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Best golf deals in 2008
Gas prices going through the roof, food prices going up weekly and home heating costs about to skyrocket, it's time to look at your golf budget. Golf courses around Saskatchewan and other companies - not surprisingly, prices are inching up around the province this year - offer you a number of incentives to save a few dollars. Here are dozen great ways to stretch your golfing dollar a little further.
Tee-Off Book - For $39.95, Tee-Off offers 2 for 1 and reduced green fees for the golfer who travel around Saskatchewan and Manitoba. There are also editions for other provinces. Each course has a brief description of the golf course, a photo, a map and course layouts. Probably your best bet for saving some money. www.tee-off.ca
RCGA Golf Card - New in 2008, this points reward program of the Royal Canadian Golf Association rewarding golfers with a free round with every five played at more than 150 participating golf courses. In addition, RCGA Golf Card members receive a 1/2 price green fee voucher for each of our participating courses. Sign up today and receive a ½ price green fee voucher for each participating course to get you started. Cards cost $24.95 and may be bought at Wal-Mart, Golf Town, Canadian Tire stores or online a www.rcgagolfcard.org - you do NOT need to be a an RCGA member to buy a card and benefit from the program.
Saskatchewan Golf Association - If you belong to a golf club, one of the benefits of the SGA membership is reduced fees at a growing list of 28 member courses and two Saskatchewan hotels. Members can also access reduced fees with Alberta Golf Association member courses. Follow the quick link to the membership discount program a www.saskgolf.ca
Golf Card International - If you plan to golf North America, the Golf Card International discount card pays. At $49, it offers discounts at more than 3,400 golf courses and resorts in Canada, United States and abroad. Members receive a 200-page catalogue with maps and lists of the deals, a quarterly newsletter Golf Traveler, and discounts on everything from car rentals to life insurance. Among the options are 21 courses in Saskatchewan. www.golfcard.com
International Club Network - Daily fee golfers can save money and get extra privileges through the Privileged Play program of Toronto-based International Club Network. Members have access to more than 50 courses in Canada, and others in the US and Europe. Again this year, the only Saskatchewan courses are Good Spirit Golf and Country Club near Canora and Dakota Dunes near Saskatoon. Benefits include advanced booking, reduced hotel and travel costs, and a reduction in green fees and cart fees. Plus, you get a complimentary greens fee pass annually at a top national or international course. One-time initiation fee is $150 plus GST and $125 annually plus GST. www.privplay.com
Air Miles Savings - Golfers can use Air Miles reward points at some Canadian golf courses. www.airmiles.ca
CAA Sask Savings - The automobile club offers a discount off green fees at several Saskatchewan golf courses. www.caasask.ca
Saskatchewan Golf Tour Guide - This year, the Golf Tour Guide published by Tourism Saskatchewan lists only two money-saving coupons but carries ads for stay-and-play packages. It's available free at 150 Co-op gas stations and tourism bureaus starting in May.
Western Canada Golf Privilege Book -The Lung Association of Saskatchewan has produced an annual golf discount book since 1996. The number of participating Saskatchewan courses has grown to 455. All four western provincial Lung Associations have joined forces and combined their offers into this one great book. With discounts at across Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and B.C. there are sure to be great courses along your route. There are also 16 bonus courses in Washington State $35 www.sk.lung.ca/content.cfm?edit_realword=gpc
Check Out Pricing - Most courses have deals to attract golfers to the early morning, twilight hours, weekdays and so on. There are courses that give healthy discounts to seniors and juniors. Others give discounts with 10 or 20 pass booklets. Watch for hefty multi course discounts. For example, Regina-based Western Golf Management offers tri and dual membership discounts at its Tor Hill, Murray and Goulet golf courses.
Spring/Fall Specials - If you golf during the spring or fall, you may want to book one of the low cost off-season green fees or golf packages. The weather is usually milder, the crowds smaller and the course in peak condition.
Golf Ball Deals - It's worth taking a look at www.mygolfballs.ca. The Weyburn-based company has instantly been a success since starting up two years ago. It has a good selection of balls with substantial savings of about 50 per cent, with balls couriered to your front door. A new entrant in 2008 is Sears, which sells mint condition Titliests for $15 for a dozen.
SaskGolfer.com Travel Deals - If you plan to golf in Saskatchewan, SaskGolfer.com publishes an annual list of stay-and-play packages on Hole #10. There are bargains. www.saskgolfer.com/travel.php
Sweet Stay-n-Play packages
The annual list of Saskatchewan stay and play packages has started on SaskGolfer.com on Hole #10. More deals will be posted during the coming weeks, so check back again.
This year's special deals include packages at Spiritwood, the Outerbanks, Katepwa, Harbor, Elk Ridge, Evergreen, La Verendrye, Weyburn, the hawood at Waskesiu, Deer Valley, Golf Kenosee and White Bear and more - check it out at MORE >>
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Playing by golf rules, oh yea
By Andrew Penner
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 haemorrhaging. 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. He has written for Inside Golf for the past six years.
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Golf Town to expand
After opening its first Saskatchewan location in Saskatoon this year, Golf Town Canada Inc. plans to expand to Britain in 2009 and may later take on China. Golf Town has 40 big-box stores in Canada and 13 planned during the next two years. Last year it was bought by the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System, one of Canada's largest pension funds. Rumors persist about a Regina location.
The latest 2008 rules
Why not play by the rules or improve your understanding of the rules governing golf? The New Rules of Golf, Illustrated Rules of Golf and the Decisions current books are now for sale are now for sale at the Saskatchewan Golf Association office, Contact Candace Smith at 306-975-0850 or csmith@saskgolf.ca
Elevated greens a pain
There are a lot of courses out there with slightly elevated greens designed to prevent balls from bouncing on the green. Save the pain by hitting a little longer. Otherwise you may be left with a tricky short pitch or chip to the hole. So always get on and go for the putt.
What's new in 2008
Another golf season in Saskatchewan has brought another number of major changes to golf courses around the province particularly in the Saskatoon and Regina districts. The golf course boom that has characterized the last five years or so has finally ended. Despite the changes, Saskatchewan will still have a couple of national records - more golf courses and more golfers per capita than anywhere. MORE>>
Online help for golfers
If you’re a golfer and have health problems or golf-related injuries, take a look at www.golfersmd.com The website’s best feature is its search engine that allows you to track down info and people to help.
See the big guns!
The Can Tour stops June 30-July 6 at the Saskatchewan Open at Dakota Dunes Golf Links. It's the first Tour stop in the province since 1992 and is creating a lot of buzz in the Saskatchewan golf world. See you there! MORE >>
Amen Corner
"The good chip allows you to whistle while you walk in the dark alleys of golf."
- PGA great Tommy Bolt
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