On Golf...

I've never played golf. Well, the closest I've ever come to playing golf is the putting green in Stourport-on-Severn. (I'm not sure that counts!) It's not that I've never wanted to. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be a complete fish at it. As a juggler and a musician I think I probably have decent enough hand-eye co-ordination to give it a good go and I enjoy most other sports with the hit-ball-with-funny-shaped-stick theme.

The things holding me back are probably two-fold:

1. The concept of spending so much money (on clubs and club membership) just to hit a ball around some lawns probably goes against my subconscious instincts.
2. The fact that my mom seems so against golf in general, describing it as a "game for wimps". Could I dare take up a hobby which would lead to me being classed as a "wimp" my OWN mother?
   

You know, I really would like to find out whether or not the reputation for that pedantic and conservative "country club"ethos and mentality is actually justified and I do reckon it would be good fun but I suppose it's one thing I'll set aside until I get challenged by a future boss to a match. That way I'll be almost guaranteed to lose and, according to things I'm sure I've seen on TV but can't but can't fully recall, that's probably a positive thing for a healthy relationship with one's superiors.

As it stands, putting greens are as far as I (rarely) go. Having said that, I enjoy very much watching golf on TV, especially when whole days of BBC schedules are cleared to make way for coverage of The Open Championship. I am writing this blog post two days into the current championship. Following two rounds, Tom Watson, who turns 60 this year and has long retired from the full-time PGA tour, has shot a leading score of 135 or 5 under par. In comparison, Tiger Woods, athletic, powerful, skilful, undoubtedly deserving of his long-term status as world #1, and the massive pre-tournament favourite, has shot 145 or 5 over par, missing the cut. There is something just... nice... about the old guard showing the new breed how to play the game properly, winding back the clock for one last hurrah, something which applies just as well in any sport, but has particular resonance in golf where players aged 16 and 59 can legitimately (yet rarely) compete against each other at the highest level.

Good luck Tom Watson - I hope you continue to play well this week and maybe you can even outperform Greg Norman's 3rd place finish in last year's Open...

Of course, I cannot write a blog about golf without discussing what is one of my favourite traditions of all time and certainly one of my TV highlights of the year. This is the presentation of the Green Jacket and with it membership to one of the most exclusive golf clubs in the world to the winner of the year's Master tournament in the Augusta National Golf Club's "historic" Butler Cabin. Oh what fun it would be when good old American Southern boy-turned-bigwig Hootie Johnson used to introduce the champion to the worldwide audience and, of course, his "good friend" Jim Nantz to ask the new chamion questions about his day's fine play. Alas, Hootie Johnson retired as Chairman of the club before the 2008 ceremony but 2009's presentation brought back memories of those awkward introductions of yesteryear which had been missing in 2008.

Here is 2006's presentation. You either "get" why this is funny or you don't. It can't be explained. I'm sorry if it's the latter...