Open - Day 1

View of 18th green at Lytham. It's a a very straight final hole but bunkers and thick rough pose a constant threat outside the safety of the fairways.

I like how it backs up onto the clubhouse but this Lytham clubhouse is a brilliant building in its own right. It provides an awesome viewing spot for those lucky enough to be let in there.

There's definitely an arena-type feel to the 18th green, hopefully adding to any drama that might present itself on the final day.

Had a tiring day in the golf zone but it was livened up by the visit of HSBC ambassadors Jonathan Davies, Gavin Hastings and Tim Henman who all had a go at the various activities. Great to see other sports legends (term used loosely) supporting the game of golf, especially in this country.

If you're new to pro golf tournaments one thing that stands out is how well these players hit the ball, consistently, effortlessly, every single time. Watching the players hit shots off the tee and on the practice ground really gives you a massive respect for their talents, particularly in their ball striking - which is simply unbelievable.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Off to the Open 2012

I'm on my way to Lytham St Anne's to work at the HSBC Golf Zone all week. I'll hopefully get to soak in the atmosphere and see some golf while I'm there.
I'll write some posts and put up some photos this week to hopefully give a bit of insight into the championship from where I am.

I'll be tweeting as well so any followers are welcome! @rivers02


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Calling all British media: your golfers needs you

As I sit and watch Wimbledon for another year and yet again watch the British players fall like flies I can't help but wonder why there is so much hype surrounding tennis and its media coverage. Wimbledon is obviously a traditional summer event in the UK and I think the coverage is deserved but the English public only really takes any notice of tennis when Wimbledon is on.

Golf is on the cusp of being a major sport in this country, I believe it's above tennis but below football, cricket and rugby union. What I fail to understand is how golf barely gets the coverage it deserves on the TV or in the newspapers when out of all the main sports played in the UK bar cricket we're the best at it. Particularly in the summer months when there is so much great golf going on in the world and as a nation we have so many world class players the media consistently leaves golf to the fringe pages of the sports section of newspapers and a short mention on news programmes. Football still dominates the sports pages even when the season is over and there's nothing to see apart from Joe Bloggs' £1 million move to Bradford City (no offence to Bradford City).

I go back to Wimbledon. Every year we only ever have one British hopeful, Andy Murray, with any hope of winning it but is still a fair distance behind the other top players in terms of quality. Every year we hype up the poor guy saying this is his year, this is the one... remind you England's football team much? Now this hype is in contrast with the annual whisper you hear when the British Open comes round. We have 4 British players in the top 10 that are genuinely world class plus several others that win consistently on European and PGA tours; that's one reason why golf deserves more coverage and interest in the UK. British players consistently compete in tournaments all round the world not just on home soil with the help of our great fans; there's another reason.

Luke Donald: No.1 in world but how many people appreciate that for a British sportsman?

We would all be immensely proud of our country if England managed to win a major football tournament or if Andy Murray won a major tennis championship. So why do so few people in the UK realise that British players genuinely compete to this level week in week out in professional golf? 

The media have the control over how much golf the public is exposed to and consequently how much the average person is likely to be interested. If the media committed to more golf coverage the entire game in Britain would get a boost and (this is a bit of a stretch) the general public would get a boost knowing that even though our football and tennis is lacking somewhat, our golfers are always doing us proud.