Best golf deals found in Saskatchewan!

At an average $31 a round CDN., compared to $45 nationally, the province has some of the best golf deals around. Check out what Saskatchewan has to offer. MORE >>

MagazineCity.Net deals

Product: MagazineCity.Net is the world's largest subscription source and offers 1,500 different magazines including most of the popular golf magazines like Golf Digest, Golf Magazine and Golf World at substantial discounts up to 92 per cent. Reputation: It's rated a Top merchant by Yahoo, and a Gold merchant by BizRate.com.

Cost: Costs vary depending on subscription. When ordering from Canada, either choose the Canadian price, signified by the Canadian flag or the International price which can be recognized by the UN Flag. All Canadian prices include GST. NOTE: Typical for the magazine industry for international subscriptions, allow 10 to 12 weeks for delivery of the first magazine. MORE >>

A lie or a miracle

When a struck ball unintentionally veers to the left it is known as a hook. When a struck ball unintentionally veers to the right it is known as a slice. When a struck ball does not veer but instead flies straight forward it is known as either a lie or a miracle. MORE >>

Way to cool for golfers

It's wonderful news for golfers in Southern Saskatchewan. Beginning Nov. 1, year round golf will be possible for enthusiasts at the first ever golf dome in Southern Saskatchewan. Two Regina entrepreneurs with Vantage Enterprises plan to open a state-of-the-art golf dome called the Golf Igloo at Emerald Park Golf and Country near Regina. MORE >>

Win golf passes to Rock Creek

By all accounts it's a dandy course with a new clubhouse and grass greens. Win one of four nine-hole passes to Rock Creek Golf Cub at Shaunavon. Just answer this question: What kind of grass on the putting greens at Rock Creek? (Hint check out there website on Hole #1). Answers to RockCreek@SaskGolfer.com by Aug. 31. Good luck!

Got no game?

You only have two or three months to whip your game into shape before hitting the golf domes and sports bars this fall and winter. Of course, there's nothing to replace a few extra games and lessons from certified pro. But if your golf game stinks and you're looking for a quick fix, you might find the solution at one of these pro tip websites. Check out www.pgaprofessional.com www.findalesson.com or www.golfhound.com

A very dedicated golfer

There are some hardcore golfers in the Swift Current area - think LPGA pro Nancy Harvey, long drive champions Craig Robinson and Garth Melhoff. And who was the last one?

Melhoff loves golf so much he's installed a l,500 square foot putting green at his cottage in Lac Pelletier Regional Park. With the help of Steve Rempel, who happens to be an assistant greenskeeper at Elmwood Golf Course, he created a green with a sand bunker and three pins overlooking the lake. Melhoff opened it in late July so he can't claim to be a better putter - just yet.

A couple of other golfers inspired him to take on the project. One Swift Current golfer has a green in his backyard and another in the district has a one-hole course complete with green on his property, Melhoff reports.

Win golf passes to Rock Creek

By all accounts it's a dandy course with a new clubhouse and grass greens. Win one of four nine-hole passes to Rock Creek Golf Cub at Shaunavon. Just answer this question: What kind of grass on the putting greens at Rock Creek? (Hint check out there website on Hole #1). Answers to RockCreek@SaskGolfer.com by Aug. 31. Good luck!

Lip-out

"Every golfer has a bit of monster in him. It's just that type of sport." - Fuzzy Zoeller

The Bear offers golfers long, challenging fairways, bentgrass greens and the only silica sand bunkers in Southern Saskatchewan. (Photo courtesy of Douglas E. Walker, Tourism Saskatchewan)

Challenge the Bear

Attracting visitors from all over the province, White Bear Golf Course is one of Saskatchewan's favourite 18-hole championship layouts, renowned as much for its scenic beauty as for its high level of play. The course is located five miles north of Carlyle in an island of forest known as Moose Mountain - an elevated plateau of hills, lakes, ponds and lush aspen and white birch trees in the southeast corner of the province.

For golfers there's much to enjoy over the course's more than 6,700 yards of well-treed fairway. Playing to a par-72 off three sets of tees, it features long challenging fairways, fast bentgrass greens and the only white silica sand bunkers in southern Saskatchewan.

"It's hard to improve on perfection," says general manager Mike Bokitch, "but we're trying." The course is generally recognized as one of the top three resort courses in Saskatchewan, says Bokitch

In 1987, the track was laid out as a championship course by Calgary architect Bill Newis, a former Regina resident. The course is part of the White Bear Lake Resort set amidst the white birch forest near the shores of its namesake.

Among the more memorable holes on this shotmaker's course: The first hole, a tight par-5 measuring about 440 yards that demands two or three or more high quality shots. And then there's the signature 11th hole, a par 3 of about 150 yards that requires a picture perfect shot from a tee box that's elevated 200 yards.

In recent years, the course has undergone even more improvements, says Bokitch. More flower plots have been added to further beautify the course. Additional drainage has been added to make it more playable no matter how much rain. Rough areas are also being cleared out along the edges of the fairways.

White Bear Lake Golf Course provides full practice facilities, a driving range and putting green. The log clubhouse contains a lounge, restaurant and pro shop that can cater to individual golfers as well as tournaments. On Sept. 13, more than $30,000 worth of cash prizes per hole will be offered at the Hole-in-one Tourney - entry fee of $500 per foursome which includes a meal, a round and lots of prizes. There's also talk of an "open classic" this fall.

When you challenge the Bear, you will want to take in some of the attractions of the Moose Mountains. Only five minutes away, you may want to try your luck at the Bear Claw Casino on Whitebear First Nations. The poplar and birch forests of Moose Mountain Provincial Park and its hilly topography provide ideal conditions for camping, hiking, and a host of outdoor activities. Kenosee Superslides and Kenosee Lake Village services are also adjacent to the park.

Green Fees are Adults: 9 holes for $18, 18-holes midweek for $30, weekend for $35 with special rates for students. For more information, visit www.saskgolfer.com/whitebear To book, call (306) 577-4902 or Toll Free 1-800-577-4902.

Cosmo Golf finds the sweet spot

From humble beginnings 20 years ago, Cosmo Golf Canada of Saskatoon has emerged as one of the fastest growing and largest golf club manufacturer in Canada. The non-profit organization Cosmopolitan Industries, which employs 30 to 40 handicapped adults in its golf division, produces 350,000 to 400,000 golf clubs annually and compares to Winnipeg-based Jazz in gross dollar sales.

"Cosmo Golf Canada builds 100 per cent of our clubs in Canada, we are 100 per cent Saskatchewan owned and 100 per cent of our profits stay within Saskatchewan," says marketing director Rick Harris. He points to several reasons for the success of Cosmo Golf and its production doubling in the last eight years.

Cosmo Golf competes by building high quality products and keeping a low profile, says Harris. By never using high cost advertising or maintaining a high profile image has helped to keep the cost of the clubs well below higher profile companies. The company has also managed to compete with the influx of products built in China on both quality and pricing, he adds.

"About 99 per cent of our sales are in Canada and Western Canada is our largest market-place, while our largest opportunity for growth is in Central and Eastern Canada," says Harris. There are currently three other main golf club manufacturers in Canada. Pro Select is a U.S. company with does some assembly in Canada, Jazz is sourcing completed products offshore and Ontario-based TNT is placing less emphasis on clubs and more on other golf products like gloves and bags, says Harris.

"Cosmo still builds our clubs one at a time, using components that represent the best quality, playability and value for the user," says Harris. Over the past eight to 10 years, the company has repositioned itself so that it now sells three club lines: World Tour, for the novice, Precision II, for the intermediate, and most recently, Physics for the intermediate to advanced player. For more on Cosmo Golf Canada, visit, www.cosmogolf.ca , and Cosmopolitan Industries, visit. http://members.shaw.ca/cosmoind/cosmo.htm

The Igloo will be maintained at a pleasant 18 C degrees and offer lessons with pros. There will also be a variety of special golfing packages priced to attract all golfers. A reservation system will be operated through a new website. Off season, the golf dome will cater to business conventions, weddings and other events, as well as, golfers who want to tune up during rainy weather. For more, www.vantage-inc.ca

Juniorslinks.com worth a look

If your youngster is interested in golf, check out www.juniorlinks.com. The website is a collaborative effort of the golf industry in the U.S. and the World Golf Foundation and has the support of the USGA, PGA Tour, PGA and LPGA. While its focus is heavy on American content, there are a number of sections of interest to young golfers everywhere. There are regular features on pro tips, rules, sportsmanship, life lessons, instruction and equipment. Plus, there are also some fun sections such as Waggle, the trivia challenge.

Around Saskatchewan links

The 1st Annual Skeeter Open was held at the Crystal Lake Golf Course last month with proceeds going toward spraying for pesky mosquitoes. All it takes is a little rain and a lot of hard work. A tip of the cap to Leanna and John Neufeld and their grounds crew at Good Spirit Lake Golf and Country Club north of Yorkton for their well-groomed course and their hospitality to SaskGolfer.com... The City of Yorkton announces the appointment of Allan Sauser of A.B.S. Golf Management as head professional at Deer Park Municipal Golf Course. Allan has been employed at the Deer Park Pro Shop for the last six years as an Assistant Pro. The RCGA has The Willows Golf and Country Club in Saskatoon as one of the five new Future Links Licensed Facilities. An impressive total of 25 junior-friendly courses across the country will now bear the Future Links name and will deliver affordable and accessible programs to young golfers through BMO Financial Group Future Links, Canada's national junior golf development program...

Rejoice, hacker!

Every now and then suggests humorist Andrew Penner, like a Mike Tyson punch-up or a Mariah Carey movie, your golf game goes afoul. Clubs get thrown, the language gets despicable, and the air gets thick and heavy. It's a bad day on the links - a day you won't soon forget. You feel wounded, helpless, abandoned, and above all, extremely irate. It's at these times - times when you're about to repeatedly smash your head against the ball washer - when you need to be reminded of a few things. MORE >>

LEO Golfers will cash in

If you were born between July 23 and Aug. 22, you join other famous Leo Golfers: like Duffy Waldorf .The more you can open to prowling after new ways of playing the game, the more financial success you achieve. The lighter your grip, the more good fortune flows towards you. Your physical abilities are strong, but only as long as you don't get lazy. Sometimes, too much of a good thing can be just too much. Remember the words of the great swinger, Miss Piggy: "Never eat more than you can lift!" Toc check out your astrolgical advice before you hit the links. MORE >>

Four TV show choices for golfers

It seems viewers just can't enough. Saskatchewan now has four cable TV golf shows. Regina based Access Communications recorded 12 editions of Golfin' Around with Barry Eisenzimmer which offers a variety of instruction and golf-related topics. The company is also airing six editions of another show called The Golf Zone with local golfer Hank Harrison. It's reviewing local golf courses and showing pro tips with local pros with far better audio and production quality. On top of these two shows, this summer only Access is running Doug Sauter's Saskatchewan Golf Tour that ran for 10 years and which was not renewed. In Saskatoon, Shaw and its affiliate in Moose Jaw, Saskatoon and Prince Albert are producing The Golf Show for the second year.

"The Foursome" hits the big-time

A Swift Current theatre troupe has won Best Play honours and four other top awards from Theatre Saskatchewan for its production of "The Foursome," the story of four golfers who tee it up the day after a 15-year college reunion.

"Anyone who knows anything about golf found it enjoyable," says Ken Johnson, who picked up the Best Director honours in the competition. "It has snappy dialogue, excellent characters and you feel as if you're out there on the tee box, he says."

The foursome consists of Best Actor Bruce Raynor, a battery operator in the oil industry; Brian Dueck, a sports reporter with the local newspaper; Brian Potter, a sales rep in the oil and gas industry; and Steve Rempel, an assistant groundskeeper at the Elmwood Golf Course. While all are golfers, either weekend duffers or avid golfers, none of them actually tee up and hit a golf ball during the show because of concerns about liability, says Johnson.

The drama, written by well-known Canadian playwright Norm Foster, also took provincial awards for its stage management and for being the best new theatre group. The play will be performed at the Regina Performing Arts Centre Sept. 26-27 as part of a fundraiser to help send the troupe to Naniamo, B.C. where it will represent Saskatchewan at the Western Canada Showcase Oct. 17-19

Win a golf pass to White Bear Golf Course!

"Where did the white silica sand get trucked in from to fill the bunkers at White Bear?" Visit White Bear at http://www.saskgolfer.com/whitebear to find the answer and win one of two green fee passes. Send your answer to White Bear@SaskGolfer.com by Aug. 30 deadline. Good luck!   MORE >>