MARCH TO AUGUST NEWS AND EVENTS
NOT FAR FROM Sperone golf course, on the southern tip of Corsica, lies the little town of Bonifacio, with it's winding streets and spectacular views. If Sperone Golf Course had existed back in 1769 when Napoleon was born he would probably never have left Corsica but taken up golf instead. The Robert Trent Jones course is said to resemble Pebble Beach but with heady aromas of rosemary and thyme from the maquis. (scrub) The tee shot heading over the turquoise sea on the par-five 16th is terrifying, and on a windy day you will be buffeted from all directions on the back nine. A relatively short 6680 yards and par 72 off the tiger tees Sperone provides a challenging experience. Afterwards you could take a boat trip from Bonifacio to Santa Teresa in Sardinia, passing through the dreaded “Straights of Bonifacio,” which, like the 16th at Sperone, is not for the faint-hearted. Corsica has no intention of becoming another Ibiza, it is expensive and unless you bring sacks of doubloons the natives are not much friendlier than Napoleon. But it does have amazing little towns, great beaches, and one gorgeous 18-hole golf course.
THE WASTE MANAGEMENT Phoenix Open has a rival. The Puerto Rico Open (Grand Reserve Country Club, 7-10th March) is heralded as “The most fun-filled golf tournament on the PGA Tour!” Not quite sure why it has earned this title, but if it means people falling off stands, slanging matches between fans and players and punch-ups all over the course then the Tour could probably do without another fun-filled tournament.
TIGER AND RORY are both using the Taylor Made Qi10 LS driver. We don't know Tigers's opinion as he had to dash for the loo mid-round at Riviera and Rory probably chucked his in the lake, but testers have given the driver the thumbs up. Qi stands for 'quest for inertia,' the quest to produce the least twisting head for off centre shots. The less a club twists the better, your bad shots will go further and stay closer to the fairway, giving consistency off the tee. The Qi10 LS driver features an Infinity Crown, characterised by a continuous carbon construction from the rear of the head to the face, which reduces weight and enables redistribution to better strategic positions for optimising launch and spin. The driver retains the twist face technology and incorporates a sliding weight providing additional options for fine-tuning and customisation. Testers conclusion: The Qi 10 LS driver will give the better players an advantage, provided they don't have flu or a putting meltdown.
HICKORY GOLF is enjoying a renaissance as players restore old clubs and wear golf outfits of the period. Gt. Britain and Ireland will take on Europe in a three-day hickory golf tournament at the Royal Blackheath Golf Club in July. Why play with hickory clubs? Why play with a driver with a sweetspot the size of a pin-head? Why carry only six clubs in a pencil bag when you could have 14 on a remote-controlled trolley? A passionate convert explains: “People play hickory because of the overall experience. it makes you appreciate just how good these guys were in the past. Hickory has life, steel doesn't. You learn to manufacture shots, you can't just bash at the ball. Hickories twist more than steel shafts, you need to swing slower. It's actually very good for your swing, you have to have a lighter grip. I never touch a modern club now, hickory is just so much more fun.” Even so, I can't see the attraction out here of plus fours in August.
I'm back working after my hernia op. In Torrevieja hospital the lady surgeon said to me “Don't worry you'll be playing golf in four weeks, and I replied “Well that's great, I couldn't play before.”
