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You are not participating in the recession!
Take a break from the downturn. The annual list of Saskatchewan stay and play packages has started on Hole #10. This year's special deals include packages at Spiritwood, Katepwa, Harbor, Elk Ridge, Evergreen, La Verendrye, the hawood at Waskesiu, Golf Kenosee and White Bear and others - check it out. MORE >> |
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Win! Win! Win!
First come, first wins. FOUR FREE passes are available for York Lake Golf and Country Club in Yorkton and FOUR FREE passes to Carlyle Golf Club. Send along an email to FREE@SaskGolfer.com. Good luck.
Ford is #1
Attending a golf tournament at Bally Haly, Tiger Woods drives his new Ford Fusion into a gas station in St. John's. The pump attendant, obviously knowing little about golf, greets him in a typical Newfoundland manner completely unaware of who the golfing pro is. ''How's she cuttin' bye'' says the attendant.
Tiger nods a quick 'hello' and bends forward to pick up the nozzle. As he does so, two tees fall out of his shirt pocket onto the ground. ''What are dose?'' asks the attendant.
''They're tees'' replies Tiger. ''Well, what on god's earth are dey for?'' inquires the attendant. They're for resting my balls on when I'm driving'', says Tiger. ''Jaysus'', says the Newfoundlander, ''Ford tinks of everyting!''
Losing your hearing
The British Medical Journal reports that you risk losing your hearing if you use titanium clubs. The story titled "Is golf bad for your hearing?", it claims the thin-faced titanium drivers produce a noise loud enough to damage the sensitive hairs of the inner hear. The study focussed on a 55-year-old man who developed tinnitis and hearing loss and who played three days a week for 18 months. The authors say that a safe noise level is 110 decibels, but that titanium drivers cracking out as much as 128 decibels.
Spare a million?
If you are still filthy rich after the economic meltdown the last few months consider a Jack Nicklaus custom backyard course package. The Golden Bear will design a three-hole course and a practice area. On completion Jack will be on hand to play the first official round on the course, leave an autographed club and ball and a set of custom designed clubs after the game. It will cost you a cool $1-million US.
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Prairie boy on the rise
Quick - name the third ranked Canadian golfer? Or the 202nd best golfer in the entire world? Few of us would name Weyburn’s Graham DeLaet who is building his reputation in recent years both north and south of the border. The 27-year-old lives in Boise, Idaho and studied physical education at Boise State University. After winning the TB Financial Classic in Calgary June 28 with a final round 64 and $24,000 cash, he will be the hometown favorite at the CanTour stop at Dakota Dunes July 6 to 12. SaskGolfer.com sat down with Graham and asked him a few questions:
Q: Pundits are saying your are "The Prairie Boy on the Rise." Thoughts?
A: I guess its kind of flattering that people see me as that, but I'm just trying to do my best and continue to get better. I hope that maybe I can show young kids that it doesn't matter where you grow up, if you have determination and work ethic and strive for your goals, you can accomplish anything.
Q: This year you've finished 2nd at 2009 City of Surrey Invitational and T-2 at 2009 Vodacom Championship and the Telkom PGA on South African Tour. To what do you attribute your success?
A: I have been playing very well over the past 6 months or so. I have been hitting the ball nicely (which is the strength of my game), but the big reason for my success has been my putting. I have never had as much confidence and belief in my putting as I do now. However, I play every tournament to win. 2nd place is always a respectable finish, but it's not what I play for.
Q: Some observers are saying you've got the right temperament to succeed at professional golf. If so, tell us about it approach to the game.
A: I believe my temperament on the course is improving. As an amateur, and my first year or so as a pro, I used to get down on myself and upset far too much. Golf is a game of learning and maturing. Sometimes it takes longer than you want, but I am learning now that I need to stay as emotionally neutral on the course as I can. Don't get too pumped up from birdies or eagles, and don't get too down from bogeys or doubles.
Q: During tournaments in the last year or so you've had a chance to play with the likes of Davis Love III and Steve Marino. What's it like playing with some of the elite golfers in the world.? And recently, nearly missing to qualify for the British Open?
A: I learned a lot playing with Davis Love III. He has a similar game to me. He hits it long, straight, and is a good iron player. He missed a couple short putts in the first few holes of our 36 hole qualifier but he didn't let it bother him at all. His patience was unbelievable. He always believed he was still in it despite a couple missed putts. I am trying to apply this to my game.
Q: Your world ranking is now 3rd in Canada. What do you think of all the attention that's resulted?
A: To be honest, I don't get too caught up in the rankings. I think it is kind of cool to see my name there, but to be honest, I want to continue to move up the world rankings. To do that, I can't be excited about being ranked 260th in the world. I have high expectations of myself and have higher goals than that.
Q: When do you finish your university degree and what are you going to do with the degree?
A: I graduated in 2006 from Boise State University with a K-12 Physical Education degree. I hope I never have to use it.
Q: What's the game plan for the Canadian Tour stop at Dakota Dunes in July?
A: Dakota Dunes is a course dictated by the weather (wind in particular). The key to playing well in the wind is controlling ball flight, spin, and trajectory. The only way to do all of this is to make solid contact. So, if my ball striking is good at the time of the tournament, I feel I have a good chance to be in contention come Sunday afternoon.
BIO BRIEF - Finished 2nd at 2009 City of Surrey Invitational...T-2 at 2009 Vodacom Championship and the Telkom PGA on South African Tour...Represented Canada at 2008 World Cup...Finished T-12 at 2009 Joburg Open...Won 2008 Desjardins Montreal Open with birdie at first playoff hole after making birdie at final hole of regulation...Finished 2nd the next week at the Jane Rogers...T-2 at the Tour Championship
Enjoyed outstanding 2007 rookie season on Canadian Tour making 11 of 14 cuts with 7 top-ten finishes...Played in 2007 Canadian Open...T-6th at Coronado Mazatlan Classic and Canadian Tour Championship...T-9th at Jane Rogers Championship of Mississauga and Riviera Nayarit Classic...10th at Northern California Classic and T-10th at Ford Culiacan Open and Desjardins Montreal Open...Member of Canada's amateur team through the 2006 season...As an amateur, finished 2nd at the 2005 TELUS Edmonton Open...Won 2005 and 2006 Saskatchewan Amateur...Represented Canada at Four Nations Cup...Was Medalist at 2004 Canadian Amateur Championship and runner-up in Saskatchewan Amateur that same year...Won 10 collegiate titles at Boise State. See World Golf Rankings at www.officialworldgolfranking.com/rankings/default.sps
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Playing by The Rules of Golf
In 1992 an Englishman by the name of Philip Parkin drove through the night to pick up a spot as an alternate in the Italian Open on the European Tour. After playing his first round he went to the practice tee to hit some balls where he discovered, at the bottom of his bag, his son’s toy putter. This meant he had been carrying fifteen clubs (according to the rules, you’re only allowed 14). To be a good guy, he called over a rules official to let him know the situation. The rules official asked Parkin how long the club was. Parkin said 19 inches. The rules official told him that any club over 18.5 inches was considered a “proper club” and Parkin was therefore disqualified. Parkin, his stomach nearly coming out of his mouth, asked the official what the rule would be if the club was an inch shorter. The rules official said he would also be disqualified – for having an illegal club. Ah, yes. The rules of golf are beautiful, aren’t they?
Chances are - unless you’re a shrunken, wrinkled, haggis-eating, stone-faced official of the Royal & Ancient - you too have broken a few golf rules during your ball bashing days. No worries. For most of the mediocre masses, playing by the rules is asking just a little too much. Ok, quite a bit too much.
The rules of golf - which are written, maintained, and interpreted by the United States Golf Association in conjunction with the Royal & Ancient in Scotland - exist, of course, to protect and guard the tradition and integrity of the game. And, in fairness to them, this is a daunting task.
For instance, as long as idiots like us (and when it comes to the rules, let’s face it, we’re all idiots) hit balls into rat holes, bee hives, cow pies, snake pits, grass fires, bear dens, port-o-potties, course marshals, etc., they’ll have their hands full in terms of interpreting what’s right and fair. Incidentally, all the aforementioned possibilities are covered in some detail in the ludicrously lengthy “Decisions on the Rules of Golf” book, a twisted sort of necessity that aims to tackle all the extraneous situations that the regular “Rules of Golf” do not, simply cannot, cover.
But back to “the rules.” As of now, there are just 34 official rules. Of course, in 2008, when all the crusty old curmudgeons from the USGA and the R & A explore new interpretations, this might change a wee tad. Typically, when voted into a position of power, some of the more crotchety officials will see to it that they leave their “mark” on the game and fix something that desperately needs to be fixed, even if it doesn’t. But, really, how hard can it be to know 34 rules? As it turns out, pretty much impossible.
Sadly, most of the 34 rules have a number of sub rules, dashes, asterisks, Roman numerals, etc. For example, Rule 16, one of the easier ones, is called “The Putting Green.” But, to dissect and understand the stupid thing you’ll need to use all your life lines a few times over. Phone a friend? Hell, a five-hour conference call with a hundred NASA scientists and you’ll still be left scratching your head on this one.
Rule 16 starts out rather innocuously. There are only two dashes, or sub rules. And 16-2, which deals with the ball overhanging the hole, is just one measly paragraph in length. It basically states that if your ball is overhanging the hole you can’t lollygag on your way to retrieve it, go to your cart for a swig of beer, try to pick up the cart girl, etc., or you’ll be penalized a stroke. And, trust me, unless the earth parts and “the big one” comes, if it hasn’t fallen in 10 seconds, it probably ain’t gonna go.
But Rule 16-1 is where it gets real dicey. 16-1 is called “General.” But they should have really named it “All Kinds of Weird, Convoluted, Perplexing, Problematic and F*-up S*&$ About Putting.” Rule 16-1 has six different components (a to f). And “a,” which is called “Touching Line of Putt,” is broken down into seven different parts, or Roman numerals. And, again, unless you’re some type of prophet, deciphering these suckers is likely going to give you some brain bleeding.
For example, “(ii)” says the player may place his putter in front of his ball when addressing it, providing he does not press anything down. Well how the heck are you supposed to put your putter down on the ground in front of your ball without “pressing anything down?” Of course you’re going to press something down. That’s exactly what you’re doing when you’re placing it there. Since when does exerting some type of force not amount to any force at all? Unless the green is a sun-baked piece of rock (interestingly, exactly how the USGA likes it for the US Open), something, some miniscule blade of grass, is going to be, even if it’s only by half a millimetre, pressed down somewhat. Isn’t it? This is when the conference call might come in handy.
Naturally, in this day and age of widespread TV golf, many know-it-all types are doing their citizen duty by calling in these petty, undecipherable, and completely inconsequential infractions when they see them on TV. Do they, like the high and mighty types who conjure up these nonsensical rules, have nothing better to do with their time? Are there not children around who might like to be played with? A wife who might enjoy a chat and a compliment or two? A long lost brother who might appreciate a phone call? Apparently not.
A number of years ago during the third round of the PGA Tour’s Andy Williams Open, pro golfer Craig Stadler hit his ball under a pine tree. His ball was playable, but he had to kneel down to get a club on it. All perfectly permissible. But he grabbed a towel off his bag and set it down on the ground so he wouldn’t ruin his pants. No big deal, right? Wrong. A fan called in later in the day and said that Stadler was “building a stance” and should be penalized under Rule 13-3. Officials concurred and Stadler, because he had already signed his scorecard without the penalty stroke, was disqualified.
Long live the rules!
Andrew Penner is a Calgary based CPGA Professional & author who writes for publications across N. America. He has written for SaskGolfer.com for the past five years.
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