Thirty Years Ago on This Date... Seve Ballesteros Won His Second Masters

The Springtime of a Dashing Young Spaniard

Originally published April 7, 2011 ~ Golf meant nothing to me growing up, which may seem strange when you consider that my first twenty years were spent in Greenwich, CT, where cloistered country clubs... and the golf courses within them... are almost as ubiquitous as the fine restaurants and expensive emporiums that line the town's main shopping street.

However, Greenwich is a coastal community too, and I spent my summers sailing on Long Island Sound.  Sailboat regattas, with their splashing, speed and billowing spinnakersm, always seemed more exciting than the deliberate-looking game that took place beyond the trim hedges of those back country bastions.

I never thought of golf as a spectator sport either.  In fact the only memory I have of televised golf as I was growing up, is the yearly right-of-spring that was the Masters,  and I don't think there's anyone who grew up in the US who doesn't have some such memories. The intense, velvety green, the bright pink azaleas and the evocative Masters song were all unmistakable and memorable.

Even those who didn't follow the sport, inevitably caught bits and pieces of the Masters spectacle each year... on some TV screen, somewhere... and I'm quite sure the memories resonate with many to this day,  as they do with me.

But my most vivid golf memory of that era... the seventies and eighties... is of glancing up at the family television one random Friday in early spring and seeing the most implausibly handsome man I'd ever seen.  It was Seve Ballesteros of course.  He'd just turned 23 and was on his way to winning the 1980 Masters.  I remember thinking that he didn't look like a golfer... though I don't suppose I really had much of an idea what a golfer looked like.  I do know I made a point to watch the tournament for the remainder of the weekend, which must have seemed extremely odd to my family.  I also absconded with the next issue of Sports Illustrated, the one that featured "The Youngest Master" on its cover.

I developed a major crush that long ago springtime, on the man sports writers everywhere were describing as dashing.  He was sexy and exciting in way that seemed out-of-context on the trim fairways of staid country clubs.  Back then they didn't use the word hot, but in retrospect, Seve was the epitome of hot. 

His appeal of however, went way beyond his physique.  Despite my disinterest in golf at the time, I noticed the way he played; the unbridled, scrambling way.  When I read, not long ago, that he had defended that wild Friday round in 1980 by saying, "...it doesn't matter where you put the drive if you make the putt" and then adding, "it's very boring to go fairway, fairway, fairway," my continued infatuation made more sense.

Seve seemed very foreign too.  In the much more insular world of the early eighties, he was exciting and magical in a way that suddenly made golf compelling, and made me a nascent fan of a sport I'd never had the least bit of interest in before.

Over the year's that followed I watched the ups and downs of Señor Ballesteros: a second Masters, three Claret Jugs and his prolific Ryder Cup partnership with fellow Spainard Jose Maria Olazabal were all brilliant, though they were sometimes overshadowed by the injuries and altercations.

Memories of Ballestero's brilliance will always be associated with The Masters, with the lush fairways and brilliant azaleas as a backdrop... and tomorrow as the first round gets underway, there'll be many watching... and playing... who were inspired to take up the game by the unique and charismatic person he was.

Photos: Seve Ballesteros 1980 via Bleacher Report, The Youngest Master John Iacono/SI, Second shot on hole 10, Hugo Costa, Canal+Golf

#blogolftripTNF - An Awesome Time Was Had by All

By all accounts #blogolftripTNF was a stellar experience for all.

Over the past few days a seductive glimpse of Tenerife... its golf courses, resorts and restaurants... has been offered... on social networks and blogs... via the ultra-engaging group who participated in the first ever #blogolftrip.

Spain is the most popular golf destination in Europe and through the photos and commentary of those who were in Tenerife over the weekend it's easy to see why.  The courses feature a plethora of breathtaking coastal views and impressive mountainous backdrops, the resorts offer everything a traveler could ask for and then... there's the sublime Spanish attitude which I've experienced each time I've been in the country. It's warm, friendly and relaxed and even though I've yet to play golf in Spain I'm quite sure it's as pervasive on the fairways and greens as it is in the cities. After all it was the late, great Seve Ballesteros who explained a four at the 1990 this way: “I miss, I miss, I miss, I make.” Golf and life... particularly when one's on vacation... are most enjoyable when the mood is light. The Spanish golf bloggers, and their hosts in Tenerife, clearly understand that.
 

THE PLAYERS - Tim Clark's Tribute to Seve Ballesteros

Spanish Flag at TPC Sawgrass via @Joel_Schuchmann 

It hardly seems like a year ago that Tim Clark turned the tables.

On May 9, 2010... exactly one year ago... Mr. Clark won THE PLAYERS Championship and silenced the snarky scribes, who would never again be able to refer to him as a bridesmaid extraordinaire.  In addition, at 5' 7" he proved... once and for all... that tall is indeed, overrated.

The man once referred to as the penguin became T-Cizzle and a multitude of newly minted fans clamored to join his proud posse... not only because he now had that elusive PGA Tour win but also because of the good-natured persistence and relentless perseverance he demonstrated leading up to it. >---->

The Unique Genius of Seve Ballesteros 1957-2011

There's so much one can say about Seve Ballesteros.

His singular place in golf history had been established long before his death today, based on a winning combination of quantifiable factors... like five major championships and a 20-12-5 Ryder Cup record... and more abstract elements;  imagination, astounding artistry, swashbuckling fearlessness, and a rare generosity.

Death is a fact of life.  Such an inevitable one that we often manage to be pragmatic about it,  even where our closest friends and relatives are concerned.  In the case of this passing however, I see very little pragmatism.  Players, officials and fans have reacted with visible emotion. Perhaps in part because Seve Ballesteros had come to represent the idea of endless possibilities, and that's a wonderful thing to believe in, especially for a golfer.

The silver lining... and with Seve, of course there's going to be a silver lining ... is that he'll continue to inspire golf greatness... and passion for the game.  As the sport grows globally his name will continue to evoke everything that's exciting and appealing about golf.  Hasta siempre.

The Springtime of a Dashing Young Spaniard

(a post I wrote last month just prior to the Masters)

Golf meant nothing to me growing up.  Which may seem strange when you consider that my first twenty years were spent in Greenwich, CT, where cloistered country clubs... and the golf courses within them... are almost as ubiquitous as the fine restaurants and expensive emporiums that line the town's main shopping street.

However, Greenwich is a coastal community, and I spent my summers sailing on Long Island Sound.  Sunfish regattas and Laser racing... the splashing, speed and billowing spinnakers... seemed so much more exciting to me than the deliberate-looking game that took place beyond the trim hedges of those back country bastions.

The Springtime of a Dashing Young Spaniard

Golf meant nothing to me growing up, which may seem strange when you consider that my first twenty years were spent in Greenwich, CT, where cloistered country clubs... and the golf courses within them... are almost as ubiquitous as the fine restaurants and expensive emporiums that line the town's main shopping street.

However, Greenwich is a coastal community too, and I spent my summers sailing on Long Island Sound.  Sunfish regattas and Laser racing... the splashing, speed and billowing spinnakers... always seemed more fun and exciting to me than the deliberate-looking game that took place beyond the trim hedges of those back country bastions. ---->

Twittour 2011: Golfers in Spain Launch a Twitter Tour

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Todos Juntos.  It means All Together and it's the tag line for Spain's bid to host the 2018 Ryder Cup ... but it could also be the tag line for Spain's Twittour 2011.

Twittour was dreamed up by a group of Spanish golfers on Twitter who call themselves #jugones which means... gamers?  Close enough.  Anyway, these golfistas twiteros from all over Spain got to know each other over time via the celebrated social network.  They soon found they shared a passion for golf, and not long ago decided to do what most of us never get around to: they organized a real life golf tour and devirtualized their love for the game... and Twittour 2011 was born.

Twittour 2011 will be a series of tournaments on different courses in Spain.  The first event, Twittour 2011-Lerma, took place this past Friday at Golf Lerma, a pastoral parkland course in the Castillian countryside three hours north of Madrid.  Lerma was created on a site that was once a hunting estate, and when the Twittour group arrived at the course on Friday morning they found the wide fairways and undulating greens covered in a dusting of snow.  The hearty jugones were not intimidated however, and once the snow stopped falling they got right down to business despite the cold north wind whipping across the Lerma's many lakes. After their wintry round the players had a sublime Spanish dinner... with lots of wine. Prizes and awards were then presented.

Twittour 2011

The Twittour 2011 website is great.  There's a blog where members write posts about the tournaments and discuss current events and issues in golf (the awesome @martasegura writes about women in the game). There's also a media gallery with photos and videos and a schedule of events among other things.  And what's so inspiring is the way these golfers got together and made their Twittour a reality.   It looks like the next event is scheduled for May 20 in Madrid.

If your interested in global golf... and who isn't these days... if you're interested in the joy and conviviality of the game, and also if you're intrigued by the way social networks can bring people together, check out the Twittour 2011 website, (if you don't speak Spanish you can put it thorough Google translate and you'll get the gist).

The #jugones have a good thing going on, and their enthusiasm for golf is quite contagious.

Of Turtlenecks and Polo Shirts - the 2010 British Open

It's a look that's been around forever, but I've certainly never see so much of it... at least not in one place. I'm talking about the "short-sleeved-polo shirt-over-a-long sleeved-undershirt" look.

In the past, at the Open Championship... and other events where the weather was blustery... a more traditional sweater-over-a-polo-shirt, (possibly topped by a wind shirt or jacket) was the way most players confronted brisk conditions. The few who topped a long-sleeved turtle neck with a polo shirt looked... like dorks somewhat odd.

Over the past several days however... on the fairways and greens of the Old Course... myriad versions of that once unfashionable look have been on display. So much so that I think it now officially qualifies as a trend.

Last week at St. Andrews some wore it well... while others just couldn't get past dorky.

I like Phil Mickelson and I like a pink polo shirt... but please don't put them together with a long sleeved, moisture-wicking black compression undergarment between them. It just looks wrong. Right?

Lefty was far from the only layered player fashion victim. England's Ross Fisher is young and lean, but still looked weird in his polo-over-UnderArmour. And he wore some version of it for each anround. Talk about a sartorial strike-out. And the layers at left on Lucas Glover, look like what guys in these parts wear to the driving range.

Call me old-fashioned, but here's how I see it: a short sleeved shirt over a long sleeved shirt should be... interesting anomaly... an idiosyncratic style sported by a player like Y.E. Yang, who looks good in idiosyncratic. That's the way it always was in the past, no matter what kind of cold, windy weather presented itself.

To me it's kind of like Ryo Ishikawa's perfectly coordinated Yonex outfits or Rickie Fowlers distinctive PUMA Caps and Shoes. Those two players own those looks... and I'm a huge fan of both... but I think it would be farcical if the majority of players adopted either style.

At the time Seve Ballesteros won the 1984 Open Championship at St. Andrews he was considered fierce and flamboyant yet looked unquestionably elegant in a navy blue v-neck sweater over a white collared shirt, dark trousers and white shoes. If he were playing today I suppose he might have worn a navy blue polo shirt over white UnderAmour... and twenty years from now some futuristic golf blogger might nostalgically refer to the look as old-fashioned and charming.

"Ideas and products and messages and behaviors spread like viruses do." so writes Malcolm Gladwell in his book "The Tipping Point". He goes on to define the tipping point as "the levels at which the momentum for change becomes unstoppable." which makes me think that at the 2010 British Open a certain layered look may have reached the tipping point.

Photos: Getty Images