LOCATED AT CRANS-MONTANA in the heart of the Swiss Alps, the spectacular Crans-sur-Sierre Golf Club will play host from September 9-10th to the Omega European Masters.
The tournament gives the 30 best Asian players the opportunity to challenge their European counterparts, and gives them all the chance to run round a mountain top singing “The hills are Alive!”
“CLIMB EVERY MOUNTAIN” would have been the song for Jordan Spieth on the Sunday at Royal Birkdale, as he leapt up and down the hill on the 13th. For those last five holes, and for his round on Friday he earned the Claret Jug. Butch Harmon’s advice when the wind is off the Beaufort scale is to swing at 75 per cent, resist any temptation to try backspin and instead hit down on the ball, effectively trapping it against the turf. In the second round Spieth demonstrated this technique to perfection, despite looking as though he’d walked into a carwash.
FOR NEARLY 50 YEARS, from 1946 until 1994, with only 5 exceptions, every U.S. Ladies Open Championship was won by an American. At this year’s Women’s U.S. Open no American finished inside the top 10. South Korea took 1st and 2nd places, as well as 3rd 4th 7th 8th 9th and 10th.
South Korea have now won 7 of the last 10 U.S. Women’s Opens and taken 5 British Open titles. Why? Probably intense competition. Their coaches make sure they know if they don’t quite make the grade another 10 yr. old prodigy will step into their place. They will have set their sights on the Women’s Open at Kingsbarns on 3rd August, to regain the trophy lost last year to Thailand. The words of Confucius, (patience and persistence) still rule their lives, and Confucius obviously said somewhere: “You will go out and beat the pants off everybody.”
AROUND 2000 TONS OF ROCK fell from the cliffs at West Bay, Dorset, just seven yards from a green-side bunker on the 15th at the Bridport and W. Dorset Golf Club. The South West Coastal path is likely to be closed for some time. However, the club remains open for play. That’s the spirit!
NEVER MIND THE USPGA Championship on August 10thth at Quail Hollow. The Clash of Titans takes place on the Longcross course at Foxhills Resort, Surrey from September 15/17thth, when Gt. Britain & Ireland clash with the USA in the Ryder-Cup style PGA Cup. GB&I will be bidding to retain the Llandudno Trophy following their thrilling first triumph at CordeValle, California in 2015, when they grabbed victory on the last hole.
“Longcross is a very British course, great from a risk and reward point of view” says Captain Albert Mackenzie, head pro at Saunton Sands, Devon. “Plenty of trees and with huge emphasis on precision. Length won’t be an advantage, players will need to be tactically astute, which I think will favour the home side.” Never underestimate the Yanks’ tactical astuteness Albert.
TWELVE PGA TOUR PLAYERS put the new Ping G400 driver in their bag at the U.S. Open. Ping say they have combined everything they know about forgiveness and distance in the G400, which has a smaller head than usual and, thanks to extended dragonfly technology, the lightest crown ever used on a Ping driver. It also has improved aerodynamics and better acoustics. Acoustics?
Apparently the sound frequency has been tuned to sound like a luxury car door closing, because, according to Ping, some drivers can sound like a crying baby. You couldn’t make it up. That crying sound was most likely a golfer who had just jumped on his driver after ending up in a bunker. The G400 didn’t help win the U.S. Open anyway, Brooks Koepka used a Taylor Made M2.
A GOLFER SLICED a ball into a field of chickens, killing one of them instantly. Feeling guilty, he sought out the farmer.
“I’m sorry,” he said, “my terrible tee-shot hit one of your hens and killed it. Can I replace the hen?”
“I don’t really know,” replied the farmer, mulling it over. “How many eggs a day do you lay?”
Until next time, Happy Golfing.
Contact Mick for regripping and repairs. 638 859 475.
