  In spite of great progress over the last $\sim 10$ years, especially thanks
to HST, a number of exciting open problem still puzzle astronomers working on
globular clusters in our own and other galaxies. These problems range from
determining more accurate ages to assess whether massive black holes hide at
the center of some clusters, from identifying the physical origin of red giant
winds to assess whether there is an influence of cluster structure and dynamics
on the evolution of individual cluster stars, from demonstrating whether or not
some clusters possess a dark matter halo on their own to eventually understand
the formation of globular clusters in the context of galaxy formation, and
more. In this review, I briefly sketch how ground based telescopes and their
instrumentation can help solving these problems through the present decade,
2001-2010. A glimpse to the next decade is also given.
