Titleist Tops the Field at the World Golf Championships – Mexico Championship

(RELEASE) - The Spring Swing has kicked into full gear on the PGA TOUR and following a stunning victory by Titleist golf ball loyalist Rickie Fowler (Pro V1) at The Honda Classic, the best players in the world have made the trek to Mexico City to tee it up at the World Golf Championships – Mexico Championship.

Playing host this week is the Club de Golf Chapultepec. Located less than 10 miles from the heart of Mexico City, the course also scrapes the sky with an elevation of 7,835 feet above sea level at its highest point - the highest elevation ever for a PGA Tour venue.

And sitting high atop the equipment counts in this limited field event, Titleist is once again the overwhelming golf ball choice with 50 players (65% of the total field) trusting a Titleist Pro V1 or Pro V1x golf ball for their success. That’s more than five times the nearest competitor with 9 and more than all competitors combined.

Titleist is also the top choice of players in the irons (18) category and Vokey Design Wedges topped the approach, sand and lob wedge (75) category.

FAST FACTS:
Featuring a 7,330-yard, par-71 course, Club de Golf Chapultepec has also played host to the Mexican Open. The list of past winners of the Mexican Open includes many stars of the game including Titleist Brand Ambassador Jay Haas who hoisted the trophy in 1991.

According to Shotlink mapping data, the lowest part of the course is 7,603 feet above sea level and the highest part of the course is 7,835 feet above sea level. As comparison, Montreux G&CC, venue for the PGA TOUR’s Barracuda Championship in Reno-Tahoe, Nevada, is in the range of 5,476 – 5,952 above sea level.

OnCore Golf Debuts High Performance Tour Ball - ELIXR

(BUFFALO, NY) – OnCore Golf, the Buffalo, New York-based golf ball company, today unveiled their first-ever Tour ball—the ELIXR. Their most advanced ball release yet, the ELIXR upholds OnCore’s commitment to innovation and technology while diversifying the company’s portfolio of golf balls to meet the needs of all player performance levels.

Bringing together a one-of-a-kind mix of advanced materials, the ELIXR’s tri-phase constructed technology features original chemistry blends with added advanced material elements to deliver a unique combination of distance, spin, control and feel off the face of the club.

“We entered into the market five years ago by literally making history with our hollow-metal core golf balls,” said OnCore Golf Co-Founder Bret Blakely. “However, we’ve never stopped innovating and exploring approaches to golf ball design and construction that would benefit golfers of all skill levels.  By creating a top tier product and jumping into the professional golf scene head first with the ELIXR, we are staying true to our vision of being innovators – from Core to Cover – and offering golfers an alternative to the status quo that has dominated the golf industry for the past century.  And we’re just getting started!”

Available online and in select retailers as of March 1, the company is aggressively expanding marketing and promotional efforts and has added Brian McGahey – a former longtime Nike Golf representative with more than 35-years of industry experience and relationships across all four professional tours – as director of business and player development.

To unveil the ELIXR to an international audience, OnCore teamed up with high-end production firm dPost to create a groundbreaking commercial highlighting the ball company’s origins of product innovation through three-dimensional animation.

“Over the past several years, the team has worked tirelessly to perfect the quality and performance of our products, while maintaining the integrity and attitude of our brand,” said OnCore Golf President John Koelmel. “We offer something unmatched on the market, and now is the time to go vertical. There’s not a more perfect stage than Masters season to introduce golfers around the world to OnCore’s dynamic new tour ball.”

With an 85-compression rating and a 318-dimple pattern, the three-piece ELIXR combines a polybutadiene rubber core’s unique cross-linked polymer additives for exceptional ball speed; increased perimeter weighting due to a proprietary polymer mantle infused with high density particles for enhanced accuracy and control; and a cast urethane cover to deliver a soft and pure feel off the club face for ultimate greenside handling and durability.

Initial reviews of the ELIXR are overwhelmingly positive – spanning industry professionals at the 2017 PGA Merchandise Show to nearly two-dozen Tour professionals across the PGA, LPGA, Champions and Web.com Tours who have played the product.

“The Tour player’s reaction to the ELIXR™ has blown us away,” said McGahey. “The feedback is consistently positive across all four Tours – maximized distance, greater control, increased stability in wind and crosswind and a superior feel.”


The technology behind the new ELIXR Tour ball, along with OnCore’s other highly-regarded golf balls, the AVANT and the CALIBER, can be seen at www.OnCoreGolf.com.

The Chauncey F. Lufkin III Foundation Volunteers at the 2017 Honda Classic to Support Quantum House

Chauncey Lufkin with Megan Thompson of Quantum House

(RELEASE) - The Chauncey F. Lufkin III Foundation was happy to volunteer for Quantum House at the Honda Classic February, 25.

The annual Honda Classic, now 11 years into its tenure at PGA National Resort & Spa, is a well-established fixture in the Palm Beach County community. Won on Sunday by fan favorite Rickie Fowler, the event drew some 203,815 spectators over seven days between the Monday Pro-Am and Sunday's final round. Though top draws Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy were sidelined by injuries, the perfect weather over four days accounted for the slight increase in attendance over last year and Fowler is now back into the Top 10 in the Official World Golf Ranking at No. 9.

Quantum House of Palm Beach County provides lodging, meals, care and compassion to families facing a medical crisis. A percentage of the proceeds from the concessions tents will go directly to the organization to help support the many families from all around the world that stay at their facilities in West Palm Beach.

The Foundation’s principal, Chauncey Lufkin and his fiancé, Sandra Familet, pictured here, stopped by the festivities on Sunday, to offer a helping hand.

Organizing the many Quantum House volunteers was Megan Thompson, Manager of Family Programs and Operations for Quantum House. “Our big thanks to Megan for all of her hard work this weekend and throughout the year. She and the rest of the Quantum House staff and the families they support, are always on our minds and in our hearts. It is our great privilege to contribute in any way we can to their great efforts in our community,” said Chauncey Lufkin, Founder of The Chauncey F. Lufkin III Foundation.

Also, representing the Foundation, and volunteering on Saturday afternoon, were Foundation Director, Cara Familet and her friend Kathryn Ross, Founder of Kross Strategies, a sales and marketing advisory firm based in Lancaster, PA. Both volunteered at the 8th Green Grill.

“Often organizations need physical support beyond financial donations to accomplish their fundraising goals. Quantum House is a worthy cause that made it a pleasure to work with all of the volunteers to make the grill's operations a fundraising success." said Kathryn Ross, Founder of Kross Strategies.

Other highlights included an unprecedented two holes in one at the 15th hole. For the first 10 years, the Honda Classic was staged at PGA National, not a single hole-in-one was recorded at the difficult 15th hole.

Jhonattan Vegas accomplished the feat Sunday, as did Scott Stallings on Thursday. Both players were rewarded with a Honda CRV.

About Quantum House
Quantum House is a caring and supportive home that lessens the burden for families whose children are receiving treatment in Palm Beach County for a serious medical condition. Fueled by the vision, energy and resources of Intracoastal Health Systems, Junior League of the Palm Beaches and Quantum Foundation, Quantum House opened its doors in May 2001 to families going through a most difficult time. The House continues to be where hope has a home® for more than 1,000 family members every year. The House is the only hospital hospitality house serving children and their families this way between Fort Lauderdale and Orlando, Florida. Over the years, the House has proudly served families from every state and nearly two dozen countries around the world.

About the Chauncey F. Lufkin III Foundation
The Chauncey F. Lufkin III Foundation is a charitable organization founded in 2006 dedicated to improving the quality of life for individuals around the world. Our foundation’s focus is on fighting poverty through better education and by finding faster cures for the diseases that affect loved ones. Our strategy is to comb the globe for private independent foundations effectively working on these issues, supporting them with financial injections that make a difference. To date the Foundation has lent their support to numerous organizations including The Robin Hood Foundation, The Milken Institute, The Boys and Girls Club of Palm Beach County, Quantum House of Palm Beach County, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, The Aspen Institute, and BizWorld. Mr. Lufkin has also established The Chauncey Lufkin Endowment for Academic Excellence at Southern Methodist University and is a major contributor to St. Lawrence University. www.cfl3.org

Schmidt-Curley Design Set to Open New Vietnamese Seaside Course

(Hanoi, Vietnam) - Award-winning Schmidt-Curley Design has opened their Mountain Course at FLC Golf Links Quy Nhon, located on the sun-splashed coast of Southern Vietnam.

This is the third project the company has designed for the emerging golf powerhouse FLC Group and its operations arm, Biscom. The other two projects currently under construction for FLC are also in Vietnam on spectacular sites in Ha Long Bay and on the coastline of Quang Binh.

The Mountain Course is the second course at the FLC Golf Links Resort which also features the one year old Ocean Course, a stunning Nicklaus Design that has garnered great international reviews. While the Ocean course winds through pine forest and to the beach at the lower elevations of the property, the Schmidt-Curley designed Mountain Course plays on a sand-based, pine scrub hillside with sweeping views of the ocean from no less than 16 of its holes.

Great effort was made to incorporate the native sand expanses but the emphasis was on creating width off the tee in order to combat the often-strong winds and dramatic changes in elevation. The design playbook incorporated a very natural touch with most sand presented as natural dunes and large, transitional sandy expanses in lieu of formal bunkers. Natural surface drainage, natural fairway movement, and irregular, meandering turf lines are also employed. The all-fairway cut Paspalum turf is punctuated with centerline hazards that create optional angles of attack on many holes.

Greens are quite large but feature plenty of movement including kick-slopes, backstops, punchbowls, and fall-away lobes that conform to and set into the natural terrain. Tees are unique as well, featuring a “mini-fairway” design as opposed to individual tee complexes. This allows the course to be set up in a much greater variety of lengths in reaction to the different seasonal wind conditions.

Fairways often seamlessly transition into greens with soft change in grade and an absence of bunkering, allowing for a low ground game to combat the prevalent winds and to take advantage of the ball rolling on hard and firm turf. Much of the site’s outer frame was kept in its natural, open-view state, in order to preserve the tremendous views, present from so many holes.

Close green-to-tee relationships keep the core golf course very walkable and the constant changes in elevation create a strong variety of shot making from uphill, downhill, and side hill terrain.

Construction, headed by Flagstick Construction Management, went at a breakneck pace with all 18 holes grassed in a four-month period, a feat that would not be possible had it not been for a very natural, sand-based terrain that offered numerous existing golf holes requiring little adjustment.

“We are very enthusiastic about the Mountain Course” states principal and lead designer Brian Curley. “It is certainly one of the best properties we have ever had the chance to work on and its design features are a strong departure from most every course in Asia. Players will find it somewhat accommodating off the tee but very demanding on approach shots, and requiring a strong short game to take advantage of the many unique green contours”.

Featured holes include:

#2, a mid-length par four with a world-class backdrop of the ocean, playing to a distinct fall-away green complex tucked into the natural dunes.

#6, a short, par four playing up and around an awesome yet treacherous dune complex.

#15, a short par four with a massive half-pipe dip at the front of the green, set above a stunning ocean backdrop.

#17, a very long and demanding par four with top-of-the-world ocean views from the tee, and playing some 40 meters downhill to a sweeping, well-protected greensite.

“We are very fortunate and honored to continue our maiden efforts into the Vietnam golf market with the FLC Group, a team with enormous vision that has its sights set on creating fantastic golf on world-class properties that will soon be at the forefront of the traveling golfer’s list of must-play destinations”.

Schmidt-Curley has cemented its presence in Vietnam with the establishment of new offices in Hanoi. “Our past success in China was intrinsically tied to a strong customer service effort with local offices and hands-on attention” said Curley. “We intend to bring the same effort, drive and professional service to our Vietnamese clients in the same manner in order to fully execute the most successfully designed and constructed courses possible with the greatest economic potential.”

For more information on Schmidt-Curley design, visit www.schmidt-curley.com.

The Golf Club at Lansdowne's Norman Course to Undergo Bunker Renovation

(Leesburg, Va.) – The award-winning Norman Course at The Golf Club at Lansdowne will undergo a complete bunker renovation this spring. Located near Leesburg, Virginia, The Golf Club at Lansdowne is open to club members and guests of the beautiful Lansdowne Resort and Spa and offers 45-holes of golf – 27 holes designed by Greg Norman (the Norman Course and Shark Bite), and 18 holes designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr.

The Norman Course improvement project is the latest in a number of recent resort and club enhancements at Lansdowne. Other improvements that have taken place over the last 14-months include a complete redesign of the resort’s 296 guestrooms, signature suites and the Presidential Suite and three refreshed food and beverage concepts at Lansdowne Resort and Spa, such as Coton & Rye, a Virginia tavern that celebrates the land’s rich history.

“This bunker renovation is a part of our continuous effort to deliver excellent playing conditions to Lansdowne’s members and guests,” said Craig Forgash, PGA Director of Golf at The Golf Club at Lansdowne. “Our commitment to fine tuning our golf and hospitality assets is unwavering.”    

Chris Campbell of Greg Norman Golf Course Design, who originally directed the construction of the Norman course, along with Ron Despain of Troon, will oversee the project. As part of the renovation, bunkers will be regraded, reshaped and rebuilt incorporating a technically advanced drainage and liner system featuring Capillary Concrete.  This new generation lining method increases the speed at which water flows through the sand and the lining; minimizing contamination, reducing maintenance, and producing superior consistency.  The bunker renovation commences on the front-nine in March, followed by the back-nine in April. With cooperation from Mother Nature, the entire project is expected to be completed before May.

For more information on The Golf Club at Lansdowne, visit www.golfatlansdowne.com.

For additional news and information, visit www.Troon.com.

Integrity Golf Company Partners with Fairways for Warriors in Northwest Florida

(KISSIMMEE, Florida) – Integrity Golf Company (www.integritygolfco.com), a golf-course management company dedicated to sound business practices and exceptional customer service, has partnered with the Fairways for Warriors chapter in Gulf Breeze, Fla. Discounted rates are being offered to chapter members at Tiger Point Golf Club, a facility in Gulf Breeze, in northwest Fla.

“We are proud to help support this newly-formed Fairways for Warriors chapter,” said Gene Garrote, president & CEO of Integrity Golf Company. “Golf is a great outlet for its members.”

The goal of Fairways for Warriors is to provide hope, healing and camaraderie for combat wounded veterans and their families. Requirements for membership are to have served in a combat theater and have an honorable discharge or still be on active duty. The friendships and challenges that golf provide aid combat wounded veterans’ journey toward rehabilitation and healing.

Tom Underdown, president of Fairways for Warriors (www.fairwaysforwarriors.org), outlined the work of the non-profit organization:
“Our mission is to help combat wounded warriors with their mental and physical rehabilitation,” Underdown said. “We define a combat wounded warrior as anyone who has served in a combat theater, whether a physical injury was sustained or not. We have found that the invisible wounds are usually more difficult to overcome. We welcome combat veterans from any era, and we have many Vietnam veterans in our program. We use the game of golf as one way to accomplish our mission.”

This charitable initiative is in keeping with Integrity Golf Company’s philosophy of providing dedicated leadership to the courses and communities it serves.

High Heat’s New Hybrids Named February Product of the Month by Golf Talk Live Radio Show

(BONITA, CA) – It didn’t take long for High Heat’s new family of hybrids, launched at the recent PGA Merchandise Show, to gain recognition from golf’s media.

Following in the footsteps of the High Heat driver, #3 Hybrid and 3 fairway wood, Knuth Golf’s High Heat #4, #5, #6 and #7 hybrids wereHybrid face named Product of The Month in February by the award-winning Golf Talk Live radio show.

With a Beta titanium cup face, the High Heat hybrids have proven to provide a significantly increased spring-like effect across the entire face for extra distance and increased forgiveness compared to the industry standard steel face. The deeper and lower Center-of-Gravity (CG) makes the High Heat hybrids easier to hit because the CG angle is nearly 33% larger than the average of the leading models offered by all major brands.

The High Heat hybrids are the latest creation from Dean Knuth, the California-based inventor of the High Heat brand of clubs.  Knuth is also famous for inventing the USGA Course Rating and Slope System.  The Knuth Golf High Heat Driver, 3-wood and 3-hybrid have all been selected in the famous “Tony’s Top 10” from the PGA Show in 2015 and 2016, and this year he added the High Heat #4, #5,  hybrid toe#6, #7 High Heat hybrids and the new 5-wood to that prestigious list.

“I have raved about the titanium club face, which is a major improvement over the industry norm of using steel faces and producing hot launches and increased accuracy...even on off-center hits,” said Golf Talk Live host Tony Leodora. “The High Heat driver, 3-wood and #3 hybrid -- designed by Dean Knuth -- have already been named the "Best" at the PGA Show and "game-changers" for amateur golfers for the past three years.

“Dean has a passion to optimize the performance of amateur golfers who regularly miss the center of face and don't have Tour pros' swing speeds. Amateurs need High Heat's much lower and deeper Center of Gravity.”

Knuth and his partner Steve Trattner were thrilled to once again be honored by Golf Talk Live.

“Thanks again to Tony and his team for recognizing our objective of making golf easier and more fun for amateur golfers,” said Knuth. “Awards like this, and positive comments from the golfers who buy our clubs, embolden us in our mission.”

At KnuthGolf.com, an online fitting is conducted to properly address the loft for the driver and which weight and flex is needed for the club shaft for any High Heat fairway wood or hybrid they purchase.

For more information about Knuth Golf, visit www.knuthgolf.com or call 410-353-0446.