Topics Newsletter Jan/Feb 2011

TOPICS NEWSLETTER VOLUME 20, NO. 1 - JAN / FEB 2011

Jason Hrynkiw Qualifies for Puerto Rico Open - page 8 -

Lee Rinker to Play at The Honda Classic - page 8 -

WHAT’S INSIDE: SFPGA Foundation Announcement - page 6 -

MSR - page 7 -

Puerto Rico Class A Qualifier Pro’s on the Go Junior Tour Wrap Up Rules with Drew Chapter News ...and more!

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NEW MEMBERS

The South Florida PGA would like to welcome the following new members to the Section: Zachary Brady, PGA A-8 Everglades Club Emily Brown, PGA A-8 Vasari Country Club Justin Bruns, PGA

A-8 Doral Golf Resort & Spa Ryan Carroll, PGA A-8 Everglades Club Aaron Chaffin, PGA A-8 John’s Island Club Tyler Clauson, PGA A-8 The Colony Golf & CC A.W. Cook Jr., PGA LM Unattached Alejandro Fernandez, PGA A-14 Crandon Golf Academy Nathan Gale, PGA A-8 Trump International GC Bradley Gardner, PGA A-8 Bonita Bay Club Geoffrey Hall, PGA A-8 Royal Palm Country Club Patrick Hawkins, PGA A-8 McArthur Golf Club Bradley Hicks, PGA A-8 Dunes Country Club Justin Hicks, PGA

A-3 PGA Tour Jason Howard, PGA A-8 The Forest Country Club Pleasant Hughes, PGA A-8 Everglades Club Scott Kash, PGA A-8 Bonita Bay Club Jamie Lovemark, PGA A-3 PGA Tour Jeff Mawhorr, PGA IN Unattached Derek Mazzoni, PGA A-8 Admiral’s Cove Craig Morton, PGA A-1 The Colony Golf & CC John Mullen, PGA A-8 The Polo Club of Boca Raton David Murray, PGA A-8 Medalist Golf Club Brian Newman, PGA A-8 Del Tura Country Club Matthew Newman, PGA A-8 Broken Sound Club-Club Course William Paull, PGA A-8 Copperleaf Golf Club Aaron Pollak, PGA A-6 GolfTEC - West Palm Beach Jose Rodriguez, PGA A-6 Trump International Golf Club Ryan Sharp, PGA A-8 Everglades Club Jared Tramontana, PGA A-8 Doral Golf Resort & Spa Pete Tyree, PGA A-8 The Forest Country Club Joseph Yashuk, PGA A-8 Mayacoo Lakes Country Club

WALK WITH A PGA TOUR PRO AND RECEIVE MSR CREDITS

Each year over 45 South Florida PGA Professionals volunteer their time to serve as a walking non-playing Pace of Play ambassador during the Honda Classic Gold Pro-Am. This year the event will be played on Wednesday, March 2nd at PGA National Golf Resort & Spa. One PGA Professional is assigned to each group and will walk with them throughout the round with the primary focus of ensuring that the group plays the round within 4 ½ hours. All volunteers will receive 5 MSR credits. If you are interested in helping please contact Meredith at mschuler@ pgahq.com or 561-729-0544.

PLAY GOLF AMERICA DAY AT THE ALLIANZ

The South Florida PGA will conduct a Play Golf America Event at the Honda Classic March 3-6 and needs your help providing free lessons to patrons attending the event. Volunteers are needed from 9 am - 12 pm or 12 pm - 3pm Thursday through Sunday. If you are able to help please contact Meredith at 561-729-0544 or mschuler@pgahq.com .

DO YOU HAVE A CHILD HEADED TO COLLEGE?

Annually the PGA of America grants financial assistance to children of PGA Members meeting the established criteria. Last year $300,000 was granted to over 170 students across the country.

For more information click here.

PURCHASE DISCOUNTED TICKETS TO THE WGCCADILLLAC CHAMPIONSHIP & HELP SUPPORT THE SFPGA FOUNDATION

Do your friends, family or club members want to attend the WGC-Cadillac Championship at TPC Blue Monster at Doral March 9th-13th? Each year the PGA Tour in conjunction with the WGC-Cadillac Championship conduct a program called TICKETS fore CHARITY, a fundraising initiative helping raise funds for local non-profit organizations. To purchase an any day grounds pass for $20 visit buytfc.com, and enter WG35GS9 as your promotion code. All proceeds will benefit The First Tee and the South Florida PGA Foundation. This is a savings of $35 from the regular ticket price of $55.

contact information SOUTH FLORIDA SECTION, PGA OF AMERICA 186 Atlantis Boulevard Atlantis, FL / 33462 PHONE / FAX 561-729-0544 / 561-729-0914 EMAIL sflorida@pgahq.com WEBSITE www.sflorida.pga.com PRESIDENT Stephen A. Cox, PGA VICE PRESIDENT Brian Peaper, PGA SECRETARY Warren Bottke, PGA IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT Jeff Raimer, PGA SOUTHERN CHAPTER PRESIDENT Dick McNeill, PGA SOUTHEAST CHAPTER PRESIDENT Rick Heard, PGA SOUTHWEST CHAPTER PRESIDENT Bill Constantine, PGA ISLAND CHAPTER PRESIDENT Brian Shaver, PGA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Geoff Lofstead ADVISORY BOARD Paul Anderson Dean Baker Rick Bayliss Ed D’Alessandro, PGA Ira Kaplan Jim Maitland Jim O’Connor Craig Perna Steve Sponder Harry Tempkins Roger Woonton

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NEW APPRENTICES

The South Florida PGA would like to welcome the following new apprentices to the Section: David Allyn Mark Beaulieu Andrew Broderick Santos Caceres Marty Caifano Christina Doyle Alejandro Fernandez Robert Fischer Pierre Foster Colin Nicholson Emmanuel Palacios James Regis Timothy Richards William Schmedes III Ashlee Stevens Lori Smith Jarryd Wood Joseph Yackamovich

B-8 B-8 B-8 B-6 B-8 B-8 B-14 B-8 B-8 B-8 B-8 B-8 B-13 B-8 B-8 B-6 B-8 B-1

Raptor Bay Golf Club The Florida Club Westview Country Club Crandon Golf Academy Woodmont Country Club Island Country Club Crandon Golf Academy Naples Grande Golf Club Audubon Country Club The Colony Golf & CC Killian Greens Golf Course Orangebrook Golf Course Jonathan’s Landing Golf Club The Landings Golf Club Lemon Bay Golf Club Royal Palm Yacht and C.C. La Gorce Country Club Cedar Hammock Golf & CC

APPRENTICE LEVELS

PASSED

Andrew Broderick Gary Cahill Aaron Chaffin, PGA John Chambers Alejandro Fernandez, PGA Pierre Foster Oliver Gendron Patrick Hawkins, PGA Bradley Hicks, PGA Tyler Holland Tyler Holland Jason Howard, PGA Scott Kash, PGA Abigail Kershner Patricia Kuehner Craig Morton, PGA John Mullen, PGA Matthew Newman, PGA Aaron Pollak, PGA William Schmedes III Richard Terga Scott Turner Joseph Yackamovich Joseph Yashuk, PGA

Westview CC Forest Glen CC John’s Island Club Dunes Country Club Crandon Golf Academy Audubon Country Club Royal Poinciana Golf Club McArthur Golf Club Dunes Country Club PGA National Golf Club PGA National Golf Club The Forest Country Club Bonita Bay Club Gasparilla Inn Golf Course Gulf Harbour Yacht & CC The Colony Golf & CC Polo Club of Boca Raton Broken Sound Club-Club GolfTEC - WPB The Landings Golf Club John Webster Golf Academy Hammock Creek Golf Club Cedar Hammock G& CC Mayacoo Lakes CC

N-0 R2 R3 R2 R3 N0 R2 R3 R3 N-0 R1 R3 R3 R2 R1 R3 R3 R3 R3 R1 R2 R2 N-0 R3

QUARTER CENTURY CLUB

The South Florida PGA would like to congratulate PGA members Dana Dribben, John Graczyk, and Michael Hayes on joining the Quarter Century Club of the PGA of America, an elite group of members who have served The PGA with honor for 25 years.

IN MEMORY OF

Dwight Campbell, PGA passed away November 12, 2010 at the age of 78. Dwight is survived by his wife Eleanor Campbell. The South Florida PGA sends its condolences and prayers to the Campbell family.

SEPTEMBER 2011 TRAVEL PRO-AM TO SPAIN

ANNUAL CLUB TEAM CHALLENGE

This March, The First Tee of the Palm Beaches will conduct the 2nd Annual Club Team Challenge at The Honda Classic. This event will be held Monday, March 7th at PGA National, Champion Course. This Club Team Challenge will consist of 4 players per team, including three club members and either the Head Golf Professional, Assistant Golf Professional, General Manager, Membership Director, Golf Course Superintendent or a touring professional that plays at the club. Multiple teams per club will be permitted if space allows.

This event is a great opportunity to play a Championship golf course with the same hole locations that were played during the final round on Sunday, while helping support junior golf! For complete details contact Carl Mistretta, 561307-4060, carlmistretta@earthlink.net or Craig Watson, 561-262-5963, cwatson@pga.com.

KEVIN HOLT, GOLFBUDDY SALESPERSON OF THE YEAR

Congratulations to Kevin Holt for being named GolfBuddy’s National Salesperson of the year.

GolfBuddy is a valued partner of the South Florida PGA and just extended the relationship for another year.

Congratulations to Kevin as this is the second consecutive year he has won the national award from GolfBuddy.

BILL BISHOP ADIDAS GOLF AND ASHWORTH SALES REPRESENTATIVE OF THE YEAR

Congratulations are in order to Bill Bishop as well. adidas Golf and Ashworth have named Bill Bishop from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., as their National Sales Representative of the Year, an award that recognizes an accomplished sales representative who delivers top-tier results representative of two of the top golf apparel companies in the industry.

Entries are now being accepted for the 2011 Travel Pro-Am to Spain, Sept. 3rd-10th, 2011.

This event will feature 6 nights at a 5 star deluxe hotel, and 5 rounds of golf, including Valderrama and Finca Cortesin. The event is open to the first 18 teams of four. For complete details and entry form please visit the home page of sflorida.pga.com.

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PRO’S ON THE GO PRO

Ray Boone Phil Henry Ryan Alvino Jeff Wilson Brian Govi David Glasby Anthony Mandatta Dan Gawronski Travis Wilson John T. Wade Benjamin Bryant, Jr. Troy Speckman Joseph Charles Kendall Murphy Matthew Newman Brian Shaver Michael Hulbert Joel Hyman Dave Salerno Robert Steffes Lee Stroever David Kass Mark Chlebek David Duncan Dustin McCabe Carey Ruffer John Nelson Patrick Cattanach Douglas Fisher

TO

A-4 – LaGorce CC A-4 – John Prince Golf Learning Ctr A-6 – John Prince Golf Learning Ctr Life Member Active A-1 – The Links at Madison Green A-14 – North Florida Section A-13 – Lago Mar CC, Plantation unattached Carolinas Section A-1 – Gateway G & CC A-1 – Naples Grande GC A-1 – Herons Glen G & CC Michigan Section A-11 – PGA of America A-1 – Broken Sound Club – Club Csr A-8 – El Conquistador Resort A-1 – The Club at Olde Cypress unattached A-4 - Parkland Golf & CC A-1 – Hollybrook G & Tennis B-1 – North Palm Beach CC Pacific Northwest Section unattached unattached A-13 – Park Ridge G Crs A-1 Park Ridge Golf Crs Life Member Active unattached A-4 – Palmetto Pine CC

SFPGA PROFESSIONAL MARTIN HALL EARNS GOLF CHANNEL INSTRUCTION SHOW

Congratulations to South Florida PGA Professional Martin Hall, who was chosen as the winner of the Golf Channel’s search for a new instructional host, the last of three finalists.

The weekly, 30 minute show is called “School of Golf ” and runs Tuesdays at 7pm on the Golf Channel. Martin draws from his over 30 years of teaching experience to pass on his knowledge and humor to viewers.

Martin currently serves as the director of instruction at Ibis Golf & Country Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. He was the PGA of America’s Teacher of the Year in 2008, and is ranked number 10 in Golf Digest’s annual rankings of golf ’s top ten teachers.

Martin’s been a frequent presenter at the SFPGA Teaching Symposium as well as a speaker for the 2002 and 2006 National Coaching Summit. This SFPGA Professional is no stranger to awards, either. He was named the Teacher of the Year for the South Florida Section in 2003, and Teacher of the Year for the Southeast Chapter in 2002. He’s been listed in Golf Magazine Top 100 since 1996, and Golf Digest Top 50 since 2000.

Martin has published over 100 print instruction articles, collaborated on 5 books and written 2 books of his own with the PGA Tour Partners Club, “Golf Myths

FROM A-14 – Ray Boone Golf Acadmey A-8 – Piper’s Landing CC, Palm City A-2 – John Prince Golf Learning Ctr. Lake Worth A-13 – Miccosukee G & CC A-8 – The Links at Madison Green A-4 – Heron Bay GC Inactive – North Florida Section A-13 – LaPlaya Golf Club A-1 Gateway Golf & Country Club A-1 – Naples Grande GC A-8 – Hole-in-the-Wall GC A-1 – The Plantation G & CC A-1 – The Dye Preserve The South Florida PGA Northern California Section A-8 – Broken Sound Club – Club Csr A-4 – Caguas Real G & CC A-1 – Hideout Golf Club A-1 – Hollybrook G & CC A-13 - Heron Bay G & CC A-4 – Woodmont CC B-8 – North Palm Beach CC A-1 – North Palm Beach CC A-1 – Heron’s Glen A-4 – Aberdeen Golf & CC A-1 - Tennessee Section A-6 – Don Law @ Osprey Point A-4 – Palm Aire CC A-13 – Panther Run Golf Club A-13 – Carolinas Section

Exposed” and “What Tour Pros Know and You Don’t.”

“The Golf C h a n n e l couldn’t have chosen a better fit for an excellent instructor for their new show “School of Golf ”. Martin Hall is a great teacher and continues to support the South Florida Section and the game of golf with his extensive knowledge and talent. Congratulations to Martin and we look forward to seeing the show,” said Geoff Lofstead, Executive Director of the South Florida Section.

Originally from England, Martin played the European Tour from 1976-78 and began teaching following his tour career. At age 25, Martin left England and landed a job at St. Andrews in Boca Raton, the beginning of his career with the South Florida Section. Tune in each Tuesday at 7pm to watch School of Golf with Martin!

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chip shots Executive Committee Meeting Highlights PROCEDURES FOR ANNOUNCING INTENT TO RUN FOR SECTION OFFICE Members interested in running for Section office should make their intentions known by providing a written statement to Executive Director Geoff Lofstead no later than April 9th. Reigning Vice President Brian Peaper and Secretary Warren Bottke will be running for the seats of President and Vice President, respectively. Jeff Nixon, PGA Director of Golf at Del Tura Country Club and Mark Van Dyck, PGA Director of Golf at Fort Lauderdale Country Club have announced their intent to run for Section Secretary in the upcoming election. All three offices will be an open election and if there is only one candidate for a respective office then that member will win the election by acclamation.

Section Officers serve for 8 consecutive years, with a two-year terms as Secretary, Vice President, President and Immediate Past President.

The time commitment from the President and Vice President normally includes fifteen days a year away from work; Secretary, eight days. For the full copy of the election policies and procedures please click here.

WOMEN’S ONLY GOLF EVENT

On May 20, 2011 at the Polo Club of Boca Raton, the Section will host the first women’s only event. The event will be a Pro Pro Championship and is supported by Global Golf Sales.

ANNUAL MEETING CHANGES

The Section’s Annual Meeting will be Monday, May 9th at the Marriott Heron Bay. The meeting will have officer, executive director and career consultant reports, national officer speaking opportunity, candidate speaking opportunity, and officer election.

Tentative Schedule: 9:00AM-12PM: Section education program 12PM - 1:00PM: Lunch 1:00 - 4:00PM: Annual meeting 4:00-5:30PM: Cocktail reception

quote of the month

“Golf is a good walk spoiled.”

-Mark Twain writer

TOURNAMENT CHANGES

STATEWIDE PRO-ASSISTANT At the request of the North Florida Section, the Pro Assistant will now be a stand alone South Florida Section event. This year the Pro-Assistant will be June 6-7, 2011 at St. Andrews Country Club in Boca Raton. This event is supported by Cutter & Buck, Global Golf Sales, GolfBuddy & Mizuno.

PRO OFFICIAL The Pro Official will now have a field size limit of 120 players. This year the Pro-Official will be April 13, 2011 at Old Marsh Golf Club in West Palm Beach. The presenting sponsor for this event is Club Car.

UPDATE TO TOURNAMENT RULES AND REGULATIONS

POLICY UPDATE: A player will be considered to have withdrawn from an event any time s/ he takes himself out of the event before or between a stipulated round(s).

Any player failing to notify a tournament official of his withdraw from an event prior to the start of the stipulated round will be considered a noshow or DNS which will result in a $50 fine. A player will be considered to have no carded or NC any time s/he starts a stipulated round and does not complete the round or he returns a card to the scoring table which is designated NC. Failure to notify a tournament official of a NC prior to the conclusion of a stipulated round will result in a $50 fine. Once a player has started a stipulated round, failure to complete that stipulated round without due cause (illness, injury or emergency) will result in a $50 fine. A fine of $100 will be issued for a second offense and any subsequent offense of the above within current tournament activity season.

EXCEPTION: Player will be allowed to withdraw during a weather delay without cause while not being subject to fines, but not after play has resumed. A player will be disqualified anytime he breaches a rule of golf where the penalty is disqualification.

2011 SFPGA ASSOCIATION DIRECTORY AND ANNUAL CALENDAR The 2011 South Florida PGA Wall Calendar of Events and Association Directory will be mailed out at the beginning of March.

The Wall Calendar lists all 2011 Section and Chapter events. The SFPGA Membership Directory is an annual publication that includes valuable contact information of every golf facility and member throughout the Section, in addition to sponsor, allied association, and Executive Committee information, the 2011 SFPGA tournament schedule, information on PGA and SFPGA programs and voting materials for the SFPGA Annual Awards.

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SFPGA Foundation Partners with Habitat for Humanity

This fall South Florida PGA Professionals will trade in their golf clubs for paint brushes when they begin work on a Habitat for Humanity home in Lee County. On February 18, 2011, the South Florida PGA Foundation awarded Habitat for Humanity of Lee County a $50,000 grant for the rehabilitation of a home in south Lee County, Florida.

The South Florida PGA Foundation has been working on smaller charitable campaigns for many years, but this year, under the direction of a new Foundation Board, decided to strive for a major campaign with a national partner. Habitat for Humanity of Lee County was chosen as the first Habitat affiliate to partner with the South Florida PGA Foundation. “This is a very exciting relationship we have formed with Habitat, allowing the South Florida PGA Foundation to achieve one of its goals of giving back to each county in our Section. We are happy that the Lee County affiliate is the first affiliate, and we are looking forward to developing a solid relationship,” stated South Florida PGA Foundation President and PGA Professional, Tom Wildenhaus.

Kitty Green, President and CEO of Habitat for Humanity commented, “We are very excited about this partnership because we know it will have a lasting impact on a family’s life. PGA recognizes that our current method of rehabilitating an existing home rather than building new, is the best way to help Lee County reduce the number of abandoned and foreclosed homes in the community.”

About Habitat for Humanity of Lee County Habitat for Humanity of Lee County, Inc. is a nonprofit organization that provides simple, decent housing for families who otherwise could not afford it. It is one of the largest affiliates in the country, and it has provided more than 1,100 families in Lee and Hendry counties the opportunity to own their own home. Through the use of volunteer labor and donations of money and materials, homes are sold to the homeowners at no profit with an interestfree mortgage, making homeownership an affordable reality.

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education MSR Opportunities

MSR Opportunities

Section: Monday, April 11th at 8am-12 Location: Grey Oaks Country Club, Naples Subject: Social Media and different methods of communication with your customers

Southeast Chapter - Thursday, April 28th Location: PGA National, Palm Beach Gardens Time: 6:30pm

- education -

Section: Monday, May 9 : 8am-12 Location: Marriott Coral Springs Subject: Ron Garl; noted golf course architect will share his knowledge of the industry and current opportunities for PGA members.

Southern Chapter Monday, April 25th – 9 – 10 AM – Weston Hills Country Club Subject: TBD Registration and breakfast will begin at 8:30 AM Monday, May 23rd – 9 – 11:45 AM – Heron Bay Golf Club Subject: TBD Registration and breakfast will begin at 8:30 AM, lunch and golf event immediately following

- meetings -

Southwest Chapter - Monday, April 25th Location: Pelican’s Nest Golf Club, Bonita Springs.

Time: 10am-12pm Southern Chapter - Monday, April 25th Location: Weston Hills. Weston Time: 10am South Florida PGA Section Annual Meeting Monday, May 9th Location: Marriott Coral Springs

MSR Opportunities - other -

Pace of Play Ambassador - Honda Classic Pro-Am May 2nd - 5 MSR credits Play Golf America Day at the Honda Classic May 3-6, 3 MSR credits for each shift served call or email Meredith Junior Tour Volunteers - Event #1 March 19-20 Location: Fountains Country Club

REMINDER: the current MSR cycle ends June 15, 2011 OVER 40 FANS ATTENDING THE CHAMPIONS TOUR, ALLIANZ CHAMPIONSHIP EVENT RECEIVED FREE GOLF LESSONS FROM LOCAL SFPGA PROS

February 11th – 13th the South Florida PGA hosted the annual Play Golf America Event at the Allianz Championship at The Old Course at Broken Sound in Boca Raton.

Although the weather hindered attendance Friday and Saturday morning, free lessons went on. From 10 Am – 2 PM beginners, intermediate and advanced golfers were given an opportunity to receive free instruction from South Florida PGA Professionals, Dave Cunliffe, Chris Czaja, Larry Eaton, Bill Scott, Craig Voudren, and PGA Apprentice Michael Bove.

The South Florida PGA Play Golf America Event at Allianz Championship is always terrific experience and a great opportunity to reach out to those who have never played the game before, while supporting a fellow partner.

PICTURED: (Left) Apprentice Mike Bove giving lessons; (Right) Chris Czaja, PGA teaching at the Play Golf America Event at the Allianz.

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tournament news Puerto Rico Class-A Qualifier Thirty-five South Florida PGA professionals competed on Tuesday, February 22, 2011 at The Dye Preserve for a chance to play in the PGA Tour’s Puerto Rico Open.

Jason Hrynkiw of Gleneagles Country Club turned in the best round of the day, a three under par 69 to lock up the exemption. Close behind were PGA Professionals Frank Dobbs of Eagle Marsh and Paul Scaletta of The Bear’s Club who each shot two under par rounds of 70. The Puerto Rico Open takes place March 10-13 at Trump International Golf Club in Puerto Rico.

SFPGA Professional Lee Rinker will participate in the 2011 PGA Tour Honda Classic on March 3-6 at PGA National Resort and Spa. Lee received this spot as the current leader of the 2010 South Florida PGA Player of the year points race. The 2010 Player of the Year will not be finalized until the replaying of the 2010 South Florida PGA Professional Championship that was postponed to May due to weather. Lee currently serves as the PGA Director of Golf at Emerald Dunes Golf Club. Best of luck to Lee at the Honda.

Junior Tour Wraps Up 2010 Season Presented by:

Supported by:

The South Florida PGA Junior Tour presented by the Honda Classic hosted its final event of the 2010 season at Mariner Sands Country Club in Stuart, FL on December 4th-5th. The weather and course conditions could not have been better as a solid field hit the links for the season’s final glory.

The event was not short on drama as Ryan Jahn of Jupiter was able to hold off Hunter O’Mahony of Tequesta by a single shot. Jahn carded rounds of 69 and 74 to finish with a two day total of 143. O’Mahony shot rounds of 71 and 73 to finish with a two day total of 144. Stephen McPoyle was in the hunt yet again finishing third with a two day total of 147.

Claiming the Girls Overall Division was Marissa Kay of Delray Beach. Marissa came out hot the first day carding a tournament best 67. Annie Dulman of Palm Beach Gardens also played well finishing in second at 150. Ashley Burke of Boynton Beach finished third with two consistent rounds of 79.

In the Boys 12-13 age division Stefano Butti of Palm City carded a bogey-free round of 70 the first day of play on his way to a first place finish. Butti finished with a 72 in round two to finish at 2-under par. Michael Conforti of Palm Beach Gardens finished second with a two day total of 150.

In the Girls 12-13 Age Division Lorena De Antonio of Weston was able to hold off Story Shaw of West Palm Beach for a one-stroke victory. De Antonio finished with a two day total of 165 with Shaw right behind her at 166.

Congratulations to all competitors in the event. Awards were also given to recognize some of the standouts of the South Florida PGA Junior Tour during the 2010 season. Stephen McPoyle earned Player of the Year status in the Boys 14-18 age division while Ashley Burke won the Girls 14-18 Player of the Year honors. Stefano Butti and Emily Faulkner were awarded Player of the Year honors in their respective 12-13 age divisions. Stephen McPoyle, Stefano Butti, and Emily Faulkner also were recognized for having the low scoring average for their divisions while Samantha Smolen’s great play earned her the lowest scoring average for the Girls 14-18 division.

Registration for the 2011 South Florida PGA Junior Tour opened February 1st with the first event scheduled for March 19-20. The South Florida PGA Junior Tour is proudly presented by The Honda Classic and supported by Titleist, Don Law Golf Improvement Center, Allianz Championship, The Fun Group at Mirasol, Palm Beach Sports Commission and Club Med. Pictured: Tim McKenna, PGA - Director of Golf Mariner Sands; Ryan Jahn - Overall Boys Champion; Marissa Kay Overall Girls Champion; Don Law, PGA

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chapter news

As we currently face the 3 busiest months of the year, your committees have been working hard to put together a great schedule for this tournament season!

One modification that has been made to increase participation is the addition of a super senior division in all pro only and pro-am events where the “old� pros will play from a shorter set of tees, allowing them to come out to play and mingle.

Along with our upcoming tournament, Chapter elections are right around the corner. If you are interested in running for office must declare in writing or e-mail SFPGA Executive Director, Geoff Lofstead (glofstead@paghq.com) and Dick McNeill (dickmcn1@aol.com) with your intention by 4:30p.m., March 25, 2011. Voting ballots will be available on March 29, 2011 from the Section Office or on e-mail.

As of February 16th the following have declared themselves: President- Mark VanDyck Vice-President- Dick McNeill, Chris Krause Treasurer- Bob Mallek, Secretary- Chad Middaugh, John Gudauskas There is a new position for which we need to vote on as well, an at-large Southern Chapter member to attend and vote on all issues at Section Board Meetings. As of this date Bill Plotkin has declared his interest in this position, along with Mark VanDyck who has declared his intent to run for Secretary of the South Florida Section Board. Please support Mark in this election as he will be a great addition to the Section Board, and a great representative of the Southern Chapter.

Please check the Southern Chapter web site as Chad Middaugh, Web Site Manager, is making daily updates for 2011. Jack Shoenfelt, Nelson Cup Chairman, will be contacting all eligible players to commit. This year the event will be held at LaPlaya Golf Course in Naples.

Good Luck and thanks for reading.

Dick McNeill, PGA Southern Chapter President

The Puerto Rico Open will held at Trump International Golf Club March 7-13, 2011. The Island Chapter will be providing complimentary instructional clinics during this event. If you would like to volunteer please contact Brian Shaver Island Chapter President for more information bshaver@luxuryresorts.com The Puerto Rico Open is also looking for walking scorers during the event if you would like to volunteer please contact Karen Calvesbert Karen@gottopuertorico.com or click www.gotopuertoricoopen.com/PRO2011/Volunteers.html.

The first Island Chapter event of the year will be the PRO-PRO which will be held at Bahia Beach Golf Club On Monday April 4, 2011 if you would like to participate contact Jose Rodriguez tournament chairman at rodriguezgolf@hotmail.com.

Kindly, Brian Shaver, PGA Island Chapter President

Two weeks and counting before the first ever Southwest Chapter Night at the Everblades. Please make sure you mark your calendar for Friday March 4th.

Tickets are now available for $15,with a portion of the proceeds benefitting the Tournament of Charities. To reserve your ticket today please email swfpga@comcast.net. The club that sells the most tickets will be recognized at the game. Do not miss out on a great opportunity to enjoy a great night of hockey and raise money for a great cause.

Hope to see everyone there.

Bill Constantine, PGA Southwest Chapter President

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Versus

SFPGA TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR ANDREW MILLER

Happy new year everyone! I hope you all had a very wonderful holiday season. It’s been a couple months between Rules with Drew segments so I’ve had a while to consider a topic for the last newsletter. I decided it was time to share a piece I’ve been working on for quite some time now. Every year I try to read the Decisions’ book cover to cover and in doing so I come across quite a few Decisions that I considered alike in many ways however the rulings turn out to be significantly different. Below are just a few of the Decisions I consider a lot alike.

The first example comes from match play. Decision 9-2/7 states, “In a match, A's ball was a few inches from the hole.

B asked A, "How many will that be in the hole?" A answered "6," whereupon B, lying 5, conceded A's next stroke. Before B putted, A informs B that he (A) had actually scored 5.

What is the ruling?” Now, let’s compare that situation with Decision 9-2/14 which says, “In a match between A and B, A's ball was a few inches from the hole. B conceded A's next stroke and then asked, "How many strokes did you take?"

A answered, "6." B, lying 5, then holed a putt for a 6 and assumed that he had halved the hole. At that point, A told B that he (A) had actually scored 5. What is the ruling?” At first glance it would appear that both these Decisions are identical, thus making the ruling the same. However, the rulings are in fact quite different and the answer hinges on when the wrong information was given. In Decision 9-2/7, incorrect information was given before the ball was holed (stroke conceded), therefore the ruling falls under Rule 9-2bii which says that if a player “gives incorrect information during play of a hole regarding the number of strokes taken and does not correct the mistake before his opponent makes his next stroke,” he is penalized. So, in this case player A loses the hole for giving wrong information because it was not corrected before player B played his next stroke.

Now I know what you’re thinking. Drew, Rule 9-2bii states that if the player giving the incorrect information corrects his mistake before his opponent makes his next stroke he is not penalized and in Decision 9-2/7 the opponent had not made his next stroke? Well, the Rules imply that incorrect

information becomes wrong information when the one receiving the incorrect information takes further action, such as making a stroke, picking up his ball or in this case conceding his opponents next stroke. How about Decision 9-2/14? In this situation, A’s ball was holed (conceded) and then he gave incorrect information. Thus, Rule 9-2biii tells us that if the player gives “incorrect information regarding the number of strokes taken to complete a hole and this affects the opponent’s understanding of the result of the hole, unless he corrects the mistake before any player makes a stroke from the next teeing ground or, in the case of the last hole the match, before all players leave the putting green,” he is penalized. So in this case, player A was not penalized for giving wrong information since he corrected his mistake before either player teed off on the next hole. To take this one step further, what would have been the ruling if he had not corrected the mistake before either player teed off on the next hole?

Well, Rule 9-2biii tells us that incorrect information does not need to be corrected if it would not affect the opponents understanding of the result of the hole just completed. In Decision 9-2/14, since the “incorrect information caused player B to believe that the hole in question had been halved, when in fact B lost the hole, if A had not corrected the error before playing from the next teeing ground, the hole would have been awarded to player B,” says Decision 9-2/15. Conversely, if player A had said he scored a 5 when in fact he actually scored a 6 and player B scored a 7, that incorrect information would not need to be corrected since it did not affect player B’s understanding of the result of the hole.

These next two Decisions are a couple of my favorites because every time I read them I have to take a few extra seconds to make sure I make the correct ruling. The first is Decision 33-7/6 which states, “On completion of a round in stroke play, a competitor's marker reports that the competitor, after lifting his ball on the putting green, repeatedly placed it nearer the hole than the spot from which it was lifted. The Committee, after gathering all available evidence, concludes that the marker's report is correct. What should the Committee do?” Now compare that Decision with 20-1/20 which states, “A player consistently places his ball-marker approximately two inches behind the ball on the green. He says that he does so to ensure that he does not accidentally move the ball. Does such a procedure comply with the Rules?” It would appear that the penalty for each situation would be the same simply because it seems the player made the same mistake, he played his ball from a spot only a few inches from its original position.

Let’s first take a look at Decision 33-7/6. In this situation the player has breached the same rule numerous times throughout the round. If the player had breached this rule once, he would have incurred a two-stroke penalty under Rule 20-7 for playing from a wrong place. However, in the situation described in Decision 33-7/6, the player continually abused the rules of golf, thus the committee deemed his action to not be accidental. Rule 33-7 says that, “A penalty of disqualification may in exceptional individual cases be waived, modified or imposed if the committee considers such action warranted.” By the player purposely breaking the rules of golf, the committee deemed it appropriate to disqualify the player under Rule 33-7. Now let’s move on to Decision 20-1/20. In this situation, the player marked the position of the ball by placing his ball mark a few inches behind the ball, thus he has “not marked the position of the ball with sufficient accuracy.”

Rule 20-1 tells us that, “that the position of the ball must

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rules cont.

be marked before it is lifted under a Rule that requires it to be replaced. If it is not marked, the player incurs a penalty of one stroke and the ball must be replaced.” So, each time the player marks his ball in this manner, he was penalized one stroke under Rule 20-1 and must place the ball as near as possible from the spot where it was lifted. What is kind of funny is the second sentence of Decision 20-1/20 which says the player marked his ball in this manner because he was afraid the ball would move. If the player had a good knowledge of the Rules of Golf he would have known that there is no penalty under Rule 20-1 for a ball which is moved in the act of marking or replacing it under a Rule.

The third and final example I am going to share comes from Four-ball play. Decision 30/2.5 states, “In a four-ball match, A and B are partners and their balls lie on the putting green. A touches the green in pointing out a line for putting for B. Incidentally, the spot which A touches is on his (A's) line of putt. What is the ruling?” In comparison, Decision 30-3f/13 says, “A and B are partners in a four-ball competition. A’s ball is on the putting green 30 feet from the hole, and B’s ball is 20 feet from the hole on a similar line. To assist him with his own putt, B stands on an extension of the line of putt behind A’s ball while A putts. What is the ruling?”

In my opinion both these situations seem like a breach of the rules by the partner when he touched the line or putt or stood behind his partner. In both cases the partner has breached a rule of golf and it would seem that he would be penalized in both instances. In the first situation, we must take note of both Rule 8-2 and 16-1a. Rule 8-2 tells us that on the putting green, the player, his partner or either of their caddies may, before but not during the stoke, point out a line for putting, but in so doing the putting green must not be touched.” Rule 16-1 explains all the circumstances in which the line of putt may not be touched. So, it would seem in Decision 30/2.5 that player A would be penalized under Rule 16-1a and player B would be penalized under Rule 8-2 since his partner touched the putting green when pointing out a line for putting. However, the Decision tells us that only B is penalized (disqualified for the hole) for a breach of Rule 8-2b and A is not penalized. Player A is not penalized under Rule 16-1a since his touching of his line of putt did not involve his ball but rather his partners.

In the next situation, Decision 30-3f/13 tells us that a player positioned himself behind his partner’s line of putt which also happened to be his own line of putt. What are the penalties, if any?

Rule 14-2b tells us that while a player is making a stroke he may not, “allow his caddie, his partner or his partner’s caddie to position himself on or close to an extension of the line of play or the line of putt behind the ball.” Thus, player A would be disqualified from the hole in match play or receive a two-stroke penalty in stroke play. In this case, unlike Decision 20/2.5, the partner is penalized. Rule 30-3f says, “If a player’s breach of a Rule assists his partner’s play or adversely affects an opponent’s play, the partner incurs the applicable penalty in addition to any penalty incurred by the player.” As player B was positioned on an extension of player A’s line of putt which also happened to be on his line of putt, player B got a pretty good look at which direction his putt would break. Therefore, player B would also be penalized in this case under Rule 30-3f and would also be disqualified for the hole in match play or incur a two stroke penalty in stroke play.

A good rule of thumb when applying the Rules of Golf is to treat like situations a like. However, I think I’ve demonstrated with the examples above that the slightest change in the time of the breach, position of the ball or whose ball is involved can drastically change of the outcome of the ruling even though the situations may seem similar. Hopefully I did a good job explaining the situations and didn’t add fuel to the confusion fire.

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