Golfing urban legends

denishurley

After the riproaring success of my mythical rules thread, how about one just on myths?

After a round recently, a friend of my father's was telling us a story in the bar about a guy who had played in Muskerry. After a poor round, he was so angry he threw his clubs into the river by the 18th and stormed off in a huff.

He went to the bar and was having a few pints (pre-drink-driving days, clearly) and everybody was watching to see what he'd do when it was time to go. Eventually, he ambled back down to the bag, got out his car keys and threw the bag back in the river before going home.

Later, my father said that the river in Muskerry must be full of bags by this stage as that was not the first person he had heard the story about, and sure enough it's quite an old story.

Any other tall tales? I've heard one about Christy O'Connor Sr playing with an amateur who boasted about using a club less on a par-3 only for Christy to take out all his clubs and land a ball on with each one, is that one true?

charlieIRL

I heard the same story about the lad throwing the bag into the lake and going back in for the keys in both Athlone and Glasson!!!

the lawman

charlieIRL wrote: »

I heard the same story about the lad throwing the bag into the lake and going back in for the keys in both Athlone and Glasson!!!

That is crazy, as I heard the same story of a bag being chucked into a lake and the chap going back in to get his keys only yesterday by a guy I was playing with!!

TheDoc

There is seemingly a lad who played in our club, that is now an assistant pro, who regardless of what yardage he was over 150, he would chip, tap, putt, lob the ball to around the 150 marker, because he could land his 8 iron within a dustbin lid.

Always called bull****, then actually turned out I was having lessons with the guy as part of a junior academy. Asked him after telling him the story and he just tipped his nose with his finger.

Dying to know if real or bollox

pinseeker

I heard one about Philip Walton which im told is a true story as it came from one of the guys in the group playing with him but who knows.

One of the amateurs is asking Walton how he gets spin after hitting a 7 iron.
Walton turns too ur man and says how far do you hit your 7 iron.
ur man says about 140 yards.
Walton turns to ur man and says and you want it come to you haha

TheDoc

pinseeker wrote: »

I heard one about Philip Walton which im told is a true story as it came from one of the guys in the group playing with him but who knows.

One of the amateurs is asking Walton how he gets spin after hitting a 7 iron.
Walton turns too ur man and says how far do you hit your 7 iron.
ur man says about 140 yards.
Walton turns to ur man and says and you want it come to you haha

Dont get it

On Walton actually, bought a new bag as the bit of torrential rain on Saturday destroyed everything in my bag so wanted something waterproof.

Pro said he played with Walton back in the day, and during a round in Portmarnock asked why he was cleaning his grips so furiously.

Pro replied " Well, to get grip?"

Walton explained to him that when you put a dry and wet surface together, you get slippyness. If it starts raining, let **** get wet. And just go barehand. I guarantee you, you wont feel a club slip.

Thought it was bull, but have heard LOADS of Walton gems.

Lashed rain on Sunday for a bit and I packed the glove away and stopped the usual routine of drying my hand and grip. Have to say, while it was a nervy image of my club flying in the air, I didn't actual feel like the club would slip out of my hand.

pinseeker

Ah doc
Walton was stating that 140 is not very long so why would your man be looking for it to come back to him via back spin
The way i was told it it was funny.It may have been less yardage than i stated but thats the point Walton was making

ThunderCat

Heard one before about John Daly. The story goes he steps onto the tee-box of a par 4 and asks his caddy "what are we looking at for this one". The caddy replies that a driver and 9 iron should do it. Daly proceeds to hit 9 iron off the tee and then driver off the fairway and onto the green. Don't know how true it is but I wouldn't put anything past that lad.

newport2

charlieIRL wrote: »

I heard the same story about the lad throwing the bag into the lake and going back in for the keys in both Athlone and Glasson!!!

Ah here, I heard that one too from this older guy I play with. Believed him too :mad:

denishurley

ThunderCat wrote: »

Heard one before about John Daly. The story goes he steps onto the tee-box of a par 4 and asks his caddy "what are we looking at for this one". The caddy replies that a driver and 9 iron should do it. Daly proceeds to hit 9 iron off the tee and then driver off the fairway and onto the green. Don't know how true it is but I wouldn't put anything past that lad.

Have heard a variation on this too. There was a priest who knew he could reach the first at his home club with a three-wood and a nine-iron, but there was a bush in front of the first tee box and sometimes he couldn't clear it with the three-wood so he started teeing off with the nine-iron.

elberry

ThunderCat wrote: »

Heard one before about John Daly. The story goes he steps onto the tee-box of a par 4 and asks his caddy "what are we looking at for this one". The caddy replies that a driver and 9 iron should do it. Daly proceeds to hit 9 iron off the tee and then driver off the fairway and onto the green. Don't know how true it is but I wouldn't put anything past that lad.

That was a true story about Moe Norman, a Canadian pro often regarded to be the most accurate ball striker ever in golf, he died a few years ago, he used act the clown alot even in tournaments, the money wouldn't have been so big of course in those days, he used tee off his drives from glass coke bottles to amuse the bystanders until the officials stopped him. Moe Norman once had a lead on the final green in a tournament and putted into a bunker to see if he had the nerve to get up and down from the sand for a 1 shot win!!! He was an unusual character.

elberry

denishurley wrote: »

I've heard one about Christy O'Connor Sr playing with an amateur who boasted about using a club less on a par-3 only for Christy to take out all his clubs and land a ball on with each one, is that one true?

I think it was more 2 or even 3 clubs less, I think the guy he was playing with wasn't an amateur but a young swedish pro, long-hitter. Christy told me that story himself many years ago, apparently he hit everything from putter to driver and hit the green with each one. Christy was a very skilled golfer in his day, I have seen him hit driver from the deck out of deep divots and they flew like from a tee-peg.

Senecio

TheDoc wrote: »

There is seemingly a lad who played in our club, that is now an assistant pro, who regardless of what yardage he was over 150, he would chip, tap, putt, lob the ball to around the 150 marker, because he could land his 8 iron within a dustbin.

True story, that I witnessed personally

I played with my cousin who boasted he could hit a 7 iron to within a flag length from the 150m markers on any hole. We walked on to the tee box of 450m par 5 and I challenged him to hit 3 x 7 irons. He did, knocking the third one to inside 8 feet and made the putt for birdie.

ForeRight

Played with a fella a while ago who told me he was barred from the spawell driving range because he kept smashing balls out over the fence into Faughs GAA club

He was deadly serious too



I might start my own urban legend too

Milkers

pinseeker wrote: »

I heard one about Philip Walton which im told is a true story as it came from one of the guys in the group playing with him but who knows.

One of the amateurs is asking Walton how he gets spin after hitting a 7 iron.
Walton turns too ur man and says how far do you hit your 7 iron.
ur man says about 140 yards.
Walton turns to ur man and says and you want it come to you haha

That story I believe was originally told about Ben Hogan. The amateur was oohing and aahing all day about Hogan's ability to spin back his iron approach shots. Late in the day Hogan hits a 7 iron into a green and it stops dead (no prov1s back then). Amateur is amazed and is again pressing Hogan for how he can do this. So Hogan asks him how far he hits his 7 iron. Amateur says tells him he hits it about 135 to 140 yards. Hogan's response, "Why would you ever want it to stop?"

augustus gloop

someone told this on the golf forum a while back, it was about Irelands top amateur at the time.
When he would approach the first with a matchplay competitor, he would simply say "whos up?" proceed to throw a ball on the deck from his pocket and rip it with the driver!