Welcome to June in St Andrews Golf Magazine.
St Andrews is the home of golf and Pinehurst is known as the home of American golf, we look at the differences and similarities between the two towns.
June 2014 is the biggest month in our short history and our fourth edition is our most comprehensive to date.
We also introduce you to the US Open Champions of St Andrews.
We have been approved for media credentials to the US Women’s Open at Pinehurst and Elizabeth Bethel will be on site for us. Then, in the following week Matt Hooper will be covering the BMW International Open in Germany, hunting for great interviews and providing content for the website.
We feature Phil Mickelson’s quest for the grand slam, preview the US Women’s Open and provide a complete guide to the Number 2 course at Pinehurst. We also have an interview with the LPGA Communications Director Kraig Kann about the state of women’s golf.
Inside St Andrews brings you up to date with much of the golfing news from our part of the world including exclusive coverage of the New Golf Club’s Club Championship.
We celebrate Michael Buttacavoli’s win on the PGA Tour Latinoamerica and we bring you up to date with the results from the major tours in men’s and women’s golf.
Garry Forrester brings you the second in his series of instructional articles, this month we learn how to practice putting.
Stay up to date with all the news in golf across the world and in St Andrews at www.standrewsgolfmagazine.com and our Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus pages.
Enjoy the fourth edition of St Andrews Golf Magazine and subscribe for FREE at www.standrewsgolfmagazine.com
Editors: Matt Hooper Colin Donaldson
Image credits: Front cover – PinehurstMedia.com Pages 11 – © RECOUNTER Page 14 – PGA Tour Media stock photography Page 15 – Alex Miceli Page 21 – Will Wilson Page 22 – ESPN Images Page 23 – PinehurstMedia.com Pages 27 – Copyright USGA/J.D. Cuban Page 28 – Copyright USGA/John Mummert Page 29 – Copyright USGA/John Mummert Page 48-49 – PinehurstMedia.com Page 50 – PinehurstMedia.com Page 52 – Keith Allison Page 53 – Keith Allison Page 56 - Copyright USGA/John Mummert Page 61 - Copyright USGA/John Mummert Page 62 – ESPN Images Page 73 – Victoria Winters Back Cover – Ian Britton
Legendary figures of St Andrews: Morris, Forgan, Jones, Robertson, Seve, Nicklaus and Hamish? Recently after a long campaign of fundraising a statue was unveiled in Logies Lane in the centre of St Andrews. This statue was not of a legendary figure who had contributed so much to the community and international reputation of St Andrews, but a cat who pays visits to shops, pubs and hairdressers among other places in town. Hamish McHamish is a ginger cat who took umbrage at a dog moving into his owner’s home and decided to tour the town. The cat is famous among locals and students and is made welcome by many into their premises.
A couple of days ago in a local shop an 8year-old boy was heard to have asked on several occasions "what has he done", meaning what has the cat done to deserve
recognition by the erecting of a statue in the centre of St Andrews.
St Andrews is the home of many influential people in the world of arts, politics and religion dating back hundreds of years. But most notably of all St Andrews is the home of golf. Golf drives the economy of the town from March to October, with over 27,000 rounds per year on the courses operated by St Andrews Links Trust and hotels, bars, restaurants, guest houses and shops relying on the spend of tourists from America, Continental Europe, the far east and the rest of the UK.
Golf has been in the fabric of the community since the 1400's and in that time golfers from St Andrews have made an enormous impact upon the world of golf, and golfers from around the world have made an enormous impact upon the town of St Andrews.
Old and Young Tom Morris, the Auchterlonie Family, Allan Robertson, Robert Forgan and many others have
been influential in the development, growth and popularisation of a game now played by 60 million people across 6 continents. The fields of golf club manufacturing, golf ball making, golf course design and the professionalization of golf can trace their roots to St Andrews. All of these individuals are worthy of the same recognition that Hamish the cat received last month.
Then there are the many golfers from around the world which brought the eyes of the world to St Andrews, particularly when The Open Championship is played at the Old Course. There is Bobby Jones, whose return to the town in 1936 for a friendly game on the Old prompted the shops to shut and upwards of 4,000 people to follow him for all 18 holes. Jones also won the 1927 Open and 1930 Amateur Championships at St Andrews and was given the freedom of the Burgh in 1958. And there is the greatest golfer of all, Jack Nicklaus, a winner of 18 Majors and two Open Championships in St Andrews. In July 2005 Nicklaus chose St Andrews as the place he wanted to say goodbye to the game as a competitor.
Nicklaus was honoured by the people of Scotland by appearing on the five pound note - The only foreigner ever to be honoured in this manner.
recognize the genuine impact they have made on this great, unique town.
By Matt Hooper. Tiger Woods has two Open wins to his credit at the home of golf and completed the career grand slam in 2000 with a record low score. Seve Ballesteros claimed his second Open Championship in the 1984 Open Championship on the Old Course, culminating with the now iconic image of him celebrating the winning putt.
In short, Hamish is a beautiful, friendly cat who has a character all of his own. But he already has a book written about him and a following on social media. Hamish, or any other cat or dog for that matter, does not deserve this recognition and prominence within St Andrews.
It would be nice to see the golfing community of St Andrews raise the money for statues of Morris, Forgan, Robertson, Seve, Jones, Nicklaus and Woods to
Statue of Harry Vardon at Royal Jersey
Spring Meeting 2014, May 10 The 2014 Spring Meeting of the New Golf Club of St Andrews took place over the Old Course on Saturday May 10 under overcast skies. The competition was won by Dr Don Coid with a nett score of 66 and the lowest gross of 72 was posted by James Woods and Hamish Ireland.
Grant Forrest wins 2014 St Andrews Links Trophy in association with Allianz The top ranked Scot made an eagle and birdie on the 18th earlier on the final day and rolled a 25 foot putt in at the 1st extra hole to defeat Bradley Neil. The pair had tied after 72 holes at -9 with four players one shot out of the playoff at 8-under-par.
St Andrews’ Ben Kinsley missed the cut by 3 strokes after rounds of 71 and 75
St. Andrews Golf Magazine’s Colin Donaldson caught up with some visiting golfers from Sweden whilst they were visiting St Andrews. Nicklas Sundberg was kind enough to give us a few words.
CD: Welcome to St. Andrews. What made you choose to come to St. Andrews? NS: The main reason to visit St. Andrews is because St Andrews has some of the greatest golf courses in the World. Furthermore, the atmosphere and friendly people in St. Andrews makes it special. Everything about St. Andrews breathes golf.
CD: What was your first impression of St. Andrews? NS: The impression is it’s a genuine village that really is the Mecca of Golf and almost everything circulates around Golf.
CD: Have you ever been to St. Andrews before?
NS: This was my 7th trip to St Andrews in 6 years.
NS: Yes, see some of my previous answers. I have a lot more but I can't tell you about them in a magazine ;)
CD: WOW! So it’s safe to say that you like St. Andrews?
CD: See you next year?
NS: Of course.
NS: For sure.
CD: What is your favourite thing about St. Andrews?
CD: What is your favourite course and hole in St. Andrews?
NS: Firstly, the golf courses are what set it apart from other places; Secondly, the welcoming and friendliness of the people in St. Andrews; Thirdly, the friendships that are formed from visiting many times.
NS: I love the courses in St. Andrews but my favourite course when I visit St. Andrews is Kingsbarns. Perhaps it is my number one course in the World.
CD: What is your best experience/moment of St. Andrews? NS: Ha-ha that would be easy. It would have to be hitting the previous caddie shack from the first tee of the Old Course last year! ;) In all seriousness, the best experience is every time we compete against the Celts.
CD: Do you think that you will visit St. Andrews again? NS: I will sure visit it again. I will visit it at least every year I can.
CD: Do you have any good stories from your time in St. Andrews?
“Phil played unbelievable, he really did. You’ll win yours, and I know Amy’s at home and I would like to express to Phil and Amy that being parents is a special thing and I’m glad that he has made the commitment that whether he got the beeper today or not that he was gonna be there with his wife, and that is very special. I was with my wife for both of my children and there’s nothing like being parents. Phil’s gonna have his opportunities again, mine might be on a short list.” Those were the heartfelt words of Payne Stewart at the presentation of the 1999 US Open Championship at Pinehurst. Stewart had just holed a 15 foot putt at the 18th on Father’s Day to defeat Phil Mickelson at the end of what is to many people, the greatest United States Open of the modern era.
Mickelson had made the commitment to be with his wife Amy for the birth of their first child, with her expecting any time soon the 29-year-old former US Amateur Champion was prepared to leave the championship at any stage, no matter how close he was to the lead. Stewart, Mickelson, Tiger Woods and Vijay Singh were involved in an epic battle on that final day with Stewart and Mickelson coming to the 72nd hole with the title on the line. After finding the rough off the tee Stewart was left with little option but to pitch out and then wedge on to the green. His ball came to rest below the pin some 15 feet from the hole. Phil could only par and Payne was left with a putt to win the championship outright. The ball found the bottom of the cup and the 42-year-old launched his now famous celebration, which is now immortalized in stone at Pinehurst Resort. For Phil it was the nearest miss of his career in the Majors and for Payne it was his last run at a Major title in a career which would be tragically cut short in October 1999 by a plane crash which would take his life. Amy gave birth to
Amanda Mickelson on June 21, the day after that epic battle at Pinehurst. It was somehow just meant to be that Payne Stewart holed that winning putt on Sunday, because had the championship gone into a playoff he would likely have been left standing on that first tee alone on Monday as Phil would be at the birth of Amanda. It would be another five years before Phil would fulfil the potential he showed as a Major champion, as he battled Ernie Els on the back nine for The Masters at Augusta in 2004. In those five years he had another few near misses, none closer than at the 2002 US Open at Bethpage State Park. Backed as the fans favourite in New York, Mickelson battled Tiger Woods on the final day, coming up 3 shots shy of his first Major and first US Open title. It was his second runner-up finish at America’s National Open and following his Masters triumph he headed for Shinnecock Hills in the 2004 US Open for a run at that elusive first open win. Having won that first major and with Tiger in the midst of his worst run of his career
at the time, Mickelson came into the championship as the clear favourite. Phil began with a 2-under-par round of 68 on a weather disrupted opening day and was in good position, just 2 off the lead held jointly by Angel Cabrera, Jay Haas and Shigeki Maruyama. On Friday Mickelson, riding on the crest of a wave from his Masters win, posted a bogey-free round of 66 to tie the lead with Maruyama at 6-under-par through 36 holes. Saturday was played under the toughest conditions of the week and saw only 7 players finish under par when the day was done. It was the hardest day for Mickelson as well, shooting a 73 to fall to 3-under, but he was still placed well, tied for second and just 2 off Retief Goosen’s lead. If Saturday was hard, Sunday was torturous. No player in the field broke par for the day and Ernie Els, who was tied for second overnight, shot a horrific 80, his worst score in a US Open. The championship came down to 2001 Champion Retief Goosen and Masters champion Phil Mickelson.
It was to be more US Open heartache for Phil as Goosen putted the lights out to claim a second title. A double bogey at the par three 17th put paid to his hopes of a first US Open but he would go to Troon in form and produced his best finish at an Open, tied 4th. Over the next two years Mickelson would add to his major tally, at Baltusrol in the 2005 PGA Championship and at Augusta in the 2006 Masters. He went to Winged Foot chasing a third straight Major Championship, the third leg of what was being called the Mickel-slam. Winged Foot in 2006 was perhaps the most brutal and controversial US Open course of recent times, with extremely penal rough adjacent to the narrow fairways and rock hard greens. The cut came at 9-over-par and Tiger Woods was 12-over, missing his first cut at the championship as a professional on his return to golf following the death of his father. Again, Mickelson began well with a level par round of 70 to trail the only player
under par after the first round, Colin Montgomerie. In the second round a 73 saw him fall 4 shots behind Steve Stricker, who was the only player under par for the first 36 holes. A 69 on Saturday moved him into a tie for the lead with relative unknown Kenneth Ferrie at 2-over-par. Once again a chance was in front of Phil to claim that first US Open title. On Sunday the golfing world witnessed one of the most dramatic, compelling and exciting conclusions to a major in many years. Starting with three pars Mickelson birdied the par four fourth to take a 1 stroke lead, but bogeys at three of the next five holes saw him fall to four-over-par and one back of Colin Montgomerie and Geoff Ogilvy with 9 holes to play. Montgomerie bogeyed the 10th hole and Ogilvy held the outright lead at 3-over, before Mickelson birdied the 11th to tie the Australian. Ogilvy bogeyed the 12th and suddenly Phil hit the front again. Bogey at the 13th and birdie at 14th consolidated his position and with four holes to play he lead by 1 from Padraig Harrington and 2 from Ogilvy, Montgomerie and Jim Furyk.
A bogey at the 16th reduced his lead to 1 over four players with two holes to play. Padraig Harrington would bogey the last three holes to fall out of contention, and a bogey from Jim Furyk saw him post 6-over in the clubhouse. At 5-over-par Geoff Ogilvy was in position to better Furyk’s total but was in all sorts of trouble on 17 with his ball in the rough through the green. Spectacularly the Aussie holed his chip to remain at +5 and still in contention for a first Major. Ogilvy headed for the 72nd hole. Back on 17 Colin Montgomerie holed a stunning 75-foot birdie putt to tie Mickelson at +4 and put himself on the threshold of that elusive first major in his stellar career. On 18 Ogilvy hit a fine drive but his ball found a sand-filled divot. His second shot hit the front of the green and spun back down the fairway, it seemed his chances were hanging by a thread. The man from down under produced a marvellous up and down to post 5-over and eliminate Furyk from the equation.
It was down to Colin Montgomerie and Phil Mickelson to battle for the US Open Championship. Monty hit the drive of his life, a pure fade into perfect position. But indecision over which club to hit resulted in the Scot playing a weak shot to the right which found the heavy rough. A disastrous double-bogey saw him finish the week at 6-over and out of contention. The door was open for Phil to claim a National title and a third straight major. Standing on the 18th tee he needed a par to win and a bogey to get into a play-off with Ogilvy. He pushed his drive wildly to the right and into the trees by a hospitality tent. Still trying for par, he went for the green with his second shot but hit a tree, and the ball advanced just 25 His third faded into the greenside bunker, buried in the sand; the fourth shot from the sand to win had no spin and rolled off the other side of the green into the rough. Mickelson's chip for bogey and a Monday playoff with Ogilvy rolled six feet past the hole.
Incredibly Geoff Ogilvy had come out on top on a day when the lead changed hands on 12 occasions. For Phil it was utter desolation and he summed it up by saying he was “such an idiot”. His lack of awareness to the situation under the most extreme pressure cost him a title he should have won. It was to be his last genuine shot at a major or US Open for three years before the National Open returned to Bethpage State Park. A round of 70 sandwiched by two rounds of 69 put Phil six back of inexperienced leader Ricky Barnes going into a final round which was played over Sunday and Monday in a weather-disrupted championship. A slew of bogeys saw Barnes fall back and Lucas Glover took control of the championship early in the final round. Mickelson bogeyed the 6th and 7th holes to fall five back of Glover with 10 to play. But birdies at 9 and 12 followed by an eagle at the par five 13th saw him tie for the lead. It was surely his time to be victorious.
Bogeys at 16 and 17 put paid to his chances and it was another gut-wrenching loss for Phil in the US Open. He would claim a third green jacket in the 2010 Masters, coming from behind to overtake Lee Westwood for a three-stroke win. It would be another 3 years though before he would have a genuine shot at the US Open and it was another golden opportunity at Merion. Prior to the 2013 US Open many players and media believed the course would be too shot and predicted low scores. Torrential rain washed the first day out but penal rough and beguiling greens sorted out the men from the boys and yet again the winning score was over par. Phil was out of the blocks faster than anyone, posting a 3-under-par round of 67 to take a one shot lead over Luke Donald and Mathew Goggin. He maintained a share of the lead with Billy Horschel despite a second round 72. A third round of 70 saw him take the sole lead as the only player under par going into Sunday.
It was set to be yet another rollercoaster ride with Phil on Father’s Day. Two double-bogeys on the front nine saw him fall two back of Justin Rose with nine holes to play, before a spectacular eagle at the par four tenth tied him with Rose and Australian Jason Day. Three bogeys in the final 6 holes would see him lose out again, by 2 shots from England’s Justin Rose. Six runners-up finishes in one major without winning, an incredible fact and one that shows a great level of consistency in the world’s hardest tournament. But also is immensely frustrating and disappointing to the Californian. It is somehow ironic that the Major most would find it unlikely for Phil to win is the one he won to set up the shot at the grand slam this June. Coming into the 2013 Open at Muirfield he was of course viewed as one of the contenders, but even an opening 69 didn’t see a rush to the bookmakers to put money on the four-time major winner.
Rounds of 74 and 72 probably backed up the opinion that Mickelson would never win an Open Championship. If anything this Open was the golden chance for the perennial contender, Lee Westwood, to claim a first major title. The Englishman and crowd favourite shot a final round 75 to take himself out of serious contention, opening the door for Adam Scott, Henrik Stenson and a charging Ian Poulter. But few reckoned on the winner coming from as far back as Phil Mickelson, who began the final round five shots adrift of the lead. Birdies at the fifth and ninth put him just one back of the leading pack, who had struggled on the opening nine. A bogey at the 10th hole saw him fall three back of Masters Champion Adam Scott. But four consecutive bogeys from the Aussie and two birdies at 13 and 14 from Mickelson saw the American take the lead for the first time. A birdie at the par five 17th put him in control, and playing an hour ahead of the leaders Mickelson produced a classic approach to the 72nd hole and rolled in the putt for a closing birdie. At 3-under-par in
the clubhouse Phil was on the verge of an improbable victory. Nobody could make up the ground and incredibly the Claret Jug was to join the Wanamaker Trophy and Green Jacket in Phil Mickelson’s trophy cabinet. His caddie Jim McKay called it the best round of Phil’s career, and the champion agreed. The Open win followed an equally dramatic victory at the Scottish Open the week before in Inverness, and confirmed Mickelson’s status as a global golfer capable of winning in all conditions. Immediately thoughts turned to Pinehurst and the 2014 US Open, with Mickelson having the chance to complete the career grand slam of all four professional majors at the place where his love-hate relationship with the US Open began, 15 years earlier. One day after that dramatic loss at Pinehurst in 1999 Amy gave birth to Amanda, and the Mickelson’s have added Sophia and Evan to their family since. All of Mickelson’s major triumphs have come in his children’s lifetime. In the last few years the family have been through turmoil, with Amy diagnosed with Breast Cancer and similarly his mother suffering
from the same disease. Mickelson himself has suffered from an arthritic condition and the emotion of winning the 2010 Masters was clear for all to see. But with his children now turning 15, 12 and 11 this year and Amy and his mother happily over their illnesses a win at Pinehurst would be perhaps the most special of all Phil’s titles, not just because of its golfing significance. It’s the circle of life in both his family and in golf, and in the absence of the Tiger; Phil hopes to be the Lion King in the savannahs of Pinehurst.
Pinehurst and St Andrews. Home Away from Home. The contrast between the Village of Pinehurst and St Andrews really couldn’t be starker.
Pinehurst was built in 1895 by James Walker Tufts, who wanted to build a health resort for people of modest means. St Andrews came into being in around 1140 and there have been people settled in the area since 340 AD. The town of St Andrews became popular as a place of religious pilgrimage and a seat of learning.
Pinehurst is located in the North Carolina Sandhills and enjoys average summer temperatures in the high 70’s. The nearest sea is 135 miles away from the village. St Andrews is located on the East Coast of Scotland has average summer temperatures in the high 50’s.
Despite the many things which make Pinehurst and St Andrews different there is one thing which bonds them, and that is the game of golf.
St Andrews, as we all know, is the universally respected home of golf. It is the home to the R&A, LGU and SGU and is where the game developed from a pasttime to a sport and an industry.
Pinehurst was developed as a health resort and JW Tufts thought golf could play a good role in his plans. The first golf course was built in 1897 and he brought in the renowned golf course designer from Dornoch, Donald Ross. Ross designed the world famous Pinehurst Number 2 and the Pinehurst Resort developed on the back of its popularity.
The Pinehurst Resort now has 8 golf courses, with Pinehurst Number 8 being opened in 1996. St Andrews Links, whilst not being a private resort, now has 7 courses with the most recent opening in 2007 (Castle). The Links Trust was set up in 1974 by an act of parliament to have responsibility for running and maintaining the courses of St Andrews Links. And to keep the courses available to the public and not let them fall into the hands of private owners.
St Andrews Links is a charitable organisation but also a limited company and they have 5 retail shops, a golf academy, three clubhouses which are all licensed to sell alcohol and serve food.
The Pinehurst, Aberdeen and Southern Pines Area Convention and Visitors Bureau have created a golf related brand for the area called “The Home of American Golf”. There are over 40 courses within a 20 mile radius of the Village of Pinehurst and the area is a regular host of significant amateur tournaments throughout the year.
Pinehurst Resort stages the North and South Amateur Championship for Men, Junior’s and Women, along with the Donald Ross Junior Championship, US Kids Golf World Championship and Pinehurst Intercollegiate tournament. Similarly the St Andrews Links Trust stages the St Andrews Links Trophy for Men, St Rule Trophy for Women, St Andrews Boys Open, St Andrews Junior Ladies Open and The Wee Wonders are played on the Balgove Course too.
Then of course there are the Major Championships staged at both Pinehurst and St Andrews. The Open Championship will be staged on the Old Course at St Andrews for the 29th time in 2015 and the
Old Course has hosted two RICOH Women’s British Open’s.
Pinehurst Number 2 will stage the US Open for a third time this month and of course will host its first US Women’s Open in the following week. The Pinehurst area has staged three previous US Women’s Open Championships, at the nearby Pine Needles Mid Pines Resort.
Another unfortunate similarity between Pinehurst and St Andrews comes in the legal challenges both Pinehurst Resort and St Andrews Links have made to businesses within the town and beyond to using the names “Pinehurst” and “St Andrews” respectively.
Both the towns of Pinehurst and St Andrews have a relatively small resident population, but the visiting golfers swell the population during the golf season and contribute to the vibrancy of places which live, eat, sleep and breathe this great game.
Information about visiting Pinehurst and St Andrews can be found below:
St Andrews Links Trust www.standrews.org.uk
Pinehurst Resort www.pinehurst.com
Village of Pinehurst www.vopnc.org
Pinehurst, Southern Pines and Aberdeen Area Convention and Visitors Bureau www.homeofgolf.com
Visit St Andrews www.visitstandrews.com
buried with all four of his brothers in a cemetery adjacent to Chicago Golf Club. James Foulis Court is a street in St Andrews named after the 1896 US Open Champion and is near Morrisons, at the top of Largo Road.
Laurie Auchterlonie is the third and final St Andrean to win the United States Open Championship. Part of the Auchterlonie dynasty of club makers and golf professionals, Laurence won the 1902 US Open at Garden City Golf Club in New York. Laurie won by 6 shots and was the first golfer to shoot four rounds under 80 in the history of the US Open.
Of St Andrews’ champion golfers Old and Young Tom Morris, with their combined 7 Open Championships, are undoubtedly the most famous. But three men stand alone as St Andreans to have won America’s greatest championship. James Foulis was the second-ever US Open Champion, winning by 3 shots in the 1896 championship at Shinnecock Hills. Foulis was born in December 1870 in St Andrews and worked in Tom Morris’s shop. He moved to Chicago in 1895 to become a club professional at Chicago Golf Club. He later became an American citizen and died in 1928, aged 57 and is
Born in St Andrews in 1868 Laurie lived in what is now Number 10 and Number 12 Largo Road, it has since been split into two flats.
Fred Herd won the 1898 US Open by 7 shots at the Myopia Hunt Club in Massachusetts. Born in November 1874 in St Andrews, Herd moved to Chicago to become club professional at the Washington Park course. His brother Sandy won the 1902 Open Championship and is an honorary member of the New Golf Club of St Andrews. Fred Herd’s winning total of 328 remains the highest in championship history, it was the first US Open to be played over 72 holes.
The year was 1946. War was ended but the potential and the probability of new forms of global conflict lingered and threatened. Foreshadowing coming decades, Winston Churchill traveled to Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, where he delivered his premonitory Iron Curtain Speech. Ethel Mermen premiered Irving Berlin’s Annie Get your Gun at the Imperial Theater in New York City, belting out Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better to a nation that had just sent thousands of Rosie the Riveters back to hearth and home. The first bikini bathing suit went on display in Paris. In the Great Calcutta Riot an estimated 3000-4000 Hindus and Muslims killed each other and in Palestine, British authorities arrested 2700 Jews suspected of terrorism. The United States Supreme Court issued a ruling in Morgan v Virginia, a case argued by Thurgood Marshall, banning racial discrimination on commercial interstate travel. Sam Snead shot a 290 at the 75th British Open, held that year at St Andrews, and Patty Berg won the first United States Women’s Open Championship at the Spokane, Washington Country Club, defeating Betty
Jameson 5 and 4 in the final 36-hole match play event.
The WPGA & The Big Dream That first US Women’s Open Championship, organized by the shortlived Women’s Professional Golfing Association and financed by the Spokane Athletic Round Table slot machine proceeds contribution of $19,700, signaled a critical shift in the women’s professional golf culture. It was not, however, the first step women golfers in the United States took to claim their own space on the competitive golf stage. Half a century earlier, during the fin du siècle, when golf clubs in the United States and Great Britain were typically men-only Eveless Edens, women golfers on both sides of the Atlantic devised strategies to finesse prevailing gender restrictions and engage in organized amateur competitions. Lady Margaret Scott won the 1893, 1894, and 1895
British Ladies Golf Championship, and in 1895 the USGA sponsored the first American Women’s Amateur Championship at Meadow Brook Club in Hempstead, Long Island. Lucy Barnes Brown defeated a “full” field of thirteen women to become the first woman golf champion in the United States. There would be no turning back. However small the beginning, the path to pro golf was opening; and as in other occupations, women slipped into professional golf through teaching. Helen MacDonald began teaching at the Golf Studio in Chicago in 1924 and was also the first woman to receive compensation from a sporting goods manufacturer. Others who had established their golf credentials on the amateur circuit followed. During the 1920s Helen Hicks, Opal Hill, and Helen Dettweiler were representing Wilson Sporting Goods Company and promoting Wilson products at golf clinics. There were few opportunities for professional competition. In 1941 Patty Berg won the first prize money in a pro event, the Women’s Western Golf Association. The winner’s purse was $100 in war bonds. The slot machine proceeds
contributed by the Spokane Athletic Round Table to support the first US Women’s Open five years later must have seemed a fortune to Berg and the other players.
Betty Hicks, as quoted by Liz Kahn, The LPGA: The Unauthorized Version (Menlo Park, CA: Group Fore Productions, Inc., 1996), p. 7.
But in 1941, when North Carolina club pro Hope Seignious, along with Betty Hicks, Ellen Griffin, and Babe Didrikson Zaharias, confronted the vast inequity between the prize money available to men and women, they decided the women needed an organization that would advance their ambitious dreams of professional golfing careers. In 1944, after three years of talking and planning, eleven women pros with a big vision incorporated the Women’s Professional Golfing Association.
The United States Women’s Open was central to the dream of those women professional golfers, and for three years the small membership of WPGA ensured the viability of what has become the oldest women’s golfing championship in the United States. Following Patty Berg in 1946, Betty Jameson won the 1947 US Women’s Open, which was played at the Starmount Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina and Babe Zaharias won in 1948, when the Open was played at the Atlantic City Country Club in Northfield, New Jersey.
The WPGA’s first president, Betty Hicks, summed up the organization’s history thus: . . . conceived in wrath, born into poverty, and perished in a family squabble . . . a bawling scrawny child of early day feminists, a beggar of a child pleading for tournaments and for amateurs to become professionals and play in those tournaments . . .
Even as the WPGA collapsed, however, the dream of a secure and prosperous stage on which to play professional golf was making significant progress. The Ladies Professional Golf Association was launched from that dream in 1949. The LPGA continued and expanded the US Women’s Open from 1949 through 1952, then asked the USGA to take over the management of the event.
Players, Money & Fans In 1953, the first year the US Women’s Open was played under USGA management; thirty-seven women entered the field. Betsey Rawls pocketed $2,000, the winner’s share of the $7,500 purse. In 1965, the final round of the Open was televised for the first time and broadcast Carol Mann’s moment of victory in real time. Mann took home $3,800, the winner’s share of a $17,780 purse. Babe Zaharias would have rejoiced and, had she been there to play, would have thoroughly relished the public spotlight television coverage brought to the playing stage and its stars. She would, however, have taken note of the inequity in the size of the purse. In 1976, with the field grown to more than 200 players, the USGA introduced sectional qualifiers, which by 2001 were winnowing nearly a thousand hopeful players into the final field. The efforts and struggles of the early days, when Zaharias, Berg, Hicks, Deitweiler and Griffin badgered and begged promising
amateurs to turn pro and join competition, had borne their fruit.
the
The players, the money, and the fans – the crucial if elusive components the founding WPGA sportswomen intuitively understood to be the essential ingredients of a successful women’s professional golf tour – were in place. In 2001 Australian Karrie Webb claimed the winner’s share, $520,000 of a $2,900,000 purse. Over the fifty-five years that had passed since that first United States Women’s Open in 1946, the overall purse had increased more than a thousand fold and the winner’s share had grown from $500 in savings bonds to more than half a million dollars in cold, hard cash! Women who saw that they could actually make a living playing golf were increasingly drawn to a career in the sport. Television coverage grew the sport’s fan base, and in 1979 41,200 fans set a fourday attendance record to watch Jerilyn Britz play her way to victory at the Brooklawn Country Club in Fairfield, Connecticut. That record doubled sixteen years later, at the 50th playing of the Open, when Annika Sörenstam claimed the first of her three championships at the
Broadmoor Golf Club in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Although there had been non-American US Women’s Open champions before her (Catherine Lacoste, France, 1967 and Jan Stephenson, Australia, 1983) when England’s legendary Laura Davies – who will again compete in the 2014 US Women’s Open – claimed the 1987 victory, the Open was transformed into an international contest of enormous magnitude. Sweden’s Annika Sörenstam, three-time US Women’s Open Winner (1995, 1996, 2006) who dominated women’s pro golf for fully two decades, further internationalized both participation and public interest in the Open. Going into the 2014 Open, Americans have won only three of the past ten events, and the Open has been dominated by South Korean golfers.
A Glorious Centrepiece The 2014 US Women’s Open at Pinehurst No. 2, the 68th playing of the championship, is a truly international competition. Seventy-nine players who have received exemptions include the topfive money leaders from each of the 2013 Japan LPGA Tour, Korea LPGA Tour and Ladies European Tour, as well as the winners of the last ten US Women’s Open Championships and other majors. For the first time, the USGA held 36-hole sectional qualifying tournaments in the People’s Republic of China, the Republic of Korea, Japan and England as well as in 20 United States locations where 1,702 aspiring professional and amateur golfers with a handicap index of 2.4 or lower began their quest to compete with 155 other sportswomen for the Harton S. Semple trophy and a share of the $3.25 million purse. Seventeen international golfers earned a place in the field at the qualifiers in China, Korea, Japan, and England. Eleven-year old Lucy Li displaced Lexi Thompson as
the youngest golfer ever to qualify to play in the US Women’s Open when she carded rounds of 74 and 68 on the Old Course at Half Moon Bay Golf Links near San Francisco, California and Laura Davies earned her tee time at Pinehurst with rounds of 72 and 75 at Rumson Country Club in Rumson, New Jersey. Pinehurst No. 2 is a long, long distance from the venues where women competed more than half a century ago. Quite simply, it is the premier championship course Patty Berg, Betsy Rawls, Helen Hicks and Babe Zaharias dreamed about, hosting two previous US Opens, in 1999 and 2005, and four other USGA championships, the 1962 and 2008 US Amateurs, the 1989 US Women’s Amateur, and the 1994 US Senior Open. With the 2014 US Women’s Open, Pinehurst becomes the first course to host all five of these USGA championships. For a century Pinehurst has provided the home for the North & South Amateur for men and women, hosted the 1936 PGA Championship, the 1951 Ryder Cup, and the 1991 and 1992 Tour Championships. This year for the first time, the men’s and women’s US Open Championships will be
played back-to-back on the same course. Tees for the women’s Open will be moved slightly forward to ensure prime playing conditions on a course that lacks traditional rough. South Korean Inbee Park is the defending champion at the 2014 US Women’s Open. Park, who has held the top of the world rankings for 59 consecutive weeks, has not won an event since her historic victory at the 2013 Open and does not seem to be playing to the winning level of her 2013 game. Still, the Open is infused with extraordinary energy, and back-to-back Open victories seem to occur roughly in ten-year cycles. Mickey Wright did it in 1957 and 1958. Donna Caponi did it in 1969 and 1970, Susie Berning in 1972 and 1973, Annika Sörenstam in 1995 and 1996 and Karrie Webb in 2000 and 2001. With a field as broad and deep as this one, the sportswoman who emerges as Champion will have demonstrated exceptional mental endurance and physical excellence. Inbee Park has shown that she has the winning combination. Will she be able to mobilize it again this year?
Women’s professional golf, that “beggar of a child pleading for tournaments and for amateurs to become professionals and play in those tournaments” has come of age and the US Women’s Open, spawned by the Spokane Athletic Round Table’s slot machine proceeds, is its glorious American centrepiece.
Words ©2014 Elizabeth Bethel
In great shape
The state of the women’s game By Matt Hooper Interviewing Kraig Kann
“The 2013 RICOH Women's British Open will go down in the annals of golf history as one of the truly great major championships, defined by a final day marathon for some and a day which saw many lead changes and more drama than an Opera. It was a day which started at 6.15am and ended around 9pm with photos of the Solheim Cup teams on the Swilcan Bridge, it was a day that saw the rain fall, the wind blow and the sun shine and it was a day which had almost everything golf could possibly offer…… Women's golf around the world has a very healthy future, they have a gaggle of young, talented and marketable stars from every corner of the globe and championships like the 2013 RICOH Women's British Open enhance and confirm it.” This is part of my article on the final day of the 2013 RICOH Women’s British Open and the 2014 LPGA season has justified what I said last August. Week after week the LPGA produces tournaments with dramatic finishes and the stars of the game contending for and winning titles. As the world of women’s golf prepares for its biggest ever major moment at
Pinehurst I discussed with the LPGA Communications Director, Kraig Kann the state of the women’s game and talked about this amazing week for the LPGA and women’s golf.
Matt Hooper: How would you assess the state of women's professional golf right now? Kraig Kann: “I think it's fantastic right now. Women's golf has gone global, there are a lot of professional sports that are trying to go global and have international stars, the NFL has tried to play games in Dublin, London and elsewhere overseas. I think women's golf is probably ahead of men's golf on the global front because the LPGA TOUR has players represented by 25 countries.” “If you look at the world rankings in women's golf there are probably 7, 8 countries represented in the top 20. At one point there were 7 in the top 10. That's an impressive statement about golf around the world. Back when Tiger Woods came on the scene in 1996 everyone said there would be more African-American players playing golf, what I think both men's golf
and women's golf has blossomed where every country has its stars.”
MH: Is the globalization negative for the LPGA? KK: “Fans of the LPGA might be saying let's slow this train down a little bit, I'm not quite ready for the number of Asian born players or number of countries represented. The LPGA is the best of the best, the best players in the world play on the LPGA tour. I think that is a huge positive. NOW from an American perspective, do the Americans need to step up? Probably so.” “But if you look at the LPGA in the last 1015 years there were a lot of people who asked who would be able to replace Annika Sorenstam? Then Lorena Ochoa came along, And then when Lorena retired, nobody is going to be able to replace her. Then low and behold Yani Tseng had a remarkable two year stretch. And nobody thought that Yani would be knocked off the top, and suddenly Stacy Lewis came on and now we have Inbee Park who's done things in 2013 that have
not been seen or heard in professional golf in history.”
Thailand or Australia etc the players are all "rock stars" when they go overseas.”
“So I think from that perspective the LPGA is very strong in the (United) States, I think the American players realize that they have to step up their game and I think the fans realize that times are changing a little bit and it is our job at the LPGA tour to help all fans get to know players and what country they are from and what makes them special.”
“They are well known, and maybe some of them are more well-known than they are in America. Which is our job to help educate and get everybody to know these players.”
MH: The LPGA is where all the best players go and you play tournaments around the world, more than the token WGC, you play 5 or 6 tournaments around the world. Which I think is great because it is taking those players out of their comfort zone in terms of going to Australia, China etc. and I think that is great for golf. KK: “I think it is a great thing for golf. Yani Tseng is helping us launch an event in Taiwan. Shensheng Feng is allowing us to go to China now, Ai Miyazato is obviously a huge star around the world and we have an event in Japan. When we go to
MH: You have a tremendous amount of young players; most of the players are in their mid-twenties. KK: “I think it is terrific for the growth of the game, years back in the time of Nancy Lopez and her contemporaries there were a number of great players, but this is a bit of a changing of the guard. Sports for women have really blossomed. Players from overseas are coming to the United States to compete in college golf. Azahara Munoz comes to mind.” “Those kinds of things are very positive for the growth of the game. They are better at a younger age. Athletes are better and the training is better, and they advance at an earlier age, and just like on the PGA Tour when players come out of college they are ready to win.”
MH: Obviously the last few years have been difficult with the global downturn and the LPGA suffered more than the men's tours with the loss of a few events. What would you say is the LPGA's optimum number of events? KK: “Over the last few years we have added 8 new events. We have added more than $7million in increased prize money. Our TV ratings for the North American events are up more than 55% over the last two years. Our TV coverage hours in 2013 were 300+ which is the largest in the history of the LPGA Tour. Our social media numbers have doubled in each of the last two years. So our following is getting bigger.” “More than 15,000 young girls have been added to the LPGA Foundation's girls golf programme. So there has been a lot of growth through the LPGA.” “I think 30 tournaments in reach now. I don't think 40 events is a good number for the LPGA. One of the things that we pride ourselves on is our strength of field is fantastic each and every week. When you have 44 or 46 PGA Tour events not everybody is going to play every week, you are not going to get the big stars play
more than 20 weeks. Then you start talking about who is not here rather than celebrating who is in your field.” So one of the things that I don't think we ever have to deal with is people saying "who is not here". We like to have 3 weeks on, 1 week off or 4 weeks on and 1 off. Right now women's golf is in a great place and we are trending upwards.”
MH: Do you ever see the women's global tours coming together and forming a tour similar to the WTA in tennis? KK: “I think having golf tours around the world is a good thing.”
MH: The tour is a member of the International Federation, would it be beneficial for more integration with the men's game? KK: “My job is pretty simple, it is to grow the exposure of the LPGA and create more opportunities for the LPGA through the media and to make the LPGA players more recognizable.”
“I think the US Open at Pinehurst is a fantastic stage and a huge opportunity for women's golf. It is going to be very interesting, I am sure there will be some logistical challenges. “I don't know if 15-20 years ago people would have been ready for something like this but right now it is a compliment from the USGA that women's golf is where it is right now.” “I think there are a lot of stars from around the world that have a fantastic opportunity to be recognized.It is their job to play well when they get that opportunity and in general terms I think it will be great for men's and women's golf.” “If you look at 2016 and the Olympic Games, anything we can do to integrate men's and women's golf and give them a bigger stage is great for everybody.”
The 2014 LPGA season has been remarkable and each week the game takes massive strides towards being a better product and a more compelling sport. Recently the LPGA, PGA of America and KPMG unveiled a ground-
breaking partnership to create the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. This championship will continue and build upon the traditions of the LPGA Championship and will launch in 2015 at Westchester Country Club near New York City. The tour has announced various new sponsors and partners and is growing its visibility here in the UK by agreeing a broadcast deal with Sky Sports for its biggest events. Now every major will be shown and several other prestigious tournaments throughout the summer. Kraig used the word opportunity a few times in our interview and for sure the coming couple of weeks is arguably the biggest opportunity to grow the women’s game ever. The stage is set and now it is time for the performers to enter and put on a show.
It was Saturday morning and I found myself in a familiar position. I shot rounds of 66-70 on Thursday and Friday at the world-renowned Teeth of the Dog golf course in Casa de Campo, Dominican Republic. I was in the final pairing and two shots behind the leader at -10. The leader, Rick Cochran III, was second on the PGA Tour LatinoamĂŠrica Order of Merit and the most consistent player on the tour this year.
From experience, I knew the next two days were going to be more of a mental challenge than a physical one. I was fortunate enough to be staying with family friends who have a house in the Casa de Campo community. They also invited my coach, Artie McNickle, to join us for the week. As I walked to the tee on Saturday, I kept hearing my coach in my head: "Somebody is going to win, why not you?"
I walked off the 18th green on Saturday very frustrated. I shot 73, failed to make par from the fringe on the last hole, and had several unforced errors along the course of the round. Nevertheless, I was in
position to win the golf tournament going into Sunday. I entered the final day in 4th at -7, and one behind the three leaders at 8. I was paired again with Rick Cochran III, one of the three leaders, in the penultimate group.
We both started off hot making two birdies on the first three holes. But after 9 holes, Rick had kept his momentum and turned in 31, -5. After two unforced errors on the front nine, I turned in 35, -1. Another missed green with a wedge on the 10th hole led to a bogey. I was -7 and six shots back with eight holes to play. My mind began to race: "What are you going to do? If someone shoots -6 on Sunday, they deserve to win. You're playing for second. Make somebody shoot low to tie you for second. Get to -10 or -11 somehow." And that is when things started to get crazy....
Rick and I traded birdies on 11. I birdied 12. I birdied 13 and picked up two shots when he made bogey. We both birdied 14.
I walked down the cart path to the 15th tee after 4 birdies in a row knowing I had a chance. Holes 15-17 are all along the ocean and the wind is guaranteed to be blowing harder than anywhere else on the golf course. Three shots back. Anything was possible. After a key par save from six feet on 15 and Rick's bogey on 17, I was two shots back on 18 tee. I placed my drive in 18 fairway and he hit his well right into the trees. His punch out landed in the rocks by the water hazard and skipped forward towards the green.
in my control now. Once I walked into the shot and started my routine, it was as if all that went away. I knew I was going to make it and I did.
After tying the first two holes of the playoff with bogey and birdie, we came back to 18. I hit another great 6 iron to 12 feet and Rick was about 30-35 feet. He ran his putt 5-6 feet past and I just missed my birdie chance. As I prepared for the next playoff hole, I saw his ball lip out from the corner of my eye.
A winner's break. I had one chance. With a tucked back, left pin to an elevated green and the wind at my back, I hit possibly one of the best 6 irons of my life. I could not see the ball land but judging by the crowd's reaction it nearly went in the hole when rolling past. Once I walked up to the green, I saw my ball sitting 3 feet from the cup. After Rick failed to get up and down to save par, it was up to me to force a playoff.
I WON! I thought back to the 11th tee when I was 6 back. A mixture of disbelief, happiness, and relief ran through me. I learned that perfect golf isn't necessary to win golf tournaments. I made a lot of mistakes along the way and played a fantastic last 8 holes. As I have mentioned before, nothing matters until the back nine on Sunday...
I dreamed of having this chance. In the dream I was a lot less nervous. It was all
Thank you again for following my progress. I will be playing this summer on PGA Tour Canada while PGA Tour
LatinoamĂŠrica has a break. You can follow my journey on www.pgatourcanada.com and through my Twitter/Instagram accounts @mbutta326.
May 15-18
May 8-11
HP Byron Nelson Championship
The Madeira Islands Open
Winner: Brendon Todd -14
Winner: Daniel Brooks -9*
nd
2 : Scott Henry -9
rd
3 : Fabrizio Zanotti -6
2 : Mike Weir -12 May 1-4
3 : Charles Howell III -10
Wells Fargo Championship Winner: JB Holmes -14
nd
rd
*Brooks won on first play-off hole May 22-25
nd
2 : Jim Furyk -13
Crowne Plaza Invitational
May 15-18
Winner: Adam Scott -9*
Open de Espana
rd
3 : Martin Flores -12 *Jones won at first extra hole
May 8-11
nd
Winner: Miguel Angel Jimenez -4*
3 : Nicholas Thompson -8
rd
2 : Richard Green and Thomas Pieters -4
*Scott won on first play-off hole
*Jimenez won on first play-off hole
2 : Jason Dufner -9
nd
The Players Championship Winner: Martin Kaymer -13
May 22-25
nd
2 : Jim Furyk -12
BMW PGA Championship
rd
3 : Sergio Garcia -11
Winner: Rory McIlroy -14 nd
May 1-4
2 : Shane Lowry -13
The Championship at Laguna National
3 : Thomas Bjorn -12
Winner: Felipe Aguilar -22 nd
2 : David Lipsky and Anders Hansen -21
rd
May 1-4 North Texas LPGA Shootout Winner: Stacy Lewis -16 nd
2 : Meena Lee -10 rd
3 : Michelle Wie -9
May 15-18 Kingsmill Championship Winner: Lizette Salas -13 nd
2 : Yani Tseng -9 rd
3 : Lexi Thompson -9
May 22-25 Airbus LPGA Classic Winner: Jessica Korda -20 nd
2 : Anna Nordqvist -19 rd
3 : Charley Hull -18
St Andrews Golf Magazine has been approved for media credentials to this month’s BMW International Open at Gut Larchenhof near the city of Cologne in Germany. Matt Hooper will be on site all week providing content for standrewsgolfmagazine.com and hunting for interviews with the stars for future editions of St Andrews Golf Magazine.
Our coverage of the annual European Tour event will be extensive across our website and social media.
The BMW International Open was first played in 1989 and its traditional home is in Munich at the Golf Club Munchen Eichenried. In 2012 BMW began the experiment of alternating the tournament between Munich and Cologne, in an attempt to broaden the appeal of the event and cement its place as the professional tournament of German golf.
Ernie Els won the 25th anniversary edition last July in Munich and is back to defend
his title this month in Cologne. He is joined by a stellar line up of European Tour stars.
Jamie Donaldson, Shane Lowry, Francesco Molinari, Gonzalo FernándezCastaño, Nicolas Colsaerts, Alex Cejka and John Daly are the latest additions. Aside from crowd favourite Daly and Cejka, all of the above have ambitions of qualifying for the Europe Ryder Cup team. The second of three BMW tournaments on the European Tour offers an opportunity to impress Paul McGinley, the captain, who is also playing in the tournament.
The battle for the trophy is set to be a fierce one. There is every chance that Sweden’s Henrik Stenson, who made an early commitment to play in Cologne, will tee it up as the world No1. Currently lying second to Adam Scott, of Australia, the Swede could move to the top of the rankings with good performances between now and then, particularly in the US Open at Pinehurst two weeks before the BMW International Open gets under way.
Also playing in Cologne will be Spaniards Sergio García, Miguel Ángel Jiménez and rising young star Victor Dubuisson, from France. It promises to be a week to remember.
Our coverage: 24th June 2014 Opening Show Event with stars of the tournament (GC Gut Lärchenhof, late afternoon) Tuesday Tee-Time LIVE from the media centre at Golf Club Gut Larchenhof – Time to be confirmed
25th June 2014 PRO-AM – unique coverage of the pro-am
26th to 29th June 2014 26th BMW International Open – live updates on standrewsgolfmagazine.com
The date is Sunday May 27, 2007 and it is a glorious sunny day, suddenly the sunshine is broken by a heavy shower. We are driving through the Perthshire countryside, heading for my new place of work for the summer. We drive through the gates at around 7pm either side of the drive is lush green grass, and then the hotel comes into view. The heart begins to beat faster, the hairs stand up on the back of my neck and my stomach feels weak. We get out of the car and there it is, The Gleneagles Hotel. I am instructed to go to reception to collect the keys to staff accommodation. As I walk into the hotel I am shaking with nerves, the view takes my breath away. The reality that I am going to be working at one of the world’s great golfing destinations hits me. My parents depart once I have moved my things into my room. The staff accommodation at Gleneagles is fairly basic, consisting of single bed, one wardrobe, a desk, a wash basin and a shower you couldn’t swing a cat in. In truth it is very much in need of renovation. Maybe it is kept the way it is to encourage staff to look for alternatives. But it was a bed!
That first night I had to have my photo taken for my staff card which gained me access to the building and into the hotel, as well as the staff canteen. The staff canteen was actually pretty decent in terms of the food it served, but the major problem for many staff was that it stopped serving at 7pm and if you were working beyond that time the only option was a drive, or in my case, a walk 3 miles to Auchterarder. My first two days were induction, where I met other new employees from various departments and got given a tour of the world famous hotel. And what an awesome hotel it is. The grandeur, the splendour, it is everything and more than anyone would expect of a true 5 star hotel. Later on the Monday I met my manager and colleagues in the Golf Shop at the Dormy Clubhouse, my place of employment for the summer. The Golf Shop in the clubhouse does not sell golf equipment, which is found at the golf academy next to the PGA Centenary Course. It does stock apparel, golf balls, books and other interesting merchandise. It is also the place where every golfer
checks in for their round before they tee off and collects scorecards, pencils, tees and ball markers. Undoubtedly the highlight of my experience at Gleneagles was, of course, the golf. The 2014 Ryder Cup is coming to the Perthshire countryside and the PGA Centenary course is staging golf’s biggest event. There is a staff golf club, called Whitemuir, which at the time cost £50 per year to join. This gave you unlimited play on the courses, but you couldn’t book in advance, which wasn’t really a problem for me. My first round on the PGA Centenary Course came on the Wednesday night of my first week there, and despite negative reviews I loved it. I played the course some 20 times during my summer there and it will make a great Ryder Cup venue. It is, however, very much the third best course at Gleneagles; which gives you an indication as to just how special the Kings and Queens courses, designed by James Braid, are. The Kings is a truly spectacular example of golf courses built back in the era when they didn’t have explosives and heavy
lifting machinery. The first hole is played to a table top green before the second sweeps down a valley to a green tucked into a corner; the third hole is iconic and unique, played against the backdrop of a massive dune, which guards the green which sits in a bowl at the summit. It has to be seen to be believed!
Then the ninth is a short par four played to a sloping fairway and elevated green. I could go on and describe the rest of this magnificent course, but my words cannot do justice to its beauty and brilliance. If it had the room it could easily host this Ryder Cup and it could create the best match in years.
The fourth is arguably the best hole on the course, a par four which plays like a par five with a sloping fairway; it takes two excellent shots to reach the green. The fifth is an iconic par three played to a raised green, if you miss the green you have a blind pitch back to it.
The Queens course is an undiscovered gem, and a personal favourite of mine. It has some of the best views anywhere on the property and makes up for its relative lack of length with beguiling greens and penal bunkering.
The sixth is a short par five and a real birdie chance; it is here you first get a glimpse of the Glen of Eagles and the vast expanse of countryside which the courses and Gleneagles Hotel sits in. The seventh is a blind tee shot to a fairway which sits at almost a 90 degree angle to your left, again requiring two excellent shots to reach the green. The eighth and ninth holes would not be out of place on the very best natural links courses of Scotland or Ireland. A short par three to begin to a green guarded by bunkers played over gorse and rough.
I won a Whitemuir Medal on the Queens with a round of 76, nett 63; which might be why I quite like it! Sadly my time at Gleneagles came to an end in early September that year, but I did return for St Andrews Golf Magazine last August for the Johnnie Walker Championship. I was fortunate enough to eat and drink in the new Dormy Clubhouse and the shop, which has been expanded, is even better than it was. There were even some familiar faces from 7 years ago still working there. I for one cannot wait until September!
By Matt Hooper
Welcome to my latest edition of game improvement articles and this month I am going to focus on putting, in particular short putts. So, the golf season is well under way now and you may have a good idea how your winter preparations are holding up under the pressure of playing tournament golf. Are you consistently holing out your putts from within 5ft? How much time are you practicing holing putts within 5ft?
Holing out is key! I say ‘holing out is key’ because it’s amazing how much missed short range putts can affect the psychology and performance in rest of your game. The most common club used following the putter is the driver, and when missed putts happen too often we then approach the next tee with the driver fuelled with some rage/anger/frustration and try and chase the dropped shot or shots and end up hitting poor drives or poor approach shots that end up costing you more higher scores.
Tell me, how many good drives do you hit following a missed short putt? Think back to your last couple of rounds. Whether they are for birdie, par, bogey or double bogey a putt is a putt! Statistically putting is almost 50 percent of your game but I put a much higher value than that, it’s certainly an area of the game we rely on most and in my opinion has the biggest influence. I am going to help you by providing some excellent drills with photos that are guaranteed to improve your confidence on those short putts and improve under pressure.
The setup. (based on the right handed golfer) We see out in the golfing fraternity there are many variations and methods of putting including the way we hold onto the putter, from the standard ‘reverse overlap’ (Pic 1) to the ‘kack handed’ left below right (pic 2) and then the grip method Sergio Garcia is now using ‘The Claw’ (pic 3).
Those are just a few of the ways in which we can hold onto the putter. What this tells us that importantly it’s all about feel and the ability to keep the connection of the arms and body in order to make a good solid rhythmical stroke. Generally though there is a difference compared to holding onto our other clubs. The putter handle importantly is more positioned through the palms of the hands and the shaft of the club is an extension of the forearms, the palms of your hands when on the handle are parallel to the putter face. This way you have complete coordination of the face during the stroke. In the following photo’s you will see a routine help position you better and make your stroke more effective under pressure. Firstly stand upright holding the putter out in front of you. At this point the face aim of the putter is vertical (pic 4).
You will see the shaft of the putter is an extension of the forearms. From there tilt your body over until your putter reaches the ground. You are now ready. How simple was that! Point to note, if you think the putter face is aiming wrong, go with it, test it as you know it was square before you tilted over. Most golfers will think the putter face is closed (I know I do) but trust it. An incorrect face aim is detrimental to poor putting. Okay, so have I helped you already? I bet I have but I’m not done yet….. So let’s look at the mechanics of the putting stroke. It’s very simple really. The setup position you are now in (pic 5) we want to make the source of your stroke come from your chest and shoulders with one mechanical movement.
This picture (pic 6) shows the position of the backswing is literally the same as the setup and also likewise for the follow through (pic 7), in short using your upper body to move the putter back and through.
DRILLS Following are some fantastic drills to make your putting practice more fun and beneficial.
‘Tee in mouth’
In my many years of teaching I know for a fact that most missed ‘short’ putts are caused by instability in the body particularly the head. Anxiety of seeing the ball go in the hole, or making sure you see the ball go in the hole, manipulating the hit of the ball causes the head to move. The ‘tee in mouth’ drill is an excellent training method as you want the tee to remain still as you stroke through the putt. (pics 8, 9 & 10). This is one I use regularly!
Benefits: One, as ii mentioned hitting your putts more solid and confidently into the hole and two, focus on a particular part of the cup you want to hit, ie narrowing your target which in turn perceptually make the hole seem bigger! (pics 12, 13 & 14)
‘Back of the Cup” Putt a tee in to the back of the cup, centered to the line of putt (pic 11). The purpose is to make your putts hit the back of the hole allowing you to hit putts more solidly. After a while you will notice that consistent hitting of the tee will push it into the back of the cup more.
marginally wider than the ball. (pic 16). Continue to do this drill from different distances, 2ft, 3 ft, 5ft etc and then remove the tees.
Benefits: Seeing a more acute line of putt and perception of the hole being bigger.
‘Tee’s at the back’ This drill is a personal favourite of mine and one that helps improve the path of your stroke. You will see I have putt two tee pegs into the ground at the back of the hole (pic 17).
‘The Gate’ Putting two tee pegs into the ground in front of the hole, starting slightly narrower than the hole (pic 15) and then after a while make the tee’s narrower so they are
If like me you have a problem of pulling your putts left (pic 18 & 19), I suggest you feel like you are directing the path of your putter to the right tee peg (pic 20 & 21), a feeling of more inside arc on your back stroke.
The opposite applies if you push putts right then feel your stroke is more guided to the left tee peg.
‘Hit the Sweet Spot’ There is nothing more important than hitting the sweet spot. Of course that’s the same for all clubs but with the importance of accuracy more important in putting and very little margin for error, hitting the centre of the putter face is paramount.
What you can do: Make sure your putter face is clean (pic 22) and then get a can of athlete’s foot spray and spray over the face of the putter (pic 23).
This dries very quickly and leaves a powder residue that is easy to wipe off (even milled face putters) which means you don’t have to hit putts hard to leave a mark on the face. You can see in the photos (pic 24, 25 & 26) a centre, heel and toe strike.
Benefits: Practice hitting centre so you can keep the face squarer at impact and also consistently hitting the sweet spot improves your distance control.
‘Line on the Ball’
Most top players mark a line on their ball to help them line up. Tiger does it so why don’t you! I go through stages of using the line. It’s easy to put on. You buy a gadget that clips onto the ball and marking the line using a permanent marker pen.
You will see in the photo (pic 27) that the ball is lined up to the hole (straight putt) and the line on my putter is matching. This is a sure fire way to aim correctly that from there it’s all about striking the ball correctly and getting the ball rolling nicely (pic 28, 29 & 30).
Benefits: Helping your aim, striking the ball correctly that the line on the ball is not spinning. Here’s the thing, if you see the line on the ball spin clockwise you have struck the ball with an open face and/or outside-in path in your stroke. Conversely, if you see the line spin in an anti-clockwise motion you have struck the ball with a closed clubface and/or inside-out path. A great drill within this is to set up the ball with the line (not aiming to a hole) and test your stroke and work on getting the ball rolling nicely.
I can guarantee some, if not all of these drills and exercises will help you. Why not get in touch and book a lesson with me and improve your short putts immediately.
Garry Forrester
Tel: +447765 504771
PGA Professional
Email:info@standrewsgolfschool.com
The St Andrews Golf School
www.standrewsgolfschool.com
A view of St Andrews from the Fairmont
By Charles Clegg