Great Golf Writers Moments

[BCyrgalis]

This is inspired by something Ran said on the Walker Cup thread.  He relayed a story about running into Herbert Warren Wind at Pine Valley during a Walker Cup, and they argued about PV's 18th hole.  Eventually Wind conceded that what he wrote in World Atlas of Golf was wrong, and it was a fine finishing hole.  Just tremendous stuff.

So I got to thinking: How many people on this site have stories about great writers?  Is there somebody here who ran into Bernard Darwin at the 1959 Open at Muirfield and talked about the merits of practicing inside?  And if not Darwin or Wind (who are undoubtedly the best golf writers ever, the remaining list maybe fodder for another thread), how about some of the more modern guys.  Anyone ever sip whiskey in the Texas sun with Dan Jenkins, or spark up a conversation with John Updike while he rambled about some seemingly-inconsequential, non-golf New Yorker article that you couldn't stop thinking about for weeks?  I know for a fact somebody reading this has to at least have a good John Feinstein story.  (For all I know, as you can cleary see by my status, all of these guys could be members of this site, and it wouldn't surprise me the slightest).

I find this stuff fascinating, if for no other reason then these are guys that have influenced me greatly.  Needless to say, I also don't think I'm the only one on this site who would enjoy hearing some of these rememberances.  Thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to respond.

-Brett

[Tom_Doak]

B:  All of the guys you have mentioned are professional writers, and unlikely to give up any of their best work here for free.  (Although since Mr. Darwin and Mr. Wind can no longer get paid anyway, it would be very cool if they could figure out how to post.)

When I was applying for my scholarship to study in the UK after college, I wrote Mr. Wind asking for his advice, and he was nice enough to write a short letter to the scholarship committee on my behalf.  Before I left I went into NYC to have lunch with him, but since I had not thought to wear a coat and tie we did not go to the Yale Club as he had planned.  (There are not many faux pas worse than that.)  It was however a very nice lunch, and of the various topics we discussed, the one I remember most was Mr. Wind's comment that modern architects (Trent Jones especially) obsessed too much about varying hole locations on greens, and that to him, a great hole was a hole that was still great even with the flag right in the center of the green.

I was also fortunate to meet both Charles Price and Peter Dobereiner on different occasions ... if only I'd met Pat Ward-Thomas I would have completed the roster for The World Atlas of Golf.

[Eric Franzen]

Well, you asked for it.

Dan Jenkins got quite pissed off at me during the US Open 06 at Winged Foot. The press tent was equipped with a ton of flat screen monitors with the broadcast from the tournament. Imagine the fury of Mr Jenkins when I was rude enough to switch one of them over to ESPN and Sweden vs. Paraguay in the World Cup.
He sent his daughter over a couple of times just to change the channel back to the golf coverage - after I switched it back to the soccer game. He was clearly offended that all of the 99 monitors didn't show John Cooks magnificent day on the course.

I recommend to check out the Merion threads if you want a rough idea of the words that I uttered to him after a while.

No worries though. I am an even bigger fan of his writing after this incident, and ordered his new volume "Jenkins at the the majors" just a couple of days ago.

And most important of all... Sweden knocked Paraguay out of the tournament with Freddie Ljungberg's winning goal in the 88th minute.
 

[BCyrgalis]

Tom,

Great story about Wind.  Of course he wanted to go to the Yale Club, where else could you possibly expect him to want to lunch (and then use lunch as a verb)?  Although, from everything I've read, no matter the jacket and tie you wore, you would've felt underdressed next to him.  And the idea of a great hole being one where the pin placement doesn't matter - imagine what he would think of those colored cards hanging from golf carts that separate the greens into five distinct areas?!  I find those things retched, as they're too vague ... and what if you want to put the hole in area No. 2 for the fourth hole, and area No. 4 for the tenth hole?  Then what!  It's like color-by-number golf, and it feels forced and stupid.

Also for clarification, I'm not necessarily asking any writers to post stories here - I'm a professional writer (NY Post) and God knows I understand what it's like to need to get paid for your work.  I'm just hoping to hear some good quick stories, like yours and Eric's, that are enjoyable little anecdotes.  Again, thanks. 

[Mark_Rowlinson]

He's not a great golf writer, but he writes as attractively as he speaks, but I have always found Peter Alliss to be punctilious about answering the many questions I ask him, mostly about his memories of old golfing folk or of courses. He always has something positive to say, too.
Donald Steel has always written diligent replies to my many queries.
Martin Hawtree writes elegantly and eloquently. I read his letters/copy eagerly.
Perhaps the letter I treasure most came from Tom Watson, when he was at the height of his golfing powers. I sent him something I had written and he took the trouble to write back, in his own hand, most appreciatively.

I am also rather fond of a letter I received from the actress Honor Blackman. It simply says, 'Mark, you are brilliant.' I won't explain it - it's quite mundane!

[Bill_McBride]

He's not a great golf writer, but he writes as attractively as he speaks, but I have always found Peter Alliss to be punctilious about answering the many questions I ask him, mostly about his memories of old golfing folk or of courses. He always has something positive to say, too.
Donald Steel has always written diligent replies to my many queries.
Martin Hawtree writes elegantly and eloquently. I read his letters/copy eagerly.
Perhaps the letter I treasure most came from Tom Watson, when he was at the height of his golfing powers. I sent him something I had written and he took the trouble to write back, in his own hand, most appreciatively.

I am also rather fond of a letter I received from the actress Honor Blackman. It simply says, 'Mark, you are brilliant.' I won't explain it - it's quite mundane!

Mark, next time you speak to Mr. Allis, please ask him what he was thinking about when he criss crossed those par 4s at Brocket Hall..........

And Honor Blackman, didn't she play Ms. Galore in one of those 007 movies? 

[Rich Goodale]

the one I remember most was Mr. Wind's comment that modern architects (Trent Jones especially) obsessed too much about varying hole locations on greens, and that to him, a great hole was a hole that was still great even with the flag right in the center of the green.

Tom

That was a very cool insight from Herbie.  Thanks for passing it on.

Rich

[BCrosby]

Mark - I'm surprised you make no mention of Patric Dickinson. Didn't you work with him?

[Doug Sobieski]

Do current golf journalists count? One of my memorable moments was the drubbing that Tim Rosaforte and I took at the hands of Jaime Diaz and John Hawkins at OSU-Scarlet. My poor play that day insured that it was truly no contest.

I think those three are among the most well known guys in golf journalism today. I'm pretty sure I've taken a beating from Gary VanSickle also. I don't play favorites.

[Jay Flemma]

My favorite moments of any major are when John Garrity, Marino Parascenzo, Art Spander, Jenkins, and any of the guys that I read in the old 80s program guides as a kid sit down for lunch or coffee in the media lunch room and tell stories around the table.  I listen to them for hours talking about the old majors.

One of my favorite pieces was one I wrote about their remembrances of the day Hubert Green got the death threat at Southern Hills.  They all had good stories roughly the same of...all of a sudden, there were cops everywhere in full dress regalia...and bits about how some guy just materialized in the holiest of the inner sanctums, the TV truck and asked the video guys to use some cams to pan the crowds...but no one knew what was really going on.  It only got released as a death threat later.  You can get them to tell stories like that...where they were when...

As for Southern Hills 1977, that was, gratefully, something you don't see every day and you remember where you were...at least they did.

Other than that, the stories from the tent of the guys aren't really that exciting...we're all working.  There's little idiosyncracies about some folks...who sits sideways in his chair, who wears loud shirts, etc.  It's more fun when we go out and play golf together.  Some guys swear, others don't, some guys play well, others don't.  But mostly, they are just nice people like you or me that just love to write.  There isn't much glamor in being a sports writer...you are Jack Klugman to an extent, (well Oscar madison).

As for the broadcasters - Scott van Pelt is a prince, Feherty loves to chat and is open and honest, Nobilo loves to talk golf and has good insights, Kelly Tilghman dresses well and is always smiling.  Mostly everyone is really down to earth and concentrating on the golf around them.  Andy North will exchange ideas back and forth, he's won twice, so he has remarkable acumen.  I really like both Rosie and Tom Rinaldi...smart, approachable, and sincere.

But I guess the oldest guys are my favorite memories...they love to sit around the table and remember when.  Its always a great history lesson.

Doug, how did you like OSU Scarlet?"  Was it a GWAA thing? or a GD thing?

[BCrosby]

I was also fortunate to meet both Charles Price ...

Tom - I think Charles Price was one of the best of the bunch. He doesn't get the credit he deserves. His books on ANGC and his other shorter pieces hold up incredibly well.

I would love to hear more about your meeting with him.

Bob

[Rich Goodale]

Tom

Did you forget, or not meet, the best of the lot, Alistair Cooke--the people's golf writer?

Rich

[BCrosby]

BTW -

A new collection of Cooke's pieces on golf was just published in the US. Some started life as Letters from America over the BBC.

They are all very good and a significant addition to the literature. Cooke was a very good writer. The book must be owned.

Is my enthusiasm coming through clearly enough?

Bob

[Eric Franzen]

But I guess the oldest guys are my favorite memories...they love to sit around the table and remember when.  Its always a great history lesson.

That's because they only have to put together a passionate column and don't need to hang in the locker room with Henrik Stenson and Robert Karlsson. 
Not that there's anything wrong with that...

[Tom_Doak]

Rich:

No, I never got to meet Alistair Cooke, unfortunately.  Never thought to write to him.  When I was in college and/or writing stuff for GOLF Magazine I wrote letters to nearly everyone in the golf business asking for advice, but it just occurs to me now that Mr. Wind was the only writer I ever wrote to ... I guess I didn't have a good idea where to contact the others.  Which is too bad, because nearly everyone I wrote to wrote back.

Bob C:

My two meetings with Charles Price were both very brief, while we were working at Long Cove down on Hilton Head.  The evening I arrived there to report for work, he was over for dinner with the Dyes ... I was a bit overwhelmed that evening.  And later he came out to the site to look around at what we were doing, but I was just a skinny kid on the crew, so I wasn't exactly a focus of attention.

Price's stuff was all good reporting but it is much more straightforward than others' work ... I don't know that he had much of a style you could put your finger on.  Maybe I just haven't read enough of it; what would you recommend?

[BCrosby]

Tom -

Charles Price wrote two books on Augusta that I think are still as good as it gets. He seems to have had a special relationship with Bob Jones, which might account for their quality. The books are more perceptive about design issues than most.

When I come across other things he wrote, I find them to be lively and intelligent. He was of the post WWII generation and dubious about the whole pro golfer as hero thing.

Bob