golfweloveit

Karma, Justice, Retribution. Dramatic words which were bandied around after the US team snatched a victory which was looking very unlikely after being 10-6 down going into the singles. All week the Europeans had played better golf with outstanding performances from Anna Nordqvist, Melissa Reid and Charley Hull.

Perhaps it was fate which had yet again played a part in golf. For this victory may finally break the long stretch of American losses in team events and make them truly competitive again.

The incident which took place on the 17th green in the morning  concluding the previous day’s fourballs certainly drew the American side together in anger and motivated them as a team. Too many team matches have seen the US side playing as a group of individuals. This time they were drawn together by a sense of injustice which made them play for each other, the missing element for so long.

When American Alison Lee picked up her 16 inch putt, claiming to have heard someone say “it’s good” and presuming that European Charley Hull walking off the green meant it was conceded she thought all was well. But she was shocked when European Suzann Petersen said it hadn’t been conceded and the Americans lost the hole and then the match. It is incidents like these that often display the differences in national cultures. Petersen, showing the “correctness” that underlies the Scandinavian temperament. “It wasn’t a short enough putt, I would still like to see it” she said. Shockwaves went through both teams. There wasn’t the magnanimity of spirit which Jack Nicklaus showed to Tony Jacklin at the 1969 Ryder Cup when he allowed a concession which led to an historic tied match:

“I didn’t think you were going to miss that putt, but I didn’t want to give you the opportunity,”

What compounded the problem was that the European captain and vice captains gathered round Charley Hull, in tears, and looked totally at a loss what to do. And so they did nothing. No approach was made by Captain Carin Koch to American Captain Juli Inkster. There is such a thing as equity, which could have been used in this situation where a genuine mistake was made. But the rules were left as they were. What was wrong was there was no approach, no dialogue by the Europeans to the Americans over this, it was just left, poorly handled.

The great European player Dame Laura Davies called herself disgusted, and said she was glad she wasnt on this team. To compound the problem Pettersen was unrepentent and said it would increase her twitter following, a bizarre attitude.

When asked if the Europeans had offered to half the match – which I believe would have been the right thing to do – American Captain Juli Inkster said “No. But we dont want it now”. That spoke volumes. The whole team had physically gathered round in a huddle and had obviously said they were going to stick it to the Europeans, which they did winning by one point. However, this saying we dont want the half point could have been dangerous talk. The match turned on one thing, Gerina Piller’s fantastic putt to win her match which looked like a European win. If that hadn’t have gone in, there would have been a European retention of the Solheim Cup and the fall out from the incident would have led to acrimony which would have damaged the game of golf. It would have been the female version of the notorious Brookline Ryder Cup.

The following day someone had had a firm word with Pettersen. She took to social media – her Instagram account – to say the following.

“I’ve never felt more gutted and truly sad about what went down Sunday on the 17th at the Solheim Cup. I am so sorry for not thinking about the bigger picture in the heat of the battle and competition. I was trying my hardest for my team and put the single match and the point that could be earned ahead of sportsmanship and the game of golf itself! I feel like I let my team down and I am sorry. To the U.S. team, you guys have a great leader in Juli , who I’ve always looked up to and respect so much. Knowing I need to make things “right,” I had a face to face chat with her before leaving Germany this morning to tell her in person how I really feel about all of this. I wanted her also to know that I am sorry. I hope in time the U.S. team will forgive me and know that I have learned a valuable lesson about what is truly important in this great game of golf which has given me so much in my life. To the fans of golf who watched the competition on TV, I am sorry for the way I carried myself. I can be so much better and being an ambassador for this great game of golf the right way”.

So for the game of golf in every aspect this was the best possible result. Very disappointing for the Europeans who had played so well and who were clearly affected by the incident during the singles. American Captain Juli Inkster intriguingly revealed that she had used psychological testing to match up her players and had used the “pod system” in practice. This “pod system” was brought up by the American Ryder Cup players after their defeat at Gleneagles last year as the only thing which had worked for them. Their Captain Tom Watson rebutted “it’s not about pods, it’s about 12 players playing well and getting the job done”.

Whatever it is, we’re intrigued. And whatever helps a US win, after so many near misses, has got to be worth considering.

Congratulations to the gentlemen – and lady – of the British BattleBack team who retained the Capt Pietsch Trophy v the Wounded Warriors of America at TPC Sawgrass, Florida on Sunday. See the video further down this month’s posts.

Great Britain and Ireland’s Walker Cup team won back the Walker Cup this weekend with a record 16.5 to 9.5 victory.

Leading 10-6 after the second morning’s foursomes GB and I needed just 3 and a half points to win. Early starters Ashley Chesters. Cormac Sharvin and Jimmy Mullen won while Paul Dunne brought home half a point to make it five wins from the last six on home soil. Captain Nigel Edwards led his side to an overall tally of 16.5 to 9.5, a record winning score.
I’m delighted with the victory,” said GBI captain Nigel Edwards. “We had a very strong front and we had strength throughout the team. I said last night to the team that as long as the lads keep doing what they have been doing all week, playing their own games, their short games are fantastic, which is probably what has given us the edge.
“Some of the bunker shots have been exceptional but also the standard of play here has been fantastic.”
USA Captain John “Spider” Miller was philosophical in defeat “I don’t think we handed them anything. I think they went out and played well, very well, and they won it”.
“I’d feel bad if we were three-putting and giving them holes. I think our guys played well. They just played very well. They outplayed us and earned it.”

Since the Walker Cup matches began in 1922 Great Britain and Ireland have won just 9 times out of 42 matches, but the USGA must be concerned that the momentum is clearly with the GB and I teams. The overall picture in golf team events is not good for the Americans and this loss is not good for morale. Some odd decisions were taken by their captain, such as sitting down NCAA and US Amateur champion Bryson de Chambeau, probably the hottest amateur golfer in the world.

The home side were better at putting and more experienced at playing on links land. I did, however, worry about Paul Dunne in the Saturday foursomes trying to play back handed out of a grassy ditch instead of asking for a drop. It looked like a Van de Velde moment and made me question his temperament for having such a brainstorm. But he settled into the match and brought in 1 and a half valuable points. Jimmy Mullen’s 4 points were won from a rock solid confidence, though he admitted to being incredibly nervous on the first tee. Within this group was Ashley Chesters, the amateur who had remarkably led this year’s Open Championship after 54 holes. And not even in the team were the prodigious Sam Horsfield, who withdrew, and fantastic English and Welsh amateurs Ben Taylor and David Boote, such is the strength in depth of the Great Britian and Ireland side.

Exciting win for the home side and another pause for thought for the USGA in America.

Tommy’s Honour, the new film based on the lives of Old and Young Tom Morris, has entered its sixth week of filming in St Andrews. Directed by Sir Sean Connery’s son Jason Connery it stars Ophelia Lovibond, Jack Lowden (Trainspotting, Braveheart, Sunshine On Leith), Peter Mullan who played Eric Liddell in Chariots of Fire on stage in the West End, and Hollywood star Sam Neill. This week filming will take place around the Cathedral. The film is due for release in 2016. For more information visit Tommy’s Honour Facebook page.

Lydia Ko’s first major win at the Evian Championship today was achieved in record breaking style. At 18 years old, the New Zealander becomes the youngest major winner in LPGA history. Her 8 under par 63 final round had 8 birdies and no dropped shots, her statistics for the week were exceptional. 68% Greens In Regulation, 75% driving acuracy fairways hit, 67% sand saves, just 1.7 putts per green and an average drive of 240 yards. Lydia said she just “focussed on one shot at a time” and was encouraged by the great crowds. Her biggest goal is to compete in the Rio Olympics next year.

Lydia’s coach David Leadbetter, who began working with her two years ago, said she was already a brilliant golfer when he started working with her. “All I’ve done is to shorten her backswing fractionally. She was fading the ball and her lack of length became something of an issue playing amongst the professionals. So we felt she needed to draw the ball a bit”.

With the Solheim Cup Europe v USA women next week, calls have again been made to incorporate the Asian players into the match. In its current format the Solheim Cup will see only six of the World top 20 in action, such is the dominance of Lydia and the Korean players. Although the Presidents Cup USA v Rest of the World hasn’t really taken off for the men, for the women it is a different ball game.

Expecting a brilliant Solheim Cup next week in Germany where there is a huge interest in golf. Their successful hosting of this event might possibly swing the decision for the 2022 Ryder Cup, which the Germans are bidding for near Berlin, in their favour.

We will miss Ivor Robson now he has retired. He has been a constant most of our golfing lives.

Compare his professionalism with the announcer at a PGA Tour event in the Southern states. It was around the time after the Brookline Ryder Cup when there was some rankle with the European players and he was deliberately mispronouncing some of their names. Poor Bernhard Langer came off the worst.

“On the tee from Ger-manee” he drawled. “Long hard Long-er”.

Only a porn star would choose such a name!

Here Come The Girls is an innovative programme Alastair Spink has created and taught at Fynn Valley GC since 2011. This has resulted in a very successful uptake of the sport by younger women, reversing the severe national decline in England. To date over 300 women have been taught under the scheme. These ideas and concepts are the future of the game and it would be great to see this rolled out across the country.

Here Come The Girls is a project to encourage more women to play golf. 90% of the students are still playing and have many have gone on to become club members. Eight hours of group coaching is supported by free, unlimited use of the par 3 course to practice. Participants keep coaching journals about everything about their golfing experience, from interactions with people at the club, how welcome they are made to feel to their thoughts about their learning. Daily interaction with the coach and other participants by email takes place. There is a focus away from technical coaching. It isn’t directive it is conversational and skills are introduced when the sport requires them to learn technique. The focus is on “have a go”. They are taken out onto the course from the first lesson and allowed to work out their own way. Participants have found this empowering as some have previously had negative experiences leafing to confusion when instructed by men. The coach offers support, not instruction and the group give feedback. This builds success and confidence in ability. Being taught in a non-judgmental environment, and being allowed to dress in jeans and trainers, takes the fear factor of being in a golf club away. Alastair likes the idea that “women dont want to dress up to relax”. However, Alastair stressed that in order for this to work there must be buy in from the coach, club and members to support the new participants.

Over the past four years the uptake of women who go on to become club members has been low, showing that the time and finance involved is a factor, they are much more inclined to become nomadic golfers. The programme is interesting in that it aims to empower women golfers in what can be an intimidating male oriented environment. My own thoughts on this are found in “Golf. A game designed by men for just men?” at the beginning of this blog.

From its beginnings in 2007 to its popularity today, Surrey Golf’s Nike RookieTour has become the largest junior golf tour of its kind in Europe.

It has been described as the jewel in the crown of Surrey golf and all involved are rightly proud of its success. It has given hundreds of youngsters a head start in both their sport and in life by letting them play competitive golf, develop their skills and most of all have fun within their peer group. The Nike Rookie Tour players have twice been featured on Sky Sports.

Created in 2007 to broaden the competitive experience of the under 14 age boys and girls within Surrey, the Nike RookieTour has grown quickly. Under 12 and under 14 boys play 18 hole events in both scratch and handicap divisions. Since 2011 a dedicated girls division play 18 hole handicap events, with on average 20 girls registered to compete.

The Tour provides competition appropriate to age outside of home clubs. The juniors develop skills, self-discipline and confidence by playing against those of a similar age and standard. But they also build new friendships and play in a ‘family’ atmosphere.

There were 12 regular season events played across Surrey this year, leading to a special finale ‘The Race To The Stars’ where the top 12 boys and top 6 girls from each Order of Merit are invited to play. For 2015 the event will be held at the Royal Automobile Club later this month.

The Tour chooses tees and course length appropriate to age and ability. But for those juniors who have a handicap higher than 36 or no handicap, they can play in a separate Young Improvers Group. These YIGs players, as they are known, have 5 of their own events held on 9-hole par 3 courses. Their average age is 8-10 but there is no lower age limit and they do not even have to be a current member of a club. If a child is good enough, they are old enough. They are given a YIGs RookieTour handicap for these events which are managed by the Tour. But once they obtain a club handicap of 36 or better they progress to the main under 12 and under 14 Tour series events.

This year 227 players from 53 Surrey clubs registered for the Nike RookieTour. An average of 110 players entered per event, the highest number of entries being at Hoebridge where 130 players entered. The Tour is promoted within golf clubs, golf centres and driving ranges. Events sell out very quickly which does mean some youngsters don’t get to play in all the events they want.

The quality of competition is exceptionally high. There are 32 single figure handicap players in the under 14 division, with two players at 3 handicap. Often the scoring is so close that count back is used to separate the players The race for the Order of Merit titles has been intense. With many players still in with a chance to claim the title right up to The Race to The Stars event.

The Rookie Tour also acts as a player pathway to the mainstream junior opens. All of the Surrey under 12, under 13 and under 14 squads either come from or already play in the RookieTour. The Tour thus plays an important role in developing Surrey stars of the future. It provides a means to identify talent for coaching and inclusion into Surrey junior teams which have had outstanding, often unrivalled success, at this age group. The U12, U13 & U14 teams have so far played 15 County matches and apart from the U14’s losing a friendly at the start of the year all the teams remain undefeated, with the U12 team having never lost a match since their conception 3 years ago.

The opportunity to have regular competitive practice in Rookie Tour events has fed the success of the county teams.

Juniors who play in RookieTour events come from a broad spectrum of backgrounds but have the same fun, get on so well and the RookieTour fosters friendships that may last a lifetime. Parents who week in, week out help out, ball spot and taxi drive are invaluable to the Tour. But, as Rookie Tour Committee Chair Steve McNeill says “we develop the parents as well as the kids and help and support them through the process. The parents trust us to help their children, as such we are a family”.

There are firm rules, although parents are allowed walk the course and watch there is a 25 metre rule to ensure the players make their own decisions. Likewise golf etiquette and lines of discipline are spelt out to the competitors. “We sometimes take the mickey out of them and they throw it back at us, which is great, but they know not to cross the line” says Steve “and so they play in a happy atmosphere.

An outstanding competitor to come from the ranks of the RookieTour is David Boote. He became the first Rookie Tour player to compete in a European Tour event when he teed up in the ISPS Handa Wales Open at The Celtic Manor Resort and was selected for this year’s Walker Cup squad. David, a student at Stanford University in California, played on the Rookie Tour in 2007 and won the Under 14 scratch Order of Merit. He went on to captain Surrey, Wales and Great Britain and Ireland Juniors. He attended the Nike RookieTour annual prize giving and gave the players a motivational speech which inspired them all to improve.

The Rookie Tour has been a model for other English counties to develop their own leagues as Essex, Hampshire and Bucks, Berks and Oxon have done. It is a fantastic success for Surrey Golf, but it is only made possible by the generosity of Surrey golf clubs who host the events free of charge. The Tour is grateful to them – West Byfleet, Horton Park, Addington Court, Goal Farm, Broadwater Park, Foxhills, Banstead Downs, Merrist Wood, Redhill and Reigate, Effingham, The Drift, Camberley Heath, Betchworth Park, Windlesham, Top Golf, Hoebridge, Reigate Hill, Pine Ridge and Cuddington.

Any families interested in finding out how their children can join the RookieTour for events in 2016 can e-mailrookietour@gmail.comto register an interest and also follow @rookietour on twitter.

The boys and girls who belong to the Nike Rookie Tour have become players who do their county credit. As Steve McNeill says “I couldn’t be more proud of them.”

West Byfleet Golf Club have awarded their first Dame Laura Davies Girls Scholarship to Kelsey Newport aged 14 from Woking. The club wish to award further scholarships in the New Year and applications are now invited from girls who can already play golf who wish to progress in the sport.

Former World No 1 Dame Laura, who was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame at St Andrews this July  has given her personal backing to the scholarships where she honed her skills before turning professional.

“I’m proud and delighted to back what is a fantastic opportunity for girls at West Byfleet Golf Club. I have so many great memories of the wonderful support I received from so many members and friends of the club when I was starting out on my way, some of whom I’m still in regular contact with. I’m sure these scholarships will help generate interest in our great sport. I wish the lucky recipients every success – I know I’d have jumped at the chance to take part!”

Kelsey was awarded the scholarship on completion of West Byfleet Golf Club’s development scheme for juniors, the Woodpecker Academy.

“Kelsey was very promising in terms of ability and commitment and we felt she should
be encouraged to continue her development”

said West Byfleet’s Junior Organiser Mrs Fui Ling Bolton. Kelsey was awarded full junior membership of the club, unlimited access to practice, free range balls and specialised one to one coaching from Assistant Professional Jon Field.

Kelsey’s mother Melanie, who was a competitive golfer in South Africa, encouraged Kelsey to learn to play and felt that West Byfleet’s Woodpecker Academy would give her a full grounding in the game. She made such good progress that she was awarded the first scholarship. Mrs Newport says:

“Kelsey’s game is improving all the time and Jon is a fabulous teacher.
Her goal is to play more consistently and translate good shots into better scores and get
her handicap down”.

West Byfleet Golf Club would love to hear from girls aged between 11-16 on 1 January 2015 who would be interested in being considered for one of the Dame Laura Davies Girls Scholarships next year. The next Woodpecker Academy starts on Sunday January 10 12-1pm cost £55 for 18 sessions of coaching and unlimited practice.

Further details are available by e- mail membership@wbgc.co.uk or telephoning 01932 343433 option 6

A new generation of golfers are coming into the sport in England. Thanks to the initiative of England Golf and British Universities and Colleges Sport, golf has been made accessible and appealing to 16-25 year olds in colleges and universities. Since September 2012, University and College student activators have been trained by the County Golf Partnerships and now deliver golf activities on campus as part of England Golf’s Whole Sport Plan. As the new academic year begins golf activators will be at Freshers Fairs and social meetings at campuses across the country.

In Surrey development teams have been working with 3 universities – Royal Holloway, Roehampton and Kingston – and 2 Further Education Colleges, Reigate and East Surrey.  Volunteer student activators have been trained to create fun and informal activities on campus to get peoples interest and provided funding. He has helped them to find local golf facilities to learn to play and taught them to use social media platforms to publicise the game. Branded promotional material from the national Get Into Golf campaign and Golf Xtreme equipment, including velcro balls and targets have been provided to use indoors and outdoors.

The success of the initiative has been due to some dedicated work from the student activators. A shining example is Fiorella Badin, a second year Law undergraduate at Kingston University, who bubbles with enthusiasm about golf. She has created a great buzz at the Freshers Fayre using Street Golf to get over 50 students to have a go. From this great start she has managed to retain a core group of students who regularly play. They have linked up with Lee Mackie, professional at Sandown Park Golf Centre, where they regularly take lessons and play the Par 3 course every Sunday. Fiorella’s creative skill in delivering the activity is that she has made golf part of a great social experience. The regulars go out for dinner, dancing and to the movies after golf. They all dressed up for Halloween on the range and have just had an enjoyable Christmas social. They are looking into new things to do in the winter such as playing on simulators and trying out Foot Golf. Fiorella understands that not only can golf provide challenge and achievement, it is also a perfect way to get people to socialise and make new friends.

The student activators receive good training and support and the experience they gain will no doubt help their future employability. Fiorella says:

“It is great that opportunities like this are given to us. I am really enjoying my time being Kingston University’s Golf Activator. It is a very relaxing sport you can play in the open air and great for socialising”.

Her fellow students are equally as enthused:

Luke Fitzpatrick says:

“Golf is a great sport to play. The people are very friendly, I’m starting to win as well and the prizes are awesome”.

Farooq Rahimi agrees:

“It is fun, enjoyable, creates good team skills and we’ve made new friends. The game is brilliant and exciting. This improves our motivation and enthusiasm to move up time and time again. Above all it is very great fun”.

The health benefits of golf, the exercise and being outside in the fresh air help students to study better and be more productive, are promoted as an incentive to try golf.

Omar Faruk Abubakar, a MSc Student in Health Information Management at Kingston also likes the longevity of golf:

“I have chosen golf as an ideal sport to follow in my youth and to progress through to my advanced age. Unlike most sports golf provides the needed short and long term opportunities for players to keep on playing the game at various levels all their lives”.

Surrey’s students have certainly become intrigued by golf. At taster events a great cross section of ethnicities, male and female and disabled young people have tried it out. This is has shown a much more diverse appeal than the national average of the student pilot which showed that mostly young men were interested. Indeed at East Surrey College the girls trying golf outnumbered the young men 2 to 1!

The student market is a large one. Each Autumn half a million young people start university in the UK and raising the profile of golf on campus also reaches large employers within further and higher education. So adults can also be reached to get into golf. But to engage students in the 16-25 age group the sport must be branded in a relevant, convenient and friendly tone of voice using media and social media to engage their interest. From these fun have a go events, more structured activities are offered at clubs and golf facilities in Surrey, opening the pathways to welcome young people into club memberships and life long playing.

England Golf’s goal to significantly increase golf participation amongst the 16-25 year old age group looks to be on a great course. It’s Five Point Plan to grow, sustain, help excel, work in partnership with golf providers and encourage students employability will continue for the next four years at least. A mini conference is planned for students at the end of next Summer.