Cascade Golfer Dec. 2021

VOLUME 15 • ISSUE 5 • DECEMBER 2021 • COMPLIMENTARY

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PUETZ HOLIDAY GIFT IDEAS INSIDE Putt & drive indoors all over Puget Sound Local golf news round up Destination focus on New Mexico A Ryder Cup retrospective NO RT HW E ST GO L F N E W S & VI EW S

KAUAI CALLING Is

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A LOOK

INSIDE

Departments 4 PUBLISHER’S PITCH

• Thank you for an amazing 2021

by Dick Stephens

6 SHORT GAME

27 RISK VS REWARD

32 TEEING OFF

• UW’s Manke No. 1 in NCAA • 2022 Pac-12 Championship • The Rouge Cocktail Lounge • Duke’s commitment to scholarship • Gift Ideas: Leupold Range Finders • For the golfer that loves to ‘wander’ • Douglas wins 2021 CG Match Play • 2022 Corona Premier Shootout • Corona Premier Property • Cody Roth

• The Classic Golf Club | Hole No. 18

• Q & A with Marcus Hahnemann

45 SAVE SOME GREEN

• Blue Heron Golf Course • Twin Rivers Golf Course • North Bellingham Golf Course

48 POSTGAME

• 12th Annual CG Cup Wrap-Up

PUETZ GOLF SAVINGS 28 - 31

22 IN THE BAG

• Golf gifts galore

Features

34 38 40 42

CG Indoor Golf Guide

Chip, putt and drive indoors all over Puget Sound

Kauai is Calling

Take a deep dive into this Hawaiian golf haven

A New Desert Star

Our first-ever look at New Mexico and all it has to offer

Ryder Cup Reflection

Tony Dear’s Euro perspective on global golf’s finest hour

ON THE COVER AND THIS PAGE: Kauai’s glorious Ocean Course at Hokuala graces our cover and table of contents.

Read this month’s cover story on page 38.

Phot Cour tesy of Ocean Course at Hokual .

Win Free Golf and More!

Swinomish Golf Links • Anacortes

This month’s CG Swag prizes will be found on different pages inside this issue. Winter doesn’t mean you have put the clubs away. Grab your rain gear, we are sending readers all over the Puget Sound. This month we will award: • Twosome to Eagles Pride Golf Course

and Northwest Golfers Playbook • Page 12 • Twosome to Cedars at Dungeness • Page 43

cascadegolfer.com

• Twosomes to Whidbey Golf Club

and Swinomish Golf Links • Page 45

We love giving our readers value – we’ve been honoring them for years. Our winners from the August issue are: Whidbey GC foursome and Sudden Valley foursome Rick Johnson • Ballard Northwest Golfers Playbook Suzie Templeton • Bellevue Salish Cliffs twosome Matt Thompson • Seattle DECEMBER 2021

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Volume 15 • Issue 5 • DECEMBER 2021

CASCADE

GOLFER cascadegolfer.com Cascade Golfer is published and owned by Varsity Communications, Inc. It’s mailed via USPS to 50,000 homes and e-mailed to 100,000 golfers in Puget Sound.

VARSITY COMMUNICATIONS, INC. varsitycommunications.com

EDITORIAL STAFF P U B LI S H E R S Dick Stephens & Kirk Tourtillotte E D I TO R Tony Dear ART D I R E C T I O N & G R A P H I C D E S I G N Robert Becker W R IT E R S Abby Hagstom, Bob Sherwin & Jim Street FOR EDITORIAL SUBMISSIONS AND INQUIRIES: Dick Stephens • Publisher stephens@varsitycommunications.com FOR ACCOUNTING INQUIRIES: Kirk Tourtillotte • Publisher kirk@varsitycommunications.com

ADVERTISING & MARKETING STAFF SALES/MARKETING MANAGER & TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR Simon Dubiel simon@cascadegolfer.com COPYRIGHT 2021 Cascade Golfer. PRINTED IN THE USA. All rights reserved. Articles, photos, advertising and/ or graphics may not be reprinted without the written permission of the publisher. Advertising and editorial contained herein does not constitute endorsement of Cascade Golfer or Varsity Communications, Inc. Publisher reserves the right to edit letters, photos and copy submitted and publish only excerpts. The publisher has made every effort to ensure the accuracy of all material contained in this issue. However, as unpredictable changes and errors do occur, the publisher can assume no liability for errors, omissions or changes.

All photos are courtesy of the course or individual unless otherwise noted.

PRODUCER AND OWNER OF THE PROUD CHARTER MEMBER

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DECEMBER 2021

PUBLISHER’S PITCH

DICK STEPHENS

Thank you for an amazing 2021 — we’ll see you at the Seattle Golf Show March 5-6

F

or 15 years, I’ve been closing out the year and our connection to golf in the Northwest with my December Publisher’s Pitch column. It’s customary to do so and I like tipping my hat to those that make this title possible.

I must say, the Cascade Golfer team of Rob Becker, Tony Dear, Bob Sherwin, Simon Dubiel, Pam Titland and Kirk Tourtillotte have done a commendable job all year with storytelling and their yeoman’s efforts in bringing you ‘news and views you and use.’ They’ve surely done our slogan proud during the best year the sport has ever seen since the game was born on a Scottish glen way back when.

I love these people. We banded together tighter than ever and produced: five issues of Cascade Golfer, the Cascade Golfer Cup Series, our all-new Corona Premier Shootout at Gamble Sands, the Cascade Golfer Match Play, a 2021 version of our Players Card and the Northwest Golfers Playbook. Whew! What a body of work. And none of those happen without you — our readers, participants and clients.

But there’s a project that we weren’t able to collaborate on this year because of COVID and indoor restrictions. And, it’s our granddaddy of them all — the Seattle Golf Show.

It was odd not doing it — and not doing the shows just like the one we do here at home as we also produce the only golf expos in Portland, Kansas City, St. Louis, Omaha, Indianapolis and Connecticut.

So, it gives me great pleasure that I tell you to save the date here in the Jet City as our 2022 Seattle Golf Show will return to its former glory March 5-6 — this time at an all-new venue. We will produce next year’s show at the beautiful Washington State Convention Center in the heart of Seattle.

For years the show has been held in the Lumen Field Event Center and each year has been a success and a great way to kick off spring. This year will be special, not just with a new venue, but to celebrate the sport here and its surge and growth in every aspect of the game.

Thank you to our long time retail partner Puetz Golf, we will once again feature all the new golf club manufacturer’s 2022 releases and great sales on equipment and apparel. The show’s hallmark is our commitment to interactivity where you can chip, putt, pitch and drive the ball all over the show hall and meet the best the game has to offer from vendors from all over the Northwest.

Also, bring your rusty swing and desire for game improvement to our lesson areas and main stage seminars all weekend and compete for prizes in our many skill competitions. And for our young players, Saturday is always Kids and Family Day, so stay tuned to our website and follow us on social media for specials and programming.

The Seattle Golf Show is also a place for you to get energized and connected to the sport after a long, cold and wet winter. The sport feeds off of relationships and patronage and as the sport moves through and past COVID, this year’s show will celebrate the best in all of us.

The show will promote safety and respect all requirements in running a responsible event during these interesting times. So stand assured we will be back better than ever March 5-6. Join us and let’s reset and renew our love of the greatest game together.

Follow us at SeattleGolfShow.com and on Facebook for updated information. I wish each and every one of you a safe and happy holiday season and, as always, TAKE IT EASY. cascadegolfer.com

SHORT GAME

UW’s Manke is ranked No. 1 in NCAA and poised for huge 2022

I

t took just one minute this fall to furnish R.J. Manke with what he had long sought to become a complete golfer. He had all the shots, particularly a killer short game. He had the experience as a senior graduate transfer to Washington after four years with 2021 NCAA champion Pepperdine. What was missing, what he found, was perspective.

It came on Sept. 11 as Manke, in his first competition as a Husky, prepared for his 9:20 am tee time at the Maui Jim Invitational at Mirabel Country Club in Scottsdale, Ariz..

At 9:11 a.m., all the players, officials and spectators were asked to stop what they were doing and stand in place for a minute of silence to remember those who lost their lives after the 2001 terrorist attacks.

“It reminded me that there’s a lot more going on off the golf course that really matters,’’ he thought in his quiet reflection. “If I go shoot 78, no one else really cares. My mom is still going to love me the same. If I shoot 62, my neighbors down the street won’t

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DECEMBER 2021

know the difference. It’s not going to change their lives. I’m trying to keep that mentality.

It takes the internal pressure off.’’

Manke admitted that his game and career trajectory had been adversely affected by his occasional fitful mental distress. “I realized the internal pressure I was putting on myself,’’ he said, “standing over a putt and thinking how much it mattered.’’

Focused and fortified, Manke went out and shot a 62, one stroke off his career low.

The next day he fired a 63 — tying the school record for a final round — to finish third in the three-day tournament, his ‘worse’ finish in five fall tournaments.

He won two of the Huskies’ next four tournaments, the Fighting Irish Classic and the Oregon State Invitational. His stroke average for 15 fall rounds was 67.40, scoring under 70 in 10 rounds and under par in 12. Based on his remarkable fall success, Manke moved to national No. 1 in the Golfstat player rankings, 16th in the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR) and is on the Haskins Award (nation’s top collegian) Watch List.

“I can’t say enough good things about him,’’ Washington sixth year golf coach Alan Murray of Manke. “He has a great head on his shoulders. He’s really calm under pressure.

He’s a cool customer.’’

Manke would not have believed that at times in the past, especially six years ago when he was scrambling for an opportunity just to play college golf. He helped Bellarmine Prep in Lakewood, Wa., win three state golf titles – as well as serving as class valedictorian. He wanted to go to Washington, “but really didn’t have the game to play there,’’ he said. The Huskies were among the top 20 best schools in the country then.

He received just four offers, Seattle U., Gonzaga, Oregon State and Pepperdine, then an average yet fast-developing program.

He started strong for the Waves, winning his first of two tournaments his sophomore year at the 2018 Alister Mackenzie Invitational. He shot a final-round career-best 61 to win by three strokes over Cal’s Collin Morikawa. Morikawa has gone on to become the world’s second ranked professional with five PGA Tour victories, including two majors.

COVID brought chaos to sports at every level in 2020, canceling the NCAA golf championship. Coming out of the disruption last spring, Manke didn’t respond well, struggling to a 42nd place finish at the Valspar Collegiate in Palm City, Fla. “After that, my spot in the lineup was gone,’’ Manke said. “And I was never given an opportunity to get back in the lineup. I wasn’t given the chance.’’ cascadegolfer.com

Photos courtesy of University of Washington

He made one appearance in the first round of the NCAA Championships, shooting an inconsequential 75. It was his last round as a Wave. He was a spectator for the Waves NCAA regional at Tumble Creek and at the NCAA Championships at Scottsdale’s Grayhawk Golf Club.

When the NCAA granted college athletes an extra year of eligibility because of COVID, Manke, who had completed his business degree, entered the transfer portal. He wasn’t motivated to leave by unhappiness or bitterness. “I liked Pepperdine for four years,’’ he said, “but every year down there made me want Washington more.’’

His parents, his brother, his sister and a load of uncles, aunts and cousins went to or were connected to U-Dub. Purple was his color and he rejoiced when Murray held out an offer at the other end of the portal.

“If you’re lucky enough to coach 30 years, you have maybe five players in your lifetime like R.J.,’’ Murray said. “Some of the best guys you have, you learn from them more than you teach them. A guy like R.J. is a coaching dream.’’

Manke, working on his business masters degree, has much to look forward to in the winter/spring schedule.

He’s currently ranked sixth in the PGA Tour University rankings. The top five earn automatic entry into the Korn Ferry Tour (his former teammate at Bellarmine Prep/Pepperdine Joe Highsmith is 10th). He’ll lead the Huskies into the Pac-12 Championships April 25-27 where the team trains, Aldarra Golf Club in Sammamish.

That will be followed by the NCAA Tournament, where it is likely that the Huskies and the Waves will be among those teams mixing it up in the same regional.

It’s a loaded schedule with plenty at stake, but Manke’s renewed perspective may give him the broader view to deal with everything coming at him.

“I came to realize,’’ he added, “that it’s only as big of a deal as you make it in your own mind.’’

— Bob Sherwin cascadegolfer.com

The Rouge Cocktail Lounge is a speakeasy that any golfer would love after a day on the links

A

touch of French flavor and Manhattan ambiance has arrived in the Great Northwest.

Welcome to the Rouge Cocktail Lounge, a new and plush “speakeasy” located on Old Main St. in Bellevue — the perfect place to wind down after a round or a busy day at the office. It’s a meet-and-greet gathering spot that features exotic drinks, delicious small-bites and a platform for performing arts.

“It’s not a sports bar where you can watch a Seahawks game,” co-owner Mary Kenney said, “but it’s a great place to connect with friends and relatives after the game.” After more than two years of frustrating COVID-related delays, Mary and her husband Chris weathered the setbacks to persist in their dream. It came to fruition on Nov. 3 with a grand opening celebration. “It has been a long road from where we began, “Chris said, “but we’re excited to get started.”

Rouge is open from 4-11 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, and from 4 p.m. until late on Friday and Saturday. How late will be determined when they have the chance to gauge crowd flow and the late-night habits of the eastside populace. “We will be doing a great happy hour (4-6 p.m.) when people are finished working, or just getting off the golf course,” Chris said.

The interior has a cozy, romantic atmosphere, small tables and cabernet-colored sofa benches.

The extensive menu is a cell phone away – just hold your phone over a chip inset at the table and presto — the menu.

There are exotic cocktail and mocktail drinks, including specialties that pay homage to performers and classic movies from the 1930s and ‘40s, such as “My Josephine,” “Lady Ella,” “We’ll Always Have Paris,” “Fred and Ginger” and numerous others fancy concoctions. On the other hand, one can have wine, beer and spiked seltzer, sodas, coffee or tea.

Small bites include chef-selected charcuterie/cheese board along with rustic bread, olives, spiced nuts, polenta fries and remoulade and mac & cheese.

“This was inspired by us living in New York City where there are ‘speakeasy’ type of lounges,” said Mary, who grew up near the shores of Lake Sammamish, went to the University of Washington and ended up in New York to pursue her dance career. “It has sort of an art-deco flair, like a romantic Manhattan lounge. We wanted to bring that element to Bellevue.”

One of the first things you notice when you walk in is a piano facing the wall on the right. “We’re starting slow,” Mary said, “but we plan to eventually have live music, probably once a week that will evolve into singers and my specialty, dancing and choreography.’’

Bellevue, the rapidly expanding city located on the east side of Lake Washington, has a wealth of potential for the newest establishment on Main.

Asked about the potential clientele, Chris added, “A little bit of everybody. The Bellevue demographic is everyone. With all the apartments and the building that’s going on, there will be a lot of foot traffic and that’s good because Main Street is not the easiest place to find a place to park. The walkability of this place is really easy.”

— Jim Street DECEMBER 2021

7

SHORT GAME

Aldarra home of 2022 Pac-12 Championship as Huskies play host venue

T

he Pacific-12 Conference golfers have it quite nice.

Look at some of the places where they can play their collegiate golf competitions.

Cal and Stanford have access to the venerable San Francisco courses such as TPC Harding Park, The Olympic Club or the legendary Monterey Peninsula layouts. The two Los Angeles schools have their pick of prestigious clubs all the way down the coast to San Diego.

Arizona State is not far from the renowned Scottsdale courses such as Troon North and Grayhawk — site of the 2022 NCAA Championship. “It’s the coolest of all the conference (sports) championships,’’ said six-year Washington Huskies golf coach Alan Murray. “Each school gets to host the championship once every 12 years, and the proximity to some great courses is pretty unbelievable.”

It’s Washington’s turn to invite conference schools up north for the 2022 Pac-12 Conference Championship, April 25-27, and the Huskies can put on display one of their showplaces.

The competition will be held at the Tom Fazio-designed Aldarra Golf Club in Sammamish, which might pro-

88

DECEMBER2021 2021 DECEMBER

vide a natural advantage as it is one of four courses in the area at which the Huskies can play weekly practice rounds.

“Aldarra is an amazing golf course,” Murray said. “It’s really fair and is a phenomenal test for the championship.”

The 20-year-old course built on the old Boeing Farm property was awarded the championship as a replacement to Seattle Golf Club. Seattle GC had planned to host the event in 2020 but COVID-19 canceled it. The club is undergoing a major renovation this year, so yielded the event to Aldarra.

“It’s one of the events we thought was a great fit for us,” said John Freitas, Aldarra’s GM/Director of Golf. “We try to promote amateur golf at the highest level, collegiate golf, and thought the Pac-12 Championship would be fantastic.”

Aldarra, host of the 2017 NCAA Regionals and 2019 Husky Invitational, has been on a steady rise in national golf rankings. Golf Digest now rates it the 140th best course in the country, and it frequently tops ‘Best Course’ lists in the state.

“We’re really fortunate because it’s a big recruiting

tool for us,” said Murray. “You can’t help but be impressed by it. This is my sixth year in Seattle, which is a phenomenal golf city. You don’t hear too much about it on the East Coast but look what’s around here — Seattle Golf Club, Broadmoor, Chambers Bay, Tumble Creek, Tacoma CGC.” The Huskies, who make regular visits to Aldarra as well as Broadmoor, Gold Mountain and Washington National, enter spring play with plenty of fall momentum.

They played in five fall competitions and won three of them — the Husky Invitational, Notre Dame Classic and Oregon State Invitational. They are led by senior graduate R.J. Manke, a transfer from 2021 national champion Pepperdine, medalist in two of the fall tournaments and the nation’s No. 1 collegiate player according to Golfstat.

The Northwest will host several other conference championships this season. Besides the men’s golf events, the women’s Pac-12 Championships will be at Eugene (Ore.) Country Club April 18-20. Also, the men’s and women’s diving competition and women’s swimming events will be held at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center Feb. 23-26, and they will be followed by the men’s swimming competition March 2-5.

The men’s and women’s track & field competitions will be staged at Hayward Field in Eugene May 13-15. cascadegolfer.com

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Junior Golfer Scholarship

Duke’s commitment to scholarship and citizenry shines brighter than ever John (left) and Duke Moscrip are the driving forces behind the Duke’s Seafood Junior Scholarship.

T Grant Ballew

The 2021 Shorecrest High School Boys and Girls Golf Teams

Leroy Jackson

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he Duke’s Seafood Junior Golfer Scholarship was first introduced in our spring issue of 2016. Since then the seafood restaurant with seven locations around the Seattle Metropolitan Area, and led by John Moscrip and his father Duke, has awarded over $20,000 to area juniors involved in the greatest game of all.

It has survived (and is still surviving) a global pandemic and, along with every other golf institution around the world, constantly battles other activities and hobbies vying for a piece of our children’s spare time and attention. This was another memorable year for the scholarship, which was awarded three times — twice to individuals and, in July, to an entire boys and girls high school golf program.

The year’s first winner was Curtis High School senior Grant Ballew who, you may recall, juggled a couple of extra-curricular interests (tennis, track and field) with his new-found affection for golf. Grant had been nominated by friend and neighbor Victoria Cho who found him some old clubs in her basement and told us Grant wasn’t one to sit around looking for things to do. During a bleak period when schools had shut down leaving kids unable to participate in organized sports, Ballew had quickly become a member of Youth on Course, taking advantage of discounted green fees and range balls, and heading to Tacoma’s Meadow Park Golf Course almost daily.

John Moscrip was impressed by Ballew’s enthusiasm not just for golf, but life in general. “Golf could have easily got lost in all his options, so it was really great to see Grant embrace the game,” he says. “I’m so glad his friend helped him get started and that we were able to help out a little.”

Ballew started at Boise State University at the end of August and has continued to play golf, despite everything that comes with settling in as a college freshman. “I’ve not played as much as I’d like, but have managed to get out six or seven times at the local course – Warm Springs,” he says. “I’m still really enjoying it.”

In July, the award went to the boys’ and girls’ teams at Shorecrest High School in Shoreline. We wondered how the money might be divvied up between 20-plus students, but the school’s College and Career Coordinator, Suzanne Monson, assured us it would be put to very good use paying for reduced-rate green fees (shout out to Youth on Course, again). “I can’t say enough about Duke’s generosity,” Monson added. “What better way to give back to a sport you love than investing in the next generation of players?”

Girls’ team coach Bob Quiles was pleased with how the whole team had reacted so positively to 2020’s lockdown, but was especially impressed by the group of juniors who had turned out as Freshman two years previously without any experience of golf at all but who had developed into vital members of the team. “They make practices fun and are very dedicated,” he said. “And they have recruited nine more players, so I owe a lot to them.”

Again, Moscrip could not have been more pleased with the choice of winner. “It was cool to present the prize to an entire program,” he says. “They were so appreciative which was very gratifying.”

August’s winner was really a no-brainer. Leroy Jackson, a Sammamish resident and Eastlake High School senior was, like Grant Ballew, a fairly new golfer who had quickly become hooked. He too ran track and also played football, but after caddying in a junior tournament for a friend who was a member of the Fir State Golf Club, an association founded in 1947 to ‘provide a means for minorities to learn and compete in the sport’, he became a member and began playing often. But it was more than Leroy’s involvement in golf that caught our attention — a lot of teens play golf. Being an honor student and his athletic accomplishments were nice too, but not the clincher.

What separated him from the other contenders was Leroy’s commitment to a non-profit called Athletes for Kids that pairs high school athletes with children with significant disability and special needs.

Leroy, now a freshman at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, had been involved with AFK for three years and maintained his relationship with his ‘buddy’ even after his formal commitment to the organization had ended. “Selecting Leroy was really an easy thing to do,” says Moscrip. “Great kid, great student, great family, an active member of Fir State Golf Club and, of course, his selfless devotion to his AFK buddy. He was exactly the sort of young man, or woman, we are looking to award the scholarship to.”

Moscrip, who says Duke’s Seafood has seen a resurgence in business this year thanks to the company’s ‘One Big Team’ culture and successful recovery from supply chain issues caused by COVID, can’t wait to see who wins in 2022. “It’s been so great to play a small part in these kids’ development,” he says. “We’re committed to the scholarship, and look forward to next year when we anticipate having another outstanding collection of applicants from which to choose.” cascadegolfer.com

cascadegolfer.com

DECEMBER 2021

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SHORT GAME Lasered in with Leupold the 15th tool in your bag

T

he fastest way to shave strokes off your score, says Leupold, is by having all the facts. The Beaverton, Ore.-based company has been in the business of giving facts to land surveyors, engineers, the military and outdoorsmen, for 114 years.

Leupold’s just won its 11th consecutive ‘Optics Manufacturer of the Year’ Award from the National Association of Sporting Goods Wholesalers recently, and why it has always preferred laser to GPS. It certainly has its fans, but Leupold regards GPS as a decidedly inferior method for gauging distances. “GPS gives the distance to the front, middle and back of the green,” says Leupold leadership. “It’s a shotgun approach. Our GX rangefinders give you the exact distance to the pin — more of a sniperrifle approach.”

An engine comprising well-established Leupold technologies powers the 2021 GX line-up. Digital Signal Processing, which cuts out surrounding digital noise, and Digitally eNhanced Accuracy which gives you distances to within a tenth of a yard be it on a straight line on flat ground via Line of Sight and True Golf Range (TGR) by taking critical factors into account such as temperature, altitude, and slope all of which can influence the effective.

After entering you average striking distances into the device, another Leupold trademark, Club Selector, can give you club recommendations based on your TGR. It’s like having your own caddie without the $100 tip. If you play a lot of rounds at high-end resort courses and take a caddie every time, a good quality rangefinder could save you quite a bit of money over time.

These standard GX features, in concert with additional Leupold innovations, give the golfer a level of certainty and assuredness he might not get with other brands. And, as every golfer knows, even a nanosecond’s indecision rarely ends well in this game.

Pinhunter 3 eliminates false readings caused by unsteady hands. One-Touch Scan Mode allows you

to range multiple targets with a single sweep simply by holding down the power button, enabling you to plot your way down a lengthy par 5 for instance. Fog Mode delivers fast and accurate readings no matter the weather. Prism-Lock Technology locates the flagstick’s inbuilt prism instantly and gives you an audible alert the moment it does, and Flag-Lock Technology identifies the pin rather than surrounding obstacles such as trees and bushes. It’s an impressive package by any measure.

The flagship of the new GX family is the GX-6c which, to put it mildly, has it all. An attractive (aluminum housing), durable (rugged rubber armor coating) device, it features every Leupold technology eliminating errors and guaranteeing accuracy. It features a bright, red OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) display that is much easier to read than traditional LCDs, offers three reticles (pattern of lines in the eyepiece that aid measuring distances, locating objects, or aiming) – Cross, Criss-Cross, and Circle, and has a maximum reflective range of 700 yards. Image Stabilization Technology works in conjunction with Pinhunter 3 Laser Technology to reduce excess movement caused by shaky hands. The emphasis, as always with Leupold, is on accuracy. It’s waterproof, USGA legal (as always ensure rangefinders adhere to local rules), magnification is 6x, it features Fog Mode, and the battery will last for more than 4,000 actuations which, assuming you’re measuring twice on Par 4s and 5s and once of short holes, means it will last for about 125 rounds.

The similarly feature-heavy GX-5c can actually ‘see’ 100 yards further than the 6c, giving it a total Reflective range of 800 yards. Slightly smaller and lighter than its big brother, the 5c offers three different reticles – Plus Point, Bracket Circle, and Bracket Circle Duplex.

Next in line is the GX-3c, which could almost be described, as GX-5c-lite. Everything is pretty much the same — size, weight, reticles, USGA conformity, battery

life, Bright Red Display, Fog Mode, 6x magnification, 800yard Reflective range, Scan Mode, Pinhunter 3, Prism Lock, and DNA. What it lacks though, and what makes it significantly more affordable, is TGR and Club Selector.

Some will certainly miss that particular capability, but if weather conditions in your neighborhood are fairly consistent, your course is pretty flat, and you want to save yourself some money, the 3c will do just fine.

At a slightly more attractive price-point still is the GX-2c, which is a great choice for those who want the features but don’t mind losing Leupold’s distinctive black/ silver look and the Bright Red Display. The cosmetics may be different, and the display is less powerful (traditional LCD not OLED), but the accuracy remains constant, and the Reflective range extends to 800 yards while the pin/ flag range is a more than adequate 350 yards (you won’t be able to range the pin from the tee on a 600-yard par 5, but we’re guessing you might need two, or more likely three, shots to reach the green). Battery life is strongest of all on the 2c (over 6,000 actuations), and the reticles on offer are Reticle with Plus Point, Diamond with Plus Point, and Diamond Plex.

That leaves the entry-level, eminently affordable PinCaddie 3, which might not offer Leupold’s most powerful and up-to-date technologies but does feature PinHunter 2, Flag Lock, and Scan Mode in a lightweight polymer housing. Pin/Flag range is 300 yards and battery life extends beyond 5,000 actuations. Waterproof and USGA-compliant (remember those Local Rules), the PinCaddie 3 will ably serve a great many golfers needing accurate measurements to their target.

Golf is booming and products are flying off the shelves, so go to LeupoldGolf.com and laser in on saving strokes today.

YOUR B 12

Win a twosome to Eagles Pride Golf Course and Northwest Golfers Playbook

Eagles Pride Golf Course • Dupont

ring your buddy for a day at a Puget Sound favorite, Eagles Pride, and then save bread all year with a 2022 Golfers Playbook, hot off the press!. Enter to win today at CascadeGolfer.com.

DECEMBER 2021

cascadegolfer.com

GOLF, PAR ADISE, REPE AT

Ranked among the best courses you can play in Hawai‘i by Golf Magazine and named North America’s Best Golf Course by the World Golf Awards, experience the longest stretch of continuous oceanfront - golf in all of the islands at the Ocean Course at Hōkūala.

At Timbers Kaua’i, you can enjoy your own paradise year after year.

There are just 47 residences, all offering an oceanfront location like no other.

Enjoy spectacular views, world-class amenities, farm-to-table dining and your own award-winning Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course.

Whole and Fractional Opportunities Available

TimbersKauai.com/Cascade 808.278.6 4 45

TIMBERS COLLECTION l Aspen l Bachelor Gulch l Cabo San Lucas l Jupiter l Kaua‘i l Kiawah Island l Maui l Napa l Scottsdale l Snowmass l Sonoma l Southern California l Steamboat l Tuscany l U.S. Virgin Islands l Vail This advertisement does not constitute an offer to sell nor the solicitation of an offer to purchase made in any jurisdiction nor made to residents of any jurisdiction, including New York, where registration is required. Tower Kauai Lagoons LLC uses the Timbers Resort,® Timbers Collection® and certain other Timbers brand names under a limited non-transferable license in connection with the sales and marketing of the Hokuala Kauai™ – A Timbers Resort® (the “Project”). If this license is terminated or expires without renewal, the Project will no longer be identified with nor have any right to use the Timbers® marks and names. All renderings depicted in this advertisement are illustrative only and may be changed at any time. All rights reserved.

SHORT GAME Great holiday and gift idea for the golfer that loves to ‘wander’

G

olf and travel go together like peanut butter and jelly.

After you conquer one course there’s always another waiting in the wings.

Whether it’s just a short drive or an overnight flight every golf trip is packed with memories and competition. Now you can track these golf adventures through a piece of art with Wanderwide’s new Golf Register Print.

The modern designed print features 27 of the most recognizable and critically acclaimed public courses in the U.S. The featured courses include: Arcadia Bluffs, Bandon Dunes, Bethpage, Big Cedar Lodge, Chambers Bay, Erin Hills, Gamble Sands, Kapalua, Kiawah Island, Mauna Kea, OMNI Homestead, Pasatiempo, Pebble Beach, Pinehurst, Prairie Club, RTJ Golf Trail at Grand National, Sand Hollow, Sand Valley, Sea Pines, Sea Island, Shadow Creek, Streamsong, Torrey Pines, TPC Sawgrass, Troon North, We-Ko-Pa, and Whistling Straits.

Once you tackle a course you mark it off with a stamp (custom stamp and ink pad included in each print purchase), and start dreaming up what course is next. Each print is unique, handmade, and screen printed in small batches in Denver.

Wandewide’s Golf Register Prints make a great gift for the hard to shop for golfer with a good ol’ case of wanderlust, which we can all relate to during these pandemic times. The best part? One dollar from every Golf Register Print is donated to First Tee, which makes golf accessible to kids across the country. Prints start at $59 and framed prints range from $139 to $249.

To order a print or learn more visit www.wanderwide.co and begin recording your own history.

— Abby Hagstrom

Douglas goes 19 holes to win 2021 Cascade Golfer Match Play

F

red Douglas is in position to defend his Cascade Golfer Match Play Championship after he precariously weaved his way through the 64-player field, winning the title match on the 19th hole to take the 2021 Cascade Golfer Match Play.

Douglas, a near scratch golfer who plays out of Canterwood Golf & Country Club, defeated Noah Van Leon, a 5 handicapper, on the extra hole at Salish Cliffs Golf Club. Douglas, who also won his semifinal match on the 19th hole, rode a narrow edge to the championship. He won his first match, 2-up with one to play, followed by a 1-up win in the second round, then 2-up in the third.

Match play runner-up Van Leon had a bit more comfortable ride, although his quarterfinal match went 20 holes, the longest of the tournament. Van Leon also reached the final eight in 2018 and eventually finished third.

Golfers who sign up for the competition are matched with players from the same general region and, initially, with the same handicap range. Players contact each other and mutually agree where they want to play their matches.

Competition generally begins in late May or early June and each opening match has 28 days to be completed.

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DECEMBER 2021

Then with each subsequent round, as golfers advance, their matches also will have 28 days to be completed.

Once the field is narrowed to 16 players, eight on each side of the bracket, all the matches will be played at Salish Cliffs in Shelton. That generally begins in late July.

The elite eight, final four and championship match are anticipated to be played by the end of August.

Green fees for all matches from the final eight are hosted by Cascade Golfer and Salish Cliffs. All participants also receive a 2-for-1 voucher to Salish Cliffs.

Although the field size is limited to 64 players, if the field ends up less than 64 players, some players would receive a first-round bye. Byes are generally assigned on a first-registered, first-served basis, within a region.

There are rules to make sure the tournament moves along expediently. If tied after 18 holes, the match continues — if the course allows. If not, then the winner is determined by whoever won the 18th hole. In case of inclement weather and the match is cut short, the winner is whoever is leading at the time.

Interested? Soon players looking to compete in 2022 can check the website, www.cascadegolfer.com/matchplay, for dates and information on registration. cascadegolfer.com

time.

it’s 2BAR Cocktails

Bourbon Cold Brew Coffee

The holidays are here, & we’ve got you covered with three different 2BAR cocktails.

Morning

Start your morning off with a Bourbon Cold Brew Coffee! Hey, it’s got coffee in it… plus a little 2BAR Straight Bourbon, chocolate bitters, Kahlua, topped with whip cream, & garnished with a mint. Or, if you’re in a hurry, tumbler it, & serve it on rocks.

1 1/2 2BAR Bourbon 80 proof 1/2 oz Kahlua 2 dashes Chocolate Bitters 3 oz Cold Brew Coffee Shake with ice and strain into iced high ball glass, Top with whipped cream and mint sprig

Blood Orange Stone Sour

Afternoon

1 1/2 oz 2BAR Amaretto Barrel Finished Bourbon 3/4 oz Blood Orange Juice 1/4 oz Lemon Juice 1 oz simple syrup Egg white Dry shake for 1 minute, then add ice and shake again Strain into a Coupe Glass and garnish with orange

Kick up the afternoon with a Blood Orange Stone Sour. 2BAR Amaretto Barrel Finished Bourbon, blood orange juice, lemon juice, simple syrup… this cocktail can be enjoyed at the clubhouse, on the deck, or at brunch.

Evening

Cap off the night with a 2BAR New York Sour.

Open a bottle of your favorite Red & grab some 2BAR Wine Barrel Finished Bourbon. Make a traditional NY Sour (bourbon, lemon juice, simple syrup) & serve it on the rocks. Float a little red on top. If you’re feeling fancy, garnish with orange & a cherry.

2Bar New York Sour 2oz 2BAR Wine Barrel Finish Bourbon 1 oz Lemon Juice 1oz Simple Syrup Shake with ice and Strain over iced rock glass Top with 1oz Red Wine, Cab or Syrah

All our bourbons can be purchased online at 2barspirits.com & shipped to your doorstep. We hope you give these cocktails at try & get creative this holiday season. Cheers & enjoy!

2BAR Spirits N W

Seattle, WA

H a n d c r a f t e d

B o u r b o n

THIS ISSUE’S

Trophy Lake Golf & Casting a ‘hit’ since 1999 This Port Orchard legend brings angling and golfing together

PROPERTY

W

hen folks talk about ‘beauties” at Trophy Lake Golf & Casting in Port Orchard, they aren’t merely talking about some wonderful golf holes. They also might be describing the fighting trout taken from one of two stocked lakes on the Kitsap Peninsula property. Tight lies and tight lines. It’s unique among the region’s golf courses.

The John Fought-designed course, with its fishing-style lodge clubhouse, opened in 1999. From the start, Golf Magazine consistently ranked Trophy Lake among the top 10 public courses in the state. PGA Professional John Hildebrand said that the course has been said, “to have no great holes but a succession of very good holes.”

The course stretches 7,206 yards and through some of the most scenic sections of the peninsula, with glimpses of Mt. Rainier and the Olympics. It features ample greens, sloped fairways and more than 80 white-sand bunkers. Hillebrand said the practice range “is the best in Kitsap County.”

A Bucket with PGA Professional John Hildebrand

Toughest Tee Shot — 12th hole The tee shot on No. 12. Lots of room, but if you go right, a big number is likely..

Best Birdie Opportunity — 17th hole

No. 17, the short par 3. Usually plays between 118-125 yards.

Best Par 3 — 5th hole

No. 5. Usually plays around 190 yards. Two-tier green. It’s huge, 40 yards back to front.

Favorite Hole — 1st hole

No. 1. Great tee shot over three fairway bunkers. Just a nice starting hole.

Go to Lunch item on the menu — Rueben sandwich

Trophy Lake Golf & Casting

Rueben sandwich, the signature dish. And it’s huge.

3900 SW Lake Flora Road • Port Orchard, WA 98367 (360) 874-8337 • trophylakegolf.com HOLE PAR Black Blue White Gold Red M-HDCP W-HDCP

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1 4 416 387 342 342 298 11 11

2 5 6.9 585 544 495 495 1 1

3 3 178 159 143 143 115 17 17

DECEMBER2021 2021 DECEMBER

4 4 473 441 418 331 331 3 3

5 3 231 206 179 179 148 13 13

6 4 418 396 357 357 310 5 5

7 5 547 517 470 412 412 7 7

8 4 345 296 272 272 212 15 15

9 4 411 389 363 300 300 9 9

10 4 455 434 377 346 346 8 8

11 5 587 558 511 429 426 4 4

12 4 421 404 385 312 312 2 2

13 3 190 178 159 159 146 16 16

14 4 484 438 409 377 377 6 6

15 4 328 310 282 282 260 14 14

16 4 411 391 368 368 335 12 12

17 3 155 135 118 118 84 18 18

18 TOTAL 5 72 547 7206 532 6756 465 6162 432 5654 432 5342 10 10 -

MEN COURSE RATING WOMEN RATING SLOPE TEES RATING SLOPE 74.9 140 Black 81.4 148 72.9 137 Blue 79.3 146 70.0 132 White 76.1 139 67.5 126 Gold 73.2 134 66.1 118 Red 71.2 127

cascadegolfer.com

Drink responsibly.

Corona Premier ® Beer. Imported by Crown Imports, Chicago, IL Percascadegolfer.com 12 fl. oz. serving average analysis: Cals 90, Carbs 2.6 g, Protein 0.7 g, Fat 0.0 g.

DECEMBER 2021

17

SHORT GAME Episode II opens June 23-24, 2022

CORONA PREMIER SHOOTOUT AT GAMBLE SANDS June 23-24, Gamble Sands Two-person best ball Saturday and Sunday Net and gross divisions, prize pool daily and total

Save the date and don’t miss the Corona Premier Shootout at Gamble Sands

4 KP’s, Long Drive, Straight Drive daily Saturday Corona Premier Happy Hour at Quicksands/Cascade Putting Course

C

ircle the weekend of July 23-24, 2022. It may be as good of a golf experience as can be created – at the glorious and growing Gamble Sands golf complex.

The Brewster, Wash., golf course, opened seven years ago on 115-picturesque acres overlooking the mighty Columbia, will host the two-day Corona Premier Shootout. Gamble Sands, the creation of noted architect David McLay Kidd amid the apple and cherry fields, is ranked the No. 1 public course in the state.

The event is a two-person best ball competition over two days. There are plenty of prizes available, both daily and overall, in both net and gross divisions. It’s open to all, male or female, with a certifiable handicap.

Besides two days on the showcase Eastern Washington course, participants can enjoy the pure fun of challenging the new 14-hole Quicksand par-3 course or a friendly competition over Gamble’s rolling putting green.

With the popularity beyond our initial projections, the expectation is that the golf-extravaganza may draw as many as 120 players, 60 teams. Check out CascadeGolfer.com for details on the event and signup information.

Gamble Sands is owned by the prominent Gebbers family, which has been growing and processing fruit in the region for more than 100 years. The family hired Kidd, who designed the highly regarded Bandon Dunes golf course. His handiwork resulted in numerous accolades, including such categories as the best new course, best course you can play in the state, best resort course, best modern course, and America’s best course built since 2000.

The course proved so popular that other projects

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DECEMBER 2021

have followed. The Inn at Gamble Sands, featuring unobstructed views of the Columbia, came next. Adjacent to the Inn is the massive and undulating putting green in which an untold among of amiable banter and legal tender have been exchanged.

This will be the second year that Quicksands will be available, opening May 2021. The 14-hole unit, ranging in distance from 60 to 160 yards, was also designed by Kidd. It is on a 25-acre parcel east of the clubhouse, between the entry road and the driving range.

Quicksands’ eighth hole, the longest at 160 yards, has become the most notable of the 14 holes. It’s called ‘Faith.’ The reason is that the tee shot, down a long fairway stretch to the green, should be taken on faith that it can be reached with just a putter. Different golfers might use various wedges to get close but they might be surprised that just a solid nudge down the hill may yield a better result.

If that’s not enough, more additions to the complex are being considered. When the snow melts and the wind eases, you’re going to want to be there.

cascadegolfer.com

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SHORT GAME

Roth approaches the 9th green at Oakmont on practice day.

With U.S. Amateur experience under his belt, Roth eyes exciting next steps

S

trictly speaking, this wasn’t Cody Roth’s first U.S. Amateur Championship. The former Bellingham resident who graduated from Western Washington University in 2019 with a degree in Business Management, had caddied for fellow Viking Jake Koppenberg at Olympia Fields in 2015. So he had a good idea what to expect.

But then, nothing can really prepare you for Oakmont Country Club in tournament conditions. The storied club, 15 miles east of Pittsburgh, and founded in 1903, has hosted nine U.S. Opens and has a reputation for being extremely demanding with some of the quickest, meanest greens in the world.

“I had never seen anything like it,” says Roth who qualified to compete in this year’s championship by finishing tied for second at a 36-hole qualifier held at the Home Course in July. “It was the hardest course I’ve ever played, by far. The greens were running at something like 15 on the Stimpmeter and it was all I could to avoid three-putting.”

Given how frightening the greens were, it’s remarkable Roth three-putted just twice at Oakmont in shooting a seven-over 77 in the second round of stroke-play qualifying. Added to a first-round 73 at Long Vue Club, six

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DECEMBER 2021

miles west, it meant Roth missed out on the match play section that decided the eventual winner — James Piot of Canton, Mich., but that really didn’t detract from the overall experience.

“I’ll never forget it,” he says. “It would have been nice to score a little better, but I learned so much and had an amazing week.”

Having his dad Craig, with whom he has won five WSGA Parent-Child Championships, on the bag made it even more special. “He was awesome,” says Roth Jr. “He really helped me stay calm even though it was clear he was pretty excited himself.”

Roth left Bellingham for Phoenix, in October and plans on turning professional sometime this winter. He will play Outlaw Tour (Arizona mini tour) events and enter Mackenzie Tour qualifying. Next year, he’ll tee it up in a few Korn Ferry Tour Monday qualifiers.

Joining the pro ranks is a scary prospect these days, so high is the level of competition. But Cody Roth has a solid college career behind him (two-time All-GNAC selection) and, having putted Oakmont’s greens, he has nothing left to fear.

— Tony Dear

Cody and father Craig

cascadegolfer.com

THANK THANK YOU YOU TO OUR SP ON S O RS, D O N O RS, VOL U NT EE RS, GOL FE RS , AN D TO OUR SP ON S O RS, D O N O RS, VOL U NT EE RS, GOL FE RS , AN D E V E RY O NE W HO C O N T RI BUT ED TO T H IS Y EA R' S PA RK I NS O N ' S E V E RY O NE W HO C O N T RI BUT ED TO T H IS Y EA R' S PA RK I NS O N ' S W E LLNESS P L A CE G O L F T OUR NA MENT. WI TH YO UR SU PPO R T , W E LLNESS P L A CE G O L F T OUR NA MENT. WI TH YO UR SU PPO R T , W E RAI S ED A RE C O RD BREAK ING $7 5 , 00 0 T H A T W IL L B E U S ED W E RAI S ED A RE C O RD BREAK ING $7 5 , 00 0 T H A T W IL L B E U S ED TO PROV ID E H EA L T H & WE L L NE SS PROGRA MS F OR PE OPL E TO PROV ID E H EA L T H & WE L L NE SS PROGRA MS F OR PE OPL E LI VI N G W I T H P AR K INSON'S D ISEA SE .

LI VI N G W I T H P AR K INSON'S D ISEA SE .

S AVE T HE DATE FO R NEXT YEAR 'S TOU R NAMEN T: SEP T 16, 2022 S AVE T HE DATE FO R NEXT YEAR 'S TOU R NAMEN T: SEP T 16, 2022 EAGLE SPONSORS EAGLE SPONSORS COASTAL COMMUNITY BANK COASTAL COMMUNITY BANK ELK CREEK FOREST PRODUCTS ELK CREEK FOREST PRODUCTS INTERNATIONAL WOOD PRODUCTS INTERNATIONAL WOOD PRODUCTS MADISON PARK CAPITAL INVESTMENTS MADISON PARK CAPITAL INVESTMENTS OLYMPIC WEALTH MANAGEMENT OLYMPIC WEALTH MANAGEMENT STANLEY BLACK & DECKER STANLEY BLACK & DECKER

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1 BAG IN THE

PRODUCT REVIEWS and equipment news you can use

BY TONY DEAR • CG EDITOR

Tees the season for golf gifts galore

T

his is our last issue before the holidays, of course, so you’ll need some inspiration for gift buying.

Golf participation rocketed last year and, according to virtually every report we’ve seen (most notably from the National Golf Federation), the numbers have held pretty steady in 2021.

So be sure to make your decisions, and get your orders in, as quick as you can because demand is going to be heavy with a capital ‘H’. Long lines trailing out of golf retail stores are unlikely perhaps, but it won’t hurt to avoid the almost inevitable holiday rush.

As usual, we’ve come up with a diverse list of clubs and other equipment items golfers consider essential. Indeed, if the rain we’ve seen the last few weeks keeps dropping at such a distressing rate, the most necessary item of all might be those waterproof golf boots. They may not be the coolest-looking kicks you’ve ever worn but could save your feet from a soaking.

Whatever you end up getting for the golfer(s) in your home, and however you end up getting it, we wish you a happy holiday season and look forward to another epic golf season next year when we hope to see you on the fairways of our beautiful golf courses.

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DECEMBER 2021

CLEVELAND

Launcher XL Driver

1

2

CLEVELAND

Launcher XL Lite & XL Lite Draw

PUETZ GOLF PRICE

PUETZ GOLF PRICE

$399.99

$349.99

A

T

fter operating as a short-game specialist for seven of the past eight years, focusing on wedges, Cleveland resumed making woods and irons in 2017. While the irons fared well, the Launcher HB (2017) and HB Turbo (2019) woods didn’t make much of an impression. Cleveland therefore needed to ring the changes for its 2021 driver to appeal to the game-improver, meaning a significant bump in Moment of Inertia (MOI). The Launcher XL, available in 9-inch, 10.5 inch, 12 inch (right and left), debuted in August boasting a slightly larger head (6.7 percent) than its predecessors and Cleveland’s biggest ever MOI – 5,200g-cm2.

The sound of impact was improved too thanks to a traditionally shaped crown (the Hi-Bore crown in previous models did a great job of lowering the Center of Gravity, but didn’t sound as sweet). And the Rebound Frame, first introduced in Srixon ZX drivers late last year, ensured greater ball speeds no matter where on the face contact was made. An 8 gram counterbalance weight in the butt-end of the grip (Cleveland calls it ‘Action Mass CB’) helps golfers avoid making an early-release, and the adjustable hosel allows you to alter the loft from 9 inches to 12 inches in half-degree increments to optimize launch angle, distance, and shot shape.

he Launcher XL driver stable is completed by the Launcher XL Lite and Launcher XL Lite DRAW. Thanks to the removal of the adjustable hosel and replacement of the stock shaft with an ultra-light model, the Lite weighs 12 grams less than the standard driver, enabling you to swing it a little quicker. The reduction in weight does also mean a slight reduction in MOI to 5,100 g-cm2, however. For the golfer that battles a consistent, tedious, unwanted left-to-right ball flight, the Draw is weighted and shaped precisely so that you can square the clubface a little easier and hit the ball straight or even with a little right-to-left curve. All three Launcher drivers are available in the Accuracy Build option, which is an inch shorter and removes the counterbalance weight to avoid making the club head feel too light. Shortening the stock shaft (Project X Cypher 50) by an inch will, of course, slow your club head down, meaning a few lost yards, but the extra fairways you’re likely to find will appeal to many. Women have their own specifications too. The Women’s Launcher XL Lite ($349.99) has a shorter shaft with customized flex profile, and different grip (Winn Dri-Tac Ladies).

FREE SHIPPING on orders of $99 and more • cascadegolfer.com exceptions apply

2

3

IN THE BAG

4

5

CLEVELAND

CLEVELAND

PUETZ GOLF PRICE

PUETZ GOLF PRICE

PUETZ GOLF PRICE

Fairway-Wood $229.99 Hybrid $219.99 Hy-Wood $199.99

7-piece $799.99

$179.99 per club

uch of the tech found in the driver also is resent in the Launcher XL HALO woods though their most conspicuous design feature -- the parallel Gliderails on the sole of the club that lower the Center of Gravity (CG) and help the clubface remain square at impact even out of the rough are not found on the driver. And, unlike the mother club, the woods do feature a Hi-Bore Crown Step to lower the Center of Gravity, helping you launch the ball higher. The slightly larger head than on previous models along with extreme perimeter-weighting give the fairway-wood a significant rise in MOI – to 3,338 g-cm². As it is designed to do in the driver, the Rebound Frame ensures as much energy as possible is directed into the ball at impact, and the 8 gram grip-weight protects against casting. The Hybrid also features the Gliderails, Action Mass CB, Rebound Frame and the Hi-Bore Crown Step. The MOI of 2,961 g-cm² is the highest of any Cleveland Golf hybrid. You can probably guess what the Hy-Wood is – a cross between a fairway-wood and hybrid with the same loft as the 3-hybrid and 5-wood and standing 3 degrees more upright than the 3-wood.

T

he design objectives of the woods — higher MOI, higher launch, greater ball speed — were what drove the design of the Launcher XL irons, too. The heads were made larger than those of the Launcher, CBX, HB Turbo, UHX, giving the 7-iron an MOI of 3,081 g-cm². Artificial Intelligence, fast becoming a standard club-design tool, ensured the shape, weight and thickness of each iron head was optimized to maximize the club’s COR and thus give greater ball speeds across the entire face. The V-shaped sole helps prevent digging, while the clubface’s grooves are specifically-designed for each club – the long irons featuring wider, flatter grooves for spin/distance balance; the short irons deeper, thinner grooves for more stopping power like those on some of Cleveland’s best-selling wedges. As with the driver and woods, an Accuracy Build option is available with the shafts measuring half an inch shorter than those on the standard-length irons. While the Launcher XL iron is most definitely a game-improvement club, it certainly is attractive. Everyone is going to describe its sibling — the Launcher XL HALO iron — as eye candy, however. While the shorter irons look perfectly normal, the hybrid-like long irons feature the Hi-Bore Crown Step and Gliderails.

T

Launcher XL HALO

M

XL Irons, XL HALO Irons

cascadegolfer.com Order online at puetzgolf.com • Call Toll Free (866) 362-2441

4

TAYLORMADE 5

MG3 Wedges

aylorMade Milled Grind wedges first appeared in late 2017 with machine-milled soles that promised more consistent turf interaction and thus more predictable results. Milled Grind 2 followed toward the end of 2019 and MG3 was introduced in August of this year featuring a asigned to increase spin and feel with sharper, narrower, deeper grooves that are laser-etched into the face for precision. The ZTP-17 Groove features steep side walls and a sharp edge radius to maximize spin. Being ‘raw’, the face rusts over time, preserving spin properties and providing the time-worn look preferred by many Tour professionals. Enhancing the club’s spin potential are what TaylorMade calls Raised Micro-Ribs – six half-inch-long elevated strips between the grooves that effectively give the clubface three surfaces, or levels, increasing friction and, therefore, spin. To manipulate the shot’s trajectory — higher for lower lofts, flatter for higher lofts — the club head’s CG is moved using longer/shorter hosels based on the club’s loft and varying levels of thickness in the 8620 steel (a low carbon nickel chromium molybdenum alloy) face. Available in seven lofts (46 inches-60 inches) and seven bounces (8 inches-14 inches). The stock shaft is True Temper’s Dynamic Gold Tour Issue Wedge.

DECEMBER 2021 2021 DECEMBER

23

IN THE BAG

6

THERABODY Wave Roller

6

PUETZ GOLF PRICE

8

7

THERABODY

Solo, Duo, Theragun Mini

7

PUETZ GOLF PRICE

$149.99

Solo $79.99 Duo $99.99 Theragun $198.99

T

T

he benefits of foam-rolling massage (self-myofascial release) are numerous. It can help golfers reduce the likelihood of injury and speed up recovery after completing a golf-specific workout. It can improve flexibility without impairing strength; it’s an easy, affordable, self-driven massage; and it can improve posture. Therabody, formerly Theragun (the company rebranded in May 2020 presumably to avoid the association with gun noises as the quietness of its products’ motors is a major selling feature), was a pioneer in percussive massage therapy, and offers a range of products to ensure runners, cyclers, tennis players and golfers (visit the golf-specific page on its web site — therabody.com) recover from, and get the most out of, their training sessions. Its Wave Roller is a full-body roller that combines a unique wave texture and five customizable vibration frequencies for an effective and personalized foam-rolling experience. By maximizing contact with the body, it helps you efficiently roll out large muscle groups like the quads, back, and hamstrings, as well as supporting a total full-body roll to enhance tension relief and boost recovery. It also has a hypo-allergenic surface, three-hour battery life, and can be integrated with the Therabody app for tailored recovery routines. Twoyear limited warranty.

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DECEMBER 2021 2021 DECEMBER

he Wave Solo is so portable you could conceivably carry it in your golf bag and give yourself a quick, therapeutic massage between holes. It delivers pinpoint pressure and vibration to focused areas of the body for reduced tension, greater flexibility, and improved movement. Three powerful vibration frequencies and innovative wave texture allow its ergonomic shape to work deep into hard-to-reach areas, while innovative QuietRoll Technology effectively mutes sound and reverberations. The Wave Duo is absolutely ideal for golfers getting home following a strenuous walk on the golf course. Ergonomically contoured to the back, spine, and neck, it is designed to relieve soreness, reduce tension, and improve movement.

With five customizable vibration frequencies and wave grooves for maximum traction, the Wave Duo is equipped to relieve a tight back and tech neck, as well as roll out the hamstring and calf/glute muscles. It comes with a twoyear limited warranty. The Theragun Mini is a pocket-sized percussive massager that gives you targeted muscle treatment with ‘unparalleled portability’. Though compact, the QX35 Motor provides quiet power with three speed settings and 150 minutes of battery life. Therabody describes the Theragun Mini as ‘the most agile massage device that goes wherever you do’.

GARMIN

G12, S12, S42

8

PUETZ GOLF PRICE

G12 $149.99 S12 $199.99 S42 $299.99

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he G12 clips to your pocket or bag and enables you to see distances you need on more than 42,000 courses. Big Numbers Mode increases the type-size meaning you won’t need to squint to see the yardage. Pair with the Garmin Golf app on your compatible smartphone for strokes-gained analysis, to participate in leaderboards and tournaments, and gain more data about your game. Thirty hours of battery life. Also loaded with 42,000 courses, the S12 has a sunlight-readable display and is compatible with iPhone and Android smartphones allowing you to connect to the Garmin Golf App. Battery lasts 10 weeks in watch mode and 30 hours in GPS mode. The hi-tech S42 watch has a color touchscreen and receives emails and texts when paired with a compatible smartphone. Also pairs with the Garmin app. It has an in-built sports app that enables you to count your steps and calories burned, and Green View allows you to see the true shape of the green from wherever you are on the course and drag the pin for a more accurate measurement to the hole. Available in Gunmetal with Black Band, Polished Silver with White band or Rose Gold with Light Sand Band.

24 FREE SHIPPING on orders of $99 and more • cascadegolfer.com exceptions apply

IN THE BAG

9 TITLEIST

T-Series Irons

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PUETZ GOLF PRICE

TITLEIST

U-505 Utility Irons

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PUETZ GOLF PRICE

T100, T200, T400 $185.71 per club T300 $142.85 per club

$249.99

itleist is best-known for its golf balls, but the company makes a mean club, too, as evidenced by its winning every major equipment category at five PGA Tour events during the 2020-2021 season. The much-anticipated T-Series irons appeared on Tour the week following the US Open, and quickly earned the trust of Titleist staff players. The line-up comprises the T100, T100s, T200, T200 Utility Build, T300 and T400, the lower numbers being more about control/feel and less about forgiveness with the higher numbers offering more perimeter-weighting. That said, the T100 uses D18 tungsten weights to give this compact, tour-inspired club a little forgiveness. The T100S looks and feels very similar to the T100 though its lofts are two degrees stronger and a muscle channel in the back of the forged head ensures a little extra distance. The T200 is a players-distance iron with a hollow body and muscle plate engineered for better acoustics, meaning better feel. The look is geared toward the better player. The T300, meanwhile, bills itself as the ‘Ultimate game-improvement iron’ though the hollow-body T400, with 100g of tungsten in the heel and toe, does a pretty good job of improving the games of higher-handicap players too.

itleist says the U-505 Utility Irons are ‘designed to allow you to reclaim your long iron game’, the idea being to give it a players-iron look while making it easier to get the ball in the air. That’s achieved with refined, compact looks and a thin, forged face hiding a hollow body and Titleist’s Max Impact technology. D18 tungsten weights lower the CG and increase the MOI while a shorter blade, shallow face and a wide sole help give the club maximum versatility but give it a look not unlike the other clubs in your bag — not easily done with a utility iron. And the highly engineered muscle plate that seals the clubhead at the back is designed to provide superior performance. Titleist says the plate’s shape and composition help tune the club’s acoustics and vibrations to produce a more satisfying sound and feel at impact while also allowing weight to be shifted for precise CG. The U-505 is available in four lofts — 16 inch, 18 inch, 20 inch and 22 inch. And the stock shaft — the 80g Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black RDX HYB — is, as you might expect for golfers seeking to hit a 16 inch iron, pretty stiff and heavy.

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cascadegolfer.com Order online at puetzgolf.com • Call Toll Free (866) 362-2441

CALLAWAY

Epic Super Hybrid

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PUETZ GOLF PRICE

$399.99

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A number of club manufacturers have introduced stand-alone hybrids over the last couple of years — hybrids that aren’t part of a family of clubs but those with their own identity. Extremely versatile clubs (tee, rough, bunker fairway…), they typically use premium materials and hybrid-specific technology to justify their above-average price-tags. Callaway says its Epic Super Hybrid is made with the DNA of a driver and is the most technologically advanced hybrid the company has ever made, delivering ball speed, distance, and launch atypical of all other hybrids. The combination of all-titanium Flash Face, titanium body and Jailbreak AI Velocity Blades (a development of the original Jailbreak technology featuring two bars or Blades spread further apart and angled differently to stiffen the body and allow the face to flex more) generates ‘exceptional ball speed, distance and launch’. Up to 90 grams off tungsten positioned in the heel and toe provides great stability, making the club more forgiving than most other hybrids and is designed to produce a penetrating ball flight. The adjustable OptiFit 3 Hosel helps you dial in your desired ball flight and launch angle. Stock shaft is Aerotech’s SteelFiber FC Hybrid Shaft in 60, 70 or 80 grams.

DECEMBER 2021 2021 DECEMBER

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IN THE BAG

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CALLAWAY

JAWS Full Toe Wedges

13

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PUETZ GOLF PRICE

FOOTJOY

SUN MOUNTAIN

PUETZ GOLF PRICE

PUETZ GOLF PRICE

Golf Boot

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Speed Cart V1R

$169.99

Adidas SG2 Mid-Cut $119.99 Men’s $139.99 Women’s $129.99

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he full-toe wedge has definitely become a thing lately with a number of clubmakers offering the full-face, high-toe peak. Callaway says its JAWS Full Toe Wedge helps with all manner of short-game shots — chips, pitches, bunker shots, etc., but the high-toe is especially good for lofted flops. On shots from around the green where you open up the blade for extra loft/height, you typically hit the ball higher up the face, so the additional surface area ensures solid contact. The company also calls the JAWS Full-Toe a ‘spin machine’ with offset groove-ingroove technology across the entire face. And Callaway’s specialized C-Grind with increased relief in the heel and toe area further facilitates the playing of purposely-lofted shots. The higher face raises the CG helping you hit pitches on a flatter, more controlled trajectory, and the Variable Weight Port pushes the CG away from the heel slightly which, likewise, enables you to hit that relatively low pitch that takes one hop and comes to an abrupt halt — you know, just like on the television. Stock shafts are True Temper’s newest Dynamic Gold Spinner in steel and the Project X Catalyst wedge shaft in graphite. Available in Chrome and Black.

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ou’ve noticed the weather’s not been great lately. We seemed to hit the 40s early this year and rain levels have been depressingly robust. If you’re going to continue playing golf (more power to you), you’ll need a solid pair of rain shoes. But we’re not talking about standard golf shoes with a six-month/one-year waterproof guarantee, but full-on, rugged, sturdy golf boots with double the warranty. Here’s two we recommend. FootJoy’s Golf Boot is built on the Austin Last which offers the fullest rounded toe character and fullest fit across forefoot, standard instep and heel that the company makes. The durable DuraMax rubber outsole is a proprietary compound that grips the turf and the sole is fitted with six Pulsar Cleats from Softspikes which have the gripping power of the famous Black Widow plus radiused legs for extra durability and cleat webbing for easier cleaning — important up here during winter. Two-year waterproof guarantee.

Available in Black. Adidas’s SG2 Mid-Cut shoe is made with recycled polyester in an effort to reduce plastic waste. AdiWear rubber outsole with four ThinTech cleats.

Available in Core Black / Grey Four / Mesa (men’s); Core Black / Dark Silver Metallic / Wild Pink (women’s).

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$259.99

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issoula, Mont.-based Sun Mountain Sports first introduced the three-wheeled, ergonomically efficient, folding Speed Cart in 1999, before which golf push carts weren’t terribly easy to use or transport. ‘Industry-changing’ is a bold statement to make, but it’s not entirely without foundation. The V1R is the latest iteration of the cart that has been continually updated over the last 20 years. The redesigned handle now allows for a larger mesh head cover tray into which half a dozen golf balls (you won’t need that many, of course), pencils, drinks, headcovers and all the other stuff you seem to need during a round will fit. A built-in bracket holds the Speed Cart seat or an industrial sand/seed bottle holder. And improved upper and lower bag brackets easily adjust to hold your bag. The V1R folds in two easy steps, weighs 17.95 pounds and has folded dimensions of W 37 inches, H 16 inches and D 13 inches. COVID has brought a huge popularity to the golf cart market — most golf shops haven’t been able to keep them in stock. And these new Sun Mountain Speed Carts will be no different — buy them while you can.

26 FREE SHIPPING on orders of $99 and more • cascadegolfer.com exceptions apply

RISK vs. REWARD

The Classic Golf Club

Hole No. 18 Par 4 320 yards (Black), 300 yards (Blue), 281 yards (White)

BY SIMON DUBIEL • SALES/MARKETING MANAGER & TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR

The Setup

The Risk

The Reward

When the Moore family flipped the Classic’s two nines and converted the old par 5 9th into a drivable par 4 (the new configuration opened in May), the course added an exciting element to finish off the round. This dogleg right, with a water hazard sitting on the direct line from tee to green, will put you to the test. Go for broke and hit a power fade 230 yards at the green, or lay back safely and wedge on. A third option is to lay up aggressively past the tree guarding the water leaving a great angle up the spine of the green.

This hole will giveth and taketh away, with one swing. The easy play is a 150 yard shot off the tee, although that will leave you with an awkward second where you’ll have to carry the pond and bunker and approach the green from a tough angle. The aggressive layup is 185 yards, past the tree, but that brings the pond on the right and more water on the left into play. Or just go for it — make sure you hit a good one!

O.B. left. Water right. Yes, that is the risk if you lay up. Take out the big dog and take a deep pull.

Carrying the water will leave with you just a short pitch or perhaps even an eagle putt, something you probably haven’t had all day. Even a well struck 200-yard tee ball past the tree will leave you with a great chance to hit a wedge tight and have a look at three.

Final Call How you’ve hit it over the previous 17 holes will likely determine what you choose to do on the 18th tee. If you feel good about how you’re swinging it and have enough gamble in you, it’s time to take a head cover off. As the saying goes, you can’t lose what you don’t put into the middle, but you won’t win much either. Grip it and rip it!

PRESENTED BY

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TEEING OFF

PRESENTED BY

HAHNEMANN’S HANGOUT Cle Elum’s Back9 is focused on just golf

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A CONVERSATION WITH BOB SHERWIN • CG STAFF WRITER

hroughout his 19-year soccer career, Marcus Hahnemann, the former Seattle Sounder and Premier League goalkeeper, used golf as his reliable stress reliever. During his off days, he frequently could be found with his buddies on a local course unwinding from the enormous pressures of world-class soccer.

Nearly a decade into retirement now, he still loves golf and is fortunate to be able to play it at just the flip of a switch. Anytime of the year, any day of the week, any time of day and just about any course in the world. All at one location.

Hahnemann, with his wife Amanda, his two sons and friends, operate a family indoor golf facility called The Cle Elum Back9. It’s a humble place in downtown Cle Elum, with just one bay and $50,000 worth of About Golf simulation technology. He doesn’t advertise or promote it. He doesn’t even have a catchy slogan. If he did, it might be something like: ‘No food, no drinks, no employees, and no headaches. Just golf.’ That’s perfectly in his wheelhouse.

Hahnemann didn’t start Back9 to get rich. He already is. He has saved a few shillings. He didn’t start it to stay busy. He does enough, as a broadcast analyst for the Sounders, a newly christened pilot for Friday Harbor Seaplanes, occasional

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coach for the Crossfire keepers and proprietor of various properties. And he didn’t do it because he’s such an awesome golfer, although he did break 80 once. He did it basically because it’s a pretty cool thing to do.

“Kasey Keller (former Sounders keeper) came up here a couple months ago and said, ‘let’s get a round in and hit some shots,’’’ Hahnemann said. “He came in, looked around and said, ‘you just built yourself a man cave, didn’t you?’ I said, ‘yeah, pretty much. It’s really cool.’’’

It is an actual business. He offers memberships to the studio, mostly taken up by local Cle Elum residents. It’s only one bay so it’s a limited list and – because it’s open 24/7 through key fob access -- members need to be feted and trained on the system for safe operation.

The facility doesn’t have a kitchen. There’s a pizza shop across the street and food delivery services nearby. Members can bring in grub. There’s a microwave, coffee maker and a crock-pot. He hasn’t bothered to obtain a liquor license. It would be of little use without food service. And besides, you’d need someone to serve.

Employees are not really part of his business plan, at least not yet.

What it does have is a whole bunch of comfortable chairs and couches around a 17-foot video screen and launch pad. The screen can be programmed to play at least 70 different courses from around the world. About Golf features many of the past Ryder Cup courses such as: Whistling Straits, Hazeltine, Gleneagles, Medinah, Valhalla, Muirfield, Kiawah Island, etc. You can also play St. Andrews or Pebble Beach or, closer to home, experience the famous Island Green at Coeur d’Alene.

“You’re able to play a course and hit till you’re happy, which is the best way to play golf,’’ Hahnemann said. “Hit another mulligan. Who cares? We’re out here to have fun. You can put another ball down and think, ‘do I want to hit a draw with my seven iron or a fade with my six?’ Then you hit 10 balls to a certain spot.’’

There are several accuracy games available in which as many as eight players can compete. One game is Fore, which is like Horse in basketball. One player hits his shot to a certain spot then the next competitor has to match it or get a letter.

“Razor’s Edge is another cool game that they (About Golf technicians) developed that is a long drive-like game. Everyone gets five shots. The fairway narrows down to like 10 yards at the end,’’ he added. “Then they have this 360-degree driving range. You can hit dogleg left or dogleg right. Then they have an iron range where you have pins located between 49 yards and 260 yards away. And a par-3 range game as well.’’

Those games are designed for group play, with golfers alternating their shots cascadegolfer.com

and retorts throughout the session. But there are some members who simply use the indoor range for self-instruction and improvement. The technology allows the golfer to see readouts on club-head speed, ball flight, spin rates, all data that helps him/her perfect swing angles and trajectory.

This kind of winter attention to their games can make a difference when summer arrives. The feedback gets from his members is “like dude, I’m able to play golf at the beginning of the year, in a place where we don’t have golf in the winter. We’re covered with snow.’ Then they get to the summer and their swings are good. They haven’t really lost anything.’’

Soccer, not golf, obviously, had been Hahnemann’s primary sport and priority growing up in Kent. He played keeper for Kentridge High before transferring to Newport High his senior year. But he and his buddies would take odd clubs and chip to targets at a local park as well as hack around at the public tracts.

He went on to play soccer for Seattle Pacific University, leading the Falcons to the 1993 NCAA Division II Championship. He played for the Sounders from 199496, the Colorado Rapids 1997-99, then embarked on a 12-year career in England, playing for Fulham (200001), Rochdale (2001-02), Reading (2003-09), Wolves (2009-11) and Everton (2011-12).

He returned to the Sounders in 2012 for one final appearance, ending his 462-game career. His return to golf was delayed because of a broken hand late in his soccer career. When he tried swinging a golf club, the hand pained him too much on certain shots. Fortunately, his pain subsided within about two years and he returned to the links.

It was during his time in Reading that Hahnemann’s love for golf grew, especially when he’d share rounds with his sons. Those boys, now both students at nearby Central, have continued to play the game and enjoy using the Back9 facility, while, along with Boomer the family lab, help support the business. cascadegolfer.com

When the idea of turning the building into an indoor golf center first came a few years back, Hahnemann did his due diligence in researching the various technologies.

He wanted to fit several bays into the space but Base Camp Outfitters, a reliable renter, took up more and more of the space. It squeezed the Back9 to an area with plenty of open space but room for just the one bay.

Hahnemann has given some thought to the future of Back9. Someday, he concedes, when he’s not so

busy, when he’s around Cle Elum for longer stretches, when he’s looking for new opportunities, perhaps he will expand. Base Camp’s lease runs out in four years.

It may seek a larger space. He may consider adding bays, food, drink and, alas, employees.

Perhaps. But that’s in the distant future. It’s not worth the mental energy at this point. In the meantime, he is in his sweet spot. It’s not so bad, as he adds, “I created a cool thing for me anyway.’’

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Winter Is Coming

The Flatstick Pub (Kirkland location shown here) brings a local flair to each location.

FLATSTICK PUB

Flat out fun at Bellingham’s newest pub for putters

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he Bellingham Business Journal posted a story in March of 2020, announcing a new business coming to town — the Flatstick Pub. The website revealed that the pub would be taking over the 6,000-square foot space at the southern end of State St. that had previously housed the New York Pizza Restaurant & Bar. With four existing locations — two in Seattle, a lively spot on W. Main St. in Spokane and the original site in Kirkland just a few hundred feet from Lake Washington, Flatstick would be bringing to Bellingham the now familiar mix of golf, locally-brewed beer and food that had worked so well elsewhere.

Flatstick Pub was founded in 2014 by brothers Sam and Andy Largent. A graduate of Washington State University and former accountant, Sam had pushed numbers around for 15 years and was ready for a change of scene.

So, he cashed in his 401K and became his own boss, opening a dog-friendly pub that offered guests two dozen Washington beers, pizzas and snacks, TVs, a table game named duffleboard that was a hybrid of mini golf and shuffleboard the Largents had invented themselves, and an entertaining, purpose-built, nine-hole mini-golf course.

That the company was able to open its second location — underground at Pioneer Square with nine holes of mini-golf whose shape spelled out S-E-A-T-T-L-E and which ended with a 12-foot-high model of the Space Needle — a little more than a year later showed how the Flatstick formula was working.

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BY TONY DEAR • CG EDITOR

The South Lake Union pub then opened in July, 2018 in an 11,000-square-foot space that had been a car showroom and is now part of the building that houses the Allen Institute. Flatstick retained the old building’s original exterior façade and installed a mini-golf course complete with elevation changes, moving kegs as obstacles and, instead of a Space Needle, a 12-foot-tall Sasquatch to avoid.

A similarly large space was needed for the Spokane pub that welcomed its first guests a few months later in November, and then plans for Bellingham were drawn up.

But COVID scuppered any chance of its opening on the desired date in July of 2020, and it wouldn’t be until March 3 this year, in fact, that its doors could open, and then only at 25 percent capacity (it’s at 100 percent capacity now). Brie Braun, former assistant manager at the Kirkland pub, was appointed general manager and two new games were introduced — dufflepong (a mix of duffleboard and beer pong) and pockets (a blend of minigolf and pool where the winner is the first to putt all six balls into all six pockets before sinking the 8-ball).

Andy Largent, the company’s CEO, has been buoyed by business so far. “We’ve been really busy, which is very encouraging given everything we are still dealing with in regards to COVID,” he says. ”We are excited to be in such a wonderful community and excited to see what the future holds for us in Bellingham.’’

As with South Lake Union and Spokane, the Bellingham pub partners with Ethan Stowell Restaurants to provide pizzas plus snacks and salads. The number of taps

currently stands at 32 with 21 beers (all Washington — it’s not quite the company’s slogan, but the words ‘Drinking local does good’ is very much the ethos, including six beers from Bellingham breweries), four ciders, three wines, two cocktails, one hard seltzer and one ginger beer.

The mini-golf course ($8 per player – book tee times online) doesn’t feature a 12-foot model of Mount Baker, the magnificent old City Hall, Ryan Stiles, Jake Locker, Glenn Beck, Hilary Swank, Ken Griffey Jr. or anyone else who was born, raised, lived or played pro baseball for one season in Bellingham, but it’s a hoot nonetheless.

Western Washington University students are fast becoming regulars at the Flatstick, which offers a great Happy Hour (drinks and pizzas) on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 3-6 p.m.

“Having students back in town and on campus has been awesome,” says Andy Largent. “I think we are still really trying to get our name out there to reach more of the student population, but those that have been into the pub always seem to have a great time.”

I visited one Sunday afternoon in early November with a group of friends and was driving so I stuck to soda while the rest enjoyed some of the more exotic beers (sour apricot and plum sour). We ate good pizza, had some competitive moments on the table games, entered raffles to win Kraken tickets and, of course, played mini golf. It was a blast, and we’re going to do it again soon — this time with wives, kids (over-21s only after 7 p.m.)… and dogs! cascadegolfer.com

TOPGOLF HITS PUGET SOUND These indoor locations will dazzle the senses

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BY BOB SHERWIN • CG STAFF WRITER

uring the shutdown last year during the COVID-19 pandemic, golf emerged as one of the few activities that could be safely enjoyed. Folks gathered and played at area golf courses, confidently assured of adequate social distancing space along with an abundant outdoor expanse.

That wasn’t the case, however, for a quite specific and unique version of golf — Lounge by TopGolf in Kirkland.

Four walls can change the parameters.

Kirkland was the first location in the Seattle area – in fact, first of its kind in the world – licensed by TopGolf, a global company with more than 70 locations around the U.S. and the world. The company, now owned by Callaway Golf Co., features two types of facilities. One is colorful outdoor multiple-bay driving ranges in which customers attempt to hit various targets stretched out over hundreds of yards. The other is indoor facilities in which customers swing away using simulators with realistic virtual images.

It was those indoor facilities that were subject to COVID restrictions. Kirkland TopGolf, located on the second floor of the Kirkland Urban center off Central Way, opened in mid-March 2020. Less than a month later, it closed due to state mandated restrictions on indoor facilities.

“We were closed for a year because indoor gaming was not allowed, until April 2021,” said Hum Kim, Kirkland’s TopGolf manager. He had to disband his staff, turn out the lights and, like the rest of us, hunker down until it was reasonably safe to interact indoors again.

“We had to start from the ground up again,” Kim added. “We managed to pull through. People are still a little apprehensive but we’re starting to build confidence again.”

Reservations are now required to reserve one of the five high-tech bays that offer the TopGolf Swing Suite technology. You can bring your own clubs or rent a set. Players can choose among more than 100 golf courses to play, or simply shoot at the target areas, like the outdoor ranges in simulation form.

The Lounge attracts a wide variety of customers, par-

cascadegolfer.com

ticularly families. Kids can use the simulators for other sports choices including soccer, football, dodge ball, baseball, hockey and even a dunk-a-clown game.

Kim said golfers come in, solo or in groups, before and after work to hone their golf skills. There is a data readout for every shot, which serves as self-analysis. As winter approaches, traffic should increase. “With inclement weather,’’ Kim added, “it’s more popular.”

Among the customers that the lounge welcomed back recently was Seahawks John Schneider, who hosted a private party for many of the players, staff and families.

The 9,200-square foot lounge is built around a circular bar. The Lounge prides itself on its cocktails and smallplate specialties.

There is another golfer entertainment center in Bellevue, Forum Social House on Bellevue Way. It offers TopGolf Swing Lounge technology but cannot bill itself as TopGolf.

Forum offers more than 80 golf courses and other computer sports games as well as pool and table tennis tables.

Oregon has the only outdoor center in the Northwest.

It’s in Hillsboro, near Portland. TopGolf is building another outdoor golf facility in the Seattle area at the Landing in Renton. It is expected to open next spring.

Kirkland’s Lounge is open seven days a week, closed only on Thanksgiving and Christmas. It opens at 10 a.m. and closes at 10 p.m., 11 p.m. on the weekend.

Go to swingsuite.topgolf.com/locations/map/ to get directions and info on all the locations above.

Have a green of your own

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hat’s the one element of indoor golf (or covered outdoor ranges for that matter) that often gets forgotten?

We see the colorful, data-packed simulator screens with beautiful renditions of our favorite courses, the incredibly efficient launch monitors and, if it’s a hospitality/ entertainment venue, the lounge seating, cool lighting, large-screen TVs and bar.

Little thought is ever given to the surface we actually hit balls off (or on if it’s an artificial putting green) even though it’s probably as crucial to the success and reputation of the facility as everything else — how popular would a high-tech fitting studio or virtual game lounge be if the impact mats gave a totally unreliable feeling of club/turf contact?

Based in Woodinville is a company that supplies the most advanced synthetic turf in the industry to a wide range of clients in Western Washington, both residential and commercial. Synthetic Turf Northwest was founded in 1996 and is now run

by Mike VanDeveer who purchased it from his friend with whom he played regularly at Snohomish Golf Course. VanDeveer, now a member at Everett Country Club, always saw the company’s potential and has turned it into a multi-million dollar enterprise employing close to 30 staff. “We have 500-600 clients between Arlington and Kent and do a lot of outdoor residential installations,” says VanDeveer, adding that, currently, about 35-percent of the business is golf-related.

They can customize an installation to your budget and needs for indoors or outside. Visit syntheticturfnorthwest.com for more information.

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LYNNWOOD’S INDOOR LINKS

BY BOB SHERWIN • CG STAFF WRITER

Back9 Parlor’s dream team of managers have built a winning formula

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hen it comes to golf in Seattle’s north end, four friends from Edmonds have become quite an impactful foursome.

They made golf a virtual reality.

The four peers, all 40-something, saw the need for an indoor facility in the area and brought together a space and the latest in golf simulator technology. They operate the Back9 Parlor in the Alderwood Towne Center, in what used to be the Clubhouse Golf Center. It is at 3105 Alderwood Mall Blvd., Suite A, in Lynnwood.

The four are investors and have taken on various roles.

Scott Taffera and Brian Remington promote the business, lining up and arranging folks to play in the various leagues.

David Bowman is the numbers guy while Rian Cool is the digital marketing genius and ‘Mulligan Specialist.’

Back9 Parlor opened in March 2019 and, like so many businesses, had to endure the starts, stops and insecurities of dealing with the COVID-19 protocols. But with restrictions easing and winter approaching, this time of year is in the Parlor’s wheelhouse, or in this case, its swing zone.

The rainy, chilly weather over the next few months will mean folks will have trouble getting on their regular outdoor courses but the Back9 Parlor is open seven days a week (Mon.-Thurs., 1-10 pm; Fri., 1-11 pm; Sat., 10 a.m.11 p.m.; and Sun. 10 a.m.-7 p.m.).

The Parlor uses Full Swing technology, in which the golfer hits balls – in one of six bays -- into a screen. High36

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speed cameras and infrared lighting trace the impact and ball flight, projected onto on-screen animation. Data from every shot is shown so the golfer has instant feedback to aid his/her swing process.

There is a video replay that shows exactly where that specific club head made contact with the ball, a valuable instructional tool. Weather such as rain and wind, and even atmospheric conditions such as high altitude, also can be programmed into the system for more realistic elements.

“Our business model runs really the opposite of the golf season,” Cool told Golf Talk Washington. “The core of our business runs September, October through till May.” Among the most popular activities are the weekly leagues during the winter. Two-person teams, playing in an 18-hole, alternate-shot format, generally play a 13week schedule. Handicaps are kept, keeping the leagues competitive. Participants can bring their own clubs, which gives them more familiarity and self-confidence, or can rent clubs.

Full Swing has 85 different courses from around the world that golfers can play. In addition, the simulators can be converted to play sports games, football, soccer, baseball, etc., so whole families can participate. The bays are situated around a full bar/restaurant. Simulators rent from between $40-$50 per hour.

Book an experience at back9parlor.com and read more on their programming. cascadegolfer.com

ECHOES OFF THE E6 SCREEN Snohomish’s Echo Falls joins the sim game

BY BOB SHERWIN • CG STAFF WRITER

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hen Echo Falls Golf Club underwent its million-dollar renovation during the winter of 201920, the owners of the 29-year-old public course decided that it might be a smart idea to add a dash of Pebble Beach to it. Perhaps even toss in a measure of St. Andrews or a more familiar Bandon Dunes.

Those courses are just three of the 27 notable courses that Echo Falls makes available — all in one place — at the touch of a switch. They are part of the E6 Connect system, which has a library of more than 100 courses from around the world.

Players can dial up one of the legendary courses on the simulator and play a complete virtual round in little more than an hour, without the mulligans, gimmes, foot wedges or lost balls.

“Most people want to play Pebble Beach,” said Greg Morris, Echo Falls’ assistant pro. “It’s realistic. There’s a lot of detail there. The distance is pretty accurate. The graphics are all good.”

The E6 system was initially installed as a teaching tool.

Every swing generates a readout of measurable data, impact angle, club speed, ball flight, and spin ratio. This all allows the player to adjust the swing for more perfect contact.

Morris said all the data, readouts and various mea-

PUETZ GOLF The Kings of Clubfitting

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f there’s one thing about golf equipment that’s become abundantly clear over the last decade or two it’s that clubfitting works. Actually, the late, great Karsten Solheim, who grew up in Seattle and founded Ping from his Redwood City, Calif. garage in 1959, recognized the value of being fit as early as 1972 when he introduced Ping’s iconic color code system that helped golfers identify their clubs’ most suitable lie angle.

Today’s clubfitters are able to determine so much more than the correct lie angle that Solheim focused on 49 years ago. And though there are numerous excellent fitters in western Washington, it’s doubtful any of them can fit you better than the professionals at Puetz Golf.

Puetz labels its professionals the ‘Kings of Clubfitting,’ which seems reasonable when you consider the accolades — Mizuno Top 100 Fitter, Ping Top 100 Fitter, Callaway Top 100 Fitter, Golf Digest 100 Best Clubfitter and TaylorMade Certified Fitter.

Though each of the company’s four locations specializes in a certain club brand’s fitting process or is sponsored by a particular brand — Seattle (Ping), Bellevue (Callaway), Tukwila (TaylorMade) and Tacoma (Ping), it’s important to know each store offers thousands of head/shaft/grip combinations from every manufacturer to ensure the customer leaves with a set of sticks that will elevate his/her game. “Each performance center just gives a little more emphasis on the brand name associ-

cascadegolfer.com

surements, “can make your swing better in a half hour.” It also can help the instructor better fit the golfers with clubs.

But the system’s hidden benefit is its high entertainment value, not just the ability to seemingly play the great golf courses in the world but also to play other games such as hockey, soccer and football.

The club has found that many of its members – particularly during the winter or inclement weather – have rented out the room, formed leagues and sharpened their rejoinders. League play began last October with at least 20 players on an eight-week schedule.

“We rented it out quite a bit in the (last) winter,” Morris said. “We expect a little more this winter.” Many of the folks who rent the simulator are Echo Falls members but it’s not limited to them. Anyone in the community can make a reservation and enjoy the experience.

The renovation was designed so that the E6 system would have a room of its own in the clubhouse, adjacent to the full-service restaurant/bar. That puts the participants at minimal risk of hunger or thirst during their rounds. The nearby restaurant patrons also can feel safe from being hit by an errant drive.

Visit echofallsgolf.com for information on the indoor and outdoor golf there in the woods of Snohomish.

BY TONY DEAR • CG EDITOR

ated with it,” says Mike Livingston, Puetz Golf’s General Manager. “You can be fitted for any clubs at any location, but they might offer more demos, more training, and a wider scope of offerings for the sponsor brand.”

Though a fitting company might offer an enormous range of club options, ensuring exactly the right mix of components for you or any golfer can really only be found by a trained, experienced fitter of which Puetz has at least four in each studio. Together, those fitters perform roughly 5,000 sessions every year — an average of close to 14 every single day. To guarantee the precise measurements that help them make educated recommendations, each Puetz fitter relies on either Foresight or Trackman launch monitors to capture the golfer’s performance metrics. The Foresight GC Quad is a ‘stereoscopic camera system that precisely captures and analyzes ball characteristics at the most critical point of measurement — impact — to deliver the most accurate values of ball performance available’. The Trackman device is equally impressive, showing the shot’s actual 3D trajectory in real time whether it be a 40-yard pitch or 400-yard drive, and ‘pinpointing the landing position with an accuracy of one foot at 100 yards’.

Sessions in either of Seattle, Bellevue or Tacoma’s two fitting bays, or Tacoma’s three, are by appointment only and last about an hour. The cost is $49.99 though the fee is waived with any new club purchase.

DECEMBER 2021

37

KAUAI CALLING Is

Hokuala is a tropical treasure for snowbirds

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seeking tranquility on the tee

n 36 years of trying, and after maybe 10,000 tee shots on ace-able holes, I’ve yet to savor the singular joy of holing my tee shot.

Twelve years ago on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, however, I came about as close as you can get.

The awesome par-3 14th hole on the Ocean Course at Hokuala is one of those pin-up holes you often see on calendars and just sort of gawp at for a while. In person, you stand on the tee and assume you must have stepped into a parallel universe for a moment. It’s not real somehow, a make-believe computer-generated representation of your most vivid golf dream.

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DECEMBER 2021

BY TONY DEAR • CG EDITOR

From the back tees it plays 210 yards, downhill slightly, from one lush promontory to another with the occasionally white-capped, but usually deep blue, waters of Nawiliwili Bay below and the diagonally oriented green backed by palm trees up ahead.

The first time I was lucky enough to visit this supernatural spot, and after the obligatory cooing and murmured disbelief, I pulled a hybrid from my bag and met the ball squarely on the sweet spot. The other three guys in the group were nice enough to compliment the swing and the strike before we all fell silent, and just watched, wondering how well this shot might turn out.

It was on a good line the whole way and seemed to rise and fall on the exact arc required for the ball to land just short of the pin. It pitched maybe 10 yards from the hole, bounced lightly and began trundling towards the cup. It looked dead center, even from 200 yards away.

You could sense the four of us hold our collective breath for a second, ready to burst as the ball disappeared.

The anguished cries of disbelief as the dratted pill made a last-second squirm to the right, catch the lip, circle the cup and come to a stop maybe three maddening, exasperating, disturbing inches from glory could probably have been heard in the clubhouse a few hundred yards away. cascadegolfer.com

The par 3 14th might be the most stunningly-beautiful hole you’ll ever play.

Hokuala has one of the longest stretches of oceanfront golf property anywhere in Hawaii.

Excuse the lengthy retelling of a story I’ve bored family and friends with ever since it happened. Unlike most stories of a similar nature, however, this one needs no dressing up or bogus padding. I mean, it was the perfect shot and the ball was going in…until it didn’t.

The majestic 14th hole is definitely the highlight of the round, but the Jack Nicklaus-designed layout, which MSN Travel has named one of the 12 most beautiful in the world and which winds through mango and guava groves before reaching the cliffs, has numerous other memorable snapshots.

The three other par 3s are especially good, but some of the two and three-shot holes here are among the best in all of Hawaii, not just the Garden Isle. The 331-yard 16th receives almost as much attention as the 14th, and is a particular favorite of the designer.

“The 16th is a standout,” confirms Nicklaus. “It challenges you to make the right club selection on the tee. If your tee ball travels down the slot, then you have a chance to drive it on the green and putt for an eagle. A tee shot miss and you have an awkward pitch to the green. The smart play is usually to hit a hybrid or a 3-iron, leaving you a little wedge down to the green.”

The green sits adjacent to Kukii Point with its 22-foot concrete lighthouse (sister lighthouse to the 115-year-old, 86-foot cascadegolfer.com

tall Ninini Point Lighthouse a mile west) looking on. The two finishing holes demand a couple of heroic water carries and close a round you won’t forget in a hurry.

The 450-acre property of which the golf course is a very special part, was bought by Colorado-based Timbers Resorts for $60 million in 2015 since when the management company with 17 properties in the U.S., Mexico, Italy and the Virgin Islands, has made substantial improvements, giving the place a more authentic Hawaiian ambiance and changing the business model to one based predominantly, though not entirely, on luxury residential ownership (whole and fractional) rather than hotel/timeshare.

Vacation rentals are available for guests who will savor every second at this amazing place and probably take a peek at least at the cost of ownership, you know, just out of interest.

Among the newest additions to the extensive list of amenities on offer at Hokuala, which already includes a two-tiered infinity-edge pool overlooking the ocean, spa services and wellness programs, 16 miles of accessible trails, easy access to Kalapaki Beach, oceanfront dining, a Keiki Club for children and full-service concierge, are Tom Freestone’s Hui Aloha Huaka’i tours of the Ocean Course.

“To hui is to circle or surround,” says Freestone, the PGA Director of Operations. “Guests can take a tour of the course where they learn about the culture of the island, the flora, the fauna, the myths and the legends. We give them the tools to embrace the Aloha spirit.” A portion of the proceeds goes towards funding the Hawaiiana curriculum for Kauai kids.

Foot golf, on nine of the Ocean Course’s 18 holes, has been available since November 2019. The par-36 loop measures 1,039 yards with holes ranging in length from 50 to 223 yards (21-inch-diameter cups are cut into the

rough to protect the greens and fairways).

Whatever else is added to the attractions at Hokuala, though, it’s doubtful anything will ever surpass the Ocean Course itself — a course of which Jack Nicklaus is justly proud. “I put forth my best effort in the design process,” says the Golden Bear.

It certainly shows.

I can hardly wait for the opportunity to play Hokuala again, and especially the 14th hole. It owes me one.

Visit hokualakauai.com to see all this island jewel has to offer.

The short par 4 16th is a shoreline favorite.

DECEMBER 2021

39

A NEW

STAR

Black Mesa Golf Club is gaining in notoriety and is just a short drive from Santa Fe.

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CEMDDECEMBER BR 2021 2021

.com asdeglfrcascadegolfer.com

is an ‘Enchanting’ consideration and making its mark on the golf map

BY TONY DEAR • CG EDITOR

umans, most of them anyway, appreciate the convenience that chain stores, hotels and restaurants offer.

We like knowing what to expect. It’s why we choose Arizona for fall and winter golf. No one’s suggesting you head to India or Finland or Uruguay for your next golf trip, but how about changing it up just a little?

New Mexico probably isn’t on anyone’s ‘Top States to Play Golf in’ list, and it’s hardly crammed with famous courses, or any type of golf for that matter. The Land of Enchantment is considerably bigger than the Evergreen State. With 121,697 square miles compared to 71,300, it has less than a third the number of courses with 100 (depending on which publication you read). Washington has 320.

Among those 100-odd courses, however, are several absolute gems that together make up a great golf trip.

Take Taos Country Club, a high-desert beauty 65 miles northeast of the delightful city of Santa Fe and a couple of miles east of a deep groove in the ground where the Rio Grande cuts through basalt rocks and sediments piled high over millions of years.

We have a few good courses on similar terrain in central Washington, and the area around Bend and Sisters in Oregon likewise has its share. Taos seems to take the high-desert motif a step further than anything in the Pacific Northwest, however, meandering through an expansive stretch of sagebrush and occasionally giving you the feeling of really being out there in the wild.

Yes, there are a few residences dotted about (Taos opened in 1994 with 65 three-acre lots adjoining the course) that remind you civilization is never far away, but the panoramas west to the Tusas Mountains and the Sangre de Cristo Range on the other three sides can make you feel very small.

The course was designed by Jep Wille of Austin, Tex., who worked for designers Leon Howard, Joe Finger, and Robert von Hagge/Bruce Devlin before giving professional golf a go at the age of 37 when he joined the Golden State Tour.

In California, he just about broke even and made a good friend in fellow pro Tad Bourg from New Mexico. When Bourg left the tour, he joined three investor friends in developing Taos CC purchasing one parcel of land at a time, some of them chunks he had owned and sold years before.

Bourg says there were two main reasons he chose Wille for the job. First, he could afford him and, second, he was a big Alister Mackenzie fan who preferred lay-ofthe-land courses that didn’t involve a lot of earth moving, something that, like the choice of architect, would keep cascadegolfer.com

expenses down.

Because of Bourg’s thriftiness and plain good sense, together with Wille’s restraint and ability to let the land talk, Taos ended up looking and playing a lot better than the final $2 million construction bill suggested it might.

There is one man-made water feature at the short 11th, but, besides that, it is an unadorned, unpretentious layout where Wille’s terrific routing (the final quintet is an especially engaging run of holes) through the sagebrush throws up numerous memorable moments.

Taos’s ‘memorable moment’ count, while impressive, can’t quite match that of Black Mesa, however, located 45 miles southwest of Taos outside the small city of Española and owned by the Santa Clara Pueblo.

Black Mesa opened in 2003 and is the sort of course where you spend most of the round gazing at the incredible terrain all around. It’s a badlands-style moonscape with plenty of changes in elevation and 18 distinctive holes that drop, climb, twist and roll over rocky ridges and through natural valleys.

The designer lucky to be given this amazing site was Houston-based Baxter Spann who says, without a moment’s hesitation, it was the finest he’s ever worked on. “The course was originally planned for another site a few miles to the south,” he says. “It was nice, but not nearly as expansive and majestic as the Santa Clara Pueblo land. When I first got on this property it was just an amazing experience.”

Black Mesa enjoyed a lot of good press during its first 10 years, but a major falling out between the Pueblo and the course lease, who co-developed and operated the course, saw it deteriorate rapidly around 2013-14. The fairways became covered in dandelion and large sections of the bentgrass greens died, making them unsightly and largely unputtable. Not surprisingly, Black Mesa dropped out of the rankings and its green fee was more or less slashed in half.

A management turnaround helped get the course back on its feet, but it was the arrival of a new superintendent in early 2018 that finally saw the course thrive once again.

Aaron Sunderlin, a graduate of Ohio State who had worked at a couple of Kansas City courses, fixed the faulty irrigation system, re-laid the greens and completed a bunker renovation project that saw the removal of 150 bunkers.

The results have been astonishing and three years on, Black Mesa is looking better than ever. Taos and Black Mesa are just a couple of New Mexico must-plays that are definitely worth getting on a plane to find. The back-up cast includes Sandia, Twin Warriors, Santa Ana and the excellent University of New Mexico Championship Course in Albuquerque.

And let’s not forget Paako Ridge. The superb Ken Dye design opened in 2000 and was bought by a New York consulting firm in 2018. Since then, the property has undergone some major capital improvements in an effort to make it more upscale. It has meant a significant rise in the green fees, but if you’re coming this far, we’re assuming you’ve budgeted for it. Sound move.

Outliers not easy to get to perhaps, but worth the effort, include the excellent Ken Dye-designed Piñon Hills in Farmington, in the state’s northwest corner, which is rated

The 11th green is surrounded by rocks.

The lovely downhill approach to the 10th at Taos.

The superb rolling par 5 10th at UNM.

among the country’s best 10 municipals, and Rockwind Community Links outside Hobbs in the southeast, which opened in 2015 and is a complete rebuild of Ocotillo Park GC. Andy Staples’s innovative and visionary work here turned an unexceptional course into a community asset lauded by Golf Digest, Golf Magazine, Top100golfcourses.com and several other publications.

So, there you go, a golf trip you probably hadn’t considered before but which we think you really shouldn’t miss.

DECEMBER 2021

41

A changing of the guard leaves Euros and fans of global golf waxing retrospective how the Atlantic’s tide has turned

S The Ryder Cup, despite its long history of star talent on both rosters such as Tiger Woods back in the day, is frequently won on the backs of young players and Euro upstarts.

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BY TONY DEAR • CG EDITOR

ince we last met in the August issue, you, me and a huge TV audience made up of regular golf fans and general sports fans for whom the Ryder Cup might be the only golf they ever watch, have witnessed the most lop-sided Cup competition in living memory.

Not once since continental European players joined the fray for the first time in 1979, and the total number of matches over the three days rose from 20 to 28, has either side finished 10 points clear.

For this European native who will likely remain a fan of the Blue and Gold for life no matter how American my wife and children are, or how much I love living in the Pacific Northwest, it didn’t make for particularly pleasant viewing and really came as something of a shock.

But then, not really.

I’ve supported the English Premier League’s Southampton FC since I was 5-years old. After moving to Seattle in 2003, I quickly became a Mariners fan. I know the despair of following spectacularly unsuccessful professional sports teams. I know they are capable of winning and actually do sometimes, but I never expect them to.

If Southampton is 3-0 up with five minutes to go, I always think the opposing team will manage to squeeze three, even four, past us before the referee blows for full-time. Likewise, if the Mariners are leading by five after eight and a half innings, I’m convinced the team we’re up against is going to ride a series of hits, walks, stolen bases and home runs all the way to a shocking 6-5 win.

The first Ryder Cup I watched was in 1985 when Europe won for the first time, Sam Torrance holing the winning putt across the 18th green and Seve Ballesteros saying in a TV interview that he felt like he had “won another British Open.’’

Europe then won 10 of the next 16 Cups, amassing 236 points against the USA’s 212. Twice the European team secured three straight wins. And yet, not once during this 30-plus-year stretch did I ever feel like Europe was going to win. The scarcely imaginable feats achieved with smoke and mirrors would inevitably stop soon enough and the house that Seve built would come crashing down. cascadegolfer.com

I did allow myself a moment’s confidence before the 2008 match following two nine-point victories -- at Oakland Hills and the K Club in Ireland – but we got hammered 16½-11½ at Valhalla where Paul Azinger’s strong pod system beat Nick Faldo’s weak sandwich-wrapper gags, Boo Weekley rode his driver like a horse, and Anthony Kim famously stuffed Sergio Garcia in the singles.

We won the next three, but every time the USA had the superior team on paper, and every time I felt we’d get found out.

You’d expect success at a match play event with relatively well-matched teams to be shared with the statistically stronger side coming out on top a little more often.

The USA won so many Ryder Cups from the 1940s to mid-1980s because the sides weren’t matched well at all, and it was all the Great Britain team (became GB and Ireland in 1953 when Harry Bradshaw was the first player from the Republic to play in the Ryder Cup) could do to muster a few points between them. But with the inclusion of continental players the teams did begin to measure up more closely. And yet the slightly inferior team made a habit of winning.

How? How did Europe more or less dominate the Ryder Cup for 30-odd years? The fact it had some brilliant players probably helped. Much is made of the bonds between them and, of course, that has been a huge factor. But let’s not forget the quality of the players forming those bonds – Ballesteros, Bernhard Langer, Sandy Lyle, Nick Faldo, Jose Maria Olazabal, Ian Woosnam, Colin Montgomerie, Sergio Garcia, Darren Clarke, Lee Westwood, Padraig Harrington, Thomas Bjorn, Sam Torrance, Mark James, Ronan Rafferty, Gordon Brand Jr., Christy O’Connor Jr., and Paul McGinley. The list goes on.

And let’s not suppose that a couple of scratch handicappers who had bonded exceptionally well would

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ever stand a chance against J.J. Henry or Brett Wetterich or Jeff Overton or Chris Riley or any of the other lesser-known players that qualified to represent their country.

On top of that though is something seldom mentioned but which I think had a profound effect for much of the ‘80s and ‘90s. Europe played with a sizable chip on its shoulder. It seems odd now, but during the second half of the 20th century, very few invitations were sent to British and European players to compete in the U.S. majors and there was no qualifying process. Yes, there was definitely some mild jingoism involved, but it’s also true to say there weren’t that many British or European players capable of contending. And those that were did receive invites.

The player for whom the shoulder chip grew largest was, of course, Ballesteros who had numerous battles with then PGA Tour commissioner Deane Beman and who didn’t make many friends on this side of the Atlantic. His desire to beat the Americans, and show them just how good he was, fueled a passion that his teammates shared, albeit not to quite the same degree.

And it wasn’t just the players that boarded Seve’s train. The fans did too. Seve was incredibly popular in Britain, and the combination of his drive and decades of Ryder Cup disappointment ignited something within the galleries making them a potent factor.

European players came from countries that played soccer in giant stadiums with tens of thousands of fans chanting the players’ names. I always felt the soccer mentality permeated the European players and their supporters, and helped the team become an almost irresistible force especially against an American team made up of 12 individuals who evidently needed a ping pong table to create any companionship and camaraderie.

So, has that all dried up now? Has Europe become a team of 12 disengaged individuals, unaware of and

unaffected by the slights and snubs that powered Seve and his willing compadres for so long? Was the U.S. team able to win so convincingly at Whistling Straits because Europe no longer had Seve’s fire in its belly, and the elements that drew old European teams together are no longer in play?

Possibly, but with Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia and Jon Rahm on this year’s team there would still have been plenty of Ballesteros-based inspiration.

And anyone who saw Shane Lowry celebrate holed putts or Rory McIlroy’s tearful interview following his singles match against Xander Schauffele will know the passion still runs deep.

The absence of European fans undoubtedly played a big part in the team not playing the shots or holing the putts that mattered but, surely, the most telling reason behind the disparity in the final result was that the teams weren’t that well-matched this time.

Yes, the U.S. had six rookies to the Europeans’ three, and the visiting side certainly had a lot of firepower. But with no fans to get behind them, they were unlikely to beat the best American team we’ve seen since 1981 when Nicklaus, Watson, Trevino, Floyd, Miller, Irwin etc. stormed Walton Heath outside London.

That team showed that no matter how acclaimed the opposition might be (to be fair Ballesteros was missing from the European team) and how well they bond, or how vocal the galleries get and to what degree the home side is able to set the course up, you’re going to have a tough time against a side with six major champions, the Olympic gold medal winner, the FedEx Cup champion, and four others studs.

No one can say what happens next, but if that core eight can remain fit for Rome in 2023 and beyond, one suspects the U.S. can repair some of the damage Europe has inflicted.

Stay dry and play Cedars at Dungeness on us! ake it a day on the Olympic Peninsula with a twosome to Cedars at Dungeness. Enjoy a twosome at one of the driest courses in the Northwest. Enter-to-win here – good luck!

Cedars at Dungeness • Sequim

cascadegolfer.com

DECEMBER 2021

43

Ryder Cup roots run deep here in the Northwest thanks to Robert Hudson — namesake of the Hudson Cup

W Portland’s Robert Hudson, and his vision, gave wings to the Ryder Cup and Hudson Cup here in the Northwest.

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DECEMBER 2021

BY TONY DEAR • CG EDITOR

ho could have known that the Ryder Cup, modestly created nearly 100 years ago yet abandoned after just six events because of World War II, would one day blossom into golf’s most popular and fervidly-followed event, as we witnessed at Whistling Straits this year?

Robert Hudson knew. And the biennial competition between the best golfers from the United States and Europe can be forever grateful for his vision and benefaction. In fact, if it wasn’t for the resolve and financial support from Hudson, a prominent Portland, Ore., grocer, there might not be a Ryder Cup today. His impact – 70-plus years ago -- was so significant to the Cup’s survival and subsequent revival that it wouldn’t be a stretch to have the event’s name changed to the Ryder/ Hudson Cup. After a couple of informal matches — at Gleneagles, Scotland in 1921 and Wentworth, England in 1926 — English seed merchant Sam Ryder sponsored the first official competition (then U.S. v.

Great Britain) at Worcester CC in Massachusetts, in 1927. Ten years later, the 1937 event in Lancashire, England produced the fourth American victory in six events. Then in the fall of 1939, Pointe Verde (Fla.) CC was ready to host the seventh Cup, but it was canceled. Everything had changed on Sept. 1, 1939, when Germany invaded Poland, plunging England into the war. The rest of the world followed.

After the war, the Cup didn’t have Ryder, who had died in 1936, to shepherd it. And there was neither the enterprise nor urgency from the Cup supporters or any of golf’s governing bodies to revive it. Then along came Hudson, from a remote corner of America that few knew existed.

Hudson had been dedicated to sustaining golf during the war, putting up $10,000 of his own money to host a PGA event — the 1944 Portland Open won by Sam Snead. He continued to host the event until 1948, and then the 1955 Western Open.

Hudson believed in the Ryder Cup and watched it descend into the dustpan of sports history.

He decided to underwrite the cost of the event, covering travel and accommodation for both teams.

That included paying for the entire British team’s 5,000-mile journey to Portland. The 1947 Ryder Cup was the first played following the ten-year gap and played at Hudson’s home course — the Portland Golf Club. The Americans won, 11 to 1.

Since that occasion there have been various format changes. Beginning in 1961, points were doubled and rosters enlarged to 12 players on each side. Continental Europeans joined the GB and Ireland team for the first time in 1979, and another format change established a maximum of 28 points — eight foursomes, eight four-balls, and 12 singles.

Europe won for the first time on American soil in 1987. The 2001 competition was delayed one year (to 2002) because of the 9/11 attacks and the 2020 event was pushed to this past September because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite losing 12 of the past 18 Cups since 1985, the U.S. still holds a commanding 27-14 lead.

But the Cup never returned to Oregon, or the Northwest. The closest was Palm Springs, Calif. in 1955 and 1959. That could be because it rained for the 1947 event and TV executives do not want anything to dampen or delay the competition. San Francisco (2033 at Olympic Club) will be the closest the Ryder Cup has come to our region in 86 years.

Hudson, who died in 1974 at age 87, does have an enduring tournament named after him — the Hudson Cup which started in 1949 as a tribute to his Ryder Cup influence. Played between professional and amateur golfers from Washington and Oregon, it uses the same format as the Ryder Cup. The 73rd edition was held Oct. 14-15 at Oswego Lake CC, ten miles south of Portland. The Pacific Northwest Section PGA professionals defeated the regional amateurs, 10 ½ to 9 ½. The annual Senior Hudson Cup, now in its 30th year, was also won by the section professionals — 11 to 9.

The Northwest, through the Section, continues to honor Hudson’s legacy with a namesake tournament. The world, not so much.

cascadegolfer.com

SAVE SOME GREEN

1

Blue Heron Golf Course CARNATION

It was 10 years ago that Blue Heron Golf Course changed hands and, quite literally, changed directions.

The 54-year-old golf course along the Snoqualmie River was like an old loyal friend, dependable, reliable and accessible. Opened in 1967 and known as the Carnation Golf Club, it exposed the game to a generation of Snoqualmie Valley golfers.

But by the turn of the century -- when the golf industry slid into a recession and more courses were closing than opening -- Carnation fell on hard times. The number of rounds and quality of the grounds both declined.

By 2011, the course was dormant, foreclosed and up for auction. The property could have been broken up into small pieces for commercial or real estate development, not unlike the nearby long-departed Tall Chief Golf Course, which closed in 2011 and is now a campground and residential/commercial property.

The husband/wife team of Reza and Mojbeh Yasseri purchased Carnation out of bankruptcy, in the neighborhood of $1 million. The couple put plenty of thought, time and money into their new enterprise, trying to salvage it as a viable course again.

After renaming it Blue Heron, they brought in Dan Tachell to revive it. Dan is the son of original owner/architect Bob Tachell. One of the first things he did is revert it back how it was first designed – by reversing the nines.

The change in direction allowed golfers to finish with three of the more getable holes. No. 16 now (old No. 7), is a par-4, 371 yards. That’s followed by the short, blind-tee-shot, 460-yard par-5 17th and finishing with a drivable (for some) 303-yard par-4. Birdies are possible on all three closing holes.

The course is in the Snoqualmie Valley floodplain and it can be subject to occasional overflows. But im-

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Blue Heron Golf Course • Carnation

provements to the drainage and irrigation systems have helped speed the course recovery. The clubhouse also was renovated and protected in an effort to rise above any rising waters.

The pandemic has had a mixed impact on golf courses, closing many for periods of time and placing limitations on golfers. But golf also has been viewed as a safe activity, prompting a resurgence in popularity. Play has increased at Blue Heron, helped by reasonable green fees, $34 daily, $39 on the weekend.

Blue Heron still adheres to the state restrictions for masking, cart usage and tee times.

— Bob Sherwin

YARDAGE 4,555 - 5,940 yards RATES $34 daily, $39 Fridays, weekend, holidays. $1,500 individual membership TEL (425) 333-5015 WEB theblueherongolf.com * Check website for current rates

Win a twosome at Whidbey Golf Club and Swinomish Golf Links nter-to-win for twosomes to Whidbey Golf Club and Swinomish Golf Links. Can you squeeze in 36 during the winter shorted days? Find out with loops at these great tracks.

Whidbey Golf Club • Oak Harbor

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DECEMBER 2021

45

SAVE SOME GREEN Twin Rivers Golf Course • Fall City

2

Twin Rivers Golf Course FALL CITY

We challenge you to read the ‘Course History’ page on Twin Rivers’ website and not feel an immediate urge to book a tee-time online, call the pro shop, or get in your car and head to the course as quickly as you can.

Twin Rivers Golf Course owes its very existence to the grim perseverance of one man, and it’s the least we can do to honor his memory by profiling his pride and joy here.

Born in Redmond in April 1936, Richard Rutledge thought golf a ridiculous game until his late teens when some high school friends persuaded him to give it a try. Though he got beaten handsomely, Rutledge was intrigued enough to practice and before long he was beating his buddies.

He won the Seattle Caddie Championship in 1953 and admitted to friends and family that he had become obsessed with golf. He dreamt of one day designing and owning his own course.

Then life happened. Marriage, children, and his job as a draftsman at Boeing got in the way of golf, and he went some considerable time without playing.

After leaving Boeing in 1957, he used his artistic gift to become a sign-writer eventually setting up his own business and developing into one of the best and most sought-after sign-writers in the region.

But the dream of owning a golf course never did fizzle out and as he reached his fifties, Rutledge began seriously contemplating how his life goal would come to fruition.

He located a suitable parcel in Fall City on a big bend of the Snoqualmie River with the Raging River bordering the site’s west side. And with the financial support of his brother Tom, he set out about acquiring the necessary permits.

What followed is a dire tale of rejection and frustration as King County refused to issue permission for Rutledge to proceed. To cut a very long and harrowing story short, the process nearly bankrupted the Rutledge brothers, and saw Richard suffer with serious bouts of depression.

Thankfully, however, the story would have a happy ending. After four exasperating years, Rutledge was at the end of his tether when he addressed county officials, telling them how difficult the time had been but feeling deep down it would all be for naught. It

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was a heartfelt speech that moved the councilmen to action.

Within three months, the permits had been granted and Rutledge could begin building. Along with family and friends, he worked his fingers to the bone, clearing trees, installing drainage, shaping greens and growing grass. Finally on Memorial Day 1994, Twin Rivers GC opened, and it has been welcoming golfers of all abilities and ages since.

Richard Rutledge has been gone three years now but, says Head Pro Curt Roddewig, his spirit still hangs over the place. “He was here every day from sun-up to sun-down until the day he died,” adds Roddewig who has been at Twin Rivers for 22 years. “He was always working on the course, adding bunkers improving tees, planting trees – anything to make it better.”

The 30,000 rounds a year it records shows how popular Twin Rivers is. If you’re a low single-digit player, or better, looking for a challenge you might be better served elsewhere. But if you’re new to the game or just looking for a pleasant stroll without feeling intimidated by either staff or course, then Twin Rivers is probably just what you need.

— Tony Dear

YARDAGE 4,668 - 6,074 yards RATES $32-$40 TEL (425) 222-7575 WEB twinriversgolfcourse.com * Check website for current rates

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SAVE SOME GREEN

North Bellingham Golf Course • Bellingham

3

North Bellingham Golf Course BELLINGHAM

Read some of the less-enlightened golf publications and you could be forgiven for thinking every single fairway in the Pacific Northwest, and Western Washington in particular, is lined on either side by deep, dark, 100-foot conifers.

To be fair, a lot of them are but there are always exceptions to any rule — Chambers Bay, the Home Course, Newcastle, Homestead anyone? And how about North Bellingham?

Developed by the city’s Caitac Corporation, and designed by Delta, B.C.-based architect Ted Locke – a former associate of prolific Canadian architect Graham Cooke (Loomis Trail), the course opened in 1995 on about 200 acres of an historic, mostly treeless ranch property once owned by the Wilder family. The Wilders, in 1911, had established a civil engineering company that became one of the biggest on the West Coast.

The expansive, exposed landscape makes North Bellingham something of an anomaly in this neck of the woods – pun intended. At 6,793 yards from the back tees, it’s not terribly long, but it’s plenty long enough. In fact, when the prevailing southwest wind comes barreling through, the blue tees at 6,207 yards, will provide all the challenge you could ever want. Local player and former Korn Ferry Tour player Chris Jorgensen obviously got it on a calm day in July 2016 when he shot 59 from the Blues. Cody Roth, featured in this issue, co-owns the course record from the black tees – a seven-under 65 recorded in December 2018.

Three of the best holes come early in the round. The 432-yard 2nd is a terrific par 4, but it’s not so much the design of the hole that grabs you but the incredible view of Mt. Baker 40 miles to the east. The 4th is an interesting, 394-yard version of the famous Cape Hole, a right-to-left dogleg around a small lake where the golfer must decide how much of the water he/she wants to carry – assuming they should carry any of it, of course. The more water you clear the shorter your approach shot obviously.

After a medium/short-iron to the par 3 5th, comes a rollicking par 5 over a heaving, twisting 492 yards that always seems much longer when you actually play the hole.

Though they can see the flag in the distance from the tee, first-time visitors are apt to wonder how on earth they are going to get there, so confusing is the view. Play it a few times and you get the hang of it, but no matter how often you take it on you’ll probably

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never walk off this green unhappy with a five.

The front-nine has a little more variety perhaps, but the back is packed with solid holes that will require you to be striking the ball nicely to have any hope of scoring well.

The combination of the two halves creates a round you’ll definitely want to repeat often.

YARDAGE 5,157-6,793 yards RATES $40-$50 TEL (360) 398-8300 WEB northbellinghamgolf.com * Check website for current rates

DECEMBER 2021

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P R ESENTED BY

The 12th annual Cascade Golfer Cup was a celebration of skill and endurance

O Congratulations to the team of Justin Manao and Andy Lew

ne of the more pleasant thoughts for any golfer as we enter winter is what we remember during summer walks on our favorite courses. The Cascade Golfer Cup, the popular, multiple-course competition, is designed to encapsulate those memories in a friendly competition.

The summer-long competition, played over eight of the Seattle area’s finest gems, drew more than 330 participants last year. Trophies, prizes and prestige are on the line in two-man team events.

The Cup, heading into its 12th year, awarded more than $40,000 in prizes a year ago, including 160 team prizes and 50 individual prizes. There are also long-drive contests, accuracy contests, and four closest-to-the-pin contests.

In the past, winners have enhanced their memories from the event, taking away trip packages to the U.S. Open, The Masters, British Open, Pebble Beach, Maui, Bandon Dunes, Vegas, Palm Springs, Central Oregon, Mesquite and Coeur d’Alene.

The Cup levels the playing field for all entrants, using each player’s lowest handicap over the previous 12 months, recorded the Wednesday before the event. Winners are recognized in both net and gross formats.

Buddies Justin Manao and Andy Lew were the overall points winners after the eight events last year. Among their rewards was a trip for two to Hawaii. The pair also won the gross champions at Port Ludlow.

Bryan Jan and Ben Senftner showed by three times among the leaders, both net and gross champions at White Horse and gross champions at The Classic. John Bergen and Jimmy Hayes were both net and gross winners at the opening Chambers Bay event while Jacob Deacy and Will Spencer also were net and gross champions at the closing Chambers event.

The team winner from each event in 2021 were:

Season Opener — Chambers opener John Bergen and Jimmy Hayes, net and gross champions.

The Michelob ULTRA Open — Home Course Erik Lind and Adam Seward, net champions; Michael Mclean and Dan Nelson, gross champions.

Muckleshoot Casino Players Championship Washington National Dustin Deer and Greg Bereiter, net champions; Jamie Meade and Travis Stultz, gross champions.

Puetz Golf Shootout White Horse Bryan Jan and Ben Senftner, net and gross champions.

Cascade Golfer Challenge — Salish Cliffs Joe Frederick and Paul Frederick, net champions; Oakley Murphy and Brian Boyle, gross champions.

Cascade Golfer Invitational — The Classic Kevin and Scott Norris, net champions; Bryan Jan and Ben Senftner, gross champions.

The Best Ball — Port Ludlow Jeff Camden and Cecil Grant, net champions; Justin Manao and Andy Lew, gross champions.

Fall Classic — Chambers final event Jacob Deacy and Will Spencer, net and gross champions.

The 2022 Cup schedule is still being put together, but will kick off April 16th at Chambers Bay. The competition is open to both men and women. All the men tee off at the ‘blues’ tees of equivalent while the women tee off from the forward tees.

Visit cascadegolfer.com/cup periodically for information on the schedule and registration.

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