posted Jul 22, 2008

This year's Open demonstrated the shortcomings of the US Tour. Week in, week out the pros play target golf on manicured courses. Only a select few (notably Tiger) venture out onto the European and Asian golf circuits to experience the vastly different golf courses on offer.

One of the main reasons Harrington won, skill aside, was his decision to forego Loch Lomond in favour of the Irish PGA at the European (links) Club in Co. Wicklow. Conditions there were just as bad, if not worse, than at Royal Birkdale.

I cannot understand why the Scottish Open is held at Loch Lomond when some of the world's great links courses are just around the corner and, more importantly, the British Open is played on a links terrain the following week. Anyone who plays there is surely damaging there chances at the Open.

Most years Tiger Woods, Mark O'Meara and company spend time in Ireland playing various links courses in the run-up to the Open. Is it any surprise their names are on the trophy alongside Harrington's?

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posted Jul 22, 2008

Yorkieboycanada. Your comments on toughening up St Andrews are well founded but it would amount to treason to alter something that has been around for so long and as you say is accopted worldwide as being the "home" of golf.
People come from all over the world just to say they have played there and I don`t think they even consider how the course is set out.
I was lucky enough to play there almost 20 years ago and after hitting what you consider good drives to walk up a fairway and find your ball in a pot bunker about 6ft across and 6ft deep is a daunting experience. I suppose thats the courses protection against us mere mortals but to the modern pro they don`t come into play.
Maybe we should just hold the open when it`s blowing a gale and pouring down. that would make it more interesting

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posted Jul 22, 2008

Good points - I was lucky enough to play a couple of times at The Belfry and enjoyed the humiliating experience immensely!! And it wasn't even set up for the Ryder Cup.

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posted Jul 22, 2008

stephenmcg (U1697631)

Totally agree that it's daft why we play the Scottish open on a parkland course, unfortunately we're lumped with it for another three years unfortunately but hopefully the organisers see sense after that and move it to Glasgow Gailles etc

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posted Jul 23, 2008

Look, I am not saying I could seriously beat these guys, because I only play 9 holes every 3 weeks, that makes it unlikely.
My clubs cost me $700, and that includes bag, buggy and 3 dozen golf balls, whereas these guys have shafts and heads that probably cost that much for each club.
What Ive said is that with my old cheap clubs, no practice, and no exercise regime whatsoever, I can step onto the course in a mighty wind, and hit my Tee shot 200-250 metres straight down the fairway. I can do this almost everytime.
Ok maybe I should have been a golf pro, instead of an office worker. "In reality I seriously doubt it".
My short game is very erratic, and as I have said I rarely even practice, perhaps 80 whacks off the range every 6 months or so when its too wet to go out and play.
Again, my point is the same. I am not just picking on Greg Norman, coz actually I like the guy, and I wanted him to win. But the way players with all this equipment cant hit fairways, is extroadinary. Its not hard to hit the ball straight, so with all this practice, and the best clubs, how come the top players are hitting it wide of the fairways more often than not.?
Why would a player who knows the fairway runs out at 250 metres whack a 280 metre drive off the tee in that direction????
Why cant they hit the driver straight?
Why dont they hit low shots in the wind ?
I remind you once again, Tiger Woods won the recent major hardly hitting a fairway all day, but was fortunate to get good lies everytime he went into the rough. Us social players dont get this luxury, because there are no fans on the course trampling all the grass down.
To me, good golf is where you hit 12 or 13 fairways out of 14 on the longer holes, not where you rely all day on lucky lies and trampled rough.
Sure, with the modern equipment you can hit it 350, but hitting it straight is another story.
I believe the standard has gone downhill, and that last day in the British Open was good evidence to support my theory.
The greg Norman of 20 years ago would have blown that field away, but you cant expect a senior to be doing that now. He would have been better off though to put the driver away and just play controlled golf.
I will make the point once again, "INTO THE BREEZE.......SWING WITH EASE"

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posted Jul 23, 2008

I completely agree that the competition the week before the open should be held on a links style course - as you can see this has benefited Harrington the last two years. As an Irish golfer I'm disgusted with the European tour over the lack of vision that goes into the European schedule. Considering us Europeans only host 1 of the 4 majors of which is always held on a links style course would they not think it beneficial to hold the tournament the week before it on a links style course. This may result in the tour attracting some of the bigger names to the European tour, those that want to hone their game in preparation for the open and give it a good shot. I feel that both the Irish and the Scottish open should be held on links courses considering the pro’s play all year round (open aside) on park land’s combined with the fact the we have some of the best links golf courses in the world – it’s the only opportunity the pro’s get to play these types of courses. I think if the Irish open was held in the European course in Co.Wicklow (where Harrington played 2 weeks back) it would provide a great tune up for the pro’s before the open – toughest course in Ireland at the moment I’d say, Tiger holds the course record of -2.

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posted Jul 23, 2008

barrymanulow - your saying "into the breeze...swing with ease" does not apply to the pros because...they're pros! They've mastered the art of swinging and playing golf.

The fact is the conditions were brutal over the 4 days which, coupled with rock hard, narrow fairways, made driving almost impossible.

To compound things, on links courses it's very hard to pick a target when driving. The wind was varying so much (as evidenced by the drag on the pros trousers when putting) that it could easily cause players to over or under club.

If you paid really close attention you'll struggle to find many holes where the pros used driver. Most resorted to irons and 3 or 5 woods.

As for your comments about Norman, he ran out of ground because he was trying to cut off the corner of some dog leg par 4s but pulled the ball.

Finally, can you please put some videos up on You Tube showing us your straight 250m drives downwind, into the wind, and in crosswinds. I note you said you can do this almost every time so I'd be obliged if you could record continuously so we can witness this consistency.

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posted Jul 23, 2008

Barrymanulow. I take back what I said about only hearing hot air escaping, what I should have said is I smell Bulls--t. I have played golf for 40 odd years having achieved a handicap of 5.3 and represented my country on 10 occasions (admittedly not at the highest level) but would never question any golfer about his selection of clubs. you say you can step on to the tee and hit a ball 200-250 metres into a mighty wind (thats 275yards in old money) Greg Norman hit a 3 iron on Saturday into a howling gale and it went 172 yards. Ian Poulter hit 198 yards with a 3 wood and he is no weakling. i mean you no disrespect but maybe your true vocation is writing childrens books - they love fairy tales so you should do very well

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posted Jul 23, 2008

Wattie - You crack me up
I smell a wind up from Barrymanulow!

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posted Jul 31, 2008

does anyone concur that if bazmanulow did play enough to have a handicap it would almost certainly be 18?

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