Bing Crosby at Cypress Point

Image by Slim Aarons, via The Selvedge Yard

The great Bing Crosby and a pal, enjoying Cypress Point. Bing, of course, scored the rarest of rare - an ace at the thrillingly perilous 16th. Judging from this pic he never tired of celebrating the feat! I'm assuming this pic wasn't actually taken on the day he holed the shot - maybe it was?

This past weekend on the PGA Tour was the Pebble Beach event. Born from Crosby's Clambake, it's almost unwatchable now. Corporate sponsorships keep the event alive but ruin it as well. Too bad. I'm sure it was a helluva fun party back in the 1950s when Bing was in his prime and running the show personally. Ah, the Golden Age.

To The Linksland

We had some fairly warm weather here yesterday and a lot of snow melted. The days are getting noticeably longer now too. Spring is still almost two months away but the signs are coming. If you're a northern golfer like me and you need a good book to get you back in the mood for golf, a book with serious old school leanings, check out Michael Bamberger's classic, To the Linksland: A Golfing Adventure.

To The Linksland is actually two books in one. In the first half, Bamberger caddies on the European Tour, detailing the life and psyche of professional golfers grinding away to eke out a living in the game. It's a great story that's full of interesting characters, exciting golf - the fun but rough life on the road, bouncing from town to town in pursuit of making the cut and getting paid, and maybe picking up a trophy. But the second half of the book is the real gem. There, Bamberger takes us to Scotland, where he rediscovers golf as it was meant to be played, and presents a game that's the antithesis of the pro golf described in the first part of the book. Reading it makes you fall in love with golf all over again. It's a delightfully told testament to old school golf, of rediscovering the things that make golf so special, and of shedding off those things that get in the way of the pure joy in playing. It's a great, fun read that only gets better and better as it moves along. Halfway through you'll find yourself unable to put it down, and by the end of the book you'll be completely in love with the game.

To The Linksland is my personal favorite golf book. If I could only have one golf book to read for the rest of my life this would probably be it. I can't recommend it highly enough.

GolfClubPix.com

I've just found a new favorite site, a golf equipment picture blog, GolfClubPix.com.

The site features a random mix of equipment coolness in the form of a single daily pic, including the occasional old school gem. Here are a few from the gallery that I particularly enjoyed:

Image - GolfClubPix.com

A nice Cameron Bullseye. I'm not actually a big Scotty Cameron fan, but I love Bullseye putters and he makes some cool ones. I had one of the Pro Platinum ones for a while but sold it on eBay. I've totally regretted letting it go. I'm on the hunt for another Bullseye blade to round out my putter rota.

Image - GolfClubPix.com

Wilson Staff blades. Ever-cool. Nice sets can regularly be had on eBay for under $200, often far less. Think twice before you pour $900 into new forged blades.

Image - GolfClubPix.com

Ping Scottsdale Anser. Maybe the greatest putter ever? Certainly one of the top three, no?

Image - GolfClubPix.com

This pic is the gem of the bunch. I literally gasped when I saw it. BeCu wedges galore! Look at the sole on that Ping Eye2 in the upper left corner. I had one of those wedges and I can attest they are spectacularly playable - name the shot, any lie, you got it. Look at that minty Cleveland Byron Nelson 50th in the middle, and another new-looking copper Cleveland peeking out behind it. I'm dying to get my hands on one of those. I see Staff and VIP wedges too. This shot has me drooling. I'm pretty excited about the upcoming golf show that hits Detroit every spring. I'll be making a bee-line straight for the used wedge barrels. With some luck I'll find something good.

We have a good foot of snow on the ground here, so golf seems pretty far away (in fact, it's snowing right now, again - arghhh!). I haven't thought about the game much the last couple of weeks. It's too painful! I really want to play but I'll have to wait about two more months. Finding GolfClubpix.com and seeing these great clubs is helping to get me excited again!

Oldplayer's K.U. Hills Persimmon Driver

Images courtesy "Oldplayer"

I am very fortunate to have received photos of this neat K.U. Hills persimmon driver from 'Oldplayer,' a regular reader and commenter on this blog. We both wanted to share them on the web so hopefully we can find out more about the club. He just bought it recently, as he's giving the fun of persimmon a good go, but neither of us is familiar with the K.U. Hills name. Perhaps someone else can point us in the right direction.

Regardless of whether we find out more, it sure is a beauty, and Oldplayer has already had it out on the course and says it swings and feels sweet. I'm really excited for him, and jealous too - he lives in Australia where he can play year round, while I'm stuck here in Michigan under piles of snow! I don't know if I can stand to wait another three months before I can smoke a few drives with my Cleveland Classics RC85. I guess until golfing weather returns here in Detroit I'll just have to live vicariously through Oldplayer and his new 1-wood.

Oldplayer also shared pics of a pristine set of MacGregor Jack Nicklaus Classics that he picked up on eBay. Judging from the laminated woods (though laminates are certainly fine), we both feel it's not really a premium set, but they look really cool and should be a blast to play. Not bad for $100 - they're in near-new condition. That's the great thing about eBay. If you're into classic clubs you can find a lot of really nice stuff at bargain basement prices. While the rest of golfdom is shelling out huge money for the latest titanium behemoth, throwbacks like Oldplayer and I are foraging for forgotten gems and reaching back to a different kind of golf. It's a lot of fun.

Images courtesy "Oldplayer"

Thanks again, Oldplayer, for sharing the pictures. Have fun playing your new clubs, and let us know how they do.

To any other regular readers of this blog, if you have pics of your classic clubs and you'd like to share them, please drop me a line. I'd really love it if we could use this site to show off all our neat stuff.

NOT Old School

I'm definitely of the opinion that what golf needs is a more authentic, no-frills attitude. These days there's too much to distract you from experiencing golf as it should be. The following is brief a list of 'fluff' that is decidedly NOT old school:

Fancy Putter Covers
Do you think Jack Nicklaus put a cover on White Fang? It's okay to let your flatstick get dinged up a little. Also, having to constantly mess around with a cover, taking it off then putting it back on, it's just a pain in the rear. If you have a $350 Scotty Cameron to protect, then, well, I'm sorry but you paid too much. Get yourself an old Bullseye or a $60 bronze Ping. Some putter covers today are "worth" more than that you say? Well that's just sad. You only need one if you want to be a prima donna like most of today's tour pros. Oh yes, I almost forgot - if you have an insert putter (the insert needing protection) then please click away from this blog immediately and don't ever come back. Insert putters are terrifically awful.

Laser Range Finders
C'mon. We're not shooting artillery here, this isn't the army. Golf is a game of feel. You'll get more out of training your eye than relying on some machine. Leave the high tech gear for the Navy SEAL snipers.

Stand Bags
I don't know when golf bags became so special that you couldn't lay one on the ground. When I was a kid our bags didn't have legs, and they didn't need them. I still remember the first time a kid showed up at practice for our high school golf team with a stand bag. Sacrilege! The coach nearly died and the rest of us (rightly) called the kid a freak and drove him off the team (kidding). I won't deny it, I have owned and used stand bags, and have one still. But I can't get comfortable with it and prefer my good old standless Jones bag. I find it's a lot less fuss. If you want to walk but don't want to put your bag on the ground, or maybe you have a bad back and the bending over is an issue, go ahead and get a pull cart. They're a perfectly acceptable old school alternative to carrying your clubs on your shoulder.

Headcovers That Look Like Spacesuits
The worst thing about the latest in titanium drivers and fairways is the grotesque headcovers the manufacturers put on them. Most of them look like something out of a bad sci-fi movie. A simple faux fur barrel cover or, better still, a pop-pomed knit cover will give your clubs a nice touch of old school class. Also, I don't care what Tiger does, animals covers are ridiculous. The one exception I'll make is Ian Poulter's Ian Poulter cover, which has outfits matching his real outfit. That's the most hilarious paradoy I've ever seen, so I'll let it pass.

Do yourself a favor. Get back to basics. Forget all the fluff. Just play.

Anyone else have some ideas? What else can we do without in order to purify our golfing experiences?


Okay, I'll confess, I do usually use a putter cover on my Ping Anser. It's so soft and delicate. But I use a PLAIN one, not one with hula dancers or tartan-clad doggies on it. On the other hand, I am working on myself to let it go and allow the Ping to get nicked up a bit. That's called 'character' and it's okay.

Ouch!

I knew I wasn't crazy when I bought a new titanium driver last fall and felt that its sound at impact actually hurt my ears. In response to a reader's questions about a driver so loud that his playing partners cover their ears when he tees off, Frank Thomas writes about loud drivers in this week's Golf Digest Equipment Q&A:

"When the large metal drivers -- about 190 cc -- were first introduced, there was not a problem with noise level at impact, even though the sound was very different from that of wooden heads. In an effort to make driver heads more forgiving ? higher MOI ? manufacturers increased the size to the point where they collapsed on impact and a new material for drivers ? titanium ? was introduced. This not only increased the ball speed, due to the unexpected spring-like effect produced by the thin face, but increased the noise (decibel level) to a point where it was becoming a problem. When the size of the drivers were made to the limit of 460 cc and the shape changed to increase the forgiveness (MOI) the noise had became unacceptable. Some drivers today have not yet corrected this problem."

Also, Golfblogger points out this piece from the BBC, which talks about medical research showing that the sound of titanium drivers at impact can actually damage your hearing (Thomas mentions this as well, but there' s much more info in the BBC piece).

Thankfully, the obnoxious and painful impact sound of my titanium driver inspired me give my persimmons another go. I was never so happy on a golf course as when at least I heard that wonderful thwack! again. Nirvana! I'm never going back to metal. From now on my "woods" will be actually made of wood, thank you very much. Any my ears will thank me.

It's That Time of Year Again

Golf Digest just published the February 2009 issue, which includes its annual "Hot List," a compendium of the newest and "best" in golf equipment. It just arrived in my mailbox yesterday. I enjoy the magazine as much as the next golfer, but being the curmudgeon I am you can guess how I feel about these equipment features.

As usual, GD opens the feature with an article explaining, yet again, how all the new and improved technology is helping you, the average golfer. They even include a graph showing how USGA handicaps have decreased since the early 1990s in inverse proportion to the "greatest expansion in golf technology in history." The piece heaps praise on the "lot of smart people [who] have come to golf with ideas to make the game easier." Many experts are quoted, each explaining how the newest and best clubs will improve your game.

Um, okay. I'm sorry, but this is probably the most tired piece fluff I have ever seen. You know the old saying: there's lies, damned lies, and statistics. You can tell any story you want with a few superficial graphs. I know damned well the greatest new equipment, in the hands of a swing robot or expert player, produces more forgiveness and greater distance. But I think they're really making a stretch with the handicap claim. There could be a lot of factors driving those numbers and I think we should all think twice before accepting it as fact or truth.

The quotes from experts - those experts are R&D executives from Callaway and Taylor Made. No bias there.

And then, of course, the casual equating of 'easier' with 'better.' Is the game really easier? Maybe in some sense it is. Is it better? I don't think so. I can't see how changes in equipment have really made people enjoy golf more, or made the game so much more appealing to so many more people. Cheaper courses would do a lot more for the game in that respect.

What do I see when I look at the clubs show in the rankings? All I can say is they're sure getting uglier. It pains me to see the Cleveland name on a monstrosity like the new Launcher. Imagine that twenty years ago my persimmon beauties were made by Cleveland. And the Bobby Jones clubs, which had in the past combined technology with classic looks, well those things look like misshapen monstrosities, the kind of club that might scream out to shocked onlookers, "I am not an animal!" Gross. Dear Jesse Ortiz, please go back to making beautiful, handcrafted persimmon classics. Dear Jones family, please do not allow the winner of the 1930 Grand Slam's name to be placed on such ugly clubs.

The irons are such a disappointment. Not a true blade on the list, not even from Mizuno. I might have to cry myself to sleep tonight, honestly.

Some of the putters look like alien spaceships, more suited to being stop-animation models for a circa 1978 episode of the TV show Battlestar Galactica than for putting a golf ball. Truly, if this is what golf clubs are going to look like then I'm afraid I'm going to have to give up the game. If I had to play with clubs like that it simply wouldn't be worth it.

I know that my views place me squarely in the minority. I know that most golfers rush to the newsstands every year to pick up this issue, preparing themselves for the materialistic bliss of upcoming spring demo days at the local golf superstore. All I can say is - chumps! I can buy beautiful clubs on eBay for far less. Clubs that can shape shots and that sound beautiful when struck well. Yes, you need a little more skill to get the most out of them, but golf is supposed to be a game of skill, skill finely honed from practice, experience, self-knowledge, and wisdom. And I'll be spending the money I save on range balls and greens fees, and that is what will make me a better player. No matter how much technology there is you still can't buy game. You have to earn it, Hogan style. Dig it out of the dirt.

Please, take my advice. Skip the "Hot List" and proceed directly to page 162 (the very next article in the magazine) and read the remembrance of Tommy Bolt, Orville Moody and telecaster Jim McKay. These guys were old school and all class, and they gave the game far more than any titanium driver ever will.

Let's Hit the Links!

Golfweek , for serious golfers only: 1975-2008. Via robbiecamacho on twitter.

A beautiful piece on Seve Ballesteros by Bill Elliot in The Observer. Definitely worth reading.

"For me, now towards the blunt end of a sportswriting career that began 40 years ago, there have been only three heroes: Muhammad Ali, George Best and Severiano Ballesteros. Each had character to equal their talent. It may have been difficult actually to live with any of them, but it was impossible not to be a fan."

It's hard to disagree. Seve is a special sort of champion, who played with irresistible passion and flair. I never tire of watching him in the Masters or the Open Championship on those Golf Channel Classics shows.

Golfdiscussions.com, has a nice forum dedicated to classic equipment. There's usually some good pics being posted, and it's a great place to ask for info on classic clubs you have or are interested in. I root around in there from time to time and always find something interesting.

America's first golf course: Oakurst Links. Still played with sand tees, hickory shafts, guttie balls and sheep grazing the fairways. Man, I've really got to try some hickory clubs.

I found this old essay (from 1995) on Tom Weiskopf. It's pretty good. Weiskopf is certainly a very interesting figure in the game. I usually enjoy hearing what he has to say about the game today. I'll dig around and see if I can find some interviews with him.

My New Irons: Mizuno MP-14s

Images - Old School Golf blog

I thought I'd share a few pictures of my new irons, a set of Mizuno MP-14s I bought on eBay recently. I got the whole set, 2-PW, for about $290 shipped. They're in close to new condition, with just a couple of small bag nicks here and there and a little paint fill missing (which is pretty typical of any chrome-plated iron). They look like they've been played three or four rounds, tops.

According to Mizuno's retired club archive, the MP-14 was produced from 1992 to 2000. I'd say they're a transition iron falling somewhere between the true classic blades and the blades we've seen in the last five or so years. They do have old school lofts - the pitching wedge is 50 degrees - and they're certainly a no frills, no gimmicks iron. I had wanted a set for years but they were always a little pricey for me. Now you can get nice sets on eBay fairly easily, as fortunately a lot of MP-14s were produced during their long run.

People usually gush over how sweet the MP-14s feel. I haven't hit them yet because I just got them in December after our golf season here in Michigan was done for the year. I have chipped with them on the carpet a little and they do seem to feel very soft. We'll see in the spring. Given their reputaiton I don't expect to be disappointed.

What I always liked most about MP-14s is the face profile. They have a nice-looking high toe, a not too rounded but not boxy either, and a good progression through the set. The long and middle irons look lovely, and that look isn't lost in the short irons like it is in some sets of blades. I think they're one of the prettiest irons ever made.

I've heard they're very workable too. I've had sets of blades before and never found them too hard to hit. They don't intimidate me at all. The last time I bagged blades was around 1999. Since then I've had a few different sets of very good forged players' cavity backs. Somehow they always seemed a bit lacking to me, especially in the shotmaking department. My blades never failed me in that respect and most of my truly memorable shots involved really bending the flight of the ball with a blade iron. I'm sure some of it is that the ball has changed so much in the past ten years that it's just won't spin enough anymore for it to be worked by any club. I plan to try some spinnier balls next season too.

Regardless, I decided I had to go back to true blades. I want to enjoy the shotmaking aspect of golf more, and I want a lot of feedback from my clubs. I really do think that the more you feel the more you ultimately learn about your swing, and the better you get.

Alister Tait on Golfweek.com: "Out With the Old, In With The New"

I wanted to point out this nice Golfweek piece by Alistair Tait, where he raises some interesting thoughts about the 2008 golf season, and the upcoming 2009 season. In particular, I took note of what Tait had to say on the Open Championship, the PGA Tour schedule, and playing the game:

1. The Open Championship returns to Turnberry in 2009. I was aware of this, but failed to mention it the other day in my post on the 1977 Open, where Watson had his famous "duel in the sun" with Jack Nicklaus. It's been way too long since the championship was last played on this great course, fifteen years in fact, and I'm so glad to see the Open finally return there again this year. The sad part, though, is that the course has had to be redesigned to withstand the pressure of the distance players hit the ball now. It will be interesting to see how the course plays. Since it last hosted the Open in 1993 technology has totally changed the game.

2. Tate remarks on the overly full tournament schedules on both the US and European PGA Tours, hoping to see some events get weeded out. He also comments on the attitudes of some professional golfers relative to their lot in life. Tait hopes to see less moaning and more appreciation for the sponsors that pay for very fat tournament purses. I happen to agree. Professional golf is a victim of its own success the last few years, and it seems to me that too many players carry themselves with an air of entitlement. The modern pro and the modern Tour, good as they are, don't quite have the same class in my view when compared to pro golf years ago. They have it so much better than golfers did just twenty years ago that they've gotten spoiled and too corporate for their own good or the good of the game.

3. Lastly, Tait calls for a return to a simpler, more carefree style of golf:

If you’re like me, then you have too many thoughts in your head as you stand over the ball. Wouldn’t you just love to switch your brain off before you address the ball? I would. My main new year’s resolution is to stop thinking too much about technique before I become a basket case. We’d all improve with a simpler approach to the game. That’s my aim next year. Hopefully it will be yours too and we can both concentrate on what the game is all about – getting the ball in the hole.

Well said, and exactly in line with my own New Year's resolution to just play.