A story about golf clubs

jonnygrouville · August 17, 2015

As some context, Grouville senior grew up in Bradford, once they were allowed back after the war. It was not as bad as it was during the Industrial Revolution (when a German visitor described visiting Bradford as being comparable to being "lodged with the devil incarnate" and that if anyone wanted to "feel like a poor sinner in Purgatory, let him travel to Bradford"), but it was still heavily polluted and just not a great place to be by the sounds of things.

Was chatting to him about the irons he had as a kid and he remembered waking up on Christmas morning when he was fifteen to find a double-eagle sand wedge propped up at the end of the bed. Then he found the nine iron against the wall, the eight in the door frame, the seven at the start of the landing, and the rest of the set leading down the hall to his parents' bedroom where the three matching woods were against the end of their bed.

http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/topic/773323-double-eagle-golf-corp/

Got to remember this for when my kids are older.

Also kind of makes me glad that I used the irons he got for me when I was fifteen for years and years, and still have them. Now just got to find a nice set of double-eagles!

oldschoolrocker · August 18, 2015

Simply brillant!!!

Blade Junkie · August 26, 2015

[quote name='jonnygrouville' timestamp='1439846954' post='12156812']
Now just got to find a nice set of double-eagles!
[/quote]

Great story Jonny!

I'll start you off on making the old man happy:

[url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/B-Double-Eagle-American-Tournament-Model-Golf-Irons-/261984516951?hash=item3cff7e7b57"]http://www.ebay.co.u...=item3cff7e7b57[/url]

[url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/B-Double-Eagle-American-Tournament-Model-Golf-Wedge-/252063534422?hash=item3ab0284d56"]http://www.ebay.co.u...=item3ab0284d56[/url]

ScooterMcTavish · September 8, 2015

As an LFC fan, always had a fondness for BCAFC fans. Not only did they also know tragedy, they are as classy as they come. Must be the shared working class roots.

I remember a time (May 2000) where BCAFC won their final match of the season to stay in the premiership - coincidentally, this loss also cost Liverpool a place in the Champions League. After the fans invaded the pitch, LFC fans and BCAFC fans were stationed at opposite ends of the pitch, wondering what would happen next. The BCAFC fans decided this by breaking into "You'll Never Walk Alone".

Class, pure class.

NRJyzr · September 12, 2015

I've learned something today....

Scootre, I had no idea you were a Red.

Allow me to share a pic of my ball marker:

stevemcgee99 · September 14, 2015

lol I thought you meant commie at first.

ScooterMcTavish · September 14, 2015

Hey bunny-man.

No idea you were a red either.

Have a couple of clubs I follow, those being CUFC (family origins) and LFC (family waypoint for a number of years). Guess I could have been an EFC fan, but my family tended more red if you know what I mean.

Unfortunate as this is already beginning to feel like a lost season again. A better effort against ManUre this weekend, but the loss to the Hammers a few weeks ago was gutting.

NRJyzr · September 14, 2015

I was hoping West Ham would be an aberration, but now I'm worried. The early wins weren't exactly earth shattering.

I wish someone would just go around the edge on the wing. We have some pace on the flanks, and a beast in the middle, and it seems an unhealthy obsession with tiki taka. Other teams just flood the middle and it's like watching the waves crashing upon the rocks, sometimes. Grrrrr.

I'm trying to console myself with thinking that the 13-14 campaign started with something of a sputter, before they went absolutely nuts after the New Year. Problem though, we don't have the new SAS up top as we did then.

Trying to keep the faith....

jonnygrouville · September 18, 2015

The Mighty Bantams!

Not being from England, never really followed football, but always nice knowing that a Bradford win was keeping some of the family happy.

No_Catchy_Nickname · December 3, 2015

[quote name='jonnygrouville' timestamp='1439846954' post='12156812']
As some context, Grouville senior grew up in Bradford, once they were allowed back after the war. It was not as bad as it was during the Industrial Revolution (when a German visitor described visiting Bradford as being comparable to being "lodged with the devil incarnate" and that if anyone wanted to "feel like a poor sinner in Purgatory, let him travel to Bradford"), but it was still heavily polluted and just not a great place to be by the sounds of things.

Was chatting to him about the irons he had as a kid and he remembered waking up on Christmas morning when he was fifteen to find a double-eagle sand wedge propped up at the end of the bed. Then he found the nine iron against the wall, the eight in the door frame, the seven at the start of the landing, and the rest of the set leading down the hall to his parents' bedroom where the three matching woods were against the end of their bed.

[url="http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/topic/773323-double-eagle-golf-corp/"]http://www.golfwrx.c...agle-golf-corp/[/url]

Got to remember this for when my kids are older.

Also kind of makes me glad that I used the irons he got for me when I was fifteen for years and years, and still have them. Now just got to find a nice set of double-eagles!
[/quote]

Sorry, just saw this thread. I'm from Bradford. It used to have a large-ish German immigrant population, and "Little Germany" still remains to some extent. I remember going to see a film being shot there in the early Eighties; IIRC, the film was set in pre-war Berlin, and Bradford's Little Germany had the most authentic street scenery they could find.

Bradford was a dump in the Industrial Revolution (some would argue it still is...). The Bradford canal, as I think it was called, was filled in very soon after being completed because it was a health hazard.
Bill Bryson has some funny things to say about the place. Quoting from memory, he said something like "I arrived in Bradford, but it was closed," and "Bradford exists to make everywhere else look better."

Bradford does have some Alistair Mackenzie-designed courses, though. I hit my first ever golf shot at Bingley St. Ives, which was a Mackenzie design. However, most of his early courses are to be found next door in Leeds. I believe Alwoodley was his first.

jonnygrouville · December 4, 2015

Wow! I've played a few places around there with Grouville senior. Bingley rings a bell. Northcliff? Shipley? Are they places with golf courses? Can't remember exactly whereabouts he lived, but I know he went to Bradford Grammar and was in the same class as David Hockney who used to draw little cartoon boy scouts on everyone's textbooks. Probably worth a few bob now eh?

He has shown me on a map the course his parents played. It is now under an industrial estate. He also remembers my gran having a lesson from Harry Busson's brother who I think was a professional somewhere up there.

I also think my gran was the last conservative lord mayor of Bradford!

No_Catchy_Nickname · December 6, 2015

Shipley is the name of a borough in the Bradford district, and Northcliffe is a course actually in or near Shipley. There is also a course called Shipley (Beckfoot), and it's probably one of the best in Bradford. Northcliffe has one of the more intimidating first tee shots around, especially off the back tees. You hit over a valley with out-of-bounds right and left. It's a short par four (250, dogleg left), and better players could hit over the trees and out-of-bounds to the green. I've played that hole, and back then it was a driver or three-wood to the green and a four iron for safety; now it's probably a hybrid to the green and a six iron for safety. The final hole is a great par three that plays down that same valley. Bingley St. Ives is sort of the opposite; it has a lousy opening and closing hole, but it's what's in between that make it good.

The course your father's parents played that is now an industrial estate sounds like West Bowling. In my opinion, it used to have some of the best greens around.

As for Hockney, I think BGS regrets not hanging on to more of his artwork he did as a schoolboy! Salts Mill in Saltaire has a pretty extensive collection of his work, and it's free to enter (or was the last time I was there).

Finally, the position of Lord Mayor used to be ceremonial, so the job switched between parties each year (not sure if the Liberal/SDP party took it as well), but I think this changed some time in the late Nineties or early 2000, when the post became a bit politicized. Not sure about that as I haven't lived there for over 20 years now.