JUDAS PRIEST Guitarist Talks Golf

Golf365 recently conducted an interview with JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing. An excerpt from the chat follows below.

Golf365: Is it true DEF LEPPARD got you into golf?

Downing: Yeah, kind of. They challenged us to a game of golf and we challenged them to tennis. That sort of got us back into golf, because I'd played before but after that we started playing on tour a lot. It made sense because we had the time. We'd get in a cab, me and Glenn (Tipton; fellow JUDAS PRIEST guitarist),didn't know where we were going, didn't care, we'd just ask the driver which was the best course in the area, he'd take us and we'd end up playing some great courses. One time we were in Denver and asked for the top course, ended up at Arrowhead. The memories of that course and to think I played there — it was a special place.

Golf365: You've been on tour in the States this summer. Did you get to play much?

Downing: Only twice — we played Harding Park and then in Florida. They were getting Harding Park ready for the Presidents Cup, putting the bleachers up behind the greens. It was nice but not specced up for a tournament then though. The greens were good but it's a public course and has a lot of traffic so they were full of pitch marks. It was like a leopard skin. You could tell it would scrub up nicely though.

Golf365: What have been the best courses you've played in the States then?

Downing: I think maybe Jack Nicklaus' Desert Highlands resort in Arizona. That was, like, wow! It was the first time I saw round tees as well which blew me away. But then I just love Arizona for golf. I've played plenty of other great places: Doral, LaCosta, Torrey Pines, Cherry Hills ...

Golf365: Pebble Beach?

Downing: No, never played Pebble Beach. Royal Quebec, Cog Hill. I tell you, for years that was the best I had played. It was like: "How come no one talks about Cog Hill?" This summer we stayed at Las Colinas where they play the Byron Nelson but I didn't get to play it. I've played there before. We always stay there actually, played there when Alice Cooper opened for us. I lived in Hawaii for a while and I played all the courses there including Waialae and Kapalua; I love Hawaiian golf. But even some of the no-name courses are great. You know, up in the north — Dakota, Idaho, getting up into those Canadian pines. The drama is fantastic. I reckon you can never build enough drama into a golf course.

Golf365: How do you find the differences between the U.S. and British golf?

Downing: Golf is much more welcoming in the States and I think that's where I got it from, my vision for this place. But then, whenever you are an entertainer in the States they love it. Over here they worry a bit about your reputation.

Golf365: Tell us about your early experiences of playing golf in the UK.

Downing: Well, golf's moved on a long way since I first thought about it. Coming from the Black Country, I know that it used to be a sport for people of a certain class. It wasn't that working class people didn't want to play because you'd see them knocking a ball around in the park. But where could they play? It reminds me of the way things are in Japan now. I don't know what the stats are but I've played there and I've felt guilty playing — yeah, guilty! It's something like 9 out of 10 Japanese golfers won't get to see a course!

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