WHY "DEEP " GOLF Being human can often be a puzzling and frustrating experience. Neither the logic of science nor the certainties of religion can answer all the questions which often plague an active mind. Deep psychological and emotional shadows surround every golfer who has ever had ambitions to strike a perfect shot. And even after the ball is in the air its final destination can be a bitter blow or a glorious triumph as it bumps and bounces like a ball on the roulette wheel of sweetly undulating terrain. After long and regular exposure to these formative experiences the golfer may: give up the game in exasperation continue to look for better clubs, an easier course, a better teacher or a wiser book achieve a deep and contented wisdom that permeates all parts of this strange life This book is written because experience shows that the golfers who fall into the third category are very much in a minority. The huge amounts of money and effort spent globally on golf club design, golf tuition and golfing aids of every kind, bear testimony to the overwhelming majority who fall into the second category. More than this, it is clear that the lessons we can learn from a better understanding of why this should be of great benefit to the world in general. This is a broad and ambitious claim I would admit. Can the struggles of the modern golfer really be a mirror of the modern approach to life and living which is taking the Earth to the brink of destruction? The mysteries and lessons of "deep" golf have taken almost a lifetime to understand. They are the distillation of conversations (and games of golf!) with wise men and women with hugely varied knowledge and experience. Fairly large quantities of beer, good food and other assorted games (of all types) have been an essential part of the learning process. I have every confidence that the lessons of "deep" golf will bring benefits in the life of every reader. Let us all encourage world leaders (if indeed such a term has any meaning), corporate chief executives and greedy bankers to also take due note of the wisdom to be found in "deep" golf and adjust their behaviour accordingly. Only time will tell, but every reader can pass on the message in whatever way they choose. As word spreads "deep" golf can become an effective Trojan horse for the new culture Earth needs if we are to better withstand the challenges of the 21st century. William Sutherland
About the Author: William Sutherland grew up just 400 yards from the 17th tee at Dunstanburgh Golf Course in Northumberland. (The course was then part of the family estate although no other members of the family played.) His golfing odyssey began around the age of 7 with training in etiquette and the "rules" by his mother's good friend Mrs Donkin. His early boarding school days were blessed with constant talk about golf with David Nicol (son of a mad keen golfing family) and occasional use of the headmaster's golf clubs. Formal golf lessons began at the age of 13 with the canny old scot, Eddie Fernie, at Foxton near Alnmouth. Through the long summer months hundreds of hours of golfing experiment took place, often late into the twilight. William went up to Cambridge University in 1964 (to read mathematics) and around the same time took over the management of Dunstanburgh Golf Course. Thanks to a chance invitation from Jim Rumbellow (then captain of the University's Stymies golf team) he joined what was to become a golfing mecca of matchplay experience around the great courses of England. He got his "blue" playing against Oxford at Royal Porthcawl in 1968 (the famous occasion when his perfect 2 iron shot bounced off the top of the flagstick against the gale on the 18th!). In the 1960s, with Head Greenkeeper John Carss, William rebuilt and redesigned Dunstanburgh golf course; making 10 new holes which added about 1000 yards of length to James Braid's original design. This is how the course still plays today. William moved to London in 1972 to join the "mandarins" of the Whitehall civil service, ending his career as a Principal in HM Treasury. After moving to London, he left the family farming business and bought 110 acres of light barley land near Ampthill (junction 12 of the M1). Over the next 27 years he designed and built (with help from his then wife Sarah) the Millbrook golf course. One way or another golf has been a constant theme throughout his life. William is now in his 70s, has 7 children, 10 grandchildren and plays off a handicap of 6.