During the past week, the temperature dropped once or twice and, even though it’s just the beginning of September, my mind turned to “winter golf”. I usually leave my trolley in the garage and carry my clubs when I pop out for nine holes during the winter months, but I don’t carry a full set. This means I have to think a bit more about some of my shots, as I have to make do with a 7 iron, when I’d prefer to use an 8 iron, or hit an easy 5 iron instead of a full 6 iron shot. I’m not terribly versatile, so I’ve been very impressed with some of the European Tour’s “14 Club Challenge” videos over the past year.
In this series of challenges, two European Pros go head-to-head at a par three to see how many balls each player can land on the green.
What’s the catch? Each player starts with 14 clubs and he can only use each one once. To make it harder, “if one player uses it, both players lose it”. This means that each player will use seven different clubs to try to land the ball on the green. Imagine trying to use your putter, or your driver at Dungannon’s 16th!
Several pairs have attempted this challenge over the past season, but I think the most entertaining one involves Englishman Eddie Pepperell and New Zealand’s Ryan Fox attempting to succeed on the 152-yard 8th hole at Lahinch Golf Club on the eve of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open. It’s worth watching…