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| "Expectations have gotten totally out of control" |
I first discovered the indie eco-golf brand several years ago and was immediately impressed by their passion for golf and their unwavering efforts to fostering a more sustainable game.
Cheeky British humor and killer design are the hallmarks of their awesomely eclectic line of products. An unwavering commitment to carbon neutrality, organic cotton and a "greener" game are what sets them apart. Earlier this year, as the world was celebrating Earth week, Golf Refugees submitted proposals to the governing bodies of golf to revise their Rules of Golf to incorporate "green" measures.
As expected, the initial response from the "powers-that-be" has been... tepid. However, encouragement has come from enlightened golfers across the globe and there's evidence that more courses are now using using recycled or reclaimed water and returning their tracks to a more natural state.
In a Facebook discussion on the topic of golf and sustainability, Golf Refugees' Peter Gourse asked for my thoughts on "the perception of the perfect golf course". Here's what I told him.
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The drought here in TX has taught us that smart water management and contingency plans are vital for the survival of many of our courses. It also taught us golf can still be fun when the course isn't uniformly emerald green but rather.
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ReplyDeletethe VIDEOs include the Maurice Flitcroft story and PUNK GOLF
while i was familiar with the story of flitcroft who entered the British Open masquerading as a pro golfer but was actually a crane driver, after carding a round of 49 over par in 1976, the R&A ban him for life but he was to return twice more
the PUNK GOLF video certainly answers the question of being "green" as they indescriminately wack balls off rooftops, into streets and at vehicular traffic through industrial and residential neighborhoods under the idea that danger is a tangential concept
which i guess is acceptable as long as you are not one actually hit by one of these balls or have property damaged by them, like your front car windshield as you are driving - i don't get that part
but alas everyone is wearing ORGANIC COTTON clothing so i suppose it's alright afterall - no ?
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frankD
hitting em into the ocean today
ftliquordale soFLA
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The ‘punk golf’ video was filmed by MTV & Golf Refugees. If you look in Europe there is a very vibrant ‘street’ golf movement.
ReplyDeleteMTV featured the video on their sports programme called ‘balls’ hosted by rap star ‘Coolio’.
Here in London we had the Shoreditch Open, played through the streets of east London, with the permission of the local council and using ‘soft’ golf balls.
I would argue it was a ‘greener’ event than the British Open. With little course preparation required and most competitors and spectators arriving by public transport No need to paint the concrete green or spray tonnes of chemicals all over the fairways.
No dress codes apart from ‘dress up’. No quiet please boards. Just lots of fun for everyone.
Oh and Frank, here's a funny story, I've had my property (car windows) damaged by flying golf balls on two occasions, both times the errant balls came from 18 hole, regulation golf courses. Once while my car was parked in the lot at Richter Park and the other time as I was en route to my Dads house in Greenwich. That ball apparently soared over the netting that surrounds Gaynor Brennen Golf Course in Stamford. It smashed into the windshield as I was driving by, and shattered half of it.
ReplyDeleteThe experience was quite scary/ traumatic/disconcerting... but the worst part was when I showed my husband the damage, expecting a bit of sympathy, all he had to say was, "I thought you were going to your Dads house... what were you doing hanging around at the golf course?" (>_<)
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ReplyDeleteyikes, patricia, i can't imagine the blast of a golf ball smashing the car windshield - while driving yet !
the shock factor alone could be unnerving
on the highway, i've had tiny pebbles, nothing near like the size and mass of a golf ball, hit and crack my windshield, and i though those were a cannonball from the sound of it
however, i've seen mr bean and monty python play inner-city golf on video, and of course, the story by bernard darwin on settling a marriage proposal, and ultimately someone who plays through and across an entire continent and finally kramer landing a golf ball in the blowhole of a whale that suffocates and beaches itself on long island as george gives it the heimlich maneuver
i guess golf can be punk
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frankD
ftliquordale soFLA
I just got back from France where "street golf" is quite well organized. The do use a different type of balls, more like ping pong balls where I saw it. Lots of bounce. ;)
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ReplyDelete"the story by bernard darwin on settling a marriage proposal"
of course it was sir pelham granville wodehouse who authored "the long hole" a sixteen mile long affair, a contest between two evenly matched golfers, over the affections of a young woman, that culminated at the downtown royal majestic hotel and not bernard darwin
that's what happens when i let work interfere with what is really important
frankD
ft liquordale soFLA
The convergence of the green movement with the golf industry is a progression which I've been awaiting for years. It's good to see some manufacturers finally adopting an eco-friendly approach.
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