A few years ago with Philip Gawith as our 3rd, I met Ran at Royal Cinque Ports and we took a fun journey accross the channel (where Ran tried to get me drunk so I would be hungover the next day) in order to play Mortfontaine. Sadly, for Ran, I slayed him 2 &1. He maintains it only happened because I shamelessly would not offer him any strokes and that the transition from hickories back to modern instruments was taking longer than he expected. I took all of this in and could think of one word---hubris. But Ran swore revenge.
And so it goes.. Three years later today, I saw him in the misty humid air of Westchester County. He was wearing a seafoamish coloured shirt that looked strangely out of place. Channelling my inner Stephen Potter (Gamesmanship, Lifesmanship anyone--Paul Turner is an expert in Potter as are all Brits), I refused to say hello to Ran which frustrated him. The real reason for our match was for Ran to see Charles Banks' work at Whippoorwill Golf Club. One of the best courses in the Met area that no one talks about. I had been whispering to Ran about how badly he needed to see the course, one with a split personality between nines ala Crystal Downs but with tremendous rambunctiousness and uber bold features. The weather was a pallid English day, humid, spritzing rain that was a nuisance to grips.
I knew Ran was scared, our match referree Dr. G. Childs warned him that I had scored a double eagle and hole in one in successive rounds earlier this summer (Littlestone #7 and Yale #9 in case Ran needed validation)
On the 1st and 2nd holes I drove within 75 and 15 yards respectively of the green. Ran knew he was toast as his driver was in love with the right rough and OB all day long. I will spare the hole by hole spankng he took but suffice to say, 4&3 felt so nice. Lucky consolation prize for Ran was he came away with a new appreciation for a quasi hidden gem. Whipppoorwill is fabulous. So if you get to host Ran ever, give him strokes even if he shamelessly asks, he needs all the help he can get.