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 >>

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.

At the driving range, you try to hit: the targets? the back fence? the ball picker/tractor? the ball? other? View results

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

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.

This rounds on me

Golf journalist Lorne Rubenstein of Globe and Mail fame has hit the sweet spot with his new book “This Round’s On Me”. The accolades are bullish: Bob Weeks, editor of Score Golf Magazine says, “The best golf writing from the best golf writer.” John McPhee in the New Yorker, “One of the great contemporary names in golf journalism.” Peter Mansbridge,”Every page will remind you why you love the game....”

“This round’s on me” is a collection of columns Rubenstein has inked during 30 years of passion about the game. The stories are collected in eight chapters covering the courses, the history, the tournaments, the technology, the psychology, and the people in the game. There’s a lot to like about this book - the Canadian content, his passion for the game - but the insights and quality of the writing dominate.

Rubenstein has authored nine books, most recently A disorderly compendium of golf and Mike Weir: the road to the Masters. Let’s hope it’s not his last. (This round’s on me: Lorne Rubenstein on golf, McCelland and Stewart, $32.99.

Grosse donation grows the game

The Saskatchewan Golf Association couldn’t be happier with the the entire Grosse family of Saskatoon fordonat ing 20,000 golf balls in effort to grow the game of golf in Saskatchewan. The SGA plans on putting this significant contribution to great use by allowing children to hit more golf balls at their CN Future Links Mobile Clinics as well as encourage kids to keep a few golf balls so they have some additional ammunition when they go out to play.

“40,000 balls would last me a countless number of life times,” says Phi Grosse. There was a greater purpose for my uncle’s collection. After spending so much time with my uncle of the years I knew that he loved education, loved golf and loved kids. To be able to give back to the things he loved so much just made sense.”

Barry was the 1973 Saskatchewan Amateur Golf Champion and has made many contributions to the game of golf. The SGA greatly appreciated this donation and says, “Barry, we thank you!”

Is your SunSense up to par?

While golfing is a part of a healthy and active lifestyle, there is a danger you can’t see when you’re hitting the links – ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Natural sunlight is important to good health, but too much exposure to UV rays increases the risk of sunburns, skin cancer and cataracts.

By using a little SunSense you can protect yourself from the sun’s rays. The Canadian Cancer Society recommends that you take precautions between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. when the sun’s rays are at their strongest, or at any time of day when the UV Index is 3 or higher.

• Check the UV Index before you go out.
• Cover your arms and legs. Choose clothing that is loose-fitting, tightly woven and lightweight.
• Wear a wide-brimmed hat to protect your head, face, neck and ears.
• Seek shade as often as possible – under an umbrella, an awning or trees.
• Wear sunglasses with UVA and UVB protection to protect your eyes.
• Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher, and SPF 30 if you will be outside most of the day. Apply sunscreen to exposed parts of your body at least 20 minutes before going outside to allow sunscreen to soak in. Reapply as directed on the bottle and don’t forget your ears, neck and nose. Also, remember to protect your lips! Apply a broad spectrum lip balm with an SPF of at least 15.
• If you use insect repellant, apply it after your sunscreen has had a chance to soak in.
• Keep hydrated by drinking plenty of water while on the course.

A set of different rules

A ball sliced or hooked into the rough shall be lifted and placed in the fairway at a point equal to the distance it carried or rolled in the rough. Such veering right or left infrequently results from friction between the face of the club and the cover of the ball, and the player should be penalized for erratic behavior of the ball resulting from such uncontrollable mechanical phenomena.

A ball hitting a tree shall be deemed to not have hit the tree. Hitting a tree is simply bad luck and has no place in a scientific game. The player should estimate the distance the ball would have traveled if it had not hit the tree and play the ball from there, preferably from atop a nice, firm tuft of grass.

There shall be no such thing as a lost ball. The missing ball is on or near the course somewhere and eventually will be found and pocketed by someone else. It thus becomes a stolen ball and the player should not compound the felony by charging himself with a penalty stroke.

In or near a bunker or sand trap, a ball rolling back toward the player may be hit again on the roll without counting any extra strokes. In any case, no more than 2 strokes are to be counted in playing from a bunker, since it is reasonable to assume that if the player had time to concentrate on his shot, instead of hurrying it so as to not delay his playing partners, he would be out in two.

If a putt passes over the hole without dropping, it shall be deemed to have dropped. The law of gravity holds that any object attempting to maintain a position in the atmosphere without something to support it must drop. The law of gravity supercedes the law of golf.

Same thing applies for a a ball that stops at the brink of a hole and hangs there, defying gravity. You cannot defy the law.

Same thing for a ball that rims the cup. A ball should not go sideways. This violates the law of physics.

A putt that stops close to the hole to inspire such comments as “You could blow it in!, may actually be blown in. This rule does not apply if the ball is more than three inches from the hole, because no one wants to make a travesty of the game.

Anon, the Internet.

Good golf sayings!

These greens are so fast I have to hold my putter over the ball and hit it with the shadow.
~ Sam Snead

A hungry dog hunts best.
~ Lee Trevino

You can talk to a fade but a hook won't listen.
~ Lee Trevino

I was three over. One over a house, one over a patio, and one over a swimming pool.
~ George Brett

Actually, the only time I ever took out a one-iron was to kill a tarantula. And I took a 7 to do that.
~ Jim Murray

The only sure rule in golf is - he who has the fastest cart never has to play the bad lie.
~ Mickey Mantle

Sex and golf are the two things you can enjoy even if you're not good at them.
~ Kevin Costner

I don't fear death, but I sure don't like those three-footers for par.
~ Chi Chi Rodriguez

After all these years, it's still embarrassing for me to play on the American golf tour. Like the time I asked my caddie for a sand wedge and he came back ten minutes later with a ham on rye.
~ Chi Chi Rodriguez

The ball retriever is not long enough to get my putter out of the tree.
~ Brian Weis

Swing hard in case you hit it.
~ Dan Marino

My favourite shots are the practice swing and the conceded putt. The rest can never be mastered.
~ Lord Robertson

Give me golf clubs, fresh air and a beautiful partner, and you can keep the clubs and the fresh air.
~ Jack Benny

There is no similarity between golf and putting; they are two different games, one played in the air, and the other on the ground.
~ Ben Hogan

Professional golf is the only sport where, if you win 20% of the time, you're the best.
~ Jack Nicklaus

The uglier a man's legs are, the better he plays golf. It's almost a law.
~ H G Wells

I never pray on a golf course. Actually, the Lord answers my prayers everywhere except on the course.
~ Billy Graham

If you watch a game, it's fun. If you play at it, it's recreation. If you work at it, it's golf.
~ Bob Hope

While playing golf today I hit two good balls. I stepped on a rake.
~ Henny Youngman

If you think it's hard to meet new people, try picking up the wrong golf ball.
~ Jack Lemmon

You can make a lot of money in this game. Just ask my ex-wives. Both of them are so rich that neither of their husbands work.
~ Lee Trevino

I'm not saying my golf game went bad, but if I grew tomatoes, they'd come up sliced.
~ Lee Trevino

Sask Open returns

The Saskatchewan Open will be hosted July 6 to 12 by the Dakota Dunes Golf Links near Saskatoon. It’s the second consecutive year Dakota Dunes - named by Golf Digest as the Best Canadian Course in 2005 - has hosted the event. This year it will be video taped for replay on the Golf Channel to 75 million households in the United States and 4.5 million in Canada.

The last event featured an outstanding field of players including Graham DeLaet, Kent Eger and Kris Wasylowich from Saskatchewan. Josh Geary of New Zealand won the tourney and $24,000 in 2008.

The Canadian Tour revived the Saskatchewan Open beginning in 2008 after an absence of almost 24 years. The Saskatchewan Open, first played in 1919, was a mainstay on the Canadian Tour schedule up until 1984 and has played host to some of Canada’s finest touring professionals.

The list of Saskatchewan Open winners is a who’s who in Canadian golf. 1954 Canadian Open champion Pat Fletcher, a member of Canada’s Golf Hall of Fame, captured the title in 1947, 1948 and 1951. www.saskatchewanopen.com

The host committee is actively seeking volunteers, caddies, and sponsors for the tournament. Anyone interested I volunteering or caddying during the event should visit the Saskatchewan Open website at www.saskatchewanopen.com.

$30 Four Day Tournament Passes are now available at the TCU Place Box Office and Saskatoon and area golf courses. A portion of the proceeds goes to the Saskatchewan Golf Association and the development of junior golf at the participating member courses. Single Day Passes will be sold at the gate for $15 per day. Those attending the tournament will also receive entry forms to win great golf prize packages at the Dakota Dunes Casino.

Golf Canada Magazine

The April 2009 edition of Golf Canada magazine has been mailed to SGA members’ homes. It is important the SGA receives the most current contact information from your golf club so all our members can be included for home mailing. As SGA members, you are entitled to receive the magazine as part of your member benefits. SGA members can register for home delivery by going to the SGA website.

DeLaet inside the ropes

Graham DeLaet of Weyburn will write a weekly blog on the association’s website, www.cpga.com. The 27-year-old has started off well with four top-15 finishes in South Africa, two of those as runner-up. His performance in South Africa comes on the heels on a tie for 13th at the World Cup and a win at the Canadian Tour’s Montreal Open. He also finished second at the Jane Rogers Championship and Canadian Tour Championship late in 2008.

Working on virtual

There are now more than 30 cool golf applications for the popular Apple iPhone. Check out Ernie Els Golf 2008 at $6.99 or the free PGA Tour Tracker with scores, leader boards and more, or Break Meter at $1.99 which measures the break on a putt. There's also Mini Touch where the hazards on the course include UFOs, clown's teeth, and for the Canadians out there, beaver tales.

Follow the Roar

In "Follow the Roar", Bob Smiley recounts following Tiger Woods on a roaring journey from the seaside cliffs of California to the deserts of Dubai and a few adventures along the way. His off-course run-ins include an Arabian sandstorm, ex-con ticket scalpers, and of course, Tiger's every swing during his spectacular 2008 season.

Smiley is a Los Angeles TV writer and golf columnist for ESPN.com who found his career at a standstill. So, starting in January 2008, he started to follow the game's greatest player from the gallery for 604 holes. The results are intriguing.

Smiley, as the book cover boasts, "Met strangers who became friends and found in Tiger the inspiration and quintessence of what it truly means to be an athlete and a man."

This is a great read for the hardcore golfer, especially his first-hand account of THE greatest US Open of all time at Torrey Pines, where Tiger dueled with Rocko Mediate.... on one leg. (Harper Collins, 2008, $27.95 CDN).

Amen Corner

“I'll sign everything. But please don’t shove stuff at me, especially pens. I ruin about 365 shirts a year from pens.”

- Arnold Palmer

Win free golf at more than 150 sweet courses!

Win one of four (4) RCGA Golf Cards valued at $24.95. The RCGA Golf Card is the points reward program of the Royal Canadian Golf Association rewarding golfers with A FREE ROUND WITH EVERY 5 PLAYED at more than 150 participating golf courses across Saskatchewan and Canada. RCGA members also receive a 1/2 price green fee voucher for each of our participating courses. You can win one of four copies of the 2009 edition by e-mailing the number of discounts to RCGA@saskgolfer.com. Try now!