Rip+Van+Golfer+JM

Rip Van Golfer - Reflection Jessica Marr

Alright so as I am reading this, I am wondering, Who is this "I" he is referring to, is it John McPhee himself speaking (I assume this) or is it the narrator of some other sort. I can tell right off the bat that this article is about golf as many terms he refers to gives the topic away (as so does the title). Terms he refers to are, greenskeeper, fairway, golfballs and such etc.. He mentions other people's names for instances Lew Weiland, Mike Hettinger and John Graham. Weiland is the greenskeeper; I am assuming that other two people are either golfers or workers as well. I'll have to wait and see... its too early in the game to know yet..

I am starting to get the feeling that McPhee is telling a story about his life in golf. He talks about some of the events he's been in and played at. He states: " i caddied in Wisconsin one summer, and, went to the Tam O'Shanter tournament in Chicago". "And in 1950 I was beside the ropeless fairways glimpsing Ben Hogen in the Open at Merion".

" I quit cold, not only as a player but also as an on-site spectator, and have not been on a golf course with a club in my hand since that day".

Fifty years later he's back at it... but only as a spectator, watching Tiger Woods makes his next move at a U.S Open tournament. McPhee describes every detail and precisely about the way Tiget Woods made his shot. I found this interesting and his choices of words made me engaged and want to know more about Tiger woods and his golfing techniques.

He goes on to say that the railroad is right close to the golf course, but of the way to cause to cause no harm. He mentions the turnpike, not sure what that is, but thinking it has something to do with the train coming through. Aha! Finally I know where this golf course is located, Oakmont, Pennsylvania.

“Like, a Wide- Open-V the topography of this great golf course in Oakmont, Pennsylvania the first ever listed as a National Historical Landmark, descends from the clubhouse to the turnpike and then rises on the other side, as if the road were a river”.

Now, he switches back to golf mode and is talking again about the golf course.

He goes on to talk about the building of the golf course and why the U.S.G.A (United States Gold Association) chose to build a golf course there and the reasoning behind all this. He does this in explicit detail.

He really describes and explains the golf course, with so much detail it goes on and on…. But I could picture in my mind what this golf course looks like. He also gives us ( the reader) information, which someone doesn’t really thinks about or think they need to know when reading about the topic of golfing. When it comes to talking about golf, he describes the souvenir pavilion, where it is, the name of it, how many cash registers it holds and even names almost everything it sells. He also goes into how much money it costs someone to go watch the tournament and how bad the crowds are and what not. I thought I was reading about a golf course and golf, not about marketing.. but I guess that’s how McPhee likes to write, he likes to add information that one would not think to read .. but in one way or another it is related.

He also describes in full detail the golfers and spectators who are there. He says, “Most are in shorts, golf shirts, running shoes and low cut socks, and around them is an ambience of passion for the game of golf, whether they are siting in grandstands, lining the fairway ropes, speed walking the fairway crossings or even sleeping under peripheral trees.” - I find the part where he says they are sleeping under trees, quite interesting; shouldn’t they be watching the game instead of sleeping, I mean they did pay money to go to this tournament, what a waste!

He goes on now to tell the reader where the officials sit and where the by-standers can go to either stand or sit. The officials hold cards recalling information about the media.

“ Flapping from the line yard is a green plastic card that says “MEDIA” and bears my face, my name, the name of this magazine, and the access cod MRL” - I found this interesting as this is something I didn’t know about golf, well I kind of knew that officials had to hold up signs to tell the spectators who’s turn it was, but I didn’t know they held signs up about the media.

He describes every detail from where he (John McPhee) is sitting to what he is wearing to how he was sitting. He is sitting under a tree and states, “ For a couple of hours in early afternoon, it provides some protection from the stroking sun- no small thing on a layout that has recently been denuded of five thousand trees”.

Now going back to the structure of the golf course, I find it very interesting that in the last sentence of this descriptive paragraph, he states, “ the blimp overhead has a less interesting view” -What significance does the blimp have on the golf course? Of course it has a less significant view, it’s up in the sky, can’t see much from up there, but how does this information pertain to the structure and criteria of the golf course.

In the next paragraph, he switches back to the description of the location of the holes, in comparison of the location of the tree he is sitting under. I am curious, why does John McPhee switch back and forth between paragraphs? I find they don’t flow as well this way.

“I have stayed under this tree for as much as seven consecutive hours while the sun turns me into beef jerky”. - He said before it was only for a couple of hours in the early afternoon, you were sitting under that tree…. So which is it John?

Ok, so now we’re getting somewhere, “At last-like a faint aurora over the tenth fairway-dawn comes to Rip Van Golfer”. -not sure what the whole significance of this would be but Rip Van Golfer is the title of this article.

He goes on to describe the other journalists who are there and only mentions the photographers because the writers are not there.

Alright, a bit of confusion here, the topic switches again, but now he’s talking about a whole different topic, he’s now talking about football and how he played for Princeton, where is he going with this? Ok, got it now, he’s talking about being a writer; I know not related stuff right? . But actually it is, you see he was sitting on the sidelines and looked up to the booth up top, and saw people with type writers and that’s the moment when he knew he was going to be a writer. He then leaves his football story and goes back to journalists and golf. He names a few of the most famous journalists in golf, says whom they write for and where they are sitting during the golf, U.S Open tournament.

He goes on and talks about and explains what happens at the end of the tournament. Each player does a media interview and there are two types which he explains in non-technical terms. They are either a “flash interview” or a formal press conference.

“After players finish their rounds, some are asked to do a short press conference called a “flash interview”, which takes in an enclave outside the locker room, where the public is excluded, and fencing separates the journalists from the golfer”.

“If a golfer has had a particularly notable round, he is invited on to a more formal press conference in a large space in the Media Center with television cameras and folding chairs”.

He also describes the process in which writers and news networks get these stories and notes about the particular event.

After all the explicit descriptions and explanation about golf and in particular this U.S Open golf tournament he includes some examples of excerpts of some flash interviews and media conferences.

I found these excerpts of interviews really interesting, it gives someone an idea of what type of questions athletes are asked and how they are answered. It also gives an insight to something different. I’ve never watched or seen golf before, but I found this interesting to read as it was different (not about nature) of all the McPhee articles I have read so far.

Jessica Marr