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How does Tiger Woods play golf?
If you don’t know, you may be interested in winning the glossy table top book "Tiger Woods: How I play Golf" published by Golf Digest. It’s a great book valued at $49.95. For your chance to win, click here now. MORE >>
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Golf Victoria & The Island special
Check us out in November and December for the 3rd Annual Golf Victoria and Vancouver Island Special Issue called "From Sea to green". The entire issue is devoted to golfing during the off-season. There are reviews of the Island courses, tips about saving money on green fees, contests and how to dress for the weather.
With border hassles, the value of the CDN dollar, the American political situation and especially the costs of health care for traveling abroad, BC is becoming a great alternative for Saskatchewan golfers during the off-season.
Contest winner announced !
Thank you for the hundreds of entries to the 3rd annual contest organized by Tourism Saskatchewan and SaskGolfer.com. The winner of a golfing holiday to Days Inn at Saskatoon and the Moon Lake Golf and Country Club is Bev Amendt of Hepburn, Sask.
Golf exhibit opens
Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame and Museum will run the exhibit Legends of Modern Golf until Jan 31, 2006 at its facility in Regina.
The photographs by Gerald Sprayregen are presented in conjunction with the USGA as part of a tour to only a couple Canadian locations. The photos chronicle Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Greg Norman and Tiger Woods as they play in the U.S. Open, British Open, Ryder Cup and The Masters, among other tournaments during the 1998 and 1999 season.
The images capture the essence of these five golfing great on and off the course. The photos are drawn from Sprayregen’s book Power, Passion, Honor and Glory: Five Heroes of Modern Golf.
Clicking more & more
The Internet has eclipsed radio in popularity among Canadians, according to a recent Ipsos Reid survey. Internet usage has increased 46 per cent in the last three years to 12.7 hours a week, compared to 11 hours spent listening to radio and 14.3 hours in front of a TV, says the survey. It also discovered that among 18-34-year-olds, the Internet is the most favoured medium of all three. In that age group, viewers spend 14.7 hours on the Internet compared to 11.7 hours with radio and 11.6 hours watching TV or 2.5 hours reading newspapers.
First PGA event
A young golfer was playing in his first PGA Tour event. After his practice round he noticed a beautiful young lady by the clubhouse. He went up to her, began talking, and convinced her to come back to his hotel room for the night. All through the night they made wild love together. In the morning, the woman woke up and arose from bed. The man said, "Please don't go. I love you and I want you to stay with me." The woman replied, "You don't understand...I'm a hooker." The man said, "That's no problem, you probably just have too strong a grip."
Our apologies
You can’t live with computers and you can’t live without them, the saying goes. During the five-year existence of SaskGolfer.com – it operates 24 hours a day and 365 days a year – we’ve had only a couple minor disruptions of a few hours or a day. Earlier this month, the server and the backup server had a major crash and SaskGolfer.com was down for several days – think New Orleans. For that we apologize to our viewers and advertisers. Our server contractor has taken steps to ensure it doesn’t happen again. Contracts have been extended to make up for the loss of airtime.
Amen Corner
"If you’re playing well, they could probably put the pin on the cart path and you’d get it close."
- Mike Sullivan
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Blue collar golf thrives here in Saskatchewan
The fall is a perfect time to try out a new course – courses are less crowded and conditions are usually very good. Consider that Saskatchewan probably qualifies as the municipal golf course hotbed of Canada/
The province, after all, is made from a different mold than most provinces. There’s endless prairie in the south and more than 100,000 lakes in the north. It’s the home of the Mounties and medicare. There’s plenty of wheat, uranium, potash, and even something called the Synchrotron, a high-speed contraption that splits atoms. It also likes its golf, blue collar.
Golfers have their choice of nine city-owned, full-length tracks - Regina, Saskatoon, Prince Albert, North Battleford, Lloydminster, Yorkton, Swift Current and Moose Jaw. There are other municipal courses in the larger communities but they are located in regional parks.
When you play municipal golf courses, it’s straight-up. There are no chatty course starters with a weather report, or sauna and a massage to soothe the soul at the end of your round. The best bet for a meal is often a beer and a burger. But, there’s good golf for everyone, from first-timers to scratch handicappers, at a reasonable price. Golfers should expect to pay about $30 to $35 for a round at the friendly municipal golf courses in Saskatchewan.
Holiday Park Golf Course, Saskatoon
At one point in the 1980s, Holiday Park Golf Course in Saskatoon was the busiest in Canada registering more than 90,000 rounds. These days, Holiday Park and the Executive 9 track beside the main course are showing their wear-and-tear after several years of tight city budgets and harsh winters.
But they still manage to be perennial favorites with local duffers. Not unlike other municipal courses, they are easily accessible for a large number of golfers. The main course is set in a beautiful, mature urban forest with the South Saskatchewan River and valley in view from several holes. You will find a mixture of spruce, willow, maple and poplar trees around the 200-acre layout.
Stretching from 5,704 to 6,536 yards off the tips, the par-72 layout is user- friendly for all levels of golfers. Most of the holes are forgiving, with wide fairways and a lot of the brush cleared around the trees. An exception is the five nifty par-3s, which demand more accuracy. The Signature Hole is the classic 5th, a 201-yard hole protected by forest on both sides and a nasty little pond off the left edge. Ph. (306) 975-3325
Hillcrest Sports Centre, Moose Jaw
For nearly100 years, the Hillcrest Sports Centre in Moose Jaw has satisfied golfers from around the province. This classic prairie valley course has hosted numerous provincial events because of its memorable up-and-down the valley layout. Hillcrest measures 6,324 yards from the tips favoring the accurate shot-maker. While relatively short in length, the course is heavily treed with tight landing areas, and features dramatic elevation changes (slope 116).
Off-course, there’s lots to do in Moose Jaw. The city has undergone a tourist boom as a result of the opening of the Moose Jaw Temple Gardens Spa and Casino complex, the Al Capone tunnels, a new Cultural Centre, renovations to the historical downtown area, and the annual Snowbird Air Show. www.hillcrestsportscentre.com Ph. (306) 693-1921
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Tor Hill and Murray Golf Courses, Regina
In Regina, the 27-hole track at Tor Hill has always been one of the most popular courses in the province, and while a public course, it has all the features of a country club. Golfers are challenged by well-treed fairways, several water hazards, and well-bunkered greens with very subtle breaks. In the spring of 2003, this marquee course expanded to 27 holes.
The new 3,354-yard expansion is distinct from the old 18, rolling through stately pine trees with many elevation changes. It has two par 3s, two par 5s and five par 4s. At 612 yards off the blues to a raised green, Hole #2 is one of the most challenging par 5's in the province. The dogleg left par 4 sixth - a signature hole reminiscent to those at Waskesiu Golf Course - features a devilish drop from the tee to a small landing area with a second shot to a well-guarded, elevated green.
The Stanley Thompson- inspired Tor Hill boasts an impressive 11,000-square foot full-service clubhouse complete, new driving range, and a short game and practice putting green. www.drivetheball.com Ph. (306) 777-7100
Murray Golf Course, the location of many professional events, is only a few minutes down the road from Tor Hill in King’s Park. Canadian golfing great Moe Norman once said "it’s the best course in Western Canada."
This 6,700-yard links-style track requires that you hit every club in the bag through the rolling terrain. The many elevation changes and picturesque views have made Murray a local favorite. There’s also a large, full-service clubhouse at Murray with restaurant, lounge and a new outside deck area. www.drivetheball.com, Ph. (306) 777-7739
Deer Park Golf Course, Yorkton
Situated just west of Yorkton, player-friendly Deer Park Golf Course is set in an attractive parkland setting. When the Clubhouse comes into view after leaving the main road, golfers are greeted by a hilltop view with rolling terrain, heavily wooded areas and four ponds.
Since the 1920s when Deer Park was established and developed into one of the provinces’ top courses, the 6,082-yard venue has hosted every major local tournament and various provincial competitions.
A three-year, nearly $1 million upgrade of the par-72 course was recently completed. The signature hole 8th takes steady nerves to hit a well-guarded green from an elevated tee. www.golfdeerpark.com, Ph. (306) 786-1711
North Battleford Golf and Country Club
One of Saskatchewan's most scenic courses, the 18 holes at North Battleford Golf and Country Club offers challenging golf and breath-taking views of the Saskatchewan River Valley.
In order to make par on this traditional public course, the layout requires golfers to be patient and exercise course management. There are stimulating holes for golfers, judging by the vital stats.
The men's par is 72 and ladies 74, stretching 6,638 yards off the tips with a slope as high as 119. The signature holes, 11, 12 and 13 are North Battleford's version of the renowned Amen Corner at Augusta. www.battlefords.com/golf Ph. (306) 937-5659
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Cooke Municipal Golf Course, Prince Albert
The friendly Cook Municipal Golf Course in Prince Albert is one of the best loved in the province and a frequent provincial or national tournament location. The traditional, well-treed track will have you using every club in your bag by the end of the round. It stretches to 6,509, par-72 off the tips, with a slope of 122.
At almost 100-years-old, Cooke features has a variety of short and long holes, doglegs, testy par-3s – and greens that tend to be large. The most interesting green is on the finishing hole, where golfers who miss hit their approach shot will need to putt around a sizeable mound on the right side of the green. www.cookegolf.com, Ph. (306) 763-2502
Lloydminster Golf and Country Club
The Lloydminster Golf and Country Club course is considered one of the most relaxing and pleasurable courses in Saskatchewan. The course is lauded for its quality course conditions and is picked as one of the top courses and tournament sites.
Located a stone’s throw from the Alberta border, its 7,000-yard championship layout is well-treed throughout, featuring lush fairways and high quality greens. Water is in play on more than half of the holes and many bunkers are placed to guard landing areas and greens. Holes 4 and 16 - both picturesque par 3s over water - are considered the signature holes. www.lloydminstergolfclub.com Ph. (306) 825-5494
Chinook Golf Course, Swift Current
Chinook’s 6,462-yard, par 71 golf course is located on the south-side of Swift Current along a bend in the Swift Current Creek. The traditional course benefits from the frequent appearance of Chinooks blowing in from Alberta and a full irrigation system that helps keep the course in good playing condition throughout the golf season.
Beside the creek, Horseshoe Lake sits in the middle of this municipal course. The front nine is tighter demanding more accuracy, while the back nine is more open. With water coming into play on about nine holes, make sure your bag is stocked with balls before starting. The course is frequented by ducks, geese, pelicans, beavers, and a few deer. www.city.swift-current.sk.ca, Ph. (306) 778-2776
Around Saskatchewan Links
During September, a civic workers labour disruption at the City of Regina was closed for several weeks at Tor Hill, Murray, Goulet, Lakeview and Regent par 3, courses. Golfers have been frequenting other local and regional courses... Lindsay Bernakevitch of Regina finished 69th on the Canadian Tour this year earning $6,436. This year he was non-exempt meaning he could play if someone dropped out of a tournament. It was good enough to earn full-exempt status on the Canadian Tour in 2006...
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Trouble getting off the beach?
See Yourself in the Clubface:
One of the keys to getting out of greenside bunkers is to keep the clubface "open." When you close the face, you get a lower trajectory and the club tends to dig in the sand.
Here's a trick to help you achieve this: Imagine that the clubface is a mirror, and that you're going to see your reflection in it at the finish of your sand shot. This will ensure that you take the club all the way to eye level and that you've kept it open all the way to the finish. Good luck!
"Splash" Some Sand:
Next time you're in a bunker, focus on sliding a thin "divot" of sand from under the ball and onto the green. Open the clubface a few degrees (clockwise) and line up slightly to the left. "Splash" the sand toward the target and the ball will follow!
Make a Steep Swing in the Sand:
This drill helps you get a feel for taking the club back in a more upright plane out of the bunker. By taking the club back more abruptly, you increase your chances of getting under the ball properly and impacting the sand more precisely.
Have a friend stand behind you in the sand and place a rake about two feet behind your ball--holding it in approximately a 45-degree angle. The goal here is to get you to swing up the rake handle and feel as though your plane is steeper than that of a normal swing. Take several swings like this and soon you'll hit high, soft shots from the bunker.
Fairway Bunker Shot:
When taking on this shot be sure the club you are using has sufficient loft to get the ball over the front lip of the bunker. You do not want to strike the ball perfectly only to see it smash into the face of the bunker and dribble back to your feet.
If you are to hit your ball 150 yards out of a bunker towards the green you must catch it cleanly, that means removing as little sand as possible. In order to catch the ball cleanly just below its equator, you should stand tall and grip a couple of inches down the handle. Also, don’t shuffle your feet down into the sand as you would for greenside bunker shots where you are trying to hit the sand before the ball.
Try to remain on the surface. Play the ball an inch further back in your stance that normal to help guarantee you catch the ball, not the sand. Keep the swing short and quiet-that means a smooth takeaway and no lunges from the top of the backswing-and pick the ball off the top.
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