The November Feature Interview with Darren Kilfara is posted

[Ran Morrissett]

Darren has done what we all wish we could - spend an extended period of time at St. Andrews. His book, A Golfer’s Education, has just been published by Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill. The book and this Feature Inerview are a reflection of his time spent in Scotland.

Hope you enjoy this November, 2001 Feature Inerview!

Cheers,

[Peter Galea]

Great interview. Thank you Ran, Darren.
I'll buy the book.

[THuckaby2]

Wonderful interview, great book.  This may or may not be a compliment, Darren, but I devoured your book in one long plane flight... and that was while taking notes whilst doing so!

Your "journey" just fascinated me.

Your score obssession had me shaking my head throughout, but your logic won me over in the end.  Yes, even in my non-competitive world, there is a place for stroke play.  You make the argument well, with no apologies.  Good man.

I will give away no more for those yet to read it...

Looking forward to the next book most definitely!

TH

ps - I had my copy autographed by several GCA stalwarts but would love such from the author...you might get a kick out of what you see also... could you send me an email with postal address?  I'm a tourist/fan/hanger-on, I admit it!
tom.huckaby@clorox.com

[kilfara]

Pete - thanks should be directed to John M. for the searching interview questions as well.

Tom - it's quite interesting to hear how something five years in the making takes someone less than a day to read! But I'll take that as a compliment.  

Cheers,
Darren

[THuckaby2]

Darren - you picked up my meaning perfectly!  I was kinda embarrassed to report how quickly I whipped through the book, cuz I knew how much effort you put into it... But oh yes, if it weren't great, I wouldn't have read it quickly.

Well done, sir.

TH

[Nick]

Good interview. I agree with lots of what you say, particularly the speed issue. When asking a lot of locals how they got on the first response was usually 2 hrs 50 mins and they had less interest in scores.
After 4 years in St Andrews my ability to score greatly improved due to my short game but after leaving it took me some time to get rid of my low draw. Unfortunately I've developed a high slice. Agghhhh.

I'll look out for the book.

[Greg_Ramsay]

Darren, what a great surprise to read this interview.  When you emailed me earlier in the year I wish I had known what you had in the pipeline.  My year in St. A's was also in 1995, and I've just emailed a working colleague of mine from Canada who was there with me to say that we have missed our opportunity to put out a book we have been collaborating on for years.  We will always just be seen as copycats now! Congratulations, where can I get the book?

Regarding your comments on the egalitarian nature of golf in Scotland, i hope you like the section on LGT Pty Ltd. at www.barnbougledunes.com  

And as for hidden gems, i have 1 suggestion- take away the 1st and 18th holes, and Fraserburgh GC (only 20 mins up road from Cruden Bay) is, without any doubt a true hidden gem.

Congratulations again, please email me at www.barnbougledunes.com

Greg Ramsay

[kilfara]

Greg - thanks for posting. I've sent you an e-mail via what I think is your address through the website.

Cheers,
Darren

[John Morrissett]

I suspected that Darren is a bright guy, and his selection of the 13th at Machrihanish on his All Scotland course confirms it!  What a neat hole -- why don't we hear more about that hole (or the 15th or the 12th or the 2nd or the 5th, etc.)!?

Greg--

How do you compare Fraserburgh and Peterhead?  (I assume they are not far apart.)  The Morrissett brothers played Peterhead last spring and left with differing opinions -- Bill and John liked it a good bit while ran was unimpressed.

[John Morrissett]

Everyone--

There are a number of new photos with Darren's interview.  Several have never been seen before on this site (including a couple of Gullane No. 1 and my attempt at capturing the 16th green at North Berwick on film), so take a look.

Darren--

You say you have played Machrie.  What's the verdict?  Do people feel compelled to rave about it because it is such a pain to reach, or is it really that fun?  (Someone once described it to me as a "small Machrihanish" -- do you buy that?)

Also, what about Dunaverty?  If you are going to be at Machrihanish for several days, is it worth sacrificing one round there for a round at Dunaverty?

Thanks.

[Mike_Cirba]

Darren,

Congratulations on your fine book and informative interview.  

You speculate therein whether Macdonald and Raynor's Biarritz green at Yale was inspired by Dunn's work in France, or perhaps by North Berwick's 16th.

An interesting sidenote to this discussion is the 3rd green at Lakewood CC in New Jersey, which is an old design going back to the 1890s.  Willie Dunn was involved in the original course design (later refined by Travis in 1920), and the par four 3rd hole features a really neat Biarritz style green atop a crest.  

My best educated speculation is that it's a Dunn original from around 1892 to 1910, which would have preceeded Yale by at least 15 years.  Lakewood was a very popular eastern resort and championship course in the early part of the last century, and there is little doubt in my mind that Macdonald would have seen that one, as well.

[kilfara]

John, I never could tear myself away from Machrihanish long enough to play Dunaverty, so I shouldn't really comment about it. But I did drive around the holes I could see from the gravel through-road there, and what I did see didn't impress me terribly much.

As for Machrie, it's a course of widely varying quality - some of the holes around the turn are rather uninspired, but I think there's enough genuine quirk and charm out there to convince most golfers that it'd be worth playing no matter where it was situated. And a lot of it is "tough quirk" as well, if that makes any sense - Machrie isn't just a series of cute holes. You can make some crooked numbers out there, especially in the typical wind conditions. I'd like to get back to see it again - and to play it twice, for there are lots and lots of blind holes which I don't think I came to properly appreciate in my one round there.

Cheers,
Darren