Ferrari 599 GTO

Just when you thought things couldn’t get better the Prancing Horse comes out dancing with yet another gem. It’s amazing to think that 63 years after the first Ferrari 125 S rolled out of Maranello, the company continues to treat its fans with the same style and innovation that made its founding father, Enzo Ferrari, into a god like figure amongst car enthusiasts.
The 599 is honoured with the GTO badge because it’s special. There is only 2 others, the 250 GTO and the 288 GTO. Not only is it the most technologically advanced Ferrari road car ever produced but also the fastest and one of the most elegant. The 6 litre V12 engine produces 670 horsepower. For a car weighing just over one and half tons this translates to 0-60mph in 3.35 seconds and a top speed of 208mph. It’s not likely these stats will ever be put to the test but it’s good to know they are available if you need them. The only problem, this car is a little too wide for the average road. That’s ok for me though, it’ll look great in the garage and I’ll just be happy to polish it occasionally.

Porsche GT2 RS

The shape hasn’t changed much over the years but the technology certainly has. This car is 100% pure German sinew. Its nickname; ‘The Widow Maker’. There is a good reason for that. The 3.6 litre 6 cylinder engine produces 620 horsepower which equates to 0-60mph in 3.5s and a maximum top speed of 205mph. If you’ve had a hard day nailing the throttle and are running low on fuel with the services still a long way off, driven at 70 mph it will give you over 32mpg on the motorway. That’s unbelievable for a supercar.

Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG

I need a day to day car and what better than the SL65 that comes with a hand built 6 litre V12 twin turbo engine producing an astonishing 612 bhp. 0-60 in 4.2 seconds and a top speed of 155mph (limited) should ensure I don’t waste much time going to Waitrose and back. I just hope no stupid granny bumps it in the carpark.

Lamborghini Gallardo LP 570-4 Superleggera

This car is a monster, the raging bull. It might not be the most refined supercar but it sure looks damn cool. My mouth is watering at the prospect of taking this beast out for a drive. The 5.2 litre V10 570hp engine delivers 0-60 in 3.4 seconds and a top speed of 202mph. My first trip will be to the Côte d’Azur in France where this car will feel most at home. I can’t wait.

Land Rover Defender

Hey come on. I need something for the weekend down in the country. And what better than the King of 4 by 4’s. You really didn’t think I’d be getting a Chelsea tractor did you?

Handicap: 0

In the Bag:

Driver: Titleist 909D3 Upgrade Diamana Blue 73

Hybrid: Titleist 909H Upgrade JVLNFX Th7

Irons: Titleist 710 MB 4-9

Wedges: Yururi 41, 49, 56 & 61

Putter: Yamada Musashi

I was missing one club in the bag so before the season starts I decided to fill the gap with a 3 wood. You name it I hit it; Taylormade, Cobra, Mizuno, Ping, Callaway, Nike. In the end I stuck with what I know best – Titleist. I chose the 910F for the look and the confidence it oozes for fairway approach shots on the long Par 4 and Par 5’s.

All that was left to decide on was the shaft. A long time ago an old pro told me that it’s the shaft which makes a golf club specially if its graphite. I never took much notice until I bought my Driver with an upgraded shaft 3 years ago. The difference between an upgrade and standard shaft is similar to buying a Mercedes from your local dealer or one that’s passed through the premises of an AMG tuning workshop.



I’ve tried and tested many upgrade shafts including Matrix Ozik, Aldila, Graphite Design, Accra, Roddio and Fujikura but I’ve always settled for the Mitsubishi shafts. They are smooth, easy to work with and tend to adjust just as well to slow or fast tempo golf swings.

After reading excellent reviews I opted for the Fujikura Rombax 6X07. There is only one word to describe this shaft, awesome! It’s not the easiest shaft to play with but when you get it right the response is astonishing. If the Mitsubishi shafts are the equivalent to Mercedes AMG’s then the Rombax can only be compared to a supercharged Lamborghini, not quite as refined and a little rough around the edges but you’re in for one hell of a ride.

Article Written By RJ Sweeny

Supakitch and Koralie yet again stunned the world with their latest beautiful handcrafted mural called Euphoria, which was made for the exhibition Metroplastique in Paris.

]]> http://myego.co/ohlaray/?feed=rss2&p=303 0 http://myego.co/ohlaray/?p=278 http://myego.co/ohlaray/?p=278#comments Thu, 01 Dec 2011 19:16:54 +0000 boss http://myego.co/ohlaray/?p=278

I got a phone call from my friend Doug at half seven Wednesday evening.

‘Hi Jerry. Get ready, jump in a cab, meet me in half an hour at Portman Square’.

‘Doug? Doug?’ but it was too late, he’d already hung up. Well sod you, I’m going nowhere.

I’d only just got relaxed, poured myself a beer and sat down on my thinking couch to reflect on everything that had happened in the past couple of weeks. I like doing that, living things over and asking what I would have done differently. Usually the result is nothing. I never want to do anything differently. I live my life as it is and have no regrets.

Still I sit down and think hard. Then I push myself and think even harder until I delve into my subconscious and erase everything that’s in there so I have a blank canvas. Afterwards I usually feel liberated unless I get disturbed midway through and then all hell breaks loose. As payback my subconscious fills itself with everything I’d erased the previous 2 years. That sets me back months and months.

There I am deep in delete mode when the phone rings. Hell, I forgot to turn the damn thing off. It’s Doug. ‘What do YOU want Doug?’

‘Jerry where are you? I’ve been waiting for 20 minutes’.

‘Doug, you hung up on me remember? What do you want, what’s the matter with you?’

‘Nothing Jerry, nothing. You go back to doing whatever sad thing you’re doing and keep on doing it until you’ve stuffed yourself with it.’

‘Doug, don’t be angry, it’s a simple question. What do you want?’

‘Jerry, I got a call from Paul Milton an hour ago. We’ve been invited to a party we can’t miss. You got to get your arse down here now.’

‘What party Doug? It could be anything, did you ask?’

‘Yes Jerry. Do you think I’m a moron?’

‘(Yes) What party Doug?’

‘A Playboy party Jerry. Bikini clad women everywhere. Paul reckons they need more guys down there because there’s 10 women to every bloke and the women are losing interest and leaving.’

‘Where did you say Doug?’

Some Playboy party. Whatever next. Doug sounded really keen. As a good friend I decided to accompany him to save him the embarrassment of being a loner.

I got in a cab and was in Portman Square within 10 minutes. I saw Doug in the distance frantically flagging the taxi down. He opened the door and jumped in.

‘Belgravia please. Quickly.’ he demanded of the taxi driver.

‘Hang on, first you want me to come to Portman Square and now I’m here you’re taking me somewhere else?’ I quizzed.

‘Sorry Jerry got the wrong address. It was kind of noisy when I was getting directions off Paul. I couldn’t quite make out where he said exactly and when I couldn’t find the house in Portman Square I called him again. It’s Portman House in Belgravia. He did say make it quick. Apparently there was an Arab Sheik there who had a fleet of Rolls Royces outside and was slowly filling each one up with the women. I asked Paul where he was taking them all but he didn’t know. We’ve got to get there quick Jerry,’ he said desperately.

‘Don’t tell me, tell the driver,’ I replied without much interest.

We arrived just in time to see the last Rolls Royce pull away with 5 naked women in the back singing, dancing and sticking their breasts out of the back windows. I looked over and Doug was running after them down the street waving his arms in the air shouting stop, stop as if they were going to turn back for a lunatic chasing them down.

To be continued…

Han Solo from the Star Wars Trilogy

“Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid.”

Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean.

“I think we’ve all arrived at a very special place. Spiritually, ecumenically, grammatically.”

Ellen Ripley in Alien.

“That’s the only way. We’ll move in pairs. We’ll go step by step and cut off every bulkhead and every vent until we have it cornered. And then we’ll blow it the fuck out into space! Is that acceptable to you?”       

James Bond, the British Spy created by Ian Fleming.

“My name is Bond, James Bond.”

Harry Callahan, the old school cop in Dirty Harry.

“When I see a grown man chasing a woman down an alleyway with a butcher knife and a hard-on, I figure he’s not out collecting for the Red Cross.”

Michael Corleone in The Godfather.

“I don’t feel I have to wipe everybody out, Tom. Just my enemies.”

Rocky Balboa as Rocky.

“All I wanna do is go the distance. Nobody’s ever gone the distance with Creed, and if I can go that distance, you see, and that bell rings and I’m still standin’, I’m gonna know for the first time in my life, see, that I weren’t just another bum from the neighborhood.”

The Man with no Name in the Sergio Leone’s spaghetti western films of the 1960’s.

“You see, in this world there’s two kinds of people, my friend: Those with loaded guns and those who dig. You dig.”

Indiana Jones form the Indiana Jones film franchise

“Archaeology is the search for fact… not truth. If it’s truth you’re looking for, Dr. Tyree’s philosophy class is right down the hall.”

The Bride in Kill Bill I and II.

“I need Japanese steel.”

Dave Stockton has won 25 times on the PGA and Champions tours including 2 PGA Championships and 3 majors as a senior. For good measure he achieved most of that with his putter. He has worked with some of the world’s greatest golfers including Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson, Matt Kuchar, Adam Scott, Annika Sorenstam, Yani Tseng and Suzann Pettersen. And now, fortunately for all us amateur golfers without touring pro budgets, he has decided to share his teachings in a simple and revealing book on putting.

What is so refreshing about this book is that it does away with most mechanical aspects of the putting stroke and concentrates on the natural aspects of the individual’s putting abilities. He advocates no practice strokes and rolling the golf ball smoothly, like an artist applying paint to a canvas.

Stockton was mainly taught by his father and only recently discovered that his father, Gail, had been a student of Alex Morrison, an influential instructor in the 1920s and ’30s. Morrison’s star protégé was Hall of Famer Henry Picard, who subsequently taught Jack Grout (Jack Nicklaus’s mentor) and worked with Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson. Stockton came across a copy of Morrison’s 1940 book “Better Golf Without Practice” and immediately recognised the similarity between his father’s teachings and those of Morrison’s.

Stockton’s philosophy, hinted at in the title of Morrison’s book, is that putting is primarily a mental art and not a physical science. He thinks most people get too technical with putting. They put too much effort into the mechanics. He differentiates between the long game which does require more emphasis on mechanics and the putting game that is so much easier. The stroke is a foot and a half long at most and it should be very simple. The only mechanics he touches on is to lead with the left hand facing the target. The main theme is on strongly visualizing the line of the putt and putting right away, while that vision is fresh in your mind and before conscious thoughts can intervene. Most importantly feel the putt and roll the ball. He likens rolling a putt to using a paint brush as opposed to hitting a nail with a hammer. And rolling a putt properly, especially getting the speed right, isn’t easy when you’re trying too hard.

This book is a must read for anyone who wants to improve their scoring playing golf.

One of the most difficult things to do is give a list of your top ten films. Films are a great form of escapism, more so if they are good. I usually judge a film by all the relevant measures such as story, script, the acting, the actors, action, sound track and so on including the number of times I look at my watch, number of yawns and finally if I would enjoy watching it again. I hate watching most films twice unless it’s a really really good film. For me to watch a film a third time, it has to be a masterpiece. The following is my top ten.

It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) – One of the best feel good movies of all time.

La Dolce Vita (1960) – A masterpiece from the master who influenced many great directors.

Spartacus (1960) – The great story of the slave uprising against the decadent Roman empire.

Dr Strangelove (1964) – A nuclear war satire.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (1966) – An epic spaghetti western.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) – The bad guys have never been so lovable.

The Godfather (1972) – Mafia epic chronicling the lives of the Corleone family.

Star Wars (1977) – Good fights evil in space.

The Shining (1980) – A psychological horror that you will never forget.

The Dark Knight (2008) – Non-stop comic book action.

At first glance you probably think this article is about Bobby Jones, Bobby Locke, Ben Crenshaw and Tiger Woods. They are all the greatest putters of their era and would make the list of any top 10 putters of all time. However, what we want to discuss here is the different types of flatstick produced over the years and how this affects you.

The most important saying you’ll come across playing golf is ‘Drive for show, Putt for dough’. Most golfers will pay handsomely for a new driver so they can get an extra 10 yards off the tee or book in with their local pro to have their irons fitted but few ever consider paying too much for a putter let alone have one fitted for them with the right head weight, loft and lie, shaft length and grip size. Big mistake. What they fail to consider is a 300 yard drive counts exactly the same as a 3 foot putt. It’s pointless hitting mega long drives and pinpoint accurate irons if you can’t convert those good scoring opportunities by sinking a few putts. Having the right putter, one that you like the look and feel of, one that you can’t wait to get out of your bag and have a putt with, will transform your game and shave a good few shots off your handicap. The confidence that emanates from holing a few putts soon manifests itself into other areas, improving your game as a whole.

There are many famous putter designers including John Reuter Jr, George Low, Scotty Cameron, Bettinardi and Tohru Yamada but the history of custom made putter dates back to 1960s when a gentleman with the initials P.B. had a conversation with Mr Truett P Mills about making a putter for him. Back then, you had to drive out to T.P.’s garage at 1700 Second St. in Tuscalossa, Alabama, and pay between £30 and £200 if you wanted a putter and people did because he made the best putters in the world. This was a lot of money back in the 1960’s. A handmade T.P. Mills putter was a luxury in which only the most serious golfer would indulge.

We are not suggesting you should go to Scotty Cameron and pay for a custom made putter but the least you can do is go to your local pro, have him look at your putting style and take some measurements to see what shaft length and lie angle would suit you best. The grip size is also a factor. If you have large hands you want at least a midsize grip to prevent your hands slipping or twisting mid-stroke. But most importantly, putters come in a variety shapes and head sizes. Go to a golf shop with a large selection of putters. Take your time and try out as many as the ones you like the look of, looking at the head in address position and feel of, when making a stroke. When it comes down to sinking an important putt there is nothing like stepping up to the ball and feeling completely at ease with the club you are holding in your hand.

10. The Odyssey Two-ball – (A very popular putter that has been copied by many manufacturers but the original remains the best)

9. Bobby Locke Slazenger 262 – (4 British Open wins)

8. Calamity Jane II made by Spalding for Bobby Jones – (10 majors including the only grand slam to date)

7. TP Mills One – (The One is where the custom made putters all started and has been copied by more manufacturers than any other putter apart from number 6 on our list)

6. Ping Anser Karsten – (The first heel-toe weighted putter designed to enlarge the sweet spot)

5.Wilson 8802 – (This putter has been given venerable status by Ben Crenshaw’s silky smooth putting)

4. Schenectady designed by Arthur F Knight – (Used by American Walter Travis to sink everything at the 1904 British Amateur and subsequently banned by R&A until 1952)

3. Odyssey Dual Force Rossie 2 – (The first putter with a modern day insert which is supposed to put a better roll on the ball)

2. George Low Sportsman Wizard 600s – (used by Jack Nicklaus to win most of his 18 majors)

1. Newport 2 303 GSS Scotty Cameron – (Used by Tiger Woods since 1999 and is number 1 on our list purely because it has won more prize money than all the other putters on our list put together)

Leonardo Da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan at The National Gallery in London is perhaps the greatest art exhibition ever held. On show is an opportunity of a lifetime to see 9 of the master’s 15 surviving paintings concentrating on the work produced in Milan in the 1480’s and 1490’s. The most famous of his paintings, the ‘Mona Lisa’ is of course missing, (the Louvre will never let it leave their premises) but there is enough to keep any Leonardo enthusiast drooling for a long long time to come.

The Italian Renaissance produced some of the greatest minds and artists the world has ever known. One of those was the greatest of them all. Leonardo Da Vinci was a revered genius whose talents stretched far beyond being a painter. He was born near the Tuscan town of Vinci in 1452. He spent most of his early years in Florence but little of his early work has survived. He moved to Milan in 1483 to work for the ruling family the Sforzas. A religious brotherhood commissioned him to create an altarpiece and thus Leonardo painted ‘The Virgin of the Rocks’. When they refused to pay him a fair price he sold the painting to someone else. A number of years later he created a second version for the brotherhood. This second version already belongs to the National Gallery but having loaned the original from the Louvre for the purpose of this exhibition, it is the first time we get to compare the two paintings exhibited in the same room. The 25 years difference between the two works of art summarises Da Vinci’s career as a painter. There are theories that the second painting may be a fake. It’s a great opportunity for the viewer to make up their own mind.

Other works on display include ‘La Belle Ferroniere’, the ‘Madonna Litta’, ‘Saint Jerome’ and ‘Portrait of Cecilia Gallerani’ (The Lady with an Ermine), ‘The Portrait of a Young Man (The Musisian)’, ‘The Madonna of Yarnwinder’ and ‘Christ as Salvator Mundi’.

Leonardo’s paintings aspire to create ideals of beauty and to convince the viewer of the reality of what they were seeing. His religious works are majestic and mysteriously awe-inspiring.

In 1517 Leonardo Da Vinci moved to Amboise, France at the invitation of the French King where he remained up to his death. Ironically his biggest failing was his gift as a multi-talented genius. In his later years his obsession with experiments and scientific projects interfered with his artistic projects which earned him the notoriety for not finishing anything. It’s what he left the world with that should be admired and celebrated and thanks to the National Gallery, there is a glorious exhibition of his works to visit.

The National Gallery 9 Nov 2011 – 5 Feb 2012

The Godfather of Golf Instruction

One of the best golf tuition books ever published. His ideas are simple yet effective. He breaks down the golf swing into its simplest parts and demonstrates the most effective way to swing the club. His teachings on the control of the mind over a golf swing were 70 years ahead of their time and what he coaches on the subject in one page, modern day gurus fit it into 150 pages.
As you would expect from an old book some of the methods on the long game are now a little outdated but the short-game instructions remain 100% relevant.
If still in doubt look at his track record. Morrison’s star protégé was Henry Picard, who subsequently taught Jack Grout (Jack Nicklaus’s mentor) and worked with Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson.
Added bonus are images of Sam Snead, Gene Sarazen, Bobby Jones, Henry Picard swinging golf clubs.