Pleasures across the pond, east and west

This time last Sunday California was the only place for real golf fans to be. A headline in Golfweek posed the question “Has the Walker Cup surpassed the Masters as the largest gathering of golf royalty?” According to top journalist Adam Schupak, the answer is yes and I agree.

Having watched both teams practicing for the Walker Cup at Cypress Point on Friday, followed by two glorious days of foursome and singles matches, I can certainly vouch for the abundance of golfing royalty in the gallery.

These luminaries included current USGA President Fred Perpall with whom I walked a couple of holes. I congratulated him on his stance on the need to halt the relentless increase in the distance the ball is travelling.

A little later I bumped into R&A captain Ian Pattinson and his wife Jan, who are doing a great ambassadorial job for the game as well as the R&A. Later still I talked to Kevin Hammer who takes over as USGA President in 2026, thereby ensuring that leadership of this body stays in safe hands. Seeing Kevin reminded me of the foursome we played on the New at Sunningdale just after last year’s Curtis Cup.

Golf royalty of another sort in the form of President George W Bush, who looked much fitter than two of his successors, watched the US team practice. At the opening ceremony he made a nice light touch speech.

Tickets for Cypress Point were hard to come by. The size of the gallery wasn’t disclosed but my guess is it was under 4,000. The fun of watching amateur golf is its informality, made possible by restricting numbers so that knowledgeable spectators can roam across the fairways, with only hand held ropes to protect the greens. Organisers of future events please note.

All Walker Cups are worth attending but Cypress adds a dimension. A gift golfers will covet this Christmas is a new history of the Club if, like me, they’ve played it several times. A chat with author David Normoyle and Tom Brown, an authority on course design and conditioning, while we stood on the right of the second on Sunday, underlined how qualified David is to do justice to this subject. Expect his book to do for Cypress Point what Gordon Simmonds’ magisterial Golf’s Finest Contest did for the Walker Cup.

Out on the course the weather was lovely and for much of the time the sun shone, drawing out the scenic colours beautifully. Equally striking is the work that’s been done to great effect on the spectacular dunes.

Unsurprisingly the result of the match was a comfortable win for the US though this belied the closeness of the first three sessions. Only when the Sunday singles were well under way did the talented and well prepared Americans draw decisively ahead.

A fifth consecutive defeat for GB & I may revive talk of continental Europeans joining the contest. This may be worth considering, though I’m agnostic about it. However suggestions of changing the format to include four ball matches should be stamped on at once.

Off the course, the parties and the nightly dinners were good, old friendships were renewed and new ones created. All in all a reminder of how much more fun match play is than endless 72 hole medals. Fingers crossed the Ryder Cup teams play in the spirit of their Walker Cup counterparts later this month in what may be a hothouse atmosphere.

My California stay had begun at LACC with several magnificent meals and a couple of rounds on the North Course. I’m grateful for the generous hospitality I received from Tom Brown, Tony Anderson and Mike Roberts, My only moan concerns some devilish flag positions. I must try work out who is responsible for selecting them….…?

The visit to LA described above started not long after I’d got back from a short break on Long Island. This treat was kindly arranged by Warren Kinney whose parents Chris and Cathy have a lovely house in The Hamptons. They were at home at the time of my stay and looked after us well.

Our itinerary comprised Maidstone, Friars Head, Shinnecock Hills and National. Although I was familiar with all four I hadn’t played any of them since Covid. With the US Open returning to Shinnecock next year I was particularly glad to play there again because I’m convinced that it’s only possible to understand what’s happening on a course you’re watching on tv if you’ve actually played it fairly recently.

We started at Maidstone which has undergone minor changes. Fresh off a flight the previous evening, it took me a few holes to settle down but things improved at the tricky par eighth and thereafter I played respectably.

After a shower and a drink we drove to Shinnecock where a superb dinner was served both in and outside the dining room. No other major championship host course I’ve played has such a sensational panoramic view from its clubhouse. Many trees have been cut down so the view of NGLA is now clearer. In addition, tables were set up on the grass outside creating a lovely informal atmosphere in which lobster and other delights were consumed as the sun went down.

Next morning we headed to Friar’s Head. In the fifteen years since I first played this course it’s continued to mature. A cloudless day with just enough breeze to keep cool showed the dramatic closing holes to advantage and I was gratified to hole a ninety yard pitch on the fifteenth, though regrettably for par, not birdie.

Day three was Shinnecock, again in perfect condition and temperature. I didn’t have to drive on this trip so I sampled the occasional cocktail with a clear conscience. In the evening my fellow Royal St George’s member Philip, with whom I was travelling, and I took our hosts out for an alfresco dinner in Bridgehampton. Next morning our Long Island swing concluded at the National Golf Links of America.

Sadly, on this historic track, my driver let me down too often but the lobster starter at lunchtime and a lovely white wine quickly restored my spirits. After this round I said a reluctant goodbye to my attentive hosts and headed westwards across NYC to Baltusrol for my first visit there since the Gil Hanse update.

Next morning a club competition was taking place on the Lower so we played the Upper which has always been my favourite of the two courses here. Here I rediscovered my swing in time to avoid any financial damage and only a three putt on the last green struck an irritating note.

***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****

I sometimes dream the Grim Reaper is coming to warn me I’m only allowed one more round in America. I have no doubt where to play it.

Cypress Point, obviously.

NB Scheduling change

Starting in October ONLY FRIENDS will be posted on Substack once a month.

Thank you for reading and may all your five foot putts drop.

Tim