USGTF Monthly Newsletter Archives - Page 64 of 139 - United States Golf Teachers Federation

3 Jul 2018 admin

Northwest, Southeast Region Championships Up Next; Central Championship In August

The USGTF Northwest Region Championship is the next USGTF region championship to be contested, and it will be held Thursday and Friday, July 26-27, at Haggin Oaks golf complex’s MacKenzie Course in Sacramento, California, with region director Bert Jones serving as the host. The entry deadline was July 1, so be sure to follow the results in the next USGTF monthly e-newsletter.

The USGTF Southeast Region Championship will be played Saturday and Sunday, July 28-29 at Shingle Creek Golf Club in Orlando, Florida, one of the city’s premier courses. Shingle Creek, and Arnold Palmer design, is always in excellent shape and will provide an enjoyable test for all participants. All WGTF members in good standing, regardless of residence, are eligible to play. A prize fund of $1,000 and the Southeast Trophy is assured with a field of 12 players, and divisions by age will be offered. It is also a good opportunity to catch up with fellow members and plan future events for the section. The entry deadline is July 15. If you have any questions, contact Mike Stevens at ams1127@msn.com. The entry fee is $185 and entries should be sent to the USGTF National Office at USGTF, 1295 SE Port St. Lucie Blvd., Port St. Lucie FL, 34952, or you may call the office at (888) 346-3290.

The USGTF Central Region Championship will be held at Pine Knob Golf Club in Clarkston, Michigan, on Saturday and Sunday, August 4-5, with region director Brent Davies serving as the host. The first tee time Saturday will be at 12:00 noon and 10:00 a.m. on Sunday. The entry fee of $199 is for two days of golf, cart, range, prize money, and lunch after the Sunday round, with monies paid out on the gross and net two-day totals. Practice rounds will be available after 1:00 p.m. on Friday, August 3, for $40. To enter, please send your $199 entry fee to: Brent Davies, 5223 Parview Dr., Clarkston, MI 48346.

Pine Knob is an upscale public course with 27 holes, tree-lined fairways, water, bunkers, great greens, and is an outstanding place to play. Hotel deals will be available at the Olde Mill Inn of Clarkston (some may remember this location from the 2015 Kelly Cup), a rustic lakefront look with an up-north feel. These rooms will go very, very fast! Participants will need to call (248) 623-0300 or go online at www.oldemillinnofclarkston.com to book. One-person rooms start at $65, two-person rooms at $85, and it is not too early to book. Clarkston is located 45 miles northwest of Detroit right off I-75; a 75-minute drive from the Blue Water Bridge; 60 minutes from Windsor, and 90 minutes from Toledo.

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3 Jul 2018 admin

Special Offers – By Members For Members

Jack McCullars, a longtime USGTF teaching professional, is the founder and owner of International Golf Adventures, a provider of custom golf vacations in the USA and around the world. “I was with Jack on an amazing trip to Morocco more than 15 years ago. The following offers for our members include free places with their groups for Winter 2018-19.” – Geoff Bryant, USGTF president.

USA – St. Augustine and World Golf Village

* 8 days / 7 nights / 5 rounds of golf * USGTF pro travels FREE with 11 paying golfers * Two lodging options – The Residences villa/condos at World Golf Village or a good 4-star hotel in downtown St. Augustine * Golf including carts and preferential guaranteed tee times at Slammer & Squire GC, St John´s Golf & CC, Eagle Landing (including lunch & 2 beers), The Palencia GC, King & Bear GC (only Palmer/Nicklaus co-design in the world) * Visit to World Golf Hall of Fame and entry in par-3 contest * Prices start at $1,259 based on 11 paying golfers + 1 USGTF pro free of charge * Optional golf available at nearby courses, including TPC Sawgrass

MOROCCO

– This offer includes free flights with Royal Air Maroc (RAM), as well as golf and lodging. With 7 paid golfers, USGTF/WGTF pro including flight is free of charge. With 11 paid golfers, pro’s partner is also free of charge. Program includes:

* Lodging, breakfast, and evening meal at the 5-star Amphitrite Palace Hotel * Golf at a choice of 9 regional courses, including Royal Golf Dar Es Salaam, host of the Moroccan Open * All transfers airport / hotel / golf * 7 days / 6 nights / 4 rounds start at 899 €. Shorter and longer stays available. * RAM flights available from JFK, D.C., Montreal, Quebec, most major European cities. Free flights subject to confirmation at the time of booking. * 4-star hotel option also available with this offer

SPAIN & PORTUGAL

– Many choices available for our European members, including options with free stays for those who bring 7 or more paying golfers.

For more information, write to Jack at usgtf@internationalgolfadventures.com, call 888-99-PLAYGOLF, or visit www.internationalgolfadventures.com.

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3 Jul 2018 admin

Editorial – Mickelson Ruling Exposes Rules Confusion

By now, most of you have certainly seen Phil Mickelson putting a moving ball back up the hill on Shinnecock Golf Club’s 13th green during the third round of the U.S. Open. For making a stroke at a moving ball, the USGA penalized Mickelson two strokes under Rule 14-5, which prohibits such an act. Most people who thought Mickelson should have been disqualified believed he was guilty of a serious breach of Rule 1-2 (which says, in part, “A player must not take an action with the intent to influence the movement of a ball in play” by stopping or deflecting a moving ball). Certainly, Mickelson did stop the ball from rolling. The penalty for the breach of this rule is two strokes, although a serious breach, deemed when a player has gained a significant advantage, means disqualification.

However, there is a caveat. Exception #1 to Rule 1-2 explicitly says, “An action expressly permitted or expressly prohibited by another Rule is subject to that other Rule, not Rule 1-2.” So, we have to go to Mickelson’s action, which was to make a stroke at a moving ball, and see if another rule covers that. Since that is expressly prohibited and covered by Rule 14-5, the exception to Rule 1-2 itself says, in other words, we can now forget about anything Rule 1-2 says, nothing in Rule 1-2 can be applied, and go to the other Rule.

Others thought that Rule 33-7, where the Committee has two provisions to disqualify a player, could have been used. One says the Committee can DQ a player in an exceptional case, and the other allows a DQ for a serious breach of etiquette. One can argue that Mickelson’s case was exceptional, but the fact is a player making a stroke at a moving ball was already contemplated, thus the reason for Rule 14-5. As for a serious breach of etiquette, while Mickelson may have violated professional etiquette, he did not commit a breach of etiquette as the Rules of Golf understand them. That would involve behavior that directly negatively affected one or more competitors, such as yelling in their backswings or taking a gouge out of the green.

In the end, the USGA’s rules committee, headed by Mike Davis (who is likely the most learned and knowledgeable authority in the world when it comes to the Rules of Golf), ruled unanimously that Rule 14-5 applied in this case. It was the correct ruling and in fact a very easy ruling to make, because when it comes to the Rules of Golf, you have to take the verbiage exactly as written, and in this case there was no ambiguity in the rulebook’s language; what seems more “right” or “fair” cannot come into play.

By Mark Harman, USGTF National Course Director

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3 Jun 2018 admin

USGTF Regional News: Golden Takes SW Title, Northeast Championship Up Next

USGTF regional action kicked off this past May, with the Southwest Region Championship up for grabs. Cole Golden from Wichita, Kansas, fired rounds of 74-75 – 149 to take the title at Ridgeview Ranch Golf Course in Plano, Texas. Master Lee and SW Region director and host Bruce Sims finished second at 151, with Vito Cisternino another three shots back. Other regional championships are fast approaching:

Northeast – The USGTF Northeast Region Championship will be held Friday, June 15, at Mountain View Golf Course in West Windsor Township, New Jersey. The Northeast championship regularly draws the largest number of participants of any USGTF regional event with over 40 players. All WGTF members, regardless of residence or level of membership, are eligible to play. For more information, please contact Northeast Region director Bob Corbo at (609) 580-5997 or through email at bcgolfcoach@gmail.com. The entry fee is $165 and includes golf and prizes. Participants will play from separate tees based on age and gender.

Northwest – The USGTF Northwest Region Championship will be held Thursday and Friday, July 26-27, at Haggin Oaks golf complex’s MacKenzie Course in Sacramento, California, with region director Bert Jones serving as the host. The entry fee of $199 includes golf and prize money, and division play will be based on the number of entrants. To enter, send your name, age, gender, telephone number, email address and a check for $199 to Bert Jones, USGTF NW Region Director, 9722 Rim Rock Circle, Loomis CA, 95650. The entry deadline is July 1.

Southeast – The USGTF Southeast Region Championship will be held Saturday and Sunday, July 28-29, at Shingle Creek Golf Club in Orlando, Florida, with region director Mike Stevens serving as the host. Shingle Creek Golf Club was designed by the Arnold Palmer Design Company. Senior golf course architect Thad Layton says, “We set out to do something resolutely different at Shingle Creek. Orlando is a golf town and our backyard. As such, we sought to build a golf course that would inspire and challenge every type of golfer. Through a hands-on approach and countless hours on site, we handcrafted a golf course with design features reminiscent of some of the finest classic golf courses in the world.”

A prize fund of $1,000 and the Southeast Trophy is assured with a field of 12 players, and divisions by age will be offered. It is also a good opportunity to catch up with fellow members and plan future events for the section. The entry deadline is July 15. If you have any questions, contact Mike Stevens at ams1127@msn.com. The entry fee is $185 and entries should be sent to the USGTF National Office at USGTF, 1295 SE Port St. Lucie Blvd., Port St. Lucie FL, 34952, or you may call the office at (888) 346-3290.

Central – The 2018 USGTF Central Region Championship will be held at Pine Knob Golf Club in Clarkston, Michigan, on Saturday and Sunday, August 4-5, with region director Brent Davies serving as the host. The first tee time Saturday will be at 12:00 noon and 10:00 a.m. on Sunday. The entry fee of $199 is for two days of golf, cart, range, prize money, and lunch after the Sunday round, with monies paid out on the gross and net two-day totals. Practice rounds will be available after 1:00 p.m. on Friday, August 3, for $40. To enter, please send your $199 entry fee to: Brent Davies, 5223 Parview Dr., Clarkston, MI 48346.

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