FIPPA Newsletter - August 2008.
Welcome to this edition of the FIPPA Newsletter.
Alan Hanlon
Three time winner at the San Marino Open
fippa news caught up with Alan Hanlon (one of the most articulate and possionate players around) after his San Marino Open win at Vallugola (a new venue this year but a third win in a row for the Irishman). The result is some very considered comments from an avowed supporter of the international game (and the player with the most successful record in international opens).
Q) Congratulations on your record in International Opens and particularly in San Marino. How proud are you of these achievements?
A) Thanks John. It's fair to say that winning any competition in Pitch and Putt is an achievement in itself but wins at international opens belong in a special category. You meet many great players and characters from different countries at these tournaments. The privilege of playing in such high profile events remains ever present in my mind. I am very fortunate to be able to compete in them. Of course, every player wants to perform to the best of his/her ability but there can only be one winner of any tournament. There is something quite unique about winning. I have never fully understood it. I don’t know if am proud of my achievements but I know that I am delighted to have had some success. I have always felt very fortunate and privileged to have claimed at least one international title. It is a humbling experience to be the winning player among your peers on any given day. That has always been the dominant feeling when I have won. You look around and you see so many great players and you say to yourself. “It could have been him or him or her” but instead, for some reason, it is you. In many ways, it’s unexplainable. Also, each win brings its own set of emotions. I was so euphoric when I won my first Open in 2005 at La Grande Motte while this year in San Marino, it was the sheer sense of accomplishment that was the dominant feeling. I am sure that somewhere in the mix of all those feelings, there is a steady sense of pride. I think that this pride tends to show itself when you have time to look back,, be it at the end of the year or the end of a playing career. Either way, the nature of modern Pitch and Putt has meant that my normal hectic schedule continues to get busier. There is very little time to reflect on past wins as I am always looking forward to the next challenge. No doubt I will get time to reflect at some stage and I am sure that pride will be the dominant emotion then.
Q) What were the key factors in your latest success at Vallugola?
A) To answer this, it's important to understand the playing conditions at Vallugola. It's a nine hole course with wonderful shots but the fairways and surrounds were horrendously tough. There was out of bounds everywhere. However, it was the synthetic greens that caused most of the grief for players. Getting any putt to stop near the hole required an awful lot of skill and probably a fair degree of luck. Add to this, the sloping nature of the course and the 36C+ degrees weather conditions, the San Marino Open became an endurance test as much as a sporting contest. In this regard, stamina, patience and resolve were crucial to having a successful tournament. A keen sense of the reality of the situation was vital. Birdies were a mega bonus. Getting a par was the key. Taking fours was nothing to get upset about and at some stage, you would also have a really bad hole. Once, you accepted this, you had a chance. Just look at the scores! There were many fine players who shot 70+ and believe me, there was no shame in that.
In a strange way, I enjoyed this challenge. It was different. It presented a new test. I shot a 63 in my first round. That is an alien score for many top class players everywhere. Yet, I knew that I had played well. However, my one disastrous hole came early in the second round. I found myself +9 after 5 holes. Miraculously, I was level par for the rest of the round. This was without doubt the key moment for me in this tournament. Those 13 holes represented one of my best performances ever. Without it, I would certainly not be 2008 champion.
Alan Hanlon
Q) A few words about your nearest rivals?
A) Enrico Ciuffarella finished second and Vanni Rastrelli was third. We played together in the last round. I had known Enrico from the 2007 San Marino Open where he finished second. So, I knew how good he could be. He is a fine player and a great competitor. What stood out for me is his putting ability. He is one of the finest putters that I have ever seen. He has such an elegant and relaxed putting stroke, which is extremely effective. He showed no fear on the treacherous Vallugola greens but then again, he holed almost everything he putted. Vanni is another fine player. He is a wonderful striker of a ball from tee to green. He gets amazing height on his tee shots, reminiscent of the great Darren Collins in Ireland.
Most of all, both players are true sportsmen. Despite the language differences, we got on really well in that last round. I would enjoy playing with both of them at anytime. Just a quick mention on a few other players! Fabrizio Frassoldati finished fourth. He has a great competitive spirit and of course, he is a true supporter of International Pitch and Putt. I’ve known him for a number of years now. He has been a good friend to me so I was delighted to see him play so well. Giulio Caramaschi was the top San Marinese player at this Open. Apart from being a fine player, he is a proud and honest man who is not afraid to speak his mind. He is another great character in the International Pitch and Putt family. I admire him a lot. My good friend, Angelo Fusco finished second at the 2006 San Marino Open. He had a bad opening round this year but his final two rounds show what a good player he is. We met a few years back. We discovered that we could communicate in German, so we’ve been talking German to each other ever since but I must stress that Angelo’s German is a lot better than mine!
Q) Compare Vallugola and Cesenatico (previous venue for the San Marino Open)?
A) They are completely different courses. Cesenatico is a flat course with natural greens but it is a very open course that is prone to strong winds.
Vallugola is on the side of a steep hill. There are plenty of trees and bushes everywhere. The course is somewhat protected from the wind coming off the Adriatic Sea but the wind was still noticeable on certain holes. Even if Vallugola had natural greens, it would still present a tougher challenge than Cesenatico.
Q) Your favourite courses? In Ireland? Abroad?
A) For Ireland, I think my closest friends could answer this without hesitation. It’s “Mellows” in Galway. To me, there is nothing like it. It has everything - great variety of shots, fantastic views of Galway Bay. It is an excellent course technically. By this I mean that you have to work hard for a good score. Good skill is rewarded. Above all, it is fair, i.e. there are no ridiculous shots. St Bridget’s in Kilcullen is a super course as is Lakeside in Templemore while my home course of Collinstown in Westmeath is both beautiful and tough.
Abroad? Well, I just think Papendal in Holland is brilliant. I was fortunate enough to play there in October 2006 when Ireland played Holland in the Willie Parker Challenge. It was a brand new course then. Knowing Jans and Richard Schrik as I do, I reckon that it will be absolutely superb for the World Cup in October. Overbetuwe was also excellent for the European Championships in 2005. I really liked HCP1 in Catalunya even though I did not play well there in March. It is a beautiful, but very difficult track. Terrey Hills, Sydney is just a stunning course while Southern Cross in Canberra is just wonderfully laid out.
Still, there is something about La Grande Motte. Maybe it is because it was the first foreign course that I played competitively or maybe it is Christian Auziere’s magic in producing a top class French Open every year. I don’t know. Yet, without fail, I come back to the South of France every year to take on what is arguably the most demanding course in World Pitch and Putt. It is different, quite alien to what we are used to in Ireland. However, it is a super challenge. When the wind blows, it is the ultimate challenge.
Q) What memories will you take from the Australian Triple Crown last year?
A) It was an amazing trip. First of all, it was superbly run from start to finish. Hats off to Eero Tarik and his crew for a tremendous tournament! The three courses were very good and very different from each other. Terrey Hills was simply awesome. It was an extremely tough course, ideal for Matchplay. Canberra International was a good solid Irish style course. It was perfect for the night championship while there is no doubt that Southern Cross is a beautiful course. It was the prime setting for the Australian Open.
From a playing and competitive point of view, there a number of things stand out. First of all, the standard of play was excellent throughout. The scores reflect this fact. Many of the matches in Terrey Hills were of a high quality. You saw many fine players. Two Australian players stood out. James Rogerson and Stuart Genge are excellent players. We (Irish) knew this going out there. However, it is one thing reading it on the website, it is another thing seeing it in reality. The two lads were impressive throughout the whole event. Holland’s Jenno Wolters showed touches of brilliance at times. He is clearly a talented player. As someone who has known Esther Newsum over the last few years, I have to admit that I was so impressed with the Dutch woman’s improvement in standard. She has developed into a fine player. I think that she would have dominated the Triple Crown if my clubmate, Liz Quinn had not been there. Liz was in sparkling form. Her second round 46 in the Open was testament to that. This brings me to another point. The standard of play from my fellow Irish competitors was just top class. Anto Gray played well at Terrey Hills. Unfortunately, he could not make the other two tournaments but believe me, he is a quality player. Jim Judge performed really well at the Matchplay and the Night Championship. I think that his form was good enough to challenge for the Open title but he too could not make it to Southern Cross. I think James Carroll is a superbly talented player. He deservedly won the Matchplay. In the Open, he got off to a slow start but then exploded into action with a second round 44. That takes some doing! Very few players in the world would be capable of that. Still, there is no doubt that the player of the Triple Crown was Ian Farrelly. This really showed itself at the Open. Ian shot 32 under par for his four rounds. That is an 8 under par average per round. Sheer class! I have known Ian for years. He is a great player in Ireland but he has the perfect game for the International format. Just look at his record! Back to back French Open titles speak volumes of his ability.
Other memories are the intense heat and the flies!! There are just simply millions of flies. You would stand over a putt. By the time, you hit your putt, there would be at least 30 of them around your face. Australia is the definitive fly capital of the world. The night championship stands out if only for the fact that temperatures were pleasant and all the flies had gone to sleep (we think!). It was great playing under the lights. The various night time shadows created a different atmosphere. It felt like you were playing a totally different course than the one you had practiced on during daytime hours.
I think my biggest memory of all is the people. The Australians were the perfect hosts. Their enthusiasm for Pitch and Putt was wonderful to see. The rest of us, Dutch, French and Irish, just blended in. There were plenty of characters and plenty of wonderful stories. We were all one big family for those 11 days. The sense of occasion was evident. In fact, it added to the event. We had come from different parts of the world to this one place for one reason
Pitch and Putt....it doesn’t get better than that.
Q) What your ambitions in Pitch and Putt?
A) From a competitive perspective, I just want to be able to compete at the highest level. I just want to continue doing that. I really appreciate what this means. It's easy to assume that you will always hit the ball straight and good. It's natural to believe that you will always compete at the highest level but that may not be the case. I had a serious loss of form at the end of 2006 and through most of 2007. Only those closest to me understand the effect that it had on me. Anyone who was at the 2007 French Open will have witnessed what was happening. I could not hit a ball more than 20 yards off the tee that weekend. It was horrible. I would not wish it on anyone. My sympathy goes out to players who are currently going through the horrors. Fortunately, I have rebuilt my game from scratch to where it is beginning to pay off. I am starting to post competitive scores again. I still have a bit to go but at least I am beginning to see the business end of competition once more. As for winning? Well, winning is such a powerful experience. Once you taste it, you want more....and I want to drink from that cup as often as I can...but who knows! Only time will tell.
Q) Give us a player's perspective on EPPA, FIPPA and international Pitch and Putt?
A) Well! I can only speak for myself. I lived in Australia in 1989. I remember playing Pitch and Putt quite a number of times just south of Sydney. I also played on a fine course in Flushing Meadows, New York in 1990. I can remember thinking back then, “Wouldn’t it be great if there was competitive International Pitch and Putt”. Back then, that was just a dream. I, certainly, could not see it happen in my lifetime. Now, here we are in 2008 and that which had seemed to be impossible at the time has become such a wonderful reality today. We owe a debt of gratitude to those visionaries who had the courage and belief to take those first steps on the road to International Pitch and Putt development. The formation of EPPA and FIPPA is an indication that we have come along way in a short space of time. European and World Championships give great credence and structure to our sport but for me, the International Open scene is the life blood of the international game. It is here that the international dream really manifests itself. It is here that the World Pitch and Putt family welcomes all those who wish to partake in our wonderful sport. Life long friendships are born and the network of Pitch and Putt disciples continually grows and expands. Also, the frequency of opens has been vital to international progress. Personally, I can’t get enough of them.
Mind you! I did not always have that view. At first, like any Irishman, I was wary of the hybrid form of Pitch and Putt that EPPA had introduced. It was alien to what I was used to and therefore easy to be sceptical. However, it did not take long to realise that this was such a clever way of promoting our sport throughout the world. As with most sports, each Pitch and Putt nation has its own philosophy on how the game should be played. Can anyone of them say that theirs is the only way to play? I don’t think so. The hybrid form is neutral. It shows no bias to any particular view. In fact, its beauty is that it has embraced all philosophies and therefore it has produced a very strong template of what Pitch and Putt should be. I don’t expect everyone to agree with my opinion on this. People have strong views on what Pitch and Putt is to them. That is understandable. Nevertheless, there is so much to be gained by exploring the different forms of Pitch and Putt. I have been fortunate enough to tee it up with some great International players across the world at various International Opens and championships. I have learned so much from studying their contrasting styles of play. For this reason, I have grown to admire the International form of Pitch and Putt. Whether, it is the purest form of the sport is open to debate but it certainly is the fairest one.
As for the future! Well, we are still in our infancy. There is a long way to go and who knows where it will lead but International Pitch and Putt is definitely heading in the right direction and that is so exciting. I, now, live my 1989 dream. I want to continue living it...I believe that I can.......I want to play competitively in places like Canada, Chile, China, Russia, wherever! I think that those days are not too far away for all who want them.
Finally, these are significant times for all Pitch and Putt people. The formation of the International Pitch and Putt structure was a movement of seismic proportion for all of us who love this game. It will be seen as the time when Pitch and Putt first stood proudly among its more illustrious peers and was recognised for what it truly is – “a sport - rich and vibrant in its authenticity.”
(with John Manning)
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