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Tuesday, November 20, 2018

Christmas Golf Gift Guide


Here’s our 2018 Golf Gift Guide that checks the boxes on authenticity, great value and are “MacDuff Guaranteed” to bring a smile to the face of any real golfer. 

LEE WYBRANSKI - GOLF ART
Lee has had another outstanding year in 2018 creating official artwork for the majors and the Ryder Cup. Lee's work has become highly collectable and his website features his iconic posters as well as one off originals. www.leewybranski.com

MACDUFF CANDLES - SWEET SMELLING CANDLES
We introduced our own golf themed candles in 2017. This year we have a number of gorgeous Christmas scents including Chocolate Chip, Cinnamon Stick, Cranberry Crush and Peppermint Candy. Beautifully packaged and ready for the tree. We also have a gorgeous Yoga themed gift collection, called The Chakra Range. www.macduffcandles.com

SEAMUS GOLF - PORTLAND CRAFTSMANSHIP
We have always been big fans of Portland based, Seamus Golf. Their core products are unique headcovers designed from literally hundreds of tartans and other fabrics. They also have introduced all manner of new items that continue to amaze us. These include ball marks, hand made golf bags, hip flasks, restored golf clubs and pitchforks. You'll find great gift items and different price points on their site, each one handcrafted by our friends in Oregon. www.seamusgolf.com


TIN CUP - THE BEST BALL MARKER
This is a golf gift you can safely give golfers and know they will use it. The rules of golf state that you should mark your golf ball before playing and Tin Cup has made this a simple process for hundreds of thousands of golfers since 2010. www.tin-cup.com

TOM COYNE'S A COURSE CALLED SCOTLAND - MY FAVORITE READ
My favorite golf book of the year, Tom's book is a worthy follow up to his Irish tome about golf in Ireland. www.amazon.com



Wednesday, June 13, 2018

World Class Golf in the North Berwick Area


I'm back from a week in the East Lothian region of Scotland and truly outstanding golf, hospitality and, somewhat surprisingly, weather. Every day of our trip was 55 to 65 degrees and sunny. Sunscreen was the order of the day and not a drop of rain fell. We based ourselves in the delightful town of North Berwick, around 45 minutes east of Edinburgh and played some of the best true links golf courses in the world. The pilgrimage to St. Andrews is a must, but once you have that out of your system, there are better golf courses in and around North Berwick than St. Andrews. We paced ourselves with one round a day, except for our opening day at Muirfield and were fortunate to be playing with members every day. This saved us a considerable amount on green fees as the member guest rates at all of the courses was between $14 and $20 - yes, you read that right! In addition to walking each course, I spent every morning on North Berwick beach with stunning views of the four small islands in the bay, Fidra, Lamb, Craigleith and Bass. I recommend taking some time off the golf course and strolling on the sand and rocks. It is a very special place.

Day 1 - Muirfield
Our weeks golf began with 36 holes at The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers (Muirfield) and two delightful members, Jack and Sandy. They had the dubious distinction of being our foursomes (alternate shot) partners for the day. The course was as magnificent as ever and it’s one of those courses that the more you play, the more you appreciate the architecture, the routing and the views. The clubhouse is being renovated at present and on Monday the kitchen was closed. Sandwiches and Kummel were the order of the day and it’s not an exaggeration that lunch took around the same time as 18 holes. We played 36 holes of foursomes in 4 hours and 50 minutes!

Day 2 - North Berwick
Established in 1832, North Berwick has Ben Sayers credited as one of several architects who has a hand in the West Links. It’s hard to think of more natural land being used for a golf course and I would argue there is no better closing six hole stretch of golf than North Berwick. From the 13th “Pit” with its famous stone wall tight to the green, the blind second shot aimed at Bass Rock to the 14th green, through the original Redan hole at the 15th, the best and craziest Biarritz green on the 16th, the Alps at the 17th and then back into town with the drivable but potentially treacherous closing hole. The West Links at North Berwick has slipped into my Top 10 in the world - it’s playable, scorable and downright fun!

Day 3 - Gullane Number Two
There are three courses in the town of Gullane (actually there are five if you include Muirfield and Luffness!) and one of the joys of the golf courses here are how they start and finish in the town. Number Two was laid out in 1898 by Willie Park Junior and is a joy to play.

Day 4 - Gullane Number One
And so onto the best of the Gullane courses. Number One is hosting the Scottish Open prior to The Open Championship (minus a couple of holes from Number Two) and it is a gem. Like Number Two, the first holes play over the top of Gullane hill and the vista that presents itself is nothing short of spectacular. The Firth of Forth stretches out before you all the way to Edinburgh, down to Muirfield and beyond. It was built in 1884 and oddly, the architect is listed as unknown.

Day 5 - Dunbar Golf Club
Originally built in 1856, Dunbar is another course you must play. Many of the holes play next to the sea wall or the sea and both play on your golf mind on the way out and way in. Major changes were made to the course in the 1920s by James Braid and North Berwick’s Ben Sayers. There is more change on the way for Dunbar with the golf course and a new clubhouse and course routing planned for 2019. The greens at Dunbar were incredible and we discovered their relatively new superintendent came from The Old Course - clearly, he knows what he is doing!

Day 6 - North Berwick
Back to majestic North Berwick and another perfect Scottish Tourism day. The West Links gets better every time I play it and with that mindset, I always play well there. For the last three rounds of our trip we played with a former mini tour player, Clark, and he can straight out play! He broke 70 every day with very little links experience. Coming up the 18th at North Berwick into a three club wind he opted for the driver. It’s a brave choice with the out of bounds and car bonnets lurking right. He thumped a driver and somehow pitched and stopped it on the green - the ball made a sound with which I am not familiar! And then he holed the putt from 25 feet - perfect pace, center cut! What a way to finish a glorious week in the one of the great golf towns in the world.



Monday, January 29, 2018

MacDuff's Nine Favorites from the PGA Show


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As is customary after three days of walking and talking around the giant, soulless space of the Orange County Convention Center here are my favorites from the show. As much as I love technology, you won’t find any here. Golf balls with microchips, range finders, GPS all leave me cold. They will never be in or on my golf bag. I have enough going on without additional data and many of these devices are contributing to slow play. When I play, I hit it, find it and hit it again! Here are nine great companies and their beautifully crafted products.
MacDuff Candles
Okay, I am slightly biased here. This is my 13-year-old daughter’s company (I’m the unpaid intern!) and this was her first show. We were on the booth courtesy of our U.S. distributor, Signs by the Sea and it was busy from Wednesday morning until closing time on Friday afternoon. Lily (with a little help from me) has created scented custom candles for clubs and resorts. They are made in the USA and 100% soy. I have been going to the show for more than two decades, but this one was more fun than ever! Seeing her engage with existing and potential customers and write orders was a thrill. Email her on lily@macduffcandles.com to learn more. www.macduffcandles.com
Holderness and Bourne
This fine young company was started by two friends, Alex Holderness and John Bourne. They entered the ultra-competitive golf clothing world a couple of years ago with a small number of elegant shirts and bags. As their business has grown, so has their range, with new shirts, sweaters and belts. I particularly like the low-key branding and emphasis on detailing.  www.holdernessandbourne.com

Jack Grace
A classic story of the owners creating something they wanted and finding out others wanted it too. The company is named for the owners two young children, yes, Jack and Grace. As we have a young Jack in our house the name appealed to me! Their well-made saddle style shoes have a unique feature that allows for the saddle to be changed out in a matter of seconds. This gives you the option of matching your shoes to your outfit without the need for two pairs of shoes….brilliant idea! www.jackgraceusa.com
Lie + Loft
Lie + Loft create timeless art featuring renderings of classic golf courses as seen from on high. The production qualities, elegance and simplicity of their work may even predicate the move from man cave to living room. I also loved their new addition of old school wool pennants. www.lieandloft.com
 
Seamus Golf
It’s always exciting to see what owners, Megan and Akbar Chisti come up with for the show. With their roots in Oregon, I love their laid-back philosophy of hand crafted, beautifully made products. They work with local craftspeople to create one offs, as well as the gorgeous plaid and leather products they are well known for. I’m drafting this blog in one such product – a leather notebook made from one piece of supple brown leather that holds a notebook and folds in two and has two holes in the cover that holds a pencil – simple, ingenious and it will last a lifetime. www.seamusgolf.com
Signs by the Sea
Signs by the Sea is owned by husband and wife, Mike and Kathy Yevchak. They also have a wonderful team who were on site and it’s a good job, because their booth was undoubtedly one of the busiest on the show floor. The company makes unique wood signage and wood and glass gifts, both large and small for pro shops and resorts. They are also our U.S. distributors for MacDuff Candles. www.signsbythesea.com
Sik Putters
This is the putter currently being used by PGA Tour player and resident Tour scientist, Bryson DeChambeau. The owner of this business also happens to be Bryson’s putting coach. The putters are beautifully made and feature a highly technical milled face that features different lofts that promote ball roll however the golfer strikes the ball. www.sikgolf.com
Smathers and Branson
Just like MacDuff, this cool company is based in Bethesda, MD. Owned by two good friends, Austin Smathers and Peter Branson, they are market leaders in all things needlepoint. Their range includes belts, wallets, headwear and they are always innovating, yet remain true to their core specialization. I was particularly struck this year by a range of needlepoint golf course layouts – above you see the great Fishers Island Club. www.smathersandbranson.com
Stitch Golf
Wow, was I in for a surprise when I visited Stitch Golf. Their booth was huge and they have come a long way in only a few years. What started as a head cover business is now a company with a full range of products including a host of head covers, weekend bags, and accessories. I really loved their new one strap golf bag (two straps are banned in our foursome!) with its cool material and logo detailing. www.stitchgolf.com