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The British is Coming!

Hopefully, the players will be able to find the course once they get there, because Royal Liverpool has been out of sight for 40 years.

By ERIC TRACYPublished: July, 2006

Here’s a safe bet: Not one round of this month’s British Open will be delayed because of darkness. That’s because the site of this year’s Open, Royal Liverpool Golf Club at Hoylake, is so far north in England that it doesn’t get dark until 10 p.m. in the summer.

However, there’s a real possibility that one of the spindle-thin golfers will be blown into the Mearsy River because the winds at this seaside venue 10 miles east of the city that spawned the Beatles are as treacherous as those in Scotland.   

It’s difficult predicting who will win the tournament because the course is a mystery to most. The British Open hasn’t been played at Royal Liverpool since Roberto de Vincenzo won it in 1967.

“Never been, never seen it, never seen a photo of it, don’t have a clue,” Tigers Woods responded when asked about Royal Liverpool a few months ago.

You can bet by now, however, he’s done his homework.

CH-CH-CHANGES: British golf commentator Peter Alliss has said the opening hole at Royal Liverpool is “the most intimidating first hole in championship golf,” mainly because of the out-of-bounds practice area along the right side of the fairway. He’ll have to change his opinion this year because the Royal & Ancient decided to change the order of the holes. The 17th and 18th holes are now Nos. 1 and 2, and the 16th hole is now the 18th. That means the opening hole — arguably the course’s most famous — is now No. 3.

OUT OF THE WOODS: The experts are predicting that this tight links course will not favor Woods. I’m not so sure. That low “stinger” shot of his that rarely reaches altitude just might be the weapon that wins him back-to-back British Open titles.

 
HOT, HOT, HOT: Only the young book noon tee times in July, and since I’m not of that age and can’t get out early enough to beat the heat, I typically try to close the course down this time of year.

Never mind the dirty looks from cart guys who want to go home. I can still see at night, mainly because I wear a hat with six LED lights in the visor. I may look like an alien driving down the dark fairway, but everyone — well, at least the few who are left — wants to buy my hat.
 
FITTING IN: It was just a few years ago when only old men or guys who couldn’t hit irons carried hybrids or utility clubs. A “good” player wouldn’t be caught dead with a 9-wood, 11-wood or, perish the thought, a 13-wood in the bag.

How times have changed. The Darrel Survey, golf’s equipment authority, reported that at this year’s Senior PGA Championship there were 173 hybrids in use, with the Adams Idea a2 leading the way.

In case you’re wondering, I carry a 22-degree KZG “U” wood that replaced my 3-iron.

YOUTH IS SERVED: The future of golf is developing young players, and this month the Spirit of Golf Foundation will hold its first West Coast Certification Conference July 23-26 in Las Vegas. The keynote speaker will be Eddie Merrins, who spent 40 years as the head professional at Bel-Air Country Club.

During his 14 years as the golf coach at UCLA, Merrins turned out a number of PGA Tour winners, including Steve Pate, Corey Pavin and Duffy Waldorf. Ask anyone who knows Merrins and they all say the same thing: He makes even the most complex things in golf seem simple.

The Sprit of Golf Foundation was created 10 years ago to encourage professional development of high school golf coaches and youth leaders through educational conferences and certification workshops.

For more information, call (888) 466-2423 or visit spiritofgolffoundation.org.  

Eric Tracy is also known as The Mulligan Man. If you have questions or comments, he can be reached at eric@themulliganman.com.