Ottawa Golf Blog

I’ve only been across the pond to Ireland, Scotland and England once back in the late 90s. Before wife and kids, simpler times a lot less complicated. Priorities were definitely different. When I went last time it was for a vacation between my two seasonal jobs (tree planter/foreman and Ski Hill Rental shop Supervisor).

Now when July rolls around and the Worlds best tee it up at the Open Championship I get the urge to recreate my trip across the Atlantic but with the priority set on golf travel. The same amount of Guinness as last time just a lot more golf.

Every golf fanatic out there dreams of teeing it up at the birthplace of golf. The way golf was meant to be played. Exposed coastlines, howling winds, bunkers that swallow golf balls, unfair bounces. It’s all about adversity. I know you dream of flying a shot low using a 3 wood where you’d normally hit a 7 iron. Playing a long bump and run where you’d normally just fly it straight to the hole. Links golf is different sometimes good shots get bad, game-changing bounces on those damn warped fairways. Golf is played more on the ground than in the air. Just ask the guys playing this week at Royal St. George’s or the guys going home early.

Golf vacations are easy when it comes to choosing which golf courses you want to play. With a rich History of Golf you can play courses the likes of Old Tom Morris, Bobby Jones, Walter Hagen, and Ben Hogan have graced. St. Andrew’s, Ballybunion Golf Club, Carnoustie and Royal County Down just to name a few.

But when it comes to finalizing one of the many golf packages available to golf Ireland and Scotland make sure you talk to an expert. They can help you with the hard things you might not think of like weather, avoiding crowds, club closures and tee time services. They can build you with a rough itinerary that can help in the long run and you can handle the golf and of course the after round Guinness.



You may even want to try out the Top 10 Most Difficult Holes at the British Open 1982-2010 how great would that be snapping your picture at a few of these courses to show your buddies back home

Year Location Hole Par Scoring Avg.

1. 1984, St. Andrews, No. 17, Par 4, 4.79

2. 2008, Birkdale, No. 6, Par 4, 4.77

3. 2000, St. Andrews, No. 17, Par 4, 4.71

4. 2010, St. Andrews, No. 17, Par 4, 4.67

5. 1986, Turnberry, No. 8, Par 4, 4.66

6. 1997, Troon, No. 11, Par 4, 4.65

6. 1990, St. Andrews, No. 17, Par 4 4.65

8. 2005, St. Andrews, No. 17, Par 4 4.63

8. 1988, Lytham, No. 14, Par 4, 4.63

10. 1998, Birkdale, No. 6, Par 4, 4.62

10. 1995, St. Andrews, No. 17, Par 4, 4.62

10. 1985, St. George's, No. 18, Par 4, 4.62

Here's what Puma gear Rickie Fowler will be wearing at this weeks Open Championship. Here's hoping Rickie improves on his T14 from St. Andrew's last year.

Graeme_McDowell posted on Twitter yesterday this great photo of the tribute the @The_Open_Champ
and Royal St. George's have affixed to the grandstands surrounding the 18th green at Royal St George's. Will Graeme McDowell add another Major to his list of wins?



Here's a video of Seve at Royal St. George's working his short game magic back in 1983 something that will be needed this week at the Open Championship.

If your looking for a great Summer read look no further than Those Guys Have All The Fun - Inside The World Of ESPN. Whether your a fan of ESPN or not there’s something for everyone in this book about the 30 year history of ESPN.

Having limited ESPN exposure usually through ESPN feeds on Canada’s answer to ESPN, TSN. I was really surprised how much I liked this book. Finding out how ESPN started out and all the behind the scenes, the good, the bad and the ugly from ESPN rise to a global media sports giant was truly intriguing.

From the humble beginnings of a $9000 investment in 1978. A great decision to buy a RCA SAT-COM in 1978 as well to the first televised NFL draft and finally getting the TV rights to NFL games in 1987 James Andrew Miller and Tom Shales have found a way to keep readers focused on a history with some great interviews over 700+ pages.

I love the way the James Andrew Miller and Tom Shales compiled all their various interviews with ESPN past and present. It really must of been fun doing the interviews and compiling every little tidbit of sex, celebrities, parties, rivalries, fights, racism ,sexism, gambling and oh ya sports.

I have a list of people who want to borrow it asap. Pick it up you won’t be disappointed. A fun Summer read.

Those Guys Have All The Fun: The Inside World Of ESPN By James Andrew Miller and Tom Shales
ISBN: 978-0-316-04300-7 $27.99
763 pages (8 pages of black and white photos)



What changes has the existence and dominance of ESPN brought to the world of sports and sports media?

Given their enormous appetite and financial strength ESPN is in a position to do a lot of things that he broadcast networks and other cable sports businesses can’t afford or can’t handle. This has had a profound impact on the competitive climate of sports television.

What was the most surprising thing you learned while you were writing this book?

ESPN’s tremendous success was hardly preordained. There were numerous times in its history when it almost collapsed, and there were several times when few wanted anything to do with them. We think of ESPN in its current form, but it wasn’t always that way. There were some incredibly bleak years.

Were there any major themes that jumped out at you as you were writing?

Somehow the right people wound up being in the key jobs at the right times-and that’s true both for people in front of the camera and those in executive offices. This is a network that was shaped to a large degree by the personalities and sensibilities of less then a dozen men, including(but not limited to) Scotty Connal, George Bodenheimer, Dick Ebersol, Steve Walsh, Steve Bornstein, and John Skipper.

Your last book, Live from New York, was also about television, but a very different kind of television from that of ESPN. What drew you to a sports TV network after Saturday Night Live?

JM: I’ve been watching ESPN since 1980 but didn’t really know much about how it got to be so huge, or who the key players were. Beyond that, I wondered what life was like behind the scenes for the people I was watching and for their colleagues off camera. In this book, we hope to give people a real sense of why ESPN is a such a broadcasting and cultural force, while also reporting about many of the key events that helped shape its identity.

TS: Unlike Jim, I am lapsed sports fan, but even I was aware of ESPN because of the traits it had blazed in production and promotion; its “This is SportsCenter” campaign got my attention when it ran, and I watched, more than once, the network’s lengthy compilations of SportsCenter spots. I didn’t always recognize the athletes, but I still got 90 percent of the jokes, enjoyed the spots for the clever comic approach, and hugely admired the talent that went into the campaign.

This is your second book to tell a story about an organization using oral history. What do you like about that format? What does it bring to the book?

It brings impeccable verisimilitude. It also helps convey the voice and personalty of the speaker. Somehow when quotes get interpolated in to a straight narrative format, everybody ends up sounding alike. The oral history was Jim’s idea for Live from New York, and we agreed it would also work well with the ESPN book, though the scope of the subject would require more narrative links than Live from New York did. Still, the non-quote parts of the book were kept to a minimum so as to hew to the “in their own words” idea. People who think we do it because it’s easier” are wrong; it is much, much harder.

How many interviews did you conduct? How did you go about choosing what parts of interviews to use and how to frame them into a narrative? Were people generally open or were they reluctant to speak with you?

TS: Jim did nearly all the interviews, more than 500. I helped set some up. We spent ten months on President Obama, pleading and cajoling White House staffers. The president came through a the very last minute; Jim and i were very grateful.

JM: Many people were interviewed numerous times. Some were reluctant at first, some forgot things but later remembered them, and some had to be confronted with questions about honesty. There were a couple interviews that were three or four hours long but only yielded a paragraph or two. Still, those interviews were worthwhile because we got such great material.

How much did you cut from the published version of Those Guys? Did you cut it because the lawyers told you to, or for other reasons?

JM: There were roughly 350 pages cut from the initial draft, and many of those were cast aside because the book was simply getting too big. There were a lot of mart and funny people who shared stores and insights; it was frustrating sometimes not to be able to include everyone.

TS: I read a ridiculous review of Live from New York years after it was published in which the reviewer groundlessly speculated that the paperback version of the book was different from the hardcover probably because lawyers had told us to take things out. In the first place, the hardcover version got lawyer’d plenty, and in the second pace, the paperback had additional material in it, not less. It amazes me what conclusions will come to, out of sheer imagination. very little was cut from Those Guys Have All The Fun at the lawyers’ behest.

Stacey Lewis should be one of the favorites this week at the Women's US Open. With one top ten in 4 US Open appearances Stacey should be able to built over her great season so far.

Stacy Lewis’ Fila Golf scripting for the US Women’s Open

Rory's Oakley apparel script is out and it differs somewhat from the blue scheme Oakley used en route to his dominating US Open victory. Oakley has combined the Masters Scheme(black, white and green) and US Open (Blue scheme)for a great look. Along with some stripes Rory will be stylin' at St. George's. Today's Golf in the UK has a great interview with Rory talking about his Oakley scripting.

So whats the best prep for the upcoming Open Championship? So who do you think will win the Open Championship?

I’m surprised Rory McIlroy isn’t playing this weeks Scottish Open as a tune up to Royal St. George’s. Rory hasn’t hasn’t played since he won the US Open almost a month ago. I know he’s got a state-of-the-art mini golf course extension at his County Down home but I figured he’d want to get a least one tournament in before the next Major. The golf betting Gods already have him as the favorite at 6 to 1 odds. He’s been checking out multiple sporting events including the Haye fight on Sat and Wimbledon final on Sunday. Maybe a break will work for Rory leading up to the Open Championship.

Great to see some American players traveling over early to tee it up at the Scottish Open. The likes of Phil Mickelson, Matt Kuchar, Ryan Palmer, Brandt Snedeker, Gary Woodland and Brendan Steele are scheduled to tee it up this week a the Scottish Open. Does this give them a heads up for Royal St. George’s for those that stay in the US and play the John Deere? Castle Stuart site of this years Scottish Open will provide a links golf test more in-line with the Open Championship in two weeks. Plus you get use to the time change, weather, food and culture.

Every player has their system but you have to like the guys that get over early and get accustomed to their new surroundings. Brendan Steele first time winner on PGA Tour this year already has a T7 after playing in this past weekend's French Open. The Americans will be joined by the top two in the Official World Golf Rankings - Lee Westwood and Luke Donald - and 2010 US Open Champion Graeme McDowell. I give the guys playing this week full marks and an advantage going into the third Major of the year.

Not surprisingly Nick Watney won this weeks PGA Tour stop. Here’s what Watney brought to the table. Highest ranked player in the field, a T7 last year at Aronimink Golf Club, one win already this year. At 12 to 1 odds this week if I was going to bet on golf, Watney seemed like easy money. Although it’s never easy to win on the PGA Tour, are there ever any sure bets? I say very rarely.

Just look at Rickie Fowler tied with Watney going into the final round. Rickie has troubles early and never recovers shooting a 74 and a T13. Watney plays solid bogey free golf hits some putts shoots 66 and wins by two shots over KJ Choi. Fowler will eventually win but getting that first win will be the toughest. Look at the top 5 of the leaderboard this week all players with wins except Overton. Watney definitely deserved the win and could be the hottest American going into the next Major the Open Championship in a few weeks.
 
Ever week its always interesting to see what the pros use to win that week. Seems most players use hybrid clubs these days. Easier to hit and more versatile even for pros. Right now I’m just testing out a few hybrids as my golf equipment is not quite set even though it’s the heart of the golf season here in Ottawa. Watney uses the new Titleist hybrid. The 910H is adjustable this year but I may test out last years 909H just because I should be able to pick one up for cheaper maybe at www.canadapost.ca/shopper/.

So here's what was in Watney's Bag at the AT&T National this week:

DRIVER: Titleist 910D3 (10.5°) with a Graphite Design Tour AD DI7 shaft
FAIRWAY WOOD: Titleist 910F (15°) with Mitsubishi Diamana Blue Board 93 shafts
HYBRID: Titleist 910H (21°) with an Aldila Voodoo XVS9 shaft
IRONS: Titleist 712 AP2 (3-PW) with True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 shafts
WEDGES: Titleist Vokey Design Spin Milled (54°), TVD (60°) with True Temper Dynamic Gold S400 shafts
PUTTER: Scotty Cameron for Titleist Studio Select Fastback
BALL: Titleist Pro V1x