Twitter: GeoffShac
  • The 1997 Masters: My Story
    The 1997 Masters: My Story
    by Tiger Woods
  • The First Major: The Inside Story of the 2016 Ryder Cup
    The First Major: The Inside Story of the 2016 Ryder Cup
    by John Feinstein
  • Tommy's Honor: The Story of Old Tom Morris and Young Tom Morris, Golf's Founding Father and Son
    Tommy's Honor: The Story of Old Tom Morris and Young Tom Morris, Golf's Founding Father and Son
    by Kevin Cook
  • Playing Through: Modern Golf's Most Iconic Players and Moments
    Playing Through: Modern Golf's Most Iconic Players and Moments
    by Jim Moriarty
  • His Ownself: A Semi-Memoir (Anchor Sports)
    His Ownself: A Semi-Memoir (Anchor Sports)
    by Dan Jenkins
  • The Captain Myth: The Ryder Cup and Sport's Great Leadership Delusion
    The Captain Myth: The Ryder Cup and Sport's Great Leadership Delusion
    by Richard Gillis
  • The Ryder Cup: Golf's Grandest Event – A Complete History
    The Ryder Cup: Golf's Grandest Event – A Complete History
    by Martin Davis
  • Harvey Penick: The Life and Wisdom of the Man Who Wrote the Book on Golf
    Harvey Penick: The Life and Wisdom of the Man Who Wrote the Book on Golf
    by Kevin Robbins
  • Grounds for Golf: The History and Fundamentals of Golf Course Design
    Grounds for Golf: The History and Fundamentals of Golf Course Design
    by Geoff Shackelford
  • The Art of Golf Design
    The Art of Golf Design
    by Michael Miller, Geoff Shackelford
  • The Future of Golf: How Golf Lost Its Way and How to Get It Back
    The Future of Golf: How Golf Lost Its Way and How to Get It Back
    by Geoff Shackelford
  • Lines of Charm: Brilliant and Irreverent Quotes, Notes, and Anecdotes from Golf's Golden Age Architects
    Lines of Charm: Brilliant and Irreverent Quotes, Notes, and Anecdotes from Golf's Golden Age Architects
    Sports Media Group
  • Alister MacKenzie's Cypress Point Club
    Alister MacKenzie's Cypress Point Club
    by Geoff Shackelford
  • The Golden Age of Golf Design
    The Golden Age of Golf Design
    by Geoff Shackelford
  • Masters of the Links: Essays on the Art of Golf and Course Design
    Masters of the Links: Essays on the Art of Golf and Course Design
    Sleeping Bear Press
  • The Good Doctor Returns: A Novel
    The Good Doctor Returns: A Novel
    by Geoff Shackelford
  • The Captain: George C. Thomas Jr. and His Golf Architecture
    The Captain: George C. Thomas Jr. and His Golf Architecture
    by Geoff Shackelford
« A Few 2010 Open Championship Final Round Clippings | Main | 2010 Open Championship, Your Kneejerk Impressions »
Sunday
Jul182010

Trying The Rocca Putt After The 2010 Open Championship

Fans mingled around the 18th green at St. Andrews following 2010 Open Championship play. The GolfDigest.com production team of Iooss and Weinman filmed me taking a stab at the infamous Valley of Sin putt.

For the record, I did hit three practice putts, but this was the first filmed take...

PrintView Printer Friendly Version

EmailEmail Article to Friend

Reader Comments (34)

retire his # - Pepperdine should lift his jersey into rafters!
07.18.2010 | Unregistered Commentertb
Okay, Geoff, be honest. How many takes?
07.18.2010 | Unregistered CommenterTXQ
That was great!
07.18.2010 | Unregistered CommenterDr. Drew
I offer the ovation as my evidence! And there were about 200 witnesses, thankfully.
07.18.2010 | Registered CommenterGeoff
nicely done, geoff! did you change putters in light of toc's famously slow green's?
07.18.2010 | Unregistered Commenterthusgone
That's sweet, Geoff! Nice fall to the knees, as well. Excellent touch. It would have been better, however, with Italian commentary:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7z9K7_N-zQ&feature=related

Honest to God -- I am so grateful that you made that putt, causing me to find Rocca's putt on YouTube, leading to the link above. Great stuff.

By the way, on a slightly more serious note... How fast (how slow?) are the Sunday greens?
07.18.2010 | Unregistered CommenterChuck
well done laddie!

there's a guy with the initials of TW that could use some putting help....
07.18.2010 | Unregistered Commenterpt
"Good thing it hit the hole"!
With that weak left hand, in 5 years you'll likely need a belly putter.

Geoff-thanks for your efforts in maintaining the absolute best resource of golf info & insight on the web. I have referred my golf pals...and they concur.

The RSS feeds are my first stop after the WSJ.

rjr
07.18.2010 | Unregistered Commenterrjrlajolla
Great stuff, Geoff, but you're a little lacking with the reaction. Here's the theme for one hole removed; might help:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtD1PVkY-pg&feature=related
07.18.2010 | Unregistered Commenterdbh
dbh,
In my defense, I wasn't planning on making it!
07.18.2010 | Registered CommenterGeoff
A hole in one on the Mini TPC 17th and now this!

How many strokes do I get now at Holmby?!?!?!
07.18.2010 | Unregistered CommenterTommy Naccarato
BTW, that was a perfect Rocca!
07.18.2010 | Unregistered CommenterTommy Naccarato
Tommy, you are in line for more strokes, that's for sure!
It's AMAZING what they can do with special effects photography these days!
Just kidding. Great putt.
07.18.2010 | Unregistered CommenterGeorge
Sweet!
07.18.2010 | Unregistered CommenterUB
Simply amazing!
07.18.2010 | Unregistered CommenterBrad S
George,
That was the first thing I thought of. What sort of Golf Digest special effects was this, but then again, I've had to endure miracle shots (that were out of bounds) to put me in my place! (His frigging ball was out in the street. That's O.B. right?!?!?!)

Here, see for yourself!

http://i28.tinypic.com/14doifa.jpg

He proceeded to put this shot about two feet from the pin, and I, of course, three-putted to lose the hole!

Look for yourself, he is OB!
07.18.2010 | Unregistered CommenterTommy Naccarato
Congrats- you just produced the most exciting moment of this Open Championship
07.18.2010 | Unregistered Commenterjjshaka
Great stuff Geoff, just great.
07.18.2010 | Unregistered Commentermel
Don't know, Tommy. I have heard that a road is an integral part of the course in some places. And rock walls and other similar stuff. Was there a while line and/or stakes? What did the scorecard say?
That was pretty sick - you didn't just make it, you drained the mofo with vigor. Chapeau!
awesome.
07.18.2010 | Unregistered Commentervwgolfer
Geoff--You are the man!! Just great!! Fun
07.18.2010 | Unregistered CommenterRail Trip
That was like a Ken Venturi "Stroke Saver" feature...he always hit it stiff.
07.18.2010 | Unregistered CommenterKevin
chipping in at the players tented vilagge. holing out from the valley of sin...yr a fecking genuis, Geoff...if only you could work scottish ATM machines.

Donegan
07.19.2010 | Unregistered Commenterlawrence donegan
Well done!

Shoulda used the hickory like we did on Monday ;)

Great Seeing you this week
07.19.2010 | Unregistered CommenterJay Townsend
Internet hoax!
07.19.2010 | Unregistered CommenterByron
Geoff, glad I could give your production team some ideas for other videos to shoot... If you are coming up to the PGA, left on 17 will be a real doozy.

Nice job and thanks for the excellent Open coverage

Al P



Geoff
very cool segment. Hope they let you do more of them in the future. You are really good at this.
Standing in the Valley on 18 would be pretty cool.

Would have liked to see a comparison of the old tee box and the new tee box just to get a feel for how much they actually added to the hole.

Al P
07.14.2010 | al p
07.19.2010 | Unregistered Commenteral p
I was unable to watch; were the greens actually slow?
07.19.2010 | Unregistered CommenterLudell Hogwaller
You must have been using a "hot Tour ball" the way it was flying with such an easy swing. Is it possible it would have gone OB against the clubhouse had it not hit (and likely damaged) the cup? . . . A balata Titleist circa 1990 would have been 2 feet short. . . Naw - Congrats - I believe it was the first take too.
07.19.2010 | Unregistered CommenterWisconsin Reader
Well done!
07.19.2010 | Unregistered CommenterTaylor Anderson
Great pull old man ... but I would have liked to see you continue on to the face down pounding on the turf portion of the celebration.
07.19.2010 | Unregistered CommenterSqueaky
Now go to the 17th and hit one off the wall.
Off my course with ye, snarky git.
07.19.2010 | Unregistered CommenterYoung Tom

PostPost a New Comment

Enter your information below to add a new comment.

My response is on my own website »
Author Email (optional):
Author URL (optional):
Post:
 
All HTML will be escaped. Hyperlinks will be created for URLs automatically.