|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Win one of two FREE Perdue Oasis Savings Passport!
Perdue Oasis Golf and RV Resort near Saskatoon is giving away 2 Savings Passport with more than $700 in savings. The new high-end 20-hole facility features membership privileges without the high cost and no tee time restrictions. To win, MORE >>
|
|
Bunkershots back at it
The forum Bunkershots is back on the air with several chat room for viewers. It's a chance for you to discuss the latest equipment, pro tips and the latest info on the PGA Tour from the popular Golfinggods. Enjoy!
Gimme resort golf in Saskatchewan
When golfers think of playing at a resort in Canada, they invariably picture courses on Vancouver Island, the Rockies and the Maritimes. What they rarely envision is a trip to Saskatchewan and its resort courses, which are less crowded and at about $35 a round, much less costly than celebrated tracks in the rest of the country.
Golf is a pretty big deal in Saskatchewan, even more so than in Scotland, the home of golf. Curlers and hockey players combined outnumber golfers. There are about 225 courses for a million people including about 50 sand green courses that date back to the Dirty Thirties when water and cash were in short supply. Even non-golfers will ooh and ah at the first-rate venues. Click to see full-length article on resort golf in Saskatchewan. MORE >>
Then there's a moose
Shirley Helmerson from Cypress Hills Golf Course tells SaskGolfer.com, there aren't just hockey sticks (7) and snowmen (8). If you score a 10 on a hole, you have scored a dreaded moose. If you're asked what a moose is, hold up both arms to your head like antlers.
The next protégé
Is 16-year-old Michelle Wie the next big thing in golf, a Tigress on the prowl for greatness? You would have to agree, if you consider her competitive track record, and the hype from the news media and advertisers. The Honolulu schoolgirl is believed to have signed endorsement deals worth $10-million U.S. annually making her golf’s richest females and one of the highest paid athletes in women’s sport. She is the most trumpeted teenager since Tiger Woods made his debut. For her autobiography, click here.
Tunes from a golf-a-holic
Royce Aube of the Miramichi Golf and Country Club in New Brunswick is no Neil Young or Gordon Lightfoot or Bono. But he still mages to take his country and western twang - with a bit of Acadian accent - to make a hit of the "I Love Golf" album.
Most of the songs were written by Aube in 1995 and recorded in 2004 with the help of a very able back-up band, Jim MacDonald at the "Packin Shed Sound Studio." Aube manages to carry-off the hurting and pain and exhilaration that comes with golf. (When's the last time you heard music dedicated to curling? And why does golf music usually get sung by country artists?)
Among my favorites are "Wild Golfin Man" who sprays shots from here to there and everywhere, "The Sandbagger Song" about guys who cheat there way to the trophy and "I'm on the senior tour" which captures the joy of finally being able to golf every day and escape the responsibilities of life. For more about I Love Golf, check out the golf-shaped DVD or visit www.royceobgolfsongs.com.
In case you missed it
Did you miss the 3rd Annual Golf Victoria and Vancouver Island Special Issue called "From Sea to green"? The entire issue is devoted to golfing during the off-season. There are reviews of the Island courses, tips about saving money on green fees, contests and how to dress for the weather.
With border hassles, the value of the CDN dollar, the American political situation and especially the costs of health care for traveling abroad, BC is becoming a great alternative for Saskatchewan golfers during the off-season. www.saskgolfer.com/newsletters/novindex05.php
Travel Sites Galore
If you plan to head out to hot spots this spring for a bit of golf, check out these travel websites first. After all, they've been there before you.
Hottest Equipment?
High MOI putters. Nano technology balls. Drivers with adjustable perimeter weighting? Trying to keep up with the latest golf technology and sorting through what's great and what's not is a full-time job for most duffers.
Golf Digest Magazine and a team of 17 experts has done the work for you for several years now. Drivers, clubs, putters, hyrbrids, balls, training aids and so on that are highly recommended are reviewed at www.golfdigest.com/hotlist
Next month
Stay tuned for the April "Golf Course Roundup." SaskGolfer.com will be running a feature on the new courses, new upgrades and new expansions in the province.
Some kind of joke
A priest, a rabbi and a cleric walk into a golf shop. The pro looks up and says, "What is this, some kind of joke?"
Amen Corner
"Let's face it, 95 per cent of the game is mental. A guy doesn't need a pro - he needs a shrink."
- Tom Murphy
|
|
 Saskatchewan's newest 18-hole golf course is Candle Lake Golf Resort about 77 km northeast of Prince Albert. The four-season resort features a new clubhouse, cabins, a housing subdivision, pro shop, restaurant and meeting rooms.
|
|
|
|
|
Candle Lake, a northern beauty
All eyes will be on the newly expanded Candle Lake Golf Resort in May, when the four- season facility opens to the public for the first time. While it's the epitome of scenic, unspoiled Northern Saskatchewan, its beauty is more than skin deep.
Located 77 km northeast of Prince Albert, it's carved out of the boreal forest and has a gently rolling appearance. This so-called boreal plain region has forest made up of white spruce, jack pine and aspen. The forests grow taller here than elsewhere in the province.
"The scenery is second to none," says Rick Rumberger, who operates Candle Lake Golf Resort with his wife Linda. "There are views of the lake from every hole on the new nine. And the underbrush has been cleared throughout the entire course, to make the golfing experience more enjoyable."
The par 72 course was expanded to 6,725-yards, making it a full-length 18-hole championship course with a slope estimated at 125 to 130. Don't be surprised if you spot moose, elk, coyotes, deer, fox, and a variety of feathered friends.
The course offers two distinct playing experiences: The original front nine was improved by eliminating doglegs, widening fairways and clearing the underbrush. Greens tend to be smaller and flatter. The back nine features larger landing areas off the tee boxes and extra large, rolling bent grass greens. Golfers will need to negotiate 26 sandtraps and an inland lake that comes into play on two holes.
"The course - especially the new nine holes - is challenging for all golfers," says Rumberger. "But it's designed so that on every tee, golfers are given a chance to play well on it."
At 9,900-square-feet, the new clubhouse, pro shop, lounge, and restaurant offers the nicest view of any course in Western Canada, says Rumberger. A deck on the second floor gives an unparalleled 180-degree view of the forest surroundings. A small conference room can cater to small groups of about 30 (a larger conference centre is planned that will handle 200 people). A new driving range was added, in addition to, some toboggan runs, ice fishing, and cross-country skiing trails for the off-season.
A new 150-slip marina has opened on Candle Lake - this converts to three skating rinks during the off-season. Forty-one full-service RV sites are open, and another 100 spots will be completed by fall.
Last summer, a subdivision adjacent to Candle Lake resort opened and sold 74 of the 80 building lots. A townhouse condo project plus a suite project overlooking the lake are in the planning stages.
For travelers who want to experience nature at its best, the course, resort village and provincial parks have much to offer. Candle Lake Provincial Park provides full service campgrounds, miles of clean sand beach/dune formations, and excellent fishing (including a stocked trout pond). Complementing the family vacation are local accommodations, great food, a petting farm, pony rides, 18 hole mini-golf and water sports.
Candle Lake Golf Resort has 12 cabins of various sizes on site, all with lake views. With bookings already coming in, please call ahead and book early in the season at (306) 929-2211. For more info, click on www.candlelakegolfresort.com
|
Around Saskatchewan links
Graham Delaet of Weyburn was named Male Athlete of the Year by SaskSports on Mar. 23. Delaet has been kicking butt in the college ranks this past year. For more info, see story www.saskgolfer.com/newsletters/marindex06.php Congratulations to Moon Lake Golf and Country in Saskatoon which was named "facility of the year" by the CPGA in Saskatchewan. The course was judged best for its service, product, event handling and so on...Scott Partridge is back as manager of Long Creek Golf and Country Club at Avonlea...Trevor Green takes over as manager at Greenhills Golf Resort along with head pro Frank Fowler...James Matravolgyi is the new executive pro at Wascana Golf and Country Club and Kerry Schofield, the head professional...
Getting ready for the new season.
By Kerry Schofield, Wascana Country Club, One of Canada's "Top 50" Golf Instructors, 2004 CPGA of Saskatchewan - Teacher of the Year
Many golfers are at home waiting for the weather to turn sunny and warm so they can get back to their favourite pastime after a long winter away from the game. Now is the time that most golfers can make one of the biggest contributions to improving their game.
Instead of waiting until the season is upon us get out your equipment and give a good going over checking for the natural wear and tear you have put on everything over the past few seasons. Most golfers don't realize that something as simple as having your existing grips replaced can make your old clubs feel almost brand new and that there are wonderful grips out that have great new technology.
The new Lamkin Dual Density grips are hot at the moment with their three models. Be sure to have your clubs regripped by someone with an excellent background in clubfitting so that you have the proper size grip put on to ensure maximum benefit for your game.
Having the wrong size grips can cause the average golfer to play worse than they possibly should. Grips that are to small can cause a golfer to grip the club to tightly so as not to lose the club while swinging. Gripping the club to tightly can cause the golfer to miss the ball left or right simply because the hands are not doing what they should be doing naturally. Grips that are to big have a tendency to restrict the hand and arm rotation through impact generally leaving the ball out to the right for a right handed player which after a few trips to the trees the golfers tends to try and manipulate the next shots causing even more trouble and eventually kills the confidence.
Most golfers should change their grips every forty or so games to keep them in good shape, with better golfers changing them even more often. The pros on TV change them very regularly as they are part of the tools they make their living with. Just remember how many times you have picked up a new club and thought it felt great, but maybe it was the grip that made the most difference. All the new technology coming out in the new equipment is fantastic and well worth trying out and buying if you need the latest equipment. But sometimes, a simple change of grips can make all the difference in the world and possibly help improve your game.
MORE >>
|
|
 |
|
Golf course roundup 2006
With about 220 courses in Saskatchewan, the most difficult decision is choosing where to get your next par. Keep in mind that in recent years there have been an unprecedented number of courses upgraded, expanded and built. Here are some of the major changes you will expect at courses this year.
Upgrade finishes at Kenosee: If you picture Saskatchewan as a never-ending series of flat fields, you will be pleasantly surprised with Golf Kenosee located three hours southeast of Regina near Carlyle. Sitting in a 40,000 hectare park on the highest plateau in the southeast, Golf Kenosee is an "island forest" of poplar, ash, fir and white birch in Moose Mountain Provincial Park. There are no end to off-course attractions - camping, hiking, waterslides and the Bear Claw Casino near the White Bear Golf Course. It completes a five-year upgrade this year. www.saskgolfer.com/kenosee/index.php
Northern Meadows expanding: The recently expanded 18-hole Northern Meadows Golf Club can be found at Goodsoil in northwestern Saskatchewan near Meadow Lake Provincial Park, the largest provincial park in Saskatchewan. Fairways are cut out of the boreal forest and feature wide-open landing areas over gently rolling terrain. The quality conditioning of this par-72 course is also evident in the smoothly-rolling bent grass greens. It's goal is to have the seed and water flying by June on the second nine for a fall 2006 opening. www.northernmeadows.com
Lac Pelletier to open: Saskatchewan's newest upscale nine-hole track is set to open sometime this spring or summer depending on the growing season. The course, located 10 minutes south of Swift Current off Highway 4, was a popular sand-green golf course for years before its conversion to grass grass greens and expansion last summer.
Candle Lake opens second nine: Candle Lake Golf Resort, the province's newest upscale, full-length course is set to open in May According to Rick and Linda Rumberger who purchased the course in 2003. Candle Lake. The project includes a new clubhouse, driving range, an RV park, cabins, a residential subdivision and a marina. For more information, see www.candlelakegolfresort.com and for real estate options, www.saskgolfer.com/realestate.php. See this page for a full-llength review of the course.
Dakota Dunes scores big: Dakota Dunes Golf Links is a unique 18-hole championship golf course that was recently selected as the Best New Canadian Golf Course by Golf Digest Magazine. Renowned Canadian golf architects, Graham Cooke and Wayne Carleton, sculpted the track in the rugged, windswept sand dunes overlooking the Saskatchewan River Valley Basin 25 minutes south of Saskatoon. This 7,300-yard first-class prairie track is the first stage in a destination resort project that will see the Saskatoon Tribal Council invest about $60 million for a casino, hotel, spa and convention centre. MORE >>
Prairie Links update: The Regina-based golf course management consortium Prairie Links Golf has dropped its management of Long Creek Golf and Country Club this year and will be continuing to operate Deer Valley near Regina and Riverbreaks golf course at Riverhurst.
New Estevan Clubhouse: Estevan Woodlawn Golf Course opens a $1.3 million, two story, 9,000-square-foot clubhouse early this summer. The Saskatchewan Mens' Amateur, one of the most prestigious provincial tournaments, is also slated for the course this summer.
Willows Upgrades: Starting in May, the Xena-nine at Willows Golf and Country Club in Saskatoon will have five new holes and two island greens. While there are major changes planned at Willows, the 36 holes remains in place for several more years.
Ni-hao from China
Editor's Note: For three months starting last November, former Greenhills Golf Resort head pro Gord Brayton taught golf at the a teaching academy with the Masters Golf and Country Club in Guangzhou, China. The club has about 1,500 members, mostly Korean and Japanese, and about 550 employees including 300 caddies. The driving range was two stories high with 80 stalls. The population of the city, located 1.5 hours north of Hong Kong on the Pearl River, was a staggering`15 million. Here's his report from the Land of the Sleeping Dragon.
|
Tell us about you trip? Traveling to China, teaching golf to the richest people in the country, and enjoying the culture was certainly a trip of a lifetime. Having experienced Chinese new year is an event I won't forget for a while - imagine watching fir works in a country that invented fire works with 1.5 million people in downtown Guangzhou.
Tell us about the club you were at? How does it differ from a Saskatchewan club? It was one of the busiest golf courses in China with about 1,500 members. It was designed and originally operated by the U.K., but after a short period of time the Chinese took control of the operation. The caddies where young women from the ages of 16-27 and a caddie job considered good employment.
The course itself was about 6,800 yards from the tips had lots of water and was quite flat. You could see the British influence with the big pot bunkers. It was certainly a challenge to play and you had to be very straight off the tee in order to have a good scoring round. There was some notable differences between their courses and those in Saskatchewan or North American. They let onesomes and twosomes tee-off without joining other groups. They were certainly lacking the comraderie - it almost seemed like they did not want to socialize the way we do here in Canada. When you came around on the front nine it was common to have 3-5 groups in front of you waiting to tee-off. But, no one seemed to mind, as you have to remember, in China no one was in a hurry.
How popular is golf among the Chinese? How serious do they take the game? Do they play by RCGA/USGA rules?
They love the game and are quite interested in improving and willing to learn. However, the number of golfers in relation to the population is very small - the population of China is 1.5 billion and the number of actual golfers who play on a golf course is around 30,000. There are about 60,000 go to a driving ranges and have never been on a golf course.
Golf is only 20 years old in China and they are certainly behind the times in many ways. Unfortunately, golf is a rich man's game in China and only the rich will ever play it. There are only 300 golf courses and the government has put a stop to anymore development of new golf courses. Most of the golf courses we played where not that busy.
If you play golf and work for the government they will not like it. They think that if you play golf, then you are stealing from the government to pay for it...so you have to keep it a secret. It's not expensive, but compared to the average Chinese income, it is very expensive. The average cost for green fees and carts and caddys was around $80. The average income for a Chinese was $150-$300 a month.
The Chinese take their game very seriously and want to improve and want to beat the people they are playing with. Do they play by the rules and have proper handicaps? Well these are two areas that they are lacking in and certainly will improve over the years to come. Basically lack of education is to blame.
Did you see a lot of black market golf clubs? China has no copyright laws, so anything is fair game and everything is copied. You had to go to Hong Kong to find the real thing.
If you get a hole in one, do you buy a round for the club?
The average score for 18 holes is around 110 compared to 98 in North America. When you gave a lesson their was lots of people just watching and trying to pick up free tips. They're like golfers here in Canada - all want to do is hit it farther, not straighter. But of course, with their physical make up and shorter stature, they are only capable of hitting it so far. They where like heroes as far as buying a drink for the house after a hole in one - the Chinese for the most part do not drink, so maybe tea?
Is China worthwhile to visit as a golf destination?
Definitely, yes. The golf courses are beautiful, the price is more than reasonable and the climate is great. We did go to the largest golf resort in the world, called Mission Hills Golf Resort. They have 10 golf courses - all designed and named after some of the biggest stars in the world. We played the hardest golf course designed by Greg Norman. It was 7,300 yards long and rated at 150. Every tee box we stood one it was, "oh my god."
Brayton is now head pro at the Dawson Creek Golf and Country Club, B.C. He invites all his Saskatchewan friends to drop by and say hello and have a game. Given a chance, you may find him back in China next winter.
|
|
|
Win Free Golf, 2 for 1, and 50% Off Green Fees!
The Tee-Off Frequent Player Program is the most respected golf discount program in Canada. Order the 2006 edition of Tee Off for Manitoba and Saskatchewan and receive a free annual subscription to Score Golf Magazine. Also, win one of two copies of the play and save golf program guide valued at $39.95. Enter the contest now. MORE >>
|
|
|
