2009 April / May Issue of South Central Golf

April-May 2009 Vol. 16, No. 2

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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 the official publication of the South Central Section of the PGA of America, which includes all of Oklahoma, and southern Kansas. The magazine is endorsed by 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 918280-0787 or on the website. We also welcome your letters and comments via e-mail.

Major projects underway in section Oak Tree bares its fangs again.....................8 Greens restored at Oak Tree East..............10 Bryan is the man at Patriot Golf Club........12 A new year, a new ice storm......................13 Village Creek opens doors........................13 Cottonwood Hills leaves hibernation.........14 Bob Tway breaks 50.................................16 Wes McNulty dominates Arkansas golf.....17 Destinations The British Isles.......................................19 Southern Colorado. ..............................23 Gil Morgan and the Taylormade R9..........26 PGA Show.............................................27 Golf and the Economy.............................28 Columns 29 Jay Fox - ASGA 29 Brady Finton - GCSAA 30 Instruction Zone 32 Barry Thompson - PGA 33 Gene Mortensen - Rules 35 Steve Eckroat - OGA 35 Kim Richey - KGA

Departments 6 Around the Section 37 Schedules and Results On the Cover Four Mile Ranch (top), Pennard Golf Club and Cougar Canyon featured inside.

Yes, you still have to hit the ball.

Forest Ridge Golf Club has Precedent Club Cars equipped with Uplink GPS. Features include…

• A Large 10” Widescreen Display

• Precise Distance Measurements

• Advanced Graphics

• In Cart Food Ordering from Café Savannah’s

• 2-Way Communication with the Pro Shop

• Real-Time Leaderboard for Tournaments

This GPS does everything except hit the ball for you. The only course in the area to have this technology is — Forest Ridge!

And don’t forget the Forest Ridge Club Card allows you to enjoy all the benefits at reduced rates with a complimentary first round. Call us or visit our website for more information.

7501 E. Kenosha • 918-357-2282 • www.forestridge.com South Central Golf Magazine

AROUND THE SECTION It’s a family affair

Hillcrest Golf Course in Bartlesville is one course that has stopped endless discussion about how to get more families involved in golf and taken action to promote that.

The popular public course has devoted Sunday afternoons to encouraging families to participate with the following offer: A foursome of mom, dad and two kids can play for $20, total.

In conjunction with that, the course is running special clinics at 5 p.m. Sundays on the driving range with the design being to teach parents how to teach their children to play.

“We’ve been losing a lot of golfers to other sports and family activities,” said PGA professional Bobby Lee. “My concept is if you’ve got the mom hooked, you’ve got the whole family hooked. And we want to make it as cost effective and fun as possible for the family to get started.

“It’s real important as professionals for us to help the parents learn how to teach the kids. We do a lot of drills and that makes it easy for them. In fact, once the kids know how to do the drill, they can help the parents, which happens a lot.”

For more information on Hillcrest’s Sunday family programs, call the course at 918333-0687 or go to www.hillcrestok.com.

Kang in Hall of Fame

D.W. Kang, PGA professional and owner of Clary Fields Golf Course in Sapulpa, will be inducted into the Tae Kwon-Do Hall of Fame in ceremonies April 10 in Teaneck, N.J. Kang, a Tae Kwon-Do grand master, owns and operates martial arts academies in Tulsa, Arkansas and worldwide. He was also the publisher of the world’s first English Tae Kwon-Do magazine, called Traditional Tae Kwon-Do, first published in 1975.

In addition to martial arts, Kang has long had a passion for golf and turned that into a vocation in the 1990s, building and operating a course called Glen Eagles in Broken Arrow and at the same time earning his Class A PGA membership.

Kang eventually sold Glen Eagles to developers who turned the course into home sites. He purchased Clary Fields in 2007 and added a new clubhouse in 2008.

The Tae Kwon-Do Hall of Fame was established in 2007 and Kang’s class is the second to be inducted. Tae Kwon-Do was established as its own discipline of the martial arts by Korean Gen. Choi Hong Hi in 1955.

Kang was scheduled to be inducted in the first class in 2007, but the organizers were unable to locate him.

In addition to his extensive duties at the

D.W. Kang to be inducted into Hall of Fame. golf course, Kang finds time to stay involved in Tae Kwon-Do, teaching black belt courses, seminars, discipline clinics and doing the testing for black belts.

South Central Golf Magazine

AROUND THE SECTION Section starts foundation

The PGA South Central Section is in the process of establishing a foundation to help with community outreach and charitable activities.

Cimarron Grubb, head professional at Belmar Golf Club in Norman and vice president of the section, said the foundation is overdue.

“We’ve been wanting to do this for a long time, This gives us a vehicle to get out in the community and promote charitable activities based around the game of golf.”

Section professionals will undertake several activities to raise funds for the foundation and the public can participate as well.

In June, facilities across the section will host a golf marathon in which the pro will play 100 holes of golf in a day and raise money through pledges. The goal for each course is $5,000, which would mean the pro and 49 others pledging a dollar per hole.

A pro-am is scheduled June 29 at Belmar Golf Club, sponsored by Callaway Golf and Riverwind Casino, in which the section hopes to raise close to $30,000 for the foundation.

Individuals can also become foundation members for a $30 contribution. Members will receive a section bag tag and be on a list for special e-mail blasts with special offers.

The board for the foundation will determine specific charities for the foundation in the next few months.

“We want to get the PGA South Central Section name out there,” Grubb said. “Anything we can do to get the logo and the South Central name out there will help these guys in their jobs as well.”

Blevins to coach RSU

Former Southeastern Conference and Big Ten Conference Coach of the Year Lynn Blevins has been named the first men’s and women’s golf coach at Rogers State University.

Blevins brings 15 years of head-coaching experience at the NCAA Division I level to the Hillcats. He guided the men’s golf programs at the University of Oklahoma, the University of Florida and the University of Iowa over a 15-year period before transitioning to the private golf business sector in 1994. He led the Gators to an SEC Championship in 1985 and spurred the Hawkeyes to a Big Ten crown in 1992. Now, after a 15year hiatus, Blevins returns to his coaching roots to develop a brand new program.

“I’m really excited to get back into coaching,” Blevins said. “It’s a rare opportunity to start a new program and put a footprint or a signature on that

South Central Golf Magazine

program. I’m really looking forward to the challenge.”

Blevins currently serves as the director of golf operations at Scissortail Golf Club in Verdigris, Okla. He heads the Buffalo Golf Group, Inc., which took over management of the course in May 2008. As president and CEO of the BGG, Blevins has overseen the construction, start-up and management operation of five golf courses over the past 15 years.

Sept. 11-13 at a site to be released April 15.

The top six places in each age group from Dallas and Tulsa will advance to the Southwest Championship, held Oct. 10-11 at Winstar Golf Course just north of the TexasOklahoma border.

Tulsa Golf cards on sale

The Billy Casper-managed city of Tulsa golf courses have a new discount program.

Golfers can purchase an Eagle Pass for $300 for Mohawk Park or an Eagle Pass Plus for New junior event slated $450 for Mohawk Park and Page Belcher.

The first Southwest Junior Open will be Both passes award unlimited greens fees played July 17-19 at The Tribute Golf Club Monday through Friday and after 11 a.m. and The Golf Club at Castle Hills in Dallas. on weekends and holidays. Also offered is Open to boys and girls aged 8-18, the a Par Card Plus for $30 which offers a $3 Southwest Junior Open (SJO) promises to discount on all rounds at all times on both be an annual classic with major champi- courses. Go to tulsagolf.org for more inforonship appeal. Junior Golf Scoreboard, a mation. leader in junior golf rankings and results, acknowledges the SJO as a ranked tourna- First Tee promotes LPGA ment. They also have partnerships with the All session tickets to the P&G Beauty Pepsi Little People Golf Championships.

Northwest Arkansas LPGA tournament Founded in 2009 by Universal Golf Solu- can be purchased through the First Tee of tions (UGS), the entry fee is $240 and in- Northwest Arkansas for $50 and the First cludes an attractive tournament package. Tee will retain all monies as a donation from Registration opens April 17 and registration the tournament. Go to www.thefirstteenwar. deadline is June 5. For more information, org to order. visit universalgolfsolutions.com.

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New Courses and Renovations

The menace is back Rebuilt Oak Tree will be a plush but stern test for world’s best golfers

By Ken MacLeod

greens and require that they have a good short game to play the course well.”

Dobson, along with partner Ed Evans, purchased Oak Tree in 2007 from Don Mathis. With some help from an assessment of the membership, they have paid for an extensive renovation designed to restore Oak Tree to its full glory or perhaps surpass any previous incarnation.

The 1976 Pete Dye design was the site of the 1988 PGA Championship. PGA officials, wary of a bloodbath due to Oak Tree’s reputation, softened the course prior to the event. Then came a hot, humid week with no wind and soft greens and a winning score of 12-under shot by Jeff Sluman, at that time second lowest in PGA Championship history. Though the PGA was pleased with the site and attendance and wanted to return as early as 1994, the course’s reputation as a monster took a hit.

Members know better. They also know that some of the monster’s teeth were removed in 2002 when a renovation of the back nine by architect and member Mark Hayes, following the guidelines of thenowner Mathis, led to some less penal areas

on and around the greens.

Well, the fangs are back. Head professional Steve Kimmel estimates the renovation of the back nine alone will add three to four shots to a typical member’s score.

Like the front nine, which Dye himself renovated after Hayes’ work on the back nine became a source of controversy within the Oak Tree confines, the back nine greens now show no mercy to the slightly errant shot.

“I think they want to see you cry,” said Champions Tour star Gil Morgan, who has played out of Oak Tree since it opened.

Areas in the back of greens that rose slightly to serve as a backstop now fall away. Slopes to the side of greens that once served to direct balls onto greens, such as to the right of holes 13, 14 and 16, will now route balls to the bottom of greenside basins that will require a Master’s Degree in pitching and chipping to save the occasional par.

Dye walked the back nine for four hours and gave his blessings to the plans outlined by the ownership group. The construction and shaping work were done by Course Crafters of Georgia.

“The idea was it would require you to make good shots to make good scores,” Dobson said. “On hole 13 (a short par-3 over water), if you don’t hit the green with an 8or 9-iron, you shouldn’t get a rebound. All the design playability changes are consistent with our philosophy.”

One of the highlights of the renovation is not the design specifics, it is the complete replacement of the patchwork fairways with U-3 Bermuda. The U-3 is from Riverview Sod Farm in Bixby and is the same strain of Bermuda used recently in renovations at Southern Hills Country Club in

Everett Dobson disagrees with the notion that the newly renovated Oak Tree Golf Club in Edmond, Okla., will be harder than ever.

“At one time, Oak Tree had one of the two or three highest slope ratings in the nation,” said Dobson, one of the new ownership partners. “It will be three or four shots easier when we’re completed than it was when it was at its most difficult, comparatively.”

Tripp Davis, the Norman-based architect who acted as a consultant on the Oak Tree rebuild, concurs, noting that some native areas still have not been restored and that the tremendous gains in distance afforded by ball and club technology counterbalance the efforts to put the bite back in the Pete Dye classic.

Perhaps. It will be interesting to see how the back tee slope rating of 144, second highest in the state currently behind Karsten Creek’s astronomical 152, changes after the Oklahoma Golf Association rates the course prior to its July reopening. The Blessings in Johnson, Ark., has the section’s highest slope at 153.

The redesign, particularly of the back nine, by the ownership group of Dobson and Ed Evans, with much input from touring professionals Scott Verplank and Bob Tway along with Davis, has brought exacting, major championship demands back to Oak Tree.

“The objective was to separate at a major championship level those who are playing well from those who are scraping it around,” Davis said. “If you come in to Oak Tree in a tournament situation and your iron play is off, you will have a hard time making pars.”

This was accomplished not by adding any length to the holes or severity to the greens, but by increasing the difficulty of staying on the greens and ramping up the penalty for missing the greens through the addition of numerous collection basins.

“You can’t combat length (of the players) with length (of the golf course),” Davis said.

“You can combat it with making players make strategic choices off the tee, on the A new stream on the par-4 14th hole will test the Oak Tree members. Photo by Rip Stell

South Central Golf Magazine

New Courses and Renovations “Oak Tree is a classic golf course and we wanted to restore many of the elements that made it a classic,” Dobson said.

Members with average games will pay the price, but they embrace that challenge.

Davis noted that at difficult venues such as Winged Foot or Oakmont, members are constantly pushing for the most challenging conditions.

“Oak Tree is one of those unique places where it is about championship golf,” Davis said. “The tradeoff for the members is they experience the same challenge as the world’s best players.”

As for the back nine, Kimmel said players will no longer breathe a sign of relief upon making the turn.

On the par-4 10th, that pesky tree in the middle of the fairway is gone, but six new bunkers on the left and a huge waste area with native grasses on the right will focus your attention on the middle of the fairway.

The catch basins or collection areas begin Oak Tree superintendant Brett Proctor keeps a close eye on the renovation. Photo by Rip Stell on this hole and continue throughout.

Golfers will also notice that the signature Tulsa and by Cedar Ridge Country Club in ing more cold and heat tolerant and disease Dye look of using railroad ties is gone from Broken Arrow. and drought resistant than hybrid varieties. this hole and almost the entire course.

This U-3 is a descendant of the grass that Along with the new fairways came new The par-4 11th has a new bunker and the was in the Houston Astrodome. It provides irrigation, rebuilding of bunkers and the ad- back of the perched green now slopes away a finer blade and more consistent density dition of up to 14 new bunkers and the resand color than common Bermuda, while be- toration of many native grass areas.

Please see OAK, Page 34

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New Courses and Renovations

Bigger is better for new greens at Oak Tree East Director of Golf Mark Fuller shows off the rebuilt greens at Oak Tree East, which have been expanded back to their original dimensions. Photo by Rip Stell

By Ken MacLeod

Course is to continue to be a championship course that can provide a great challenge to professionals in events like the Oklahoma Open, but also be somewhat kind to members who play from the proper tee on a daily basis.

“We want this to be challenging, but not so challenging it beats up the members,” Fuller said.

The revamp includes a new pond on the fifth hole and possibly a new pond fronting the green on seven.

The greens were not cored out, but just taken down to the sand and gravel layers and rebuilt. Contours will be very similar to the original Pete Dye designs. Some of the swales around the greens have been rebuilt to allow for easier maintenance and less mowing.

All play on Oak Tree this spring is on the West Course. Considering the country club has close to 750 golfing members, including a recent influx from nearby Oak Tree Golf Club, the West Course will be exceptionally busy this spring until the East reopens in July.

The East Course at Oak Tree Country Club is getting quite a facelift. Some of it planned, some not so much.

While closed this spring to rebuild all 18 greens to their original size, the course has survived a Feb. 11 tornado that destroyed numerous trees on the property as well as Tornado misses clubhouse many surrounding homes, and then in the A tornado spun just yards away from the last week of March straight line winds of Oak Tree Country Club clubhouse on Feb. up to 70 mph that knocked over close to 50 11 while terrified neighbors and golf-course more trees on the property. employees huddled in hallways and in the Director of Golf Mark Fuller and archiOak Tree cart facility beneath the pro shop. tect Mark Hayes expect that, with no furThere were no injuries at the course or in ther interruptions from Mother Nature, the the heavily damaged surrounding neighborEast Course will reopen to members in July hoods. There was extensive tree damage to with greens the size members have not seen the course, which also lost its scoreboard since the early 1980s.

Hayes used a probe to find the gravel layer underground that denoted the original green dimensions. Many had shrunk by 12-15 feet in all directions as the encroaching Bermuda grass ate into the bent-grass greens over time. The rebuilt greens will often be several thousand square feet larger.

“It was amazing how much they had decreased in size over time,” Hayes said. “The new greens will offer a lot more pin placements.”

Greenside bunkers have been rebuilt and some steep contours have been modified to allow for easier maintenance. The new bent grass will be L-93.

The members will mostly notice the increased size of the greens, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be easier.

“It will make the golf course harder,” Fuller said. “You can hit the green easier, but you’ll be further away and the putt will be harder.”

Unlike the renovation across the street at Oak Tree Golf Club, the mandate at the East Many Oak Tree residents are forced to rebuild after the Feb. 11 tornado. Photo by Rip Stell

10

South Central Golf Magazine

New Courses and Renovations and a net on the driving range.

“It was pretty bad,” Fuller said. “There are a lot of trees around the clubhouse and chipping green that are down. The driving range was hit hard. The biggest area of damage is to all the trees on hole No. 10. And there are lots of other trees throughout the back nine that are down.”

Golfers were called off the course about 2 p.m. and the tornado went through close to 4 p.m.

Fuller said they could hear the tornado and feel the change in air pressure.

“You could see the ceiling tiles raise up and your ears were popping,” he said. “From where we were in the cart barn, it was probably no more than 50 yards away.”

Other courses nearby, including Rose Creek and Coffee Creek, were untouched by the tornado. Damage was slight at bordering Oak Tree Golf Club.

The tornado inflicted heavy damage on some houses while leaving others next door untouched. Such was the case for PGA Tour veteran Bob Tway, whose home on the 15th tee on the East Course was undamaged while two of his neighbor’s houses were destroyed.

“Oh, gosh. It was so close,” Tway said. “I feel so bad for those people who got hit. It’s just awful. We were just lucky, very fortunate.”

Golf course construction and renovation.

Athletic fields.

Parks and recreation.

All the bells and whistles

New teaching center is a high-tech wonderland

By Ken MacLeod The membership at Oak Tree Golf Club will need some help to deal with the rigors of the newly renovated course.

E.J. Pfister, one of Golf Magazine’s Top 100 Teachers, will be there to help, armed with a battalion of sophisticated teaching aids and operating from a plush new teaching center at the back of the Oak Tree driving range.

Pfister, the 1988 NCAA champion for Oklahoma State, is also the director of instruction at Gaillardia Country Club in Oklahoma City and will be splitting his time. Jim Woodward will be doing some teaching out of Oak Tree working around his competitive career on the Champions Tour.

As for the tools at his disposal, Pfister said a golfer would have to go to the teaching centers of Titleist or Nike to find equivalent technology.

“This will be one of the most technologically advanced teaching centers in the country,” he said.

Among the devices at his disposal: • Track Man Launch Monitor which measures launch angles, spin rates, descent angles, mass apex, club path, angle of attack and much more.

• A K-Vest, which feeds information re-

garding upper and lower spine angles, pelvic tilt, arm measurements and more, focusing on the kinetic chain, which is the sequence in which your body parts fire in order to produce an efficient golf swing.

• SAM Putting Lab. This device measures 28 parameters of a putting stroke.

“It basically tells us everything we need to know about the stroke, including the timing, the technique and the consistency at which you repeat your stroke.”

• A new high-definition video camera system which has increased the frames per second from a standard of 30 to 300. Combined with the high definition, golfers can now get a crystal-clear view of their swing faults in high-def slow motion, if they can stand to watch.

Pfister said it’s important for students not to be intimidated by all the technology.

“This is so the instructor can get information as accurately as possible without guessing. And not only do these things help diagnose the problems, they all have training settings to help the students hone their swings.”

The membership is going to need to be sharp to enjoy the renovated course.

“It’s going to be phenomenal, but very difficult,” he said. “Hopefully they’ll all play the right set of tees.”

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South Central Golf Magazine

The outside of the new teaching center at Oak Tree Golf Club.

11

New Courses and Renovations

Perfect timing

David Bryan lands a dream job without having to call the movers

By Ken MacLeod David Bryan had become quite comfortable in his role at the top assistant professional at Southern Hills Country Club.

The pay was good. He was close to family (his father Dave Bryan has been the head professional at Southern Hills for 21 years)`.

He had great relationships with the influential membership, many of whom were his students. And every so often, a rare perk would materialize, like caddying for Tiger Woods in an early-summer practice round for the 2007 PGA Championship.

Though the goal remained to be a head professional, Bryan looked up and suddenly 12 years had passed and he was turning 37.

“I stayed at Southern Hills longer than I had planned,’ Bryan said. “Some people thought I was just waiting for dad to retire.

But I had developed so many good friendships with members and I was teaching a lot. It’s just a great place to work.”

It was going to take a plum position to lure him away, and that’s exactly what happened when Dan Rooney called to discuss the head professional position at The Patriot, the new Robert Trent Jones II design nearing the final stages of completion in Owasso, just minutes north of Tulsa.

The ties between Southern Hills and The Patriot are already extensive. No sooner had Bryan become director of golf than he lured away Jeremy Dobson, a top assistant to Russ Myers, to be the superintendent.

Dobson had worked for superintendents Bob Randquist, John Szklinski and Myers in 10 years at Southern Hills, apt training for the challenges he will face in maintaining the distinctive environments at The Patriot, which swoops from upland prairie to holes squeezed by canyon walls.

“I knew what Jeremy was capable of and what he’s all about,” Bryan said. “He’s got a lot of the same interests and we’re friends.

A lot of times the relationship between the superintendent and golf pro is crucial. We will be able to work well together.”

There was a time in the early stages of planning for The Patriot that Rooney had anticipated handling the professional duties himself. That was before the F-16 jet fighter pilot and major in the Oklahoma Air National Guard conceived of Patriot Day and the Folds of Honor Foundation. The mission to help the families of servicemen killed or wounded in Iraq or Afghanistan now consumes a vast majority of his time.

The foundation will have a building next

to the clubhouse of The Patriot, overlooking the first hole with the Tulsa skyline in the distance. Due to the economy, it has been decided to construct the clubhouse in phases. Phase One with the pro shop and locker rooms will be first along with a pool.

The second phase will include room for extensive dining and meeting areas.

A late March visit to the course showed most of the fairways had been sodded with Meyer zoysia with Cavalier zoysia around the greens and bunkers. Many fairways will be framed by wispy blends of native grasses.

The greens have been seeded with a blend of A1 and A4 bent grass (same as Southern Hills) and should be playable by July.

The course still has a planned opening of July, but much remains to be done and late August to September may be more realistic.

That way it could experience some light play this fall while prospective members get a look and be ready to go full force in 2010.

Rooney is excited about his new team and the culmination of his dream course.

“David has a passion for what we’re doing out there,” Rooney said. “He wants to help make this the best club humanly possible.

That starts with the PGA golf professional.

“When you look at spending a lot of your life with someone, you want great character and integrity and I can say we got that with both David and Jeremy. Not to make it look like we’re the farm club for Southern Hills, but you look at that course and its expectations for quality, course conditions, service to members and we’re certainly on the same page. With those two, we’re putting together a world-class team that’s young, energetic and dynamic.”

David Bryan is the new Director of Golf at The Patriot Golf Club in Owasso.

12

South Central Golf Magazine

New Courses and Renovations

Ice, Ice again Northwest Arkansas courses recovering from winter blast

By Ken MacLeod Superintendents throughout Northwest Arkansas are looking on the bright side this spring. Literally.

A devastating ice storm on Jan. 26 and 27 has removed so much canopy that their turfgrasses are getting more light than they have in years.

“We’re considering removing a lot of fescue areas and replanting with Bermuda,” said Jason Cutty, superintendent at Springdale Country Club.

“We’ll have much more light and air circulation on the golf course, which should really improve turfgrass quality,” said Tom Jones, director of golf at The Blessings in Johnson, where more than 300 trees have been removed and the process of trimming more than 1,000 others is ongoing.

Using his crew, volunteers and a tree service, it took Cutty two weeks to reopen nine holes and four weeks to get all 18 open.

Thus far, 213 trees have been removed and more than 2,500 have been trimmed. At one

time there were 15 burn pits, each about 8,000 square feet, active on the site.

“Just about every tree was affected to some degree,” Cutty said. “The front nine, which is a traditional tree-lined course, was hardest hit. We’ve got a lot of trees we’ve left up with about half the canopy removed that we’ll have to reassess in the fall. We may have to take a lot more out eventually.”

Fayetteville Country Club also brought in an outside tree service which removed 146 trees and limbed up more than 1,400 of the approximately 1,700 trees on the property.

It took the course four weeks to open nine holes and a month to reopen all 18.

Head professional Bill Agler estimated cost of the cleanup at $250,000, but said his club was fortunate in that ice storms were specifically covered in their insurance policy.

Agler said only two trees that impacted play were lost. Many trees that were saved will have to be reevaluated next spring to determine if they will survive or have any chance of regaining a pleasing form.

The same tree company, Beaver Stump, also helped at nearby Paradise Valley, which also suffered massive loss of limbs.

Other courses hit hard included Stonebridge Meadows Golf Course in Fayetteville, Big Creek in Mountain Home, courses in Bella Vista, Indian Hills in Fairfield Bay as well as others in the vicinity.

A few miles could make a big difference.

Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers, currently undergoing a huge renovation, was not hit as hard as the courses a few miles south in Springdale and Fayetteville, while about 60

Mangled trees at Stonebridge Meadows GC. miles farther south courses in Fort Smith were spared significant damage.

Northeast Oklahoma courses, still reeling from ice storms in 2008 and 2007, were mostly spared.

Lang Zimmerman said his highly rated Big Creek Golf Club in Mountain Home experienced significant tree damage.

“Almost every major existing tree had some limbs crack off or had some kind of damage,” Zimmerman said.

Jones said that esthetically, golfers would not notice a great difference at The Blessings, despite the heavy loss of trees in forested areas.

“The canopy has been reduced about 1520 feet, but a lot of our trees were exceptionally tall,” he said.

Most of the trees cut down were on the periphery.

Village Creek opens doors The Resort at Village Creek, a 27-hole signature design by Andy Dye and constructed

by Oliphant Golf, opened nine holes this winter, nine more are scheduled to open in April and the third nine later this year.

The course was funded by the state of Arkansas and is located in Village Creek State Park on Crowley’s Ridge near Wynne in eastern Arkansas.

Village Creek Resorts, the management group running the course, has not been able to fund as yet original plans for cabins, a conference center and clubhouse, but the state park has cabins described as very nice by head professional Kevin Patterson, who came on board last summer to run Village Creek.

While the amenities take shape slowly, the course will be worthy of a visit from all, particularly those who enjoy a good challenge in the Dye tradition.

Andy Dye is the son of Roy Dye and is

South Central Golf Magazine

Pete Dye’s nephew. Here he made use of the rolling terrain and hardwood forests, carving out holes that travel over some 600 acres before winding back.

“Each nine is different,” Patterson said.

“The west nine is rolling with more than 125 feet of elevation change. The north nine is flatter and wooded. The east nine is my favorite and is kind of a combination of the two.

“All three nines are carved out of thick woods which really frame the golf course.

The trees are set back enough that it feels like you’re in a stadium.”

The greens are the Mini-Verde Bermuda variety and “are as fast as any you would ever want to putt,” Patterson said.

There are three lakes on the course, some split fairways, frequent areas where fairways drop off into natural hazards. There are five sets of tees and Patterson said the course is friendly to women and children.

The Resort at Village Creek opened this spring.

The course is just 20 minutes from Interstate 40. Greens fees are currently $55 weekdays with twilight rates at 1 p.m. of $27.50. Weekend rates are $75.

For more information or tee times, visit www.theresortatvillagecreek.com or call 1-870238-6500

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New Courses and Renovations

Back in business

Cottonwood Hills reopens

By Ken MacLeod

Cottonwood Hills, the Nick Faldo design built on rolling sand hills in Reno County near Hutchinson, Kan., will reopen April 15 after closing for the winter in December.

Developer Lane Neville, a Hutchinson native who lives in Scottsdale, Ariz., said the course will concentrate on its golf operations in 2009, while continuing to shore up financing for the long-delayed residential community.

Although Neville said that he has received more than 1,000 inquiries over the past four years about housing, original delays in securing financing for the infrastructure combined with the collapse of the loan market will push the advent of the real estate development into at least 2010.

Plans now are to produce another solid year of play on the highly-rated course, refinance the course loan in the fall and use the savings as surety to secure the financing for the infrastructure.

Cottonwood Hills planned to reopen on April 15 after closing for the winter.

“If all goes well, we should be selling lots this time next year,” Neville said.

Neville is battling more than the recession and crisis in the housing and loan markets.

Cottonwood Hills is also the fourth course in a city of under 50,000 already serviced by three quality course including the famed Prairie Dunes. Play out of Hutchinson has been limited. Neville said the course gets 65 percent of its play from Wichita, which is 30 to 45 minutes away depending on where one lives in the city. And nearly as much play out of Oklahoma as Hutchinson.

The quality of the golf course is the main thing Neville and his partners have in their favor in the long term. The course was ranked in the top 10 best new public course category by Golf Digest in 2008 and is a rare links-style treat for golfers in the heartland.

Combined with nearby Sand Creek Station in Newton, it’s a worthy golf trip for folks in Tulsa, Kansas City, Oklahoma City and elsewhere.

“We knew we had a special piece of property,” Neville said. “My partners and I basically just put blinders on and went ahead with building the course. We really did take a if-you-build-it, they-will-come philosophy.”

There were more than 17,000 rounds played at Cottonwood Hills in 2008 and Neville is hoping for more than 20,000 in 2009 despite the shortened season.

The course did lose its superintendent during the closing but Neville’s brother Brad oversaw the facility. Lane Neville said 90 percent of the maintenance staff is returning and the course will be in good shape for the reopening.

Fayetteville Links intriguing

we did with these greens,” Lyndy said. “I think they blend into the layout really well and he gave me a great assist in the design.

He brought us something entirely different with this course. There are a few greens that he showed us some pin settings like you will have at Augusta (National).

“He helped me understand that you don’t need big mounding in the greens. These are more subtle as far as shelves than what we’ve been building.”

Of course, the Lindsey Golf Management team has a hand in layouts all over the South these days. Lindsey has 15 regulation 18-hole layouts, five par-3 courses and, like the fun Fayetteville Links, there are 17 that are 9 holes in length. There is a driving range at Fayetteville Links, thanks to a lake and floating golf balls.

“I really get to have a lot of fun with our golf properties,” Lyndy said, “and I had a ton of fun building this project.”

This is where I will take my golf money in the future. It helps that it’s only a few blocks from home. It helps more that I like it.

By Clay Henry There is more golf in my future. I’ve picked my layout and it’s close to home, just off Wedington Drive. I’d visited the new Fayetteville Links just after the ice storm with course designer Lyndy Lindsey.

I’d been driving by the construction site for about six months when I realized this wasn’t a par-3 course, but a nine-hole layout with par of 35. It’s a chip shot under 3,000 yards. I became intrigued when Frank Broyles told me he’d conspired with Lyndy in the design of the greens and was proud of the result.

“I helped him build this course and it’s his best,” Broyles said. “Well, I only suggested some subtle ideas on the greens. I think golfers will really enjoy it.”

I did. First, there is more elevation change than I thought existed on the property.

There is some length, too. The greens fit the terrain with not a lot of dirt moved.

I absolutely love the first four holes, especially the par-3 third. It measures 186 from

14

the back tee, cut into a group of mature trees. The green is across a little valley with a small creek trickling across rocks through trees to the right. It doesn’t really come into play, but it provides true beauty.

The course is open, although some aspects won’t mature until early summer. It’s a layout that Lyndy beams about, partly because of the compliments that are flowing from Broyles and others.

“We’ve been told that this nine would fit with any 18-hole course in the area,” Lindsey said. “I think that’s right, too. I think there are some tougher holes here and some fun holes, too. No. 4 is as good as you’ll find anywhere.”

The length is there from the start. The first is 415, but should have the south wind at your back. The fourth will be a challenge every day. It is 391 with a ravine to cover off the tee and the prevailing wind will be left to right. The par-5 eighth is only 511 yards, but it will be a three-shot hole -- except for Clay Henry is the editor of Hawgs IllusLyndy -- since it points south. trated and a columnist for the Springdale “Coach Broyles was a big help with what Morning News.

South Central Golf Magazine

WCC lands Mid-Am Wichita Country Club has been selected as the site of the 2010 U.S. Women’s MidAmateur Championship. The dates of the championship will be Sept. 25-30.

“We are honored and thrilled to be able to host such a prestigious national championship,” said Cary Cozby, chief executive officer at Wichita C.C. “Our club has a long history in amateur golf, and we couldn’t be more excited for the city of Wichita.”

Wichita Country Club is the oldest private club in Kansas. Since its founding in 1900, it has produced several prominent figures in golf history, including former USGA President Judy Bell and John L. Powell, founder of the Kansas State Golf Association.

The 2010 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur will be the third USGA championship played at the club, following the 1955 U.S. Women’s Open, won by Fay Crocker, and the 1969 USGA Senior Amateur, won by Curtis Person Sr. The USGA had previously selected The Philadelphia Cricket Club in Flourtown, Pa., as the site of the 2010 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship. Due to an accelerated time line for a planned renovation to the club’s Wissahickon course, the club asked the USGA to be released from its obligation to host the championship.

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15

Bob Tway at the 2007 PGA Championship at Southern Hills Country Club.

“Where did the time go?”

Tway to turn 50, contemplates Champions Tour

By JOHN ROHDE In his youth, while Bob Tway was in the process of becoming one of the world’s premier golfers, he looked at the growing popularity of the PGA Senior Tour and thought it was a million miles away.

Guess who turns 50 years old on May 4?

“When you were a kid and you thought of somebody who was 50 years old, I mean, you thought they were on their deathbed,” Tway said with a chuckle. “It’s kind of weird to be at that age because I don’t feel much different than when I was 30 years old.

Where have all the years gone? It doesn’t make much sense.

“It’s hard to imagine. It’s funny, the other guys who are at this stage, we kind of look at each other like, ‘Where did the time go?’ “ Tway has several friends who recently joined the 50-and-older circuit.

Fellow Oak Tree touring pro Willie Wood (Oct. 1, 2010) isn’t far behind.

“I’ve talked to David (Edwards), Curtis (Strange), Jay (Haas), Joey (Sindelar), Jeff (Sluman) and Mike (Hulbert) a little bit, and they just love it,” Tway said. “They think it’s absolutely a ball.

“I think it’s a little bit more relaxed. From that standpoint, I just think everybody really enjoys it. Obviously, it’s still very com-

16

petitive. Those guys can all still play, and play well. But there are less people around and I think everything seems to run real smoothly.”

One of the biggest adjustments to joining the Champions Tour is becoming a rookie all over again, playing courses you have never played and traveling to places you’ve never been.

“That’s going to be a big change, no doubt about that,” Tway said. “Another big change is having to play in two pro-ams. I think the first year you’re on the (Champions) tour, you play in two pro-ams. That’ll be a change, but it’s a good way to get to know the courses, I guess.”

Only a handful of Champions Tour events are 72 holes. The others are 54 holes with no cut.

“I don’t think it really makes that much difference,” Tway said. “Obviously, you want to get off to a good start. At least in the 54hole events you’re not playing two days and going home (after a cut). At least you get to finish out the tournament. Without cuts, that’s got to be fun.”

The 6-foot-4, 195-pound Tway has always been in good shape physically and is a longtime student of local trainer Robert Stoner.

Stamina could serve as a great benefit on the Champions Tour.

“I’ve always tried to stay in shape, not particularly for the senior tour, but just to stay in decent shape,” Tway said. “I guess being in shape is good, I just need to play better. I haven’t played very well lately, to tell you the truth.”

Tway played well last season on the PGA Tour, but the end results were rather bizarre.

He excelled in statistical categories, but not so much on the official money list, where Tway finished at No. 132 ($785,641), just outside the top 125 that would have allowed him to retain his exempt status.

Tway finished No. 1 on tour in putting average, scoring average, third-round scoring average and par-3 birdies last season, becoming the oldest PGA Tour member ever to win a statistical category. He also finished third in par-breakers, fourth in the all-around and fifth in putts per round.

Finishing high in such key statistical categories usually translates into big paychecks, but not for Tway.

“I think what it boiled down to is I didn’t play in as many events (20) as I normally do, and I was playing in the less dollar-amount events, so it just didn’t add up,” Tway said.

Tway was in more events with purses of $3-$4 million rather than $6 million-plus.

“One or two shots at the right time in those big-money events and it makes a huge difference,” he said.

Tway joined the PGA Tour full-time in 1985 and is approaching $16 million in career earnings. He has eight career victories.

Four of those came in 1986 when he won PGA of America Player of the Year.

He has spent the past few years watching his son, Kevin, play golf. A sophomore at Oklahoma State, Kevin Tway is one of the top amateurs in the country, having won the 2005 U.S. Junior Amateur. He also qualified for last year’s U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, where Bob caddied for his son.

“I’ll tell you what, I could learn a lot from Kevin,” Bob said. “Watching him play the last five or six years has really drastically changed my game. My mental outlook is a whole lot different than it used to be. I’m really enjoying the game again, because when we talk about the game it’s kind of being a hypocrite if you don’t practice what you preach. I have really enjoyed watching those kids (at Edmond North High School and OSU) play, and it keeps me motivated to keep practicing because I don’t want to go out and play with them and get beat. It’s great motivation for me.

“I’ve been doing this for so long that it’s not the end-all to keep doing that (playing on tour). I still enjoy playing the game, of course. Last year, caddying for Kevin in the Open and in the U.S. Amateur, those are two thrills that you’ll never have again. I

Please see TWAY, Page 36

South Central Golf Magazine

Setting a standard

McNulty is dominating Arkansas amateur golf

By BECK CROSS There’s currently not a more dominating player in Arkansas amateur golf than Pine Bluff’s Wes McNulty.

McNulty, 40, is fresh off his third Arkansas State Golf Association Player of the Year award in the last five seasons after winning an unprecedented eight tournaments in nine starts, including the ASGA Stroke and Match Play titles.

“Wes is the barometer of the ASGA circuit,’’ ASGA Executive Director Jay Fox said. “If you can play with him, you’ll be in the top three every week.’’

Achieving an almost perfect record in ASGA play in 2008 surpassed McNulty’s loftiest expectations.

“It was certainly unexpected but I sure would like to keep the streak going,’’ McNulty said. “I really would like to win the two majors [ASGA Stroke and Match] again because nobody’s ever done that in back-toback years. And of course, I want to win the Maumelle Classic because that’s the one I didn’t win last year “For me , it was all about being very comfortable on the golf course. I was at peace and felt like I didn’t have to press and I didn’t stress over things like I used to. I accepted things the way they came to me and surprisingly my short game has gotten better as I’ve gotten older.’’

McNulty’s ascent to elite status isn’t a surprise to anyone familiar with Arkansas golf over the last 20 years. He was offered scholarships out of high school in both golf and baseball before having a standout college career for the Arkansas Razorbacks golf team from 1990-92.

Making what he thought would be a smooth transition to professional golf never came to fruition. He played the mini-tours for four years with little fanfare before deciding to call it quits in 1997.

“I won the [ASGA] Stroke and Match Play in 1993 and turned pro that fall,’’ he said. “I was miserable and I hated it. After I quit, I didn’t play golf at all for four years.’’

McNulty said he if he knew then what he knows now, things might’ve been different.

“I never had a peace of mind when I was playing professionally because I was always questioning myself,’’ he said. “I was constantly searching for something whether it was new clubs or a new swing or a mental trick. I was always experimenting or tinkering with something.

“I’d love to be able to go back and advise

South Central Golf Magazine

me when I was 23 or 24. I’d say, ‘Chill out and accept what’s going on.’ But at that age, you just can’t comprehend that.’’

McNulty got the itch to play again on a recreational basis and regained his amateur status in 2004.

“It took me all those years just to be able to enjoy playing again,’’ he said. “Physically, I feel great and mentally, golf is still fresh to me. That’s the main thing because before I just didn’t have the desire to play or practice. Now, my sons (Jake and Josh) love golf and love to watch me play. It’s something we do as a family.’’

Now that McNulty is armed with the mental acumen to match his innate talent, the sky’s the limit.

“Wes has an uncanny ability to literally drive the ball down the sprinkler line of every fairway while most of us get scars on our balls from the cart paths that line the rough,’’ said Little Rock’s Chris Jenkins, a former three-time ASGA Player of the Year.

“Last year was his most untouchable-type year yet and I say with certainty that he

Wes McNulty guns for another POY award. could’ve played on a tour last year with his game and the mindset he had. His best years are definitely in front of him.

“In Arkansas golf right now there are regular Romans and Greeks. Wes is the Zeus who oversees the people down below.’’

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Hole #2 at Ross Bridge

Alabama has more world-class public courses than any other state in America. So why would you want to go golfing anyplace else?

Let’s start with The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. It’s 24 courses spanning the state, including two brand-new ones at Ross Bridge near Birmingham, and The Shoals near Florence, where you will find the already-famous Fighting Joe course. Both Golf Magazine and Travel+Leisure Golf named it one of their Top 10 best new courses in America.

And while The New York Times called The Trail “some of the best public golf on Earth,” we call it just the beginning. That’s because you’ll find another half-dozen challenging public courses on Alabama’s Gulf Coast.

Like the stunning Kiva Dunes course or Craft Farms, featuring courses designed by Arnold Palmer and Larry Nelson.

And of course, sprinkled throughout the state are other well-known golf destinations like Limestone Springs, Goose Pond Colony, Bent Brook and Lakepoint State Park Resort. Truth is, you and your boys could play here for weeks and never play the same hole twice.

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18

South Central Golf Magazine

making that first golf pilgrimage to the

British Isles

By Bruce Selcraig

eons of rumpled sand, with natural dunes and sea grasses, between the beach and interior farmland. No manicured trees or lakes, but sheep are okay.)

Golf was born on this land and still seems organically part of it, like salt to the sea. Not merely a game to be played, golf here is both an economic lifeline and ancestral culture, something akin to surfing in Hawaii.

Golf in the kingdom is not about croquet and crumpets. Brace yourself for the most invigorating rounds of your life. You’ll not be using your comfy cart. Golf on the sea is for athletic walkers, and those who can keep their wits about them in these conditions can play the game anywhere on Earth.

We’ll now do our Sean Connery impression . . .

We’re sold. When do we go?

June, July and August are warmer, but more crowded, though numbers will be down in 2009. May and September are wonderful and somewhat drier. April and October are colder statistically, but I’ve had glorious blue days in both months, and the air fares are much cheaper. The warmest summer days on seaside links rarely get above 80, most are in the 60s, but always be prepared for damp windchill in the 40s.

motherland of our humble little game, still eludes legions of American golfers, even the Do you know these golfers? affluent and addicted.

They’ve done Myrtle, Pinehurst, Pebble Perhaps it’s driving on the left. Overand Cabo. They even got wild one summer cooked vegetables. We’re not sure, but and did Banff. Came back with a trout. help is on the way. And here’s the good But come every July when those seduc- news – at least for Yanks – since the Brittive sunrise telecasts of the British Open ish pound has dropped dramatically against beckon golfers with panoramas of green the dollar (down from $2 in March 2008 to and golden seaside links, they holler to a around $1.40 now), while the Euro hovers spouse: “You know, someday I’m going over near $1.30, these holiest of golf holidays are there to check out all those castles and Roy- looking smarter by the month. al Saint Whozit courses.”

You have questions. We have answers.

You say, “Count me in, dear,” but that’s the last you’ll hear of the bonny links until Remind us why every golfer should make this trip. next year.

This reluctance has little to do with the There are about 150 true links courses in economy, current or past. Bailed-out bank- the world, and all but about two dozen can Which country first? ers and their serfs both make these bold be found in England, Scotland, Wales, the If you want more scenic, take-me-nowpledges, yet pulling the trigger on one’s Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Lord courses at slightly better Euro prices, first golf pilgrimage to the British Isles, the (By “true” links we mean courses built on hit Ireland first. If this will likely be your only foreign golf trip before the grave, then definitely worship at St. Andrews and do Scotland.

Ireland’s courses are a wee more dramatic and generally have higher dunes than the UK’s, plus the Irish are approximately 18 percent friendlier than my Scottish relations. Ireland was blessedly first to ban smoking in their pubs, saving scores of lives that are later sacrificed on their tiny treacherous fairy-tale roads. Scotland offers majesty and thick-as-fog tradition, like Turnberry, site of this July’s British Open, where you can duplicate Nick Price’s 50-foot eagle putt on 17 to win the 1994 Open Championship. (Turnberry is closed until the Open is over.)

If all that sounds too conventional, too golf touristy, go to England or Wales. In England you’ll find Open venues like Birkdale and great obscure parkland courses that remind Yanks of upstate New York.

Wales offers better value and brilliant layouts like Royal Porthcawl, a world top-100 course, delightful Pennard (with its wandering cows) and Royal St. David’s, a tough and magical par 69.

Left: Royal County Down in Northern Ireland, 10th green to the right , a par 3 and the 11th Tees to the left, all looking toward the Mourne Mountains and the famous Slieve Donard Hotel in the distance. Credit line Bruce Selcraig

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But with Scotland and Ireland, how do you choose which golf region to visit?

This can be vexing. In Ireland, your choices usually come down to: The Southwest. Consistently beautiful, filled with calendar-famous spots like Ballybunion, Waterville, Lahinch and delightful Dooks, but prices are high and at places like Doonbeg the spa culture and faux hospitality waft like incense.

The Northwest. Rugged marvels such as Enniscrone, Carne, Rosapenna and Portsalon are cheaper and more remote than the Southwest, plus great salmon fishing.

Dublin and the East Coast. Lucky you, stay in Dublin and don’t miss County Louth Golf Club (Baltray), The Island, Portmarnock Old (though private), Druids Glen or Pat Ruddy’s outstanding European Club, a world top-50 sanctuary for unpretentious golf. (Skip the opulent ho-hum K Club.)

Northern Ireland. County Down may be the best course in the world, with welcoming Portrush just whiskers behind. Yet the fantastic second tier, including Portstewart, Castlerock, Ardglass, Belvoir Park and Malone, are what make this an outstanding destination. Take one of the fascinating “Troubles” tours in now-safe Belfast and see the IRA and Loyalist murals.

In Scotland, beyond St. Andrews there is exceptional golf nearby. Start with St. Andrews’ new Castle Course, a once-flat farm turned into a stunning minimalist joy. Mighty Kingsbarns is down the road, then venture into surrounding Fife County, where Elie and Crail are enticing. Around Edinburgh, gorgeous Gullane No. 1 overlooks the Firth of Forth, while North Berwick, home to the original Redan Hole, and Dunbar, laid out in 1857, are bracing tracks full of history. If you have some clout, try the private Renaissance Club, a spot near Gullane designed by the ever-clever Tom Doak (Cape Kidnappers, Pacific Dunes) and opened in April 2008.

We’re guessing the courses are run by nuns for charity?

We wish. Consult the course websites for current prices, but as a general guide, for Ireland, the courses mentioned above (May Left, from top to bottom: At the Pennard Golf Club in Wales, a local farmer, who has the rights to do so, lets his herd graze upon the rough. Wayward golfers might want to watch for the cow flop.

Dooks Golf Club, one of the great but often overlooked courses in the Southwest between the tour bus favorites of Waterville and Ballybunion.

The Castle Course at St. Andrews will be a treat for the senses. The North Sea is a visible presence on every hole while the view towards St. Andrews is one of the finest possible. Credit line Bruce Selcraig

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South Central Golf Magazine

to September weekdays) range from Enniscrone ($78) to Dooks ($110) and Ballybunion ($234).

In Scotland, from Elie ($92) to Kingsbarns ($230). In Wales, unassuming Pennard, run by a great head pro, Mike Bennett, costs a mere $57 on weekdays, while windswept Porthcawl goes for $135.

However, discounts abound, such as Ballybunion’s two-for-one deal where you can play the famous Old Course and its difficult sister, the Cashen, in April, May, June and October for the same $234.

Better still, there are many regional golf passes that offer more economical courses on three- and five-day deals, such as The First in Fife Golf Pass (5 rounds, from $130). Check each country’s primary tourism site for more details on regional golf passes. Be creative. This year they all need your money.

Are there any great obscure courses that pass under most tourists’ radar?

Try these memorable tracks. » Brora Golf Club, Scotland » Royal Portrush (Valley Course), Northern Ireland » Staunton East Golf Club, England » Rye Golf Club, England » Silloth On Solway Golf Club, England » St. Enodoc Golf Club, England » Royal West Norfolk Golf Club (Brancaster), England » Portsalon (Ireland), Belvoir Park and Malone (Belfast) What should we pack?

Regardless of the season, pack a waterproof golf jacket and pants, bucket hat and ski cap, two pairs of golf shoes (for when one gets soaked), sturdy socks, collared golf shirts (some clubs still think the uncollared shirt promotes sloth and drunkenness), rain and winter gloves, and then have a good laugh when you hit a week of dry blue skies. We also like large zip-lock plastic bags to rainproof scorecards, cameras.

For great reading material, try “Links of Heaven” (Ireland), 2007 edition, by Richard Phinney and Scott Whitley, perhaps the most candid and creative of all the golf guidebooks. Check out their website, too.

Plus, any of the three British Isles golf travel books by American author James Finegan.

Should we drive ourselves, hire a driver or go with a tour operator?

Such conundrums.

Driving yourself. (Pros) Allows total spontaneity when you find golf’s hidden jewels or want to discuss your short game with that cute Polish waitress. We meet far more locals this way. Sharing a van cuts costs dramatically. (Cons) Driving at night.

Making sure someone is always sober. Be-

South Central Golf Magazine

ing responsible for gas, keys, damage.

Hiring a driver. (Pros) Allows for some spontaneity with less stress, which improves your golf. (Cons) Quite expensive.

Going with a tour. (Pros) Everything is done for you except swinging the club.

Lots of friends. The finest accommodations, most famous courses. (Cons) Lots of friends! Group think. Wanna linger for more photos? Sorry, the bus is leaving.

What’s This Whole Trip Gonna Cost?

There are lots of variables – hotel and golf quality, currency exchange rate, type of transport – so only use these prices as rough estimates: Maura Nolan, owner of Connecticutbased Irish-Links Tours & Travel, offers a self-drive deal to Ireland’s mighty northwest coast, featuring six rounds (Rosapenna, both courses, Nairn & Portnoo, County Sligo, Enniscrone and Carne), six nights at four-star hotels, with mini-van and driver, starting at $1,795 per person sharing. A similar sixround trip to the Southwest, goes for $1,995 and up. Using a driver adds about $500 based on eight traveling. www.irish-links.com Trips to Scotland, Wales and England will be roughly the same, with the more luxurious packages going for $3,000 and more.

Jerry Quinlan’s Celtic Golf, established in New Jersey in 1990, offers 10 self-drive and chauffeured Scotland trips (minimum eight passengers) that journey to every great golf site mentioned here, plus wonders such as Dornoch, Cruden Bay and Prestwick. www. celticgolf.com Going solo, however, with no tour operator, might look like this for six days: Rental car $400 (four-door, auto trans), bed & breakfast $300, five fantastic Irish courses around $400-$500, meals $300, gas $100, without pub crawls. And you can still do it for less by sharing rooms, using golf discounts and going off-season.

Impart some wisdom gathered through the ages.

If you’ve never driven on the left side before, plan your flight arrival for daylight hours, go to a smaller airport – you want to learn in Dublin traffic? – and rent an automatic. You’ll know why when you scream through your first roundabout.

Bed & breakfasts save money and bring you closer to locals. In Ballybunion, Patricia and Maurice Boyle’s Old Course B&B, just 50 yards from the Old’s fifth fairway, offers immaculate rooms, fine food, golfsavvy owners, free internet, and it’s walking distance to town – all for 35 Euro and up.

You’ll find B&Bs almost this good in every golf town.

You might consider not traveling in groups of four. American foursomes sometimes seem loud and unapproachable to locals. Leave room to join the natives, or vice

versa. Take lots of business cards.

If you’re used to riding motorized carts, start getting in shape. Chariots are rarely used over there. Learn to love trolleys (pull carts). You won’t need caddies everywhere.

Enjoy the towns and expansive beaches rather than playing 36 holes a day and collapsing into strange beds each night. And most important – there is brilliant golf to be had at the $40 to $80 range. Don’t think you have to play Turnberry every day to remember this trip for the rest of your life.

Texas-based journalist Bruce Selcraig is a former Sports Illustrated writer whose work appears in The New York Times, Smithsonian and Irish Times, among others. Selcraig@swbell.net

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Southern Colorado the best kept secret in golf

By DAVID R. HOLLAND

very summer visitors from sweaty regions of the Southwest flood into southern Colorado seeking cool temperatures, mountain scenery, outdoors activities and golf.

Folks who live here see countless license plates from Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas, but it’s almost sad that many golfers who live in the more populous northern sections of Colorado miss out.

One can tell because each spring when Colorado’s golf magazines publish their “Best Of” lists, southern Colorado’s courses rarely make a mention. The public voters of these polls overwhelmingly live in metro Denver, Colorado Springs or along the I-70 corridor.

But that’s all about to change thanks to two new award-winning golf courses – Cougar Canyon Golf Links in Trinidad and Four Mile Ranch in Cañon City. Cougar Canyon has already garnered “top new course” awards from Links Magazine, Golf Magazine and Golfweek, while Four Mile Ranch has been recognized by Travel & Leisure Golf with a certainty to haul in more awards.

Southern Colorado has everything a travel golfer wants -- million-dollar views of the Spanish Peaks, the Sangre de Cristos, the Wet Mountains, the San Juan Mountains, the San Luis Valley (largest high-mountain valley in the world and home to the Great Sand Dunes National Park) and the scenic upper Arkansas River valley, loaded with

E

whitewater river activities. I’m here to tell you about the uncrowded golf beauties that are hidden away here, amidst warmer offseason temperatures, just waiting to be discovered.

If you are driving to Colorado from the south there’s no need to travel past the southern part of the state. In fact, the first city over Raton Pass from New Mexico on I-25 is Trinidad.

Cougar Canyon Golf Links, a new Nicklaus Design product, is brutally long 7,669yard, par-72 for the expert, but fair from the shorter tees. This rugged layout presents a multitude of shot paths, so ask a local for advice on tee placements. If you land on the wrong side of some fairways you will have a blind shot.

Nicklaus Design associate Chris Cochran said he studied the rich mining history of Trinidad and decided it was ideal for an old-style golf course. Explore the bunkers on this minimalist journey through rugged terrain, arroyos, piñons, junipers and chollas and views of the Spanish Peaks and Sangre de Cristos and you know what Cochran dreamt.

“There are only 33 bunkers – nearly a half to a third that’s on most new courses,” Cochran explains. “They are retro — a throwback to the 1920s — and they will remind you of old Seth Raynor bunkers that are deep and penal. Still in most of these bunkers you will be able to hit a mid- to longiron out of them.” And the bunkers are filled with a black coal substance – making the contrast striking.

Sinuous Gray Creek

formed the arroyos that carved a natural island green on the 163-yard, par-3 16th, which gets my vote for one of the best par-3 in Colorado.

Coming this summer will be a brand-new hotel named Cougar Canyon Resort and Spa. It will feature 117 rooms with six larger suites. The four-star dining experience will include native Colorado cuisine in a grill or steakhouse setting (elk, buffalo, etc.), outdoor pool, 5,000 square feet of conference and banquet facilities and a full-service spa.

There will be a fitness center and a Discovery Center that explains the history of the land, ranches and the surrounding area.

The equestrian center as well as the vineyards will have a grand opening at the same time as the hotel.

From Trinidad you have options where to head next – west to La Veta’s Grandote Peaks or South Fork’s Rio Grande Club. But today, I’m heading west on U.S. 50 outside of Pueblo to Four Mile Ranch. Located in Cañon City, known for its state and federal prisons, this area is known as the “banana belt” of Colorado.

Many say it is 10 degrees warmer in winter and 10 degrees cooler in summer.

Four Mile Ranch is a 1,640-acre masterplanned golf community that sits in a valley just below Royal Gorge, and was once a base camp for gold miners during the 1850s.

The golf course is a 7,053-yard, par-72 and has been called a “pirouette” layout by Colorado designer Jim Engh. “When I go play in Ireland one of my goals is to figure out why I love those courses more than the ones in the USA. I have my brain turned on all during the round and I gauge how much I like it by the number of pirouettes I do that day. Four Mile Ranch is such a course. Everywhere you turn you see something that interests you,” Engh said.

Strategy is paramount at Four Mile Ranch.

You must know where to place your tee shot on these rumpled fairways, but don’t worry about landing in a bunker – there aren’t any.

Engh, renowned for squiggly, narrow, mus-

The 13th hole at Four Mile Ranch Golf Club in Cañon City, Colo.

South Central Golf Magazine

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The award-winning Cougar Canyon Golf Links in Trinidad. cular bunkers, decided the surroundings and setting just wasn’t right for sandy traps.

“We looked out over the landscape and because of the hard nature of the angles we decided the jagged hogbacks were interesting enough,” he said.

These “hogbacks” are piles of earth that have been seared off by the predominant southerly breeze – appearing as mini-monoliths. The team left some natural ones and created some of their own.

Blind shots are another characteristic of Four Mile Ranch, like the 563-yard, par-5 sixth. “Most American golf courses present

The 11th hole at Rio Grande Golf Club.

24

Mexico and Texas. While the front nine is mostly flat and in the meadows and river bottoms, the back nine has lots of elevation and climbs into rocky terrain.

South Fork is a summer tourist haven loaded with Texans. Members of the Rio Grande Club have private fishing access to a one-mile stretch of river, but this area, which is adjacent to the Rio Grande National Forest, has limitless opportunities for fishing, hiking, biking, kayaking and horseback riding.

Want more? Alamosa’s Cattails Golf Course is not far away and Trinidad’s historic nine-hole layout, built in 1915, are two municipals that will challenge you and make you smile for the scant dollars you spend.

When you’re ready to head back south check out Highway 12, The Scenic Highway of Legends, just west of Trinidad and south of La Veta. It’s an unspoiled land of volcanic dykes, deep mountain lakes, double rainbows on a late summer afternoon, a wild strawberry snack along the trail at Fishpaw Pass – even an elk herd that outnumbers locals 100 to 1.

You think Texas has cowboys? Just come to this part of Colorado -- the scenery is spectacular for flat-landers, and the history is pure Old West – there’s the Santa Fe Trail, Doc Holliday, Bat Masterson, Billy the Kid, Kit Carson and cattle drives. What more could you want for a summer vacation?

a decision for you from the tee, but after that you can just turn your brain off and aim for the flag,” Engh said. Not on this hole. The approach is over a wall of earth, surrounding and making the green a bowl you can’t see – only an aiming pole tells you where to strike the next shot.

(David R. Holland is author of The ColoFrom here you can check out two other rado Golf Bible (coloradogolfible.googlepages. southern Colorado gems. As I pull into the com) and a former sportswriter for The parking lot at La Veta’s Grandote Peaks Golf Dallas Morning News).

Club on a Monday morning I count five cars.

Three of those are probably employees. Ask Planning a trip any golfer – having a championship golf course all to yourself will almost make you Four Mile Ranch giggle.

(719) 269-7444 This hidden gem is surrounded by sprawlwww.fourmileranch.com ing mountain scenery and possibilities for fishing and hiking. Monument Lake and Cougar Canyon Golf Links North Lake are nearby and the swift Cucha(719) 422-7015 or (877) 547-7455 ras River dashes through this routing dewww.cougarcanyonliving.com signed in 1984 by Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish. Golf Digest awarded the course Grandote Peaks Golf Club four stars and it’s a demanding track with (719) 742-3391 or (800 457-9986 up-close views of the Spanish Peaks on land www.grandotepeaks.com where cattle once roamed. I have never met a golfer from Denver who made the Rio Grande Club drive down here that didn’t praise this golf (719) 873-1997 or (866) 873-1995 course. www.riograndeclub.com Taking off from La Veta on U.S. 160 it is only 115 miles to South Fork, home to the Where to Stay Rio Grande Club, selected by Golf Digest as Cañon City, Holiday Inn Express its No. 6 best new upscale course in 2003.

(877) 422-6665 The new clubhouse opened in 2004 has every amenity imaginable.

South Fork, Apple Dumpling Inn B&B What makes this 7,057-yard, par-72 layout (719) 873-9876 or (888) 873-7583 impressive are several holes that roll along and cross the Rio Grande River, which has La Veta, Inn at the Spanish Peaks B&B its birth not far away in the San Juan Moun(719) 742-5213 tains and ventures all the way through New

South Central Golf Magazine

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insiders her Louisiana To see what ot own ur yo te to crea recommend and aTravel.com an si ui Lo t si , vi Louisiana tour re mo r T-IN-LA. Fo or call 1-866-AG Golf t the Audubon ou ab n io informat m. dubonGolf.co Trail, visit Au

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“Sink more than a putt in Lo uisiana. Go to the French Market and sink a beignet into some café au lait. Down here, you can play t 12 courses of the Audubo the n Golf Trail year ro nd –and afterwards, you ca rou n listen to live m sic mu s , eat gumbo, tour a planta tion, or go fresh or saltwater fishing. It’s all good, y’all.”

EQUIPMENT

Age of adjustability TaylorMade’s R9 line has created a buzz among those with a hanker to tinker

By Ed Travis The age of adjustable clubs began five years ago when TaylorMade Golf added screw-in tungsten plugs to the sole of the R7 Quad driver and called it Moveable Weight Technology (MWT). The goal in mind was simple . . . give golfers options in club head weighting and therefore a chance to match up club performance to their swings.

Put even more simply, by personalizing clubs you can optimize results, meaning better shots, better distance and more pleasure from this frustrating game. It’s hardly a surprise other club makers have jumped on the bandwagon with a version of the TaylorMade idea.

Personalization and optimization have become the club makers’ mantra.

While in 2009 MWT is still a key feature of TaylorMade woods it looks like the company has raised the competitive bar again, combining MWT with something named Flight Control Technology (FCT) in the new R9 line. FCT is another step forward in club individualization utilizing an adjustable

hosel that allows the clubhead address position to be changed from open to square to closed, creating ball flights that vary from a 30-yard draw to a 10-yard cut.

It’s even quick to accomplish; just loosen the screw at the end of the shaft, rotate the shaft to the desired position and retighten the screw. FCT in fact changes face angle, loft and lie with the twist of a wrench.

One might reasonably ask however, “But why would I want to change the shaft to clubhead orientation?” The answer is to get a desired trajectory and ball-flight curvature . . . again, the goal being to optimize results by personalization of the club.

Now a player can simply move the sole weights and adjust the hosel orientation to create the tendency for say a little cut shot to help accuracy or maybe a draw to compensate for a less than perfect swing.

In a words, ingenious.

Steve Flaming, the TaylorMade Golf representative in Oklahoma, says this concept is very “attractive to retailers” he has talked with and “there’s lots of interest when I make a presentation. Members who have

heard I was making a visit to their club come to hear me explain the R9 idea and seem impressed.”

The MWT/FCT combination is such a good idea TaylorMade also employs it in the complementary R9 fairway woods and Rescue clubs.

R9 Driver (pictured above) Lofts: 8.5°, 9.5°, 10.5°

MSRP $500 (9.5° and 10.5° left-handed) Street Price $400 Shafts: X, S, R, M flexes

R9 TP Driver Lofts: 8.5°, 9.5°, 10.5°

MSRP $600 (9.5° and 10.5° left-handed) Street Price $500 Shafts: X, S, R flexes

R9 Fairway Woods Lofts: 13° Tour 3-wood, 15°,

MSRP $275 17°, 19° right and left handed Street Price $230 Shafts: X, S, R flexes

R9 TP Fairway Woods Lofts: 13° Tour 3-wood, 15°,

MSRP $360 17°, 19° right and left handed Street Price $300 Shafts: X, S, R shafts

Rescue TP 09 (pictured left) 2, 3, 4 right and left-handed MSRP $249 Street Price $200

26

Stamp of approval Morgan loves his new R9

The verdict is already in for Gil Morgan, the ageless wonder of the Champions Tour circuit who at 62 remains one of the top competitors on tour.

South Central Golf Magazine

All manner of dreams on display at PGA Show

By ART STRICKLIN ORLANDO, Fla. – Every January, Tulsa’s Bob Dunbar makes his annual trip to Orlando, not for a visit to Disney World nor to work on his tan.

But to join golf’s last true giant-sized gathering for the dreamers, the true believers, movers and shakers in the golf business, all part of the annual PGA of America Merchandise Show.

In Dunbar’s case, his Tulsa-based company, Dunbar Event Signs, is the maker of golf tee-marker signs for charity tournaments in the South Central PGA Section and all over the world. He’s made the trip to the annual PGA Golf Show in Orlando for 12 years, joining 1,100 exhibitors this year from all over the world showcasing golf’s next great thing.

While there was plenty of talk of golf doom and gloom at the recently completed 2009 show, Dunbar said the annual golf gathering, which is spread over 1.1 million square feet of space in the Orlando Convention Center, was the place to be showcasing The new TaylorMade R9 driver is one of the best advances in club technology he’s seen.

He went through a driving range demonstration, adjusting the shaft from one degree closed to neutral to one degree open. In each case he predicted not only the amount of fade or draw that would impart but the effect it would have on the height and roll.

In each case, he was right.

Of course, when you’ve won 25 tournaments and nearly $20 million since turning 50, you can probably do the same with a piece of bamboo. But Morgan is sold on the R9.

“It’s probably the best advance in technology we’ve seen in the last five years,” Morgan said.

Early results are positive. After failing to win and to earn $1 million in 2008 for the first time since joining the senior circuit, Morgan had two top-10 finishes in his first three starts in 2009.

South Central Golf Magazine

Everything golf related can be found at the PGA Merchandise Show. his product from the Heartland of America to people from all over the country.

“I sell a product that is used by charity tournaments all over the country and all over the world. I’m here to meet directors of golf from all over the country.

“Probably 1 of 10 people who come by my booth are in my market, but I meet people, make friends with pros, and I’d say this is probably the best show I’ve had in 12 years.

“This helps start my year every year and has proven to make me money,” said the former golf pro, who moved to Tulsa in the mid-1990s after marrying his wife and Oklahoma State graduate, Jane, in El Reno and looking for a central place to locate his new company.

The history of the PGA Show, now in its 51st year, is full of once-small companies who faithfully attend the show, using its pull to grow into industry leadership.

Plano, Texas-based Adams Golf Chairman Barney Adams chronicled in his autobiography how he started with a small table and booth in Orlando, selling his unknown rescue club, before steadily moving up to multi-million dollar size and hybrid category domination.

That’s exact what drew TanMan products and its slightly nervous CEO Rick Martindale to this year’s PGA Show for the first time.

His golfing invention is Mulligan, a grip enhancing sunscreen wipe. The Florida

Photo courtesy PGA Golf Exhibitions

inventor spent the last two years coming up with a product which you wipe on your hands and body to avoid sunburn, but also becomes tacky to help you hang onto your clubs.

“It’s so exciting to be here with all these other golf products, but I also feel like I’m in over my head with people who have been here forever,” Martindale said.

He came up with the idea for the new product while golfing in Hawaii and seeing sweat cause his club to slip while getting a sunburn. He combined the two products in one and was hoping for an eager market of PGA Show buyers to spread his invention worldwide.

That’s just what brought Minnesota golf pro Charlie Levis back for the third year, hoping his small Teach-N-Towel would continue to gain a foothold in the golf market.

The Teach-N-Towel looks like a regular golf towel from a distance, but has color footprints for each kind of shot a golfer can hit during his or her round.

Levis said the towel, which can be used for juniors or anyone, can be spread on the ground at the driving range or on the course.

Golfers put their feet on the different diagrams and are pointed in the right direction for their shots.

Tevis said he began to use the towel, which carries the tagline ‘A Towel That Teaches, a Complete Player Development

Please see PGA, Page 36 27

Golf Economy Many see better times ahead

By KEN MacLEOD The national economic misery is certain to affect golf at the local and regional level.

Yet the news is not all bad, particularly for public courses.

While sales of year-long membership or discount packages are off significantly at many, but not all, public courses, play for the first three months of 2009 was up at most public courses throughout the section.

While that is largely due to favorable weather, it is also apparent that golf is not one of the first things to be set aside when times get tough. It may be the last.

Play at the Billy Casper-run Mohawk Park and Page Belcher courses in Tulsa was up 95 percent in January, 133 percent in February and 61 percent in March over 2008. Better weather and improved course conditions are mainly responsible. Also contributing to the rise is a shift of golfers away from country clubs to public courses.

“We’re getting play from the country clubs, no doubt,” said Tom Wolfe, who oversees both courses for Billy Casper.

Hardest hit initially appear to be entry and mid-level country clubs. Many golfers are loath to make the commitment for several thousand dollars for an entry fee plus the monthly commitment for dues, figuring they will just spend the money at public courses until the cloud of economic uncertainty lifts.

In response, clubs are offering specials that waive or postpone initiation fees, making this ironically a great time to join a club for those secure in their positions.

Meadowbrook Country Club in Tulsa is an illustrative example. The club was hit hard by membership losses in the fourth quarter of 2008 and first quarter of 2009. Yet general manager Libby Meyer views the upcoming year as an opportunity.

Members can now join for a $500 initial fee with the first month of dues waived.

“We’re going to come through this and it’s going to turn out good for us,” Meyer said.

“We’re already seeing some members come in from higher-priced clubs and some come back who didn’t enjoy the public-course experience.”

Country clubs are also stressing the lifestyle and other amenities offered, such as swimming, tennis and pools, not found at public golf courses.

At the upper reaches of the golf spectrum, some membership rolls are down. Yet as one pro pointed out, even when disaster strikes a business owner, his club membership may

28

be one of the last things relinquished.

“These are guys that think in different financial terms than you and I,” this pro told SCG. “When things are crashing down, what they’re paying for the club may be the least of their worries. It gives them a refuge from everything bad that’s happening.”

Another positive for local courses is that golf travel numbers are down dramatically, meaning while golfers and their buddies may be postponing their getaways, they are just playing more in town.

The news is more mixed for manufacturer’s reps, although they are not faring as poorly as one might expect.

Rick Bell with Ping, while not able to release specific sales figures, said he exceeded his first-quarter projections and doesn’t expect there to be a huge drop in club sales.

“People will give up the travel before they do buying a new club,” he said. “While we’re not expecting a great year because of what’s going on nationally, we’re cautious and optimistic.”

Bell said he would have a great feel for what his customers are thinking after going

through the numerous demo days scheduled in April.

For golf architects operating out of the South Central Section, new course projects will likely be limited but renovation and restoration work remains active.

Only a few courses are under active construction in the section this spring, including The Patriot in Owasso. Yet major renovation projects are under way at Oak Tree Country Club and Oak Tree Golf Club in Edmond and Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers.

Norman-based architect Tripp Davis has established a reputation in the Northeast for his redesign and renovation work which has helped sustain his company in lean times.

“We have always had a relatively heavy load of renovations and restorations – about 50 percent of our overall on-going project load,” Davis said. “New courses really slowed after 9/11, but our renovation/ restoration requests got more active.”

Tulsa-based architect Randy Heckenkemper said since many projects take a long time to develop, architects are now working on projects that began as a plan years ago.

“We’ll be very busy in 2009. The new course slowdown will be in 2010 or beyond.”

He noted that with construction costs down and interest rates low, it’s an excellent time for public courses to consider renovations.

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

South Central Golf Magazine

ASGA Views Jay N. Fox

ASGA Executive Director I remember sitting in the ASGA office in December 1990, neatly clad in a sport coat and tie, pressed trousers and polished shoes. I was about to interview for the position of executive director of the Arkansas State Golf Association.

Although I personally knew most of the search committee – Dutch Papan of Stuttgart, Al Alexander of Arkadelphia and Ted Darragh of Little Rock – I was quite nervous. Another ASGA director, the late Jerry Parker of Fort Smith, had convinced me to apply for the job, saying it was a perfect opportunity for me.

But I was a skeptic. I had served on the ASGA Board of Directors for a few years and watched as Charles “Monk” Wade, executive director 1975-1990, played zero rounds of golf, except for the occasional charity or celebrity tournament. I was 31 years old and loved to play golf. I was not ready to hang up my spikes!

Turns out my good friend from Fort Smith was right. This was and still is the perfect job for me.

The other concern was filling Monk’s shoes. I told the search committee during the interview if they wanted someone to fill his shoes I was not the guy, as I did not think they could be filled. Monk did more during his tenure to elevate the game of golf in Arkansas than anyone possibly could.

Monk Wade was the ASGA; you didn’t say one without the other. He and his wife, Vera, put in long hours, mostly out of a spare bedroom in the late 1970s, to develop the ASGA into one of the finest small golf associations in the United States.

I didn’t think the honor the board bestowed upon me in January 1991 awarding

Superintendent’s Corner Brady Finton Tulsa Country Club You cannot open a single magazine without finding an article inside that discusses how the economy is affecting the golf industry. Managers in every department at our clubs have had to be very creative with their budgets. What makes it so difficult is that the products we use continue to increase in price as memberships and rounds have continued to decline. This is where we will be truly tested as professionals until the economy stabilizes, because in the golfer’s eyes their expectations have not changed.

As superintendents we will have to continue to maintain our courses at the highest

South Central Golf Magazine

Jay Fox with Vera and Monk Wade in 1991. me the job could be topped. But then again, I could be wrong.

At its Feb. 16 meeting, the ASGA Board of Directors unanimously voted to induct me into the 2009 Arkansas Golf Hall of Fame – not just for my amateur playing record, but also for my 18 years of service to the ASGA. Wearing two hats as golfer and administrator made me better at both the past 18 years.

Joining me in this year’s class are Bobby Baker, Rosey Bartlett and Bobby McGee. Bobby Baker was a senior my freshman year on the University of Arkansas golf team. I had admired his game growing up and he hit the highest, softest iron shots I ever saw (don’t forget this was during the forged iron/cord grip era and it was ridiculous how much harder it was back then).

Bobby and I are both two-time ASGA Players of the Year and two-time runners-up to the Player of the Year. We have both played in eight USGA National Championships and

have won state high-school championships as well, making our resumes eerily similar.

While I do not know Rosey Bartlett personally, she is a first-class individual with an impressive resume including National LPGA Teacher of the Year, four years of playing on the LPGA Tour and numerous other awards and honors. I knew all I needed to know from the person that nominated her: Barry Howard, GM/director of golf at Hot Springs Country Club. His name carries some weight around these parts and he has earned that respect with years of devotion to the game of golf.

My only regret for this year’s Hall of Fame Banquet and Induction Ceremony on Oct. 29 at Chenal Country Club is that Bobby McGee will not be there to share in this special evening. I relied heavily on him for information and knowledge, especially early in my career. Every time the ASGA

standards although many of us have had to reduce our budget as much as 10 percent.

With this being said, we will have to look at areas at each golf course to see where we can make cuts without depreciating the value of play. For instance, we may put down a half pound of nitrogen on fairways instead of a full pound or cut out one fertilizer application in our roughs. We will have to be very creative with scheduling our staffs to monitor overtime, like our greens watering crew coming in at 9 a.m. instead of 6 a.m.

Some may have to change their mowing frequencies throughout the week to cut back hours.

There are a few positives that we can look forward to from this economic turmoil. We have seen more clubs focusing on ladies and juniors events and making their facilities

more family oriented to attract all ages of clientele, because they are the future of the game. We have also seen irrigation installation costs decreasing approximately 26 percent from last year and many construction and renovation bids have decreased as much as 30 percent. If in any way your club has been looking at renovating the course through construction or a new irrigation system, now would be the time if you can find the funds through capital expenditure dues or member assessments.

There is one thing that is for certain: golf is not going to go away and neither will golfers’ expectations. Communication is the key for our success. We must become more creative in our thinking and stick to the basics that we learned and use these to provide the best product to the golfers.

Please see ASGA, Page 31

29

Instruction Zone Pat McTigue

GolfTEC, Tulsa

Get a Grip on Your Game

More than 90 percent of all swing problems can be traced to improper setup fundamentals, which include grip, posture, balance, alignment, stance and ball position.

Grip is the most important, and the starting point to discuss improvement. Not only is grip vitally important, but how we instinctively hold the club is almost never even close to correct.

What Do We Do?

Get help from a qualified PGA instructor.

The golf swing is not something that we can figure out on our own. The entirety of the challenge of the golf swing can be summed up as follows: THE GOLF SWING IS THE LEAST INTUITIVE, MOST UNNATURAL MOVE IN ALL OF SPORT. PERIOD. Now, curling looks pretty darn unnatural, but I have no experience there, so I stand by the above statement.

Golf is not instinctive, and a player can toil for a lifetime trying one quick fix after another with unpredictable results proudly proclaiming, “I ain’t never had a lesson” while shooting 97, or we can let someone lead us out of the quagmire. By the way, that 1.7

MILLION

LESSONS

someone should not be, 1) your golfing buddies, 2) magazine articles, 3) infomercials or 4) television golf announcers. Many in this group are not well equipped or motivated to effectively teach the average golfer, and others are your buddies.

Kidding aside, I have great respect for teachers such as David Ledbetter, Jim McLean and the host of other highly qualified and knowledgeable instructors. However, I do caution beginning and intermediate golfers from trying to apply many advanced principles this group brings forth without first establishing a solid set of fundamentals. If one or more of those setup fundamentals is out of kilter, trying to adjust elements of the swing is putting the cart before the horse.

Why is grip so important?

Everything in the golf swing is directly or indirectly related to grip. Either the grip is correct and the swing works more efficiently, or one or more correcting moves are made to cover up a poor grip. Simply put, if the left hand is too weak, it invites (if not forces) the right hand to do the dirty work of attempting to square the club.

Once we have our left hand where we can see two knuckles (preferably those on the index and middle fingers) we must also get the club down in our fingers and running perpendicular to our fingers. When we have —

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the club running up across our palm along the lifeline, we can’t create a sufficient wrist cock on the backswing without collapsing the wrist. Getting the club more across the palm at the base of the fingers allows us to create a 90-degree angle of wrist cock ergonomically.

OK, on to the evil right hand. The simplest check for right-hand position is that the “V’s” formed by the thumb and forefinger in each hand should point up to the right shoulder. This will place the palms of each hand facing each other. Anytime the palms are not doing this, the hands will tend to negate each other’s effect. The grip in the right hand should also be down in the fingers rather than across the palm.

The correct position for the thumb is resting comfortably a bit to the side of the grip, gently touching the right index finger. Gently is the operative word here, as it is a swing killer to have excessive pressure on those two fingers, especially if the right thumb is on top of the shaft. With the thumb on top of the shaft the right-hand grip is nearly identical to that of the grip on a fishing pole. Do I have to say it? The purpose of a correct grip in fishing is to facilitate casting the rod toward an unsuspecting fish, specifically what we do not want to do in golf (the casting part – the fish part is irrelevant).

Just relax

Now that we have completely changed the location of all 10 fingers on the club, not to mention how the club is held in our palm, I will tell you to do what all instructors will tell you. Just relax. Yeah, right, you say. Yes, it will be difficult at first, but at the magical moment that you become comfortable enough with the grip to release the tension and let the club swing correctly through impact, you’ll be a believer. The oldest description of grip pressure is still the best I have ever heard. If you had a bird in your hands, you want to grip it hard enough to not allow the bird to escape, but you don’t want to crush the poor little guy.

Being relaxed and free of excess tension is not a guarantee of a good shot, but being very tense and controlling is nearly a guarantee of a bad shot (this is taken from Dr. Bob Rotella’s excellent book, Golf is Not a Game of Perfect, which I use liberally in my teaching).

GolfTEC’s research shows us that on average a tour pro will need 600 repetitions to change one element of their swing; the average amateur 1,000 -- 1,200 repetitions.

The point is that any change you make in your game will take time, effort and commitment, and the results will likely not be immediate. Make one change at a time, own it, then move on to the next step. Your PGA instructor should provide a detailed analysis of your game, and a road map to making lasting changes that will help you improve.

South Central Golf Magazine

ASGA

The Territory, Duncan, Okla.

Continued from page 29

had a tournament or a USGA qualifying round at the Country Club of Little Rock, I learned from him. He had more knowledge about turf grass and how to make it thrive, especially a cool season grass like bent grass in Arkansas’ heat and humidity, than any superintendent I have been around. He probably could have quit his job at CCLR and been a full-time consultant – his expertise was in that much demand.

Websters.com (does anybody need a regular dictionary anymore?) defines Hall of Fame as “a group of individuals in a particular sport who have been selected as particularly illustrious.” I like that, I am not sure if I have ever been referred to as “illustrious.”

While the honor has really not sunk in yet, I am proud to join the members of the Arkansas Golf Hall of Fame, many of whom I have admired for years.

I owe special thanks for this tremendous honor to Wyn Norwood, long-time friend, fellow competitor and 2001 inductee, who is also chairman of the Hall of Fame Committee, and to the ASGA Board of Directors.

You have honored me twice now in ways I cannot describe in words. It is an honor for me to carry on the honorable traditions that Monk and Vera Wade so proudly established.

Heckenkemper Golf Course Design a division of Planning Design Group Randy Heckenkemper 5314 South Yale, Suite 710 • Tulsa, OK 74135 Phone (918) 628-1255 • Fax (918) 628-1256

Southern Hills Country Club Hosts The U.S. Amateur Championship

August 24-30, 2009 Tickets and Volunteer Opportunities on the website.

www.2009USAmateur.com South Central Golf Magazine

31

PGA Views

Junior Golf Leader: Chris Jarrett of LaFortune Park Golf Course Teacher of the Year: Josh Cook of Wichita Barry Thompson Country Club SCS Executive Director Bill Strausbaugh Award: Cary Cozby of Wichita Country Club The South Central Section is excited to Horton Smith Award: Bob Phelps of the announce the South Central Section PGA University of Central OK Foundation, the charitable arm of our secResort Merchandiser: Mike Hammond of tion. The foundation Board of Directors, in WinStar Golf Course conjunction with the members of the section, plans to support a variety of charitable causes to support our community within the boundaries of the South Central Section.

Areas that the foundation will focus on inEmerald Falls, a Jerry Slack design in clude: Education, Community Service, Golf Broken Arrow, Okla., was No. 6 on the top Community, and Junior Golf. The founda- 10 Best New Public Course List in Golf Dition already has several fund-raising efforts gest released last December, while Cottonplanned, such as in June the 100 Holes of wood Hills, Nick Faldo’s dunesland creation Golf and also a Foundation Pro-Am at Bel- in Hutchinson, Kan., came in at No. 8. mar Golf Club. How to support and get in“We’re extremely excited about this,” said volved in the SCS Foundation can be found Emerald Falls Director of Golf Billy Neal. “I on our website www.southcentral.pga.com. think only three courses in Oklahoma have The South Central Section spring meet- made this list since 1983 and that was Stone ing, education seminar and merchandise Creek at Page Belcher and Karsten Creek in show were held at the DoubleTree at War- Stillwater. ren Place in Tulsa. We want to congratulate “Hopefully this gives us a real shot in all of our special award winners who were the arm. This will be a big boost for us. It’s recognized at our dinner banquet: just been a hard two years with all the rain Golf Professional of the Year: Cary Cozby of to properly grow in a golf course, but Tim Wichita Country Club (Schaffer) and his crew have done a great Assistant Golf Professional of the Year: Matt job.”

Naylor of Pleasant Valley Country Club For Slack, it is the first time one of his

Private Merchandiser: Peter Vitali of Gaillardia County Club Public Merchandiser: Ken Smith of Harbor Oaks Golf Course Presidents Plaque: Dan Langford of Earlywine Park Golf Course Hall of Fame Inductee: Jeff Hamm of Longhills Golf Club Salesman of the Year: Tom Funderburk of Callaway

Emerald Falls voted No. 6 by Golf Digest courses has made the Best New lists by Golf Digest.

“That was real pleasing and we were hoping for something like that,” Slack said. “It’s always nice to see that other knowledgeable golfers recognize the value of your work.”

Emerald Falls was built on the site of a former 36-hole facility called Deer Run. It also incorporated newly acquired wooded acreage to the west where Slack laid out holes five through nine, which have quickly acquired a reputation as one of the most challenging stretches of golf in the state.

To schedule a round at Emerald Falls, call 918-266-2600.

Cottonwood Hills actually closed for the winter about the time the award came out, but plans to reopen April 15. For more information, call 620-802-9150.

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32

South Central Golf Magazine

The Rules of Golf Gene Mortensen OGA Rules Official As we approach the busy part of the golf season, I would like to respond to some Rules questions I receive on a regular basis.

The following discussion will also serve as a quick review as to how the Rules apply to many common situations.

My ball is on a cart path, how do I take relief? Using Rule 24-2, you take relief in two steps: (1) determine the nearest point of relief; and, (2) drop the ball within one club length of that point. To do the first step, take the club you would use from that distance and assume a stance just off one side of the path. With a tee, mark the spot where the club would strike the ball if you were to make a stroke. Do the same set-up procedure on the other side of the path and place a tee where the club would strike the ball to complete that stroke. Now step back and determine which of the two marks is “nearest” to where the ball lies on the path. That is the nearest point from which you will measure one club length in which you will drop your ball. There is only one such “point”; you are not permitted to simply drop your ball where it allows for the easier shot.

My ball is in a pond that has a yellow line painted around it. What should I do? A “Water Hazard” is marked with a yellow line and Rule 26 gives you two options. You may drop a ball; (1) at the spot from which the original ball was last played (if this is a teeing ground you may re-tee the ball); or, (2) draw an imaginary line from the flagstick through the point on the yellow line where your ball crossed into the hazard and drop a ball on an extension of that line, keeping the hazard between you and the hole. The reference point to take relief is the spot where the ball entered the hazard. There is no relief available on a “line of flight”. As a reminder, a red painted line indicates a “Lateral Water Hazard” and, in addition to the two referenced options, you may drop a ball within two club lengths of the spot where your ball crossed that line.

I think my ball is in a yard next to the fairway and because of the high fence, I can’t retrieve it. If you are not able to identify the ball, and can’t see your ball elsewhere, you have a “lost ball.” If you able to make a positive identification, a residential fence usually marks the boundary of the course so this ball is “out of bounds.” In either case, Rule 27 tells us that we must return to the place where the ball was last played and play again incurring a one-stroke penalty.

You are not entitled to use “line of flight” to determine a spot to drop a ball, and you may not drop a ball at the point where your ball crossed the boundary. It would save a great deal of time if, in cases of a possible lost

South Central Golf Magazine

ball or for a ball out of bounds, you properly play a provisional ball before you leave the spot where you last played. That provisional ball then becomes the ball in play if you can’t find or retrieve your original ball and you save a long walk back.

As I addressed my ball it rolled down a slope into a bunker; where do I play my next stroke? In this situation your ball was in play and was accidentally moved by you, so you incur a one- stroke penalty and you must replace the ball. In this case, you put the ball back where it lay on the slope. You need not take time to figure out if you caused the ball to move as the Rule provides that as you address the ball (ground your club) and it moves, you did it. When a Rule requires that you replace a ball, but you fail to do so and play it from where it came to rest, the penalty becomes a two- stroke penalty.

The Rules provide times when you may lift/ move your ball without penalty but this is not one of them.

My opponent’s ball is 15 paces from the hole, in a bunker and my ball is 30 paces from the hole on the green; who plays next?

The ball on the green is next. Rule 10 provides that the ball “farther from the hole” is played first. It makes no distinction where both balls are located.

My ball is in tree roots and I might hurt my wrist if I attempt to play it. What can I do? You may deem your ball “unplayable”

anywhere on the course, except in a water hazard. Rule 28 gives you three options for relief under penalty of one stroke: (1) play a ball at the spot from which you last played; (2).draw an imaginary line between the spot where the ball lies and the hole and drop anywhere on an extension of that line; or (3). drop a ball within two club lengths of where the ball lies in the roots. Be careful of this third choice because if the ball rolls back into the roots and is unplayable again, you will start over and incur one additional penalty stroke.

Each spring we have lots of rain and we see puddles of water around the course. How do we proceed if our ball is in a puddle? You are entitled to free relief from “casual water” everywhere on the course, except in a water hazard. Determine the “nearest point for relief” no nearer the hole and drop within one club length of that point. If your ball lay in a bunker, both the nearest point and the drop must be in that bunker. If complete relief is not available in the bunker, drop the ball on the point that provides “maximum available” relief. This essentially means in shallower water, no closer to the hole.

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have to determine where to aim, as any ball

Continued from page 34 that refuses to draw might hit the bank and

into the depressions. They are typically three to eight feet in depth and depending on the height they are mown at could give golfers lots of options.

“My recommendation on these areas would be to have some varied heights so you don’t have the same shot all the time,” Morgan said. “If you grow some of those surfaces up where the ball will stick on the sides and not get all the way to the bottom, then you will have some wedge play involved. When they are mown down you will have a lot of shots you can play, but it will be more difficult for the average player.”

The par-4 12th hole, already a difficult driving hole, will have native areas restored near the tees. The par-3 13th hole has about one-third less green than it did previously.

As mentioned, shots missing to the right will come to rest deep in one of the basins. Any shot hit out of the valley with any pace will scurry across the narrow green and plunk into the pond on the left.

A creek has been restored in the valley to the right on the par-4 14th hole which will gobble up any shots not reaching the upper plateau fairway on the dogleg right. Golfers who play the ball left to right will have to deal with a series of tall trees down the left side, while those who play right to left will

wind up in the stream.

On the par-5 15th hole, trees have been removed to open up the second shot, but a new bunker guarding the left side of the green will prevent shots from running up as they did previously. Again there are catch basins to the left and behind the green which will make any shot going long a real adventure.

“I’d say for the most part you’re better off being short,” Kimmel said. “If you go over any of these greens, that’s where the big problems start.

“The prime directive will be to hit greens.

You will have to be fair to good on chip shots to even play the course. If you are a bad chipper, you will have no chance.”

On the par-5 16th, the false front on the green has been restored and the basins added to the right. In the past golfers could hit a second shot that might run up and curl back on the green; now they will be faced with a perilous pitch.

It may not be politically correct to bring back the noose that used to hang from a tree limb near the 16th green. Can we get a guillotine?

No. 17, the long par-3 over water, has not changed much, but more than half of the 18th green has been removed, replaced by the original Valley of Sin, featuring some of

the deepest collection areas on the course.

The good news is members will have a chance to perfect their short games at the new high-tech teaching center stocked with all the latest in electronic teaching wizardry (see story page 11).

“Our members embrace this challenge,” Kimmel said. “This is why they belong to Oak Tree and for many of them why they have for 30 years.”

Due more to a rise in fees and the change in direction and philosophy, membership is down to about 225 from more than 400 when the new ownership group came in, a planned pruning that will result in a very upscale course with limited access. Membership will probably not rise much higher than 250 with a rebuilt national base included. Total rounds will be less than 15,000 annually, leading to immaculate course conditions. A renovated and restored clubhouse will also elevate the member’s experience.

The site of the 2006 Senior PGA Championship and the 2000 Club Professional Championship definitely has more prestigious events in its future. Dobson wouldn’t give particulars, but said an announcement about its next event would be coming soon.

He did say that an annual PGA Tour stop or Fed-Ex Cup event were unlikely at this time. A more likely bet is a return of a senior major, either the PGA Senior Championship or USGA Senior Open.

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KGA Views

on the golf course, then you will find this to be exciting and fun way to “give back to the game” or even become a better player (remember, knowing the rules can save you from costly penalties).

The Rules of Golf make a presumption that every player “knows the rules.” It is similar to traffic laws – you are presumed to know the rules of the road. Drive a car or play a round of golf at your club and you know that such presumptions are far from accurate. Yet, our great game is generally self-officiated. Players call penalties on themselves. No other sport does that!

Golf has a simple general first rule: The Game of Golf consists of playing a ball with a club from the teeing ground into the hole by a stroke or successive strokes in accordance with the Rules. Since the game can be played in different formats, sometimes with a partner, sometimes with “handicaps” applied, in all kinds of weather conditions, unique terrains and designs, the Rules attempt with great efficiency to cover all of the situations that might happen during play of a stroke, a hole or a round.

If you or your kids want to learn more about the Rules of Golf, I highly recommend spending some routine time (just like at the practice range) at www.usga.org. Under the Rules of Golf tab, you will find several resources to learn the Rules along with a fun and quick examination feature (which is instantly graded for better feedback and

learning). The exam is true/false and can be calibrated to the novice or the expert. After a few sessions you can start to get in the heads of your usual foursome by “educating” them.

Here’s the type of question my annual workshop asks: On a par-3 the player tees his ball within the teeing ground. With a 7-iron he makes his first stroke at the ball but misses it completely. Thinking that he would be better off not to tee the ball, the player lifts his ball (without marking it) and removes the tee from the ground and then using the proper dropping procedure, drops the ball within the teeing ground one club-length to the right of where the ball was originally teed.

Using the same 7-iron, the player hits the ball onto the green where it comes to rest one foot from the hole. He then putts the ball into the hole. What was his score for the hole?

To answer this question, you will need to apply the definition of teeing ground, stroke and obstructions. The applicable rules are Rule 11 (teeing ground), Rule 14 (striking the ball), Rule 18 (ball at rest moved), Rule 20 (lifting, dropping and placing) and Rule 24 (obstructions).

Send me an email at kim@kansasgolf.org with your answer and I will reply with how these Rules apply.

Enjoy your season of playing golf “by the Rules”!

GHIN handicap services has been very active in 2009. As most players know we have changed our revision schedule. In the past Steve Eckroat we had 16 revisions a year (1 revision per OGA Executive Director month during fall, winter and early spring).

This year revisions occur on the 1st and Hello from the OGA! 15th of each month, totaling 24 revisions Spring is upon us and it won’t be long be- per year. All licensed clubs issuing handifore the OGA tournament season will start caps must follow this schedule. with our Spring Four-Ball and Senior Spring Just a reminder about the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball. Both are very popular and we will at Tulsa’s Southern Hills and the U.S. Public have great fields for each event. It is a great Links Championships at Jimmie Austin in way to kick off the season, so grab a partner Norman later this summer. A great way to and enter. watch the action is to become a volunteer

at either or both events. There are many different opportunities to help with the championships. Make sure and check our website for further information.

Finally make sure your local club has your current e-mail address so we can make sure you are receiving your updated handicap index. As a GHIN member you receive your revision sent directly to your e-mail address. You can print your handicap card directly from the e-mail. So when your normal group doesn’t believe you are a 14.1 index, show them your email.

See you on the course.

Kim Richey

KGA Executive Director In late March I attended my annual USGA/ PGA Rules of Golf workshop. It is a threeday, all-day session of non-stop review and discussion of the rules. I have been through this process about 17 times now, and I still learn something every year. I will admit though that 24 hours of golf rules can put you in a “zone” – and I don’t mean a zone of peak performance!

The workshop is topped off with a 100question exam (one-half of which you can use the books to maybe find your answer!).

The first time I took this exam in 1989 I commented that I was fortunate that my state bar exam was not so difficult! Over the years I have learned more and mastered some skills needed to perform better on the exam, but it still trips me with a few “boobytraps”.

The KGA encourages all of our tournament volunteers to attend this workshop and to take the exam. This process tends to identify the true level of interest a person has in being a golf rules official, easily the lowest-paying sports official avocation available. If you can understand the definitions of the terms in the rule book and apply them to a wide variety of situations

OGA Views

2009 OGA Schedule Spring Four-Ball. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Twin Hills May 4-5 U.S. Open Qualifying. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tulsa CC May 11 Senior Spring Four-Ball. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dornick Hills May 18-19 U.S. Public Links Qualifying . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lincoln Park June 8 Junior Boys Championship. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fairfax June 8-11 U.S. Junior Girls Qualifying. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tulsa CC June 18 U.S. Public Links Qualifying . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Battle Creek June 22 Senior State Amateur. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Winstar June 22-25 U.S. Junior Boys Qualifying. . . Jimmie Austin OU Golf Course June 25 Twin Hills Junior. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Twin Hills June 30-July 1 South Central Golf Magazine

State Amateur. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Territory July 6-9 Senior Stroke Play. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ponca City CC July 27-28 U.S. Amateur Qualifying . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Quail Creek July 27 Stroke Play. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Trails Aug. 3-5 Oak Tree Junior. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Oak Tree CC Aug. 12-13 U.S. Senior Amateur Qualifying. . . . . . . . . . . . . Twin Hills CC Aug. 11 Mid Amateur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stillwater CC Aug. 17-18 Oklahoma Open. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Oak Tree CC Sept. 18-20 OGA Cup Matches. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Oak Tree CC Oct. 5-6 State Club. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gaillardia Oct. 23 35

U.S. Am tickets on sale TWAY Tickets for the 2009 U.S. Amateur scheduled Aug. 24-30 at Southern Hills Country Club are on sale now at the tournament’s official website at www.2009usamateur.com.

Daily grounds tickets are $15, weekly grounds tickets are $50 and weekly clubhouse tickets are $120. These allow ticket holders access to the clubhouse.

Children 17 and under will be admitted free when accompanied by a ticketed adult.

Volunteers are still needed in various capacities at the tournament, both at Southern Hills and at Cedar Ridge Country Club in Broken Arrow, which is co-hosting the qualifying rounds. Volunteer forms for both clubs can be found at the amateur website.

Volunteers are also needed for the other major USGA event in Oklahoma this summer, the 2009 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship scheduled July 13-18 at the Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club in Norman.

Volunteers are needed to serve as walking scorers, forecaddies and standard bearers.

Volunteer forms are on the course website at www.ougolfclub.com or call 405-325-6716 and ask for Johnnie Johnson.

Tickets are not required for the event and there will be very few ropes so spectators can walk closely behind the golfers.

Continued from page 16

really enjoyed that. I really wanted to take advantage of that time because it’s going to go away.”

Tway said he plans to split time between the PGA Tour and Champions Tour, but has yet to determine his exact schedule. Much of it depends on how well he is playing and how many exemptions he gets to PGA Tour events.

“I think it’ll be fun, but I still haven’t decided exactly what I’m going to do,” said Tway, who hopes to have his schedule ironed out around mid-April.

Tway does know for certain he will compete in the Senior PGA Championship at Canterbury Golf Club in Ohio on May 2124. He has a lifetime exemption to the PGA Championship, having won the 1986 PGA at Inverness.

The first Champions Tour event after Tway becomes eligible is the Regions Charity Classic May 15-17 in Birmingham, Ala. However, that tournament conflicts with the Valero Texas Open on the PGA Tour, an event Tway envisions playing.

He will prep for the Champions Tour by playing in mid-April at Hilton Head, S.C., where he won the 1995 MCI Classic, and then the following week in New Orleans.

With a view like this.

The challenge is keeping your mind on the game.

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PGA

Continued from page 27

System,’ at clubs around Minnesota before bringing it to the PGA Show.

“This is just our second year, but we’ve had very good acceptance,” he said. “It’s started to catch on overseas and we just came to an agreement with (Minnesota PGA Tour player) Tim Herron.”

But it’s not just small companies who come to the PGA Show with new products every year, it’s large ones as well. Legendary Headwear has carved a solid niche in the golf hat business in nearly two decades and debuted in 2009 what they feel will be the next trend in headwear Going by a variety of titles including Capdrive, Capstick and Capoff is a normal looking golf hat with a small compartment in the back for a USB flash drive, Capstick or a bottle opener. All for those moments on the course you want to surf the ‘net, open a cool one and cover your lips all at the same time.

Business was brisk on the Legendary order writing floor and the company said they could have more hat usage in the future.

Another big part of the PGA show is the huge club demo area where golfers can hit a variety of new clubs, which will wind up on the retail market in 2009 and 2010. While there was nothing here like the square driver, which debuted in 2007, a variety of products, most notably the adjustable driver and wedge, were on full display.

While not directly tied to the PGA Show, another innovative product is now available at Florida clubs and will be rolling out across the country.

Hot Stix Golf was once the exclusive perk of PGA Tour players and top amateurs, who journeyed to the company’s Scottsdale, Ariz., headquarters to have their clubs fitted to their swing.

Now, Hot Stix has a fully equipped mobile unit which is available to any course or club.

Players can take less than two dozen swings and get a fully computer-matched swing profile which shows the player’s “Swing DNA” and can match them to the correct club.

Because Hot Stix has six years and 100,000 swings of independent research, and works with all club companies, it is not in the golf sales business, just the swing analysis one.

During a 90-minute computer fitting session for either irons, woods or the putter, players can exactly match their swing character to the correct type of club.

There is a separate PGA show each fall in Las Vegas and a smaller one in Ontario, Canada, but nothing matches this jumbosize caravan of dreams and dreamers, all looking for golf’s next great thing which golfers hopefully soon won’t be able to live without.

W W W. P O I N T E -V I S TA . COM

36

South Central Golf Magazine

Schedules and Results SCHEDULES PRO LPGA TOUR Sept. 11-13: P&G Beauty Northwest Arkansas Championship, Pinnacle CC, Rogers, Ark. NATIONWIDE June 18-21: Fort Smith Classic, Hardscrabble CC, Fort Smith, Ark. Aug. 6-9: Preferred Health Systems Wichita Open, Crestview CC, Wichita, Kan. PGA SOUTH CENTRAL April 13-14: Assistants Match Play, Shawnee (Okla.)

CC April 20: Pro-Senior, Stillwater (Okla.) CC June 1: Assistant Cup Matches, Ponca City (Okla.) CC June 15: Team Championship, Bailey Ranch GC, Owasso, Okla.

June 22: Pro-President, Oklahoma City G&CC June 27: Play Golf America Day, Belmar GC, Norman, Okla.

June 28-July 1: Professional National Championship, Twin Warriors, N.M. June 29: SCSPGA Foundation Pro-Am, Norman, Okla.

July 6: Assistant Association Championship, Hardscrabble CC, Fort Smith, Ark. July 11: Play Golf America Day, Auburn Hills GC, Wichita July 13-15: Match Play, Gaillardia CC, Okla. City July 20: Sectional Qualifier for McGladrey, Belmar GC, Norman, Okla.

July 27-28: Senior Match Play, Adams GC, Bartlesville, Okla.

Aug. 3: Pro-Scratch, Muskogee (Okla.) CC Aug. 10: Section Assistant, GC of Okla., Broken Arrow Aug. 17-18: Senior PNC, Oakwood CC, Enid, Okla.

Aug. 24-25: Section PNC, Wichita CC Sept. 8: Pro-Assistant, Pleasant Valley CC, Little Rock Sept. 14-15: Chapter Championship, Ridge Pointe CC, Jonesboro, Ark. Sept. 21: Senior Team, Stillwater CC Sept. 28-29: Section Championship, Texarkana (Ark.) CC Oct. 26-28: National McGladrey Championship, Pinehurst, N.C. Oct. 26-27: Pro-Superintendent, TBA Nov. 5-8: National Senior PNC, TBA Nov. 9-10: Jordan Cup, North Texas Nov. 19-22: National Assistant Championship, TBA USGA July 13-18: U.S Amateur Public Links, Jimmie Austin GC, Norman Aug. 23-30: U.S. Amateur, Southern Hills, Tulsa (qualifying also at Cedar Ridge CC, Broken Arrow) USGA QUALIFYING Arkansas May 11: U.S. Open local, Hot Springs CC June 3: Women;s Public Links, Magellan GC, Hot Springs Village June 25: Public Links, Hurricane G&CC, Bryant June 29: Boys Junior, CC of Little Rock Aug. 11: U.S. Amateur, Hardscrabble CC, Fort Smith Aug. 13: Senior Amateur, Balboa GC, Hot Springs Village Aug. 31: Mid-Amateur, Chenal CC, Little Rock Kansas May 11: U.S. Open local, Hallbrook CC May 13: U.S. Open local, Wichita CC June 8: U.S. Open sectional, Milburn G&CC June 17: U.S. Public Links, Dub’s Dread June 23: U.S. Public Links, Sand Creek Station GC June 26: U.S. Senior Open, Willowbend GC July 1: U.S. Senior Open, Alvamar GC July 27: U.S. Amateur, Blue Hills CC and Tallgrass CC Aug. 12: U.S. Senior Amateur, Falcon Lakes GC and Flint Hills National Sept, 1: U.S. Mid-Amateur, Sand Creek Station GC Oct. 31: U.S. Mid-Amateur, GC at Creekmoor Oklahoma May 11: U.S. Open local, Tulsa CC June 3: Lake Hefner (North) GC, Okla. City June 8: Public Links, Lincoln Park GC, Okla. City

South Central Golf Magazine

June 18: Girls Junior, Tulsa CC June 22: Public Links, Battle Creek GC, Broken Arrow June 25, Boys Junior, Jimmie Austin GC, Norman July 27: U.S. Amateur, Quail Creek G&CC, Okla. City Aug. 11: Senior Amateur, Twin Hills G&CC, Okla, City Aug. 25: Women’s Mid-Amateur, Broken Arrow Sept. 3: Mid-Amateur, Tulsa CC COLLEGE MEN April 17-19: SEC Championship, Frederica GC, Sea Island, Ga. April 19-21: C-USA Championship, Red Tail GC, Sorrento, Fla. April 20-23: Sun Belt Championship, Cypresswood GC, Houston April 21-22: Missouri Valley Championship, Davenport (Ia.) CC April 26-27: Summit League Championship, Oakwood CC, Kansas City, Mo. April 27-29: Big 12 Championship, Prairie Dunes GC, Hutchinson, Kan. May 14-16: NCAA regionals, Karsten Creek GC, Stillwater, Okla., plus other sites May 27-30: NCAA Championship, Inverness, Toledo, Ohio WOMEN April 12-14: C-USA Championship, Tulsa CC April 17-19: SEC Championship, Columbia, S.C. April 20-21: Summit League Championship, KatkeCousins GC, Rochester, Mich.

April 20-22: Sun Belt Championship, Cypresswood GC, Houston April 24-26: Big 12 Championship, Rawls Course, Lubbock, Texas May 7-9: NCAA regionals, various sites May 19-22: NCAA Championship, Caves Valley GC, Owings Mills, Md. AMATEUR ARKANSAS STATE GOLF ASSOCIATION April 30-May 3: Men’s Match Play and Mid-Senior Match Play, Big Creek CC, Mountain Home May 14-16: Governor’s Cup, Chenal CC, Little Rock May 19-22: Senior and Super Senior Match Play, Hurricane G&CC, Bryant May 27-28: Two-Woman Scramble, Hot Springs CC June 12-14: Stroke Play and Mid-Senior Stroke Play, Pine Bluff CC June 15-18: Junior Boys and Girls Match Play, Foxwood CC, Jacksonville June 22: Parent-Child, CC of Arkansas and Pleasant Valley CC, Little Rock June 22-23: Monk Wade Father and Son, Little Rock CC and Maumelle CC Aug. 4-6: Junior Boys and Girls Stroke Play, Texarkana CC Aug. 28-30: Senior and Super Senior Stroke Play, Greystone G&CC, Cabot Sept. 25-26: Mountain Valley Hickory Open, Stonelinks GC, North Little Rock; Red Apple CC, Heber Springs Oct. 3-4: Mixed Team, Red Apple CC, Heber Springs Oct. 15: High School Overall, Pleasant Valley CC, Little Rock Oct. 19-20: Women’s Club Team, Maumelle CC Oct. 21-22: Club Champion Championship, Hot Springs Village Oct. 24-25: Nike Cup Matches (ASGA vs. PGA), Hot Springs CC KANSAS GOLF ASSOCIATION May 11-12: Mid-Amateur, Falcon Lakes GC, Basehor May 19-20: Senior Four-Ball, Sycamore Ridge GC, Spring Hill May 30-31: Public Links, Sand Creek Station GC, Newton June 1-5: Four-Ball, Alvamar G&CC, Lawrence June15-18: Boys Junior Amateur, Emporia Municipal GC July 1-2: Junior Team, Eagle Bend GC, Lawrence July 13-14: Father-Son, Manhattan CC July 20-22: Junior Section Team, Carey Park GC, Hutchinson July 23-24: Junior Match Play, Cottonwood Hills GC, Hutchinson

July 27-Aug. 2: Amateur Match Play, Kansas City CC, Mission Hills July 21-23: Junior Section Team, Reflection Ridge GC, Wichita Aug. 16-18: Senior Amateur, Leawood South CC Aug. 29-30: High Plains Amateur, The GC at Southwind, Garden City Sept. 14-15: KGA Senior Series, Colbert Hills GC, Manhattan Sept, 28-30: Senior Team, The GC at Creekmoor, Raymore, Mo. Oct. 5-7: Mid-Amateur Team, Terradyne CC, Andover OKLAHOMA GOLF ASSOCIATION May 4-5: Spring Four-Ball, Twin Hills G&CC, Okla.

City May 18-19: Senior Spring Four-Ball, Dornick Hills G&CC, Ardmore June 8-11: Junior Boys, Fairfax GC June 22-25: Senior State, Winstar Casino GC, Thackerville June 30-July 1: Twin Hills Junior, Twin Hills G&CC, Okla. City July 6-9: State Amateur, The Territory G&CC, Duncan July 27-28: Senior and Super Senior Stroke Play, Ponca City CC Aug. 3-5: Stroke Play, The Trails GC, Norman Aug. 12-13: Oak Tree Junior, Oak Tree CC, Edmond Aug. 17-18: Mid-Amateur, Stillwater CC Sept. 18-20: Oklahoma Open, Oak Tree CC, Edmond Oct. 23: State Club, Gaillardia CC, Okla. City WOMEN’S OKLA. GOLF ASSOCIATION June 15-19: Match Play, Shawnee CC July 13-14: Junior Girls, Willow Creek GC, Okla. City July 20-21: Stroke Play, Stillwater CC TBA. 11-12: ForeState, TBA Aug. 18-19: Partnership, Kickingbird GC, Edmond Oct. 12-13: Senior, Indian Springs (Windmill), Broken Arrow COLLEGE MEN NATIONAL INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT At Omni Tucson National, Tucson (par-72) March 22-23 Team leaders (14 teams): 1, New Mexico 280-280-290 – 850; 2, Arizona 289-279-289 – 857; 3, TCU 285-283-293 – 861; 4, UNLV 286-277-300 – 863; 5, California 283-293-292 – 868; 6, Kent State 289-283-299 – 871; 7, Texas 282-293297 – 872; 8, Colorado State 295-286-299 – 890; 9, Tulsa 290-297-296 – 883; 10, Baylor 291-290-306 - -887.

Individual leaders: 1, Nick Geyer (NM) 66-71-70 – 207; 2, James Sacheck (TCU) 71-68-70 – 209; 3, Phillip Bagdade (Ariz.) 69-68-73 – 210.

Tulsa scores: Nicolas Geyger 72-72-74 – 218, Rob Laird 69-76-73 – 218, Arie Fauzi 76-74-74 – 224, Andre Tourinho 73-77-74 – 224, Ryan Brooks 77-75-75 – 227, Kenji Hernandez 74-77-78 -- 229 SCHENKEL E-Z-GO INVITATIONAL At Forest Heights CC, Statesboro, Ga. (par-72) March 20-22 Team leaders (18 teams): 1, South Carolina 291-288286 – 865; 2 (tie), North Carolina State 295-287-285 – 867 and Tennessee 287-293-287 – 867; 4, Florida 292-287-291 – 870; 5, Kentucky 297-287-291 – 875; 6, Georgia Southern 291-293-292 – 876; 16, Oklahoma 293-297-306 – 896.

Individual leaders: 1, Matt Hill (NCS) 71-69-69 – 209; 2, George Bryan IV (SC) 74-70-68 – 212; 3, Jonathan Randolph (Miss,) 71-73-69 – 213.

OU scores: Liam Logan 74-73-76 – 223, Riley Pumphrey 73-73-77 – 223, Ben Blundell 76-76-75 – 227, Chris Wilson 74-75-78 – 227, Ryan Sirman 72-76-80 – 228.

DESERT SHOOTOUT At Palm Valley GC, Goodyear, Ariz. (par-72) March 19-21 Team scores: 1, Denver 271-277-281 – 829; 2, Tulsa 275-281-274 – 830; 3, Coastal Carolina 278-277-283 – 838; 4, Kansas 282-279-279 – 840; 5, Kansas State 287-276-282 – 845; 6, Iowa State 287-282-282 – 851; 7 (tie), Air Force 278-290-287 – 855 and Southern Utah 278-292-285 – 855; 9, Boise State 283-282-296 – 861; 10, Nebraska 290-289-283 – 862; 11, Missouri State 294-289-292 – 875; 12, Northern Iowa 293-290-300 – 833; 13, Cleveland State 287-296-301 – 884; 14, Utah Valley 292-300-296 – 888.

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Schedules and Results Individual leaders: 1, Tom Whitney (AF) 64-69-67 – 200; 2 (tie), Nicolas Geyger (TU) 64-73-64 – 201 and Zack Byrd (CC) 69-69-63 – 201; 4, Robert Streb (KSU) 68-69-66 – 203; 5, Nate Barbee (KU) 70-67-67 – 204.

Other scores: Arie Fauzi (TU) 67-72-71 – 210, Blake Giroux (KU) 69-71-71 – 211, Stephen Carney (TU) 6873-70 – 211, Joe Ida (KSU) 72-66-73 – 211; Ryan Brooks (TU) 72-70-70 – 212, Rob Laird (TU) 72-68-73 – 213, Andre Tourinho (TU) 76-71-69 – 216, Mitchell Gregson (KSU) 74-70-72 – 216.

9, Arizona 287-289-316 – 892; 10, Arizona State 309-285300 -- 894.

Individual leaders: 1, Cameron Tringale (GT) 67-7068 – 205; 2 (tie), Morgan Hoffmann (OSU) 72-62-75 – 210 and Matthew Giles (USC) 67-71-72 – 210; 4, Brett Kanda (UNLV) 72-71-69 – 212; 5, Eddie Olson (UNLV) 73-71-69 – 214; 6 (tie), Trent Leon (OSU) 74-69-71 – 214 and Billy Horschel (Fla.) 71-72-71 – 214.

Other OSU scores: Bernhard Neumann 74-69-79 – 222, Kevin Tway 79-70-75 – 224, Rickie Fowler 71-80-73 -- 224.

BORDER OLYMPICS At Laredo (Texas) CC (par-71) March 13-14 Team leaders (16 teams): 1, Baylor 297-282-298 – 877; 2, Arkansas 295-292-297 – 884; 3, Lamar 294-299-293 – 886; 4, Texas-Arlington 286-302-300 – 888; 5, Notre Dame 303-289-299 – 891; 6, Texas State 297-295-301 – 893; 7, Washington State 299-294-301 – 894; 8 (tie), ArkansasLittle Rock 302-298-296 – 896 and Louisville 297-288-311 – 896; 10 (tie), Rice 303-300-299 – 902 and Vanderbilt 297296-309 – 902.

Individual leaders: 1, Bobby Massa (UTA) 66-73-72 – 211; 2, Jeff Gerlich (TS) 72-72-71 – 215; 3, Ethan Tracy (Ark.) 70-72-74 – 216; 4 (tie), Linus Gillgren (UALR) 7671-71 – 218, Xavier Feyaerts (Lamar) 76-71-71 – 218, Bill Allcorn (Baylor) 73-71-74 – 218 and Adam Hadwin (Louisville) 70-68-80 – 218.

Other scores: Andrew Landry (Ark.) 73-72-77 – 222, Jamie Marshall 75-73-74 – 222, Dylan Raines (UALR) 76-7375 – 224, Jason Cuthbertson (Ark.) 77-76-72 – 225, Keith Becker Jr. (UALR) 74-79-76 – 229,

PUERTO RICO CLASSIC At Rio Mar CC, Rio Grande, Puerto Rico (par-72) Feb. 27-March 1 Team leaders (15 teams): 1, Georgia 283-270-273 – 826; 2, Clemson 285-275-278 – 838; 3, Oklahoma State 286-282280 – 848; 4, Texas 294-280-279 – 853; 5, Georgia Tech 280-292-283 – 855; 6, North Carolina State 281-286-291 – 858; 7, Florida 288-289-282 – 859; 8, Alabama 288-291286 – 865; 9 (tie), Michigan 287-294-296 – 877 and East Tennessee State 297-291-289 – 877.

Individual leaders: 1, Dylan Fritelli (Texas) 67-64-73 – 204 and Hudson Swafford (Ga.) 70-67-67 – 204; 3 (tie), Ben Martin (Clemson) 71-69-66 – 206, Russell Henley (Ga.) 72-67-67 – 206 and Brian Harman (Ga.) 69-71-66 - 206.

OSU scores: Rickie Fowler 72-68-71 – 211, Morgan Hoffman 73-71-67 – 211, Trent Leon 71-70-72 – 213, Kevin Tway 70-73-73 – 216, Mark Johnson 73-73-70 – 216.

SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS COLLEGIATE At Southern Highlands, Las Vegas (par-72) March 13-15 Team leaders (15 teams): 1, UNLV 285-288-282 – 855; 2, Oklahoma State 291-270-295 – 856; 3, Georgia 303-284283 – 870; 4, Florida 290-293-289 – 870; 5, Southern Cal 295-294-290 – 879; 6, Georgia Tech 289-295-300 – 884; 7, Clemson 283-298-306 – 887; 8, UCLA 296-293-299 – 888;

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WOMEN BETSY RAWLS LONGHORN INVITATIONAL Univ. of Texas GC, Austin, Texas (par-72) March 20-22 Team scores: 1, Purdue 291-287-294 – 872; 2, Arizona State 287-291-300 – 878; 3, Arkansas 288-294-298 – 880; 4, New Mexico 292-298-301 – 891; 5, Duke 299-302-296 – 897; 6, Notre Dame 296-308-311 – 915; 7 (tie), Texas A&M 311-301-306 – 918 and Furman 302-310-306 – 918; 9, Texas 307-308-304 – 919; 10 (tie), Oklahoma 302-309311 – 922 and Vanderbilt 291-312-319 – 922; 12 (tie), Tulsa 308-309-312 – 929 and South Carolina 310-311-308 – 929; 14, Chattanooga 304-311-315 – 930; 15, Arizona 306-317309 – 932; 16, Florida State 3170313-303 – 933; 17, Central Florida 303-327-320 – 950.

Individual leaders: 1, Maria Hernandez (Purdue) 7069-71 – 210; 2, Lucy Nunn (Ark.) 70-70-73 – 213; 3, Jodi Ewart (NM) 70-72-73 – 215; 4, Maude Aimee Leblanc (Purdue) 70-71-75 – 216.

Other scores: Kendall Dye (OU) 71-78-71 – 220, Kristin Ingram (Ark.) 73-72-75 – 220, Kelli Shean (Ark.) 71-77-73 – 221, Ellen Mueller (OU) 74-70-78 – 222, Marita Engzelius (Tulsa) 73-75-75 – 223, Alexandra Schulte (Ark.) 74-75-80 – 229, Katy Nugent (Ark.) 76-79-77 – 232, Woori Shin (Tulsa) 79-77-76 – 232, Kelly Fuchik (Tulsa) 81-76-80 – 237, Kelly Short (OU) 78-80-80 – 238.

WINTHROP INTERCOLLEGIATE At Rock Hill CC, Rock Hill, S.C. (par-72) March 20-22 Team leaders (12 teams): 1 (tie), Winthrop 316-309-314 – 939 and Yale 322-308-309 – 939; 3, Oral Roberts 312-315314 – 941; 4, Minnesota 322-308-321 – 951; 5, GardnerWebb 336-324-319 – 979; 6 (tie), High Point 334-324-341 -- 999 and St. John’s 343-334-322 – 999.

Individual leaders: 1, Brittany Dabule (Winthrop) 7773-78 – 228; 2 Kylie Bollenbach (ORU) 77-75-77 – 229; 3 (tie), Teresa Puga (Minn.) 76-77-79 – 232 and Harriet Owers-Bradley 81-78-73 – 232.

Other ORU scores: Crystal Reeves 78-75-82 – 235, Amber Hensley 79-83-77 – 239, Christy Carter 79-85-78 – 242, Eve Santillan 78-82-83 – 243.

LSU GOLF CLASSIC At The University Club, Baton Rouge, La. (par-72) March 13-15 Team leaders (18 teams): 1, Virginia 285-287-284 – 856; 2, Tulane 289-294-278 – 861; 3, Louisiana State 287-297283 – 867; 4, Arkansas 298-284-287 – 869; 5 (tie), Louisville 296-294-280 – 870, North Carolina 287-296-287 – 870 and Wake Forest 284-296-290 – 870; 8 (tie), TCU 290-301-289 – 880 and Kentucky 293-299-288 – 880; 10 (tie), Colorado 296-301-287 – 884 and South Carolina 292-305-287 – 884.

Individual leaders: 1 (tie), Benedicte Toumpsin (SC) 70-71-68 – 209, Lucy Nunn (Ark.) 72-68-69 – 209 and Calle Nielson (Va.) 67-71-71 – 209; 4, Nannette Hill (WF) 72-70-

38

68 – 210.

Other Arkansas scores: Alexandra Schulte 77-71-72 – 220, Kristin Ingram 75-73-72 – 220, Kelli Shean 76-72-74 – 222, Katy Nugent 75-74-79 – 228.

UNLV SPRING REBEL INVITATIONAL At Boulder Creek GC, Boulder City, Nev. (par-72) March 9-11 Team leaders (17 teams): 1, UNLV 312-283-289 – 884; 2, Texas Tech 306-291-289 – 886; 3, Georgia 312-292-290 – 894; 4 (tie), Washington 325-288-282 – 895 and Oregon 311-301-283 – 895; 6, Kent State 319-294-288 – 901; 7, Tulsa 306-302-294 – 902; 8, Oregon State 317-296-296 – 909; 9, Campbell 323-294-293 – 910; 10, Nebraska 330-288-299 – 917.

Individual leaders: 1 (tie), Mallory Hetzel (Ga.) 75-7168 – 214 and Marta Silva (Ga.) 70-74-70 – 214; 3, Anya Alvarez (Wash.) 79-69-67 – 215; 4, Natasha Krishna (UNLV) 77-69-70 – 216; 5, Kathryn Bristow (Ore.) 75-75-68 – 218.

Tulsa scores: Shu Yin Liu 76-74-73 – 223, Kelly Fuchik 75-74-77 – 226, Marita Engzelius 78-76-74 – 228, Sarah Elliot 77-79-73 – 229, Woori Shin 79-78-74 – 231.

CENTRAL FLORIDA CHALLENGE At Red Tail GC, Sorrento, Fla. (par-72) March 9-11 Team leaders (18 teams): 1, UCLA 282-287-281 – 850; 2, Arizona State 284-284-289 – 857; 3, Oklahoma State 286-289-286 – 861; 4, Southern Cal 286-289-295 – 872; 5, Auburn 290-294-290 – 874; 6 (tie), Louisiana State 286302-289 – 877 and Florida 292-293-292 – 877; 8, Tennessee 290-298-292 – 880; 9, North Carolina 296-291-294 – 881; 10 (tie), Pepperdine 293-295-294 – 882 and Purdue 294295-293 – 882.

Individual leaders: 1, Stephanie Kono (UCLA) 71-71-66 – 208; 2, Jessica Yadloczky 66-70-73 – 209; 3, Jennie Lee (Duke) 71-68-71 – 210; 4 (tie), Glory Yang (UCLA) 68-7271 – 211 and Candace Schepperle (Aub.) 73-70-68 – 211; 6 (tie), Caroline Hedwall (OSU) 68-73-72 – 213, Jaclyn Sweeney (ASU) 71-70-72 – 213, Belen Mozo (USC) 74-6574 – 213 and Thea Hoffmeister (Purdue) 74-68-71 – 213.

Other OSU scores: Pernilla Lindberg 69-73-73 – 215, Caroline Masson 74-72-70 – 216, Karin Kinnerud 75-71-74 – 220, Amanda Johnson 75-76-71 – 222.

KIAWAH ISLAND INTERCOLLEGIATE At Kiawah Island Osprey Point, Kiawah, S.C. (par-72) Feb. 22-24 Team leaders (43 teams): 1 (tie), Central Arkansas 310-300-294 – 904 and Miami (Fla.) 300-305-299 – 904; 3, East Tennessee State 300-306-302 – 908; 4, Florida 309303-300 – 912; 5, Mississippi 305-306-302 – 913; 6, College of Charleston 307-310-298 – 915; 14 (tie), Oral Roberts 303-318-305 – 926 and Illinois State 320-305-301 – 926.

Individual leaders: 1 (tie), Nicole Forshner (UCA) 7473-71 – 218 and Sinead O’Sullivan (ETS) 74-73-71 – 218; 3 (tie), Jessica Yadloczky (Fla.) 73-73-74 – 220 and Sara Grantham (Miss.) 74-76-70 – 220.

Other scores: Christy Carter (ORU) 73-80-73 – 226, Crystal Reeves (ORU) 76-73-77 – 226, Rebecca Sorensen (UCA) 78-76-74 – 228, Sara Hillman (UCA) 81-74-73 – 228.

MORRIS WILLIAMS INTERCOLLEGIATE At The University of Texas Golf Club, Austin, Texas (par-??)

March 30-31 Team scores (18 teams): 1 Oklahoma State 285-284294 – 863; 2 Arkansas, U. of 295-295-298 – 888; 3 Southern California 291-293-307 – 891; 4 Texas 296-299-301 – 896; 5 TCU 302-294-305 – 901; 6 Texas Tech 302-301-301 – 904; 7 Pepperdine 299-297-310 – 906; 8 SMU 300-298-309 – 907; 9 New Mexico 308-307-297 – 912; 10 Texas A&M University 301-306-307 – 914; 11 Baylor 300-307-309 – 916; 12 UNLV 303-304-312 – 919; 13 Brigham Young Univ. 305-307-315 – 927; 14 New Mexico State U. 305-305-318 – 928; 15 Tulsa 313-296-322 – 931; 16 Oklahoma, U. of 307-305-320 – 932; 17 Rice University 304-309-327 – 940; 18 Air Force 315322-324 – 961.

Individual leaders: 1 (tie), Morgan Hoffmann (OSU) 72-70-70 – 212 and Tom Glissmeyer (USC) 69-70-73 – 212 ; 3, Kevin Tway (OSU) 71-70-75 – 216 Other scores: 4 David Lingmerth (Ark.) 74-71-73 – 218; Trent Leon (OSU) 72-74-74 – 220; Trent Whitekiller (OSU) 70-76-75 – 221; T9 Jason Cuthbertson (Ark.) 76-74-72 – 222;

South Central Golf Magazine

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