Getting the first drive away...
Prestwick, day one of a Glasgow loop; after lunch, many, many years ago, first on the tee; I missed the ball completely. Of course I was made to play first, after lunch, every day and yes, I missed the ball completely everyday.
It is after lunch as I write and I hope to get my first blog away more satisfactorily. It cannot have been that experience that hooked me, perhaps it was coverage of The Open and Peter Alliss. The sheer beauty and variety of the settings hooked me and the romance, traditions and humanity of the game that Peter Alliss conveyed before his words fell out of sympathy with the audience.
According to the noble author David Worley in his excellent “Journey through the links” and “Another journey through the links” there are a 165 links courses in the UK and Ireland and a few more further afield, just over 200 in total. I must pay due respect to David Warley as his books, still available, are perfect for the sofa slumped golfer. They inspired me to get up and over commit. Since the originally titled second volume American Presidents and others have added more links so perhaps the tide is turning for these golfing jewels. I must have played nearly a quarter of them before I commenced this blog and have plans currently to exceed sixty before the year end. If everyday on a links course is different how different will these 165 be.
Hold on, 165+ courses at 6,800 yards equals 1,122,000 yards at 80 yards per average shot equates to c.14,025 strikes which I would buy as that is my handicap. So nearer 15,000 shots, over 600 miles, and more like 800 if you include wandering back to the tee to fire off another one. I might be taking on more than my romantic imagination can grasp. And the wind! at least half of it will be into the wind, and the rain. No wonder my mother was never keen on me taking it up. Maybe my wife is right.
I am committed now, like standing on the 18th at Carnoustie your third shot has gone into the water should I stay at home or battle on, like The Frenchman? What compelled him to play the game like that? I have been in the water there too and like The Frenchman I will carry on. No good will come of it but there will be a tale. Brilliant, automaton, golfers have fewer tales to tell
The blogs that follow will mainly cover the new links I play with reflections and stories of the ones that have gone before. It will be more reflection than critique and more of a conversation than a diatribe. Please join me on yet another journey on the links that will visit most of the burns and bunkers along the way.
