backpacking food calorie counter, can be found at http://www.TheUltralightBackpackingSite.com