Golf International, LifeStyle 96

GOLF INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE JULY 2010

GREG NORMAN / GOLF PROPERTY / LUXURY / FASHION / MOTORING / MEMORABILIA AND MORE...

Spotlight on the luxuries of Rockliffe Hall see page 136

JULY 2010 GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM 1

GREG NORMAN ON LIFE, GOLF & TOUGH TIMES IN BUSINESS

The Shark: survival instinct Two years is a long time in the life of Greg Norman. When I last sat down to interview him for Golf International – in South Africa, in the spring of 2008 – he’d just stepped off his private jet, GN1, accompanied by his then fiancé Chris Evert. During that interview, Evert showed off her sparkling new diamond ring and the couple announced that they were to be married. On the surface at least, all was well in Norman’s world: he was in good form, both on and off the course, combining two of his favourite activities – playing golf and signing lucrative deals.

Today, the location and the vibe is very different. We’re in Turkey at the KPMG Golf Business Forum, where Norman received a Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his contribution to the golf industry. But on a personal and business level Norman’s world has taken a tumble – the relationship with Evert is no more (though his new partner Kristen Kutner is nowhere to be seen) and the deals are drying up. He has closed his offices in Australia – inviting much local criticism – and during our conversation he complained of cash-flow problems.

The financial crisis has, he says, left scars but, you suspect, that if Greg Norman is suffering, the rest of the market is getting it worse.

As ever, he was easy to talk to, honest, open and not shy of sharing some hard-hitting opinions.

- Richard Gillis 2 GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM JULY 2010

All work and lots of play: while most of Normanʼs time these days is dedicated to his business interests, he still loves to compete and will take his place at St Andrews hoping to produce the form that made him a contender at Birkdale in ʼ08 (right).

Below: Shooting the breeze with Jack Nicholson at Flushing Meadow during the US Open tennis

Gi: Where’s the money in golf today?

GN: The sponsor market around golf tournaments it is a very difficult market right now – and I know this because I own a couple of tournaments myself. The money that is there is from existing contracts, signed a few years ago, pre-2008. It’s money that is locked in.

There’s been a lot of negotiating around those contracts to allow some flexibility to the financial terms. If it’s happening to me on a relatively small scale, on a couple of events, imagine what it’s like for the PGA Tour or the European Tour.

Gi: Did golf become too exposed as a sport to banks and car makers?

GN: In the US there was a high number of tournaments backed by car makers and the banks and the public are rightly asking, ‘Why are we giving them our money when they are still sponsoring golf tournaments?’

Gi: The last two decades have been a bull market for sponsor rights, has that bred complacency and a lack of innovation?

GN: Absolutely it has. The model, the box that golf has been in the last 25 years has

remained the same, it’s been like Groundhog Day. We have to become more sophisticated and think differently. Chubby [Andrew Chandler, founder of ISM] is right when he says the market for sponsorship and player endorsements has collapsed.

Gi: What have we learnt from the sorry Tiger Woods saga?

GN: Tiger Woods is a testament to how quickly the money can be turned off when people start pulling out and the multi-million dollar endorsements dry up very quickly. When you set your price expectations so high, your whole life is based around keeping those standards very high. Tiger is no different from everyone else – we’ve all felt the pinch at the pump. If you go back through the history of the PGA Tour, prize-money has doubled every five years. If I was CEO of the company I’d have looked at that and thought, my strike rate has been 100% every five years, how the hell can I sustain that sort of growth? Alarm bells would be going off; logic tells me that maybe I won’t be able to go from $250 million to $500 million in prize-money and maybe the Tours should have adjusted their

PHOTOGRAPHY BY GETTYIMAGES.COM

GREG NORMAN

business model. Risk management? I don’t know that the PGA Tour has that. They have to manage players’ expectations, there is going to be another recession, but the players now expect double prize-money every five years and are asking, ‘Where’s my money?’

Gi: For a sport that exudes self confidence, golf’s authorities seemed to panic in the face of the Woods issue, worried that the sport would crumble if he went. Do you agree?

GN: 100%. The PGA Tour put all their eggs in one basket. They built the tour around Tiger, sold the television contracts around Tiger, so it made the other players feel insignificant, which is a sad way of doing business because they have a responsibility to all of their constituents. The PGA Tour is a one-man onevote operation and nobody is bigger than the game of golf. The exact same thing happened in basketball with Michael Jordan and look at the dead time that basketball went through when Jordan went. They even put Phil Mickelson into a lesser category, and he has an unbelievable database of support and so much charisma. When you look at it closely, there have been some glaring mistakes made.

Gi: Do you see Woods’ business model changing?

GN: It will depend on the people around him.

When you’re the No. 1 player in the world, you need people around you who you can trust and rely on because you can’t do it all on your own. You have to focus on the things you love to do – i.e. play golf in order to be the No. 1 in the world. Tiger has to re-evaluate some of the people around him. Some of the people have a different mindset – they have made a good living from selling him on the market – and he may have to readjust to that.

Sometimes, someone saying no to you is the best yes you can get. He needs someone able to tell him to go in a different direction and that it will hurt for a little bit. Tiger has an enormous endorsement deal with Nike. That Swoosh is way more powerful than Tiger’s brand. Which poses a problem. He has a major association with it but he has to promote the Tiger Woods brand, and in the golf industry he is overshadowed by it, there’s no space around him for anything else. As stagnant as the golf industry is right now, It can be difficult for him to establish any solid roots.

Gi: There are parallels between Tiger and yourself, both long time world no. 1, both were IMG players and both became global brands. At the peak of your career you left IMG to go on your own. Why did you do this?

GN: In my day IMG never understood how to build equity in a brand because they were the brand. As an athlete, you are a passthrough entity. They were taking commission on an annual basis and if you had a three-year deal to represent someone they would take their money and you knew there would be another Greg Norman down the line. There was, he was Tiger Woods. So they tended to have a short-term mentality to players, because it plays to their business model: they need the cash flow. When you become a living brand you tend to see things differently in terms of future earnings and how you want to position yourself in the future. I didn’t leave IMG. My contract ended and I didn’t renew it. They didn’t like it. I think since then they’ve watched me and have learned some lessons and a lot of the things they implemented with Tiger they may learnt from me.

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY GETTYIMAGES.COM

Gi: Tiger is now in the golf course business, and you’ve been in it for a long time. My view is that the legacy of the boom years is an over-supply of the wrong type of course, which are expensive to join, difficult to play and now suffering from huge debts they can’t repay. Meanwhile, golf has not shaken off its exclusive image. What’s your view?

GN: I couldn’t agree more. As a player in the ’80s I was in the halcyon boom of corporate dollars being thrown at the game of golf. I was a huge benefactor of that money. There was a three- to five-year time period in the 1980s when everyone thought they were doing the bullet-proof right thing in terms of building courses. But what was done was absolutely the wrong thing. As a strategy it was riddled with holes. The implementation and execution was very wrong and I agree the money went into the wrong type of course. I blame the architects as well. They went out and built monuments to themselves with developers’ unlimited budgets. Instead of building a golf course for $10 million they spent $20 million. Instead of building courses that needed $1 million worth maintenance a year they need $3 million. The ongoing maintenance cost is the burden that is now showing its ugly head in America, because the membership is turning around and asking why, even an economic downturn, are we paying annual fees of thousands of bucks a year.

The wives are telling their husbands that you can’t go play golf, and it all came from that moment in the 1980s.

Gi: You are targeting China. What’s the situation there?

GN: Today’s architects have inherited this disaster and we have to approach it differently.

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Normanʼs golf course design business has embraced the opportunity in China, this being a view of the 9th hole on his creation at the Donggaun complex in Shenzen. Below: In his address at Mission Hills earlier this year, Norman emphasised the need to learn from mistakes of the 1980s and build golf courses that would sustain ongoing participation in the game of golf

Every potential developer now has do things differently. I gave a speech in China recently and I told them, please don’t fall into the trap of what America and Britain did in the ’80s. If you want golf to grow to the level you are expecting it to – and they are talking 20 million or 30 million people taking up the game, those are the numbers the Chinese tourism minister is quoting – I told them they are going to build a lot of golf courses but don’t be a copycat. Be smart and the game will be sustainable.

Gi: Has the credit crunch hit you?

GN: Oh yes [laughs]. The biggest effect I see is in account receivables which are way out there. People want to finish their projects but are waiting before they put their money back into the project. It costs more money to shut down a project than to drip feed it. I’ve got a lot of money out there that is not being paid. I had a conference call this morning with an investment group telling me the money is there and that it would be there in two or three weeks. They’ve been saying that for two years, and we have to pay our bills, too. My guys have put pressure on them, asking why these bills aren’t being paid. But I’m a believer that the formation of partnerships in bad times is just as crucial as they are in good times. But there are some situations where you know you’re not going to get your money back because everyone has disappeared, there is not an e-mail, there’s no phone number and you don’t know where these people have gone. You know you just have to tick that box and write it off.

Gi: When we last spoke – in South Africa two years ago – you nearly won the tournament,

GREG NORMAN over again I’d surround myself with all those people. Once I knew that I had it, whatever that means. If you win early it gives you confidence. I would surround myself, get the personal trainer to travel with me, the masseuse.

As for the psychologist, it depends on what you take out of it.

Gi: Then a few months later you led the Open going in to the final day. What are your memories of that?

GN: I remember thinking I was playing terrible going in to the Open, but when I got there I had some good feelings at the start of the week. First, I love the golf course at Royal Birkdale and the way the R&A set it up was great, the best set-up for any Open I’ve ever played in my life. So these goods feelings permeated through. Also, the weather was terrible so that was good for me because it takes away the guys that just hit from point A to point B, and some artistry was needed to get around the course, which is how I grew up playing the game. So there was a positive tone going into Thursday morning and that kept going through the week. But there are defining moments that happen for some stupid reason in life and that was one of them. And I wouldn’t be surprised to see some of the more experienced players do well at St Andrews, too. A good player of age has a chance around the Old Course.

“The money that is there [in golf sponsorship] is money that is from existing contracts signed a few years ago. It’s money that is locked in. There’s been a lot of negotiating around those contracts to allow some flexibility, and if that’s happening to me on a relatively small scale, with just a couple of events, imagine what it’s like for the PGA Tour or the European Tour...”

Gi: Do you miss that artistry you speak about? Is golf poorer for the lack of it?

GN: I miss the Ballesteroses and Trevinos.

When I was in my heyday, being known as the longest, straightest driver allowed me to be aggressive on every golf course I played.

And I had a good short game, so those two things together meant that my iron play didn’t really matter. I attacked every pin because 90% of the time I knew I had enough that if I missed the flag on the short side I could get up and down. Today, the courses are set up differently and the length of these guys means they can hit it 350 yards, be in the rough and come out with a wedge rather than a 5-iron, which makes it a bit different.

If I was 25 today in today’s era with today’s equipment, I’d still be long and be hitting driver everywhere, too.

guy when he walks down the fairway. He’s got charisma and he gets the connection with the galleries and on the television. He’s very aware of where he is and of his space in life.

Just from the swing aspect like it. I don’t like what I’m hearing about injuries that seem to be coming at such a young age. If they are starting now then they are not going to go away because he is not going to stop hitting golf balls. He’s one of the three or four guys, young kids who are on the cusp of doing something special. Again it’s the people around them that’s important. What’s in their mind? The parents and friends have to back off and let him be who he wants to be.

Gi: Who has caught your eye recently?

GN: Rory McIlroy has got all the components to be a very special player. Again I don’t know what goes on around him, but you look at the

Gi: Does it concern you, as it does Peter Alliss, that he’s talking to sports psychologists at such a young age?

GN: No, not at all. If I had to do my career

Gi: Is that support system a product of affluence and money?

GN: Yes. And it’s important not to defer the responsibility for your own emotions to someone else. You learn more about yourself by putting yourself through all these pains and sorrows that we have to face. But you need to know how to correct the emotional feelings you have when you’re on a golf course. The character of the individual gets built rather than passing responsibility on to somebody else. But I would approach a sports psychologist in a different way. I wouldn’t have been saying to him, as some players do, that I need you on the first tee to give me my Zen feelings. I used to prepare much more the night before. I did very little preparation in the morning except look at the weather and see which way the wind is blowing.

Gi The influence of sports science is increasing, with focus on gaining small advantages over opponents. The striving for the ‘extra one percent’ has become the mantra of the sports science industry. Do you buy it?

GN: I always used the negative energy from other players as a positive energy for me, which, incidentally, I think Tiger has done brilliantly also. The rest are saying that if he’s in the field, I can’t win. When I read stuff like that it was like an extra club. I’d walk in the locker room and look around and think, who am I going to beat today? It’s not arrogance, it’s using what people give you. I agree that much of the support team that has grown up around golfers is because of the amount of money.

Gi: Are you glad you played when you did?

Does it seem as much fun today?

GN: A lot of the fun comes from being around other players, which has gone now, because they all go off in their own planes once the tournament is over. We didn’t have private aircraft back then. We got together, three or four or five guys, we’d play backgammon on the train or in the airport terminal, drinking a couple of beers waiting for the next flight. Or you’d rent a car and drive somewhere with a guy, and when I was fortunate enough to get a plane I gave guys a lift. That’s what I really loved about the behind-the-scenes part of our sport. Now 80% of the guys call up NetJets or have their own private plane and it’s ‘See you next Tuesday on the practice tee’. One of the great attributes Lee Westwood has, and why he is being successful, is that he travels with his great mate, Darren Clarke. They share a plane together. They obviously enjoy that side of life and I’d suggest that has a lot to do with how well he’s playing.

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OK, HERE’S YOUR BRIEF...

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The world’s leading golf brands also make practical luggage for everyday life 2

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Titleist – Functional and stylish briefcase for business and personal travel needs. Guide: £62 www.titleist.co.uk Mizuno – Organiser briefcase in distinct company livery. Padded computer sleeve. Guide: £60 www.mizunoeurope.com Callaway – Spacious office organiser, can be personalised with corporate logo. Guide: £59 www.callawaygolf.com TaylorMade – Abrasion-resistant ripstock material for durability, side mesh pockets. Guide: £35 www.taylormadegolf.com Oakley – Checkpoint computer bag, from the Oakley Lifestyle range. Guide: £39.99 www.oakley.co.uk

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19TH HOLE Q&A WITH DRAGON’S DEN SUPREMO PETER JONES

When he’s not interrogating would-be entrepreneurs in the Den, Peter Jones loves nothing more than a round of golf. And he’s pretty useful, too

Gi: Where and when were you first introduced to the game?

PJ: I have always been interested in all sports since a very young age, mainly rugby and especially tennis – but also golf while I was still a teenager. Coupled with the interest in sport, I have always been extremely competitive, so the first time I picked up a club I wanted to win. But golf is so frustrating. I can be good one day and just plain terrible the next! Admittedly, when I was younger, I was more of a ‘hacker’ to begin with rather than a measured and considered golfer but later in life, through my work, I developed my game playing as part of developing my business contacts. I now play regularly when I am on holiday in Portugal and Barbados, but not so much at other times. I can’t wait for the day I play two rounds well, back-to-back!

What's your current handicap and what are the main strengths of your game?

I play off 12 these days but I was playing off 9 not so long ago when I was playing more regularly. I have a decent drive, but my short game lets me down, especially my putting. I think confidence is still a golfer’s greatest strength when you address the ball – you have to think like a winner, otherwise you can defeat yourself in golf more so than any other sport.

And weaknesses?

Over confidence! Seriously, there is a thin line between feeling like a winner and having a nightmare. I always have a lot running through my mind, so if I lose concentration then my game is affected just like anybody elses.

What is your favourite golf course?

I’m lucky to have played lots of amazing courses as a result of invitations to corporate and charity golf events, and the West Course at Wentworth springs to mind as a contender.

But, for me, it’s not just the course alone that makes a memorable round – the course, the location and the weather are all vital. For that reason, I choose The Green Monkey in Barbados – it’s amazing!

What would be your perfect golfing vacation?

It’s such a precious opportunity to get some 8 GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM JULY 2010

quality time with my friends that I particularly love playing golf on holiday – and the double bonus is that when the round’s over, I get to spend time with my family as well! I know some people might say a round or two at Augusta with Tiger as your caddy – and that would be very appealing. But I’ll stick to golfing while on a family holiday with my best friends.

Where in the world would you most like to play that you haven’t yet?

I’m going to say Augusta. We recently had a charity golf day for my Foundation, raising money for Forgotten Children and the National Enterprise Academy. It was a perfect day at Hampton Park Golf Course – somewhere I’ve never played before, where the deer know no fear – and we gave away an all expenses paid trip to Augusta in an auction. I was very tempted to bid myself, but it was a hot lot and there were many more eager bidders than me!

course. If I prepared myself for a major, went in focused, and then beat the golf course, the rest took care of itself.” What a great mindset!

A dream fourball – name the three people you would invite?

US President Obama, Tiger Woods and my father, David. What a great day out!

What's your favourite gadget?

I love my Apple iPhone, and I can play golf on it!

If you could change one Rule of Golf, what would it be?

I’m not sure what I would change but I do like the rule… “All players shall conduct themselves in a disciplined manner, demonstrating courtesy and sportsmanship at all times, irrespective of how competitive they may be. This is the spirit of the game of golf.” I have some golfing buddies who should remind themselves of this!

What piece of golfing technology has most helped your game in recent years?

The golf buggy!

What is the single best round of golf you have ever played?

It was at Quinta do Lago in Portugal and I was 3 over Gross. I got a 75. I told everyone!

Who is your favourite player?

It’s difficult to single out one player. If pressed I would say Jack Nicklaus for his sheer and consistent winning brilliance.

There’s a quote of his I made a note of that he is reported to have said: “I never went into a tournament or round of golf thinking I had to beat a certain player. I had to beat the golf

Who do you admire most in your own field?

For the purposes of answering this, I’ll limit my “field” to “UK entrepreneurs”. I had an encounter with Sir Alan Sugar recently at a meeting about enterprise and encouraging entrepreneurship among young people – a real passion of mine. I have met Sir Alan several times but this was the first time we had

PETER JONES

young people I meet because the vast majority do not conform to the stereotypes we read about in the media, and they really want to succeed and make a positive difference to their own lives and the lives of others.

How many golfing inventions failed to make the cut on Dragon's Den? Funnily enough, golf has not been a significant topic in the Den for inventions or business ideas. We did have a chap who had adapted a golfer’s glove as way of reminding driver’s which side of the road to drive on when abroad…so you simply put the glove on the hand that corresponds with the left or right side of the road as a reminder. But of course if you can remember to do that, then you don’t really need the glove! Needless to say, he didn’t get the investment.

Do any of the other Dragons play golf?

Theo does, and I believe Duncan does as well.

I’m not sure about Deborah or James, though.

What has been your single best investment to date as a result of the program?

Levi Roots’ Reggae Reggae Sauce has been a phenomenal success, and I know for sure it hasn’t peaked yet. From the original sauce, which I helped Levi to launch in Sainsbury’s after he appeared on the show, my team has worked with him to develop a whole Caribbean food range. There are some amazing new products to come – so watch this space. But, the products aside, the success is really down to Levi and that fact that he is such a charismatic walking, talking (and singing) brand.

Itʼs who you know: former tennis ace Peter Fleming joined the Dragonʼs Den star at his charity golf day...which they won; talking golf with Ian Poulter at Wentworth during the PGA Championship; Tom Fazioʼs lavish design, the Green Monkey, at Sandy Lane; “Very impressive” is Jonesʼ verdict on Sir Alan Sugar.

(Below): The home page says it all – Reggae Reggae Sauce has been a tasty investment

had a formal business meeting. I have to say, for me, he is definitely not fired! He was very impressive, and I was delighted and surprised that we had a lot of views in common about enterprise education and the need to develop the skills of tomorrow’s business leaders to rebuild the UK’s and the global economies.

Who do you admire most outside your field?

I admire anyone who has a dream and has the dedication and commitment to make it a reality. I meet a lot of young people through my work with the National Enterprise Academy, and I am always blown away by their energy, ambition and ideas. I admire many of the

With so much going on, do you find that it's tough to concentrate for 18 holes or do you find golf offers a good way of switching off?

I can get distracted if something big is happening in my companies but I find that by the time you reach the back nine, everything just goes on pause until the final winning putt is made!

How big a part can golf play in helping you make a brighter future for kids through the Peter Jones Foundation?

A big part, and we started in earnest this year with the first ever Enterprise Golf Challenge, which was an amazing charity event to raise funds for my Foundation. We had a great day, backed by many business people and companies. It is the start of a year of ‘Enterprise Challenge’ events which will raise money that will be used to make a difference to the lives of many children. If anyone is interested in finding out more about this event in particular, or they would like to contact my team to get involved in future events, they should log on to: www.peterjones.tv JULY 2010 GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM 9

GOLF COURSE PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARK ALEXANDER; HOTEL IMAGES COURTESY ROCKLIFFE HALL

ROCKLIFFE HALL, HURWORTH-ON-TEES, COUNTY DURHAM

In the shape of Rockliffe Hall, Middlesbrough FC chairman Steve Gibson has created a haven of golfing excellence and a 5-star hotel and spa to boot. For quality style and service, this is the stuff of the Premier League, writes Jeremy Chapman

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It’s luxury up North

or a golf course that opened only last November, Rockliffe Hall – basking in glorious countryside in the pretty village of Hurworth-on-Tees – is a revelation. Such has been the craftsmanship in the layout of the 18 holes, set in over 350 prime acres bordering the River Tees, Rockliffe Hall looks and plays like a mature championship test. The original buildings, which have been sympathetically developed to house the clubhouse and hotel, date to the early 1800s, adding that rarefied air of a country estate.

The course itself was designed by Marc Westenborg of the renowned architects Martin Hawtree, and playing through mature woodland and around lakes and wetlands it’s a real handful. From the tips the course is easily one of the longest in Europe, with three par fives weighing in at over 600 yards, and a handful of fours closer to 500 than 400 yards.

“We are more than happy for visitors to give it a rip off the tips if they feel they have the game,” says Director of Golf Ian Knight, “but most of them give up after five holes and move up to the Blacks or the Whites.”

When you study the numbers you could draw the conclusion that Rockliffe Halls has future-proofed championship golf. Play the course at its fiercesome limits and you’ll be looking at a walk of 7,879 yards! “Rockliffe could one day host the Ryder Cup, I’ve no doubts about that,” adds European Tour player Graeme Storm, who is attached to the club.

“It’s one of the finest courses in the UK.” There’s certainly no doubting the pedigree.

Marc Westenborg can be immensely proud of a course that is a pleasure to play not only for the setting but for the conditioning, which is second to none. The greens are among the best I have witnessed on these shores and the flexibility of five teeing areas makes the course accessible to all levels of golfer.

But Rockliffe offers much more than a very strong golf course. The hotel boasts surely

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Britain’s most spacious and luxuriously appointed bedrooms while the spa – all 50,000 square feet of it – is surely the stuff of dreams for any self-respecting WAG. Laze around the 20-metre pool and the spa butler will keep you refreshed with champagne and freshly squeezed juices.

Depending on season and availability, you can secure a deal for as little as £135 for a double room plus breakfast. If there’s anywhere in the country where you can enjoy better food, better facilities and better service, I’ve yet to hear about it. Middlesborough FC is 14 miles and another world away. Rockliffe Hall sits comfortably at the head of the premiership.

CONTACT Rockliffe Hall, Hurworth-on-Tees, County Durham Tel: 01325 729999 • www.rockliffehall.com

GOLF Visitors welcome Monday-Friday, green fees from £60. Hotel residents and members enjoy exclusivity at weekends. Contact Ian Knight, Golf & Events Director on 01325 729980

GETTING THERE Rockliffe Hall is located between the villages of Hurworth and Croft on Tees. Five minutes from Darlington railway station, 50 minutes from Newcastle International Airport. Nearby places of interest include the North Yorkshire Moors, Whitby and the north east coast, High Force (Englandʼs highest uninterrupted drop of water) and the iconic landmark of Roseberry Topping

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AUDI A8 4.2 TDI QUATTRO SE EXEC

The Audi A8: excess all areas Boasting one of the world’s finest power-plants, the Audi A8 cruises effortlessly into poll position for anyone considering a luxury saloon, albeit one overloaded with often tedious gadgets. Gi’s motoring correspondent Anthony Ffrench-Constant climbed aboard for a spin

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ews that Audi looked to yacht design for inspiration when shaping the Mercruiser throttle-style gear lever of the new A8 rekindles distant, decade-old memories of a riveting afternoon spent interviewing a superyacht designer called Tim Heywood.

We’re not talking Sunseeker here. As Tim put it, ‘If you’ve just won the National Lottery, forget it. It couldn’t possibly be you’.

Budgeting an eye-watering £1,000,000 per metre even then, Tim rarely produced anything less than 65 metres in length, with 150 metres – that’s about one and half football pitches in real money – more the norm.

Taking pride of place in Antibes’ Superyacht Alley, that’s the sort of vessel that requires the writing of a cheque for £2,000 just to start the engines.

So your £8 million jackpot is inevitably going to leave you with something of a shortfall in the stateroom, swimming pool and helipad stakes. Let’s face it, you’re going to feel something of a Charlie sploshing into Monte Carlo harbour of a Grand Prix weekend in your best blazer and scrambled-egg cap, behind the helm of an eight metre, gold-leaf gunwaled rowing skiff.

And if that gunwale detailing sounds a tad far-fetched, think again – your million-ametre superyacht budget encompasses even

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toothbrush choice, and I can still remember Tim listing some of the more extreme foibles of the fantastically rich; a giant desk mounted on a naval gun-turret turntable, in case our mogul gets bored with the view; a yacht equipped with touch screen technology and five F16 fighter joysticks to steer the thing; and, of course, a yacht’s name hewn in vast, gold leaf-on-wood letters to replace the goldplated brass originals when the owner’s not

in residence…

Now, I mention this because I can only assume that Audi had the same highly select bunch of gadget-obsessed, hilariously rich superyacht owners in mind when they created the new A8. After all, who else would be happy to fork out some £13,000 per metre on a car and then spend very nearly half as much again on supernumerary goodies from the options list? Precisely the outcome in the case

“A GPS module fed with web-sourced news from Google is on the way, as are Google Earth images for the navigation screen and full internet connectivety, effectively making the A8 a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot” of the 4.2 TDI Quattro SE Exec I drove, the interior of which had been so ruthlessly pebble-dashed with additional flummery that the basic, £65,390 price rose to a whisker over £95,000.

And what baffles me about this is that the car’s basic specification already includes every conceivable item of standard equipment, from a digital radio and hard drive-based 3D satellite navigation to full leather, electric everything and so many airbags that, if they all went off together, comparisons could readily be drawn with a toddler trapped face down in a playschool ball pit.

Scanning the options list kindly provided

by Audi in the vain hope of accounting for the extra £29,660 is a bit like frantically reviewing

your monthly bank statement in the vain hope that they’ve made a mistake; nothing glaring stands out, but it all adds up.

Ironically, moreover, much of the very latest tech’ to be lavished on the A8 falls into the realms of standard equipment anyway.

Even disregarding goodies we’ve come across before from other manufacturers, such a solar-panel sunroofs, infra-red night vision for pedestrian spotting, self-dimming headlamps, massaging seats and a safety system that slams on the brakes when you’re too bone idle to do it yourself, Audi has still managed to conjure one or two notable, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink-status toys.

A description of the ‘Multi Media Interface’ alone must, surely, consign the owner’s manual to phone directory stature. For starters, the satellite navigation’s GPS input is now deemed sufficiently accurate to feed performance altering information not only to the adaptive cruise control and headlamp cornering light systems, but also to the 8-speed gearbox, automatically holding the car in a lower gear if a sequence of bends lies ahead.

A GPS module fed with web-sourced news and weather information from Google is on the way later this year, as are Google Earth images for the navigation screen and full internet connectivity, effectively making the A8 a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot. The system even JULY 2010 GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM 13

features a new touch pad on which you can draw the letters or numbers of destinations or phone numbers.

Sadly, this pad relegates right-hand drive owners to the use of the left hand index finger, meaning that the letters of, say, ‘Birmingham’ can be painstakingly kindergartened into shape in the twinkling of an entire evening. Sorry, Audi, but it remains far quicker to use the turn and push alphabet dial of yore (which is still there, mercifully).

And isn’t it just a tad arrogant to conjure a device which so effectively dismisses a British market that’s been so good for the brand of late, or is this merely the first car specifically created for southpaws?

But all this constitutes merely the tip of the technological iceberg. Indeed, On first contact with the new A8, such a tsunami of new toys

assault the senses that it takes a few hours of fiddling, button stabbing and general monkeying around to summon the resolve to put it all on the back burner and have a closer look at the basics on offer.

Externally, the Big Grille, which first gently turned me off what was always my favourite Teuton, remains. Sadly, the rest of the car has also been styled in the manner of a giant A4, Audi clearly considering brand recognition more important these days than true model differentiation.

On board, quality still oozes from every pore, and build quality is predictably exemplary. But I do feel the company has taken a firm stride in the wrong direction with the introduction of a BMW-aping ‘big spar’ dashboard design, which spans the cabin full width to the detriment of what was always an Audi ace-in-the-hole – the centre console. As a result, the sat’ nav’ screen has migrated north to a pop-up location atop the dash, whilst all other ex-centre console switches now lie almost flat at the front of the transmission tunnel, making then harder to use and – with bright sunlight streaming through the windscreen – read.

The classic, four dial driver’s instrument binnacle has also been tinkered with; narrow fuel and temperature gauges now boasting vertical, LED illuminated scales, allowing the speedo and rev counter to be prised far 14 GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM JULY 2010

“Given enough torque on tap to spin London Eye spectators clean out of their viewing bubble, I would, though, question the need for an 8-speed transmission”

enough apart to accommodate a larger information screen on which you may watch passing pedestrians glow after dark. There’s a whiff of new car gratuity to all these switchgear migratory mitherings… Different?

Yes. Better? I think not.

Mercifully, however, (and when you finally get round to it) the driving experience itself is better by far. The 4.2 litre V8 turbodiesel is a sublime powerplant, boasting 346bhp and a massive 590lb ft of torque from just 1750rpm. Its potency barely blunted by attachment to permanent four-wheel drive, it’ll bung the big Audi to 62mph in only 5.5 seconds and surge relentlessly on to a governed 155mph.

Given enough torque on tap to spin London Eye spectators clean out of their viewing bubbles, I would, though, question the need for

an 8-speed transmission here. Under almost anything other than motorway conditions, the car hunts through endless gear changes with the relentless fervour of the man who’s lost the winning lottery ticket somewhere in the house, and it’s a good job that they’re almost entirely smooth. I can only assume the company’s superb and utterly oleaginous doubleclutch DSG gearbox is in absentia because it cannot yet handle so much torque. A pity.

More significantly, the new A8 rides and handles in a far superior manner to its often bone-jarring predecessor. Audi’s ‘Drive Select’ adaptive chassis kit is fitted as standard, offering a choice of ‘comfort’, ‘dynamic’ and ‘auto’ modes. The latter so adroitly shuffles between straight-line ride comfort and taught cornering characteristics that there’s rarely the need to bother the buttons.

The steering now offers all the feedback you could wish for in such a large machine, imbuing the A8 with a previously unavailable sense of true agility and far more poise. So much so, in fact, that only when standing on superbly powerful brakes are you reminded of just how much mass you’ve been chucking around.

Overall, this is a very fine car indeed, boasting one of the world’s finest powerplants and to marked improvements in both ride comfort and dynamics. However, one glimpse at the current crop of ludicrously over-styled, French curve-crazy Sunseeker yachts is enough to confirm my view that I’d still rather concentrate on the getting the basics right than blow the budget on a joystick-controlled revolving desk.

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Junk or jackpot?

Gi’s auction-room expert Kevin McGimpsey answers more of your letters and e-mails, this issue contemplating the provenance and value of a mixed bag of collectibles, including a rather handsome bronze of six-times Open champion Harry Vardon VARDON BRONZE

My grandfather, John Dunne, MC, MSM won this bronze of Harry Vardon in 1925. We have been told that it is only one of three in this size (15 inches high on its plinth) with one having being given to the King. My grandfather, who was the Chairman and Managing Director of Benz Motors (England), did know Harry Vardon. Could we please have a current valuation?

Roy Brocklebank by email Collecting bronzes of famous amateur and professional golfers from the late 19th and early 20th Centuries such as John Ball and – as is the case here – Harry Vardon remains very popular.

The term ‘bronze’ is a generic term for a dark brown metal piece of sculpture or casting. The material used can only be bronze.

Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin with some additional trace elements such as antimony. It has been the favoured medium for small scale sculpture for many centuries.

Over the years a genuine bronze will develop an appealing sheen or finish, referred to as ‘patina’.

There are several factors to be considered when estimating this bronze’s value, not least the identity of the sculptor. And I’m happy to say that in this case all the boxes are ticked as Henry Alfred Pegram (18621937) was a very highly regarded British sculptor. He became a member of the Art Workers’ Guild in 1890, an Associate of the Royal Academy in 1904 and a Royal Academician in 1922.

What of the subject matter? Well, Harry Vardon (1870-1937) won the Open on six occasions and of course made popular the ‘Vardon’ grip. Next, what of the company that actually cast the bronze statuette and how good was the casting? In this case it was cast by the Elkington Company of Birmingham; the detailing is superb and the quality is obvious. Is it an impressive looking piece? Yes, because it measures some 15 inches high on its plinth. [With statuettes, size does matter. For example Hal Ludlow’s (a contemporary of Pegram) Vardon bronze circa 1904 was cast in three sizes, 5, 10 and 24 inches and there are three distinct price points: the large size £10,000, the medium size £4,000 and the small size £2,000.]

And, finally, what is the bronze’s background, heritage, history or provenance?

Well, all has been revealed in the owner’s let16 GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM JULY 2010

ter above – this particularly piece was won in 1925 by a good golfer who actually knew Harry Vardon and the bronze has been in the family for generations.

VALUE: There should be a lot of interest in this rare bronze and I would expect it to sell at auction for between £2,000 and £3,000.

RYDER CUP SIGNED PHOTO

I recently came across this signed photograph of the 1997 Ryder Cup at Valderrama. May I have a value?

B. Discombe, Honiton Devon The first thing that strikes you in this photograph is just how young some of the players were in 1997. Look at this year’s captain Colin Montgomerie standing beside the current world number 3, Lee Westwood!

The autographs have all been written clearly with a black Sharpie pen. It would appear that your photograph is genuine and that it was signed under the careful eye of one of the Ryder Cup officials. Several dozen photographs may have been signed by the team in the days leading up to the match; each team member would have been given one and the others used for publicity at the time and for charity events afterwards. And a warning to any readers with a signed item of golfing memorabilia, please beware that

MEMORABILIA to a tee! Many were made from brass, some from aluminium; further design developments included a spring load mechanism that forced the sand out as a formed shape rather than having to tap-tap the sand out.

I haven’t seen many wooden tee moulds and until now never one as our reader’s rare wooden plunger type.

In the mid 1890s golfers could buy packs of pre-formed tees made from heavy paper/ card – a flat piece of semi-circular card was formed as a cone, upon which to place the golf ball. Our reader’s St. Mungo ‘Colonel Blue Ring’ card tee was made in 1906 and would have come in a small round box, packed with 25 to a box. The white celluloid dome shaped tee, circa 1910, works in a similar manner and please note the early advertising opportunity!

Other examples of early tees here include a gutta-percha cone shaped tee attached to red tassel circa 1900; an early metal tee peg with attached lead weight and string and a red rubber Avon ‘Combination Tee’ with two formed heights for different tee shots, as made in 1910.

VALUE: Tees remain popular collectibles as they are easy to display and are generally not expensive, but prices are climbing: £100 for the wooden plunger tee; £50 for the Blue Ring card tee; £25 for the celluloid tee; the tees with tassels £20 each and £25 for the Avon tee.

(Left): When it comes to bronze statuettes, size does matter. At 15” tall, this figure of Harry Vardon by the British sculptor Henry Alfred Pegram is in fine condition and would be expected to fetch up to £3,000 at auction; (above) this random assortment of paraphernalia actually represents an important chapter in the history of the humble tee, with a couple of the items dating to the end of the 19th century; (right) anything to do with the legendary Arnold Palmer is worth holding on to – this commemorative golf ball set created by Callaway, who sponsored Palmer in the latter days of his playing career on the Senior Tour; (below) how many faces can you identify in this 1997 European Ryder Cup team photo for the match at Valderamma? Signed by all of the players, this would featch up to £300.

ink will fade if exposed to direct sunlight.

The 32nd Ryder Cup Matches were held at the Valderrama Golf Club in southern Spain; it was the first time that the event had been contested in continental Europe. It was also fitting that Seve Ballesteros should be the European Captain in Spain. The European team that included two Spaniards won the competition by a margin of 14½ to 13½ and retained the Cup. VALUE: This item has all the attributes to make it very collectible and will be of interest to Ryder Cup aficionados, autograph collectors, fans of Seve and may even be of interest to Valderrama Golf Club, which has a very good Ryder Cup display. At auction £200 to £300.

ASSORTMENT OF EARLY TEES

I recently bought these golf tees with some fishing equipment at a local sale. They haven’t

COMMEMORATIVE PACK

In 2004, I received this Callaway Commemorative Arnold Palmer pack. Is this of any value today?

G. Russell, Dorchester on Thames, Oxon

cost me anything. Is there any value in them to golf enthusiasts?

Peter Spicer Tarporley, Cheshire This is a fine selection of golf tees, some of which were developed towards the end of the 19th Century. In the early days, to ‘tee’ the ball up, golfers would form a hand-made mound out of dampened sand. It usually fell to the caddie to carry a supply of sand and to make a small but crude tee mound. But help was on the way in the 1880s with tee development.

First off was a range of surface tee making devices types that formed a sand based conically-shaped mound. Some of these devices were quite unsophisticated but they were small, light to carry and served their purpose

I understand that Callaway sent this boxed set to mark Arnold Palmer’s 50th appearance at the Masters as a promotional gift to the first 50 companies that registered at the new Callaway media website in April 2004 and our lucky reader was one of them.

A smart black and white windowed box contains a tin showing two images of Arnold Palmer and the famous Palmer umbrella logo, four Callaway golf balls (he certainly wasn’t playing with Callaway golf balls then) each one printed with ‘Masters Champion’ and with the date of each of his Masters’ wins, 1958, 1960, 1962 and 1964.

There is also a bronze medallion featuring Arnold Palmer, a facsimile signature and the date of the 2004 Masters, April 8-11.

VALUE: This promotional is certainly a collectible for the future especially if it was strictly limited to 50. Even today it would be of interest to anyone in Arnie’s Army, an enthusiastic group of Arnold Palmer collectors. It would also be of interest to Master’s memorabilia collectors. At auction between £50 and £80.

Please send your letters and best photographs to Kevin McGimpsey at this address: PO BOX 120, Deeside, Flintshire, N. Wales or email with jpegs: kevin.mcgimpsey@bonhams.com JULY 2010 GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM 17

Golf with a stylish accent

W

If you like Venice, prosecco and golf, Peter Swain has found just the place for you. For in addition to the original Lido course, there is great golf and property at Veneto, just 30 minutes from the main action

ith all those water hazards, you might think playing golf in Venice would be a risky proposition. In fact, the course on the Lido, the 7mile long sandy island just across the lagoon from San Marco, has everything except canals.

The story goes that Henry Ford, an epic golf nut, arrived in Venice in 1928 wanting a game. Finding nowhere to play, he persuaded Count Volpi to buy some land and build a course. The club’s early claim to fame was the first meeting in 1934 between Hitler and Mussolini at the Circolo del Golf di Venezia, as it became known. Rather more recently, it hosted the Italian Seniors Open in 2004.

The course is tight, quite heavily wooded, in immaculate condition and probably the driest patch of land in the city. Sean Connery plays here when he’s attending the Venice Film Festival, also on the Lido. Unfortunately there are no houses for sale, but if you like the area, known as the Veneto, there’s plenty

18 GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM JULY 2010

of property, very reasonably priced, at two clubs 30 minutes away.

The charming medieval town of Asolo sits on a hilltop surrounded by prosecco vineyards and olive groves. Forty-five minutes from skiing in Cortina, “the city of a hundred horizons” has Palladian villas, Renaissance frescoes and divine restaurants.

In the 1990s, the Benetton family of three billionaire brothers and a sister created a clothing empire, a very successful Formula One team, and a golf club with 27 very scenic holes at Asolo. The three 9-hole circuits are hilly, quite long and feature plenty of water.

Practice facilities are excellent.

Around the course, 187 properties have been built over the past 10 years. Prices start at just €135,000 (£120,000) for a studio; twobedroom apartments go for €220,000 (£195,000), and larger townhouses for €400,000 (£352,000).

The look owes something to the ski lodge – plenty of wood and stone, stylish shutters

and underground parking. Owners get substantial golf discounts, and pay about £1,500 annual service charge. And as this is a mature scheme, there are always resale properties available, often sold at a sizeable discount to new build.

This being Italy, the heart of the whole setup is the stylish clubhouse. The fresh pasta in the bar – I recommend the pumpkin ravioli – is the perfect end to any round. For dinner, the formal restaurant is spectacular. Golf widows can use the wellness centre, heated outdoor swimming pool and tennis courts, and there are always apartments for rent as well as a small guesthouse, ideal for short breaks.

Most buyers are Italian, with Brits in this part of the Veneto region relatively thin on the ground – either good or bad, depending on your perspective. One who has made the move, to a second golf development nearby at Castelfranco, is 39-year-old Archie Cochrane originally from North Berwick in Scotland.

“I first came here 14 years ago to work as a golf pro. It’s just a brilliant area – skiing at Asiago, the Adriatic beach at Jesolo, plus golf, all within an hour’s drive. The locals are friendly, very family orientated and quite metropolitan. They work hard and play hard – plenty of long dinners.”

PROPERTY/VENICE

Peter Swain flew to Venice on BA, Momentum Travel: golfitalia.co.uk Golf courses: Asolo: asologolf.it Castelfranco: golfcastelfranco.it Venice: circulogolfvenezia.it Condulmer: golfvillacondulmer.com Menaggio: menaggio.it Villa D’Este: golfvilladeste.com.

Tourist boards: visitvenice.co.uk Property: www.asologolf.it www.caamata.it www.cluttonsresorts.com www.golfitalia.co.uk

(Top): The history of golf in Venice can be traced to the creation – at Henry Ford’s behest – of the Lido course in 1928. The tight, tree-lined layout has played host to the Italian Open and welcomes visitors year-round; Originally from North Berwick, golf pro Archie Cochrane (above) made the move to the new development of Castelfranco (above right) 14 years ago; (below, l-r) computer gernated images of property at Asolo and Castelfranco

The 18-hole parkland course at Castelfranco has just finished a major overhaul. The site is flat with large bunkers and several lakes the major challenges. The big plus of the set-up is the nearby cultural, culinary and winter sporting attractions.

“All my friends want to see Venice when they come over – it’s only half an hour away,” says Archie. Access is easy with Ryanair flying into Treviso, a 20-minute drive away from both Asolo and Castelfranco.

Archie, his Italian wife, Tiziana, and their two young children, are moving into a new three-bedroom apartment overlooking the course built around the graceful Cà Amata.

The region specialises in these Palladian mansions, built by rich Venetians as summer houses.

Just 20 apartments and ten houses are being built in the first phase of the Residence Cà Amata development. The styling is modern with oak floors throughout and a home automation system controlling the air conditioning, heating and electric blinds, plus broadband, satellite TV and a video intercom.

The two-and three-bedroom apartments range in price from €300,000 (£265,000) to €400,000 (£352,000); the houses start at €690,000 (£610,000). These are the ‘shell’ prices so do not include the cost of fitted kitchens.

Although there are 13 courses in the Venice region, golf here is still in its infancy. Having said that, standards are rising all the time but they’re not yet on a par with the Algarve.

Further west, in the foothills of the Alps, the

Italian Lakes have even better courses. Lake Como is so stylish, George Clooney, Sting and Richard Branson have palazzos on its shores.

With golf courses at Menaggio and Villa D’Este close by, it’s also the site of a new boutique development, Residenza del Lago Azure.

With magnificent views over the lake, the gated resort has 28 villas and apartments with a choice of one, two and three bedrooms. “Occasionally we come across a development that ticks every box,” says Robert Green of Cluttons Resorts. “This will appeal to the British second-home market both as an investment and as a lifestyle purchase.”

The chic interiors of the properties, built in local stone, feature large picture windows to maximize the views. The development has a private leisure club with a sauna, gym and jacuzzi plus onsite concierge and private underground parking. A glass walled lift takes residents up the hillside to their homes. Prices start at €398,500 (£351,000).

The par-70 course at Menaggio has a traditional British feel, while the club at Villa D’Este is as famous for its restaurant as its course. Both are over 80 years old.

By far the best way to see this lot is to take a golfing holiday in Italy. Momentum – Golf Italia organize bespoke trips to the best courses throughout the country from Puglia in the south to the Lakes and the Veneto in the north.

JULY 2010 GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM 19