Hello Richard,

My hearty congratulations on establishing your consulting partnership with Elmwood College and, as you always wanted, in the Home of Golf. Despite all obstacles you overcame and reached your goal. I'm wondering if you might now be in the market for a summer home in St Andrews. The Elmwood College of Greenkeeping website suggests that it must be one of the most prestigious in its field. I wish you great success in your future efforts in concert with them.

Since you mentioned the pleasures you anticipated at the Dunvegan Pub, I glanced at the Dunvegan Hotel website, run by Jack and Sheena Willoughby (noting that Jack is an old Texas Aggie). The lounge bar is described by the Golf Channel as "one of the best hangouts in the world of golf." Trip Advisor (a rating website) gives the hotel and the lounge bar rave reviews and it's only 112 yards from the 18th green of the Old Course (just a few yards further than Hamilton Hall). Anyway, the Dugvegan would seem to be ideal accommodation for anyone considering that dream holiday in St Andrews.

As for Mindy Blake's swing, or any elite swing for that matter, in my humble view, the secret is not in deliberately and painstakingly mastering the details of body postion and precision of motion, but rather it's "hidden" in an elusive moment (that never happens for most golfers) when one serendipitously happens upon the true "feel" of an elite swing, sort of like that moment when, as a kid, after much frustration, you suddenly got the hang of riding a bicycle and it seemed easy after that. However, there must be something more subtle and complex about an elite swing because of the extremely small percentage of seekers who ever find the treasure. This may be a partial explanation of why thousands of golf instructors around the world, for the most part, are unable to teach hackers how to become elite swingers.

Warm regards, Jim