golfweloveit

Rickie Fowler hit the best golf shot of his life on Monday at the annual Cigar Aficionado-Wine Spectator Pro-Am to benefit Ernie Els for Autism at Old Palm Golf Club in Florida.

Fowler, along with a number of other pros and celebrities, took a crack at a 113-yard shot that, if they aced, would raise $1 million for the research and education programs done through Els for Autism. After a number of players, including Rory McIlroy, tried and couldn’t make the ace, Fowler stepped up. But first, he changed out of his golf shoes. And he decided to use Luke Donald’s pitching wedge.

He always referred to me as “that woman” so I wasnt all that inclined to watch the Billy Foster profile on Golfing World this week.

But he was, for five years, Seve Ballesteros’ caddie and for surviving that long he deserved some sort of medal.

In the film he read out the letter which he received when he was first employed by Seve. He read this out in something like Seve’s voice, and said

“You have to be aware that on the course the player is always right and there should be no arguments”

Now that was telling it like it was. The caddie was always wrong, and Seve was always right.

But Billy’s eyes filled with tears when he read this, and he talked about his five years of working with a genius, which he was. It was probably the worst gig ever in golf, to be Seve’s caddie, but all of them seem to love and miss him regardless.

NASCAR champion Kevin Harvick has had this replica of the 12th hole at Augusta National built in his back yard. Well jell? We all are.

By the end of 2016 it is estimated that more than 300 UK golf clubs, 15% of all clubs, will also have a FootGolf facility on site.

Two golf clubs, Grimsby in Yorkshire and Burstow in Surrey have closed down their golf business to focus solely on FootGolf.

Clubs which have a FootGolf course have reported up to 300% increase in visitors bringing in a huge increase in spend on green fees and food and drink sales.

FootGolf’s appeal to under 16s has drawn in families who have tried golf after visiting the club for the first time, being the most effective driver for new memberships.

Gareth May, the UK Development Manager for UK FootGolf says the hybrid sport should be seen as an opportunity, not a threat. The courses need minimal upkeep. It is transforming golf facilities across the country, a remarkable phenomenon. It is an extremely popular new sport because it is inclusive and not expensive.

Three time major champion Padraig Harrington has been approached by Darren Clarke to become European Vice Captain at this year’s Ryder Cup matches at Brookline.

The Irishman has played in six Ryder Cups but has never had a backroom role.

He said it was difficult to see himself playing his way into the 2016 team so he would now be there one way or another.

Thomas Bjorn and Paul Lawrie are also expected to be appointed to Vice Captain roles.

On March 8 nine top Brazillian golfers will test the new Olympic golf course in Bara da Tijuana. The test event will be closed to the public as only a delegation from the International Golf Federation and a team from Rio 2016 will act as observers. The 18 hole stroke play exhibition will be used to test both the course and the results system and the deployment of 104 volunteers.

The players, Alexandre Rocha, Rafael Becker, Daniel Stampf, Rafael Barcellos, Rodrigo Lee, Miriam Nagl, Victoria Lovelacy, Candy Hennemann and Lucian Lee will go iut in 3 groups of 3, and will give their feedback after the round.

The Olympic golf event will take olace between 11-20 August in front of  a potential 15,000 fans. It will be the forst Olympic golf event since the St Louis Olympics of 1904.

The Rio Olympic golf course has been built woth private funding but after the event it will become a public facility to promote golf  in Brazil and host top level competition.

More scary photobombing at the Honda Classic this week.

There have been some interesting interviews with Darren Clarke and Davis Love III,this year’s Ryder Cup Captains. What fascinated me was their approaches to their teams and the object of winning were so very different.

Love talked about the massive task the Americans have to win the cup again in such an objective manner. It was all about strategy (but not tactics I noted). He acknowledged the good ideas Paul Azinger came up with (see my post The Podfather below), but it was all completely detached and hands off.

Clarke on the other hand is clearly focussing on his players as people. He said “I’m going to be the kind of Captain that will put my arm around a player”. It is this kind of human bonding which had always brought the Europeans together as a team, and is, in my view, a much more winning formula than chosing personalities for pods.

It’s understandable that in such a deeply competitive society and  golf tour that the Americans don’t bond as players, they’re too afraid to get close to each other, and it is for them just a one week every two years.

They are missing the trick. Perhaps its just been too long since they won, and if they do win at Hazeltine, then they might allow themselves to hug each other.

Until then it will still be a team of twelve individuals playing for themselves under a common flag. Or four groups of four playing in their little pods, competing with the other pods as well as the Europeans.

During an Open at Muirfield one year I stayed in Edinburgh with a lovely local couple. Mr Castle was quite a character. He was a proud artisan golfer who loved telling stories about his group of friends whose greatest entertainment was outwitting Captain Paddy Harmer, the formidable Secretary and sneaking onto the links of Muirfield. Captain Harmer was no respecter of status in golf. He once shooed off Ben Crenshaw and Tom Watson, who had returned to play a few more holes the night that Watson had won the Championship. What made Captain Harmer even more irate was that Polly and Linda were with Ben and Tom. And God forbid, they were walking on the greens in high heels.

These stories of people sneaking onto Muirfield to challenge the elitism and male only attitudes may become less now that the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers have decided to vote on allowing women members. It will be by postal ballot, to encourage more people to vote. This follows the decision of Open venue Royal St Georges to allow women in, alongside Royal Troon, this year’s Open venue who are also considering the issue. Finally, we are getting somewhere. It’s only taken this club 300 years.

Broadcaster Sir Michael Parkinson has waded into the row about the increase of membership fees at Wentworth Club. He says that The new owners, Reignwood Group,” have no regard for the feelings of the existing membership and have expected that most would go away quietly. They have misunderstood”.

The Wentworth Residents Association have instructed lawyers to look at all the legal options to clthe new conditions, which may be an injunction or Judicial Review. A letter to the Minister for Sport, Tracey Crouch, has brought a reply that although the Government are “disappointed” there is little they can do to resolve a private dispute.

Sir Michael Parkinson was invited to a meeting with Wentworth’s Chief Executive, Stephen Gibson where he accepted an offer to retain his membership without paying the new debenture fee, an offer open to members over the age of 75. Sir Michael no longer plays golf but his wife does so he is staying at the club so she can continue there. However he says some of their friends have made arrangements to move to other clubs.

The current 4,000 members have until the end of June to decide whether to remain at Wentworth. The new debenture can be paid in two instalments, due by the end of 2019. This debenture grants no equity in the club.The membership is expected to be reduced to 900. About 10% of the current golf membership are expected to remain. Stephen Gibson explains that Wentworth Club is in a state of decline and needs massive new investment to elevate it to being he best private golf and country club in the world.

Many would prefer it to remain as it is, hardly shabby and much loved.