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The British Open is golf at its purest form. In the states, golfers often start screaming if a fairway isn't irrigated perfectly, a bunker is a little low on sand or the greens aren't rolling perfectly. British Open courses take golf back to its roots where the game was played on a field, where there are obstacles to avoid and the goal was - and still is - to get the ball in the hole as quickly as possible. Irrigation is handled by Mother Nature. While the American game is still about getting the ball in the hole, we have become obsessed with perfect playing conditions. We've lost the purity and some of the creativity of what was once the hallmark of the sport. That's what makes the Open stand out. The Open Championship courses - such as Carnoustie, where the tournament is being played this month - are great. They can play easy if the weather is favorable, but can become incredibly difficult as the weather changes. They also place a premium on controlling your golf ball - something no one did better than Tiger Woods last year at Royal Liverpool. I didn't have the opportunity to see Jack Nicklaus play at the height of his power, but from all accounts his strength was scary. I watched him later in his career and observed how unafraid he was to play irons and 3-woods off the tee if that meant he was playing from the fairway, because he knew that he could beat anyone from the fairway. That's what made last year's championship so impressive for Tiger. He showed us once again that if he is in the fairway, he is better than anyone else. He has won with strength, he's won with three different golf swings, and last year he won with creativity, maturity and wisdom. I've never seen a more masterful performance of controlling a golf ball. American golf is all about carrying the ball in the air as high and far as you can down the lush fairway. Then, play a high, soft shot into a soft, perfect green. They don't have any of that in Britain. The courses are hard and fast. There are knobs and wild undulations in the fairways. The greens are firm and the bunkers are severe. Then there is the wind and other elements that come into play. So what can the amateur golfer learn from watching the Open this month? The one thing that comes to mind is that you play the game with your eyes. You look at the field with your eyes and visualize the shot you are going to play. It might be a high, soft shot or it might be a low runner that hugs the ground before settling on the green. It's the ability to know you can hit an 8-iron from 200 yards because the ground is firm. It's the trust of knowing you can play a 3-iron off the tee because anything longer will find trouble. No matter what it is, you have to see it with your eyes, then in your mind when you are making the swing. We all get caught in the trap. We head to the tee, pick a spot in the fairway, and try to make a perfect swing. We forget to take into account the elements, the slope of the fairway, and the condition of the ground. These are all things we have to factor when playing a shot. It's a real challenge for an established player to break that cycle and see the golf course for what it is. Players become so consumed with making a perfect swing, they forget to play the game. SG Jamie Mulligan is a PGA professional the chief operations officer at Virginia Country Club. |
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