WHEN Bangor's David Jones reveals that his 50th birthday is on June 22nd, the reaction from his fellow professionals is generally predictable. "Ah, 50," they will sigh enviously. "I suppose you can't wait to get onto the US Seniors' Tour and make yourself a million."
Jones seems admirably equipped for such a challenge, given his current competitive well-being, allied to a background of solid, if unspectacular achievement around these islands. At 6ft Sins, he hits the ball longer than most, while his putting touch has so far escaped all known forms of debilitating, nervous twitches.
As to jumping on the US Seniors' gravy train, however, he is not so sure. "Why should I?," he asked me, when we met this week at Hanbury Manor, where he was commentating for television on the Alamo English Open. "Because there's a fortune to be made, just like everyone's been telling you," I replied.
But the long fellow was never a slave to money. "I have a lovely life right now," he said. "My course design work gives me terrific satisfaction; television commentating allows me to be paid for the joy of simply talking about golf and I can keep my competitive eye in by playing the Irish circuit. Then there is my involvement as a director of the European Tour. What more do I want?"
Still, he failed to convince me, even by admitting that South Africa's John Bland, who has taken the US by storm, was always "a better player than I could ever hope to be." As it happened, Jones never quite made it on the European Tour, but he has three PGA Club Professional titles to his credit, along with the 1989 Kenya Open and every important Irish title, bar the Open.
"Over the last few years, I travelled to the US Senior Open to assess the situation there for myself," he went on. "And when I looked at some of the guys playing there, I wondered if I'd enjoy their company, week in, week out. Social contact is very important to me, which is why I enjoy playing in Ireland so much."
So, what are his plans? "I'll try to get into every European Seniors event, starting with the Swedish Seniors Open on June 26th," he said. "That may be difficult, however, despite the fact that they're giving me an exemption for the first year.
"But I'm qualified for the Murphy's Irish Open, and I like to think I will get an invitation into the Senior British Open at Royal Port rush, later in July. After all, I have three Ulster professional titles to my name.
Jones concluded: "At the end of the season I'll take stock and if my prospects look good, I'll probably go to the US Seniors' Tour School. But contrary to what the other guys may be thinking, it won't break my heart to give it a miss."
"We were robbed out there on those greens. It was like Crimewatch UK." Loyal caddie explaining his "master's" poor scoring in this week's English Open.
DRUIDS Glen was in beautiful condition during a visit I made there a few weeks ago. Gone was the devilishly intrusive rough which was the source of much criticism during last year's Murphy's Irish Open. But there is still plenty of growing time to change all that, if the European Tour so decide.
The holder is hoping they do. "I want the course to be every bit as difficult as last year, said Colin Montgomerie when I spoke with him this week. "Having won the championship in those conditions, I would be disappointed to see it any other way.
Including heavy fringes around the greens? "Oh yes," he replied with some enthusiasm. "It was a tough challenge but I'm quite happy with things that way - which is why I like the US Open so much." He concluded: "Druids Glen was a fine test last year. Hopefully, it will be just as difficult in July."
GREAT players don't necessarily make great golfing analysts. The point is perfectly illustrated by one of those classic, "I wish I hadn't said that" pronouncements, which some wiseacre has dug up from newspaper files of 72 years ago.
Given that it concerned the Silver Scot, Tommy Armour, the story was accorded due prominence beside a piece about Paavo Nurmi, the so-called Flying Finn, in the Kansas City Post of April 25th. 1925. Under the headline "Spring Tonic for Golfers," Armour started: "Of recent years, there has been quite a run on steel-shafted clubs."
The story went on: "But it is not true that steel is as good as hickory and this is a fact that can be attested to best by observing that star golfers do not use the steel clubs. There was once a supposition that steel made for longer and truer shots. Its fallacy has been proved.
"In selecting a driver, go to your pro. He not only will know a good shaft of hickory when he sees it, but he will know what sort of shaft will be best for your game. Players who buy steel, or shafts made of some patent substance, will change to hickory when they have discovered the difference it makes in their game.
IT is generally late in life when successful, businessmen come to golf, otherwise they wouldn't be successful businessmen. But few of them gain such handsome rewards from the game as 82-year-old Woodrow D Marriott, one of the original four brothers whose hotel chain now includes Hanbury Manor.
During a recent purple patch, Marriott had five holes-in-one in the space of only eight months. And he has had eight in all, in a golfing career which began modestly, 55 years ago. In fact three of his aces came in a single month and even more remarkably, - two were within a span of only six days.
"I'm not one to jump up and down and get all excited," he said. "But the last one was just as memorable as the first." Marriott played and coached professional basketball and baseball in Europe and held his own on the tennis court, but golf has been his activity of choice since having his right hip replaced two years ago.
There is, however, a sad aspect to his run of aces. On being told the importance of keeping his head down, he followed it so religiously that he has actually seen only three of his holes-in-one actually find the target. His other golfing strength? "I do a pretty good job of keeping the ball in play," he said.
IT seemed more like the product of simple, God-fearing people from the west of Ireland than sophisticates from England's home counties. I refer to the romantic, if slightly implausible story of how Hanbury Manor came into the possession of Nuns before gaining its current status as a major golfing venue.
Local historians in the area which is currently playing host to the Alamo English Open, tell us: "It was on cold, bleak days during the winter of 1922 that a bent and worn old man was sometimes seen toiling up the road from Ware to Wadesmill, tossing Miraculous Medals over the wall of a property that had recently been put on the market.
"The old man was Father Macirone, parish priest of Ware, and his mission was one of prayer that religious would buy Poles (as Hanbury Manor was then known) and establish a Catholic Boarding School on the site. His prayer was answered and three months later, the FCJs (Faithful Companions of Jesus) bought it."
I wonder if the spirit of the humble priest is still resting easy, now that his beloved manor house has become a five-star hotel, looking out over professional golfers, competing for huge sums of money. We hope it is. Indeed from his heavenly abode, the holy man may be moved to pity by the sight of those same golfers, suffering mental pain the like of which he never had to endure.
IN BRIEF: MacGregor, Darren Clarke's equipment company, have promised him a Ferrari 355 if he makes the Ryder Cup team and plays and wins at least two of his matches. "I love cars and a Ferrari has always been top of my list," said the 28-year-old Delgany is the venue on May 22nd for the Irish Regional final of the Reebok PGA Assistants Championship.
TEASER: In a Stableford competition, A hits his approach shot into a greenside bunker. Though he cannot earn any points at the hole, A climbs into the bunker and plays a recovery. Whereupon fellow competitor, B, claims he has incurred a penalty for playing practice strokes from a hazard, contrary to the rules. What is the ruling?
ANSWER: There is no penalty. According to Rule 7-2, "strokes played in continuing the play of a hole, the result of which has been decided, are, not practice strokes." So, A was allowed to play the stroke from the bunker.
