Duffers Corner

Have you ever heard of a club designer named Don White? Up until about 5 years ago I hadn’t and I thought I know every nonsensical tidbit about the golf industry. All I knew about Don was that he worked at MacGregor Golf as a pretty well respected designer, doing custom grinds on both wedges and irons. Then just a couple of days ago, due to all the press that Greg Norman received for his play at the British Open, I find out that he has been with MacGregor since 1971, and has been their chief club designer since 1980, and I hadn’t heard of him? You’re telling me that Don White designed all the great Muirfield and VIP irons of the 1980s when he was only in his late 20s to early 30s? Are you kidding me? A guy that was originally not an engineer and had no previous knowledge of golf or club design was customizing and building irons for Jack Nicklaus? This Don White character should be in some hall of fame or something. Oh wait! HE IS!

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Interview with MacGregor’s head club designer Don White.
Great insight into club making, custom grinds and the various tour pros he has built clubs for.

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Then just a couple of days ago I finally got to see a close up picture of what looked like ‘retro’ irons Don built specifically for Norman to play in the British Open. I swear I’d seen these before. After some digging I had a lookie-what-we-have-here moment:

Eerie similarity aren’t they? Rumor has it these irons (2009 VIP Pro Diamondbacks) might be introduced this coming fall/winter.

Don White, my friend, I commend you for your continued preservation of the classic forged blade and the name MacGregor, ‘The greatest name in golf!’

A funny little side note: Just yesterday I purposely attached the picture below to my refrigerator to send a little hint to the wife that I might have my eye on some new irons and within minutes she comes barreling around the corner doing her best Soup Nazi impersonation – “NO CLUBS FOR YOU!”

Did anybody miss watching Tiger play in the British Open this year? I will admit that after seeing Ian Poulter pump his fists a few times down the stretch on Sunday a la Mr. Woods, I did kind of missed the guy. Would have Tiger been in the hunt on Sunday? You betcha! Would the scores have been as high as they were if he was playing? Maybe not. When Tiger is in the field you know that every player steps their game up a notch or two. I mean you have to; you’re playing against a guy that when he gets it rolling, there is no stopping him, he’s a machine.

But I am not in the group that thinks a tournament played without Tiger is not an official tournament, or that Padraig needs to have an asterisk next to his name on the Claret Jug that says ‘TDP’ or ‘Tiger Didn’t Play’. Now when Jack Nicklaus started to play in fewer majors, I don’t remember those tournaments becoming less significant?

So, with the British Open being played in unreal weather conditions and the solid play of an old legend (Greg Norman), that was all I needed to make this last weekend one I won’t forget….for a while!

With wind, rain and low temperatures in the forecast, this year’s British Open field won’t necessarily need their A-game to secure a spot in the final group on Sunday, all they need is some top notch outerwear!

The temperature reached 59 degrees by mid afternoon today, but it was the wind and rain that caused most of the havoc. Australia native Craig Perry was the first to tee off this morning, finishing up the day with a 77 (7 over par). “It’s brutal out there – it was miserable, really tough. There are 16 holes into the wind, and my three-wood was going about 180 yards. You could probably putt it further than that!”

The last time the Open was Played at Royal Brickdale (’98) the wind and rain on Friday & Saturday made most of the field to struggle, allowing only 7 players to shoot under par on Friday, compared to 27 players on Thursday.

If the wind and rain keep up throughout the weekend, here are a few things to watch for -

Short, quick swings – To stay both warm and dry most players should be wearing between 3-5 layers of clothing, so look for a lot of quick, half to three-quarter swings due to limited mobility.

Lost Balls – You will see more players lose their balls at an Open than in any tournament all year. British open courses are famous for that, and Brickdale is no exception. Phil Mickelson lost a ball on the 6^th hole today, even with a dozen spectators helping look for it, he still couldn’t find it!

High scores – The leaders might only be 1 or 2 under par come Sunday. With most holes playing into the wind, look for players to use irons or even low lofted hybrids off the tee.

I know the excitement of watching golf when players dominate a course under perfect playing conditions, but there is nothing like a British Open when the wind and rain pick up. It’s more like watching The Duffers Open!

Here’s a little insight into my madness –

A couple of weeks ago a buddy of mine invited me to play with him in a 4-man scramble tournament at his home track, a very exclusive course I might add, and since he really wanted to win, I thought I would have a little fun at his expense.

Now, this friend is your typical competitor with a little game in him, but overall he is all show with a slight need to look and be the best.  I, on the other hand, don’t need to always look my best to feel like I am the best.  I am no slob and will usually dress respectfully when needed, but I can’t always say that about my golf bag.

I thought I would bring out my old 60’s Spalding Staff bag to add a little flavor to my group. Now this isn’t your typical Staff bag, no big flashy pockets or padded strap, no full length dividers or cool accessories, it smells like your grandfather’s old work room but looks like a preserved piece of 60’s American golf. I also slipped in an old wood-headed 3-wood and covered my driver and hybrids with real rabbit fur head covers.  Needless to say, my buddy wasn’t too pleased when I showed up at the range (he later named my bag ‘The Open Sore’ for how red and infected it looked). I got a few chuckles, an occasional stare or two, but mostly Oo’s & Ah’s. After swapping a few stories, I went on to hit some practice balls and all was forgotten….until we ended up winning the tournament! You should have seen the look on everybody’s face as we accepted the first place trophy, “Hey, isn’t that the guy with the old ratty looking bag?”

Never judge someone’s game by the age of their equipment.