Golf real estate still hot, hot, hot!

Looking for an investment? Want to play more golf? Thinking about retiring? Golf real estate and recreation land has been a hot commodity the last several years in Saskatchewan. MORE >>

SaskGolfer.com is for sale!

If you enjoy golf and meeting people, the award-winning SaskGolfer.com is an ideal home-based business for you. The owner-operator is getting a little long in the tooth and plans to retire in the next couple of years, learn how to putt and play more golf. Serious inquiries may reply in confidence to Stan@saskgolfer.com.

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!''

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.

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

Networking on the Green

Golf provides an opportunity to develop relationships, connect with new resources and get to know the right people. On the golf course, business members get to know one another on a personal level and grow business relationships from there. In fact, golf may be one of the best relationship building tools there is, both for business and pleasure.

“Successful executives understand effective networking is key to growing your business,” said Karen Piper, President of Xposure Marketing. “The golf course is a prime networking opportunity. It creates a casual meeting and potential for relationships. Once the relationship is built, the business takes care of itself!”

The majority of top-level executives play golf, and they do so for personal and professional advancement. 73 per cent of business executives said that playing golf has helped their careers and a whopping 93 per cent of sales executives said the same. (Golf and the art of career maintenance, www.itbusiness.ca)

Golf can open doors that might otherwise be closed in a day-to-day situation; it provides a great deal of access and networking opportunities that are not always possible in the boardroom. If you are not taking advantage of golf to grow your business and your business network, you are missing out.

Business golf is an essential skill in today’s business world. There are a number of business golf opportunities, including a simple afternoon of golf, participating in a large corporate tournament, or just spending a lunch hour on the driving range. Business is not always the focus on the fairway often you go out with a client and never talk work. People play the game because they enjoy it the spin-off is networking.

“Golf is very important to keep in contact with your clients,” said Dale Schaeffer, Owner of Western Litho Printers Ltd. “If they like golf and you like golf, there is no better way to do business.”

Believe it or not, leaving the work on your desk and going out to play golf with a valuable business prospect is a good decision. While many people spend long hours at the office believing that hard work is what is needed to get ahead, those who embrace the mantra, “Work smarter, not harder,” are comfortable leaving the office early to meet with colleagues or clients for a round of golf. Working smarter often means putting yourself in the right place with the right people.

You spend a lot of time walking and talking in golf, which is really conducive to developing business relationships. On the course, your client is a captive audience for a good 4-5 hours, more if you have a drink or dinner afterwards. Between the time spent on the course and observations of the game itself, you have a good opportunity to evaluate your client as a person and vice-versa.

“Golf offers a relaxing environment very conducive to opening honest and frank conversations. Golf also offers an opportunity to get to know your client outside of a formal working environment,” said Jason Dittmann, Solutions Consultant at MicroAge Regina.

Golf can provide opportunities to bond and build rapport with people from different walks of life. You can learn more about a person in four hours on the golf course than in umpteen hours of boardroom meetings. For this reason, golf is often used in business as a tool to test a new business associate or prospective employee. Golf reveals how we handle the good bounces and bad breaks in work and in life.

Keep in mind, golf is not a meeting moved outdoors. As a rule, you do not bring up business on the golf course unless your client brings it up first. If he does, you have a relaxed, undistracted client to discuss business opportunities with. Business golf is about building relationships and having fun rather than talking about business.

Your opportunity for business talk is likely to come about at the 19th hole’. Ask your client to have a drink or meal following the game when you can recap the day and build your relationship further. This is usually when your client will bring up business possibilities. If he doesn’t, you can sum up by saying you really enjoyed your time together and you have some ideas you would like to discuss in the near future.

Don’t rule out golf as a means to an end even if it’s not in your bag. If you don’t know the difference between a sand wedge and a 9-iron, the first thing you need to do is take some lessons and learn to play. While you don’t need to be an expert to play, you should have a good understanding of the game and golf etiquette. If you are still in the beginning stages and you have been invited to play, tell your host up front about your skill level.

“Use your time on the golf course to build your business and relationship networks,” said Randy Jeworski, Manager, Client and Market Development for Deloitte. “Take advantage of the 4-1/2 hours or so to learn more about those you are playing with friends, business colleagues or new folks you just met. At tournaments (like the Chamber tournament) network before and after setup a lunch or meeting with someone not in your group. Just enjoy!”

Golf is one of the most effective tools for networking and deal-making in the modern business world. So mix business with pleasure. Spend some quality time away from the office and make new business connections and friends. Golf is a better way to build your business.

CREDIT: Melissa Olson, Regina and District Chamber of Commerce

Vandals damage course

Green Acres Golf Course east of Regina was vandalized Oct. 4 resulting in more than $25,000 in damages. Someone had driven on two greens and two fairways severely damaging the course. The nine-hole track at Balgonie, co-owned by Richard Kolb, is a popular track for beginners.

Economic impact huge

The Canadian golf industry generated $11.3 billion in economic benefits across our nation, according to a recent economic analysis conducted by Strategic Networks Group, Inc. on behalf of the National Allied Golf Associations (NAGA).

That translates into an estimated $446.0 million toward Saskatchewan’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This includes: 22,102 jobs; $306.9 million in household income; $40.3 million in property and other indirect taxes; and about $71.1 million in income taxes. MORE>>

National Golf in Schools Program

The National Golf In Schools Program has arrived in Saskatchewan. Developed by the Physical Health and Education Association of Canada in partnership with the Royal Canadian Golf Association and the Canadian Professional Golfer’s Association, the National Golf in Schools Program has been designed to allow elementary school teachers, regardless of their golf background, the ability to deliver required physical education learning outcomes through the sport of golf. The program curriculum is designed to meet the learning outcomes required through physical education curriculum for elementary school grades 1-6.

The National Golf In School’s Program is unique in that it has been designed to allow schools to deliver this program without golf specific equipment by utilizing existing equipment that they have such as floor hockey sticks, pylons and hoola hoops. By utilizing these tools teachers can provide students with fun and creative lessons. During the lessons the students will learn about the following skills themes:

1. Movement Skills – striking with long – handled implements (golf clubs) and balance;
   
   
2. Health – related fitness components – flexibility and cardio-vascular; and
   
   
3. Skill related fitness components –eye-hand coordination
   
   
4. They will also work to develop an understanding of movements concepts
• Effort – force (strong and light );
• Effort – flow (bound and free)
• Aim and target line

Key Benefits

Golf is a unique sport in that it can be played by people of all ages. Not only is golf considered to be a lifetime sport that promotes active living, it is one of the only sports that has inherit life skills and values imbedded within it. Some of these life lessons and values include, respect, integrity, honesty, responsibility, patience and work ethic.

From a pedagogical standpoint, the lessons address curriculum concerns including cooperation, honesty, appreciation for good plays, self-control, respect for peers, rules, acceptance of victory and defeat, proper use of equipment; and safety guidelines. Finally the resource suggests ideas and activities for integrating golf into other subject areas: Language Arts/English, Visual Arts, Mathematics, Health Science, and Computers.

What comes in a National Golf in Schools kit?

• 9 right handed irons and putters
• 10 marker flags
• 3 left handed irons and putters
• 10 putting cups
• 10 red super-safe foam balls
• 20 all surface tees
• 10 yellow super-safe foam balls
• 10 pairs of foot-tees
• 20 no bounce balls (5 each of red, yellow, green and blue)
• 2 make a hoops
• 60 anti-slip marker cones plus stand
• tri-golf wheely storage bag

How can I get the National Golf in Schools Program in my Community?

There are a number of ways to get involved and grow The National Golf In Schools Program in your community.

1. Schools interested in only receiving the program learning resource can order the resource online for $25.00.
   
   
2. Schools interested in a complete National Golf In Schools Kit with the learning resource can order the kit and resource online for $475.00.
   
   
3. The SGA has invested in 22 National Golf In Schools Kits that will strategically be located at “hub sites” throughout the province for schools to borrow for the use of their teachers and students. A complete list of these “hub sites” will be posted on the SGA website and Golf in Schools website once they are confirmed.
   
   
4. Private donations to cover the purchase of a National Golf In Schools Kit can be provided with a tax receipt. This way parents, businesses and golf courses can contribute to get this innovative program up and running in schools throughout Saskatchewan or in their community.
   
   
5. Through coordination with the SGA, golf courses can purchase a National Golf In Schools Kit and operate as a “hub site” for schools in their area to utilize the program.

“When the National Golf In Schools Program was launched across the Country I had the opportunity attend the Brunskill School media day in Saskatoon. To see 60 plus kids get exposed to the game of golf in two hours was extremely overwhelming. The thing that I like the most about the program is that there are a wide variety of games, exercises, values and lessons kids learn in class. There are so many activities that it is hard to lose interest. If it were not for my dad who had taken me out to the golf course when I was young I never would have been exposed to the game at an early age. Now all kids going to school can have the opportunity to play a great game and learn a lot about life in a fun and enjoyable way.”

Phil Grosse
SGA Marketing and Communications Coordinator & RCGA Golf Card Account Representative

To get the National Golf In Schools Program up and running in your community please contact the Saskatchewan Golf Association at 975-0873 or email pgrosse@saskgolf.ca. You may also visit www.nationalgolfinschools.com.

Its all for fun!

Only a golfer would understand a husband and wife are on the 9th green when suddenly he collapses from a heart attack! "Help me dear," he groans to his wife.

The wife calls 911 on her cell phone, talks for a few minutes, picks up her putter and lines up her putt.

Her husband raises his head off the green and stares at her. "I'm dying here and you're putting?"

"Don't worry dear," says the wife calmly, "they found a doctor on the second hole and he's coming to help you.

"Well, how long will it take for him to get here?" he asks feebly.

"No time at all," says his wife. "Everybody's already agreed to let him play through."

A gushy reporter told Phil Mickelson, "You are spectacular; your name is synonymous with the game of golf. You really know your way around the course. What's your secret?"

Mickelson replied, "The holes are numbered."

A young man and a priest are playing together.

At a short par-3 the priest asks, "What are you going to use on this hole, my son?"

The young man says, "An 8-iron, father. How about you?"

The priest says, "I'm going to hit a soft seven and pray."

The young man hits his 8-iron and puts the ball on the green.

The priest tops his 7-iron and dribbles the ball out a few yards.

The young man says, "I don't know about you, father, but in my church, when we pray, we keep our head down."

Police are called to an apartment and find a woman holding a bloody 5-iron standing over a lifeless man.

The detective asks, "Ma'am, is that your husband?" "Yes" says the woman.

"Did you hit him with that golf club?"

"Yes, yes, I did." The woman begins to sob, drops the club, and puts her, hands on her face.

"How many times did you hit him?"

"I don't know, five, six, maybe seven times.....just put me down for a five."

A golfer teed up his ball on the first tee, took a mighty swing and hit his ball into a clump of trees. He found his ball and saw an opening between two trees he thought he could hit through.

Taking out his 3-wood, he took a mighty swing. The ball hit a tree, bounced back, hit him in the forehead and killed him.

As he approached the gates of Heaven, St. Peter asked, "Are you a good golfer?"

The man replied: "Got here in two, didn't I?"

The bride was escorted down the aisle and when she reached the altar, the groom was standing there with his golf bag and clubs at his side.

She said: "What are your golf clubs doing here?"

He looked her right in the eye and said, "This isn't going to take all day, is it?"

GolfTown hits Regina

Golf Town will be soon opening an 8,000 square foot store at Harbour Landing in the south side of the city. The site plan for Grasslands Development also includes Lowe's, Wal-Mart, Urban Barn and Co-op (www.grasslands.ca). Golf Town recently opened a megastore in Saskatoon shaking up the golf retail business in that community.

Last fall, pension fund OMERS Capital Partners bought Golf Town Inc., Canada's biggest golf retailer, for $214-million. OMERS Capital, the private equity arm of the $48-billion Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System, is Toronto-based.

Golf Town is Canada's leading retailer of golf merchandise. Founded in 1999, it now operates 47 stores across Canada. Golf Town offers products from the leading international manufacturers together with teaching academies, golf simulators and pro shop services. Golf Town also provides logoing services on its wide range of brand name apparel, equipment, balls and more for corporate tournaments and events. www.golftown.com

Golf is not perfect

Here are 10 rules changes the R&A are considering instituting:

1. It's golf, not sightseeing. Greens fees will be directly related to your pace of play. A round of golf should take no more than 3 hours, 45 minutes. They do it in Scotland and Ireland – without carts. Dawdle, take too many practice swings, wait until it's your turn to play before checking the yardage and picking a club? You're going to pay for it. Greens fees go up every 15 minutes over your allotted “time par.” Course rangers will determine if you're being held up by the group in front of you. They'll have the power to waive your “over time par” fee. (I know, this would require course rangers to actually do their jobs, something they rarely do now).
   
   
2. Front, middle and back. Courses do not need six sets of tees. We're going to have three sets and your handicap--not your sex or your ego--will determine which set you play. If you can't break 80 from the middle tees, you sure as heck don't belong on the tips.
   
   
3. While we're at it, yardage markers at 100, 150 and 200 yards in the middle of each fairway. That's all we need. Hours are being wasted looking for sprinkler heads while believing we can hit it precisely 163 yards. If you're good enough to play to a specific yardage, buy a rangefinder.
   
   
4. No par-3s longer than 200 yards. No one likes really long par-3 holes, even the pros. The 12th at Augusta National. The seventh at Pebble Beach. The 10th at Pine Valley. The 17th at the Stadium Course. They're all great short holes. Take a hint. (One exception is allowed: the 16th at Cypress Point. It's 219 yards long and the most fun you'll ever have making a triple bogey).
   
   
5. The out-of-bounds rule. Back when golf was played in the great wide open, not between McMansions, perhaps the stroke and distance aspect of the out-of-bounds rule was reasonable. It's not any more. Make out-of-bounds a lateral hazard. God didn't put those condos 30 feet off the fairway. Some stupid developer did.
   
   
6. Discount the price if greens have been aerated within the past 10 days, greens fees should be reduced. If carts are required to stay on the path, cart fees should be reduced. And if it hasn't rained in two days, carts should be allowed on the golf course. The grass will survive. Give people a reason to come back – even if they could really stand to walk.
   
   
7. Don't say it. Any tournament spectator who yells “get in the hole” or, excuse me while I cringe, “You DA man” at a tournament should be immediately removed from the premises for the remainder of the event. As further punishment, they should be forced to watch “Big Hitter” infomercials all day long.
   
   
8. Putt 'em out. If you hit your first putt, or your second one, within 3 feet of the hole, you can't mark your ball – even if you're standing in some body's line. Knock it in or close enough to knock it away. Don't spend all day lining up putts. And anyone caught plumb-bobbing will be required to wear John Daly pants.
   
   
9. Post your scores – good and bad. Handicaps only work if they're accurate and that means posting your scores, especially the good ones. Here's the rule: If you play 18 holes and don't post a score, the pro shop or your buddies will do it for you – even par from the tips. No exceptions.
   
   
10. No one getting 10 shots shoots 73. Remember, handicaps don't reflect your average score. They're what you should shoot when you play your best. You should play to your handicap less than 25 percent of the time.
    
    
11. Free drops from footprints in bunkers. Let's see how good Phil Mickelson is from the sand when he's playing from the trench left by Walter's size 13s. C'mon people, take a second and rake bunkers
    
    
12. No cars, fountains or signs in water hazards. The only things allowed in water hazards are whitecaps, algae, Titleists, disobedient putters, ducks, rocks and bass. And Tiger Woods' 9-iron Steve Williams dropped in the pond at the K Club three years ago.

Rules Section

Finding your Nearest Point of Relief

You are entitled to free relief from immovable obstructions such as cart paths or buildings as well as abnormal ground conditions. Using the club you would make the stroke with, find the closest point that does not interfere with your swing or stance. This spot will vary depending on whether you are left or right handed. Use a tee to mark where the ball would sit and use any club to measure one club length from there, no penalty. You can clean your ball and remove any loose impediments prior to making your drop. Take complete relief or you are subject to penalty. Re-drop if your ball ends up in a hazard or closer to the hole. It is important to remember that the nearest point of relief is not necessarily the nicest point of relief. Relief may put you into a bush. After consideration you may just choose to play it as it lies.

Wrong Putting Green

You've hit your ball in a direction you didn't expect it to go. It comes to rest on the putting green for hole #9. Only trouble is you are playing hole #7. What should you do? You cannot play the ball as it lies. You need to find the nearest point that is not on the putting green and not closer to the hole. Take one club length from that point and drop a ball. You may clean your ball prior to dropping. Your ball must not come to rest back on that putting green or in a hazard. There is no penalty for this procedure but failure to do so will result in a two stroke penalty in stroke play or loss of hole in match play. Any practice green on the course is also counts as a wrong putting green.

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).

Amen Corner

“Golf is a game of inches. The most important are those between your ears."

- Arnold Palmer

Win a copy of "The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Golf"

Enter today to win one of 3 copies of "The Encyclopedia of Golf." It's the definitive guide to the world of golf by Barrett and Hobbs. It will get you inspired for next year. Send along your answer to Stan@SaskGolfer.com now: "Who is the greatest golfer of all time?.