So where does golf sit in your life?

First topic message reminder :

As we all talk about golf on here I think we just assume we are all hard core golfers and that it is our favourite sport. For me it is the sport I like to play the most but I also love playing football. As for watching golf, outside the majors and bigger events I tend not to be that gripped by it. Other than the playing of the game my main interest in golf lies in the history of the game and the architecture.

The sports I watch the most often, and in fact probably have a greater expertise in, are firstly F1 and then football. I would be interested to hear what other sports you people are into and where golf ranks in your sporting life. Hopefully this will be a way to unearth some common interests and some interesting snippets about our sporting life’s.

Actually it would be good to hear about other passions in your life as there is nothing to say a sport is one of your main interests. For me, potentially sadly, my main interests are the sports I play and follow. It would be refreshing to hear that someone on the board had a passion outside sport and especially golf.

French cuisine does it for me - nothing can match it.

I pay a visit to Le Gavroche a couple of times a year to keep my taste buds happy.

I can take it or leave golf. It wouldn't bother me if I never picked up a club again. I think I feel like this because when I was younger I used to play every day and gave it everything I could to 'make it', until illness stopped me in my tracks.

I really enjoy playing, but I don't enjoy the time it takes me away from my family for, and I sometimes find myself racked with guilt out on the course. I watch it a lot, mainly when everyone else has gone to bed or they're out.

Big football fan though and used to play a lot, enjoyed the camarraderie (sp) more than anything, until we lost our pitch when I was about 29, the team stopped, never played again.

super

What sort of food did you cook as a chef? It was a career I considered but the hours just seemed too anti social.

Life:
Stage 1:
Played: All ballgames, especially cricket, but some Rugby, footie, tennis.
Followed all ballgames (went to at least two football games a week for at least a decade) and horse-racing.

Stage 2: Wot, Americans don't play cricket?
Played: Golf, avidly, tennis, and skied.
Followed: NFL ('specially Bills), MLB ('specially Yankees), NHL, tennis, golf, College Basketball ('Cuse).

Stage 3:
Dabble: Golf, tennis, swimming.
Follow: MLB (Yanks, Expos, until recently), NHL (Canadiens), College B'ball, golf, tennis, Football (Thanks Soccer Channel, ESPN).

Loves: Family, travel, music (don't play but Chuck Berry at the Southampton Gaumont circa 1965 fostered lifelong love - have seen everyone I want to see in concert except Neil Young, Bonnie Raitt), good food, beer and wine.

Hates: NFL and Republican dogma - one a metaphor for the other.

Mac, all sorts. It was a wretched job, good banter, but split shifts and you spelt of onion all the time. Rubbish.
I don't know how they make celebrities of it, it's just cooking food forchrisakes, personally I'd execute the lot of them, taking a very long and tortuous time over the hateful Blumenthal. Pointless fat *****

As were talking about loves outside of sports.

Definately cooking for me, many years of eating rations made me start looking at the wonders of cooking and what can be done with food. I love experimenting with food and trying new things and fortunate enough to be able to count an exceptional chef as my brother in law, he trained under a certain F'ing Michelin chef, has taught me some wonderous dishes.

Also have a love of reading to, I can read a good book cover to cover in under a day once I get started, this comes from years of travelling and filling the voids in time you get. I'd much rather read a good book than watch the cinematic production of it find you get a much better image using your imagination and storey plays out better in the mind than on the big screen

Outside of golf I am into painting (don't shoot me!). Given serious thought to getting back into it, after a trip to the Tate, but again time is an issue. Love it, got offered a sizeable sume for my Hendrix canvas a couple of months ago!

It's noticable how many of these so-called "celebrity" chefs are almost universally despised, yet cooking is such a passion for so many people

As well as Heston Blumenthal there is Gordon Ramsey, Ainsley Harriot, Anthony Worrel-Thompson and of course old fat-tongue Jamie Oliver. Does anyone actually like them?

It seems the guy from Padstow whose name I've momentarily forgotten (the guy with the fish restaurant down there) is more well liked but that's about it!

Bring back Graham Kerr I say! Or even Fanny Craddock!

and remember, follow these simple instructions and all your doughnuts will come out like Fanny's

Rick Stein, Davie

Wow super, I take it you are not a "foodie" then?



I also love music, who doesn't, and try and fail to play the guitar. I have a music collection mostly consisting of stuff from 1962-1975 and 1988-1994.

goldwolf wrote:Rick Stein, Davie

Thanks Goldie - that was starting to annoy me that I couldn't remember his name!

Mac, you can still be a "foodie" without liking irksome, hateful, loathsome and pointless celebrity chefs like Blumenthal.

Whats next? a carpenter making a piece of furniture using nothing but a tooth pick and the erosion of the wind, "just because he can"? Utterley pointless and when I'm PM he'll be first against the wall and shot. In fact i'll think of an off the wall and "unique" way to deal with him.

As for music, I'm sure everyone likes them, but I absolutely despise The Beatles.

Super

I do not quite despise the beatles and although I understand their significance I would certainly never bother to listen to them through choice.


I think goldie might be the only person on here with much going on outside sport/golf, the rest of us need to expand our horizins.

super_realist wrote:As for music, I'm sure everyone likes them, but I absolutely despise The Beatles.

I've always thought they were over-rated, whilst still acknowledging that they may have stood out in their era.

However, I've been listening to Abbey Road a lot recently and it is very good.

Just so we don't totally ruin Mac's excellent thread here, I've started a Golfers' Music room in the golf section!

McLaren wrote:Wow super, I take it you are not a "foodie" then?



I also love music, who doesn't, and try and fail to play the guitar. I have a music collection mostly consisting of stuff from 1962-1975 and 1988-1994.

I don't.... Was forced as a child to learn both Guitar and Piano.... Hated every minute of it as Old Man Mav said it was good for me so just get on and learn it, has made me virtually despise music, rarely even in the car do i listen to music, normally listen to something like talksport instead

Mav, I listen to TS every day, gutted Parry left to be replaced by those clowns from Sky but Hawksbee and Jacobs, Brazil and Mike Graham keep me going through some tedious hours at work.

Music radio is guff, particularly Radio 1. No one over the age of 16 should get away with listening to that. R1 dj's are in the same bracket of loathsomeness as Blumenthal.

My one and only trip to watch motor racing was the British at Brands Hatch.
We were guests of the manager who was a friend of my in laws.
I hated it because all the folk in the posh seats seemed to want someone to die so that they would have something to talk about the next day.
Jack Brabham and Jim Clark were racing that day so it shows you how long ago that was, 1970 I think.

Jim Clark was killed in 1968, he was born about 4 miles from my parents house.

I like listening to music but as Ive got older Ive really come to dislike music snobs. Who cares who likes listening to what, its got to be one of the most subjective things on the planet knowing what you like the sound of. If thats Leona Lewis or Mozart it matters not a jot, no point learning about classical music if you dont actually like how it sounds. (I exclude ragga from this however as I cant for the life of me see how it can be music and a neighbour (when I say neighbour I mean pikey, skanky, freeloading drug dealing scumbag) of mine used to play it every night making me literally want to kill them, (Ive never been happier than when his flat was raided and he got hauled off in the back of a police van. I hope they gave him a thorough shoeing.)

Music - I'd like to say I have eclectic taste, but definitely not universal (a pet hate of mine is when people say they like all kinds of music and almost invariably don't mean it). Some favourites which I tend to play or listen to at the moment: Beethoven, Rachmaninov, Gershwin, U2, selective Coldplay... I was persuaded by colleagues to put on a lunchtime show at one of the London street pianos last year which included some of the above (plus a few Abba songs, which seemed to go down quite well).

I like certain jazz tracks, but don't tend to stockpile recordings by any one artist (although I do have several Oscar Peterson CDs and agree he was fantastic; very fond of the "proper" jazz recordings of Diana Krall too come to think of it).

SR - Like you I was unhappy when Porky Parry left TS, he was opinionated yes but he spoke a lot of sense, now stuck with Keys and Grey whilst they are fools and not great presenters they have some good guests.

I used to go into my old office and there would be all manner of radio stations getting put on through out the day kiss, R1, Absolute, all trash and rubbish I used to turn it off.... So when I sold the business I told the staff it was there poor choice in Radio that forced my hand, when In truth It was the profit i could make and secured them their jobs with new owners so everyone was happy especially me not listening to that trash....

As for Motor racing, I have to say i find it totally and utterly boring, watching the procession of same drivers in the best cars go round and round, MotoGP now thats different i don't mind watching that if nothing else is on but would never go out of my way to see when it's on or watch it

Diggers wrote:...(I exclude ragga from this however as I cant for the life of me see how it can be music and a neighbour (when I say neighbour I mean pikey, skanky, freeloading drug dealing scumbag) of mine used to play it every night making me literally want to kill them, Ive never been happier than when his flat was raided and he got hauled off in the back of a police van. I hope they gave him a thorough shoeing.)

Your neighbour must have been bad.

S_R

I agree re. Blumentwat. What he does is, in most senses, pointless culinary masturbation. I don't mind the other celeb chefs in general and who's fault is it they're now celebrities? Nigella Lawson gets my goat a bit; what does she think she's doing? Just cook woman.

Another swotty thing I've been into a lot recently....history. Hated it as a subject at school and dropped it ASAP. Really into it now, particularly history surrounding WWI although I'm rapidly running out of stuff to read without a lot of looking.

Goldy

Have any photos online of your art work?

Mav, I can't bear those two and one can only take too much inane and humourless chat about football, so I get the previous nights edition of Mike Graham on instead.

Nav, WW2 is my "favourite" war, on my third book in the last fortnight on that subject. Can't get interested in WW1 for some reason.

Can I just upset a lot of people here and say that Talk Sport is an horrendous radio station whose market is fat, shaven-headed/bald men whose life's education comes from reading The Sun.

A great pastime for me and my wife is watching Americas biggest loser. Super you would love it, you get to laugh hysterically at lots of fat Americans who cry constantly at the drop of hat but at the same time be amazed at how much they lose, the winner went from 430 lbs to about 190lbs and he never stopped crying in every episode.
Quality TV.

Diggers wrote:A great pastime for me and my wife is watching Americas biggest loser. Super you would love it, you get to laugh hysterically at lots of fat Americans who cry constantly at the drop of hat but at the same time be amazed at how much they lose, the winner went from 430 lbs to about 190lbs and he never stopped crying in every episode.
Quality TV.

If he cried in every episode and lost weight, maybe it is water-retention, after all.

I used to think the same until I listened for a while, it's infinitely preferable to 5 Dead, although TS has gone downhill since the departure of Parry.

super_realist wrote:...WW2 is my "favourite" war, on my third book in the last fortnight on that subject. Can't get interested in WW1 for some reason.

Yeah. Thinking of moving on to WWII...if that's the right description. The sheer jaw-dropping ugliness and stupidity of early tactics in WWI is what got me started but as I read more it was the stories of the people who actually took part and the politics, much of which is still haunting us, which I found interesting. You have to read "The price of glory: Verdun 1916" by Alistair Horne at some point; mind boggling what took place there and gives a real insight into Petain re. Vichy etc. A colleague (French) had a great-grandfather who fought there; would have been humbling to have spoken to him.

Some of you guys pack a lot in.Got to agree with History.Hated at school cos you are just looking forward -as you get older start to look back .Thats my theory.
Rick Stein must be popular in Padstow.Really got the local ecomony going.
Nigella could cook my supper any day.Cruel choice of name though

TS I would I had the same opinion before i began to listen to it, when i caught the show once purely by chance it got me listening more as the opinions formed were interesting diverse and discussed both sides of the argument and far better than listening to the dross other stations now pump out calling it music.

Americas biggest loser is the best comedy on tv. Oh its not a comedy even better

The only history books I read at the moment are golf related. Tried a history course in uni which should have been good but the way history is studies academically is just mind numbing. I much prefer to just watch the TV channel "yesterday".


So if we have a spare day to plan something to do who would ever do something other than golf? I know my first thoughts are about where I can play.

Watching overly fat people makes me sick, couldn't possibly watch it.

dynamark wrote:Nigella could cook my supper any day.Cruel choice of name though

Yeah, if only Fat Nige* had known she was was going to be a foodie, he could have called her Nutella.

* I know he's no longer fat

History fascinates me too, being a former soldier everything about past wars holds my interest with the exception like you SR of WW1 something about that war thats a little to upper class using the lower class as fodder for me to be intrigued in that.

But most other battles I find fascinating, my particular favourite in history though is Roman history and Religious history. I am in no way religious whatsoever I do not follow a faith, the only time attend church's would be a wedding, funeral or christening. However I find the religious history that has people giving all to religion fascinating and love to delve into it and find the holes in the faiths. I would never judge someone on their faiths and good for them if it's their way but the stories behind it and how so much is put in to relics and places holds my eye.

Roman history is by far the most interesting in my mind, have done may trips to places abroad just to see certain things, and italian history coming through the ages from St Peters Basilica to Florence and the Medici banking system far more interesting stuff in the past than in the modern times we live

Mav, it's the espionage, ingenuity, daring raids and escapes, P.O.W stories and other motivating stories of V.C awardees that interests me about WW2. I often wonder if I would have the steel and sheer bravery to do what those guys did.

McLaren wrote:So if we have a spare day to plan something to do who would ever do something other than golf? I know my first thoughts are about where I can play.

Keep coming back to the thought that I'd like to take up sailing again. Used to do it in Fireballs/505s as a kid and loved it. Had a day (via a friend and their company) sailing off Brixton/Torquay a couple of years ago in a gorgeous ~30ft yacht in a race; came near last but the yacht was slow and we had a consignment of beer to work our way through. Lovely September day, winds force 5(ish). Really reminded me how amazing it can be bowling along tilted right over with the water boiling away behind.

Maverick wrote:...war thats a little to upper class using the lower class as fodder for me...

Even though the # of officers killed/injured as a % of those taking part was so high? I think the suffering was pretty even-handed. The "Lions led by donkeys" is a bit trite I think.

Talking of Roman History, has anyone been watching The Borgias on Sky Atlantic. I wondered how the Cafflicks would respond to it and then I discovered that it's based on the antics of a real Pope!

Excellent stuff.

super_realist wrote:Mav, it's the espionage, ingenuity, daring raids and escapes, P.O.W stories and other motivating stories of V.C awardees that interests me about WW2. I often wonder if I would have the steel and sheer bravery to do what those guys did.

I've got a book about WWII which I intend to read whilst sat on the sofa in the library* on Autumn/Winter Sunday afternoons whilst knocking back glasses of port/brandy. Unsurprisingly, I'm really looking forward to it!

* a bedroom we've put bookcases in!

NBS its not about the numbers killed but the manner in which they were sent to their deaths by men that were officers by pure standing in their communties rather than their tactical knowledge, but that aside the moment that will always stand out in WW1, the christmas day both sides called a truce and played a friendly game of football in no mans land just because it was christmas.

SR - there are so many good stories of VC's from that time and many we learnt as soldiers going through training, of brave individuals carrying out actions of indcredible daring to save others from their deaths. A fascinating time as that was truly the first modern war instead of being a purely based ground assault, first proper modern urban war tactics some of which still used to this day and the birth of the SAS

Merc - The borgias is a great series, if Jeremy Irons portrayal of Rodrigo Borgia and his son Cesare (not sure who the actor is) then the church really was run by the MOB. Great insight into Vatican life of the time if accurate

Mav,
You mean a bit like Blair and Bush sending people to their deaths. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Mav, I'm sure you have but have you seen the documentaries by Clarkson on VC's and also on St.Nazairre?

He's a bit of a clown on Top Gear but he's epic on those.

super_realist wrote:Mav, it's the espionage, ingenuity, daring raids and escapes, P.O.W stories and other motivating stories of V.C awardees that interests me about WW2. I often wonder if I would have the steel and sheer bravery to do what those guys did.

Yeah. Pretty amazing. I'm not sure they would have considered themselves brave, most of them that is. Jeremy Clarkson's father in law was a VC I think. His story was incredible and I think portrayed in the film "A bridge too far". Fought Tiger tanks with anything he could for days and when they escaped, had to have a shave before leaving as he was an officer and felt it was necessary despite an entire German division about to appear.

Went to see the WWI stuff around Ypres the other year which was amazing, particularly Sanctuary Wood and the TocH Club in Poperinge (don't believe in ghosts but I was getting close at TocH) and went to see the grave of Noel Chevasse, VC and Bar. Medic. Amazing. You should read the story of Audie Murphy if you haven't already done so; think it's described in the book "Warriors" by Max Hastings. Incredible.

Did Audie Murphy not make it as an actor too?

Those Clarkson documentaries ought to be compulsory viewing in schools.

kwinigolfer wrote:Mav,
You mean a bit like Blair and Bush sending people to their deaths. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Indeed Kwini the more they change the more they stay the same, difference is in these times the officers aren't purely thrust into the quagmire by right of standing in community they now have tactical training and an ounce of what the risks are before giving a command.

by super_realist on Thu 1 Sep 2011 - 15:18

Mav, I'm sure you have but have you seen the documentaries by Clarkson on VC's and also on St.Nazairre?

He's a bit of a clown on Top Gear but he's epic on those.

indeed SR I have, on Top Gear he is loathesome wanting to a be one of the "boys". On that show I have to say he is interesting and shows insight and sometimes even emotion. I can highly recommend for anyone interested a trip to Normandy to the beaches and the cemetaries there. Or to some of the regions in the Alsace where lots of history is to be seen from the war. Still to this day the worst place i've ever been, is Auschwitz. As soon as you enter the gates you feel the coldness of it and the life drain from you, even though i've been to hotspots literally like the gulf and afghanistan nothing has made me feel so bad as entering that place

Maverick wrote:NBS its not about the numbers killed but the manner in which they were sent to their deaths by men that were officers by pure standing in their communties rather than their tactical knowledge, but that aside the moment that will always stand out in WW1, the christmas day both sides called a truce and played a friendly game of football in no mans land just because it was christmas.

True. But that was 'of its time'. Hard to analyse things through the lens of today's standards etc. Wasn't just the Empire soldiers either; all of them were at it. Silly but at least it shouldn't happen again.

What football match? Tut tut! Never happened don't you know! Morale sapping. Can't fraternise with those we're meant to be killing tomorrow. Amazing though.

NBS Thats a beautiful memory.Thrashing across from Torquay to Brixham and back on the trapeze hanging off the side of Fireball 1891.About 1974.May have raced against you.The 505 took a bit of keeping upright for a couple of teenagers too much canvas.

I drove past the Ardennes American Cemetery the other day, was tempted to pop in but as I have no link to it was not sure it was the done thing.

super_realist wrote:Did Audie Murphy not make it as an actor too?

Those Clarkson documentaries ought to be compulsory viewing in schools.

Yeah. Murphy was an actor for a while post-War. Based on his War record I think rather than acting talent but fair enough I think given the accomplishments.

Maverick wrote:...Still to this day the worst place i've ever been, is Auschwitz...

You've been there? I'd like (although not quite the right word) to see it. Morbid but somehow feel as if I have to go at some point. Bit like the Ypres tour I did a few years ago. The sheer, cold, calculated, evil of the Final Solution takes the breath away.

Colditz, Stalag Luft III, Norsk Hydro, St.Nazairre, Berchetgaaden and a few other places are on my list to do.