Amateur Grand Slam

[Mark_Rowlinson]

You are the reincarnation of Bobby Jones.  You have the respect, standing, influence and finances necessary to establish a series of four competitions to determine the best and most complete amateur golfer in the world each year. You have the influence to open doors and Rye, Swinley Forest, Cypress Point, Seminole and the like are all for consideration - even Kerry Packer's private course in Australia.  And of course, you can alter the calendars of each and every golf association to ensure that you can play your events exactly when you want to knowing that all the best players will be competing.

You could simply make it possible for the cream of amateur golf to compete in the Amateur Championships of the USA, Britain, Australia and, say, South Africa. Perhaps you would prefer to stage stroke-play tournaments on each of a links course, parkland course, mountain course and jungle course.  Perhaps you would like to hold the tournaments at different seasons of the year, a British links in winter, Florida at its most humid, an Egyptian desert course in dry heat and an Andean high altitude course to test the physical condition of the players.  Or, you might wish to test the golfers' skills against the very different tests set by four very different architects, Mackenzie, Trent Jones, Dye and Doak, for example.  I jest, but I'm sure you get the idea.


What would your format be?
How would you select the competitors?
Which courses would you choose for the events?
How would you set up these courses?
Would they be the same courses year after year or would you use lots of different ones?
What different facets of the players' techniques and temperaments are you testing?

[Alex Chehansky]

Great and fun topic.  Based on my knowledge of many top amateurs and the professional game, I would suggest the following:
1) American amateurs will not travel to play events out of the americas or europe while other amateurs will travel extensively.  Note the amount of americans in foreign events, in comparison with foreigners in our events.
2) Even the USGA and R&A are myopic in hosting events
3) Course designers are as important as location, history, and parking!

with those said, even though this is an artificial event, I am trying to make it realistic.  here goes:
1 - The Masters (Amateur Toon a mint within the pro event)
2 - Open Amateur Championship on the normal rota
3 - US Amateur at US Open site of next year
4 - Amateur Match Play at TOC

[TEPaul]

Mark, you are a wonderful dreamer! So much so I can't even imagine how to respond except to tell you such a wild and crazy dream-like endeavor once was concieved and constructed but not to do with just golf----to do with many other things to test the skill and stamina, mental agility and God knows what else of the ultimate athlete or the ultimate "Man".

I can't remember the exact circumstances but it was conceived within the last twenty years. I know one of the creators of the idea but I hate to use his name now, only to say that he was very big in the world of thoroughbred horse racing and the Jockey Club that controlled it, and amongst other sports with some notable athletes. He was also immensely rich (and still is) and so were his friends and fellow conceivers of the following idea of challenge somewhat akin to what you proposed here.

Their idea was to create a test of what the ultimate athlete or "Man" could accomplish in a limited time frame.

I only remember the man they selected was New York Giant football star Tucker Frederickson---a very nice looking white athlete and general star--perhaps even some form of Aryan ideal . Apparently they assumed he might be the best candidate for this ultimate challenge.

The ultimate test was something like running a marathon, doing hurdles, high jumping, rowing, riding a horse as fast as possible through a course, shooting a rifle to some predetermined test, trying to survive a round or two or three against the heavyweight boxing champion (who they'd apparently lined up , playing a round of golf as fast as possible in as low a score as possible and perhaps a few other event tests I've forgotten about.

And if this was all not enough of a grueling test of a superb athlete in something like twelve hours he had to top it all off by screwing a dozen beautiful women to complete this ultimate test.

I don't know if these rich and adventurous and imaginative men actually got Tucker Frederickson to give this all a go but it was an interesting idea.

And somehow I seem to recall the whole thing was to take place in Australia for some reason.

[Bill_McBride]

I don't remember the part about the 12 beautiful women but I'll bet Tucker was excited!  At least he'd better have been!  

[Mark_Rowlinson]

I only suggested amateur because I think it opens up more possibilities than a truly open competition would provide.  Amateurs, despite the best of them consistently driving well over 300 yards, would still have fun as well as challenge at Cypress Point or Rye.  Much as I love the thought of the best professionals taking on Royal Worplesdon or St Enodoc it will not happen.  But if the ghost of Bobby Jones were to enable....  what might the top amateur players essay?

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Let's make it simpler.  Strip away all the baggage of sponsorship, prize money, appearance money etc etc.  If there were the possibility of a series of genuinely open competitions to find the best player in the world that year, where would you play those competitions, under what conidtions and what would your criteria be?