The pretentious 'The'

Playing Warrington, oh sorry, The Warrington golf club at the weekend got my blood boiling again much as it did when I played The Wilmslow golf club.It is such a pretentious addition and in most cases unnecessary. 

This is the definition of the word:

definite article

(used, especially before a noun, with a specifying or particularizing effect, as opposed to the indefinite or generalizing force of the indefinite article a or an): the book you gave me; Come into the house.

(used to mark a proper noun, natural phenomenon, ship, building, time, point of the compass, branch of endeavor, or field of study as something well-known or unique): the sun; the Alps; the Queen Elizabeth; the past; the West.

(used with or as part of a title): the Duke of Wellington; the Reverend John Smith.

(used to mark a noun as indicating the best-known, most approved, most important, most satisfying, etc.): the skiing centre of the U.S.; If you're going to work hard, now is the time.

(used to mark a noun as being used generically): The dog is a quadruped.

(used in place of a possessive pronoun, to note a part of the body or a personal belonging): He won't be able to play football until the leg mends.

(used before adjectives that are used substantively, to note an individual, a class or number of individuals, or an abstract idea): to visit the sick; from the sublime to the ridiculous.

(used before a modifying adjective to specify or limit its modifying effect): He took the wrong road and drove miles out of his way.

(used to indicate one particular decade of a lifetime or of a century): the sixties; the Gay Nineties.

(one of many of a class or type, as of a manufactured item, as opposed to an individual one): Did you listen to the radio last night? 

 

So now you have got that, there will be a debate about why The Lensbury Club and not Lensbury? Well the difference is the multifunctional characteristics in my view. Warrington golf club is fine, The Warrington Club is fine, but The Warrington golf club uses the definitive article unnecessarily. The Belfry does not bill itself as The Belfry golf club and nor does the Northern Club.

 

Is it a Cheshire thing, I don't know, but I do find it a bit irritating. Rant over 

 

Right side of the fairway sir....

I managed to grab a bit of R &R this week, with a couple of rounds of golf round at two of the 'name' clubs in England, The Belfry and Wentworth.

The Belfry is renowned as the course which was the home of the Ryder Cup and swung the fortunes of the GB and Ireland team in the early nineties. The course has always been on my list of those to play, as the 10th hole and the 18th hole are in my book of 1001 golf holes to play before you die.

Many people have described The Belfry as an average course with three or four good holes, and sadly the experience of this week has backed that up. The condition of the course was poor even for the early time in the year, and frankly it was no better than municipal standard. The 10th hole was being dug up and reshaped, so we did not get to play that. The 18th was a long par 4 with two carries over water. we both made the first but found watery lies for our approach shots which was a shame. So tricked off the list but no urge to need to play it again.

One of the captains of the Ryder Cup team during its resurgence, was Bernard Gallagher, father of Kirsty, and long term Wentworth member and professional. As we approached the club on Wednesday his statue is the first thing you notice, as it sits on the first tee.

The Wentworth event was a BMW promotional day, with team and individual prizes. it was competed on the greens of the West course, or Burma Road as it is called, and is the track used for the BMW Masters in May and the Matchplay Championship in October. Consequently it is on the TV all the time, so one feels like you know it as you do the Belfry.

There is, however, no comparison. Wentworth is a natural true Brit course laid down bu Harry Colt using the contours of nature. The Belfry is a man made American style course which modern architects need to use little imagination to develop.

We did not win any prizes, but were fortunate to be afforded the facilities for the day as after the BMW in May, all the greens will be remodelled and much of the course will be given a Spring clean in readiness for the 2010 season. The greens are suffering from 70 years of wear and tear and now is the right time to do the regeneration.

It is likely to cost the Wentworth club £3-4million in expense and lost revenue, although with the East course and the Edinburgh course, the members will still have somewhere to play.......good game, good game, as one of them would say!