Fancy Playing Killeen Castle Next Wednesday (29th April) With The SpinDoctor?

If you're free on Wednesday 29th April, you're welcome to join me on the Irish Examiner Four Lads (and Ladies) review to play the magnificent new Killeen Castle course in Co. Meath. Killeen Castle is a magnificent new Nicklaus design course and will be the venue for the 2011 Solheim Cup. Killeen Castle will be the focus of an upcoming Spindoctor article. I need two readers so just e-mail me at examinerspindoc@eircom.net with your contact details and I will pick the players in the fairest way humanly possible! Tee off will be in the morning (will confirm time later). Good Luck and get practising!

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Under The Microscope: Darren Clarke

Birthday: 14/08/1968
Height: 6ft 2 1/2in
Weight: 14st
Birthplace: Dungannon, Northern Ireland
Turned Pro: 1990

Darren co-owns a private jet with best friend Lee Westwood, but they only use it when both are playing in the same event. A long haul round trip would set the pair back £60,000 so they mainly use it for European Tour events. The pilot has arguably the best job in the world on a six figure retainer, even though the downturn in the economy means he has to now do charters a couple of times a month!

In The Bag

Driver: Taylormade R9 with Aldila Voodoo XPP8. New in the bag but already a trusted weapon. The adjustable R9 head is not so much designed for distance as for accuracy.


Fairway wood: R9 fairway 13º with Aldila Voodoo DCC shafts. Clarke sometimes interchanges this with a 15º version


Irons: 2-PW Taylormade Burner Tour Preferred, x flex shafts and Lamkin grips. Brand new in Darren’s bag, he is still working on setting the lofts and lies to suit his game. The 2 iron gets switched for a 5-wood when the course dictates.

Wedges: Bob Vokey customized 54º (14º bounce) and 58º (14º bounce) wedges.


Putter:
Scotty Cameron customized Studio Select Newport 2. Fitted with dark anti-glare shaft and embossed with the green shamrock and initials “DC”.
Misc:
Utility Bag: Darren’s ball bag used be a crocodile’s ball bag!

Ball: Taylormade Tour Black with shamrock logo.

4 Lads In A Car: Seapoint
This weeks four lads offering was a celebrity version, hosted by Seapoint Links in Termonfeckin near Drogheda, Co. Louth. The event organized by my favourite golf channel, Setanta Golf, involved a fourball with their touring pro and living legend Darren Clarke.

Of course my presence there was purely fortuitous. Regular Examiner front-man Charlie Mulqueen had a bit of a bad back and I got promoted from lowly boot scrubber just for the day. The fact that I normally keep my third, fourth and fifth vertebrae in a jar of oil by my bed between Sundays was never going to stop me missing this opportunity. No sooner had I parked the car in front of the impressive clubhouse but I spotted the Clarke-mobile; a tiny black Porsche with the number plate “DC60”, in reverence to his stunning 60 at the K Club a few years back. It reminded me of the advertising slogan they never used- “Porsche. Too small to get laid in, but you’ll get laid the minute you jump out”!

After some getting to know you banter with DC and the other guys we boarded Seapoint’s first tee. We were joined by Liam Kelly of the Indo, who is that good, he’s the only writer in Ireland to be sponsored by Cleveland, and Shay Keenan of the Irish Times who fine tunes his links touch at The Island with the pilots. Faced with a par four slight dog leg first hole, I gave the drive my Mayo Minor Sunday best and nailed it (albeit slightly right). Darren took out his new R9 and lashed at it like a Taliban teacher; sending it easily over 300 yards. To give you an idea of how far pro’s hit the ball, compare our second shots; I had a full blooded wedge to ten feet while Darren had a little drop and stop lob wedge from some 50 yards closer which finished a foot from the hole!

That’s not to say that Clarke had it all his own way at Seapoint. At just over 7,100 yards it may not be in the monster category on paper, but when wind is added into the mix, it certainly makes some holes play longer than their billing. The 18 holes play out like a crossword. Though there are a number of generous par fours and fives that can be relatively simply solved, but there are also a couple of cryptic par threes that have the potential to leave you stumped. The first is the ninth, a 200 plus yarder with silage flanking both sides of the green. A five iron for DC, hybrids and woods for the rest of us, but no-one made par despite our best efforts at Mickelson flop shots. I imagine not many do. Next is the 17th, a real examination set for the members by course designers Des Smyth and Declan Brannigan. It’s as if they are testing you to see if you are actually fit to win the competition. If you do happen to make par or better on 17, the par five 18th provides a fun finish where a good drive and second shot wont be far from the green and a birdie opportunity.

As he tapped in for yet another birdie, Clarke told me he has spent a fair share of his time off tour in the home-gym getting ready for the next tour assault. A niggling shoulder muscle tear, the kind scrumhalves get, did curtail the exercise but is now all but healed. Home of course also meant quality time with sons Tyrone and Conor which mean everything to Darren. Even though he’s only 10, Tyrone starts boarding school in the next few weeks and Darren is already plotting to get on the right side of the Principal for visiting privileges!

As we completed the round, Darren spoke of his plans for next couple of weeks. Next week he returns to the Tour in Asia where he has won in the past. He spent a few days last week in Portrush getting some links practise in before his upcoming appearance at the Irish Open and the round at Seapoint provided the ideal sparring round needed in the build up.

Seapoint sits back to back with Baltray and while the latter may have more fame, both are excellent in a Bobby and Jack Charlton way. If you’re heading to the Irish Open in a couple of weeks and fancy getting in a round in the vicinity, €60 will get you out in Seapoint on a weekday. Check out the website www.seapointgolfclub.com for booking info. How did we all do? To keep the crossword analogy going Darren completed it with relative ease while the rest of us made a creditable attempts but had the inevitable few blanks!

Bloggy Underfoot- The Major Post Mortem

What a week Augusta was! Now that pockets of all the green jackets have been stuffed with moth-balls and stuck in the closet for another year, it’s time for the post-mortem. I’ve laid the Masters on the gurney, taken out its brain and dissected its vital organs to learn the lessons for the next three majors.

1. No Substitute for Experience

Though it may not be as evident in the next three majors, the Masters proved yet again, that no matter how skilled a player is, there is simply no substitute for experience. Those of us watching the 18th on TV on Friday night first watched Tiger and then Stewart Cink play away from the flag (up the hill) from the bunker on the right. There was a collective tightening of grips on pints when Rory McIlroy then aimed straight for the pin from the same bunker just a couple of minutes later. And we all know what happened next. All told, though Rory learned Augusta’s tricks the hard way, he proved he has the game to give this Major a right rattle next time.

2. Age Means Less…..Shots
Okay, most of us thought that Greg Norman’s second place finish at The Open last year could be explained away by the fact that the Aussie, though over 50, is a super-fit, superhuman, super golfer. The fact is that The Shark’s success was not just a flash in the pan. Advances in club and ball technology have become the Viagra that can keep older players up for longer, the leaderboard that is. Take the success of past winners Larry Mize and Sandy Lyle as proof of that. Throw in Kenny Perry and Angel Cabrera with a combined age of 87 and there can be no doubt that old is the new young. What next? A Perry at Turnberry or a Haas at Sawgrass!

3. The Tiger and Phil Show
The big two sure did put on a Sunday show. A new knee for Tiger and a new driver for Phil meant that both were within spitting distance of the leaders albeit briefly. Then something strange happened. Phil mis-clubs on the 12th and finds the water, then Tiger does his Woody Woodpecker impression on a tree on the last. When was the last time you saw either of these guys do something like that? Phil discusses every iron shot for seemingly ages with caddy Bones, and Tiger is the best 18th hole player that ever lived. Could it be that both took their eyes off the real prize and got embroiled in a bit of Sunday matchplay for the “World’s Best Player” title? Or was it something more serious, you know the thing that sounds like “critters” but starts with “j”. Anyway, irrespective of sparkly new drivers or brand new knees, both limped home.

4. No More Stuck in the Muds at Augusta
The days of Hootie and his blowfish are now long gone. New boss Billy Payne has dragged the Masters kicking and screaming into the 21st century. The course is more accessible to all with “birdie chances aplenty on the back nine” making a welcome return. Add to that a brilliant new tournament website and excellent TV coverage and the jackets are greener than ever in HD. And okay its sad to see the end of greats like Gary Player and bellies like Fuzzy Zoeller, but good for them to realise the public would rather remember them in their prime than watch them struggle to perform in a the era after their own.

With the Masters autopsy complete and the event neatly sutured back together, the theatre is being readied for the US Open at Bethpage on June 15th. There, no doubt even further drama will unfold as the old guard go “back to black”.

Dr. and The Medic: Low Running Chips

Problem
While hitting a chip and run you cant control the height of your chip.

Cure
The key to this swing is to hit it more like a putting stroke or almost sweeping motion to help keep it low.

Therapy
You need to avoid hitting down on the ball with too steep of a swing. Set up with your trailing shoulder just a little lower than normal. Swing with just your trailing arm as you practice the shot to get the correct feel. Let your forward hand to hold the upper portion of your trailing arm as a practise drill. This will also help you keep the ball rolling low.


I Want One Of Those- V-Towel


Are you one of those golfers will spend a grand on irons and never bothers to clean them preferring instead to leave them sitting in your bag caked in mud? You then blame everything from your balls to your bad back whilst all the while remaining oblivious to the fact your irons have the equivalent of a mud-pack on their faces.
Forget searching deep in your bag for one of those tiny groove scrubbers, what you need is a V-Towel. Voted best new product at the 2008 PGA show in Orlando, the V-Towel is the all in one answer to on-course club cleaning. And best of all, it’s Irish!
The V-Towel has a looped, full detachable, mircofiber towel coupled with a nifty 270 degree cleaning bristle arc to keep golf clubs in optimum condition. You can attach and remove the V-towel in nanoseconds with their unique drop-and-lock system.
Brought to you by Vicarious Golf you can find the V-Towel in all good golf shops or online from http://www.vvvisions.com/.


Tailored Shorts
Olazabal To Be Inducted
Two-time Masters champion Jose Maria Olazabal is to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame for 2009. The news seems to have spurred Olazabal onto good things on the course with a good showing at Augusta then an excellent top ten finish at the Verizon Heritage. Olazabal, now 43, comes into The Hall Of Fame with 23 international wins and six PGA Tour victories including two Masters wins in ’94 and’99. He is also one of the most successful Ryder Cup players ever with an 18-8-5 record. The Spaniards career of late has been blighted by rheumatism so it’s fantastic to see him back playing at his best.


Murray Mint
Veteran comedy actor and golf fan Bill Murray was up usual crazy antics while competing at the Pro-Am before the Champions Tour event at TPC Southwind. The star of Ghostbusters and Caddyshack pulled his tee shot on the ninth and hit a woman sitting in her garden. She was subsequently taken to hospital but later released. The PGA tour officials gave Murray some of his own comedy medicine by wearing hard hats on the first tee the following day. Before Murray teed off they made the following statement, “The PGA tour has issued a special gallery advisory today! At approximately 285 yards and further ‘Duck’!”

Monty Snaps
Poor old Colin Montgomerie got a taste of what it feels like to be Britney Spears in the first of the Volvo China Open in Beijing. First an over eager fan made the fatal error of snapping his camera as Monty was mid swing and received the dreaded scowl followed by ejection from the premises for his troubles. Later after Monty drove into a hazard, he let loose on a camerman repeating again and again, “Don’t film me”. The European Tour are said to be considering covering all Monty’s shots in future on radio only!

Sergio’s Masters Misery
It cant be easy to keep to keep your cool after walking off the 18th green in Augusta only to be confronted by TV reporters seeking to chat about your misery. And so it turned out for Sergio Garcia, who came into the tournament with his head not “in a beautiful place”. After a 74 on Sunday, Garcia told a Golf Channel reporter “I don’t like it, to tell you the truth,” he said. “I don’t think it’s fair, and it’s just too tricky. Even when it’s dry, you still get mud balls in the middle of the fairway. It’s just too much of a guessing game.” And yes, the US media jumped onto it immediately. Garcia and his management company IMG had to move quickly to douse the flames with the following apology, “Following my final round at the Masters, I made comments in an interview that I regret and want to apologize for. Out of frustration, I blamed the golf course instead of putting the blame where it belongs, on myself. I didn’t get it done this week. Augusta National is one of the most iconic golf courses in the game and playing in the Masters each year is an honour. I apologize to the members of Augusta National and the fans who rightfully treasure this golf course.” Let’s hope Sergio can get back to his “iconic” best for the upcoming Players Championship.


Bet Your Balls-

Ballantine's Championship
Pinx GC
Jeju Island, South Korea


23 Apr 2009 - 26 Apr 2009

Graeme McDowell 16/1
Produced one of the shots of his career to win the inaugural Ballantine’s Champions in a thrilling sudden-death play-off in March 2008. Having seen Jeev Milkha Singh hit in to four feet on the third playoff hole, McDowell produced a stunning seven iron from 179 yards which finished within a foot of the hole. Finished a creditable tied 17th at the Masters on four under and will be keen to climb from 35th in the race to Dubai.

Paul McGinley 40/1
Nice to see Paul back on form last week in China. A poor third round saw him fall back the leaderboard but he finished with a superb 68 and tie for eighth. Though McDowell and Singh stole the show at last years Ballintines, McGinley actually finished third. He said afterwards “My memory of last year is that Graeme and Jeev ran away with the tournament. They turned it into a two-man shootout and everyone else was playing a different tournament, which I managed to win”! Another good week should be in store for the amicable Dub.

Mark Brown 66/1
Even though the field this week includes the likes of Els, Westwood, Stenson, Monty and Clarke, I’m pitching for the relatively unknown Kiwi Mark Brown to feature again this week. Finished two shots off the pace in China last week; very creditable given a second round 77. In March 2008 Brown captured the Johnnie Walker Classic in New Delhi one week after winning his maiden Asian Tour title when he claimed the SAIL Open. Lets hope his 2009 streak continues in Korea.

Zurich Classic of New Orleans
Monday Apr 20 – Sunday Apr 26, 2009
TPC Louisiana · Avondale, La.

Nick Watney 16/1
Nick Watney is having a super season. Now up to 35th in the official world rankings and fourth in the Fed-Ex points race. Watney has finished in the top-25 in eight of the nine events he has played this year, which includes a win at the Buick and a second to Phil Mickelson at the WGC CA Championship. Watney edged out Ken Duke here in 2007 to claim his first tour victory and should be fresh after a weeks rest.


Todd Hamilton 66/1
He may have only made four cuts in the 11 events he has played this season, but 2005 Claret Jug winner Todd Hamilton is a man in form this weather. He attributes his recent good showing which includes a top-20 at the Masters and a tied fourth last week, to a “five year cycle” in which he claims to have a run of form.


Tim Wilkinson 40/1
Another Kiwi Tim Wilkinson should be a decent each way look in New Orleans. The 2008 Q-school graduate cemented his card in this event last year with a third place finish behind Andres Romero and Peter Lonard. Wilkinson is also showing a bit of form going into the event with a tied sixth place finish last week at Hilton Head.

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The SpinDoctor US Masters Week

Under The Masters Microscope: Defending Champ Trevor Immelman

Birthday: December 16 1979
Birth Place: Cape Town, South Africa
Height: 5’9’’
Weight: 12 stone 2lb
Turned Pro: 1999

Trevor took up golf aged five and is from a family steeped in golf. His older brother Mark is also a professional and his father Johan was a former commissioner of the Sunshine Tour in South Africa.
Trevor married his childhood sweetheart, Carmenita, on 6 December 2003. He withdrew from the 2006 Open Championship to be with her for the birth of their first child.
In December 2007, Immelman withdrew from the South African Airways Open due to severe discomfort around his ribcage area. He underwent surgery one week later and doctors discovered a lesion approximately the size of a golf ball on his diaphragm. (Immelman remarked in an interview on the obvious irony of the size of the lesion). It was diagnosed as a benign calcified fibrosis tumor. Nevertheless, treatment and recovery caused him to miss the first eight weeks of the 2008 PGA Tour season. However, Immelman then came back to win the 2008 Masters Tournament.

What’s In The Bag
Driver
Nike SQ Sumo 5000 with str8-fit technology. 10.5º loft but adjusted two clicks open and less one degree allowing Trevor to launch high with low spin. Fitted with 45 inch, Fubuki 73g, x-flex shaft
3&5 Wood
Nike SQ Dymo. Designed with the input of Immelman these clubs have the weight positioned back in the face to allow high launch from tight lies. 83 Fubuki x-flex shaft.
Irons 3-PW
Nike Victory Red forged split cavity back irons with true temper X100 shafts. who want the look and feel of blade, with the forgiveness of a muscle back. The Victory Red Irons didn’t come about of some marketing idea to produce another set of golf clubs for the sake of selling. This new line of golf clubs are a part of an evolutionary process over the past three years by Nike Engineers to develop a set of irons based on feedback from its Tour players.
Wedges
54º and 60º Nike Victory Red forged tour wedges with S400 shafts. Custom grind by Nike. Changed every six months because the grooves get worn from practise.
Putter
A moveable feast but probably an odyssey 34 inch heavy blade at Augusta.

Faldo Ruined My Masters!
1 Toothless Shark (1996)
At the time “The Shark” was untouchable. Going into the final round of the Masters in 1996, Greg Norman lead by six shots. What transpired thereafter went down in history as one of the greatest meltdowns in Major history. Norman poked it around in a dreadful 78, six over par, losing a six-stroke lead to cardigan clad Nick Faldo, who finished with a brilliant 67. "I screwed up," was Normans philosophical conclusion afterwards.






2 Do the Chokey Hoch-ey (1989)

He’s the man that single handedly unified and inspired so many European Ryder Cup teams but did you know that Scott Hoch missed two tiddlers to win the Masters in 1989. The first was at the 17th, where his missed par putt allowed Nick Faldo to draw level. Hoch and Faldo played off and on the first hole of sudden death, Hoch’s 30 inch putt never even threatened the cup. Faldo birdied the next to win. "I'm glad I don't carry a gun with me," said Hoch in the press room after. Can’t say I share his sentiments!

3. Floyd Fills His Pants (1990)

At the 1990 Masters, 47 year old Ray Floyd took a four-stroke lead into the final round. By the 17th the lead was down to one shot. Conscious of his position, Floyd three stabbed on the green to fall back into a share of the lead with Nick Faldo. I remember my Dad woke me from my sleep just in time to watch Floyd hit a 7-iron into a pond beside the green on the second playoff hole. Faldo parred the hole, to retain the title. "The pressure basically got to me," said Floyd after. He’s obviously never worked for a newspaper or he would know that “Pressure is for tyres!”





Bloggy Underfoot- State of the Nation Going Into The First Major
Its Masters time again and personally I can’t wait! Is it going to be one of those years where an over par score wins or will be closer to ten under? The general consensus on the matter is that the need for distance off the tee is not a huge factor in Augusta this year. The weather has been kinder and the going is good. Mind you distance hasn’t proven the key in either of the last two years either; Trevor Immelman is a 270 yard-ish driver that could afford a final round 75 in gusting winds and still win at eight under last year. The year before Zach Johnson laid up at all the par fives on his way to victory. Let’s have a glance at the chances of this years usual suspects.
The obvious favourite is Tiger Woods or as I like to call him now “The Incredible Hulk”. True, Tiger’s form is amazing having romped straight back into the winner’s enclosure in Bay Hill, but does this major hurdle come a little bit early on in his comeback? I think it does, his driving hasn’t been great over the last couple of weeks and straight driving wins at Augusta. Last year Immelman was number one in “fairways hit” over Masters week, the year previous, Johnson was second in the stats. So it’s not quite nailed on for Tiger.
Next up is big Phil, or rather, leaner meaner Phil. He is coming off two big wins at the Northern Trust and the WGC CA Championship but they were on bombers courses, 19 and 15 under won respectively. We’ll also have to forgive him for his performance in Houston; he got caught on the wrong side of the draw and thus the weather. Mickelson says he loves his new Callaway driver but I still don’t like the way he sits in behind it, there’s just too much chance of a massive pull hook off the tee. In Augusta, even with Phil’s amazing powers of recovery, a bout of dodgy driving would surely put paid to his chances.
What about Harrington, to my mind the most intelligent course manager in the field? He surely has the mental toughness to deal with any stumbles Augusta might have in store for him. I’m pretty sure too I caught a glimpse of that glint in his eye when he was holing out from everywhere in Bay Hill. He again proved rock solid in Houston. As Frank “the knob” Nobilo said on the Golf Channel, if Paddy puts the whole three in a row thing out of his mind, he has a great chance. If he lets it bog him down, he will be a faller.
What about the rest? You have to like the way Retief Goosen has come back this year. Winner in South Africa and in the Transitions on the PGA tour, Goosen has the game and the putter which is arguably suited best of anyone for Augusta, but just don’t mention words like “Bawk” or “Collapse” anywhere within ear shot of him on Sunday. It’s hard also to make a case for the likes of Ernie Els or Adam Scott who seem to have lost their magic powers and Vijay, who seems to have returned to quick from leg surgery.
Of course the Masters has a way of throwing up the most unlikely of winners. What do I think? Probably Tiger, but I have a hankering for Harrington or get this, Jim Furyk. I heard he did a huge amount of putting practice in the off-season and you can’t argue with his driving, his irons or his temperament. Bring it on!
I Want One Of Those
Masters Green Jacket

Some people will go to any lengths to get an autograph. The guys at gottahaveitgolf.com are the world’s undisputed memorabilia kings. Being that Masters Green Jackets are about as rare as Government tax cuts, they have actually produced their own exact replicas and had some of the most famous Augusta winners sign up. You can pick up a signed Jack Nicklaus jacket for a mere $4995.











Tailored Shorts
Augusta Changes
Augusta National will be shorter for the Masters this year -- but only by 10 yards on the scorecard, with the option to trim off a few more yards depending on the weather.
The back of the first tee was moved forward seven yards, primarily to help the movement of the gallery between the tee and the putting green. An additional 10 yards was added to the front of the tee on the 450-yard seventh hole, and nearly 10 yards were added to the front of the 530-yard 15th hole, although neither hole required a change in the official length. This allows tournament organizers the flexibility to move the tees depending on the wind. Gusts of up to 20 mph were a factor in the final round of last years event.

Augusta’s Par 3 Course
Wednesday at Augusta is traditionally with the par-3 competition where pro’s skim balls on water, kids caddy, holes in one are plentiful and basically anything goes. Watch out for it on TV again this year. The course is built around two ponds which are in play on almost every hole. The greens are tiny and also have tightly mowed banks sloping severely down to the water. Paul Azinger once called it "the best golf course in the world." The winner of the par-3 competition has never gone on to win the Masters.

Food Fight at Augusta
They say the folks at Augusta are stuck in the 20th century and it seems the food prices for spectators bear that out. This weeks menu includes a choice of eight sandwiches for $1.50. A famous Master Club sandwich will set you back $2.50. Even if you have one of everything on the Patrons Menu (that’s Masters insider talk) it comes to less than $30.

Top Of The Pops
Augusta has been named by the best course in the world by the all-seeing, all knowing Golf Digest magazine. Augusta, which was ranked third in the 2007-08 listing, has come under fire of late from legends such as Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer who believe recent changes to lengthen the course and pinch some fairways have weakened Augusta, not strengthened it. The folks who vote in the Golf Digest rankings clearly disagree. Augusta pips Pine Valley Golf Club in New Jersey to top spot.

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Having the Balls To Succeed- The SpinDoctor Goes Behind the Scenes at Titleist

The mere thought of the Titleist Pro V1, conjures up images of highly skilled tour professionals, scientists, shiny gold boxes and trophies held aloft. You visualise Padraig Harrington’s Carnoustie Open winning gap wedge fizz up to the flag, then rip to a stop, as if on a string. Or Rory mashing a monster drive in the desert. Yes, for those of us lucky to own a sleeve, the Pro V1 is a thing of beauty, a prized possession to be carefully dotted with red sharpie at the kitchen table the night before play. Many men I know love their Pro-V’s so much they impose strict usage conditions; never use one in practise, where “out of bounds” flanks a fairway and absolutely never on any hole containing water.

My quest to get deep behind the gleaming exterior of the Pro V1 brought me to the quiet town of Fairhaven about 50 miles from Boston in Massachusetts and home of Titleist. On entering the reception, I thought for a second I was in Willy Wonka’s golf factory, as laid out before me was a treasure trove of the latest gleaming Titleist clubs, bags and balls while the walls were adorned with the latest model Footjoy shoes (also part of the parent brand). I was greeted by Rick Veitch, a highly engaging marketing guru for Titleist who eventually gave in to the SpinDoctor’s Paddy’s Day request (aka begging session) for a tour of the Pro V1 manufacturing process. “My wife is a “Hughes” from Cork”, he proudly exclaimed within 30 seconds of first shaking hands. I think that’s what may have secured my golden ticket.

The Pro V1 plant is located about ten minutes drive from the Titleist administrative building near the Acushnet river which gives the parent company its name. Before heading up there, Rick and I chatted about all matters golf. We talked about recession; Titleist hadn’t escaped its tsunami like force with layoffs in all areas. We talked about the power of the brand and how the kids that fished Pro V1’s from ponds ten years ago are now the grown up single figure handicappers who wouldn’t use any other ball. I ask Rick a somewhat tricky question about "defectors" (my words not Gregs), like Tiger to Nike, Phil to Callaway, Sergio to TaylorMade and Vijay to Srixon to which he philosophically replied “They all started out using the Pro V1”. Where the sales and marketing strategy of the new high end ball companies is to offer huge amounts of cash to marquee players to switch to their ball, Titleist adopt a different tack. “We have a plurality approach to cultivating and supporting our Brand Ambassadors”, Rick tells me. “We want wide representation of top players from every level of play, from the worldwide professional tours, down through the developmental tour, PGA club professional, college and amateur ranks”. In lay mans terms Titleist reps worldwide ensure every budding amateur talent always has a Pro V1 to reach for in their bag, so when the day finally comes that they do turn professional, they might remember on which side their bread is buttered. This is borne out by the stats which show on average five times more wins worldwide with Pro V1’s than with any competitor ball and why players like Rory McIlroy, Padraig Harrington, Adam Scott, Geoff Ogilvy and Camilo Villegas are among the host of current greats who represent the brand.

Rick then points to a grey door across the hall. Every few minutes, the door opens and an anxious looking man strides out. He has that preoccupied facial expression, as if mentally working through the final steps of a complex quadratic equation, the solution to which may lead to an earth shattering breakthrough. I recognize him. He’s a scientist. The Research and Development section of Titleist comprises 50 such chemists, physicists and engineers constantly locked in a battle to push the barriers of ball technology to even greater levels.

As I travel in Rick’s car the short distance to the Pro V1 ball plant, so begins the process of myth shattering that is to continue apace throughout the day. Sizing up Rick, I see an ex-professional golfer with an encyclopaedic knowledge of all things Titleist. He is part of an elite team charged with marketing the brand worldwide, a position I always regard as being like a goalkeeper; one fumble and the whole team suffers. Yet he doesn’t wear a tie, his car is not like something from Top Gear and holidaying abroad is not an option right now because of the drop in value of currency. Yet, I think he is enjoying getting out of the office for a few hours. At the door of the Titleist Pro V1 plant, we are kindly greeted by senior director of the facility Dan Gendreau. I notice Dan’s shirt sleeves are rolled up; always the sign of a hard worker. Chuffed, I explain that it’s an honour to meet the director, such a gesture in Ireland is reserved only for auditors and bank managers.

I’m not really sure what I expected in the Pro V1 ball manufacturing facility but images of men in white coats with clipboards standing around nodding in agreement whilst robots carved out balls were floating around in my head somewhere. The reality is altogether different. The process of ball manufacture though heavily reliant on machine is actually also highly labour intensive and about as glamorous as an East German weightlifter. The production floor is a kind of marriage between a bakery and a car factory. Parts of the factory are extremely noisy, others are hot, yet others again very damp. Smells range from the distinctive aroma of hot rubber to the sharp niff of lacquer. One thousand highly organized workers busily weave in and out through countless machines each churning out a vital component in what is a very complex process. Today’s quota is 580,000 Pro V1’s.

Here’s how they do it!
Step 1. Powders are mixed in giant silos and rubbers and chemicals added on conveyors to make a giant dough like mixture. Of course the ingredients are top secret but I’m sure I saw “limestone” on one the silo’s!

Step 2. The rubbery dough is extruded into sheets. Each sheet will become the core of approximately 42,000 balls.

Step 3. The rubbery dough is then cut into strips. Each strip is then further chopped into cork like shapes called “preps”. The left pic is the core of the Pro V1x, the right is the core of the Pro V1

Step 4. These preps go into moulds where they are heated and compressed into circular cores. Pro V1-x’s actually have two cores, which explains the difference in performance characteristics of the finished ball. The cores are given a shave to remove any rough edges.

Step 5. The cores are then placed in a clear casing made from a material called surlyn. More heat and compression moulds the surlyn onto the core. The seam of the surlyn covered core is then smoothed up and its surface heated by a flame to ensure its next coating bonds to its surface.

Step 6. Liquid urethane is poured into a half ball shaped dimpled mould and the surlyn covered core then precisely positioned in the mould. Two moulds flip together seamlessly, are bolted and fused to create the familiar golf ball shape. After smoothing, it is practically impossible for the eye to identify the seam of the ball.


Step 7. The balls are then painted white and screened printed with the iconic Titleist and Pro V1 logos. The final clear coat bonds the print and helps make the ball more durable.

Step 8. Every ball is scrutinized by robots as well as good old fashioned expert human eyes. Balls with even the tiniest imperfection or ink smudge do not make the grade.

Step 9. At the end of the production line, pristine Pro V1’s and Pro V1x’s pop out like everlasting gobstoppers. Balls destined for all regions of the world are stored in giant tote bins, packed and readied for shipping.

Just like with Willy Wonka, there are plenty of people like “Mr Slugworth” seeking to acquire the magic recipe, but that’s a story for another day. Seeing the countless containers at the end of the line brimming with endless Pro V1’s made me want burst into song and dive right in. After two hours touring, I emerged fascinated, educated and full of admiration for the hard working staff in the plant. Though working in a bustling environment there is a huge sense of contentedness and pride among the workers. The fact that the average employee here has at least 15 years experience is testimony to that fact. Our guide David Glynn, senior machine design engineer, has been here three years, which makes him still a rookie! Thanking all for the visit, I leave to find a place to watch the rugby, vowing never again to complain about the price of golf balls and deciding that from now on, my Pro V1’s shall be treated like my children. They’re worth every cent and should be cherished for the short time you have them!

Stay in touch with all the Titleist action on their excellent tour blog http://www.titleistblog.com/

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The SpinDoctor Meets The Best of The Irish On Show in the USA. A Paddy’s Day Special

Amidst the financial doom and gloom worldwide, it’s as if golf businesses are like soldiers going over the top of the trenches only to get cut down after a few short steps. There are however, the chosen few that avoid the snipers of recession and go on to succeed. I met up with the top three Irish exhibitors at this years PGA show in Florida to issue them their “purple heart” for outstanding bravery in the face of grave financial adversity.

Stephen Riley and Kevin Funnell http://www.premier-licensing.com/

I never knew what I wanted to do with my life when I was still in school. I’m still not sure. When I met Stephen Riley the MD of Premier Licensing from Down, I couldn’t believe it when he told me he gave up life as a PGA pro golfer based in South Africa to pursue a life in sales. One look at his product however and I saw the light. Exceptional quality Liverpool golf bags, Chelsea umbrellas and Manchester United headcovers are just a few of their brand new products on display at the PGA show. “I had a lovely Arsenal headcover on display here too,” Stephen tells

me, “But Ian Poulter just ran up and nicked it!” “It’s going to be in his bag at the Masters!” adds the brains behind the operation, Kevin Funnell. Having seen the success of branded sporting goods such as in the NFL and collegiate sports in the USA, Riley and his team took the idea and ran with it, straight to the doors of the premierships top teams. So impressed were they at the range and quality of the products, the leading clubs all entered licensing agreements. It wasn’t easy and negotiations to seal the deals took two years. But when Real Madrid and the British and Irish Lions heard that Man. United and co were producing golf merchandise, they excitedly came to Premier Licensing seeking a piece of the action. Premier Licensing now boasts the most complete range of golf accessories for the die hard supporter or the perfect present for the sports mad birthday boy! All the branded products are now available in Irish sports and golf stores but for some real father-son bonding time check out the website http://www.premier-licensing.com/. I tried it and I don’t know who was more excited, my seven year old or me!


Martin Greeves http://www.shaftskinz.com/

Young product designer Martin Greeves from Antrim is the inventor of shaft “skinz”. What are skinz? We are all now familiar with all the colours and patterns on graphite shafts. Well, “Skinz” are a simple way to pimp-up (ahem! decorate) boring old steel or stale grey shafts. The technology behind skinz is not new, it has been used in packaging for many years. For instance every plastic lucozade bottle has it. The decoration on the bottle is simply a plastic “skin” which is heat sealed onto a blank curved bottle. What shaft skinz does is to bring this technology to golf; all you need is a shaft skin and a hairdryer. Yes, a hairdryer.
The simplest ideas are always the best. When Martin Greeves produced his first test batch of skinz, 13 out of the first 15 shops he introduced it to, bought the product. The Golf Channel even loved skinz, featuring it on their show “Fore Inventors Only” where the product made it into the top ten out of 13,000 new golf products. Martin then took his skinz to The Crowne Plaza Invitational on the US Tour and even from outside the ropes, managed to catch the eye of then defending champion Rory Sabbatini, who immediately fitted them to his putter. Five players used skinz in last years British Open and the product is equally popular on the ladies tour. Shaft skinz are now sold worldwide. They don’t affect the club in any way, are funky, cheap and removable in seconds. Who needs Dragons Den when you have Rory Sabbatini to use your product? But the best laugh came when my wife saw me heading off with the hairdryer. “You have no hair” she said. When I explained I needed it for my “shaft skinz” she was pretty horrified. I think you can probably guess the rest. Check out http://www.shaftskinz.com/

Eamonn Kennelly http://www.golfvacationsireland.com/

You would think that only a mad man would want to be in the golf vacations industry nowadays, but I checked, and Eamonn Kennelly the MD of Dublin company “Golf Vacations Ireland” is as sane as they come. Eamonn’s company offers inbound golf tourists a never to be forgotten golfing holiday package which include Ireland’s top links courses. Destinations such as Old Head, Ballybunion, Murvagh and Ballyliffin are all on Eamonn’s itinerary. After verifying his sanity, I learned that the US tourist market is actually on the up again and what I thought were the boom times weren’t actually so. Eamonn gives me a lesson in geopolitics. “In February 2001 we had ‘Foot and mouth’ and the image of burning pyres of carcasses on CNN and the Cliffs of Moher being shut down didn’t do much for tourism. In September we had 9/11 and then SARS came along, both of which had a huge impact on international travel. Then came the Iraq war and the subsequent drop in the value of the dollar.” Add into the mix the huge inflation in Irish clubs’ green fees at the time and you begin to see why tourism has suffered over the past eight years. Hope springs eternal however and with the dollar now strengthening and the euphoria over Barrack Obama’s appointment still in the ether, Ireland is once again becoming an attractive proposition for golf tourists. Eamonn is optimistic that 2009 will be a good year for tourists to visit and play golf in Ireland. As a big supermarket says “Every little helps” the Irish economy.

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