Final Thoughts From Hazeltine Golf Club And The Ryder Cup

I don't really like to end any of my Blogs on a negative or a critical note but with this final dispatch, written during a coffee break on my 400 mile drive back to Chicago and my overnight flight home, I must raise a couple of contentious issues.

Before getting back to golf, the drive this morning through Minnesota and Wisconsin has been stunning with ever increasing Autumnal colours reflecting against a backdrop of the most beautiful crystal blue sky.  It's magical and during the next two weeks, I simply can't imagine how stunning these States will become.

But alas, back to the golf although my first comment relates to a term used in many sports for able bodied people.  That term is hero and Davis Love used it in the closing ceremony to describe his twelve team members!  It infuriates me and I can't believe that I am the only person in the world who gets so incensed at the frequent use of this term!

Putting the record straight, they aren't heroes in any way, shape or form.  They are highly paid golfers who through their own incredible hard work, dedication and determination have become the best in the world and the rewards that come with that effort are well merited.  But please, please, please, they aren't heroes!  Heroes are people who have lost limbs in the service of their Country's military.  Heroes are people who have overcome dreadful lifelong disability to represent their country with such pride and success at the Paralympics.  Heroes are the people who have lost their lives volunteering to deliver aid to those suffering in Aleppo.  They aren't golfers!

The second criticism is aimed at Danny Willett and at Lee Westwood and their performance at the after event news conference but again, I need to pre-empt my comments by saying Lee Westwood has been a golfing idol of mine for many years and I remain optimistic that he will win the Major he truly deserves.  Danny on the other hand is a very gritty, and very straight talking Yorkshireman whose victory in this year's Masters was brilliant in every respect.  On the last few holes, you would almost have believed he had ice rather than blood running through his veins.  It was a proud moment for British golf when he received that Green Jacket.

He had a bad Ryder Cup as did Lee but these guys are PGA Professionals.  The term Professionals should be underlined and in bold but my IPad doesn't allow me to do that!  For me they demonstrated a lack of professionalism at that press conference by drinking beer, laughing and when asked how he had played, Danny replied, "shit", no, "really shit"!  

Some people clearly found it funny but I didn't because I see these two as genuine role models in their sport, influencing a new breed of enthusiastic and passionate young golfers who copy the every move of their sporting idols.  This sent a poor message.  I am certain they were hurting badly inside from the defeat and I would have liked them to demonstrate a touch more disappointment.  Boorishness is no substitute in my mind.  

The game lost one of its most most popular and consummate Professionals last week.  Arnold Palmer or Mr Palmer as he was known by most, was the epitome of everything good about a Golf Professional.  Charming, charismatic and loved and respected by everyone in the game.  I hope I'm not wrong but I can't believe he or indeed Jack Nicklaus of Gary Player would have taken beer into a press conference or used the term "shit" to describe his playing performance.  I excuse the Americans and the drink in their press conference.  They won.  They were entitled.  Rant over but I would be interested if anybody reading this agrees?  I can take criticism as well as praise so use the comment button below to let me know your own thoughts.

It has been a brilliant experience and I would recommend it to any golfer if they ever get the chance.  Well done to the Americans for recapturing our beloved Samuel Ryder Trophy and enjoy it for the next two years.  It will be returning to the European Team in Paris.

Thank you for reading.

If Only I'd Taken Notice!

Well there you have it, a convincing 17-11 victory and so the Ryder Cup returns to this side of the pond for two years.  I'm disappointed but we were impressively outplayed by the Americans so well done them.

I should have known really because when I announced early last week that I was attending this event, cries of anguish could be heard all over the golfing community!  My attendance would effectively be the "kiss of death" to any chance of a European victory and so it proved.  People pleaded with me, "don't go" but I didn't listen!  They were right.  Actually, I have never been a superstitious person, I walk under ladders not round them and I've never had a problem with opening an umbrella in the house!  What happened at Hazeltine was that we were beaten by a better team, period and so congratulations to the Americans.  Ouch!  That's so painful to say and to write as the tears run down my cheeks!

This has been a terrific experience, aided by some fantastic Minnesota weather and by the friendliness of everyone with whom I have come into contact, not least of which were my Airbnb hosts Jim and Pam.  Yes, I know I paid for the privilege but they welcomed me into their beautiful home like a member of their family.  Clear evidence of this was on day one of the Ryder Cup when I returned from the course to find that Pam had prepared a beautiful beef bourguignon for dinner.  It was delicious but it was also lovely to sit down with an American family and "machine gun" them with questions about everything American including the current debacle of Clinton or Trump!  That's a Blog never mind a Blog post, all of its own.

Much has been written about the behaviour of some fans, at Hazeltine and that's a shame because it puts a black mark on parts of the event.  They are so in the minority but their lousy behaviour taints all their fellow countrymen, 99% of whom are no different to us and respect the qualities and the values in the game of golf.  Quite frankly, anyone who goes outside limits and that includes shouting, "get in the hole" when a golfer has just driven off on a 633 yard Par 5, should be ejected from the course instantly!  Or perhaps they should simply be shot!  The other cardinal sin is shouting "mashed potato"!  What's all that about?

Passions run high at the Ryder Cup but there is no excuse or defence for the abuse of players, particularly on their backswing but as long as alcohol is served from gates opening at 0630 to gates closing, it's never going to stop.  However, without exception, every single person that I came into contact with over the three days has been a delight and the memories will live long.

One story to round off today is about fellow members of my golf club, Chris and Pam, who were also attending the Ryder Cup and not for the first time I might add. Seasoned veterans is a good description.  There is a photo today which shows the crowds waiting for the gates to open on Sunday.  70,000 people were expected.  All is good natured but as soon as the flag goes down, there is a cavalry charge to various parts of the course to grab a seat in your favoured Grandstand.  Disappointment abounds because 70,000 bodies don't fit into 10,000 seats!  Mind you, this daily rampage produces evidence of the miracle and power of sport because recipients of new hips and new knees suddenly transform into Usain Bolt, covering the ground at phenomenal pace in their efforts to get a seat!

Thanks to my luck on day one meeting Bob and Jason, the third hole had been my daily destination and sure enough, I got a seat for the final day's activity despite the Grandstand filling up in record time.  I didn't know Pam and Chris were hoping for the same viewing point and I was surprised to find them queuing patiently when I went for my first toilet break.  Once you have a place, nobody gives it up but on returning, I said "leave it with me, I'll have a word".  I did, with one of the marshals in the stand and before I knew it, she was asking for silence and the possibility of creating a little more space.  Like the parting of the seas, a few spaces became available and happily, two of these were filled by a smiling and very happy Pam and Chris.  Thank you to that marshal and thanks to my friends for offering me free drinks back at Skipton Golf Club for life!

I might write one last post but if I don't then this experience has been one to savour and one to long stay in the memory.  Would I do it again?  Definitely not and it only served to confirm my pathological hatred of crowds.  Mind you, if Europe had won 17-11, I would already be booking my tickets for Paris in two years time!  As they say in France, "mangetout Rodney, mangetout"!

    An Hour Before Gates Open!

    Grandstand 3 With Pensive Bob At The Front

    A Happy Pam and Chris And Free Beer For Me

    A Happy Me

    Incredible Crowds

    Beautiful Colours

Give Us Your Money!

It wasn't a great day for the European team on Saturday which came as something of a disappointment after the fight back they put in on Friday afternoon.  At three points down going into the singles on Sunday, they have a mountain to climb but they did this four years ago when they were even further behind so I remain optimistic that we can still win the coveted trophy.

I had mentioned about the commercialisation of this event in yesterday's dispatch and it is a surprising thing to talk about bearing in mind that this is the only golfing contest where the players don't play for vast sums of money.  They actually play for pride and yet behind the passion and the pride, the Ryder Cup has become a massive money making operation, ably shown with everything happening at Hazeltine Golf Club!

Do you know that on Saturday morning before 9am, over 40,000 people had entered the course and the majority of these had been bussed in from Canterbury Park, some 10 miles away from the course?  It needs a rather large fleet of buses to cater for those sorts of numbers!  

Anybody who knows me will be aware of my passionate hatred of crowds and of queuing but if you want to attend an event of this nature,  I'm afraid that the two go hand in hand.  Actually, the trip in the morning has been good fun with the banter between the two bands of supporters and helps time pass a bit more quickly while you are waiting.  Waiting?  Yep, that's a word you use a lot at Hazeltine with some of the worst queues being for the toilets where basically, you have to build in waiting time to ensure you don't experience an unpleasant accident!  It's tricky but they have fallen well short of toilet provision for the numbers visiting and I do feel sorry for the ladies who share the same facilities as the men!  Suffice to say, they are gross.  Enough on that subject and back to commercialisation.

So the take from daily tickets sales alone runs to millions of dollars but as soon as you enter the gates, you are greeted by the sight of a 50,000 square feet "merchandise tent" or perhaps better called, "give us your money tent!"  It's all about the money and the prices for Ryder Cup merchandise are crazy.  Despite this, the tent is rammed with people offloading their dollars at a vast rate and leaving whilst proudly wearing their $100 golf shirt emblazoned with the Ryder Cup symbol!  For me, I got a real bargain with a $5 dollar fridge magnet!

But if they make money there, it's but nothing but compared to the food and beverage operation?  Did I use the term, food??  I'm not sure what I have been eating on course for the past two days but it definitely wasn't food!  

You aren't allowed to bring a rucksack/backpack into the course and they tend to impose this rigidly because they don't want you to bring proper food, like fruit or meat or even those things not yet discovered in America called vegetables!  More importantly, they want you to pay the grossly inflated prices for the crap that they serve!  Unfortunately, when you are hungry, you generally will eat anything so they have you "over a barrel".  It's very calculated and very clever but shows no true respect for the fans who have paid a fortune merely to get through the gates!  I would have liked to bring my daily chicken sandwich home for laboratory analysis to establish exactly how much of the contents were actually chicken!  Happily, at this stage I am surviving and with a day to go, I think my robust constitution will get me through.

Much more to write about, not least the American golf fan, which merits pages and pages in its own right.  If you are an observer of people like me, then this event is jackpot time for material.  I could write a post a day for the next three months but it will be the first topic in my Ryder Cup round up tomorrow.

Good luck Team Europe today.  You're going to need it!

    The Morning Queue!

    The Merchandise Tent

    The View From My Grandstand

    Sam Looking For His Grandad

    Entering Into The Spirit - The Minnesota Vikings!

    Europe Supporters?

    Looking At Crowds on 16

    My Ryder Cup Radio.  Invaluable.

The Difference Is The Atmosphere

    Wow!  50,000 people watching 16 men hitting a dimpled white ball!  Incredible when you sit down and think about it or in my case, write.

It's difficult to know where to start my dispatch because when I reflect on Day 1, there is much to contemplate and discuss.  The organisation of the event is in itself, mind-blowing.  The commercialisation.  The behaviour of patriotic fans.  The food and beverage offering which offers enough material for a whole Blog!  And the atmosphere  which for me made the trip so worthwhile.

Whilst the 6 hour drive from Chicago had been pretty tiring, the effects of the time difference at home meant that at 2am, I was sitting in my bed, wide awake, ready for my 5am departure to Canterbury Park, the spectator transport hub for the Ryder Cup.  If you are a member of the public without special parking permission nearer the course, then your route into the event is through here.  It's effectively a massive car park, 30 minutes bus ride from Hazeltine, which enables security checks to be done before you arrive at the course.  I could be critical of certain aspects but my incredibly early start presented an advantage in parking the car close to the hundreds of shuttle buses and queuing for only a short while for the ride to the course.  Heaven knows how long these queues become.

However, the atmosphere is tangible the moment you get on that bus, mine being filled with a mix of Americans and Europeans entering into friendly banter despite the hour!  No animosity between fans, just fun and friendship.  Probably not what you would experience  If the bus had been full of Leeds and Manchester United fans!!

That atmosphere is carried onto the course and is the one thing you can't experience sitting on the couch at home, watching it through the wonders of modern tv sports coverage.  It simply isn't the same and for me this validated just why I came.  The sight of fans bedecked in patriotic outfits, some of which I would be embarrassed to wear behind closed doors, makes you smile and in some cases even laugh!  It was great to see that Elvis had indeed left the building and in many guises was strolling the fairways of a Minnesota golf course!  Priceless.

But where do you go when you first enter the gates?  I was lucky when queuing for the bus yesterday to be alongside Brits, Bob and Jay, veterans of attending sporting events like this.  In fact, Bob had been at Newlands stadium in Cape Town earlier this year, watching the same cricket match as me and experiencing the disappointment of losing on the last ball to the South Africans.  

Poor Bob and Jay, finding themselves stuck with a limpet called Alistair who followed their every move until refuge was found in the grandstand on Hole 3.  They had wanted to be on the first tee but quickly realised this to be a non-starter.  Hole 3 was fantastic however and as a gesture of friendship and thanks, I bought the coffees and we chatted away to other fans in the grandstand until the first match arrived on the green.  Atmosphere, atmosphere, atmosphere.  You really could cut it with a knife at Hazeltine, particularly after the morning foursomes when the Americans were so dominant, they whitewashed us 4-0!

Far too early for the Europeans to get down and that indomitable spirit was ably demonstrated in the afternoon session which ended with us winning 3-1.  This match, as they most often do could go to the wire.

The problem for me and Blogging is that I could write pages and pages which would only bore people to death.  Fortunately, three days on course gives me the opportunity to come back to food, commercialisation and the American fan and as I sign off at 0321, I wonder what awaits today?

A few photos below of Day 1 at the Ryder Cup.

    Why I Am Here

    That First Coffee

    A Grown Man!

    A Fist Pump From Rory

    A View Across The Course

    Could They Be European Supporters?

    The First Tee