One of the biggest Western imports to China just may be the love of golf. A recent report by KPMG Golf Advisory Practice published on December 1 after the completion of the World Cup of Golf at Mission Hills Country Club in Shenzhen, China, is part of KPMG's third annual Golf Benchmark Survey. It reveals that China has a rapidly developing and expensive golf market. China now has over 300 courses, more than half of which have opened since 2000. Club memberships and green fees are among the most expensive in the world with the average initiation fee of a golf club set at $53,000 One in 10 Chinese clubs charges initiation fees over $100,000, with annual dues ranging between $1,500 and $4,000. And then there are green fees that average $161 for an 18-hole weekend round. Currently golf in China is an elite sport played mainly by men (87 percent of club members are men). If the fees come down a bit and more people begin to play China could easily have one of the largest communities of golfers in the world.

[via Cybergolf]

The America's Cup, which is 45 years older than the modern Olympics, is of course the world's most famous sailing race. However the Louis Vuitton Cup, sponsored by the famed French luxury goods house for the past 25 years, is actually considered by many to be the more exciting regatta. While only two yachts compete in the America's Cup, several take part in the LV Cup which has been a rite of passage for yachtsmen looking to challenge the defending champion of the America's Cup since 1983.

A beautiful new book celebrates this great era in world-class sailing: The Louis Vuitton Cup: 25 Years of Yacht Racing in Pursuit of the America's Cup. Louis Vuitton's ties to the world of yachting go back much further of course. In addition to many traveling trunks and items designed for use on ocean voyages, from 1933 to 1938 Gaston-Louis Vuitton developed a unique model boat division, and in 1935 for example one could acquire from LV a scale model of Cornelius Vanderbilt's famous steam yacht the North Star (see the gallery).

The book, by yacht designer, professor of naval architecture at the University of Nantes, and marine author and artist Francois Chevalier, pays homage to the exceptional navigators and avid photographers who helped forge the reputation of the Louis Vuitton Cup, and offers an impassioned account of the competition's inception and vision, accompanied by gorgeous photographs both modern and vintage. The book also offers an in-depth look at seven landmark races in the regatta's history.



The Louis Vuitton Cup also shows how the America's Cup itself paralleled Vuitton's expansion from a company that began by making travel trunks to its current stature as an internationally renowned luxury brand. The book traces the trajectory of the Louis Vuitton Cup, recounting stories of the individual races and victories, from the first in Newport, Rhode Island in 1983 (won by the Australia II which went on to win the America's Cup, puting an end to 132 years if American dominance) to the last in Valencia, Spain in 2007, won by the Emirates Team New Zealand. It presents profiles of its greatest winners and pays tribute to the world's most talented yachtsmen and the photographers who, passionate about the sea, helped forge the regatta's reputation.

Warrick Dunn is certainly known for his performance on the football field but his actions in the community through his foundation are worthy of celebration. This special non-profit organization founded by the Tampa Bay Buccaneer is committed to 'providing opportunities for economically-disadvantaged single parents and children who have demonstrated a commitment to achieve financial independence and stability'. The cornerstone of its impact resides in the 'Homes for the Holidays' program which helps single parent families achieve the American dream of home ownership. Inspired by the determination and hardwork of his mother, Betty Smothers, Warrick Dunn's good works have supported 78 single parents and 205 dependents in the past ten years in four separate communities. Of course donations are always acceptable but if you're looking to play a little golf with celebrities the Golf Classic might be the way to go.

Alyssa Milano has an option for female NFL fans tired of wearing oversized men's logowear but still wanting to look fashionable while supporting their team: her "TOUCH" apparel and jewelry line, available at NFL Shop.

Launched in spring 2007, TOUCH, which also includes lines for the NBA and NHL, was born out of necessity, according to Milano's Web site. When Milano, an avid baseball fan, went to games, "she wanted to wear fan gear to support her team, but found that the product mix offered in the marketplace did not address her everyday fashion needs. She felt women should be able to look stylish while cheering on their favorite team. So, she partnered with G-III Apparel Group and Major League Baseball to design and distribute a line of juniors' ladies MLB apparel." And so it began.

I just learned about the line when I saw a TV ad during a Sunday night football game; it seems the NFL partnership is fairly new. This line includes 245 products that range in price from $16.99 - $89.99.

View the gallery for some examples. Most of the products are available for multiple teams.

An extremely rare and ornate pair of exhibition-grade gold-inlaid J. Purdey & Sons 12-bore shotguns stars in Christie's Exceptional and Fine Sporting Guns and Rifles sale in London today. Estimated at $320,000 - $400,000, the British-made shotguns contain an astounding amount of gold, accounting for the extremely high estimate. As Christie's notes, with the exception of weapons built for the Maharajahs of India, modern sporting guns were "only traditionally given gold inlay as a mild form of embellishment."

This extraordinary pair was actually inspired by gunsmith Ken Hunt's studies of arms and armor in the Tower of London, the Wallace Collection and the Victoria & Albert Museum. They are presented in a beautifully-crafted oak and leather case. Purdey, founded in 1814, holds numerous warrants of appointment as gun and rifle makers to the British and other European royal families. Queen Victoria purchased a pair of Purdey guns in 1838.

With people in the U.S. starting to spend less on travel and on entertainment the National Football League is seeking greener pastures when it comes to marketing the Super Bowl. Bloomberg reports that the NFL has made a big push to market corporate Super Bowl travel packages outside the U.S. The hope is that corporate clients in Canada, Japan, the U.S. and Mexico will be willing to travel to Tampa, Florida to see the game on February 1 and take part in the surrounding festivities. Packages run from around $4,600 to around $10,600 depending on tickets and parties.The NFL has a dedicated website to sell these packages and is competing against travel companies that also offer packaged sports events promotions. Of course the NFL has the upper hand when it comes to access to tickets, hotels and all the parties. The game is traditionally one of America's biggest celebrations but it remains to be seen if the rest of the world is ready to join our Super Bowl party.

Baseball player Steve Finley and his wife, interior designer Amy Finley are looking for a big profit from their house in Del Mar, California. The Wall Street Journal's Private Properties column reports that the Finlays played a mere $1.54 million back in 1995. The 2.500 square-foot home is located on a small lot directly on the beach and has some very stunning views.

The couple have a development firm and already have made a good real estate profit earlier this year selling a home they bought around seven years ago for $1.7 million for a neat $12.5 million. Will lightning strike twice for these savvy investors? Tempting details in this home include limestone floors, bright white spaces and lots of glass to showcase those amazing views. The home has six bedrooms total including a private upper master site. A separate lot across the street offers a two car garage. This home is listed at $21.5 million and is listed through Barry Estates. Experience more lush living in luxury homes and mansions or see the stars living large with celebrity homes galleries at AOL Real Estate.

It looks like it is going to be a good ski season at Mammoth Mountain in California. A powerful storm hit the Eastern Sierra over the weekend dropping up to 18 inches of snow on Mammoth Mountain. Resort operators made the decision to open the slopes for skiing and riding on Monday, November 3, a full 10 days ahead of schedule. A combination of natural and manmade snow will greet skiers and riders and special early season lift tickets are priced at $52 for adult, $39 for teens and $26 for children and seniors. First Tracks packages including lift tickets and lodging start at $99 per person per night based on double occupancy.

Those skiing in Whistler this winter will have a new to ski both Whistler and Blackcomb mountains. The Peak 2 Peak gondola will offer an eleven-minute trip that spans the two mountains. The gondola will link 8,171 acres of terrain into one continuous lift system so that skiers and riders can move across the valley to the best snow and weather in each area.Each gondola cabin can hold 28 people and can transport 4,100 people per hour. Two of the 28 gondolas will have glass bottoms allowing a birds eye view of the Fitzsimmons Valley below. The gondola will also be open during the summer months. Whistler Blackcomb's Unlimited Adult Seasons Pass is available for $1879. The Peak 2 Peak gondola opens on December 12.

The Tampa Bay Rays may have gotten kicked out of their Philadelphia hotel after the World Series was extended due to rain delay but they ended up in luxurious digs in Wilmington, Delaware. The team stayed at the Hotel du Pont, a historic hotel that has seen presidents, celebrities and its fair share of famous athletes before. How do they like their Wilmington stay? Tampa Bay Rays reliever J.P. Howell told the AP "this place in awesome." It turns out that traveling secretary Jeff Ziegler had to call 21 hotels before finding a hotel with enough rooms for the team and staff. The team found iit a nice place to cozy up and wait out the cold rain that has dogged this Series. Before the Rays moved in the hotel was offering a World Series package touting the fact that the hotel is a half hour drive from the Philadelphia Phillies Home Field, Citizens Bank Park and offering a special package that included valet parking, a la carte breakfast and a Phillies or Rays-themed Chocolate Mousse Baseball Bombe welcome amenity from $149 and up per room. Alas, the change of venue didn't bring the Rays any luck in the Series.

So far most of the news I've heard about sports teams in this economy has been pretty positive. New stadiums are still being built and luxury suites are being filled. But Gary West writing in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram has a piece that points out that sports are going through their own cost-cutting measures. Attendance is down at professional baseball games. The NCAA is curbing spending on postseason travel and the Grand Prix du Canada, the only Formula One race in North America is struggling to find funding. And layoffs have even come to the NBA which is cutting their work force by 9%.

More than ever professional sports depend on revenue from advertising, sponsorships and naming rights but with many corporations in trouble those opportunities are drying up. As the Dallas Morning News reports the Cowboys have a new $1.1 billion stadium expected to be completed by next June and they are looking for a naming-rights deal that could be worth hundreds of millions. There are less and less companies now that would be interested in a deal of this magnitude.

And Nascar, which has risen to be one of the most popular sports in the U.S. is really feeling the pinch. General Motors, Chrysler, Sears Holdings and Chevron will cut or drop sponsorships next season. Perhaps more than any other sport this economy has a dramatic effect because it takes so much money to compete. Dario Franchitti, the 2007 Indianapolis 500 winner, was forced out of the series by a lack of sponsors and teams from names like Petty, Waltrip and Earnhardt may enter 2009 with unfunded cars. Nascar may even have trouble filling up their 43-car fields because so many teams have had trouble finding sponsors.

Certainly professional sports aren't going anywhere. Watching sports has always offered distraction and succor in tough times. Cheering for our teams lets us experience both joy and defeat in a way that doesn't impact our daily living. But in a time when companies are forced to cut back, sports teams, which are businesses too, will be forced to readjust. Some franchises may have to close. Teams that have relied on lucrative corporate suites deals may have to focus more on getting regular customers into seats.

ABC News reports that AIG, the troubled insurance company that has taken a lot of heat for their spending, will still be shelling out the big bucks for a luxury suite at Madison Square Garden. The company bought a a club suite for their brokers and clients back in February and will be responsible for the year-long contract. The suites generally cost between $225,000 and $500,000. AIG will have to pay for the suite but does not plan to use it. They are also canceling more of the luxurious conferences and events like the one held at the St. Regis Monarch Beach which inspired nationwide outrage. No word yet on whether the suite will simply remain vacant. I'd love to see it donated so that kids who might never otherwise see an event in Madison Square Garden could have a grand experience. They'd likely appreciate it a lot more than some bored executives.

I've been writing about the plans for the Rocket Racing League for over three years but it looks like the new sports league is one step closer to reality. The Rocket Racing League, which seeks to create a Nascar in the sky with multiple races and up to 10 Rocket Racers taking to the sky on a closed circuit raceway, has been granted an Experimental Exhibition Certificate from the FAA for their next generation rocket racer. As Aero-News reports this is especially significant because it is the first time in the FAA's history that a production level rocket-powered aircraft has been cleared to perform exhibition flight demonstrations at over 20 venues across the U.S.

The Rocket Racing League has locked up a fancy sponsor, DKNY for men and their ship is called the DKNY Bridenstine Rocket Racer vehicle. It was built on a Velocity Aircraft airframe and equipped with a liquid oxygen and alcohol engine manufactured by Armadillo Aerospace. The league plans to hold a 2009 Exhibition season followed by the first official race season in 2010. The league will choose eight venues out of the possible 20 approved locations.

Recent reports revealed the sad news that legendary golfer Seve Ballesteros is suffering from a brain tumor. The news comes just around the time that a new watch that is a collaboration between Ballesteros and Jaermann & Stübi is set to come out. The watch case is forged from the golf clubs used by Seve Ballesteros to win the Chunichi Crowns Open in 1991. The one to nine irons he used on that occasion together with the Pitching Wedge and the Sand Wedge have been transformed into 50 watch cases for the "Seve Ballesteros" limited series. The "Seve Ballesteros" has an automatic movement and like the other Jaermann & Stübi golf watches, it has a mechanical golf counter complication to count the strokes per hole. The watch face and bezel are in Seve's favorite color, dark blue and the each watch is numbered with the golf club used for each case engraved on the back. The "Seve Ballesteros" model sells for 21,500 Swiss francs (around $19,000 US). A beautiful watch for one of golf's greats.

[via Time Zone]

Callaway 's latest driver, the Fusion FT-iQ isn't the prettiest golf club I've ever seen but company promises that it is their longest, straightest driver ever. The squared-off club promises increased ball speed. The titanium face is thickest in the center and thins out on the side while a lightweight composite body gives the club a low center of gravity. It sell for $499 to $529 and will be available as of November 15. The Callaway website has video of pro golfers including Rocco Mediate and Ernie Els testing out the club.

[via Polite Applause]