golfweloveit

Just a few weeks into the new year and already Phil Mickelson has had a couple of what he calls “pearls”. These are incidents when he gets stroppy about something, tells everyone about it, and then thinks again. There have been some prize pearls in the past, but let him open his account for this year.

First he wasnt chosen to re-design Torrey Pines North, a course which he has known since his youth and has won several events on. When Tom Weiskopf was chosen over him he didnt hold back. “It is certainly disappointing for me. I dont understand the politics of it all. It’s terrible business practice, it makes no sense, but I’m not bitter about it”.

Following on from this before the Farmers Insurance Open he and brother Tim played a practice round with 17 year old Australian Ryan Ruffell who has just turned professional. Being Phil there was a little financial wager going on and Ruffell told a reporter from the Sydney Morning Herald about it in passing. Whether the reporter exaggerated or not, the figure of $5,000 was mentioned and said “taking his money was pretty cool”.

When Mickelson doesnt like something he often begins “that’s interesting”, and he said that this was. He then said that
“He’s young and he’s got some things to learn. One of them is you dont discuss certain things, you dont embelish and create a false amount for your own benefit. That’s High School stuff. He’s got to stop doing that now he’s out on the PGA Tour”.

So Ryan Ruffell was ticked off publicly. He said the backlash was “difficult, a little added pressure”, but tellingly he made the cut, which Mickelson didn’t. Another day, another drama Phil.

Mickelson’s form under his new Australian coach Andrew Gerson has been patchy – T3 in San Diego and T11 at Phoenix with missed cuts to add to the mix. Nothing like the supreme form of Rickie Fowler who now has much more of Butch Harmon’s attention now he no longer coaches Mickelson. If he’s not winning, these dramatic pearls ensure that Phil gets the attention he so craves, positive or negative.

The announcement on BBC radio at 9am this morning was conveyed in such a respectful way that it was almost as though a member of the royal family had died. Only for such a special person as Sir Terry Wogan would the preference “we begin with some very sad news” preparing us before it was announced. Later in the day Peter Alliss spoke to say that he had been in tears all morning at the loss of such a dear friend. Let’s remember the two friends together during BBC2’s Pro Celebrity Golf in the 1980s. And here is Sir Terry’s longest ever televised putt filmed during the series.

Although I never met Sir Terry I did meet his wife Lady Helen. Sincere condolences to her and her family on their loss, which today has been felt by so many of us.

Earlier this month the 2nd Footgolf World Cup was played over the Pilar Golf and Country Club outside of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The United States team won the team event.

The individual World Footgolf Champion is Christian Ortero from Argentina. The United Kingdom had three players in the top 10 – Paul Oliver, Ben Clarke and Dan Spice who ranked 4th, 5th and 10th respectively. Paul Oliver is now the number 1 Footgolf player in the UK and ranked 4th in the world. The former Director of Golf at Addington Court Golf Centre, Croydon he is now Director of Development for the UK Footgolf Association. I once kicked some shots around the Footgolf course at Addington Court and Paul powered round the course. having played Footgolf since, where my group abandoned after the 13th hole because certain players were complaining they were finding it hard to kick the ball because their trousers were too tight and those watching were teetering round the course in high heels I can conclude that it is a sport not for the fashion conscious.

What do you get when you bring the world’s best soccer players and professional golfers together? Footgolf! For the very first time, golf and soccer are collaborating to help kids in need in the Greater Orlando area.
On February 22, the Kate & Justin Rose Foundation and the Orlando City Soccer Foundation will host “Kicks Fore Kids,” a footgolf tournament at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club at Grande Lakes. This unique event will pair one celebrity golfer or soccer player with each three-some in a footgolf match played on a regulation footgolf course.“Kicks Fore Kids is a wonderful opportunity to bring two popular sports together to benefit our community,” said Kate Rose, president of the Kate & Justin Rose Foundation. “Partnering with the Orlando City Soccer Foundation brings together two foundations that have similar missions, helping children in need. The proceeds from this event will impact many children in the Greater Orlando area.” ”
We are very excited to host this footgolf tournament with Orlando City Soccer” said international golf star Justin Rose, who is vice president of the Kate & Justin Rose Foundation. “Combining the world’s best soccer players with golfers in a friendly competition should provide an entertaining event for participants and observers alike while raising money to help children in need. We hope everyone will come out and join us!”“This will be a fun event for the players and spectators are encouraged to come and walk the course with their favorite team or stay at a hole and watch all the teams come through,” added Kay Rawlins, President of the Orlando City Soccer Foundation.
“Kick off” for the tournament will be at 7:45 a.m. on Monday, February 22. If you’re interested search for Kicks Fore Kids Sign-Up.

Found on a financial website this week, wonder how many will just go into clubs and start swimming without permission?

“It is estimated that there are around 50 million lost golf balls in lakes around the UK, largely because of bad shots.

Most golfers don’t fancy going in and recovering these balls and so they’re lost forever unless a golf ball diver recovers them.

A lot of golf balls are valuable, so a golf ball diver recovers these balls and often restores them, and then sells them on.

The amount you’ll earn is dependent upon how many balls you can recover, plus you’ll need to be a strong diver to earn a living doing it.

It’s a business that you would set up on the side something to do at the weekends if you’re a keen diver and live near a golf course.

Recovering golf balls might sound easy, but don’t forget you’ll be swimming among weeds, fish, shopping trollies and who knows what else so it can be quite a struggle. People have died trying to recover golf balls.

Also, if you do end up golf ball-diving make sure you’re not breaking any laws, particularly trespassing laws. An accomplice of a golf ball diver was jailed back in 2002 for just this crime, not the greatest way to reward the entrepreneurial spirit.

Still, If you think British golf ball divers have it hard, spare a thought for some American divers. To recover golf balls some have to fight venomous snakes and alligators!”

This week saw the first meeting of the all-party, both House group Parliamentary Golf which has been set up by Karl McCartney MP,the Member of Parliament for the City of Lincoln. It is partnered by the Royal and Ancient and supported by MR Sport. The meeting on 19 January saw a lively debate about the peception of golf, access for those wanting to play and club financing and taxation.

Associate memberships, and the opportunity to attend and contribute to meetings are currently available at just £25. The forum is to tackle issues central to the sport of golf and drive economic development. Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of the Royal and Ancient said he was looking forward to working closely with the group to provide a strong voice for our sport.

Future meetings will be held at the House of Lords on 18 April, 4 July, 24 October and the Annual Dinner will be held on 22 November.

Full details can be found at Parliamentary.Golf and @ParliamentGolf on twitter.

Rory McIlroy became engaged again recently when he proposed to Erica Stoll, a PGA of America employee on top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Liking the redhead minder walking closely behind.

I was in a TV studio this week and the warm up man wanted to rehearse us in different types of applause. “Imagine you’re at a golf match and “Jack Nicholson” has hit a nice putt but left it short” there was a smattering of polite clapping. Someone had obviously told him in his earpiece to continue with this golfing analogy but he continued to struggle to remember the name of any pro golfer. Eventually he remembered Lee Trevino and he said “applaud Supermex like he’s holed out of a bunker” the audience clapped harder. Then after some thought he said “Now Terry Wogan has holed the biggest putt you’ve ever seen” and the audience clapped and cheered hard. Interesting that his frame of golfing reference wasnt Rory or Tiger or Seve or Faldo but memories from his teenage years of watching Pro-Celebrity golf on BBC2. Peter Alliss apparently made 140 of these programmes which had viewers of about 8 million people on a Sunday night, and it seeped into the consciousness of the general public. It was the best reach out to golf this country ever made. To match the sport with top level entertainment. And yet these programmes cant be found on DVD, there are no you tubes, just our memories of a hugely entertaining programme.