2009 October/November Issue of South Central Golf

MAGAZINE

Coming ATTRACTIONS

w w w. s o u t h c e n t r a l g o l f . c o m October-December 2009 Vol. 16, No. 5

Old American Golf club and

The Patriot Golf club

No. 18 at The Patriot

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Editor Production Manager Expo coordinator Copy Editor

Ken MacLeod Derek Hillman Craig Raguse Jenk Jones Jr.

Contributing Writers Mal Elliot Barry Lewis Beck Cross John Rohde Ed Travis Art Stricklin Contributing Photographers Rip Stell Mike Klemme South Central Golf, Inc. 6218 S. Lewis Ave., Suite 200 • Tulsa, Okla. 74136 918-280-0787 • Fax - 918-280-0797 www.southcentralgolf.com • ken@southcentralgolf.com South Central Golf is distributed free at golf courses in Oklahoma, Arkansas, southern Kansas, north Texas, and southwest Missouri.

The magazine is endorsed by the PGA South Central Section, PGA Midwest Section, and the Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Kansas state golf associations. South Central Golf is published five times annually, including our annual course directory. Subscriptions are $18 and are available by calling 918-280-0787 or on the website.

We also welcome your letters and comments via e-mail.

New Courses and renovations The Patriot nears completion. .....................8 WinStar adds nine holes. ...........................9 Section spotlight Lew Wentz in Ponca City.........................10 Ben Hogan Golf School in Wichita..........11 OSU Stars dominate Walker Cup..............12 Destinations Lake of the Ozarks..................................14 Old American. .......................................16 Palm Springs. .........................................18 Gulf Shores, travel notes. .......................20 P&G Beauty hits stride in third year..........21 Tom Hoch Designs .................................22 Colt Knost looks to salvage season..........23 Columns 25 Jay Fox - ASGA 26 Steve Eckroat - OGA 26 Instruction Zone 27 Kim Richey - KGA 28 Barry Thompson - PGA 29 Gene Mortensen - Rules

Departments 6 Around the Section 24 Equipment 30 Schedules and Results On the Cover The 14th hole at Old American and the 18th hole at The Patriot.

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AROUND THE SECTION

Byeong-Hun An, 17, became the youngest winner of the U.S. Amateur. Photo by Rip Stell It’s been a banner 12 months for cementing relations between Oklahoma and the United States Golf Association.

Three hugely successful events were held in the state, beginning with the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur at Tulsa Country Club in the fall of 2008. That was followed by the

U.S. Public Links Championship in July at the Jimmie Austin University of Oklahoma Golf Course in Norman and capped by the U.S. Amateur Championship in August at Southern Hills Country Club and Cedar Ridge Country Club in Tulsa.

During the Amateur, the USGA proved

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again that it loves Oklahoma by announcing that the 2014 U.S. Senior Open will be contested at recently renovated Oak Tree National in Edmond.

That, however, is hopefully just the beginning of future USGA events in the state.

All four courses that hosted USGA events did so with something to prove and let the USGA know as much.

Tulsa Country Club, which plans a renovation of both its course and clubhouse, proved itself a worthy contender for future events. It proved a great venue for the LPGA early this decade and could make a great site for a future Women’s Junior or Women’s Amateur.

Jimmie Austin, which renovated its course and clubhouse in advance of the Public Links, wowed the USGA with its organization and the conditions it was able to provide despite beastly heat.

Cedar Ridge, site of the 1983 U.S. Women’s Open as well as an LPGA event from 2004-08, was eager to show off the improvements it has made to the USGA and did so magnificently. It certainly positioned itself for future USGA events. Wouldn’t another Women’s Open be nice.

Southern Hills rolled out the full red carpet treatment for the USGA and there is no secret that the course would love to be rewarded by the granting of a fourth U.S. Open Championship. Almost all of the USGA Executive Committee was on hand to witness the superb course conditions, the vast improvements to the clubhouse and the ease with which the course handles infrastructure, communications and all the other details that go with being the host of a major event.

USGA members certainly went away impressed. Only time will tell if that results in the desired news.

We all owe a huge thanks to the folks who made these events happen and carried them off seamlessly. Each committee did a great job, as well as the general managers, professionals and superintendents at each course and their dedicated staffs. And that’s not to mention all the volunteers who make everything work. After watching the planning and effort that goes into these events, it’s no wonder the USGA likes coming here time and again.

While Southern Hills probably will not talk to the PGA of America about another event until it gets some feedback from the USGA about the Open, Oak Tree National is keeping the lines of communication open with both the PGA of American and the PGA Tour. It would love to host one of the FedEx Cup playoff events. While the course is worthy, the limitations for Oak Tree are in infrastructure and particularly access. Until

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2009 U.S. Public Links Champion Brad Benjamin at the Jimmie Austin OU GC. Photo courtesy USGA Waterloo Road is widened from two lanes to four lanes from I-35 to Kelly Road, then PGA Tour would not commit to an event. . .

New digs in section

While very few courses are under construction, clubhouses are a different story.

LaFortune Park Golf Course in Tulsa will open its new clubhouse in early to mid-November. The pro shop is now on the north side of the building by 18 green and the food service has moved to the south by the ninth green. The pro shop is roomier, while the food service will have a nice sit-down restaurant as well as a quick-stop for snacks at the turn.

The stone and glass exterior should be much more impressive than the tired look of the previous building.

A new clubhouse at Oakwood Country Club in Enid is under construction and expected to be completed in 2010.

Two Oklahoma courses that were greatly relieved to move into new facilities this summer were Crimson Creek in El Reno and Brent Bruehl Memorial Golf Course in Purcell.

Crimson Creek had been in a temporary building since the course opened in 1998.

The new clubhouse boasts a full restaurant with wait staff, a two-story bar, pro shop, lockerrooms and office space.

At Purcell, head pro Mike Gowens and his staff moved into a new 4,000 square foot clubhouse in June. The new building, located by the first tee and driving range, replaces a 900-square foot building.

“This is so much better than what we have had in the past,” Gowens said. “We’ve got granite on the countertops. There is a room with couches and a big screen television. There are lockerrooms for the men and ladies.”

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Patriot games Owasso course to open in spring

By Ken MacLeod Unlike a few years back, there are very few golf courses under construction today in the United States. More courses will close in 2009 and 2010 than open.

One new addition that has been patiently waiting for the right moment to open is The Patriot in Owasso, Okla.

Heavy rains on recently sodded fairways and seeded greens caused a major delay this summer and scuttled any chance of a fall opening. Yet the turf grasses are largely knitted in now, enough so they could withstand a five-inch gullywasher in mid-September that sent temporary rivers streaming through the course.

Head professional David Bryan said the course is hopeful of an early May opening in 2010. A membership drive will begin in earnest this winter and the course hopes to eventually attract some 300 local members along with 300 national members.

A recent visit shows a course that looks like it will be hugely entertaining to play. All the canyon holes are now sodded and fortunately they all play downhill.

Some of the most fun shots will be the tee shots on 1 and 14, where a well struck ball will seem suspended in mid-air forever as it drops to the fairway on the canyon floor.

Also the second shot on 18 will play across a yawning chasm. Golfers on 18 will want to keep both their carts and their feet away from the edge on 18, it’s a fearsome drop to the bottom.

There are still a few places where architect Robert Trent Jones Jr., consultant and general manager Dan Rooney and the construction crew of Landscapes Unlimited should put their heads together and let common sense prevail. Large boulders in greenside bunkers may make an interesting look, but won’t be so fun the first time someone is seriously hurt either by ricocheting a ball back into their (or someone else’s) noggin or by shattering their club on a backswing or downswing.

Some of the mid-level holes and upper prairie holes look spectacular and should be great tests of golf. In the meantime, in addition to the crews of both Landscapes and superintendent Jeremy Dobson, Bryan shares his workspace with wild turnkey, deer, armadillos, fox, coyote, bobcat, eagles and hawks. Even a mountain lion has been spotted passing through.

“If it walks, crawls or flies, we’ve got it out here,” Bryan said.

There will eventually be 290 homesites at the Patriot and many more in the Stone Canyon development of which The Patriot The towering view from the 14th tee box at The Patriot to the valley below. Photo by Rip Stell

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New Courses and Renovations

The second shot on the par-4 18th hole will be all carry to the green on the far side of the chasm. Photo by Rip Stell is a part. Some parts of the development will be completed this winter. are well underway. An elementary school The clubhouse is on schedule and a pool is open and some beautiful homes are oc- will be built early next year. Rooney’s headcupied. Roads and access to the golf course quarters for Folds of Honor Foundation is

WinStar adds on

New 9 under way A new nine hole addition at WinStar Golf Course in Thackerville, Okla., is under way.

The new holes were routed by Steve Wolfard of D.A. Weibring’s firm, which did the original 18, and Wadsworth Construction is doing the construction.

Doing the fretting is Jimmy Clayton, former University of Texas golf coach and college golf Hall of Famer who is serving as a consultant to the Chickasaw tribe on the project.

Clayton, along with director of golf and general manager Mike Hammond and superintendent Charles Wise, are at the stage of deciding which trees will stay and which will wind up at the bottom of a burn pit, as the new nine is being built on much more

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heavily wooded terrain than the original 18.

Clayton wants to ensure that the original philosophy prevails despite the different nature of the terrain.

“This course was built above all to be fun and to be able to play fast,” Clayton said.

“On the original 18, everything is pretty wide open and you don’t lose many balls.

Now it’s still a great challenge, particularly from the back tees and with the way the wind blows here. But we wanted it to be a fun golf course and we didn’t want you dragging around for five or six hours.

“We’re just trying to make sure the same philosophy applies over here. These holes will have a lot of character playing through the woods, but we want to make sure there is plenty of room for the average golfer to play without getting slowed down.”

The new nine will be integrated into the existing nines to form three new nines, at least two of which will be open any given day. All three nines will be used in a rotation on weekends and during other peak times.

The original course has increased its rounds each year since opening in 2006, exceeding 24,000 this year, and has been a great amenity for the Winstar Casino, which

also scheduled to be built next to the clubhouse. Eventually, the University of Tulsa golf teams hope to use the course and have their own practice facility.

From left, Jimmy Clayton, Charles Wise and Mike Hammond inspect the construction. has mushroomed into one of the five largest casinos in the country. With its location just across the Texas border on I-35, it is positioned to serve the north Texas market as well as Oklahoma.

The new holes should be ready by August of 2010.

In addition to serving as an amenity to the casino, WinStar has developed quite an instruction program as well. Golf schools feature the legendary Sandra Haynie. For more information, visit winstargolfcourse.com

Section Spotlight

Lew Wentz Golf Course offers both great views and a good challenge to golfers.

Pride of Ponca City Lew Wentz course well worth a visit

By Ken MacLeod Lew Wentz preferred playing baseball to golf, but that didn’t stop the Ponca City oilman and philanthropist from donating a beautiful section of rolling property on the shores of Lake Ponca to the city for a public course.

Despite some rocky soil, it was an abundance of riches for architect Floyd Farley, who often was charged with creating interesting courses on flat, featureless land. Here he had elevation changes, a variety of mature trees and sweeping views of the lake to work with.

Farley responded with some of his finest handiwork. The course has doglegs working gently left and right, uphill and downhill.

There is a great mix of par-3s, from long to short, and par-5s that require precision and planning. The only problem was that for many years, the rough – not covered by the irrigation system – was so dry and blasted that much of the strategy inherent in the design was avoided by simply rolling the ball 300 yards up the side of the fairways.

Enter superintendent Mike Self, a relative of Kansas basketball coach Bill Self. The kind of man who appreciates every day he comes to work in the outdoors, Self had two priorities when he arrived eight years ago.

One was maintaining the greens in the best possible condition, the other was establishing a rough that would force the holes to be played as they were designed.

A recent visit shows just how success-

10

ful Self has been in that regard. The rough, consisting mostly of Bermuda, buffalo grass and fescue in shaded areas, is lush and consistent. Ice storms and a tree trimming program have combined to lessen the density and raise the canopy of the trees, which has resulted in improved turfgrasses The course conditions are just one aspect of a successful operation enjoyed by the 25,000 or so residents of this cultural bastion on the prairie. Observers say that at no time in its 56-year history have the course conditions, clubhouse conditions, service level and variety of local programs combined to offer a better golf experience than they do at present.

City manager Craig Stephenson deserves a good bit of credit. Despite extremely tough times in the local economy, including large reductions in the work force at oil giant Conoco-Phillips, Stephenson has insisted that Lew Wentz be more than a place where someone takes your green fee and sends you out to a battered course. The commitment from the city is to make golf an integral part of the social fabric in Ponca City.

Lew Wentz has two PGA professionals on staff – Director of Golf Rod Alexander, who moved from Tulsa in 2003, and head professional Kevin Brown, who has worked there in various capacities since 1984. They give lessons, have a completely stocked pro shop and offer a variety of programs for golfers of all levels and inclinations.

“We were at a point a few years back when we considered deemphasizing golf,”

Stephenson said. “It would have been devastating. This course is an integral part of what the community has to offer.

“The pros and the superintendent and his staff here are special. There’s a really good team here and they make this course what it is.”

Located in a garden spot between the Flint Hills to the north and the plains to the south, Ponca City boasts some of the most beautiful trees and diversity of plant life in the state. It also has quite a wide variety of annual attractions, from a PRCA rodeo, antique car show, motocross, all kinds of festivals and music, as well as offering world class museums such as the Marland Mansion, Pioneer Women Museum and the Conoco Museum. In addition, the entire city enjoys free and fast wireless internet.

The irrepressible Alexander, a graduate of Northeastern State University, had worked at various courses in Tulsa before finding an ideal home for his young family in Ponca City.

“This is a great community for a family,” Alexander said. “It would be hard to leave.”

Visitors will find a course that combines great views, superior turf conditions and develops their course management skills.

“We may be only 6,261 yards from the tips, but it’s the longest 6,261 yards you’ll ever play,” Alexander said. “And if you play it right, you’ll have to use about every club in your bags. Some holes will make you claustrophobic, others are wide open.”

Brown said the course has been steadily improving for decades.

“Mike is the fifth superintendent we’ve had since I’ve been here and they’ve all done something to improve the course,” Brown said. “Right now, it’s in better shape than it’s ever been.”

Overlooking the course is an Olympicsize swimming pool and a popular boys and girls camp, both of which Wentz donated to the city.

Wentz was born in Tama, Iowa in 1877, but grew up in Pittsburgh, where he played and coached baseball. He met John McCaskey, an investor in the Miller Brothers 101 Ranch Oil Company in Ponca City, and Wentz was sent to Ponca City in 1911 to look after McCaskey’s interests. He rose through the ranks and by 1927 had formed the Wentz Oil Company and was making $1 million per month. He was listed as one of the seven richest men in the nation.

Wentz died in 1949, four years before the second nine holes was completed and opened in 1953.

No doubt, he would be proud today to see what has transpired at the golf course that bears his name.

To visit Lew Wentz Golf Course, call 580767-0433 or go to www.poncacityok.gov.

South Central Golf Magazine

Home on the range Hogan Golf Schools come to Wichita

By Mal Elliott As a golfer, Charlie Ricks says Wichita’s sometimes harsh winters don’t worry him any more than the severe summers in Phoenix, Ariz. Besides, no course has as fine a practice facility as Terradyne Resort and Golf Club.

So Ricks has moved his Ben Hogan Golf School headquarters from Phoenix to Terradyne, whose massive and elegant clubhouse dominates the landscape on the county line between Wichita and Andover, By June of 2010 he will also move the Ben Hogan Junior Golf Academy to Terradyne.

The school is the third incarnation of the Nicklaus-Fleck golf school, which was started when Jack Nicklaus called Ricks and asked him if he would head up his new endeavor. Ricks had been managing a golf school for Dave Pelz, the short-game guru.

The Nicklaus school then became the

Greg Bray will be lead instructor of new school.

Charlie Ricks moved headquarters to Wichita.

ESPN Golf School, which Ricks managed for six years until ESPN dropped it sponsorship this year. Ricks said he went to the Hogan family and obtained permission to use the Hogan name and image.

Greg Bray, head professional at Terradyne, will be the lead instructor. He was a member of the teaching staff of the Ben Hogan Golf School before the move was made.

Operating in 53 cities from coast to coast, the Hogan school has become the one with the largest footprint in the country.

Ricks said another Wichita enticement was the fact that Terradyne plans to build a hotel and convention center next to the golf course. Terradyne already has a restaurant and fitness center.

Ricks has ties to the Wichita area. He for-

merly lived in Wichita and married into a local family while in the hotel management business.

Ben Hogan Golf School will operate out of the clubhouse at Terradyne and use the club’s new three-hole practice facility and driving range in its instruction classes. The gigantic clubhouse (65,000 square feet) also will house studios for hitting stations and video analysis of the students’ golf swings.

Ricks said the centerpiece of the golf school at Terradyne is the new practice facility. “I have never seen another one like it,” he said. “It’s not just a pitch-and-putt practice facility. It has three championship type holes.”

The practice area has a par 5, a par 4 and a par 3 hole and each one has a set of three tee boxes. The par 5 is 500 yards long, reachable in two shots but requires an accurate shot to a small landing area and has unusual obstacles such as a tree in the fairway.

The practice area also has a driving range with tee boxes located in different areas to take advantage of wind.direction. The practice area was designed by Jerry Slack, golf course architect of Broken Arrow, Okla., The Hogan school has built its reputation on Ben Hogan’s book Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf.. In Hogan’s book he says that anybody who can execute some basic shots can learn to shoot in the 70s. If they are a 90s shooter, they will be able to shoot in the 80s.

The feature of the Terradyne school will be a series of 10-week player development programs, with unlimited access to Terradyne’s driving range and practice holes. The player development program costs $295 for juniors, $595 for adults and $795 for a family.

After taking instruction, golfers can try out their new swing on Terradyne’s 18-hole course, considered one of the finest in the area. It is a links type course with severe native-grass roughs which punish errant shots. It was designed by Don Sechrest and opened in 1987. It carries a testy course rating of 75.1 and a slope of 138.

The Hogan school also has facilities at Las Vegas, Amelia Island Plantation in Florida, Fairmount Turnberry Isle in Miami and Talking Stick Golf Course, Scottsdale, Ariz.

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11

No match for OSU Cowboys hit stride in Walker Cup

By JOHN ROHDE

Though they rank among the most gifted amateur players in the world, Oklahoma State golfers continually struggled during match play in the spring and summer of 2009.

After dominating the stroke-play qualifier at the NCAA Championship by 13 shots last May at Inverness in Toledo, Ohio, the top-seeded Cowboys were eliminated in the opening round of match play and officially tied for seventh.

Toward the end of summer, five OSU players and one recruit who has orally committed to the program advanced to match play in the U.S. Amateur at Southern Hills in Tulsa. Four players were eliminated in the first round and no one advanced past the quarterfinals.

Even with these untimely struggles, three Cowboys were selected as members of the 42nd U.S. Walker Cup team.

A chance for match-play redemption awaited Rickie Fowler, Peter Uihlein and Morgan Hoffmann in September at famed Marion Golf Club, and their collective efforts were good enough to beat the opposing team all by themselves.

Fowler (4-0), Uihlein (4-0) and Hoffmann (2-0-1) went a combined 10-0-1 and accounted for 10.5 points in a 16.5-9.5 victory over Great Britain/Ireland.

Fowler turned pro the following morning at a Nationwide Tour event in Boise and left OSU before his junior season. Hoffmann and Uihlein returned to Stillwater for their junior and sophomore seasons, respectively.

“This is why I stuck around,” Fowler said of retaining his amateur status specifically to compete in the Walker Cup for a second time. “I think a lot of the guys knew it was a cool thing and a cool experience to be in the Walker Cup, but now that they are experiencing it, they know why I stuck around.”

Uihlein’s match clinched the deciding point in U.S. victory.

“Yeah, this is definitely the biggest moment in my golfing career,” Uihlein said. “It was a pretty special two days, spending a lot of time with the team was just awesome. We had a great time together ... This is just one of the best moments of my life, so it’s pretty special.”

OSU coach Mike McGraw attended the Walker Cup and said he has never seen larger crowds at an amateur event. “It was shocking,” McGraw said. “There was no room.”

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Peter Uihlein went 4-0 for the U.S. in the Walker Cup after reaching quarterfinals in U.S. Amateur.

Merion will be the site for the 2013 U.S. Open. “I don’t know where they’re possibly going to put all the people,” McGraw said.

Prior to the opening matches, McGraw said he sensed a comfort zone for his players, although he certainly didn’t expect 100-1.

“You could just tell they were so happy to be their together one last time as teammates,” McGraw said. “To have played that well was such a bonus. I kept looking at the scores and our guys were ahead. It was fun the watch.”

Though the OSU players were not paired together in foursome and fourball matches, “Their matches were pretty close to each other on the course, and I think that was helpful,” McGraw said. “Their singles matches were basically one after the other.

It worked out really well.”

It marked the third time in Walker Cup history three players from the same university have been on the U.S. roster. Each time those players came from OSU — Alan Bratton, Kris Cox and Trip Kuehne in 1995; Fowler, Kuehne and Jonathan Moore in 2007; Fowler, Hoffmann and Uihlein in 2009.

Fowler and Hoffmann were announced as Walker Cup selections on Aug. 9. Uihlein was added to the squad two days after his quarterfinal loss at Southern Hills.

“I just tried to do the best I could,” Uihlein said of being one of the final two additions.

“I felt like I had a pretty good chance. I was

fortunate enough to get picked. There’s obviously 20, 25 guys who had great chances of making it. I got lucky to make it and just tried to appreciate having captain (Buddy) Marucci have a lot of trust in me to go out and perform. It was a pretty special week.”

It capped an interesting freshman season for Uihlein. McGraw had Uihlein compete in an NAIA tournament Gaillardia Country Club in Oklahoma City to help restore some confidence. A motivated Uihlein won the tournament and finished eighth playing alongside his fellow Cowboys the following week at Texas A&M. “He’s a fighter,” Fowler said of Uihlein.

“He was pretty far behind the eight-ball to the point where some guys might quit. He’s not going to give up. He won the New Year’s Invitational over Christmas break, which showed there was something there. He hits the ball a mile. He putts and chips the ball awesome. He can hit a 3-iron to the moon and he’s a great person on top of that. I was stoked he got the pick. I knew he was going to play well. Maybe not 4-0 well. He came out and made a statement and it’s awesome to see him play well.”

Though Fowler is gone, the Cowboys remain in a familiar spot this fall — atop the collegiate rankings.

OSU closed out September by winning the prestigious Ping/Golfweek Invitational with Uihlein, Hoffmann and senior Trent Whitekiller finishing 1-2-3 in medalist play.

Whitekiller couldn’t crack the Cowboy’s lineup at the end of last season, but as of Oct. 1 he was ranked No. 2 nationally, with Uihlein at No. 6 and Hoffmann at No. 21.

The University of Oklahoma also has gotten off to a fast start this fall, winning the Kansas Invitational in the debut of first-year coach Ryan Hybl.

“It was a really good start for us, just to get a winning attitude and understand a little bit more about where we are,” Hybl said, “but we’ve got a long ways to go. It’s going to be a year where we work on a week-toweek basis, that’s for sure. We’re definitely not where we need to be.”

Hybl, the younger brother of former OU quarterback Nate Hybl, replaced Jim Ragan as the Sooners’ coach.

“More than anything, these players have just been getting a lot of love,” Hybl said.

“I don’t even talk about what was going on here before. The attention and the structure we’re giving them is providing them an opportunity to understand where they need to be as a team. Hopefully, all the attention and love is going to pay dividends in the long run.

Winning in Kansas was a nice little reflection of what we’ve been able to do so far.

“The fall is a really cool time in college golf because it allows you to evaluate your team and see where you are. Basically, it all comes down to results. That’s what golf is all about.”

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13

Lakeside beaties

Fall a perfect time for Ozark travels

By Ken MacLeod If you like spectacular fall foliage with your golf, October is a great time for a quick trip to the Lake of the Ozarks in Camdenton, Mo. Every course in the area is bursting with fall color as each boasts a wide variety of hardwoods in addition to pine. If you’re getting away for a weekend or few days during the week, here are two options you might definitely want to include:

The Cove

the greens with new drainage, new bunker complexes and rebuilding the surrounds.

Fescue and rye blends replaced Bermuda in the green surrounds.

The Cove is a shorter, tighter course than many at the Lake, but offers a series of entertaining and challenging holes that require precision and accuracy. You won’t get away with it hitting it sideways here, nor can you roll it around. The Cove hole, in particular, requires a long carry over Witches’ Cove to a green that slopes to the front.

The Cove overseeds its Bermuda fairways with rye each fall so golfers will have a nice green carpet from which to gaze at the red, gold and green canopy as their golf ball flies into it.

The Cove is part of the The Lodge of Four Seasons Resort which also includes The Ridge course and limited access to The Club at Porto Cima, a private Jack Nicklaus design.

Formerly known as Witch’s Cove, this Robert Trent Jones Sr. course reopened May 1 after being closed for 10 months for an extensive renovation.

The reaction to the vastly improved greens, now boasting a blend of A1 and A4 bent grass, has been overwhelming, according to director of golf Josh Crowell.

“It’s been fantastic,” he said. “We’ve had almost no negative comments. After being Old Kinderhook closed for so long, we couldn’t be more Golfers enjoy Old Kinderhook so much pleased.” they often miss out on all the other lake atThe renovation, headed by architect Todd tractions, from the other courses to dining Clark of Kansas City, included rebuilding all to boating to the haunted house.

“A lot of our customers just stay on property,” said Chris Buescher, head golf professional. “They love the course, we’ve got great rental units, we have dining at The Trophy Room Bar & Grill, a swimming pool and fitness center. We have a marina where they can rent slips. Once we get them on property, they find it hard to leave.”

The amenities are indeed first class as Buescher described, but the reason golf groups play Old Kinderhook three or four times in a few days instead of venturing around is because of the course.

Old Kinderhook, a 1999 Tom Weiskopf design, has the look and feel of a difficult championship course, but plays much friendlier than that. Golfers will find good shots rewarded. However, the current philosophy of no marginal shot shall go unpunished does not apply here, as there is ample room to recover from a slightly wayward tee shot.

The course is picturesque from start to finish and immaculately maintained by superintendent Tom Addington, who has been on staff since grow-in began in 1997 and knows every blade of grass on the property.

“Tom handles this place with a lot of care,” Buescher said. “I’ll put the quality and condition of our course up against anyone.

“And the ambience out here is very special. Sometimes I have to stop and pinch myself when I’m driving to work and the whole valley opens up with the lake behind.

It’s just so pretty and not something you

Old Kinderhook combines spectacular scenery with a player friendly design. Photo by Mike Klemme

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South Central Golf Magazine

are accustomed to if you’re playing at a city course regularly. It’s breathtaking.”

Old Kinderhook is a great destination anytime, but there are some fall specials that should be of particular interest, including one for $99 per player for lodging, a round of golf and a food credit. For complete information on the fall specials, visit oldkinderhook.com or call 888-346-4949.

For more information on all the golfing opportunities at the Lake of the Ozarks, be sure to visit the golf council website at www. golfingatfunlake.com

An aerial shot of the Old Kinderhook Course.

The tee shot over Witches’ Cove is one of the more memorable shots at The Cove. Photo by Mike Klemme

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Teamwork pays off

Old American will be new hit for duo

By Ken MacLeod Justin Leonard and Tripp Davis share similar tastes in golf course architecture and are fortunate to enjoy both a friendship and a budding business relationship.

And when they work together, good things happen for the former Longhorn and Sooner. The most recent example is the Old American Course, the second course at The Tribute Golf Club on the shores of Lake Lewisville near Frisco and just north of Dallas, Texas.

Golf has taken the two former college AllAmericans down far different career paths.

Leonard, after his Texas career ended in 1994, is in the midst of a PGA Tour career that thus far has resulted in 12 victories, including the 1997 British Open Championship and the 1998 Players Championship.

Davis, who helped OU win the 1989 national championship, gave professional golf a brief try, but soon gravitated toward design. He has had a large impact on golf in Oklahoma with original designs such as Clary Fields, Patricia Island and Grand Cherokee, additions and renovations at Cherokee Hills and Roman Nose or redesigns such as Muskogee Country Club, Lakeside Golf Course, Westwood Golf Course, Lawton Country Club and others.

16

His firm has also done extensive redesign work in the northeast as well as projects in Colorado and Texas.

With all that, Davis has retained his touch on the course as well and routinely finishes near the top of the field in major national amateur events, including a second-place finish this summer in the Crump Cup at Pine Valley.

Both Davis and Leonard have traveled extensively and both found they share a love and respect for the work of architects such as Donald Ross, A.W. Tillinghast, Alister McKenzie, Perry Maxwell and others from the early days of American courses.

Olde American is set to debut in May, joining The Tribute, which was Davis’ version of 18 classic links holes from various courses in Scotland. That course opened in 2000 and has proven to be immensely popular as a tournament site, with travelers and with the locals.

The Old American course will add another element to the mix. Unlike The Tribute, with its wide fairways, Olde American will be a more exacting challenge. It has more than 120 bunkers placed to force both tee shots and approaches into areas that are often more generous than they appear from the tee. Greens on shorter holes sometimes play to a high point in the middle and fall

Justin Leonard, left, and Tripp Davis co-designed Old American. Pictured above is the par-5 14th hole on the shores of Lake Lewisville. away to the back and front, making it imperative to leave the approach in the correct quadrant of the green to have a good chance at a two-putt.

From closely mown areas to deep rough, there’s a lot going on around the greens and that is an area where Leonard, who basically watched and observed in the duo’s first project together in Grand Elk, Colo., was instrumental this time.

“I didn’t want the hole to end where the green begins,” Leonard said. “I wanted the green to fit in as part of the hole.”

“That comes from Justin’s love of the British Isle courses,” Davis said. “The greens there are just burned out parts of what was there originally. They fit in naturally.”

This writer was fortunate enough to get a preview of the course recently and not only watch how Leonard and Davis played each hole, but to pick the brain of Golfweek’s Brad Klein, one of the nation’s foremost course critics, who was also on hand.

“Old American is much more complex

South Central Golf Magazine

off the tee (than The Tribute),” Davis said.

“There’s a lot going on off the tee, and the greens equally complex. You’ll want to figure out where you need to position your ball to attack certain pin placements.”

Olde American is going to be a puzzle to be pieced together carefully. Davis and Leonard are hoping that means more repeat business, both from guests and locals.

The site of Olde American is rugged, wooded terrain built around some great views of the lake. Leonard learned early in the design process what an invitation to “walk the site” with Davis meant, as he came back from his trek through the woods covered in ticks and bleeding from scratches. Still, he’s enjoying his new hobby.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Leonard said. “Tripp and I agree on a lot of what makes a great golf course, and if I can help him with some of these projects that’s great for me.”

“One of the reasons we decided to work together in the first place is because we had so much common ground,” Davis said. “We sat down and talked about things we liked, things we thought were good from a strategy standpoint. He took a much more active role in this course than in our first course together in Colorado.”

The Tribute has proven to be a great destination for travelers to north Texas.

originals. Some, such as the first, 17 and 18th at the Old Course at St. Andrews, you’ll be familiar with from the tube. Others, such as the par-4 sixth, a tribute to the first hole at Machrihanish, will ring a bell only with those who have been there.

The wonderful aspect of the course is that it is not just a series of tribute holes, but the course has a rhythm and coherence all its own. You’ll get a great taste of the Scottish Playing The Tribute is an experience you links and enjoy a course that can stand tall should not miss while in the area, regardless on its own merits as well. of whether you’ve experienced the Scottish Fortunately for us, the Scottish expe-

rience included the weather, as the day dawned cloudy and drizzly with a wind whipping out to the north at 25 mph. Klein, who had played all of the originals, recognized most from the tee without reading the plaques and gave Davis great credit for capturing the feel, if not imitating every detail, of the originals.

The highlight for me. I got up and down from a pot bunker above the hole on the left slope of the Postage Stamp. I’ll take that until I play the real thing.

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South Central Golf Magazine

17

A new Palm Springs Updated and ready for next generation

By Art Stricklin PALM SPRINGS, Calif. – In this green grass golfing oasis in the California desert, once the future of golf in the Western United States, the only things really old these days are the stars’ names on the local street signs.

In this one-time aging golf empire where the names of Roy Rogers, Bob Hope and Charlton Heston still grace the street signs around the airport, the newest golfing vibe is young, public and lavish.

Meaning, the golfing buddy trip to Palm Springs doesn’t mean your father, grandfather or great uncle’s adventure. The old Rat Pack from the Palm Springs of the past has gotten decidedly younger.

It’s just as likely to be a group of 20 or 30-somethings eager to escape the cool or downright frozen conditions of their home courses.

Longtime Palm Springs golf writer Larry Bohannon said when he first moved to the area 20 years ago there were two high schools; now there are seven. Two more

are scheduled to open this fall in the resort area with a growing full-time population of 300,000 residents.

But more importantly, Bohannon said, golfing visitors to the California desert located between Los Angles and Phoenix are in for a most pleasant surprise.

“There have been three great eras in Palm Springs golf,” he said. “The first was back in the 1950s with the original Rat Pack of Bob Hope and Dean Martin and Bing Crosby, with the old clubs they started and lived at.

“The second was in the early 1980s when Landmark Development brought in some dramatic courses with mountains and the rocks and gained a lot of national fame. But this is the third great era with (local) cities stepping up with new public resort courses bringing newer and younger players and families here, some for the first time.”

No better example of that is the Indian Wells Golf Resort in the upscale community of the same name, one of seven communities making up the general Palm Springs area.

For years, Indian Wells possessed two

very decidedly average golf courses, left over from a forgettable 1970s era. But in the late 1990s, the city leaders decided to build what they tabbed the “Golf Resort of the Future.”

With plenty of longsighted vision and millions of community redevelopment dollars, they brought in architects Clive Clark, who lives in the area, and John Fought to design two public championship courses with some extra land that had been acquired.

The flower and water-filled Clark Celebrity Course, par-72, opened in 2006. The Fought Players Course, another par-72 which locals consider 2-3 shots harder, debuted in 2007.

A sparkling 53,000-square-foot clubhouse, the IW Club, was opened late last fall just in time for the PGA Tour’s Skins Game.

The total cost of $60 million was a longterm bet for public resort golf for the future in the still competitive traveling golfers market.

“We already had the redevelopment money to be used for something like this. We already had the luxury hotels on property (Hyatt and Renaissance), but we needed the golf courses to match up,” explained Joe Williams, Indian Wells’ director of golf.

“This was a perfect fit and great match for the PGA Tour’s Skins Game to come here for three years.”

To top off the golf resort facility, Indian

The 16th hole at the Celebrity Course at Indian Wells. Photo by Lonna Tucker

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South Central Golf Magazine

Wells decided to add a nine-hole putting course, which can be used as a warm-up before the round, or a bet-settler or separate competition under the lights.

Also, one of the six indoor Callaway Practice Centers in the nation is located in the IW Club, along with an upstairs indoor-outdoor restaurant opened to local residents, resort guests or golfers adding Indian Wells to their new must-play list of golf courses.

The City of La Quinta did something similar, although not nearly as grand scale, when it opened the new SilverRock course in 2005.

The Arnold Palmer designed par-72 course is one of five used for the annual PGA Tour January stop, the Bob Hope Classic, now in its 51st year and one of the first events which brought golfers to Palm Springs in the 1950s. For the pros, SilverRock can play 7,500 yards, but for the amateurs the other 51 weeks of the year it’s a much more manageable 6,900.

The Classic Club is another new public layout, located at the base of the Palm Springs Mountains and also a former Bob Hope Desert Classic course.

Easily the most recognizable and famous public layout in Palm Springs is the Pete Dye Stadium Course at PGA West. It was PGA West that coined the name, “Western Home of Golf in the U.S.” The Stadium Course made sure to live up to that title by hosting the original Skins Game for five years beginning in 1986, the Bob Hope tournament in ’87, and still tortures PGA Tour pros at the annual qualifying schools finals.

Once known as the toughest course in the United States, the 7,300-yard par-72 tract now is ‘only’ ranked sixth in national toughness, but still No. 1 in California.

It’s Pete Dye at his most diabolical with just about every manner of challenge the golf architectural legend could summon up.

From deep bunkers to abundant water, his signature railroad ties and lots of ball-eating rough, it’s an 18-hole non-relenting test of golf.

The most famous hole is also the shortest, the 168-yard par-3 17th, a smaller replica of his more famous Island Green hole at TPCSawgrass. Dallas’ Lee Trevino once made a hole-in-one here during a Skins Game, but most players simply send their balls swimming in the surrounding water.

Golfers of all ages, here for a golf trip or a business outing, still line up daily to challenge themselves against PGA West Stadium, but not nearly as many are eager for a repeat trip. There are four other courses at PGA West, but Stadium still grabs the majority of attention and play.

The top private courses here for those with the best connections or the best entrance gate speech belong to Discovery Land Corp. with The Madison Club and The

South Central Golf Magazine

Hole no. 7 on the Hideaway Clive Clark Course.

Hideway both within a mile of each other in La Quinta. Architect Tom Fazio did Madison Club while Clark and Dye did the two at Hideway.

There are approximately 125 courses in the general Palm Springs area, split evenly between public and private.

Undoubtedly, you’ll find some of the old money and older golfing set still here, but the newest public golf is geared to a new generation of younger traveling golfers looking for warm winter golf with unlimited sun and reasonable resort prices.

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The benefits of staying in the short grass are obvious at StoneRidge Golf Club in Prescott.

Shore thing in Alabama

some of the cart paths are fairly precipitous, as there were 42 protected cultural sites and protected drainage washes which could not be disturbed.

Rock outcroppings frame many of the summer to experience the handiwork of holes and unique black sand washes can be one of our local architects not so close to found on holes 12 and 13. home. Randy Heckenkemper has designed “The challenge was to create a playertwo courses in the Phoenix-Scottsdale golf friendly layout on a mountain site with hub, but one of his most fun tracks is the many cultural and dramatic site features,” StoneRidge Golf Club in Prescott.

Heckenkemper said.

North of the sweltering heat of the Valley, The course is a visual treat and fun to StoneRidge is the centerpiece of a 2,500- play. At 5,200 feet elevation, it plays shorter acre golf community in the laid-back city of than its 7,052 yards. Ball positioning is more Prescott. The course is built on a hill with important than length. more than 350 feet of elevation change and If you’re taking that trip to the Grand Canyon or Sedona, or just looking to escape the heat and prices of the Valley, make sure to swing by StoneRidge. More info at stoneridgegolf.com . . .

Other fall travel specials include: Bayonet and Black Horse Golf Club, the “Best 36-Holes on the Monterey Bay” following a multi-million dollar renovation by the Bates Golf Design Group, is offering stay and play packages with Inns by the Sea. Included (in addition to accommodations) is one round of golf, daily, on Bayonet or Black Horse with cart and range balls. Continental breakfast is delivered to the room each morning. For pricing and booking, visit www.innsbythesea.com or call 800.433.4732 and ask for the Bayonet and Black Horse package.

Half Moon Bay Golf Links, the 36-hole public golf resort set against the dramatic cliffs of the Pacific Ocean,and The RitzCarlton, Half Moon Bay, are offering an unlimited, stay-and-play golf package throughout 2009.

Call 650.712.2228 or visit www.ritzcarlton. com/hmb for details.

Kiva Dunes boasts all new greens.

StoneRidge in Prescott another worthy destination Gulf Shores, Ala., remains one of the best values for section golfers looking to make the buddy trip or to play a few rounds while enjoying the beach life with their family.

In addition to Kiva Dunes and the other fine courses available, the Gulf Shores Golf Association has a new member this year. The Wharf, formerly a public course known as the Gulf Shores Golf Club, completed a $5 million renovation and redesign by the father-son team of Jay and Carter Morrish, and has opened its doors to traveling golfers.

The Wharf is in a master planned community that includes retail, marina, restaurants, condos, beach houses and an ampitheater.

The original course was the first one built in Gulf Shores. The renovation added 300 yards in length, as well as numerous water features, additional bunkers, new greens and enhanced fairways.

Jerry Pate’s Kiva Dunes, the flagship course for the association, recently completed a total renovation of its greens in which they were converted to Champion Bermuda, one of the ultra fine mini-dwarfs that minimize grain, providing a great putting surface without suffering the summer stress to which bent grass greens are prone.

Kiva Dunes is ranked in the top 75 among public courses by Golf Digest.

Other great treats at Gulf Shores are Lost Key, Timber Creek, Rock Creek and the Penisula. For more information on all the Gulf Shores courses, plus specials on lodging and golf, go to www.golfgulfshores.com.

NOTES: SCG had the opportunity this

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South Central Golf Magazine

With emphasis

Third time the charm for Beauty Angela Stanford celebrates her eagle putt that landed her in a three-way playoff. Photo by Rip Stell

By Ken MacLeod After two years of spinning its wheels in mud, the P&G Beauty Northwest Arkansas Championship gained traction in 2009.

After a drizzly start which affected the Wednesday Pro-Am, the rains held off, allowing by far the strongest field in the three years to experience the full glory of the completely renovated Pinnacle Country Club course.

Held on a September weekend with no competition from Razorback football, the crowds responded enthusiastically, capped by a huge roar when Texan Angela Stanford rolled in a 25-foot eagle putt on the 18th green in the final group to earn a spot in a three-way playoff with Jiyai Shin and Sun Young Yoo. The bubbly Shin, who fired a final-round 7-under 64, then birdied the first two holes of the playoff for her third win of the season and a paycheck of $270,000.

With the LPGA schedule reduced by sponsor defections and non-renewals, the P&G Beauty was nearly guaranteed a full field of the top players, minus only Lorena Ochoa who was taking time off to plan her wedding.

With Paula Creamer, Michelle Wie, Morgan Pressell, Natalie Gulbis, Cristi Kerr and a host of international stars on hand, it was time for the sun to finally shine on the event, which was reduced to one round over three days the first year and three water-logged and rain-delayed rounds the second year.

“We had a great field and the course got rave reviews from the players and the LPGA officials,” said Jay Allen, the tournament chairman. “In the community in general,

South Central Golf Magazine

not been announced, Allen said the tournament would prefer to keep a fall date and work closely with Arkansas to avoid a conflicting afternoon game in Fayetteville. A night game, however, could be quite an attraction for fans eager to attend both and for the players.

The tournament may have drawn the biggest names in American golf, minus Juli Inkster. Now it just needs them to play better.

There were just four United States players in the top 20 – Stanford, who lost in the playoff, Taylor Leon who finished sixth, and Creamer and Gulbis, who tied for 14th at 3under, six shots back. Local favorite Stacy Lewis and new Conway, Ark., resident Stacy Prammanasudh tied for 21st at 2-under.

This situation is not unique to Arkansas.

The so-called Asian Invasion has been a hot topic for the past few years as players from Korea and other eastern nations have come to dominate the tour. Through the NW Arkansas Championship, there were five Asian players among the top 10 moneywinners, sixteen of the top 30 had Asian surnames and eight of the 19 tournaments have been won by Asians.

Shin, who dedicates all her victories to her mother who perished in a car crash, is one that we will get to know well. She has won six times on tour in less than two seasons and could well be both Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year in 2009 after winning three times as a non-member in 2008.

“We’re very pleased with our champion,” Allen said. “There’s no question that over the next few years, barring injury, she’s going to be one of the top few players in the world.”

there was a real buzz about this event and that makes me very optimistic about the future.”

The LPGA needs all the optimism it can generate. Sponsor defections reduced the tour this year from 34 to 28 events and the 2010 schedule was expected to drop to between 23-25 events, including probably no more than 17 on U.S. soil.

The brusque ways of former commissioner Carolyn Bivens along with a cratering economy combined to eat away at the sponsorship base. And unlike the PGA Tour, Please see LPGA, Page 26 which could probably support a few events if it chose to on the strength of ticket sales, corporate sales, television money, merchandise and concessions, those factors are virtually meaningless where the LPGA events are concerned. Pro-ams and title sponsors raise the money for the purse and all operating expenses.

In northwest Arkansas, there is likely to be no shortage of sponsors, so long as Wal-Mart executives are pleased and want the tournament to continue. Proctor and Gamble, the current title sponsor which has agreed to renew for 2010, openly said when the relationship began that it was doing it for the community and to please Wal-Mart.

“We’ve gotten very good feedback from the Wal-Mart people in particular,” said Allen, himself a retired Wal-Mart executive.

“This year we finally had the opportunity to show what we could do and what the community could do. Wal-Mart has a lot of senior level people who have moved here from big cities and events like this add to Jiyai Shin won the playoff with a birdie on the the quality of life we have to offer.”

Although specifics of the 2010 event have second hole. Photo by Rip Stell

21

Eagle eye

Hoch Designs capture energy, increase efficiency

By Ken MacLeod One aspect often overlooked in golf operations is making certain all operations are physically situated to maximize revenues, create energy, ease traffic and make most efficient use of limited space.

Tom Hoch, who has provided tasteful interior designs for clubhouses across the country for decades from his base in Oklahoma City, is using his wealth of experience to help clients not only with their fixtures, but to rethink their operations from a strategic standpoint.

He was recently hired to plan a renovation of the clubhouse at Tulsa Country Club, where members have always had to go outside the clubhouse to reach the pro shop, where the bag room commands the best views of the course and where a underused and oversized banquet room eats up most of the space.

Interior deisgn work of Tom Hoch at the Ritz-Carlton in Sarasota, Fla. “We are a solutions-based company,” Hoch said. “We could do a lot in here to improve the energy, improve efficiency and help them maximize revenues.”

Hoch’s firm can help in renovations, as it did at both Quail Creek Country Club in Oklahoma City and Jimmie Austin University of Oklahoma Golf Course in Norman.

And it can help make things work correctly from the start, as he did at The Territory in Duncan.

“Tom does a great job,” said Tim Johnson, director of golf at The Territory. “His designs are very comfortable, but also very classy and elegant.

Comparing Ross Bridge to the great Scottish courses really isn’t fair.

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“He did a great job in matching up our display potential to the inventory requirements. The built-ins and the display pieces are all versatile and flexible and that gives us the opportunity to increase numbers and space if we need to. He’s got a great eye for this and he is willing to listen. We’ve had a tremendous number of compliments on our clubhouse over the years.”

Hoch went over a recent design by a well-known clubhouse architect that he was asked to review before construction.

Hoch’s new plan hardly resembled the old.

The building had turned from a box into a wider, narrower building with more presence, better access, improved food service and communication lines and a host of efficiencies that must have left the original architect wondering why he bothered.

Hoch learned his craft early. His parents were both interior designers for hotels and restaurants and the dinner table conversation flowed on topics of color and materials.

He originally started as a finance major at Texas Christian, but switched to design and joined the family business.

Hoch added the golf aspect, originally doing a lot of work for Jerry Barton with Landmark Land Company, including Oak Tree National. From Oak Tree he landed a job at Dominion Country Club in San Antonio, then Isleworth Country Club in Orlando and from there he was hired to do eight of the courses on the Robert Trent Jones Trail in Alabama.

The operational experience came when U.C. Ferguson, long-time head professional at Lincoln Park in Oklahoma City, introduced him to Roger Maxwell, director of Marriott Golf. He ended up doing 28 projects for Marriott and its Ritz-Carlton Hotel line.

“Those guys are bottom line oriented and they know how to run an operation,” Hoch said. “They are all about efficient space planning. They make sure that the architect’s plan is convenient, efficient and makes best use of the operational space.”

For more information on Hoch Designs, go to tomhoch.com.

South Central Golf Magazine

Hark knocks

Knost battles his way toward Augusta

By Art Stricklin Colt Knost spent 12 years in the public schools of Denton County, Texas, then the Pilot Point grad moved on to four more years as a solid student and golfer at SMU in Dallas.

But his first full year on the PGA Tour in 2009, has been a definite education in the school of hard knocks.

From the highs of winning the U.S. MidAmateur and U.S. Amateur in the same magical 2007 summer, along with an undefeated record in the amateur Walker Cup, to easily earning his PGA Tour card during last year’s double win Nationwide Tour season, Knost has worn the look of another Texas can’t miss PGA Tour star.

But 2009 has been much more of a struggle with a few good tournaments mixed with plenty of lackluster play, a freak car accident midway through the year and a likely trip to PGA Tour qualifying school later this year.

It’s the type of winding road experienced by many, if not most, young PGA Tour players, and all part of the interesting journey from tiny Pilot Point to hopeful professional golf stardom.

“I haven’t been as consistent this year as I thought I would be,” Knost said in summing up his 2009 season. “I’ve played well in sports, but missed some cuts and also had some injury problems.

“I took off some weeks to rest, played poorly in some weeks I thought I would play well, had some highlights and gained some valuable experience I think will serve me well for the future.”

In 21 PGA Tour events this year, Knost has one top 25 finish with 12 missed cuts. In two Nationwide Tour tournaments, he has 0 and 2.

He’s won more than $132,000, but barely enough for top 200 on the Tour money list and not nearly enough to avoid the trip to Tour Q-School, which will decide where he will play most of his golf in 2010, barring a tremendous finish in the PGA Tour’s Fall Series.

His third round co-leadership at Houston and fine early play at Hartford was balanced with his final round wind-blown 81 at Redstone in Houston and six consecutive missed cuts through much of the late summer and early fall.

“I know some guys out here who may not play well during the year, but turn it on for 2-3 weeks in the fall and always seem to keep their card, so maybe that’s the case,” Knost said.

South Central Golf Magazine

“But I’m a better player because I made that decision (to turn pro).”

Certainly anybody who saw Knost’s amateur career path wouldn’t have guessed he was ticketed for sure-fire golfing stardom Growing up in Pilot Point, he first to had to overcome the death of his father Don Paul in a car accident at a very young age.

Knost was recruited for football, not golf, by legendary Pilot Point high school coach G.A. Moore, Jr, to bring his stocky frame to play for the Bearcats, winners of multiple state titles.

He didn’t play in his first official competitive golf tournament until age 16 and, without a hometown golf course to play and practice on, his mother LuAnn took him more than an hour one way to get his golf education under Royal Oaks Country Club head pro Randy Smith.

But once golf and Smith entered his life, football and every other sport went out, as Knost was consumed by his new passion.

A longtime tutor of PGA Tour star Justin Leonard, Smith saw a spark in Knost and became a true father figure and golfing mentor in his life.

It was Smith who encouraged Knost to become the first U.S. Amateur champion ever to turn down the traditional invitation to the Masters in the spring of 2008 in order to turn professional after the Walker Cup in September 2007.

“It was a tough decision, but I think he made the right one, absolutely I did,” Smith said. “He’s one of the hardest working kids I’ve ever known and one who has an incredibly bright future.”

Knost said he initially battled with his plan to turn pro in late ’07 and forsake the automatic Masters invitation last year, but feels like he made the right decision.

“What was I going to do, sit home for seven months as an amateur before the Masters,” he asked. “It was pretty brutal. I didn’t think I would ever get through it, but I did it.”

He went on to win Nationwide Tour events in Fort Smith, Ark., and Springfield, Mo.,, which combined with a solid finish at the Nationwide Tour Championship earned a battlefield promotion to the PGA Tour for 2009.

But 2009 has been a different story as he has struggled to find rhythm and consistency. The most noticeable event, other than his first three days before his home state friends and fans in Houston, came before a U.S. Open qualifier in Memphis.

Knost was involved in a serious wreck when a drunk driver turned the wrong way

Colt Knost. Photo courtesy PGA TOUR on a one-way street. He was able to walk away from the accident and participate in the Memphis Tournament later that week, but the wreck put him out of action for a couple of weeks.

“It actually changed my attitude to become more positive and not so hard on myself,’ he said shortly after the wreck. “It could have been a whole lot worse and I might not have walked away, still been in bed, so I’m grateful it turned out the way it did.”

Knost vows to remember that lesson as he moves on down the road in his young and still promising career.

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23

Groove rule impact to be determined The United States Golf Association has changed the allowable configuration for iron grooves. While this may not have caused an irrevocable split in the golf world, it certainly has made a lot of people unhappy.

At issue is a new equipment rule modifying the allowable groove cross section for irons of more than 25° loft, in other words from 5-iron through the most lofted wedge.

Recreational golfers by and large not only don’t understand what the USGA has done but don’t know the background so most have simply ignored the whole topic. Some explanation is in order.

Back in the 1980’s Ping Golf sued the USGA and PGA Tour over the USGA ruling the groove design used back then on Ping irons was improper. Ping won the suit allowing the use of the design which became known as “box” or “square” grooves.

Other club makers followed with their own version of square grooves because it was apparent, when hitting a shot out of the rough, irons with square grooves could put sufficient spin on the ball so it would stop on the green. Professionals quickly figured out they could hit driver on most every hole since square grooved irons still gave them a good chance to keep shots on greens even out of the rough. Driving accuracy suddenly was much less important.

In the past 10 years or so a combination of factors: better performing balls such as Acushnet’s Urethane-covered Titleist Pro V1, the use of super light-weight graphite shafts in titanium driver heads and better physical fitness inspired by Tiger Woods, has caused driving distance on the PGA Tour to increase significantly. The USGA decided this was undesirable; in fact the ruling body felt it was harming the game and its traditions even to the extent of making older courses obsolete. Restrictions needed Example of a Current Square or “U” Groove (Does not to new to be imposed toconform rein in theregulations) distance professionals were hitting the ball.

An upper limit was placed on the coefficient of restitution (i.e., trampoline effect) for drivers but the USGA wanted to do more and a spectrum of proposals including “rolling back” ball performance was considered.

Each of the ideas had problems of one sort or another but finally modifying the cross section of grooves was settled on, even though the USGA may have recognized it was an imperfect solution. Presumably it was all it felt could be done.

The groove change will certainly impact touring pros and top amateurs. It will be harder to generate sufficient ball spin from a lie in the rough (data suggests lower spin from fairway lies as well) to fly the ball onto a green and make it stop. Obviously this is the reason the new rule was put in place, the USGA means to increase the difficulty of the game.

For those who don’t generate pro-level club head speed not to mention having the skill to hit greens in the first place the USGA’s answer was to grandfather square groove clubs made before 2010 and delay implementation of the new grooves for recreational players until 2024.

While this sounds reasonable in fact since any club made after January 2010 must have the new grooves, recreational players will have them in their bags long before 2024 whether they buy a new full set or simply replace a worn wedge. In addition the USGA will require new groove irons must be used by anyone playing in the U.S. Open, U.S. Women’s Open and U.S. Senior Open next year. Players in other USGA championships such as the Amateur must comply starting in 2014. Not willing to start a fight, the PGA Tour, LPGA Tour and all the other pro tours have also made the new grooves mandatory after January 2010.

Example of a New Groove So we now have a set of “bifurcated (Conforms to new regulations) rules;” one set of allowable clubs for 99 percent of golfers and another set applying to

a tiny fraction of players. Holding shots on the green becomes harder for everyone.

In the real world it may not make a huge difference to weekend golfers. Most don’t have the requisite skills to fly a ball from deep rough so it spins to a stop on the green, especially considering the extensive use of Surlyn covered balls. Balls with Surlyn covers do not spin nearly as much as the softer Urethane covers on professional model balls.

According to Dr. Benoit Vincent, Chief Technology Officer for TaylorMade Golf, “The new groove regulation will affect performance in the fairway and in the rough by reducing backspin and increasing launch angle. In the fairway, we have seen spin reduction from a few percent up to 20 percent, which means that a full 100-yard 56degree-wedge shot spin rate can be 8000 rpm with new grooves compared to 10,000 rpm with old grooves and the launch angle can increase by 1 to 2 degrees. In the rough, this effect is twice as large as in the fairway, up to 40 percent loss of backspin and up to 4 degrees extra launch angle.”

Titleist also has done extensive research and published its findings with the operative conclusion being, “Consistent with the findings contained within the USGA published studies of January 2007 and July 2007, our research confirmed that all players will be significantly impacted by the reduction of spin, higher launch angle and more roll out from full shots and 50-yard pitch shots from the rough.

• Spin rate is reduced by 30 to 50 percent • Launch angle increases 7-20 percent or up to 5 degrees higher • Roll out of the ball after impact on the green is 9 to 15 feet more • The magnitude of these changes is far greater than most players anticipate.

Frank Thomas, former technical director of the USGA and presently a golf industry consultant, thinks the USGA doesn’t understand the issue. In fact limiting driving distance is trying to solve a problem that doesn’t exist. Even for the best players golf “V”recreational Groove is difficult and for players re(Conforms to new regulations)

Please see Grooves, Page 27

Sharp edges Rounder edges

Larger size

Example of a Current “U” Groove (Does not conform to new regulations) 24

Smaller size

Example of a New Groove (Conforms to new regulations)

“V” Groove (Conforms to new regulations) South Central Golf Magazine

ASGA Views Jay N. Fox

ASGA Executive Director

Humbled Hall selection leaves our writer at loss for words

The Arkansas State Golf Association Board of Directors notified me near the conclusion of our annual meeting in February, 2009 that I was going to be inducted into the Arkansas Golf Hall of Fame on October 29, 2009 – and almost eight months later it still hasn’t sunk in yet.

I am honored beyond words – and seldom am I at a loss for words.

The rest of the distinguished class includes Bobby Baker, an outstanding amateur golfer, two-time ASGA Player of the Year, who qualified for eight USGA National Championships; Rosey Bartlett, an outstanding amateur golfer that went on to have success on the LPGA Tour 1980-1984 and is now recognized as one of the finest instructors in America, including being named LPGA Teacher of the Year; and Bob McGee, considered by many to be the “Dean” of golf course superintendents in Arkansas, serving as a member of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America for 37 years, 20 of those at the Country Club of Little Rock and helping establish the Arkansas Turf Grass Association.

The ASGA began the Arkansas Golf Hall of Fame in 1994 “to honor deserving men and women who have made outstanding contributions to the game of golf in Arkansas.” The fact that I am being inducted not only for my playing career, but also for my work with the Arkansas State Golf Association, is doubly gratifying (I became executive director of the ASGA in 1991).

My father put a cut-down golf club in my hands when I was five years old and every chance I got I tore chunks out of our yard hitting whiffle balls in Bald Knob. Occasionally, I got to go with my father to Searcy Golf Club and watch him play and it wasn’t long before I was playing and practicing at the Bald Knob Country Club.

By the time I was in high school, I was a decent player and actually won a couple of high school state titles – and lost in the finals of the 1976 ASGA Junior Match Play at Hot Springs Country Club – and lost in the men’s match play finals the next year, also at HSCC, to the best player in Arkansas at

South Central Golf Magazine

the time – Louis Lee. But it wasn’t until I was in college at the University of Central Arkansas 1978-1983 that my game really began to develop. I had some great teammates there that pushed me – guys like Greg Dunseath and Bruce Hawkins that are still friends to this day. I won a couple of AIC Championships as well as one team title and played in the NAIA National Tournament in Elon, N.C. But the man that gets credit for most of my development at that time as a golfer was Master PGA Professional Harold Calderwood, who had retired as Maumelle CC Pro and was teaching out of Searcy Country Club. Harold took my game to a whole new level and the runner-up in the 1982 ASGA Player of the Year (losing by 7 points to Wyn Norwood), which spurred me to become the 1983 ASGA Player of the Year. I tried to get on the PGA Tour but did not make it through the 1984 and 1985 Qualifying School and regained my amateur status in late 1987. I won my second ASGA Player of the Year in 1989 (also runner-up in 1988).

Looking back at my playing career, it is hard to believe I have won more than 50 ASGA Designated Tournaments, including the 1989 ASGA Match Play, played in eight USGA National Championships and became the first golfer inducted into the University of Central Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2008. To be joining many of my idols – Stan

ASGA Executive Director Jay Fox, flanked by parents Em and Norris Fox, will go into the ASGA Hall of Fame Oct. 29 at Chenal Country Club.

Lee, Louis Lee, Wyn Norwood, Willis Watkins and my teacher and mentor Harold Calderwood – in the Arkansas Golf Hall of Fame is almost beyond belief.

I am truly humbled and honored – and so happy both of my parents are still in good health and can share this award with me. I cannot begin to explain the sacrifices they made to make sure my sister and I had everything we needed, and gave us every opportunity to succeed in life.

The 16th Arkansas Golf Hall of Fame Banquet and Induction Ceremony will be Thursday, October 29 at the Chenal Country Club in Little Rock. For tickets or other information, log onto www.asga.org or call 501455-ASGA (2742).

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25

Instruction Zone Pat McTigue

GolfTEC, Tulsa

Being able to teach golfers with the best technology available has certainly made me a better teacher, and revealed some truths that I had not known before. Knowing the cold hard facts, generated from objective data, gives me confidence that I can really get down to the real cause of a golfer’s problem. You want your doctor to get the real cause of your illness, not just treat the symptoms. Your golf instructor should do the same with your swing.

With GolfTEC’s advanced technology and processes, I have to be careful about not getting too complex with mechanics. The reality is that the most basic and simple fundamentals have a pervasive effect on the swing mechanics that result. The two areas I’ve been focusing the most on recently are grip and alignment.

I try not to throw rocks at other instructors, but ask yours one question: “What is the most important fundamental in golf?”

LPGA

Continued from page 21

Interim LPGA commissioner Marty Evans was in town for the event and was reportedly very pleased with what transpired.

“The event has come a long way in three years,” Allen said. “There was a period of time when we didn’t know if it was going to make it, particularly after the disaster the first year. Now we’ve had a great event and it appears to be positioned for future success. That’s very satisfying.”

NOTES: The renovated course drew praise from the players and spectators. Superintendent Todd Towery, who like all superintendents is rarely satisfied, said it was nice to hear the constant praise all week.

The course underwent dramatic changes since the 2008 event. All 18 greens were rebuilt using the new Tyee bent grass, which provided a superb playing condition. The fairways were rebuilt using zoysia while the roughs were a mixture of bluegrass and fescue. The winning score was six shots higher than the previous year and most attributed that to the more difficult greens.

The renovation was performed by Landscapes Unlimited at the direction of Tulsa architect Randy Heckenkemper. Much work was also provided by JonesPlan of Tulsa and by Towery’s crew.

“The best thing about the renovation is we expect it to just continue to get better,” Allen said. “The members are really looking forward to playing the course again. We’ve gone from being a good country club course to truly a championship golf course.”

26

If they answer anything other than “grip,” you might want to rethink your choice. Grip doesn’t have to be perfect, but keep in mind that the last thing you want with a bad grip is a good swing. I asked one client if their previous instructor had covered grip, and he answered that the pro wanted to cover “more important things first”. Hmmmm.

As to alignment, the major issue (for right handers) is to aim well to the right of the target. This is most prevalent with right-eye dominant right hand golfers. Can’t explain it, but I know it to be the truth. Don’t know if you’re right or left eye dominant? If you prefer right-to-left putts, you’re very likely right-eye dominant. Prefering left-to-right putts makes it likely to be left eye dominant (those of us that are left-eye dominant righthand players don’t fight alignment issues quite as much).

If you’re aiming right, and not aware of it, and make a good swing, where is the ball going to go? Right of the target, of course! Problem is your brain will tell you that you pushed it, and you’ll correct it by coming over the top and pulling the ball left to get going at the target. What we have here is the beginning of

OGA Views Steve Eckroat

OGA Executive Director The OGA Foundation has begun to take shape. We are extremely excited to help our junior golfers here in Oklahoma with the resources necessary to not only stay involved with the game, but to also help our gifted young players with the overwhelming expense of competitive golf. We are planning to offer junior golfers of all skill set, the opportunity to play at participating golf courses/clubs at a greatly reduced rate by offering to subsidize their green fees through the Foundation. Additionally, we’d like to have the resources available to help our more skilled competitive junior golfers with travel expenses to regional and national events for which they have qualified.

The OGA as well as the Foundation share a common mission in ensuring the growth of the game of golf here in Oklahoma, and together, we want to help reduce, to some extent, the financial burden that exists in order to help secure its future.

As with most states located throughout the south, Oklahoma has shifted its sights to the gridiron. With October brings the beginning to the meat of our favorite collegiate football team’s schedule. We are glued to the TV awaiting kickoff and sometimes forget that October also brings us the best golf weather of any other month! We see highs in the 70’s with light winds with our course still green and lush. Get out and enjoy the

a vicious circle: Aim right, pull ball left, aim further right, pull ball further left.

I always knew this was the case, but it was driven home recently with two clients that were making very good swings on video indoors, but were having terrible results on the course. I watched them hit some shots on the range, and realized they were aimed 20-30 yards right of the target. The real trick is you have to re-train your eyes to not think you’re aiming left, which will take some hard work and more than a few duck hooks.

If you keep at it, however, you’ll likely start to drop the club on plane and see much better ball flight and consistency.

Want proof? Next time you’re at a Tour event, go to the range and see how many pros are using alignment aids in their practice. They know that alignment is something that they have to work on ALL the time, not just once or twice. Especially if they’re right eye dominant.

You might find that your alignment is good, but isn’t that a pretty simple thing to start with? You’re wasting time trying to drop the club on plane if you’re aiming right. Right? fall weather on the golf course! Winter, plus plenty more football still awaits us come November and beyond!

Mark your calendars! The OGA and USGA will partner for a couple of workshops early next spring which will both take place at Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club. On March 9 the OGA and WOGA will be hosting a workshop for anyone interested in becoming a volunteer USGA Course Rater. This course is a requirement for our Association’s volunteer course raters. On March 10 the USGA will offer a Handicap workshop for those interested in learning more about how to offer USGA Certified Handicap Indexes. This workshop satisfies one of the most crucial requirements for a golf course/club to be eligible to offer Certified Indexes. This is a great opportunity for existing or new club handicap chairpersons to become more familiar with the USGA Handicap System.

The OGA would like to thank all of our member golf courses/clubs as well as all of the participants who competed in our thirteen State Championships during the 2009 season! We look forward to serving each member course/club again in 2010. Please contact us at our offices with any questions or concerns.

We are excited about our 2010 Championship Schedule and will have it posted soon on our website www.okgolf.org . We are considering a couple changes/enhancements for 2010. Please look for more information on these soon! Have a great fall, winter and Holiday Season and we’ll see you guys again in 2010!

South Central Golf Magazine

KGA Views Kim Richey

KGA Executive Director Golfers notice things around them. It’s part of the game. Before each stroke the golfer should notice the lay of the land, the direction of the wind, the placement of obstacles along the intended direction of the stroke, the distance to the target and maybe whether it is their turn to play.

The degree and accuracy of the golfer’s “observation” sometimes has just has much impact on their score as the quality of their swing.

There are other important things that golfers may be noticing during a round – what impact is today’s economy having on the game?

Here are some “observations” I have made during the 2009 golf season: • The recession may not have been as bad in Kansas as other parts of the country. With the predominance of agriculture and oil industries throughout the Midwest, the unemployment rate is lower.

• Mother Nature was generous to us this golf season. There was an abundance of rain (maybe too much at times!) and

things grew without the usual amounts of irrigation.

• Golf is a business. All courses, whether public or private, government or member-owned or privately-owned, had to look at their marketing strategy and pricing structure. They also had to look at their operating budget to see where expenses could be cut without diminishing service or product.

• Golfers were selective. They looked for better deals and maybe they didn’t bite on that new driver or putter (and perhaps they looked a little longer for the golf ball hit into the gunch!).

Overall, my conclusion is that golf in Kansas is in pretty good shape and the game will emerge even better when the downside turns up.

There is a new golf course under construction north of Topeka (scheduled to open in 2010). Several country clubs increased their membership roster. Daily fee courses kept their number of rounds up by offering lower fees (realizing that they need people traffic to make it work). Superintendents took advantage of the rainfall and cut back on costly irrigation and at the same time took remote areas out of routine maintenance in order to save money. It is also interesting how many courses are deleting trees as grass doesn’t grow well in shade.

190,000+

Grooves

Continued from page 24

mains very, very difficult.

“I’ve never heard of anyone quitting golf because it was too easy or because they hit the ball too far. Just the opposite, a portion of golf’s allure is the challenge that comes from everyone playing the same equipment on the same course,” says Thomas.

Statistics show the increase in PGA Tour driving distance after the introduction of Urethane covered balls and titanium driver heads has leveled off (in the past three years its’ actually gone down). Plus Tour statistics show the more important measure, scoring average, has not been impacted significantly. As arbiter of the rules the USGA is decreasing lofted club performance for all players with a staged implementation for recreational golfers.

According to at least one survey the vast majority of golfers believe it is wrong for the USGA to make rules affecting all golfers because of a perceived problem with touring professionals’ performance. Therefore the new groove rule may have an unfortunate and undesirable consequence. By imposing a rule viewed as unfair it may raise the question of the credibility and relevancy of golf’s ruling body in the minds of America’s golfers.

South Central Golf Magazine

CLIENTS

—

The Kansas Golf Association saw its junior program attract its usual high level of participation and our senior program exceeded our projections. It was in our championship schedule that we saw the biggest impact from the recession. We saw a significant decline in overall entries, particularly for events involving “working age” golfers. My conclusion is that during tough times, our golfers need to stay at work or they are very careful how they use their vacation days!

Just like in golf, you learn from past experience and then look forward to the next stroke, hole or round.

For 2010 I see little, if any, change in the golf economy of Kansas. Vendors and course managers/superintendents will continue to promote and economize and golfers will continue to look for the best offers.

The Kansas Golf Association will forge ahead with the best possible service to our member clubs and with an outstanding lineup of competitive programs. For the latest news on the KGA you can subscribe to our email newsletter at www.kansasgolf.org.

Come visit our website and see what the KGA might have for you – if nothing else; take a look at our photo gallery with over 2,000 images of players and golf courses from our 2009 events.

Enjoy the rest of the season!

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PGA Views Barry Thompson

SCS Executive Director Kyle Flinton, director of golf at Quail Creek Country Club in Oklahoma City, played a key role for the U.S. team of club professionals in a resounding victory over Great Britain and Ireland in the PGA Cup Matches held in September in Scotland.

Members of the 2009 United States Team were determined over a two-year points system, based on performances in the 2008 and 2009 PGA Professional National Championships. The Americans’ 17½ to 8½ victory over Great Britain & Ireland was as much a tribute to U.S. depth and talent as it was to team Captain Brian Whitcomb’s ability to bond and blend his players who represented 10 PGA Sections.

After his unbeaten performance in Scotland, Flinton returned home to win the Section Championship at Texarkana Country Club by five shots over his old boss Tim Fleming, head professional at Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club.

Cimarron Grubb, head golf professional at Belmar Golf Club, helped the section raise money for its newly established foundation.

Through his efforts, $2,275 was raised to promote Junior Golf at Belmar Golf Club

and to assist the SCSPGA Foundation in serving the community through golf related activities . . .

The Section wants to thank Gaillardia Country Club for hosting our Inaugural PGA Teaching Summit with Hank Haney. The two-day meeting is a great opportunity for all of our golf professionals to learn some new teaching techniques and share their own with others. We look forward to making this an annual event. . . .

Thanks to Corey Burd at Bailey Ranch and his staff for hosting our Team Championship. With a score 133 George Glenn and Tim Graves, Graves Golf School, put in the top performance.

Tied for second with a score of 134 were Tim Fleming, Oklahoma City Golf & CC, and EJ Pfister, Gaillardia Country Club, and the team of Mark Fuller, Oak Tree CC, and Mike Gowens, Brent Brueh Golf Course. Close at fourth with 135 was Jim Kane, Oklahoma Golf Association, and Jim Woodward, Oak Tree National. Rounding out the top five with a score of 136 was Tyler Carson, Blessings GC, and Martin Maritz, Meadowbrook Countyr Club, as well as the team of Bob Ralston, Burns Park Golf Course, and Tom Cannarozzo, Chenal CC. Congratulations again to Flinton and his team of three amateurs for winning the sections McGladrey Team Championship Qualifier with a score of 131. The tournament

was held at Belmar Golf Club in Norman, Okla., and we would like to thank Grubb and his staff for hosting the event.

Thank you to Peter Vitali and his staff at Gaillardia CC for hosting our Match Play Championship, won by Jim Woodward with a 1 up victory over Jim Kane.

Thank you to Sam Meredith at Muskogee Country Club for hosting the Pro-Scratch tournament this year. Putting in the top performance with a score of 63 were the teams of Lance Allen and Bill Brafford and the team of Donovan Grahn and Albert Johnson. Next atf 64 were the teams of Rod Alexander and Jimmy Howe along with Brad Kipper and Cole Golden The Callaway Golf PGA Assistants Championship was held at the Golf Club of Oklahoma. Martin Maritz, Meadowbrook Country Club, and Casey Harbour, The Territory, tied for first with a score of 140. Tyler Bolin, Crestview Country Club, was third at 149.

The weather cut short our Senior Professional Championship that was held at Oakwood Country Club. Kane won the event with a 65, two shots clear of Bob Ralston and five better than Rod Nuckolls.

Congratulations to the Eastern Chapter Senior Team that won the Cup Matches Sunday at Oakwood CC before the Sr PNC. The six members were: George Glenn; Vince Bizik, Bill Wagner, Sam Meredith, Rick Reed and Robert Lee.

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Rules of Golf Gene Mortensen

OGA Rules Official You have entered an OGA Championship and arrive at the first tee ready for competition. You are greeted by the Starter, given a scorecard, a Notice to Competitors – Local Rules, a hole location sheet and a pace of play guideline. You are introduced to your fellow-competitors and when your name is announced you begin your round. You think to yourself that life is good.

Well, to put you in that frame of mind several people have had to perform a lot of jobs. Someone set the tee markers and hole locations. Someone inspected the course to prepare the Notice to Competitors and Local Rules and determine that the pace of play matches the logistics of the course.

Someone marked all of the hazards and areas of ground under repair.

A well run competition just doesn’t happen as there is a Committee that spends hours and hours to make sure you enjoy the experience.

One of the most important functions for a Committee is the preparation of the “Notice to Competitors and Local Rules.” This is usually done in conjunction with properly marking the course. These two functions are as important for club events as they are for competition at every level. Without a well written Notice/Local Rules, players are left to speculate as to how to handle situations.

The Notice/Local Rules is the document that explains how conditions on the course will be played and each player should have the very same information.

Preparation of the Notice/Local Rules should be just prior to the start of the event so that the most recent developments on the course can be included. Heavy amounts of rain one day before an event might require adjustments on how certain areas of the course will be played. Even a Notice/Local Rules which was used a few weeks earlier will not be appropriate now.

Very often we see players take the Notice/Local Rules and stuff them into their golf bag without taking the time to review them. Why anyone in a competition would not want to be fully informed as to how to handle situations they are likely to encounter defies reason. The OGA routinely prints the Notice/Local Rules on the reverse side of the hole location sheet so we can be assured that the player will, at least, not discard them at first chance. It is interesting to see the reaction when a player waves an Official over to ask how to proceed and the Official takes the player’s document and reads it to him as he explains, “I didn’t see that there.”

The Notice/Local Rules is given the same

South Central Golf Magazine

status as a Rule. The term “Rule” includes any Condition of the Competition as well as any Local Rules established by the Committee. A breach of a Notice/Local Rules results in a two stroke penalty in stroke-play and loss of hole in match-play. They are important and all players should consider them as such.

The Notice/Local Rules will inform players as to special conditions on the course and how the Rules of Golf apply to each situation. That is the reason they are tailored to each event. For example, in development courses you have public access streets running throughout the course and you may need to keep players away from the dangers involved so the inside edge of the street is defined as the boundary and a ball on the street or over the street is Out of Bounds..

In many cases there are residential fences and white stakes in the same area and it will be helpful to define which takes precedent.

There should be no doubt as to what is considered Out of Bounds.

If you allow the use of devices which measure distance it is necessary to provide this information in the Notice/Local Rules.

Unless so provided, such devices are not permitted and will result in disqualification of the player.

Relief for an embedded ball is permitted in the area which is “closely mown” (cut to fairway height or less) unless it is provided that the note in APP1 is in effect allowing

relief through the green.

When you have numerous flower beds on the course you will want to define them as Ground under Repair from which relief is mandatory to preserve them. If you have a course that wends its way around the clubhouse, swimming pool and tennis courts, it is imperative that they be defined so that all players are aware of the status.

We have seen Notice/Local Rules which contain confusing and incorrect information based on the Rules of Golf. In one case there was this statement, “All hazards are lateral water hazards and marked with red stakes and lines.” In the definitions to the Rules the term “Hazard” includes bunkers as well as water hazards so the phrase is incorrect.

Another example is the suggestion to play a second ball when in doubt as to the proper procedure, “If doubt should arise as to the proper procedure play two balls according to Rule 3-3 and the Committee will decide.”

The Committee is not the one to determine which ball counts. The Rule requires that the player make that selection as a part of invoking the procedure. He is required to tell his marker he will play two balls and, “the ball he wishes to count if the Rules permit.”

A well written Notice/Local Rules will save time and effort for the players and the officials. And, thank your committe members for all the work they do to make your competitive experience so enjoyable.

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Schedules and Results PRO LPGA P&G BEAUTY NW ARKANSAS At Pinnacle CC, Rogers (par-71) Sept. 11-13 1, Jiyai Shin 70-70-64 – 204 ($270,000, won on second playoff hole); 2 (tie), Sun Young Yoo 69-67-68 – 204 and Angela Stanford 66-69-69 – 204 ($143,063); 4 (tie), Song-Hee Kim 65-68-72 – 205 and Shi Hyun Ahn 71-68-66 – 205 ($83,981); 6, Taylor Leon 71-68-67 – 206 ($61,284); 7 (tie), Hye Jung Choi 68-69-70 – 207 and Na Yeon Choi 71-65-71 – 207 ($48,119); 9, Becky Morgan 72-69-67 – 208 ($40,402); 10 (tie), Helen Alfredsson 69-69-71 – 209, Ai Mayazato 72-68-69 – 209, Hee Young Park 68-72-69 – 209 and Seon Hwa Lee 74-68-67 – 209 ($33,092); 14 (tie), Natalie Gulbis 7169-70 – 210, Paula Creamer 70-70-70 – 210, Hee-Won Han 72-68-70 – 210, Sandra Gal 64-76-70 – 210, Na Ri Kim 70-67-73 – 210, M.J. Hur 69-68-73 – 210 and Yani Tseng 6868-74 – 210 ($23,968).

21 (tie), Stacy Prammanasudh 68-70-73 –2 NATIONWIDE WICHITA OPEN At Crestview CC, Wichita (par-71) Aug. 6-9 1, Chris Tidland 67-68-68-65 – 268 ($99,000); 2 (tie), Chad Collins 66-67-66-70 – 269 and Dave Schultz 66-69-67-67 – 269 ($48,400); 4 (tie), Steven Taylor 65-70-7264 – 271 and Jhonattan Vegas 64-67-66-74 – 271 ($24,200); 6, Paul Claxton 70-68-68-66 – 272 ($19,800); 7 (tie), Chris Baryla 67-6973-64 – 273 and Blake Adams 66-69-67-71 – 273 ($17,738); 9 (tie), Scott Gardiner 6969-70-66 – 274, Michael Sims 68-70-69-67 – 274, Henrik Bjornstad 67-67-72-68 – 274, Alex Prugh 68-69-69-68 – 274 and Brandon Brown 68-71-66-69 – 274 ($13,750); 14 (tie), David Hearn 69-67-72-67 –- 275, Joey Lamielle 64-73-71-67 – 275 and Justin Hicks 65-68-71-71 – 275 ($9,900); 17 (tie), Alistair Presnell 69-70-71-66 – 276, Jerod Turner 69-71-68-68 – 276, Jim Herman 68-71-67-70 – 276, Miguel Angel Carballo 66-71-68-71 – 276, Luke List 70-67-67-72 -- 276 and Stuart Deane 65-69-72-70 – 276 ($7,443).

23 (tie), Will Dodson 67-71-70-69 – 277, Fran Quinn 69-71-69-68 -- 277 and David McKenzie 65-71-69-72 – 277 ($5,280); 26 (tie), Esteban Toledo 68-69-69-72 – 278, Jeff Gove 66-71-68-73 – 278, Kyle Flinton 70-66-69-73 – 278, Jonathan Fricke 66-6770-75 – 278, Bubba Dickerson 71-66-70-71 – 278, Andre Stolz 64-72-72-70 – 278, David Branshaw 66-68-7569 – 278, Sal Spallone 65-72-73-68 – 278, Marco Dawson 68-68-7369 – 278, Troy Merritt 66-71-73-68 – 278 and Andrew Dresser 67-71-72-68 – 278 ($3,730); 37, Bob May 67-71-70-67 – 279 ($2,970).

OKLAHOMA OPEN At Oak Tree (East), Edmond (par-70) Sept. 18-20 1, Robert Streb 68-66 – 134; 2, Danny Edwards 67-71 – 138; 3 (tie), Ryan Henry 6970 – 139, Chase Cooper 69-70 – 139, Cody Freeman 66-73 – 139, Craig Van Horn 66-73 – 139 and Johnathan Burpo 68-71 – 139; 8 (tie), Bill Glasson 72-68 – 140 and a-Austin Bowman 70-70 – 140; 10 (tie), Greg Mason 73-68 – 141, Erik Jarvey 69-72 – 141, Anthony Michael 66-75 -- 141 and a-Clark Collier 69-72 – 141; 14 (tie), Jim Woodward 72-70 – 142, a-Stephen Carney 71-71 – 142, Casey Harbour 70-72 – 142, Franklin Hatchett 7072 – 142, Andrew Landry 67-75 – 142 and Donnie Keim 70-72 – 142; 20, Tim Graves 72-71 – 143.

South Central PGA Section Championship At Texarkana Country Club

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Sept. 28-29 1, Kyle Flinton 71-71-68 – 210; 2, Tim Fleming 73-71-71 – 215; 3, Tom Cannarozzo 75-72-70 – 217; 4, Mark Fuller 78-69-71 – 218; 5 (tie), Brian Soerensen 77-71-72 – 220; Fletcher White 75-73-72 – 220 7 (tie), Kurtis Gibson 73-73-75 – 221 and Tim Graves 73-73-75 – 221; 9, Pat McTigue 7375-75 – 223; 10 (tie), Mike Hammond 77-7375 – 225 and Jim Woodward 74-75-76 – 225; 12 (tie), Craig Walker 75-74-77 – 226 and Michael Gotcher 76-79-71 – 226; 14 (tie), Mike Hansen 76-75-76 – 227 and Kirt Mowery Crestview Country Club 72-80-75 – 227 and Arthur Romero Texarkana Country Club 76-75-76 – 227.

Senior Division: 1, Bob Ralston 73-69 – 142; 2, Andy Schaben 75-72 – 147; 3, Jerry Benedict 78-77 – 155 and Vince Bizik 79-76 – 155; 5, Ned Goyne 79-77 – 156 and Robert Lee 80-76 – 156 and Patrick Tubach 78-78 – 156; 8, Rocky Mantooth 8278 – 160; 9, Freddie Forbes 82-83 – 165; USGA U.S. AMATEUR At Southern Hills CC , Tulsa, and Cedar Ridge CC, Broken Arrow (par-70) Aug. 24-30 Second round: Charlie Holland def.

Tim Jackson 1-up; Christopher Ross def.

Travis Woolf 2 and 1; Peter Uihlein def.

Conner Driscoll 2 and 1; Connor Arendell def. Dodge Kemmer 3 and 2; Ben Martin def. Chris Ward 1-up (19); Nico Geyger def.

Matt Smith 3 and 2; David Lingmerth def.

Bud Cauley 2 and 1; Cameron Tringale def.

Bronson Burgoon 1-up; Mark Anderson def. Zach Barlow 1-up; Phillip Mollica def.

Cameron Wilson 1-up; Bhavik Patel def.

Brad Revell 2-up; Marcel Puyat def. Scott Langley 4 and 3; Steven Ziegler def. Will Strickler 1-up; Dan Woltman def. Glenn Northcutt 7 and 5; Mike Van Sickle def.

Trent Whitekiller 6 and 5; Byeong-Hun An def. Brett Kanda 4 and 3.

Third round: Holland def. Ross 2 and 1; Uihlein def. Arendell 2 and 1; Martin def.

Geyger 2 and 1; Lingmerth def. Tringale 4 and 2; Mollica def. Anderson 1-up; Patel def. Puyat 1-up; Ziegler def. Woltman 1-up (22); An def. Van Sickle 1-up (20).

Quarterfinals: Holland def. Uihlein 1-up (19); Martin def. Lingmerth 2 and 1; An def. Ziegler 1-up (21); Patel def. Mollica 1-up.

Semifinals: Martin def. Holland 5 and 4; An def. Patel 3 and 2.

Final (36 holes): An def. Martin 7 and 5.

Stroke Play qualifying leaders: 1, Tim Jackson 68-72 – 140; 2 (tie), Ben Martin 73-68 – 141, Will Strickler 69-72 – 141 and Mark Anderson 71-70 – 141; 5 (tie), Trent Whitekiller 74-68 – 142, Bud Cauley 72-70 – 142, James Sacheck 71-71 – 142 and Scott Langler 70-72 – 142; 9 (tie), Cameron Tringale 69-74 – 143, Nico Geyger 71-72 – 143, Kevin Tway 72-71 – 143, Eric Steger 72-71 – 143 and Matthew Broome 69-74 – 143.

COLLEGE MEN KANSAS INVITATIONAL At Alvamar GC, Lawrence (par-72) Sept. 28-29 Team scores: 1, Oklahoma 291-300-295 – 886; 2 (tie), Kansas 295-301-292 – 888, Missouri 293-296-299 and Louisiana-Lafayette 301-290-297 – 888; 5, Illinois State 300-299-291 – 890; 6, Nebraska 312-288-295 – 895; 7, Houston 305-299-298 – 902; 8, Idaho 313-296-298 – 907; 9, Seton Hall 306-307298 – 911; 10, Oklahoma City 309-304-308 – 921; 11, Western Kentucky 314-306-305

– 925; 12 (tie), Marquette 311-316-301 – 928 and Missouri-Kansas City 314-305-309 – 928; 14, South Dakota 319-324-314 – 957.

Individual leaders: 1, Nate Barbee (KU) 74-69-68 – 211; 2, Jace Long (Mo.) 71-71-72 – 214; 3 (tie), Eric Meier (Ill. St.) 71-73-72 – 216 and Philipp Fendt (La.-L) 75-69-72 – 216; 5, Tommy Bliefnick (Ill. St.) 71-72-74 – 217; 6 (tie), Ben Blundell (OU) 75-73-70 – 218, Kyle Pritchard (La.-L) 7575-68 – 218 and Ryan Castanet (SH) 75-7568 – 218.

Other scores: Ian Anson (KU) 78-73-70 – 221, Chris Wilson (OU) 75-74-73 – 222, Chris Gilbert (KU) 74-75-73 – 222, Michael Palmer (OCU) 71-75-76 – 222, Riley Pumphrey (OU) 72-75-75 – 222, Patrick Roth (KU) 78-73-71 – 222, Davis Lee (OU) 76-7375 – 224, Liam Logan (OU) 69-79-77 – 225, Bryan Hackenberg (KU) 74-76-76 – 226, Jeff Bell (KU) 73-81-77 – 231, Julien Valenciana (OCU) 76-77-78 – 231.

BOB HURLEY AUTO ORU SHOOTOUT At Golf Club of Okla., Broken Arrow (par-72) Sept. 28-29 Team scores: 1, Texas State 311-294297 – 902; 2, Missouri State 308-299-305 – 912; 3, Sam Houston State 314-302-304 – 920; 4, Stephen F. Austin State 306-316-299 – 921; 5, Tulsa 299-313-314 – 926; 5, Tulsa 299-313-314 – 926; 6, Northern Iowa 314300-313 – 927; 7, Oral Roberts 309-312-311 – 932; 8 (tie), Centenary 321-315-316 – 952 and Northern Illinois 320-318-314 – 952; 10, Louisiana-Monroe 325-312-316 – 953; 11, North Dakota State 329-325-318 – 972; 12, Houston Baptist 335-339-318 – 992.

Individual leaders: 1, Jay McBride (MS) 75-73-67 –- 215; 2, Kyle Robbins (SFA) 75073-74 – 222; 3 (tie), Michael Carnes (TS) 73-76-75 – 224, Will Hogan (MS) 76-73-75 – 224 and Scott Kelly (SHS) 77-72-75 – 224; 6, Jeff Gerlich (TS) 77-69-80 – 226; 7 (tie), Terence Begnel (ORU) 79-75-73 – 227 and Jeff Dick (NI) 79-73-75 – 227.

Other scores: Kyle Spencer (ORU) 7575-79 – 229, Rob Laird (TU) 73-79-77 – 229, Andre Tourinho (TU) 76-77-77 – 230, Arie Fauzi (TU) 74-83-76 – 233, Chris Worrell (TU) 76-78-84 – 238, Jake Spencer (ORU) 80-78-82 – 240, Tyler DuBay (ORU) 79-8478 – 241, Brad Beeson (TU) 81-79-84 – 244, Shannon Allen (ORU) 76-87-81 – 244.

PING-GOLFWEEK PREVIEW At Olympic Course at Gold Mountain, Bremerton, Wash. (par72) Sept. 27-29 Team leaders (15 teams): 1, Oklahoma State 290-287-285 – 862; 2, Washington 295-294-295 – 884; 3, Arizona State 300-293296 – 889; 4, North Carolina State 297-301295 – 893; 5, Texas A&M 302-300-293 – 895; 6, New Mexico 304-297-295 – 896; 7, Southern Cal 305-287-305 – 897; 8 (tie), TCU 305304-294 – 893 and UNLV 309-289-305 – 903; 10, Louisiana State 299-293-316 – 908; 11, Kent State 301-303-305 – 909; 12, Alabama 305-295-311 – 911; 13, Colorado State 305300-308 – 913; 14, Chattanooga 306-297-314 – 917; 15, Indiana 319-301-313 – 933.

Individual leaders: 1, Peter Uihlein (OSU) 69-71-71 – 211; 2, Morgan Hoffmann (OSU) 74-70-69 – 213; 3, Trent Whitekiller (OSU) 71-73-72 – 216; 4, Pontus Gad (TCU) 72-74-72 – 218; 5, Cameron Peck (Texas A&M) 76-71-72 – 219.

Other OSU scores: Kevin Tway 76-7973 – 228, Mark Johnson 78-73-82 –233.

THE WOLVERINE At Radrick Farms GC, Ann Arbor, Mich. (par-72)

Sept. 26-27 Team leaders (14 teams): 1, Michigan 277-278-285 – 840; 2, Arkansas 278-288281 – 847; 3, Louisville 293-285-278 – 856; 4, Baylor 285-289-287 – 861; 5, Minnesota 288-291-288 – 867; 6, Eastern Michigan 291290-288 – 867; 7, Iowa State 297-284-289 – 870; 8, Purdue 294-289-290 – 873.

Individual leaders: 1, Jamie Marshall (Ark.) 70-71-65 – 206; 2 (tie), Matt Thompson (Mich.) 69-70-68 – 207 and Lion Kim (Mich.) 69-67-71 – 207; 4 (tie), David Lingmerthy (Ark.) 71-70-67 – 208 and Jordan Elsen (Wisc.) 71-68-69 – 208.

Other Arkansas scores: Ethan Tracy 68-76-78 – 222, Ty Spinella 79-71-72 – 222, Austin Cook 69-78-77 – 224.

JIM COLBERT INTERCOLLEGIATE At Colbert Hills GC, Manhattan, Kan. (par-72) Sept. 21-22 Team scores: 1, Kansas State 287-282 – 569; 2, Kansas 297-294 – 591; 3 (tie), Illinois State 295-301 – 596; 4, Missouri-Kansas City 302-297 – 599; 5 (tie), Western Illinois 308-302 – 610 and Florida Gulf Coast 321289 – 610; 7, Missouri State 315-300 – 615; 8, Oral Roberts 317-300 – 617; 9, South Dakota State 338-303 – 641.

Individual leaders: 1, Joe Ida (KSU) 70-70 – 140; 2, Mitchell Gregson (KSU) 7170 – 141; 3 (tie), Nate Barbee (KU) 69-73 – 142 and Kyle Peterman (WI) 70-72 – 142; 5 (tie), Jeff Bell (KU) 75-69 – 144 and Tommy Bliefnick (IS) 73-71 – 144; 7, Joe Kinney 75-71 – 146.

Other scores: Bryan Hackenberg (KU) 75-72 – 147, Curtis Yonke (KSU) 71-76 – 147, Jason Schulte (KSU) 74-73 – 147, Alex Gutesha (KU) 77-71 – 148, Kyle Spencer (ORU) 77-71 – 148, Jake Spencer (ORU) 77-72 – 149.

SAM HALL INTERCOLLEGIATE At Hattisburg (Miss.) CC (par-71) Sept. 14-15 Team leaders: (15 tea,s): 1, Southeastern Louisiana 281-284-280 – 845; 2 (tie), Memphis 277-285-284 – 846 and New Orleans 289-270-287 – 846; 4, Arkansas State 280-283-291 – 854; 5 (tie), Kennesaw State 284-286-285 – 855 and Louisiana-Lafayette 284-288-283 – 855; 7, Southern Mississippi 286-292-278 – 856; 8, Mississippi State 290283-284 – 857; 9, Louisiana Tech 291-285284 – 860; 10, Arkansas-Little Rock 280294-287 – 861.

Individual leaders: 1, Jeff Karlsson (Kenn. St.) 71-67-65 – 203; 2, Cedric Scotto (SE La.) 69-69-66 – 204; 3, Lloyd du Preez (ASU) 68-68-69 – 205.

Other scores: Dylan Raines (UALR) 65-72-74 – 211, Linus Gillgren (UALR) 7173-71 – 215, Sebasian Gunnarsson (UALR) 71-76-69 – 216, Tyler Thompson 75-68-73 – 216.

GOPHER INVITATIONAL At Spring Hill GC, Wayzata, Minn. (par-72) Sept. 13-14 Team leaders (12 teams): 1, SMU 285-290-280 – 855; 2, Arkansas 296-281-288 – 865; 3, Minnesota 292-285-295 – 872; 4, Charlotte 298-281-296 – 875; 5, Iowa 294294-290 – 878; 6, Notre Dame 302-286-293 – 881.

Individual leaders: 1, Kelly Kraft (SMU) 67-70-64 – 201; 2, Ben Pisani (Minn.)

65-71-73 – 209; 3, David Lingmerth (Ark.) 75-69-68 – 212; 4 (tie), Ethan Tracy (Ark.) 72-71-72 – 215, Vince India (Iowa) 75-70-70 – 215 and Andy Savejic (Charlotte) 74-7071 – 215.

Other Arkansas scores: Austin Cook

South Central Golf Magazine

Schedules and Results 70-74-76 – 220, Jamie Marshall 76-70-74 – 220, Ty Spinella 78-71-74 – 223, Dalton Owens 73-73-80 – 226.

WOMEN MARILYNN SMITH SUNFLOWER INVITATIONAL At Alvamar GC, Lawrence, Kan. (par-72) Sept. 28-29 Team scores: 1, Tulsa 309-302-290 – 901; 2, Arkansas 308-305-291 –- 904; 3, Kansas State 329-313-305 – 947; 4, Illinois State 329-309-310 – 948; 5, Wichita State 322323-307 – 952; 6, Kansas 324-325-305 – 954; 7, Oral Roberts 346-314-307 – 967; 8, St. John’s 352-316-304 – 972; 9, Creighton 339-330-311 – 980; 10, Northern Iowa 347-326309 – 982; 11, Missouri-Kansas City 353-337-314 – 1,004; 12, Houston Baptist 368-339-333 – 1,040.

Individual leaders: 1, Kelli Shean (Ark.) 74-68-67 – 209; 2, Kristina Merkle (TU) 78-66-70 – 214; 3, Marita Engzelius (TU) 78-78-71 – 227; 4 (tie), Kristin Ingram (Ark.) 79-75-75 – 229, Shu Lin Yiu (TU) 74-80-75 – 229 and Renee Cloutier (St. John’s) 79-75-75 – 229; 7 (tie), Hanna Ross (KSU) 78-78-75 – 231, Emily Powers (KU) 80-78-73 – 231 and Corinna Rees (Ark.) 79-77-75 – 231; 10 (tie), Sarah Elliot (TU) 79-79-74 – 232, Alexandra Schulte (Ark.) 7877-77 – 232 and Adin Stromgren (WSU) 77-79-76 – 232.

Other scores: Paige Osterloo (KSU) 78-80-75 – 233, Katy Nugent (Ark.) 77-85-72 – 234, Elise Houtz (KSU) 8577-72 – 234, Kylie Bollenbach (ORU) 87-76-73 – 236, Crystal Reeves (ORU) 80-80-77 – 237, Morgan Moon (KSU) 8277-78 – 237, Abby Allford (TU) 80-79-79 – 238, Ami Storey (KSU) 80-77-81 – 238.

MASON RUDOLPH CHAMPIONS At Vanderbilt Legends Club, Franklin, Tenn.

Sept. 25-27 Team leaders (17 teams): 1, Southern Cal 278-282 – 560; 2, UCLA 284-278 – 562; 3, Auburn 278-285 – 563; 4 (tie), Duke 283-282 – 565 and Arizona State 280-285 – 565; 6, Louisiana State 286-283 – 569; 7, Alabama 280290 – 570; 8, Oklahoma State 285-286 – 571; 9, Georgia 285-288 – 573; 10, Arizona 286-290 – 576.

Individual leaders: 1, Jennifer Song (USC) 66-66 – 132; 2 (tie), Cydney Clanton (Aub.) 67-68 – 135, Sydnee Michaels (UCLA) 70-65 -- 135 and Marina Alex (Vand.) 6867 – 135; 5, Margarita Ramos (Ariz.) 68-69 – 137; 6, Victoria Park (OSU) 71-67 – 138.

Other OSU scores: Caroline Hedwall 71-71 – 142, Courtney McKim 71-73 – 144, Jane Rah 72-75 – 147, Hillary Wood 74-76 – 150.

CHIP-N-CLUB INVITATIONAL At Wilderness Ridge, Lincoln, Neb. (par-72) Sept. 14-15 Team leaders (14 teams): 1, Missouri 299-291-288 –878; 2,, Nebraska 3040290-295 – 889; 3, Kansas 301-295299 – 895; 4, Arkansas-Little Rock 303-306-291 – 900; 5, Sacramento State 300-294-310 – 904; 6, Illinois State 306307-296 – 909; 7, Kansas State 305-305-306 – 916; 8, Wichita State 315-306-304 – 925; 9, Missouri State 318-304-305 – 927; 10, Arkansas State 315-316-306 – 937.

Individual leaders: 1, Amy Anderson (NDS) 69-7269 – 210; 2, Emily Powers (KU) 70-72-71 – 213; 3, Julie Shutler (Sac. St.) 70-72-72 – 214; 4 (tie), Ahnna Kim (Mo.) 75-72-70 – 217, Michelle Morgan (Mo.) 72-72-73 – 217 and Julia Potter (Mo.) 73-74-70 – 217; 7, Mallory Fraiche (UALR) 71-75-72 – 218.

Other scores: Jennifer Welch (ASU) 72-77-74 – 223, Cassie Huffer (ASU) 74-79-73 – 226, Hannah Martin (WSU) 78-75-73 – 226, Elise Houtz (KSU) 75-74-77 – 226, Grace Thiry (KU) 78-74-74 – 226, Kalynd Carson (KU) 75-77-76 – 228, Meghan Gockel (KU) 78-72-78 – 228, Ami Storey (KSU) 75-79-75 – 229, Daniela Vial (UALR) 76-7678 – 230, Gretchen Huhnerkoch (WSU) 79-75-77 – 231, Megan Vaughn (UALR) 80-78-73 – 231.

GOLFWEEK CONFERENCE CHALLENGE At Primm Valley Resort, Primm, Nev. (par-72) Sept. 13-15 Team leaders (18 teams): 1, Pepperdine 298-295288 – 881; 2, California 300-292-290 – 882; 3, Chattanooga 296-294-293 – 883; 4, Ohio State 298-300-286 – 884; 5, Oklahoma State 295-298-293 – 886; 6, Cal-Irvine 307-297-286 – 890; 7 (tie), Harvard 310-303-291 – 904 and Nevada-Las Vegas 304-300-300 – 904; 9 (tie), Oral Roberts 310-311-294 – 915 and East Tennessee State 302-307-306 – 915.

Individual leaders: 1, Caroline Hedwall (Okla. St.) 68-72-67 – 207; 2, Joy Trotter (UCI) 73-71-68 – 212; 3 (tie),

South Central Golf Magazine

Christine Wolf (Chatt.) 71-73-72 – 216 and Pia Halbig (Cal) 76-69-71 – 216.

Other scores: Crystal Reeves (ORU) 73-77-73 – 223.

Jane Rah (Okla. St.) 74-72-77 – 223, Victoria Park (Okla.

St.) 77-74-74 – 225, Amber Hensley (ORU) 82-77-72 – 231, Courtney McKim (Okla. St.) 76-80-75 – 231, Megan O’Connell (ORU) 80-79-76 – 235, Kylie Bollenbach (ORU) 77-87-73 – 237, Rachel Romack (ORU) 80-78-82 – 240, Hillary Wood (Okla. St.) 85-88-77 – 250.

The MO MORIAL At Traditions GC, Bryan, Texas (par-72) Sept. 11 Team scores: 1, Texas A&M 290; 2, Tulane 297; 3, Tulsa 299; 4, Texas-San Antonio 307; 5, Oklahoma 309; 6 (tie), Sam Houston State and Southern Mississippi 314; 8, Texas State 322; 9, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 325; 10, Texas-Pan American 335; 11, Troy 338.

Individual leaders: 1 (tie), Julia Boland (Texas A&M) and Sarah Beth Davis (Texas A&M) 70; 3 (tie), Kristina Merkle (Tulsa), Ellen Mueller (OU), Janine Fellows (Tulane) and Samantha Troyanovich 72; 7, Shu Yin Liu (Tulsa) 73.

Other scores: Brooke Collins (OU) 75, Kelly Fuchik (Tulsa) 77, Sarah Elliot 77, Marita Engzelius (Tulsa) 79, Aly Seng (OU) 81, Andrea Sellmyer (OU) 81, Ryanne Elmer (OU) 81.

OTHER AMATEUR ARKANSAS STATE GOLF ASSOCIATION SENIOR STROKE PLAY At Greystone CC (Cypress Creek) (par-72) Aug. 28-30 1, Stanford Lee 74-69-73 – 216; 2, John Vinson 69-7474 – 217; 3 (tie), Paul Jensen 70-74-74 – 218 and Roger Clement 73-71-74 –- 218; 5, Oscar Taylor 71-75-73 – 219; 6 (tie), Bev Hargraves 75-72-74 – 221, Bruce Dickey 79-7171 – 221 and Ken Golden 73-71-77 – 221; 9, John Mayes 75-76-73 – 224; 10, Mike Hart 78-74-74 – 226.

Super seniors: 1, Glenn Hickey 69-69-72 – 210;; 2, Charles Abinante 67-77-74 – 218; 3 (tie), Jack Jordan 74-

74-78 – 226 and Ralph Williams 77-75-74 – 226; 5, Sam McAllister 76-78-81 – 235.

KANSAS GOLF ASSOCIATION HIGH PLAINS AMATEUR At Southwind CC, Garden City Aug. 29-30 1, Sean Thayer 72-68 – 140 (won playoff); 2, Nate Sargent 70-70 – 140; 3, Michael Gellerman 70-71 – 141; 4, Derek Harrison 69-73 – 142; 5 (tie), Pete Krsnich 7271 – 143, Steve Newman 72-71 – 143 and Tyler Cummins 71-72 – 143.

KANSAS SENIOR AMATEUR At Leawood South CC Aug. 24-25 Championship: 1, Don Kuehn 74-73 – 147; 2 (tie), Ben York 73-75 – 148, Bryan Norton 73-75 – 148, Mike Shelton 73-75 – 148 and Steve Groom 76-72 – 148; 6 (tie), Johnny Stevens 76-73 – 149 and Bob Hartmann 73-76 – 149; 8 (tie), Don Cox 78-72 – 150 and Rob Gleissner 75-75 – 150; 10 (tie), Andy Smith 76-77 – 153, Jim Doyle 76-77 – 153 and Richard Stuntz 79-74 – 153.

OKLAHOMA GOLF ASSOCIATION MID-AMATEUR At Stillwater CC (par-70) Aug, 17-18 1, Jay Betchan 68; 2 (tie), Heath Myers and Michael Hughett 69; 4, Matt Rison 70; 5, Chris Lee 71; 6 (tie), Brian McGreevy and Shawn Barker 72; 8, Jon Valuck 73.

STROKE PLAY At The Trails GC, Norman (par-70) Aug. 3-5 1, Colby Shrum 62-67-73 – 202; 2, Rob Laird 67-70-67 – 204; 3 (tie), Bret Leavell 70-69-66 – 205, Geoff Shaw 6570-70 – 205, Austin Quinten 70-64-72 -- 206 and Zac Pool 66-72-68 – 206; 7, Nathan Chambers 66-72-70 – 208; 8, Phillip Bryan 70-73-66 – 209; 9 (tie), Trent Whitekiller 6968-73 – 210 and Rick Bell 74-65-71 – 210.

The Oklahoma GCSA: Keeping Oklahoma’s golf courses compatible with our natural environment.

1911 West Rockport Place Broken Arrow, Oklahoma 74012 www.okgcsa.com • 1-800-936-7071

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South Central Golf Magazine