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Many people believe that the word 'links' refers to the way the end of one golf hole defines the beginning of the next - rather like the links of a chain. This is not so but it actually comes from the Old English word 'hlinc' meaning a stretch of flat ground along the seashore. And that is exactly what it is like. Sea on one side, land on the other (often the houses on the edge of the town form the boundary). It is a naturally occurring terrain usually on a well drained sandy soil.

The parkland course on the other hand is 'purpose built' and is often much more hilly and varied in terrain than the links course. Also, the presence of trees offers a different kind of hazard from those found on a links. Each course has its own type of problems and challenges but the links course probably calls for rather more 'invention' or 'adaptation' in the way the shots are played.

Parkland courses are usually set in an area not infrequently wooded to some degree and often with heather, gorse, sand bunkers and sometimes water in the form of ponds or lakes. However, the main difference between links and parkland is that the latter is much more obviously manufactured. This is not said by way of criticism since inland courses by definition have to be manufactured. The quality of the course though is more to do with the skill of the designer and how much this "manufactured-ness" shows. The optimum use of the space available and the incorporation of existing natural features - woods, trees, water, ups and downs - are where the architect can bring his creative powers to bear.

A links course on the other hand is usually a much more rugged proposition. It's a completely natural setting - too 'natural' for some people - where the wind from the sea plays a much more prominent part in the game. The nature of the terrain forces you to adapt your shots to the prevailing conditions and the lie of the land. One great advantage though is that being on sandy soil it does tend to drain well and very quickly so the surface remains firm and playable all year round.

Nevertheless it is no place for the complaint 'It's not fair'. Life isn't fair on a links and you have to brace yourself for that. You could hit a perfect drive straight up the fairway only to have it finish up on a hanging lie with three huge bunkers between you and the green two hundred yards away.

The distances on your scorecard will be accurate but useless. I have played at Turnberry where one of the par threes is an eight iron in the morning but a three wood in the afternoon - and it was nothing to do with the port at lunch.

Playing out of the rough is a different game; the whins and other grasses can twist your clubhead and make the ball behave in quite a different way when trying to chip on to the green from the rough. Don't expect to play to your handicap on your first visit to a links course - even in sunshine and no (apparent) wind. You need to be able to 'read' the elements and this comes only from experience. Why do you think so many canny golfers chip and run from so far off the green?

Unlike the parkland course where the course is manufactured, the links course demands that the shot is manufactured.

But all in all it's a great challenge - never the same from one day to the next. One compensation however for these difficulties is that you will not encounter many trees. Which brings us back to parkland golf.

Essentially, unlike the natural design of the links, this is down to the skill of the architect. Everybody accepts that golf courses are 'constructed' but the trick is to make them look as natural as possible and, in the case of some of the great inland courses, it works! It requires a number of criteria to be fulfilled: first and foremost it must be a challenge to the world's best - and must be accepted as such. It must have variety - every hole must be individual but the 'whole' must have a personality. It must be fair and not just playable by top championship players and, lastly, it must be aesthetically pleasing. Such a course would be Sunningdale - a club blessed with two of the great courses where every hole is a world unto itself. So whether your preference is for links or parkland I hope you manage to get the round you've dreamed about on the course of your choice.

Good golfing!

Peter makes playing golf more interesting by enlightening his readers with little known facts about the history of the game of golf. He also provides a feast of valuable golfing tips and online golf lessons all learnt from playing golf for five decades!

Saunas are usually treated as relaxants and stress busters. women who are accustomed to using saunas before pregnancy are not sure whether or not to continue using saunas after they find that they are pregnant. during pregnancy, the safety of your baby has to be of utmost concern.

Most medical practitioners advise against using saunas during pregnancy. As per the advice of the ACOG (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) saunas are not advisable during pregnancy for more than 15 minutes at a time and if you can do without it, all the better.

It is believed that the high temperatures in the environment of a sauna could interfere negatively with the development of the fetus, especially in the first two trimesters of pregnancy. High temperatures are particularly harmful during the first twelve weeks of development of the fetus and hence, any such exposure should be totally avoided during this time.

Doing anything that would cause a pregnant womans core temperature to rise is considered to have the potential harming the unborn baby. Even running a fever can result in harm to an unborn fetus, so deliberately raising body temperature is certainly ill-advised for a pregnant woman.

The potentially damaging impact of heat on your unborn child is not the only reason you should avoid using a sauna during pregnancy. Another reason why you should not use saunas during pregnancy is because it might induce dizziness and utter exhaustion, which are harmful for you and the baby.

alternatives To Sauna If you are totally addicted to saunas, you will need to find alternative ways to enjoy the heat without risking the healthy development of your unborn child. For de-stressing, you could use body massages which would help your muscles unwind and relax. There are many professional massage parlors which you will find especially welcome during this time. There are even licensed massage therapists who specialize in pregnancy massage techniques. Alternatively, you could ask your partner to give you a massage every now and then when.

If what you really miss about the sauna is the heat, you could try taking a hot tub bath, of course taking care not to use very high temperatures and not to stay in the hot bath water for more than 15 minutes. Even a short warm bath can go a long way toward relaxing your body and your mind.

There are many other ways to relax and make you feel good. Yoga can be an excellent means of relaxing. Additionally, practicing the breathing exercises that you need to learn for the birth of your baby anyway can be very relaxing. Taking long walks is also an excellent way to relax and destress without putting your unborn baby at risk. When it comes to saunas and pregnancy, it is much better to wait until after the baby is born. Instead of choosing to stick with your sauna habit, choose to be safe and avoid any risks to yourself or your baby.

Saunafin offers steam sauna and dry sauna accessories and products including, sauna kits, traditional prefab saunas, outdoor saunas. http://www.saunafin.com/

David Walker continues his review of the January transfer window and how the moves will impact each teams success, or survival at the end of the 2005/06 season.

Everton
After spending the early part of the season facing a relegation battle the only reinforcements came in the form of Alan Stubbs, joining from Sunderland for his second spell at the club.

Two players have left the club Marcus Bent to Charlton and Per Kroldrup to Fiorentina. The Danish defender arrived in a 5 million switch from Udinese but returned to italy for substantially less after making just one league appearance.

At 10 points clear, Everton look safe from the drop but you may be tempted by the 33/1 relegation odds.

Fulham
Fulham are battling against relegation and have made five new signings. Goalkeepers Tony Warner and Antti Niemi joined from Cardiff and Southampton respectively while New Zealand international Simon Elliott arrived from Columbus Crew. Defender Wayne Bridge and midfielder Michael Brown joined from chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur on loan.

Without an away win all season, Fulhams strength and key to survival lies in their form at Craven Cottage. 26 of the 29 points accumulated have come from home wins and manager Chris Coleman will need to keep up this momentum. Fulham can be backed at 14/1 for relegation.

liverpool
Third in the table and a favourable draw in the Champions league has seen further recruits arrive at Anfield. Defender Jan Kromkamp arrived in a swap deal from Villarreal which saw Josemi return to Spain while Danish defender Daniel Agger cost 5.8 million from Brondby.

A host of fringe players left on loan deals but all transfers were eclipsed by the return of striker Robbie Fowler, five years after leaving Anfield. Fowler scored 120 goals in 236 premiership matches for the Reds previously and with Manchester United wobbling, liverpool could eclipse them in second position. They are three points behind in third but have two games in hand. Rafa Benitezs side can be backed at 6/5 to win the premiership in the without Chelsea market.

Manchester City
Following a blistering start to the season, City are sitting comfortably in tenth position. manager Stuart Pearce will not stand for half measures and has motivated his side into three wins out of their last four matches, including a 3-1 derby win over bitter rivals United.

Pearce has boosted the ranks with the 6 million signing of Greek striker Georgios Samaras from Heerenveen after allowing Robbie Fowler to rejoin liverpool and the loan capture of Espanyol midfielder Alberto Riera. Pearces managerial qualities have not gone unnoticed and he is quoted at 20/1 to succeed Sven Goran Eriksson as the next England boss.

Manchester United
The former premiership powerhouses have been exposed yet again this season as being nowhere near chelsea in terms of results, consistency and strength in depth. However, the Glaziers sanctioned the arrivals of Spartak moscow defender Nemanja Vidic Spartak for 7 million and 5.5 million signing Patrice Evra.

A dire spell in Europe has seen them with the Carling cup one of their only chances of silverware this season although Sir Alex Fergusons side are still 5/6 favourites for the premiership without Chelsea. Strike duo Ruud van Nistelrooy is 5/6 and Wayne Rooney 10/1 to top the premiership scoring charts.

Middlesbrough
One of the pre season outsiders for a top four position, Middlesbrough are now staring relegation square in the face. Boro have won just once in their last 10 premiership outings and that was away at rock bottom Sunderland.

No players arrived in January although Szilard Nemeth left for Strasbourg. One of the few bright spots, striker Yakubu, can be backed at 16/1 to top the premiership goalscoring chart while speculative punters may fancy the 13/2 on offer of relegation.

newcastle United
manager Graham Souness became the latest premiership managerial casualty after recently losing five of their last six league matches. With just 36 wins in his 83 matches in charge the club are hovering six points above the drop zone.

big money arrivals Michael Owen and Alberto Luque failied to ignite an expected charge for European football and former West Ham manager Glenn Roeder and Alan Shearer have taken over the reigns temporarily. Bolton manager Sam Allardyce is the 9/2 favourite to take over permanently and despite a poor run of form the Magpies remain 20/1 outsiders for relegation.

The third and final part of the review will look at transfers involving Portsmouth, Sunderland, Tottenham Hotspur, West Bromwich Albion, West Ham United and Wigan Athletic.

The current rivalry between the xbox 360 and the coming PlayStation 3 is just the latest battle in the exciting leadership war that began in 2001, when microsoft introduced the original Xbox into the console market. The PlayStation was the reigning champion of the console market. It had dominated since the mid-90s. The original PlayStation sold some hundred million units, a staggering figure at the time.

By the end of the 1990s microsoft was worried about what is in our perspective the prospect of the PlayStation encroaching in the console market. Hence Xbox, was and still is a bid to win back territory for microsoft in many of our gaming views. While xbox might have been the new kid on the block, it had the might of all Bill Gates empire behind it. Before the xbox, microsoft had already ported Windows CE to the Sega dreamcast, giving them experience in the console market.

More importantly, they had some of the best programming teams on the planet. One of their original plan, if not their main plan for this long-time distribution for the Xbox, focused heavily on integrating it with other microsoft products, for example by including DirectX technology. The battle is about much more than just the console market. Sony and microsoft are looking forward to a time of increasing integration of different electronic devices within the home. Consoles are increasingly becoming conduits for internet access, for playing music, and even for personal computing.

Sony could be using the PlayStation 3 to push the Blu-ray disc format. In the past, it has come up with the PSX, intended as a multi-purpose device, able to record and play videos as well as being a gaming console. microsoft, for its part, is putting a lot of weight on the Xbox live online service, which we can expect to see expanding massively over the coming years. The continuing delays in shipping Windows Vista - the next incarnation of microsoft PC operating system - has dampened the impact of linking it with the Xbox. Once Vista is released, we could expect to see a stronger focus on linking the Xbox 360 to a PC running Vista.

In short, everything is becoming interconnected, and the exciting console leadership war is at the very center of this battle. Whoever can dominate this market will have the say over how the digital homes of the future are laid out - and will be able to profit massively as a result. The stakes are high in the rivalry between PlayStation and Xbox. It is just an exciting rivalry to keep watching over the years to come, for sure.