Writing and golfing

[BCrosby]

Gullane Hill, untouched by the invading ploughshare, has left stretches of the most beautiful golfing country in the world. Turf of exceptional closeness and elasticity, natural sand bunkers of endless shape and variety, sierras of benty dunes and saharas of sand alternating with oases of verdure make the place a veritable golfers paradise. Here surely, if anywhere, must have been the home of our first golfing parents, for nowhere else in the world is the golfing prospect so expansive and enticing. Nowhere does the pursuit of the game seem so inevitable.  JOYCE WETHERED (from http://www.geoffshackelford.com/)

The best male and female golfers of the Golden Age - Bobby Jones and Joyce Wethered - also happened to be among the best writers of their generation. Amazing. Just amazing.Bob   

[BCrosby]

Somebody needs to send me a "GCA Fonts for Dummies". I have no idea what is going on in my post above.


Apologies.


Bob

[Mark Bourgeois]

It's not you, the site redesign is seriously buggy and flawed.

Is there an anthology of Wethered's writings anywhere? Always a simple pleasure to discover an elite athlete who can write. Check out Lynn Cox's memoir for example.

[BCrosby]

Mark -


I don't know if there is an anthology of Joyce's writing. It would be terrific is there is one, but I wonder if she wrote enough to justify a book. Dunno.


Bob 

[Tom_Doak]

I don't think I've ever read anything else attributed to Joyce Wethered -- has anyone?


It would be no surprise if she wrote well, since her father was an excellent writer about golf.

[BCrosby]

Tom -


She co-wrote "Golf from Two Sides" with her brother, which is excellent and has been reprinted a number of times.


A quick Google book search turns up other books she wrote or contributed to, including a memoir. I too was not aware of the extent of her output.


Bob

[Ken Moum]

The best male and female golfers of the Golden Age - Bobby Jones and Joyce Wethered - also happened to be among the best writers of their generation. Amazing. Just amazing.

As has been said before, the smaller the ball the better the writing.


K

[DMoriarty]

Somebody needs to send me a "GCA Fonts for Dummies". I have no idea what is going on in my post above.


Apologies.


Bob

Bob, the new formatting is a real pain, but you can gain some control over the process by clicking the red bracket box in the format options.  This will at least allow you to see and delete the formatting which has been automatically added.

[Peter Pallotta]

Thanks, Bob.


What's so lovely and impressive about that passage is how she combines an ornate, almost flowery, style with absolute clarity and precision. (You always know exactly what she means to say.)  There is a pureness and a humble homeliness in her writing, as there was in Mr. Jones'. It is obvious that they cared more about serving the subject at hand than about impressing us with their talents. Maybe it's in part because, having achieved mastery in another field of endeavor, as golfers, they didn't have much of their egos invested in their writing. Setting aside the ego is always good, and always bears good fruit -- for golf architects as much as for writers.


Peter

[BCrosby]

David -


Thanks. Good to know there is a way to control the gremlins, though I don't understand why there should be gremlins in the first place.


Ken -


Yes, the literature of golf is the best (with maybe cricket and baseball just behind). But what is seriously amazing is that there was a time when golf's best players were also among its very best writers. Has there ever been anything like that in any other sport?


Bob   

[Tony_Muldoon]

 This is an appropriate thread to congratulate Bob Crosby on winning the Presidents Medal awarded annually for the best article in the British Golf Collector's Society Magazine, Through the Green.

 

 
Bob has written a series of Articles of the past few years mostly relating to  Golf Architectural developments mostly around of turn of the Century and characters like Low. The President Philip Truett singled out “The Strange Career of the Road Hole”.

 
About 18 months after they appear in print they get added to the website below

 

 
http://www.golfcollectors.co.uk/ttg-search

 
 Congratulations Bob always a pleasure to read your articles. I hope you got to play with the group, something I plan to do more of in the coming years.

 

 
PS
Dallas? I bet you do your own fact checking.

 

 
PPS
Have you seen this?
http://archive.lib.msu.edu/tic/golfd/article/1955may42.pdf

[Kris Shreiner]

Nice post Bob. The Gullane of which she writes is unfamiliar to me.
I'd put it squarely  in the middle when assessing where that land and setting falls in rating the best golfing ground in Scotland.
The courses there have some wonderful vistas, strong holes, and interesting ground to be sure ...but hardly the stuff of legend in totality.
Brora excites the golfer's heart far more than Gullane.
The test of Carnastie or intrigue of a Royal Dornoch is superior from my view.
The quirk and timeless charm of a Prestwick  or North Berwick shade it significantly.
St. Andrew's history and setting dwarf it.
Maybe it was different back then...WWII saw it used extensively and it certainly was altered.
She may have shot nothing out there that day and then wrote about it with that satisfaction and mirth of a memorable day mastering the game fresh on her mind.
The writing of the day trended towards the grand description of a place. Many times, the goods were not quite to the level touted.
I guess we will never know .
If Gullane was really as exceptional then as she states...if it was THAT special, I regret not being there then to take it in with her!
She WAS a hell of a player.  I don't know that much about her beyond that.
Thanks Bob, for sparking interest among the GCA clan to explore further this remarkable  and accomplished  woman.
I too, marvel at the "range'" of Bobby Jones.
For all the greatness and ability of a Woods or Nicklaus....as a  complete contributor, in golf,
for me Bobby Jones really has no peer.
Cheers ,
Kris 

[Steve Lang]

   Does this not speak to an age or time when there were "men and women of letters?"  Words were chosen wisely, phrases turned and polished in mind before inked on paper or typed out, responses were delayed by time and space or the efficiency of the postman.  As I think Kurt Vonnegut or someone once said that science fiction blossomed with the advent of the electric typewriter; perhaps the old writing seems almost alien today versus the constant barrage of quick 140 character quips, and as cut & paste composition regresses compositional skill for instant gratification.   Let alone the fact that smart people like to play golf!

[RJ_Daley]

Steve, not to mention along those lines, hardly anyone has beautiful hand writing anymore.

I can not even read my own... 

[Niall C]

Bob

Many thanks for taking the time to post that piece.

Kris

Interesting that the quote is all about the quality of the turf and the expansiveness of it. The panoramic views of the water and over to Fife don't get a mention. Her quote, and your post, just reinforces my view that todays travelling golfer is easily satisfied with a nice view.

With regards to her quote, nothing has changed over the years in respect of the turf and openness, whereas at some of the other places you mentioned quite a lot has in that respect. With regards to the specifics of the course, and I really don't know the history of Gullane in any detail, but I suspect that the majority of the other courses have had just as many changes if not more than at Gullane. 

Niall

[Kris Shreiner]

Niall,,
Just can't help yourself, can you?
Gullane is a  second tier links play my friend. That turf has
NOTHING on ANY of those other courses I mentioned..
I won 't even comment on the  remainder of your assertions.
Grow up.
Cheers,
Kris   

[Niall C]

Kris


Isn't the quote about the quality of the turf, and the expansive "sierras of benty dunes", or have I got that wrong ? Is Gullane still the same as it was in that respect ? Looks like it to me, but then when I grow up as you advise I might see it differently. 


Niall

[Kris Shreiner]

Nialll,
If you bother to read the ENTIRE quote, you'll understand that her remarks about the sward, elasticity, and expansiveness are then tied to the claim that nowhere else on earth is it better.
My remarks were based on having played  the courses at Gullane in the modern era....and MANY other links courses, often multiple times., and finding it far from the best In Scotland ALONE.
Course conditions change. They are altered physically. They are subject to various agronomic treatments. In short,  NO course is static; they are constantly evolving.
Rather than try and belittle me with a cheap jab that i''m some  traveling greenhorn American golfer that benchmarks a presentation on the basis of a nice view...use this forum for the REAL reason Ran created it- to LEARN and share thoughts.
That's what growing as a person SHOULD  entail.
My approach is from that perspective. Read again and reflect on your reply to me.
 
Cheers ,
Kris 

[Niall C]

Kris

I seem to recall another thread where you accused me of not being able to read, and you were ranting and raving then as well as I remember. For the record I didn't call you a "travelling greenhorn American golfer", that seems to be your own description. I did however make reference to your post where you mentioned the "wonderful vistas", and yes I do think that visiting golfers do tend to be more influenced by the view than locals irrespective of whether that visitor is a greenhorn from the US of A or some seasoned linksman from the auld country.

Anyway, back to Ms Wethered and her quote. After an eloquent description of the Gullane landscape she finishes by saying "Nowhere does the pursuit of the game seem so inevitable" which is kind of a variation of Old Tom's this land was made for golf spiel. Interestingly she doesn't actually comment on the quality of the course or courses, just the quality of the golfing ground.

Who can say how the turf has changed since she made her quote but I'd contend her description is just as applicable today. Is it the best in the world ? Well I suppose that depends how you like your turf. Personally I can't think of anywhere better (in terms of the turf) and I've played one or two other courses myself.

Niall

[Tom_Doak]

Kris,


If you choose to argue with Joyce Wethered ... you lose.  She knew way more about golf than you or I ever will.


[Also, I believe she spent summers as a girl in Dornoch, so she knew a lot of the competition you speak of.]

[Kris Shreiner]

Tom,
You are welcome to wade in.
Where did I argue with Joyce?
I stated the ground she describes  wasn't there when I played it.
In fact, my gal and I sat down with the then club secretary, Stan Ouran (sp?) and discussed Gullane and the history there for over an hour before playing the top course together.
He was proud of his club and justly so , but admitted it wasn't in the top clutch.
Ask 10 golfer's that have played the links courses in Scotland to rate the best offerings in their respective views ....when have you EVER heard Gullane, let alone the fine turf, mentioned frequently in that discussion? Nuff said.
It may well have been the best golfing ground in her day. Things change. That was my point. 
Cheers.
Kris 

[Jon Wiggett]

Kris,

when playing any of the courses in the Gullane area on a good golfing day there is no better place to be in that particular moment. It is not about which course is better or worse but rather being able to enjoy the moment your in. If you really have an appreciation for all that is great about this game then the best course to play is the one you are playing on.

Jon

[Niall C]

Kris


Are you not getting a bit mixed up between the quality of the courses and the potential/quality of the ground/landscape as expressed by Joyce Wethered ?


Re ranking courses, I think it depends on your perspective. If you ask a golfer from the central belt they might have a different view from a northern golfer who might differ from a visitor etc. FWIW I was speaking last week with a past captain of Gullane who was at the after comp party with the main sponsor plus Rickie Fowler, and both were highly complimentary about Gullane. Of course they could have been blowing smoke but the main sponsor (who hails from Aberdeen) apparently suggested it was a better track than Royal Aberdeen.


Niall

[Frank Giordano]

The thread began discussing great golfers who are also very good writers.  I'd like to suggest a couple of other names:  Tommy Armour wrote a book, A Round of Golf with Tommy Armour, that is very well written.  It has a distinctive voice and is surprisingly allusive, indicating his familiarity with several classical authors.  In addition, it is a very early contribution to the literature of course-management, or the mental side of golf, as he takes a student out for nine holes and requires the student to think his way throughout the playing lesson, selecting the proper club, shot, landing areas after thoughtful analysis.  And, years ago, I read some things by Peter Thomson that were very well written, so well in fact that I asked about his "ghost-writer."  I was told Mr. Thomson was an extraordinarily well-rounded individual, with wide-ranging interests is subjects outside of golf -- wine, politics, literature -- and that he wrote his own articles and books.