Should you have a moment and a modicum of inclination, look up quotes about good taste on the internet machine.
Like LIV Golf, there are those for it and those against it.
“Simplicity, to me, has always been the essence of good taste,” Cary Grant, himself the essence of good taste, said.
Pablo Picasso, better with a paint brush than a 7-iron, said, “Ah, good taste! What a dreadful thing! Taste is the enemy of creativeness.”
The question of taste comes to mind because LIV Golf closed its first season last week at Trump National Doral, which has its own distinctive features on and off the golf course. That doesn’t make Doral much different than many other golf clubs and courses that revel in their uniqueness, but it does embrace a higher profile.
What stands out at Doral isn’t so much the menacing chopper parked in the lavish marble-floored, chandelier-draped hotel lobby – it was a gift from the American Chopper guys – and subtlety isn’t what they’re selling.
That’s not to be confused with the owner’s chopper, which has its own landing pad not far from the Blue Monster’s famous 18th hole.
The real eye-catcher is the massive water fountain-like structure located not far from the first tee at the tournament course. Set among palm trees and tropical vegetation, the fountain seems better suited to the Palace of Versailles than a south Florida golf resort.
A similar fountain – a cousin of sorts – greets visitors at Trump Turnberry in Scotland, and though it too is an impressive creation with its spitting water features, it fits its surroundings like brown shoes fit a tuxedo.
But golf clubs are quirky creations. The clubhouse at Abu Dhabi Golf Club is built in the shape of a falcon to honor the United Arab Emirates’ national bird. Castle Stuart in Scotland chose an Art Deco design for its clubhouse, which makes it unique to its ancient area. I know of a private club that’s so big it has its own Starbucks and fast-food outlets in the clubhouse.
Have you ever checked out some of the logos on golf shirts? In the U.K., they favor big, garish emblems the size of a Moon Pie, many of them looking like a coat of arms you might have seen on your grandparents’ wall.
Many of them try to be too cute with their designs. The simpler the logo, the better.
Or maybe that’s just personal taste. As they say, there’s no accounting for it.
Ron Green Jr.
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