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PACIFIC NORTHWEST
www.pacificnorthwestgolfer.com
110 years as
Guardians
of the Game
december 2009 King of the
Amateurs
Kent Myers is your man
Monster Munis
Risks and rewards
for city-owned courses
Winter Travel
To Mesquite and Thailand
and everywhere in between
Work in Progress
The ongoing process of forging a national
championship-ready layout at Chambers Bay
www.thepnga.org
| JULY 2009
|
1
Visit legendary Pebble Beach.
A premier invitation for PNGA members.
P EBBLE B EACH
G OLF ER’S PACKAGE
•
Stay two nights at The Inn at Spanish Bay
•
Play one round on Pebble Beach Golf Links,
host site of the 2010 U.S. Open
®
•
Play one round on The Links at Spanish Bay
Call for package details
Valid 11/22/09 through 3/31/10
Call (866) 993 -6931
NOW IS THE TIME TO EXPERIENCE
PEBBLE BEACH
— Ask for the PNGA member special —
www.pebblebeach.com
Pebble Beach Resorts invites golfers to play
in a variety of tournaments held throughout the year.
For more tournament information, call
(831) 625-8575 or visit www.pebblebeach.com.
P E B B L E B E AC H R E S O RT S
Host of the 2010 U.S. Open
®
®
To receive package rates, all golf must be secured at time of booking. Please
mention promo code PNGA2. Offer is subject to availability. Some blackout
dates and restrictions apply. Valid for new bookings only and parties of 8 or
fewer rooms. Pebble Beach , Pebble Beach Golf Links , Pebble Beach Resorts ,
The Lone Cypress , The Heritage Logo, and their respective underlying distinctive images are trademarks, service marks, and trade dress of Pebble Beach
Company. All rights reserved. 2010 U.S. Open is a trademark of the United States
Golf Association. Used by permission. Photos ©Joann Dost.
®
®
™
®
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DECEMBER 2009 | PACIFIC NORTHWEST GOLFER
®
Vol. 15 No. 5 • December 2009
W H A T ’ S
INSI D E
An official magazine of the Pacific Northwest Golf
Association, British Columbia Golf Association,
Idaho Golf Association, Oregon Golf Association,
Washington State Golf Association and the
Pacific Northwest Section PGA
EDITORIAL AND PRODUCTION STAFF
PUBLISHER
John M. Bodenhamer
ASSISTANT PUBLISHER
Troy Andrew
EDITOR
Tom Cade
ART DIRECTORMarilyn Esguerra
22
32
29 | Dawn of the
Uber Muni
Municipal courses
have come a long way
6 | PUBLISHER’S ESSAY
32 | Rules of the Game
Nick Taylor belongs
in a special group
Winter of our discontent
8 | Chip Shots
Highlights from around
the Northwest
16 | Long and
Winding Road
Chambers Bay prepares for spotlight
18 | WINTER GETAWAY
IN FULL SWING
35 | GOLF OREGON
Regional news
40 | GOLF British
Columbia
Regional news
44 | GOLF IDAHO
Regional news
50 | GOLF washington
Regional news
Las Vegas, Mesquite and Thailand
26 | Reign of the Amateur
Nobody was better
than Kent Myers
ON THE COVER
The now-iconic par-3
15th hole at Chambers Bay
University Place, Washington
Photo by Aidan Bradley
ADVERTISING SALES
SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
Lisa Lee
206.452.2976
[email protected]
OREGON & NEVADA Stein Swenson 541.318.5155
CALIFORNIA Tom Black 562.590.5143
BRITISH COLUMBIA Ray Bone 250.883.2772
PNGA COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE
Troy Andrew, PNGA/WSGA Assistant Executive Director, Federal
Way, Wash.; Spike Beeber, PNGA Director, Portland, Ore.; John
Bodenhamer, PNGA/WSGA CEO/Executive Director, Federal Way.;
Jim Durkin, IGA Executive Director, Boise, Idaho; Peter Fibiger,
Chairman, Victoria, BC; Kris Jonasson, BCGA Executive Director,
Richmond, BC; Amanda Malone, BCGA Director of Communications,
Richmond, BC; Margaret Maves, PNGA Club Representative, Portland,
Ore.; Paul Ramsdell, PNGA/WSGA Representative-at-Large, Gig
Harbor, Wash.; Cliff Shahbaz, PNGA President, Portland, Ore.; Marge
Thorgrimson, PNGA Women’s Division, Seattle, Wash.; Barbara Tracy,
WSGA Director, Woodinville, Wash.; Barbara Trammell, OGA CEO/
Executive Director, Woodburn, Ore.; Eric Yaillen, OGA Director of
Communications, Woodburn, Ore.; Tom Cade, PNGA/WSGA Manager
of Communications, Federal Way, Wash.
FUTURE PUBLISHING DATES
February 2010, May 2010, August 2010, November 2010
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Members in Oregon and Washington pay a $1 subscription fee.
All rights reserved, including reproduction in whole or in part in
any form. Material in this publication may not be reproduced in any
form without the expressed permission of the editor. Advertising
contained herein does not constitute endorsement by the Pacific
Northwest, British Columbia, Idaho, Oregon, Washington State golf
associations or PNWPGA.All editorial submissions are to be directed
to the editor. Editor assumes no responsibility for unsolicited
queries, manuscripts, photographs, graphics or other materials.
Editor reserves the right to edit letters to the editor and publish only
excerpts from letters received. Printed letters are not necessarily
the opinion of the PNGA, BCGA, IGA, OGA, WSGA or PNWPGA. The
publisher has made every effort to ensure the accuracy of the
material contained in this publication. However, as unpredictable
changes and errors do occur, the publisher can assume no liability
for errors, changes or omissions. Printed in U.S.
Pacific Northwest Golf Association
1010 S. 336th Street, Suite 310, Federal Way, WA 98003
(206) 526-1238; fax (206) 522-0281
e-mail: [email protected]
Pacific Northwest Golfer (USPS 014-029), (ISSN: #10877045)
is published quarterly by Pacific Northwest Golf Association at 1010
S. 336th Street, Suite 310, Federal Way, WA 98003.
4
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DECEMBER 2009 | PACIFIC NORTHWEST GOLFER
C HI P
SHOTS
Great player...good person
Over the years, I have
had the good fortune to
have played golf and become
acquainted with many fine
players. A few especially
stand out as fine human
beings whom I have followed
JOHN BODENHAMER
PUBLISHER
and admired as they have
enjoyed professional success.
Some from the Northwest that come to
mind are everybody’s favorites Fred Couples
and Peter Jacobsen. Don Bies is also one of the
classiest golfers I have ever known. From my
BYU golf team days, I have always placed Rick
Fehr and Dick Zokol in my “great player . . .
good person” club as well. More recently, Brian
Henninger, Jeff Gove and Ryan Moore are each
in the same category in my book. Not only are
these guys outstanding players, but are also
genuinely quality individuals who give back to
the game of golf and their communities.
On Saturday, November 28 I attended a
ceremony that saw University of Washington
golfer Nick Taylor, of Abbotsford, B.C.,
presented with the McCormack Medal. It is
presented by the venerable Royal & Ancient
Golf Club of St. Andrews, Scotland to the
world’s No. 1 ranked amateur golfer at the
conclusion of the amateur season. Nick could
have chosen a number of locations around
the globe to receive his sterling silver medal,
but it is telling that he chose the University of
Washington campus so he could receive it in
front of his Husky teammates and head coach
Matt Thurmond.
Long-time R&A member, Steve Sander,
who is also a member of Broadmoor Golf
Club in Seattle, was on hand to make the
presentation in front of dozens of Husky
golf fans at the new Husky Golf Center in
the Bank of America Arena (formerly Hec
Edmundson Pavilion). During the ceremony,
Steve explained the medal was made possible
through an endowment to the R&A from the
Mark H. McCormack family (former Seattle
Seahawks executive) to honor the world’s No.
1 ranked amateur each year.
The medal presentation was a
momentous occasion for a young man who
spent 21 consecutive weeks atop the world
rankings after contending in this year’s U.S.
Open after a second round 65 on the Bethpage
Black Course, winning the Sahalee Players
Championship, finishing as runner-up in the
U.S. Amateur Public Links, capturing a school
record four collegiate victories, culminating
with the PNGA Player of the Year Award and
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DECEMBER 2009 | PACIFIC NORTHWEST GOLFER
Photo copyright USGA
Nick could have chosen
a number of locations
around the globe to receive
his sterling silver medal,
but it is telling that he chose
the University of Washington
campus so he could receive
it in front of his Husky
teammates and head
coach Matt Thurmond.
NCAA First Team All-American honors. Nick
was quite humble in accepting this prestigious
honor and warmly and sincerely expressed his
gratitude to all around him.
After a few photos and politely spending
some time with fans and well-wishers who
wanted a glimpse of his medal, Nick dashed
away. As I was leaving myself, I briefly visited
with him again. By now, he had changed into
a pair of jeans and tennis shoes and was with
a handful of his teammates rushing off to
the Apple Cup Game (UW Huskies vs. WSU
Cougars). He turned to me with exuberance
and said, “I hope they (Huskies) win” and
thanked me again for attending his ceremony.
As Nick disappeared into a sea of purple
under gray, blustery skies and into Husky
Stadium to do what college kids are supposed
to do, I could not help but think that here was
another “great player and good person” for
the club.
Regardless of what success he enjoys in
a professional career, I for one will be there
pulling for Nick Taylor every step of the way.
Nick Taylor made it to the final match of the 2009 U.S.
Amateur Public Links championship. He finished runner-up.
At the medal
ceremony are
(left to right) UW
men’s golf coach
Matt Thurmond,
Nick Taylor, and
R&A member
Steve Sander.
Former PNGA Senior
Women’s champ passes
On November 27, 2009,
former PNGA Senior Women’s
Amateur champion, Carole
Holland of Seattle, Wash.,
passed away after a long
illness. She was 72.
Carole captured the 1992 PNGA Senior
Women’s Amateur Championship at
Astoria G&CC. She was a long-time member
of Meridian Valley CC in Kent (Wash.) and
Rainier G&CC in Seattle and a frequent
competitor in state and city amateur
championships.
A memorial service will be held at
Rainier G&CC in January of 2010, with the
specific date to be determined.
The PNGA extends its heartfelt
condolences to the entire Holland family.
Memorial contributions may be made to
the Evans Scholarship Program and sent
to the PNGA office at 1010 South 336th St.,
Suite 310, Federal Way, WA 98003.
C HI P
SHOTS
Nicklaus stoops to
conquer for American Lake
Jack Nicklaus tees up a ball for Jim Martinson at
a fundraising clinic for American Lake Veterans GC. From the “We couldn’t
pass this up” department
An anonymous (huh?)
inventor from Aurora, Colo.
has designed an accessory
that would enable the user to
tee up a golf ball quickly and
easily.
The “Tee It Up Caddy”
was developed to reduce
the physical strain involved
in teeing up a golf ball by
saving the user from having
to stretch and strain. The
inventor believes that this
could reduce the risk of injury
involved in golfing.
We are speechless.
There’s nothing quite like having the greatest golfer of the
20th century tee your ball up for you.
Jack Nicklaus did just that for double-amputee Jim Martinson
– and by doing so he had the gathered crowd in the palm of his
hands at a clinic he conducted in November at Bighorn Golf Club
in Palm Desert, Calif.
The clinic was a fundraiser for the American Lake Veterans
Golf Course in Lakewood, Wash. Nicklaus has donated the services
of his golf course design firm, Nicklaus Design, in laying out a
second nine holes at American Lake. The golf course is managed
completely by volunteers, and is a rehabilitation haven for wounded
veterans.
Martinson was one of three veterans from the Puget Sound
region who attended the clinic, along with Pepper Roberts,
president of Friends of American Lake Veterans GC, and Ken Still,
the Tacoma native who played on the 1969 Ryder Cup team with
Nicklaus. It was Still who made the call to Nicklaus, asking him to
conduct the clinic. The clinic was filmed by a crew from the Golf
Channel, with the piece airing on Thanksgiving Day.
Visit www.veterangolf.org for more information.
Northwest
openings
garner national
attention
Three of the top six
courses listed on Golfweek’s
2009 “Best New Courses” are
located in the Pacific Northwest
– four, if you count Tom Doak’s
No. 1 ranked Rock Creek Cattle
Company course, located in Deer
Lodge, Mont.
Coming in at No. 2 is the
John Harbottle-designed Palouse
Ridge GC, in Pullman, Wash.,
the new home course of the
Washington State University
men’s and women’s golf teams.
At No. 5 is Wine Valley GC in
Walla Walla, Wash., designed by
Portland-based Dan Hixson. And
at No. 6 is Tetherow, the David
McLay Kidd links design located
in Bend, Ore.
Others in the top-40 are
The Wilderness Club of Montana,
in Eureka, Mont., ranked No.
14; at No. 22 is The Idaho Club
in Sandpoint, Idaho, the Jack
Nicklaus design that’s become
a destination unto itself; and
at No. 40 is Black Bull GC, the
Tom Weiskopf design located in
Bozeman, Mont.
Above the 3rd hole at The Idaho Club
in Sandpoint, Idaho.
Photo by Joann Dost
The par-3 6th hole
at Palouse Ridge GC.
Photo by Rob Perry
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DECEMBER 2009 | PACIFIC NORTHWEST GOLFER
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C HI P
SHOTS
Ryan Benzel (left) and Brian Whitcomb hold the
PGA Cup trophy above Loch Lomond in Scotland.
Photo courtesy PGA of America
Whitcomb and Benzel lead PGA Cup victory
At the 24th annual PGA Cup, held this fall at Loch Lomond in Scotland, Ryan Benzel of
Battle Creek GC in Tulalip, Wash. led a team of PGA golf professionals to victory in the biennial
Ryder Cup-style matches against a team of club professionals from Great Britain & Ireland.
This is the second appearance for Benzel on a PGA Cup team. In 2007, he scored the
decisive half point in leading the U.S. team to victory.
Captaining the U.S. team was Brian Whitcomb of Lost Tracks GC in Bend, Ore. Whitcomb is
the Honorary President of The PGA of America (and the immediate Past President).
Visit www.pgacup.com for more information.
Three NW’ers earn Tour cards via Nationwide Tour
By finishing the 2009 season within the top-25 on the Nationwide Tour’s money list, three
Northwest players earned their PGA Tour card for 2010.
Service
Alex Prugh, of Spokane, Wash., won the Michael Hill New Zealand Open and had nine top-25
finishes during the ’09 season. He played for the University of Washington from 2004-07. He’ll be a
Prugh
rookie on the PGA Tour in 2010.
Jeff Gove, of Bothell, Wash., had six top-10 finishes during 2009, and set two course records during
the Nationwide Tour season. Gove previously played on the PGA Tour in 2006 and 2007.
The biggest, and best, surprise is Chris Baryla of Vernon, BC. A back injury had kept Baryla off the golf course for
most of 2008, and he didn’t play his first tournament of 2009 until May, when he Monday-qualified his way into the
Nationwide Tour’s Rex Hospital Open, where he promptly tied for fourth in the tournament, which exempted him into
the next week’s tournament, and he never looked back. He won the Chattanooga Classic and had a top-10 at the RBC
Canadian Open (PGA Tour).
Tolbert Receives PGA Section’s
highest honor
Gordon Tolbert of Oregon City, Ore. has been
named the 2009 Pacific Northwest Section Golf
Professional of the Year. Tolbert is a 13-year
member of the PGA and is the owner of Total Golf
Management Services.
Tolbert is currently one of ten directors that make up the
Board of Directors for the Pacific Northwest Section PGA. He is
also the Oregon Chapter PGA President. This is Tolbert’s first time
receiving the award, which is the highest honor paid to a PGA
Professional.
Other Pacific Northwest Section PGA awards handed out
were: Teacher of the Year, Bruce Furman, Pumpkin Ridge GC, North
Plains, Ore.; Junior Golf Leader, Todd O’Neal, Orchard Hills CC,
Washougal, Wash.; Bill Strausbaugh Award, Bryan Tunstill, Columbia
Edgewater CC, Portland, Ore.; Horton Smith Award, Scott Smith,
Olympia C&GC, Olympia, Wash; Sterling Cut Glass Player of the Year,
Ryan Benzel, Battle Creek GC, Tulalip, Wash.
Baryla
Gove
Rosholt enters PNWPGA Hall of Fame
The Pacific Northwest Section of the PGA of America
announced the selection of William “Bill” Rosholt, PGA
of La Grande, Ore. as the 47th member of the Pacific
Northwest Section PGA Hall of Fame.
Rosholt was instrumental in chapter, section and
national affairs, serving as the Pacific Northwest Section
President from 1994-1998 and as a National Director of the PGA
of America from 2001-2004. Bill began his service to the Pacific
Northwest Section PGA as a member of the Tournament Rules
Committee and was the Chairman of the committee from 1988-1994.
He was also President of the Central Washington Chapter of the
Pacific Northwest Section from 1990-1994.
Rosholt published several articles called “Rules by Rosholt” in the
Pacific Northwest Section PGA ForeWord Press and chronicled a short
story about Lewiston (Idaho) High School’s first state golf championship
that is published in “A Spirit of Golf” by JMC Publishing.
Rosholt was born and raised in Lewiston, Idaho. Along with
his wife Sondra, he has called La Grande home since 1981. Bill is
currently Union County’s (Ore.) Director of Golf Promotions and
Economic Development.
Smith honored with NWGMA award
Craig Smith (right) receives
his Distinguished Service
Award from NWGMA
President Guy Generaux.
10
|
DECEMBER 2009 | PACIFIC NORTHWEST GOLFER
Known to readers of the Seattle Times
as “Sideline Smitty,” Craig Smith received
the Northwest Golf Media Association’s
Distinguished Service Award during the
organization’s end of season banquet at
Seattle’s Sand Point Country Club. Given each
year to an individual in the media who has
promoted the game in the Pacific Northwest,
the award is voted on by the NWGMA’s more
than 100 members.
Smith was born in Seattle and attended
Bothell High School and the University of
Washington. Before retiring last December, he
penned a popular high school sports column, as
well as reported on golf.
The 64-year-old’s career began as editor
of the UW Daily. After graduating in 1967, he
worked for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
in Alaska before moving on to the Associated
Press, Seattle P-I, Charleston Gazette in West
Virginia and Northshore Citizen in Bothell.
A former caddie at Inglewood CC in
Kenmore, Wash., Smith remembers shooting 142
the first time he played. He now shoots in the
high 80s.
Previous recipients of the award are Doug
McArthur (2000), Dale Johnson (2001), Margaret
Maves (2002), Bruce King (2003), Bob Robinson
(2004), Blaine Newnham (2005), Bill Yeend (2006),
Jeff Shelley (2007), and Paul Ramsdell (2008).
The Pacific Northwest Golf Association recently announced their 2009 Player of the Year
recipients. The 2009 winners include Nick Taylor of Abbottsford, B.C. who received the Men’s
award; Sue Kim of Langley, B.C. received the Women’s award; Patrick O’Donnell of Clackamas,
Ore. received the Senior Men’s award; Jackie Little of Port Alberni, B.C. received the Senior
Women’s award; Zach Wanderscheid of Goldendale, Wash. received the Junior Boys’ award;
and Erynne Lee of Silverdale, Wash. received the Junior Girls’ award.
Nick Taylor, who was also named Player of the Year in 2008,
picked up right where he left off and continued to impress in 2009, marking
one of the most extraordinary men’s amateur seasons by a Northwest player
in recent memory. Taylor won five NCAA tournaments, finished runner-up
in both the NCAA West Regional and Pac-10 Championship, finished 9th
overall in the NCAA Championship, and received both NCAA First Team
All-American and Pac-10 co-Player of the Year honors while playing for the
Taylor
University of Washington. The season was just getting started when his college
season ended. Taylor would go on to win the prestigious Sahalee Players Championship, finish
runner-up at the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship, finish 3rd in the Canadian Men’s
Amateur, and place 36th at the U.S. Open at Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale, NY, receiving
the medal for Low Amateur. Taylor spent 21 weeks as the Royal and Ancient’s No. 1 ranked
amateur golfer in the world.
Sue Kim has been awarded the Women’s Player of the Year honor for
her remarkable success this year. Kim’s accomplishments include winning the
gold medal at the Canada Summer Games, finishing runner-up at both the
Royale Cup Canadian Women’s Amateur and Canadian National Women’s
Tour Quebec, a 3rd place finish at the B.C. Women’s Amateur, a 4th place
finish at the Canadian National Future Links Pacific Championship, and a very
impressive round of 64 finish at the Ladies British Amateur Championship.
Kim
Patrick O’Donnell solidified his Senior Player of the Year honor
with a most impressive 2009 season. His accomplishments include winning the
Oregon Senior Stroke Play Championship, a runner-up finish at the Oregon
Senior Open, and reaching the quarterfinals of the Oregon Senior Amateur.
O’Donnell’s most remarkable finish this year was advancing all the way to the
round of 16 at the U.S. Senior Amateur Championship at Beverly Country
Club in Chicago, Ill.
O’Donnell
Jackie Little, also a 2008 Player of the Year recipient, made
another strong statement in the senior ranks during her incredible 2009 season
in which she won five championships – the Royale Cup National Women’s
Senior Amateur, PNGA Senior Women’s Amateur, Alberta Senior Women’s
Amateur, and the B.C. Zone 6 Women’s and Senior Women’s Amateur.. Little
also finished runner-up at the B.C. Women’s Mid-Amateur, 4th at the B.C.
Senior Women’s Amateur, and had an impressive finish at the U.S. Senior
Little
Women’s Amateur making it to the round of 32.
Zach Wanderscheid had a remarkable summer, starting his
season with medalist honors at the U.S. Open Local qualifier held at The Home
Course in DuPont, Wash. He would go on to have impressive showings at
the PNGA Men’s Amateur, making the round of 32, and finishing runner-up
at the Washington Junior Golf State Championship. Wanderscheid finished
the season by winning the PNGA Junior Boys’ Amateur Championship at the
University of Idaho Golf Course in Moscow, Idaho.
Wanderscheid
Now a 16-year-old, Erynne Lee had another fantastic season and is very
deserving of her second consecutive PNGA Junior Girls’ Player of the Year award.
Lee made the Round of 16 at the 2009 U.S. Women’s Amateur and the Round
of 32 at the U.S. Junior Girls’ Championship. Her AJGA finishes were equally
impressive, winning the Kathy Whitworth Invite, finishing runner-up at the
Junior at the Traditions, 3rd at the Stockton Junior Classic, and 8th at the PING
Invitational. Lee also had a 7th place finish at the Junior PGA Championship and
Lee
was recently named a second team Rolex Junior All-American.
The PNGA Player of the Year candidates are nominated by the various state and
provincial golf associations that comprise the PNGA (Alaska, Alberta, British Columbia,
Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington), and are selected by a vote of the PNGA
Championship Committee and members of the Northwest Golf Media Association.
Photo by Eric Yaillen/OGA
PNGA 2009 Players of the Year
OGA Player of the Year Jim Dunlap on the bag for Christina
Kim during the LPGA’s Safeway Classic at Pumpkin Ridge GC.
Dunlap loops for Kim
At the LPGA’s Safeway Classic, being
held for the first time at Pumpkin Ridge GC
in North Plains, Ore. (after moving from its
longtime home at Columbia-Edgewater),
Christina Kim was in search of a caddie at
the start of the week and inquired in the
pro shop to see if they knew of a qualified
person. They called Jim Dunlap, the current
OGA Player of the Year, and asked if he’d be
interested. When told it was Kim he said
he’d call back in five minutes after checking
to see if he could clear his business
calendar.
He called back in four minutes, saying yes.
Dunlap showed up wearing
fluorescent-green tennis shoes – was he in
danger of upstaging the colorful Kim? The
club had tried to get him to change into
something “more appropriate”, but Kim
interjected. “Don’t listen to them….the
more colorful the better.” Quintessential
Kim.
Kim doesn’t ask much of her caddies.
She doesn’t want yardages or club
selections. She doesn’t want help reading
greens. But they do talk a lot. “I want to
know what he had for dinner,” said Kim,
who also liked that “he’s pleasant on the
eyes.” She wants to talk about anything
but golf to keep her calm and loose.
As a player, Dunlap describes himself
as someone who analyzes everything. So
he was intrigued by Kim’s loose approach.
“In the practice round I wasn’t sure what
to expect come tournament time,” he
said. “But she was just as loose in the
tournament as she was then. But when it’s
her turn to hit, she’s all business.”
He also mentioned that he has learned
a lot from watching the women, from their
tempo to their ability to hit pretty much
every club in their bag for any shot. “I never
knew what club to pull until she told me.”
For a complete transcript of this blog
written by OGA Director of Communications
Eric Yaillen, visit www.oga.org.
www.thepnga.org
| DECEMBER 2009
|
11
C HI P
PEOPLE IN THE NEWS
SHOTS
Four players enter
Golf Hall of Fame of BC
There is only one category of entry into the Golf Hall of
Fame of BC – that of a player. And these four new members are
definitely players.
Richard (Dick) Zokol
Zokol won the Morocco International Amateur in 1980 and
the Canadian Amateur in 1981. He was a member of the Canadian
World Amateur and BC Willingdon Cup Teams in 1980 and in 1981
was the captain of the NCAA Championship team from Brigham
Young University. In 1982 Dick also won the BC Open and in 1984
won the Utah State Open.
On the PGA Tour, Zokol won the Milwaukee Open and the
Deposit Guaranty Open in 1992, along with winning the Canadian
PGA Championship in 2001.
Zokol has long been associated with the Marine Drive Golf Club
in Vancouver, BC, as well as the new Sagebrush Golf and Sporting
Club just outside Merritt, BC, which he designed and built.
Left to right are Steve Berry, Alison Murdoch, Jackie Little and Dick Zokol.
Johnson gets Big Break
Photo courtesy Golf Channel/Mark Ashman
Early last summer, Portland’s Vincent Johnson received a
message on his cell phone – it was the Golf Channel calling,
asking him to compete in the upcoming Big Break Disney Golf, the
network’s next edition of its popular series.
“That was kind of a surreal moment,
getting that message,” said Johnson. “I had
to listen to it a few times.”
Three weeks later he was in Orlando,
taping the first episode. No audition, no
waiting, no nothing. Just boom, you’re in.
“They knew that I had competed in
the PGA Tour’s Northern Trust Open
at Riviera (in Los Angeles) earlier in the
year,” he said. “I guess I fit the mold of
what they were looking for.”
To play in the Northern Trust Open,
Johnson had received the first Charlie
Sifford Exemption, which will be awarded
annually to any player who advances
diversity and demonstrates both high
Vincent Johnson on
character and ability. In 1961, Charlie
the set of Big Break
Disney Golf.
Sifford was the first African-American to
join the PGA Tour.
Johnson grew up on Portland’s
Glendoveer Golf Course, where his father works as a mechanic.
He graduated in three years from Oregon State University, where
he was captain and MVP of the golf team.
Johnson spent two weeks in July in Orlando taping the
series, which has been airing this fall. He made it through several
eliminations before falling short of the final competition. “It’s
cool to watch it now on TV, though, to see how they edit it all
together.”
Johnson works with swing coach Brian Henninger, Oregon’s
own mentor and former PGA Tour player who is well known for
his contributions to the game.
Coming up short in the first stage of this fall’s PGA Q-School,
Johnson will head south to play on the Gateway Tour. He has a
blog on his experiences playing on the Big Break: www.oga.org.
12
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DECEMBER 2009 | PACIFIC NORTHWEST GOLFER
Alison Murdoch
Murdoch won the Canadian Senior Championship in
2002, ’04, ’05 and in ’07. Three times she won the Irish Senior
Championship (2004, ’05, ’07) and added a British Senior
Championship in 2007. She is believed to be the only woman
from British Columbia to win on the international stage.
In 2005 Alison won the PNGA Women’s Senior Amateur and
followed that in 2006 by winning the PNGA Women’s Mid-Amateur,
which she also won in 2008. She won the BC Women’s Senior in 2005
and again in 2009. She has been a BCGA Team member in the PNGA
Cup matches all four years the competition has existed (2006-2009)
Murdoch was the 2007 PNGA Women’s Player of the Year. She plays
out of the Victoria Golf Club on Vancouver Island.
Jackie Little
A recent runaway victory in the 2009 Canadian Senior Women’s
Championship demonstrated clearly that Jackie is not finished
winning. Jackie won the BC Women’s Amateur in 1992 after
finishing second in 1989. She won it again in 1993 and followed that
with wins in 2000, ’01 and ’03.
She won the BC Women’s Mid-Amateur in three successive
years (2006-08) and then finished second in 2009. In 2007 she won
the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur.
In 2008, her first year of senior eligibility, she won the BC
Senior Women’s Championship, the PNGA Women’s Senior
Amateur and the Canadian Senior Championship as well, and then
successfully defended her Canadian Championship in 2009.
On Vancouver Island, Jackie plays out of The Hollies Golf
Course in Port Alberni (which she and husband Pat own) as well
as the Alberni Golf Club and the Vernon Golf & Country Club.
Little has won the PNGA Senior Women’s Player of the Year the
past two years.
Steve Berry
In 1972 Berry was crowned the BC Junior Champion and
finished second in the BCGA Junior Invitational in 1979. He then
won the BC Amateur Championship in 1981, and was runner up in
1987 and 1991.
In 1985 and 1986 he won the BCGA Invitational and finished
second in 1979.
Steve also won the BC Mid-Amateur in 1994 and again in 1997.
In 1979 he won the Vancouver City Match Play and in 1983 he
won the prestigious Vancouver City and District Championship.
Berry is a member of the Glen Meadows Golf and Country Club in
Sidney, BC.
For a complete list of player accomplishments, call 604.222.4653
or visit www.bcgolfmuseum.org.
Bill wright has his day
In 1959, Bill Wright won the U.S. Amateur Public Links championship,
becoming the first African-American to win a national USGA title. Wright, who
at the time played out of Seattle’s Jefferson Park GC and now gives lessons at a
course in Los Angeles, came back to Jefferson this fall and October 10, 2009 was
officially declared “Bill Wright Day.”
Wright gave a clinic for the kids from The First Tee of Greater Seattle and
the Fir State Junior Golf Foundation, among the other 250 attendees.
Bill Wright gives a clinic during
the “Bill Wright Day” ceremonies.
Palm Springs Amateur
AMATEUR
2010
Open to everyone, the first annual
Palm Springs Amateur has it figured out
– hold the event in the desert on premier
courses during the prime time of January,
when the weather is perfect (and when it’s
not-so-perfect in the Northwest).
Being held January 7-10, 2010 at the
world famous PGA WEST and La Quinta
Resort & Club courses, the event will
attract golfers from throughout the western
U.S. and Canada, with each golfer playing
three days of stroke play on three different
courses and flight winners advancing to
a championship round. In addition to
flight-winner prizes, the overall winner will
receive a grand prize and their name will be
placed on the event’s trophy to be kept in
the PGA WEST clubhouse.
The field for this first year will be
limited to the first 330 players. Registration
is available online at www.palmspringsam.
com, or call 206.818.4653 for information.
www.thepnga.org
| DECEMBER 2009
|
13
C HI P
SHOTS
Holiday
Gift Box
Other than a lump of
coal, a few of these items
might work well as a gift
this season…
Lepp steps into shoe market
James Lepp, the Abbotsford, BC native and former All-American
at the University of Washington who won the individual title at the 2005
NCAA Championship, has stepped away from competitive golf and is
now president of Kikkor Golf. He founded the company in September
2008 in his native British Columbia, and his products – shoes, shirts and
hats – will be available in Spring 2010.
Lepp says he left tournament golf because he just wasn’t playing
well. In an interview with Golfweek magazine, he said, after having his
golf game diminish despite the constant practicing, “I started practicing
less and my passion for the game nosedived. So, it’s not like I’m leaving
my passion, per se, to start this business venture. My passion is just in
different places.”
Lepp plans to expand the line to pants, shorts, sweaters and
belts, as well as add a women’s line.
Around the World in 80 Rounds
Get a personalized, autographed
copy of “Around the World in 80
Rounds” by David Wood for you or
the golfer (or golfers!) in your life!
PNGA MEMBER SPECIAL:
two autographed copies for $40
(shipping/handling included). Single
copies are $25.
Read about David’s humorous,
insightful, inspiring, and laughout-loud funny around-the-world
adventure. David ventures from
the southernmost tip of South
America to the very top of Norway,
and everywhere in between. Along
the way he plays the world’s
most extreme golf courses: the
northernmost, the southernmost,
the highest, the driest, the hottest,
and every strange locale he can
find. But this isn’t a book just about
golf. It’s about travel, and risks, and
leaving your comfort zone to pursue
your dreams.
“Around the World in 80 Rounds”
is published in hardback by St.
Martin’s Press. To order your books,
email David@DavidWoodspeaking.
com or call 206-938-7786.
Better Recreational Golf
(Owings-Lemoine Publishers - $14.95)
As a retired policy analyst for
the Oregon Educational system, Bob
Jones has a life-long habit of needing
to know how things work. In golf,
that can be a bad thing – or, it can be
a good thing.
“I’m an analytical guy,” says
Jones. “If something isn’t working,
I want to know why. Or, if it is
working, how can I improve it.”
Jones, who grew up in Portland,
entered the Navy and saw a bit of
the world before returning to Salem,
Ore. to settle down.
“I got busy with life – work,
marriage, family. I didn’t have time
to work on my golf game.”
So when he retired, he wrote an
instructional book for those with the
same problem. The book’s subtitle is,
“Improve your game in the time you
have.”
“They are very simple tips that
you can do in your backyard, or the
office. Things that don’t take too
much time or space,” said Jones.
He’s had the instruction vetted
by several PGA golf professionals.
Chapters of the book can be viewed
at www.bettergolfbook.com.
Winter shoes for the winter blues
Little did Rod Boast know that when he
decided to give his feet a treat for winter golf in
the Pacific Northwest it would be the start of
something big.
Boast had been living in Montana where he
owned the Grizzly Boot Company for
20 years. When he moved to Oregon
in 1989 to work for the Danner Boot
Company, he enjoyed the mild winters
because he could play golf nearly year
round, but he also preferred keeping
his feet dry. So he started tinkering.
“I’ve been in the shoe business
all my life,” he says. “I
figured there had to be a
way to do this.”
There was.
He created a 14-inch
tall
rubber boot with a fleece lining for himself. And
soon found out others were interested in what
he was wearing.
14
|
DECEMBER 2009 | PACIFIC NORTHWEST GOLFER
Fifteen years ago he started Oregon
Mudders, a shoe company devoted completely
to keeping your feet dry on the Northwest’s
winter fairways. Along with the taller boot, he
also created a lightweight hiking-style boot. The
first boots created weighed six pounds,
while the current models weigh less
than three pounds and are as warm
and waterproof as ever.
The shoes and boots are sold
throughout the Pacific Northwest,
Northern California and Canada.
Almost half the region’s golf shops now
carry Boast’s mudders. “We’re also
popular in England,” said Boast with
a smile. “I guess they have the same
problem we do.”
Boast and his business partner Steve
Hopkins market the boots starting at $84.95 and
sell them at golf shops around the Northwest as
well as online at www.oregonmudders.com.
Holiday Pack
on Sale Now!
Tickets to the U.S. Senior
Open make a great gift for the
sports fan on your shopping
list. The Holiday Pack includes
4 tickets to the Championship,
a commemorative program, and
free parking.
Package value: $185,
Your Price: $135. Buy now at
www.2010ussenioropen.com.
ENTER TO WIN
A foursome of golf
including carts
and one-night stay
at the renowned
Marcus Whitman
CLICK HERE
It’s best to unwind before wine.
Wine Valley Golf Club, in the heart of Walla Walla Wine Country.
Wine Valley has been ranked 5th best new course by Golfweek. Set in the shadow
of the Blue Mountains on the rolling plains of southeastern Washington, the course at
Wine Valley plays as an inland links, with dramatic bunkering and multiple lines of play.
Wine Valley Golf Club is located in historic Walla Walla, Washington.
Enjoy more than 100 wineries, restaurants and boutiques.
Reserve a tee-time today and discover the unique Wine Valley Golf Club.
Visit winevalleygolfclub.com or call (877)333-9842.
WineValleyGolfClub.com
www.thepnga.org
| DECEMBER 2009
|
15
ON
THE
C OVER
Photo courtesy Chambers Bay
Grass is now growing
on the remodeled
4th green at Chambers Bay.
A worthwhile journey
of a thousand miles
by Blaine Newnham
They are now into the dirty work at
Chambers Bay, removing scotch broom,
defining the edges of hazards, seeding the
dunes with a new batch of wispy fescue.
Preparation is not only for the
U.S. Amateur – our country’s oldest golf
championship – next August, but for the
U.S. Open five years after that.
It is difficult, but not as difficult as
a lot of folks imagined, especially those
spreading word that the Open would be
moved elsewhere because there would be
no clubhouse.
Or because the greens were so slow
and so coarse that the USGA couldn’t
possibly permit their prized championships
to be held there.
Or because Pierce County was losing
so much money on the $20 million project
in University Place near Tacoma that they
couldn’t afford the necessary preparation.
The final word here is the United
States Golf Association. Mike Davis, who
16
|
DECEMBER 2009 | PACIFIC NORTHWEST GOLFER
These are not your Daddy’s tee boxes
With the number of options in the way each hole can be set up on different
days, the “teeing grounds” at Chambers Bay are a major reason the U.S. Amateur
and U.S. Open will be played like no other championships before them.
sets up both championships for the USGA,
said this year that he had never been more
excited about the creative possibilities of a
championship course.
“For me,” he said, “it is like being a kid
in a candy store.”
Davis has options, especially after
the construction this year of eight new tee
boxes, a new green on the fourth hole, a
deeper fairway bunker in the middle of the
14th hole and a wider one hamstringing the
tee shot on the 18th.
He can set up No. 1 as a par-5 or a
par-4, and the same with the adjoining
18th. The 5th can use a drivable green amid
the waste left of the fairway, or the all-youcan-hit conventional green. The post-card
15th can play as a cute little 170-yard
downhill par-3 that sits in front of Puget
Sound and the course’s one tree, or a 240yard monster from the new tee built on the
others side of the 12th fairway.
The question about Chambers Bay,
especially for the paying customers, has
Photo by Aidan Bradley
With every small step, the sleeves have been rolled up as Chambers Bay
gets to work in preparing to host a couple of national championships
been about its rolling greens which debuted
on the thin, slow side, as fescue greens do.
“I have no concerns about the course
being ready for the Amateur, absolutely
none,” said Larry Gilhuly, the director of
the USGA’s Northwest Green section. “The
greens are fabulous.”
They weren’t fabulous when the course
opened. Fescue greens never are. They might
have registered seven on the Stimpmeter,
and in any event were a poor comparison to
other high-priced traditional courses.
“They’ve done a great job with them,”
said Gilhuly. “They will roll near 11 (on
the Stimpmeter), and with the contours out
there that will be more than enough.’’
Davis agreed.
“Bandon Dunes proved you can have
quality, championship greens with fescue
grasses,” he said. “Chambers Bay will be fine.”
Gilhuly has pored over the course.
His inspection has been meticulous,
even assuring the USGA that the areas
surrounding the massive greens match the
firmness of the greens themselves.
That, in essence, is what links golf
is all about, which will make the Open at
Chambers Bay different than any other Open
ever held.
As they say, it is not where the ball
lands (as it is at other U.S. Open courses) but
where it ends up. Craftsmanship can replace
power. Hard surfaces were one reason Tom
Watson could compete so well in last year’s
British Open.
Fescue thrives only in temperate
marine climates – the British Isles being one,
the Pacific Northwest another.
While providing a smooth, firm
surface, fescue doesn’t handle heat and cold
particularly well, nor does it handle lots of
traffic. Chambers Bay walks a delicate line
of not having enough play to pay its bills, or
having too much and damaging its surfaces.
The concern for the Amateur is to make the
course a different but quality examination of
golf. Surely, at something over 7,600 yards, it
will be the longest in Amateur history, if not
playing the longest.
For its part, the USGA is spending $5
million to make necessary preparations for
its two championships. Serious money was
spent rebuilding the 4th green, as well as the
development of a new practice area.
Despite the poor economy, Chambers
Bay, while doing fewer rounds than it had
planned, is still operating in the black.
Photo by Aidan Bradley
As they say, it is not where the ball lands (as it is
at other U.S. Open courses) but where it ends up.
Craftsmanship can replace power. Hard surfaces
were one reason Tom Watson could compete so
well in last year’s British Open.
“We’ve made money,” said Matt Allen,
the general manager, “just not enough to
pay 100 percent of the debt service ($1.4
million annually).”
The money from the USGA has helped
make payments. Pierce County officials
hope that a improvement in the economy
and publicity that comes from hosting the
Am and the Open will get the course back
on track.
“Chambers Bay has been caught up in
the same economic conditions as the rest of
the entertainment and hospitality industry,”
said Tony Tipton, the project manager for
the county. “Rounds and revenue are down in
2009 by about 17% when compared to 2008.”
Tipton tried to put the events in
some perspective. He said officials from
KemperSports, which manages not only
Chambers Bay but Bandon Dunes in
Oregon, said results here are comparable to
their other premium courses.
“We’re up this fall over the play we had
in 2007,” said Allen, “and that’s encouraging.”
In fact, Chambers Bay by the end of the
fall was only five percent off projections and
15 percent ahead of 2007.
The county is trying to attract private
development of a new clubhouse at
Chambers Bay. The process is a slow one.
“The contract with the USGA does not
require that we have a permanent clubhouse,”
said Allen. “In most cases, the clubhouse for
an Open is too small to be of much value.
Temporary buildings are used.”
The USGA veered from its norm in
picking Chambers Bay. It wanted to be
in the Northwest for the first time and it
wanted to play a championship on hard,
firm fescue grasses.
The 2010 U.S. Amateur will be the first
test of many.
Blaine Newnham is the former sports
editor for the Seattle Times. He’s covered golf ’s
major championships, and has been following
the progress of Chambers Bay since the first
shovel of dirt was turned.
www.thepnga.org
| DECEMBER 2009
|
17
W INTER
GET A W A Y S
The 9th hole at Angel Park’s
Mountain Course sits next to the
Suncoast Hotel & Casino.
Viva Vegas Golf Values!
Suncoast Hotel & Casino, Angel Park
Golf Club and Badlands Golf Club
team up for great Vegas Golf Trifecta
THE DETAILS
Suncoast Hotel and Casino
866.636.7111
www.suncoastcasino.com
Golf Getaway Package Starts at just $69*
double occupancy and includes:
• Overnight accommodations (double
occupancy) at the Suncoast Hotel & Casino
• Choice of one round of golf on either Angel
Park Golf Club (the Arnold Palmer-designed
Mountain or Palm Course) or the Johnny
Miller-designed Badlands Golf Club.
• Scheduled shuttle service to and from the
Las Vegas McCarran International Airport
and the Las Vegas Strip, a complimentary
service that is not commonly found
amongst Las Vegas hotels.
Angel Park Golf Club
888-4-GOLF-LV (888.446.5358)
www.angelpark.com
• 18-hole Arnold Palmer-designed Palm Course
• 18-hole Arnold Palmer-designed Mountain
Course
• Cloud Nine Short Course & World’s
Original Putting Course
• “Best of Las Vegas” – Las Vegas Review
Journal
Badlands Golf Club
702.355.7878
www.badlandsgc.com
• 18 holes designed by Johnny Miller “Best
Desert Course in Las Vegas” (2006) – Vegas
Golfer magazine
*$69 package price is based on double occupancy
and is available during non-peak periods. Package
prices start at just $96 during prime seasons and
is based on a space available basis. For details of
a custom package, call 866.636.7111 or visit www.
suncoastcasino.com.
18
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DECEMBER 2009 | PACIFIC NORTHWEST GOLFER
Photo courtesy Angel Park
For those who have been sitting on
the sidelines waiting for the right time to
take that Vegas Golf Vacation you’ve always
dreamed of – well, now is the time.
Suncoast Hotel and Casino, Angel Park Golf
Club and Badlands Golf Club have teamed up to
offer one of the best Vegas Golf Vacation values
to come along in some time. Both courses are
just steps away from the hotel, offering two golf
options in a convenient location.
Destination Suncoast
Your base camp for this great Vegas golf
vacation is the Suncoast Hotel & Casino. Located
in the swanky Vegas suburb of Summerlin, the
Suncoast is conveniently located right between
Angel Park and The Badlands. This Vegas favorite
has 388 deluxe guest rooms, and 39 lavish guest
suites ranging from 1,100 to 2,300 square feet.
The entire 10th floor of the hotel tower contains
only guest suites. All rooms have full-length
windows that offer breathtaking views of the
surrounding vistas and even the golf courses.
But before you get to golf you’ll need to
check out the great amenities at the Suncoast
which include an amazing freestyle heated
swimming pool and hot tub area, a 24/7 fitness
center, Jen’s Salon De Beauté, and even a 64-lane
Brunswick equipped Bowling Center that is also
open 24 hours a day.
After golf, be sure to take in some Vegas
gaming action. The Suncoast has over 80,000
square feet of casino space featuring the best
games a Las Vegas casino can offer, including
37 table games featuring Blackjack, Roulette,
Baccarat, Craps and Pai Gow Poker.
So, casino action by night and Vegas golf
by day combines two of your favorites and this
stunning package gives you the choice of playing
two spectacular golf facilities (or both for twonight stays and beyond)!
Angel Park – Las Vegas’ most
complete golf experience
Golfers in this package can choose to tee it up
on either of Angel Park’s award winning courses,
both of which were designed by the legendary
Arnold Palmer – Palm Course and Mountain
Course. Both have garnered accolades over the
years, including “Best Public Golf Course in Las
Vegas” in the Las Vegas Review Journal’s Reader’s
Poll 14 out of the past 15 years.
The Angel Park golf experience is rounded
out by the 12-hole Cloud Nine Short Course
(featuring holes with similar shot values to some
of the world’s famous holes, including the Island
Green at Sawgrass, Riviera hole, Valley of Sin and
more), a 9-hole natural grass putting course and
a fully equipped practice facility, all of which are
lighted for evening play.
Battle the Badlands
Tee it up at the Johnny Miller gem, The
Badlands Golf Club, which features 27 holes of
desert beauty set against majestic Red Rock
canyons, and featuring deep-flowing arroyos,
canyons and natural washes surrounding this
desert treasure.
Known for dramatic desert vistas and scenic
views of the Las Vegas valley, the Badlands has
been honored as the “Best Desert Course in Las
Vegas” (2006) by Vegas Golfer magazine and
has been ranked in the “Top 10 Best Courses in
Nevada” by Golf Digest in 1997 and 1999.
The Badlands has three distinct nines that
combine to create a unique and memorable golf
experiences that defines Las Vegas golf.
Enjoy the best Las Vegas has to offer at the Suncoast Hotel
& Casino with our “Stay & Play” golf packages.
Rates start at $69 per person based on double occupancy
and include:
• Overnight accommodations for two at the award
winning Suncoast Hotel & Casino
• One round of golf per person at Badlands Golf Club or
Angel Park Golf Club, Arnold Palmer designed
• Scheduled shuttle service to and from Las Vegas
McCarran International Airport and the Las Vegas Strip
• Transportation provided to and from Golf Courses
(Golf Courses are within walking distance).
* Rates from $99 January 1–March 31, 2010; October 1 – November 25, 2010; December 20 – December 31, 2010.
Rates from $69 June 1 – September 30, 2010 and November 26 – December 19, 2010.
SUNCOAST
Customized golf packages available,
book online at: SuncoastCasino.com
or call 1-866-636-7111
Las Vegas • SuncoastCasino.com
www.thepnga.org
| DECEMBER 2009
|
19
W INTER
GET A W A Y S
20
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The Championship Course at Sand
Hollow Resort offers some of the
most stunning views in the Golf
Mesquite Nevada area as well as
tour-quality conditions and service.
Photos courtesy Golf Mesquite Nevada
Winter
Golf
in mesquite, Nevada
Don’t put those clubs away yet!
Golf Mesquite Nevada has a full
menu of championship courses and
comfortable resorts waiting to help
satisfy your winter urge to golf! The Jack Nicklaus-designed Chase course at PGA Golf Club Coyote Springs has found favor
with national golf publications and players alike.
Being knee deep in snow doesn’t mean you have to
store the clubs in the closet. When the winter winds are
blowing in the Pacific Northwest, they are still mowing greens in
Mesquite, Nevada.
Located 80 miles north of Las Vegas, Mesquite is one of the
most popular golf destinations in the West. Winter temperatures in
Mesquite provide an opportune time for great golf, good food, live
entertainment and even rejuvenating spa treatments to help you
forget shoveling snow and scraping ice from your windshield.
Golf Mesquite Nevada has pre-packaged nine great courses,
some of which have been created by legendary designers Jack
Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and John Fought, with four resort hotels
that are an ideal hub for your winter retreat.
Golf isn’t the only leisure activity available for your great
escape. Golf Mesquite Nevada’s four luxurious resorts offer all of the
amenities that make an escape from the cold winter months a mustdo!
Your choice of resort hotels includes the CasaBlanca, Eureka
and Virgin River Resort Casinos or Falcon Ridge Hotel. With a
variety of rooms and suites you will be able to select your level of
comfort and budget.
With your stay in Mesquite, you will find all the amenities that
make a winter golf retreat a memorable event. Live entertainment
from headline performers and comedians, thrilling casino action
and fine dining are just the beginning. Mesquite also offers a worldclass gun club, bowling, hiking in nearby national parks or, for the
perfect escape, soothing spa treatments.
Golf Mesquite Nevada’s course menu includes some the
areas top golf courses as ranked by national golf publications. The
new Sand Hollow Resort Championship Course and The Chase at
PGA Golf Club Coyote Springs have received top honors and rave
reviews. But that’s not all. Throw in the Palmer and Canyons courses
at the Oasis Golf Club, the Palms, Falcon Ridge, CasaBlanca, Ledges
and Coral Canyon courses and you’ll have plenty of challenging
holes to choose from.
Golf Mesquite Nevada also plays host to some great golf
events throughout the year such as the Re/Max World Long Drive
Championship, the Nevada Open and the Golf Channel’s “Duel
in the Desert.” You can find all the event information at www.
golfmesquiteevents.com.
If you are ready for some fun in the sun, challenging golf and
relaxing accommodations, visit www.golfmesquitenevadapn.com to
book your next winter golf getaway.
All we are missing is you!
DECEMBER 2009 | PACIFIC NORTHWEST GOLFER
Special PNGA offer
The 110th U.S. Amateur Championship
August 23 - 29, 2010
© Aidan Bradley 09
As a PNGA member, you understand the significance of USGA championships better than most. You
know that the best amateur golfers in the world are coming to the 110th U.S. Amateur at Chambers Bay
and The Home Course.
SPECIAL OFFER
Weekly pass*
Limited Edition 2010 U.S. Amateur PNGA Member hat**
Complimentary parking
Championship Program
Daily pairing sheet
$55 (retail value over $90)
* Good for all 7 days of the championship, plus the two practice days
** Only for the first 500 passes sold; not available for purchase at the event
Great holiday gift!
All orders must be received by Dec. 31, 2009.
Order by Dec. 10, 2009 to ensure holiday delivery. Hat(s) will begin to be shipped the week of Dec. 8, 2009.
Tickets will be mailed in July 2010.
Order now: www.2010usamateur.com
www.thepnga.org
| DECEMBER 2009
|
21
W INTER
GET A W A Y S
The 1st hole at Banyan Golf Club in Hua Hin, Thailand.
TheThai that binds
Discovering plenty of reasons to go to Thailand – including great golf courses
By jim moore
Thailand’s terrific.
I’m not blowing smoke
when I say that. I admit to
being skeptical before I flew
20 hours to get there in
early November. I’d visited
web sites and seen the golf
courses that we were going to play, and was
only moderately impressed.
But after playing them? Highly
impressed. Cyberspace does not compare to
actually experiencing Thai golf.
I went to Thailand on a trip that featured
great golf and hotels, but more than that are
the cultural differences and the universally
kind people that you rarely find anywhere
else.
You’ve no doubt played golf courses
this good, but have you had a female caddie
for every single round when you’re playing in
22
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DECEMBER 2009 | PACIFIC NORTHWEST GOLFER
Arizona or Hawaii? I did, and they were all
highly attentive and beautiful too.
Thailand calls itself “The Land of
Smiles” for a reason. The natives seem to be
perpetually happy and so are the tourists.
There are so many bargains to be had.
I spent time in three cities – Pattaya,
Bangkok and Hua Hin – and played six rounds
of golf and rode one very large elephant. Here
are some of the highlights and oddities.
The Caddies
At every course in Thailand, it’s
mandatory for each golfer to have a caddie.
And in Thailand, the caddies are all females,
clothed from head to toe, wearing widebrimmed hats and gloves in muggy 90-degree
weather.
I originally thought, “Geez, that’s too
bad that they’re stuck in those uniforms in this
kind of heat,” but they’re worn for a curious
reason. Thais with pale complexions are
generally held in higher regard, a point that’s
pounded home by the fact that lightening
ointments are sold at local drug stores. No
one wants a tan in Thailand.
All six of my caddies were great. Some
spoke a little English; others didn’t. They gave
me yardages, marked my ball on the greens
and read my putts. At Thai Country Club
near Bangkok, Ki held my beer while I hit tee
shots. She also cleaned up an absolute mess
in my bag that was created by suntan lotion
exploding all over the place.
My first two caddies were young widows
– Duan, 35, lost her 69-year-old husband two
months ago to heart problems, and I’m not
quite sure what happened to Da’s - she just
told me that he went “bye-bye.” After that, I
quit asking if my caddies were married.
“Probably the finest land made available for a golf course in America
since Alistair Mackenzie was shown the site for the Cypress Point Club
on the Monterey Peninsula...” Golf Magazine
In Golf Magazine’s newest
listing of Top 100 US
Courses You Can Play,
Pacific Dunes ranks #1,
Bandon Dunes #6 and
Bandon Trails #15.
To have one course on
this list is a great honor;
to have all three is
nearly unprecedented.
Now Bandon Dunes
Golf Resort is pleased
to announce the addition
of a fourth course,
Old Macdonald,
opening June 1, 2010.
Come experience golf
Photo: Wood Sabold
as it was meant to be.
Old Macdonald #7 ~ 377 yards ~ par 4
G O L F
A S
I T
W A S
M E A N T
T O
B E
Call 1-888-345-6008 to reserve your spot to play Old Macdonald.
bandondunesgolf.com
09BAN011A
PNGA December, 2009 issue 7.25” x 4.812” full color
DVA Advertising, Bend, OR Dan O’Neil [email protected] 541-389-2411
09CHA005F.indd 1
www.thepnga.org
6/4/09 11:52 AM
|
23
| DECEMBER 2009
TOP: The author with a couple of Thailand’s finest caddies.
ABOVE: The par-3 3rd hole at the Plantation Course at Siam Country Club.
Just off the fairway, the author (in the front, or the “driver’s seat”) takes a ride on some local
transportation. Sitting behind him is fellow Northwest golf writer, Steve Turcotte.
Keeping a close Thai
golf packages
• www.golfasian.com or email Mark Siegel at [email protected].
• www.golfinakingdom.com for the Thai Golf Experience packages.
• www.tourismthailand.org for the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
ACCOMMODATIONS
• Woodlands Suites (www.woodland-resort.com) in Pattaya, which
has easy access to Siam Country Club’s Old and Plantation courses.
• Westin Grande Sukhumvit (www.starwoodhotels.com) and
Bangkok Marriott Resort and Spa (www.bangkok.com/marriott.)
in Bangkok. Both have easy access to Thai Country Club and
Muang Kaew Country Club
•The Marriott Resort and Spa (www.marriott.com/hotels) and
Anantara Resort (www.huahin.anantara.com) in Hua Hin.
Both have easy access to Banyan Golf Resort and Black Mountain
Golf Club.
COURSES TO PLAY
•Siam Country Club - www.siamcountryclub.com
•Thai Country Club - www.thaicountryclub.com
•Muang Kaew Country Club - www.muangkaewgolf.com
• Banyan Golf Resort - www.banyangolfresort.com
• Black Mountain Golf Club - www.bmghuahin.com
24
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DECEMBER 2009 | PACIFIC NORTHWEST GOLFER
Duan said the caddies make 260 Bhat a round, or $8.50
U.S., a little more than $2 an hour. For everything they do, the
wages are ridiculously low, but the average person in Thailand
makes $8,000 a year. At least the caddies were allowed to accept
well-deserved tips.
The People
Hands down, the No. 1 reason why you should visit
Thailand. They’re cordial and kind and just downright nice. In
a show of respect, Thais put their hands together and nod when
they greet you or thank you. The custom is called the “wai.”
You’re supposed to return the “wai,” so I did, though I’m
sure I butchered it most of the time. I must have said “Kopkhun krup” a million times – Thai for “thank you.” The wai is
a very cool ritual and one of the things I’ll miss most about
Thailand.
Generally speaking, Thais also seem happier and more
laid-back than we are. They’re big on having fun. They love to
eat, but I never saw a fat Thai guy or woman.
Following their Buddhist beliefs, they think if they’re
good people now, they’ll have a better life the next time around.
If that’s the case, I best get busy.
The Food
Thai food in the homeland was just as you’d expect –
spicy and fresh – and most dishes ran in the range of $6 to
$8. We had Thai most nights for dinner, and
you could get it at the hotel breakfast buffets
too, so I did. It was delicious, but if you’re like
me, you came home more than ready for a
cheeseburger.
The Golf Courses
They were top-notch. The ones we
played are as nice or nicer than your favorite
high-end course in the Northwest. Old Siam’s
Plantation Course would remind you of
Kapalua’s Plantation Course. Banyan Golf
Club, near Hua Hin, is even better. It opened
a year and a half ago and was voted best new
course in Asia. Banyan has also entered my
top-10 of courses that I’ve ever played.
Here’s what really sets Thai courses
apart – the caddies, the service and the
access to clubhouse locker rooms that rival
those at the finest country clubs in the states.
It’s all included in greens fees ranging from
$50 to $80.
Day after day, we grabbed our locker
keys, walked in, shook our heads, looked at
each other and said, “Wow.” I never imagined
facilities like these in Thailand, but I should
have known better – several of the courses
have either held LPGA or Asian Tour events.
Oh, and the Elephant Ride
Before heading to the Bangkok airport
for the first leg of our journey home, four of
us took an hour-long elephant ride at Hua
Hin Safari and Adventure Park. It was a little
rocky – for a while there, I thought I might
be the first person to heave from motion
sickness on an elephant ride.
What was it like to ride an elephant?
Unforgettable. Kidding, it was all right I
guess. There were times when I thought: “I
paid 800 Baht ($25 U.S.) for this?” But when
I straddled the elephant’s neck while he was
lumbering along, that was interesting.
Our elephant’s name was Bawktwup,
which means “really big SOB” in Thai. No, I
don’t know what it means, if anything. He had
a heck of a trunk, I do know that, and he used
it to rip a couple of decent-sized branches out
of trees to gnaw on while he moseyed down
the dirt path.
Looking Back
As I gaze out the window at Seattle
drizzle on a late-November afternoon, I wish
I were in Thailand, where the temperatures
were in the low 90s. High humidity turned me
into a drenched rat every single day, but I just
drank plenty of water to go with the beers and
was fine walking four of the courses.
But you don’t go to Thailand just for
warm weather and golf – there’s the cultural
coolness of seeing Buddhist temples and
the spectacular Grand Palace on a dinner
cruise that we took on the Chao Praya River
through Bangkok.
I’m not worldly at all, so I got a kick
out of waiting for oxen to cross the road
as we left Black Mountain Golf Club and
seeing helmet-less Thais on motor scooters
driving like madmen, weaving in and out
of traffic-snarled Bangkok, their girlfriends
sitting side-saddle behind them.
But it was tough to see the poverty, to
pass by shanties on dirt roads and suddenly
enter a posh golf course. If you need a dose
of perspective, there is plenty to be found in
Thailand.
When I first told my wife about a
potential trip to Thailand, she said, “Why
would you want to go there?”
Feeling even stronger about it now, I’ll
give you the same answer I gave her:
“Why not?”
Long time sportswriter Jim Moore also
writes columns for seattlepi.com, cougfan.com
and cybergolf.com. Not too shabby of a golfer,
he also played baseball pretty well.
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www.thepnga.org
| DECEMBER 2009
|
25
NORTH W EST
P ROFILE
Kent Myers
A Player for the Ages
by Jeff Shelley
Kent Myers is arguably the Northwest’s bestever amateur golfer. Now 76, the Lake Oswego
resident – who regularly shoots his age or better
at the tough Oswego Lake Country Club – won
five Oregon Amateur titles over three decades.
He might also have notched more wins if workrelated travel, an Army stint, college and family
requirements didn’t prevent him from entering.
Myers played on more Hudson Cup teams
than any other player (19 times!) and is also a
six-time member of the Senior Amateur team. He
was also a finalist in the PNGA
Men’s Amateur in 1968 and 1987,
the Senior Men’s champion in
1992 and, amazingly, the Men’s
Master-40 winner two years later
in 1994.
Kent Myers once used his
between-the-legs putting style
while competing in the U.S. Senior
Open – on the 18th green, in
front of the largest gallery on the
course. He sunk a 25-foot putt.
I recently caught up with Kent
through a Q&A.
Jeff Shelley: How many Oregon
Amateur titles did you win and on what
courses did they occur?
Kent Myers: Four Oregon Amateur
titles and one runner-up:
1965 – Portland Golf Club, 37th hole
1969 – Runner-up, Tualatin Country Club
1972 – Riverside Golf and Country Club, 35th hole
1981 – Tualatin Country Club, 5+4
1983 – Eugene Country Club, 37th hole
JS: Was there a particular victory
that stands out for you? KM: My victory in 1965 was a shortgame tournament. I had the snap
hooks, and I came from behind
in five of six matches. In the
semifinals I was 3 down to Bruce
Cudd after 27 holes. In the final
match I was 3 down late in the
match. I won the 36th hole to earn
a tie and made a 40-foot birdie
putt on hole 37 (to win).
A holder of a Stanford
doctorate and a long-time school
administrator, Myers had the skills
to go pro but focused instead on
his family, which includes his wife
Joan Marie and four daughters. “I
debated (turning pro),” he once
Kent Myers after winning the
My other favorite was in 1983
told me. “But I wanted to get my
1994 PNGA Men’s Amateur at Sun
Willows
GC in Pasco, Wash.
at Eugene Country Club. I led in
education and raise a family.”
the morning 18, but my legs gave
Those family members sometimes
out and I slowly fell behind to the
helped Kent during tournaments.
19-year-old George Daves. I won the
“My daughters all caddied for me
– they were probably the first female caddies in 36th hole to go to sudden death, then won the
the Northwest. There were a few clubs where I 37th hole to win. I was 50 years old and had walked
had to argue with officials to have them allow my 163 holes that week.
daughters to caddie.”
JS: How many times were you a member of the
Myers was known for his competitiveness Hudson Cup and the Senior Hudson Cup teams?
and relentless focus. Though slight of frame, he
KM: I was a member of the regular Hudson Cup Team
was a pure ball-striker with an uncanny short
19 times (more than any other player, professional
game. That latter skill was shown – often in
or amateur). In addition I was a member of the
the heat of a match – by his mind-bending and
Senior team six times. I was voted outstanding
occasional behind-the-back putting style that
amateur by the professionals three times.
deflated many an opponent. Though he demurs
when citing that as a reason – “If I didn’t make JS: What are some of your most enduring memories
the putts I’d look foolish, but if I make them of the Oregon Amateur?
and it shakes people up there’s nothing I can do
KM: I loved match play. To have a chance to
about that” – his unique technique with the flat
qualify and play six matches in one week was
stick was widely known throughout national
both exhilarating and exhausting. It gives one
golfing circles.
an opportunity to gauge one’s mental and
Photos courtesy PNGA Centennial History book
26
|
DECEMBER 2009 | PACIFIC NORTHWEST GOLFER
physical toughness. I loved playing headto-head with Oregon’s best. I valued the
opportunity to feel the pressure where one
shot could determine the whole outcome. It is
a battle of skill and a battle of will.
JS: How do your Oregon Amateur victories
compare with your other wins?
KM: I value my Oregon Amateur victories
very highly. I am an Oregonian. I also value
qualifying and playing in the U.S. Open in 1956
and the U.S. Senior Open. I finished second in
the Washington Open and third in the Oregon
Open. However, there is something unique
about winning an event that runs six days and
where the competition changes each day. In
fact, you start all even six times in a week with
six different players who gain confidence with
each victory.
JS: Did you ever use your between-the-legs
putting style during the Oregon Amateur? If
so, which ones, who were your opponents,
and how did they react?
KM: I did use my between-the-legs stroke
in a number of matches. Most notably, the
Oregonian covered my semifinal match with
Bruce Cudd in 1965. I was 3 down after 27
holes, and I used the stroke on the 28th hole
for the first time in the match. I made birdie –
he missed from inside my distance. As I recall,
I won the next two holes and eventually won
1-up on the 36th. The stroke affected some
competitors, but the ball must go in the hole
to be effective.
I used the stroke in the U.S. Senior Open at
Oakland Hills. I made a 25-foot putt on the 18th
to the delight of a large gallery. The stroke is a
pure stroke – easy to execute, easy to repeat,
but it takes nerve to use an unorthodox
method in a very traditional game.
JS: How old are you now? Are you still playing
competitive golf and, if so, in which events?
KM: I am 76 years old and frequently shoot
my age or lower. I was 33 when I won my first
Oregon Am and 50 when I won my last. I am
told that I won it twice [being] older than
any other [player]. I was a finalist in the PNGA
(Men’s Amateur) when I was 55.
My short game is still quite good, but
the years rob you of your distance. I still play
some pro-ams and a few senior events. If I
could gain 40 yards I’d be back out there in the
Oregon Am.
Jeff Shelley is the editorial director
for
www.cybergolf.com
and
www.
golfconstructionnews.com. He also authored
three editions of the book, “Golf Courses of
the Pacific Northwest.”
Life Is Sweet At Apple Tree!
Yakima, WA
Home of the world-famous apple island green, the Apple Tree Golf Course
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www.thepnga.org
| DECEMBER 2009
|
27
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28
|
DECEMBER 2009 | PACIFIC NORTHWEST GOLFER
A costly view from
Crossings at Carlsbad’s
first tee. But worth it?
Photo by Rob Perry
Munis
Ascending
Money and resources are
being spent on municipal
courses, and they are
starting to serve several
needs in communities
by Blaine Newnham
N
Not only was the U.S. Open of 2008 played on
a muni (Torrey Pines in San Diego), the national
championship of 2009 returned to what was a $39-a-round public
course in New York, Bethpage Black. Given a chance to host our
national championship – something never before even tried – both
courses proved as memorable as they are municipal.
This fall, the Presidents Cup was held on San Francisco’s
ageless and priceless Harding Park. A muni.
And, of course, upstart public project Chambers Bay on the
shores of Puget Sound will host the U.S. Amateur in 2010 and the
U.S. Open in 2015.
What’s going on here? Did the USGA discover municipal golf,
or simply celebrate its rise to another level?
The truth is that in these days of limited land and sketchy
financing, in some cases only municipalities are capable of creating
or refurbishing courses that could hold an Open.
The cities have it – land and location. But they also must
have vision and political wherewithal to take public golf out of its
sometimes dreary past.
Surely the revamped muni is not the moldy municipal course
we grew up on, when winter meant hitting off spongy mats and
summer meant petrified fairways.
But does it make sense for Pierce County in Washington to
spend millions for a course many of its citizens can’t afford to play? Or
the city of Carlsbad near San Diego to end up - when all was said and
done - spending $60 million for its Crossings at Carlsbad uber muni?
The Carlsbad course was given the go-ahead by a public vote
in 1990 but took 17 years to clear permit hurdles. The green fees
–around $100 – aren’t your Dad’s muni green fees, but when did he
get to play a course with views of the Pacific Ocean?
While losing money in this economy, the course has
nonetheless fit in nicely with Carlsbad’s view of itself as a resort, and
www.thepnga.org
| DECEMBER 2009
|
29
The 18th hole at Harding Park was played as the
15th hole during the 2009 Presidents Cup.
Photo courtesy KemperSports
Did You Know…
The top three courses on Golfweek
magazine’s recent list of “Best Municipal
Courses” – Bethpage Black, Chambers
Bay and Torrey Pines South (in order)
are U.S. Open venues. The only other
Northwest municipal course on the list is
Spokane’s Indian Canyon GC, at No. 24.
as the home of many golf manufacturers.
So the new munis are developed and run not by your city rec
department, but at the behest of the mayor or the city manager,
and more likely to enhance tourism and find a solution to an
environmental problem than to provide a stroll in the park.
Last spring the LPGA held a tournament at Papago Golf Course
in Phoenix, Ariz. Papago is, yes, a muni. City-owned, the course
recently completed a restoration and is now managed by the Arizona
Golf Association.
The restoration project was managed by The Golf Guys, LLC,
under the direction of Marvin French, one of the principals of
Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club in North Plains, Ore.
Portland-based Tournament Golf Foundation still manages the
LPGA event now at Papago, with the event having moved there this
year from Arizona’s Superstition Mountain.
Pierce County sought to reclaim a ravaged sand and gravel pit
that had been privately mined for 100 years. At one end of the 900
shore-lined acres was the county’s sewer treatment plant. At the other
would be a golf course that would become the only one built in the
past 45 years to get a U.S. Open. And the eventual repository for a
sewage plant.
Redmond, Ore. built a course designed by John Harbottle – Juniper
GC – near its airport. The course hosted the 2007 Oregon Open. Gold
Mountain GC in Bremerton, Wash. is located on the city’s watershed.
The civic mission indeed seems to be changing. The city of Palm
Desert, Calif. has two beautiful courses, rivaling golf experiences in
nearby Palm Springs.
Seldom are the courses managed by the municipality. Chambers
Bay is managed by Chicago-based KemperSports, just like Bandon
Dunes is.
“This was about economic development, about doing something
that will last for 100 years,” said John Ladenburg, the former Pierce
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DECEMBER 2009 | PACIFIC NORTHWEST GOLFER
County executive who almost single-handedly
conceived the construction of Chambers Bay.
A golf course is the vehicle.
The public has access to the course
beyond the $85 green fees for residents. A
walking-jogging path circles the 18 holes.
These big munis are not without risk, of
course, although municipalities have tax bases
they can draw from if worse comes to worse.
Had Chambers not gotten the U.S.
Open seal of approval, and with the economy
putting a dent in high-end golf, who knows
where the county might be? Such is the risk of
high-end golf.
They used to talk about Pebble Beach
and Pinehurst as U.S. Open venues available
for public play. Well, they were if you got
bonuses from AIG, with both courses asking
and getting well over $400 a round.
The real breakthrough came at Bethpage
in 2002 – where the regulars were paying $39
green fees and sleeping in their cars all night
for a chance to play, and then came Tiger and
Co. in ’02.
Bethpage was a classic Tillinghast
design coaxed out of mothballs by the USGA.
Torrey Pines and Harding Park were also
redone.
But Chambers came that way, the
dream of one politician who reasoned after
reading John Feinstein’s book on the major
golf championships that if New York could do
it, so could Tacoma.
As it is, an independent economic
analysis of San Diego’s experience with the
2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines indicated the
tournament generated direct and indirect
regional spending of more than $142 million,
surpassing Ladenburg’s seat-of-the-pants
estimate that $100 million could come his
county’s way with hosting a U.S. Open.
But the reality is you don’t have to host
a U.S. Open to understand the benefits of a
public-built top-end golf course.
In the Chicago suburb of Bolingbrook,
a mayor boldly predicted that a swampy bean
field used for storm management could be
turned into a golf course that would shape the
future of his town.
“There was the need for a high-end
public golf facility for those who didn’t have
the interest or the wherewithal to join a
private club,” said Roger Claar, the mayor.
So he went about having Arthur Hills
design a course that, with a 76,000-square
foot club house, cost the city $40 million.
Green fees – $60 for residents – as well
as the fee charged to build homes around the
course will have it paid off in 15 years, said
Claar. The clubhouse has become the site of
business meetings and weddings and high
school reunions, seating as many as 800 for
dinner.
Munis are seen as smart business. It’s
good to be smart.
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www.thepnga.org
| DECEMBER 2009
|
31
RULES
OF
THE
G A ME
WINTER RULES
Indeed it does, this time of year
The entire Rules of Golf
are based upon one main
principle – play the ball
as you find it or as it lies.
And then there is the little
thing we in the Northwest, between
the storms of November and the
rains of March or so, like to call
“Winter Rules”, or preferred lies, or
lift-clean-and-place, or bumping it,
or gee-I-need-to-clean-the-clumpof-mud-off-my-ball.
When teeing it up at your
course this winter and the little sign
on the first tee says “Play Winter
Rules”, remember that you actually
have a choice – you can play
preferred lies, or you can play it as
you find it.
And why would you want
play it as you find it, if given the
choice? Well, statistically your
scores are better when playing
Winter Rules (you always have a
perfect lie), which artificially lowers
your handicap – so you might
not do too well in your next club’s
competition that does not use
Winter Rules.
Back in the misty days of the
1970s, the PNGA adopted its set of
Winter Rules guidelines.
B. If the ball fails to come to rest
on the spot on which it was placed,
Rule 20-3d applies.
C. If the ball when placed comes
to rest on the spot on which it is
placed and it subsequently moves,
there is no penalty and the ball
must be played as it lies, unless the
provisions of any other Rule apply.
D. A player is entitled to exercise
this preferred lies option one time
only per stroke.
3. The Embedded Ball Rule shall
be in effect through the green.
A. Anywhere “through the green,”
a ball which is embedded in its own
pitch-mark in the ground, except
in loose sand, may be lifted without
penalty, cleaned and dropped as
near as possible to the spot where
it lay but not nearer the hole.
B. When an embedded ball is lost
“beyond a reasonable doubt” in
wet, soft turf, another ball may be
put into play as near as possible to
the spot the original ball was lost
without penalty.
Exception: A player may not
obtain relief under this Local Rule
if it is clearly unreasonable to play
a stroke because of interference by
anything other than the conditions
1. A ball may be moved through covered by this Local Rule.
(Unplayable lie, etc.).
the green with the following
restrictions:
A ball must not be moved
when it lies within 36 inches of the
base of a tree, stump, shrub or out
of bounds.
2. Before lifting, the player
must mark the position of the
ball; it may be cleaned; and must
be placed no more than six inches
from its original lie, no nearer the
hole. Use of the clubhead in the
movement and placement of the
ball is prohibited.
A. A ball so lifted is deemed to be
back in play once it has been placed.
32
|
DECEMBER 2009 | PACIFIC NORTHWEST GOLFER
Rage, rage
against the
dying of the
light……
or, just get
an earlier
tee time
“We make our world
significant by the courage
of our questions and by
the depth of our answers.”
- Carl Sagan, astronomer
“Let’s play two.” - Ernie Banks,
Hall of Famer for the Chicago Cubs
Spring, summer and fall fill us
with hope. Winter alone reminds
us of the human condition.
- Mignon McLaughlin, Journalist
Top 10 reasons to play
winter golf in the Northwest
Reading the spam in our email,
checking our post-it notes, rifling
through pockets for scribbled
messages, digging through
dumpsters behind clubhouses,
and, let’s face it, approaching total
strangers on the street, we came
up with this random list.
1. Pace of play is usually pretty
good – play slow and you
freeze.
2.I feel like I’m gaining an edge on
Tiger during his off-season.
3.Mosquitos don’t fly in subfreezing temps.
4.The first tee is usually open.
5. Can you say “19th Hole”?
6.I get to try out my Arctic-grade
rain gear.
7.The twilight rate starts at 9am.
8.I believe the wind and rain
levels the playing field. But, I
believe in so many other things.
9. Do you really need a reason?
10. Because when I call in sick at
work to play golf, my office
really thinks that I might be sick.
11.I like the camaraderie with
my foursome that’s borne of
suffering.
12.When I lose my plugged ball
in the middle of the fairway
I start to cry; and when it’s
one of those cold crystal clear
days under a perfect blue sky, I
start to weep.
13. When I watch golf’s “Silly
Season” on TV, beaming into my
living room from some warm
and sunny Southwest locale,
I can’t help but see how weak
and deprived those people are,
walking around in their short
sleeves (in December!) and sun
hats (sun hats!).
14. Are you gonna print this?
Did we say Top 10? We meant to
say 14.
O P INION
Winter Rules?
Don’t get me started
by Blaine Newnham
On a nice day in
December, I wonder why we
play Winter Rules.
On every day in December
I wonder why our scores aren’t
posted. Why our handicaps are
frozen for the winter, why we
have to live with the number
we had in mid-November even
if it no long reflects the quality of our game.
The time has come, I think, to post
scores year-round. The computer doesn’t
belong to a union. And it is time as well to
quit putting our hand on the ball as soon as
the weather even begins to turn poor.
The irony of it is that Winter Rules and
frozen handicaps were thought of as a way
of mitigating unusually high winter scores
as players went about “building” a handicap
that would in the spring give the year-round
player an advantage in competition.
They may conspire to do just the
opposite, however, making the game easier
and the scores better, giving you a perfect lie
for almost every shot.
Let’s start from the beginning. When
you see the moldy “Play Winter Rules” sign
hanging near the first tee, what does it mean?
Winter Rules are local rules. More
specifically, they are local guidelines. In our
neck of the woods, the Pacific Northwest
Golf Association has a set of guidelines that
are different from other sections. Winter
Rules, as such, are not rules. The USGA sort of
recognizes them, but would rather you not
use them.
The guidelines for the PNGA date back
to 1991. They allow you to lift, clean and place
the ball, moving it no closer to the hole and
not more than six inches. If you are within
a club length of a tree or a stump or out of
bounds, you can’t move it at all.
You can’t roll it over with the clubface
the way they do in Southern California. You
can’t keep searching for the perfect tuft of
grass. Once you take your hand off the ball it
is in play.
I’ve played in California and in Europe
where “preferred lies” means moving the
ball only when it is in the fairway. The USGA
mentions “closely mowed” areas.
The PNGA, however, allows balls in
the rough to be lifted, cleaned and
replaced.
Perhaps our guidelines are
more generous because our rough
is deeper and wetter, or because
we play in the winter when most
Northern courses are closed.
The reality is we can do nearly
whatever we want.
To this end, the PNGA is going to keep
track of scores this winter from those clubs
that choose to post. The course where I play
allows posting because the members want it.
We’re given a “trend” which reflects what our
handicap would be throughout the winter,
even when our handicap is officially frozen
as of the middle of November.
“If we have solid information that
scores aren’t spiking in the winter,” said
John Saegner of the Washington State Golf
Association, “then we’ll consider a change.
There are a lot of people who want to post
year-round.”
Saegner, the Sr. Director of Membership
Services for the WSGA, rates courses in the
Northwest as a USGA-certified Master Course
Rater. He does so with mid-July conditions
in mind. He thinks the courses are more
difficult in the winter when the ball protests
going anywhere, when a 350-yard par-4 plays
agonizingly like a 400-yard par-4.
To that end, Saegner has notified
courses that they should alter tee placements
to reflect seasonal changes, to move the tees
forward in a wet winter and back in a dry
summer. He suggests tees, if possible, be
moved up 10 yards in winter for a par-3, 20
yards for a par-4 and 30 yards for a par-5.
Tell that to the guy setting up your
course. I’m not seeing it.
Saegner admits that Winter Rules make
the course easier as conditions make it more
difficult. With better players, he estimates
they can gain three to five strokes using
winter rules because they mitigate the
difficulty of rough by improving their lies.
My home course plays very difficult in
the summer. Our greens and shaved-downed
surrounds have gotten faster and faster as
Winter Rules?
Why do I need Winter Rules?
Maybe that should be our
question to Jeffrey Ogburn of
Eugene, Ore. when he found
himself stranded mid-way
through his round at River’s
Edge GC in Bend, Ore.
“It was only (only) a hailstorm,” he tells us. “It went
away after awhile. But we
had to change to orange
balls to finish the round.”
We’re glad the “One Ball”
rule was not in effect at the
course.
the years have gone by. In the winter, the
courses have gotten drier and drier with
extensive sanding programs.
So, I wouldn’t be surprised that the
result is that with Winter Rules and attention
to moving up the tees, scores are as good in
the winter as they are in the summer. And
better during the shoulder months when the
greens soften but there is still some roll in
the fairways.
I’d like to see us not only post all year,
but change our Winter Rules guidelines. We
should consider lift, clean and drop. If the
ball is imbedded in any way, then it would be
dropped again.
You might choose to play it as it lies.
The way the game is supposed to be played.
Blaine Newnham is the former sports
editor for the Seattle Times. He plays golf in
the spring, summer, fall….and winter.
www.thepnga.org
| DECEMBER 2009
|
33
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G O L F
Golf
O R E G O N
O R E G O N
A sense of place
The allure of Broken Top Club is lifelong
A way of life at Broken Top
When you come to Broken Top Club in Bend,
Ore., you rarely leave. It’s that kind of place.
Ask Greg Robbins.
He came here 12 years ago from back East.
“It was a quality-of-life thing for my wife and I,”
he said.
Robbins wasn’t even in the golf business
when he came to Central Oregon. He started
working as a bag boy at Broken Top, and the
next year he entered the PGA program. In
2003 he got his certification as a PGA Golf
Professional, and is now the club’s head pro.
Worth it? Yes. And the reasons are many.
Club Play and Tournaments
Broken Top Club has a tradition of top-notch golf tournaments
at every level. There’s the Sagebrush Classic, one of Bend’s most
popular fundraisers, Peter Jacobsen’s Oregon Legends Tournament,
the Oregon PGA Pro-Am Series, the PacAm Sponsor’s Event and the
Summit High Invitational. >>>
www.thepnga.org
| DECEMBER 2009
|
35
GOLF
OREGON
Sagebrush Classic
All photos courtesy Broken Top Club
>>> The course has also been the site of the
Oregon Senior Amateur in 2004, and will host
the 2010 OGA Team Championship.
When the course opened in 1993 it set
a new standard for Central Oregon. As the
centerpiece of all the club’s recreational
facilities, the golf course is an ideal venue
for kids, couples, competitive foursomes, or
company tournaments.
Boredom never comes into play at Broken
Top, a Weiskopf-Morrish design. There’s no
back-and-forth. No sense of déjà vu because
every hole has its own distinct character.
There’s an old quarry on No. 11, panoramic
views on Nos. 6 and 13, a risky drive on the
9th and a daunting lake on the 17th. You get
the idea.
For family activities, the club has a private
two-acre lake for fly-fishing; they have two
swimming pools plus a playground and a
host of organized activities. They also have
tennis lessons and a well-respected junior
golf program that helps nurture a lifelong love of the game. Many of the club’s
members spend a lot of time off-site, in
activities such as skiing, hiking or bicycling.
Clubhouse
The clubhouse at Broken Top turns heads.
It’s impressive, but not pretentious. Casual,
yet elegant. Warm and inviting, and perfectly
practical.
The 27,000 square-foot building houses
everything you’d expect in a first-class
private club. You can attend a party or enjoy
a romantic, sunset dinner. Hold a business
meeting or get in a workout. Play cards, or
curl up with a good book. Browse through
the pro shop or lounge by the pool. It’s also
the perfect venue for our social events or
your private party.
Weddings and Events
It’s your big day, and every little detail is
being handled to perfection at Broken Top
36
|
DECEMBER 2009 | PACIFIC NORTHWEST GOLFER
Club. They have a splendid scenic backdrop,
an impressive clubhouse, elegantly prepared
food and meticulous service. The event
comes together precisely as planned.
You don’t have to be a member to have a
wedding at Broken Top Club. So if you want a
truly distinctive location, give them a call and
they’ll help with the planning.
Restaurant and Grill
Food critics and photographers agree – if
you like fine food in a spectacular setting,
nothing beats The Sunset Room at Broken
Top Club. The view always inspires, and
the chef impresses even the most critical
customers with consistently distinctive
seasonal dishes and a comprehensive
selection of fine wines.
If you have an appetite for something
more casual, The Grill offers a creative
selection of drinks and a menu that goes well
beyond bar fare.
Memberships
Broken Top’s award-winning golf course,
designed by Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish,
is the perfect venue for a friendly match. The
layout, the greens and the meticulous course
maintenance are all on par with the most
revered clubs in the West. It’s a fun, fair test
of skill for any level of golfer.
Broken Top’s new pricing structure makes
buying a membership the best value in Bend.
Choose from these different membership
options:
• Limited golf membership: $195/month
and $5,000 initiation.
• Full golf memberships: $425 per month,
with initiation starting at $7,000.
• Intermediate golf memberships, for those
under 45, start at just $325 a month, with
initiation of $2000.
• Social membership: $125 per month and
$1000 initiation.
• Corporate memberships: $425 a month
per designee.
• Ask about end-of-the-year incentives.
• Ask about equity golf memberships.
Their new, long-term pricing strategy
makes Broken Top Club more sustainable,
and more accessible, than ever. You don’t
have to be a Broken Top resident to join.
Sagebrush Classic donates
to local nonprofits
Grants from the 2009 Sagebrush Classic
charitable event proceeds have been made
to Bend Community Center, Bethlehem Inn,
Caldera, Court Appointed Special Advocates
(CASA), Family Resource Center, Grandma’s
House, Healthy Beginnings, Jericho Road,
Saving Grace, and St. Vincent de Paul.
The Sagebrush Classic, founded by
Deschutes Brewery, starts with a day of
golf, then presents elite chefs from around
the world serving their specialties to 1,000
guests in the meadow at Broken Top Club
in Bend, Ore. A dance band, large auction
and raffles keep the “Feast” hopping.
Through a partnership with Deschutes
Children’s Foundation, the Sagebrush
Classic has returned more than $2 million
to Central Oregon through nonprofits
during its 20-year run.
For further information about the
Sagebrush Classic, call 800.601.8123 or visit
www.sagebrush.org.
Broken Top Club
62000 Broken Top Drive
Bend, Oregon 97702
Golf Shop: 541-383-0868
www.brokentop.com
For memberships information and
a golf course tour, contact Sonja
Donohue, Assistant General Manager/
Membership at 541-383-8200, or email
her at [email protected].
THE
G O L F
FROM
OG A
Another Memorable Golf Season
your calendars for the Portland Golf Show at the
Oregon Convention Center, February 12-14.
We also encourage you to visit our web site,
and especially the OGA Community page. Our
Forums page is the ideal place to ask questions,
participate in discussions and interact with both
the OGA staff and your fellow golfers.
Have a great winter! The 2010 golf season will
commence on Monday, March 1st.
O R E G O N
With the season officially
ending on December 1, another
memorable golf season has come
and gone in Oregon and SW
Washington.
Two of the highlights this
past season were the celebration
ERIC YAILLEN
OGA Director
of our rich history at the 100th
of Marketing
& Communications
occurrence of the Oregon
Amateur and the inaugural
staging of the OGA Players Championship.
The Oregon Amateur is the only state
championship of its kind in the nation with both
men and women competing concurrently at the
same location. Congratulations to this year’s Men’s
Champion, Andrew Vijarro of Bend, Ore. and to
our Women’s Champion, Amy Beth Simanton of
Lake Oswego, Ore., the second youngest women’s
champion in Oregon Amateur history. It was the
second consecutive year that Bandon Dunes Golf
Resort has hosted a major Oregon Championship
and we thank them for their generous support of
Amateur golf in the region.
At Waverley Country Club, a founding
OGA Member Club and site of the first Oregon
Amateur, we also held the season-ending inaugural
OGA Players Championship – another first of
its kind event in the nation where top players
representing the Men’s, Women’s, Senior Men’s
and Senior Women’s Performance Points lists
competed against each other. Congratulations to
Chris Maletis for capturing this inaugural title!
In addition to our championships, we
increased the number and type of events all
members can play in by expanding our Net Series
and creating the OGA Tour. We’re already in
the process of making improvements for next
season and the OGA Tour will serve as an
umbrella banner for a new variety of Net events
for individuals, teams and seniors as well as casual
non-competitive golf days.
As we all get ready for what is sure to
be another memorable year, please remember
that although local scores are not valid to your
official handicap after December 1, if you travel
throughout the winter and play in areas served
by year-round golf associations, you are obligated
by the USGA Handicap System, the OGA and
your club to post those scores. This is crucial to
maintaining accurate handicaps and promoting
fair play. Information on “How to Post Scores in
Sunbelt States” can be found at www.OGA.org.
To do our part, we are providing new off-season
updates to your official USGA Handicap Index on
January 1 and February 1.
In the new year, we again will be conducting
the OGA Winter Series beginning with the Stormy
Stableford on January 23. And don’t forget to mark
ABOVE: Andrew Vijarro is congratulated by
his family on the final green after winning the
100th Oregon Amateur, held at Bandon Dunes
Golf Resort.
LEFT: Amy Beth Simanton hits her drive on the
opening hole of the final match in the 100th
Women’s Oregon Amateur, held at Bandon
Dunes Golf Resort. Simanton would win the
match, becoming the second youngest ever
to win the women’s title. In the background
are OGA CEO Barb Trammell (far right) and
OGA Director of Tournament Operations Brent
Whittaker (middle).
Photos by Eric Yaillen/OGA
30 per player
$
includes cart and small bucket of balls.
Good any day of the week.
Expires 2/28/2010.
www.thepnga.org
| DECEMBER 2009
|
37
GOLF
OREGON
OGA honors its volunteers for 2009
Each year the Oregon Golf
Association (OGA) recognizes the
contributions made by its volunteers for
their contributions to the organization and
the game of golf. “Volunteers are the life
blood of the game, and giving back to the
sport is simply what it’s all about,” noted
OGA CEO Barb Trammell. “We are blessed
to have a large group of devoted volunteers
caring enough about the game of golf to
give countless hours of their time to help us
ensure that the services we provide, whether
it’s a championship or golf course rating, are
conducted at the highest level,” she added.
Awards are presented to honorees
representing volunteers in championships,
junior golf and course rating with one named
overall Volunteer of the Year.
The first volunteer honoree was
awarded to Gail Phillips of Eugene,
Ore. Phillips, who is a member of Eugene
Country Club, started volunteering for the
OGA several years ago, and now serves as
one of the OGA’s Team Leaders. She has
been integral to teaching course rating to
new volunteers.
Gene Chambers of Aloha, Ore.,
who plays at Meriwhether National, was
named an honoree for his efforts with the
Tournament Assisting Group (TAG) Team.
“Every year we seem to have a new
volunteer who is a real go-getter, trying to do
as much as possible to assist the association,”
said Brent Whittaker, OGA Director
of Tournament Operations.
“It seems
appropriate that we recognize a Rookie of the
Year, and this inaugural award goes to Jesse
Castillo of Crewsell, Ore.”
Castillo retired from Qwest last year,
allowing him time to be one of the most
active volunteers. He’s volunteered at both
adult and junior tournaments and is also a
member of the OGA Course Rating team as
well. He also volunteered his time assisting
the Pacific Northwest Golf Association at
their championships, as well as any other
place or time his services could be put to use.
At Emerald Valley Golf Club, where he plays,
he marshals, helps with their Junior Golf
program, and is a resident handyman fixing
Play A Great Winter Course!
Among the Top 8
Golf Courses in Oregon
Owen Osborne
(pictured on the
right) leads a Course
Rating Team.
carts and broken plumbing and any odd jobs
that need to get done there.
Finally, Owen Osborne of Black
Butte Ranch, Ore. was named the overall
Volunteer of the Year. Osborne has worked on
the OGA Course Rating team for seven years
and this year was one of the Team Leaders
who attended the annual USGA Course
Rating Calibration Seminar.
In 2006, the OGA renamed the Volunteer
of the Year Award in honor of Bill Worden, an
OGA volunteer who was the victim of a traffic
accident while on a course rating trip.
Visit www.oga.org for more information.
THANKS
OGA
For Inspiring Me To Be
The Golfer And
Person I Am Today!
Digest
 Golf
Best Places to Play, 2004-2007
“Top 10 Affordable
Golf Courses in the U.S.”
Golf Digest, 1996
“The Oregon Golf Association has been an important
part of my life and that of my family. It’s where I
grew up and learned how to play the game. Oregon
Junior Golf inspired the competitive juices in me and
gave me the desire to compete at the highest level.
When I started playing in Oregon Junior Golf around
age 13, I frankly wasn’t a very good golfer. I certainly
didn’t win very often, but that didn’t really matter.
Regardless of what I scored, I was always treated
with respect. It’s where I learned how to get along
with others, how to trust others and how to depend
on myself to accomplish what I needed to do to
succeed at whatever task was at hand.
The OGA is where I learned that character speaks
louder than birdies and eagles. I learned that it’s easy
to be magnanimous in victory, but true champions -the likes of Bobby Jones, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson
and Tiger Woods -- true champions and leaders are
those who are magnanimous even in defeat.
The OGA Golf Course is a
Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary
Check out
www.ogagolfcourse.com
for the latest deals & to register for specials!
2850 Hazelnut Drive l Woodburn, OR 97071 l 503-981-4653
38
December 2009 Ad.indd 1
|
DECEMBER 2009 | PACIFIC NORTHWEST GOLFER
However, what really makes the organization great
are the men and women volunteers who support
OGA programs such as Oregon Junior Golf, the Evans
Scholars, the First Tee, and Turfgrass Research.
Join an OGA member club and support the OGA with
your time, your effort and your money. Help kids
learn the game we love. I jump at every chance
I have to support the game
and I hope you will too!”
Oregon Golf Association
2840 Hazelnut Drive • Woodburn, OR 97071 • (503) 981-4653
12/1/2009 12:37:30 PM
Rusty Beckel,
overall gross
champion
of the 78th
Annual OWPLGA
Championship.
OWPLGA marks 78th year
In the fall, the Oregon Women Public Links
Golf Association held its 78th annual gross and net
championship at the OGA Golf Course in Woodburn,
Ore. The OWPLGA has a rich history of promoting
women’s golf in the area. It has a membership of over
130 women, representing 23 courses in NW Oregon
and SW Washington. Rusty Beckel, from Eastmoreland
Golf Course, shot 162 to take the gross award. The
net winner was Michelle Smith, from Broadmoor Golf
Course, with a 142.
Founder of Patriot Golf Days, Major Dan Rooney (far left) speaks to
participants of the event held at Langdon Farms Golf Club.
Rooney makes appearance at
Langdon Farms during Patriot Golf Day
O R E G O N
Birdies 4 Babies
Melinda Bailey raised
continues fundraising
money for MountainStar
by collecting and selling
Amateur and professional
thousands of golf balls.
golfers from all over Central
Oregon raised nearly $25,000
for MountainStar Family Relief
Nursery through Birdies 4 Babies,
a grassroots golfing fundraiser
now in its fifth season. Following
the “Birdie Club” tradition that
rewards birdies with a dollar or
two paid to the golfer, players
donated their birdie money to
MountainStar.
MountainStar awarded its first annual “Birdies 4 Babies Volunteer
of the Year” award to Melinda Bailey, a golfer at Widgi Creek Golf Club
who collected and sold thousands of golf balls with all proceeds given to
MountainStar.
Also participating in the season-long fundraiser were 43 PGA club
professionals, who asked friends, family, golfing pals, students and club
members to sponsor birdies they made while competing in Oregon PGA
chapter events.
MountainStar, based in Bend, Ore., is a nonprofit organization
whose mission is keeping children safe, parents successful and families
together. Proceeds from Birdies 4 Babies support MountainStar’s child
abuse and neglect prevention program that serves at-risk families with
babies and toddlers.
Contact MountainStar at 541-322-6820, or check out their website/
blog at www.birdies4babies.blogspot.com.
G O L F
Mulflur Inducted Into
Grant High School Hall of Fame
Northwest native Mary Lou Mulflur has been
inducted into the Grant High School Hall of Fame.
The Portland-area school honored 53 former
athletes and 10 former coaches in the inaugural event.
Mulflur was one of several speakers at the ceremony.
While attending Grant, Mulflur won state high
school golf titles in 1974 and 1975. She also won the 1975 Oregon Junior
championship, and the Southern Oregon titles in 1980, 1982, 1995 and
1997 as well as the Oregon Coast Invitational in 1979, 1982 and 1990.
Mulflur has competed in five USGA events – the U.S. Women’s Open in
1979 and 1980 and the U.S. Women’s Amateur in 1979, 1980 and 1982.
She also competed in four National Collegiate Championships.
Mulflur attended the University of Washington beginning in
1976 and was one of the first female athletes to receive a scholarship
at the university. She is regarded as one of the most successful women
golfers to come out of the UW. During her collegiate career Mulflur won
three regular-season tournaments, including the inaugural Ihlanfeldt
Invitational in 1980.
Mulflur is now in her 27th season as the head coach of the women’s
golf team at the University of Washington.
Held over each Labor Day weekend since
2007, the Patriot Golf Day fundraiser is held at golf
facilities all across the country. At Langdon Farms in
Aurora, Ore., the event was held in conjunction with
a tournament invitational, and together they raised
over $25,000 during the weekend.
Major Dan Rooney, founder of the fundraiser,
gave the event an emotional boost by flying into
Portland and attending the event and personally
thanking supporters of the fundraiser. Rooney is an
F-16 Pilot, PGA Professional, and USGA member.
On Labor Day 2007 Rooney asked golfers
to add $1 to their greens fees for the Folds of
Honor Foundation, which provides postsecondary
educational scholarships for the children and spouses
of military men and women disabled or killed while
serving our country. The Patriot Golf Day campaign
is jointly supported by The PGA of America and the
United States Golf Association.
In the last two years, more than 550
postsecondary educational scholarships have been
given through the Foundation.
OGA sets Winter Series schedule
The OGA has set its schedule for its popular Winter Series
events for 2010. The Stormy Stableford will be held January 23,
the Super Bowl Shootout will be held February 20, and the St.
Patrick’s Day Men’s Four-Ball will be held March 20. All three
events will be held at the OGA Golf Course in Woodburn, Ore.
Entries will be accepted online at www.oga.org. Or call
866-981-4653 for more information.
Swenson on board
Stein Swenson has rejoined the staff
of Golf Oregon and Pacific Northwest Golfer.
He was the first advertising salesperson for
the magazine, beginning in 1994. He operates
the Maverix Golf Tour in Central Oregon, and
plays to a 4.3 Index. Stein lives in Bend with his
beautiful wife, Laura.
For advertising inquiries, contact Stein at 541.318.5155 or
[email protected].
www.thepnga.org
| DECEMBER 2009
|
39
Golf
Photos by Rob Perry
BRITISH COLUMBIA
The par-5 10th hole at Arbutus
Ridge is a great risk-reward
hole – not too long, with
water guarding the green.
The Details
BC Women’s Amateur
& Mid-Amateur
A Championship
Season
The par-4 18th hole
at Arbutus Ridge.
Arbutus Ridge selected as the site of the 2010 BC
Women’s Amateur and Mid-Amateur Championships
The terrifically scenic 40 minute drive from
Victoria or Nanaimo on Vancouver Island does a
little bit to prepare you for the natural charm of
this panoramic layout, which this summer will
host the BC Women’s Amateur Championship,
one of the oldest championships on the North
American continent, first played in 1905. The BC
Women’s Mid-Amateur will be held concurrently
at Arbutus.
Arbutus Ridge is named for the characteristic
Arbutus trees that surround the Bill Robinsondesigned championship course. Located in the
seaside community of Cobble Hill amongst nine
of Vancouver Island’s finest wineries and 10
minutes from the city of Duncan, this is truly one
of Canada’s hidden gems.
The Arbutus Ridge Golf Club was voted
the “Best Destination Golf Course in British
Columbia” in 2006. If you’ve played it, then
etched in your memory, and probably on your
scorecard, will be three of the most demanding
40
|
DECEMBER 2009 | PACIFIC NORTHWEST GOLFER
finishing holes on Vancouver Island, highlighted
by the knee-knocking 214-yard par-3 island green
on the 17th hole. Signature hole? Well, yes.
The course is active with the Audubon
Society and has formed a Greening Committee
to preserve and protect the environment.
Arbutus Ridge is known for offering the best
vistas on Vancouver Island and friendly, genuine
service. The course opened in 1987 and is owned
and operated by the GolfBC Group.
AT A GLANCE
Arbutus Ridge Golf Club
3515 Telegraph Road
Cobble Hill, BC V0R 1L4
800.446.5322
www.golfbc.com
Blue tees 6,193 yards 70.3 rating/125 slope
White tees 5,834 yards 68.6/124
Red tees 5,535 yards 72.3//125 (Women)
June 29 - July 2, 2010
Arbutus Ridge Golf Club
Registration opens March 1, 2010
and closes May 31st at noon. All eligible
entries will be confirmed at that point in
time. If the event is not fully subscribed
it will be opened for an additional two
weeks. Entries will be available online at
that time at www.bcga.org.
Entry for the BC Women’s Amateur
is open to female amateur golfers. Entry
for the BC Women’s Mid-Amateur is open
to female amateur golfers age 25 years
of age and older as of June 29, 2010.
The field will be open to a maximum of
96 competitors – 60 for the Women’s
Amateur and 36 for the Mid Amateur, with
exemptions for 16 Zone Team Members.
Flights will be determined by factor.
All competitors must be a member
of a recognized provincial, state or
national golf association and submit
with their entry form a photocopy of
their official BCGA/RCGA, Zone Junior or
Foreign membership card certified as to
current handicap factor within 15 days
of entry. The membership card must
also be available for inspection at the
registration table.
A Little Bit of History
In 1905, the first British Columbia
Ladies’ Championship was played at the
Victoria Golf Club for the Flumerfelt Cup,
donated by Mr. A.C. Flumerfelt of Victoria
Golf Club. The Championship at that time
was a Medal and Match Play tournament
and remained in this format until 1988.
Today, the Championship is played as a
four-day, 72-hole stroke play format and
showcases the best female amateurs in
British Columbia.
Recent Past Champions
of the BC Women’s Amateur
2009 Christina Spence Proteau
2008 Kira Meixner
2007 Kira Meixner
2006 Christina Spence
2005 Inah Park
2004 Samantha Richdale
2003 Jackie Little
Visit www.bcga.org for information.
THE
G O L F
FROM
B C G A
A New Beginning
B R I T I S H
We still conduct championships, however we
I have a new job.
I wasn’t looking for one. have now added grass root and elite golfer
Hadn’t even given it a thought. development and have added participation and
And yet as Executive excellence to our strategic plan.
Just as we have evolved, so has the
Director of the British RCGA,
and they are now the National Sport
Columbia Golf Association
Organization responsible for golf in Canada.
I
now
find
myself
as
the
KRIS JONASSON
BCGA Executive Director
Executive Director of “Golf Golf is now part of the Canada Summer Games
and in 2016 will become an Olympic sport.
British Columbia”.
In Canada we have a very good story to
In marketing terms, the BCGA is rebranding and we are doing it in conjunction with the Royal tell in regards to our elite program. In 2009,
Canadian Golf Association. Starting in 2010 the Abbotsford native Nick Taylor was the first
public face of the RCGA
Today the association is recognized by
will be “Golf Canada”.
I started with the government as the Provincial Sport
BC Golf Association in Organization responsible for golf and
April of 1996 and the provides services for both men and women.
organization was very
different from what it is today. At that time we Canadian ever to be ranked the No. 1 amateur
conducted provincial championships for boys golfer in the world, while Matt Hill was ranked
and men, rated golf courses, provided rules and in the top 10. Canada had five men ranked
handicap support to our member clubs and in the top 200 worldwide. On the girls’ side,
to a limited extent performed some advocacy Stephanie Sherlock, Kira Meixner, Sue Kim and
work with government. Today the association Christine Wong are showing that Canadians will
is recognized by government as the Provincial be competitive at the highest levels of women’s
Sport Organization responsible for golf and golf. If the names seem familiar it’s likely because
provides services for both men and women. the majority of these players all come from BC.
Richmond native Kira
Meixner is a product of
the golfer development
programs that the BCGA
has initiated.
The British Columbia Golf Association and
the Royal Canadian Golf Association have rich
histories that stretch back over 100 years. Despite
our history we recognize that our organizations
are not well known and largely not respected
by our membership. Golf is the number one
participation sport in the country and yet growth
is flat to declining.
Golf Canada and Golf British Columbia are
dedicated to growing participation and excellence in
the Sport of Golf in Canada. I am thrilled to be given
the chance to lead this new organization as we head
into 2010.
C O L U M B I A
BRITISH COLUMBIA
G O L F A S S O C I A T I O N
Establish your handicap and
become a member today!
BENEFITS INCLUDE:
• Memberships to RCGA and PNGA
• An official RCGA Handicap Factor, recognized world wide
• Ability to enter BCGA, RCGA and PNGA events
• Ability to play in club events requiring a RCGA Factor
• Subscriptions to Golf Canada and Pacific Northwest Golfer
• Access to online community with built in Event Calendar
• Access to online member profile and game tracking ability
• Search capabilities for courses and events throughout Canada
British Columbia Golf Association ~ 2105 – 21000 Westminster Highway, Richmond, B.C. V6V 2S9
www.bcga.org • 1.888.833.2242 • E-mail: [email protected]
www.thepnga.org
| DECEMBER 2009
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41
GOLF
B RITISH
C OLUM B I A
NGCOA Canada honours Gary Player
Last month at the Westin Bayshore Hotel in Vancouver, the National Golf
Course Operators Association (NGCOA) honoured Gary Player, the Black
Knight, with the first Golf Business Canada Lifetime Achievement Award during
its annual conference. The award was presented by Jeff Calderwood, CEO,
NGCOA Canada.
Gary Player
The NGCOA Canada is a not-for-profit trade association, owned and
governed by its membership, providing business support to Canadian golf course operators and
related stakeholders, presenting one united voice within the golf course industry.
Goubault joins Predator Ridge
Predator Ridge Resort in the Okanagan Valley announced the appointment
of Douglas Goubault as the Director of Golf, reporting to Rod Cochrane,
General Manager.
In his new role at Predator Ridge, Goubault will be responsible for overseeing
the existing course as well as the opening of the new 18-hole course scheduled for
Douglas Goubault
opening in the summer of 2010.
Goubault spent the past ten years with Fairmont Hotels & Resorts in Mexico and Canada. He
was instrumental in creating the first PGA Tour event outside Canada or the USA - the Mayakoba
Golf Classic, now in its fourth year. Prior to moving to Mexico, Goubault worked at The Fairmont
Chateau Whistler Golf Club.
Goubault competed at the amateur level while growing up on Vancouver Island and was
Captain of Team Canada at the World University Golf Championships in Northern Ireland.
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DECEMBER 2009 | PACIFIC NORTHWEST GOLFER
Team BC players who competed in this year’s Canada
Games were (front row, L-R) Soo Bin Kim, Sue Kim and
Christine Wong; and (back row, L-R) Eugene Wong, Jared
Hundza and Justin Shin.
BC players shine at first
golf competitions of
Canada Games
For the first time, golf was competed as
a sport in the Canada Games, the biennial
inter-provinicial competition held this year on
Prince Edward Island. And golfers from British
Columbia came to play, winning the Gold Medal
in both the men’s and men’s team competition,
while Eugene Wong won individual Gold and
Justin Shin won individual Silver for the men,
and Sue Kim won individual Gold and Soo Bin
Kim won individual Bronze for the women.
Not a bad start.
“It was extremely gratifying to see
golfers walk into a crowded stadium as a
team in a Games atmosphere (during the
Opening Ceremonies),” said Kris Jonasson,
BCGA Executive Director. “A lot of work went
into preparing the players, and our entire
philosophy of the game of golf, to get to that
point.”
BC players selected
to Team Canada
Nick Taylor of Abbotsford,
Eugene Wong of North
Vancouver and Sue Kim of
Langley have been selected by
the RCGA for their 2010 Team
Nick Taylor
Canada golf team. Taylor, a
Team Canada veteran, was ranked No. 1 on the
Royal and Ancient’s (R&A) World Amateur Golf
Ranking for 21 weeks.
Christine Wong of Richmond was named to
the RCGA’s Development Team.
The RCGA National Team Program
incorporates advanced coaching, sport science
expertise, training camps and world-class
competition. Players who are selected to the
National Amateur and National Developmental
Teams represent Canada at six to 10
internationally-sanctioned golf competitions
throughout the year.
For more information about Team
Canada or to make a donation towards the
development of Canada’s future golf stars,
please visit www.rcga.org/teamcanada.
Photo copyright USGA
Earlier this year, the BCGA
Course Society in Chase, B.C. was
entered the “Sharing Our Stories”
selected to receive the two tickets
competition offered by 2010
to the 2010 Winter Olympic
Legacies Now, and is pleased to
Games Opening Ceremonies.
announce that the story about
“This is a once in a lifetime
the success of the junior girls
chance,” says Pittendreigh. “My
during the 2008 championship
wife and I never imagined we
season was selected from all of
would be watching the Opening
the entries to win the “Sharing
Ceremonies live.”
Our Stories” prize. The prize
Pittendreigh, 74, has been
included two tickets to the 2010
a volunteer at Sunshore Golf
Winter Olympic Games Opening
Course for more than 25 years
Ceremonies and $2,500 for one of
and plays to a handicap of 15.
the BCGA programs.
The $2500 prize money will go
The BCGA invited clubs
to help amputee golfer Johannes
from all corners of the province
Grames to compete at the All
to nominate an individual from
Japan Physically Challenged Golf
their club who contributes to the
Championship in Tsu, Japan at
overall success of the club in a
the Tsu G&CC.
volunteer capacity.
Grames is an above-knee
“We were overwhelmed Johannes Grames
amputee golfer currently living in
by the quantity and quality of
Vancouver and plays to a singlenominees we received, and are proud of digit handicap. He is a board member at
the volunteer work being done throughout large of the B.C. Amputee Golf Association,
the province to support the game of golf,” a member of the Canadian Amputee Golf
says Kris Jonasson, executive director of the Association, the B.C. Amputee Sports
BCGA.
Association and the BCGA. Johannes is the
At the recent BC Golf Hall of Fame 2009 B.C. Amputee Open champion and
inductee dinner, held at Capilano G&CC, finished second in the above knee division at
Morris Pittendreigh of the Sunshore Golf the 2009 Canadian Amputee Open.
Photo courtesy BCGA
BCGA wins and bestows two honors
The Simon Fraser University
varsity golf program staged a major
comeback this fall, after three
years in which the program had
been dropped from the university’s
athletic offering.
BCGA names 2009 Volunteer
Recognition Award recipients
Lill Dewar
Vicki Redding
Rena Titmus Dow
Art Charpentier
Berne Neufeld
Lynn Benedictson
Bob Bagnall
Heather Marchildon and
Dave Wright
Zone 1
Zone 2
Zone 3
Zone 4
Zone 5
Zone 6
Zone 7
Zone 8
Bob Bagnall of Zone 7.
Ray on Board
Ray Bone has joined the staff of Golf British Columbia
and Pacific Northwest Golfer. Ray has been involved in the
hospitality/tourism sales and marketing field in BC for over 30
years. When he’s not working, and even sometimes when he is,
you’ll find Ray in the big green office trying to perfect a more
than slightly imperfect golf swing.
For advertising inquiries, contact Ray at 250-883-2772 or
[email protected].
President Stevenson recently
held a “President and Friends” golf
tournament in support of the team
at Swan-e-set G&CC, which was a
major success in raising funds. And
the addition of Assistant Coaches
Jared Boddy and Mark Strong, both
former players on the team, has
gone a long way in developing
the young squad. The continued
support of the Vancouver Golf Club,
which opened its doors to the team
as its home course and practice
facility, was also an important step
in the right direction.
Furthermore, SFU athletics
was recently approved as the first
non-U.S. member of the NCAA.
Beginning in the 2010-11 season, the
university’s golf team will become
the first Canadian competitor
in the Great Northwest Athletic
Conference in the NCAA Division II.
Welcome back.
www.thepnga.org
| DECEMBER 2009
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43
C O L U M B I A
Each year volunteers are
recognized throughout the
province for their generous
contributions to the game of
golf. Congratulations to this
year’s recipients.
B R I T I S H
Castlegar Golf Club, in Castlegar, will host the 2010 BC Amateur Championship
on July 20-23. Pictured is Castlegar’s long 13th hole. Photo by Don Wexil.
The return of the program
is due to the hard work of former
Head Coach John Buchanan, and
the support and vision of both SFU
President Michael Stevenson and
SFU Athletic Director David Murphy.
Coach Buchanan, who had retired
from coaching the golf team a
few years prior to the three-year
hiatus, put the whole of his effort
into re-establishing the program,
and did so by developing a strong
network of alumni and public
supporters, and, eventually, by
persuading the school’s president
to back the idea which provided the
significant clout necessary to turn
the Athletic Department.
G O L F
SFU golf team reborn
Golf
I D A H O
History in the making
Beloved Twin Falls muni has seen just about everyone
Modest? Maybe. Shy? No.
Unheralded? Nope.
The popular, frumpy, and beloved
Twin Falls Municipal Golf Course
has seen much of the history of
Idaho Golf walk its fairways and
order iced tea at its counter.
The course, owned by the city of
Twin Falls, opened for play back in
the 1920s as a nine-holer with sand
greens. The greens were converted
to grass in 1931, and in 1958 it
opened the back nine.
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DECEMBER 2009 | PACIFIC NORTHWEST GOLFER
Mike Hamblin, the course’s
current General Manager, pretty
much grew up on the course. “My
father (Don Hamblin) took over as
head pro when I was a kid, in 1976,”
said Mike. “This is where I learned
the game, playing in the junior
program.”
The elder Hamblin grew up in
Caldwell, and moved his young
family to Las Vegas, where he was
the pro at the now-defunct Desert
Inn Country Club. The Hamblins
then moved back to Idaho and
Don hooked up at Twin Falls muni,
where he served as head pro
until he left in 1987 to become a
Rules Official for the PGA Tour and
Assistant Tournament Director for
both the Senior (now Champions)
Tour and the Hogan Tour (now
called the Nationwide Tour).
Mike was the assistant pro
under his Dad in the mid-‘80s,
taking over as head pro in ’87
when his Don left.
“We’ve seen a lot on this course
over the years,” says Mike.
In 1958, when the course
expanded to 18 holes, the Idaho
Open was held there for the first
time, with Tony Lema taking the
title, just before his great run on
the PGA Tour in the early 1960s,
culminating in his major win at the
’64 British Open.
The course has hosted the Idaho
several times, including the past
G O L F
GOLF
I D A HO
I D A H O
three consecutive years, with current Nationwide Tour player Tyler
Aldridge winning in 2006, Champions Tour player Scott Masingill
winning in ’07, and Boise State men’s golf coach Kevin Burton
winning in 2008.
The course has probably the strongest junior program of any
golf course in the history of Idaho. Here is a “who’s who” of some of
the young players who have gone through the program.
Babe Hiskey (voted by Jack Nicklaus as the best player ever to
come out of Idaho), Jim Hiskey, Sonny Hiskey, Jeff Thomsen (Idaho,
Montana and Arizona Open Champion, who went on to play the
PGA Tour in 1970s), Tracy Frank (Idaho Open Champion and 2nd
in National PGA Assistant Championship in 1980s), Mike Hamblin
(Montana Open Champion and four time Idaho Open Champion),
Virginia Undhjem (four time State Amateur Champion), Karen
Darrington (six time State Amateur Champion), Mandi Hedberg, and
Jennifer Hedberg.
The Hiskey dynasty of young players grew up on the muni
when it was a nine hole course. Their father Pete took care of the
maintenance of the course, and his kids made the most of the
free reign they had on the holes, dominating the junior scene for
several years.
And Jordan Hamblin, a senior at Twin Falls High School and
the son of head pro Mike Hamblin, won the low amateur honors at
this summer’s Idaho Open, held at Twin Falls, shooting a final round
6-under 62 at the par-68 muni.
“We’re proud of what we’ve done here at the course,” says
Mike. “The Hamblins have been helping to run this place for 32
years. And we feel like every golfer who comes here is part of our
extended family.”
Not bad.
The PGA Tour’s Tony Lema won the first Idaho Open held at Twin Falls muni, in 1958, the first
year the course had expanded to 18 holes.
IDAHO
GOLF
A S S O C I A T I O N
An official representative of the United States Golf Association (USGA)
Establish your handicap and
become a member today!
BENEFITS INCLUDE:
• An official USGA Handicap Index
• Discounts and Rewards program for FREE GOLF
• Subscriptions to Golf Idaho and Pacific Northwest Golfer
• Eligibility to Participate in IGA Tournaments and more
www.theiga.org • 208-342-4442
www.thepnga.org
| DECEMBER 2009
|
45
FROM
THE
IG A
2009 Championship Series
The 2009 tournament
season for the Idaho Golf
Association was a season
to be remembered. The
Championship Series began
at the bottom of the Snake
River Canyon near Twin Falls
JIM DURKIN
and concluded under brilliant
IGA Executive Director
blue skies of the Sun Valley.
Familiar names received the trophies this year
with great performances to win their respective
events. The State championship attracted
the most players in recent history due to an
unsuccessful attempt to have district qualifiers to
field the championship. The IGA introduced a
new championship to accommodate the working
class guy. The Men’s Mid-Am (25 years old and
above) was a resounding success. All in all,
the 2009 Championship Series was exciting and
unpredictable.
Men’s Four-Ball
The 2009
Tournament season
got underway at
Canyon Springs Golf
Course which is
nestled in the Snake
River Canyon. Idaho’s finest players teamed
up to play the partners’ event outside of Twin
Falls. Joe Malay and Joe Panzari leaped to the
top of the leader board with the exemplary play
of Panzari. Panzari set a tournament course
record 64 on the opening Saturday round. The
teams of Todd Points / Jon Crozier, Jesse Hibler
/ Jeff Poulsen and teen stand-outs Jon Vandyk
/ Jordan Hamblin were only one back going
into the final round. The first-day leaders were
unable to duplicate the success of the prior
round and fell back. The consistent play of Eric
Peterson / Marc Rhoades would propel them
over the equally consistent Points / Crozier
tandem to claim the championship.
Match Play Invitational
Idaho’s best players were invited to
participate in the annual Match Play Tournament
which returned to the Valley Club. The spring
event is one that has to contend with the forces
of nature. This year was no exception – the
event underwent several lightning delays which
made it difficult for the players to maintain
momentum and rhythm. Paul Lodge would roll
through the matches to win his second Match
Play Championship in as many years. University
of Montana student, Carissa Simmons found her
swing and rolled through the final two matches
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DECEMBER 2009 | PACIFIC NORTHWEST GOLFER
to claim her first IGA title. Jesse Hibler was
able to stop the hard charging Chris Reinke who
powered his way through the last three matches
to get to the Final. Hibler, with the precision of
a surgeon, birdied three of the first four holes to
put Reinke in a catch-up role. Reinke was unable
to make the birdie putts that would close the gap.
Hibler posted his first IGA title having recently
re-established his Amateur status after a run at
the PGA Tour.
Women’s State Amateur
The Twin Falls Municipal
Golf Course proved to be more
challenging than anticipated. The
winds blew continuously during
the opening round and morning
Sheils
rain would soak the course on the
third day making the course sloppy and slow.
Boise native and Washington State University
player Allison Travis cruised to a 36-hole lead
with steady rounds of 71-73 only to face the wet
conditions and the pressure of the final round.
University of Nebraska student, and Boise native,
Madeleine Sheils, who was an Idaho Junior Golf
sensation, shot a final round 71 to run away from
the field and claim the championship.
Men’s State Amateur
The 2009 Idaho State Amateur would field
the largest number of contestants in its history.
The reason for the size of the field
was the failed attempt to conduct
qualifiers for the tournament. In
order to maintain the mantra this
Executive Director chanted to
advertise the qualifiers, I allowed as Reinke
many as manageable to enroll in the
Championship. Having said that, the golf was
fantastic. Falcon Crest Golf Club in Kuna was set
up for Championship golf and was not an easy
test for the players, combining length with fast
greens. Match Play Champion, Jesse Hibler was
the first round leader with a 67. Day Two would
bring out the best with 23 players at par or better,
highlighted by rounds of 63 by Jimmy Burnett (of
Challis), 64 by Brad Tensen (of Boise) and 65 by
Chris Williams (of Moscow). But only a handful
of players would break par on the final day. The
steadiest hand would win the tournament with
three rounds under par. Chris Reinke of Ashton
rolled to a three stoke victory with steady rounds
of 71-69-69. Chris went on a final round tear with
four tap-in birdies in the middle of his round,
including a near ace on the 155-yard 10th hole.
Men’s Mid-Amateur
The Idaho Golf Association introduced a
new tournament designed for the working class
guy. The Men’s Mid-Am has a minimum age
limit of 25 years old. This inaugural event was
played at the venerable Pinecrest Golf Course in
Idaho Falls. The tournament was enjoyed by all
and had a dramatic finish. Eastern
Idaho’s finest players, Mark Dance,
Nick Higham and Lee Read would
go to a sudden death playoff to
crown the first champion. Dance
would tragically miss a kick-in for
par to eliminate himself from the
first playoff hole. Read got a funny
bounce on his approach shot on
the second playoff hole which left
him putting from off the green.
Nick needed only to pure in his six
foot birdie to win the tournament.
David Bishop won the Master-40
flight of the tournament.
Higham
Bishop
Senior Championship
The Senior Championship
went to the beautiful and wooded
McCall Golf Club to determine the
best player. In the Men’s division
there was no surprise when Paul Darrington
Lodge held off Doug Potter (of
Coeur d’Alene) and Bruce Cadwell (of Boise).
Paul had a one-two punch season, winning
the Match Play and the State Senior. In
the Women’s division, Karen Darrington
had to go to extra holes to defeat Idaho’s
most decorated female amateur, Jean Smith,
to win her second consecutive Senior
Championship.
Tournament of Champions
The sun shown brightly in Sun Valley
for the annual trip to the playground of the
rich and famous. The IGA’s Champions
and Club Champions played in the best of
conditions for the second year in a row. The
old veterans would rise to the top of the
leader board. Marc Rhoades defeated Shawn
Aicher in a playoff to claim his first IGA
Championship. Jean Smith got to hoist the
crystal after defeating Abby Black in a playoff.
The PNGA Hall of Famer was touched to be
back in the winner’s circle. Shawna Ianson
and Tom Smith won the Senior divisions.
The 2009 golfing season was a great year
for golf. In the Women’s Four-Ball, Penny
Jones and Denise Oliver were victorious at
the Jackpot Golf Club. Jordan Skyles and
Gabby Barker won the Junior Championship,
played at the Riverside Golf Course in
Pocatello. This year the IGA proudly hosted
the PNGA Cup, held at the Crane Creek
Country Club, and the British Columbia Golf
Association ran away with the crystal.
We all look forward to next season and
more thrilling championships.
Scenes from IGA’s 2009 season
2009
www.thepnga.org
| DECEMBER 2009
|
47
Hip check – your swing begins at home
Practicing the golf swing without a solid physical
foundation truly is an exercise in futility
“You see a lot of golfers out on
the range practicing their swings
when what they really need to do is
hit the gym,” says Todd Bindner, PGA
Professional at the Whitetail Club in
McCall, Idaho.
Todd Bindner
PGA Professional
Whitetail Club
Bindner, a former tri-athlete,
McCall, Idaho
estimates three out of four golfers
have some form of restriction in their hips that
limits mobility during the backswing. “Internal hip rotation allows you to coil
around your trail leg during the backswing, and
post up on the lead leg during the downswing,”
Bindner says. “Unfortunately, when a golfer has
limited hip mobility, maintaining a stable lower
body becomes extremely difficult during the golf
swing.”
The resulting swing typically produces one of
two results, neither of which is desirable:
Physical compensations are made which lead
to swing faults such as loss of clubhead speed
and poor ball-striking.
Too much stress is placed on the lower
back during the swing, which produces physical
problems in the lower back.
The best way to improve hip rotation is
with a consistent exercise routine focused
on dynamic stretching of the muscles around
the hip and strengthening the muscles that
help rotate the hip. Prior to starting a routine,
Bindner emphasizes that a physical assessment
to assess range of motion is vital.
“There’s no need to stretch areas you are
already flexible,” he says. A few steps to keep your game in step this winter
With the majority of golfers experiencing some degree
of inflexibility in the hips, Bindner recommends a series of
exercises aimed at improving hip range of motion.
Side Step Ups: Step up
Stork Turns: Stand on one leg with your
with your near leg, lift
arms folded across the chest. Use the hip
the outer leg and the hips muscles to rotate from side to side.
to move the outer leg in
front of your body. Holding
a weight in your hands
increases effectiveness.
Hip Drops: Rotate
knees side to side while
maintaining tightness in
the stomach and keeping
your lower back flat on the
ground.
Hip Windshield Wipers:
Keep your back flat on
the ground. Elevate the
knees and put your hands
between them. Use the
hip muscles to move your
lower legs in and out.
Hip Circles: Keep your lower
back stable while rotating your
leg in a circular motion.
2010 IGA Championship schedule
The 2010 IGA Women’s State
Amateur Championship will
be held June 10-12 at the
Headwaters Club at Teton
Springs Resort in Victor, Idaho.
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DECEMBER 2009 | PACIFIC NORTHWEST GOLFER
May 15-16Men’s Four-Ball
Jefferson Hills GC, Rigby
June 3-5Match PlayThe Valley Club, Sun Valley
June 10-12
Women’s State AmHeadwaters Club, Victor
July 16-18Men’s State Am
Clear Lake CC, Buhl
August 4-5
Carter Cup
Jackpot GC, Jackpot, NV
August 16-17 Junior State Championship Bryden Canyon GC & Lewiston CC,
Lewiston
August 12-13 Women’s Four-Ball
Jackpot GC, Jackpot, NV
August 28-29Men’s Mid-Am
Jerome CC, Jerome
Sept. 15-17Seniors’ State AmTBD
Sept. 25-26Tournament of ChampionsSun Valley Resort, Sun Valley
I D A HO
Aldridge making another run at PGA Tour
Nationwide stroke average dropped from 73.54 in
2008 to 71.16 in 2009.
“I had learned what life was like on (the
Nationwide) tour by playing the year before and
that made everything a lot easier,” Aldridge said.
“You know the courses, where to stay, and a lot of
the guys knew who I was from the year before. You
just feel a lot more comfortable with everything
the second time around.”
Aldridge is confident that same progression
will take place if he gets another chance to compete
on the PGA Tour.
“I think I would have a lot more success,” he
said. “I think I’d really start believing in myself like
I used to.”
Aldridge spent some time with PGA Tour
star Boo Weekley at The Travelers event on the
PGA Tour. Weekley related how he struggled
during his first appearance on the big stage in 2005
before gaining more experience with a return to
the Nationwide Tour. Weekley flourished upon
his return to the PGA Tour in 2007 with a victory
and 25th-place finish on the money list. He’s been a
regular on PGA Tour leaderboards ever since.
“He just took off, and I think that happens
with a lot of guys,” Aldridge said. “If you look at the
success rate of those playing on the PGA Tour for
the first time, it’s not very high.”
Aldridge is relatively happy with the
mechanical side of his game, but wherever he
plays in 2010 it will be with the support of a sports
psychologist to help with the mental side.
“When you’re playing well it’s on a twolane road, mental and physical,” said Aldridge.
“The top players work just as hard on their minds
as they do on their golf swings. Even Tiger has a
sports psychologist.”
When highly successful players have to
work on their mental games to maintain focus
and confidence, it’s doubly important for those
aspiring to succeed on the PGA Tour.
“I’m not saying I lost confidence in myself,
but it’s hard not to have some doubts when the
results aren’t coming,” Aldridge said. “I’m pretty
decent on the physical side. If I get the mental side
going, I’ll be OK.”
ABOVE: After playing
on the PGA Tour in
2009, Caldwell native
Tyler Aldridge
is back in the Final
Stage of the tour’s
Q-School, looking to
regain his card for
the 2010 season.
LEFT: After spending
the 2009 season
on the Nationwide
Tour, Boise State
grad Troy Merritt
has his eyes on the
PGA Tour.
First Tee to have
presence on bases
The First Tee of Idaho has
been selected to receive a
Department of Defense grant
to serve kids on a regional
military base. The chapter
will be conducting their
program at Mountain Home
Air Force Base beginning in January of 2010 and
will continue through the year.
The First Tee’s core curriculum will be made
available on the two bases to kids age 5-18,
of military families, including children of
Guardsmen and Reservists.
“This is a great opportunity for us and
for the kids,” said Cindy Venosdel, interim
Executive Director of the Idaho chapter.
“Imagine being a kid whose parent is on
deployment for months at a time. The First
Tee is another on-base option to demonstrate
that there are adults who care, and activities
that support positive youth development.”
Visit www.thefirstteeidaho.org for more
information.
IGA Winter GetAway to Primm, Nevada
The Idaho Golf Association invites its members on our annual Winter Getaway to Primm
Valley Casino Resorts, held January 28-30. Entry fee of $350 (single) and $300 (per person, double)
includes four nights lodging, three rounds of golf, cart rental, range balls, and prize fund.
For more information call the IGA office at (208) 342-4442. Entries need to be received by
January 18, 2010. CLICK HERE FOR AN ENTRY FORM
Wood on board
Chris Wood has joined the staff of Golf Idaho and Pacific Northwest
Golfer. Chris has been covering Idaho golf as a newspaper and magazine
writer since 1985. He currently resides in Boise with his wife, Brenda.
For inquiries regarding editorial or advertising, contact Chris at
208.914.3080 or [email protected].
www.thepnga.org
| DECEMBER 2009
|
49
I D A H O
by Chris Wood
Wherever Tyler Aldridge lands in 2010,
the Caldwell, Idaho, native plans to continue on
the path to becoming a successful player on the
PGA Tour.
“I want to be able to play at the top level,
and that’s the PGA Tour,” said Aldridge, who
progressed to the final stage of Q-School, being
held Dec. 2-7 at Bear Lakes CC in West Palm
Beach, Fla. “I want my PGA Tour card, but I’ll be
happy with whatever happens.”
Aldridge must finish in the top 25 of the
132-man field to return to the PGA Tour in 2010.
Players finishing out of the top 25 will have varying
degrees of playing status on the Nationwide Tour.
Aldridge progressed through all three stages of
Q-school last year, and got his card on the big tour.
He didn’t find much success on the PGA Tour,
however, with three cuts made in 17 events and a
total of $24,370 in earnings.
“I’d like another shot,” Aldridge said.
If he gets that chance, Aldridge won’t be
wide-eyed when competing against the best
golfers in the world. He’ll be used to the perks and
pressures of the PGA Tour.
“They treat you pretty well out there, which
is nice, but playing with the guys you watch on
TV is definitely an eye-opener,” Aldridge said.
“It’s hard not to have some doubts whether you
belong out there.”
Aldridge competed on the Nationwide Tour
in 2008 and had struggles similar to his 2009
PGA Tour campaign, with six cuts made in 23
events. He mixed in some Nationwide events with
his PGA Tour schedule in 2009, and was much
improved with five cuts made in 11 events. His
G O L F
GOLF
Golf
WA S H I N G T O N
Arms wide open
A completed renovation at Riverbend brought
a good year to a good course
After being reduced to nine holes
last fall to make way for some serious
reconfiguration of the levee that separates
the Green River from the course, Riverbend Golf
Complex, the city-owned facility in Kent, Wash.
re-opened its full 18 holes on April 1, 2009.
And what has the response been from
golfers?
“Nothing but positive,” said Pete Petersen,
superintendent of golf course operations. “The
course is much more playable, and more of a
challenge for the better players.”
According to Petersen, after the remodel the
course played about the same difficulty for the
average player, but more difficult for the longer
hitters. “We moved several bunkers further
down the fairway,” he said. “Where the bunkers
had been, we were punishing the shorter hitters
because the big hitters could blow their drives
right over them. Now they can’t do that.”
Because of the remodel, the course basically
lost 50 feet of real estate on several holes all
along the riverfront, and on the front nine only
the first hole was left untouched in the remodel.
The Army Corps of Engineers did the hard labor,
the county paid the bill, and Petersen himself
did most of the re-design, along with original
designer John Steidel.
And, since they were knee-deep in it
already, the course ponied up a few dollars and
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DECEMBER 2009 | PACIFIC NORTHWEST GOLFER
upgraded several tee boxes on the back nine,
then later added a new back tee on the 5th hole
this summer.
Any plans to tweak the course this winter?
“We’ll re-seed and add topsoil along holes 4, 5
and 6 (that run along the river). That’s where
most of the construction was happening and it
was the last section of the course to grow in.”
Riverbend continued to be one of the busiest
courses in the state in ’09. Despite not opening
until April, they’ll still come close to 60,000
rounds by the end of the year.
There has been some concern about the
Green River rising above flood stage this winter.
The dam upriver has been weakened, and the
Army has provided some temporary fixes to it.
Also, all along the Green River Trail that runs
several miles through the valley – and along
much of the golf course – the Army has set up a
barrier of sand bags as a precaution. “The sand
bag wall stretches from Auburn to Tukwila,” said
Petersen. A distance of more than 15 miles.
“We’re actually in a good position compared
to downtown (Kent),” said Petersen. “The reason
for last year’s remodel was the Army shored up
the levee that runs along the course. So right
here is where it is the strongest.”
Riverbend marked its 20th year in 2009. A
good position, indeed.
The Army Corps of Engineers has built
a barrier of sandbags all along the
Green River Trail that runs along the
Riverbend Golf Complex. The trail is
popular among joggers and bikers.
AT A GLANCE
Riverbend Golf Complex
2019 W. Meeker St.
Kent, WA 98032
877.224.3250
www.riverbendgolfcomplex.com
Pete Petersen
Superintendent of Golf Operations
Marti O’Neill
PGA Head Professional
Amenities
• 18-hole championship course
• 9-hole Par-3 course
•Miniature Putt-Putt course
• Covered driving range
• Discount Golf Center
•Firecreek Grill restaurant
• Divot Café
What’s New
On April 1, 2009, Riverbend re-opened
its full 18-hole course after the
completion of a $1.25 million remodel
that affected eight holes on the front
nine. The remodel included new greens
on three holes, new tees on eight holes
and new bunkers on six holes.
Opened in 1989, Riverbend just
celebrated its 20th year in operation.
Upcoming winter events
• Winter Demo Day – December 12
• Winter Scramble – December 19
• Ball Buster – February 11, 2010
G O L F
Meet Mrs. Maplewood
enhance winter play –
which it has done.
The par-72 layout
is 6,112 yards from the
blue tees, 5,698 from the
white and 5,155 from the
red (forward) tees, but
it plays longer because
of several uphill holes
and elevated greens. The
array of ponds, bunkers
(with excellent sand,
Kelly Beymer has things running at full sail at Maplewood GC.
even in the winter),
creeks and tree-lined fairways make solid
low round at Maplewood is a 71, just eight
ball-striking a must. Over all, the course is a
strokes off the course record of 63.
relatively easy walk (after you make it up the
After playing basketball and softball
hill between the first and second tees!) and the
at Highline High School and St. Martin’s
ample greens are firm, fair and fast.
College, she took up golf at age 26 “and
All of this contributes to Maplewood’s
loved it from day one.” She has nothing but
ranking as one of the busiest courses in the
praise for her mostly male counterparts.
state and to having among the largest men’s
“The golf business is very competitive,
and women’s clubs in Washington. And just
especially in this economy,” she said.
last May, the course became only the 12th in
“It’s great that we can all share ideas
the state to be designated a Certified Audubon
and concerns.”
Cooperative Sanctuary. It’s also been voted the
“Best Public Course” four years in a row in the
South County Journal’s Readers Choice Awards
COFFMAN ON BOARD
competition.
Larry Coffman has
Adding to Maplewood’s attractiveness
joined the staff of Golf
is the 10,000-square-foot clubhouse with a
Washington and Pacific
banquet facility that can accommodate 200Northwest Golfer. Larry
has been in the publishing
plus guests, a restaurant popular with locals
business for 46 (yes, 46)
and a Cheers-like bar that’s cozy in the winter
years, writing for the
and opens onto a picturesque patio for spring
Associated Press and the Seattle Times,
and summer patrons. My favorite fare is the
and publishing the trade Marketing
Sunday brunch and Ironside manhattans.
Newspaper since 1986. He resides in
Kelly is 47, married and the mother of
Kirkland, and plays a little golf.
two. Despite all the personal and professional
For advertising inquiries, contact
Larry at 425.487.9111 or LCoffman@
demands, she still finds time to maintain a
earthlink.net.
seven handicap – from the blue (back) tees. Her
www.thepnga.org
| DECEMBER 2009
|
W A S H I N G T O N
by Larry Coffman
Kelly Beymer is an anomaly in Washington
state golf circles: a female golf course manager
in a world dominated by males.
Kelly grew up in Burien and for the past
20 years has lived in Maple Valley, not far from
the busy Maplewood Golf Course in Renton
that she manages today.
But like the course, her career has seen
changes over the years since she began working
in golf course operations at Lake Wilderness in
1990. She was promoted to manager in 1997
and moved on to manage another American
Golf Corp. property, The Classic in Spanaway,
from 2000 to 2002.
She was hired by the City of Renton in
2002 to manage Maplewood, its municipal
course, and recently was promoted to Parks
and Golf Course Director.
Renton Mayor Denis Law said, “Kelly
has done an outstanding job of managing the
operations at Maplewood. I continue to receive
praise from avid golfers for the quality of our
course, our driving range and the restaurant
and banquet facilities.”
Your reporter can attest to the accuracy
of that statement, after more than a dozen
enjoyable rounds there.
For starters, Maplewood has the only
range-ball dispenser located in a heated indoor
space that I’m aware of in the state. It adjoins
the 30-stall heated and covered driving range
that also features an unusual driving surface,
covered entirely in Astroturf.
Maplewood opened in 1927 with 27 holes
but lost nine when Highway 169 was widened
from two to six lanes. Following the course’s
acquisition by the City of Renton in 1985, there
have been continual upgrades, with a focus on
improving drainage and adding topdressing to
51
GOLF
W A SHINGTON
Mark your calendars
for Golf Shows
The par-4 1st hole at Wine Valley Golf Club in Walla Walla, Wash.
Wine Valley to host two
championships in 2010
Wine Valley Golf Club, which opened in the spring of 2009 just west of Walla
Walla, has been selected as the site of the Northwest Open and the WSGA Mid-Amateur
Championship. Designed by Northwest native Dan Hixson, the inland links-style layout
features rolling fairways and large undulating greens.
The Northwest Open is one of the oldest and most prestigious tournaments in the
Northwest, with a list of past champions that includes Fred Couples, Bob Gilder, Don
Bies and Rick Acton. The field will consist of 168 of the region’s top professionals and
amateurs. The 54-hole tournament will be held August 23-25, 2010. The Northwest Open
is one of six major championships conducted by the Section. Visit www.pnwpga.com for
more information.
The Washington State Golf Association has selected Wine Valley GC as the site of its
inaugural Mid-Amateur Championship. Open to amateur players age 25 and older with an
established WSGA GHIN handicap, the creation of the championship is in response to the
need for more statewide amateur competitions. Visit www.thewsga.org or
www.winevalleygolfclub.com for more information.
Jarin Todd
Todd signs with Fehr
Jarin Todd of Woodinville, Wash. has signed an exclusive
representation agreement with Fehr Sports Management.
Todd was the Jack Nicklaus Award winner in both
2007 and 2008 which is presented to the NCAA Division
II Player of the Year. His collegiate career at Sonoma State
University included nine individual victories. He also led
his team to a Division II National Championship at Loomis
Trail Golf Course in Blaine, Wash. this past May. Todd
recently turned pro.
Fehr Sports Management is owned and operated
by former PGA Tour player and Seattle native, Rick Fehr.
Also in Fehr’s stable of players is University of Washington
graduate and PGA Tour player, Troy Kelly, and Champions
Tour player Loren Roberts, winner of last summer’s Boeing
Classic, held at TPC Snoqualmie Ridge.
52
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DECEMBER 2009 | PACIFIC NORTHWEST GOLFER
Why not look toward the spring
already? Remember the dates for the region’s
consumer golf shows.
The Seattle
Golf Show, February
12-14, 2010, at the Qwest
Field Event Center. Visit
www.seattlegolfshow.com
or call 206.818.4653 for
information.
The Spokane Golf Show,
February 20-21, 2010, at the Spokane
Convention Center. Visit their website
at www.spokanegolfshow.com or call
866.468.8200 for information.
WSGA sets Winter
Series schedule
Each winter, the Washington
State Golf Association conducts a
series of tournaments to keep your
game from getting too rusty. Entries
are open to amateur golfers who
are in good standing of a WSGA
member club and have a USGA
Handicap Index not exceeding 36.4
for men and 40.4 for women. Entry
fee is $70 per player, per event; this
includes greens fees, range balls,
tee prizes, tournament prizes, and a
merchandise payout.
Entries open online at www.
thewsga.org on December 7,
2009. Or call 800-643-6410 for more
information.
January 22, 2010
Bellevue Municipal Golf Course
Bellevue, Washington
Stableford Format
February 19, 2010
Oakbrook Golf & Country Club
Lakewood, Washington
2-Person Scramble
March 26, 2010
The Cedars at Dungeness
Sequim, Washington
Individual Stroke Play
April 9, 2010
Apple Tree Resort
Yakima, Washington
Two-Person Best-Ball
Semiahmoo Resort
G O L F
First Tee to have presence on bases
Wrigley wins fifth consecutive SAWGA trophy
Some habits are good to have, and Beth Wrigley
has found one she likes by winning an unprecedented
fifth consecutive Spokane Area Women’s Golf Association
(SAWGA) championship title.
Wrigley carries a handicap index of 2.1 at her home
course, Indian Canyon GC in Spokane.
The season-ending championship is Spokane’s
most prestigious women’s golf event. This year’s three day Beth Wrigley
event fielded over 100 players and was held September
15-17 at Qualchan GC, Meadowwood GC and Fairways at West Terrace in
the Spokane area. Founded in 1948, SAWGA consists of 13 ladies golf clubs
throughout the Spokane area.
Visit www.sawgagolf.com for information.
• OntheHouseTM
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Semiahmoo Resort among
North America’s finest
W A S H I N G T O N
The First Tee of Snohomish County has been selected to receive a
Department of Defense grant to serve kids on two regional military bases.
The chapter will be conducting their program at Naval Station Everett and
Naval Air Station Whidbey beginning in January of 2010 and will continue
through the year.
The First Tee’s core curriculum will be made available on the two
bases to kids age 5-18, of military families, including children of Guardsmen
and Reservists.
“This is a great opportunity for us and for the kids,” said Jeff Cornish,
CEO of the Snohomish County chapter. “Imagine being a kid whose parent
is on deployment for months at a time. The First Tee is another on-base
option to demonstrate that there are adults who care, and activities that
support positive youth development.”
“Parents, teachers and communities have embraced our mission
after seeing first hand how the core values associated with the program
help young people succeed,” said Joe Louis Barrow, Jr., CEO of The First Tee.
“We expect to have a similar level of meaningful impact on the children of
service members.”
Fifty U.S.-based military installations begin offering the program
this winter, with 50 more to begin in the spring.
Visit www.firstteesnoco.com for information.
Semiahmoo Resort has been named as one of the
“Top 75 Golf Resorts in North America” by Golf Digest
for 2009. Semiahmoo was the only Washington state
resort listed in the rankings.
Ranked No. 55 among the top resort golf
complexes, the recognition spotlights the resort’s two
golf courses – Semiahmoo Golf & Country Club and
Loomis Trail Golf Club – its AAA Four Diamond hotel,
and resort amenities including numerous restaurants
and world-class spa.
Over the years, the resort’s courses have consistently
ranked among the best in the U.S., including Golf
Digest’s “America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses.” The
magazine cited Semiahmoo Golf & Country Club as the
“Best New Course in America” in 1987.
Golf the Northwest…
stay at the Best!
Ask about the great
golf packages at each
of our locations!
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• FREEwireless
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• 24-hourexercise
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1-800-HAMPTON
Pictured: Hampton Inn Richland on the Columbia River
Hampton Inn Richland
509.943.4400
486 Bradley Blvd.
Richland, WA 99352
Hampton Inn Spokane
509.747.1100
2010 S. Assembly Rd.
Spokane, WA 99224
Hampton Inn Kalispell
406.755.7900
1140 Hwy 2 West
Kalispell, MT 59901
www.thepnga.org
| DECEMBER 2009
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53
GOLF
W A SHINGTON
New WSGA
president Ben
Grinspan gives
his acceptance
speech at the
Annual Meeting
on October 30th
at Tacoma C&GC.
Grinspan elected
WSGA President
The Washington State Golf Association
has announced that Ben Grinspan has been
elected its new president. The announcement
was made October 31 at the WSGA Annual
Meeting held at Tacoma Country & Golf Club.
Grinspan has been a WSGA board member
since 1992, serving as vice president of District
1, which encompasses the north end of the
Puget Sound region and is the most populous
of the five WSGA districts. He will serve a twoyear term as president.
Grinspan grew up in South Seattle and
got his start in golf at age seven, when his
father woke him up one Sunday morning
and asked him if he wanted to go to Sunday
school or go golfing with him. His father took
him to the short course at Jefferson Park, the
municipal course in Seattle, where he would
learn the game during long summer days
when his mother would drop him off in the
morning and pick him up in the afternoon.
These beginnings at the public facility have
molded much of Grinspan’s attitude toward
the game. “I’m a big proponent of inclusivity,”
he says. “Let people play.” His goals for his
term as president are to grow the game by
cultivating youth programs and by giving
more attention to the casual golfer.
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54
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Seattle
913 Central Ave S.
Kent, WA 98032
Tri-Cities
1115 N Oregon Ave
Pasco, WA 99301
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DECEMBER 2009 | PACIFIC NORTHWEST GOLFER
The Washington State Golf Association
(WSGA) has selected Jane Sossamon and Ron
Nelson as the 2009 recipients of the George
Holland Award, given annually to those chosen
as the association’s Volunteers of the Year. The
award recognizes volunteers who have made
extraordinary contributions to the association
and to the game of golf. The husband and
wife team are members of Fairwood G&CC in
Renton, Wash. This year’s recognition came
at the WSGA Annual Meeting, which was held
October 30 at Tacoma Country & Golf Club.
The award is named in honor of George
Holland, a longtime volunteer, contributor
and two-time past president of the WSGA. Past
recipients include H.M. “Monty Montgomery
and Ben Stodghill (2008), Jackie Belsvik and
Gomer Evans (2007), Stanley Bishop and George
Pennell (2006), Brooks Whittle (2005), Chuck
King and George Egge (2004), and Dan Farmer
and Lew Kisling (2003).
News & Notes
• The Royal and Ancient (R&A) Golf Club
of St. Andrews selected Washington Husky
senior golfer Nick Taylor as the third recipient
of the Mark H. McCormack Medal, the award
given to the top-ranked amateur golfer at the
conclusion of the amateur season.
• Tyler Jones has been
named the new general manager
at Palouse Ridge Golf Club, the
new course in Pullman, Wash.
that is owned by Washington
State University and managed by Jones
CourseCo, Inc. A 1992 WSU graduate in hotel
and restaurant management, Jones returns to
Pullman from Poppy Hills GC in Pebble Beach,
Calif., where he served as general manager for
the past five years.
Jessica’s winning
work of art.
• Jessica Kent, age 14, of Bellevue,
Wash. was selected as the winner of the
KemperSports Kids Fore Kids Art Contest. As
the winner, Jessica traveled to San Francisco
with her family to attend The Presidents Cup
at Harding Park Golf Course. Jessica’s winning
art work was framed and autographed by both
U.S. and International Presidents Cup teams,
then auctioned to raise money for The First Tee
programs. Jessica has been in the program at
The First Tee of Greater Seattle since 2007.
• Rui Li of Kent, Wash. has been named
an HP Scholastic Junior All-American by the
American Junior Golf Association. Li is a senior
at Kentwood High School.
• Erynne Lee of Silverdale, Wash., and
Seo Hee Moon of Mukilteo, Wash., were
named Rolex Junior All-Americans by the
American Junior Golf Association.
• Steve Sholdra, who is in the program
of The First Tee of Greater Seattle, was
among 50 selected nationally to attend the
Future Leaders Forum, held in Orlando, Fla.
in conjunction with the PGA Tour event in
November.
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www.thepnga.org
| DECEMBER 2009
|
55
Back Nine
18-hole
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“Scottish Style”
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56
|
DECEMBER 2009 | PACIFIC NORTHWEST GOLFER
Like playing
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