by Mike Franklin
This golf interview featured another of the
golfing personalities of Pattaya, but this time a teacher and
occasional player - European PGA Professional, Richard
Livingston.
MF: Richard, where are you from originally,
and when did you first take up golf?
RL: Originally, I’m from a town called
Kidderminster, just south of Birmingham in England and first
took up golf at the age of eight.
MF: Not as young as Tiger, but good enough…
Are you from a family of golfers?
Richard
Livingston
RL: Yes my mother and father played.
MF: Now I know you have been both a Club and
Touring Professional. Which came first?
RL: Club Professional, first as an Assistant
Pro. Then Club Professional when I started to play in some
regional PGA tournaments, mainly in the Birmingham area at
Edgebaston, Solihull and other courses.
MF: You did some tour play as well - which
tours did you take part in?
RL: Mainly regional. There wasn’t a PGA
School in those days so you had to enter an event through the
venue and get in through a qualifying tournament. But I played
the European Opens, the French, Spanish, Italian and so on.
MF: So you really had to earn your stripes to
play locally.
RL: And nationally as well.
MF: You have been playing golf for more than
40 years, so you must have some outstanding memories in your
career of playing with some of the big names in golf.
RL: Yes, I was fortunate to have played with
the likes of Gary Player and I remember going for a practice
round at one of the Opens in 1971, walked to the tee with my
caddy, saw Gary Player and Mike Souchak approaching, and said to
my caddy we had better step down. Oh no, he replied, you’re
playing with them. So I had a most delightful round with Gary
Player, and then a bit later on I had the real joy of playing an
exhibition match with Lee Trevino who is just as charming on the
course as off.
MF: Chatty?
RL: Yes, but he made everyone feel so
comfortable
MF: I believe you played four times in The
Open (sometimes referred to as the British Open, but I remember
Tommy Horton, representing the European Tour at a charity pro-am
prize giving I was doing at the RAC Club, being quite specific
that it was THE Open). Where were those four occasions?
RL: Carnoustie in 1968; at Lytham St. Annes
in 1969 when Tony Jacklin won; in 1970 at St. Andrews when Jack
Nicklaus won in a playoff against Doug Sanders who missed a
short putt at the 18th; and at Royal Birkdale in 1971 when Lee
Trevino won.
MF: And I recall you telling me in an
interview nearly a year ago about your better than average score
at the infamous 17th Road Hole at St. Andrews.
RL: Well I managed in four days to get two
fours and two fives, which averages 4.5 and I think the average
overall is 4.6
MF: That’s something to be proud of, as it is
a fascinating hole to watch being played and if you score well
you must be really pleased. How long have you been in Thailand,
and what brought you here?
RL: I’ve been here seven years and the way I
came here is an interesting story. I was feeling a bit depressed
with the British economy and a very good friend of mine, Stephen
Beard one day visiting the UK from Thailand, said get yourself
some spending money, come back, stay with me, play some golf and
see how you like it. So I took courage in both hands, booked a
flight and within two days of playing golf, decided to move
here.
MF: You’re now resident in Pattaya and never
far away from golf as you live at the Diana Garden Lodge in
North Pattaya and are the resident PGA teaching professional at
the Diana Group Driving Range there. You hold an official
current European PGA card. Very important to have that as it is
proof of your qualification. Tell me a bit about your work there
and the type of students that you teach. I hear stories about
people retiring here at the age of fifty five and taking up golf
- is this right?
RL: If you retire it’s a wonderful game to
play. So I start people off at any age to play within their
physical capabilities to make sure they make progress and get
the maximum enjoyment. We have a full facility at the Diana
Range for putting, pitching and bunker play. Target greens and
lovely trees, which is quite unusual for a driving range. Plus
300 yards length to take care of the long hitters.
MF: People say to me, ‘surely you’re not
going to talk about young Thai lady golfers again’. Well I am,
because out here we have a lot of young Thai ladies who have
taken the game up and seem to have a natural talent. Richard,
you teach them and you now have low handicap Thai ladies who you
have taught from the start. What is it that enables these Thai
women to take the game up so well?
RL: I think physically they are well suited,
they are very strong and I think the thing about Asian people is
that they are great mimics. They can watch somebody swing the
club well and copy that. They also learn very quickly and easily
pick things up. The popularity of golf is increasing so there
are more and more all the time. A classic example, Mike, is your
good lady Banjob who has got her handicap down to 25, is an
enthusiastic competitor and knows the game.
MF: Have you ever had a hole-in-one?
RL: I’ve had eight! Unfortunately never on an
occasion where I could win a car or a lot of money. I had a
hole-in-one in a practice round, and had it been in the
tournament itself I would have won a car.
MF: You’re a professional, you play off
scratch, what is your best round ever - and where was that?
RL: It was in the Midlands in England - I
shot a 61 with nine pars and nine birdies.
MF: As we know, to live here is to be in a
golfers’ paradise with 19 courses to choose from, and most
designed by the big name architects. Which four do you rate as
the best?
RL: That’s a difficult one. Laem Chabang
immediately comes to mind; Khao Kheow; Bangpra, and after that
there are so many good ones to choose from.
MF: Visitors to the area for the first time,
and maybe on subsequent visits, seem to have a problem playing
to their home club handicap. Why is that? Given that they must
play off their lowest current handicap, there is maybe some
aspect to the game here that needs special attention. What
aspect of the game is it most important for the average golfer
to practice here, given the excellent practice facilities we
have at the courses and at the driving range?
RL: It’s difficult here. The grass is strong
and the courses are very different. Bump and run is rarely an
option , you have to fly the ball to the green but to stop it is
not easy. The short game is the most important part of the game
to practice. Seventy yards in and, of course, the putting.
MF: We watch a lot of golf on television on
the various channels. Speaking from the professionals’ point of
view, who is your favorite TV golf commentator?
RL: Without a doubt Peter Allis. A very
intelligent man and a very good golfer in his day. He had a
marvelous mentor in Henry Longhurst. His commentary and comments
are informative and interesting for viewers who understand golf,
and those who do not.
MF: Now, if you had the opportunity to play
with any golfer, past or present, who would it be?
RL: It would have to be Jack Nicklaus. Seeing
him in an Open, he was hitting the ball in those days as far as
Tiger Woods hits the ball today. A fantastic ball striker, a
wonderful man and a nice temperament.