I was butchering the little tee shot at Pebble Beach (No. 7), so let's put the "big dog" in our hands and try hitting the fairway on No. 17 at St. Andrews! I had been YANKING everything left on the range, so I wasn't confident going in. At least I was fairly confident I wouldn't take out any windows at the hotel to the right!
Friday, April 30, 2021
Dragonfly Golf Announces Special Summer Pricing of 30% Off its Mobile 3D Motion Capture System Packages
(ORLANDO, FL) – Dragonfly Golf, the next generation of high-performance sports technology, is offering a special summer promotion of 30% off of its mobile 3D motion capture system packages. The promotion runs from now through July 31, 2021.
The Dragonfly Golf system is the next generation of high-performance sports technology that delivers a mobile 3D motion capture system, in-depth performance analysis and real-time feedback. The system enables remote coaching from anywhere in the world through a proprietary 18-sensor smart suit and digital player and coaching apps that offer golfers and coaches the benefits of 3D technology. It translates a host of previously invisible data into practical yet powerful insights via hundreds of performance metrics, 360-degree visibility and instant feedback via a smartphone.
“Our award-winning technology is a world's first,” said David Stephens, CEO, Guided Knowledge. “It moves 3D motion capture training from the sports lab to the course to help golfers measure and understand their performance in real-world competitive environments and at a fraction of the cost of a 3D motion capture studio or other comparable technologies. In celebration of the start of the golf season, we are pleased to offer this special 30% discount for a limited time.”
The Dragonfly Golf System includes player and coach apps which are enabled by a comfortable 18-sensor base layer smart suit that makes the motion capture experience easy, repeatable, accurate and reliable. The suit allows golfers to have the freedom to play golf and practice without being tethered to a computer while capturing the entire human form in 3D, not just the upper body or limb segments.
Dragonfly Golf empowers golfers to play their best by training smarter, not harder. The system allows you to:
- Measure your swing performance on the course or indoors
- Enable your coach to coach and support you from any location
- Quickly blueprint your swing to pinpoint your areas of development or consistency to speed up the learning curve.
- Get instant, actionable feedback to inform purposeful practice.
- Qualify and compare the “swing feel” v. reality to reinforce motor patterns and ultimately accelerate performance.
- Share your swing data in real-time with your coach to collaborate anytime, anywhere.
- Put the power of a state-of-the-art sports science motion capture studio in the palm of your hand to improve your golf game.
Dragonfly Golf currently offers a Player Package for the player who wants their own system to improve their game, while working with their own coach. A new Club Package will be released next month for a golf club, golf academy or head pro who wants to offer multiple customers a 3D lesson.
For more information, visit www.dragonflygolf.guidedknowledge.com.
Thursday, April 29, 2021
Sentosa Golf Club Aiming to Become World’s First Carbon Neutral Golf Club
Singapore’s preeminent golf club embarks on the race to carbon neutrality
(Sentosa Golf Club, Singapore) — Sentosa Golf Club, regarded as one of the world’s most sustainable sporting venues, has today announced a commitment to become the world’s first ever carbon neutral golf club by 2022.
The announcement comes during Sentosa Golf Club’s hosting of the HSBC Women’s World Championship, dubbed ‘Asia’s Major’, where 69 of the world’s best players are set to battle it out on The Tanjong.
Contributions from golf rounds over the next 12 months will be set aside to support the purchase of certified carbon offsets through regional Forestry or Blue Carbon projects, that will sequester atmospheric carbon while defending against deforestation and fostering conservation of forests, mangroves and reefs.
This latest goal builds on the Club’s various carbon mitigation measures over the past few years, including achieving Singapore’s Green Mark (Platinum) certification through enhancing the energy efficiency of its clubhouse, the first in the region to introduce lithium battery golf carts and increasing the efficiency of its irrigation system by deploying some 1,200 water saving sprinklers across the golf courses.
The Club has already undertaken the important first step of establishing its carbon footprint against the Green House Gas Protocol, in conjunction with Sentosa Development Corporation’s (SDC) island-wide carbon profiling efforts and GEO Foundation, the international non-profit dedicated entirely to inspiring, supporting, and recognising sustainable golf.
Moving ahead, the Club will further realise its carbon neutral goal by stepping up its efforts to pursue solutions that will make club operations and grounds maintenance more carbon efficient, including golf equipment and maintenance fleet electrification initiatives and renewable energy sources.
Sentosa Golf Club’s commitment is aligned with SDC’s goals towards sustainability. SDC announced in March 2021 that Sentosa Island would be transformed into a carbon neutral destination by 2030 as a key goal in its sustainability plan, bringing on board some 200 businesses within Sentosa to work towards the collective aspiration of island carbon neutrality.
Having become the first golf club in the world to join the United Nation’s Sports for Climate Action Initiative last year, Andrew Johnston, General Manager / Director of Agronomy and Resident Golf Course Designer at Sentosa Golf Club, commented on the latest pledge saying: “We are excited to set the aspiration to become the first golf club in the world to go carbon neutral. Since joining the United Nation’s Sports for Climate Action initiative in 2020 it has been our goal to become carbon neutral and hopefully inspire others around the world to follow suit.
“The Club is also proud to be aligned with Sentosa Island’s recent commitment to become a carbon neutral destination by 2030 and we are looking forward to working closely with SDC and other businesses on the Island to achieve this goal. Our vision is to deliver a world-class facility of exceptional quality, and our commitment to carbon neutrality will safeguard the Club’s long-term future and allow us to be a model for sustainability in golf worldwide.”
Thien Kwee Eng, Chief Executive Officer at Sentosa Development Corporation, added “Sentosa Development Corporation is excited by Sentosa Golf Club’s commitment to become the world’s first carbon neutral golf club. Golf can act as a catalyst in the fight against climate change and it is great to see one of Singapore’s premier golf clubs leading the way in reducing carbon emissions. The Club’s sustainability agenda is closely linked to that of the Island’s, and we are looking forward to working alongside the Club as we progress towards achieving Sentosa’s goal to be carbon neutral by 2030.”
This announcement is the latest in a long list of sustainable initiatives and commitments made by Sentosa Golf Club since the launch of its newest environmental campaign, GAME ON, at the 2020 SMBC Singapore Open. The campaign is designed to help educate and illustrate to the wider golfing community how important modern sustainable practices are for the betterment of the environment, acting as inspiration for golf clubs around the world to make changes to reduce their own carbon footprint.
Sentosa Golf Club intends to continue developing its sustainable initiatives in 2021 by installing two food and horticultural waste digesters to limit carbon emissions by grinding down waste on-site and reusing it as fertiliser on its two championship courses.
The Club also continues to explore alternative energy solutions such as solar, as well as other sustainable food produce options, whilst its collaboration with GEO Foundation aims to pioneer new innovative practices and report credible results to share with other golfing organizations around the world.
For more information on Sentosa Golf Club visit www.sentosagolf.com.
Golf Heritage Society Names Glenn Haueisen to Board of Directors
(PITTSBURGH, Pa.) – The Golf Heritage Society (GolfHeritage.org) announced the appointment of Glenn Haueisen to its Board of Directors. Haueisen will serve as the Director of Region 4, which includes Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas.
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| Glenn Haueisen |
Haueisen played collegiately at the University of Nevada–Las Vegas. A retired U.S. Army officer, he also is a retired vice president of international sales at Allied Healthcare Products.
Haueisen is a member of the USGA rating teams in Texas and Ohio and has been an announcer/starter for several Korn Ferry Tour tournaments annually for the past 14 years. A longtime GHS member, he has extensive collections of modern classic persimmons and pre-1900-play clubs and hickories, as well as autographed balls and books.
For information or to join the GHS, visit GolfHeritage.org.
Newly Opened PGA National Czech Republic is a Trailblazer in Environmentally Sustainable Golf
The Troon International managed property highlights its environmental credentials
(Prague, Czech Republic) — PGA National Czech Republic at Oaks Prague continues to make a stamp on the industry with the release of its inspiring and extensive sustainability practices. The Troon-managed venue opened to impressive feedback in the summer of 2020 when it was awarded Europe’s Best Golf Course at the 2020 World Golf Awards.
Having opened less than a year ago, the PGA National Czech Republic has had sustainability at the forefront of their strategy from the start with impressive initiatives in place, as part of GEO’s Oncourse program for sustainability, aimed to increase biodiversity, promote sustainable turfgrass, prevent pollution, reduce energy consumption and recycle all materials.
As land managers of 104 hectares, the team has embraced their responsibility when it comes to environmental care, by playing their part in helping address issues that are important to the local community and industry stakeholders. The team have added 23.15 hectares of natural habitat in the last year to have 76% of their land as undisturbed to promote biodiversity.
The preference of a natural habitat, reducing the amount of maintained turf on the land immensely benefits their sustainable practices across the board. Firstly, it means a reduction in the use of fertilizers, chemicals and irrigation due to a reduced turf area. With the turfgrass there is, it is a priority to manage grasses that are best adapted to the local climate and soils, in turn, reducing artificial substances needed to ensure the grass is strong and healthy. Naturalising out-of-play areas on the course has also helped to reduce energy consumption through less irrigation pumping and machinery fuel costs.
Another major goal is to avoid sending waste to landfill, which means finding ways to reduce, reuse and recycle all materials. Through avoiding single-use plastic products such as bottled water, straws and cups, the team are able to successfully recycle 100% of plastic, 90% metal, 90% of paper/cardboard and 100% of grass clippings are sent to compost. Other impressive figures to have come out of the last year includes a commitment to 100% of irrigation water being captured from the on-course drainage system filtering rainwater.
Finally, community outreach is an essential practice within their strategy, recognising the importance of having a wider positive impact in the local area. The core purpose is to serve the community by providing active recreation and skilled employment to the benefit of people’s physical and mental health. The team look for innovative ways to make the property accessible to non-golfers; work in partnership with local organisations, promote life-long volunteering; and to support local charities. Community and health initiatives have led to 16 hours of volunteering by staff, 50% use of local suppliers, two charity initiatives, 99% of all golf rounds walked, and almost 51,000 hours spent in nature by golfers last year.
Jordan Fairweather, Golf Course Superintendent & Head of Estate Management at PGA National Czech Republic, commented on the sustainability practices: “In typical Troon fashion, we hold ourselves to the highest standards at the PGA National Czech Republic, recognising our responsibility in implementing sustainability practices for the local community, the longevity of the golf industry and all stakeholders. We are proud of our professional staff who carry this work through a wide range of carefully planned and implemented operations, supported by many special projects and events, often involving expert advisors and partners.”
Simon Doyle, Director of Agronomy in Europe for Troon International, added: “At Troon, finding ways to reduce our inputs whilst producing great golf course conditions is at the forefront of our minds, and it is great to see our team at PGA National Czech Republic, Oaks Prague, doing this and so much more!”
The next goal for PGA National Czech Republic is to attain GEO certification, the most credible and respected mark of sustainability in golf worldwide. They will be able to apply for this upon the completion of the clubhouse which is the final stage of the clubs opening.
More Than Six Dozen Top Instructors are Part of Newly Launched Golf Institute
(FARMINGDALE, N.Y.) – More than six dozen of golf’s leading teachers have united to create the most complete, diverse and affordable golf instruction website and app the industry has ever seen.
The Golf Institute offers everything from quick tips, to a schedule of live classes, to on demand one-on-one lessons from golf instructors across the country. Some of the tips are free of charge. Other elements of The Golf Institute are pay as you go. Golfers can also subscribe for $19.95 monthly and take advantage of the hundreds of learning opportunities provided.
The Golf Institute is the brainchild of Kelley Brooke, Director of Golf at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, NY, and the 2018 LPGA Golf Professional of the Year. A protégé of Butch Harmon, Brooke felt the need for quality virtual instruction once COVID-19 took hold of the country a year ago.
“During Covid we needed to pivot our ‘in-person’ golf program,” said Brooke. “The pros at Bethpage and I produced about 150 lectures, assignments, troubleshooting and homework videos and put them online. Then I recruited over 70 teaching professionals to join in. Many of them are award-winning instructors: Golf Digest Top 50, PGA Professionals of the Year, former Tour players, Solheim Cup captains. It’s an impressive list. Now we have over 240 free instruction videos on site.”
All aspects of golf are covered on the Golf Institute site, including fitness. There are general workout videos, as well as workouts geared toward specific areas of your game. You can learn what to eat and how to stay properly hydrated. You can become a better putter, a deadly wedge player, a superb shot-maker and add distance to your tee ball. There are videos to elevate your mental game and ones to assist in course management. The options are nearly endless.
“This is truly one-stop shopping in regards to golf instruction,” said Brooke. “Beginners can find everything they need to eventually feel comfortable stepping onto a golf course. Mid- to high-handicappers have enough resources here to take strokes off their score. And advanced players can sharpen specific aspects of their games.”
The Premium Membership package, which runs $19.95 monthly, includes:
- Live classes with award-winning golf professionals
- Discounted private lessons
- On Demand classes
- Enrollment into the One Line Golf Academy
- Fitness Video Lessons
- Mental Game Videos
- Printable handouts
- Discounts on all Pro Shop purchases
The Golf Institute has the added benefit of developing new golfers, a constant goal of everyone involved in the industry.
“I would like for TGI to become the Peloton of golf, where we are bringing golf into people’s homes in a more affordable and efficient way,” said Brooke. “You don’t have to spend $150 an hour to learn golf. You can learn it on your own time and in the comfort of your own home, within your budget.”
Visit www.thegolfinstitute.com for more information.
Wednesday, April 28, 2021
Omni La Costa Resort & Spa Welcomes Fausty Golf to its Award-Winning Golf Performance Institute
Golf Swing and Mobility Coach Ryan Faust Will Help Golfers Pick Up Significant Swing Speed
(Carlsbad, CA) – Omni La Costa Resort & Spa, Southern California’s premier golf and luxury resort destination, has added speed and mobility coach Ryan Faust and his Fausty Golf Training program to its famed Golf Performance Institute, which was recently named among the “Best Golf Schools and Academies” in Golf Digest’s 2021 Editors’ Choice awards. Fausty Golf will complement the Performance Institute’s array of golf offerings that include instruction, RoboGolfPro swing training, Dave Pelz Scoring Game School, Roger Fredericks Golf Instruction and Flexibility Programs, a dedicated golf fitness program and True Spec club fitting.
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| Ryan Faust |
“I utilize TPI’s golf body assessment with every golfer I work with,” says Faust. “It gives us a really good foundation baseline of what limitations each golfer has within his or her ‘golf body’ and that's what we build a plan upon. Whether they're working with me from just a pure golf fitness perspective or a pure speed perspective, or a combination of both, we go through that screening, and that gives us a really good efficient plan to move forward. I’m helping people add clubhead speed and gain efficiencies with their swing through the various tools I utilize.”
With his set-up, Faust is located on the La Costa practice range near top-rated instructor A.J. Avoli. He offers various individual sessions and packages. And as we purchase more product that individual session price goes down a little bit. He even offers a remote program, for golfers who are unable to physically visit the resort.
“We’re so excited to welcome Ryan to the Golf Performance Institute,” says Dustin Irwin, PGA Club Director at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa. “His speed training program adds another outstanding option to take your game to the next level. His ability to communicate with students and help them gain significant clubhead speed, mobility, flexibility and distance meshes well with everything else we offer here.”
Faust enjoys his new setting, specifically citing the energetic vibe of the famed resort. “Everybody is so happy here,” he says. “Guests are on vacation, we've got two championship golf courses that members and guests can play, and the facility is amazing. But mostly, I’m excited to be able to help people,” he adds.
For more information on how FaustyGolf can help golfers, visit faustygolf.com.
TGA Premier Sports Named A Top Low-Cost Franchise by Entrepreneur
Acclaimed youth business breaks down golf's barrier to entry.
(Los Angeles, CA) — TGA Premier Sports (TGA), the go-to brand for introducing children to sports and the nation’s most prolific provider of in-school- and community-based youth golf enrichment and camp programs, has been recognized as a top low-cost franchise by Entrepreneur. Ranked at No. 78, TGA is among those top franchises on Entrepreneur’s 2021 list that can be started for less than $50,000.
This esteemed compilation acknowledges franchise opportunities available for limited budgets, and the companies are positioned based on the scores they received in Entrepreneur’s 2021 Franchise 500 ranking – a comprehensive analysis that looked at 150+ data points in the areas of costs and fees, size and growth, franchisee support, brand strength, and financial strength and stability. TGA has been ranked in Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500 since 2011.
“Having TGA included on this list is a testament to our franchise business owners who work hard every day to grow golf participation, and build a fulfilling career in their local community,” says Joshua Jacobs, CEO of TGA Premier Sports. “We’ve worked hard to drive the value proposition and infrastructure we provide our franchises, and the experience we deliver to our juniors and their families."
TGA (Teach, Grow, Achieve) has become one of the nation’s most impactful developers of community-based golf programs for kids ages five to 13. TGA has progressive levels for participants to graduate that sets the foundation for children to transition to other national golf initiatives, like Drive, Chip and Putt, PGA Junior League, LPGA*USGA Girls Golf, and Youth on Course, creating a pathway to becoming lifelong golfers. TGA will reach its one-millionth student in 2022.
TGA believes “Sports Change Lives” and its franchise owners bring a “think globally but act locally” mantra to their businesses. TGA’s golf programming is designed to create a passion for sport at an early age and encourage today’s youth to Keep Playing!.
For more information about TGA Premier Sports, visit www.playtga.com or follow @TGA_Sports on Twitter.
Treat Mom Like a VIP with the Women's Golf Day Collection
From Women’s Golf Day VIP Memberships to luxury silk scarves Women’s Golf Day offers all the gifts you need this Mother’s Day
(WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.) — Women’s Golf Day has a great range of gifts for Very Inspired Players this Mother’s Day! The WGD VIP Membership includes a range of exclusive partner offers, amazing free gifts and access to a golf community unlike any other that will help your Mom get the most out of her game. Alternatively treat the Mom in your life to fabulous branded items, luxurious silk scarves or gifts that will help her perfect her golf game.
As well as multiple benefits that include free GolfPASS membership, lessons at PGA TOUR Superstore and giveaways from a huge range of industry partners, the VIP Gold Membership features some fabulous gifts which make it the perfect choice for Mother’s Day including an AHEAD WGD branded hat, a beautiful limited edition 2” x 36” NANO “Heart of a Woman” silk scarf and more. This handmade silk scarf carries Tyler’s WGD heart logo design and the inspirational words that have become the pillars for Women’s Golf Day and its growing community; Engage, Empower, Support.
To find out more about the VIP Membership simply visit https://womensgolfday.com/become-a-member/
As well as the branded items available to purchase direct from Women’s Golf Day website golfers will soon be able to purchase WGD branded merchandise at PGA TOUR Superstores. The capsule collection which features a range of apparel, accessories and branded Titleist golf balls arrives in store and online starting May 10.
Don’t forget Women’s Golf Day will take place this year on June. We encourage all the Moms and other women to find a location near to them and join an official event in one of our 900 locations across 68 countries around the world. www.womensgolfday.com/locations/
Golfweek Ranks Circling Raven No. 1 Public Course in Idaho
Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort Amenity Stands Alone in National Magazine’s Best-of List
(Worley, Idaho) — Idaho is home to some of the finest, most-beautiful courses in the country, and at the top shines Circling Raven, according to Golfweek raters, the esteemed national publication.
The Gene Bates-designed championship layout is ranked No. 1 in its recently published “Golfweek’s Best 2021.” This marks the 10th time Circling Raven has been recognized as Idaho’s best public golf course by the media outlet’s cadre of raters. To come up with “Golfweek’s Best,” hundreds of Golfweek course raters evaluate courses nationwide annually and score them based on 10 criteria.
Owned by the Coeur d’Alene Tribe and an amenity of its award-winning casino resort in the scenic Idaho panhandle, Circling Raven’s 18 holes are ingeniously routed across 620 stunning acres of Palouse Region terrain. Named for a seminal tribal chief, the course sits amid woodlands, wetlands, and wildlife, including eagles and moose. Nature and reverence for the land are essential to the course and Tribal custom.
“The Tribe’s mission is to empower our people through our enterprises and to pay homage to our ancestors and ancestral homelands,” said Laura Penney, CEO of Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort Hotel. “Circling Raven does both, and we appreciate this objective critical acclaim immensely.”
In addition to being rated No. 1 in Idaho, the course is ranked among the country’s best in the Resort Course, Casino Course and Pro Shop categories. Not resting on its laurels, the course is implementing some enhancements to the practice facility this year in advance of hosting the Circling Raven Championship, a Symetra “Road to the LPGA” Tour event, August 23-29. Top women professionals will vie for their share of the $200,000 prize purse.
Located approximately 55 minutes from Spokane International Airport (GEG), Circling Raven measures 7,189 yards from the rear tees. Many who play Circling Raven, which includes a nationally honored retail shop and the excellent Twisted Earth restaurant with bar, claim it as an immediate member of their all-time best golf experiences.
For more information about Circling Raven and Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort Hotel, including stay-and-play packages, Advantage Cards, and instructional programs, visit www.cdacasino.com or 800-523-2464.
Tuesday, April 27, 2021
A Poor Man's NextLinks
This is a sad Imitation of NextLinks. I need to get out to The Revelry in Phoenix or Indian Wells Golf Resort for Shots in the Night.
PS .. Trying to putt in the dark when you can't see the business end of the putter is harder than expected.
Original Penguin Brand Ambassador Cameron Smith Captures Zurich Classic of New Orleans
Perfect Win. Perfect Clothes. Perfect Fit.
(Miami, FL) — Original Penguin Golf, a division of Perry Ellis International, Inc., congratulates brand ambassador Cameron Smith for winning the 2021 Zurich Classic of New Orleans with partner Marc Leishman for his third PGA Tour victory.
“We congratulate Cameron for sinking the winning putt and another thrilling playoff victory,” said Oscar Feldenkreis, President and CEO of Perry Ellis International. “With three victories now on Tour, all of them in playoffs, Cameron has solidified his position as an international star and one who rises to the occasion when the pressure is the greatest. We are proud to have Cameron as an Original Penguin brand ambassador.”
For the winning week, Cameron wore Original Penguins Spring 2021 collection featuring Original Penguin new Re-Originals sustainable fabrication. These eco-friendly polos are crafted with 30% recycled polyester and use a double knit high gauge fabrication for superior performance and aesthetics. Pairing these elevated materials with OPG’s modern tailored fit, Cameron delivered a winning look on and off the course.
Cameron’s Winning Look
- Thursday-Heritage Blocked Polo (Caviar)/Tech Pant (Pearl Blue)
- Friday-Golf Earl Polo (Black Iris)/Tech Pant (White)
- Saturday-All Over Shrimp Polo/Tech Pant (Black Iris)
- Sunday-Golf Earl Polo (Black Iris)/Tech Pant (White)
“Original Penguin’s functional style fused with enhanced technical features gave Cameron a distinct competitive advantage over the field during a grueling week of championship golf,” added Jeremy Gerson, Vice President of Sports Marketing for Perry Ellis International. “Original Penguin truly is the perfect clothing with the perfect fit while staying true to our mantra: “Be An Original.”
Original Penguin Golf apparel is owned by Perry Ellis International, Inc., a global leader in fashion apparel, and is available at www.OriginalPenguin.com, select retailers and golf courses worldwide.
How to Get the Most Out of Your CBD Experience
You already know that CBD is a great self-care tool to soothe and balance your body and mind, but did you know you can maximize your CBD experience — and your results — even more? We want you to have the best possible experience, so we’re sharing 6 simple ways to get the most from your CBD.
CHOOSE A BRAND YOU TRUST
We’ve said this before, and we’ll say it again because it’s so important — not every CBD brand is created equal. There are currently more than 1,000 CBD brands on the market¹, and they vary widely when it comes to transparency and reliability.
Research shows that nearly 70 percent of CBD products are mislabeled — over 40 percent of tested CBD products were over-labeled (meaning they contained less CBD than they claimed), while over 25 percent were under-labeled (containing more CBD than they claimed)².
At ALTWELL, we triple test every product through third parties, and we pride ourselves on complete transparency with our community...aka YOU. With each product, we provide a certificate of analysis (COA) that shows the CBD content, so you can trust you’re getting a properly labeled and consistent experience. Check out 6 questions to ask yourself before choosing a CBD brand.
MAKE IT A DAILY HABIT
CBD has a cumulative effect, so the longer and more consistently you take it, the more you’ll get from the experience³.
Incorporate CBD into your daily routine by making it a regular part of your schedule — put a reminder in your calendar to take a softgel every morning, add a dropperful of tincture to your coffee or tea, or blend the protein powder into your post-workout smoothie. Once it’s a regular part of your self-care practice for just a couple weeks, it will become second nature.
START LOW & GO SLOW WITH DOSING
If you’re new to CBD, we suggest starting with a low dose and taking that consistently for several days to see how your body responds. From there, you can begin to adjust slowly.
It may take up to a week to begin to feel results. This varies for everyone, so listen to your body as you gradually adjust your dosage to find your personal sweet spot.
FIND YOUR PERFECT FIT
The amazing thing about CBD is that it comes in many different forms, so you can find what works best for you.
Some methods affect your system faster than others. For example, tinctures are absorbed by the sublingual tissue under the tongue, so they have a quick and effective route to the bloodstream. They usually kick in within 5 to 20 minutes, while other ingestibles — gummies, softgels, and protein powder — take about 30 to 60 minutes.
Try out different forms and see what works for your schedule, goals, flavor preferences, and what makes you feel your best.
TRY THE SPECTRUM
There are three main types of CBD — CBD Isolate, Broad Spectrum CBD, and Full Spectrum CBD. We break down the differences between the CBD forms in this post.
Need a quick refresher? ALTWELL only uses Broad Spectrum and Full Spectrum CBD in our products. Broad Spectrum CBD delivers some additional compounds found in the hemp plant, but it undergoes processing to remove the THC component (the main psychoactive compound) to non-detectable levels. Full Spectrum CBD delivers a powerful combination of cannabinoids, terpenes, flavonoids, and trace amounts of THC (less than 0.3%).
If you’ve been using a Broad Spectrum CBD product and you’re not feeling the effects, consider switching it up and trying a Full Spectrum product like our Balance Softgels. They deliver 20mg of Full Spectrum hemp flower extract, derived from hand-picked flower.
COMBINE POWER PLAYERS
On its own, CBD has so many incredible perks to balance your body and mind. You can boost your results even more by choosing products that incorporate other powerful ingredients too.
For example, in addition to CBD, the ALTWELL Restful Sleep Gummies are enhanced with both melatonin and L-theanine to naturally support your body’s optimal sleep cycle. Our Protein Powder combines 20mg of Broad Spectrum CBD with 20 grams of clean, plant-based protein. The duo of CBD and protein supports muscle recovery, replenishes and soothes the body, and helps form lean muscle.
The bottom line is: Make sure you choose a reputable brand you trust to deliver the right dose of each ingredient on a consistent basis.
National Football League Alumni Association to Host First Annual NFL Alumni Draft Pro-Am & Experience at Historic Firestone Country Club
Pro Football Hall of Famers Lawrence Taylor, Anthony Munoz and Steve Largent Among the NFL Legends Scheduled to Participate
(MOUNT LAUREL, N.J.) – The National Football League Alumni Association (NFL Alumni) – the oldest and most recognizable national organization of retired professional athletes – will host the first-annual NFL Alumni Draft Pro-Am & Experience this week at historic Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio.
Taking place April 28-29, the event will feature a 36-hole golf tournament on Firestone’s famed South and North courses, a “chalk talk” at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in nearby Canton, an NFL Draft viewing party and more. This two-day event will benefit the NFL Player Care Foundation, an independent organization dedicated to helping retired NFL players improve their quality of life by providing programs and assistance with medical, emotional, financial, social and community issues.
Pro Football Hall of Famers Lawrence Taylor, Anthony Munoz and Steve Largent headline the list of more than 20 NFL legends scheduled to participate. Each NFL player will captain a team of four amateur golfers as they compete for prizes.
Fans are invited to follow all of the events around the inaugural NFL Alumni Draft Pro-Am & Experience on the NFL Alumni Instagram & Twitter accounts (both are @NFLAlumni).
“We are proud to continue our support of the Player Care Foundation,” said NFL Alumni CEO Beasley Reece. “This official NFL sanctioned event will travel with the NFL Draft as it tours the nation. Please make plans to join us in Las Vegas in 2022 and Kansas City 2023.”
“Our club is honored to be hosting such a distinguished roster of NFL legends and VIPs this week,” said Jay Walkinshaw, general manager, Firestone Country Club. “It will be a wonderful opportunity for our team to highlight Firestone’s exceptional golf history to NFL Alumni members and all our other guests, while featuring our proximity to the Pro Football Hall of Fame and everything it has to offer.”
Considered one of the most revered sites in professional golf – and now open to non-members through stay-and-play experiences – Firestone has welcomed the game’s biggest stars for decades. Its flagship layout, the South Course, has hosted three PGA Championships, numerous World Golf Championships (including eight victories by Tiger Woods) and is the current site of the Bridgestone SENIOR PLAYERS Championship. Not to be outdone, its North Course is a venerable Robert Trent Jones design that has also hosted professional tournaments and ranked among the best in the Buckeye State.
ClubCorp, the owner and operator of Firestone and more than 200 other private clubs around the country, is one of several key partners that helped bring the inaugural NFL Alumni Draft Pro-Am & Experience to life. Others include Buffalo Groupe, Ellison Consulting, GOLFTEC, the Pro Football Hall of Fame and PGA Magazine.
For more information, visit www.nflalumni.org.
Bridgestone Golf Introduces First Tee Edition of e6 Golf Ball
Proceeds to Benefit Respected Charity and Support Efforts to Introduce the Game to a Greater Number of Young People
(COVINGTON, Ga.) — Bridgestone Golf, the #1 Ball-Fitter in Golf, announced today that a special First Tee edition e6 will be available exclusively through PGA Tour Superstore. A portion of the proceeds will go directly to First Tee, a youth development organization that helps kids and teens build their strength of character through golf.
“We’re very pleased to offer this special First Tee edition e6, exclusively at PGA Tour Superstore,” said Dan Murphy, President and CEO, Bridgestone Golf. “For decades, First Tee has done very fine work, helping young people learn and grow through the game of golf, building strong individuals and communities. It is an honor to create a dedicated product where the proceeds from the sales will bolster their charitable endeavors.”
The e6 is the longest running model in Bridgestone’s current lineup and the latest model, new for 2021, features a larger, softer core for an exceptionally pleasing, responsive feel and added distance for moderate swing speed players. The new design, which is specifically tailored to modern players who value a ball that provides a very soft feel at impact, will retail for $21.99/dozen. The unique model that benefits First Tee can be identified by the sticker on the front of the box.
“The e6 works for a wide variety of players with moderate clubhead speeds,” said Elliot Mellow, Golf Ball Marketing Manager, Bridgestone Golf. “It’s our most successful two-piece Surlyn golf ball model to date and has long been popular among players who demand a very soft feel with maximum distance off the tee and enhanced forgiveness on the long- and mid-irons.”
The First Tee edition e6 is available in white and optic yellow and can be found exclusively at PGA Tour Superstores immediately.
For more information on the company’s entire offering of golf balls and for help selecting the right ball for you, visit bridgestonegolf.com.
World-renowned golfer Darren Clarke among legends in this year’s Mitsubishi Electric Classic
One of the most recognizable faces in golf will be joined by David Toms, Rich Beem and more
(ATLANTA) — Golf fans will get to see fan-favorite Darren Clarke at TPC Sugarloaf when Georgia’s only PGA TOUR Champions event returns to Duluth May 10-16.
Clarke recently claimed a second successive PGA TOUR Champions event with a victory at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai in January. This was his first start since he secured his first PGA TOUR Champions win at the TimberTech Championship at Boca Raton in November 2020.
Clarke, along with Ernie Els (who was previously announced as part of this year’s Mitsubishi Electric Classic field) and Jim Furyk, will serve as captains in the new World Champions Cup which will debut in 2022.
“Every spring we’re able to bring our patrons a who’s who of golfing legends, and this year is no exception,” says Monte Ortel, executive director of the Mitsubishi Electric Classic. “Thanks to the amazing facilities and golf history here at TPC Sugarloaf, we continue to draw one of the best PGA TOUR Champions player fields on our Tour.”
In addition to Clarke, golf legends David Toms and Rich Beem are also among the 81 PGA TOUR Champions professionals competing in this year’s event.
Toms, who won the PGA Championship in 2001, has 13 PGA TOUR victories and was the 2018 U.S. Senior Open Championship winner.
Beem won the 2002 PGA Championship with a one-stroke victory over Tiger Woods. He shared the lead through 36 holes with four other players and was three strokes behind Justin Leonard in the final pairing on Sunday. With a 66, Beem became the first final-round, come-from-behind winner in a major since the 1999 Open Championship. This is Beem’s first Mitsubishi Electric Classic.
The remaining field will be released in the coming weeks.
In response to COVID-19, the Mitsubishi Electric Classic is following all State of Georgia and PGA TOUR health guidelines to ensure the safety of athletes, fans, staff and everyone else involved with the tournament.
The 2021 Mitsubishi Electric Classic is scheduled for May 10-16 at TPC Sugarloaf. A limited number of tickets are available for the public to purchase online. Kids 16 and under can attend for free with a ticketed adult, and daily tickets start at just $20.
The Mitsubishi Electric Classic is proud to offer active duty, military reserve, National Guard, military retirees and veterans up to four complimentary tickets (Friday - Sunday) for themselves and their dependents. For more details and to verify your service, visit: https://birdiesforthebrave.sheerid.com/.
For more information, visit: www.mitsubishielectricclassic.com.
Forest Dunes Announces New 10-Hole Short Course Will be Named Bootlegger
The Bootlegger is aptly named for the early 20th Century mafiosos activities on the property
(Roscommon, MI) – Northern Michigan’s Forest Dunes, one of the country’s most acclaimed golf destinations, announces that its new short course will be named Bootlegger. The resort’s latest golf attraction opened for limited preview play last fall and will open full time May 6. The 10-hole, 1,135-yard short course was designed by rising stars Keith Rhebb and Riley Johns.
Situated on a peaceful, rolling bulge of land positioned perfectly between The Loop and Forest Dunes courses and near the spacious clubhouse, pavilion, practice area and massive HillTop Putting Course, the Bootlegger, with fun, strategic holes measuring between 65 and 150 yards, is the new focal point and energetic hot spot for golfers of all ages and skill levels.
The Bootlegger was named in homage to the land where Forest Dunes’ award-winning courses now sit. The property was originally owned by automotive magnate William Durant, founder of General Motors and an iconic figure in early 20th century America. As legend has it, a significant parcel of the land was sold to a group of mafiosos (The Purple Gang) in the 1930s.
Known as the Detroit Partnership (if this sounds familiar, they are a central component in Martin Scorsese’s film The Irishman), these mobsters made their fortunes smuggling alcohol from Windsor, Ontario into Michigan—among other less innocuous practices. The Detroit Partnership flaunted their wealth, and perhaps no more ostentatiously than with the construction of the South Branch Ranch, a temple of intemperance that stood on their recently purchased acreage and was regarded as one of the largest ranches in Michigan’s history.
Rhebb and Johns, who helmed the renovation at Orlando’s Winter Park 9 course, built the course in just 81 days. The two collaborating young architects created a course with entertaining shot values and an unintimidating sense of fun.
“We essentially had carte blanche, which was awesome, and really the only way we could get the project completed in time,” says Rhebb. One of the few requests was to make the course playful––a theme that permeated throughout the design process.
“You don’t often get the chance to get super creative when designing courses, but with Bootlegger we really had the opportunity to have some fun with it. Forest Dunes wanted it to be fun and always engaging, and we were able to express that in the design,” Rhebb adds.
The Bootlegger’s creatively designed greens are constructed to funnel balls toward pin locations, improving the likelihood of ever-elusive holes-in-one, while a few tee shots tempt you to make use of strategic slopes and banks instead of flying it in the air. The greens showcase a variety of subtle shapes, many being bowl-shaped and some resembling catcher’s mitts or tabletops. In addition, music will also be incorporated into the fun with 16 speakers strategically placed throughout the course.
A unique feature on the course will be that holes 1 and 10 are crossover holes. “The land gave us such a great canvas to create something fun that offers a ‘welcoming handshake’ to entry-level players and says ‘this is what golf can be.’ Here you can go out in your flip flops and hit flop shots with a few buddies, try to make an ace on every hole, or use a putter off the tee to try and run one on the green,” says Johns.
Not only does the design lend itself to great on-course fun, its routing also incorporates Forest Dunes’ bustling social scene, with the entire first hole and 10th viewable from the pavilion. “The pavilion is the social hub, it’s where music is playing and people are having drinks, so we wanted to take some of that liveliness and put it into play somehow,” Johns adds.
The prime location of Bootlegger will easily entice guests to play it before or after a round on The Loop or Forest Dunes or any time they’re staying on the resort grounds. Music, bare feet and eightsomes are all fair game on Bootlegger. Rhebb and Johns created an experience that will drive new incredible energy and lasting memories for locals and guests.
Home to the celebrated Tom Weiskopf-designed Forest Dunes course and the innovative reversible Tom Doak layout, The Loop, and the 18-hole two-acre Hilltop Putting Course, Forest Dunes offers one of the most complete and unique golfing destinations for golf aficionados and buddy trips.
To learn more, visit www.forestdunesgolf.com or follow them on Twitter @forestdunesgolf.
The Highland Course at Primland Offers Special Rate to Align with Women’s Golf Day
Good throughout the week of May 31-June 4 (Monday-Friday)
(MEADOWS OF DAN, VIRGINIA) — In conjunction with the Women’s Golf Day (June 1), the Highland Course at Primland is offering females a special $200 playing rate (including tax) during the week of May 31-June 4 (Mon-Fri).
Women’s Golf Day is an annual event celebrating girls and women playing golf and learning lifetime skills.
Set within Primland’s 12,000 acres of Blue Ridge Mountains in Southwest Virginia, The Highland Course ranks among the top 30 public courses in the country according to Golf Digest. The acclaimed course features immaculate conditions, stunning views, no surrounding development, and a masterful layout by Englishman Donald Steel, whose design philosophy highlights nature and golf tradition.
Call 276-222-3827 to reserve a tee time.
For those wishing to expand their Primland experience beyond golf, they can book a stay in one of the boutique luxury resort’s rooms, suites, or cottages. Other activities and amenities include a full-service spa, Observatory for deep-space stargazing, hiking, biking, water sports, RTV trails, family fun, and award-winning food and beverage options.
For more information about Primland, visit Primland.com, or call 866.960.7746.
Monday, April 26, 2021
Newport Country Club Will Host 2024 U.S. Senior Open Championship
Historic Rhode Island club will host its first U.S. Senior Open and first USGA championship since 2006
(LIBERTY CORNER, N.J.) – The United States Golf Association (USGA) today announced that Newport (R.I.) Country Club will host the 44th U.S. Senior Open Championship. The historic venue was originally scheduled to be the host site of the 2020 championship, but it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This will be the fifth USGA championship to be held at Newport Country Club, which hosted the inaugural U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur championships in 1895. The dates of the U.S. Senior Open are June 27-30, 2024.
“Newport Country Club and the USGA have a long, rich history that dates to the club’s beginnings as a founding member club of the Association, and we are more than pleased to continue this relationship as we progress through these challenging times,” said John Bodenhamer, USGA senior managing director, Championships. “We know that the region and community will be fully supportive of the U.S. Senior Open, senior golf’s most prestigious championship.”
By hosting the 2024 U.S. Senior Open, Newport Country Club will become the sixth club to have held a U.S. Open, U.S. Women’s Open, U.S. Amateur and U.S. Senior Open. The other clubs to have hosted those four USGA championships are Cherry Hills Country Club, in Cherry Hills Village, Colo.; Hazeltine National Golf Club, in Chaska, Minn.; Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club; Pinehurst Resort & Country Club, in Village of Pinehurst, N.C.; and Winged Foot Golf Club, in Mamaroneck, N.Y.
“On behalf of the Newport Country Club, we are excited to have the opportunity to host the 2024 U.S. Senior Open Championship as our nation and community work toward normalcy,” said Barclay Douglas Jr., club president. “The state of Rhode Island, the city of Newport and the club are enthusiastic to support this USGA championship. Our ‘City by the Sea’ will be enhanced by having the world’s best senior players compete for the Francis D. Ouimet Memorial Trophy on our historic Tillinghast course.”
William F. Davis designed Newport Country Club as a nine-hole layout in 1894, and the course was expanded to 18 holes five years later. In 1923, A.W. Tillinghast remodeled the course, which sits on the southern end of Newport. Ron Forse supervised a restoration in 2005. The distinctive Beaux Arts-style clubhouse, which was designed by architect Whitney Warren, overlooks Brenton Point.
Newport Country Club is one of the five founding members of the USGA, which was formed on Dec. 22, 1894. Theodore A. Havemeyer, the co-founder of Newport Country Club, was the Association’s first president, and the Havemeyer Trophy is annually presented to the U.S. Amateur champion.
Newport Country Club was the site of the first U.S. Amateur and first U.S. Open in 1895. Charles Blair Macdonald, who is considered the father of American golf course architecture, defeated Charles E. Sands, 12 and 11, to win the inaugural Amateur. One day later, Horace Rawlins, an English professional, posted a two-stroke victory over Willie Dunn to claim the U.S. Open over 36 holes, four trips around the original Newport course.
In 1995, the U.S. Amateur returned to the course as part of the USGA’s centennial celebration. Tiger Woods won the second of his three consecutive U.S. Amateur titles by defeating George “Buddy” Marucci, 2 up, in the 36-hole final. Woods, who has won nine USGA championships, including three U.S. Opens, was 3 down in the morning round but took the lead for good by winning the 30th hole.
Annika Sorenstam shot a 1-under-par 70 to defeat Pat Hurst by four strokes in an 18-hole playoff that decided the 2006 U.S. Women’s Open Championship at Newport. The two players were tied at even-par 284 after 72 holes. Sorenstam recorded her third U.S. Women’s Open victory, which ties her for third for most wins behind Betsy Rawls and Mickey Wright, who each won four times.
The 2024 U.S. Senior Open will be the 10th USGA championship conducted in Rhode Island. The most recent championship was the 2011 U.S. Women’s Amateur, hosted by Rhode Island Country Club in Barrington, where Danielle Kang defeated Moriya Jutanugarn, 6 and 5, for her second consecutive Women’s Amateur title. Lydia Ko and Jihee Kim were the co-medalists.
The 2024 U.S. Senior Open will be the fourth Senior Open contested in New England. Salem Country Club, in Peabody, Mass., hosted the 2001 and 2017 Senior Opens, while Brooklawn Country Club, in Fairfield, Conn., hosted the 1987 championship.
The U.S. Senior Open was first played in 1980. The championship for golfers age 50 and older is open to any professional and any amateur with a Handicap Index® not exceeding 3.4. Seven players have won both the U.S. Open and the U.S. Senior Open during a career. The list includes Billy Casper, Hale Irwin, Orville Moody, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Lee Trevino.
Omaha (Neb.) Country Club will host this year’s U.S. Senior Open from July 8-11. Saucon Valley Country Club (Old Course), in Bethlehem, Pa., will be the host site of the 2022 championship, from June 23-26. The 2023 championship will be contested at SentryWorld, in Stevens Point, Wis. Broadmoor Golf Club (East Course), in Colorado Springs, Colo., will serve as host in 2025.
To learn more, visit usga.org.
Saturday, April 24, 2021
New Swing and Improvised Grip for Pebble Beach (No. 7)
I'm trying the same takeaway, but have strengthened my grip in this video. Spoiler alert ... a little malfunction after the first shot.
Friday, April 23, 2021
Playing No. 7 at Pebble Beach on an Indoor Simulator
Look back at my last video (Berry Hills Country Club) and you'll notice a bad habit I picked up with my takeaway. While trying to correct that, I thought I'd give hitting the green on No. 7 at Pebble Beach another try. This time, I used a PXG 0211 9-iron and the new Q Star Tour Divide balls from Srixon. Check it out.
PGA TOUR Announces Creation of the U.S.-Based Forme Tour to Support PGA TOUR Canada Members
(PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida) — The PGA TOUR announced the creation of the Forme Tour for current PGA TOUR Canada members as a result of restrictions and other COVID-19-related issues at the U.S.-Canadian border. For 2021, PGA TOUR Canada members will be given access to the Forme Tour, allowing them the ability to compete in a series of U.S.-based events between June and September.
The Forme Tour is sponsored by Forme (https://forme.science), a wellness-technology company that designs therapeutic wearables to optimize neck and spinal alignment, correct posture and boosts recovery. The Forme Tour will continue to provide Official World Golf Ranking points and is planning an eight-tournament schedule played during the summer. The top-five points earners earning 2021-22 Korn Ferry Tour membership along with others advancing to the second and final stages of the Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament.
The Forme Tour’s 72-hole, medal-play events will be conducted identically to other PGA TOUR-affiliated Tour tournaments. Auburn University Club in Auburn, Alabama, and Ohio’s TPC River’s Bend in the Cincinnati suburb of Maineville, two premier golf facilities, have already signed as host sites. The Tour’s other six venues—as well as tournament dates—will be announced later this spring.
“We are excited to offer this opportunity to our PGA TOUR Canada members, and our commitment is to continue to do business with high-caliber golf courses,” said Greg Carlson, Executive Director of the Forme Tour, who previously filled the same role for seven years for PGA TOUR Series-China. “Forme® has shown a willingness to support these players in their career endeavors, and we’re extremely happy to work with such an impressive company and with facilities like the Auburn University Club and TPC River’s Bend—centerpiece sites of our season. We look forward to announcing the remaining schedule and venues in the coming weeks.”
The Mackenzie Tour will conduct events held across Canada for Canadian-based players later this summer. These players will compete to earn access to the traditional Mackenzie Tour in 2022. The Mackenzie Tour expects that a number of familiar sites from coast to coast will be included in a schedule announcement that will arrive in the coming weeks.
Mackenzie Tour Executive Director Scott Pritchard has seen firsthand the challenges the global pandemic has caused and is seeking and expects to secure competitive opportunities under the Mackenzie Tour banner for players who reside in Canada.
“The Canada-based players will play in 72-hole Mackenzie Tour events, and the tournaments will continue to support local charities and local economies. We will share more details about specific plans in the near future,” said Pritchard. “We’re excited to continue to further develop golf and competitive golfers in this country.”
“It’s a privilege for our company to align itself with the PGA TOUR in support of these gifted and hard-working U.S., and international players, whose careers have been shortened due to COVID-19 restrictions,” said Dr. Stephen Liu, Chairman and Founder of Forme®. “Golfers have a demonstrated history of sustaining damaging neck, back, hip and shoulder injuries from routine playing and demanding travel schedules, which can seriously affect their careers and health. We have helped many professional golfers over the years in keeping them healthy and allowing them to play injury-free at the highest level. We are driven to empower everyone to create better posture, better health and better recovery.
“As an inclusive company with an eye on supporting and growing the game, we are committed to positioning the Forme Tour so we can assist international and minority players, particularly from the PGA TOUR’s International Tours, in showcasing their talents,” added Dr. Liu.
PGA TOUR Canada began in 2013, and fans of the Tour can expect the same high level of play on the Forme Tour, with future Korn Ferry Tour and eventual PGA TOUR stars emerging.
“PGA TOUR Canada has been a proving ground for seven seasons, and we expect that to continue, even with the altering look and feel of the Tour brought on by these circumstances that have affected the world as a whole,” said Rob Ohno, Senior Vice President, Head of International Tours. “The PGA TOUR has always aligned itself with high-quality partners who share the TOUR’s vision of giving back. In Forme®, we could not have found a better company to work with to create PGA TOUR Canada in the United States. Forme® focuses on inclusiveness, giving people opportunities and improving their health. We’re very much looking forward to growing this relationship and starting the season.”
The Forme Tour will adopt its eligibility from PGA TOUR Canada and will feature the top-60 points earners from the 2019 PGA TOUR Canada season, qualified members from the PGA TOUR University Ranking and those who successfully qualified at the three Qualifying Tournaments in 2020 (prior to cancellation of 2020 PGA TOUR Canada season due to Covid-19) and the seven 2021 Qualifying Tournaments.
More information: https://forme.science/golf
Nick Faldo, Gary Player, Jerry Rice, Charles Kelly To Participate In The Inaugural “Match” To Benefit Project Golf On April 29
“The Match” Will Be Played at Famed Dunes Club In Myrtle Beach, Allow Live Viewers to Donate Money to Help Grow the Game
(MYRTLE BEACH, S.C.) — Project Golf, a Myrtle Beach based grow-the-game effort, will be hosting a promotional match featuring six-time major champion Nick Faldo, nine-time major winner Gary Player, NFL legend and three-time Super Bowl champion Jerry Rice, and Charles Kelly, an avid golfer and five-time Grammy winner as a member of the band Lady A.
“The Match,” which will be hosted by former PGA Tour player and golf media star Charlie Rymer, will be played April 29 at the famed Dunes Golf & Beach Club, Myrtle Beach’s most decorated course. The sports and entertainment superstars are coming together to raise money for Project Golf, an organization dedicated to growing the game through outreach to America’s military veterans, junior golfers and communities that have previously been underrepresented.
While competing, Faldo, Player, Rice and Kelly will appear live on the Play Golf Myrtle Beach Facebook page throughout the day, encouraging viewers to donate through Project Golf’s $18 for 18 drive, a grassroots fundraising effort that will allow the non-profit organization to turn small donations into big results.
“The Match” will also be featured on a future episode of the Charlie Rymer Golf Show, a new 30-minute program that is televised nationally by CBS Sports Network on Monday nights at 8:30 p.m.
“The Match” will not be open to the public.
Project Golf is dedicated to providing new golfers a path to sustained enjoyment of the game, bringing people to the sport for a lifetime. The organization hosts clinics for juniors, military veterans, and anyone with an interest in taking up golf.
Each series of clinics lasts six weeks and helps introduce players to the game in a supportive environment that teaches participants everything from how to book a tee time to golf course etiquette and swing fundamentals. Most importantly, Project Golf connects new players with people of similar ability levels, allowing them to find playing partners they are immediately comfortable with. Crucially, the organization also follows up with players after their initial series of clinics are over, helping encourage them to stay connected to the game.
A Robert Trent Jones Sr. design, the Dunes Club is a consensus top 100 public course and an ideal venue to host “The Match.” The Dunes Club, which has hosted six Senior Tour Championships and a U.S. Women’s Open, among many other high profile events, is home to “Alligator Alley” a scintillating stretch that includes holes 11 through 13.
Highlighted by No. 13, a 90-degree, dogleg right par 5 known as “Waterloo,” Alligator Alley offers stunning beauty and unforgettable risk-reward decisions. The combination of the course’s rich history, architectural splendor and Tour-quality conditions have made the Dunes Club one of the nation’s premier courses.
Omni La Costa Resort & Spa Named Among “Best Resorts in The Americas” and “Best Golf Schools and Academies” in Golf Digest’s 2021 Editor’s Choice Awards
A.J. Avoli also named to Golf Digest’s “Best Young Teachers” List for the fifth time
(Carlsbad, Calif.) – The accolades continue to pour in for Omni La Costa Resort & Spa, Southern California’s premier golf and luxury resort and newly-named host site for the 2024, 2025 and 2026 Division I Men’s and Women’s Golf Championships. The famed resort received two prestigious Golf Digest Editors’ Choice Awards for 2021, being named among the “Best Resorts in the Americas” and the “Best Golf Schools and Academies.”
Launched in 2016, the Editors’ Choice Awards honors the best of the best in the golf industry ranging from golf courses and resorts to products and services. We all want to play the greatest courses and stay in the most luxurious hotels and inns, and when our thoughts drift to where we might travel, we often settle on the legendary destinations with names that are synonymous with the game… Our Editors' Choice awards are intended to get readers to dream big,” reads the Golf Digest article that also awarded Omni La Costa in its esteemed “Best Golf Schools and Academies” category.
Touched by fresh ocean breezes and set within a captivating 400-acre Spanish Mission-style village, Omni La Costa Resort & Spa, is home to 36 holes of award-winning golf on the Champions and Legends Courses along with a host of luxurious recreation and leisure amenities.
“It is an honor to have the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa recognized by Golf Digest as one of the Best Resorts in the Americas along with other acclaimed Omni golf resorts,” said Peter Strebel, president of Omni Hotels & Resorts. “The experience at Omni La Costa grows richer with the passing of time and many exciting days are ahead. It’s always gratifying when the industry feels as strongly as we do about this cherished resort.”
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| A.J. Avoli |
A photo of Avoli, who returned to the “Best Young Teachers” list for the fifth time earlier this year, working with a student graces the Editors’ Choice article. “There are a lot of great, talented teachers on that list and I'm happy to be considered as one of the top instructors in the country by Golf Digest,” Avoli said.
Late last year, it was announced that Omni La Costa Resort & Spa will be the host site for the 2024, 2025 and 2026 Division I Men’s and Women’s Golf Championships. Play will be conducted on the resort’s famed Champions Course following a planned 2022 renovation by acclaimed golf course architect Gil Hanse. The Men’s and Women’s Championships will be contested over consecutive weeks starting in 2024, the first year each culminating national championship will be played in combination at a “truly neutral” site. Plans for Hanse’s bold reimagining of the Champions Course will be revealed in the coming months leading up to the project.
Omni La Costa boasts a full history of stars and professional golf events. In 1965, shortly after La Costa opened, the original Dick Wilson designed course hosted the made-for-TV CBS Golf Classic. The PGA TOUR’s Tournament of Champions (later called the Mercedes Championship and the Sentry Tournament of Champions) was hosted from 1969 until 1998 with a parade of Hall of Famers, including Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Tom Watson, Lee Trevino, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods further cementing their winning legacies at Omni La Costa. In 1999, the WGC Andersen Consulting World Match Play Championship was played on the original course layout.
For more information, visit https://www.omnihotels.com/hotels/san-diego-la-costa.
Cheer On Your Favorite Baseball Team With A MLB-licensed Golf Glove From Zero Friction
(OAKBROOK TERRACE, IL) – Baseball fever is building around the country as the Major League season is now underway.
Zero Friction, maker of high quality, technologically advanced products for golfers worldwide, makes it easy to “root for the home team” on the golf course with golf gloves sporting logos and colors representing each MLB team.
Each glove comes with a magnetic double-sided ball marker emblazoned with your favorite team’s emblem, and a Zero Friction performance tee, color matched to the glove. As with all Zero Friction gloves, these are compression-fit gloves, taking the guesswork out of sizing.
Choose your glove color and get ready to show your team spirit out on the course. These gloves make the perfect gift for every golfer in your life.
“Our licensed gloves and Supertubes featuring the top teams are one of Zero Friction’s hottest selling items,” said John Iacono, Founder and President of Zero Friction. “It’s a terrific way to show support for your favorite teams on the golf course while utilizing a quality product that will help your game.”
Zero Friction’s successful SuperTube packaging of color-matched glove, Spectra™ distance golf balls and tees recently won the ING Industry Honors Product Ingenuity award. The honor was awarded by the non-profit, media-based International Network of Golf at the 2019 PGA Merchandise Show.
The true advantage of the Zero Friction glove line for retailers is that the universal fit means shops do not have to carry a huge inventory of sizes. Instead, the shops can offer a large selection of colors.
Zero Friction also has logo capabilities including logo golf balls, gloves, and tees, which has experienced significant growth this past year. Licensed gloves and Supertubes featuring NFL, MLB, NHL and the top 20 collegiate teams will also have a dedicated section.
Zero Friction also recently entered the golf laser rangefinder segment in a big way with its Zero Friction Laser Pro and Laser Pro SM products. And like most Zero Friction products, this one has a unique element that separates it from the competitors.
Both Zero Friction Laser Pro models come with a pistol shape rubber handle grip, making it very simple to get yardage for your next shot. Simply aim and click, and the exact distance appears on an easy-to-read LCD display magnified X6.
For more information, visit www.zerofriction.com, or call 630-317-7700.
Thursday, April 22, 2021
Q&A with Golf Course Architect Gil Hanse
Gil Hanse is regarded as one of the finest “minimalist” golf course architects of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. He’s been entrusted with restoring of the most revered and respected course designs in the game, including Oakland Hills (Donald Ross), Baltusrol (A.W. Tillinghast), and Fishers Island (Seth Raynor). And his original designs have drawn wonderful reviews, including for Streamsong Black, Rio Olympic Course in Brazil, and an 18-hole layout for the Crail Golfing Society in Fife, Scotland.
Hanse and his longtime partner and course shaper, Jim Wagner, enjoy the luxury of picking and choosing which projects they undertake, such is the demand for his services. One of them selected is the New Course at Les Bordes Golf Club in France’s Loire Valley, 90 minutes from Paris. It is scheduled to open in July 2021, and it will join the existing New Course (Robert von Hagge design). Together with the Wild Piglet, a 10-hole short course, and the Himalayas putting course, both which Hanse designed, Les Bordes is regarded at one Continental Europe’s finest golf clubs.
I think that, with the two 18-hole golf courses and the amenities that are already in place and the ones that are coming, I can’t see how Les Bordes won’t be considered one of the finest golfing destinations in Europe or in the world. You have all the cultural attractions around you, you’ve got the food and the wine, the quality of the amenities. It will be an idyllic place to spend time even if you weren’t playing golf, and then to have these two golf courses so different and varied in their challenges and their presentation really runs the full gamut. I don’t know where else in the world you could find that sort of variety.
Can you pick out a couple of holes on the New Course that you especially like and tell us a bit about them?
The 15th hole, a short-par four, would be one of them. There’s a lot of character and interest, when we were working on it we talked through the philosophy and then Jim Wagner shaped and executed it wonderfully and added some tremendous character to it. On the front nine, I’ve always liked the sixth hole, just the way it flows through the landscape and the different breaks. Trying to be reminiscent a little bit of Tom Simpson with segmented fairways and the way the green lays so simply on the ground.
What makes the landscape at Les Bordes so special? And what makes this golf estate unique.
The diversity of the plant materials is really something we have never encountered, with the broom and the bracken and the variety of trees throughout the property and the fescue grasses. Now they’ve also introduced heather so I think that there are all these great textures there that the golf course just seems to sit amongst. That’s what makes it unique, I can’t think of another golf landscape that looks and feels like the New Course at Les Bordes. There are so many different facets to heathland courses, which you can see in the courses just north of Paris like Morfontaine and Chantilly and the course much closer to where we live in Pine Valley, and I think there are all these different elements here that will create a unique experience at Les Bordes.
How is it possible to build two completely different golf courses on the same estate?
I think it was two different philosophies as to how Robert von Hagge did the Old Course and we approached the New Course. From that perspective, a significant amount of time passed between the creation of both golf courses, and I think that lent itself to, stylistically, different courses that appear differently, because one feels more manufactured and one feels more natural. Neither one is right or wrong, they are just different and one golf course extracts a very harsh penalty for poorly played shots and the other is a little bit more forgiving. I think that is what’s going to make Les Bordes one of the most wonderful golf destinations in the world, you have two distinctly different golf courses from two different eras but the quality of both of them is equivalent in how they were created and how they are presented.
When and how was this project initiated?
The first time I went there was in June 2018. The owner and I had some mutual friends and the conversation came up that the owners were hoping to build a new golf course. The owner had said that he was really hoping to work with us on it, and that fact that we had mutual friends made that conversation easy to get initiated. Once I came to look at the property I was immediately sold on the potential of the ground, and then the hospitality that I was shown while I was there was amazing. Being able to stay on property and the wine and the food, I was treated very well.
What course would you compare the New Course at Les Bordes with?
I can’t think of a direct comparison. There are elements of a number of golf courses including a lot of the great heathland courses around London and several heathland courses around Paris. I think that Jim Wagner and I are always influenced by Pine Valley, which is very near to us here at home, and I think that some of the scale of National Golf Links is apparent out there. If you roll all of those into one, I think that’s a pretty good recipe.
What was it that attracted you about the site at Les Bordes?
The sand and the vegetation, and the reputation of the place. Obviously, we’ve heard of Les Bordes here, so the quality of the site itself and the commitment of the ownership as well, which is a big thing. When we’re considering the criteria of a project, Jim Wagner and I always ask ourselves ‘do we have the potential to do something exceptional’, and I think that, while the topography at Les Bordes is not the most outstanding we’ve ever worked with, it still has enough character to it, and the vegetation and the soil gave us the opportunity to do something exceptional. Secondly, we ask ourselves ‘are we going to have fun doing it’ and working with the ownership at Les Bordes, and if you can’t have fun in that part of the world and enjoy yourself then I think there’s something wrong with you. So I think the combination of all those really added up to that being a very attractive project for us. We’ve never built anything in Continental Europe and we wanted to make sure that our first project there was going to be something special, and Les Bordes gave us that opportunity.
What can we expect from the New Course?
You can expect fun golf in a natural, perfect setting. We were given the opportunity from the ownership to build some interesting golf holes; stylistically, it was fun for all of us to focus on Tom Simpson and some of his beautiful creations and some of his inspired designs, not that we copied him stylistically or design-wise but we were certainly influenced by him and that was a treat for us.
It’s been reported you took inspiration from Tom Simpson, what elements of his work were most relevant here and how have you blended those with your own concepts?
The scale of his bunkering was something that we really paid attention to, with clusters or rows of bunkers and that was interesting. From our perspective, it was just the way that they blended into the landscape that was amazing. Some of the green complexes that he built were fairly eccentric and so we felt that we could create a few on the golf course like that, but then he also built some greens that were simple in their presentation yet complex in their subtlety, and a lot of those things fed into what we did at Les Bordes. I know going forward, if the landscape is a good fit, we would certainly do more things in the style of Tom Simpson.
How challenging was it for you to create a new course near the one (the Old Course) that’s considered one of the best in Continental Europe?
I don’t think that we found it to be a challenge or challenging, we found it to be inspirational. It’s always nice when you come to a project and the level of quality is established through the existing golf course and the existing facilities, all of which are to a really high standard. We were excited and challenged in our creativity and what we were trying to do and hopeful that, when all is settled, Les Bordes has two golf courses that are very highly regarded, but I would be lying if I didn’t hope that ours was a little more highly regarded.
Do you feel you succeeded in your goal and why?
I do. I think that every golf architect when they are given a site hopes that the best that they can do is to maximize the characteristics of the site, and I feel that we have done that with the New Course. I feel that we have provided a great variety in the two different nines; we have captured the best of the topography on site; we have worked to enhance some of those areas through added elevation; and we have worked to create a very interesting and playable test of golf. I’m confident that, with all the work that we’ve done there, we have maximized the potential of the property and, as a golf architect when you walk away, that’s all that you can hope for.
The Wild Piglet
One of the things that golf is doing a better job on right now, and Les Bordes is certainly offering that with The Himalayas putting green and The Wild Piglet, is just fun. Fun and access and providing an easy entry point to the game. You can go out and laugh at yourself, have a good time and not worry about losing golf balls or have the pressures of playing a full-size golf course. Our attempt there was to create a very fun and playable experience, but also one where a good player could go out there and be tested with shots. In order to succeed on The Wild Piglet, you’ve got to hit some really good shots, but you’ve also got the opportunity to just go out there and bang it around and have fun. One of the things that Jim Wagner and I worked with the team on was, basically, giving everybody their own golf hole or holes, and just letting everybody have a crack at it. It was fun and I think that if you go into your own little incubator, independent of everybody around you, it gives you the opportunity to be as creative as you want. Then, ultimately, Jim and I would take a look but I don’t think that we’ve edited things very much. You have some individual expressions out there that, when put together, comprises 10 really fun, unique golf holes.
What are the characteristics of a golf course that make you want to play it again and again? What makes it recognizable?
I think that it’s fun and that there are interesting shots. It’s the ability to go out one time and then think, “okay, next time I play it I’m going to try this differently” or that you get put into a different circumstance each and every round, but that the design and the creativity within the design allows you to approach the problem solving differently each time. I think there’s that sense of the playability of the course and then there’s just the beauty of it and the presentation. I think that golf courses that have a sense of place and that feel like they belong where they’re sitting is also something that makes me want to continue to play it. I think that adds to the character and the quality of it so the way it looks, the way it feels as you walk through the landscape, and then, certainly, the way it plays and challenges you to be creative are courses that I want to keep playing over and over.
How would you describe your style as a course architect? What are the general trends? And which architect has inspired you the most?
We don’t have a style! I hope that we respond to each and every site, and that a golf course we have built at Les Bordes does not look like a golf course that we have built in southern Georgia at Ohoopee or Southern California at Rustic Canyon. I hope that every course we’ve built has a sense of place and a sense of belonging which will then, ultimately, provide unique opportunities. Through our methodology of being on-site so much, if we can capitalize on these opportunities, then each golf course should feel unique. I think our courses have some similarities in that we like wider playing corridors and interesting green complexes, and I think our bunkers are particularly attractive, but they do still blend into the native landscape and hopefully our courses change style to style depending on the site that we’re given.
What does a course architect have as a weapon, apart from the overall length, to make a golf course really challenging for professionals?
The greatest defense is firm conditions, and the opportunity to build a golf course in a place where the ball will bounce in the fairway and the greens. Professional golfers work so hard at their game and hone their craft so well so that they have a predictable outcome every time they hit a golf ball. They know when they hit their seven-iron what the outcome will be, but if the conditions are firm and they’re not sure if the ball’s going to bounce twice and check or not going to check at all, that’s the best defence and that relies on the conditions on-site and obviously Mother Nature for a tournament. But I think from an architect’s perspective, the only other challenges we can provide are mental ones where golfers maybe feel a little bit uneasy about the shot that’s in front of them because they can’t quite see everything or they can’t quite determine the best way to play the hole is. Those are the type of courses that require study, and I think those are the best examples of golf architecture.
What are the qualities of a good golf course?
I think that a good golf course should have a sense of place, a sense of belonging, it doesn’t feel that it’s been transported from somewhere else and feels like it belongs on a property, and that it is one that has a variety of ways to play it, interest in the features that have been created or that have been found in the landscape, and it has to be fun. It’s a balance between fun and interest versus difficulty, and we want to provide ways for golfers to navigate around a golf course based on their own skill level and if a golf course gives you that opportunity to map or think your way through it, then I think that’s the best an architect can do.
How much did/do you know about golf courses in France and what do you make of the architecture you have seen?
I think of the countries where I have seen golf in continental Europe, France has by far the best, most superior golf-course design. You can put Morfontaine and Chantilly and some of the other courses around Paris up against some of the best courses in the world, not just in Europe, and so I think that when you have a few anchor courses that provide those opportunities, and then you have some newer courses that have been built that aspire to do really good things, and I think they do, I feel like France has a really good golfing baseline. That allowed us to build in a country that already had expectations for quality golf, and we’re hopeful that what we’ve created adds to that.