152 - Method From The Madness...

Massive news in the golf world; Tiger Woods has changed his putter! I know, I know, earth-shattering stuff! Ahem. Ok, so it isn’t the most serious thing in the world but with new sales estimated to be in excess of £28m because Woods has switched allegiances, it is definitely serious to the big manufacturers.

Woods has used a Scotty Cameron wand since 1999, describing it as being “irreplaceable”. In that time he won an amazing 72 titles but since returning to the game after his extra marital manoeuvres came to light he has really struggled on the green. Suddenly “irreplaceable” means “scapegoat”.

The world number one has a lucrative sponsorship deal with Nike that has helped him become the first billionaire sportsman so it is no surprise that the putter he has gone for is the Nike Method 001. Actually, the move to the Method is down to the slower greens of St Andrews apparently.

Woods said: “I’ve always struggled on slower greens. This putter does come off faster with the new groove technology. It rolls the ball better, and rolls it faster.”

The putter (left) has wins under its belt already with Lucas Glover using it when he won in the US Open at the Black Course of Bethpage in 2009.

Stewart Cink stroked his way to victory with it too at Turnberry last year to win the British Open. The most successful player using the new blade is Paul Casey who has won three PGA Tour titles after switching and raves about the Method.

“I fell in love with this putter the first time I used it,” said Casey. “You can really feel the difference in how the ball comes off the face and see the difference in how it rolls. It has really helped my confidence.”

So will the 001 be the missing piece of the puzzle for Woods or is it the act of a desperate man trying to claw his way back to some sort of form? We will see this weekend when the putter makes its first appearance in Eldrick’s bag at St Andrews.

75 - We Are The Goon Squad...

There were many sniggers and snide remarks from the pundits covering the Open at Turnberry this year when John Daly stepped onto the first tee in an outfit so loud that they probably burnt the retinas of any spectator who was unfortunate enough to glance at his legs (below). Anyone who saw the big man strutting down the fairways in his Loudmouth Golf clothes won’t forget it in a hurry.

Although his attire was a little extreme I salute Daly for not taking the dress code so seriously, I salute anyone who sticks it to the man. That is not to say I think anything can be worn on the golf course, far from it, I just think that if golf is to move away from the perception that it’s elitist and snobby there needs to be a change in attitudes from the old guard.

Ok, I get that jeans are a no no on the course but why for example, if wearing shorts, must players also wear knee length socks (a rule I saw recently at a private course)? Surely players are wearing shorts to keep cool – something that is negated with the addition of 2 foot of gleaming white terry-towlling sports socks!

I’ll admit that seeing people on municipal’s in an England shirt, tracksuit bottoms and a pair of Reebok Classics winds me up but is it the worse thing in the golfing world? (What does make me laugh about these ‘rule breakers’ is that they can’t find the cash for a pair of proper golf shoes but they will have a bag full of Ping clubs and will be firing Titleist Pro V1’s up the fairway. Hmmm…)

I agree with DJ Chris Evans who said he likes playing golf he just doesn’t like looking like a golfer. I don’t like the Lyle & Scott v-neck pullover brigade who march up and down the fairways checking everyone else out like a cranky headmaster, tutting at players wearing garish coloured polo shirts, fashionable tailored pants and designer shoes with matching bling belts. It is as if they expect players to dress like extras from 70’s sitcom Terry & June.

Big manufacturers like Nike and Adidas have made great strides in producing more fashionable golf clothes while the likes of Stromberg, Oscar Jacobson and J Lindeberg make stuff that could be worn in the coolest of bars as well as at the local track. So why should there be frowns from the Ronnie Corbett-a-likes if some young buck turns up in a pair of Ian Poulter’s Union Jack pants?

If the dress code was relaxed slightly and the attitude towards non-traditional clothes changed for the better I’m convinced more young people would be interested in joining private clubs and societies. Young men love posing and some of the premium clothing available lets them do just that as they strut up the fairway like a golfing peacocks.

To stay alive every sport needs to evolve but golf won’t move forward if the blazer and tie types put barriers in front of potential new players because of the way they dress. I think it is time for the old to embrace the new and update their attitudes. After all, golf is a great game that should be enjoyed by everyone even if they decide to turn up looking like John Daly.

74 - Ten Times Better...

So the 138th Open took place at Turnberry this year. For those that don’t know, the course is on the west cost of Scotland around 30 minutes drive south from Glasgow – easily reachable from Liverpool (I’ve lost count of the number of times I have driven to the ‘Second City of the Empire’, nice journey once you pass Carlisle) which got me thinking, could the likes of me play at this iconic course?

A quick look on the internet shows that, depending on what time of year it is, you can turn up with your tatty Hippo bag filled with mongrel clubs, some second chance Titleist’s and play for as little as £100. Initially, that sounds quite expensive considering it is just £10 to play the local municipal, so is Turnberry 10 times better than the local track? Well yes, I guess it is.

The blurb on the official site says “For those to whom golf is a religion, Turnberry is a cathedral” and they are probably right. The resort is one of those awe inspiring, magical places that you imagine should always be played at first light with a slight mist on the fairways. It is steeped in history and legend and is widely regarded as being one of the best links courses on the planet, being graced by some of the best players in the world.

Conversely, your average municipal is a series of shaved fields dumped on the outskirts of a town on a site that used to be a munitions factory in the 1940’s. The most famous person to ever head down those fairways was ‘Johno’ in a robbed Renault Clio Sport and he was more infamous than famous. He was on TV though - Crimewatch.

Hmmm, hard to separate the two isn’t it?

One of the great things about golf is that any Tom, Dick or Harry can play the same course as your Tiger’s, Padraig’s and Sergio’s. What other sport gives a complete novice a chance at playing one of the iconic venues of the sport? Fancy a kick about at Wembley? No chance. A quick rally at Wimbledon? I don’t think so. A spot of army golf at the venue for this years Open? Certainly! Give us your ton, the first tee is over there…

Playing the famous courses around Britain is one of my golfing ambitions (along with driving the ball straight and long). With a lot of practice, a few bob in my account and a bit of planning I can achieve this ambition, something I could never do in the likes of football, tennis, cricket or rugby. In the meantime I’m going to continue to hone my skills on the converted waste grounds that litter Merseyside.