Further to my post below all the American WAGs seem to have been told to wear the same dress. And it looks like most of the players are with exactly the same woman.
Extraordinary shoes from Mrs Mickelson (second left bottom row) making her four inches taller to match the height of the next shortest woman.
I know, it’s the week of the British Masters, a stone’s throw from home and I am not there. Neither can I see it nor the President’s Cup from Korea. For I am in Finland, but happily so at the World Figure Skating Championships.
And so I am left to ponder what Mr Poulter and co are getting up to on the Marquess course. There will be next year and it is very pleasing that there is such a commitment from Sky Sports and four leading British professionals to rejuvenate the event and re-establish it permanently on the tour schedule. I have visited Woburn many times and it is such a welcoming club. Hopefully there will be highlights on Sunday night and the constant chatter of IJP’s twitter feed to bring me up to date.
Also pondering if there could possibly be that rarest thing, a non-American win in the President’s Cup. The Korean golf fraternity are taking on the event with huge pride. It’s just a shame there are few ways their supporters can express their joy. The best some Australians could come up with last time was a derivation of the song Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep ‘In-ter-nation-als, Internationals’. It’s not easy against the relentless You-s-a!!
A bewildered non- golfer once said he couldn’t undersand why I wrote about golf. What exactly do you write about, you’re female. Do you write about the clothes?” Well, not if I can help it. However I am wondering, in my shalow female mind, how the WAGs of the Presidents Cup turned out. Only out of concern. The photograph above was taken at last year’s Ryder Cup Gala Dinner. And I noted that five of the women accompanying the players were wearing exactly the same black lace dress. This had obviously been provided if the woman had turned up with a dress which was deemed unsuitable, or worse, no dress at all. Interesting that five of them, from both sides, didn’t pass muster. Wondering what the Presidents Cup women will do to top that.
UK’s second largest golf retailer Golf Direct continued to be at the centre of a battle this morning. On Friday, the day after administration was filed Sports Direct who own a 25% share in the 20 store company had changed the locks on its Huddersfield Headquarters, locking the staff out. Today the locks had been changed back and the staff were protesting. Golf UK boss John Andrew has complained that Sports Direct are taking over the administration process. He has pledged to speak to staff, one of whom has called the situation “a farce” this afternoon to reassure them about the situation.
Back from the brink, 25 year old Danish star Thorbjorn Oleson won the Dunhill Links Championship yesterday after a nervy birdie, double bogey, bogey start. A fantastic 50 foot holed putt on the 15th green helped him to a 2 shot win. He will now retain his European Tour card for next season which was looking unlikely after he has made only 6 out of 20 starts this season and seen him drop out of the top 100 in the world.
New professionals Jimmy Mullen and Paul Dunne fresh from winning the Walker Cup, shared the first round lead with Dunne having an ace at Kingsbarns 15th.
A fantastic tournament for spectators, with A listers walking amonst us in the town. Including a bemused Hugh Grant who couldn’t understand why a Leuchars taxi driver didn’t recognise him and after a while ventured to him “well, don’t you want my autograph then?”.
Last week on Strictly golf presenter Kirsty Gallacher had likened herself to a racehorse, the way she had shied away from the start of the race. This week the question was, which racehorse would she be – Arkle or Devon Loch?
She came down the stairs in a blue sparkly dress ready for the Salsa. She looked good but BBC wardrobe were still not giving the tabloids what they wanted, it was a much longer than a usual salsa dress.
Third on the show, she was flung about and lifted, which she managed to do bravely. In between there was a lot of stacatto walking to the music, which lent a stilted rhythm to the whole dance. It ended with Kirsty being placed writhing on the judges table and there was a look between Darcey Bussell and Craig Revel Horwood which showed they didn’t really approve of that.
The most picky judge, Craig, began “it lacked fluidity, there was a lot of stopping and starting. Made you look stiff, you need a figure eight rotation in your hips, that was lacking. Darcey said her lifts were a very good show. Len Goodman said she “sizzled”. Again Bruno Tonioli was critical “you had the right steps but they didn’t fit the beat. You cannot be behind the beat. We want to see it done properly, because you can”.
5,5,5,5 came the judges scores.
What! exclaimed Kirsty.
When it came to finding out who was in the dance off, the contestants who had made a fuss about their scores were in it, with Kirsty being left to the bitter end to find out it was not her. She floated up the stairs in relief where she wasn’t interviewed about how relieved she was.
It is a remarkable documentary. And it is now available to watch for free on Four On Demand. I remember when Channel 4 first broadcast this documentary about Northwood Golf Club and holding my breath. I couldn’t believe that they had actually got into a private members club and filmed what we saw. Apparently several clubs in the area had been approached and had turned Channel 4 down. The “Board of Directors” of Northwood had not only invited them in for a paltry fee, and allowed them free reign to film what and where they liked, including a disciplinary meeting with a member. When they were shown a pre-transmission screening they had applauded it. It was only after the public backlash after it was shown that the entire board resigned.
The way it was presented made many squirm. It was an unflattering portrayal of golf club life.
One “former Board Member” was forthcoming with his opinions. This is what was called “Northwoodania” in 1994 when the film was made.
“Golf used to be an upper middle class man’s sport but it’s no longer the case. There are more artisan type working class people wanting to join in. The established members resent this, but it’s a fact of life, a development of modern Britain.
“A golf club provides the opportunity for a disappointed man to achieve some kind of prominence. Half of the problem with golf is that the wrong kind of people put themselves forward to it on committees. It may be their only chance in life to attain any kind of prominence and influence”.
“This club wants to keep people out of it who are not up to standard” observed another member “we do have a Dr Shah, and a couple of coloured people though”.
The Lady Captain explains that although women pay virtually the same fees as men they are not allowed to play on Saturday or Sunday mornings or vote or speak at meetings”.
“The problem is the men here are insecure and feel threatened by us. I would like one of them to stand up and give us one good reason why we cannot have the vote” said an aggrieved lady.
The best that was captured on camera was “I wouldn’t join the Townswomens Guild and impose my rule on them” and from sympathetic member Preston Lockwood, an actor “I feel sad for the women”. So too did the camera crew. The closing titles of the film show for every male name a female name is listed underneath unless a female is doing the job. It is a relief to tell you that after the film was made, women did get the vote.
It captures the worst of pomposity inside this private fiefdom. But there’s the rub. Usually these things are private, this film made public by just interviewing and showing and allowing others to make their minds up. But none of it against the law. As I once explained to a non- golfer private clubs are like separate countries within our country. At the time this documentary went out famed golf writer Peter Dobreiner observed: “you cannot frame a by-law to change human nature”.
It is probably the worst public relations mistake ever made in golf. But do watch it. The film is worth watching for the extraordinary soap opera like committee meetings surrounding a member who challenges the Board of Directors at the end. I can’t believe this was captured on film. Take a look.
I walked the practice ground of the Dunhill Links Championship at St Andrews this week and my eyes were drawn downwards. Perhaps in homage to the sponsor hundreds and hundreds of cigarette butts littered the ground. Mostly fagash from caddies, I presumed, probably correctly. But in this month of Stoptober and the anti-smoking lobby gathering ever stronger, I still enjoyed this old TV ad. Around the time it was made it was a common sight to see professionals smoking at tournaments. Ben Crenshaw, a chain smoker, Brian Barnes with his pipe, to name but two. Tournaments sponsored by Benson and Hedges and Dunhill.And this time of year we had the beloved World Matchplay at Wentworth Club. Autumns were colder then and the smell of cigars smoked from within the gallery created a lovely aroma wafted into the crisp, cold air. A nostalgic smell rarely experienced at golf these days, unless you’re downwind of Darren Clarke’s and Miguel Angel Jiminez’s Cuban Havanas.
I haven’t tried it yet , but in theory the Never Lost Golf ball sounds like a good thing.
Play faster, score better and save balls says the advertising spiel. An electronic transmitter is placed inside the ball and by bluetooth signal a smartphone app (Chip-ing Finder App) allows you to find any lost balls within a minute.
The signal on the app increases until you are in the right part of the course. Then the app points you in the right direction, left or right. Searches take less than a minute and the signal can be used up to 150 yards. On average 4.5 balls are lost per round, this claims to be never lost.
More details on chip-ing.com. But is it legal?
It was disappointing to hear the news yesterday that BBC Sport have pulled out of live transmission of The Open at Royal Troon next year. At this year’s Open at St Andrews the BBC Golf Team were bravely cheerful, promising they would be back next year, with highlights from 2017. It is for that reason that I am disappointed. According to former Chief Executive of the Royal and Ancient Peter Dawson BBC had bid for the live rights but later in the process they switched emphasis to the highlights package. Surely by the time of this year’s Open BBC bosses knew they were going to withdraw, They could have given the BBC Golf Team a proper send off, a proper farewell from us. Instead, they chose the sneaky way. To announce a couple of months after the event, oh by the way, we won’t be going back next year.
BBC Head of Sport Barbara Slater explained the decision “we are faced with making some challenging financial savings”. Golf was under pressure due to the inflationary nature of the rights market. Whatever that means.
Sky Sports boss Barney Francis was bullish. “we have exciting plans to take coverage of The Open to the next level across TV, mobile and digital”. This is all very well, dear Sky Sports, but this is just teching up the experience. What matters to the viewer most is the quality of the broadcasting.
And for this, there will be a huge sense of loss not having Peter Alliss as part of the championship. I admit I was a bit suspicious when BBC televised a tribute to Peter on the eve of the Open. He said words to the effect on the film that he wasn’t sure why this was being done he wasn’t dead yet. So now we know. BBC were planning to pull the plug but didn’t tell us. Peter is irreplaceable, and the championship will be much the poorer without having him at the broadcast helm. It is not just about the depth of knowledge, the humour, the quick wittedness or the ability to speak around the subject, off the cuff. It is about the sound of his voice.
Sky Sports don’t get this. The monotonous drone of their golf anchors is something which needs to be addressed because it does matter. Get thee to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art presenters. RADA work with corporate people to help them present in a livelier way. It’s about time some of them were sent there. Sorry Ewan Murray, but you’re first. And Sarah Stirk. And Livvo. And Radar Riley. This is an observation, not a criticism. Sky Sports presenters are the work horses of broadcasting. They work incredibly hard commentating week in, week out. It is entirely understandable that they get vocally tired and it would make sense for them all to have professional training to use their voices in a way which doesn’t damage their vocal chords and produces the best sound, which is speaking and breathing through the diaphram rather than the throat.
There will be things about the BBC coverage I shall not miss. Foremost being the Giggleswick speech. This is something Peter Alliss has trotted out defiantly every year for as long as I can remember.
“There they are the valiant boys of Giggleswick, Radley and Stowe who come up every year to manfully operate the scoreboards”
Yes, a lovely mention for those public schools but not a soundcheck for the schoolboys from the local comprehensives who manfully pick up the rubbish and tend to the toilets. I once vented my displeasure at this speech on Twitter. Who knows if he got to hear about it? This year he was a little bit sneaky about it. Giggleswick speech was spoken on air, but he got Andrew Cotter to do it.
I wont miss Hazel Irvine getting her facts wrong, which she often has done. She has presented golf for a very long time and yet still gets dates and venues mixed up, which has bordered from the mildly irritating to wondering how she gets away with it. This year, for example, an Open Champion who has stayed away for 10 years returned to play the Champions Challenge. Hazel boldly asserted his win was at Royal Birkdale, when it was actually at Royal St Georges. But nobody ever corrects her.
But, the sound of the voices of the anchors is what will be missed. They took their time, spoke round the edges and had fun, sounded good. Peter’s voice is still youthful, even if he well, isn’t. Something which we dont often get with Sky Sports, they take it all a bit too seriously. It is after all, entertainment as well as sport.
“Ah, the wonders of nature” said BBC’s Ken Brown, admiring the flora and fauna shown on screen.
“Indeed” observed Alliss “I was thinking exactly the same when I looked at myself in the bath this morning”.
So now it’s the droning monotone of the Sky Sports team or waiting for the BBC highlights at Silly O’ Clock. At least there is the option of pay by day or pay by week on Now TV so that a whole Sky subscription doesnt need to be taken out.
If we’d known, we would have given the BBC Golf Team an historic send off at St Andrews. To pull the plug like this is cruel to the millions of viewers who have had Peter with them all their golfing lives.
My very first visit to a golf course was when I was 7 years old and it came about because my Dad and I became absolutely entranced by the BBC TV coverage of the Open Championship. Having watched three breathtaking rounds of Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson trading blows against each other, my Dad suddenly announced. “Come on, get in the car. I’ve heard we can pay at the gate. We’re going to Turnberry to see this for ourselves”. And so he drove us from Newcastle to Scotland and we walked every hole and watched every shot of the Duel in the Sun.
It wasn’t until years later that I heard on the official film how Peter Alliss summed up that historic final round. But it was absolutely perfect.
“Well. I’ve never seen anything better than that in my life. And neither have you”.
He’d missed the cut two weeks in a row, lost his World No 1 ranking and watched as Jason Day dominated for the past eight weeks. Jordan Spieth was frustrated, so he got back to work.
Holding off challenges from the European trio of Stenson, Rose and Casey, Jordan won the Tour Championship at East Lake through magnificent putting, and miraculous escapes. It was his fifth win of the year, equalling Jason Day. With the $10 million bonus for winning the FedEx Cup his earnings to $22 million. A million dollars for each year of his life, and that’s just on the course.
Apart from the drama of the Spieth-Day rivalry, I was most impressed by the performances of New Zealander Danny Lee, and Surrey’s Paul Casey. Casey seems transformed as a player. No more angry drives, he seems in control of mind and body and he’s reaping the rewards.
Although Jordan’s dominance of the majors this year, a Masters and US Open win, second at the PGA and one shot out of the playoff for the Open Championship has to be lauded, he isn’t perfect, his ball striking can be quite mediocre. But what I do enjoy is seeing him putt. His mentor, Ben Crenshaw, seems to be in that putting stroke. There’s the same forward press, the similar tempo and the choice to die the ball into the hole rather than hitting the putt aggressively. Jordan’s putting statistics are remarkable. This season he had 700 two putts a 44% success rate. But last season that stat was even better 809 two putts 46% accuracy. This s adon he made 380 birdies.
This Tour Championship was the climax of a year which has seen the changing of the guard. The Woods – Mickelson era was then, this is now. It’s interesting that Tiger has formed a firm friendship with Jason Day, and while off having another back surgery has been texting him advice. Not so Mickelson and Spieth. In a way Jordan is the anti-Mickelson. He doesn’t smile much and doesn’t seek the love of the gallery. He makes Mickelson, who one PGA Tour Player is quoted as saying “Nobody smiles that much. It’s not genuine”, look cultivated for show. No, they have a rivalry which shows Mickelson will find it hard to let go of his mantle as America’s sweetheart. When playing a practice foursome Jordan disappeared from the group and was seen placing something gleaming in the sunlight onto the green they were hitting to. When Mickelson approached he saw it was the US Open trophy, the only major he’s never won.
He laughed. “If I was in his shoes, I’d do exactly the same thing myself”.
