http://stephenhardygoodwin.com Great Golf and Travel Writing Thu, 12 Jan 2012 22:18:54 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Ollie Dunn returns as guest writer, this time describing his experience at the Canadian Tour Fall Qualifying School, played at Hidden Lake GC, in Burlington, Ontario, on September 19-22.  This was the major event on Ollie's 2011 schedule, and he provides rare insight into the mental state and conflicting emotions of a golf pro trying to earn his place on a bigger stage.   I sat stunned in a Russian-owned Laundromat in ... ]]> http://stephenhardygoodwin.com/golf/golf/personalities/983/q-school-the-inner-game On a hot August afternoon at the Army Navy CC in Fairfax, VA, Richard Mandell is doing what golf architects love to d0; he is actually designing something.  After all the planning, the meetings, the red tape, the renderings, and the rough shaping, he is out there in the sun with a marking gun, spraying paint on the dirt.  Dressed in shorts, striped polo, and well-worn, ankle-high, leather boots, he's ... ]]> http://stephenhardygoodwin.com/golf/golf/personalities/964/architect-richard-mandell-digging-it-out-of-the-dirt The movie of "Golf in the Kingdom" is being released this week in selected markets.   In late April 2009, I happened to be at Bandon Dunes during the filming the movie, and to observe what a different vibe the cast and crew   brought to the resort.  In the lobby of the Lodge, for instance, one could overhear recognizable actors discussing the nuances of the kind of accent they were planning to use and ... ]]> http://stephenhardygoodwin.com/golf/golf/personalities/950/golf-in-the-kingdom-a-report-from-the-film-site On the eve of the Open Championship, we could do worse than consider the question posed in the case "Rex V. Haddock" brought before a magistrate in Cornwall many years ago.  It seems that one Alfred Haddock been charged under the Profane Oaths Act, 1745, with swearing and cursing on a Cornish golf course.  Haddock  appeared before the magistrate to protest the exorbitant amount of the the fine, more than 100 pounds sterling, that had ... ]]> http://stephenhardygoodwin.com/golf/golf/937/isagolferagentleman The finals of the Publinx, played yesterday on Old Macdonald, at Bandon Dunes, in Oregon, were classic match play nail-biters, filled with twists and turns, thrusts and parries, with tension building over the course of 36 holes.  For the first time, the USGA decided to play both the men's and women's Publinx (officially, the USGA Public Links Amateur Championship) at the same time and on the same course.  Also for the first time, the USGA ... ]]> http://stephenhardygoodwin.com/golf/golf/920/thepublinxonatruelinks A week after Rory McIlroy's big win at the U. S. Open, the "story" of his victory has been set, not in stone but in words and images.  By story, of course, I mean the collective story, the one that has been jointly constructed by thousands of writers and other media folk who've been trying not only to describe McIlroy's dazzling performance at Congressional but to tell us what it means. The McIlroy story, obviously, isn't ... ]]> http://stephenhardygoodwin.com/golf/golf/894/usopenafterthoughts-thekidandtheera During the broadcast of the final round of the U. S. Open, Johnny Miller began to analyze Rory McIlroy's swing, pointing out the fullness of his turn, the way he stores power on his right side, the freedom of his release, the flowing follow-through.  Then he fell silent, allowing the image of McIlroy to remain frozen on the screen, and said, "That's just too good even to talk about." Too good even to talk about -- ... ]]> http://stephenhardygoodwin.com/golf/golf/887/usopensunday-thenewguythecoursewizardtigerwho Rory McIlroy shot a 68 today in the third round of the U. S. Open, setting a couple of new records and breaking one of his own day-old records.  His score after three rounds is 199, the lowest in Open history, and he stands at 14 under par, breaking the record he set yesterday when he got to 13 under.  He'll begin the final round with an 8 shot lead, which isn't a record but ... ]]> http://stephenhardygoodwin.com/golf/golf/personalities/875/usopensaturday-thenewguycontinued Around noon, things were getting a little crazy at Congressional.   Rory McIlroy was playing the back nine, breaking records and making it look like child's play, and the winds of change were starting to build.  Fans were converging from all over the course, doing whatever it took -- running, climbing trees, crowding into the angles of the ropes -- to catch a glimpse of the young man who clearly had it.  He had the magic. He ... ]]> http://stephenhardygoodwin.com/golf/golf/866/usopenfriday-rorythenewguy Rory McIlroy cruised around Congressional this afternoon, hitting 17 of 18 greens and posting a bogey-free, stress-free 65.  For the third time in the last four majors, he is the first round leader.   There's still a long way to go, but the young Ulsterman's brilliant round gave a clear shape to this tournament.  It's too soon to say that he's in command, but with a 3-shot lead, he has a formidable head start. McIlroy teed off ... ]]> http://stephenhardygoodwin.com/golf/golf/848/848