Golf Jackets in Green, Tartan and Plaid...

You've probably noticed that golf awards some of the most gawd-awful trophies in all of sports. They do nothing to dispel the notion that golf isn't a "real" sport.

I've already written about the megalomaniacal "Tiger" trophy awarded to the winner of the Target World Challenge.

But those silly jackets that sometimes accompany these trophies are even worse. Yes, the Men of the Masters will likely send a hitman to silence me when I write this, but the Green Jacket is just downright awful. The only thing that looks good wearing it is a Leprechaun.

With the Masters and its Green jacket fresh in our minds, the golf gods hit us with something far worse. In fact, the Green jacket is Paris Hilton-stylin' compared to the red Tartan jacket awarded to the winner of the Verizon Heritage held the week after the Masters. The madness continues with the red Plaid jacket given to the winner of the just concluded Bank of America Colonial.

I cringe whenever I see these hard-edge patterned threads in jacket form. I always think, how the hell does that look good? In fact, when did it ever look good? Can you look at these fashion fiascos and not laugh?

I tried to think of things where that bold red tartan or plaid pattern may look at least normal these days. Boxers? Blankets? Tablecloths? Skirts? Not surprisingly, he list is very short. Whoever first said, "Yeah, that pattern would look great as a sports coat" needs to have their eyes checked.

Just because these jackets are horrible, doesn't mean that nobody wants them. When asked about the Verizon Heritage, Ernie Els said, "I'd love to get one of those ugly jackets."

Remember that classic Stanley Kubrick sci-fi flick, 2001: A Space Odyssey? I loved that movie in my youth because at the time I thought that it was a glimpse into the not-so-distant future. It predicted that we'd all be flying around the universe in cool spaceships having intelligent conversations with talking computers. It turns out that the only thing that they managed to get right about the turn of the millennium is that no one wears tartan or plaid. That is, unless you win a golf tournament.

Turnberry Ailsa - Scotland's Pebble Beach

The Turnberry Ailsa course (ranked #17 in the world) is worthy of its world ranking. Located on Scotland's Ayrshire coast, Turnberry is one of the most scenic places in the world to play golf. On a clear day you can see the Antrim coast of Northern Ireland across the sea to where Royal Portrush is located.

Parts of the Ailsa course were destroyed during both the First and Second World Wars to make landing fields for the Royal Air Service. There are remains of the air fields still there today if you climb some of the hills around the twelfth and thirteenth holes. Mackenzie Ross was tasked with rebuilding the course after the Second World War. In a combination of both luck and no doubt foresight most of the holes along the water were spared destruction. The original course was built c1906, by Willie Fernie, the professional at Troon, although apparently, the Marquis of Ailsa had a private course on the land prior to 1906.

Turnberry, like many early British resort courses, was initially built by the railway companies to generate traffic; in this instance, with the building of the Glasgow and South Western Railway link and Turnberry station. By 1925, the L.M.S. (London, Midland and Scottish Railway Company) owned the hotel. In Dell Leigh's 1925 book Golf at its best on the LM&S, you can really see how the pre-war Ailsa course was quite different than today's redesigned course. He mentions that there were eight holes where you had to hit blind shots. Ross's redesign eliminated virtually all of these.

Leigh's description of Turnberry is still very much apt today and makes you want to book a trip right now, "The hotel, gay and red roofed, stands square to the sea. Your bedroom window is flung wide to it. The early morning tea; the cigarette; the vision of fluttering red and white flags ; the prodigious breakfast under the sun-splashed windows; the stroll down the seventy-three steps from the hotel to the links ; the smashing drive off the tee. Every hole is an education. The climb up the steps to lunch, prodigious multiplied by two, for the wind and sea spray have ground the sharp edge of appetite upon you. The short stand-easy for coffee in the lounge. The second round, played better or worse than the morning according to your temperament and digestion. Tea thereafter. The brine bath, stinging new vitality into you. The crisp dress shirt; dinner; dance; the ladies; bridge; billiards. Bed, the instant sleep, bred of hard physical exercise, salt-laden breezes, and a great contentment with the life of the moment."

Each hole on the Ailsa Course has a Scottish name, many of which, artfully, plant just that slightest bit of doubt in your mind before playing them:

1. Ailsa Craig (named for the rock in the Firth of Clyde that you look out on)
2. Mak Siccar (Make Sure)
3. Blaw Wearie (Out of Breath)
4. Wo-Be-Tide (Watch Out)
5. Fin Me Oot (Find Me Out)
6. Tappie Toorie (Hit to the Top)
7. Roon the Ben
8. Goat Fell (named for the tallest peak on Arran across the firth)
9. Bruce's Castle (remains of Robert the Bruce's castle are nearby)

10. Dinna Fouter (Don't Mess About)
11. Maidens (The village north of the course)
12. Monument (to the airman lost that were stationed at Turnberry)
13. Tickly Tap (Tricky Little Stroke)
14. Risk-an-Hope
15. Ca' Canny (Take Care)
16. Wee Burn (the little burn that runs in front of the green)
17. Lang Whang (Good Whack)
18. Duel in the Sun (Nicklaus vs. Watson 1977)


As proof that the R & A does add courses in to the Open rota, Turnberry was added in 1977 and has hosted Opens four: 1977, 1986 and 1994, and 2009. In case the R & A are readers of my blog (since they won't take my calls, this is my only channel of communication), my hope is that one day Kingsbarns will also be added to the rota.

Holes one through six are basically back and forth parallel holes which is a good thing because if the wind is blowing it allows you multiple changes in direction to provide some relief. The course really beings at the fifth hole where the next seven are along the ocean, ala Pebble Beach. I especially like the sixth, Tappie Toorie, an uphill par three that plays 231 yards. If the wind is up during the 2009 Open Championship, this is going to make the 240 yard par three fourth at Augusta look like a wee little hole. The hole is well protected on the left side by three small bunkers and from the tee the entire right side of the hole drops away, in shades of the Postage Stamp at Troon.

The blue tee on the ninth hole is arguably the best tee box in the world (Pebble Beach 18th being the 2nd best). You are hanging on the edge of a cliff with the white lighthouse nearby, the craggy rocks below and one of the most scenic views in golf with the course all around you and the majestic hotel on the top of the hill. To once again quote one of my favorite golf writers, Henry Longhurst, "You find yourself lingering on the tee, gazing down on the waves as they break on the rocks and reflecting how good it is to be alive."

The sixteenth Hole, Wee Burn, is one of the best on the course. A 409 yard par four that calls for a straight and long tee shot. The drama comes on your second shot. You will typically be hitting from a slight downhill lie to an oval shaped green that is difficult to hold. If you are a little bit short the green is shaped so your ball will roll down into the burn. The same situation on the right side of the green. The left side is protected by a bunker and being long leaves you in the tall and hilly rough. As an added element of danger the green also has portions sloping that can cause your ball to ricochet in various directions. Also, the drop from the green to the burn is probably close to fifteen feet. Unlike the Swilken Burn at the Old Course which is just a couple of feet below you, you are basically hitting from atop a hill, downhill over a chasm to an elevated green. It is something! The net-net of it is that the effective landing area you have to hit to hold a ball is probably no more than 20 feet by 10 feet. I have yet to find a better side (left or right) to approach the green from, probably because there is none.



Without the drama and grandstands of the Open Championship the seventeenth and eighteenth are anti-climactic, average holes. None-the-less, the overall experience at Turnberry is one of excitement. The end of the round at Turnberry is enhanced by the thought of sitting happily at the hotel after a round listening to a bag-piper as you recount the day's shots at the 19th hole. Touristy? Maybe, but bring it on.

The inevitable question that arises, "Is it better than Pebble Beach?" is a tough call. It depends on the importance you give to different factors. Pebble Beach probably has better golf holes in all (except holes 13, 14 and 15), but I think Turnberry beats it on the scenic beauty front. Turnberry also wins on the speed of play, the caddie experience and overall value for the money.

As golf writer and architect Donald Steel says describing Turnberry. "There is no where lovelier!"

For a fuller description of Turnberry, see the write-up done by my Kiwi friends, which includes some delightful pictures.

Michelle Wie Winless in the Past?

The popular knock on Michelle Wie is that she hasn't won much. People often point to her lack of wins at the amateur level and conclude that she is doomed to failure at the professional level. In my opinion, this is short-sighted at best.

People seem to overlook that Michelle grew up in Hawaii. While it may not appear significant at first blush, it is a major reason for her limited track record at the amateur level. Quite simply, junior golf tournaments in Hawaii are lacking both in number and in the quality of the competition. The junior golf events with any substance are all located within the continental United States. Therefore, any accomplished Hawaiian junior golfer who wishes to compete at the highest junior levels would have to travel to the mainland. Easier said than done.

Let's assume that you are a parent of a junior golfer living in Hawaii. She is entered in the Rolex Girls Junior Championship this June 13 – 16 in Park City, Utah and you need to make arrangements.

Booking the lowest cost itinerary on Expedia on May 6, 2006, the total cost is $1,739.10. This amount includes 2 roundtrip tickets, 1 room for 5 nights at the Sky Harbor Suites, and a 5-day economy car rental. Throw in another $300 for incidentals and subtract out the maximum AJGA stipend of $250 and the net cost of this trip is $1,789.10.

But the cost isn't the only sacrifice that you're making for your daughter. Air travel from Hawaii to Salt Lake City is about 10 hours each way. Therefore, to arrive for the registration at 9am on Tuesday, June 13, you need to spend most of Monday, June 12 traveling. The tournament ends late in the afternoon on Friday, June 16. However, there are no return flights past 5pm. Therefore, you must fly on the following day. All told, the time you must sacrifice for this tournament amounts to practically a full week. If you are a working parent, you probably have 2 weeks of vacation per year. Do the math and you'll discover just how many mainland tournaments your daughter can enter per year.

In effect, a Hawaiian junior golfer who wishes to play against the best would require the equivalent of a Hawaiian vacation for each event. Any trip from Hawaii to the mainland is a tremendous burden of cost and time. Even the shortest trip from Hawaii to the mainland is still at least 5 ½ hours each way!

Here in California, some of the top junior golfers in the nation compete with each other on a weekly basis. Most tournaments are just a short drive away. Had Wie grown up in California, I'm sure that she would have built up an impressive amateur resume.

So, is it any wonder why Wie's amateur record is so barren? It's just unrealistic to expect Wie to have entered many prestigious amateur golf events in the first place. How do you win tournaments that you can't enter? In the end, it may not really matter. History has proven that winning at the amateur level doesn't guarantee success at the pro level. Kelli Kuehne knows that all too well.

Alpha C830.2: 460cc Never Looked So Small

The UPS delivery guy is the Santa Claus for adults. I always get that sudden rush of excitement when I see that plain brown cardboard box sitting on my doorstep. Such was the feeling when I recently found a long, skinny box perched against my front door. Inside was an Alpha C830.2 driver with an Aldila NVS shaft!

You may be wondering, what the heck is an Alpha C830.2? We are all familiar with the big golf club companies such as Titleist, Ping, TaylorMade, etc. These guys have huge marketing budgets to ensure that they remain top of mind with the consumer. As a result, it's very difficult for the new and smaller golf companies to get noticed.

Alpha Golf is one such golf company. Started in 2000, Alpha was able to attract some attention relatively quickly by making a name for themselves in the sport of professional long drive. Long drive is golf's loud, rebellious and juiced-up younger brother. It is a sport that takes one element of golf to the max and then kicks it up a notch. To be successful, competitors need equipment that can withstand extreme conditions.

Alpha Golf recognized this need and developed drivers that could take the punishment while still offering top performance. Alpha's success on the Long Drivers of America (LDA) circuit speaks for itself. But how would such a specialized driver work for the average golfer?

That's what I wanted to find out with Alpha's C830.2. I had read that the driver head was a full 460cc, so when I opened the package I fully expected to see a Yugo on a stick. However, I was surprised to find a rather conventional looking driver in terms of size. In fact, it looks even smaller than my 400cc TaylorMade 540XD when viewed from the top! At first I thought that I had received the wrong driver, but "460cc" was clearly stamped into the sole. Like Anna Nicole Smith, the Alpha C830.2 hides its mass well.

I was anxious to get to the course to see how the Alpha C830.2 would stack up. To be honest, I haven't hit many 460cc drivers. They always appeared a little too big for my liking. In this respect, the C830.2 was easy on my eyes.

I have been playing with the C830.2 exclusively over the last month and I can honestly say that I'm pleasantly surprised. With my trusty ol' TaylorMade 540XD, I probably drive the ball an average of 260-270 yards when I nut it. It's hard to say for sure, but it seems that I'm a little longer with the C830.2. I just don't know if it's the sword or the swordsman. I could be subconsciously swinging harder than normal because I know that the C830.2 is a "long drive" driver. Regardless, I've hit some of my longest drives ever on my home course with the C830.2.

In terms of accuracy, the C830.2 fares well. With 460cc, it better! With all that surface area from its deep face, I seem to hit the screws on the C830.2 more frequently than my 540XD. As a result, my drives are a little bit more accurate.

As far as feel goes, I would characterize the C830.2 as having a solid metallic feel and sound, reminiscent of a Titleist driver. It doesn't have that hollow aluminum baseball bat sound found on some of the other 460cc drivers.

Having put the C830.2 through its paces, I believe that it compares very favorably against the "Big Name" offerings. Whether it is the right driver for you is another question. I feel that golfers need to demo many different drivers to find one that best fits their individual game. That being said, the C830.2 is definitely worth a swing. It may be especially attractive to those traditionalists who are uncomfortable looking down at some of the gigantic looking 460cc drivers out there. Just don't fall into the trap of assuming that the C830.2 is a "long drivers only" club. It works great for the "average" player as well.