2015 Golf Guide

Golf Guide 2015

March 22, 2015

Golf a game that keeps on giving Seniors one group that relishes time spent on course JIM SULLIVAN | jim.sullivan@wcfcourier.com

The golden years feature a shade of green.

When senior citizens seek recreation, competition or a way to enrich their social lives, golf provides plenty of answers. And that age group, in turn, means business for local and metro courses.

See SENIORS, page 2

PAGE 2

GOLF GUIDE

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Sunday, March 22, 2015

Iowa golfers weather the extremes High-tech clothing, layering keep players in comfort zone DOUG NEWHOFF doug.newhoff@wcfcourier.com‌

BRANDON POLLOCK / Courier Staff Photographer

Remaining comfortable and competitive while golfing in cold weather is all about layering and maintaining flexibility.

SENIORS From page 1

“I think senior golf is a huge part of our business,” said J.B. Bolger, the golf manager for Waterloo Leisure Services.

Said Andy Devine, the club pro at Irv Warren, “Senior golf is huge. We get a lot of retirees from John Deere and other places, and they’re playing golf a lot.”

The options include playing a round with friends or family. Then there are leagues, available for both men and women, that rotate around the Waterloo public courses.

Shorter tees are also available for seniors interested in using them.

The leagues alone account for plenty of business. According to Waterloo Leisure Services, the Men’s Senior League has reserved about 1 hour, 45 minutes of tee times each Friday during the season. That breaks down to roughly 15 tee times, or 60 players.

The Ladies Senior League plays on Thursdays with some playing nine holes and others 18. Typically, the nine-hole group reserves a half-dozen tee times and the 18-hole group five. That’s about 24 and 20 players, respectively.

However and whenever they try to hit

Ideally, golfers would be greeted every day on the course by 70-degree weather and nothing more than a gentle breeze.

But this is Iowa, where we often seem to deal in extremes when it comes to precipitation, wind chill and gale-force winds.

And the game, as the saying goes, must go on.

Golf will be played this spring on plenty of bone-chilling days.

Those who are addicted to the sport aren’t about to let most weather conditions keep them off the courses they’ve been

itching to play for the past three or four months.

It’s all about finding some level of comfort and adjusting your game to the conditions at hand.

Fortunately, modern technology has addressed cold-weather golfing.

“Most of the time, I think it’s just a mindset,” says John Bermel, the PGA professional at Pheasant Ridge Golf Course in Cedar Falls and the coach of the University of Northern Iowa men’s and women’s teams that spend a good deal of time practicing and playing in adverse conditions.

“We have plenty of equipment to stay warm. It’s mostly about layering ... maybe a turtle neck, then a long-sleeved shirt and a sweater or some sort of pullover. You try to get something that’s not too tight around your body and not too bulky so you still have good range of

the greens, older golfers have a chance to be part of a sport that captures the attention and passion of millions around the world from 8 to 80.

“I’ve been playing since I was nine years old, and I’m 72,” said Tom Thielen, president of the Waterloo Senior League. “That gives you an idea. I started with my mother’s wooden-shafted clubs. I enjoy the game. It’s a game of a lifetime. Now I’m playing it with seniors who have played many, many, many years. It’s just as much fun playing it now as it was in their teens and 20s.”

The age may be different, but some of the goals are the same.

Getting exercise ranks at the top of the list, for example.

“I actually think the last few years it’s picked up a little bit because of the exercise factor,” said Mike Schuchmann, the owner of the Waterloo-based Golf Headquarters.

Golf can also be a social game — a chance to reunite with friends or meet new people.

For the seniors, that opportunity means a great deal. And there’s no such idea as a good walk spoiled.

Said Thielen, “For a lot of fellows, it’s a nice outing that gives them a chance to meet other retirees, if you will. It’s a social outlet. For some of the older guys, maybe the only social outlet they get during the

“It used to be we’d wear a T-shirt and a shirt and a sweater and a jacket and you felt like the Michelan Man. Now with these fabrics we have today, they’re lightweight and breathable.”

Greg Mason, PGA professional and G3 golf proprietor motion.”

Greg Mason, PGA professional and G3 golf proprietor, isn’t so sure it’s always the extra layers of clothes that restrict a golfer’s flexibility.

“For a lot of us in the spring, we haven’t stretched all winter,” he notes. “We think it’s all the

week is to go out and play nine holes.

“Most of them walk, which is surprising, but it is exercise. Seeing guys 82 years old walking around South Hills is an indicator that they’re there for a little exercise as well as the camaraderie and competition.”

While all of this is going on, steps have been taken to make the game of golf more suitable to the senior players.

The shorter tees are one adjustment.

While not every golfer uses them in the Waterloo Senior League, for example, they are on most of the local courses.

“It helps make golf a little more playable for some of the seniors,” said Gates Park pro Nate Lubs. “We want them to play where it’s comfortable for them and where it’s fun for them.”

Added Devine, “We do have senior tees.

We put them in about three years ago. Some of the golfers didn’t want to go up there because they thought it was showing signs of weakness. But, when they get up there and start playing them, they find out it’s a lot more fun to get to a par 4 hole in two shots and make a par once in a while. It’s just more fun for them.”

If seniors feel they need equipment that’s better suited to their physical condition, the golf industry has made some choices available. Clubs with lighter shafts and larger

bulky clothes we’re wearing, but it has more to do with what we didn’t do in the winter.

“It used to be we’d wear a T-shirt and a shirt and a sweater and a jacket and you felt like the Michelan Man,” adds Mason.

“Now with these fabrics we have today, they’re lightweight and breathable. They’re more flexible and they allow you to turn a little easier.”

Mike Schuchmann, owner of Golf Headquarters in Waterloo, says many golfers like to wear vests in colder weather to keep their arms and shoulders unrestricted. Quality raingear can also serve as an effective windbreaker. Stocking caps help keep players’ heads and ears warm, but the real key is the hands.

“Once your hands get cold, you’re screwed,” says Schuchmann. “You lose all the feel that’s so important in golf.”

See WEATHER, page 14

club heads are there for the buying.

“There’s more forgiveness with the clubs — things like that,” said Schuchmann.

There’s also demand — for players.

Thielen would love to see more people golf in his senior league for example.

The people who are in the local golf business believe it’s healthy for them — and the seniors.

“With the younger generations, there’s so much going on — softball leagues, bowling leagues and what not,” said Schuchmann.

“We’re trying to find a way to get kids back into it. Maybe we have to get the golfers who are retiring back into golf. They have disposable money.”

The golden age is there. The greens are waiting.

“We’re blessed in Waterloo. We really are blessed,” said Thielen. “The golf courses we have are kept in great condition. The pros, each one of them, are super people. They look forward to seeing a bunch of guys come out and have fun as much as anybody.”

ON THE COVER: Senior golfers Tom Thielen, left, and Bob Wright are pictured at Irv Warren Golf Course March 18.

Photo by MATTHEW PUTNEY / Courier Photo Editor

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Sunday, March 22, 2015

Get fit: Golfers can get most from clubs Technology matching golfers with clubs that will last JIM NELSON jim.nelson@wcfcourier.com‌

If you are still using the hand-me-down golf clubs your dad gave you on your 16th birthday and you are now 35, it is likely you need a new set.

If the last set of golf clubs you bought came during the George Bush administration, you might need a new set of irons.

If you take a huge swing at a ball and the head of one of your clubs flies 20 yards down the middle of the fairway, that might be a sign you need new golf clubs.

“I think it depends on your game,” Gates Park Golf professional Nate Lubs says. “If it has been eight or 10 years and you have the same set ... the technology has changed so much.

“Companies have switched a lot of things

with the way the ball reacts off the club because of less spin on golf balls ... the lower spin, higher launch is what people are going with. The benefit of getting something new is increased forgiveness.”

While a person can walk into any store that sells golf equipment and buy a new set of clubs off the rack, that concept is becoming outdated.

Several places around Waterloo, such as Dick’s Sporting Goods, Golf Headquarters or any of the local courses like Irv Warren, Gates, South Hills and Pheasant Ridge can analyze a golf swing and use that data to match the players with exactly the right clubs. Measurements are taken for the correct length of the shaft and custom sets can be made to cater to the golfer.

“I have the Ping fitting system and in 15 or 20 minutes out on the range I can get all the specs, check out the flight of the ball and that will give us what the player needs,” Lubs said. “Buying off the rack, you can do that, but there is a good chance you are getting something that doesn’t work for your swing.”

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BRANDON POLLOCK / Courier Staff Photographer

Time for a new set of golf clubs? That may depend on what you want to get from your game.

“It is not like it was 10 years ago and you walked in and you picked a set, took them off the wall and you were playing,” adds Mike Schuchmann of Golf Headquarters.

Schuchmann sees all kinds of different customers in his shop from the golfer who buys a new set every year or two to the guy who buys and trades in three new sets a season.

“I have a guy coming in to be fitted for Pings and his old set he had were Ultra 45s,” Schuchmann said. “I was trying to think, but

irv Warren MeMorial 1000 Fletcher Avenue Waterloo, IA 50701 (319) 234-9271

those might be 19-20 years old.

“A good custom set, if you take care of them, some of those clubs will last you 15-20 years, but eventually the technology, shaft and all kinds of things come into play.”

Many golf companies have a two-year life cycle on current technology. Titleist, for example, is one of those companies that will come out with a new set of irons every two years.

Price varies with options as low as $250300 or well over $1,000, and both Lubs and Schuchmann say the technology from company to company is pretty much the same.

“You have guys who like to tinker and find a little more yardage,” Schuchmann said. “It really comes down to what you like looking down at. We can fit you with anything now.”

With the two-year life cycle with most companies, for the avid golfer who wants the latest technology but doesn’t want to pay big money, patience pays off.

“If you are willing to wait, you can get the latest and greatest, it’s just a year later, last year’s model with the same technology but for less,” Lubs said.

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Sunday, March 22, 2015

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Golf a year-round activity for many CARSON TIGGES carson.tigges@wcfcourier.com‌

WATERLOO — The reality is, most people reading this live in Iowa.

That means cold and snow. That means putting the golf clubs in storage.

Or does it?

Indoor golf is gaining popularity.

Indoor golf leagues exist, while some step into the simulator for a quick 18 holes and others are there to use the technology to analyze their swing.

No matter what it’s being used for, more people are staying warm through the winter months.

Simulators have been up and running at the Cedar Valley SportsPlex, Gates Park Golf Course, Waterloo Golf Headquarters and South Hills Golf Course.

Monte Meyer, the golf professional at South Hills, is somewhat responsible for starting the movement a few years ago.

And get this, there are going to be two simulators crammed into the South Hills clubhouse next year. Accordingly, Meyer said it was “incredibly popular,” and the

reasons for that go beyond keeping the rust off.

“It used to be that four guys, two twosomes, could show up to the golf course and they’d play the rest of the summer together. They didn’t know each other.

That doesn’t happen anymore,” Meyer said. “On Sunday afternoons, I had two teams that were just polar opposites. But these guys ended up liking each other so well. I saw it happen week after week in league that these guys are going to play golf with each other this summer.”

Most of the participants at South Hills were league players. They had a set time on a set day of the week to play 18 holes during the 12-week season. Winners were announced earlier this month, just in time for outdoor play to begin.

At the SportsPlex, league wasn’t as popular, but there was a steady stream of players coming through each day to play a round. It takes approximately one hour to play 18 holes, which means about four hours for a foursome to make it through at $10 an hour for members and $25 an hour for non-members.

MATTHEW PUTNEY / Courier Photo Editor

Alex Hildman demonstrates how the TrackMan golf simulator works at the SportsPlex in Waterloo March 13.

In addition to being able to play some of the country’s most famous courses, the simulators are advanced enough to make it as close to the real thing as possible.

“The only reason I’d say it’s like a video game is because you’re hitting it a short distance and then watching it on a screen. It’s still good to know if you’re making good, clean contact and the simulator will tell you that,” said recreation

Sunday, March 22, 2015

Simulators, indoor leagues growing in popularity specialist Alex Hildman.

“Being able to hit a driver indoors is nice. It will slice and cut, or if you’re topping the ball, it will show you that.

It’s realistic in your ball contact, but it’s different because you’re not walking up to your ball and you’re not outdoors.”

The simulator uses software called TrackMan. As the name suggests, it can track everything about the swing and the ball including club speed, launch angle, face to path, spin rate and, literally, hundreds of other factors.

Some enjoy that technology more than others, but it’s, no doubt, a part of the popularity. Even when there isn’t snow on the ground, indoor golf is making a market for itself.

“It’s gaining popularity in Florida, Texas, California. Young people don’t want to go outside, they’re used to having electronics in their hands,” Meyer said. “So they’re hitting on something that’s electronic. Golf isn’t real thrilling to them, but if they can use some technology with it, all of a sudden it’s cool.

It’s gaining popularity everywhere.”

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Let’s play 12 ... new hole rates not here yet Alternate rates catching on in other parts of country JIM SULLIVAN jim.sullivan@wcfcourier.com‌

TIFFANY RUSHING / Courier Staff Photographer

Andy Devine, left, helps Jack Moody, 12, with his swing during a golf clinic at Irv Warren Golf Course last spring. While the idea hasn’t taken hold in the Cedar Valley yet, one approach some courses are taking to help draw new golfers into the sport is alternate hole rates.

A golfer swinging at most courses had two choices — 18 holes or nine.

Today, some of the sport’s wise men believe other numbers ought to come into play. Like 12 holes, or six. But don’t look for that to happen at the local courses this season — or in the immediate future.

As J.B. Bolger, the golf manager for Waterloo Leisure Services put it, “So far I haven’t had any requests at all for six holes or any other.”

The idea of alternate hole rates has been around for a while. In 2007, no less than golf icon Jack Nicklaus suggested that 12 holes “ought to be the standard round.” Nicklaus felt it would bring people into the game who are frustrated with the length of time it

Home of the area’s best 18 and 9 hole courses, Pheasant Ridge and Walter’s Ridge respectively, our courses are well manicured and ready to play today.

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takes to play 18 holes.

A couple of courses owned by Nicklaus, Muirfield, to name one, had 12-hole scorecards. “My seniors are loving it,” said the Golden Bear.

Two years ago, the Wall Street Journal featured Island Hills Golf Club in Michigan. One of the options offered was “Quik Courses.” Interested golfers could play a five-hole round, or nine, or 12.

At the beginning of 2015, Golf Digest listed seven emerging trends for the upcoming year. One of them was “more courses will offer alternate hole rates.”

The author, Stephen Szurlej, wrote, “As the golf industry continues to find new ways to reinvent itself one notion people have coalesced around is the idea of offering 6-, 9- and 12-hole rates. It’s an appealing prospect to the many golfers who don’t want to spend time or money on a more than fourhour expedition.”

Mike Schuchmann, the owner of Waterloo Golf Headquarters, has seen courses in Florida and California use different rates.

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Pheasant Ridge proudly plays host to the UNI Men’s and Women’s golf teams, headed by our local golf pro John Bermel - GO PANTHERS!

“It speeds up the pace of play,” said Schuchmann.

Said Nate Lubs, the pro at Gates Park, “I’ve heard of it. It’s based on time.

People seem to have less time, less free time. I think it works in some markets.”

But it’s not here yet.

“It’s not something I’m looking into because of the lack of demand,” said Bolger. “If it becomes a trend here in this area, we would look into it and check with the Leisure Services committee to see if they’re interested in pursuing it.”

As far as Schuchmann is concerned, it’s just part of living in the Midwest, where fads and trends arrive a little late.

“There’s an old saying that we’re the last to know,” said Schuchmann, chuckling. “We are Midwest, blue collar, hard working. Everything seems to move a little bit slower.

“It’s not that it’s good or bad. I’m a traditionalist. I grew up with nine or 18 holes. That’s the way it is. Playing six or 12? I don’t know.”

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Sunday, March 22, 2015

The right putter is the one that fits you ‘Flat sticks’ come in all shapes and sizes these days CARSON TIGGES carson.tigges@wcfcourier.com‌

Happy Gilmore used a hockey stick.

A 2x4 could probably work.

When it comes to putting, there are a lot of options, but having something you’re comfortable with is of utmost importance “You have to like the looks of it, the feel of it, the length of it.

There are a lot of different variables,” said Andy Devine, the golf professional at Irv Warren Memorial Golf Course. “The whole idea of putting is to roll the ball. You have to have something you like, something that feels good and you can make some putts with.”

Of course, you won’t find many hockey sticks on the PGA Tour or even the local courses. There are better options and tools specifically designed to roll a golf ball into a cup.

“The only thing that matters about a putter is that it fits you perfect,” said Monte Meyer of South Hills Golf Course. “The lie angle is right, the grip size is right for your hands and the hosel type is correct for the way you swing it.”

Meyer went into more detail about the hosel and how it correlates to a golfer’s swing path.

Basically, the hosel connects the club head to the shaft. It

Here’s one of the wide variety of putters available to golfers today. can be straight, angled, bent or any variety of configurations in between.

When determining the club that suits a golfer best or what “feels” right, it is key to know

how the hosel works in conjunction with a golfer’s style.

“To me, they say they don’t like the feel. Really, they didn’t like the neck, but didn’t know it,” said Meyer. “They didn’t know they’re

BRANDON POLLOCK / Courier Staff Photographer

a straight-back putter.”

Some golfers pull straight back and hit straight through. Others may have more of an arc in their stroke.

As far as putters are concerned,

a shorter neck and a straighter hosel that keeps the club head more in line with the shaft is better-suited for someone with a strong arc. Having the face of the putter more out in front of the club handle would be better for a straight-line putter.

Furthermore, “feel” can also be affected by the way the ball reacts with the club when it is hit. Oldschool putters were typically constructed with stainless steel, mild steel, brass, copper or bronze.

Now, compound materials are used to create a softer feel, either as a club-face insert or as a cushioning layer behind a metal face.

“There are a lot of different materials. A little softer feel so you can make a longer stroke and feel the putter head,” said Devine.

“You want to feel the putter head roll the ball. It’s not a hit, it’s more of a roll.”

Speaking of what happens when the club contacts the ball, Devine added that recent trends are gravitating toward a heavier head so the club swings easier and it doesn’t take as long of a backstroke to make a suitable impact.

Just like anything on the golf course, equipment is important, but it’s one of just many aspects that go into becoming a good golfer. Putting is no different.

“Obviously, it’s a talent. To be able to see the breaks and know what the ball is going to do as it’s rolling toward the hole,” Devine added. “But you want to have something that feels good to you.”

Golf doesn’t have to be a waiting game on course NICK PETAROS nick.petaros@wcfcourier.com‌

WATERLOO — Winter snow makes way for spring’s golf fever on an annual basis.

“When the weather breaks, people have been sitting around

all winter and they’re ready to be out,” Irv Warren golf professional Andy Devine said. “Once they get out, we’re busy. We get a lot of people coming out to play. Everybody has got new gifts from Christmas, birthdays and such and they want to get

out and try them.”

Certainly golf is a game that tests the patience of its participants. For some golfers, seeing an average four-hour 18-hole round turn into five on a crowded course can be miserable.

So when’s the best time of day to get in a quick 18?

For those with open weekdays, Devine says play on Waterloo’s public courses typically dies out between 1 and 3 p.m. In Cedar Falls, Pheasant Ridge golf professional John

Bermel cites Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons as the best options on his course.

At Waverly’s Municipal Golf Course, golf professional Greg Mason points between 11 a.m.

See TIMING, page 9

Sunday, March 22, 2015

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PAGE 9

Hybrids filling the gaps for today’s golfers JIM NELSON jim.nelson@wcfcourier.com‌

Walk by the display cases at any golf equipment store and you’ll likely find something missing among the sets of shiny new irons.

The 3-iron and even the 4-iron are disappearing from golf bags around the world.

In the last 10-15 years, and moreso in the last five or six years as the technology has advanced, hybrid clubs are steadily replacing those long irons as a go-to club from distances of 180 and beyond and in some cases, even closer.

“The hybrid is so universal because they are so easy to hit,” said Mike Schuchmann of Golf Headquarters. “You can open it up a little bit, shut it down, move it to the back of your stance ... one hybrid is really two clubs in one.

“I tell people all the time, if we fit you and get you dialed in and you get two hybrids, it is like cheating because it is like having 16 clubs in your bag.”

For example, avid golfers with a

TIMING From page 8

and 3:30 p.m. on weekdays as a good window.

Summer evenings from 7 p.m. until sunset can also be a good time for those who want to avoid a crowded course. Courses without heavy traffic at night also allow newcomers to learn the game without being pressured from groups behind them. Generally the busiest time of the week comes on weekend mornings.

“We’ll take you anytime,” Mason said, echoing a sentiment expressed by all the local golf pros. “A lot of times Saturday and Sunday afternoons are pretty slow compared to the old days.”

Each course offers its own unique deals to help play pick up during its lulls. All three Waterloo city courses have discounted 18-hole play before 1 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Pheasant Ridge offers discounted 18-hole play on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Waverly Municipal Golf Course offers a ninehole discount for groups of two or

19-degree hybrid can put it in the back of their stance and mash it 230 yards or open it up and hit it high. The same club, with a different shot, will go 210 yards.

Part of what has made hybrids so popular is the change of ball technology toward balls that spin less. Hybrid clubs can launch the ball higher, and golfers can see increased distance over 3- and 4-irons. Many golfers now will build their bag without a 3 or 4-iron, switching those clubs for 22- and 26-degree hybrids. Their longest iron is a 5-iron.

“It is so much easier to hit out of the rough than a 3-wood or a 3-iron, especially with the way the hybrid launches the ball up into the air,” Gates Park Golf pro Nate Lubs said. “Golfers say they are so much easier to hit than irons and they are more confident in the results they will get than with a long iron.”

Almost all new sets of clubs now come standard with at least one hybrid and no 3-iron.

Golfers’ confidence in their abilities to hit a hybrid helps convince them to leave

more after 5 p.m. on weekends.

Waterloo’s public courses only take tee times on weekends and use starters to help keep play running smooth.

“They do a great job of regulating,” Devine said, addressing his starters.

“Some people want to play nine holes.

If there’s an opening back side, they’ll send some people on the back side.

“If they weren’t regulating it, some people would just come out and tee off on No. 10 and people are turning nine so they’d be cutting right in front of them. They do a real nice job of regulating play.”

Waverly and Cedar Falls have regulated play on their public courses from the pro shop.

The golf season generally sees the most traffic from Memorial Day to Labor Day, yet Devine is quick to point out fall golf may be the best time of year to experience the game without the traffic.

“Some of the best golf anymore has been in September,” he said. “It’s still 70-75 degrees out and you’ve got some beautiful weather. The golf course usually is in great shape by then. All the maintenance has been taken care of.”

BRANDON POLLOCK / Courier Staff Photographer

Hybrid clubs continue to replace long irons for many golfers these days.

those 3- and 4-woods out of their bags, too.

“They are a little smaller, a little shorter and the average guy can control a hybrid better than they can a fairway wood,” Schuchmann notes.

Hybrids became so popular that some companies began making entire sets of hybrids with no irons. That trend has slowed, although Schuchmann and Lubs say those type of sets are still available. But both say hybrids are really most efficient up to about a 5-iron.

“You really need that 6-7-8-9-iron and a wedge, especially when you have to dig down and get it,” Schuchmann said.

“Especially when you get a big club like that and there is so much flange on the bottom and so much bounce on a hard surface when you are chipping.

“You can never get that club elevated because it is bouncing and hitting into the ball.”

Area pros say there is another reason why the 3-iron is disappearing and the hybrid is gaining popularity. Much of it has to do with local courses.

“Think about it, how many shots do we have that are 210 or longer around here?”

Schuchmann questioned. “Now how many shots do you have from 170, 150, or more common, 100 yards? It’s crazy how many shots from 100 yards or less we have around here.

“The thing is, you can get a hybrid up to 30-some degrees that basically takes care of your 8-iron. But I’m more inclined to advise someone to practice their 100-yard wedge shot.”

MATTHEW PUTNEY / Courier Photo Editor

JR Iverson, left, drives the ball down a fairway as Bob Miller watches during a fall round at the Waverly golf course and country club. Fall is one of the best times of the year to avoid crowded courses.

PAGE 10

GOLF GUIDE

The Courier

www.wcfcourier.com

Sunday, March 22, 2015

Golfers zeroing in with rangefinders Portable devices eliminate much of the yardage guesswork DOUG NEWHOFF doug.newhoff@wcfcourier.com‌

WATERLOO — Serious golfers don’t like to guess.

They know exactly how far they can hit each club in their bag under every condition, and it follows that they want to know exactly how far they need to hit a shot to give themselves the best chance to score low on the green.

Thus, rangefinders are the current rage when it comes to the latest and greatest equipment on the market.

“It’s huge,” says Mike Schuchmann, owner of Gold Headquarters in Waterloo and an accomplished golfer himself.

“Down at the PGA Show in Orlando, Fla., there were a lot of booths, but the busiest booths were the ones featuring rangefinders and yardage devices.”

The prices for various yardage devices range from around $125 to as much as $600. The features range from basic handheld models that lock into the pin to provide the yardage to GPS units that use

BRANDON POLLOCK / Courier Staff Photographer

Yardage devices are catching on with golfers, and are available in both handheld and wristwatch styles.

satellite technology to pinpoint location and calculate distance. Some are preloaded with thousands of course maps from around the world, and some offer additional slope technology that compensates for elevation changes.

Some units are handheld, some can be mounted on a golf bag and some can be worn like a wristwatch.

“Some devices just give you the yardage to the front, middle or back of the green,” notes Schuchmann. “Some give you exact yardage to the pin. It kind of depends on the handicap of the golfer and

whether they truly need exact distance or if just getting close is good enough.

“On some greens, from the front to the back could be 30 yards. You can be hitting where the mark on the sprinkler head says 140 yards, but if it’s a little uphill and the pin’s in the back, it might play 160 yards.”

Yardage devices are legal during most tournament play these days and have been approved by the governing bodies for Iowa’s respective boys’ and girls’ high school associations for use this season.

About the only events where rangefinders cannot be used is for PGA qualifiers or PGA tournaments. Slope technology, on the other hand, is not allowed for most tournament play but is helpful in practice.

“Bushnell has a new device that has a removeable slope clip,” notes Schuchmann. “If you are playing the Waterloo Open and you want the actual distance on Hole 8 at South Hills, you can scope them all out and write them down in your yardage book. During the tournament, you take that clip off and you’re legal.”

In addition to yardage devices, adjustable drivers remain a popular item for golfers and they allow the experts to perfectly fit a golfer to his or her swing at a fraction of what it previously cost to fit a player with entirely new clubs.

“With a launch monitor, we can really fine-tune things,” says Greg Mason of G3 Golf. “People see some large jumps.

When you can get an extra five or seven yards, that can be a whole club difference on the course. And accuracy should then go up for most people as a result.”

Schuchmann might even adjust his driver for certain conditions on a certain day.

“If you’re playing in the wind and you need to hit it a little lower you can change the loft a little. On days when you want to bomb it out there high and let it land soft, you can crank it up. You can do all that before you start your round. Technically, you can’t change the loft in the middle of a round, but you can set it up before you go.”

One other new tool for golfers has been developed by the company Game Golf. It uses GPS technology to record the shots during a round for review later, critiquing your game or sharing a round with others.

“It allows people to chart all kinds of information from their rounds,” notes Mason. “It’s a computer chip in the end of your club and it tells you how far you are hitting the ball, it can track putts and those kinds of things.

“For people who really want to finetune their game, it’s pretty neat.”

Yardage devices now legal for prep players DOUG NEWHOFF doug.newhoff@wcfcourier.com‌

WATERLOO — High school golfers will be able to use yardage devices during competition for the first time this season.

It’s a decision by the Iowa High School Athletic Association and Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union that govern the state’s prep sports that is overdue for some but not as exciting to others.

“I think the nice part is they get to use them during the summer and now they get to use them in competition in high school,” notes PGA professional and University of Northern Iowa golf coach John Bermel. “Most of the time, the kid that gets recruited to play Division I golf has a yardage gun, but they were telling them they couldn’t use them.

“People don’t realize how much a yardage gun means to them. When you’re standing at the 150-yard marker and the pin is at the back

“People don’t realize how much a yardage gun means to them.”

John Bermel,

University of Northern Iowa golf coach and PGA professional

of a big, long green, there could be 25 yards difference.”

Bermel also thinks it will help level the playing field when golfers visit other teams’ home courses.

“At the high school level, especially, most of the time you don’t even get a practice round,” he notes. “You show up, play the meet and go home. I think it will definitely help there.”

Patrick Flanagan, the highly successful boys’ golf coach at Waterloo Columbus High, doesn’t foresee a major impact on his players.

“I don’t think really it will have much effect,” he said. “They’ve been using them

for awhile on their own and in their practice rounds, and some summer tournaments allow them, so they’ve got a lot of experience with those things.

“If anything, they probably will be a little more confident in their distance knowledge. I actually don’t think they need the rangefinders to be that confident. They play a lot of courses they know by heart.”

If anything, the use of yardage devices might be more valuable to the younger and less experienced golfers in a high school program.

“I think some of those young kids who aren’t used to that level of competition will feel the benefit,” says Flanagan. “Anything that helps a young golfer be more confident has to help them. I can also see a beginner getting too dependent on it.

“I don’t really think not having rangefinders hurt anybody or any teams in any way, but it is what it is.”

MATTHEW PUTNEY / Courier Photo Editor

Waterloo East’s Spencer Reedy hits a shot at Gates Park Golf Course during a meet last spring. High school golfers will be able to use yardage devices to help them zero in on yardages and pin placements this season.

Sunday, March 22, 2015

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GOLF GUIDE

PAGE 11

The Courier

Golf-specific shoes a must for avid golfers JIM NELSON jim.nelson@wcfcourier.com‌

Average Joe or the once-a-summer golfer can probably get away with wearing tennis shoes on the golf course.

But for the avid player, golfspecific shoes are a must for a variety of reasons.

“I would say, to be honest, 90-95 percent of everybody who golfs has golf shoes,” said Mike Schuchmann, owner of Golf Headquarters. “Because if you were to wear tennis shoes out there or whatever kind of shoes, the chemicals on the golf course and/ or if it is wet will trash those shoes.

“With golf shoes, many are built with two-year waterproof warranties and the construction around the bottom helps with not getting your foot wet. Plus the spikes ... if you go out with a tennis shoe you will slip at some point.”

Options are pretty much limit-

less for the golfer in need of his or her first pair or to replace their current shoes.

Among the new trends are shoes that are best-described as casual wear. Leading companies such as Footjoy, Addias and Ecco have come out with shoes that have replaced the “scorpion spike” with something that is referred to as “nubbins.”

“Ecco is one of the first ones that kind of did that,” Schuchmann said. “It’s more of a flat sole with more comfort, lighter weight and easier to walk around in. It is really a shoe that you can wear from the golf course to the grocery store.

“We have an eye doctor who came in and bought four pairs of them in different colors and he wears them to his office.”

In the last year, Footjoy has come out with a couple of new innovations with its Hyper Flex brand and its Footjoy DNA.

BRANDON POLLOCK / Courier Staff Photographer

Golf shoes have evolved into footwear that is functional, comfortable and stylish.

“The Hyper Flex looks more like a tennis shoe,” Gates Park golf pro Nate Lubs said. “I just saw them and thought they were cool. The problem is they are back-ordered until July.”

The Footjoy DNA came from

a collaboration with Footjoy and PGA Tour professionals who wear Footjoys on the course.

“They gathered a lot of input from Tour pros and asked them what they wanted to see in a shoe and they took all that input and

built a shoe,” Schuchmann said.

“They added a spike here, made the toe a little thinner and made the heel higher for more support and additional stuff like that.”

And for the individual who really wants their own shoe, Footjoy has an online site golfers can visit called footjoy.com/myjoys where the golfer can create his or her own shoe. The purchaser can pick out a type of Footjoy shoe, custom color it and even add a logo such as Iowa and Iowa State or any Major League Baseball team.

“If you want an Iowa Hawkeye shoe you can do that and there are probably 20 different color combinations of black, gold and white you can do and then tag on the Herky,” Schuchmann said.

And for that laid-back golfer, a check around area businesses that sell golf equipment in the Cedar Valley indicates the golf sandal is still on the market.

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GOLF GUIDE

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Sunday, March 22, 2015

Gloves and golf go hand in hand NICK PETAROS nick.petaros@wcfcourier.com‌

WATERLOO — Most current baseball fans know Ken “Hawk” Harrelson as the colorful color commentator for the Chicago White Sox. Harrelson was also an avid golfer who served as a platoon player with the Kansas City Athletics in 1963.

According to an MLB.com story, that year he had played 27 holes of golf prior to a game against the New York Yankees in which he wasn’t slated to compete. A change in starting pitchers forced him into the lineup.

As legend has it, Harrelson helped introduce tight-fitting hitting gloves into baseball when he realized he had a golf glove in his back pocket and put it on to gain protection from the blister suffered during batting practice. He slugged two home runs that game.

Eventually, glove manufacturer Franklin asked Harrelson to endorse

batting gloves. By the 1980s, football receivers were using tight-fitting gloves, as well. Odell Beckham Jr.’s glove-aided fingertip catch provided one of the highlights of the past NFL season.

While golf may be the first sport to utilize tight-fitting gloves for protection and improved grip, with FootJoy research revealing origins dating back to 1898, the gloves didn’t become popular with most touring players until the 1950s and 60s. Original golf gloves were fingerless without an adjustable backing.

“Back when I used to caddie in the late 60s, they came out with a Velcro closing,” Irv Warren golf professional Andy Devine recalls. “After that every glove went to Velcro and they still use them today. You can adjust the tightness. Some don’t want them tight, some want them very tight.”

As with any golf product, gloves have continued to evolve. Colors have expanded from black to virtually any

hue a player wants. Rain-grip gloves and winter gloves are available, as well.

“There’s a wide variety of gloves,” Waterloo Golf Headquarters owner Mike Schuchmann said. “We’ve got them anywhere from $6.99 synthetic lightweight glove and then you can go all the way to the colorful G/FORE gloves and they’re $37 apiece. They’re lightweight full leather versus synthetic.”

Former Golf Channel “Big Break” contestant and current touring professional Tommy “Two Gloves” Gainey helped start a trend by wearing a golf glove on his dominant hand. Schuchmann says he’s noticed more customers starting to buy golf gloves in pairs.

“He just has a better grip, he feels, when he’s wearing those two gloves,” Devine said. “It’s all confidence. Those guys swing so hard that they better have a good grip on it.”

See GLOVES, page 14

BRANDON POLLOCK / Courier Staff Photographer

Golf was one of the first sports to make use of tight-fitting gloves to improve a player’s grip while maintaining feel.

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PAGE 14

GOLF GUIDE

The Courier

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Sunday, March 22, 2015

Road is wide open for traveling golfers JIM SULLIVAN

DRIVING RANGE

jim.sullivan@wcfcourier.com‌

Here’s a list of some of the top public If you open it, they will golf. golf courses in Iowa and the surroundWhen winter overstays its ing states. welcome or business out of town beckons, golfers will hit the road Cog Hill Golf in search of a suitable course. & Country Club The umbrella term is “destiLocation: Lemont, Ill., 30 miles nation golf,” and there are more southwest of Chicago than a few options in the state of Scorecard: Ranked as one of the top Iowa and the Midwest in general.

75 toughest courses by Golf Digest and “There are a lot of good golf one of the top 100 by GOLF Magazine.

Rates (April 11 through Oct. 18): courses where you can get up, Courses 1 and 3: Regular with cart, drive and go play,” said Mike $53 weekday, $61 weekend. Regular Schuchmann, owner of Waterloo walking, $37 weekday, $45 weekend.

Golf Headquarters.

Course 2. Regular with cart, $73 weekLooking for the stay and play day and weekend. Regular walking, experience? Maybe the Classic at $57 weekday and weekend.

Maddens in Brainerd, Minn., is Reservations: Accepted online for you. It’s one of several popuat coghillgolf.com or via phone lar resorts north of the Minneap866-264-4455. olis-St. Paul area.

Brown Deer Park Golf “The best golf in Minnesota is in Brainerd,” said Schuchmann.

Course Stuck in the big city in sumLocation: Milwaukee, Wisc. mertime? If it’s Chicago, one of Scorecard: Course has hosted PGA Tour and USGA national championships the choices open to the public is Rates: 18 holes — $74, Monday Cog Hill Golf and Country Club, through Thursday, all day Friday and located 30 miles southwest of the after 2 p.m. Saturday/Sunday. 9 holes Windy City. Among the public course offerings in Milwaukee is the Brown Deer Park Golf Ozarks area is an attractive desCourse. tination.

Or, if warmer weather is high “A lot of our patrons, maybe on the agenda, the Lake of the early in the season and right

WEATHER From page 2

There are a couple of things golfers can do to keep their digits toasty and cooperative.

Rather than wearing the traditional golf gloves that are popular in warm weather, a pair of insulated cold-weather gloves may be in order.

“You can hit with those on, then use mittens to cover up your gloves and hands while you’re walking between shots,” notes Bermel.

“Those chemical hand-warmer packets are good to have, too. You can put those inside your mittens or in your pockets to help keep your hands warm.”

Golfers should expect to deal with a few cold-weather facts as they play

— $40 across the board.

Reservations: Call (414) 475-6222

The Classic at Madden’s

Location: Brainerd, Minn.

Scorecard: Ranked as top public course in Minnesota by Golf Week Rates: Walking — $86 Monday through Thursday, $100 Friday through Sunday. Cart, $106 Monday through Thursday, $120 Friday through Sunday.

Twilight (after 3 p.m.) — $61 walking, $81 cart Reservations: Online at maddens. com or via phone at (800) 642-5363

Sycamore Creek Golf Club

Location: Osage Beach, Missouri Scorecard: Voted best golf course in the Lake of the Ozarks Area Rates: March through April: $30, 18 holes. $20, nine holes. May through October: $36 weekday, $40 weekend, 18 holes. $20 weekday, $25 weekend, nine holes.

Reservations: For more information, call (573) 348-9593.

The Harvester Golf Club Location: Rhodes, Iowa

before we open, just go south to get on a course that’s open,” said J.B. Bolger, the Golf Manager for Waterloo Leisure Services.

the course, too.

“The colder it is, the less the ball is going to compress and you’re not going to hit it as far,” Bermel explains. “The warmer it is, the more your muscles loosen up and allow you to hit it farther.

“It definitely changes some strategy. You’re probably not going to knock it onto a par-5 in two. It might take some bunkers out of play and it might bring others into play because you can’t hit over them. You are probably going to lose 10 percent of your distance.”

Golfers can add a club to compensate for the loss of yardage, and do what they can within the rules to keep their golf balls as warm as possible.

“If you know you’re going to play the next day, don’t leave them in

Iowa’s borders for golfers who simply want to get out of town for a few hours and play 18.

Scorecard: Ranked as the No. 1 Down the diagonal en route venue in Iowa by Golf Digest. to Des Moines, the Harvester Rates: Not available. has become an in-state destinaReservations: For more information, tion. It’s widely considered the call (641) 22i7-4653 top public course in Iowa. Golf Digest, for instance, ranks the Spirit Hollow Golf Course Harvester No. 1 overall.

Location: Burlington, Iowa One drawback? The cost.

Scorecard: Ranked as the No. 2 venue in Iowa by Golf Digest “It’s pricey,” said Bolger.

Rates: $70, Monday through Friday, “That’s the most common com$79, Saturday, Sunday and holidays. ment I’m hearing. It’s a nice $35 twilight rate Monday through facility, but ultimately the cost Friday, $40 Saturday, Sunday and to play — for some — is prohibiholidays (available after 4 p.m.) tive.”

Reservations: For more information Said Andy Devine, the pro at call (866) 898-9349 Irv Warren, “I think that’s something you might want to do once Blue Top Ridge Golf a year. We send people to a lot of Course courses.”

Location: Riverside, Iowa Among the other Iowa-based Scorecard: Part of the Riverside options are The Meadows in Casino resort, ranked as the No. 8 Dubuque and Blue Top Ridge, venue in Iowa by Golf Digest which is part of the Riverside Rates: May 1 through Oct. 1 — $75 Sunday through Thursday, $85 Friday Casino Resort Area. and Saturday. Twilight, $45 for all tee Then again, some golfers are a times after 3:30 p.m. little more ambitious. SchuchReservations: For more information, mann found that out during a call (319) 648-0044. recent trip to Scottsdale, Arizona.

Said Schuchmann of the Lake “I was blown away by how of the Ozarks area, “There are a many people in the airport were lot of good courses down there.” flying out to play golf,” said There are possibilities within Schuchmann.

your car overnight,” advises Mason.

“Legally, you can’t warm them up during your round, but you can keep one in your pocket and switch them out every hole.”

Don’t expect much roll in the fairways, either. With the frost coming out of the ground, conditions tend to be soft. It might make sense to try to keep shots off the tee on a lower trajectory.

Playing in cold weather might even make you a better golfer. Mishit a shot when it’s 30 degrees out and you will often feel the vibration through your entire body, much like hitting a baseball or softball off the end of the bat when it’s cold.

Whatever this Iowa spring brings for weather, it’s still golf season.

It’s simply a matter of making the course your comfort zone.

GLOVES From page 12

Golf gloves don’t last forever. Those made out of the synthetic material have to be replaced more often than their leather counterparts, as a combination of sweat and heat can wear the material down.

“In your hand there’s an oil that comes off when you perspire,” Devine said. “It gets in those gloves. If you play in them and sweat in them, the next day that perspiration is sucked into the glove. After a while they get so hard that they’re no good any more. Then it’s time for a new glove.”

About the only stroke a golf glove isn’t used for nowadays is putting.

“I don’t know a lot of people that don’t wear a glove that play,” Schuchmann said. “It definitely helps when you get out there in the rain and you don’t have new grips on (your clubs).

“I’d say almost 95 percent of the PGA Tour pros take their glove off when they putt just for that extra feel.”

Sunday, March 22, 2015

GOLF GUIDE

www.wcfcourier.com

The Courier

PAGE 15

What’s in the bag? Quite a bit these days Bags serve many purposes for today’s golfing crowd DOUG NEWHOFF doug.newhoff@wcfcourier.com‌

Like most of the equipment associated with the game of golf, bags have come a long way since the days when our great-grandfathers played with a half-dozen clubs they toted around the course in a tube that resembled an arrow quiver.

Today’s golf bags are largely lightweight, durable, multidimensional and functional.

They are the golfer’s headquarters on the course, serving as a club locker, pro shop, travel bag and snack bar, among other things.

The typical golf bag features multiple zippered pockets for storage of everything from balls and tees to raingear and cellphones, as well as amenities designed specifically for today’s golfers.

“There has always been a lot of storage space in the bags, but manufacturers have added some things like waterproof pouches for your keys and phone, a little cooler pocket for a bottle of water, a small velcro patch where you can attach your glove, a place to hook on a scrub brush and towel ...” notes Mike Schuchmann, an avid local golfer and owner of Golf Headquarters in Waterloo.

“The biggest thing that’s been added to the bag in the last five or six years is a rangefinder. I truly think that’s probably the biggest thing in golf now.”

Schuchmann also saw many

new models of golf bags with 14-way dividers at various trade shows during the offseason.

“That’s the maximum number of clubs you can carry in a bag by USGA rules,” he notes.

“With 14 dividers, if they’re not full you know you’ve lost a club somewhere.”

Golfers generally go one of two ways when they choose a bag — with either a stand bag or a cart bag.

Stand bags are typically lightweight and feature carrying straps and legs that extend to position the bag upright when a golfer stops to hit a shot. They can be used with the various types of carts, as well, from push carts to pull carts to motorized carts.

Cart bags tend to be larger, more expensive and heavier.

While a stand bag usually weighs from 3½ to 6 pounds, a cart bag might weigh as much

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These days, Schuchmann says most golfers seem to prefer a cart bag over a stand bag.

“In the last few years, I’d say the cycle has changed a little bit,” he notes. “We’re finding that our customers as they get older are going to a push cart or a pull cart or they are riding.

And the younger generation doesn’t always have time to walk 18 holes. They’re trying to squeeze a round into their busy schedule.

“There’s also not as much stress on your body if you use a cart of some type, especially when it’s cold out and your muscles are a little stiff TIFFANY RUSHING / Courier Staff Photographer or when it’s really hot out and you’re carrying 20 pounds Stand-style bags like the one on your shoulders around the used here by Waterloo Open pro course.

Eric Steger last summer are still “We used to sell 75 percent popular with many golfers. stand bags. That’s just flipas 30-35 pounds when it’s flopped in the last five or six ready for play. years.”

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GOLF GUIDE

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Sunday, March 22, 2015

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