Posts Tagged ‘golf’
Gary Player in South Africa..and me too!
What a sensational place this weeks co sanctioned Senior European Tour is being hosted at! We are in George in the Cape, and are playing the Fancourt Links, at the resort of same name. This is without doubt the best all round facility I have ever been too, practice ground, short game area, course & clubhouse..just incredible!
This event is being hosted by the club, and the designer is none other than Gary Player , he is playing here too at the age of 74. I was introduced to him on Monday, we discussed the course , its design and all things around diet, global warming etc.
Me thanking Gary for his hospitality
Then today we bumped into him again, before I popped out to play my final 9 holes of practice. What a magical 20 minutes Paul & I had chatting to him on the putting green. Today’s chat was based around green design & his diet! The greens here are severe to say the least, although my new pal Gary is restructuring and softening the contours on some this winter.
I will attach some photos to this asap, as for now it’s back to base as we have a 7.50 start in round 1 of The Berenberg Masters, i am looking forward to it, can’t wait and am in good form- I just need to believe and trust myself, simple as that!
cheers
The Old Course And More!
This week started with a scheduled trip to the R&A in St Andrew’s for the research lab to check the legality of the grooves in my irons. The world tours have, in their wisdom changed the rules regarding the width and shape of ‘tour’ players clubs, starting in May this year for us on the Senior tour. Logistically this will be a nightmare to supply equipment and police it, that said mine are fine apart from my Cleveland wedges. I am now in possession of legal versions of those now, and the spin rate is very different from the rough..I know the answer, just don’t hit it in the rough!
Anyhow after the check we managed to get a start on the old course, alongside Tom and 2 pals, we played in glorious sunshine and had one of those ‘memorable’ days. Tom played some sparkling golf as he and his partner defeated Paul and I 2&1. There is surely no finer place than the home of golf on such fabulous clear days…perhaps 15 degrees warmer maybe!
Day 2 we played Crail, the 7th oldest course in the world and a real gem, another fab , clear day right alongside the coast. Just fantastic, and Paul & I gained revenge by 3&2. Some great company and solid golf too considering we have been playing so little in Cheshire. Crail is really worth a visit, great hospitality and a marvelous old links.
Another highlight, was to visit The St Andrew’s Golf Club for the first time since becoming a country member, established in 1847. A historians dream in the clubhouse, that is just full of photographs and records of The Open and how golf began. Young Tom Morris’s watch is even on show! I have only been a member since Jan 1st, and even as a Pro can play in the club comps on the various courses in town. A smashing place to chill out too, right opposite the most famous 18th green in the world!
On that note I bid you farewell, with on odd pic of the trip, the guy in orange is my son Tom at Crail, if only dad could get into a position like that at the top! cheers.
New Pictures Added To Gallery
Pictures from the following events now added:
- T.P.P.L. Golf Day – Woburn Golf Club (19/5/09)
- Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles – Little Aston Golf Club (18/5/09)
- Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles – Crieff Golf Club (12/5/09)
- Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles – Denham Golf Club (23/4/09)
Click to view: http://www.andrewmurraygolf.com/blog/?page_id=10
Back to Winter golf!
Well, back to earth from the paradise island of Barbados, we as a company sponsored the Manchester & District Alliance event at Wychwood Park, nr Crewe. It was blowing a hurricane, pouring down and 6 degrees! Welcome home, my son Tom was making his professional debut alongside 2 clients from Toyota & TP and myself. He completely outplayed ‘the old man’ and scored 2 over, a score that I thought would win the individual pro event, but in the end was beaten by 3 by Graham Cox a local tour player, so 2nd spot to young Murray! I was so proud of the way Tom played and conducted himself in incredibly tough conditions. He is off next week to the PGA Euro Pro Qualifing school at Forest Pines, nr Brigg. we went over today for a preview and its a fab course in great condition. I hope he does well, and think he will as he has a good golf brain to enable him to plot his way around.
Next week we have our own corporate club event at Mere G&CC, Cheshire, one of the countries best inland courses, and currently in fantastic condition. All this is in preparation for a memorable year ahead in which they are hosting the regional PQ for the 09 Turnberry Open, all this in their 75th year too. The Boler family have owned Mere for 25yrs now and Mark is this years Captain! Good Luck Mark this year.
De Vere Mottram for coaching on Friday, and then the week end off! What shall it be gardening or practice….no contest hey?
Barbados Senior Open
Greetings from the beautiful island of Barbados, Paul my best pal has the ‘bag’ this week-some get lucky, some are born that way! we arrived to the shock news of our team being ‘duffed up’ by Liverpool; not a good start. We are over that shock and very much into ‘golf mode’ from this morning . This weeks tournament is played over the Royal Westmorland course on the central west of the island. Fortunatley for us I have a pal who, by chance has a house here so thats ‘home ‘ for the week. Ian Woosnam who resides here most of the year described the par 3′s here as the best in the world! Praise indeed, all of varyied distance from 8 iron to 3 iron. I cant wait to get to the practice ground this morning and play a few holes later in the day. For those in less warm climes, its fabulous here, 28 deg and sunny. experiments with putters and driver shafts to come today, so I will keep you posted.
