golf today nw september 2009

CELEBRATING 22 YEARS IN THE WEST,,CELEBRATING 22 YEARS IN THE WEST,T,,C SRSGB T,EWEHTNIYEA22NIATRATELE NOW IN THE NORTHWEST! NOW IN THE NORTHWEST! • WWW.GOLFTODAYNW.COM • NUMBER 7 • SEPTEMBER 2009• WWW.GOLFTODAYNW.COM • NUMBER 7 • SEPTEMBER 2009

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Hi Erin [Szekely],I just read your latest article in Golf

Today Magazine Northwest Edition where you wrote about misinformation about a “straight left arm”.

I agree wholeheartedly with your comments. For years, I’ve tried to maintain a straight left arm during my swing, with minimal emphasis on using the right. I was able to maintain a 6-7 handicap but it was mostly short game saves that kept me there.

Whenever I maintained a straight left arm with the right arm doing mini-mal, I always found that I would swipe across the ball or hit it with the heel of the club, and without much power.

Being Canadian and also a former top level amateur hockey player, this didn’t compute. In hockey, when tak-ing a slap shot, you power in with the lower arm and hand. Th e idea in golf of

hitting it only with the left arm didn’t make sense.

I was hesitant to create my own version of the swing by increasing right hand and arm involvement since everything I read said not to. However, at times when I got irritated on the course after hitting a bad shot or two, I would just swing freely and “whale on the ball” and the results were what I was trying to achieve when using only the left arm.

It was great to read your article and finally receive confirmation from a qualifi ed teaching golf professional that it is O.K. to involve the right arm and hand and, in fact, should involve the right hand and arm.

Th anks very much.

DavidBurnaby, B.C.

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This Is What Our ReadersHave To Say!

As we prepare to print this month’s edition of Golf Today Magazine, I just had to wait until the last minute to squeeze in some breaking news before we did so. Yes, Puyallup-native Ryan Moore had just won the 2009 Wyndham Championship after enduring a three hole playoff with Kevin Stadler to win his fi rst PGA Tour Event victory after fi ve years on the Tour. Congratulations to Ryan! Also, it turned out to be a day of play off s as Mike Reid prevailed over John Cook on the fi rst play off hole to win the Champions Tour Jeld-wen Tradition at the beautiful Crosswater Golf Club in Sunriver, Oregon. Washing-tonians will have the opportunity to see John Cook competing at the Boeing Clas-sic to be played Aug 28-30. Yes, stay tuned for a complete recap in next month’s Golf Today. In this month’s issue, we take a close look at the Tri-Cities region and explore why Northwest golfers should be making a beeline for the region, particularly as the heat begins to subside to just plain great golfi ng weather. Located in southeastern Washington, the Tri-Cities is comprised of the cities of Kennewick, Pasco, and Rich-land and off ers golfers of all abilities, 10 golf courses, 160 wineries, and recreational options abound. And with 300 days of sunshine, now is the time to plan your next golfi ng trip. And to help point you in the right direction, you will fi nd a special

Tri-Cities pull-out in the center of Golf Today. If you have any questions or want to plan your next Stay-N-Play, please call the helpful folks at the Tri-Cities Visitors and Convention Bureau and they will be only too willing to help you plan your trip or recommend area attractions. In fact, if you are plan-ning on stopping by next month’s Golf Fest North-west Golf Expo

in Seattle, Tri-Cities will have a booth there as well. Also, this month, please check out page 9 for Tony Dear’s feature on “How to Squeeze the Most Out Of your Golfi ng Dollars! Who doesn’t want a great golfi ng deal, right? Of course, we are all excited about the upcoming Golf Fest NW, a new fall golf expo to be held Sep 25-27 at the Washington State Conven-tion and Trade Center. Be sure to stop by and visit the Golf Today Magazine booth where you’ll have an opportunity to score some “swag” as well as chat with many of our editorial contributors. Look forward

to seeing you there…Th e following golfi ng tidbits and off ers caught my eye this month and deserve mention…Tetherow is off er-ing a Mulligan! Book a round at Tetherow from 8:00 am -12:20 pm and your next

round the same day or following day is on them. Off er valid

for rounds booked up to September 15, 2009

so you better get on it! Call 877-890-2582 to use your mulligan…As fall

approaches, we still want and need to golf, right? If you are considering investing in a golf cart, you should check out Perfect Drive Enclosures that feature easy to open and self closing doors providing protection from that NW rain and wind. Call Fred at 253-981-6458 and mention promo code ‘GTN’ to receive a 10% discount…Th e Nile Golf Club hosted nearly 100 marines, coast guard, and navy personnel on July 31 where they were treated to a free round of golf and barbeque as part of their annual Armed Forces Day. Congratulations to Servicemen Kent Patterson for scoring

the low gross of 69 and Kaipo Goodwin shooting the low NET of 57…Black Butte Ranch is off ering a $129 Stay-Play-Dine Fall Golf Package, which includes lodging, dinner for two at the Lodge Restaurant and welcome gift, with your choice of un-limited golf package with cart and practice balls or spa package. Call 866-348-5270 for more information…If you are in the market to buy real estate? Refinance? Check out Drake Mortgage: “Here Yester-day, Here Today, Here Tomorrow” I like that motto! See their ad on page 33 for details or call Carla at 206-948-5084…Maplewood Golf Course in Renton, WA. is off ering September Twilight Specials that include $20 after 3:30pm on Sat. & Sun and after 5:30pm rounds are only $15! See their ad on page 10 for further details…For those golfers who consider themselves gastronomical geniuses—or not, you should check out www.smithpre-ferred.com to order the best Northwest gourmet ingredients and foods. Golf Today readers receive 10% off your order. See page 12 for details… Yep, the list of great NW golf specials continues, so stay tuned on Golf Today Magazine’s Facebook and Twitter for more information. Cheers!

If you have any comments or questions, please email [email protected] or visit www.golftodaynw.com.

My Two Centsby CAMERON HEALEY

SEPTEMBER 2009 GOLF TODAY MAGAZINE NORTHWEST EDITION 7

Notes From The Golfi ng “Newbie” Notes From The Golfi ng “Newbie” P r e s e n t e d b y G o l f T E C

A 6 IRON REPRIEVE

One of my goals for my lesson last month was to hit the ball over 170 yards with my 6 iron. In every lesson before I had improved and I felt that the goal was in sight. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen and to top it off I had a disap-pointing outing at an unfamiliar range shortly after that. I described the sad aff air in my last article. Having these disappointments after my rapid progress before made it all the more frustrating. I needed some serious help from Brett at GolfTEC.

After failing to hit the ball well at the range I didn’t want to reinforce my bad hit-ting so I made another GolfTEC appointment. I hadn’t picked up a club for a couple of weeks so I was apprehensive that I was going to really em-barrass myself during my lesson, but I knew that this was the only way I was going to turn my slide around.

I didn’t tell Brett about my disastrous outing, I fi gured it would become appar-ent to him soon enough. My warm-up swings felt very rusty, but I was at least making contact with the ball (most of

the time). Brett joined me in the training bay for the last half of my warm up and I let it slip about my recent hitting woes. It occurred to me that Brett could probably

already tell that my swing was off so I spared some of the gory details.

Brett was positive as ever and dove into the things that he saw in my warm-up swings that were off , starting with my

setup. I was not bowing to the golf ball and my club was angled to point at my sternum instead of the top of my belt buckle. Lastly, I wasn’t lining up with

my head behind the ball. Since I had corrected these issues before and being non-dynamic we quickly corrected these things and moved on to my take away.

Brett took a couple freeze frames of

my take away and noted that I had de-veloped a little lateral movement in my hips. Instead of loading my weight and power onto the inside of my right foot

I was loading so far to the outside that my whole body was moving. My loose lower body was not providing a proper platform for my swing. It only took a few more shots to get the weight to the inside of my right foot again.

Th ings were feeling great, just 10-15 minutes into the lesson I was already making much better contact with the ball. Just to reinforce my good feelings, I managed to hit the plastic strip that

hangs in the middle of the net a couple of times, fi lling the room with a great sound.

Brett continued to work through video of my current shots and 3/4 of the way through my backswing we found the big culprit, head move-ment. I had struggled with vertical bounce in the last couple lessons

and it was really back with a vengeance. I think I lost track of keeping my head still when I started to concentrate too much on shifting weight to my right foot during

continued on page 23

8 GOLF TODAY MAGAZINE NORTHWEST EDITION SEPTEMBER 2009

Th e last time I played Auburn’s munici-pal golf course was a distant six years ago. Th at’s a long time in golf years. Back then, the club house was modest, but inviting, and had served local golfers well since it fi rst opened for business in 1958. Fast forward to 2009.

When I drove into the parking lot to make my mid-morning tee time, I literally did a double take at what appeared before me. I had to confi rm the address on my GPS just to make sure that I had actually arrived at the Auburn Golf Course and not somewhere else. I had heard from some local golfi ng buddies that the City of Auburn had made some changes to the course and facilities in recent years, but when I looked up at a modern and almost “stately” clubhouse that, frankly, looked like it belonged more at a high end coun-try club, I was genuinely surprised. Gone was the original wooden clubhouse that had stood steadfast for almost 50 years and in its place a handsome, symbolic structure depicts a new era in Auburn municipal golf.

Now, for those who are geographically-challenged and wondering where Auburn is located, Auburn Golf Course is located between Seattle and Tacoma in the shad-ow of the 12,000 foot Mt. Rainier. With the meandering Green River as its eternal neighbor, the course sits atop 150 lush acres and although modern suburbia is never far from its fairways, the bordering hillsides are used to good eff ect and make for a diverse golfi ng experience.

Th e new clubhouse opened in late 2007 and features a modern, well-equipped pro-shop, spacious lobby, and for those who want more than a bag of peanuts and a coke, the new Copper Falls Restaurant and Bar off ers golfers a 110-seat restau-rant and lounge with a large outdoor

patio and a 150-seat banquet facility with the option for smaller meeting rooms. Designed by locals David A. Clark Ar-chitects and built by Briere & Associates, the new clubhouse replaces the 2,500

square-foot facility that was originally built in 1958. And, yes, if you’ve played at nearby Foster or Maplewood golf courses, just to name a few, you can’t help but see the Clark infl uence there as well.

Over the past several years, the Au-burn Golf Course has been completely transformed with the reconstruction

of nine fairways, 15 greens, and 17 tee boxes. More than a touch up, right! Th e most recent renovation included the lengthening of the 11th hole, which now takes golfers 330 yards uphill to a new

6,000-foot green. Golfers also have the benefi t of putting and chipping greens adjacent to the fi rst hole to help fi ne tune the short game.

So, what should you expect from the new Auburn Golf Course? Auburn’s 6450 yard (from the tips) eighteen-hole course off ers scenic views from several elevated

holes and is generally regarded as a solid, but challenging par 71 course. With over 50,000 rounds of golf each year, Auburn is a magnet for area golfers and my re-acquaintance with it did not disappoint.

With over 20 bunkers, two ponds with fountains, and a waterfall, Auburn is at-tractive and for the most part, very play-able for golfers of all abilities.

For low handicappers, some of Au-burn’s holes are unlikely to cause much 9-iron on tree violence, such as the 373

Auburn Golf Course: Then and Now! by CAMERON HEALEY



The Coolest Clubsby LEITH ANDERSON

GOLF CLUBS WITH A “STORY”

Th e problem with most things that we buy today is that they are mass produced. Th e designs come out of a “department”. Th ey are approved by a “committee”. Th ey are manufactured, hundreds of thousands, or millions, by faceless factory workers ten thousand miles away. Th ey are wrapped in plastic, boxed, bar coded, shipped and hung up on racks in warehouse stores. One size fi ts all. Self service. Th e market sets the price of commodities. Th at’s mass marketing. Th ere’s no “story”.

Golf clubs are “sold” by famous faces in full page ads that cost millions a year. What wins on Sunday, sells on Monday. Or so they hope.

Th at’s how multi-National conglom-erates market golf clubs. It’s a big money game that requires a constant stream of new models to keep the sales engine churning.

Should you care that golf clubs have become “throw away commodities?” Only if you care about quality, tradition and player satisfaction.

Half of the junk golf clubs for sale on eBay don’t get a bid. Th e landfi lls are overfl owing with golf clubs that no one cares about – or wants.

It never used to be that way. In the “old days” golf clubs were made for a real person. Th ey were chosen, tested and treasured. Th ey were built carefully by a craftsman. Dad’s golf clubs were saved in the closet long after Dad was gone. In some families, they were right next to Grandpa’s. Th ose old bags of clubs meant something to the family.

Big Name designers are a phenom-enon. Golfers crave a “connection” to a real person. We want to know who was responsible for the idea, design and production of our clubs, even if they were mass produced in China. How else to you explain the popularity of Vokey wedges and Cameron putters?

It is a common belief that the golf equipment industry is “in trouble” due to over production and slack demand. Th ere is a surfeit of equipment in world-wide distribution channels. My predic-tion is that things will get worse before they get better, as usual. Th ere is no way to suck up the excess. My reasoning? Th e game has changed.

THE END OF CONTINUOUS

PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT

The “Age of Persimmon” ended in 1990. Until then, drivers were chosen for “setup” and “grain”. Every driver head

was shaped by a craftsman’s hand and eye. Th e best craftsmen like Orlimar’s Lou Ortiz, enjoyed worldwide fame.

No golfer ever hit a driver before he bought it – the wood fi nishes were too fragile. In the Age of Persimmon, no golfer bought a driver because he thought it would be “longer” than an-other persimmon driver. “Performance” in those days was synonymous with “control”. “Beauty” was a word used to describe golf clubs.

“Pittsburg Persimmon” came along in the late 1980’s. Th ey were drab grey steel heads - sized like their better looking brothers. Th e fi rst “Pittsburgh’s” were durable, not beautiful. When Jack Nick-laus put Jumbo Ozaki’s “J” driver in his bag, there was a chorus of controversy. Should metal drivers be illegal?

It’s interesting to imagine what might have happened if the USGA stepped in then and ruled that drivers were, by definition, persimmon. Golf ’s most prosperous decade, the 1990’s may never have happened.

Th e “Performance Revolution” caught fi re in 1990. Th e fi rst big winner was Callaway with the Steelhead, then the Big Bertha, then the Biggest Big Bertha. Th e Biggest Big Bertha was small by today’s standards. Callaway initiated the irrepressible march of technological improvements in drivers.

Each year, for eighteen years, driver head sizes got bigger, the materials and manufacturing techniques more ex-otic and sophisticated. Th e larger and stronger the head, the better the results. Golfers became accustomed to “upgrad-ing” their “technology” every couple of years. Just like faster computers, the improvements in design delivered longer and more consistent drives. Golfers be-came accustomed to “buying their game”. Th ere is no doubt, golf became “easier”. A new driver, at a minimum, went into every golfer’s bi-annual budget.

Th en the USGA stepped in. “No more miracles” was their mantra. Head size was capped and the “rebound eff ect” was limited.

Th ere were a few more years of incre-mental innovation that improved – at least the perceived - performance. Taylor Made championed “moveable weight technology” (MWT). That bought them a few good years. Adams did well with improved aerodynamics. Th e whole world jumped on “interchange-able shafts” and then “adjustable face angles”. Mass produced drivers became “customizable”. Today, drivers are like

New York restaurants; you almost can’t fi nd a bad one.

In late 2009, it is impossible to imagine where the next signifi cant improvement in driver performance will come from. Th at’s not just my opinion. One of the most prolifi c designers in the industry, Tom Wishon, has been saying that for two years. He is stumped.

GOLFER MENTALITY WILL

CHANGE (BACK)

Th e relentless quest for extra distance is over. “Been there, done that” sums it all up. Th e last gasp of technological break-throughs might have been this year’s Air Force One (AF1) driver by PowerBilt. Th e AF1 promised faster ball speeds (longer distance) from a nitrogen fi lled head that permitted a thinner – but still USGA conforming face. Most of the players who tested the AF1 at the Golf Lab agreed that it was “longer”. Will the AF2 be longer still?

Th ink about how crazy the pursuit of performance has become. We’re hitting driver heads fi lled with Nitrogen gas under pressure. What’s the next step from that?

From here forward, golfer mentality will revert to the way it was in the “old days” – before the goal every year was “more distance”. Eventually, every tech-nology reaches the end of the road. My prediction is that golfers are going to forget where their longest lifetime drive ended up on every hole and start think-ing about hitting the right side of the fairway for the best angle to the green. Isn’t that what the PGA Tour Pros do?

Th e natural result of such a change in mentality will be that golfers will dis-regard promises of more distance that are both hollow and unnecessary. Th ey will begin to think again about “feel” and “control”. “Shot shape” will be interest-ing again.

Th at’s the end of annual unit sales increases for drivers – and probably for irons as well. It’s not about distance any more. Distance has been over-hyped.

OVERPRODUCTION WILL END

AND HEADS WILL ROLL

Multi-National conglomerates funded with public money and driven by in-creasing stock prices require a minimum 20% sales increase year over year. Man-agement puts forth a forecast before ev-ery product cycle. No manager survives forecasting a decrease in sales.

Eventually, every “house of cards” will collapse.

And those executives who thought all it takes is money to wipe out the compe-tition will be looking for jobs in another industry.

GOLF CLUBS NEED A “STORY”

Sporting Equipment is a great source of satisfaction for the sportsman. Ex-amples are legion. Th e handmade bam-boo fl y rod for the trout fi sherman. Th e custom engraved shotgun for the hunter. Th e bow for the archer. Th e bat for the ball player. Th e pole for the vaulter. Th e racquet, the paddle and so forth . . .

In virtually every sport other than golf, the best custom equipment is produced carefully, by a craftsman’s hand. Th e serious sportsman is studied, measured and fi tted. Many alternatives are tested before a purchase decision is made. Th e gunstock must fi t the cheek.

Prices and values are high. What serious marksman would buy his rifl e at Wall Mart?

When I look at the clubs in my bag, I get a tingle of satisfaction. I know the designer, the manufacturer and the builder. I remember the history and the tradition. I trust the heft and the bal-ance. I chose my clubs after “trial by fi re” testing because of how they looked and felt and the shots that they produced. They helped me perform in tourna-ments; they came through in the clutch. Th at experience makes my “story”.

For twenty years I’ve collected classic golf clubs that were each a chapter in my book. I still play the 1961 Wilson Staff forged blades. I have models played by Arnie and Jack to win major champion-ships. Others are examples of fabulous design and meticulous production.

And here’s the best part. Fitted with today’s lightweight shafts in steel or graphite, they lack nothing in perfor-mance. If you’re thinking of playing forged irons, you can do no better than a classic set, rebuilt to your specifi ca-tions. If you have an active imagination, it’s great fun to take a set of 50 year old irons to the course, and match your best scores. You might imagine walking in Arnie’s footsteps.

Th ere are new models today that are destined to become classics in their own right. Mizuno MP-60’s, Taylor Made RAC’s forged by Miura, Titleist “T” stamp, most of the Miuras and many of the Japanese boutique models are meant to last. Some companies still care enough to bring out great products. Who will win the Sweepstakes in 2010?



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Tiger Woods won the WGC-Bridge-stone Invitational over Padraig Har-rington, his 70th win, by 4 shots, with a fantastic 178-yard 8-iron to kick-in range on 16. Unusual? Not for Tiger.

But really, how did he hit that 8-iron 178 yards to “gimme” range? What does he know that other pros don’t? Surely if they knew what he knows they would do what he does, right? And if you knew some of it, surely it would help your game too.

Tiger’s driving shows that he is not a complete master of golf, but his ability to recover and to hit diff erent shots when

needed are his legacy. One hole he played in the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach may tell a great deal about his play. Th e story of his legacy is incomplete without paying homage to his knowledge of the game.

Tiger was one of two players to birdie number eight at that U.S. Open on Sat-urday during a stretch of over 50 players. Number eight is not a long hole, nor does it seem diffi cult: a lay-up off the tee to a relatively short shot over a canyon to a green guarded by bunkers front, left and right, and in back. Th e pin was back left; the other player to birdie was Fred Couples.

Freddie and Tiger must both know something the other players don’t; they were the only players to land the ball on the front-right portion of the green, releasing back to about 12-15 feet from the hole. Few other players were even on the green, none closer than 20 feet, and none landed the ball front-right. What did Tiger and Fred know?

Let’s reverse-engineer the play of the hole to see if we can fi gure it out. Th e green was fi rm and fast and did not hold. Th e wind was off the ocean, pushing the ball left. Th e players were hitting from a tight, down-hill lie making the trajectory lower with less backspin. What these two

knew was that the wind would push the ball left while landing with less spin, so it would release. Knowledge...

After seeing Freddie and Tiger both birdie the number eight, you may think that Freddie has the knowledge that Ti-ger has. Th at would be hard to prove one way or the other, but Tiger has the most knowledge of what the combination of lie, swing, wind, and landing zone will do. With so many shots to choose from, Tiger has the knowledge of what each will do with the given conditions, and he makes the correct choices far more often than other players.

So, how does that help in your game? Tiger’s ability to hit an 8-iron 178 yards does not show that he is consistent, it shows an inconsistency. What we don’t know is all of the details about the lie, the wind conditions, and the landing zone. I doubt Tiger practices his “stock” 8-iron at 178 yards.

Consider your “stock” 7-iron on the range. You hit from a level lie, probably fl uff ed up on top of the grass. You hit it 150 yards consistently on the range, but on the course you receive inconsistent yardages and directions. Yet you continue to try your 7-iron from 150 yards every time, because that’s how far your 7-iron goes on the range.

But what conditions will change the distance? Wind—into the wind or down wind will change it. Lie—tight vs. fl uff y. Slopes—above feet, below feet, uphill or down hill. Landing zone—fl at, sloped toward you, away from you, to the right or left. All these will change your range. So unless you’re playing on a fl at golf course manicured like the range, unfortunately the only consistency you’ll receive is inconsistency. No wonder we think our swing is inconsistent, and our attitude suff ers...

Take that short par 4 where you always hit your tee shot to about 50-75 yards out. Is that landing zone fl at? Downhill? Does it give you a tight lie with a 3/4 swing using a sand or lob wedge to a green well-guarded with bunkers? Does the green hold? Tour players probably don’t want this shot any more than you do. Th at designer probably made it so that a short swing with a high loft would be a tough shot. Is there a better place with a better lie and a better angle farther away from the hole? Check it out, there probably is.

Why can’t you hit it solid and straight all the way around the golf course? Be-cause you’re playing on sloped ground with diff erent grasses, into diff erent wind conditions, and with diff erent landing

Woods Consistently Wins, but How?by BOB DUNCAN

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Even with all of the uncertainties surrounding the future of the nation’s economy, people still want to travel. Th ey just want to do it for less, while staying closer to home.

Th at is why the Tri-Cities—comprised of the cities of Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland in southeastern Washington—is fast becoming the getaway destination for travelers from all over the Pacifi c Northwest.

Why are people traveling to the Tri-Cities? Because reasonable drive times from locations such as Portland, Seattle, Spokane, and Boise; paired with aff ordable prices, make it an ideal destination for every type of traveler including wine lovers, outdoor enthusiasts, birders, and history buff s.

Golfers specifi cally will love the region simply be-cause they have numerous play options. Th e area’s ten beautiful courses challenge enthusiasts of all levels.

In Kennewick, golfers have the opportunity to putt from the largest green in the Pacifi c Northwest, or play one of the “Northwest’s Dream 18 Holes” at Canyon Lakes Golf Course. Rated 4 ½ Stars by Golf Digest and tied for the “Top Rated Golf Course” in Washington State, Canyon Lakes off ers GPS on every cart, driving range, full practice facility, 18-hole putting course, and restaurant. Northwest Travel Magazine also selected Canyon Lakes as one of the “18 of the Best in the Pacifi c Northwest.”

Or experience the Tri-Cities’ desert climate at Horn

Rapids Golf Course in Richland. Known as the area’s target course, Horn Rapids is set amongst the sand and sagebrush and off ers a gorgeous backdrop of the Yakima River with Rattlesnake Mountain off in the dis-tance. Golfers will appreciate the full-service pro shop, deli, restaurant, 18-hole putting course, driving range, practice bunker, and three practice greens.

When you make your trip to the Tri-Cities, don’t

forget to book a tee time at one of their other fi ne courses including Columbia Point, Sun Willows, Tri-City Country Club, and Pasco Golfl and.

If you are looking to book a getaway package, the Tri-Cities Visitor & Convention Bureau has a pack-age that is right for you! By logging on to www.Golf-WineCountry.com, visitors can choose from fi fteen golf getaway packages starting at just $159. Packages include one night of lodging and round of golf with cart for two. Participating hotels also off er additional ame-nities for their guests. For example, the Clover Island Inn off ers guests a free continental breakfast, two adult beverages, riverfront dining at Th e Crow’s Nest Bar & Grill, free airport shuttle service, and they’ll even book your tee time for you!

Regardless of if you utilize one of the fantastic golf getaway packages, or venture out on your own golf getaway, you’ll learn that the Tri-Cities is an ideal destination for golfers wanting consistent, challenging courses which are playable year-round. And as we move

into September, you’re sure to appreciate the pleasant weather that accompanies the season change. With temperatures hovering around the 80 degree mark and the fact that the average rainfall lingers somewhere around eight inches annually, the Tri-Cities golf scene is quite satisfying during the fall months and you’ll quickly see why golf is one of the Tri-Cities’ most popular sports.

After a day of golfi ng, it’s time to sit back and relax. With more than 160 wineries within an hour’s drive, the Tri-Cities is fast becoming the Heart of Washington Wine Coun-try. And this is the perfect occasion to taste for your-self the reason why.

Tri-Cities wineries are still young enough to be intimate, yet experienced enough to produce world-class wines. Visitors will often be greeted by the winemaker or owner and are usually invited to tour the vineyards.

Th e perfect opportunity to meet the owners and tour the vineyards in the Tri-Cities is at Preston Premium Wines. Pres-ton is the largest family-owned winery in Wash-ington State and was also the state’s third licensed winery. Visitors can taste extraordinary wines while enjoying a spectacular view of the vineyards and beau-tiful Tri-Cities sunsets.

Lastly, when you make your break for the Tri-Cities, be sure to plan it around one of the region’s

fun, fall festivals:

Fiery Foods FestivalSeptember 12-13

Grapefest 2009September 12-13

23rd Annual Catch the CrushSeptember 26-27

Grillin’ & Chillin’ atPreston Premium Wines

September 26

For information on Golf Getaway Packages, wineries, and events, log on to the Tri-Cities Visitor & Conven-tion Bureau’s website, www.VisitTri-Cities.com, or call (800) 254-5824.

Great Golf in the Heart of Washington Wine Country

Photo courtesy of www.WineCountryCreations.com



by Golf Digest

Highest rated golf course in the Tri-Cities and tied for the• highest rated golf course in Washington State!

Hole #9 selected as one of the Golf Northwest’s Dream 18 Holes!•

Hole #12 is the largest green in the Pacifi c Northwest.• A 12,000 square foot thing of beauty!

GPS on every cart!•

Tee Times Now On-Line!•

Why Play One Of The Rest, When You Can Play The Best!

Call (509) 582-3736 or visit www.canyonlakesgolfcourse.com3700 Canyon Lakes Drive, Kennewick, WA

Canyon LakesGolf Course

Bring this ad in andreceive your choice:

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Horn Rapids

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866-564-GOLFvisit us at www.hornrapidsgolf.com for more information.

( 4 6 5 3 )

Desert Style Golf

With over 300 days of sunshine a year and less then 7 inches of rainfall, Horn Rapids offers year round golfing. Enjoy one of Washington’s finest desert courses. The Links at Horn Rapids is an experience you won’t want to pass up.

Winding through the sand and sage of the natural desert, Horn Rapids provides a brilliant contrast of greens backed by desert colors and set against a majestic high desert mountain range. An annual nesting area for the migrating curlews, and burrowing owls, where the occasional coyote and jack rabbit come into view. This desert course features narrow fairways lined by sagebrush and a standard cut of rough. The small greens are undulating and fast, and the terrain is rolling. The signature hole is #5, a 512-yard, par 5, featuring two large strips of sage brush coming into play across the fairway, forcing golfers to hit accurate lay-up shots. All 5 Tees are rated for both men and ladies.The Links at Horn Rapids unveils the ultimate in Target Desert Golf.

Horn Rapids offers:A full service Proshop and private lessons • Grass driving range and three practice greens • An 18-hole bent grass putting course • Club rentals, full RV hookup, and a restaurant •

Adult beverages and a banquet facility.•

Any Day after 2PM – 18 Holes with a Cart $35.00•

Senior Thursday – 50 and over 18 Holes with Cart $25.00•


Th e big three in pushcart manufac-turing: Sun Mountain Sports, Bag Boy and Clicgear are all represented here in the Pushcart Round Up for Golf Today Magazine.

For years, using a walking cart to get your clubs around the course meant buy-ing or renting a two-wheeled cart. Th e body action used for this was normally to drag the cart behind you. At some point, some clever ergonom-ics engineers found out that the action of walking kind of sideways while dragging a cart is not good for the spine angle and can lead to back, shoulder and foot ailments. Th ose same engineers added a wheel to the golf cart and now with three wheels, the action is simply pushing your cart down the fairway, much like a shopping cart. Over time, the three wheeled carts have caught on and improvements such as foam padding was added to the handles, handy holders for drinks, and scorecards were added, but most importantly was that the wheels have been developed to ride smooth over the terrain of the golf course with little resistance. Th ereby making walking with your clubs not much more strenuous than just walking the golf course without clubs.

Th e size of the pushcart when it’s folded doesn’t often play a roll in your trunk most of the time, except when you want to carpool with someone else to the golf course. If your cart doesn’t collapse small enough you may be the one who is al-ways driving or worse, sitting in the back seat with a golf cart on your lap. So think about all the scenarios related to golf when you are choosing your cart.

SUN MOUNTAIN SPORTS

(WWW.SUNMOUNTAIN.

COM)

Sun Mountain Sports has been lead-ing the way for a long time in the inno-vation of the three wheeled pushcarts. Th is year they have two carts to show off . First is the Speed Cart V1 – this is an easily foldable design that scoots around the course on pneumatic or solid foam tires. Sun Mountain has added a

net basket for tossing your head covers onto, which is a really neat feature. One of the best features of the Speed Cart V1 is that the handle is adjustable and can be lowered or raised to meet your hands comfortably.

Th ere is an umbrella holder that can thread into the center of the handle that allows you to hold your umbrella open to off er shade or retard the bad

weather while you are walking. Th e Speed Cart V1 also has a pump for the pneumatic tires, in case they get a little low out on the course. Th ere is a drink holder, scorecard holder and pencil hold-ers added to the Speed Cart V1. Th e Speed Cart V1 as with all of the models we looked at has a very valuable brake

system. If you cart doesn’t have a brake, there will be time where it rolls away on itself. A brake is a must! Th ankfully all of the carts reviewed here have brakes.

While the Speed Cart V1 is fairly simple to open and easy to use, the only negative point we have for it is that when it is folded down it is still pretty large. I drive a truck so tossing it in the back was no big deal.

However, when we folded it to place it in a normal trunk, it did take up quite a bit of space.

Also from Sun Mountain Sports is the MicroCart. Th is is the answer to the person who needs that extra space in their trunk or garage. Th e MicroCart folds to a size of 12” x 16” x 24”. Th e

MicroCart is very lightweight at only 13 lbs.

Th e Micro Cart has a simple action to unfold it, with bright yellow tabs for clicking the cart together. Th e cart rides on four, yes four solid foam tires. Th e MicroCart has a low center of gravity so it makes for a very stable ride for the golf clubs. Th ere is only one bag bracket

to hold the clubs (without the use of a bungee cord). Th e Sun Mountain Sports system for attaching the bag to the cart is no longer a bungee cord, but now they are clips that are adjusted to the width

Pushcart Round Upby TERRY VANDERHEIDEN


The Clicgear 2.0

Sun Mountain Sports - Speed Cart V1

Bag Boy - Mini GT

Sun Mountain Sports - Micro Cart


WWW.GOLFSUNCOUNTRY.COM

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Th e USGA Major Off er was launched on June 4, 2009. Th e off er provided those who purchased tickets for the 2010 U.S. Senior Open at Sahalee Country Club in Sammamish, WA with the opportunity to buy tickets for the U.S. Open in 2015 at Chambers Bay in Tacoma, WA ahead of the general public. Th e off er ended on August 3, 2009 with more than 21,000 tickets to the 2010 U.S. Senior Open sold.

“Th is championship at Sahalee has the potential to be the biggest Senior Open to date,” said Tim Flaherty, USGA Director of the U.S. Senior Open and U.S. Ama-teur Championships. “It’s fantastic to see the Seattle community get behind this nearly a year out from the event. Support like this, combined with solid corporate support, will send a message to the golf world that the Pacifi c Northwest is a worthy host for future major champion-ships.”

Although the USGA Major Offer is over, spectators are still encouraged to purchase tickets in advance. Specta-tors can select from a variety of ticket

options ranging in price from $20 to $250. Tickets for the 2010 U.S. Senior Open may be purchased in store at participating Fred Meyer locations, by phone at 877-281-OPEN, or online at www.2010ussenioropen.com.

Included in the ticket options is the Fore Pack, which includes four good-any-one-day championship tickets. Th e Fore Pack is the most fl exible option, allowing for tickets to be divided up throughout the week or used all on the same day. Th e Fore Pack is priced at $135. Details of all the ticket options are available at www.2010ussenioropen.com.

All tickets include free parking and free shuttle transportation to Sahalee Coun-

try Club. Th roughout the week of the championship, kids 17 and under receive free admission when accompanied by a ticketed adult. Kids also receive front-row

seating in all on-course grandstands. About the 2010 U.S. Senior OpenTh e 31st U.S. Senior Open will bring a

fi eld of 156 of the world’s best profession-al and amateur senior (over the age of 50) golfers to Sahalee Country Club in Sam-mamish, WA July 26–August 1, 2010. Featured players expected to compete include: Fred Couples, Greg Norman, Tom Lehman, Mark O’Meara, Bernhard Langer, Tom Watson, Peter Jacobsen, and 2009 U.S. Senior Open Champion Fred Funk. NBC and ESPN will provide more than 16 hours of television coverage of the championship. For additional infor-mation, visit www.2010ussenioropen.com.

the backswing.Th is time, my head movement wasn’t

just a simple matter of altitude I was also moving it to the right by a full head width. Brett showed me a comparison to pro golfer Stuart Appleby and it was pretty clear that I had some work to do in this department.

We worked on quieting my head for most of the rest of the lesson. Brett drew a blue square around my head on the computer during my setup and I tried to keep my head in that box. In the fi rst couple swings I was able to put a serious dent in the vertical bounce, keeping my head almost entirely within the box. A dozen more shots and my movement to

the right was reduced to just an inch or two, which Brett said was good enough. It felt very strange and robotic to keep my head still during the shot, but there was absolutely no doubt I was making better contact with the ball.

With every swing the sound that I heard and the feeling at impact im-

continued from page 8

2010 U.S. SENIOR OPEN: USGA MAJOR (TICKET) OFFER A

HUGE SUCCESS



of your bag, once they are set for your bag, you are good to go. Th is clip system looks a bit unstable at fi rst, but it worked fi ne when we actually tried it. Th ough since there is not a clip for the bottom of the bag on the Micro Cart (there are two clips for the Speed Cart V1), your bag can drift off the holding plate and it can rub against the wheels now again. I would like to see an additional clip at the bottom to keep the bag centered.

Th ere is an adjustable front axel to allow for any size golf bag to fi t and not rub against the tires size wise. Up top there is a covered tray and a magnetic scorecard holder and a swiveling drink holder. Th e handles are two grips kind of like you would fi nd on a bicycle or mo-tor scooter that are very comfortable to push this cart around any golf course.

BAG BOY

(WWW.BAGBOYCOMPANY.COM)

Bag Boy has also been in the golf in-dustry a long time, dating back to 1945 when they produced the fi rst “pull” cart with two wheels. Th e two wheel ver-

sions are still available from Bag Boy, but the three-wheeled versions make up about 80% of their cart sales.

From Bag Boy we have two versions as well. First up is the Bag Boy Automatic. Th e Automatic is named as such because of the one step simple action to fold out or collapse the pushcart. Th is really is a simple process to pull out of your trunk and unfold the Automatic by Bag Boy. You can check out their web site to see some video of what it takes to open the Automatic as compared to other carts. Th e Automatic is made from lightweight aluminum tubing to make it strong but it is still easy to get out of your trunk without breaking your back.

Th e wheels on the Automatic are very wide (almost 3 inches). Th ese are the G-Force Technology wheels. Th ey have a low profi le, raised center tread and sealed bearing system for that smooth roll and very little resistance on the grass or on cart paths. Th ese wheels boast the low-est PSI (pounds per square inch) rating of any of the pushcarts on the market today, thereby keeping injury to the turf at a minimum.

Th e Automatic is not the smallest cart

when collapsed but at 17” x 20” x 29” it is smaller than Speed Cart V1.

Th e golf bag is attached to the cart by the use of a thick strap with “hook and loop” fasteners or a clip (lower part of the bag) like you would fi nd on a backpack. Th e Automatic also has a drink holder, a scorecard holder a magnetic latched valuables compartment and it has an attachment for a movable umbrella holder.

Also from Bag Boy is Mini GT. Th e Mini GT is pretty small when it’s folded down to 14” x 18” x 22” and only weighs 16 lbs. Th is leaves lots of room in your trunk for your golf bag and other things.

With most of the same features of the Automatic, the Mini GT is loaded for a small cart. Th e clubs are attached by way of a bungee cord system however, the Mini GT is nowhere near as easy to fold and unfold as the Automatic. While it does take some time to get the Mini GT unfolded, it performs like a big cart once it’s up and running. Th e same wide G-Force wheels keep the Mini GT rolling smooth across the turf. Th e scorecard holder, drink holder and valuables com-

partment all work well on the Mini GT.

CLICGEAR

(WWW.CLICGEAR.COM)

Clicgear is relatively new to the market of pushcarts their version is the Clicgear 2.0. Th e Clicgear 2.0 is very small when it’s folded and measures out at 13” x 15” x 24” . It is however, the heaviest in our group at 18 lbs. but heavy does translate into some major stability out on the golf course. When the Clicgear 2.0 is fully unfolded and ready to go, you feel like you can go anywhere. Th e bungee cord bag straps are secure and keep your golf bag in place the whole time. Th e large wheels make going over a curb or a hump very easy to deal with.

Th e Clicgear 2.0 has the feature of an adjustable handle to raise and lower to your needs. Th is is fantastic and this can be done quickly if you need to change it out on the golf course (going up a steep hill for example). For your convenience, the Clicgear 2.0 has a clip for a towel, a hook-loop fastener for your golf glove and a bungee system that holds your pencil and scorecard. Uniquely the scorecard can be kept outside the console or inside depending on the weather. Th e magnetic closing console is also a place to hold up to three golf balls. Th e drink holder is designed to hold any normal sized water bottle, but it was a fi ght to get my larger stainless steel water bottle into the drink holder.

One of the aspects of the Clicgear 2.0 is the process of folding and unfolding the unit. While it does fold up nice and small the Clicgear 2.0 is a bit confus-ing to fold and unfold the fi rst time. I recommend watching the video online to see how to do it before you go to the golf course. Or, you can do what I did and take the unfolding process sheet provided by Clicgear to the golf course until you can remember how to get the thing together. Once you master it, it only takes few seconds to get it folded and unfolded, but there is a learning curve on this unit so be prepared.

You wont go wrong adding any of these pushcarts to your golfi ng ritual. Taking the steps to walk the golf course can be one of the healthiest decisions you make for yourself on the golf course.

Terry VanderHeiden can be reached for comments, questions or suggestions via email: [email protected]


Manufacturer/Product MSR Price Weight Collapsed Size (inches)

Wheels Brake

ClicGear 2.0

Bag Boy Mini GT

Bag Boy Automatic

Sun Mountain Sports Speed Cart V1

Sun Mountain Sports Micro 4- Wheel

$199.00 18 lbs. 13 x 15 x 24 Tubeless Plastic Yes



$199.95 17 lbs. 14 x 16 x 37 Solid Foam Yes

$199.95 13 lbs. 12 x 16 x 24 Solid Foam Yes


fi ve courses can be purchased for $22 or $20 right now. But we are also look-ing into the possibility of introducing a more extensive loyalty program too,” he says. “We have to be careful though. We won’t off er something just for sake of it. We don’t want to reach the point of diminishing returns. If we set conditions preventing our regular players from play-ing where and when they want to, then we will likely run into trouble.”

Zoller adds he would like the card to encourage new golfers on to the City of Roses’ public-owned tracks (Red Tail, Eastmoreland, Rose City, and the Greenback and Great Blue Courses at Heron Lakes). “And we’d obviously like to encourage our regular players to play more often,” he says. “I foresee something coming out within the next six months.”

Th e City of Spokane off ers discount cards for use at each of its four courses (Indian Canyon, Creek at Quelchan, Es-meralda, and Downriver) as well. Th e $30 Discount Card saves golfers $6 on green fees from Monday to Th ursday and $7 at the weekend, while the $249 card gives holders $12 discounts at any time. ‘Th e $30 option is by far the more popular,” says Rex Schultz, head professional at Esmeralda. “I don’t have the exact fi gures, but I sold at least 1,200 of them at the start of the season. We sell the majority of the City’s $30 cards, because we open earlier than the other courses. All told, I would estimate the City has sold more than 2,000, but we probably only sell about 100 of the more expensive cards.”

Of course, municipal golf is usually inexpensive even without the discounts ($30 at West Seattle, $26 at Eastmore-land, or $27 at Indian Canyon), so it’s at corporately-owned courses where players cards and loyalty schemes might have the biggest impact.

In Washington, two multi-course owners; Access Golf (www.golfagm.com) and Oki Golf (www.okigolf.com) have popular programs that can save members big money. Th e Oki Golf Platinum Card, for instance, might call for an initial outlay of $319 plus tax, but for that you get six complimentary rounds of golf, including cart, at six diff erent courses. So, supposing you played the six most expensive courses in Oki Golf ’s portfo-lio (Newcastle’s Coal and China Creek, Washington National, Redmond Ridge, Trophy Lake, and Harbour Pointe) on six successive Saturdays (complimen-tary rounds can be redeemed any day, any time) you would already be saving around $260 on regular green fees alone. Once you’ve used up your free rounds, you then

get members’ discounts—between $5 and $45—every time you play an Oki course. And the benefi ts of the 2009 card extend to March 31st 2010. So to save $1,000 at Oki courses, all you’d have to do is redeem your six free rounds then play Coal Creek on 16 Saturdays which, for the avid golfer, shouldn’t be too diffi cult. You also get a complimentary USGA handicap and become eligible to enter the Oki Golf Players Card Tournament Series. Th at’s a pretty good deal.

For $99 you can purchase the Origi-nal Oki Golf Card which buys you a complimentary round at China Creek, Washington National, Harbour Pointe, or Redmond Ridge, or two at Trophy Lake, Echo Falls, or either course at Hawks Prairie. Senior and junior cards are also available.

In addition to the players’ cards, Oki Golf introduced a scheme called E-cen-tives in March this year in which 9,000 golfers have already enrolled. Together with the near 13,000 Players Card hold-ers, that makes a total of almost 22,000 golfers in the Puget Sound region taking advantage of genuinely good deals such as playing Washington National, one of the top courses in the state (even if the homes have encroached a little close in recent years), for just $65 after 2pm on a Sunday or two golfers teeing it up at Hawks Prairie or Echo Falls Monday to Th ursday for $69, cart included.

“Given the current economic climate which exists in our community right now, our goal is to provide value for golfers of the Northwest so they can keep enjoying the game they love,” says Oki Golf mar-keting manager Jon Schuller. “We realize that many golfers are facing signifi cant fi nancial challenges and this new monthly program has allowed our current and fi rst-time customers the opportunity to play our premium courses for a much reduced rate.”

Schuller adds, “ The company will also be off ering reduced rates in the off -season,” which, at Oki Golf, typically starts in mid-October. “Each of our public courses sells 3-packs which can be used between October and March 31,” he says. “We haven’t determined the pricing for 2010 yet, but last year three rounds at Washington National cost $109 for card-holders. Th ey could play any time and a cart was included. Non-cardholders paid $134—about $45 a round.”

Two membership schemes are available at Access Golf, which owns and operates the 45 holes at Willows Run in Woodin-ville, Kayak Point in Stanwood, Druids Glen in Covington, and Capitol City in Lacey. Th e $99 card entitles you to 10%

off regular green fee rates and merchan-dise at Willows Run, Druids Glen, and Kayak Point and 25% off regular green fees at Capitol City, two-for-one entrees in all clubhouse restaurants, a USGA handicap, and eligibility for club tourna-ments. Th e $249 card meanwhile gives you a free round at each of the company’s facilities, a $190 value, 15% off regular green fee rates and merchandise at Wil-lows Run, Druids Glen and Kayak Point, 25% off regular green fees at Capitol City, USGA handicap, tournaments, a sleeve of Nike balls, and a Nike hat.

Oregon golfers looking to save a bit of cash should look into buying a copy of the West Coast Golf Valuebook (www.2for1golf.com), the 2009 edition of which cost $20 plus $2 shipping (2010 edition will begin shipping in December). Inside you fi nd coupons for special rates at the excellent Dan Hixson-designed Bandon Crossings, Arnold Palmer-de-signed Running Y Ranch in Klamath

Falls, Eagle Crest in Redmond, Salmon Run in Brookings, and Widgi Creek in Bend. Th ere are even two–for-one deals at Harbour Links, Shield Crest in Kla-math Falls, and Crooked River Ranch whose famous 5th hole is bordered all the way down its left side by the Crooked River Gorge.

If the course you want to play isn’t part of a network or involved in something like West Coast Golf Valuebook, chances are you can still get great rates simply by visit-ing its website. A good example is Mt. Si Golf Course (www.mtsigolf.com) in Sno-qualmie, WA, which unlike some courses which off er a web special once in a blue moon, posts specials to its site for every day of the week. Langdon Farms (www.langdonfarms.com) outside Portland is another course whose website off ers web specials most days, sometimes as much as 54% off the regular rate.

yard, straightaway par 4 opening hole. With trees lining both sides of the fairway, a straight drive off the tee will provide for a relatively straightforward second shot to a slightly uphill, but fl at-tish green. For the weekend warrior, the opening hole will provide ample chal-lenge and a solid par will set the tone for a good round.

Naturally during my round, there were a few holes that caught my eye and deserve special mention. One of my fa-vorites is hole #15 described as the “cliff hole,” a medium length 366 yard par 4 with a terrifi c view to the west from the tee box. Don’t be surprised to see the odd light airplane on fi nal approach into Auburn’s municipal airport while you set up to use your hybrid or 3 wood off the tee. Th e drop in elevation from the tee to the fairway is over 60 feet on this sharp dogleg right and woods protect the right side of the fairway and two fairway bunkers on the right hand turn. If you are a lefty, a draw into the fairway below is an ideal play; however, you may need to club down to avoid hitting your tee shot through the fairway.

My other favorite, predictably per-haps, is Auburn’s marquee, postcard-perfect par-3 hole 16. Measuring 175 yards from the blue markers, you are greeted by a two-tiered, cascading waterfall as a back drop, which only

serves to defer your attention from the many hazards that await you, includ-ing bunkers on the front, right, and back of the green, not to mention the lake front and left of this large putting surface. I gave up counting the number of tiers on the green, but three is a safe bet and if you hit it long and left(as I did) you can expect a down-hill putt that will thoroughly test your putting mettle. Speed control is important to ensure that you don’t run it off the green and into the water hazard. Hit the middle of the green to ensure a stab at regulation par. Given Auburn’s popularity, the good news is that the course is well maintained and does not show the usual wear and tear often associated with a high volume course. My only knock on Auburn that day was the numbers-driven pace of play, which led to an almost 5 hour round. A little north of my budgeted Tuesday golfi ng time; however, that being said, my overall enjoyment of the course coupled with competitive rates year round, Auburn Golf Course is a qual-ity experience and I’ll be planning my return sooner rather than later.

Check out www.auburngolf.org for further details on their lesson program with professional instruction led by head Pro Chris Morris, tournaments, Men’s and Women’s Club events, a Ju-nior Program, and student and senior rates.


Squeezing the Most Out of Your Golfi ng Dollars



Auburn Golf Course


As a helicopter hovers over the Overlake Golf and Country Club in Bellevue, 2,000 numbered golf balls will drop to the green on the 18th hole—and the ball that lands in the hole or closest to it will reap $5,000 cash for its lucky “owner.”

Th e exciting Hole-in-One Ball Drop is part of the 8th Annual Olive Crest Golf Tournament, being held at the Overlake Golf and Country Club on September 21. Th e tournament and the ball drop are fundraisers for Olive Crest Homes and Services for Abused Children—and you don’t even have to be a golfer to enjoy the fun, thrills and prizes of the Hole-in-One Ball Drop.

Olive Crest plans to sell 2,000 golf balls for the Ball Drop: which represents

the number of King County children in foster care who need the communities help. Participants can pur-chase one ball for $10 or three balls for $25. Th e helicopter servic-es are being donated by Airwork LLC, an Auburn-based heli-copter fl ight school.

“It only costs $10 to purchase a numbered

ball and be eligible to win $5,000—while helping transform the lives of children at risk in King County,” says Tim Myers, Olive Crest Pacific Northwest Trustee Board President and Boeing Capital Corporation, Vice Presi-dent Structured Financing. “I’d say that’s a pretty good return on investment!”

Meanwhile, golfers and sponsors are in-vited to join the action on the links. Golf-ers can register to play as an individual for $250 or in foursomes for $1,000. Regis-tration opens at 9:30 a.m., and play begins with a shotgun start at 11:00 a.m. Golf packages include a BBQ lunch, a round of golf, shirt or vest, and a cocktail, appetizer and awards reception.

Sponsors can promote their brands to

Seattle’s elite business and golf communi-ties while helping Olive Crest’s kids at the same time. Opportunities range from $1,000 - $10,000 and are available in all categories, including title, tee gift, awards reception, luncheon, and hole-in-one, among many others.

To purchase balls, register for the tour-nament, or become a sponsor, log onto www.olivecrest.org or call 425-462-1612.

MEDIA CONTACTS

Alison Hill714.444.9731, ext. 201,[email protected]

Marisa Aguilar909.851.0613,

[email protected]

ABOUT OLIVE CREST HOMES AND

SERVICES FOR ABUSED CHILDREN

Celebrating its 35th anniversary in 2008, Olive Crest Homes & Services for Abused Children has been a leader in providing care for abused, abandoned and severely neglected children. Olive Crest is dedicated to Preventing child abuse, to Treating and Educating at-risk children and to Preserving the family… “One Life at a Time.” ®

Olive Crest continues to promote the safety and wellness of children and families through innovative programs including specialized education, foster and adoption, family preservation, and residential homes. Olive Crest’s outreach serves California, Nevada, and the Pacifi c Northwest. For information call 1-800-550-CHILD (2445) or visit www.olivecrest.org.

Overlake Hosts The 8th Annual Olive Crest Golf Tournament

Southern Oregon’s

Paradise Ranch Resort Nears Completion

While the recession put the brakes on most new golf course develop-ments, Southern Oregon continues its quest to have its own piece of Nicklaus golf nirvana. Located in sunny Southern Oregon and just minutes outside of Grants Pass, re-sides the new Nicklaus and Nicklaus II designed golf course at Paradise Ranch Resort slated to open in 2010.

While the semi-pr ivate 7 , 4 1 8 y a rd course is cur-rently under construction, much of the 320 acre Re-sort course is complete and open for public review. In ad-dition to this natural cham-pionship golf masterpiece, real estate buyers will have an opportunity to purchase one of 200 home sites along with over a hundred villas for overnight lodging and for investment. A spa and well-ness center will also be constructed along with tennis courts, swimming pools, dining facilities, and an ex-pansive clubhouse.

Located halfway between Seattle and San Francisco and only two minutes off Interstate 5, Paradise is very accessible, but for those golfers who feel compelled to fl y directly to Paradise neighboring Grants Pass Airport is the perfect gateway. In fact, Paradise Ranch intends to build a fi rst class terminal and hangar facility, which will earmark Paradise Ranch Resort as the only Jack Nicklaus, Nicklaus II cham-pionship golf course with direct fl y in capabilities in the United States. Not only can you fl y in directly, but when you arrive expect to have a golf cart ready and waiting and the links beckoning.

For more information, please call 866-956-0707 or 541-956-0707 or visit www.paradiseranchresort.com.

zones. Heck, if it was all perfect grass and fl at we probably wouldn’t play golf.

No doubt Tiger has mental toughness, but without the knowledge the mental toughness won’t hit the ball 178 yards. If you knew what your mis-hit was going to be would you play for it? Tiger does. To play better golf it’s not just about how good your golf swing is. In golf, winning really is about how you play the game!

Bob Duncan is the PGA teaching profession-al at Tetherow Golf Club. He has given over 8,000 hours of golf instruction, and has cus-tom fi t over $1.6 million in golf equipment. He can be reached at [email protected], or visit www.tetherow.com



Chan Kim of Chandler, Ariz., a 19 year old Arizona State sophomore, held off two United States Walker Cup hopefuls to win the 43rd Pacifi c Coast Amateur Championship by one shot at Th e Gallery Golf Club in Tucson.

Kim, the 2008 Arizona Amateur and 2007 Hawaii Amateur champion, fi red a 4 under par 68 today for a 72-hole total of 17-under par 271 at Th e Gallery GC’s South Course, site of the 2007 and 2008 World Golf Championship’s Accenture Match Play Championship. He fi nished one shot ahead of Zack Sucher of Mobile, Ala., who held at least a share of the lead in each of the fi rst three rounds and had plenty of chances to win today only to fall short.

On a day when red (under-par) scores littered the leader board, Mark Anderson

of Beaufort, S.C., another Walker Cup hopeful, and Richard Lee of Bellevue, Wash. each shot 4 under par 68 to tie for third place at 14 under par. Anderson would have fi nished in third place alone had he not missed a two-foot par putt on the fi nal hole.

Another Chandler resident, 18 year old Andrew Yun, posted a 7 under par 65 to fi nish in fi fth place at 13 under par. He was one of two players to shoot 65 today, the other was Brett Kanda of La Canada, which tied the course record, set Tuesday by Sucher and Eric Mina of Fremont, Calif., when they shared the fi rst-round lead and matched by Daniel Miernicki, of Santee, Calif. on Wednesday before he had to withdraw due to injury.

Kim, who grew up on Oahu, and the 22 year old Sucher, who just fi nished his eligibility at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, each posted three birdies on the front 9 to separate themselves from the pack, but Kim took the lead for good with birdies on the 10th and 12th holes. Sucher never made another birdie in the round and he missed several makeable opportu-nities down the stretch, including birdie putts on the 17th and 18th holes that hung on the edge of the hole.

“I was shaking coming down the last few holes,” said the 6-foot, 4-inch Kim after his round. “I had spent all last week working on my irons and putting because I knew that would be crucial at Th e Gallery. So I was confi dent coming in and when I made

four consecutive birdies to start the back 9 yesterday, I really felt pumped and it car-ried over into today.”

Th e key hole in the round may have been the 480-yard 13th where Kim yanked his drive left into desert. “I was lucky I had a stance,” he admitted later. He hacked back into the fairway and then punched an 8-iron from 144 yards out to within 10 feet of the hole and sank the par putt. “Th at was clearly a turning point,” he said later.

Another critical shot came on the 447-yard 18th hole. Coming off a 3-putt bogey 6 on the 17th hole, Kim drove into a fair-way bunker, but nailed a 9-iron shot from 145 yards out to within 7 feet of the hole. After Sucher had his birdie trip end on the lip, Kim 2 putted for par and the victory.

Sucher was upset after missing several putts down the stretch. “It was a very frus-trating day,” he said afterwards. “I’m tired of lip outs.”

Kim sympathized, “I can’t believe that all of his putts stayed out of the hole.”

In a year when Tucson’s Dr. Ed Upde-graff , who won the inaugural Pacifi c Coast Amateur after the event was resurrected in 1967, was honored by having a new per-petual trophy named for him, Kim became the fi rst Arizona golfer to win the event since Phoenix’s Billy Mayfair won back-to-back titles in 1987-88. Kim is also the fi rst Hawaii native to win the championship.

Th e 44th Pacifi c Coast Amateur will be played July 27-30, 2010 at the Eugene (Ore.) Country Club.

A One Shot Nail Biter at the Pacifi c Coast Amateur Championship

Whats Happening

At Muckleshoot

in September!

KACHINGKO

Winning big has a new sound—“KaChingKo!” Just drop the puck and you could win up to $100,000 when you play KaChingKo! at Muckleshoot Casino in Auburn. Drawings will be held at 4pm, 6pm, 8pm and 10pm every Th ursday in September!

MEGA SLOT

Spin your Way to $250,000 with Mega Slot at Muckleshoot Casino in Auburn! Simply swipe your Pre-ferred Players Club card and pull the big reel every Monday and Tuesday and see if you are the next big mega Winner!

09.09.09

Celebrate like its 09.09.09! Just come into Spice Bay Buff et at Muck-leshoot Casino on 09.09.09 and get dinner at the special price of $9.99. Here, you’ll enjoy a unique culinary experience featuring six live-action cooking stations that showcase your favorite dishes from around the world.

SOCIETY OF SEVEN

Muckleshoot Casino is proud to present Hawaii’s own “Society of Seven” feat. Special Guest Jasmine Trias! Show times are Tuesday through Sunday, September 15th thru September 27th at 7:30pm with matinee performances Satur-day and Sunday at 1pm. Admission is always FREE so get here early to get a good seat!

DARREN MOTAMEDY

WITH GUEST PERFORMER JEFF LORBER

Get your groove on to the soulful sounds of Darren Motamedy with featured guest performer Jeff Lorber at Muckleshoot Casino on Sunday, September 6, 2009 from 8pm to 12am. Admission is always free.

RECESSION YIELDS UNIQUE PLAY

OPPORTUNITIES FOR REGIONAL

GOLFERS

The Washington State Golf Asso-ciation and Boxgroove.com announce a partnership to enhance the game of golf in the Pacifi c Northwest.

As businesses of all sizes pursue layoff s and salary cuts, Americans are limiting personal spending. Casualties of this belt-tightening include vacation travel, pricey dinners and…the private country club membership.

Once associated with waiting lists and high initiation fees, the private club busi-ness model is undergoing change. Unable to woo new members and losing existing members, private clubs are embracing new and creative marketing partners.

Boxgroove.com is one such partner. Launched in June, Boxgroove.com is an

online, membership marketing com-pany that works exclusively with private clubs. Using a patented web platform, Boxgroove.com allows country clubs to generate revenue and engage potential members through the controlled sale of unused tee times. Using Boxgroove.com’s player screening controls, participating clubs can target the sale of tee times to golfers of a particular geography, club affi liation and/or handicap. To date, Boxgroove.com has partnered with over 40 private clubs from 9 states and has over 200 subscribing golfers.

Based in Columbus, Ohio, the Box-groove.com network includes over 40+ clubs in 9 states, over 200 members and a team of 6 golfi ng entrepreneurs.

For more information about Boxgroove.com, please email McRedmond Morelli at [email protected].

Private Clubs Seek Creative Ways To Court New Members

Then there are tee-time reser-vation websites such as golfnow.com, teemaster.com, or ezlinks.com which can also net you signifi cant savings.

With players’ cards, loyalty schemes, discount cards, online coupons, book coupons, web spe-cials and tee-time reservation sites off ering cut-rate green fees, there are great golf deals to be had out there. And if you know your way around the internet, you really shouldn’t have any trouble fi nding them.



Th e fi nal round of the 54-hole Oregon Men’s Stroke Play Championship at Em-erald Valley Golf Club began with Doug Banks, 52, of Portland, Ore. trying to maintain his slim 1-stroke lead over two-time defending champion and the reign-ing Oregon Senior Amateur Champion Patrick O’Donnell, 55, of Clackamas, Ore. and George Walker, 53, the 2007 Oregon Senior Amateur Champion.

It was not to be Banks day in the lime-light. He faltered down the stretch with a couple of unfortunate breaks, which al-lowed the infallible O’Donnell the breaks he needed to snatch his third consecutive Stroke Play title.

“He [Banks] played really well,” said O’Donnell. “It was just 2 bad breaks in a row. He fried it on 14, and then got a little ahead of himself trying to wedge it close on 15 sending it into the bunker again. Th at’s where I stuff ed it to 3-feet and made birdie.”

O’Donnell has been one of the top senior golfers in the region for the last several years. Th is past week, he was the runner up to for-mer PGA Tour professional Jeff Coston at the Oregon Open Invitational held at Wild-horse Resort, fi nishing at 16-under par after shooting 68-67-65-200, just 2 strokes be-hind Coston, but 6-strokes ahead of his closest competitor. Th e Invitational features the best professional and amateur senior golfers in the Pacifi c Northwest.

“I like 54-hole events,” said O’Donnell. “I had 7-birdies in my fi nal round at the Invi-tational, but only matched that in my three rounds here. It’s a tough course.” O’Donnellwill attempt to qualify for the U.S. Senior Amateur at Riverside.

While the Seniors fi nished up, the lead-ers in the Open Division were beginning their battle. It all came down to 2 players. At no time did anyone threaten to take the lead away from 36-hole leaders Andrew Vi-jarro of Bend, Ore., the defending champion and Paul Peterson of Salem, Ore. In fact, it was mostly a battle just between these two players.

Vijarro played steady all day, posting an even-par 72 with just one bogey and birdie while Peterson was a little more erratic with three birdies and bogeys also in route to an even par round. He just wasn’t sinking the putts he did yesterday when he moved into position after scoring a competitive course record 65 on the championship course.

Vijarro had a one stroke advantage going into the fi nal hole after an round on the par-3 17th hole when after fi nding himself trapped in the hazard, he managed to pull off an amazing shot and save par.

Peterson, however, was not concerned, because the par-5 18th hole, his favorite on the course, awaited. “Th e 18th hole sets up well for my draw,” said the southpaw Peter-

son. “And the front right hole location today also setup well for my game.”

Peterson nearly reached the 577-yard green in two and was able to score a birdie to force a playoff . How much does he like the hole? Peterson not only birdied the 18th hole each of the three rounds of the championship, but he also birdied it two years ago in this Championship to force a playoff —one that he lost after four holes to Brooks Newsom of Portland.

“I didn’t want that feeling again,” said Peterson refl ecting on his walk back to the clubhouse after that playoff loss. “I’ve come a long way since then. I really learned a lot this last season at Oregon State. Peterson, who will be a senior this fall, led the OSU team with a 72.33 scoring average.

In the playoff , Peterson hit his shots to nearly identical locations, scoring himself another birdie opportunity while Vijarro got into trouble. “I knew the putt,” noted Peterson after he made birdie yet again.

Vijarro came close to a repeat as cham-pion, barely missing his opportunity to join the ranks of the few who have won both the

Oregon Amateur and Stroke Play titles in the same season.

“I didn’t have any rounds over par this week, so I don’t feel like I lost it,” said Vijarro. “He won it. It was incredible that Paul was able move up 7-strokes yesterday to make it a match. He played great and birdied the last hole to force a playoff and birdied it again to win.”

Th e most amazing shot of the day, how-ever, wasn’t made by either of the leaders. It came in the form of a hole-in-one made with a 7-iron by Matt Jacobsen on the par-3 167-yard 2nd hole.

Th e Men’s Stroke Play showcases the best male players in Oregon and SW Washington with a minimum qualifi cation for entrants of a handicap index of 5.0 or less for male amateur golfers 13 years of age and older; those 50 years of age and older may play in a Senior Divison and must have a handicap index of 10.0 or less. Th e fi eld is cut to the top-half of the players after 36-holes.

O’Donnell Three Peats for Senior Title

PACIFIC SHOWROOM

Terri ClarkFriday, September 18, 2009

7 pm and 9:30 pmTh ursday, September 24, 2009

8 pm to midnight$10,000 Skagit Karaoke Awards

Final Awards ShowHosted by Rocky & Kristine!

Win one of nine competition cash prizes or one of 12 random draw cash prizes. Visit the Rewards Club Center for com-plete details.

WINNERS LOUNGE

Th ursday, September 3, 2009 8 pm to midnight

$10,000 Skagit Karaoke Awards Competition

Hosted by Rocky & Kristine!

Open mic before and after the contest (time permitting). Finals to be held in the Pacifi c Showroom on September 24th. Weekly winners advance to the fi nal competition.

Earn entr ies for the ran-dom draw contest every time you sing (excluding contest song ). Win one of nine competition cash prizes or one of 12 random draw cash prizes. Visit the Rewards Club Center for com-plete details.

September 4 & September 59 PM to 1 AM

Pete Ford and Texas Hold ‘Em80’s to Current Country Dance Band

Th ursday, September 10, 17, 2009 8 pm to midnight

$10,000 Skagit Karaoke Awards

CompetitionHosted by Rocky & Kristine! Open mic before and after the contest

(time permitting). Finals to be held in the Pacifi c Showroom on September 24th.

Weekly winners advance to the fi nal competition.

E a r n e nt r i e s fo r the ra n -dom draw contest every time you sing (excluding contest song ). Win one of nine competition cash prizes or one of 12 random draw cash prizes. Visit the Rewards Club Center for com-plete details.


Th e GoodsTop 40 Dance and 60’s-80’s Rock


Latigo LaceContemporary Country Dance Band

September 25 & September 26 9 PM to 1 AMFreddy Pink

Classic Rock and Soul Horn Band

DINING

Th e Five Onion GrillSummer Berry Menu Specials Featur-

ing fresh locally supplied berries from Skagit Valley’s Sakuma Brothers Farm – Ends 9/25/09

Th e Market Buff et Seafood Celebration – Every Friday –

5 pm to 10 pm

What’s Happening At Skagit Casino In September


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golf today nw september 2009

Documents

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