Israel is in the news quite a lot these days, frequently for tragic reasons and invariably for political ones. I am not getting into any of that here – hey, this is a blog about golf! – but I was reading something the other day which reminded me of the following story.
We are going back in time, to 1961, to the grand opening of the first golf course in Israel – at Caesarea, just north of Tel Aviv. The occasion was marked by an exhibition match between Sam Snead and the British Ryder Cup player, Harry Weetman. A sizeable crowd had assembled but none of them knew anything about golf. As Snead prepared to drive from the first tee, the incessant jabbering of his audience reached a fevered pitch of anticipation. Snead stared at the gallery in disbelief and some distaste and they in turn stared back at him, perplexed by the palpable lack of activity. But how were they to know they were supposed to keep quiet?
In a chapter in his wonderful old book How to Become a Scratch Golfer, Patrick Campbell described the subsequent events wonderfully. “I was able to identify enquiries in English, French and German as to whether he had already, perhaps, done it and if so where had it gone, and if he hadn’t what was he waiting for and would it be possible for him to get on with it now? Snead then made a suggestion which some of the stewards carried out in part, waving their arms and asking politely for silence. This had the immediate effect of redoubling the noise, people asking one another in genuine bewilderment how silence on their part could possibly contribute to whatever Snead was trying to do.”
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Eventually a degree of peace did descend and Snead duly unleashed a corker, miles down the fairway. Having never seen a golf ball hit before, the crowd had no idea what to expect and never saw it. Unsure as to the protocol here, the spectators remained silent. They saw Weetman’s effort, though – a fast duck-hook which finished miles of line. That got a thunderous round of applause. And that had only got both protagonists off the first tee: there were more than 17 holes still to play, which included Snead being compelled to hit a wedge shot over or around three gentlemen who were standing very close to him. At another point in the round, a young woman picked Weetman’s ball out of a bush and kindly put it in his hand.
Caesarea was subsequently closed and then reopened in 2009 having been almost completely altered by Pete Dye. At present it is the country’s only 18-hole course (there is a 9-holer at Gaash) and I can’t think there is going to be much demand to add to that any time soon. After all, they do have rather a lot going on as it is, and golf tourism would be a tricky concept to sell at present.
Related: The most impactful Opens since World War II
You can follow Robert Green on Twitter @robrtgreen and enjoy his other blog f-factors.com
