"currently battling with my dear friend, the Silverstripe CMS" - 18 hours ago
"is thoroughly relaxed at another Irish farmhouse B&B, this time one run by a character and a half, Sharon Moore.... http://fb.me/Fd1zVe5z" - 1 day ago
"Is this the Nellie bunker you were talking about mate? Safely avoided I'm pleased to report http://fb.me/EHAvCmyU" - 2 days ago
Here at PG2010 we're quite old school with our equipment not helped by the fact that we have had as much support from golf companies as Obama would get in the deep south.
So here is a wee equipment review of my favourite club - the trusty 2 iron. These things were rarer than hens teeth in the US but over here in the UK they are not quite so foreign... I find my 2 iron useful for the obvious reasons such as hitting the ball low off the tee and snaking it up on the firm par fives, but also the less obvious reasons such as putting when my putter is misbehaving (eg on day 12 at Centenniel) and for playing a spot of tee hockey when waiting for the group ahead to clear.
This particular 2 iron was found in a golf club bin at the Garden City Golf Driving range in Harewood about a decade ago. But it was the kind of bin that was shortly to be emptied at the dump. I not only was kind enough to rescue my trusted friend from the scrap heap but also made a donation of NZ$20 to Garden City Golf for doing so. Prosimmon is the brand for what that's worth but they're all the same aren't they?
The other feature of my 2 iron that has not been captured is the grip peeling away at the top of the club exposing some chards of metal which may eventually give me tetanus.
The new set of blades I got included a 2 iron but it's just not quite the same - and it's far too shiny. Phil Tataurangi being the generous legend that he is also gave me a 2 iron to try out but it's a cavity back number which goes high up into the wind and again it's just not quite the same...
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Also, an equipment review of the titliest prov1x golf ball kindly given to us from our famous day at Winged Foot. This ball is one of those rare breeds that has lasted four entire rounds around the links without being lost. But as is always the way, as soon as it was photographed it got all clucky and started to misbehave and is now deeply entrenched in a gorse bush somewhere. Karma.
Last night we stayed in a house that was built in 1780-something. An old house. But it was particularly cosy & we had a great time meeting our hosts, Shelia & Richard Evans and their son John. The Evans are on a farm outside of Auchtemuchty a name a of township in Fife that I could say all day long despite my awefully kiwi accent not working too well with these Scottish place names.
After a lie in until around 11am and a time to catch up on blogging duties, we headed out to our course for the day - Ladybank.
Ladybank is a parkland course set amongst pine trees and heather. It is quite similar in character to courses back in NZ with similar turf and routing through the trees. There are plenty of dog-legs and playing off the general tees we regularly needed to hit mid irons off the tee. If I may share with you a gripe of mine that we are generally not allowed to play off the back tees here in Scotland and are often left playing what could be a difficult golf course, off tees which were put in place before steel shafts were invented. I can understand the rationale of courses that they want to keep the pace of play up, but when your constantly playing 4 iron 9 iron into par fours you don't see the beauty of some of these courses.
That said, Ladybank was a good test because if you go astray you're in serious trouble. Starting on the second hole which was just like being back home with pine trees on the right along a fence line and an incredibly narrow landing area. Generally off the fairways here is not only trees but heather which grabs your ball & if you're lucky enough to find it you're pushing your luck to get it out. I wish I had video'd my efforts on 12 where after 3 futile efforts to hack the ball out I was more than a little flustered & finally took my medicine and chipped out.
The match of the day was a four ball with myself and the crafty Richard taking on the young bucks JP and John. There were a few shots flying around but it was on the stroke one handicap hole, the 9th where things got interesting as everyone made a par 4. A win to the good guys courtesy of Richard's two shots!! Unfortunately our run did not continue and we came up just short on the last hole.
There are some bomb craters in the terrain at Ladybank - I don't recall how they got there but, being the random kiwi punters that we are we re-enacted what would happen if it came mid swing:
Have a look at some of the photographs from Ladybank below, it is a strong track (off the tips anyway) and home to the final stage of the Open Qualifying which puts it in a revered standing over here. Re our scores, I am in the process of putting them all up on the stats link at the top of the screen - so stay tuned for this addition to the site! Unfortunately the birdie counter has not been rollicking along and today we added just 3 to take our tally to 49 + 2 Eagles. Again, we'd love for more people to be involved in this challenge as it really motivates us and is a great way of raising funds for The First Tee. If you're new to puregolf2010 - all the $ we're raising is going straight to TFT NZ and none to our expenses. We're getting by at the moment anyway from the sale proceeds of our beloved Dodgy.
John knocks it up on the par 3 10th hole.
see the heather & narrow shutes. This is 16 - a terrific dog leg left. Although there were about 6 such tee shots which did not favour my shot shape!
Thanks to Sheila and Richard for having us and Ladybank for kindly hosting us at their track. Another good day and 210 rounds of consecutive golf...
Q: what do you get when you play golf every day? A: a hideous golf tan - check out my feet
When conjuring a title for this post, it was tempting to use the pun “PanPure”. That however would’ve been contrived, so I didn’t, favouring Plain English instead. Anyway the sentiment: the greens at Panmure are really the best we’ve had the pleasure of putting on in this links wonderland (just a shade purer than North Berwick and Royal Troon, which were also quite magnificent). I usually try to shy away from lists and rankings and the like – because they are polarising and I of course (as those of you who know me will no doubt know) avoid controversy at all costs... But on this occasion I’m making an exception because I feel so strongly on the matter. And putting is a subject dear to my heart.
Panmure’s the 20th oldest golf club in the world, and sits on the outskirts of the wee town of Barry (good Scottish name that it is), just down the road from Carnoustie (an equally good Scottish name). It’s a qualifying course for Opens and Senior Opens (like last week’s) held at Van de Velde’s favourite track.
My mum’s cousin Harvey has been a member there since 1959, which makes him part of the furniture. He’s had the same locker the whole time, No. 15. I wonder whether Nos. 1 to 14 have changed hands during his tenure or whether those old boys are still there too? I dropped Harvey – whom I hadn’t seen for 13 years – a line on Monday to let him know we were playing Panmure on Wednesday at noon, and to ask whether he’d like to join us for a game. Now retired from his family company in Dundee and from his duties with the Scottish Rugby Union (which he used to head up a few years ago), Harvey has a bit of time on his hands (most of which is spent fishing) and was only too happy to join us. Super.
Harvey’s one of life’s lovely folk: an affable, laid back character who seems to know everyone and doesn’t have a bad word to say about any of them. I think the reason he didn’t play (he just walked round with us) was because he thought we were gun golfers and he didn’t want to hold us up if he wasn’t on form. A very modest fellow. Given the way I struggled around he would’ve likely beaten me in any event! Although being so modest he would’ve kept it to himself...
Like Royal Troon, the first few holes are gentle and lull you almost into a false sense of security. Today however the wind was gusting strongly into us, making them (in fact, the first 10) a pretty testing affair. On the glassy greens though you always had a chance at your par putt if you’d been so careless so as not to be on in regulation. Around the course are a plethora of rustic features, giving it a very aged feel. Take the greenkeeper’s hut adjacent to the 1st green, or his house adjacent to the 2nd. They look like they’ve been there since Moses Struck The Rock (a nice lick of paint gives the appearance of mutton dressed up as lamb – a Kiwi phrase that I haven’t as yet heard over here). There’s an army base by the 16th too; I imagine it’s there because the links terrain – with its dunes, tussock, gorse and heather – probably looks just like Afghanistan. Certainly my own experiences of linksland warfare (Cowboys and Indians) as a youngster remain vividly etched in my grey matter. As a fervent Indian I’d always find the best vantage points among the gorse from which to fire my bow and arrow at my Cowboy brother. Of course he’d tell you otherwise – but those Cowboys aren’t to be trusted.
The course starts to blossom as you reach Hogan’s Hole, the 6th. (Apparently it was Benjamin’s favourite hole in Scotland). It’s a beauty. A blind tee shot is played to a fairway that for the shorter hitters is a double one (with the 7th), then up through a few moguls to a raised green surrounded by heather and gorse and general mischief. On the 6th we played through a group of American chaps that had been playing at a leisurely pace. I hit a low draw from the tee leaving only a wee punch 6 iron up to the dance floor – but standing over the approach felt a little rushed and blocked it into the bundai. With our American friends waiting back on the fairway we didn’t want to look for it for more than a minute or two, so I declared it lost, took a triple and moved on to the next tee. The beginning of the end after an acceptable start. Shame – but that’s golf.
Harvey provided invaluable local knowledge and was full of good stories. I particularly liked one he told about Tarum Airlines (anyone heard of them?), who he and the Scottish team flew with some years ago (once and once only) - apparently they had to tape one of the exit doors shut because it was coming loose! And the big burly forwards were asked to move down to the back to balance the plane for landing! It’s not like it used to be...
Below are a couple of photos of the 8th hole, which is a wee cracker. Blind tee shot and - unless you're on the right hand side of the fairway - a blind approach.
The sun poured over the links for the most part, and the wind blew enough to make life very interesting. Perfect golfing conditions. Over the past couple of weeks I’ve grown to love (or rather, rediscovered my love) for the way the sun shines between the clouds here. Not like NZ or Aussie, or even the US, where the sun sits alone in a piercing blue sky. Here the contrast is greater; invariably the sun dances between dark clouds, creating a greater appreciation for that warmth-on-the-back-of-your-neck feeling. It’s like Christmas: if you had it every week it wouldn’t be the same!
In the clubhouse Harvey treated us to lunch and a refreshing beverage – not in the very impressive wood panelled lounge (which requires a jacket and tie), but in the amusingly named “Dirty Bar”. A steak pie and chips taste quite wonderful when you’ve been sluggling it slowly around the links. A few of Harvey’s pals, who’d been playing behind us, came up to offer kind words and a few quid each for The First Tee. Harvey also threw a fiver in, God Bless Him. A very generous and gracious bunch; Michael and I were humbled.
Before we left we got a quick tour of the Big Boys’ Bar and the Dining Room, the walls of which are lined with paintings of the club’s early captains (the Earl of....the Duke of...etc etc) - they looked androgynous and English in their full regalia, and would get beaten up if they walked around downtown Dundee these days. In their day I’m sure they were distinguished and revered. And probably beaten up at school too.
Thanks Harvey – great to see you and to catch up on 13 years of news! Don't know how you managed to escape without having your portrait taken, but I'll source a photo from somewhere...
JP
Our pal Carol – who took us out for a fantastic day at The Olympic Club in San Francisco back on Day 133 – also spends a bit of time over ‘ere, often managing to tie in little trips with business (something she appears to be very adept at doing). Carol just loves Scotland, and she just loves golf. And so it seems that bringing her friends along for a game at The Renaissance Club, out in East Lothian, is for Carol one of life’s pleasures – something she is only too happy to do. Today we were among the lucky few that were extended an invitation.
A bit about Renaissance: You can read about its history here. Basically the land was part of the Duke of Hamilton’s Archerfield Estate, until a couple of ambitious American brothers had better ideas. To the West is The Honourable Company’s home turf, aka Muirfield. To the East is Archerfield Links, a new club like Renaissance. It’s quite a setting. The Firth of Forth sits out in front of you to the North, and on a clear day you can see The Kingdom of Fife (on a really really really clear day you can see the flags of Lundin Links, Leven, Elie and the like – if you have binoculars and the hankering). Bottom line – a lovely canvas for a golf course.
Enter Tom Doak, who’s certainly among the most revered course architects of the modern day. Tom’s responsible for the likes of Cape Kidnappers in New Zealand and Pacific Dunes up at Bandon in Oregon. He knows what he’s doing. And he doesn’t like to mess too much with the natural lay of the land. To quote the man himself:
“The most noteworthy courses of the past decade have been among the least expensive to build. Thanks to clients who understand the value of beautiful property, we’re able to create courses which compare to the best of the past...and look like they have been there just as long.”
Well said Tam. Anyway Tam – as I’ll now call him, since we’re in Scotland – was pleased for the club to be named after his company, Renaissance Golf Inc, given his high regard for the property and the area’s rich golfing heritage. So there you go.
It’s quite a grand entrance, I must say. When you wind past Archerfield House and eventually find the big gate bearing the club’s crest, you know right away you’re in for a pretty unique experience. A tree stump bolted to the wall by the gate bears a sign “press to enter”. The driveway takes you past the 2nd green and 3rd hole, and up to the imposing clubhouse. It’s all very grand.
Right away we spotted Carol, who was doing what she does best – chatting to her friends and to the staff. After a big hug we were introduced to Harry & Carolyn (a charming retired couple from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina) and Ian (a dry witted Aberdonian). The lads – who Carol knows from Loch Lomond, where they all belong – would be joining us for a hit, while Carolyn planned to go for a brisk walk and finish what sounded like a good book. Sean the maitre-d’ gave us the run down on the place and mentioned we had 7400 yards of golf course to look forward to, if we were game. Which we always are.
Tam’s a quirky character if his golf courses are anything to go by. The boxes on the 1st tee are laid out on the practice putting green. Mike and I shied away from hitting 2 iron in case we took a divot! The 5 of us set off, with Carol having picked up another in caddy Paul. Our half dozen must’ve looked almost as imposing as those two ball foursomes plus caddies that we saw at Prestwick last week – a veritable golf army marching down the fairway! Skins was the format – as you can imagine there were a few halves with 5 contestants and shots flying everywhere...
The course though young manages to feel established, as Tam would hope. Ancient dykes (walls, for you non-Scots) have been retained, and add a rustic charm (not to mention the fact that they double as obstacles too). Doak left a few features trees and forests as well, giving the course something of a hybrid links/parkland feel. Quite unique. From the tips it’s a slog – something you appreciate almost right away, when you stand on the 2nd tee – a 260 yard par 3 to an undulating green. The rain came tumbling down too for a few holes on the front, stretching the holes out yet longer. Nothing wrong with a bit of Good Scottish Weather though; indeed it prompted Carol to don the most impressive rain gear I’ve ever seen – not so much as a drop could penetrate that outfit!
After 8 we paused for refreshments and sustenance, and were joined by a mutual friend Toddy, who’d been lunching at The Honourable Company on the back of a morning hit. Suffice to say he had a warm glow about him. Our 5 was then 6, so we split into 3s and hacked it around the back 10 at a more Scottish pace. Along the back 9 there were some stunning vistas across the Forth; we also saw the plot of land where they’re hoping to stick another 3 or 4 holes, down closer to the beach. Apparently Muirfield used to lease the land from The Duke’s estate, but couldn’t get planning permission to do what they wanted to do. The crowd at Renaissance are more optimistic and word is they’ll be getting to work in the not too distant future. If they manage to get the proposal through they’ll be a handful of stunning holes (and the first few will be used for warming up / practising). The flags are already out!
Toddy flinched awkwardly when I rolled in a stray birdie on the 14th – he’s one of the kind humans (Carol being another) who’s sponsoring us a pound for every birdie carded in Scotland, and a tenner for every eagle. Being a staunch supporter of The First Tee of NZ though he knows it’s for a good cause! Just as well he wasn’t paying for double bogeys today – otherwise he would’ve had to fork out a significant wad!
Our group converged in the warmth of the bar and perched on the most comfortable set of leather sofas this side of Cape Town. I was asked for my card by Carol, who took it upon herself to tally the skins. By some miracle (and it was a miracle) I came out on top, despite playing abominable golf. With all the horse trading finished we just sat and enjoyed each other’s company and tried not to fall asleep on those amazing sofas. Carol being the consummate host that she is insisted that we order a morsel or two to keep us going until dinner – a very comforting plate of bangers and mash arrived not too long after (Goldy continued his burger stretch as part of his weight gain program). Just the ticket after taking beating on Tam’s Leviathan.
As all good things do, the day came to an end. Carol was off in the morning to see friends in France, before heading to Tokyo on business. We were heading to Edinburgh, which was slightly less glamorous but more convenient. I’ve been trying to twist her arm into coming down to New Zealand for the Final Day at Cape Kidnappers on 31 December, but Carol’s a tough nut to crack. So in the spirit of peer pressure I’m going to publicly invite you Carol to come and be our guests down on our turf – it’s high time that you enjoyed some of our hospitality! Toddy’s been trying for years without success, but now you’ve got a couple other young motivated Kiwis on the case too...
Thanks again for an epic day at Renaissance.
JP
Shinnecock
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