The Open

[BroadstairsR 1,807]

comes around again. One of the sporting highlights of my year, at least.

I usually select five homegrown players for the Majors and for my betting and have a fiver each way on each.

There have been some good years, but it hasn't been that good recently. Rosie used to be a good money spinner.

I might be a bit up, I might be a bit down over the last twenty or so years. I suppose thats the definition of sensible betting (as they call it.)

Matt Fitzpatrick (who first came to light getting into the top ten in the Open a few years back as an amateur) is in fine form.

Fleetwood has promised for a few years now (but recently missed a cut.)

Westwood's renaissance of last season seems to have been short lived.

Poulter is capable of one or two superb rounds (as he did last week) but never of four.

Casey is consistent.

Hatton ... possible, unlikely.

Only Fitzpatrick really stands out.

Back to Rose then, or investigate some new boy .... Whitnell, Bland, The Beef (nah!) or some unknown.

Edited July 13, 2021 by BroadstairsR

[keelansgrandad 6,678]

Very tricky course. Came back into favour in the early 80s. Darren Clarke the last winner. And Europeans have always been in the top three recently. Hovland could well be a good outsider.

 

[BroadstairsR 1,807]

All Open courses are difficult, imo, because they always insist upon links courses for some reason. 

Royal St. Georges is an awful, boring, windswept course (there are two courses on site, the other being even worse.)

I played it once just for the experience. It was a few years back when I was a consistent 14.

I stopped scoring after I'd hit 100 with quite a few holes left. Miss any fairway and you are in trouble.

Sandwich Town is most unsuitable as well. Few hotels, difficult access over a one-way bridge for many. Peple need to stay in places like Ramsgate etc. for accomodation and take an hour and more getting back in the evening. 

Not suitable.

Edited July 13, 2021 by BroadstairsR

[How I Wrote Elastic Man 1,130]

I was working near Sandwich (Pfizer's) in 2003

Our usual hours were 7.00 am to 5.30pm

We spent Open week working 05.00am to around 3.00pm

If I remember correctly, locals used to have to get vehicle passes to get into Sandwich 

[BroadstairsR 1,807]

15 hours ago, How I Wrote Elastic Man said:

I was working near Sandwich (Pfizer's) in 2003

Our usual hours were 7.00 am to 5.30pm

We spent Open week working 05.00am to around 3.00pm

If I remember correctly, locals used to have to get vehicle passes to get into Sandwich 

I rememeber Pfizer's very well (didn't they come up with Viagra at that plant?)

Used to cause tremendous traffic jams in the area am and pm due to it's large workforce.

The council then built a relief road. Soon after they did the company left?

I went to the Open there one time, cannot remember the year but Greg Norman won. I made the mistake of coming back the "old" way. It took two hours to get to Broadstairs.

Edited July 14, 2021 by BroadstairsR

[keelansgrandad 6,678]

18 hours ago, BroadstairsR said:

All Open courses are difficult, imo, because they always insist upon links courses for some reason. 

Royal St. Georges is an awful, boring, windswept course (there are two courses on site, the other being even worse.)

I played it once just for the experience. It was a few years back when I was a consistent 14.

I stopped scoring after I'd hit 100 with quite a few holes left. Miss any fairway and you are in trouble.

Sandwich Town is most unsuitable as well. Few hotels, difficult access over a one-way bridge for many. Peple need to stay in places like Ramsgate etc. for accomodation and take an hour and more getting back in the evening. 

Not suitable.

I think there will be a lot of iron play of the tee this year. Players hit them so far now that I doubt they will risk Driver too many times.

In the 80s and 90s I played at Perranporth, a James Braid Links course and nearly always used a 2 iron of the tee. It was straighter and rolled further than any wood.

[BroadstairsR 1,807]

Yes. Not a course for Bryson & Co.

Irons from most tees.

Tiger Woods didn't heed that advice in 2003 when he suffered badly on the first, where he lost a ball for the first time in his professional career after flaring his opening shot out to the right. After heading back to the tee, he eventually ran up a triple-bogey seven.

[How I Wrote Elastic Man 1,130]

7 hours ago, BroadstairsR said:

I rememeber Pfizer's very well (didn't they come up with Viagra at that plant?)

Used to cause tremendous traffic jams in the area am and pm due to it's large workforce.

The council then built a relief road. Soon after they did the company left?

I went to the Open there one time, cannot remember the year but Greg Norman won. I made the mistake of coming back the "old" way. It took two hours to get to Broadstairs.

Not sure what they made there, I was doing construction work. I  heard that they had left, seemed a bit odd after all the investment they had put in 

[keelansgrandad 6,678]

Commentators all excited as Rory birdied the first. He's back and all that tripe. Now he may have just made the cut.

I wish the commentators would wait until these chaps have played a round before they judge player's form.

[BroadstairsR 1,807]

So much centres around that there Rory Mackerel, but he hasn't done much for years now, especially in the majors.

To put things into perspective he is high on the list of all time major winners (UK) with four wins and only a couple behind Faldo.

I take back all I have said about the course. It is now soooo different from my experiences. They must have sent an agent to Augusta to learn a trick or two.

Brick-backed bunkers and manicured and  trimmed greens. They seem to have ploughed up some of that rough and replaced it with acceptable semi-rough and have even cut back much of the rest. They have widened some fairways in the process (the old joke on one was that it was so narrow that when Darren Clarke and Monty were paired together they had to walk it single file (can't remember the hole) is no longer relevant.

A well-manicured Open course at last.

Even the public walkways look exceptional (I am only tv with all this.)

Consequence? With little wind they are pissing it as never before.

The Brits might come back into it should the wind start to blow. 

Cameron Smith (Aussie) my dark horse, but still hoping some home grown comes through ... Sullivan or Willett atm. Not Rosie for sure.

[BroadstairsR 1,807]

35 minutes ago, keelansgrandad said:

Commentators all excited as Rory birdied the first. He's back and all that tripe. Now he may have just made the cut.

I wish the commentators would wait until these chaps have played a round before they judge player's form.

So much centres around that there Rory Mackerel, but he hasn't done much for years now, especially in the majors.

To put things into perspective he is high on the list of all time major winners (UK) with four wins and only a couple behind Faldo.

I take back all I have said about the course. It is now soooo different from my experiences. They must have sent an agent to Augusta to learn a trick or two.

Brick-backed bunkers and manicured and  trimmed greens. They seem to have ploughed up some of that rough and replaced it with acceptable semi-rough and have even cut back much of the rest. They have widened some fairways in the process (the old joke on one was that it was so narrow that when Darren Clarke and Monty were paired together they had to walk it single file (can't remember the hole) is no longer relevant.

A well-manicured Open course at last.

Even the public walkways look exceptional (I am only tv with all this.)

Consequence? With little wind they are pissing it as never before.

The Brits might come back into it should the wind start to blow. 

Cameron Smith (Aussie) my dark horse, but still hoping some home grown comes through ... Sullivan or Willett atm. Not Rosie for sure.

 

[BroadstairsR 1,807]

44 minutes ago, keelansgrandad said:

Commentators all excited as Rory birdied the first. He's back and all that tripe. Now he may have just made the cut.

I wish the commentators would wait until these chaps have played a round before they judge player's form.

So much centres around that there Rory Mackerel, but he hasn't done much for years now, especially in the majors.

To put things into perspective he is high on the list of all time major winners (UK) with four wins and only a couple behind Faldo.

I take back all I have said about the course. It is now soooo different from my experiences. They must have sent an agent to Augusta to learn a trick or two.

Brick-backed bunkers and manicured and  trimmed greens. They seem to have ploughed up some of that rough and replaced it with acceptable semi-rough and have even cut back much of the rest. They have widened some fairways in the process (the old joke on one was that one was so narrow that when Darren Clarke and Monty were paired together they had to walk it single file (can't remember the hole) is no longer relevant.

A well-manicured Open course at last.

Even the public walkways look exceptional (I am only tv with all this.)

Consequence? With little wind they are pissing it as never before.

The Brits might come back into it should the wind start to blow. 

Cameron Smith (Aussie) my dark horse, but still hoping some home grown comes through ... Sullivan or Willett atm. Not Rosie for sure.

Edited July 16, 2021 by BroadstairsR

[keelansgrandad 6,678]

20 hours ago, BroadstairsR said:

So much centres around that there Rory Mackerel, but he hasn't done much for years now, especially in the majors.

To put things into perspective he is high on the list of all time major winners (UK) with four wins and only a couple behind Faldo.

I take back all I have said about the course. It is now soooo different from my experiences. They must have sent an agent to Augusta to learn a trick or two.

Brick-backed bunkers and manicured and  trimmed greens. They seem to have ploughed up some of that rough and replaced it with acceptable semi-rough and have even cut back much of the rest. They have widened some fairways in the process (the old joke on one was that one was so narrow that when Darren Clarke and Monty were paired together they had to walk it single file (can't remember the hole) is no longer relevant.

A well-manicured Open course at last.

Even the public walkways look exceptional (I am only tv with all this.)

Consequence? With little wind they are pissing it as never before.

The Brits might come back into it should the wind start to blow. 

Cameron Smith (Aussie) my dark horse, but still hoping some home grown comes through ... Sullivan or Willett atm. Not Rosie for sure.

The wind hasn't been present this year. A links course without wind is no Tiger, its a Tabby.

We have had no wind at my course for a couple of weeks now and my index has gone from 22.3 to 19.9.

[Midlands Yellow 3,508]

A good walk spoiled. 

[BroadstairsR 1,807]

11 hours ago, Midlands Yellow said:

A good walk spoiled. 

You wouldn't enjoy a good walk around a golf course with all those dangerous balls flying around and all those divots that might cause you to trip up. You could even end up getting sand in your shoes and, god forbid, should you bump into a member mid-round who insists upon telling you about his second at the fourth. They are the world's biggest bores.

I should stick to public footpaths if I was you ... there are plenty of those.

Edited July 18, 2021 by BroadstairsR

[keelansgrandad 6,678]

On 18/07/2021 at 11:49, BroadstairsR said:

You wouldn't enjoy a good walk around a golf course with all those dangerous balls flying around and all those divots that might cause you to trip up. You could even end up getting sand in your shoes and, god forbid, should you bump into a member mid-round who insists upon telling you about his second at the fourth. They are the world's biggest bores.

I should stick to public footpaths if I was you ... there are plenty of those.

Half the courses in Cornwall have bridle paths and public footpaths through them. You get people waving back at you as you shout fore.

In fact, one football pitch has a public footpath right across the halfway line.