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5 Ryder Cup Highlights To Watch Before Medinah in 2012

The Ryder Cup: it’s brilliant, it’s patriotic, it’s a rare moment of bonding that the game rarely shows. For one week, the world’s best from the U.S and Europe team up and compete in a dazzling biennial affair. Hosted this year in the U.S. at Medinah Country Club, outside of Chicago, the golf world will be watching as Europe tries to defend the title and keep the cup overseas. Below are 5 videos every golfer should watch before the first stroke is struck. Each video has been selected to emphasize the emotion, patriotism, and strategy all intertwined into a tournament unlike any other: The Ryder Cup.

Context behind the Ryder Cup:

Before 1985, the U.S. had dominated the Ryder Cup only losing three times since it’s inception in 1927. However, in 1985 the tides began to turn with the help of young, charismatic golfers like Seve Ballesteros, and the competition has never been same since. Below is a chart showing which teams won, by how much, and who lead the team to victory and defeat.

Continue reading “5 Ryder Cup Highlights To Watch Before Medinah in 2012”

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Tom Watson on the Charlie Rose Show

The indepth, benevolent interrogation by Charlie Rose doesn’t escape the game we know and love. When I heard that Tom Watson would be on the other side of the round, oak table I knew it would be something to TiVo. Below is the 32 minute interview and the summary that follow.

– Charlie opens the interview with a look back at Watson’s chip-in on the 17th at Pebble.

– Watson truly believed he could win the Wednesday night before the start of the tournament.

– His example of what makes his experience beneficial is fantastic; trust and confidence in the course made his 6 prior experiences at Turnberry such an advantage.

– Watson on links golf “That’s links golf, you just don’t know.”

– Tom’s hatred of failure is what drove him to succeed.

– The caddy-player relationship in Watson’s life is amazing. Bruce Edwards spent over 30 years on the bag with Watson.

– When the ball was in the air on 18 at Turnberry in 2009, Watson thought it would be 77′ all over again.

– Watson’s major motivation for great play at the Masters this year was his son being on the bag.

– To be great at anything, you’ve got to have conviction that you’re great. Tom believed that.

– Everyone always talked about Jack and his strategy around the course. Watson puts it in much simpler terms by saying, “Jack was the best at taking the element of risk out of an individual shot.”

Two Questions Watson Asked Hogan: it surprises me that Tom only met Ben once.

– Do you ever think a tall golfer will ever be one of the best players?” Hogan responded by saying “Absolutely.”

– How nervous did you get when you were playing in competition? Hogan replied, “Tom, I was so nervous I was jumping out of my skin.”

– Charlie asks “Why would you wake up and not warm-up well if you in the lead?” A simple question, but yet, it cuts to the heart of the enigma is that is the game of golf. Watson replies that is just the way the the game is and feel is such a big factor.

– The snowball effect of losing confidence happened to Tom midway through his career.

Watson finds “it.”

– His practice session on the range in 1994 is where Tom Watson discovered his secret. There are many similarities to Tom’s secret and the one of Ben Hogan.

– Wow, did not know Tom Watson thought about quitting the game.

– Learn from the best through observation.

– Watson equates ball striking to pitcher’s and their control of the movement of their pitch.

– The modern golf swing is epitomized in Sam Snead’s swing.

Jon @ atruegolfer.com

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Rockwell’s Works on Golf

I love Norman Rockwell. I love golf. The following two Norman Rockwell pieces incorporate the game into his artwork.

Man Leaving Work to Go Golfing was published on September 20, 1919. I’ve always felt it’s important to leave art up to interpretation but I would be remiss if I didn’t point out the sign over the gentlemen’s desk that says “Do It Now,” and the note left on the door that reads, “Gone on Important Business.”

Missed! came from Rockwell’s Sporting Boys series. The facial features of all the boys says it all!

Which piece is your favorite?

Jon @ atruegolfer.com

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4 Ways To Get Invited Back to a Member Guest

When your friend or relative invites you to a Member-Guest, it’s a big deal. They are, in essence, saying, “I want you to come represent me in front of my friends at my club.” It is a true honor. This privilege creates a lofty amount of responsibility; below are 4 simple, easy ways to get invited back to your friend’s Member Guest.

Make Your Partner Look Good

There are many ways to do this and not do this. A few that come to mind include:

– Tell stories of the past you have together. Each of you know one another for a reason, let his fellow members in on a side of your host they may not know — a good side, that is.

– Do not talk about or compare your club. Any form of trying to “keep up with the Joneses” or commenting on how your club does it always comes off awkward.

– Dress like your partner. This doesn’t mean wear the exact same item…that would be ridiculous and is highly ill-advised. But dressing beneath your partner (shirt untucked or tennis golf shoes) could create tension and dressing above him (a flamboyant-Poulter outfit) could make him feel out-of-place at his home course. Best advice: stay traditional and classic.

Play Well

This might be too simple, but depending on your partner, being in contention is a high priority and if you get waxed, coming back may be a tall order. Weeks leading up to the tournament, take some extra range time, bring the putter to work, and get mentally prepared for firing at pins and dropping putts.

Write Personal Thank You Notes

Writing thank you notes is one of the least time consuming ways and potentially has the greatest “remembrance factor” because so few people do it. Notice “Thank You Notes” is plural. This means writing two is best form: one to your host and one to the head pro — both thanking them for the weekend, accommodations, and experience. Notes should only be written if the message is authentic and sincere, otherwise don’t bother.

Reciprocate

Some of the greatest relationships are formed on the golf course. As most know, relationships are a two way street and if an individual doesn’t reciprocate in anyway, it hints a lack of appreciation. There are many ways to reciprocate including a gift, a golf trip that you initiate, or your Member-Guest.

Good luck and hopefully your host will see you next year.

Jon @ atruegolfer.com

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The Old Course at St. Andrews: Respect Earned The Long Way

The game’s greatest players have all played St. Andrews at one point or another and it’s fascinating to see the stories each one has in developing respect for the birth place of golf.

In a Sports Illustrated interview in 1970, Jack Nicklaus knew what it took to fully understand the greatness of The Old Course:

A golfer must play [St. Andrews] at least a dozen times before he can expect to understand its subtleties. If a player becomes irritated at the bad bounces and unusual things that happen at St. Andrews, forget it.

Two of golf’s greatest players have made the mistake of becoming “irritated at the bad bounces and unusual things that happen at St. Andrews” and have paid for it mightily in pride and in the press. Continue reading “The Old Course at St. Andrews: Respect Earned The Long Way”

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Golf’s Lost Art Form: The Exhibition Match

There is a lost art form within the game of golf. An art that produces an experience because of golf’s rare mix of mental, social, and physical skills required — traditionally, this is called an exhibition match.

A Very Brief History

Before there was a professional golf tour, many of the game’s greatest players earned money by competing in exhibition matches against each other. There was no better ‘exhibitor’ than Walter Hagen. A man with a larger than life personality and a grandiose lifestyle to match it. To draw the widest audience as possible, celebrities of that time would also join in on the competition. Continue reading “Golf’s Lost Art Form: The Exhibition Match”

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“Flight Plan” Takes Off

Below is Flight Plan by artist Michael David Murphy. Twenty five different ball flight sequences of eleven different golfers, all on one major championship afternoon and masterfully timed gives you Flight Plan.

If you are wondering who’s ball flight you’re watching, the list is below. You can see more of Michael David Murphy’s work here. These images were captured during the 2009 PGA Championship at Hazeltine. Continue reading ““Flight Plan” Takes Off”

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How To Get Masters Tickets?

“Having tickets to The Masters is the best dowry a wife could have in the South.” Those were the exact words exchanged in a brief conversation I had with a young lady late last week. She’s right – as of 2000, there is no direct way to get Masters badges to the tournament. That said, with the tournament coming up next month (April 2-8, 2012) there are some indirect ways to get a hold of tickets and experience the Tournament.

Ten years ago, patrons would get their individual daily badges for Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Most of the badges were used by those who originally go them, however too many were traded, exchanged, and sold online. As a result, members began to crack down on this abuse of the system by adapting to the times.  First, they created a single tournament badge. This cut down on the exchange significantly because if you sold your badge for Thursday it was gone for the rest of the week — unless you knew the person using it and they gave it back to you. Further, if you sold your badge to someone who acted inappropriately on the grounds, their (i.e. your) badges would be taken away and you would not receive another one come this time next year.

So how do you grace one of the game’s most hollowed grounds; a place that fosters the sport’s greatest traditions by an organization that advocates its finest lessons? Continue reading “How To Get Masters Tickets?”

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The Game, The Tournament, The Man, — Bob Hope

I didn’t grow up watching Bob Hope — I wish I did, but that era was a bit before my time. I knew the man through the game and through his tournament. Through Bob’s influence, his Hollywood connections, and his sincere love for the sport, he was able to connect audiences to the game because he made it relatable and more entertaining.

I view the Bob Hope Classic like I do IBM.  Back then, an entire golf tournament hosted, played, and produced by a celebrity was new. Parallels lie within IBM; a company that changed the way businesses do business. Both have been through their growth stages and now live in their more established, mature years. Companies like Google and players like Tiger have come on the scene and progressed both fields. Bob Hope was a lodestar of his time that took his extraordinary amount of popularity and created things bigger than himself that still live on.
Continue reading “The Game, The Tournament, The Man, — Bob Hope”

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The Comeback of Ben Hogan at Merion Golf Club

One of golf’s greatest feats is the comeback of Ben Hogan. After being struck by a Greyhound bus, doctors predicted Hogan would never walk again. His legs were crushed at impact and a main reason he survived was his selfless act to protect his wife by throwing himself on her lap right before impact.

Hogan was always someone who beat the odds: the odds of him making it to the Tour, of overcoming his father’s suicide, and battling back from his car crash.

That summer Monday in 1950 is stated best by the NY Times: Yesterday his challenge to the disbelievers was on the line.

What escapes the average golfer is that Hogan had a 1 stroke lead over Lloyd Mangrum and a three stroke lead over Tom Fazio; however on the sixteenth hole, Mangrum incurred a two stroke penalty which gave Hogan a three stroke lead on both competitors with two holes to play. Hogan dropped a two tier putt for a birdie two on the long par-3 seventeenth.

The New York Times article ends the story by referring to the nickname Ben had growing up:

Then the bug alighted on Mangrum’s ball at the sixteenth, and the penalty for handling the ball sealed the victory for Little Ben.

Below is a great interview with Hogan discussing not only his comeback, but also his mental approach. A great gem: