“Like America’s Pebble Beach, Turnberry is – or has been until now – enormously overrated as a golf course.” – This from Scotsman John Huggan who reports on a course which is the last on my bucket list of must-play golf courses in Scotland.

So what did I miss?
Given that I, so very, very  many years ago did play 5 holes before the haar halted my game it could be said I’ve played Turnberry Ailsa however according to Huggie I may have been disappointed had I finished my round.

Golf Magazine’s  2013 world ranking lists Turnberry Ailsa at 18th best,  and well ahead of Donald Trump’s, Trump International Golf Links located near Aberdeen. As to “enormously overrated”  Pebble Beach coming in at 7th maybe I should raise my standards and give Turnberry Ailsa a miss since there may be some messing around with the course following the news that the Donald is making changes to his most recent Scottish acquisition.

So what’s wrong with Turnberry Ailsa?
According to the gospel of John there’s, “Too many holes and features are weak (the 1st, the 4th and 11th holes), a bit silly and/or pointless (the 9th fairway and the “doughnut” bunker at the 10th) or bland (the 18th)” And I have say that based on my research he’s not alone.

Over at Planet Golf we’re told, “The 9th is a one-off hole with a blind drive played from a rocky promontory to a hogs back fairway that is almost impossible to hold. The approach must then find a green which falls away sharply on both sides… the rest of the layout is an interesting, if somewhat mixed, collection of holes. The first few along the flattened ground are a little dull…”

So what’s new?
Huggie had the pleasure of playing Turnberry Ailsa in the company of Martin Ebert, the man charged with designing the changes.

“The highest-profile changes will come at the 9th hole. Out will go the almost unhittable fairway, replaced by a 235-yard par-3 played down the prevailing wind and towards the famous lighthouse. Even better, the next hole will become a wonderful par-5 that swings around Castle Port Bay and will include the restoration of the wonderful “jigsaw piece” bunker that pre-dated the aforementioned doughnut. Completing the run after the turn will be a new and far more interesting par-3 11th that runs much closer to the jagged shoreline.”

Here’s the link to John and to Planet Golf 

Quote of the Day
“Messing around with golf’s most historic and iconic courses is not something that often meets with this column’s approval. For example, the “improvements” (ha!) inflicted on the game’s ultimate monument, the Old Course at St Andrews, are nothing short of disgraceful.” – John Huggan

Given John’s approval of the changes to Turnberry Ailsa it may just mean I’ll have to dip into my pocket and pay the Donald whatever green fees I have to face.

“Forget about the difference in their putting, did Rory McIlroy bow to Jordan Spieth at the Masters because of the same mistake he made in the Open at St Andrews five years ago, pressing too hard too soon?”

McGinley on McIlroy’s Mistake at the Masters
Brian Keogh headlines his post, “McGinley on Rory at Augusta: "It was like a guy going around the racetrack in NASCAR — the more he presses, the more he is going to spin off now and again," and given that in my previous post I suggested that  Spieth’s putting performance was the difference that made the distinct difference. According to McGinley it was McIlroy’s pressing too hard too soon to catch up with Spieth’s remarkable opening rounds that cost him the Masters.

Learning your lesson then moving on
Brian reminds us of an example when McIlroy appeared to rush things. Then learned his lesson and moved on. 
“In 2010, the now world No 1 (McIlroy) opened with a nine under par 63 at the Home of Golf to take a two-shot lead over eventual winner Louis Oosthuizen into the second round.
But he got the wrong side of the draw on Friday and shot an 80 in high winds only to rally to a share of third behind the South African thanks to seven under par weekend.

As the great American writer Dan Jenkins remarked of that costly Friday mishap, “The kid just didn’t know that shooting 75 was a good score.” 
The “kid” appeared to have learned his lesson at Kiawah Island in 2012 when he dug deep in the wind to shoot a 75 on Friday and set up what turned out to be an eight-shot romp to his second major win."

No kidding!
Brian writes, “What is certain is that he was always going to find it almost impossible to chase down Spieth over two rounds rather than three.
“It’s incredibly difficult to be patient in that situation,” McGinley explained. “Jordan took advantage of that with the way he played the second morning.”

I await McGinley’s suggestions as to when to press,  when to be patient or maybe even worse being too conservative, which reminds me of one of my stories in Life’s Lessons Frae the Links.

The story goes that during the 1993 Masters, Chip Beck and his caddie Pete Bender were discussing club selection for Chip’s second shot to the 15th green.  Go for the green  or lay up?
Chip was still in with a chance to catch up Bernhard Langer however after a lengthy dialogue with Bender,  Chip concluded with, “I don’t want to mess my round up,” and played safe.
Messing up a round appeared to be more important than a chance to win the Masters.

McIlroy has on occasion messed up at the Masters however may the golf gods forbid that he avoids risking the chance of a “spin off” by playing too conservatively.

Link to Brian Keogh 

Quote of the Day
“I’d rather experience the agony of defeat and the ecstasy  of  victory than experience the great twilight that 99 per cent of this world live in.” – Greg Norman reflecting on once  again snatching defeat from the jaws of victory at the 1993 Tournament Player’s Championship

“McIlroy, in contrast, totalled 86 feet, 71 feet, 101 feet and 82 feet of putts. In other words, he holed 340 feet worth of putts compared to 410 feet for Spieth”

Over at Geoff Shackelford’s blog they’re commenting on the respective putting performances of Spieth and McIroy at the Masters and in spite of what Mark Broadie’s statistics suggest it appears to be the same old story, “You drive for show and you putt for dough.”

Lies, damned lies and…?
Given the abundance of performance statistics now available to tournament  players and viewers I continue to have doubts on the conclusions of Mark Broadie
Back in October 2013 I wrote, "In the spring of 2011, the PGA Tour introduced a new statistical category called strokes gained-putting. The brainchild of Columbia Business School professor Mark Broadie.”
Then adding,  “When I (Mark Broadie) compare the top players on the PGA Tour, I find that the long game contributes about two-thirds to their success while the short game and putting contributes about one-third.” 

In regards to their respective performances it suggests that it was Spieth’s putting performance that made the difference especially when I also observe  that McIlroy holed just nine putts beyond eight feet for the week, Spieth holed 16.

It’s the long game that matters?
Mark Broadie is on record as saying, "You don't drive for show and putt for dough. It's really the long game that matters."

Now that’s interesting and whilst my reflections are based solely on the recent Masters I observe that Tiger Woods who most admirably scrambled his way to a 73 on Sunday, hit only 2 fairways in the course of his round.
Then there’s the example of Ian Poulter’s performance with greens in regulation statistics of 82% and hitting five greens more than any other player.

So I’m still left with the feeling that putting is much more important that Mark’s data suggests and have to ask (since I haven’t read his book) if the data was created from the performances of tour professionals or mainly from the amateur ranks?

In the words of Willie Park Jnr
Willie Park Jnr, two-time Open champion famously said, “The man whae can putt is a match for anyone.”

It’s a long way and a long time ago from Prestwick (in the 19th century) to the 1957 Palm Beach Round Robin when Ben Hogan was paired with the late great and fabulous putting machine named Billy Casper.
Standing on the 10th tee, Ben who was having a bad time with his putter and not known to mince his words turned to Casper and said, “If you couldn't putt you'd be selling hot dogs on the 10th tee.”

I rest my case of putting being more important than Mark Broadie’s statistics tend to suggest, however I’m open to the thought that Ben Hogan (best ever long game) and Billy Casper (one of the best-ever putters) may be the exception to Mark’s methodological findings.

Here’s the link to Geoff 

Quote of the Day
 “That son of a bitch Locke was able to hole a putt over 60-feet of peanut brittle.” 
- Lloyd Mangrum commenting on Bobby Locke’s putting prowess

“No course is ever presented more immaculately than Augusta National. Everything – tees, fairways, greens, bunkers and ponds – are pristine; nothing has even a hair out of place. And the flowers always look nice, if you’re into horticulture more than golf.”

John Huggan at The Scotsman reflects on the, “Highs and lows among Augusta azaleas”.

For sure it’s not St Andrews
The opening passage in this post may suggest it’s one of John’s “Highs” but not so it’s one of his lowlights. 
John writes, “But this perfection has little or nothing to do with the game Scotland gave to the world. Not real golf, anyway. One of the great fascinations of the ground between tee and green is surely its inherent unpredictability and randomness. Eliminate both to the extent that we see every April and something is lost.”

“We’re not in Kirkintilloch any more” or for that matter Scotland’s more renowned Old Course. 
And, “wouldn’t it be fun, just now and then, to watch the game’s leading exponents hitting shots from something other than perfect fairway lies?”

Don’t you dare you damned Dane
James Maloch commenting on Huggie’s article writes, “Well said Mr Huggan. Our US writers are scared to write anything negative about the Masters for fear of Billy's hammer. It's my least favorite of the majors, CBS makes it unwatchable. Give me The Open any day.”
Given that Mr Huggan has a record of uncomplimentary remarks about the Masters and the management of same, it continues to amaze me he's permitted entry to the premises. Which is more than can be said for a Dane who was told don’t you dare come back.

“Some things never alter, of course. Heaven forbid any member of the press corps should carry a mobile phone set to silent outside the media centre (a Danish television guy was ejected for doing so on his way in this week, before anyone was even on the golf course).”

Long live “The King”
It was The King’s arrival at the aforementioned St Andrews which helped to resurrect the status of the Open Championship. Arnold Palmer came but didn’t quite conquer the first time round however for those of us who watched him over those four historic days at the Old Course we will never forget the mana of the man who came to be called, “The King”.

In regards to the Thursday morning opening ceremony it comes as no surprise to read.
“At 85, Arnie went as far as getting a cortisone shot that would allow him to make just the one swing. Which was more than enough. This is a tribute to past greatness that has always been a credit to the Augusta National club.”

Link to John Huggan 

Quote of the Day
“Augusta has charm but not all is blooming lovely in the Masters garden” – John Huggan

“I was in the Best Buy parking lot in Palm Springs this February and my cell phone rang and it was Chris,” Trevino said. “He wanted to know about chipping and how you teach it.”

The Art Stricklin & Brady Riggs headline reads, “Lee Trevino:  Tiger Woods' Coach Called Me for Chipping Advice,” and what follows is an insight into two very different approaches.

Dig versus bounce
By clicking here  you’ll see photographs which graphically explain the following analysis by Messrs Stricklin and Riggs.
“When you look at the release patterns of Tiger and Trevino hitting chip shots in their primes you will see some stark differences. Trevino believed the left wrist remained flat throughout the stroke, keeping a straight line between the left arm and clubshaft. When you look at Tiger, his left wrist and left arm were much softer and he allowed the clubhead to pass through impact and into the finish. Trevino's technique created a more descending blow with the leading edge digging into the turf. Conversely, Tiger was able to utilize the bounce of the club to create higher and softer pitch shots that were more effective when hitting into greens as firm and fast as Augusta National.”

The unstoppable Tiger
According to the correspondents and in respect of Tiger’s previous excellent chipping prowess, it’s a simple equation- “Tiger in his prime: Swagger + using the bounce = unstoppable”.

Given, “the ball comes out lower and hotter with Trevino’s technique, just the opposite of what is needed to execute the treacherous shots around the greens at Augusta National,” then I’m not so sure Merry Mex’s method will make Tiger unstoppable at the Masters.

Sound words from Seve
Judging by his Masters’ record and reputation as one of the best short game artists the golf world has ever known it could be said that Seve Ballesteros is the man Tiger should be listening to.

Dean Halford met up Seve not long before his passing and here’s what Seve had to say.
“Keeping the weight left at strike, allow the club to “Bounce” off the deck with soft hands rather than letting the leading edge “Dig” into the ground.”

Here’s the link to Art Stricklin & Brady Riggs and Dean Halford 

Quote of the Day
“Seve said that he imagined the palm of his right hand was the clubface, and he used that visualisation to help him conjure every shot imaginable around the green.” – Mark Carey 

“As she made her way around Mission Hills for her first practice round at the ANA Inspiration, swing coach David Leadbetter heard a peculiar sound from his teenage pupil…She was humming a children's song.”

New Zealand’s TVNZ headlines its post, “What song keeps Kiwi golf ace Lydia Ko calm?”

The wheels on the train…
The TVNZ post advises us, "The wheels on the train go 'round and 'round," Leadbetter said , laughing at the latest example that Ko is not bothered by much in life and in golf…The song she chose was not lost on him, either. The train keeps chugging along, all the parts moving in beautiful rhythm, no evidence that it's about to jump the tracks. More than an efficient swing is a clear mind that makes Leadbetter forget she is still 17.”

One short of Sorenstam
Lydia has broken par in 28 consecutive rounds and this means she is one short of the record set by Annika Sorenstam in 2004.
“Ko is a combined 90 under par during her streak of sub-par rounds that dates to the final round of the Lorena Ochoa Invitational. Sorenstam was 100 under when she ran off 29 straight rounds under par. That streak included two majors, and that's what Ko is lacking…This week is her next chance.
"That's really what she's missing at the moment," Sorenstam said, pausing to remind herself of Ko's age.”

The strength of her six inches 
Sorenstam suggests that it is the six inches between Lydia’s ears that explains her extraordinary success.
“At that young age, you would think she'd be missing a lot more, but she's certainly done a lot. ... I watch her play and she's just very consistent in every area. I think the strongest part is between her ears. She just has this composure about her which she does so well under pressure. So that's what it takes to be No. 1.”
Coach David Leadbetter confirms Lydia’s composure and suggests she goes into ‘autopilot’ under pressure and consequently, “Things don’t bother her”.

Here’s the link to TVNZ 

Quote of the Day
"She has no holes in her game." – Sir Bob Charles upon the completion of a round playing with Lydia at a New Zealand PGA Championship pro-am event.