|
 |
 |   |
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Video Plus Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities 
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE
|  |
In charm's way A tall order is rewarded, if only for a short time
Sports Illustrated senior writer John Garrity was a 42-year-old 8 handicapper when he suddenly lost his swing. Since December 1989 he has been looking for it -- a modern-day Odysseus adrift on the troubled waters of swing theory. As Garrity travels the world reporting on golf, he visits as many driving ranges as he can, avoiding the dreaded "mats only" ranges that prevent him from teeing it up. Tuesday, July 24 LIVERPOOL, England -- The City Centre Marriott has the best housekeepers in the world. They walk up and down the halls with pillows on their feet and open the doors with foam-rubber keys. I can't hear them when I'm working or sleeping (or working and sleeping, which is my current tendency). I went out for lunch at a local establishment called McDonald's. When I got back, twelve minutes later, my room was made up and there was no one in sight. To be certain, I threw open the door again and looked down the hall. No one. If my search for an English driving range with charm was half as efficient, I'd have found one by now. With driving directions from the concierge, I ventured out of labyrinthine Liverpool this afternoon and drove a dozen miles or so to Warrington, an industrial suburb. And I do mean industrial. In Warrington even the birdhouses have smokestacks, and the typical resident drives a 60-ton lorry with a "Sod Off!" sticker on the windshield. I took several wrong turns before finding the Drive Time Golf Centre in a warren of railyards, power-transmission towers and chemical tanks. The range, a two-tiered, covered facility with a pro shop and snack area, looked busy and prosperous. No grass, though, and no charm, either. Just a flat, cluttered field with uninspiring targets. I hit a bucket of balls, got back in the car, and left without looking back. England 2, Charm 0. Thursday, July 26
First up was the range at Formby Hall Golf Club, a private club that welcomes daily-fee customers and range rats. The range, off to the side of the club's large, landscaped parking lot, is a better-than-average, mats only, covered facility with a well-appointed pro shop. We then drove just down the road to the Formby Golf Centre, a bashful compound hidden behind houses and hedgerows at the edge of Lancashire farmland. At first glance it seemed to be little more than a scruffy field by a brick house with a conservatory tea room. The roof over the sheltered tees was badly in need of paint, and the iron supports were nearly rusted away. On the other hand, the mats and golf balls were new, and the field, with its flagsticks, yardage markers and tire targets, projected an agricultural purity. My charm alarm began to ring gently.
Two minutes, sad to say, is about as long as the old washer has left. Mawdsley has already bought a modern ball washer for his range -- a metal cabinet that resembles a marriage between a mailbox and R2D2 of Star Wars -- and he intends to follow up with other improvements. "This place was a bit of a grot spot when I bought it," he said. "Horrible mats, awful balls, a run-down par-3 course. But it was crowded! I thought if people kept using it, as bad as it was, it had real potential." Mawdsley's theory is that beginning golfers -- children, teenagers, farmers, and the like -- are intimidated by the serious practicers at Formby Hall and frustrated by the high wooden partitions, which discourage flirting and clowning around. "He's wonderful with children," David said, watching a little fellow try to hit a golf ball with a club he could barely lift. "He gives them lessons, makes them laugh. It wouldn't surprise me if he makes a go of it." With no more time at my disposal, I promised to return on Friday to hit golf balls at the two Formby ranges. "Do I need to book a reservation?" I asked. Mawdsley laughed. "Only if you plan on buying the place." "There's a crazy idea," I told David as we drove away. Watch this space for another installment of Mats Only. To send John Garrity
advice, share your experiences, or suggest a driving range, click here.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
