On a couple of occasions I’ve written about the high per capita success rate of Swedish golfers. Hopefully providing some information which may be of use to NZ Golf and golfers, so that Kiwi golfers can drive, chip and putt above their weight.

Now comes more information generated by an article by Martin Dempster in The Scotsman. Martin’s Nov 19 headline reads, “Far too much talent goes to waste in Scottish golf.”

And for those of us who’d like to see similarly talented Kiwi golfers not go to waste on the professional golf scene. There’s an interesting comment and insight at Scottish Golf Review relating to Martin’s article, and sent in by Andrew Crerar, the Panmure Professional (That’s Panmure near Carnoustie, not Panmure, Auckland).

Andrew’s email headline reads, “Young stars who don’t shine as pros: Sweden had the answer…and that was 18 years ago”

Andrew writes, “Eighteen years ago I played a practice round at the Tour School Final Stage with Ove Sellberg of Sweden by pure chance. During the round I was aware of several people at different stages who were watching/speaking to him. After a while I asked him who they all were?

He told me that the Swedish players (13 at final qualifying) had with them two coaches, a doctor, a physio, a nutrionalist who also became chef at night!, a phychologist (before they became fashionable) and 13 caddies who were all part of their TEAM.
He explained to me also that all their amateurs upon turning pro continued to receive this support from the Swedish Federation for a further three years (including finance).

And then Andrew adds words which NZ pro golfers in Godzone can relate to, “At the other end of the scale at that Tour School were 13 Scottish players who, without exception, were all there as individuals, trying to deal with everything that was on their plate.”

Therefore it is no surprise that with this kind of TEAM support that the present day Swedish golfing stars have succeeded. While Scottish golfers…my lips are sealed lest they ban me from re-entering Bonnie Scotland.

Andrew writes, “One thing is for sure. Nobody will ever convince me that Sweden (for example) has had more talented players than Scotland in that period but they certainly have had much more success!”

And nobody will ever convince me that Sweden (for example) has many more talented players than New Zealand. The reason why the Swede’s succeeded appears to be that someone/some group of Swedes got behind Swedish golf and gave it a financial boost to make it better.

And while on the matter of financial boosts. Well done the lads and lassies who got behind the Auckland Golf Marrowthon 100 Hole Challenge to raise money for the Leukaemia & Blood Foundation.

The Scoop article tells me

“The Golf Marrowthon 100 Hole Challenge is famed for attracting golfers from all handicap levels, to test their skills and endurance in the ultimate challenge of playing 100 holes of golf in a single day.” And this year the Challenge raised nearly $80,000.

This amount was raised by a mere 26 golfers who took it upon themselves to do the best they could for a deserving cause.

Just think of what could be achieved if all the registered members of New Zealand golf clubs got behind the good cause of creating excellence in amateur and professional NZ golfers.

“Kiwis can do with their alleged “Kiwi Can Do” attitude?”

“Yeah right!” Now there’s a challenging reply.

Seems to me there’s only one golfing organization in NZ with the go, gumption and contacts to prove me wrong. And that’s The Eagles Golfing Society of New Zealand.

This from the Eagles Golfing Society of Aorangi web site. “From the aspirations of a small group of men in the Auckland Golf Club back in 1956 a nationwide organisation dedicated to the promotion of the game of golf and the fellowship engendered among its members has developed.

The Eagles Golfing Society of New Zealand now has autonomous society’s [sic] in all the NZ Golf districts and boasts a total membership of just over 1,400.”

Thought(s) for the day.

This from Peter Scott, “I’ve always believed the greater danger is not aiming too high, but too low, settling for a bogey, rather than shooting for an eagle.”

But of course the golfing cynics would reply by paraphrasing a well-known anonymous quotation, “It’s difficult to score with eagles when you’re playing like a turkey.”

Guid gowfin’ at the weekend

Slainte

Stan

PS

The link to Martin in The Scotsman