AZ GOLF INSIDER Digital Edition
NOVEMBER 2020
ARIZONA SILVER BELLE TURNS 50! Page 12
Talking Stick Golf Club Scottsdale, Ariz.
TED PURDY GIVES BACK Page 8
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From the Executive Director’s Desk
by Ed Gowan
Enjoy, and send us your comments and suggestions for future items to cover. We are intent on becoming your main source for all that is golf in Arizona.
AZ GOLF Insider Digital Edition EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OFFICERS PRESIDENT...................................... Bill Burgesser VICE PRESIDENT........................ Bob McNichols VICE PRESIDENT ............................... Tim Brown SECRETARY................................... Michelle Cross TREASURER..................................... Tim Hulscher GENERAL COUNSEL.......................... Greg Mast EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS Jackie Bertsch, Vera Ciancola, Barbara Fitzgerald, Ed Gowan, Mark Jeffrey, Jerry Huff, Mike Kane, Leslie Kramer, Ann Martin, Scott McNevin, John Souza
T
his is our second edition of the Az Golf Insider digital version. The intent is to fill the communication gaps between printed versions (first NEW version should arrive in your mailbox in mid-November).
are email provisions going into effect to protect young golfers and require all golfers to be identifiable. This is all to secure and verify the accuracy of scores returned while protecting your information.
In this edition, you’ll find that Ted Purdy, along with his PGA Tour devotion to charitable efforts, devised one for himself creating a food bank for those in need. It’s a truly remarkable story about one of Arizona’s local heroes.
AGA has also created an ‘Under-30’ club for young people who won’t or can’t join a regular club, so that an AGA handicap and our golfer benefits and open events are available to all.
Celebrate with us the 50th Anniversary of the Silver Belle, an amateur ladies championship whose alumnae include many significant names in women’s golf. There aren’t many long-standing women’s championships, and this one deserves attention. The World Handicap System has been in place now for ten months, and the final aspects are now being implemented. In addition to the rest of the world joining in this Fall, there
In past years, the Marilynn Smith Pro-Am raised over $100,000 for youth scholarships. This annual event was not held in 2020, but will return for 2021. Look for an announcement and event that will raise the focus on women’s golf for Arizona. Don’t forget to reserve your space for the 150th Open Championship at St Andrews in July of 2022. AGA is offering a deeply discounted option to take part in the Celebration including plenty of golf!
AGA STAFF Ed Gowan, David Bataller, Anj Brown, Alexa Cerra, Le Ann Finger, Tim Eberlein, Brianna Gianiorio, Sharon Goldstone, Erin Groeneveld, Vivian Kelley, Mike Mason, Derek McKenzie, Chris Montgomery, Robyn Noll, Cullen Perron, Kylie Shoemake, Alex Tsakiris, Susan Woods PARTNERSHIP CONTACT Chris Montgomery.................... (602) 872-7011 NATIONAL ADVERTISING CONTACT Brian Foster................................. (602) 909-7799 THE AZGOLF INSIDER STAFF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF....................... David Bataller AGA EDITOR.......................................... Anj Brown CONTRIBUTORS David Bataller, Anj Brown, Ed Gowan, Derek McKenzie, Jim Nugent
Arizona Golf Association 7600 E. Redfield Rd., Suite 130 Scottsdale, AZ 85260 (602) 944-3035 www.AzGolf.org
November 2020 - AZ Golf Insider Digital Edition - 5
ON THE COVER Talking Stick Golf Club in Scottsdale features two 18hole championsip courses designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw
50 & FABULOUS
THE POWER OF SERVICE
The Joanne Winter Arizona Silver Belle celebrates its 50th event next month at Briarwood Country Club
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Former UArizona and PGA TOUR standout Ted Purdy’s life changed after buying an Arizona food bank last year
MARILYNN SMITH SCHOLARSHIP FUND The Marilynn Smith Scholarship Fund provides annual grants to female students who plan to play collegiate golf
Hale Irwin
WORLD HANDICAP SYSTEM
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Get caught up with the main WHS changes that have taken effect in 2020, and get your WHS-related questions answered by visitng the AGA’s WHS Resource Portal
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Troon North Golf Club Scottsdale
Take Advantage of Early Bird Pricing!
The Phoenician Scottsdale
Eagle Mountain Golf Club Fountain Hills
Whirlwind Golf Club Chandler
The Troon Card is the ultimate way for golfers to experience the World of Troon at the best rates. In 2021, more than 120 courses are participating in the program.
With your Troon Card, you can reserve tee times within three days of your desired date of play and enjoy savings up to 50% off golf fees. Other benefits include “2 for 1” golf offers, complimentary clinics, monthly special offers and more. Troon Card’s Best Rate Guarantee allows you to book any other online rate and receive 15% off your golf fees at check in. Yes, even beyond the 3-day advance booking window.
2021 Troon Card Options & Rates Troon Card Type
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$599
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For more information and to purchase, please visit TroonCard.com. 2021 Troon Card - AGA October Digital Issue.indd 1
10/7/20 10:40 AM
50 & Fabulous The Joanne Winter Arizona Silver Belle Celebrates Five Decades of Fun by Joanne Winter AZ Silver Belle Board of Directors
Julie Stanger gets award from Joanne Winter for winning her age bracket at the 1973 Arizona Silver Belle. (Photo Courtesy: Silver Belle Championship)
In 1971, LPGA Professional Joanne Winter noticed that there were very few golf tournaments for girls and wanted to start one in Arizona. She wanted junior girls and college women to be able to play together in an event and to experience the fun and excitement of tournament golf. Thanks to Winter’s vision, a donation from one of her students, and the tournament guidance of the Arizona Women’s Golf Association, the Arizona Silver Belle Championship was born. There were just 23 players that first year, ages six through 22, but thanks to increased publicity and the tireless efforts of Winter and her volunteers, the field grew to more than 100 within three years. Soon, it became recognized by the United States Golf Association as a national event, drawing players from
around the country. Over the years, the Silver Belle has become one of golf’s premier amateur events, and is now included in the World Amateur Golf Rankings. The event’s notoriety has not been a surprise to those who knew and loved Winter. “Like so many of Joanne’s brilliant and creative ideas, it was a huge success because of her drive to contribute to junior’s and women’s golf, her vision of what it would accomplish, and her knack for inspiring others to help and bring it to fruition,” said Judy Loftfield Whitehouse, a friend of Winters’ and fellow LPGA Teaching Professional, of the early years of the Arizona Silver Belle. “I’m so proud that Arizona was where Joanne made it happen and so proud and admiring of her for getting it rolling and of all the volunteers who keep it a
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reality in her memory. It is a huge deal in our Arizona history!” Indeed, the Silver Belle could not exist without the many volunteers who support it. In the past, volunteers were often friends or students of Joanne Winter, herself. It wasn’t easy to say “no” to Joanne, so she was able to gather great people to help her. Because of her example and in her honor, today, the Silver Belle Board of Directors still works hard behind the scenes to make everything run smoothly. They handle entries, volunteer recruitment, sponsorships, awards and the myriad of logistics needed to conduct a firstclass event. During the event, there are more than 100 individuals on the course or behind the scenes to provide support to the event. The Silver Belle has grown from local to national to international in stature. Many of its “alumni” play college golf, on the LPGA,
2019 Silver Belle Champion Katherine Schuster at Longbow Golf Club in Mesa, Ariz. (Photo Courtesy: Silver Belle Championship)
Symetra, and Legends Tours. There are U.S. Open champions, LPGA tournament winners, Solheim Cup and Curtis Cup team members, NCAA champions and many All-Americans. No matter the accolades, every participant remembers her Silver Belle experience. “Congratulations to the Arizona Silver Belle Championship celebrating its 50th Anniversary,” said Arizona native and ASU Women’s Golf Coach Missy Farr-Kaye. “I first started playing in Silver Belle when they had a Little Belle division when I was only eight years old. Then I moved on to the ‘big’ girl’s division, and I continued to play every year through my college years at ASU. So, all in all, I probably played at least 10 years from 1977 through 1989. “All of the best players always played because we had so few opportunities back then for a first-rate junior girls’ tournament. I applaud the volunteers that have done such a great job in continuing the vision of Joanne Winter 50 years ago in giving young girls a great opportunity to develop into great golfers. Today, this event continues to draw the best players in the country and be a showcase for young women pursuing their dreams in golf!” The 50th Anniversary Joanne Winter Arizona Silver Belle Championship will Founded in 1971 by Joanne Winter, LPGA, the Joanne Winter Arizona Silver be held at Briarwood Country Club in Belle Championship encourages competition in golf for female amateur golf- Sun City West Dec. 28-30, 2020. Visit ers under the age of 24. (Photo Courtesy: Silver Belle Championship) azsilverbelle.com for more information.
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AZ UNDER 30 CLUB NEW IN 2020! Benefits Include: USGA Handicap Index Discounted Rates on Golf through Member Advantage Exclusive Club Events AGA Social Events, Tournaments & Championships Travel, Entertainment, Apparel Discounts ...And More!
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The AZ Under 30 Club was created to ensure that young adults, between the ages of 19 and 29, have opportunities to play and enjoy the many benefits of golf without the burden of high fees! We know that college is expensive and the first few years as a young professional are challenging. The AZ Under 30 Club is here to help!
Global Golf Post Former University of Arizona and PGA TOUR standout Ted Purdy, left, with Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez.
The Power of Service by Jim Nugent
Founder and Publisher, Global Golf Post As we continue to take on the COVID-19 pandemic, many people are sharing stories about how they are working their way through it. One of more interesting stories I have heard is that of my friend, PGA Tour veteran Ted Purdy. Late last year, Purdy was considering buying a golf course in his hometown of Phoenix. He engaged in a discussion with his father and a Phoenix commercial real estate executive named Eric Sheldahl about becoming investors. They had a better idea. Three years ago, Sheldahl and Purdy’s father, Jim, co-founded the Midwest Food Bank of Arizona. The executive director left late last
year, and so the potential golf course investors asked Purdy to help out for a while. Purdy, now 47 and counting the days until he is eligible for PGA Tour Champions, is a self-admitted golf junkie. He was a talented junior player who became a standout at the University of Arizona. He was rookie of the year on the Asian Tour in 1997, and graduated to the PGA Tour in 1999. He held his tour card through 2012, making 149 cuts and winning the 2005 Byron Nelson Championship. He made enough money playing golf that he didn’t have to worry about money. He has been a bit adrift since losing his card, playing sporadically on the Web.com Tour, the Gateway Tour and PGA Tour Latinoamérica. In 2013 and 2014 he reached the final stage of qualifying for what is now called the Korn Ferry Tour, but did not come away with PGA Tour access. He took a look at coaching golf at his alma mater, and later turned his attention to buying
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Global Golf Post Ted Purdy outside the Midwest Food Bank hub in Gilbert, Ariz.
a golf course. He wasn’t thrilled with the idea of working at a food bank, saying that he went “kicking and screaming.” But the rush he got after Day 1 was something he hadn’t experienced before. The mission of the food bank, according to its website, “is to share the love of Christ by alleviating hunger and malnutrition locally and throughout the world and providing disaster relief; all without discrimination.” It strives “to provide industry-leading food relief to those in need while feeding them spiritually.” The business of the food bank is to collect food from manufactures and to distribute it to churches, prisons, health agencies and other entities that get it in the hands of those who need it. The Midwest Food Bank of Arizona supports 300 nonprofit organizations. It is noble work, and it has touched Purdy in a way he never anticipated. One example is what he calls “Glorious Saturdays.” On one Saturday each month, he and members of his team drive to nearby Tucson
and spend 10 hours donating food to the needy. Cars, trucks and vans pull up there, and wind up getting loaded with food, milk, and water. The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically increased the demand for food in the area. But supply has gone down. Purdy and his team have had to get creative. It turns out that the city of Yuma, Ariz., lays claim to the title of “lettuce capital of the world.” At harvest season, with restaurants shut down, the crop might’ve been headed for destruction. But with assistance from the state, Purdy and his group connected with the National Guard to load 10 semi-trucks with lettuce. He estimates it came to $500,000 worth of produce the food bank was able to distribute. In May, Purdy’s team partnered with a group called Helping Hands to help the Navajo Nation. As of the middle of that month, Navajo people there had the highest COVID-19 infection rate, per capita, in the United States. Once again working with the National Guard, Purdy was part of the effort that saw a fleet of trucks driving to the Navajo Nation to dispense canned food and bottled water, as well as milk, diapers, paper products and produce. Another way to describe this is “God’s work,” and it has touched Purdy in a way he never anticipated. He acknowledges that much in golf came easy to him, and that he was “entitled.” Educated by Jesuits in high school, he was familiar with the concept of service to others. “I never really served,” he told me by phone last week. “It’s amazing how powerful service to others is.” A life transformed.
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Survey Results
A survey was recently completed by several thousand Arizona Golf Association members to gauge their acceptance of the new World Handicap System (WHS), as well as to determine if there are any topic areas within WHS that are perhaps still being misunderstood. While feedback was overwhelmingly positive, it does appear some golfers are either confused by, or unaware of, several of the new WHS system components. The chart below can serve as an overview of the main WHS changes that have taken effect in 2020. In future editions of the AZ Golf Insider, both in digital and print formats, detailed education and resources covering several of these WHS topic areas will be outlined in more thorough detail. In the meantime, if you have any WHS-related questions or feedback, please visit the AGA’s WHS Resource Portal by clicking here.
What is the World Handicap System™ ? The World Handicap System (WHS) unifies the six existing handicap systems and provides every player in the world with a consistent measure of ability. The WHS enables players of different abilities, from anywhere in the world, to play with or compete against others on a fair basis. The World Handicap System is comprised of the Rules of Handicapping and the Course Rating System. The Rules of Handicapping replaces the USGA Handicap System™, which has been in place since 1911, and the USGA Course Rating System™ has become the Course Rating System. These are the key topic areas from which we expect you to receive the most questions from your members and guests. This serves as a quick reference guide, but please refer to the Rules of Handicapping for more detail.
For more detailed information visit www.usga.org/whs
Handicap Index® Calculation Changes
Playing Conditions Calculation
Safeguards and Handicap Controls
With the World Handicap System, a player’s best 8 scores out of the last 20 are used, not best 10 out of 20.
Two modern safeguards will be introduced in 2020:
Net Double Bogey is replacing ESC. Net Double Bogey = Double Bogey + any handicap strokes a player is entitled to receive based on their Course Handicap.
The Playing Conditions Calculation is an automatic calculation that compares actual scores to the expected scores made each day. It is designed to account for days when the golf course plays significantly easier or more difficult than normal due to weather or course conditions. There is nothing you need to do except encourage players to post their scores immediately following their round, and work with your greens committee/superintendent to be sure that course difficulty is maintained on a consistent basis.
Changes to Course Handicap
Running Club Events
Slope Rating, Course Rating and Par will now be used to determine a Course Handicap, so expect to see changes in your players’ Course Handicaps. As long as par is the same, there will no longer need to be an adjustment when players compete from different tees.
There are three key changes that may impact the way you run a club event:
Introduction of Playing Handicap
• Since a Handicap Index will be updated daily, the recommendation will be for a Committee to use the Handicap Index at the start of the competition for all rounds.
Net Double Bogey Replaces ESC (Equitable Stroke Control)
Playing Handicap is a new term that represents the number of strokes you actually play with during a round. Most of the time, it will be the same as your Course Handicap, but it may change based on the format of play and handicap allowance applied.
• With the new maximum Handicap Index of 54.0, you may wish to consider using flights so that players with similar abilities will be grouped together.
• Handicap Allowance recommendations for various formats of play have changed. The new reccomendations are found in Appendix C of the Rules of Handicapping.
• A soft cap and hard cap will automatically limit extreme upward movement of a Handicap Index. • An automatic Handicap Index reduction will take place when a player posts an exceptional score. The Handicap Committee still serves an important role, but these safeguards will make their jobs easier.
Handicap Management Products To ensure consistency of the World Handicap System, the Handicap Index of every player in the United States will be calculated and issued by the USGA. You will need to confirm that any product you use has access to the USGA Data Services platform.
Contact Information The best place to start is the Allied Golf Association in your area. You can also reach the USGA Handicap Department directly by phone (908.234.2300 x5) or hdcpquestions@usga.org.
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Marilynn Smith Scholarship Fund extraordinary community involvement and plan to play collegiate golf. While playing golf at the University of Kansas, Marilynn competed in the 1949 Women’s National Intercollegiate Golf Tournament. Her father asked the KU athletic director, Phog Allen, for travel expense money to play in the event. He said, “Mr. Smith, it’s too bad your daughter is not a boy.” This was the catalyst for Marilynn to establish her scholarship fund in 1999. To date, the fund has awarded $1,013,000 to 194 young women. “The Marilynn Smith Scholarship is a representation of strong women empowering and inspiring other women,” said Amy Holzer, a past scholarship recipient. “Marilynn was not only an icon and role model, but she also led by example and took action on what mattered to her. Her generosity helped me to attend and pay for my dream college, and I will always be extremely grateful for that. “After I received the scholarship, Marilynn and I kept in contact for a few years until her passing. Knowing that someone I looked up to so much cared about me personally spoke volumes about her character. I will always be so honored to represent Marilynn Smith greets players from just off the 18th green at the Founders her as a recipient of this award.” Cup in Phoenix. Photo Courtesy: Rob Schumacher/The Republic Click here for more information about the Marilynn Smith Scholarship Fund, including an One of the thirteen Founders of the LPGA, opportunity to bid on some unique Marilynn Marilynn Smith is a member of the World Golf Smith memorabilia. Consider helping to make Hall of Fame. Her Scholarship Fund provides a difference by sharing this information with annual grants to female students who demonothers – and by bidding! strate academic achievement, leadership, and
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OUT OF BOUNDS by Ed Gowan
Arizona Golf Association Executive Director Alice Dye many years ago cried out against the concept of “Women’s Tees”. Among her points of contention were that the shortest tees on most courses of the time were much too long for the average woman player (a 15 handicap). The answer from architects was to create short tees from 4,800 to 5,000 yards. That accommodates the beginning woman and juniors nicely. The problem then, and now continues to be, that the average woman player still has no reasonable set of tees on most courses. What they missed were the several other points Alice made on behalf of women, from angles of play to forced carries and penal bunkering. If one were actually trying to serve all golfers, there would be a set of tees every 400 yards or so from 5,000 to 7,000. That would cover 99% of the golfing public. In ancient times when I worked for the LPGA, we had to build tees on almost every course to have the holes play reasonably, and that was for the best players in the world! Imagine the continued frustration of most women today. It is a constant bone of contention presented regularly. The answer, and thanks to the USGA’s Course Rating System, is that we now have the data to support fair tee placements on each hole. More architects should take a look. Given that someone reading this commentary would have an interest in making changes, there are other trip-wires most architects
Good News: The hazard in shown on this hole is behind the green, allowing the player to be rewarded for a well-executed shot.
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Bad News: The hazard shown on this hole is forcing a long carry to the middle of the fairway, difficult for many female golfers.
seem to miss. The first is that the position of many forward tees has no relationship to the design of the hole from the middle tees. Sometimes topography makes it impossible, but there should still be an interest in having some distinctive design features to enhance the experience. Instead, what we find are shorter tees placed next to cart paths for convenience, taking all design features out of play, or behind trees (much more common than most men would think), and in places where the woman must lay up to a hazard, then have multiple shots necessary to overcome the lost distance. The other common feature that legislates against the common woman golfer is the placement and depth of bunkers fronting greens. Tom Doak once said, “All of my favorite architects are dead.” Those “dead” architects almost universally provided a run-up to greens for the common player, recognizing that average golfers are not exceptionally skilled. Many professional players moving into architecture see design only from their personal perspective, spending little if any time considering the
majority who can’t play the game similarly. Scottish and Irish courses that must be played along the ground provide great challenges without condemning the common golfer to impossible circumstances. It’s time for more architects and course owners to consider the average player first, then add difficulty and diversity for the expert. Slow play is a deterrent to the growth of golf, but course design plays at least as large a part in the enjoyment people gain. Too many courses look great from a helicopter but don’t promote the enjoyment of golfing your ball. Let’s hope for a future where the fun of golf is foremost, undiminished by architorture.
*** Ed Gowan has been the Executive Director of the Arizona Golf Association since 1985. He is the former Tournament Director of the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA), has acted as a golf course consultant for over 30 years and has been a USGA Rules Official since 1981.
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150th Open Championship Experinece Travel to Scotland with the Arizona Golf Association for the “once in a lifetime” 150th Open Championship at The Old Course at St. Andrews in July 2022. Trip includes eight nights accommodations, five in Edinburgh and three in St. Andrews; full Scottish breakfast daily, three rounds of golf at the courses featured to the right; one dinner at the Fairmont Hotel, chauffeured minibus, two days at The Open Championship, and a welcome gift. A local representative will also provide assistance in daily ballot for other local courses, which will be available throughout the trip.
North Berwick Golf Club
Kingsbarns Golf Links
The West Links Course is a true links located on the edge of the Firth of Forth. This championship course has hosted many events over the years and is all about imagination with the sea in play on 6 holes.
Kingsbarns Golf Links is located seven miles from St. Andrews and sits along 1.8 miles of the North Sea coastline. This Worldwide Top 100 course will inspire lifelong memories and complete your Scottish golf experiences.
Photo courtesy of Mark Alexander
Gullane Golf Club Course No. 1 With every hole having its own distinct character, Gullane No. 1 is both memorable and enjoyable, and undoubtedly one of Scotland’s finest and most scenic links courses.
RESERVE YOUR SPOT TODAY AT AZGOLF.ORG/TRAVEL