Stuart Wilson

11th

14th

One thing is for certain, for once our golf season is going to kick-off and the weather (if it holds) and the Course are going to be exactly how we would want to exit Hibernation (albeit 2 months later than hoped!!)

John G and his half Team have again been working way at the essential Course Maintenance and upkeep.

Here is his Weekly Update:

'Again another dry week and the irrigation in full flow so to speak. We have had to resort to some old fashioned hand watering as the surrounds don't have automatic sprinklers to cover them (who knew we would need them). The new turf at the 11th path and new tee also received a feed and some much-needed water. It's an incredibly time-consuming job so we have had to mix our jobs up to create time for these essential waterings. As you can see the surfaces are benefiting from raised heights of cut and a lot less traffic. As we continue into the lockdown the r&a have relaxed some restrictions we have to work under and allowed plant growth regulators to be sprayed. This is an essential part of our maintenance programme and as such we are delighted to have started it. It will help the small team manage the surfaces a little better under these trying times. They also help water management, seed germination, root development and sward density.'

Sprinklers

Hand Watering

Tour News

A great Course with no Golfers is such a waste, but is a fantastic event with no Spectators even worse?

With no Tournament Golf either just now the talking point in Professional Golfer is the potential of the Ryder Cup being played behind Closed Doors! So essentially just a Made for TV event! Is this as terrible a proposal as it sounds!?

I've been a huge fan of the Ryder Cup ever since watching the Video recordings my dad made on Beta Max Tape back in 1983. Which was probably the year that the Ryder Cup started its journey to the Goliath of a Sporting event it is now. Whilst 1983 wasn't the first year that Continental Europe replaced the old GB&I Team in the transatlantic tussle, it was the first Year that Europe gave the USA a challenge of any kind on American soil.

All quiet before the noise in Paris in 2018

Seve had been talked into returning to play following a falling out with the European Tour, and with Tony Jacklin given autonomy to do things 'his way' the European Team took the mighty Yanks all the way to the final match on the final hole. History shows that the Europeans claimed the Trophy the following 3 Matches before the Americans reclaimed it for the next 2.

But in 1995, again on American soil at Oak Hill, the Ryder Cup notched a couple more notable moments in its history! The first came in the form of the European Team coming from behind to win the Singles in America to claim a momentous victory! The second was perhaps even more significant! It was the first time Sky Sports held the coverage rights for the match. At the time it was revolutionary! 'LIVE' continuous coverage of every Match, Pre-Match waffle was born, and the world was introduced to Butch Harmon!

And like the Ryder Cup itself, Sky Sports coverage has grown in size, stature & quality with every Matchup! Perhaps they have played a bigger role in raising the popularity, profile and importance of the Ryder Cup than they get credit for!? That said, it is the seismic shift in the attendance, both number & volume, at these biennial Battles that is the real noticeable factor in the evolution of the Ryder Cup.

Watching back the Final Day Singles of the 1995 Ryder Cup that was re-run at the weekend you could just see & sense it was different. Yes, a different era of Players as well, and granted a different generation of people but the Corey Pavin of that Year looks like the Webb Simpson of now! And as for David Gilford! Man alive (or was he even!?) he even made Howard Clark look exuberant!!

So, would a Spectator-less Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits just become a box-ticking TV Event? Would the Players be as emotionally involved without the back & forth of the Crowd? Or can it wait for the world to catch up and the Ryder Cup rotation gets back to is 'Odd Year' Slot in the Fixtures?

I've got a funny feeling the Americans will be pushing for it to continue this year so as not to disrupt their Presidents Cup scheduling! Be interested to hear your thoughts on this!? Click Here if you'd like to drop me a note?

125 Anniversay Quiz

Iain Stavert

Congratulations to Iain Stavert who won the 125 Anniversary Quiz with an impressive 49 Points out of a possible 54.

Here are the Answers to last weeks set of Questions

Section 4: A Bit Of Everything

1. Former DGC Members Kenny Milne and John Robertson have represented Scotland at Rugby Union and Football respectively. Who has the most Caps ? Kenny Milne (1)

2. In his younger years, Board Member Gus Santana missed out on a Dream Job, but what reason did the Interviewer give him for not landing the role?

a) Too Tall

b) Over Qualified

c) Saw him out dressed as a woman on Princess Street! (1)

d) Asked for too much money

3. Past Captain Jim Paton’s daughter starred in the TV program Gladiators – But what was her Gladiator Name?

a) Zodiac

b) Cyclone

c) Jet

d) Siren (1)

4. Duddingston celebrated it`s centenary in 1995. But can you name all 4 Major Winners from that year?

1) US Masters - Ben Crenshaw (1)

2) US Open - Corey Pavin (1)

3) Open Championship - John Daly (1)

4) USPGA - Steve Elkington (1)

5. Solve the Sum? (Many of these numbers have already been given!) - 1895 (1)

Multiply the lowest Club Championship Qualifying Total (132) by the number Scottish Amateur Championships won by Ronnie Shade (5) = 660

Then add the cost of the FIRST Duddingston Clubhouse (1200) plus the number of years Alastair McLean served as Head Professional (31) – Then add the number of pillars featured in the DGC Crest (4) – What is the number?

6. A past champion received a warning letter from the Board for behaviour not befitting a member of Duddingston Golf Club. On the letter the behaviour was described as which of the following?

a) Foul & Abusive Language

b) Over Flatulence In The Bar (1)

c) Inappropriate Dress

d) Indecent Exposure

7. Duddingston’s most famous member, Ronnie Shade or RDBM Shade, was so well known as a straight hitter that his initials were more commonly referred to as Right Down The Bloody Middle. The name we also know our 18th Hole – But what do the DBM actually stand for in Ronnie`s Name?

a) David Bell Mitchell (1)

b) Donald Brian Mitchell

c) Derek Bell Matthew

d) Don`t Bother Me

8. Duddingston is one of 47 Clubs that are part of the 1895 Club. But how many Countries are represented in those 47? 9 (I`ll give you 10 if you took Isle of man as a Country) (1)

9. How many Pillars does the Temple actually have? 8 (1)

10. Who was the first Captain at Duddingston GC?

a) Duncan McNeill

b) Dr Turnbull Smith (1)

c) Sir David Paulin

d) Archibald Hewitt

Did you know?

Fact of the week

According to the Guinness World Records, the longest hole in the world is the 7th hole at Satsuki GC in Japan. It measures a meagre 964 yards and is a par-7!!

Rumour has it that there’s also a hole measuring over 1,000 yards in South Korea, but that hasn’t made it into the records – yet.

It's quiz time

Something a little different for you this week. The European Tour's social media team put this silhouette challenge up a while ago so we thought we'd share it with you too.

Each of the eight golfers below has won on the European Tour in the past four years; all you need to do is guess who each of them is by the outline of their swing. Easy, right? Send us your answers below (no cheating!).

*Answers can be found here.

send us your guesses >

Weekly challenge

What do you have left in your food cupboard? Baked beans? Tins of soup? Peaches? Whatever it is, grab six tins (or more if you’re feeling adventurous) and have a go at this week’s golfing challenge. We guarantee you some fun!

The set-up

Put the golf balls away and use a tennis ball or stress ball for this one – you do want to eat the food after all. Create a pyramid shape using the tins as in the photo above; we’ve balanced them on a garden trug so they’re almost at eye-level.

The challenge

Just like when you’re at a fair, knock down all the tins in three shots and you win a prize - well, maybe not in this case! If you want to play with the family, let them have a go chipping or they can always throw the tennis balls if you’re super confident!

send us a message >

Golf at home

This week’s drill is all about improving your strike when putting. With such a small stroke – in comparison to a full swing – it’s easy to think that you can’t go wrong when putting. Well, give this drill a try and see how you get on.

What to do

Measure a ball’s width on the centre of your putter face and place a piece of blu-tack either side, as depicted in the image above. Set up a 10-foot putt in your home or garden and hit a few putts – if your strike is off-centre you’ll certainly feel and see a difference!

Striking the Blu-Tack?

If your ball hardly moves or you barely feel yourself striking the ball at impact, chances are you’ve hit a piece of blu-tack rather than the centre of the putter face. Give this a few tries – as well as from different distances – and see if you can spot a pattern. Let us know how you get on.

send us a message >

Video of the Week

Some of you may have seen this European Tour impressions video before but it's one of our favourites and is perfect for a little bit of light-heart entertainment! Enjoy.

I hope you have enjoyed this week's update.
We hope to see you soon
Stuart

Duddingston Golf Club
135 Duddingston Road W
Edinburgh
EH15 3QE

Phone: 0131 661 4301

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