Golf Guide - 2011 by Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier

INSIDE: Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new at area courses Custom fit clubs Choosing the right golf ball Putting tips

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Adjustable drivers, new technology add distance By NICK PETAROS nick.petaros@wcfcourier.com

It’s no secret that golfers dig the long ball. Heading into the 2011 golf season, companies continue to devote plenty of research and technology to helping buyers get off the tee with greater consistency, accuracy and distance. It’s apparent that a recent trend of drivers with adjustable club heads isn’t going away anytime soon. Titleist is debuting its first adjustable driver, the 910D2, while Nike’s Vr PRO, the Cobra S3 and Srixon’s Z-Star join trendsetter TaylorMade and its R11 in the 2011 class of adjustable drivers. “It’s crazy now,” Pheasant Ridge golf pro and University of Northern Iowa coach John Bermel says. “You can do quite a bit to a driver. You can add loft, take loft away, open them up, close them ...

there’s all kinds of things you can do with them now.” Mike Schuchmann, owner of Waterloo Golf Headquarters, sees the increased options in adjustable drivers as an advantage during the fitting process. “It’s helped the average player not coming in and just buying a driver off the rack,” Schuchmann explains. “If they’re having problems leaving it out to the right, we can close the head. Or vice versa, if they hit a hook we can open it up a little bit. “If we do a good job fitting it, we shouldn’t have to really adjust a heck of a lot after we get done.” In addition to its 48 possible settings, TaylorMade’s R11 ghost driver is setting a new trend with its white club face intended to eliminate glare when addressing the ball. The company also has a ghost putter on the market. The new look is catching on fast

“You can add loft, take loft away, open them up, close them ... there’s all kinds of things you can do with them now.” John Bermel

Pheasant Ridge PGA pro, UNI head coach

among PGA Tour pros. “When you’re watching tournaments, that’s what you’re seeing a lot of,” Bermel said. “Everyone wants to try the white now. (Rory) Sabbatini did it the other day (with his March 6 win at the Honda Classic). He had a white driver and a white putter.” Aside from the adjustable drivers, Ping has a new driver on the market with its G15. The $299 price tag and brand consistency

make the Ping drivers a major seller. “It still outperforms most everything out there,” says Schuchmann, whose store was recognized as the 2010 Ping Clubfitter of the Year. “It was our No. 1-selling driver, and I don’t see it slowing down. ... Ping doesn’t come out with something new unless it’s better than what they have.” Another driver creating plenty of buzz is Callaway’s RAZR Hawk. Callaway joined forces with Lamborghini and uses the luxury auto company’s lightweight carbon-fiber technology in its clubhead. With regard to irons, clubs with U-shaped grooves have been fazed out this season due to USGA restrictions. Putters are also continuing a trend of more visual alignment aids behind the blade.

RICK CHASE / Courier Staff Photographer

Golfers have a wide range of choices when selecting a driver, as Waterloo Golf Headquarters owner Mike Schuchmann illustrates.

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2011 Courier Golf guide

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Choosing the right golf ball an important decision By NICK PETAROS nick.petaros@wcfcourier.com

For most recreational golfers, a good ball is one that you can tee off with on the first hole and retrieve from the cup on No. 18. While plenty of golf balls are destined to find a final resting place at bottom of a pond or nestled in the gnarliest rough, professionals and retailers agree the ball is one of the sport’s most overlooked pieces of equipment. “The golf ball is just as important for a good-to-average player as his driver,” Waterloo Golf Headquarters owner Mike Schuchmann says. “The ball reacts. You might hit a driver 14

times in a round, but if you’re shooting 72, you’re hitting that golf ball 72 times.” “That’s what people don’t really realize,” adds Pheasant Ridge golf pro and University of Northern Iowa golf coach John Bermel. “The golf ball makes a huge difference just from the cover and the different ways that they can build it inside of the ball. Most people use the wrong ball, and that’s why they struggle so much.” Experts point out when selecting a golf ball it’s important to find a ball that can be compressed at your swing speed and also comes with the desired feel. “People want to use the same thing that all the guys on Sundays are using,” Bermel said. “But sometimes that golf ball is built more for the guys on Sunday.” Higher-priced balls are gen-

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to a deeper dimple pattern for higher trajectory. The Pro V, designed for more spin and softer feel around greens, has slightly lowered its trajectory so the two balls play more similar now. In general, Schuchmann says the compression rating has been lowered in golf balls over the past 10 years to allow players to

get more distance. Realizing different balls suit each player’s individual game, Bermel has members of his Northern Iowa golf team select their own. “The better players are either playing the TaylorMade Penta, the Pro V1 or the Pro V1x,” Bermel notes. “That’s been what I’ve seen the most.”

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erally constructed with more technology and generally have softer covers for more playability. Lower-priced balls are usually a two-piece design with a harder cover for longer distance. TaylorMade’s Penta is one of the more unique balls on the market. It is the first five-layer golf ball in the business. The layers are designed to adapt to the club head speed — the faster the club moves, the harder cover comes into play and the slower the speed, the softer cover comes more into play. Schuchmann says Titleist is his top-selling ball, but other companies, including Bridgestone and Srixon, are closing the gap with the technology they’ve added to the ball. Titleist has made some changes to its popular Pro V and Pro Vx balls. The Pro Vx, designed for higher swing speeds, changed

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Getting fit Key to better golf may be a custom fitting By DOUG NEWHOFF doug.newhoff@wcfcourier.com

RICK CHASE / Courier Staff Photographer

The custom fitting process begins in the simulator where data such as swing speed, ball spin and loft are used to find the right club length, shaft composition and clubhead angle to maximize distance and accuracy.

WATERLOO — Looking to improve your golf game this season? A new driver or a new set of irons might help. It might be time to consider replacing a club or two in your bag with a hybrid or an extra wedge. A few lessons with a local professional could trim a few strokes from your scorecard, as well. However, the answer to many of your problems might be as simple as a custom fitting. As technology continues to evolve in golfing equipment, so does the science of applying that technology to each individual golfer’s swing. “I would say an average person with good hand-eye coordination, just getting something in their hands that’s custom-fit can cut at least three to five strokes per 18 (holes),” notes Mike

Schuchmann, owner/president of Waterloo Golf Headquarters. Schuchmann and his staff are developing a reputation as club-fitting experts. Waterloo Golf Headquarters was recently recognized as Ping’s Regional Club Fitter of the Year, and the store is installing Ping’s new InFlight system, which evaluates the launch angles and spin rates golfers generate through their swings. “By determining the right launch angle and spin rate combined, you can find something that’s probably easier to hit and gain distance at the same time,” says WGH sales manager Grant Stevens, who spent a week at Ping’s headquarters working RICK CHASE / Courier Staff Photographer with the new fitting system. Most golfers want to hit the Everything from club length and ball farther and straighter, adds shaft composition to weight and the grips helps determine exactly Schuchmann. the right club for each individual See FITTING, page 7 golfer.

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fitting

Matching golfer with right clubs can shave strokes off scorecard From page 6 That process begins by evaluating each player’s swing and finding the right combination of shaft weight and composition, club head angle and composition and the club’s grip to increase trajectory and decrease negative spin. “No two people swing alike, and everybody’s measurements are different,” says Schuchmann. “Grant’s 23 and swings extremely hard. Somebody else might not swing as hard, so that person would need something with a little softer tip with a different kick point to kick it higher. “The higher you hit the ball, the less spin you have on it. Every degree of loft with an accurate ball speed is about 3.8 yards of carry in the air. Say you gain 4 mph in ball speed. That equivalates to 10 or 12 more yards that’s

2011 courier golf guide

www.wcfcourier.com out there. “What we want to do when we custom fit is take your optimum launch angle and bring your shot dispersion in. We want to eliminate the right side and the left side as much as we can.” Lie angle (where the club comes through impact) is an important consideration in custom fitting, as well. “If the toe’s catching a little bit, it will spin the heel through and that will promote spin to the right,” Schuchmann explains. “Me, I’m 2 degrees flat, so when I would come through my heel was catching, which would turn the toe in and I would hit the ball low left. “By getting to flat, it helped eliminate the left side for me and brought my trajectory up.” Ideally, Schuchmann prefers to custom-fit golfers with new clubs, which can be special-ordered and often delivered within a week. “You might be able to get a set of clubs on-line for $100 cheaper,

RICK CHASE / Courier Staff Photographer

For some golfers, improvement on the scorecard is as simple as finding a clubhead with the right degree of loft. but not if we’ve got to put a oneinch plug in them or new grips or bend them 2 degrees upright,” he notes. “It’s less expensive if you just get fit the right way when you buy them.” It is possible to custom-fit some golfers who aren’t looking to invest in new sticks. “If they’re not a forged golf club

or something that’s bendable, it’s tough to custom-fit,” he explains. “We can put a half-inch or oneinch extension in, but when you do that you mess with the swing weight of the club. And every half-inch you add over the standard length of a golf club automatically brings the toe upright, so it gets kind of tricky.”

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Ultimately, the staff at Waterloo Golf Headquarters, which also includes general manager Troy Estill, is all about enjoying the game of golf. “Golf is what we do,” says Schuchmann. “If we do a good job fitting you for clubs and you go out and you play better golf and we can help you play better golf, you’re going to come back to us. “I get more out of seeing somebody if I’m out to eat or at a movie and somebody says, ‘Man, I’m hitting that driver great.’ That means more to me to hear than anything I’m doing. That’s what we’re here for. We’re here to help.” Waterloo Golf Headquarters will sponsor a May 20 Demo Day Party at Waterloo’s All Golf Center with music and refreshments. Ping’s tour truck will be on hand to custom-fit players using the new In-Flight system. Other major manufacturers will be represented, as well, along with vendors.

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Master distance, and putting game will improve ■ Reading greens, determining direction is easy part of putting By JIM NELSON jim.nelson@wcfcourier.com

When it comes to putting, what is more important — distance or direction? That is the first question Irv Warren Golf Course professional Andy Devine asks his pupils. So what is the correct answer? Devine says 90 percent of the people he teaches get it wrong. “I’ll ask them that question and 90 percent will say direction,” Devine says. “Then I’ll hit a putt that goes right over the hole, but 12 feet past. Then I’ll hit a putt that has no chance to go into the hole, misses, but ends up four inches

away. “Then I ask, ‘What is more important, distance or direction?’” That is one of the common misconceptions about putting Devine encounters as a teacher of the game. Many novice golfers also view a putt as a hit rather than a stroke. “All you are trying to do is roll the ball on the green,” Devine explains. Andy “For a lot of peoDevine ple, they get over a putt and they try to hit it. The result ends up with them going way past the hole or well short. “A lot of time when they do that, there is a lot of wrist action. So we try to get the wrist action

out of the shot, and that is big because then it is easier to let the ball roll.” Devine has a simple tool for golfers looking to improve their putting game. It actually has little to do with getting the ball to roll into the cup. “Practice distances,” Devine says. “Just try to roll the ball a certain distance. “Try to roll it six feet, 12 feet, 18 feet ... so you get a feel for how far you need to take the clubhead back to make it accelerate through and go that distance. That is what I do when I go to tournaments. I don’t even practice to a hole. “I see a lot of three-putts, and those come from long and short. Working on rolling the ball to the hole and getting the distance down is most important. “If you get the distance right

but miss, it’s nice to tap it in and “Practice distances. Try go to the next hole. You are not too fond of it from two feet, but to roll it six feet, 12 feet, from 40 feet it is not all bad.” 18 feet ... so you get a feel Devine says once a golfer has mastered distances, reading for how far you need to greens is the easy part. There is no wrong way to gauge a putt. take the clubhead back “It’s very visual,” Devine said. to make it accelerate “There are two ways to read a green. through and go that “One is from behind the ball,imagining the ball is rolling distance. ... If you get the toward the hole. The other way is distance right but miss, to go behind the hole and imagine the ball rolling to you and what it it’s nice to tap it in and go is going to do. “For me, I’m very visual so it to the next hole. You are is easier for me to get behind the not too fond of it from hole and see what it will do if it’s coming toward me. two feet, but from 40 feet “Either way is correct. Some it is not all bad.” people are one way and some are the other. Everybody visualizes Andy Devine, Irv Warren pro differently.”

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Iowa has a wealth of divine golfing destinations By KELLY BEATON kelly.beaton@wcfcourier.com

CEDAR FALLS — John Bermel gets precious little “me-time.” But, when Bermel isn’t giving lessons at Pheasant Ridge Golf Course or coaching the Northern Iowa Panthers, he tries to carve out time to re-tool his own skills on the links. When the first hints of spring roll around, Bermel truly gets the golfing itch. If his schedule ever allowed it, Bermel could spend all day practicing his putting at Pheasant Ridge. He also wouldn’t mind playing some of the underrated public courses around Iowa — and there’s no shortage of them. “I’d probably go down to Lake Rathbun and try that one,” Bermel said, in reference to The Preserve at Lake Rathbun near

Moravia. “It’s brand new,” he added of the Southern Iowa destination. “It might be two or three years old. I heard it was a pretty good golf course. I heard it’s got fescue grass. To hear most enthusiasts tell it, you can find intriguing, underrated golf in just about every one of Iowa’s 99 counties. Even the rural locales possess a few diamonds-in-the-rough. Northeast Iowa’s Winneshiek County, for example, is home to Jackson Heights Golf Course, five miles north of tiny Waucoma — a course that’s quaint and stunningly well-maintained. Some 140 miles west of there, Humboldt County is home to the critically acclaimed Spring Valley Golf Course in Livermore which hosts small-school state meets and boasts enough water to leave

Panora, that’s one of my favorite places to play,” said Mason, who runs Waverly Municipal Golf Course and Legend Trail Golf Club in Parkersburg. “The Harvester (in Rhodes) is fun to play,” Mason added. And “Big Rock, outside of Fayette, my guys I work with up in Waverly say that thing is just awesome. And it’s a real reasonable rate, too.” When planning your Iowa golf adventure — or just a productive weekend day-trip — pros suggest doing so as far in advance as possible. That way, you can often take advantage of seasonal discounts — never a bad thing during these days of escalating gas prices. “Now a lot of (courses) are getting pretty aggressive with their prices,” Mason explained, “so don’t be afraid to call the pro shop

your knees knocking. In this state, if you’re willing to churn up gravel, the golfing payoff can be great. “If I could take a trip, anywhere in Iowa, to play a golf course for a day, it would be Spirit Hollow Golf Course in Burlington,” noted Michael Menke, general manager at Fox Ridge in Dike. Spirit Hollow “is one of the best courses in the state, because of its different types of terrain. Part of the course is surrounded by trees and other holes are more open, similar to a links-style course,” added Menke, who also mentioned Williamsburg’s Stone Creek Golf Course as a must-see layout. Greg Mason, the current president of the Iowa section of the PGA, is another golfer with wanderlust. “Lake Panorama, down in

and ask what deals they have. And sometimes it’s better to do that stuff before Memorial Day and after Labor Day; stay on what they call the ‘shoulder seasons’ and you can get some deals.” Resort courses abound in Wisconsin and Minnesota. But, for quality, destination golf, it isn’t always necessary to venture outside of Iowa’s borders. And you don’t have to beg your relatives to put you on their tab at a private country club course, either. “With public courses you get so much more value for your money now,” Bermel noted. “The public golf courses are pretty inexpensive, and most of the time they’re in pretty good shape.” Wherever you golf in Iowa this season, it’s important to remember one tip, above all else: Enjoy the journey.

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Metro courses seek better drainage ■ Otherwise, minimal changes in store for Waterloo, C.F. venues By JIM SULLIVAN jim.sullivan@wcfcourier.com

Last summer’s heavy rains brought standing water to South Hills and Irv Warren golf courses. That brought golf to a standstill on those two metro venues. “Every time it rained, it refilled,” said Irv Warren pro Andy Devine. “Very, very seldom at Irv Warren COURIER FILE PHOTO

A lone golfer lines up a drive at South Hills Golf Course in Waterloo.

have we been closed. We closed a few times. We couldn’t get rid of the water.” Said South Hills course superintendent Bill Bisdorf, “The last few years, we’ve been clobbered.” The people in charge at Irv Warren and South Hills hope to tackle water problems this season before they really start. “We want to be proactive,” said South Hills pro Monte Meyer. At South Hills, for example, a dike on the 15th hole will be bigger. More tiling is on the agenda. Last fall, some trees were cut down, and there are plans to build a pond on the first hole, if the funds are available.

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Sunday, April 3, 2011

courses

Drainage issues only major concern at metro golf courses From page 12 “We hope to get where we can handle more of this rain than we have been able to handle,” said Bisdorf. At Irv Warren, a drainage ditch that runs through the course is now deeper, thanks to some dredging. Added Devine, “We had some tiling people come in and look at how to get the water off the course quicker. That’s the game.” Weather permitting, the metro pros don’t see a lot of other changes in the game, beyond the water control efforts at Irv Warren and South Hills, plus a rise in rates. “We’re going to build some new tees and work on sand traps — that’s really about it,” said John Bermel of Cedar Falls’ Pheasant Ridge. “It’s a different challenge each

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2010 courier golf guide

THE COURIER

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format and toward outings sponsored by a specific business. “The era of the best-shot is kind of over,” said Meyer. While the junior ranks are solid at Pheasant Ridge, according to Bermel, there is some concern in Waterloo about a smaller number of young players getting on the course. “I’d say it’s probably more seniors and less juniors,” said Lubs. “But we’ve got some junior clinics and high school clinics to make sure they have an opportunity to come out and play.” Said Meyer, “The golfers are getting older, and I think it’s a national trend. Social media might have something to do with it, but it’s not just golf.” But the year is here. The WaterCOURIER FILE PHOTO loo Open is on the way. So is the Professional golfer Jay Reynolds hits a shot during the 2010 Waterloo Open at Irv Warren Memorial Golf Skip Holton Memorial, the Iowa Course in Waterloo. Section Pros (Gates), the City Amateur (South Hills). And the no question about it.” deal. year. That’s what I like about it.” There are some trends that bear Chili Open at the end of Pheas“The rates have stayed pretty Despite the rise in fees — a $1 ant Ridge’s season, an event that a round on the Waterloo Public competitive here,” said Gates watching. According to Meyer, golfers are combines food and golf. Courses, for example — the locals Park pro Nate Lubs. “We’re defiIt’s time to tee it up. say they still offer golfers a good nitely a value in the Cedar Valley, moving away from the best-shot

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THE COURIER

Metro golf courses Beaver Hills Country Club ■ Par: 72 ■ Length: 6,848 yards ■ Pro: Brad Clark ■ Assistant pro: Greg Dingel ■ Location: 8230 Beaver Hills Dr., Cedar Falls ■ Phone: (319) 266-1975 ■ Notes: A parkland-style course built on rolling terrain that features uneven lies, treelined bluegrass fairways, dozens of sand bunkers, and greens that vary in contour and roll fast. Water comes into play on the first five holes.

Cedar Falls ■ Phone: (319) 266-8266 ■ Notes: A demanding public course featuring tree-lined fairways and fast greens with numerous sand bunkers and water hazards. Complex also includes Walter’s Ridge 9-hole course.

2011 courier golf guide

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■ Length: 6,839 yards ■ Pro: Nate Lubs ■ Assistant pro: Nathan Leary (starting in May) ■ Location: 820 E. Donald St., Waterloo ■ Phone: (319) 291-4485 ■ Notes: This majestic, mature, 18-hole course has many treelined, bluegrass fairways and water hazards that come into play on several holes. Sand or grass bunkers guard every bent grass green.

into play on a couple of holes, but it’s great for beginners. Irv Warren hosts the Professional Division of the annual Waterloo Open each July.

Red Carpet Golf

■ Par: 72 ■ Length: 6,557 yards All-Golf Center ■ Pro: Ed Dolan ■ Location: 1409 Newell St., ■ Par: 27 Waterloo ■ Length: 1,134 yards ■ Phone: (319) 235-1242 ■ Pro: Greg Mason ■ Notes: A semi-private course, ■ Location: 1844 W. Ridgeway Red Carpet features a variety Ave., Waterloo of hazards that come into play ■ Phone: (319) 236-1010 Irv Warren Memorial on many holes. The greens are ■ Notes: This venue features ■ Par: 72 undulating and challenging, as a par-3 course with an average ■ Length: 6,194 yards are several of the bluegrass length of 125 yards per hole. ■ Pro: Andy Devine The longest hole is 175 yards, Pheasant Ridge ■ Location: 1000 Fletcher Ave., fairways. Built in 1920, Red Carpet features more than 30 sand and the shortest is 90 yards. The Waterloo ■ Par: 72 bunkers. complex includes a large driving ■ Phone: (319) 234-9271 ■ Length: 6,730 yards range. ■ Notes: Built in 1908, this ■ Pro: John Bermel South Hills public, 18-hole course has its ■ Assistant pro: Adam LuehmGates Park share of mature trees, bunkers ■ Par: 72 ann and water hazards that come ■ Length: 6,950 yards ■ Par: 72 ■ Location: 3205 W. 12th St.,

Sunday, April 3, 2011

■ Pro: Monte Meyer ■ Assistant pro: Andrew Carper ■ Location: 1830 E. Shaulis Rd., Waterloo ■ Phone: (319) 291-4268 ■ Notes: A hilly course with numerous trees that can alter shots, plus a handful of water hazards. The greens are undulating and fast, while the bluegrass fairways range from tight layouts to wide-open.

Sunnyside Country Club ■ Par: 72 ■ Length: 6,736 yards ■ Pro: Steve Reilly ■ Location: 1600 Olympic Dr., Waterloo ■ Phone: (319) 234-1125 ■ Notes: An 18-hole, championship layout that is well-bunkered with more than 30 sand traps and features water that comes into play on at least 11 holes.

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