Bumble on golf - start the cart!

Last updated: 25th February 2010

Sky Sports cricket commentator David Lloyd (aka 'Bumble') is a golf nut.

The former England coach makes frequent mentions of golf live on air and also on his popular Twitter page (current followers now over 59,000).

So ahead of England's mini Test series against Bangladesh we spoke to Bumble about his love of the fairways and also got him to assess the golfing prowess (or lack of it) of his fellow commentators.

GOLF365: Hi David. Tell us about your golf game. Have you always been a golfer?

DL: No, to be honest. I've only played it in the last 10 to 12 years.

GOLF365: What's your handicap?

DL: 8. I started at 16, came down rapidly, got to 7 and ambition-wise I want to get to 5 but I've just hit an absolute wall and, in truth, I'm just not playing to 8. I'm not consistent enough.

GOLF365: Where do you play and what's your favourite course?

DL: I'm a member at Bramall Park golf club in South Manchester. Favourite course I've played is Sunningdale. I just feel terribly privileged to have played there. I think the course is stunning, the people are marvellous and to finish and sit on that veranda, it's like you've landed in heaven. It's a magnificent place.

GOLF365: One of our specialities at Golf365 is golf betting. Do you ever have a punt on the golf?

DL: I'm a bit of a punter but I don't bet on golf really. But the one punt I had on it actually won! It was when Mark O'Meara won the British Open, erm when was it?

GOLF365: 1998 at Royal Birkdale. He was 40/1 I recall.

DL: Yeah, I had a nice touch there. I know I won 400 quid so I must have had a tenner on him.

GOLF365: You should make a habit of it if you're that good at picking winners!

DL: Yeah! I play poker and I'm on the horses and I might have a little dabble at football now and again. It's actually good fun, golf betting, you can pick two or three for a fiver can't you and see how you go.

GOLF365: The other day Paul Collingwood admitted he was 'obsessed' with golf and he was concerned that they wouldn't have any courses in Bangladesh. Just how much golf gets played on a typical England tour?

DL: Well, for us in the media, I'll be taking my clubs to Dubai and Bangladesh. Now I've been to Bangladesh before and there is one golf course in Dhaka and it's excellent. Well worth playing. It's maintained by the army and is a lovely course, it really is. I don't think Colly knew about it when he gave that interview. We're also going to Dubai and I've just looked at an e-mail and we're playing at the Els Course, the Emirates and the Montgomerie. That's four of us - myself, Paul Allott, who's off 5, Nigel Stewart, a mate, who's off 2 and Brian Henderson, who's our producer, and he's off 5. So we've got a good fourball going. The poor relation of all that is me as I'm just not playing consistent enough but if I hit my straps I'm alright.

GOLF365: What's the best part of your game?

DL: If I'm right, it's driving. But I'm not right often enough. I can hit it long enough but I'm always tinkering. That's my biggest problem, I'm always trying to manufacture something instead of just playing. But I thoroughly enjoy it. I love it to bits. I love fishing too so if I go to New Zealand I split my free time between fishing and golf.

GOLF365: What are the best countries for an England Tour party to play golf?

DL: They're all absolutely fine, wherever you go there are good golf courses everywhere. You asked about my favourite course, well my second would be Royal Westmoreland in Barbados. I was also very, very lucky to be invited to play on the Green Monkey in Barbados and that was a terrific experience as you just can't get on, nobody will let you on. We've also just been to South Africa and I went on a beautiful course in Johannesburg called the River Club. It's just 60 people who own this, there's no membership, no money changes hands and they just divvy it up as to what the costs are at the end of the year. And that also is by invitation only. There was nobody on the course when I played, not a sole. There's also a cracking course just opened near the airport in Johannesburg called Serengeti and we also played at Pearl Valley at Paarl where Geoffrey Boycott's got a house. That was a stunner.

GOLF365: Talking of Boycs, I remember on the tour of India in 1982, Boycott got dropped from the England side after being caught on the golf course despite claiming he was too ill to field. Have you ever thought that this 'obsession' with golf amongst cricketers can have a detrimental effect or is it always viewed as a pleasant diversion?

DL: Oh, yes, Boycott! He was supposed to be on death's door. Ha Ha. Golf is a great valve for us and I think it's very social. When we go to Australia, that's a terrific tour as we meet up with a load of winemakers in Adelaide and mates and friends and ex-players and we play Ryder Cup over three days. That is excellent. It's a real hoot.

GOLF365: You make plenty of mentions of golf on your Twitter page, in your Sky Sports.com column and also on air. So let's talk a bit about some of the other Sky commentators and some other ex-players and get your analysis of their golf games and temperament on the course. Firstly, as I know you've been having a few matches with him...

Nasser Hussain: DL: Nas is retired! He plays with an iron off the tee and last time we played he buried it in the tee and decided he wasn't going to play anymore. Very volatile on the course.

Sir Ian Botham: Beefy's off 8 but thinks he's +3. He, of course, is a Nike man - like the chap who wins everything but who's having an indefinite break from the game. There are two Nike ambassadors and now Beefy's had to take over the full mantle.... according to Beefy.

Nick Knight: Hopeless. Hopeless. Can't play the game. I was saddled with him in South Africa as a partner. I had a crucial putt in the game and he decides to ring, from the green, Jonathan Trott to ask him about his cricket game. Very poor.

Paul Allott: Serious player. Very, very good. Great touch for a big lad. Excellent putter.

David Gower: No, doesn't play. Doesn't know whether he's left handed or right handed. And he would reason that he could spend four hours of his time doing something more meaningful than looking for a ball.

Michael Holding: No, definitely doesn't play. There are no horses (Holding's big obsession) running on golf courses!

Michael Atherton: Proper player. Handicapped by his back injury so can't play too often. Is a lovely golfer is Atherton. Hits a low draw. Was down to 10 but he's far better than that

Shane Warne: Very, very keen. He's off about 12 or 14 but he's keen as mustard. Exactly the same on a golf course as he is on a cricket pitch.

Michael Vaughan: He's a proper golfer now is Vaughny. He's off about 10 and he's dangerous. And he is obsessed. But he's no etiquette on the course, he just gets stuck in. He's a sledger is Vaughan. He gets on to you about your dress, your grip etc as if he's stood at mid-off or something. But he's a good mate. I play a lot of golf with Vaughny.

GOLF365: Of the current England Test team, who is the best golfer?

DL: Paul Collingwood is a seriously good player. Also, Ian Bell is very, very good. I played with Belly and he was off 10 and he played beautifully. Long enough with a lovely draw, great balance and great to watch - just like his cricket. The absolute bandit is the captain. Off 10, he's kidding, he's kidding. He goes round in par playing off 10. He's a flipping bandit, Straussy.

GOLF365: And same question for the Aussies.

DL: Ponting's a terrific player. Also Greg Blewett was a cracking player. Actually, they're all the same on the golf course as they are at the cricket. Thommo (Jeff Thomson) is like a bull at a gate. Just hit it as far as you can. Tries to bowl as fast as he can and now tries to hit a ball as far as he can. Rodney Marsh - very studious, good player. Of course his brother was a golfer (Graham Marsh).

GOLF365: I sent you a pic of Sir Don Bradman swinging a club (see third to last picture in this gallery. He looks a bit handy!

DL: Yes, looks terrific doesn't he, yes.

GOLF365: We played golf with KK Downing from heavy metal legends Judas Priest last year. If you could pick a fourball consisting of your favourite bands/singers, who would be in it? Mark E Smith from The Fall?

DL: (Laughing) Mark E Smith! Crikey, how would he go on?! Okay, Keith Richards from the Stones and Liam and Noel Gallagher. Ha Ha. We wouldn't get very far would we, they'd be scrapping and all sorts.

GOLF365: Finally, if you were starting your career as a budding sportsman now what would you rather do - captain a winning Ashes side or win the Open Championship?

DL: Oh, what a good question that is. Oh, what would I do, what would I do? (lengthy pause). One's business, one's pleasure. Erm, it would have to be captaining England. I'll stay loyal to the cricket. You might have added catch the biggest salmon ever to be caught as a third option. But, yes, the captaining an Ashes winning side gets the vote.

GOLF365: Thanks David.