INSTANTLY RECOGNISABLE – the 495-yard par-four (par five for members) fourth hole at Royal St. Georges, Sandwich. The 40ft deep bunker has a carry of 239 yards and can be murder when the south coast gales make a nonsense of yardages. (Main article image)
Members tend to play out backwards. In the 1979 English Amateur Championship Reg Glading’s ball lodged itself near the top under the lip of the bunker. He swung his club and tumbled head over heels (putting it politely) back down the slope.
The last round of the 1938 Open was perhaps the worst in the championship’s history, the exhibition tent was shredded and flattened, its contents blown to the sea. Only seven players broke 80. At the 140th Open in 2011 the rain and wind caused turmoil, although Darren Clarke, unfazed, romped home for his first major and a celebratory Guinness.
Today’s Golfer says: ‘ Royal St. George’s is a magnificent golf course, not despite it’s unpredictability but because of it. This is links golf at its finest. If you don’t like it, then, by George, you don’t like golf.’
THE 2nd ROSE Ladies Series involves 11 one-day events across the UK coinciding with gaps in the LET schedule. In 2020 Justin and Kate Rose contributed £35.000 in prize money and other UK sponsors matched it. Venues offered their facilities for free.
This year the Series heads to Scotland for the first time on August 7 at Scotscraig. North Hants on September 20 and Buckinghamshire GC on September 23 will be followed by the Grand Final at Bearwood Lakes on September 25, with a £20,000 prize for the winner.
Justin will also be hosting and sponsoring the Justin Rose Telegraph Junior Golf Championship in October at Walton Heath, where he hosted the 2018 British Masters. The news that the competition was being relocated from Portugal’s Quinto do Lago course received a raspberry from the young competitors, who had been hoping for a few days in the sun.
The 2018 British Masters was washed out, and last year’s Ladies Series was cut short after a fire, so let’s hope a plague of locusts doesn’t descend on Justin at Walton Heath.
PHIL MICKELSON (49) puts his recent success down to exercise, healthy eating and – coffee! He and performance coach Dave Phillips came up with ‘Coffee for Wellness’ – a gourmet blend which consists of beans ethically sourced from Africa and South America and roasted to preserve coffee’s natural antioxidants. It is then combined with ‘The Good Stuff’— Phil & Dave’s special invention made in powder form and poured directly into a cup of their special blend.
The Good Stuff contains: MCT powder, to boost metabolism; L-Theanine, to sharpen focus; Collagen for skin health; Cinnamon for joint health; and Himalayan pink salt, which supplies electrolytes to the system. “Coffee for Wellness reduces stress and fatigue and improves golfers’ cognitive function.” says the blurb. Clever old Phil, another million dollars towards his pension.
THE BIG BERTHA DRIVER celebrates it’s 30th anniversary this year. Ely Callaway, a textile magnate with a passion for golf, and Richard Helmstetter a billiard cue designer, made golfing history with their driver, named after the WW1 howitzer gun which could launch 3000lb shells 30 miles behind enemy lines. The Big Bertha driver looked out of this world and performed like it; offering the promise of forgiveness to the golfer who until now had stood trembling on the tee attempting to hit the ball with a miniscule sliver of wood.
Although the head volume was only 190cc compared with the 460cc beasts of today, it’s perimeter weighted thin-face construction enabled it to launch the ball a long distance, and its sleek design proved an instant hit. Followed in due course by bigger and better Big Berthas, and the current range of Big Bertha B21 drivers and irons, it literally changed the face of the game. Happy Birthday to the BB, you gave us the opportunity to hit a bad one and still get away with it.
Until next time: Happy Golfing.
