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.

Has the Ryder Cup lost its Pure?

Ryder Cup golf is matchplay all the way. Mano-a-mano for 3 days (why not four?...but that's another story!) Matchplay is golf in its purest form and the way that many majors were decided for years before the advent of the TV led 4 rounds of strokeplay golf and those 5 hour rounds. The question is "Does the Ryder Cup remain pure and if not when did it lose?"

I have had the good fortune to attend many Ryder Cups over the years, including representing players in the team and it is fair to say that the event is unlike anything else in the world of professional golf. And most of it in a good way. The teams play a mixture of three formats over the Friday to Sunday competition - foursomes (or alternate shot in U.S. parlance), fourballs and singles match. The tension and pressure on the players is immense and the atmosphere at the course is very special. For the most part the partisanship outside of the ropes is in good spirits and this year both captains seem to be going over the top trying to kill each other with kindness. The true test will come on Friday morning when some poor soul has to be the first to hit the opening tee shot. Of course the hospitality tents and overpriced souvenirs are there in force, but hey, the PGA of America has to pay the bills.

For me the pure element that has been missing for many years has been the actual playing surface - the golf course. And once again this year we are treated to an average (ok, above average) golf course. With a choice of many great golf courses to choose from and the best the PGA of America can do is Medinah - and before that Valhalla and Oakland Hills. Still they are doing better in choosing golf courses than their European counterparts. The sorry tale of venues for the last seven Ryder Cups reads Celtic Manor, The K Club, The Belfry, (ok, Valderrama we like!) The Belfry, The Belfry and you guessed it, The Belfry. So, that takes us back to 1981 since the Cup was played on a classic course, Walton Heath - 30 years! We all know why and it's a great shame that pure golf is thrown out of the window for money. And the pattern continues in 2014 with the dreadful Centenary Course at Gleneagles, which happens to be the 3rd best course on the property!

So, the golf does remains pure and we expect to see some great matchplay golf, but sadly the golf courses chosen in the last 3 decades have lost the pure and focused on the dollars and cents, which is a real shame. What I would give to see the Ryder Cup played at a classic links golf course like St Andrews or Muirfield. Dream on!

The Ryder Cup is here - 12 Questions that need answers!

It's Ryder Cup week and the talking heads on the Golf Channel have already started the usual conversations.

1. Why is Tiger's record so bad?
2. Why do the Europeans "bond" and the Americans don't?
3. What will the wives be wearing?...really, does anyone care?
4. Who will be the US mystery speaker? - who never fails to give a great team room speech, but it has zero effect on the team.
5. Just how many table tennis tables are there in the US team room, as this seems to be the latest form of relaxation - bets on Phil v. Kuch anyone?

We'll also throw in a few more interesting ones of our own...

6. Why does each team need 4 vice captains?
7. Who are all those hangers on inside the ropes?
8. Just how many "team uniforms" do the apparel manufacturers actually provide to people who aren't on the team?
9. How much money does this event make every 2 years for either The PGA of America or the European Tour?
10. How is that with a choice of all the great courses in the US and Europe, the event is always at a second rate venue? We know the answer, but still....Medinah, Celtic Manor, Valhalla, K Club (stop, stop..it's hurting my head thinking about it!)
11. Could it really be the last really good venue in the US was Oak Hill in 1995 and in Europe try 1973 and Muirfield.
12. Why does the U.S. captain keep bringing Michael Jordan into the fold - especially in Chicago, where, contrary to popular opinion he is not the city's favorite son!

Rules, Rules, Rules.

The subject of the rules of golf seems to have reared its head on more than one occasion this season. Whether it was long putters, incorrectly replacing divots, bunkers or no bunkers or Petersson’s flying leaf at Kiawah. It seems to be the latest obsession for those rules geeks out there who think it is okay to call in rulings having seen a possible infraction on high def TV. It’s hard to think of another sport where this happens – imagine its 3^rd and goal and someone calls in the right guard twitching on the offensive line, even though the refs missed it. Doesn’t happen does it? And for good reason, the referee is in charge and makes the call, not some guy sitting on his couch drinking beer and eating doritos. Let’s just let the on course rules officials do their job and resist the temptation to make the call! 

The Long Putter - Pure or Not?

Another Major goes by and another is won by a player using the long or belly putter. That’s Keegan and Webb, both “young guns” using the ugly weapon.  There’s no question in my mind it’s not pure, but it is also not against the rules. It takes some digging in the lengthy Rules of Golf to find even where the long putter could be covered. It seems that Rule 14-3 covers it and here’s what that says:

“14-3. Artificial Devices, Unusual Equipment And Unusual Use Of Equipment

The USGA reserves the right, at any time, to change the Rules relating to artificial devices, unusual equipment and the unusual use of equipment, and to make or change the interpretations relating to these Rules.

Except as provided in the Rules, during a stipulated round the player must not use any artificial device or unusual equipment, or use any equipment in an unusual manner:

a. That might assist him in making a stroke or in his play; or

b. For the purpose of gauging or measuring distance or conditions that might affect his play; or

c. That might assist him in gripping the club”

The word “anchoring” is nowhere to be found in the official rule book, which for those of you who have not read it, is just slightly more complicated than nuclear physics! It’s only a matter of time before that changes and following the recent majors victories both Messrs Dawson (R & A) and Davis (USGA) have stated they are investigating the situation. My interpretation of the rule is that the equipment is used in an “unusual manner” and this “assists in gripping the club”.

The R & A and the USGA reviews the rules every few years and this review would mean that no change is likely to be enforced until 2016 and possibly in recreational play not at all. Pure, unquestionably no, but legal until the governing rules bodies rule otherwise. Meanwhile, I’ll stick to my Bullseye la Femme, which at 33 inches is just perfect!