Hi Everyone,
I have been meaning to pen a newsletter for a few weeks but I have been busy teaching, or going to meetings about teaching and playing this great game. I am enjoying my new schedule with coaching Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at Mid Herts, unless I am doing a Golf and Coaching trip for David Short Golf, which is going really well. It is illuminating to see clients in action on the course and putting in to practice what they have learnt. I have some other writing and coaching engagements too, so feeling very blessed with my lot. Thanks to so many of you who have wished me well on my change of direction, I really appreciate your thoughts and support.
I was also prompted by many of you who enquired as to who I thought would win the US Open, so that they could bet on someone else! I felt this a little harsh, however I suppose on my present run of nought for 28 (that's years by the way) on the predicting front, the facts outweigh my rather Forrest Gump like confidence that I will pick a winner. After much deliberation, I toyed with the idea that up and coming Matthew Fitzpatrick could as a former US Amateur Champion add to his American trophy collection, but thought he is just too young. I think I came to that conclusion as every time I look at him I think he is 12. I then thought about a former Oakmont winner in Angel Cabrera, who has a habit of popping up in a Major when you least expect it, before disappearing home to focus on his waist expansion and lovely Argentinian wine appreciation. Sadly I think his recent lack of form and taking the art of relaxing to Olympic levels will negate his chance of one last surprise.
So (cue drum roll) I have gone for a big time player for what is a big bad golf course, in the resurgent Rory McIlroy. He has the necessary length and as a former US Open Champion the necessary experience required to combat what is probably the toughest of the 4 Majors. Oakmont has dense rough, brutally quick greens and one par three that isn't far short of 300 yards. Jim Furyk on a recent visit said of Oakmont "it's penal, it's tough and the layout is as hard as I have ever seen" Then with no sense of irony at all commented on the tough rough "we were looking for a ball in a one foot circle and you couldn't see it. It was like it had a comb-over" Unlike Jim we haven't applied the phrase "comb over" ourselves for several decades.
The other observation on the course I found interesting came from the great Jack Nicklaus, who recalled that he was leading the 1960 Open there with 6 holes to go, looked at the leaderboard which featured Ben Hogan and Arnold Palmer (for those of you under 30, that's like saying Speith and Day now!) and in his words "fell apart like a 3 dollar suitcase" It just shows how even the greatest player of all time can tell it how it is and how golf keeps you honest.
The greatest golfer with the greatest boxer
Rory's super victory in Ireland followed by an excellent performance in the Memorial tournament where his bête noire, putting looked like it was coming around. There you have it, Rory to win and perhaps as a double header back England to win the Euro's which is my other cert!
I will be looking to do a newsletter every three weeks or so to keep you up to date and hopefully add the odd pearl of wisdom that you might take out on the course with you.
Enjoy your golf
All the best
Barney