BURIED ELEPHANT - GOLF IN SPACE

Golf is everywhere, even in space according to James Cameron’s block buster hit movie Avatar. 

Early in the movie the character Parker Selfridge (played by actor Giovanni Ribisi) is doing a little putting practice when he’s interrupted by Sigourney Weaver’s character Dr. Grace Augustine.  Remember this scene ….

Selfridge: [In the tech room, Selfridge putts a golf ball into a mug and laughs] You see that?
Worker: Yes sir!
Selfridge: No you didn’t, you were looking at the monitor. I love this putter, Ronnie! I love this putter!
Dr. Grace Augustine: Parker. You know, I used to think it was benign neglect, but now I see that you are intentionally screwing me.
Selfridge: Grace, you know, I enjoy our little talks.
[He putts the ball again, it's about to go in the mug but Grace kicks the mug away]
Dr. Grace Augustine: [Deadpan] Oops.

The putter Sefridge likes so much is a Louisville wooden mallet putter.  Louisville Golf, a family-run business, has been making wood golf clubs for 36 years and continues to this day, despite the fact that wood has been replaced by metal in the modern golf bag.  The wooden mallet putters are all handmade from over 100 hand operations, each one is a piece of art.  Pictured at right is the EWM-3 Model (I don’t know if this is the one that was used in the movie).

Over four years ago the production team for Avatar contacted the company and bought some clubs.  Hey you can’t make a movie for $310 million (from LA Times) without buying at least one set of golf clubs.  I wonder if the clubs are now the property of James Cameron?  Josh Fischer, Marketing Manager for Louisville Golf almost forgot about them it was so long ago.

The Louisville wooden mallet putter even figures prominently on the Parker Selfridge action figure available at Amazon. (pictured below)

BURIED ELEPHANT - THE FUTURE OF GOLF?
Below is an architect’s rendering of a new indoor golf facility under developement in Holland called Indoor Golf Arena.

This is a huge project billed as “the world’s largest, most unique and divers indoor golf training centre, open 365 days a year and offering high quality indoor golf training facilities”.  It sure looks like it.

Included in the plans are;

 According to the European Golf Course Owners AssociationHolland is the fastest growing golf market in Europe and they also have the highest number of players per course.  With those kinds of stats this facility might be very successful.  The added revenue that comes from the hotel, events, teaching and other add-ons will be key to their success I think.

In Canada we have such an over supply of golf courses I doubt that a facility such as this could survive.  The overhead would be just too high for a business that would only be busy for half the year.  Then again what do I know?  I was one of those who thought that Golf Town couldn’t make it for the very same reason and now they just opened their 51st store.  Congratulations to Golf Town, a true Canadian success story.

TED BITS, Ted McIntyre - INN AT MANITOU CLOSES SUDDENLY (RIDGE, THOUGH, IS FINE)

My favourite resort in Ontario has closed its doors without warning. The Inn at Manitou, located 20 minutes east of parry Sound, informed its employees on Friday evening that they were out of work. In business for 36 seasons, the 34-room Relais & Châteaux resort was renowned for its spa and tennis and golf academy—not to mention my favourite sommelier in Ontario, Eric Denis.

Manitou’s foreign staff—which the resort hand-picks from around the world and who make up an estimated 75 percent of the resort’s 70 employees—had already purchased plane tickets and paid for working visas.

Although an article in the Toronto Star suggests the resort may have known what was coming and still accepted deposits from guests, I doubt that sincerely since Jordanna Lipson, general manager of the resort and daughter of owner Sheila Wise, sent out a press release last week highlighting Mother’s Day weekend specials for the Inn at Manitou’s May 7-9 season opening. And the website has not changed yet.

Fortunately, the neighbouring golf course, the award-winning Ridge at Manitou, is unaffiliated and unaffected. The Ridge opens for its fifth season of play on Saturday May 1 with a May Madness event (green fees of $75 Monday to Thursday, and $90 from Friday to Sunday). The prices are in effect until May 31.

TED BITS, Ted McIntyre - HISTORIC BRITISH OPEN PLAN BEING CHALLENGED

The plans of Prestwick Golf Club and the R&A to present this year’s British Open winner with a replica of the historic Championship belt are being challenged. The red morocco belt, adorned with silver clasps and kept on display at the R&A headquarters in St. Andrews, Scotland, was presented to the tournament’s earliest winners, beginning in 1860 with Willie Park Jr.’s inaugural triumph. The belt fell into the possession of Young Tom Morris in 1870 after his third consecutive championship. After a brief hiatus in 1871, the Open returned in 1872, with the Claret Jug having been purchased as the new trophy. A replica of the belt has only been presented one time since—in 1985, when Sandy Lyle won at Royal St. Georges on the 125th anniversary of the event.

The gentleman challenging Prestwick’s plans to award a relica belt to this year’s champion golfer, which honours the 150th playing of the Open, boasts arguably the most prestigious of golfing bloodlines—he is the great, great grandson of Old Tom Morris himself, and therefore lays claim as a legal guardian of the historic belt.

“I want Prestwick to present the belt, as it reminds all of Old Tom’s wishes of publishing Young Tommy’s name and achievements,” explains Melvyn Hunter Morrow, whose family traces its roots to 1770, when Old Tom’s grandfather played the St. Andrews links as a young man. Morrow also has a strong connection to Prestwick’s noted Hunter clan, which includes Morrow’s great grandfather, James Hunter—the husband of Old Tom’s daughter and a key player in the design of Royal Quebec.

The red morocco belt was given to Open Championship winners from 1860 through to 1870, concluding with Young Tom Morris’ third consecutive win, at which point it became his property.

Morrow’s only issue is that the belt signifies more than winning; it honours the traditions and etiquette the game has embodied for well over 500 years. In that respect, golf has deteriorated on many fronts, and some of the game’s leading luminaries are to blame.

“I do not believe that past champions who held the original belt with great honour should have to accept that poorly behaved sportsmen will have a right to wear one even a replica,” Morrow notes. “The belt was Old Tom’s pride and joy and a great reminder of his son Young Tommy, who died well before his time and may have been the greatest golfer of all time, had he lived.”

Consequently, Morrow has written a letter to Prestwick GC requesting their support of his stance that the belt should not be given to anyone who does not represent those ideals, in particular, Tiger Woods.

“It’s not about his ladies or private problem; it’s his course conduct that I am totally against,” Morrow says. “It’s his language and course etiquette. Such language is bad enough for a pro, but to throw his clubs when spectators are close by is not acceptable, and I want assurance that course etiquette will be upheld. It’s not just Tiger; it applies to all players throwing clubs, which is just bloody dangerous—and what a message to send out to the kids today.

“Please do not misunderstand me: If Tiger and other golfers behave like professional golfers on the course then they deserve their trophies,” Morrow adds. “But throwing clubs is, in my book, just not acceptable and goes to the heart of golf and course etiquette, or should I say the decline of the modern game. The poor standard we seem to be faced with today annoys me and no one seems to be doing a thing to clean it up.”

Morrow’s letter to Prestwick—sent “recorded delivery” three weeks ago—has gone unanswered. “Now that they have not bothered responding, there is every chance they intend to proceed regardless,” says Morrow. “They are not aware that I intend to challenge their right to reproduce the belt on the basis that on the 15th of September 1870 they relinquished all rights to said belt…when it was won outright by Young Tommy Morris and presented to him. The belt was then the property of Young Tommy, passing to Old Tom on the death of Young Tommy.”

Prestwick’s own website acknowledges as much, stating “The Belt was won in three successive years by Young Tom Morris from 1868 to 1870 and thus became his property.”

“On the wishes of Old Tom, the belt was given to The R&A by his grandchildren (my grandmother being one) upon the death of Old Tom, on the understanding of Old Tom’s wishes that it was put on display to show the world Young Tommy’s achievements,” Morrow continues. “The problem has been that the R&A have not lived up to the wishes of Old Tom, as the belt is only on display to members. The general public and women are not allowed into the (St. Andrews) clubhouse to seek all the trophies. They’ve displayed it behind thick reinforced glass within a vault in the R&A clubhouse at St Andrews. Is it on open display promoting the memory of Young Tommy achievements? No, it is locked away for the few privileged members and their guests. My father was never able to take his wife in to see the belt, nor have I or my brother been able to do the same with our wives.”

Still, this is of secondary concern for Morrow. His immediate cause is of the forthcoming presentation on the 18th green of the Old Course at St. Andrews on Sunday, July 18. Morrow’s heart breaks when he thinks of even a replica of one of golf’s greatest relics being handed to a man who may not embody the spirit and decorum that the Championship Belt and the grand majority of the Open’s past winners represent. And he desperately hopes the powers that be come to recognize his position, before the matter needs to be taken to court.

Morrow holds Prestwick in great esteem—”This club holds a special place in the history of the game. I would go as far as placing them as being more important in the history of golf—and not forgetting the Open Championship—than the R&A,” he says. Alas, the values and traditions of the game itself come first.

TED BITS, Ted McIntyre - CAN A TIGER CHANGE HIS STRIPES?

I know it was his first tournament back, but Tiger Woods promised to be a kinder, gentler professional last Monday before the Masters, echoing the sentiments he expressed at his staged public apology in late February, when he observed “When I do return, I need to make my behaviour more respectful of the game.”

Without a club in hand, he signed hundreds of autographs, for which he’s to be commended, but his instincts on-course haven’t changed, as a pair of outbursts, including one broken Commandment (#3), suggest.

Tiger’s reaction in an interview after the tournament was also in the wrong spirit. He had the opportunity to tell the world, “Thanks for welcoming me back. I did my best, which wasn’t bad, but not as much as I’d hoped this week. But I want to thank the fans for supporting me and for the tournament organizers, who put on another magnificent event….blah blah blah.” Instead, Woods basically said “I’m pissed that I didn’t win. That’s what I’m here for.”

In that moment he was completely honest. Winning is ALL that mattered last week. Tiger arrived without support of his family, apparently still in the middle of therapy (for what he won’t say) because if there was ever a year he was going to win the Grand Slam, this was it: he owns Augusta National, the U.S. Open is at Pebble (where he won the last Open there by 15 shots); and the British Open is at the Old Course at St. Andrews (site of two of his three Open Championship titles). That would leave the PGA Championship at Whistling Straights as the only remaining hurdle—a place he would like to redeem himself after being done in by an opening-round 75 six years ago, the last time the PGA was staged there.

DREAM ON, JERRY
I see NFL Hall of Famer Jerry Rice tees is making a go at professional golf in the Nationwide Tour’s Fresh Express Classic at TPC Stonebrae (Hayward, Calif.) at 2 p.m. PT on Thursday and 9 a.m. PT. I’m picking the over-under at 12 for how many shots he misses the cut by.

HOUSTON, WE HAVE A SOLUTION

Photo by Kevin Wolf/Associated Press.

In case you didn’t already hear, this is the 40th anniversary of the near-disastrous Apollo 13 mission, which spawned a four-star movie starring Tom Hanks. The famous—near infamous—line uttered by astronaut Jack Swigert: “Houston, we have a problem,” which followed the explosion of an oxygen tank on the Apollo spacecraft, signalled the beginning of four days that would captivate the world. But we’re only hearing recently that a team from the University of Toronto Institute of Aerospace Studies played a critical role in the safe return of the three astronauts. The team, which was honoured with the Canadian Air and Space Museum’s Pioneer award during a ceremony Tuesday at the museum just outside Toronto, was phoned on April 16, 1970, a day before the astronauts would return to earth, to make the crucial calculations needed to separate Apollo’s command module from its lunar module. The lunar module had served as a lifeboat for Swigert, commander James Lovell and Fred Haise, while scientists worked out rescue plans for the astronauts.

JINXING A NO-HITTER, AND KILLING RATINGS
Interesting how Buck Martinez, the play-by-play guy for Rogers Sportsnet, refused to jinx Blue Jays pitcher Ricky Romero’s no-hitter last night. As I was flipping through the channels I noticed that Romero had 10 strikeouts through five innings, and then 12 through six. What I almost missed completely was that Romero also had a friggin no-hitter going. Martinez and company never said a word about it—a silly baseball code of not wanting to jinx it. What he also managed to do was prevent tens of thousands of potential viewers from locking themselves into the game—viewers who would have stayed tune had they realized that history might be made in Toronto last night.

Romero ended up giving up one hit—a two-run homer in the eighth. I guess not talking about didn’t help, did it?

TED BITS, Ted McIntyre - TIGER’S LYING BY OMISSION

Well, the Masters press conference is over (I meant to post this yesterday, but was prevented by technical issues) and Tiger escaped relatively unscathed since Masters media are more fearful or repercussions than at other events, and since Tiger’s more intimidating than most players.

Among his admissions was that his dad dying, kids being born and what he’s done recently all puts things in perspective. It’s not all about winning tournaments, he says, adding that he still has much therapy to go. We also learned that Tiger’s wife, Elin, will not be there this week and that-through omission-she does not support his return. Given all the above, why exactly is Tiger playing this week? The answer is that he’s lying: It’s ALL about winning tournaments, particularly Major championships. Nothing means more to him than that.

Need more proof? Tiger said that the therapy he’s going though made him miss the first birthday of his second child, which was horrible. Fortunately his therapy did not, however, interfere with his first golf tournament of the year. The schedule was apparently clear for this week. How lucky!

There was also lots of talk about a torn Achilles tendon in December 2008, and recurring tears last year. There was also brief questions about Ambien, a sedative that Woods claims he started taking to help sleep after his father, Earl, passed away. It’s looking more and more like he was under the influence of Ambien three and a half after that traumatic incident, when he killed that helpless fire hydrant in November-something I’ve repeated suggested was the case. Woods claims he’s not in therapy for Ambien, but refused to say exactly what he was being treated for, stating, “It’s private.” Well, if it was just the sex thing, he’d tell the media, since they’re well aware of those well-chronicled escapades. The fact that he’s saying nothing suggests it’s much more than that.

TELUS PLAYERS NO BAG OF MONKEYS
IMG is very good at picking well-known players for the TELUS World Skins Game, but much less so at picking entertainers. South African Retief Goosen, who is as quotable as Marcel Marceau, has been added to a five-player field that includes Camilo Villegas, who is as quotable as Retief Goosen. Mike Weir is the Canadian pick for the June 21-22 event at Victoria’s Bear Mountain Resort, and he generally prefers his Canadian media boiled in oil. Still, Weir will play the amiable host and will certainly be the crowd favourite in Victoria. Fred Couples, always a well-loved player among the fans, although traditionally a sub-par interview, rounds out the field along with Ian Poulter, who will clearly be relied upon to provide the boatload of sound bytes. The good news is that the Englishman, who is seventh-ranked in the world, is probably up to the task. He’s usually a very honest, well-thought-out, unapologetic interview, and his wardrobe will probably alone generate its fair share of press.

A two-day pass for the 2010 TELUS World Skins Game is priced at $165 (plus taxes), with a 50 percent discount for children 12 and under. Tickets will go on sale to the public on Monday, April 12 at 9 a.m. (Pacific Time) and can be purchased online by visiting www.telusskins.com or by calling 1-866-60SKIN1 (1-866-607-5461).

BURIED ELEPHANT - TIGER: WHAT I WANT TO KNOW

Tiger Woods has announced that he will be holding a press conference the Monday of The Masters, before his first competitive event of the year.  Aside from the recent controlled interviews with The Golf Channel and ESPN it looks like this will be first chance for the media to ask questions in an open format.

Now I do believe that even public figures like Tiger Woods are entitled to their privacy and that their family and personal lives are nobody’s business but their own.  For that reason I have tried not to get into the details of Tiger’s affairs.  However golf is, perhaps more than any other sport, a game of character and therefore Tiger’s character flaws are relevant.

With that in mind this is the question I want answered at the press conference;

You cheated on your wife and your family. Did you cheat on golf?

Assuming his answer would be no … are we to believe that the rules of golf mean more to Tiger than his marriage vows?

Back in December it became public that Tiger Woods had been treated by Dr. Anthony Galea of Toronto. Dr. Galea (pictured at right) admits to using human growth hormone himself and on some of his clients but claims that he has not used it with any professional atheletes.

I believe people can change and I hope Tiger has learned from his mistakes and has become a better person because of it.  But if you’re a cheater you’re a cheater and why should we believe that he was willing to cheat on his family and not cheat at golf by taking HGH. 

I think that Tiger Woods is good for golf and there could be nothing better for this sport than for him to return to golf better than ever and to return to his family the same way.  I hope he does that and proves over time that he is an honest person and golfer.

What do you think?