Hickories, Alfie and Musselburgh Old (more pictures)

[Tony_Muldoon]

When Golf was fun.

We kicked off the GCA get together last week with a round on Old Musselburgh, played with hickories, authentic balls, sand tees and STYMIES.  Our host for the day was the remarkable Alfie Ward who rebuilt his own course and you can read more about his exploits here    http://www.golfclubatlas.com/interviewward.html .

Alfie welcomed us (hopefully someone else can post that picture as I forgot to take one) and just said he hoped we’d have enjoy ourselves.

This is Jason Fiorita, hitting his first ever shot in Scotland, using a Hickory club, a 1920’s style wound ball and a sand tee.(Welcome Jason at time of writing our newest member.)



Andrew Mitchell this is his tee shot on the 183 yard 5th.


Got it to about 5 feet.


Some observations.

To the best of my knowledge no one bothered with the scorecard, we were just out there enjoying the sport.
With the hickories both the wound ball and the gutta perch’s flew low but ran so a reasonable distance could be attained.  On the green the wound ball sprang off the putter face, whilst the gutta percha had a lovely click but felt comparatively dead.
Playing Musselburgh like this was perfect. Despite a wet winter in late March the course had plenty of run in it and the greens were in surprisingly good shape.  With an overall length of 2874 yards (the longest hole at 479 and shortest 146) it’s the perfect course for this.  It also reminds you that golf can be played at a good pace. The four ball in front of us, all had unique & ‘unorthodox’ actins and none of them could get it within a short pitch of the first green partly because none bothered with even a practice swing, yet they informed us they played 5 times a week and 9 holes took 70 minutes.


This is the 6th green. Sir Peter Allen said Park copied this at the “13th (now the 3RD)” at Huntercombe and the 8th at Worplesdon.



Worplesdon 8G


Alfie and his son Ross milled around and encouraged us to try both balls and to have fun.  A marvellous morning and a pleasure to meet you again Sir, thanks Alfie.

The group


Left to Right
Michael Christiansen, Demi Moore, Matt Sullivan, James Bennett, Andrew Mitchell, Jason Fiorita,  David Gower, Mike ‘Clooney’ Cirba, Alfie Ward, Philip Gawith.

It was great fun meeting you all and proof yet again that once you get a bunch of GCA enthusiasts together on a golf course you are going to have fun.

[Michael Christensen]

great pics Tony.......that morning was a blast, great weather and great fun!

using the tools of the old players was a blast....some duffs here and there, but if you hit it square it took off!

Alfie is a unique individual....he has such a passion for the history of the game.....I even boiled my piece of rubber tree he gave us..pitching it across the carpet!

[Troy Alderson]

Tony,

That looked like alot of fun.

As for your post title, golf was fun when match play was the norm.  Stroke play has ruined golf.

Troy

[JR Potts]

Was the "reverse pivot" the swing of choice in the early 1900s as well?  

All kidding aside...that looked like fun.  Where did you get the vintage balls?

[Michael Whitaker]

Tony - Great pixs!

Do my eyes deceive me? Left-handed hickories? I always assumed that this was an outing exclusively for righties... if there is equipment available for lefties I will visit Musselburgh on my next trip!

[James Bennett]

Alfie provided the left handed hickories, and the balls.

The rules were applied strictly, despite the light-hearted nature of the game.  Play it as it lies.  No preferred lie on the fairway, no cleaning of the ball on the green either.  And, of course, stymies were in play.  As I will show you next week when I return to OZ.

Alfie has even been securing supplies of gutta percha - he is a passionate man.

Re some of the names - I thought it was 'Pinky Tuscadero', not Demi Moore.  And, Mark Pearce and Tony Muldoon must have had so many 3-pointers in their scottish travels (traffic violations, not Dr Stableford's net birdies) that they had assumed their other travelling nom-de-plumes to retain their drivers licence.

 

It was the perfect appetiser for the week.

James B

[Matt_Sullivan]

It was a great day -- my thanks to Alfie and Tony for putting it together. The golf really was fun. And it made me realise that I would have just as much fun playing golf if they rolled back present day drivers and balls to, say, mid 90's standards. In fact, I would happily play golf with hickories and gutties if that was all there was -- the challenge and enjoyment remained the same as in a normal game. That's not to say I would give up modern equipment voluntarily, but golf is golf (and therefore fun) irrespective of the implements, not because of them.

My wife to a good photo of me that showed the flex in the hickory shaft as I was halfway through the downswing. We'll work out how to post it somehow

Matt

[Shane Sullivan]

Here is the photo showing the flex in the hickory shaft.

[Andrew Mitchell]

Great pictures Tony.  I feel honoured to feature so prominently. Given that you don't mention my missing that birdie putt on the 5th, I feel even more guilty about (briefly) posting that picture of you arguing with the wall at North Berwick

I can confirm that it was great fun and would heartily recommend it to anyone planning a trip to that area. I would also thoroughly recommend that you hire the clubs from Alfie Ward and you ask him to walk round with you.  His knowledge and expertise regarding the course, clubs and balls heightened the enjoyment.

Ryan, I'm not sure who the first left handed golfer was. I'm sure there must have been someone before Bob Charles  Alfie has only the one left handed set so it was a good job there wasn't any other lefties in the party!  Alfie also makes the balls from his own supply of gutta percha!

 

[RJ_Daley]

Fine actors, good show...

[Tony_Muldoon]

More pictures of the course.  This land has the longest documented history of continuous golf, and it is believed Mary Queen of Scots played here. The open was contested here five times between 1874 and 1891.   The first one was won by Mungo Park, with a score of 159 for 36 holes.  (Did any of our group break 40 with the superior greens today?). It was of course the breeding ground of many famous players and fittingly it was one of the first courses where (fish) ladies competed for a trophy. This was too much for the Honourable company who left in 1891 and took the Open with them.
If the Shell encyclopaedia is correct it originally played to 2850 yards par 39.  Today’s 1st was originally the 9th although I guess the winter tee we used is probably closer to the original position than the one shown on the card below.   I was surprised by the number of times we walked back so it’s possible the course has been lengthened.



The first played from outside the racetrack. At 146 yards the shortest hole on the course and a nice warm up


The first green and backdrop  showing the relatively flat land of the rest of the course which is situated mostly within the racetrack.


The 348 yard second with the green lying in a nice natural bowl.


The, 357 yard, 3rd green with the 6th behind


The skies momentarily threatened but never broke. If you hit a stout drive over the racetrack railings, this is the approach shot to the 431 yard par 4 Mrs Forman’s.  Named for the white building which is the eponymous pub where refreshment was traditionally taken.  



The 5th at 183 yards shown in the first post has this green and those bunkers to contend with without a sand wedge or anything more than (I’m guessing 48 degrees of loft?)


This is the sixth again mentioned above.  Sir Peter also said the area in front of the green was once a massive bunker.


The seventh tee is now a long way from the 6th green, but at 479 yards it’s quite a challenge. Fairway bunker


The 240 yard 8th, again Andrew had its match this time tapping in for a Par 4.


364 yard 9th



I’ll look for some old images to compare, but it still offers tremendous sport if you have the right weapons to play with.

[Alfie]

Tony, the group,  & all the posters here (and elsewhere,

Thanks for all the kind references (the cheques are in the post) and for allowing Ross and myself to have a break from the building site !

I must say that I was suitably impressed by the play of the entire group and the spirit evoked thereof ! Shane proved with uncomplaining ease that golf can still be played with sticks and wee ba's that dinnae go far. Well done Shane.

I think James is even returning to Oz with a slight Scots accent, so that's another result.

The big boomer (IMO) was gca newbie Jason Fiorita who had me trembling in my boots every time he swung a hickory ! I couldn't have cared less if the ball had dinintegrated in mid flight - but the last thing I want to see is a clubhead being followed by hickory splinters ! I don't think I've seen anyone "cream" a gutta percha off the tee with Brassie like he could ?

All in all, Ross and I had a wonderfull day with a really great bunch of gca'ers. Thanks to all of you.
Incidentally, Michael lost a ball at the 9th - just in case there was some wager resting on that hole ? Even though you boiled up your gutta sample, honesty and honour compel me to clype on you Mike...sorry  

Mathew ; "The golf really was fun. And it made me realise that I would have just as much fun playing golf if they rolled back present day drivers and balls to, say, mid 90's standards."

Oh ! Such wisdom Mathew. Music to my ears my friend.

Let's hope the great annual occasion of The Masters doesn't throw up any little technological breakdowns that we've witnessed in the past few years  

Alfie.

ps ; Lefties awaiting your approval Mr Whitaker  

[Alfie]

re - Mrs Forman's hostelry ;

This is where Tom Morris left a match versus Willie Park Snr and retired to the pub ! Old Tom refused to return to the match because of the partisan attitude of the spectators supporting Park.
 See....nothin' new in golf. They must've been shouting "you da man" way back in the 19th century. I suspect the beer had something to do with it too ?

Alfie.