by sussexpob » Tue Dec 08, 2020 10:21 am
The obituary I read claimed "he displayed his peerless golf knowledge to the very end during Dustin Johnson's win in the Masters". The mention of Dustin was pretty ironic; I still remember Alliss spending a whole weekend thinking Zack Johnson was Dustin during the 2015 Open. It seems Alliss' peerless golf knowledge was so acute, he couldnt distinguish between a former Master's winner and world top 5 ranked player, and the hottest player in golf at the time (Dustin won player of the year at the end of that year, and hit World Number One shortly after). Imagine a PL commentator right now not knowing who Dominic Calvert-Lewin was, and thinking he was Lukaku still at Everton.... that was Alliss.
He apparently loved the game? Did he? All he ever did was moan about modern players. He hated golf past the point players made money, consumed by jealousy. Such moans might have shreds of truth in isolation, but they were premeditated and dogmatic and drew him into pathetic statements with regularity; I cant remember the tournament exactly, but I remember him launching into a rant about 10 years ago on a European tour contest that got cancelled because players in his day played in all conditions; the course was flooded, literally 3 foot under water at points. No one is playing in that unless they have a submarine. In American publications particularly he became a standing joke and people openly mused why this dinosaur was still roaming while elsewhere commentators came armed to the teeth with knowledge. While Alliss could tell you what the winner of the 1956 Open had for dinner and what amusing tales came from the after tournament p*ss up, past a certain point in history he had zero knowledge, and knew nothing about the golf he commentated on; meanwhile, someone like Butch Harmon could look at a swing and tell you by mms what coaching changes a player had put into his game. No comparison.
And then the voice of golf tag; how can someone who literally advocated against half the world playing the game be a voice for the sport? He should have been no platformed two decades ago for his frankly decades out of date views. And these werent coded or misunderstood; he literally stated in plain terms women were incapable of golfing, and it was a mens sport. He scathed about women holding him up on courses because they couldnt play. He called women golfers fat, commented on how short their skirts were. He was a total sexist a**hole of the worst type, and was the biggest influence in holding back women in the game, and its biggest growth market. He also made comments about Asian golfers that were like racist bingo. He attacked modern day male players who supported womens golf and campaigned for male only courses to open up to women. It wasnt passive sexism, it was open, hard line and active. How he could regularly and openly have such disgusting views and grace public television is a question the BBC should have been brought to answer. Imagine being a women golfer at a club getting crap and no opportunity, and turning on the TV to hear your tax money was paying for all those things to be aired on your TV too.
A horrible man who's loss to the sport will be a breath of fresh air. Good riddance. Golf can move onto the modern day without this gammon idiot trying to keep the game in the old elitist white mans realm. Classless, racist, sexist hater. I know women golfers who would probably destroy Alliss in his later years; its not women who hold up courses Peter, its fat, unfit OAPs who can no longer walk that hold me up. Maybe we should campaign for over 65s to get out the way for us real players.
Of course I dont mean that, because I am not an elitist ****. Golf should be for all, race/sex/creed. It never can be while dinosaurs of the old age like this still roam as its "voice".
2010 French Open fantasy league guru 2010 Wimbledon fantasy league guru 2014 Masters golf fantasy guru 2015 Players Championship FL Guru 2016 Masters Golf Fantasy Guru
And a hat and bra to you too, my good sirs!