golf
DRIVING RANGE No matter how badly you’re playing, displays of frustration are one thing, but outbursts of temper are quite another. Yelling, screaming, throwing clubs or otherwise making a fool of yourself are unacceptable and, in some cases, dangerous to yourself and others, according to the rules of golf. Writer: Suzannah Sorrell Photographer: Jarowan Power
T
he old saying, ‘bad workmen always blame their tools’ is very apt when it comes to golfers. If I had a pound for every player who, after throwing their clubs to the ground in disgust, declares their irons or driver are absolutely useless, I’d be considerably wealthier than I am now. For the most part, I smile sweetly and sympathise with their plight as they recount their horrors from the course. Let's face it, we’ve all been there but other times frustration gets the better of me and I politely enquire, after witnessing their umpteenth errant shot, when was the last time they had some tuition? The majority of them pronounce, quite proudly, “I have never had a lesson in my life and it’s never done me any harm, it’s definitely the clubs.” How about fitness, do they do any? “I play golf every other day, that’s enough fitness for me!” Afterwards, I’m left wondering how they expect to play well if they never seek the help of a professional, how their poor muscles cope without a serious yoga-inspired stretching session or, at the very least, a weekly deep-tissue massage. To be fair, in some cases, it is down to their clubs. If you buy off the shelf, no matter how good
44 . 1° East . Autumn 08
the brand, nine times out of 10 they won’t be right. When you buy your car you specify the colour, interior finishes, fabrics, and in some cases even brakes, so why wouldn’t you do the same for your golf clubs? Of course, there are many superb brands of clubs out there, but Callaway Golf is the only brand with a tie-in with the Home of Golf – St Andrews Links Trust in Fife, Scotland. The Old Course, which, along with the other six public courses in St Andrews including the new Castle course, is managed and maintained by the Links Trust under an Act of Parliament, is the oldest course in the world, so to be associated with such a prestigious course is a serious coup. Although golf was first played in St Andrews in the 1400s, the earliest written evidence is a licence issued in 1552, which permitted the community to rear rabbits on the links and ‘play at golf, futball, schuteing ... along with all other manner of pastimes.’ Including walking your dogs which, surprisingly, on such a prestigious course, they still do. In fact, on Sundays, when the course is closed to golfers, you’ll see all manner of dogs, families with pushchairs and children competing for space, along with the army of groundsmen who desperately try to
Above: The Ed takes a swing under the watchful eye of a TrackMan doppler radar.