Gross hoping to repeat

Golf professional Jeff Gross of Swift Current had a great very campaign on the Saskatchewan Professional Golf circuit in 2009 and hopes to repeat in 2010.

The lefty grabbed his first CPGA of Saskatchewan Championship by defeating Ryan Danberg on the third hole of sudden death playoff. Gross had birdied the third hole at the Prince Albert Cooke Municipal Golf Course.

Gross has also captured top spot in the Taylor Made Pro-Am held at the Moon Lake Golf Course near Saskatoon and the Royal Regina Pro-Am which was held in Regina at the Royal Regina Golf Course.

Jeff's play last season earned him the Scott Knapp Trophy as the Saskatchewan CPGA Player of the Year. Gross also captured the Peter Cushner Award which is the the Saskatchewan CPGA Order of Merit Award. Gross accumulated 286 points, which 36 points more than another Swift Current professional Jeff Chambers.

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!''

Do you think Graham Deleat will make enough money to keep his PGA Tour card? Yes No Go Riders! View results

Lloyd ups its game!

The venerable Lloydminster Golf and Country Club, one of the most beloved of municipal courses, is rejuvenating its course to appeal even more to golfers in Saskatchewan.

Battling Mother Nature was an uphill job last summer - a very cold spring was followed by a thaw and cold snap; a long, dry, cool summer; and then a hot September followed by an early closing due to cold weather.

“There’s a sense of rejuvenation this year,” says head professional Kyle Mulligan. “We want to make the course bigger, better, stronger and get back to where we were 10 years ago when it was ranked very highly as a provincial course.”

“We want to again make Lloydminster a major player in the golf industry in the province and make it a must-play experience in the north-west from Saskatoon to Edmonton. We all feel confident it’s one of the hidden gems in the province.”

To that end, extensive renovations have begun to the clubhouse restaurant and lounge. Upgrades to the pro shop will start in the fall and continue into 2011.

We want to get people out and playing the course and to make it worthwhile for people in the region, especially golfers from North Battleford, Prince Albert and Saskatoon, says Mulligan.

With the unusually early spring opening, it’s expected conditions will improve dramatically this year under course superintendent Don Bilyk, a 15-year veteran of the business. In past years Lloydminster has been a favorite stop for provincial and regional championships (the 2009 Saskatchewan Amateur and the 2008 Saskatchewan Junior)and management plans to move in that direction again, he says.

This year a couple of major tourneys to keep in mind are the 3rd Annual Charity Ladies’ Open - a fundraiser for the regional health foundation - slated for June 12 and the Mens’ Open July 10-11.

The secret to scoring at Lloydminster is all about driving the 18 hole par 72 championship layout. It can play from 5,722 yards up to 7,011 yards. But in 11 of the 18 holes you will likely need to contend with a prevailing wind.

“We also have our own little Amen Corner which we put up against any three-hole stretch in the province,” says Mulligan referring to Holes 6,7 and 8. The greens, which are a mixture of bent grass and poa annua, are target and mid-sized and all demand a deft touch.

To attract even more golfers this summer the club has brought in a special weekend twilight rate that’s sure to to attract golfers from the region. The weekend twilight rate after 2 p.m. is $45 with cart for 18 holes and $25 for nine holes.
www.lloydgolf.com/golf/proto/lloydgolf/index.htm

10 Equipment Ideas to Get You Ready for 2010

Change Your Spikes
Have you ever taken a look at the bottom of your golf shoes? Spikes aren’t meant to last as long as the shoe. Spikes were made to last 15 rounds of golf, believe it or not.

Regrip Your Clubs
If there is one thing you should do every spring this would be the one. Every golfer knows that the grip is the most important part of your swing, so why wouldn’t you change the only thing that has you attached to the club—THE GRIP! When your grips are worn, you tend to grip tighter and we all know that’s a definite NO NO.

Take Advantage of Adjustability
With all the companies’ technology and money spent on research to help us get better, why not use it to our advantage. Tinker on your course. Does you course have lots of doglegs? Left-right—Find the settings that gives you the best chance to hit the fairway. Break out the wrench and set the weights accordingly.

Try A Different ball
As I said above with the adjustability, the golf ball is a close second. Do you normally play a harder ball to get all the distance?? Do you find yourself not getting any better??? Spring for a $50 dozen once, and your short game will love you. And you might be surprised what length you have with it.

Throw Out The Glove
Every spring, during the first men’s night, I’m playing golf with a member and he pulls out a bag full of crusty old golf gloves, like he collects them or something. Chuck the glove out and get a new one. Just because the glove doesn’t have a hole in it, doesn’t mean it’s not worn out.

Be Prepared For Bad Weather
What’s the saying around Saskatchewan, if you don’t like the weather wait 5 minutes. Well it’s true; the fact is if you think you’re a bad weather player, you’re probably not prepared for it. Do you have an umbrella, Rain Suit, Dry towel, Rain gloves (pair) water proof cover for your bag. Remember your priorities on the course, Clubs first, then you. Unless you’re lucky enough to catch a ride with your buddy who owns a cart cover.

Trade In Your Old Clubs
If you’re reading this article and thinking man, I have to spend a lot of money for, new grips, Balls, Spikes rain gear. Think about your old clubs in the basement. Those puppies are like gift cards waiting to be spent. Most people think they will receive less than they think its worth, something is better than nothing, right?

Get On A Launch Monitor
This piece of golf equipment could help you as much as new grips. The numbers are critical in club fitting, because the slightest change in conditions robs a golfer of precious yards. And we all want to bomb it. The launch monitor can tell you the proper loft, length and shaft flex you need. So maybe you’re only a regular shaft??? So ask your local CPGA Staff member when a launch machine will be at your golf course and book a fitting.

Find The Perfect Gap
Do you know how far you hit each wedge? Probably not. So close the gap. Pitching wedges are usually from 43 to 47 degrees. So do you carry a 56 degree wedge, you have a huge gap. Try adding a 52 to close the gap.

Try A Higher Lofted Driver
The days of the 8 degree driver are long gone. Just ask any member of the PGA tour. The average loft is 9.5. So you want to hit a low drive--- Your 8 degree driver isn’t going to help you. Very likely, those line drives aren’t running out as much as you think. Remember: Carry Distance means overall distance. Give a 10.5 driver a chance, you might like it.

Ask your local CPGA Golf Professional for information on any of the topics above. They are good for your game.

Golf Canada launches

The Royal Canadian Golf Association (RCGA), the governing body and National Sport Organization (NSO) for golf in Canada has adopted the name ‘Golf Canada.” As of April 22, 2010, the National Sport Organization for golf since 1895 as recognized by Sport Canada will be known as ‘Golf Canada’, a member-based organization governed by the RCGA.

"Our operating structure and the day to day operation of our business will remain the same, but going forward, we will be working under the new Golf Canada brand, " said Scott Simmons, Executive Director and CEO, Golf Canada. “Adopting Golf Canada as our new brand is more than simply changing our logo – we are committing to a new brand promise of customer service and inclusiveness; working together with the entire Canadian golf industry to grow and shape the future of our sport.”

The decision to change its consumer face to Golf Canada ties to the association’s mandate as the NSO to promote participation and excellence in the sport of golf in Canada. Programs like National Golf in Schools, CN Future Links, Canada’s National Amateur Golf Championship and Canada’s National Amateur Team Program (Team Canada) are based on the participation and excellence mandate and Simmons believes the move provides a more relevant identity through which the association can share its story with Canadian golfers.

“We are working to inform Canadians about the junior golf programs and player development initiatives that we believe are the blueprint for success to grow our sport and rebranding ourselves Golf Canada gives us a public identity that better aligns with our role and responsibilities as the NSO,” added Simmons. “We want all Canadian golfers to feel like they are a part of Golf Canada and take pride in helping to support the future growth of the game. With more Canadian golfers joining our association, we’ll have the resources that are critical to maintaining our world leading golf participation rate per capita and also create more world class athletes in our sport.”

As part of its promotional campaign, Golf Canada will be joined by several of Canada’s most accomplished professional golfers including Mike Weir, Stephen Ames, Lorie Kane and Graham DeLaet who will lend their support to Golf Canada and will be featured in Golf Canada’s multi-media promotional campaign.

In addition, Golf Canada is reaching out to Canada’s multicultural community with the help of EthnoDialogue, a Canadian owned and operated multicultural marketing and communications company. In an effort to broaden its customer base and reach out to potential new members, Golf Canada will produce materials in Canada’s two official languages, English and French, while also creating promotional materials to be translated into eight additional languages; Farsi, Arabic, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Korean, Japanese, Punjabi, Tamil and Urdu.

The launch of the Golf Canada brand coincides with the association’s new membership initiative aimed at retaining, recruiting and engaging golfers to become members of Golf Canada.

“Our story is simple; when you are a member of Golf Canada you are playing a vital role in helping to fund programs that are working to grow the game,” added Simmons. “We must educate and remind our members of the important role they are playing to help grow the sport in Canada.”

While the intangible ‘grow the game’ values of membership including support of CN Future Links, National Golf in Schools, national championships and Team Canada remain at the core of its business, Golf Canada welcomes five corporate partners –RBC Insurance; RIM/BlackBerry; itravel2000; Aeroplan; and InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) – with each offering unique tangible benefits to Golf Canada’s valued members and member clubs.

Former Canadian PGA Executive Director Steve Carroll as well as renowned Quebec pro Remi Bouchard and Blair Armitage, a former president of the Canadian Society of Club Managers (BC Branch) has joined Golf Canada as Region Directors of Membership Development. The trio will assist in the development and execution of Golf Canada membership programs; manage key allied association and partner relationships across the country; and work to increase the profile and awareness of Team Canada. Armitage will be responsible for Western Canada, Bouchard in Quebec and New Brunswick and Carroll in Ontario and Atlantic Canada.

The announcement of Golf Canada coincides with the launch of the association’s new website – www.golfcanada.ca. The Golf Canada website will be developed and managed in partnership with The Globe and Mail, one of Canada’s most renowned media outlets. The first phase of the new Golf Canada website will be active as of April 22, 2010, with a more dynamic and media-rich second phase of the site to be launched on June 29, 2010.

Take the guess work out

Laser and GPS Rangefinders offer precise distance and they might even help your golf game. You may think that the most important piece of golf equipment to come along might be you 460CC driver or the hybrid. But in fact, it might actually be your Distance Measuring Equipment. Every situation in golf can reduced to a basic distance and direction.

The correct direction of any shot is easy, but the precise distance, has always been the problem - until now. Unless you have a caddy that walks out before very round, sometimes you feel lost even on your golf course which you play every morning. Enter the new generation of distance measuring equipment - offering to answer any question a golfer might have? How far to the flag? The green, the bunker, the trap, how far to do I hit my 7-iron? Being able to answer all those questions and keep score also - its perfect.

These things cost from anywhere from $250 to $500. Now you’re thinking that’s a lot of money. I look at it as an investment. You play for money every week with your buddies; this might even help you win your match. Start’s paying for itself. Think of it like another golf club.

You will play better golf - this eliminates the guess work.

You will play faster - the time you spend searching for sprinklers heads on the fairways, you could be relaxed on the golf cart drinking a cold one. Who needs to do math!!!

You’ll save money - Lose fewer balls and fewer lost bets - like I said it’s an investment

When you first start looking for a measuring device it might be a little overwhelming. Check around your local golf shop and see what they have to offer. And a major mistake a few members found out over the winter...Don’t be a sucker for EBay blowouts - just because it worked in Arizona doesn’t mean your golf course in Saskatchewan it will.

If you feel your game needs a rangefinder talk to your local CPGA Golf Professional.

Ownership changes at SaskGolfer.com

Good Day SaskGolfer readers. My name is Kyle Duffin and I'm very excited about this new opportunity in my life. Hopefully I can pass along my love & passion for the game of golf to you.

I was born and raised in Unity, a small town with the population of 2,500 people. It has a beautiful 9 hole grass green course where I fell in love with the game of golf. From that point I wanted to make golf a career and shortly after high school I attended the Grant Macewan College in Edmonton to enroll in the Professional Golf Management Program. My apprenticeship program took me to the Meadow Lake Golf Club in 2001 for one season, where I became a member of the Canadian Professional Golfers Association.

The next three seasons I spent in North Battleford as the assistant golf professional. I was quick to finish all my requirements to become a Class A Head Golf Professional at the Meadow Lake Golf Club at the age of 26, where I've been the clubs golf professional and manager for the last four years.

Meadow Lake is home. I have a beautiful wife named Terry and 20-month-old daughter Jaya. Life doesn't get any better. I hope you keep on enjoying the SaskGolfer website. I look forward to meeting new people who display the same love & passion for the game of golf. I would like to thank Stan Bartlett for his hard work & passion from the last nine years, which made the award-winning SaskGolfer.com what it is today. Stan will be staying on with SaskGolfer.com doing editorial & newsletters. Feel free to send me along any ideas you may have or concerns to Kyle@saskgolfer.com

Yours in Golf, Kyle Duffin

Rookie DeLaet making noise

PGA Tour rookie Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Saskatchewan is showing he can play with the BIG boys.

The five foot eleven, 165-pound local phenom picked up a third place tie recently at the Shell Houston Open placing third just one stroke off the pace. The 28-year-old home $336,400 (US), the biggest paycheque of is career. As of later April his total winnings during his first year on the PGA Tour total $468,925 (US).

Other rankings include T18 at the Bob Hope Classic, T24 at the Puerto Rico Open, T25 at the Sony Open in Hawaii and T64 at the Verizon Heritage.

To follow Graham’s career, check out www.pgatour.com/players/02/74/36/.

100th Anniversary

The Canadian Professional Golfers' Association (CPGA) is a member based non-profit organization representing over 3,500 golf professionals across Canada. The Association was founded in 1911 which makes it the oldest professional golf association in North America and the 2nd oldest PGA in the world.

It’s anniversary will be celebrated next year with a full slate of activities including a tournament at the Royal Ottawa Golf Club July 1011. www.cpga.com

The Canadian Golf Hall of Fame is dedicated to the recognition of extraordinary contributions and accomplishments in the game of golf in Canada. Honoured members, which include amateur and professional golfers and builders of the sport, have been inducted on a regular basis since the inception of the Hall of Fame in 1971.

To learn more about individual members click on the names of the Hall of Fame members for a picture and some vital statistics. Members include Dave Barr and most recently Mike Weir.

In 1999, Weir won his first PGA Tour title at the 1999 Air Canada Championship with a two-stroke victory over Fred Funk, becoming the first Canadian to win on Tour since Richard Zokol won the 1992 Greater Milwaukee Open and the first Canadian to win on native soil since Pat Fletcher won the 1954 Canadian Open. In 2000, Weir became the first Canadian to play in the President's Cup, where he led the international team with a 3-2-0 record.

He was also named to the President's Cup team in 2003, 2005, and 2007, where he won the final match play round over Tiger Woods, on Canadian soil. Weir would go on to win four more tournaments on the PGA Tour before the defining moment of his career to date at the 2003 Masters.

Weir emerged as one of the game's brightest stars with his Masters victory, a dramatic playoff win over Len Mattiace, and came back to a hero's welcome in Canada, which included him dropping the ceremonial face-off at a Toronto Maple Leafs playoff game, the perfect ‘Canadian-style' celebration for the hockey fan Weir.

His breakthrough year on the PGA Tour earned him the 2003 Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada's top athlete of the year and the Lionel Conacher Award, given to Canada's top male athlete of the year, an award he previously won in 2000 and 2001.

Winners clean up

Rock Beaton, Brian Burrows, and Herb Cooper finished one, two, three in the Masters Golf pool 2010. The Rotary Club helped fund a Restorative Action Program at five high schools (Mount Royal, Bedford Road, ED Feehan, Bethlehem and Walter Murray Collegiate) in Saskatoon and provided a $2,500 scholarship to Saskatchewan students through the “My Future is Here” program.

“We also continue to support our partner the Saskatchewan Golf Association with their Junior Golf program. We donate 20% of our net profit to them. I know they appreciate it and I hope that the Pool continues to grow so we can donate more money to Junior Golf in Saskatchewan,” says Dave Sundby of the Rotary Club of Saskatoon and Daniel Rauckman, executive director of the Saskatchewan Golf Association. www.rotarygolfpool.ca

Let's face it

SaskGolfer.com - always on the cusp of new technology - is now on facebook. Check us out at Facebook Hole #20.

Hackers rejoice!

By Andrew Penner, Canadian golf humourist and author of “One flew over the caddyshack.”

Every now and then, 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.

Reminder No. 1 - You Have Numerous Excuses At Your Disposal

During times of failure, human nature dictates that something or someone (other than you) is really the culprit. Often you don't need to look far to find the real reason why you can't perform. This holds true in all aspects of life. For example, the other day my wife, with assistance from our cast iron frying pan, kindly reminded me that I hadn't cleaned out my car since 1992. As it turned out, the real reason why I had failed wasn't due to my own shortcomings.

Rather, it was a combination of the mistakes, inept attitudes, and lack of sensitivity of the hundreds of people who demanded my total attention at the various times when I was supposed to be cleaning out the rot in my car.

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In golf, it could be as simple as the pimple-faced kid from McDonalds forgetting to take the pickle out of your hamburger, thus throwing off your equilibrium. Reach into your tickle trunk and your grubby hands will find them: rock-solid excuses (enough to last your entire career).

Reminder No. 2 - You Have Talent Others Don't Possess

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. As far as you're concerned, the greatest shot ever played could be the hosel-fade banked off the garbage can fifteen feet in front of the tee. Dare your playing partners to manufacture the same shot you just hit. Try as they might, they won't be able to. You have a shot that they can't hit. Remind them of this. Take pride. Rub it in and pat yourself on the back. You have talent.

Reminder No. 3 - You Are In The Process Of Getting More In Tune With Your Game

Going eighteen for eighteen in tee-balls out of bounds to the right may not lead to victory, but it is a perfect record that indicates your tendencies without question or doubt. This is good. You know your game. You know your flight. Many people play golf their entire life and don't know where the ball is going. You're one up! Hallelujah! It's going right!

Reminder No. 4 - That Which Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger

The ball washer can be a tough opponent for your cranium - but it won't kill you. True survivors (and golfing masochists) are encouraged and strengthened during times of trial because they know they are being tested and can overcome. You can be strong when your golf ball is weak.

Learning to overcome moments of shame and utter despair requires a special fortitude (and maybe a helmet). You must be willing to take the necessary mental positions that will allow you to conquer. Don't let mother-in-laws, ball-washers, or hosel-fades bring you down and defeat you! You have talent, strength, and numerous excuses at your side. Take hold, be strong, and remember: you've always got a full five minutes to search.

Pro tips for the Spring

No bad courses - There’s no such thing as a bad course, especially this time of year. Instead of getting in a snit about the course conditions, use it as an opportunity to play golf in less than perfect conditions. Turn a negative into a positive.

Think happy thoughts - In a four hour or so round, you actually play golf for about 15 minutes. Most of the time you get to to walk or talk or think. Use the time to commune with nature - watch the trees or birds - or bring to mind great shots you’ve made. Banish the negative thoughts and think positive.

Deal with the wind - Hit a low shot into headwinds. Tee the ball a little lower and move it back in your stance. Try not to swing to hard but instead focus on a boring, controlled shot. High drives will wreak havoc with a slice or hook, so keep it low.

Golf Card cancelled

Golf Canada, formally the Royal Canadian Golf Association (RCGA), will be terminating the Golf Card golfer loyalty program.

“In 2006, the RCGA acquired the SKINS loyalty program in an attempt to help both our member clubs and golfers grow the sport we all love. We took the regional program and offered it to both golfers and golf courses across the country. However, despite our best efforts and best intentions, the program did not grow as anticipated and it is simply not sustainable” says the RCGA.

Any Golf Card points you have remaining on your account will still be honoured by the club. A report of Eagles earned at each club will be provided to the member clubs and tracked internally at the club. There are two ways these points may be cashed out:

1. Some courses may opt to transfer these points to an internal loyalty program run independently by the course. Please inquire with your course to see if they are exploring this route.

2. Some courses may opt to issue a round at a pro-rated discount based on the number of remaining Eagles you have earned at the course to date. For example, a golfer with three (3) Eagles at a course will be entitled to a round at 60% off (3/5 Eagles = 60%). Courses will not honour unredeemed points after Aug. 2010.

If you have any additional questions about the program, please contact RCGA member relations at members@rcga.org.

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.

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).

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.

Amen Corner

"Golf is a gentleman’s (and gentlewoman’s) game that can do savage things to the mind."

- Lorne Rubenstein, Globe and Mail golf writer.

Has watching the Masters got you drooling?

Take a break this spring from the daily grind. The annual list of Saskatchewan stay-and-play packages can be found on Hole #10 and will be updated during the next couple of months. This year's special deals may 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 and book now. MORE >>