The President’s Putter Quick Recap

I have many handwritten notes that I’ll capture in a post-by-post, day-by-day summary but in the meantime I wanted to at least get a picture up and link to my slide show.

On the left you can see a picture of me teeing off during my practice round on the 13th hole.

Check out the article written in the Telegraph here. Charlie Rotheroe went on to win The Putter for his 3rd time: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2008/01/07/sgamat107.xml.

Lastly, I’ve embeded a few videos. The first is a 360 view of the course. The second is just a classic video of a chap swinging on the 10th tee box.

What’s In My Bag

It’s winter in the northern hemisphere so why not be geeked up on golf? It’s that time of year to be thinking about what awaits us in the year to come. Maybe 2008 is the year for my first my hole-in-one (I should mention I’ve played well over 3,000 par threes and patiently await my first ace). Or maybe it will present my first round under 70 since my glorious 67 at Lake Arbor back in 1995. Time will tell. In the meantime, you can check out my weapons of choice for the upcoming year. I’ll be showcasing these sticks in The Putter Jan 3-6.

Driver

Titleist 905R
Aldila NV Green S-65 Shaft
In my bag since Dec 2007
Paid $99 at Roger Dunn (still have 60 days to exchange if I so chose to do so)
Comment: I had to replace my Callaway 454 (still in the garage) and for $99 bucks I couldn’t pass this one up.

3 Wood

Callaway Big Bertha (2004)
Aldila NV Green S-75 Shaft
In my bag since fall 2005
Comment: This has been my go-to club for quite some time. I don’t for see replacing this one for a while.

Hybrid

Ben Hogan 2i (19 degrees)
Steel Stiff Shaft
I have the old version, not the new Ti CFT
In my bag since spring 2004
Comment: I got this before playing Pebble Beach in ’04. I like it but I’m not in love with it. In fact, I tried the Sonertec for a few weeks but returned it.

Irons

KZG Forged Evolution (3 – PW)
In my bag since Dec 2006
Comment: These replaced my Cleveland TA1s. This is a progressive set of mid-sized forged blades. I’m a big fan of these although it took a little time to get used to the relatively larger heads. They’re very similar to the Mizuno progressive irons. In fact, rumor is they’re made in the same factory.

Wedges

Taylor Made Rac Satin 54
Ebay purchase that I didn’t expect to win (got it for $35 or $40)
Re-griped with pink decade grip
In my bag since summer 2007
Comment: I’ve liked my decision to move from my 3 wedge system (52, 56, 60) to the two wedge system (54 and 60). I’ve had to hone in my half and ¾ wedge shots to make up for the gap in distance.

Titleist Black Nickel 60 degree wedge
In my bag since 2003 (with a few exceptions)
Comment: This club is probably something I’ll replace soon. It’s been a great club but the groves are worn down.

Putter

Titleist Scotty Cameron Studio 5
In my bag since the winter of 2004
Re-griped with a USA grip in Dec 2006 before playing in my first Putter at Rye.
Comment: This is my black pearl beauty. She could be the putter for me for quite some time. Who knows though, Scotty Cameron keeps coming out with great stuff- I really like the new Circa 62 putters.

The Putter Recap

It took 5 months but I am finally putting together my recollection of the 2007 Putter. It was my first time attending this fascinating event. This is truly an honor - there are few colonists that still play - in fact, this year 3 Americans crossed the Atlantic for the event. David Stewart (DJ) played quite well and made it to Saturday morning. He was one of the few that made it to Saturday from the 2006/07 Oxford team. The rest of us had early exits and enjoyed the Niblick - a foursomes event for the unlucky. As you can imagine after 5 months it’s a little difficult to recall all the details but I’ll recap a few:

Many would say I had an unfortunate draw - I was matched against Glynn (G A Jones) and after his 5 birdies through 15 holes my run for The Putter was ended.
Ian Henderson won The Putter - he won 7 consecutive matches (maybe even eight) in the wind, rain, sleet, and sun. It was impressive to watch someone play such consistent golf for 4 days in the elements. Not only that but this was his 2nd or 3rd title.
Several of us stayed in a vacation rental in downtown Rye. Very quaint indeed. (picture coming soon)

If you get a chance to play Rye, do it. The history in itself is worth the trip not to mention the traditional links layout. And don’t forget to bring your rain gear, there’s not too many days you get out there without a little sprinkle.

I thought I’d publish an excerpt from an article in Golf World on The Putter:

SUSSEX, England (Feb. 24, 2004) — Just as mad dogs and Englishmen went, according to Noel Coward, out in the midday sun, the same may be true of those golfing oddballs who like nothing better than braving the worst of the winter when sane folk stay indoors.

They are all members of an exclusive club, the Oxford and Cambridge Golfing Society. These doughty university men (and three women) of all ages have gathered every January since 1920 at Rye to play for the President’s Putter.

Rye is the spiritual home of the Putter which exerts a magnetic social attraction as old chums re-unite and maintain a stiff upper lip when temperatures plummet. This year 164 competitors laid siege to the 1,000 year-old red roofed town on the East Sussex-Kent border. In the freakish period of long nights, early-morning starts at eight o’clock sort the men from the boys.

Golf World Article

The President’s Putter

I leave on Jan 2 for England to participate in my first ever President’s Putter. I hope to have at least a few rounds at Littlestone and Rye. We’ll see what happens. I play Gareth O Jones on Thursday the 4th at Littlestone. It will be great to catch up with Gareth — he and I played together last year at Oxford. For those unfamiliar with the Putter, I’ve included a little excerpt from Rye’s website. Enjoy.

The President’s Putter

Rye – isn’t that where they play the President’s Putter? Yes it is, since 1920 in fact. The Oxford & Cambridge Golfing Society, founded 22 years earlier for ex-participants in the golf match between the two universities, decided in addition to fixtures against various clubs to hold an annual meeting at Rye in early January.

The format of the main event is scratch match play, the basis of university golf, and currently attracts a field of about 160. Thus the winner must survive seven or even eight rounds over four days, frequently in adverse weather, without undue delay since at that time of the year play is only possible between 8.00 am. and 4.30 pm. But herein lies the genius of the instigators, for the length of the evenings provides ample opportunity for sociable reunion, if not an obstacle course for those aspiring to success on the following day. Nearly everyone stays in or around the ancient Cinque Port of Rye, where amid its cobbled streets a myriad of inns and restaurants contributes to the congeniality.

Players range in age from 20 to 70, some playing regularly – David Hayes the 2006 winner with a handicap of plus two – others barely picking up a club from one year to the next as work and family commitments intervene. Nevertheless the Old Course at Rye can be a great leveller and with the greens at their slickest and best in winter, never truer was the adage that ‘the man who can putt is a match for anyone’. Serious fun is the theme, exemplified by the presentation of a silver medal to the winner in exchange for the victorious ball. On the back of the medal are inscribed the Latin words ‘Primus inter pares’, which are freely translated by everyone else as ‘he was lucky to win’.