Streamsong Review - A New Addition to the Pures

Over at our sister site, macduffconsulting, you will find a full review of a days golf at wonderful Streamsong - a worthy addition to purist golf. You can read it here - http://macduffconsulting.blogspot.com/

3 Pures From The PGA Show

So, I am back from a terrific Golf Show in Orlando  - There really was a buzz in the air this year - rounds played were up in 2012, Callaway are back with style and once again I have selected three Pure products that fit the style and ethos of our site.

True Linkswear

It's no secret I am a big fan of this company. The True guys created a new category of walkable, comfortable shoes and naturally all the other big boys have jumped on the bandwagon. Nike, adidas, Footjoy all have their low profile version, but none are as good as the original Trues. In 2013 they have  introduced a couple of exciting new designs - I particularly like the look of the Chukka, with a little more height for those rainy days when only a walk will do! Read More Here.

Callaway's new X Hot Pro 3 wood

A new golf club on the golf purist? Yes, it does happen if I see one that is true to itself and free of all the horrendous graphics that are popping up on golf clubs. The flashes and geometric designs from Nike, Adams and Taylormade won't last - they do nothing other than distract the eye.

For a gorgeous clean golf club take a look at the new Callaway X Hot Pro 3 wood. I have the wonderful old X Hot 3 wood in my bag from 2006 and it is my "go to club"  - I don't think Callaway has ever made a better golf club - who knows - maybe the new X Hot Pro 3 could takes its place. Read More Here.

G/Fore Golf Shoes

More footwear, this time from world famous fashion designer, Mossimo Giannulli. Last year he added color to the boring old white golf glove, but kept it pure by choosing beautiful colors. This year he has added shoes to the line and come up with contemporary colors to add some verve to the fairways. They are coming soon, so keep your eye on his website here 

"The Show" Is Here!

Well, it's in a couple of days and I will be attending for the 24th time - is it a badge if honor or dishonor?  - I'm not sure! As well as conducting MacDuff business I'll have my golf purist hat on and be on the look out for all things pure in golf. I'll report back next week with photos and some copy.

New TaylorMade Drivers Graphics...shield your eyes!

TaylorMade are once again pushing the design envelope with their new drivers. They did the same a couple of years ago with the white drivers, which have become the norm on Tour and amongst many amateur players. But, this time they have outdone themselves with the ugliest graphics ever seen on a golf club. The clubs in question are the R1 Driver (top picture) and Rocketballz Stage 2 Driver (bottom picture.) The graphics, we are told, are to improve alignment and seek their inspiration from racing cars. Well, they should have left them on the cars and how on earth these will help alignment goodness only knows. Suffice to say, as good as the technology of these golf club is, the graphics will ensure they never make it into the purists bag!

Pure Golf in 2012

I was fortunate to play some pure golf in 2012, as well as write about it. Here are four of the best.

1. Augusta National.  The feeling of driving down Magnolia Lane never gets old and the golf course continues to amaze. It is without question the greatest experience in golf.

2. The Old Course. I played in the summer, before the R&A pulled a swift one and made the unnecessary changes. The wind was up that day and was all the defence the grand old lady needed. TOC continues to be a major bucket list item.

3. Pinehurst #2. The revamp by Coore and Crenshaw is remarkable and proof that length is not the essential component in memorable design. To improve on Ross's layout is an amazing accomplishment.

4. Muirfield. The site of the 2013 Open Championship gets better the more you play it and with The Honorable Company of Edinburgh Golfers wisely improving the playing opportunities for non-members this is a must play.

Many thanks to all the very kind members and professionals who facilitated these rounds of golf. It was a blast!

The R&A, What Were You Thinking?

Wow, what a week for the purists amongst us. The powers that be at The Old Course, namely the St Andrews Links Trust and the R&A have seen fit to make one of the worst decisions ever in golf by digging up the hallowed turf on a number of holes, including the 17th (above). And for absolutely no good reason. I'm sure Old Tom is spinning in his grave. The way that they handled the matter is also a joke. By announcing the decision to "improve" TOC last Friday (following Thanksgiving Day in the USA) it was the ultimate way to "bury the lede." By the time the news wires picked up on the story on Monday, Mr. Hawtree and his ditch diggers were hard at work attempting to "improve" on one of the greatest golf courses in the world. How on earth they could think that increasing the size of the road hole bunker would improve the hole remains to be seen, and it's another example of the R&A running rough shod over the game. They have managed for years to ignore the fact that the golf ball was getting longer and longer and destroying classic golf courses and now they see fit to add to their incompetence by messing with the most famous golf course in the world. I was at TOC in June this year with seven friends all of whom were in awe of the town and the finest public golf course in the world. Golf architects around the world, who know considerably more about these things than I do, are outraged and have made their voices heard. The most vocal is renowned designer, Tom Doak, but sadly it seems to be too late to stop the insane "reshaping." It is indeed a sad day for the Old Grey Toon.

A Pure Round in Pinehurst, NC

Putter Boy (in his new location)

 The Pine Crest Inn pork chop

Welcome to the Pine Crest Inn

Thistle Dhu putting green

Thistle Dhu putting green (tough to see the amazing contours, so just go and play it!)

The new and improved No.2

I have just returned from the most perfect round of golf (though it was off to a rough start getting out of D.C. on a Friday afternoon). We arrived late on Friday night into the delightful village of Pinehurst in North Carolina and our hotel, The Pine Crest Inn, was hopping as always. The Pine Crest was owned and operated by world renowned golf architect Donald Ross from 1921 to 1948 and is now owned by the welcoming Barratt family.  Next year will be 100 years since it opened and it's the best deal in town. The room price includes a full breakfast and dinner with the best pork chop in the world (see photo two above). At around $110 a night it is a throwback to another era in warmth and price. The accommodations are basic, but hey, we are here for golf and not to hang around in the hotel room.

Our morning began with a visit to the Pinehurst Resort and their wonderful new Thistle Dhu putting green. Loosely based around The Himalayas in St. Andrews, it is as much fun as you can ever have on a putting green. There are 18 contoured holes, some with 15 feet of break from tee to hole!  After a couple of weeks of being open the course record is in the 40s, and on a number of holes three is a good score. Well conceived and beautifully executed by the superintendent it is the perfect start or finish to a round at the resort and I can only imagine how much beer they will sell as foursomes head out to Thistle Dhu after their round. So, after some chips and putts we stepped onto the tee of the magnificent Donald Ross designed No. 2.  It been well reported that Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore with their skillful team have renovated the golf course and what a job they have done. I last played No.2 in 1999 the week before it closed for the U.S. Open and came away totally underwhelmed. The course today is a different proposition and rightfully deserves a spot in the top 10 in America, if not the world. C & C have opened up the vistas and taken away all of the extraneous grasses that blanketed the course a decade or more ago. It has become the epitome of natural golf and actually feels very British (think Swinley Forest and Sunningdale). I was expecting it to be great and even an ardent C & C fan I can honestly say it was even better than anticipated. The greens complexes are better than ever and missing the fairway leaves the player a shot which can vary from straightforward to chipping out sideways from the sandy waste area. I experienced both. All of the bunkers that border the waste areas are not treated as hazards, so you can ground your club, which I have always found disconcerting. It will be fascinating to see how the USGA defines these areas after the Dustin Johnson incident at Whistling Straits a couple of years ago.

The U.S. Men's and Women's Opens are due to be played on back to back weeks in June of 2014 and it will be fascinating to see how both sets of professionals manage this re-polished gem. The hospitality from the golf staff at the Pinehurst Resort was first class and I highly recommend experiencing No.2 ahead of the Opens - it will be so much more meaningful to watch the telecasts having played the course.