Golf Today NW May 2009 by Golf Today Magazine: Northwest Edition

Celebrating 22 Years in the west, Now iN the Northwest! • www.golfTodayNw.com • Number 3 • may 2009

White Clouds sun Valley’s Newest Golf experience — see Pages 2 & 17

InsIde ThIs Issue

Northwest Casino Courses: Golf ’s Best Odds How To Pick The Best Golf Vacation Travel Company Chambers Bay, Not To Be Missed Camas Meadows Golf Club A Student Of The Game...With A Little Help From Golftec

Want to know where the grass is always greener? Try the 9th hole at White Clouds. 8 Everything’s better when you’re on vacation, but if you’re looking for particularly

June Golf Package

160

greener pastures, you really can’t beat the new White Clouds course at Sun Valley. Featuring rolling fairways and stunning views, this spectacular new 9-hole course is certain to be the highlight of your golf getaway. In fact, you’ll find the only thing

Good June 5 - July 1. 18 holes at either course and one night’s lodging.

more exciting is the price you’ll get with our early summer golf vacation package.

Per person, per night, based on double occupancy. Single occupancy, $230. Blackout dates: 6/7-6/10, 6/17-6/20

8 To book your golf getaway call 1.800.786.8259 or email reservations@sunvalley.com

060-1100 GolfToday.indd 1

2 GOLF TODAY Magazine – Northwest Edition

4/27/09 4:46:27 PM

May 2009

GOLF TODAY Magazine – Northwest Edition

talking technology We have been working with the Nickent Evolver driver for three months now. In that time, over 200 Golf Lab customers have tested it with every shaft you can think of. It has proven to be a good performer on the course – and an exceptional performer for helping players figure out what shaft suits them best. n A Golf Lab Driver Fitting will determine the best shaft weight, flex, length, and overal flex profile. There will probably be several shafts that could be “the one.” The only way you can know for sure is to take the Evolver to the course and hit the balls you normally hit, side by side with your current driver. n Then, in a minute, you swap shafts so you know exactly how the Rombax compares to the Fubuki and the Matrix Altus. The only way you can know that for sure is to only change one variable at a time. With the Evolver, that’s the head. n We offer extended trial programs. You can test any combination of shafts – two at a time for up to 30 days. Swap all you want. Test different lofts with different shafts. If you really want to find the shaft that absolutely, positively is best for you, that’s the way to do it. Month long Evolver testing sequence: $150.

The Very Best Shaft Fitting System

Once in a while a company emerges as an “ovemight success.” That’s just what happened with Miura. They became an overnight success because they’ve manufactured forged irons in Japan since 1957. n The Miura forging process is complicated and painstaking. Their attention to detail is beyond any company that we know of. Their head weights are precise and their finishes are pertect. n Your set of Miuras – completely decked out with a premium shaft, set to flex, swingweight and SST PUREd – is $220 per club. Where else can you buy the best in the world for such a price?

Miura – Forged Classics

4 GOLF TODAY Magazine – Northwest Edition

May 2009

Jesse Ortiz has designed custom golf clubs his whole life – learning from his father Lou Ortiz at Orlimar Golf – where he first shaped persimmon woods by hand. n Today, Jesse is the head designer at Bobby Jones Golf – located in Hayward, California. His designs are unique – driver, fairways and utilities all in natural organic shapes. You can recognize a JesseOrtiz design a mile away. n In 2008, partnering with Dave Pelz, Jesse designed a set of wedges based on the theory that maximum spin shouldn’t wear off in a week. Bobby Jones wedges come in multiple bounce angles in 52, 56, 60 and 64 degree lofts. n If you’re interested in testing any Bobby Jones clubs paired up with high performance shafts that are not available stock – or in custom lengths with custom grips you can do that at the Golf Lab. For a limited time, check out a complete set of Bobby Jones wedges for a weekend to see for yourself how they can help bring down your own score on your own course. No charge but a reservation is required.

Bobby Jones Golf – A Bay Area Legacy

Recession Strategies: Brand New 2008 – $1800 “Near New” 2009 – $599

Here’s an example of the great custom clubs you can buy at the Golf Lab that can’t be beat for quality and value: last year, a brand new set of Bridgestone J-33 cavity backs sold for $110 per dub at “street price.” If you wanted to deck them out with high performance Graphite Design GAT shafts that would cost you another $90 per club for the upgrade. That was a great set of clubs for $1800. n In 2009 you can buy that exact same set of clubs—we bought the heads on eBay with a few scratches and that’s the only difference. The GAT shafts are brand new—the ultra premium iron shaft now being discontinued by Graphite Design. We were able to buy the “Iast of the breed” for a bargain price. n Passing the savings along, we’ll build out a set of lightly used Bridgestone J-33’s with GAT shafts for $599. You can have them SST PUREd™ for $30 each. If you can find a better set of custom irons, you should buy that set. If you can’t, buy this one. Also available: Mizuno, Miura, MacGregor, Adams, Tour Stage and KZG at similar savings.

Free Fittings At The Golf Lab

Get The Clubs You Want For The Clubs You Have

Juniors: The Golf Lab has built a great record working with juniors. Golf Lab custom clubs have helped juniors win multiple AJGA titles and the San Francisco City. Our mission is to help juniors get started right. All fittings for juniors are always free. Appointment is required. n BEGinnErs: And why not help beginners get started right as well? Most beginners buy their clubs in a “bubble pack” that they never open. It’s more important for beginners to get a first set that helps them learn and helps them get to the next level. In addition to free fittings, we offer starter sets from $199. There’s no reason for a beginner to buy their first set of clubs at Costco. n CountErwEiGhts: The easiest way to improve your distance and consistency with the clubs you already have is to re-balance them with counterweights—located at the top of the shaft under your hands. We use the Balance-Certified Stabilizer with your driver and fairways and the Tour Lock counterweights with your irons. A fitting is required to determine the weight that performs the best. For a limited time, counterweight fittings are free. Appointment required: (650) 493-1770.

Don’t let your old golf clubs waste away in your garage until they’re worthless. Sell them on eBay. We handle the transaction for you and you get immediate credit to buy the custom clubs that will be fun to play. If you want to know what your clubs are worth, log into eBay and search for your model. Then, click on the “completed transactions” button and you’ll see what the world market is paying. eBay collects 15% by the time you add up all of their fees. To manage the transaction and handle shipping, Heather Hughes earns a 10% commission. The rest is yours to spend as you please. n It that’s too much trouble, drop your unused clubs off at the Golf Lab and we’ll do the research for you and let you know the market value within one day. n Used golf clubs are not a good investment. Turn yours into something that you want.

2103 St. Francis (Highway 101 at Embarcadero) • Palo Alto, California Mon - Fri, 10 am to 6 pm • Sat 10 am to 1 pm or by appointment (650) 49301770 www.calgolftech.com May 2009

GOLF TODAY Magazine – Northwest Edition

The Best in the West for 22 Years, 12 issues per year! Now in Washington & Oregon! on the cover • mAy 2009: THE ICONIC SUN Valley Resort in Idaho is a great destination if you’re searching for a true summer golf getaway. Golfers have the option of 27 holes of Sun Valley’s most magnificent golf courses, including the 18-hole Trail Creek Golf Course, and the nine-hole White Clouds Course. Golf Digest calls Trail Creek “one of the best 100 golf courses in the United States and #1 golf course in Idaho,” offering golfers a rugged and spectacular golf course that will provide a challenging round of golf for all playing abilities. Robert Trent Jones Jr.’s redesign provides a full compliment of stream carries and ominous bunkers well positioned to catch the errant shot. The 6,892 yard, 72 par course has 18 signature holes and crosses the beautiful Trail Creek seven times on the front nine alone! In addition, Sun Valley Resort’s new nine-hole White Clouds Course opened to rave reviews last year. Please see pages 2 and 17 for more on Sun Valley’s great golfing options! –Cameron Healey, Publisher/Editor

inSiDe THiS iSSue:

A STuDenT OF THe GAMe… WiTH A LiTTLe HeLP FrOM GOLFTeC!

nOrTHWeST CASinO COurSeS: GOLF’S BeST ODDS

9 10 12 12 13 13

by Cameron Healey

by Tony Dear

TuLALiP reSOrT iS A MuST-ViSiT GOLF eQuiPMenT CHrOniCLeS: MAGiC DriVer – THe SeArCH iS STiLL On by Leith Anderson

LOTS TO LOVe ABOuT CAMAS MeADOWS GOLF CLuB rALLY FOr THe Cure, HOSTeD BY THe MiLL CreeK COunTrY CLuB WOMen’S DiViSiOn HOW TO PiCK THe BeST GOLF VACATiOn TrAVeL COMPAnY by Jonathan Alford

MuCKLeSHOOT CASinO enTerTAinMenT DurinG THe MOnTH OF MAY!

6 GOLF TODAY Magazine – Northwest Edition

14 15 15 23 23 24 25 25 27 33

CHAMBerS BAY nOT TO Be MiSSeD OLD FASHiOneD AnD SiMPLe WOrKS by Erin Szekely

THe WASHinGTOn STATe OPen LOOMS LArGe TeAM WAVerLY eArnS SeCOnD WOMen’S TeAM CHAMPiOnSHiP TiTLe QuOTeBOOK: THe BeST QuOTeS in GOLF From the notebook of Ron Salsig

CALiFOrniA’S BeST PAr-THree COurSe: THe CHALLenGe AT MOnArCH DuneS

by Bob Fagan

iS YOur GOLF SWinG SeTTinG YOu uP FOr SHOuLDer inJurY?

by Dr. Vivek Agrawal

THe GOLFer’S GuiDe TO THe MeAninG OF LiFe

by Bob Weisgerber

LiFe in THe TrAP by Rick Newell

CLASSiFieD ADVerTiSinG

May 2009

A Student Of The Game… With A Little Help From Golftec! by Cameron Healey

I consider myself fortunate for many reasons: I am healthy and capable of swinging a club every now and again and I have friends and family who either play or appreciate the game of golf. On the flip side, I also have friends who would prefer to take in a basketball game or go to the mall if presented with an opportunity to spend four hours playing golf. Dan Stark is a friend of mine who I’m pleased to say falls into the former category. I’ve known Dan for a few years now and he is a similarly aged, fit and athletic guy and is someone who has always wanted to learn how to play golf, but for whatever reason, never fulfilled his desire. He confided in me that his perception of golf mirrored that of Mark Twain when he said that “Golf is a good walk s p o i l e d .” “ I figured if you just get outside and enjoy nature, you never have to worry about having an off-game,” said Dan. Aside from a few rounds of mini-golf as a young fella Dan has yet to set foot on a golf course. He never really gave golf a chance. Yes, Dan represents the true “newbie” to the game and the prospect of having a friend who genuinely wants to learn, is both endearing and exciting. In fact, I’m certain there are a number of our readers in the Northwest who fit the same category; perhaps they are a little intimidated or unsure who to turn to or those who have played the game, but perhaps have not picked up a club in years. Dan is, however, eager and willing to learn the game, and that is why I’m encouraged by his desire to learn and I took it upon myself to promptly begin researching golf instruction options here in the Northwest. The good news is there is a plethora of quality options available to golfers, but I opted to take Dan to see my friends at the Golftec Learning Center in Bellevue, WA. Why Golftec? First and foremost, I have experienced it for myself and feel that their approach to teaching using a combination of technology and hands-on instruction is a sound one. Since its inception, in 1997, GolfTEC has given over 1,000,000 golf May 2009

lessons across the country in PGA-certified indoor teaching facilities. The facilities offer services catered to all levels of abilities from beginners to touring professionals. The company employs over 300 Certified Personal Coaches and offers some of the nation’s best lesson programs, practice facilities and custom club fitting services. And a positive outcome with an improved game and increased enjoyment should be the result, right? With Dan “chomping at

the bit,” we met store manager and PGA Member and Instructor Brett Wilkinson for lesson number one or the initial swing analysis where Dan was introduced and given the Golftec tour. After taking a few warm up swings, Dan was introduced to the “heart and soul” of the Golftec experience, the belt and shoulder harness, which is tied into the company’s proprietary software system, SEVA. SEVA combines digital video, impact analysis, bio-feedback technology and motion-analysis computers to evaluate and develop Dan’s fledgling golf swing. After donning the harness and taking a few swings in the private bay, data is collected from the sensors monitoring his key body movements such as how Dan’s body bends, tilts, and rotates at the hips and shoulders. At this point, Brett selects a professional who matches Dan’s general physique and swing style; in Dan’s case it is Steve Stricker. Brett patiently and clearly demonstrates the fundamentals, including how Dan should hold the club, how he should “address” the ball in his stance, and at what angle his spine and head position should be when swinging the club. Again, these are all foreign terms to Dan

but he is a quick learner and has the benefit of his athleticism and flexibility. After unleashing the club on a dozen or so unsuspec ting golf balls, Dan’s swing is analyzed and compared to Steve Stricker using a series of measurements and angles on the computer screen. The measurements help both the student and instructor to visualize and confirm how your body reacts and either contributes or hinders the “optimal” swing plane. For example, measurements highlighted in red indicate that Dan’s approach is significantly out of the normal range; yellow values indicate there is still some work to be done, but overall not too bad; and green values indicate that the swing parameters are “on the money.” As a beginner, it was great for Dan to see that his first fledgling attempts at a golf swing generated some green on the screen. Yes, it was encouraging despite the smattering of yellow and red values on the screen that Brett’s feedback reinforced the things he did right and that he consistently solicited Dan’s feedback and observations throughout the process. This is critical to someone who is likely overwhelmed with new terms and is struggling to find

confidence, let alone become familiar with terms thrown about such as ‘club head speed’, ‘smash factor’, and ‘ball spin rates’ just to name a few. During the breakdown of Dan’s swing, Brett verbalizes and records on the computer the areas that need work and encouragement for the things Dan did right. These recorded lessons complete with a voice-over by the instructor are uploaded

to the company website so Dan can access and review his session from the internet at anytime. That is the cool part. With the benefit of technology and instruction, Dan can work on drills and video lessons to improve his swing in the comfort of his own home. He can rewind and fast forward his video session at his pace and in conjunction with Brett’s voiceover analysis. Love it! At the conclusion of Dan’s 60 minute introduction session, Brett highlighted to Dan the comparison of his set up and swings from his first timid slashes at the ball to one that was well on its way to resembling a true golf swing on a normal swing plane. Dan still has some work to do to get him to a point of striking the ball with purpose and consistency, but according to Golftec’s Brett Wilkinson, for a “first-timer” he was genuinely impressed with Dan’s fundamental approach to hitting a golf ball. It is not easy hitting a small white ball and expecting it to go in the desired direction each and every time we tee it up, right? If it was, we would all be rubbing shoulders with Tiger ! O ver the next several months, Golf Today Magazine will profile and track Dan’s adventures as he embarks on his journey with Brett Wilkinson and his team at Golftec closely monitoring his progress. Good job Dan and we look forward to following your progress over the next several months. n For more information about Golftec and their four Washington and Oregon locations, please see their ad on page 18.

GOLF TODAY Magazine – Northwest Edition

Northwest Casino Courses: Golf’s Best Odds by Tony Dear

Besides city-owned courses, it could be argued the best golf value in the US is available at tribal casino golf courses which don’t rely solely on course revenue to stay afloat. Indeed, the cash you throw into the slots at the adjacent casino is helping keep the cost of the green fees down. Jackpot! Outstanding, accessible and affordable layouts untainted by corridors of houses— there really couldn’t be a better scenario for golfers than the casino golf course. While other developments often rely financially on the sale of lots or houses that use up the best land, cram as many golfers as possible on to the tee sheet or charge unrealistic green fees, casino courses are usually part of a business model that ensures the best of all worlds for folks whose only concern is playing the game. “We try to offer world-class golf at blue-collar prices,” says Bob Bostwick, spokesman for the Coeur d’Alene tribe whose Circling Raven golf course in Worley, ID, was named the nation’s best Indian casino course by Native American Casino Magazine last year and came in at No. 61 on Golf Digest’s list of top public-access courses in the US. “We see it as just one of the many quality amenities at

the resort and try to make it accessible and attractive for everyone—resort guests and local golfers,” Bostwick adds. Of course, without the adjacent casino there probably would be no Circling Raven, certainly not a Circling Raven spread out over so large an area—620 pristine acres—that anyone could play for less than $100. Circling Raven’s weekend green-fee this summer will be $95 which, as anyone who has played the course will tell you, is something of a steal. A course anywhere else this well maintained, so obviously challenging but so enduringly pleasant, would cost $200 a round, minimum. “Having the casino obviously enables us to keep rates relatively low,” says Bostwick, whose sentiments echo those of well-known golf course architect Arthur Hills. In fact, it was Mr. Hills who, in 2005, told Forbes Traveler that the great thing about casino

clients was their ample budgets. “And they want something memorable, something that will bring people back or make them stay at the casino resort another day.” “The other unique thing about these projects is that there is usually no real estate involved, so you really have the opportunity to use the best land and not worry about the home sites.” In the same report, Brad Klein, Golfweek’s Architecture Editor, explained that casino courses are usually a good value because the golf isn’t necessarily supposed to pay for itself. “And casino courses tend to be extremely well done because the idea is to impress guests and encourage them to stay at the casino,’adds Klein. In the Northwest, Circling Raven is the ultimate example of this. Opened in August 2003 and designed by Florida-based Gene Bates, who was the only architect amongst those interviewed to suggest the course go on the north side of Highway 95 and be bisected by the Union Pacific Railroad, Circling Raven is a beautiful walk through the Palouse and a great adventure. The course begins with a right to left curving Par 5 called “chdlamalqw” which means Gallops on the Logs; a bit of a misnomer as the two trains that pass

through here every week do so at a snail’s pace, at least something less than a gallop. Four thrilling hours later, you hole out on Schitsu’umsh, “The Discovered People’, a tough Par 4 that demands the purest ball-striking you can muster. “Now you have discovered us,” a stone plaque outside continued on page 9 ❱

www.mtsigolf.com

NOW TAKING ONLINE TEE TIMES! We Are Not Aerifying Our Greens This Spring! The Golf Course Is In Great Shape! Visit Our Website For Specials, Tee Times And Everything You Need To Know!

Buy One Token, Get One FREE Value good for up to three tokens. Value good for printed coupon customer only. Must print out coupon and bring in to pro shop.

Mount Si Golf Course PO Box 2020 • 9010 Boalch Ave. SE Snoqualmie, WA 98065 matt@mtsigolfcom (425) 391-4926 8 GOLF TODAY Magazine – Northwest Edition

May 2009

Northwest Casino Courses ❰ continued from page 8

the clubhouse proclaims, “the Raven will circle you forever, and we welcome you home.” Following a beer and sandwich in the clubhouse’s Twisted Earth Grill, it is a half mile jaunt back to the 202-room Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort & Hotel where stay and play packages this summer start at $199 for which you get a night’s accommodation and a round of golf for two. Also available, though not yet finalized, will be packages involving other area courses; Coeur d’Alene the home of the island green, and the fantastic John Harbottle-designed Palouse Ridge on the Washington State University campus. As you would expect of an operation the size of Circling Raven and the Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort & Hotel, (and it’s getting bigger still as the seventh major expansion in its 16-year history is currently underway) the dining options are numerous. In addition to the Twisted Earth Grill in the golf clubhouse there are four other venues for filling your stomach the most popular of them the High Mountain Buffet where you can load up on made-to-order eggs and omelets in the morning, stick around for hearty soup and sandwiches at lunch and feast on prime rib or, on Friday nights, fresh seafood at dinner time. After golf and dinner, you move into the 100,000+sqft of gaming space to win your

May 2009

fortune of which several have been made here, or head to the 1,800 capacity Events Center for some live boxing or a show. Randy Travis and Willie Nelson have appeared here. Heading east from Seattle or Portland to Circling Raven for some golf, gaming and entertainment is a fine way to spend a long weekend. Looking to sample other Tribal owned courses? Your other options include the Skagit Valley Casino in Bow, owned by the Upper Skagit Indian Tribe and located about an hour up I-5 from the Emerald City. In 2003, the casino purchased a majority share in the

Semiahmoo Resort and Spa of which the Arnold Palmer-designed golf course at Semiahmoo and the equally impressive Loomis Trail, designed by Canadian Graham Cooke, are part. The two courses are roughly 30 miles further north from the casino and the Skagit’s two hotels—the Skagit Valley and Skagit Ridge—near the border town of Blaine, and both have been ranked among Washington’s best publicaccess layouts since opening; Semiahmoo in 1987, Loomis eight years later. Stay and Play packages are available at the AAA four-diamond, Semiahmoo Resort

overlooking Drayton Harbor. Prices start at $309 which includes golf for two, overnight accommodation, a $25 breakfast coupon, use of a GPS-enabled cart and range balls. Fifty two miles west of Seattle in the city of Sequim on the Olympic Peninsula, you find the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe-owned 7 Cedars Casino which, like the Skagit, added golf to its list of attractions when it purchased the Dungeness golf course in January 2007. The Cedars at Dungeness, originally opened in 1970 and designed by Vancouver BC’s Jack Reimer, continued on page 26 ❱

Tulalip Resort Is A Must-Visit Visiting a resort attached to a golf course isn’t the only way to plan a golf vacation in the Pacific Northwest. While Tulalip Resort Casino may not have an official golf course just yet, the resort is the only luxury hotel casino in the region where one can find several respected courses right near by: Kayak Point, Battle Creek and Harbour Pointe are a short drive away. Additionally, overnight guests of Tulalip Resort Casino receive 25 percent off green fees, food and beverage and pro shop items while golfing Kayak Point. If your travel party isn’t full of avid golfers, exploring some of the designer retail

shops at Seattle Premium Outlets while the golfers in the group tee it up is a great option. There are special packages designed just for the shopaholic. The Shopper’s Retreat package features two nights deluxe accommodation, daily breakfast service, two VIP coupon books for Seattle Premium Outlets and a Foot Rescue Pedicure at T Spa for both the shopper and golfer. After a day spent shopping, on the links, or relaxing at Tulalip Resort Casino’s T Spa, guests can enjoy an unforgettable dining experience at one of the resort’s five restaurants. Headlining the culinary offerings are Tulalip Bay, featuring sophisticated cuisine by

Chef Dean Shinagawa who blends island flavors with the finest Northwest ingredients, and BlackFish Wild Salmon Grill & Bar showcasing Northwest seafood cooked with traditional Tulalip tribal techniques. The evening doesn’t end with dinner at Tulalip Resort Casino. The sleek, high-energy Impulse lounge is the ideal place to enjoy expertly mixed cocktails before hitting the 192,000 square foot gaming facility where guests will enjoy the best odds and biggest variety of games in the region. For more information on special packages please visit www.tulalipresort.com. n

GOLF TODAY Magazine – Northwest Edition

Golf Equipment Chronicles

by L e i t h A n d e r s o n

Magic Driver – May 2009 – The Search is Still On I’ve explored new ideas for Golf Today readers for over seven years—the “Golf Psychos”—never missing a single deadline. I know I won’t disappoint you this month. There is so much going on in the new driver world that I don’t know how I’ll condense everything I need to say into a mere 4000 words. The very beginning of the Golf Equipment Chronicles was the “Search for the Magic Driver.” That search started way back in 2002 with a focus on fitting technology and has never ended. In the meantime, I have been happy to take another tack for a month or two to describe whatever is happening with irons, shafts, wedges, putters and any other golf gizmo you can imagine. But my obsession has always been the Big Stick. If you’re going to buy another “Magic Driver” this year, what will it be? I’m going to give you some tempting ideas.

Checking Predictions One very interesting result of publishing articles every month for seven years is the “written record” of opinions, predictions and (God forbid!! Mistakes.) It’s more fun to focus on the predictions that came true. The “Interchangeable Shaft” movement that was touted as the “Next Big Thing” at the Worldwide PGA Show in 2007 turned out to be a disaster for the companies that introduced the “interchangeable shaft systems.” The Callaway invention was the I-Mix. Taylor Made introduced the CGB Max Limited. The motivation for both Callaway and Taylor Made was to get into the shaft business. It is no secret that the Monster Original Equipment Companies (MOEM’s) are jealous of the custom clubmakers and club fitters around the world who take the product that comes out of the factory, tweak it, and make it work better by fitting the club to the player. They’re also jealous of the little extra profit that they’re letting slip away into the independent craftsman channel. The underlying idea behind the interchangeable shaft systems was that you

would no longer have to rely on your local clubmaker for help in finding the “right” shaft. Just go into your friendly golf store and pick up a shrink wrapped head, a shrink wrapped shaft, screw them together and you’re good to go. You’re paying a pretty penny—at least you were supposed to. Callaway assumed that golfers would gladly fork out a premium price for the amusement and convenience of interchangeable shafts. That business model assumption turned out to be wrong. It is simply impossible for the MOEM’s to be successful with a “one size fits all” product. They are running businesses that require standardization. If you buy a shaft from them, it’s going to be one length. The head weights are going to be the same. Their assumption? It doesn’t matter if

the player is 5 feet 5 inches tall or 6 feet 6 inches tall, the “standard” should work. Alas, the essence of custom fitting drivers is changing the club to fit the player. The reason custom clubmakers are successful in improving the performance of off-theshelf golf clubs is that they change the shaft length, shaft weight, shaft flex, grip and swing weight—and lately moment of inertia - to help the player maintain balance, tempo and timing. One size never fits all. Fast forward to see how the interchangeable shaft systems worked out. Conclusion: continued on page 11 ❱

www.lopakagolf.com lopakagolf@msn.com

(877) 4-LOPAKA (877) 456-7252

The putter head is almost the same diameter as the ball and creates forward roll by contacting the ball just above the equator. Available with either a straight or offset shaft. Lengths 30 to 36 inches. Mention this ad and receive a free sleeve of balls with your order.

$ Price: 89.95 Free shipping in the U.S.A. Conforms with the rules of golf.

IT GETS THE BALL ROLLING!! 10 GOLF TODAY Magazine – Northwest Edition

May 2009

Golf Equipment Chronicles ❰ continued from page 10

not according to plan. If you buy a Callaway driver with an interchangeable shaft today you’re going to pay the same price as the same driver with a shaft that’s installed permanently. No more premiums for interchangeability. Cheap rejects are turning up on eBay in increasing quantities. Faced with the threat of massive returns from their distribution channel, Callaway was forced to drop the prices. I would love to know the amount of the “net downs” that rippled through the Callaway accounts receivable. Maybe selling shafts isn’t a great profit maker after all. If you happened to miss making a huge mistake by buying the Taylor Made CGB Limited for $1000 when it came out in 2007, it is time for a second look. At $1000, the CGB wasn’t an awful deal—on paper. You got three super premium shafts with your driver—each one a $300 upgrade in the aftermarket. The CGB came with a Fujikura Rombax, a Mitsubishi Diamana and a Matrix X-Con 5. The problem was that each of the shafts was built for a different player and a different swing. A player might test each of those shafts to find the one that performed the best for his swing. But after the fitting, the other two shafts would be useless. Who wants to play with the second—or third - best shaft in his

May 2009

driver? I called that as a serious marketing mistake when the CGB was introduced. Why didn’t TM ask me for advice? But last year’s disaster can be this year’s super bargain. I just bought the original CGB Max Limited on eBay in new condition, complete with the three great shafts, for $260. That’s a huge discount f ro m the go-go days when dealers were paying over $700 for the same package—wholesale - and the street price was $1000. The CGB is a very good driver and the mark down makes it a bargain. You don’t have to buy the three shaft package. If you know the shaft that works for you there are dozens of CGB Max Limited combinations to choose from on eBay for around $150. You might be tempted to think that would be a good way to get a $300 shaft. It’s not. The fitting on the tip of the CGB shaft that connects the shaft to the head requires that shaft to be trimmed more aggressively. You can’t put that shaft in a

standard driver. Shucks!! The New “Next Big Thing” So now the Big Boys are back with an upgrade to the “Last Next Big Thing.” This time the interchangeable shaft concept has been re-engineered to allow a player to change the orientation of the shaft in the head and by doing so, alter the face angle and loft a little bit. I think that is a great idea!! This might be your next “Magic Driver”—I know one of the variations to be mine. But you have to remember where I’m coming from. Back in the 1950’s when I first got hooked on golf, the whole world used persimmon drivers. Every persimmon driver was shaped and finished by hand which meant that every one was slightly different. There were never two identical persimmon drivers. There were always subtle changes in the way the driver set up. As a result, those of us who were looking for the “Magic Driver” in those days would pick up and waggle every single driver in every pro shop that we entered—always looking for that special

one. That’s where the Search for the Magic Driver really started. Although most modern titanium drivers are much more consistent—they are not identical. Modern drivers are constructed from stamped or cast parts, fitted together and welded by hand. Then they are then ground and finished by hand. Almost the same? Sure. Identical? Surely not. There’s another problem with the way modern drivers are manufactured. In a “one size fits all” world, manufacturers make assumptions about their customers. One of the assumptions is that the higher the loft—the worse the player. They assume that a high index player swings with an outside-in swing path with a steep angle of attack—and consequently “needs” a driver with a closed face angle and high loft to offset the assumed swing flaws. Most modern drivers are designed to the following specifications: 8* one degree open, 9* square, 10* one degree closed, 11* two degrees closed—and so forth. If you happened to want a driver with 12* of loft and a square face angle you are out of luck—unless you got lucky with one of a few component manufacturers who might be able to “hand pick” a head that you were looking for. If there’s one common complaint from all golfers who are pretty good or better— continued on page 29 ❱

GOLF TODAY Magazine – Northwest Edition

Lots To Love About Camas Meadows Golf Club When Camas Meadows Golf Club first opened its doors in 2000, few people envisioned the course being mentioned in the same breath as Bandon Dunes, The Reserve, and Langdon Farms. In addition, being ranked as the top public golf course, for two years running by the readers of the Portland Business Journal, has served as a reminder to people as to just how wonderful golfing at Camas Meadows Golf Club is. There are a bunch of different reasons to like Camas Meadows. Some people are impressed with the recently expanded 300 yard practice facility, complete with stadium lights, covered and heated stalls and seasonal grass tees, making it the largest driving range in SW Washington. Others love The Oaks Bar and Grille, a full service restaurant and bar with indoor/outdoor seating and offering a great selection of food and drinks. Still others are enamored with the friendly service and great prices the extensive pro shop offers. What makes Camas Meadows Golf Club truly special, however, is the golf course. The course is a perfect combination of narrow tree-lined fairways, mixed with holes that wind and cavort through grassy meadows. Water hazards, forced carries, and over 50 strategically placed bunkers make this a challenge for even the

most experienced golfer. As proof of that, Camas Meadows has also been ranked as the most challenging course in Oregon and SW Washington, for two straight years. Whatever the reason, golfers agree Camas Meadows Golf Club has come a long way in just nine years and should be on your radar for your next round. For more information, please call 800-750-6511 or visit www.camasmeadows.com. n

Rally for the Cure, Hosted by the Mill Creek Country Club Women’s Division Mill Creek Country Club is hosting a Rally for the Cure golf event benefiting the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation on Tuesday June 30, 2009. The event is open to all women golfers, whether they have a handicap or not. Following the golf will be a lunch and silent auction and the Mill Creek Country Club is encouraging participants to invite three friends to create their own foursome, or they will be happy to find a group for you. The entry fee of $75.00 includes: Green Fee, $20.00 donation to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, a 1 year subscription to a magazine of your choice, pink ribbon, and lunch. Carts will be mandatory and are not included in the entry fee. This will be a fun-filled day of golf and friendship in support of a fantastic cause. To register or for more information, please call the Mill Creek Country Club golf shop at 425-743-5664.

12 GOLF TODAY Magazine – Northwest Edition

May 2009

How To Pick The Best Golf Vacation Travel Company by Jonathan Alford

This golf vacation may be a life-long dream, and you’ve worked hard. Make sure—especially in this economy— your dollars are used for the best golf vacation experience possible. Any trip requires detail, and an international trip compounds it—the availability of play at courses, the right hotels, drive yourself or be driven, the right size car for lugJonathan Alford gage, golfers, and clubs—especially European-size cars. And make sure you know how long it will take to use local roads. You don’t want to miss a tee time. For overseas trips, we recommend a specialist, but do your research. For domestic trips, golf vacation packagers can open opportunities you may not be able to access and provide extra value. Here are our tips: 1. Use a company that specializes exclusively in golf vacation travel. 2. Make sure your travel company has at least 5 years of experience in golf vacation travel—it takes at least this

long to develop the right contacts and relationships to get the job done. 3. Do a “background check” on its reputation and track record. • Email some of the courses they work with and ask for a simple verification of their performance • Ask for references; a reputable company will provide them. 4. Find out what professional travel associations the agency belongs to, then check and make sure it belongs to them and abides by its standards. 5. Check with the tourist board of the destination country. • While the board cannot show any fa-

voritism or make recommendations, they can identify companies with any track record of client dissatisfaction 6. Be wary of golf vacation companies with only a PO Box. 7. Be wary of golf vacation companies with no U.S. office. • This may not be necessary, but if you have a problem and it comes to a matter of recourse on financial or legal matters, this helps. • If they do not have a U.S. office, give additional attention to our other recommendations here 8. Ask if the golf vacation provider has local overseas offices where you will be going. Most do not, though they might entrust a representative or agent that works with several companies. This is usually okay, but establishing who

will be providing your service is a best practice at minimum. 9. Even in this difficult economic time, don’t let price be the only factor. • Weigh all factors jointly; remember, this is likely the culmination of a lot of your hard work and time, and the experience, memories and stories will rest on the execution of many factors. With all that said, it’s a great time to be buying! n Jonathan Alford is the CEO and president of Traveler.com. He can be reached at jalford@traveler.com or please visit www.traveler.com for more information.

Muckleshoot Casino Entertainment During The Month Of May! Muckleshoot Indian Casino in Auburn, Washington conveniently located between Tacoma and Seattle, is featuring Ronn Lucas, called by the New York Times as the “world’s best ventriloquist.” He’ll be performing in Club Galaxy May 12th through May 17th and the best part is admission is always FREE! Please visit www.muckleshootcasino.com for details! n

Improve Your Short Game And Lower Your Handicap!

The Original Bag Shag Golf Ball Retriever Over 60 Years of Superior Quality and Durability

Information Technology

Extend Your Golf Season for Several Months! FEATURES Easy Open, Self Closing Doors

Perfect Drive Enclosures

Roll Up Windows, 360˚ Visibility Several Colors to Choose From High Quality Acrylic & Vinyl Material Enclosures for Club Car, EZGO, Yamaha, including Utility Vehicle INSTALLATION Quick & easy installation. Perfect Drive Golf & Utility Vehicles also

Your Authorized Club Car Distributor

offers installation at low rates.

MADEWELL PRODUCTS

Available at Golf Shops Everywhere

www.bagshag.com 10 year Guarantee Made in the USA

PROTECTION Enclosures are built with no gaps for immediate protection from wind & rain. Extends the golf season for several months. CUSTOM IZATION Perfect Drive Enclosures offers personalized custom options, colors, materials or custom builds for all makes & models. Call us about options.

May 2009

Seattle 913 Central Ave S. Kent, WA 98032 (253) 850-8133 www.perfectdrivegolf.com

Call Fred Coggeshell Today to Request Catalogs & Pricing! Mention Promotional Code ‘GTN’ To Receive a 10% Discount! (253) 981-6458 (206) 786-2436

GOLF TODAY Magazine – Northwest Edition

Chambers Bay Not To Be Missed Situated along the shores of the Puget Sound and less than an hour’s drive South from Seattle… …Chambers Bay is Washington State’s public golf masterpiece-a unique tribute to the historic links of Scotland and Ireland, and the Pacific Northwest’s premier links-style course. Since its grand opening in June 2007, Chambers Bay has received an unprecedented amount of praise from golf media, including being named Best New Course by GOLF Magazine, Travel + Leisure Golf and Golfweek. Currently, Chambers Bay sits atop the list of best public golf courses in the state of Washington for a number of publications. The most stunning endorsements of the links layout came less than one year after opening, when the United States Golf Association deemed Chambers Bay worthy of hosting two of their most prestigious events. Host to the 2015 U.S. Open and 2010 U.S. Amateur Championships, Chambers Bay was designed to challenge the greatest players in the world. The true genius of the work done by legendary architectural firm Robert Trent Jones II, however, is that the course remains inviting and enjoyable to players of all skill levels. Reinter-

preting history, Jones and his team took the site of a 100 year-old quarry, and moved nearly 1.4 million cubic yards of existing sand and gravel to sculpt a new landscape. With towering sand dunes, massive fairways and undulating greens, Chambers Bay provides a true connection to the birthplace of the game as a par 72, walking-only course that stretches from 5,100 to 7,585 yards on fescue turf from tee to green. Along with the 18-hole championship golf course is a large practice facility with driving range, short game area and multiple putting greens. In addition to the golf course, the Chambers Bay Grill is an amenity not to be missed. The restaurant’s patio offers the perfect place to enjoy the breathtaking views and recount your

round over an ever-changing menu featuring traditional Northwest cuisine. Nearly

as significant as the countless awards and accolades that have been bestowed upon Chambers Bay is the environmental legacy established from the beginning. As the first golf course in the Pacific Northwest to be certified an Audubon International Silver Signature Sanctuary, Chambers Bay was designed, constructed and will be maintained in accordance with Audubon International’s precise planning standards and environmental disciplines. Working cooperatively with Audubon International, Chambers Bay is creating a new tradition of managing and protecting water quality and wildlife habitat for the betterment of the environment and the future of the game. Residents of Washington State will now have even easier access to Chambers Bay, as an in-state rate and increased hours of Sunset Rates have been announced for the entire month of May. For more information about Chambers Bay, or to book tee times online, please visit www.chambersbaygolf.com. n

There is someone searching for your product or service on Google If you had a Search Engine Marketing campaign mpaign in place they would find you.

Any size business, any size budget.

Call Tom Knoop - 1-866-506-9111 TomK@StevensonAdvertising.com

14 GOLF TODAY Magazine – Northwest Edition

May 2009

Old Fashioned And Simple Works by Erin Szekely

Old fashioned and simple does work. What if you were told that all you had to think about in the golf swing was to swing the club and allow your body to respond to the motion? Wouldn’t that be great? Well, you can think that way. In fact that is the most simple and easy way to play golf. There’s my target, swing the club to the target. Wow, can it be that easy? Well, Manuel de la Torre from Milwaukee Wisconsin, a member of the Teaching Hall of Fame, has been teaching that principle for over 60 years, and Ernest Jones taught it before him. Unfortunately in our world of video and analyzing everything in excess, simplicity has been lost. We fill our heads with the most complicated thoughts and make the swing much harder to perform. Watch kids play, they just swing the instrument, the club, not unlike swinging a bat or tennis racket. Golf is no different. Kids are not

concerned about angles because they seem too simple or as I said, and pronating or supi- old fashioned. I don’t know about you, nating. but simple sounds pretty I’m not saying that those good to me. The geometry of the swing is that things are not happening the club is swung in a in the swing; however, I’m circle. With your hands, asking why would you swing the club head over want all those thoughts in your shoulder, and swing your head when it can be the whole club with your so much easier? I rememarms to the target and alber someone asking Tilow your body to respond ger what his right or left knee was doing halfway to the motion. That’s it, through his swing, and that’s all. Want your ball to go farther? Get the he said, “I don’t know and tension out of your arms I don’t want to know.” He so they can swing faster. is just responding to the That’s the physics of the motion of the club. Erin Szekely swing. What Manuel and I The next time you go teach is based on geometry and physics. Those things don’t to the range, try thinking about what you change over time, but are often discounted are doing with the club. I’ve taught a lot of

men and women, and I can honestly say the majority had no idea what their club was doing because all they were focused on was what their body was doing or their concern was with moving the ball. You should be trying to move the club not the ball. Does this sound familiar? “Keep your head down, bend your knees, and keep your left arm straight.” I tell you it breaks my heart. No one even mentions what they are doing with the club. Hope these ideas start you thinking about your swing and what you do with the club. In the coming months I will be writing about the swing, the game, women in the game, the mental side of golf and anything else that strikes me. Good luck, and keep swinging. n Erin Szekely is an LPGA Teaching Professional. She can be reached at 425-3980443 or for more information, please visit www.golfingwitherin.com.

The Washington State Open Looms Large The Washington Open Invitational dates back to 1922. In that year, young Al Espinosa captured the crown at Yakima CC. Some big names have won this event over the years including the Zimmerman brothers, Al and Emery, along with Chuck Congdon, Al Mengert, Senior Tour Player Rick Acton, and PGA Tour Player Fred Couples. There have been many accomplished champions since the event started. Chuck Congdon holds the record for the most wins (1939, 47, 50, 52, and 62) while Al Mengert holds the record for the most consecutive wins (1963, 64, and 65). Last year, Brian Nosler represented Langdon Farms GC (he is now with Vanco Driving Range) captured his first win as a Pacific

Northwest PGA Professional. Patience and a calm demeanor were key to Nosler’s win, especially on the 55th hole. After 54 holes Nosler found himself tied with amateur Derek Berg (Trilogy GC). Nerves were never a factor for Nosler though, “I wasn’t really nervous going into the playoff. Actually what I was thinking about was how stuck I was going to get in the Seattle traffic driving home to Portland!” Nosler hit a great 4-iron approach on Glendale’s Par-5 18th, the first hole of the playoff. After lipping out his eagle attempt, Nosler made a short birdie putt and captured the title of Washington Open Champion. Meridian Valley opened in 1967 and is

a world-class facility with a championship golf course. This Ted Robinson design will host its sixth Washington Open Invitational set for May 16-20. Mike Davis won in 1972, Chuck Milne won in 1976 with

a tournament record of 202, Bill Porter won in 2002, Keith Coleman won in 2004, and Michael Combs captured the title in 2005. For more information, please visit www.meridianvalley.cc. n

A Great Place to Stay in Monterey

Lone Oak Lodge VOTED MONTEREY PENINSULA TRAVEL PLANNER BEST VALUE

www.LoneOakLodge.com

800-283-5663 May 2009

GOLF TODAY Magazine – Northwest Edition

Ranked #7 Best New Public Course Golf Digest

Northern California’s Sevillano Links at Rolling Hills Casino Earns Favorable Rankings by Golf Digest and Golfweek When it comes to the “best in golf courses” Sevillano Links at Rolling Hills links-styled course is currently ranked No. 7 on Golf Digest’s national list of Best New Public Courses. In addition, Sevillano Links appears on Golfweek’s list of 50 Best New Public Courses and on the list of 30 Best Casino Golf Courses in the United States. With naturally rolling terrain, luscious fairways and well-manicured greens, Sevillano Links continues to receive positive attention from golf enthusiasts locally as well as from afar. Only 90 miles from Sacramento, this golf resort has a spectacular all-grass range, with practice bunker and putting green areas ideal for honing-in on one’s short game. Five sets of tees test the talent of any player up for the challenge.

experience is enhanced by an array of amenities at Rolling Hills Casino café, arcade for kids, and even on-site pet care. Gaming options include everything from slots and video poker to a variety of popular table games. hunting, and hiking.

2657 Barham Ave. Corning, CA 96021 530.528.4600 www.sevillanolinks.com

To book a tee time or for more information about golf getaways call (530) 528-4600 or visit www.sevillanolinks.com. For more information about Rolling Hills Casino and resort amenities, visit www.rollinghillscasino.com.

16 GOLF TODAY Magazine – Northwest Edition

May 2009

Golf at the Sun Valley Resort A setting as timeless as the game

For generations, Sun Valley Resort has been a place awash in all the finer things in life. It’s true, there is natural elegance associated with the Trail Creek and White Clouds golf courses. But its beautiful new clubhouse and stunning outdoor pavilion make Sun Valley Resort much more than a golf destination. The White Clouds Course

The Trail Creek Course Course

The newest addition to the Sun Valley golf experience features nine holes as awe-inspiring as its backdrop. The alpine links-styled course promises to carry on our time-honored golfing legacy. Sporting glorious 360-degree views of the valley below, the White Clouds Course and its accompanying five-mile hiking trail amble through Sun Valley’s foothills, creating a course so striking you’ll have trouble keeping your eyes on the ball.

Traversed by its namesake seven times throughout its 18 holes, the classic Trail Creek course is Sun Valley’s premier golf course. Attracting serious golfers to the Sun Valley area for years, it has been ranked by Golf Digest as the number one course in Idaho and one of the top 75 resort courses in America. Featuring 6,674 yards of wildlife, pine trees and world-class fairways, the Trail Creek course continues to captivate enthusiasts since its opening in 1937.

Sun Valley Pavilion

A panorama so beautiful it deserves a soundtrack Sun Valley’s skies and mountains are perfectly captured by the contoured architecture of the Sun Valley Pavilion’s canopy covering 1,500 seats, along with additional, uncovered hillside lawn seating. Home of the Sun Valley Summer Symphony Series, the longest-running free concert series in the United States, the pavilion also features a myriad of other events, including jazz, dance, opera, country and pop music performances. Toni Childs Sun Valley Wellness Festival Tickets: www.sunvalleywellness.org

Sunday, May 24 Kenny Loggins Saturday, May 30 Acoustic Weekend June 5 & 6 Sara Evans Friday, June 19 Tenors and Strings Extravaganza Sun Valley Opera Sunday, June 28

Maureen McGovern American Festival Chorus & Orchestra Friday, July 3 Barrage High-energy fusion fiddle fest Friday, July 17 Sun Valley Summer Symphony 25th annual free concert series www.svsummersymphony.org July 27 - August 18

Sun Valley Writers’ Conference Tickets: www.svwc.com

August 21 - 24 Trey McIntyre Project August 27 - 28 Sun Valley Music Festival September 25 & 26

Don Felder Wednesday, August 19

The outdoor facility is a technological and structural marvel, which demonstrates how permanent and seasonal structures can be integrated to offer the best of both worlds.

Purchase tickets online at www.sunvalleypavilion.com or call 208.622.2135 or 888.622.2108.

May 2009 060-1101 GolfTodayAdvertorial.indd 1

GOLF TODAY Magazine – Northwest Edition

4/27/09 5:00:33 PM

DRIVING

PERFORMANCE

SESSION

HIT BIGGER DRIVES.COM Discover your driving potential. 12 YEARS “ERASING OF BAD HABITS, I’M

HITTING THE BALL

FARTHER THAN

I EVER THOUGHT.” - H. Pantusa

See exactly where you’re losing yards. Test TECHNIQUE, EQUIPMENT and CONDITIONING. Make progress with advanced technology and your Certified Personal Coach.

Club Head Speed = 105 MPH nch Lau

le Ang

4.2 =1

3320 RPM

Ball Speed = 157 MPH

75-MINUTE

GOLFTEC

EXCLUSIVE

ONLY $

($165 value)

PORTLAND LOCATIONS

SEATTLE LOCATIONS

Cascade Station 503 281-1842 Nyberg Wood 503-612-7807

Bellevue 425-454-7956 South Lake Union 206-357-6885

*Offer expires 6/22/09. See your participating Improvement Center for details.

Hit it farther and straighter.

18 GOLF TODAY Magazine – Northwest Edition

May 2009

GOLF TODAY Magazine – Northwest Edition

“Helping people receive more enjoyment from the game of golf” www.hiltongolfacademy.com

Hilton Golf Academy - Starting at $999* per person! “Playing Weekend” golf school for 2 people. Package includes: • Two days of personalized instruction with afternoon playing lessons • Three rounds of golf • Three nights' suite accommodations • Food and beverage: three breakfasts, two lunches • Adidas® golf shirt and a pair of Adidas Golf Shoes • Hilton Golf Experience Instructional Manual • Mention Special Code: GTNW • 1-800-945-6478

*Rates are per person based on double occupancy. Rates vary depending on location. Offer is valid through December 31, 2009 and based on availability. Minimum of 2 people must register together to receive this offer. Offer is not valid to groups of more than 8 people.

20 GOLF TODAY Magazine – Northwest Edition

May 2009

GOLF TODAY Magazine – Northwest Edition

22 GOLF TODAY Magazine – Northwest Edition

May 2009

Team Waverly Earns Second Women’s Team Championship Title Charisse Spada and Lara Tennant of Portland, Ore. shot a second 1-under par round for a two-day total of 71-71—142 to take the title at the 3rd OGA Women’s Team Championship on the 5,498-yard layout at the OGA Golf Course in Woodburn, Ore. The Team Championship is a Four-Ball contest where each team’s score is based on the best score of the 2-player team for the hole. The event includes both Gross and Net Divisions giving teams and players of all abilities an opportunity to compete for a title. In 2007, Spada and Tennant teamed together to take the inaugural Women’s Team Title at Indian Creek GC in Hood River, Ore. Spada and Tennant are perennial favorites in Oregon competitions and both were recently named to represent Team Oregon in the 4th PNGA Cup Matches to be held May 7-8 at Crane Creek GC in Boise, Idaho. Close on their heels and only one-stroke back after the first round, Sasha Dunlap and Penny Saenguraiporn from Pumpkin Ridge were unable to mount a successful run at the leaders dropping 2-strokes to end up in a tie for second place along with their fellow club mates Kumiko Rodewald and Loree McKay. Rodewald and McKay scored the low team score of the championship in the second round to move up the leaderboard. Also faltering on the day were Felicia Johnston and Marcia Fisher from Willamette

Valley Country Club who were also just one-stroke off the lead after the first round, but finished with a two round total of 5-over par 72-77—149 to finish alone in fourth place. This competition actually began in 1996 as the OGA Women’s Four-

Ball Championship, but in this format, any two women could form a team. In 2007, reflecting on the popularity of the OGA Men’s Team Championship, the event changed formats to require three-players representing the same OGA Member Club

with the best two 18-hole scores on the team used. This year, the format reverted to a four-Ball contest, but unlike the original event, team members must represent the same OGA Member Club. For more information, please visit www.oga.org. n

Quotebook: The Best Quotes In Golf

F r o m t h e n o t e b o o k o f R o n Sal s i g

• “My best trait has always been my ability to learn” ~ Padraig Harrington • “Q-School is not a spectator sport. I told my family to stay home” ~ Bob Heintz • “There’s only one place where I have no control of my limbs because of the anarchy in my brain, and that’s Q-School” ~ Brandel Chamblee • “The conditions were benign but the situation was malignant” ~ Brandel Chamblee on good weather a t

PGA West Q-School • “I’m ready to go home” ~ Jimmy Walker at Q-School • “I’m too old for this” ~ Jay Williamson at Q-School • “I finally have a home to play” ~ Wil Collins, who sank a 30-foot putt on the final hole to get his card • “ I might have had enough of this game” ~ Harrison Frazar early at Q-School

• “ I h a v e n ’ t made any putts in ten years, and today they all went in” ~ Harrison Frazar after shooting a 59 at Q-School • “Not bad for a guy who’s going to quit the game” ~ Bryce Molder on Frazar’s 59 • “I met him (Frazar) in the secret 59 Club.I can’t disclose the location” ~ Notah Begay • “I almost withdrew from first stage, I was playing so bad” ~ Matt Borchert, who made it through Q-School • “I’m tired of it. I never want to play this golf course again. This golf course is a video game. Not in Q-School” ~ Jay Williamson on PGA West • “I just wanted to play proud golf today” ~ Notah Begay at Q-School. He got his card back continued on page 28 ❱

I N N O V AT I V E I R O N R E P L A C E M E N T

Shank Resistant... Straighter Line... Higher Flight

Hey! Try Me Out

The Wedgewood patented hybrid head design combines the most sought after characteristics of traditional irons and woods into a single design. From the fairway, oﬀ the tee, in the rough or sand the Wedgewood will give you conﬁdence to hit with accuracy and power!

Try the Wedgewood

38º Original Series Special $3999+sh Innovative Hybrid Design from 2 iron - Sand Wedge! Always 100% Satisfaction Guarantee

O r d e r s a n d I n f o : 1 ( 8 8 8 ) 8 3 3 - 7 3 7 1 o r w w w. w e d g e w o o d g o l f. c o m May 2009

GOLF TODAY Magazine – Northwest Edition

California’s Best Par-Three Course: The Challenge at Monarch Dunes by Bob Fagan

If you haven’t previously been exactly enthralled to play a par-three course, this one could change your mind. It certainly did mine. Typically, par-three courses have been architectural afterthoughts featuring mundane challenges and substandard conditioning. The Challenge Course at the Monarch Dunes Golf Club in Nipomo, close to the Central California coast, is anything but. You will discover an entertainingly challenging, beautifully manicured par-three delight that compares to any in America. Oddly enough, the best American parthree courses have been situated at such staunchly private clubs such as: Pine Valley, Augusta National, the Olympic Club, Sherwood Country Club, Colleton River, Sutton Bay, and a few others that precious few people even know about, yet alone get to play. In the nineties, the Treetops Resort in Northern Michigan built Threetops, an amazing public-access par-three layout with vast elevation changes in a pristine forest setting. Well, Monarch Dunes is California’s answer and, if there is a bet-

ter one-shotter layout in California, it has escaped my attention. What’s more there are twelve delightful holes! This twelve-hole layout is not only priced at a bargain ($19), but it takes a lot shorter time to play. Typically, one can expect to finish in about two hours or less, and the management thoughtfully schedules 15-minute intervals between tee times. What’s more, the course is an easy, pleasant walk. Like its regulation sister course at Monarch Dunes, “The Old Course”, golf course architect, Damian Pascuzzo and partner, touring pro Steve Pate, were again called in by the developer/owner, John Scardino, to also design this layout. The result was a masterful, versatile layout. With any parthree design, the putting surfaces are the key, and Pascuzzo/Pate team built many shapes and contours into the very large velvet bent grass greens. There is rugged, scruffy mounding crafted in an Irish links motif that adorns and protects the targets, in addition to several lakes and ample bunkering providing the hazards. More importantly, the conditioning of the greens and tees are anything but scruffy. The greens are immaculately smooth and fast, a pleasure and also a challenge to be sure. What is particularly interesting about The Challenge Course is that it is, as the

name suggests, a challenge. That said, when set up with accessible hole locations, it is very playable. The holes vary from 80 yards from the tips to a very shallow green, to the longest at 242 yards, and include a semi-blind 202-yard uphill finisher that plays even longer uphill and into the prevailing wind. That downhill 242-yard fifth ranks as one of the best par-threes anywhere where the large green is flanked by water to the front, right, and rear; and a big bunker to the left. It is a dazzler that may have even the scratch players pulling out a driver when the breeze picks up! No matter what the distance, The Challenge’s green shapes dictate that even the skilled player had better keep their attention to the shot at hand, and make The Challenge just that. Miss a green in the wrong spot and it is very difficult to recover in par. The putting surfaces as mentioned are quite large (average 8,000 s.f.), yet play much smaller due to the strong contouring. Those slopes will funnel the ball either to or away from the hole, and long putts often have pronounced humps and ridges to traverse. In other words, scoring is no routine task at The Challenge, a very testing and

interesting layout. For the advanced player, The Challenge makes for a terrific venue for a money match or a place to sharpen

your iron play—the perfect complement to neighboring Old Course. When you add the accommodating staff headed by Matt Kalbak, the tasty food and good service, the spacious practice area, with the premier Old Course and California’s “Best Par-Three Course” that anyone can play, it makes good sense to visit Monarch Dunes—and tell them that Bob Fagan sent you! n

only $29.95 pros to Hackers – Grooves any stroke – easy-to-use

Tempo

Follow-Thru

TAkeAwAy

AlignmenT

• Is my putter square to the target line? • Do I have the nice tempo in my putting stroke? • Is my takeaway smooth and correct? • Am I setup properly? • Do I have an Arc Stroke or Straight line stroke? • Can I consistently make putt after putt? • What are the issues with my putting? • Is my stroke grooved like it should be? • How is my follow-thru?

Find out more about this awesome putting device that will help you to cut 3 to 4 strokes per round at

www.

4Ballpro.com

24 GOLF TODAY Magazine – Northwest Edition

May 2009

Is Your Golf Swing Setting You Up For Shoulder Injury? by Dr. Vivek Agrawal

Just like fingerprints, each golf swing is unique. All movements—walking, running, swinging a golf club—that require activating more than one muscle involve an intricate balance and control of our bodies to result in the final product called the kinetic chain. This kinetic chain involves coordinating all of the body’s soft tissue (muscle, ligaments, and tendons), the nervous system (brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves), and the skeletal system (bones and joints) to position the body in the proper alignment to perform any task in the most efficient manner possible. We each develop our own pattern of control as we learn to hold our heads up, progressing to sitting, walking, running, and ultimately more complex movements such as the golf swing. If we develop a pattern of movement or a habit is ingrained that is inefficient, the other systems are forced to compensate and adjust. These compensations and adjustments can result in tissue overload, reduced performance, and ultimately predictable patterns of injury. As the shoulder is positioned toward the end of the kinetic chain and relies almost entirely on soft tissue (muscles, ligaments, tendons, etc.) and body positioning for

May 2009

stability it is particularly prone to injury due to a weak link in the kinetic chain elsewhere. For instance, we have treated many patients for shoulder injuries that originally started because of a hip, knee, back or other problem further down the kinetic chain. This is why changing your golf swing or copying someone else’s golf swing can be very difficult. Countless professional golfers over the years have ruined their careers by trying to make drastic changes to their golf swings. But don’t lose hope; our prescription to avoid shoulder injury and improve your golf game is to start from the beginning. The golf swing is best built from the ground up. We recommend correcting

or improving deficiencies in your kinetic chain as the best place to start. Traditional weight training or fitness programs often fall short because they aren’t able to identify and correct these deficiencies and compensations. Knowledge is power so finding a true expert to evaluate your movements and identify the deficiencies in your kinetic chain is the first step. Once the correct diagnosis is established, the necessary and appropriate steps to restore your functional strength can be taken helping you not only improve your performance now but also avoid injury in the future. Tiger Woods is the most notable example of the significant benefits an enlight-

ened functional strengthening program can provide for everyone-a solid base to make the most of your natural talents. Many communities now have golf professionals that offer programs that start with an evaluation of your movements, followed by a prescription to correct any deficiencies and improve your functional strength, before even considering working on your golf swing. So instead of starting with golf lessons to change your swing, do yourself a favor and focus on improving the cause not n the effect. Dr. Agrawal, an avid golfer, is Medical Director of the The Shoulder Center in Indiana.

Book Review:

The Golfer’s Guide to the Meaning of Life by Bob Weisgerber

This is an extraordinary little book. It contains the innermost thoughts and beliefs about golf and life that have accumulated over the term of Gary Player’s long, astounding career. There are many ways to describe the full life of Gary Player and many golfers already know a great deal about him. This is not a book about his life, nor is it a book

of instruction. This is a book Meant to give golfers both young and old and lives into his view about what matters in life, beyond victories what is there? It appears that there is quite a lot to this man. He is a staunch supporter and representative of the south Africa. While he was vilified by some who thought he was a supporter of apartheid, he’s is quite the opposite. He be-

lieves very much in spreading good deeds, especially to those who are less fortunate, regardless of their heritage. Another thing about Gary Player that is fairly well known, is the extent of his travels by plane or other conveyance, if it adds up to more worldly experience than anyone else I know. Of course that is quescontinued on page 27 ❱

GOLF TODAY Magazine – Northwest Edition

Northwest Casino Courses ❰ continued from page 9

one of the finest places in the entire world to play golf Custom Golf Packages For People Traveling From San Francisco To Monterey Peninsula Golf packages that are appealing, affordable, high quality, played on incredible golf courses and offering players the ultimate golf experience Accommodations at the award-winning Hilton Santa Cruz/Scotts Valley Tee times set up through Hilton’s Golf Coordinator Green and Cart Fees

but recently remodeled by Colorado-based Mark Miller, claims to be one of Western Washington’s driest golf courses benefitting from only 11 inches of rain a year compared with Seattle’s 38 and even Palm Springs” 17. “Plus we sit on wonderful sandy loam soil so we have summer-like playing conditions in the middle of winter,” says Director of Golf and General Manager, Bill Shea. Since taking over, the S’Klallam Tribe has invested heavily in the course. The clubhouse was gutted and rebuilt as was the pro shop. A new fleet of GPS-enabled carts was purchased and new maintenance equipment has had a dramatic effect on the course’s appearance. “The holes are much better defined now,” says Shea. “And the playing surfaces are significantly better than they used to be.’ Of course, improvements on this scale would not have been possible without the casino’s involvement. As Shea says, few, if any, golf courses anywhere in the world could have completed that many upgrades in so short a period of time without some form of outside financial assistance. “Golf courses just don’t generate the sort of revenue necessary to finance such extensive plans by themselves,” he says. As a result of the enhancements, Dungeness now records over 41,000 rounds of golf a year according to Shea, an impressive total of which a sizeable chunk is made up of groups from Seattle. “From May or June through September we get three or four groups of 20 or so guys here for threeday weekends, every weekend. They get on a ferry and have everything they want here—great golf, gaming and nightlife. It’s a slam dunk really.” At present there is no lodging at 7 Cedars itself and visitors lodge in any of Sequim’s numerous hotels, motels and B&Bs. Plans are afoot for a new 175-room $100million+ hotel and conference center at the casino, however, though financing the plans has proven difficult in the present climate. While not all of Washington’s 28 tribal casinos own and operate their own courses, you’re never far from one. The Muckleshoot in Auburn, for instance, is within easy dis-

For information and reservations

6001 La Madrona Drive • Santa Cruz, CA 95060

888.445.3010 www.santacruzscottsvalley.hilton.com Travel Should Take You Places.™

26 GOLF TODAY Magazine – Northwest Edition

tance of Washington National and Druids Glen. The magnificent Tulalip casino just north of Everett is little more than a mile from the Battle Creek golf course. The Clearwater Casino Resort in the village of Suquamish on the Kitsap Peninsula is two miles across Miller Bay from White Horse and a short drive to both Port Ludlow and Useful Web Sites • www.circlingraven.com • www.theskagit.com • www.semiahmoo.com • www.muckleshootcasino.com • www.tulalipcasino.com • www.clearwatercasino.com • www.7cedarscasino.com • www.dungenessgolf.com • www.wildhorseresort.com • www.kahneeta.com • www.chinookwindscasino.com • www.themillcasino.com • www.threeriverscasino.com • www.spiritmountain.com McCormick Woods. Moving south into Oregon, the gambling golfer can indulge his twin passions at the Wildhorse Resort, four miles east of Pendleton. The 7,200yard course here opened in 1997 and was designed by John Steidel who has worked on numerous northwest courses including Eaglemont, Apple Tree, Highlander and Canyon Lakes. Open to the public year round, Wildhorse was #40 on Golf Digest’s list of top casino courses in 2007. There is a pleasant, newly renovated 100-room hotel on-site and five dining options including the acclaimed Plateau where you start the evening off right with a bowl of Walla Walla sweet onion soup and progress on to the Pendleton Whisky Steak or, if you’re a fish person, the exquisite Origami Cedar Halibut. Kah-Nee-Ta, owned by the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs and named for an Indian women who owned the valley in the middle of the 19th century, is two hours east of Portland and offers a pretty heady mix of amenities too. 25,000sqft

of gaming space and a William F. Bell designed golf course are the main attractions. Actually, Bell, son of William P. Bell who collaborated on Riviera, Bel-Air and Los Angeles Country Club among others with the great George Thomas, designed only nine holes at Kah-Nee-Ta which opened when the lodge opened in 1972. The back nine was added by Gene Mason in 1977. Wednesday night is comedy night at KahNee-Ta with live music on the weekends. “We also offer Summer Evening Salmon Bakes outside on the bluff overlooking the Resort,” says Entertainment Director, Ian Hay. ‘Guests can enjoy salmon cooked over a fire, a buffet and tribal dancing.’ Chinook Winds, a Confederated Tribes of Siletz property, in Lincoln City on the Pacific Coast 90 miles south-west of Portland, possesses a Par 66 course that originally opened in 1926 as Lakeside GC. The casino now plans on developing it into a full-length championship course but, as so many have found, borrowing the necessary funds is easier said than done just now. The old 227-room Shilo Inn Lincoln City is now part of the Chinook Winds Resort, and there are six places to eat and drink including Aces Bar and Grill which has a golf simulator that you can use for $25 an hour. Again of Oregon’s nine tribal casinos, only a handful own and operate their own course. Two offer golf packages; the Mill in North Bend where visitors to the casino receive special rates at Watson Ranch GC (formerly Coos Country Club), and Three Rivers Casino in Florence which offers deals at the superb Rees Jones-designed Sandpines, and also Ocean Dunes and Forest Hills. Spirit Mountain in Grande Ronde, 15 miles inland from Lincoln City, is also worth mentioning not only for its 500,000 sqft of gaming space but also because it has future plans to build its own course “We appreciate the fact that a number of our guests are golfers,” says General Manager Rodney Ferguson. “So we definitely have plans for a course but not only is the economy a problem, acquiring sufficient land is also an issue. We have enough for a nine-hole course just to the south of the casino, but we want to build 18 holes.” Casinocitytimes.com estimates there are 70 tribal golf courses in the U.S today. The Northwest has half a dozen of them of which three or four are worthy of long journeys by themselves. Throw in onsite lodging, a wide range of restaurants, great entertainment and the chance to win back what you spend on gas, food, lodging and golf at a blackjack table or slot machine and you have the makings of a truly memon rable trip. May 2009

Book Review ❰ continued from page 25

tionable now, because Arnold Palmer a and Jack Nicklaus, the other two members of the “big three,” who have also traveled the world extensively, not only due to their golfing prowess, but also due to their course design experience. The book, available from Skyhorse Publishing, NYC, is small in size but has been produced with high quality, extra stiff pages—that will last even if passed down from generation to generation.. The first chapter deals with the question, why play golf? Surprisingly, player uses Mother Theresa as part of the answer. The I second chapter deals with practice and includes one of Player’s famous remarks, made to a bystander. “ the Harder I worked, the luckier I got. It is certainly true that Gary Player was known to save pars when bogies seemed much more likely. He was shorter hitter than his opponents, but could get it up and down with seeming ease. His bunker play was nothing short of phenomenal.— practice, of course. Another chapter deals with winning. Player points out that he won fewer than 10% of the competitions in which he was entered. But the point to be made was that when the opportunity presented itself it was important to get into the action and relish the prospect of going for it. Player Includes some quotations, one of which is from the former champion Tommy Armour. “The score is important, of course. And the discovery that you are superior to another golfer is satisfying. But when your score is bad and the other fellow beats you, golf still has been a blessing to you. The score or isn’t the be all and end all.” Player was one of the true gentlemen of the game and includes a chapter on Dignity and Honor. Certainly all golfers are aware of rules that govern your play. . cheating is not Part of the game in cheaters find that out quickly. He tells the story of one tournament that he was leading by five shots and after Pini asking an official about a potential rules violation he had made he learned that he had been disqualified and could not complete the tournament. It was a hard lesson to learn. Honor is very important to Player. He defines it as Doing the right thing, when to do the wrong thing is a much easier and seemingly a beneficial choice. Player writes about the “purely struck shot.” He comments that he and produces a nurse—Kingsmill. she and sensation

that runs up the shaft of the club PM to our hands and arms and then disperses to every point of our bodies right down to our toes and up to our minds. Those are the goose-bump shots in the gulf, the ones that feels so good because, in fact, we can barely feel them. But a lot of this feeling lies in its subtlety and the speed that it is transmitted through our bodies. Why, we wonder, can’t they all feel like that? Because in that moment you have achieved perfection in an imperfect game. If they all felt like that, we wouldn’t know how good the good ones feel. In a chapter about motivation, and Player refers to one of his best years, when he one the masters, the British open, and seven other tournaments worldwide. and the interesting thing is that it took place after a time. In his golfing life where he was struggling. and resulted from the fact that in watching another golfer (Christy, an Irishman who swung the club effortlessly) he had found the motivation to practice harder. It is the worth noting that one of Player’s heroes was Winston Churchill. In the c context of family, and player was and is very much a family man, he includes remark by Churchill that “ it’s not the quantity of the time spent with those we love that matters, but rather the quality. Player writes about “indabas” if which are family discussions, and suggests that if something isn’t on your mind share and promptly –if there is a good chance that it is also on the other person’s mind. In some respects, this small book is packed with homespun wisdom. But it is backed by a lifetime of experience and hard-earned success. It is more than a book about golf—it is a book about a way to live one’s life. Most useful thought in these trying times. It should be stated that some years ago, when my son was playing on the professional South African golf tour, he was an invited guest of Gary player at Player’s ranch. Gary was generous with his time and provided Scott with a superb book about South Africa. Much more recently, I was honored to have Gary Player serve as a finalist judge on the Alister MacKenzie Lido golf competition. He gave careful thought to his selection of the winner and was most interested in the process, even to the extent of signing his name on the winning drawing, much as Arnold Palmer had done the previous year. n

GolfHumor

“A Day Spent Playing Golf is a Day Added to Your Life!” May 2009

GOLF TODAY Magazine – Northwest Edition

Vacation On the Greens!

Quotebook: The Best Quotes In Golf ❰ continued from page 23

Private Trade Winds A Luxury Access Company Specializing in 5 Star Residential Products With Hotel-Type Services • Offering The Best in Flexibility and Accommodations • Choose From Premium Golf Destinations Like: La Quinta, CA~ Scottsdale, AZ Kona~Oahu~Maui~Kaui Cabo San Lucas~Puerta Vallarta Costalegre, Mexico~Costa Rica And Many More!!

• “Dealing with diabolical Dye out there, it was tough” ~ Begay • “Golfers love to be punished” ~ Pete Dye at Hall of Fame induction • “I’m like Humpty Dumpty. I keep falling down, and people put me back together again” ~ Begay • “I’m going home and throwing away my printer, because I’ve written so many letters for sponsor exemptions” ~ Begay • “It’s a new beginning for me. A whole new path, a clean slate” ~ Michelle Wie after getting her card at Q-School • “It’s a play whenever I want card” ~ Wie on receiving her LPGA Player Card • “I’ve had the door shut on me a couple of times. They can’t do that to me anymore” ~ Stacy Lewis, Q-School medalist • “His swing looks like he’s killing snakes”

~ Doug Ferguson on Tommy Gainey • “We have zero in common, bar the fact that we both play golf. He is the antithesis of me, and I am the antithesis of him” ~ Padraig Harrington on Sergio Garcia • “If I ever say I’m tired of signing, someone please club me over the head with a 9-iron” ~ Padraig Harrington on his new responsibilities as a major champion • “Basically he said he’d like to hit me over the head with my putter” ~ Padraig Harrington on how he became friends with Sergio at the Ryder Cup • “I think the minute you start to look back and compare yourself with other players, that’s the moment you start retiring. I look forward to getting better” ~ Padraig • “The third hole has a rather demanding tee shot. If you go left, you could meet the odd Cobra” ~ Renton Laidlow in Singapore

GolfHumor

“When your shot has to carry over a water hazard,

”

you can either hit one more club or two more balls.

Still Northern Nevada’s Home of Afffordable Golf

Discover The Fairways Your Way! • Luxury Residences from 2-9 Bedrooms

V Eagle alley GOLF

Carson City Luxury Rentals, Trades & Travel

3999 Centennial Park Drive Carson City, Nevada 89706

Call 866-PTW-4LUX ext. 803

(775) 887-2380

PrivateTradeWinds.com

www.eaglevalleygolf.com

28 GOLF TODAY Magazine – Northwest Edition

• 36-Holes of Great Golf 18-Hole Championship West Course $38 18-Hole Regulation East Course $33 • Full Tournament/Group Services • Full Practice Facility Including Driving Range with Target Greens • Complete Lesson Program by PGA Pros • Fully-Stocked Pro Shop • Restaurant and Bar with Indoor/Outdoor Facilities for Group Functions

• “I’m not using the R word for many reasons” ~ Annika Sorenstam at her last event on the LPGA Tour • “I felt at peace. I really felt very content. I walked up to hit my third shot on the 18th, and I felt the breeze coming in, and it was just a really comfortable feeling. I saw some players standing behind the 18th green, that gave me a tear. I saw my parents and my family and that give me a tear.” ~ Annika Sorenstam, on her last hole in the final tournament of her career • “There’s been a lot of memories that carry me on, and that will make me smile” ~ Annika after missing the cut at her final LPGA event, the ADT • “I would love to talk now, but they want me to do a drug test” ~ Annika, cutting off her interview. The media blistered the LPGA after forcing Annika to do the drug test. She was retiring that day • “I just play golf better than some, that’s about it” ~ Rocco Mediate at the Skins Game • “I’m trying to figure out why I couldn’t read greens this well when I was a player” ~ Judy Rankin, TV analyst, after a correct read at the microphone • “Naah, no problem. It’s just golf ” ~ Boo Weekley accepting an interview moments after a 4-putt on the final green • “Why not? They’re mine” ~ Boo on banging his bag with a club • “If you don’t flip it at the bottom, it’s pretty solid” ~ Boo Weekley on the golf swing • “I’d much rather watch fishing or hunting or NASCAR or something. It’s got to be moving, man. Golf ain’t moving.” ~ Boo Weekley on why he does not watch golf on TV • “Zing, she smells a whole lot better than you did.” ~ Nick Faldo to Paul Azninger on his new broadcast partner, Kelly Tilghman. • “We don’t have time for me to tell you what I think about Tiger and his golf, because I think that right now, he has got it by the neck, and he’s choking it. And he should” ~ Arnold Palmer • “If I can walk around here like an athlete, which I can, and I can play reasonably well, then I’d like to keep playing” ~ Gary Player on the Masters • “Hard to keep track. Too many Kims and Parks” ~ K.J. Choi on following the success of fellow South Koreans on the LPGA Tour • “Everything to be said is up on the scoreboard” ~ Ty Tryon, after shooting 87 in the third round of the first stage of PGA Tour Q-School • “Who’s Hemmingway?” ~ Boo Weekley n National Award-winning golf writer Ron Salsig can be reached at rsalsig@pacbell.net.

May 2009

Golf Equipment Chronicles ❰ continued from page 11

especially those who have a consistent inside-out swing path—they all hate drivers that have “closed” face angles. That problem is exacerbated because even drivers with square faces appear to be a little bit closed. For most players, it takes a face angle about 2* open before a driver actually looks square. Players with a strong inside-out swing path have a legitimate beef about closed face angles. The closed face angle makes it more difficult to square the face at impact and a little glitch in timing can send the ball violently left. Meantime, manufacturers provide limited numbers of drivers with open face angles for their Tour players. You can pretty much be sure that if a driver is listed as “Tour” the main difference is that it will have an open face angle. Drivers with open face angles are extremely rare in high lofts. I have spent a lot of time and effort, and more than a comfortable sum of money trying to search out driver heads with open face angles for myself and Golf Lab customers. They are scarce. The only consistent source is Bombsquadgolf.com—but at very high prices. From time to time, they come available on eBay—usually a model or two out of date. The new drivers with adjustable face angles will make it possible for any golfer to have a driver with an open face angle. Taylor Made R9 and Nike STR8 Fit The two big companies offering adjustable drivers are Taylor Made and Nike. Overall, they are both very good drivers. Taylor Made has a little edge on sophisticated styling—bringing the size down a few cubic centimeters. The attachment between the shaft and head is more elegant with the R9. The Nike driver looks like they hired a plumber to make the connection. Nike, meantime, offers both its square and traditional head shapes with the adjustable shaft fitting. The recession had a positive effect on pricing. Originally targeted at a comfortable $499 price level, a last-minute game of “chicken” prior to release resulted in an aggressive street price of $399. Nike’s STR8 Fit driver is a beast. The standard length is 45.75” and the average swingweight out of the factory is D9—from the drivers that we’ve measured at the Golf Lab. That’s good for the custom club business. In raw form, Nike drivers are only playable for giants and weight lifters. If you are planning to buy a Nike— modification is not a big problem. If you May 2009

www.bigdaddydriver.com

cut an inch off of the length you’ll make the club just about right—length between 44.5’ and 44.75” and a swingweight in the low D range. I followed Michelle Wie at the KraftNabisco a couple of weeks ago and was interested to see that she was playing the square STR8 fitted up with a Mitsubishi Fubuki shaft. She was hitting it sky high. Alas, neither Nike nor Taylor Made has given up on the hope that they can make money by selling shafts. The fittings that make the drivers adjustable are “proprietary” which means protected by design patents and not sold individually. If you want a shaft to fit your new driver, you have to buy it from Taylor Made or from Nike. They haven’t learned the Callaway lesson yet—buyers refuse to pay artificially high prices for anything—and that includes driver shafts. There is a chance that Taylor Made is rethinking the belief that it makes sense to try to control the aftermarket for shafts. I have noticed an unusual supply of Taylor Made adapters available for sale on the “Bay” and a few online golf forums have had members say that they had adapters for sale. Also, one of the key suppliers of aftermarket parts for the golf industry— Billy Bob Golf—has been predicting

that aftermarket parts from third party suppliers might become available. If so, that would make the proprietary systems much more interesting. Who wouldn’t buy a handful of connectors to try some of the “old favorites” from the garage in the new R9 or STR Fit driver head? It will be interesting to see how much the aftermarket is restricted by repressive patent protection. Nike and Taylor made should bite the bullet on this one and make their connectors available. Why? Because if they don’t, someone else will. The Nickent Evolver Upgrade Guess who? Nickent has cultivated an image of “blue collar”—keeping prices a little under the highest going rate and working closely with the players who don’t get paid before they’ll pick up a new golf club. Nickent has had good success on the Nationwide Tour—first with hybrids— carving out a niche and establishing their reputation. Last year, they began to make headway with their drivers. The big difference between Nickent and the other companies is that Nickent never intended to control the aftermarket business in shafts. They recognized early

The Weed Whacker Golf Club

continued on page 30 ❱

Looking for a Funny Golf Gift? Introducing the Big Daddy Driver. The Funniest Golf Gift Ever! No, it’s not a driver with a monster head, it’s a Weed Whacker Golf Club. Not only does it look like a driver, it is FUNNY and is a great conversation piece. Even better yet it really cuts the grass!

Only $44.95 plus s & h

Anything in Print…

972-2355

• Logos • Phone Book Advertising • Theater Slides • Magazines • Newsletters • Brochures • Fliers • Books • Event Programs

(661)

email: kerri@esten.net

WE Work WoNdErS WiTh our MouSE To ProMoTE your BuSiNESS

www.bigdaddydriver.com 866-450-8186

“…it will become THE conversation piece of your round. I guarantee it!” -Bob Koczor, editor Golf Today Magazine

GOLF TODAY Magazine – Northwest Edition

Golf Equipment Chronicles ❰ continued from page 29

on that would be too expensive and also impossible. No company, not even Nike or Taylor Made can possibly satisfy the appetite for every shaft that any golfer might want to try. At best, they will offer a limited selection of the top models. What if you like a shaft from Oban, House of Forged, Nippon, Harrison, Aerotech, Penley, SK Fiber, RT Technologies, Enzo or any of the myriad boutique shaft companies that are trying to gain your attention? You’re out of luck unless you buy a shaft from the big boys just to get the gizmo. Nickent made their fittings available for a reasonable $25.

Since they are totally reusable, that is a pretty good deal. That’s the reason we’ve been using the Nickent Evolver driver line at the Golf Lab for shaft fitting. Once you get a head that produces the launch angle and spin rate that optimizes your ball speed, testing for ball speed and ball flight is a snap. You can switch shafts in a minute and use the same head. Shaft performance comparisons are immediate and easy to see and feel. That’s paying attention to the scientific principal that if you want to find out the difference in any comparison—change one variable at a time. It does you no good to test one

GolfHumor

“If there is a ball on the fringe and a ball in the

bunker, your ball is in the bunker. If both balls are in

”

the bunker, yours is in the footprint.

30 GOLF TODAY Magazine – Northwest Edition

driver with a certain shaft against another driver with a different shaft. You will find out which driver you like better, but you won’t have a good idea about how the shaft affected that opinion. The Nickent Evolver driver system has been our primary shaft fitting tool at the Golf Lab. Customers love testing different shafts with the same head. After we work on launch ballistics (ball speed, launch angle and spin rate) indoors with our precision launch monitors, they can take the best of the best outdoors and see ball flight. Since the Evolver system was “street legal” many players who found the right combination exercised their option to “buy the demo.” The key variable is “how many shafts can you test?” At the Golf Lab, we have over 100 high performance shafts to test with the Nickent Evolver. Our driver fitting system permits a player to try any shaft in our library to find the best one. “Try before you buy” is a better model than “buy before you try.” We would never have been able to offer that range of options paying Taylor

Made and Callaway prices. Nickent Follows Suit Now Nickent has announced a new Evolver driver fitting gizmo. They re-engineered their current Evolver driver fitting to match the adjustability of the Taylor Made and Nike systems. Now, you can buy a Tour-proven Nickent driver—in your choice of “regular” or “Tour” face angles and all of the fittings you want to try any shaft with your driver. Since I’m in the prediction business, I predict that if Nike and Taylor Made do not make their fittings available so that players can use shafts they already have, or use shafts that Nike and Taylor Made do not offer, Nickent will climb up the charts. How Does this Gizmo Work? It is totally simple. If you imagine that you’re putting a fitting on the end of the shaft to attach the shaft fit the driver, the obvious way to do that is to make the driver shaft go straight through the fitting.

May 2009

Golf Equipment Chronicles ❰ continued from page 30

If you do that, you will get a predictable result. The shaft will always go into the

driver at exactly the same angle. Now, imagine that you’re inserting the shaft into a fitting that has a little “bend”. Not too much, just a few degrees. Now, depending on how you orient the shaft when you insert the fitting into the driver head the relationship between the shaft and the driver head will change.

If you align the “bend” at 12 o’clock, you will raise the lie angle a little bit. How much? Impossible to know exactly but as-

sume 1 or 2 degrees. That depends on how much the fitting is “bent”. Like everything else in the golf industry, you should not assume that all fittings are “bent” to the same angle. If you align that same fitting at 6 o’clock, you will lower the lie angle a little bit. In each case, the face angle and loft will stay the same.

Each of the fittings is a machined part. Each one has “flutes” that secure the shaft in the head. Turn the fitting a little bit counter clockwise—just a few flutes—and you’re closing the face angle and raising the loft. Turn the fitting a little bit clockwise and you’re opening the face angle and lowering the loft. Don’t worry, you’ll get a user manual with your purchase. The newest “Next Big Thing” is actually not all that new. The Golfsmith catalog advertised a similar product twelve years ago—1996 - for $26.50—and that included the driver head. That’s a little reality check for golfers who think that the fancy R&D departments are actually coming up with really new ideas. In another weird reference to the past, it was really Callaway that popularized the use of the “clockable hosel.” For several years, Callaway has offered a similar option to its Tour players. Older Callaway drivers require a fitting to mate the shaft with the head. Callaway produced a fitting that was described as a “clockable hosel” that they made available to their tour players.

When you think about it as a clock face, orient the “bend” in the vertical plane. Turn clockwise—open the face angle, lower the loft. Turn counterclockwise, close the face angle, raise the loft. That’s what “clockable” is all about. That’s exactly what the new gizmos from Taylor Made, Callaway and Nickent are doing. Callaway had the idea first but didn’t make it easy to use. How Do You Know, Exactly? This is a key question. The reality of “manufacturing tolerances” in the golf industry is that the number might not be THE NUMBER. If a driver has 10* stamped on the sole plate, it is “in spec” if the actual loft is anything between 8* and 12*. Some manufacturers manage a slightly more precise delivery specification but not one will guarantee that a driver with 10* stamped on the sole plate is actually 10*. The same goes for face angles. Due to the manufacturing inconsistencies that I noted earlier, it is possible for any driver, despite the “target” face angle to differ a couple of continued on page 32 ❱

Want more Golf equipment ChroniCles? MANY YEARS’ worth of archives of columns by the Guru of Golf Club Making, Leith Anderson, can be found on our website...

G olf T oday M aGazine . coM May 2009

••• Index of Advertisers for May 2009 ••• 4 Ball Pro ...................................... 24 Aero-Tee ....................................... 24 Auto Lifter .................................... 30 Big Daddy Driver .......................... 29 Camas Meadows Golf Club ........... 10 Carson Valley Inn (Genoa Lakes) .... 3 ClubMaxx Golf Bags ..................... 27 Clubglider....................................... 9 Eagle Valley Golf Course ............... 28 Golf Odyssey ................................. 21 Golftec .......................................... 18 Graphic Expressions ..................... 29 Hilton Golf Academy .................... 20 Hilton Golf Resorts ....................... 11 Hilton Santa Cruz Scotts Valley .... 26 La Contenta Golf Club (Play & Stay).. 30 Lone Oak Lodge ............................ 15 Lopaka Putters ............................. 10

Macro Golf .................................... 18 Madewell Products ...................... 13 Mount Si Golf Course ...................... 8 Muckleshoot Casino ..................... 36 Nile Golf Course ............................ 15 Northstar Resort .......................... 25 Perfect Drive/Thermoking Golf Carts .. 13 Private Trade Winds ..................... 28 Rolling Hills/Sevillano Links ........ 17 Shriners Hospital.......................... 12 Stevenson Advertising ................. 14 Sun Valley Resort ................. 1, 2, 17 TaylorMade .................................. 35 Tetherow Golf Course ................... 34 The Golf Lab ............................... 4, 5 Timber Creek Golf Course ............. 22 Wedgewood Golf.......................... 24

GOLF TODAY Magazine – Northwest Edition

Golf Equipment Chronicles ❰ continued from page 31

degrees one way or the other. Hence, a driver with a 10* face angle stamped on the bottom (looking for 1* closed) could wind up anywhere between 1* open and 3* closed—and that’s just to make “spec”. Most of the component companies take on the extra expense of measuring and marking every head that comes out of the factory. That’s why you can get a 2* open head from companies like SMT. They know that there will be manufacturing inconsistencies, and they plan for them. Only the major manufacturers make believe that every head is manufactured to a perfect specification. This discussion is aimed at alerting all Golf Today readers to understand that even with the “Newest, Next Big Thing” you still don’t know exactly what you’ve got until you have your golf clubs measured. No matter which driver you choose, if you assume that the starting point is the loft stamped on the sole plate and a square face angle, you are setting yourself up for disappointment. The only way you will ever know exactly the specifications that you are playing is to find a clubmaker with precision instruments to measure your actual loft and face angle. Then, when you change it, measure again. Only then will you know exactly what you’ve got. Since I’m focusing on “annoyances,” I’ve got another one. If you are like most golfers and can’t stand the idea that your grip is not installed straight, consider what will happen when you change the orientation of your shaft. You guessed it; the graphics on the grip will change position. If you like

ribbed grips, you will have to reinstall your grip every time you change shaft positions. The easy answer is to pick up a small air compressor and install your grips with air pressure. Then when you need to move them a little one way or another you can do it easily without wasting the grip. Hands On Most of my hands-on experience has come with the Nickent Evolver. It is a classic pear shaped head with a solid “thwack” on i mpac t . It doesn’t have any of the highly touted high moment of inertia design features but if you like a classic driver, you will appreciate the Evolver. I’m looking forward to the availability of the adjustable hosel connector. I’m not too far along testing the Nike STR8. When the first shipment came in, we made the mistake of ordering every driver with the stock shaft to keep the cost down. Dumb and boring. The Stock shaft is a UST ultra-lightweight shaft. It looks a little fat. Overall, the feel and performance is not too bad but just it’s no fun to have an interchangeable shaft driver and not be able to test other shafts. As far as the adjustability feature goes, it is fine. I have changed the face angle around and sure enough, the character of the driver is vastly different. The claims of automatically changed ball flight are

overstated. No driver will ever overcome a bad swing. With Nike you have the added flexibility of choosing the square or traditional version. Once players appreciate the value of fitting the driver head to their eye and their swing—and once the shaft availability issues have been resolved—I think the STR8 will be very popular. Personally, I’m going with the square. If you’re looking for ultra-adjustability, the R9 offers the option of changing the head weight. That is a significant advantage if you’re going to fit your driver with longer or shorter, heavier of lighter shafts. My R9 evaluation will have to wait. I never buy a Taylor Made driver until six months after it comes out—and the price comes down. One More New Idea— Crazy or Brilliant? Taking a completely different tack, you might decide that you just don’t want to mess around with your driver. That will surely be the opinion of the majority of golfers if experience with the Taylor R7 series taught us anything. Most players set their “MWT” (moveable weight technology) once and forgot it. If that’s your attitude but you still want a taste of something new, test the PowerBuilt Air Force One driver. The idea behind the line is to create a line of drivers with variable face thickness— thinner for slower swing speeds—thicker for higher swing speeds to maximize the rebound effect. In order to make the driver

STAFF

work—and stay legal—the driver head is “nitrogen charged.” The designers chose nitrogen because it is inert. It won’t expand and blow up if you leave it in your car trunk and the head won’t cave if you take it with you on an airplane ride. The technology has been in development for several years. It’s no small challenge to trap gas in a club head at high pressure. The head had to be sealed and a new valve had to be invented. Each driver head is “swing speed rated.” The thinnest driver face goes on the head rated for the lowest swing speed. The nitrogen pressure inside the head prevents catastrophic failure—reinforcing the thin face but allowing some compression. The key question: Does it work? We have picked up a couple of Air Force One’s and have conducted some preliminary tests. Some players showed measurable improvement in ball speed. Those tended to be lower swing speed golfers. This is a brand new product so there’s a lot of testing to be done to prove the idea. If you’re in the San Francisco Bay Area and want to find out for yourself, we’ll be sponsoring a “Challenge” in the month of May. Bring in your current driver and test it against the Air Force One. As usual, inquiring minds want to know . . . OOPS!! Out of space. If you want another fix before next month, log into www.calgolftech.com and sign up for the n newsletter. Leith Anderson is a partner in the Golf Lab, Palo Alto, CA. He will answer any questions regarding club fitting or club making. Contact: Leith@calgolftech.com.

REGIONAL EDITORS / AD REPS

PubLIShER / EDITOR � � � � � � � Cameron Healey

cameron@golftodaynw.com PRODucTION DIREcTOR � � � Kerri Esten…kerri@esten.net GOLF ExPLORER EDITOR� � � Hal Gevertz GcSA & NORcAL PGA � � � � � � Emmy Moore Minister ASSOcIATE EDITORS: � � � � � Bob Weisgerber, Bob Fagan cONTRIbuTING EDITOR � � � � Leith Anderson leith@calgolftech.com

cONTRIbuTORS � � � � � � � � � � � John Berkovich,

Don Carlson, Dan Hruby, Tom Kubistant (PhD), Tom LaMarre, Bill Nestor, Rick Newell, Barry Salberg, Ron Salsig, Pat Simmons, Robert Strahan, Terry VanderHeiden “AcE” EDITOR � � � � � � � � � � � � � Mike Mc Colgan LMccol3525@aol.com cARTOONISTS � � � � � � � � � � � � � Randy Evert for Finkstrom… Jonny Hawkins…Rich Newell for Life in The Trap…Frank Roberson

NORThERN cALIFORNIA/RENO/TAhOE

Charley Coppola…916-427-3441 RENO/TAhOE

Bob Gee…775-741-5300

ccgolf@comcast.net geeforce@prodigy.net

NORThERN cALIFORNIAREGIONAL EDITOR

Robert Strahan, former Tour Pro cENTRAL cALIFORNIA

Mike Hamiel…209-499-8779 LAS VEGAS

Xavier Basquez…702-408-8658

707-673-7206

michaelhamiel@comcast.net basquezxman@aol.com

MAxwELL INTERNATIONAL INc�

Christopher (CB) Maxwell…209-533-8291 cbmaxwell@sonnet.com

Cameron Healey, Publisher/Editor • Golf Today Magazine Northwest Edition (425) 941-9946 phone • (425) 949-3090 fax www.GolfTodayMagazine.com • Cameron@GolfTodayNW.com

ISSN 1524-2854

Golf Today Magazine, The Best in the West for 22 Years, 12 issues per year, is published monthly. Golf Today Magazine Northwest Edition is published monthly and distributed within Washington and Oregon State. Subscriptions are available at $29 per year, $39 for two years, or $49 for three years. Golf Today is protected under the copyright law. Contents of this publication cannot be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher. Unsolicited articles should be sent via e-mail and photos are welcome. Correspondence should be sent to Golf Today Magazine.

32 GOLF TODAY Magazine – Northwest Edition

May 2009

CLASSIFIEDS HOUSE OF KANGAROO GOLF SHOES

You PICK YOUR

CATEGORY!

Email your classified ad to us at:

GOLF TODAY MAGAzINE NORTHWEST EDITION

info@GolfTodayNW.com

Or fax it to us at: (425) 949-3090 Pre-Payment required on all classifieds

Classified ad raTes: Up to 25 words: $70 - 1 month • $100 - 2 mos. 25-50 words: $90 - 1 month • $130 - 2 mos.

Call (425) 941-9946 BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

GOLF VACATION RENTALS

LEARN TO TEACH GOLF. The Profession of a Lifetime.

wAiLEA, MAui - GRANd Champions Villas on Blue Course,

Call for a certification course near you. United States Golf

7th Fairway. 1 BR, 2 bath, Discounted golf and tennis

Teachers Federation. Please call toll free 1 (888) 346-3290 for more information. Or log on to www.GolfTeachingPro. com

fees to tenants. $805 per week. $3000 per month, plus tax. Call (916) 408-1049. Or, Grandc181@sbcglobal.net

REAL ESTATE

OwN THE RiGHTs TO manufacture and market one of the most popular golf aids on the course, that has been promotional industry for 3+ years. Steady and profitable growth. Interested parties, please call 830-896-1598, or send e-mail to raikman@easiergolfing.com for more info.

5130 King Road • Loomis, CA $925,000 2.3 acres, 3,084 sq ft, 4 bedrooms, 3-1/2 baths

corporate outing with Lucky golf accessories. Custom logo program available Visit us online at www.luckystroke.com. Inquires - 408.313.0081.

Ample room to safely practice golf shots and putt on private putting green!

GOLF PACKAGES sTARTiNG AT ONLy $59, treat yourself to comfortable lodging and great golf (including cart!) at 10th Green Inn at La Contenta. Visit www.10thgreeninn.com for more information. Or, call 1 (888) 727-8705.

30+ courses within 35 minutes! For more information and your tour call Kelly • (916) 532-6404 or visit http://kellybaker.point2agent.com

REAL ESTATE

Affordable Golf Community Lot in Cool Pacific Northwest Home lot for sale in Alderbrook Golf & Yacht Club on the Hood Canal in Union, Washington. Walk to clubhouse and fairways. Dues only $170 per month and come with full privileges for two on beautiful 18-hole course consistently ranked among top 25 in the Pacific Northwest. See www.alderbrookgolf.com for community details. 1/3 wooded acre on cul-de-sac. Electric and water in street. Septic required.

$85,000 Contact Sharon Roseme at sroseme@garlic.com • or (916) 663-3450 May 2009

LOOKING TO TRAVEL OR WINTER NEST? 2005 27’ TRAiLbAy TRAvEL trailer. Barely used, and beautifully kept. Slide-out living room and bunk house floor plan. Sleeps eight comfortably. Fully equipped with awning, stabilizer tow bars, two 10 gallon propane tanks, great stereo, many other extras. Only $25,000. Call (530) 308-7482 or email kristineF@ttlco.com

NEW GOLF PRODUCTS! dO yOu HAvE A new golf product? A new golf service? Can’t re-mortgage your home to get the money it costs for national promotion in the 18-color high gloss slicks? Give Bob or Tammi a call at Golf Today Magazine. Start promoting your new golf product/service throughout four states (California, Nevada, Utah and Arizona) for pocketchange. We’ve been doing this for 14 years and the results for new golf businesses are absolutely great! Get results with us and grow. For more information, call (661) 823-7842 … FAX (661) 823-7942. Email: bob@golftodaymagazine.com.

REAL ESTATE

This may well be your opportunity of a lifetime.

NEEd THAT EdGE? OuTFiT your golf game, tournament or

LEFT HANDED GOLF CLUBS dEMOs ANd NEw CLubs, some good used ones, men’s and women’s. Many name brands and knock offs at 50% below retail. I’ll email you the list. Shipping at the true cost, not inflated: duferdon@sbcglobal.net.

NEEd THAT EdGE? OuTFiT your golf game or tournament with Lucky golf accessories. Visit us online at www.luckystroke.com and enter Coupon Code “GolfToday” - 15% off! Inquiries call 408-313-0081.

growing in name and sight recognition in the retail golf an

GOLF ACCESSORIES

HOusE OF KANGAROO GOLF shoes are made from kangaroo leather which is one of the lightest & strongest leathers! Walking 18 holes feels like walking a few blocks. Try a pair today! Phone#: 1-800-597-9091www. hoknorthamerica.com

AFFORdAbLE GOLF COMMuNiTy LOT in Cool Pacific Northwest Home lot for sale in Alderbrook Golf & Yacht Club on the Hood Canal in Union Washington. Walk to clubhouse & fairways. Dues only $170 per month & come w/ full privileges for 2 on beautiful 18 hole course consistently ranked among top 25 in the Pacific Northwest. See www.alderbrookgolf.com for community details. 1/3 wooded acre on cul-de-sac. Electric and water in street. Septic required. $85,000. Contact Sharon Roseme at sroseme@garlic.com or 916-663-3450.

LAKE LAs vEGAs GOLF RESORT: Live in this beautiful golf community with three golf courses, two major hotels with gaming, plus a wonderful 320-acre lake full of fish. Chose from custom homes or custom lots to build your own dream home. Play a round of golf free, this being our way of saying thanks to qualified people looking for the right location. Call Earl or Anne at 702-460-2192 for an appointment. (Re/Max Pros.) Check our virtual tour at wwww.yourvegashome.com. sEA viEw HOME siTEs, championship golf course, beach club, vacation, retire, affordable, full ownership, title insurance, Baja, Mexico. Free information: bill@terrablaze. com, (408) 690-8429. CA DREA01029353

SqUAW VALLEY CONDO FOR RENT/PURCHASE spENd A wEEK, TwO, winter or summer, at the OLYMPIC VILLAGE INN in Squaw Valley. Plenty of activities, new clubhouse, free bikes for the family or just relax in the hammock or in one of the five hot tubs. Take a swim, take a hike, take a gondola ride to High Camp. This Kitzbeuhl unit is a one bedroom, one bath with mini-kitchen that sleeps four. It is available for rent or purchase. The week available this winter is December 7-14. The summer weeks are in June and August. It fills up fast, sold out early for 2008. Rent for a week for $850, two week for $1,500 with half the rent to apply toward the purchase at $4,500 a week. Get the full story from their web site www.olympicvillageinn. com. Don Thompson, duferdon@sbcglobal.net.

SWING ANALYSIS swiNG RECORdER! THE 4viEw Digital Swing Recorder is a powerful digital video capture system available at premiere driving ranges. Complete self-service, golfers can use it to record, play back and analyze their swings. Look for it at your favorite range! For more information, call 510-471-3900. Or, visit www.inpractis.com

VALUABLE CLASSIC GOLF CLUBS 5 sETs bEN HOGAN 25th Anniversary Personals; 15 WD 2-PW 1 in box $1,000 each. 775-356-1892. Set #318 Nicklaus Ltd. Edition 1-SW, 1345, 13 w woods. Mint Condition $4,000. Hogan 50th Anniversary 2-PW in Display Box. $500. 10 Tommy Armour Ben Hogan Model/Ref $300. Call 775-356-1892 for more info on these and many others!

FREE

CLAssIFIED ADs IN DIGITAL GOLF TODAY MAGAZINE! Sell your old golf clubs. Sell your new golf bag (you received two for birthday!). Sell your the framed golf picture you got with Sam Snead shaking your hand. Sell whatever you want when it comes to new or used golf equipment, golf memorabilia, golf apparel, golf whatever. Got a Gift Certificate for four to play at Pebble Beach? Got certificates to play free rounds at Bajamar Country Club’s Course? Pay for only first time ($99) and Golf Today will run your classified ad FREE until it sells before a year passes! 50 words maximum. This is for individual golfers, not commercial. No golf stores. No pro shops. No golf businesses.

ThIs Is GOLFER TO GOLFER GOLF TODAY Magazine – Northwest Edition

34 GOLF TODAY Magazine – Northwest Edition

May 2009

GOLF TODAY Magazine – Northwest Edition

Home to the BIGGEST Rewards program offering monthly promotions, cash back and exclusive gift catalog shopping; offering the BEST Dining experiences with 7 different restaurants to choose from, including Spice Bay, a Whole New Way to Buffet; home to the BIGGEST Poker Room in the State; and offering the BEST in Live Entertainment seven nights a week in Club Galaxy! So come and enjoy the Northwestâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most exciting place to play - Muckleshoot Casino in Auburn! The Biggest and Best in the Northwest!

2402 Auburn Way S. Auburn, WA 98002 800.804.4944 muckleshootcasino.com