A round with Alliss

[PhilTheFragger]

Well I enjoyed listening to him, he was a bit old school, and a bit un PC at times, but he knew his golf and was a great communicator, witty and he could tell some stories.

I remember A Round With Alliss as a kid fondly

 

[fenwayrich]

If he was raised in a 'nice bungalow' on the edge of Wannsee golf club Berlin, then he probably did have a privileged upbringing compared to being raised in slums in Britain and his father earning 5 shillings a week in a factory.
Would Percy Alliss have been allowed into the clubhouse? Probably at Wannsee, but at golf clubs in England he may not have been allowed inside. There was quite a class system.
My philosophy is that life is a lottery and if you win the jackpot you should be careful what you say.

Where exactly did I suggest he was racist? Read his autobiography. My local library have a copy.
I seem to remember Bernhard Langer did make a potentially racist comment against the English when winning at Wentworth.

I would be surprised if he was really 'raised in a nice bungalow on the edge of Wannsee Golf Club Berlin'. He was certainly born in Germany (and was the heaviest baby ever recorded in Europe by all accounts). However his father, Percy Alliss, left his job as club professional when not so little Peter was one year old, and returned to England.

Surely mum and dad would have taken Peter with them?

 

[stefanovic]

Surely mum and dad would have taken Peter with them?

Maybe they didn't.

 

[craigstardis1976]

Maybe they didn't.

Stefanovic:

Regarding Peter Alliss...

Peter through his television work especially in the UK opened up golf to many people. His 1977 TV series, Play Golf was regularly repeated throughout the 1980's and even into the 1990's and was not snobby or elitist in tone. His instruction books that I have several of are all written in a way that is easily understood to a new player while addressing more experienced players. Two good examples are his original Play Golf book published in 1977 and Golf Masterclasses from 1985. My American gf enjoyed watching the Play Golf series and following along with the book. Of course some of it is now outdated. But Peter had a way of relating the basics of golf in a simple and easy to understand manner. Even in these books, he emphasized golf did not have to be an expensive endeavor and advised new players not to be afraid of the "Private - Members Only" Signs that used to be a frequent feature at many golf clubs when I was growing up.

In writings he often used to make fun of stereotypical golf club members who were stuffy old fashioned. Long ago he advocated for smart jeans to be allowed into clubhouses at the club in Leeds he was the pro at in the early 1970's, just to pick two examples.

You highlight his privileged upbringing and the fact he did not have to work down a coal mine or such like. Firstly, as noble as manual labor as can be, it automatically does not make someone a better person for having performed it. You do not become a world class golfer without putting in thousands of hours of practice with no guarantee of a return. Even more so in the era Peter grew up in. Peter was a club professional as well as a tournament player for many years. He was financially successful to some extent as a golfer (although a lot more so when he joined the ranks of IMG as a broadcaster) but nothing like the amount of money Player, Palmer and Nicklaus were making at the same time.

I work as a horse racing commentator and a writer. I travel the United States throughout the year, living out of a suitcase for nearly half the year, in and out of airports, rental cars or driving myself around (just completed a 1,020 mile drive in 24 hours, yesterday.) I get to stay in nice hotels, have food and flight and gasoline expenses paid, it is not as glamorous as you would think. It can be lonely, a lot of time separated from loved ones, it involves a lot of research (I promise you Peter did not just roll up 5 mins before air time - he had to do his homework and research as we all do) long rehearsal periods, may be 2-3 costume changes a day, 4-5 hours on air and then you are expected or asked to attend a dinner after work and finally when you get back to the hotel, you have to prepare for tomorrow.

I am not complaining. It is privilege to have my job and there are literally thousands who would love it. But I put in the work and I know Peter did throughout his career.

And he was right when he says often club golfers do not improve. I still regularly see a teaching professional and despite some physical issues I have, I am always striving to get better. Yet, I play golf all the time with people who have played just as long, if not longer than I have and still cannot break 100, never had a lesson and never work on their game. They seem to enjoy it, but it would frustrate the hell out of me, if I did not work to improve my game!

Lastly, Peter's charity work was very commendable and helped to improve the lives of many people totally unconnected with golf. I try to give back to the game of golf by sponsoring a Special Olympics Golfer who went to the World Games by purchasing their golf equipment for them and sponsored a young woman from a modest background (like myself) and she is now one of the most popular LPGA Teaching Professionals in the golf hub that is the Phoenix Valley.

Before you throw out the idea I must have been privileged too, I overcame living on the streets for a year in America to rebuild my life from scratch. I am sure you have achieved a lot in your life too, so why try to tear down someone else's life's work when there may be something you can learn from it and be even more successful in your own endeavors?

 

[stefanovic]

"relating the basics of golf in a simple and easy to understand manner. "

" I am sure you have achieved a lot in your life too, so why try to tear down someone else's life's work when there may be something you can learn from it and be even more successful in your own endeavors?

Quote: They say 'practice makes perfect.' Of course, it doesn't. For the vast majority of golfers it merely consolidates imperfection."

Now PA did not say this. It was Henry Longhurst who was my favourite commentator and it sums up perfectly what golf is all about.
Golf as a metaphor for life? Probably. That's because everything is metaphor.

I haven't achieved much in life. Does anyone?
At the end of the day we've all been like worker ants who get little reward.

 

[Crow]

Quote: They say 'practice makes perfect.' Of course, it doesn't. For the vast majority of golfers it merely consolidates imperfection."

Now PA did not say this. It was Henry Longhurst who was my favourite commentator and it sums up perfectly what golf is all about.
Golf as a metaphor for life? Probably. That's because everything is metaphor.

I haven't achieved much in life. Does anyone?
At the end of the day we've all been like worker ants who get little reward.

To slightly twist a proverb; "Reward is in the eye of the beholder".

If you're one of those people who are continuously comparing your lot against that of your neighbour then you'll rarely be happy.

But if you appreciate things and people for their own sake then you can be very happy with surprisingly little and not "achieving much in life".

I might be wrong but the tone of your posts suggest that you fall into the first category.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

My early golf was on a course co-designed by Alliss. The more mature may recall that before the pro game changed he used to talk a lot about pros hitting draws and amateurs hitting fades/slices.
The course started, 1 OOB right, 2 OOB right, 3 penalty area (river) right, 4 pen area right, 5 OOB right.
I used to joke that Alliss did the opening holes

It was his partner Dave Thomas who designed most of the early 'Allis' courses.
I recall speaking to a course builder who said Allis could not even understand a simple design plan and he just changed any obvious bloomers without him even being aware of any difference.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

To slightly twist a proverb; "Reward is in the eye of the beholder".

If you're one of those people who are continuously comparing your lot against that of your neighbour then you'll rarely be happy.

But if you appreciate things and people for their own sake then you can be very happy with surprisingly little and not "achieving much in life".

I might be wrong but the tone of your posts suggest that you fall into the first category.

…and to twist it a little more…”I may not have much materially, but my life is rich”

 

[stefanovic]

As that sounds more like Confucius than Alliss, did you get that from Eastern philosophy?
There was a time when science worked off philosophy, but now philosophy works off science.
It has to because basically philosophy is dead.
That's why I don't like it, no matter who is saying it.

The only Round With Alliss I can remember is the one with Kiri Te Kanawa, the opera singer from NZ and she was delightful.

 

[Orikoru]

I remember watching a later series of this with my dad. He played with Alice Cooper one week, and Hootie and the Blowfish another week. Can almost be seen now as a precursor to a lot of the YouTube golf channels where they get celebrity players on.

 

[Deleted member 1147]

Maybe they didn't.

May be they did

 

[Orikoru]

I remember watching a later series of this with my dad. He played with Alice Cooper one week, and Hootie and the Blowfish another week. Can almost be seen now as a precursor to a lot of the YouTube golf channels where they get celebrity players on.

Can't find anything online about this now as it says the series mentioned in OP ended in 1986. So I might be misremembering.

 

[chrisd]

Peter Alliss was the best ever golf commentator imo. He probably did a season or two too long, but his knowledge, humour and wit were as good as any - very much like Bumble in cricket for me.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Peter Alliss was the best ever golf commentator imo. He probably did a season or two too long, but his knowledge, humour and wit were as good as any - very much like Bumble in cricket for me.

I think he went more than a year or two over but your point is one I agree with. He was part of a golden age of commentary that is long gone now. A shame, I prefer the past styles to the current ones but we are where we are.

 

[stefanovic]

Can't find anything online about this now as it says the series mentioned in OP ended in 1986. So I might be misremembering.

I seem to remember Alliss played a round with Alice in America in a book called A Golfer's Travels.

 

[Hobbit]

Peter Alliss was the best ever golf commentator imo. He probably did a season or two too long, but his knowledge, humour and wit were as good as any - very much like Bumble in cricket for me.

I think you’ve hit the nail on the head, i.e. he went past his sell by date.

I watched the final round of the 1984 Open from St Andrews this morning, Alliss commentating. He was exceptional back then, and a poor shadow in latter years.

 

[stefanovic]

We're all poor shadows of our former selves in later years, and Alliss was no exception.
He just thought he was still as perceptive and entertaining.
When he was not insulting the likes of Gary Player, Tiger Woods, and Mrs Zach Johnson, he still came up with cutting remarks, like this one.

“The most skilful players, by far, to have played the game were those who played between 1900 and 1930. You’ve only got to look at the tools they had. The balls weren’t round, the courses weren’t in the best condition, and they were going round championship courses, with bunkers that were never raked and before cylindrical mowers came in, and they were shooting 73 or 74 with hickory-shafted clubs. They were geniuses.”

Nonsense. The best players were of my era. Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Lee Trevino.
They played with butter-knife irons and real wooden clubs.

Today's top players wouldn't get out of bed for less than a million.
Lee Trevino fronted the Pro-Celebrity Golf Challenge for years to win a piece of cut glass called the Marley Trophy.

 

[IanM]

Alliss was correct about the courses and equipment in use pre 1930. So maybe he had a point about the players?

Every sport in existence debates past v present to the same extent. Disagreement is almost compulsory as it's so subjective.

Would George Best have cut it today? There's good argument for either outcome.

Alliss was of a bygone era. Happens to us all. The world keeos changing. Not always for the better, not always for the worst!

 

[craigstardis1976]

Can't find anything online about this now as it says the series mentioned in OP ended in 1986. So I might be misremembering.

The series with a similar format was relaunched for global distribution in the 1990s.

 

[craigstardis1976]

It was his partner Dave Thomas who designed most of the early 'Allis' courses.
I recall speaking to a course builder who said Allis could not even understand a simple design plan and he just changed any obvious bloomers without him even being aware of any difference.

This wouldn't surprise me. A number of years ago I reported in the opening of an Arnold Palmer designed course in WV. It was clear his design team had really done the work. AP had certain features he likes to include...the majority of the greens being open at the front....tee boxes at different angles when there were forced carries from tee boxes, tees going from very short to very long are a few I can recall.

Where you for value for money though was AP may not have been a great designer but he knew how to physically build the course and on visits would often spend more time talking to those on the ground, discussing drainage, techniques for ease of maintenance and sometimes grabbing a shovel or climbing into the digger to show them. Plus usually a quick call to his Latrobe office and you could get a question answered if he was in town. Also, he would make himself very available on the opening day and he spent all day on the property.