There’s a Rat in the Hole !

We were playing golf yesterday at Paraparaumu Beach Golf Club, in New Zealand. the playing conditions were very similar to those that were encountered at Harbour Town Golf Club last week, very windy and wet. After executing a lovely drive off the first tee, plumb in the middle of the fairway, which is not an easy fairway to make due to the fact the hole is a dog-leg to the left. In general most of my drives go through the dog-leg leaving me a long way from the green. Anyway, there I was in the middle courtesy of a draw off the tee, two hundred yards from the green. In normal weather conditions I would have had a good chance of putting the ball on the green, but firing into a strong wind blustery wind the odds were not too good.

I made a good swing, great connection with the ball and it started straight on line, I was impressed with the effort. Peering through the gloom to see if the ball was going to make the green, I lost sight of the ball and asked my playing partners if they could see it. One of them shouted, I think it’s on the green, it’s running towards the hole. I strained my eyes and indeed could see something white moving across the green towards the hole, magic I exclaimed.

Walking down the fairway quite happy, thinking of maybe a birdie, at worst a par, some one shouted, It’s gone in the hole, the wind must have blown it in. You can imagine I was now very happy at this sudden turn of good fortune, just lately the golfing Gods had been against me, with every bad bounce followed by an awkward shot, instead of playing from the fairway. I was still smiling to myself when the next shout came, It’s comeback out again, it’s going back across the green. My shoulders slumped, it was obviously not a ball, but what was it. The four of us debated the strange occurrence, could it be a leaf, or just a piece of paper blowing around in the wind ? That’s not a leaf or piece of paper I said, it looks like a small animal running around in circles, could it be a small hedgehog. We all agreed that it was indeed an hedgehog.

Walking up to my ball, which was just short of the green, the small animal was now clearly in sight, it was not an hedgehog but a white rat. Not all of us were happy with having a rat running around on the green, some backed away, I too was thinking of all the diseases rats could pass on with just one bite. As I was pondering what to do, this creature ran towards me, and sat on my shoe, looking up at me, with his front legs pawing at my long pants. Luckily for me it was the first time this year it had been cold enough to wear long pants.

The pawing continued, it reminded me of my little dog, who would paw at me to be picked up for a cuddle. I figured this was just a pet rabbit, it had no fear of humans, and obviously had no idea that the golf course was full of predators looking for a meal, hawks and feral cats for instance. What should I do, the advice from the playing partners ranged from, kill it to catch it. Roland, as I had now decide to call him, was persistently pawing at my leg, the group behind had now caught up with us and were patiently waiting back in the fairway.

So I took a chance and bent down and picked up Roland and put him in one of the pockets of my golf bag, along with some cheese from my sandwich, which he seemed to enjoy. I duly pitched on the green. made par, and carried on with the round. Roland was comfortable taking a ride, so he stayed there for the rest of the round.

One of my playing partners was my grandson Harry, he decided to take Roland home and look after him and try to find the owner. I went round the next day to see how things were progressing and found the newly acquired pet running around in a home made cage, having the time of his life. I have a suspicion that Harry is hoping the owner will not be found. There are no pictures of this event, due to the inclement weather, my phone stayed in my pocket, but if there are any updates on the situation of Roland I will keep you informed.

Adam Scott to Banish his Broomstick

Adam Scott and his Broomstick/ Getty Images

Although any potential banning of anchored putters by the Royal & Ancient and USGA is unlikely to be enforced before 2016, Adam Scott is obviously keen to make the adjustment to sooner rather than later by banishing his Broomstick for a practice round with a conventional putter. Adam is practicing for the Emirates Australian Open at at The Lakes Golf Club in Sydney, coincidentally with Tom Watson who is in favor of the ban on the Broomstick. Tom said he endorses the ban with mixed emotions citing this reason;

” I say that with mixed emotions, “This  broomstick stroke is not a stroke of golf. That’s not a stroke but it makes it easier to play. My son Michael, with a conventional putting stroke, he couldn’t make it from two feet half the time, but he went to a belly putter and he makes everything. The game is fun to him now, so there lies the danger: Do we take the ability for people to have fun away?  Do we go to two sets of rules, where some people can use long putters in certain competitions, but the PGA Tour maybe can’t? So there’s a dilemma there.” 

It would seem that Tom is confused himself about what this rule change could do to golf generally. I have said previously that there is going to be trouble enforcing this rule at the local level. A player is going to call his opponent for anchoring, and the accused is going to reply, no I didn’t. This can only bring discontent and bad feelings out on the course, and that is not a good or healthy scenario.

Tom went on recount what Ernie Els said after his win at The Open;

“”I thought Ernie Els said it perfectly after he won last year’s Open championship, he was asked: ‘Why did you go with the long putter Ernie?’ and he said: ‘I’m cheating like the rest of them are’. Ernie’s a great player and he knows the difference between doing it the conventional way versus trying to do it with an anchored putter. The arc of your putter doesn’t change as much. He knows that difference and he knows it’s not right.”

The thing is every player has had the option to use the long putters if they wish, if it so much easier with a long putter, why haven’t they all swapped over ?  I say lets banish the ban and get on and play golf, everyone is welcome at our golf course, Paraparaumu Beach Golf Club. Make them welcome at your club, for the good of the game.

But if you are considering a new putter check out the White Dragon Putter, it is set to become a feature of putting in the near future, for more information email info@whitedragongolf.com.