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Calling all Canadian golfers!
NAGA, a coalition of Canada’s national golf associations, is conducting a landmark study to understand the economic impact of golf on the economy of Canada. The information you share through this survey will help NAGA measure the economic impact of golf in your community, province and Canada and generally help promote the game and the interests of all Canadian golfers.
As part of this study, NAGA needs to know how much money you spent in the last 12 months on playing golf and on all golf related activities and purchases. In appreciation for your time and effort in completing this questionnaire, all respondents will be entered in a draw to:
WIN A Weekend For Two To The 2009 RBC Canadian Open! The Getaway is a weekend for two from anywhere in Canada to the 2009 RBC Canadian Open at the Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont., July 25-26th, 2009. The prize includes airfare, shared accommodations, car rental and tickets to the RBC Canadian Open (estimated value $2,000; cannot be redeemed for cash).
Click here to take the survey.
Sittler tees up with Pink Warrior!
Don’t miss out on Regina’s Premiere Golf Tournament the Pink Warrior Classic presented by the Regina Travelodge Hotel and Conference Centre. This fun filled best ball scramble takes place Wednesday May 27 at the Flowing Springs Golf Course with banquet to follow at the Regina Travelodge. Proceeds to the Pink Warrior Foundation for Cancer Research.
The $220 per player includes; green fees, power cart, wind shirt & cap plus registration lunch and award banquet with celebrity guest speaker Hockey Hall of Fame member Darryl Sittler. Well over $100,000 in prizes are available to win, silent auction, NHL collectibles and autograph session. Register soon to avoid disappointment!
Kelly Gatzke, tournament founder and chair is the husband of a cancer survivor who was considered by her family doctor to be too young to have breast cancer. This misconception allowed Fiona’s cancer to grow. Through this difficult time a family decision was made that by doing with less they could do more to fight cancer.
In 2008 with the first Pink Warrior Classic and the launch of the cd “Sea of Pink – Angel” featuring Sarah McLachlan and Fiona McGarry-Gatzke, Pink Warrior raised approximately $60,000 for cancer research. This year with two golf tournaments and a cabaret they hope to do even more. You can read more about their journey online at www.pinkwarrior.com.
The Pink Warrior welcomes your support as golf players, sponsors and/or personal donators for this great cause. Register online at www.pinkwarriorclassic.com or by phone at 306-373-4724 or via email at kellygatzke@pinkwarriorclassic.com.
A sincere thanks to our presenting sponsors Regina Travelodge Hotel and Conference Centre and our silver and above sponsors; Pink Warrior.com, Z99, CJME, Jack FM, Global Regina, Leader-Post, Loney’s Golf Shop, Arrow Trophies / Nutec Embroidery and Conexus Credit Union. SaskGolfer.com supports the Pink Warrior Classic.
Myths about custom clubs
Over $3 billion each year is spent by golfers on their equipment. Unfortunately, much of it is spent on equipment that will not—and cannot possibly—meet most golfer's needs. The result is frustration and wasted money – much of this could be eliminated if golfers knew more about the equipment in their hands. There are more than 20 variables that a custom clubfitter can alter to match your swing.
Here are 12 golf equipment myths that most golfers believe to be true, yet are incorrect. Myth #1 is explained below.
MYTH #1 - Modern golf clubs hit farther than clubs of even a few years ago.
WRONG! – In reality, they don’t. What you are seeing is a marketing gimmick called “Vanishing Loft Disease”. Each year, the club companies have been lowering the lofts of their clubs and increasing the club length in order to claim that their new clubs now hit the ball “longer”. It’s a real dogfight among the club companies - they’re all vying to have the “longest” clubs on the market. You can now hit the club with the #6 just as far as your old club with a #5 on it – this new “technology” MUST be better right??? This year’s 6-iron will hit the ball as far as your old 5-iron because in essence (if you measure the loft and specs of the club), it is your old 5-iron. In the early 70’s, a 6-iron had 36° of loft. In the early 90’s, a 6-iron had 32° of loft. In the 2009 sets just released, there are two companies that have 6-irons down to 26° of loft (that’s two-and-a-half clubs stronger!!!). The new 6-irons really won’t hit any “longer” than they used to be, they are equivalent to hitting 5 and 4-irons of yester-year.
MYTH #2 - The longer my driver is, the farther I'll be able to hit it.
MYTH #3 - The lower the loft on my driver, the farther the ball will go.
MYTH #4 - The bigger the head, the better.
MYTH #5 - I play a stiff shaft; it says so right on it.
MYTH #6 - The newer clubs have larger "sweetspots."
MYTH #7 - Women's clubs are designed for women.
MYTH #8 - I'll just cut down a set for my kid. That's good enough.
MYTH #9 - My club is just like the one Tiger uses.
MYTH #10 - Any club that's not a "brand name" is junk.
MYTH #11 - I was "custom fitted" at the driving range (or retail store, or pro shop).
MYTH #12 - Custom fit golf clubs are only for really good golfers.
The “12 Myths” are used with permission from Tom Wishon Golf Technology, who is recognized as the highest quality designer of high performance original clubheads, shafts, grips and fitting technology products used by independent professional custom clubmakers around the world.
Please head over to www.goodergolf.com for the full story, and a detailed explanation for each of these golf equipment myths.
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The Worst Shot In Golf
by Andrew Penner
Skull, slice, yip, yank, top, pop, tug, chunk, whiff, shank, clank, hook, smother, flub, duff. Indeed, our golfing f@#!-ups come in all shapes and sizes. If only we could smite them from the earth (and along with them, the gimmicky pop schlock recordings of Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, and Jessica Simpson).
Chances are, when Flanders is breathing down your neck in your tension-filled grudge match, one of these saboteurs will be your nemesis shot. Your downfall. Your demise. The reason why you’re not making millions on the pro tour (ok, so there might be a few additional reasons, too).
But which of the aforementioned villains is the worst? Like beauty, it’s in the eye of the beholder. Personally, I’ve always been partial to the clenched-teeth, smother-hook scud missile that leaves behind a vapour trail as it darts straight left and burrows deep into the thistles fifty feet in front of the tee.
This, partially, is due to the superior acoustics of this shot (I particularly love the machine gun-like sound when the ball ricochets off garbage cans, tin siding, or cars in the parking lot), but also because I’m just really good at hitting this aeronautical marvel.
It’s definitely a fan favourite, too. The boys are always amused by it. Of course, one of the things I pride myself in is the fact that this heat-seeking smoker is actually a “good player’s” miss. That’s right, even some of the best players in the world are prone to big, nasty hooks when the pressure gets high. I think of Severino Ballesteros, God bless the good Spaniard, coming down the stretch in the 1986 Masters (when Jack won).
So full of piss and vinegar whenever he played, Seve sniped a beautiful left-to-left job that dive-bombed into the pond fronting the 15th green with such conviction it probably ripped through the lining at the bottom of the pond as well.
By his own admission it was the shot that signalled he was no longer one of the greatest in the world. Hogwash! I thought it was brilliant. I could relate.
Of course, people who curve it right have, I must admit, a few things going for them when it comes to their off-centredness. For starters, the cutting swipe is, aerodynamically speaking, far superior to the hard-left slinger any day.
The ball simply yearns to stay airborne. And, in the case of a poorly placed water hazard, there’s always the possibility of skipping it across…that is, if you’ve got enough heat on it.
Unquestionably, the head-high, three-skipper onto dry land is a perennial crowd pleaser. A real rabble-rouser. Add alcohol and you’ve got a moment. Unfortunately, however, in many circles the banana ball is considered inferior and weak.
Unlike the hook, which can run forever, the cutter doesn’t seem to go anywhere. Like Napoleon Dynamite’s stud-muffin brother, it’s somewhat flabby and feeble. But is the slice the worst shot out there? Absolutely not. Not even close. And before you start bad-mouthing me for belittling you and your chronic, over-the-top puffball, know this: Johnny Miller says you can win the US Open with a cut, but not with a hook.
And Lee Trevino famously quipped, “You can talk to a fade, but a hook won’t listen.” I couldn’t agree more. Not only is my hook deaf, it’s blind and stupid, too. No, to get to the worst of the lot we’ve got to delve deeper. If we wince in pain at the very mention of the word, then we know we’re getting close.
Surely the flat out whiff is about as shameful and appalling as they come. I mean, there can be nothing redemptive about complete, utter, and absolute failure in administering a blow. Or is there?
Typically, when one “whiffs,” there are anomalous variables at work. Ie: the ball is six feet below your feet in a gutter, the ball is lodged twelve-feet high in a sycamore tree, or you can’t actually see the ball at address because it’s plugged in a pile of poo, or something like that.
In which case a fearless swat at the ball, even if all that strikes the clubface is air or excrement, is to be wholeheartedly admired, appreciated, and applauded. So the whiff is clearly out of the running.
Drum roll please. My vote is for the squirting, fart-awful shank. And I know I’m not alone in this. Not only is this dysfunctional little begger an embarrassment to anyone who has ever known it, but its contagious and downright deplorable nature is one that, one can only surmise, was forged in the fires of hell. And that’s all I’ve got to say about that.
SGA major tourneys set
2009 Provincial Championships
SGI CANADA Saskatchewan Junior Women's and Junior Men's Championships
Elmwood GCC, Swift Current , July 7 to 10
Saskatchewan Amateur Women's and Mid Amateur Men's Championships
Evergreen GCC, Nipawin , July 14 to 17
Saskatchewan Amateur Men's Championship
Lloydminster GCC, Lloydminster , July 21 to 24
Saskatchewan Senior Women's & Senior Men's Championships
Deer Park Municipal GC, Yorkton , July 28 to 30
Saskatchewan Women's Rosebowl Championship
Lynbrook GCC, Moose Jaw , Aug. 5 and 6
Saskatchewan Mixed Team Championship
Harbor GC & Resort, Elbow, Aug. 29 and 30
Goliath buys Jazz Golf
Jazz Golf, the 19-year-old Winnipeg-based company have been purchased by Goliath Golf Group Inc., a manufacturer and distributor out of Toronto. Jazz Golf was the best known name in Canadian manufactured clubs and employed about 100 people.
Jazz brand will be added to Goliath's product lines, which includes a pair of lines from golf legend Jack Nicklaus -- Jack Nicklaus Golf Equipment and Golden Bear Golf Equipment.
Competition has been fierce in the manufacturing and retail golf industry for a number of years prior to the current recession. Earlier this year, Saskatoon-based Cosmo Golf Canada was bought by an Eastern Canada-based company.
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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 never practice golf. All it does is mess up my game.”"
- Orville Moody/p>
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