2012 golfing goals - Q1 progress report

I have previously published my (short) list of golfing goals for 2012 and so, with the first three months passing by, I thought I would produce the first quarterly progress report. This will help me understand and stay on top of these ambitions and what is left to do in order to complete them before the year is out.

Well, that was nice, wasn't it?

Luck. Most people have their fair share of it. Some people have more than others. When it comes to prizes & competitions involving nothing more than chance, I'm not usually holding my breath to be involved. So when I saw a tweet offering a free round of golf at a nearby course this caught my eye and got me out on the fairways (well, some of the fairways) for the second time in two weeks. How lucky would I be?

Rustier than a ten year-old Alfa

Saturday will see my third round of golf since the turn of the year, and second this month, so I wanted to look back at my last round at Cambridge Meridian to see what I can take forward to this weekend now that the cobwebs have been blown away.

50p...dinner plate...50p...dinner plate. The race to Medinah is on

In exactly six months' time we will know the make-up of the European team to take on the US at the 2012 Ryder Cup at Medinah, a course well-versed in staging major tournaments (the US PGAs of 1999 and 2006 most recent in the memory). Following the conclusion of the WGC Matchplay, the first real opportunity to see who might suit the matchplay conditions of the Ryder Cup, here is a look at who is leading the race to make the team, who is knocking on the door and, perhaps controversially, who should be concerned about missing out on this great event.

Right, I make that crack-on-o'clock chaps...

Amid the euphoria, high-fives and putting drama that concluded the Northern Trust Open on Sunday, two issues took the gloss off the occasion of Bill Haas' fantastic play-off win against Lefty and Keegan Bradley. One of these was the spitting, where the spotlight fell on young Bradley (though he's certainly not the only player on the pro circuit who is guilty of this less-than-pleasant habit). The second, more important, concern is the debate around the pace of play & Mr Bradley is, unfortunately, under the microscope for this as well.

Dem's da rules

The unfortunate incident of Peter Whiteford being 'escorted from the course' after his disqualification at the Avantha Masters sparked a storm on social media outlets, the general target for the vitriol being the armchair referee who called in the infringement and the unfairness of the situation around the DQ. There are clearly a number of issues with this turn of events, all of which served to overshadow what was a superb maiden European Tour win for Jbe Kruger.

Tweet Golf Cup - the countdown begins

According to the website, there are 200-odd days to go until the inaugural Tweet Golf Cup, an 18-hole, four-person-team Stableford competition to be played over the impressive and intimidating Dundonald Links golf course in Ayrshire. Having received the news that the entry of my team, Never Up Never In, had been accepted, I thought I would start the build-up and anticipation of what promises to be an exceptional day of golf.

What lovely balls you have...

John Solheim, CEO of Ping, recently proposed a change to golf balls whereby professional players use a different type of ball to us mere mortals, primarily to combat the continuing upward creep of average driving distances amongst the professional ranks. As part of a feature debating the pros and cons of this idea, I was invited by Today's Golfer magazine to contribute to the 'No' camp - this is the full extended version of my comments (which appear on page 15 of the March 2012 edition (#292).

Drive for show...

Extra distance. Added length. Obscenely long. 

Terminology with which we, as amateur golfers and suckers for marketing, are all too familiar. It seems that, despite the debates raging amongst the professional ranks about the distances being hit on tour and what can be done, the club manufacturers are sticking to the tried and tested principle of producing the gear which promises to give you the 'missing' extra yards off the tee. The question I have is 'Is it worth it?'

Protect what's most valuable

The extremely unfortunate news of Paul Casey dislocating his shoulder, resulting in an untimely lay-off, and the ensuing debate on Twitter, got me quite cross (grr - how very British) about the 'avoidable injury'.