Into every life..... a little rain must fall.

[BaggyTrousers]

Probably very few of you give a tinkers fack about this, but when I was a nipper & beyond, golf was what I was best at sporting wise and loved as much as rugby at the time.

Player, Nicklaus & Palmer were the stars, sadly now Arnie is gone. He was much more than just a golfer, he had charisma and he had the humility from an ordinary hard working family upbringing that he never lost. No sportsman has ever signed as many autographs and talked to as many punters as Arnie.

Without him golf would still be a very minority sport played by ould farts in tweed trousers. Every pro who has made a handsome living should be thanking Arnie.

Legend.

[HairyJ]

RIP Arnold. Before my team but universally acknowledged as a great.

[Snipe Watson]

[BaggyTrousers]

Nice choice of snap Snipe, poignant.

[Gary]

Great pic. Palmer was my golfing hero in my youth.

Used to be a golf programme on Friday nights featuring the Big Three of Palmer, Nicklaus and Player, playing each other around lots of different courses. The standard of the golf was rather good.

[Snipe Watson]

Nice choice of snap Snipe, poignant.

It gave me goosebumps when I found it. He was a true gent and a giant of the game. For me there have been three true giants of golf and Jack Nicklaus is the only one left.

[BaggyTrousers]

Nice choice of snap Snipe, poignant.

It gave me goosebumps when I found it. He was a true gent and a giant of the game. For me there have been three true giants of golf and Jack Nicklaus is the only one left.

Who killed Tom Watson? I also include him as a great both as a golfer and a gentleman. I detested Mickelsoms cowardly attack on him after the last Ryder Cup. It's remarkable that the real greats have a certain likability about them, Woods hasn't and he is a known cheat and extreme pusher of the rule book, that is why I hate his guts.

You were of course referring to Severiano my favourite player ever and he will remain unsurpassed.

I also have the utmost regard for Gary Player, not only a great golfer maximising every ounce of talent but he's a good man, he has personally sponsored a lot of promising players black and white in SA.

[Snipe Watson]

Nice choice of snap Snipe, poignant.

It gave me goosebumps when I found it. He was a true gent and a giant of the game. For me there have been three true giants of golf and Jack Nicklaus is the only one left.

Who killed Tom Watson? I also include him as a great both as a golfer and a gentleman. I detested Mickelsoms cowardly attack on him after the last Ryder Cup. It's remarkable that the real greats have a certain likability about them, Woods hasn't and he is a known cheat and extreme pusher of the rule book, that is why I hate his guts.

You were of course referring to Severiano my favourite player ever and he will remain unsurpassed.

I also have the utmost regard for Gary Player, not only a great golfer maximising every ounce of talent but he's a good man, he has personally sponsored a lot of promising players black and white in SA.

I have a special place in my heart for Seve, Arnie and Jack.
Tom was and indeed is a legend and a gentleman. I really respected Mickelson right up to the point where he threw Tom under a bus. I've also not forgiven Stewart Cink for stealing Tom's open. But he still doesn't quite make it onto the top shelf.
Gary Player is just too full of himself. He achieved amazing things and should let his record speak for itself.
Severiano Ballesteros was and always will be, as you say unsurpassed even unsurpassable.
I met Seve once and was literally rendered speechless. I was so in awe of the man standing before me, I could not speak to him in anything resembling a sentence. Which for me is a heck of a thing.

[Cap'n Grumpy]

I was so in awe of the man standing before me, I could not speak to him in anything resembling a sentence. Which for me is a heck of a thing.

I have yet to hear you say anything resembling a sensible sentence when you speak to me ........ I must be awesome!

[Snipe Watson]

I was so in awe of the man standing before me, I could not speak to him in anything resembling a sentence. Which for me is a heck of a thing.

I have yet to hear you say anything resembling a sensible sentence when you speak to me ........ I must be awesome!

No you just don't listen

[BaggyTrousers]

Couldn't be bothered opening a separate thread for something that may mean nothing to most, but I'm sad to hear of the death of Sammy Smyth on the news this evening, albeit at 90 plus he had a decent innings.

Sammy was one of the best wendyballists produced in Norn Iron many years ago.

I haven't seen Sammy for probably 40 years, but I played a bit of golf with him from time to time, mainly when I should have been at school, and indeed in a Pro-Am at Holywood, Sammy, Seamus Green then pro at Knock GC, well known local show-biz entrepreneur Trevor Kane and myself either won or were runners up in the event.

When taking my prize home I had to come up with an explanation of how I won a two day midweek golf event when I should have been at school.

At the time he was doing sports gear including golf equipment. Nice guy.

[BaggyTrousers]

Well, as predicted none of you gave a crap about Sammy Smyth, probably not many of you will care about the death today of Bap Kennedy. Died of cancer at 54, his better known brother Brian also has it, though I think perhaps not as bad.

I stumbled upon Bap long after I first knew his music. He was in Energy Orchard which some or a few of you will have known. I saw him at a gig in Belfast where I cannot remember, but I enjoyed the music. It's a funny one for me because much of his music was very country orientated and I bloody hate country music, but there was enough of a blues slant to make me see past the country blind spot.

Anyway some years later I saw him play in the Bridge Bar in Ramelton front of maybe 30-40 people and it was very bluesy and it was a pretty magic night & he was no prima donna, having a pint and a chat.

Probably his best known song was Moonlight Kiss which featured in a shyte movie called Serendipity but he never really made a splash. Definite country with a hint of blues.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wyi1TlyFfgE

Since his illness he wrote a blog and amongst other things revealed he'd had Asperger's Syndrome all his days and explained the personal difficulties that gave him in relation to trying to make a living in music.

Anyway, I'm pretty sure most will have stopped reading by now. Farewell Bap, just like a dear friend of mine recently who stared bloody cancer in the eye and got on with life, that is just what he did.

[caledoniancelt]

Well, as predicted none of you gave a crap about Sammy Smyth, probably not many of you will care about the death today of Bap Kennedy. Died of cancer at 54, his better known brother Brian also has it, though I think perhaps not as bad.

I stumbled upon Bap long after I first knew his music. He was in Energy Orchard which some or a few of you will have known. I saw him at a gig in Belfast where I cannot remember, but I enjoyed the music. It's a funny one for me because much of his music was very country orientated and I bloody hate country music, but there was enough of a blues slant to make me see past the country blind spot.

Anyway some years later I saw him play in the Bridge Bar in Ramelton front of maybe 30-40 people and it was very bluesy and it was a pretty magic night & he was no prima donna, having a pint and a chat.

Probably his best known song was Moonlight Kiss which featured in a shyte movie called Serendipity but he never really made a splash. Definite country with a hint of blues.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wyi1TlyFfgE

Since his illness he wrote a blog and amongst other things revealed he'd had Asperger's Syndrome all his days and explained the personal difficulties that gave him in relation to trying to make a living in music.

Anyway, I'm pretty sure most will have stopped reading by now. Farewell Bap, just like a dear friend of mine recently who stared bloody cancer in the eye and got on with life, that is just what he did.

Nice words Baggy and very true. Bap will be sorely missed .

First heard him and Energy Orchard way back in the early 1990s if I recall correctly and listened to him
sporadically since then. Recently Ralph McClean has been playing a lot of his stuff on
Radio Ulster (as he always does with local singers)so started to catch up with his catalogue.

Bap was a true gentleman. I have taken the liberty of copying and pasting his words from earlier this year when he broke the news of his illness on his blog.

"Sometimes people don't know what to say, and you find yourself explaining the same things again and again to family and friends, which can be difficult. But it's no one's fault,"
"That's just the way it goes. And really that's the most positive side of the whole thing... the genuine concern and desire to help in any way possible."
He was touched at how many people contacted him to say how much his music meant.
"I didn't know how many people have been touched by my songs,"
"It's breaking my heart to find out now when I have so little time to do anything about it - but I am also very happy to feel the achievement. It's what I always wanted. Not money. Not fame.
"I always wanted people to feel what I feel. The magic of music."

RIP Bap.

[Gary]

Bap was one of the most underrated talents ever from the local music scene. Other musicians appreciated his gifts more than the record - buying public. Van Morrison was a great supporter and Steve Earle regarded him as one of the best songwriters he ever worked with. I saw Bap and Earle performing together in a superb gig a while back - two great musicians enjoying the evening just as much as us devotees. His death has left the music business here one genius lighter.

[222toHounslow]

Energy Orchard upstairs in Wolseys on a Thursday night.

Good times.