golf news magazine feb 2012

February 2012

golfnewsmag.com

Whereto Play

DesertGOLF COURSES

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CountryClub Living

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Honoring the Legacy of 'Ole Blue Eyes

Fabulous lakefront home withbreathtaking mountain views! Spaciousgreat room with updated kitchenfeaturing slab granite counter tops.Gorgeous built-in media center and wetbar with wine cooler and slab granitecounter top. All baths have beenupdated with stone finishes. Over 2400square feet with 3 bedrooms and 3baths including a detached casita. Largegated covered patio is an entertainer'sdelight. $465,000

Spacious model perfect home located on 2ndfairway of the Greg Norman course withexpansive mountain views. Approx. 4500 sq. ft.with 4 bedrooms including a casita and 4.5baths, plus 2 dens. Huge great room withbuilt-in entertainment center, wet bar andfireplace. Highly upgraded with travertine floorsand a gourmet kitchen with gorgeous thick richslab granite counter tops and stainlessappliances. Luxurious master suite with sittingarea and two walk-in closets. Stone finishes inall baths. The backyard is an entertainer'sdelight with covered patio looking to pebbletech pool and raised spa, built-in BBQ and lushlandscaping. $1,075,000

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Short sale opportunity for a real gem!

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The HideawayPGA West

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Tradition

Fabulous La Quinta Acreage

golfnewsmag.com4 Golf News Magazine February 2012

PLEASE SEE PAGE 6

Golf News Makers

Chance to Win $1,000 Bucksand Help Young Golfers

Help the La Quinta High School Boys and Girls Golf Teams by

participating in their fund raiser and have some fun along with it. For

only $10 per ball, find out if the ball that flies from the sky is your

lucky orb. Advanced tickets are on sale at Woodhaven Country Club

or call (760) 963-0587 for your tickets.

The winner will be decided when ticket-numbered balls are

dropped from a crane at the COD golf range on Saturday, February

11th. The closest ball to the pin will win a $1,000. You do not have to

be present to win. The event is being sponsored by Pete Carlson’s Golf

& Tennis.

One Set of Golf Rules—Time For a Change!You’ve heard the saying, “Tour pros play a different game than

amateurs” when it comes to the skill level of golfers. Because the dis-

parity between Tour pros and amateurs is so extreme, it only makes

sense to have a different set of rules for each. For example, let the Tour

pros take a stroke and distance penalty for hitting a ball out of bounds,

but let the amateur be penalized with the one-stroke it took for hitting

the out of bounds shot and make him hit the shot over.

Yet the USGA and R&A are stubborn. They claim tradition and

the integrity of the game are at stake. Recently USGA executive di-

rector Mike Davis emphasized, “We have a longstanding belief, going

back more than 100 years, that one set of rules for all golfers is one

thing that has made the game so strong.”

When Tiger Woods and friends lifted that huge bolder years

ago during a PGA Tour tournament and successfully claimed the

bolder was a “loose impediment,” that didn’t do much for the strength

and integrity of the game. Did it?

As fewer golfers are entering the game, maybe it’s time to re-

think once again how rules can be modified so amateurs can enjoy the

game better. Be as punitive as you like to the Tour pros. They are highly

skilled professionals who make their living by competing in the game.

But give the amateur a break. The amateur is trying to enjoy the com-

plex and sometimes very difficult game; the amateur needs all the help

he or she can get from the rules. Once and for all, let’s develop a dif-

ferent set of rules: a set for the pros, a set for the amateurs.

Greg Bay & Teammates Tie For FirstJoe Vetrano is proud of his clients who golf and when they do

something special, Joe rightfully lets GolfNews know about it. Van-

couver’s Greg Bay, member and homeowner at PGA West, with am-

ateur teammates and rookie PGA Tour pro Russell Knox, tied for 1st

place in the 2012 Humana Challenge Monday Pro-Am. As shown in

the photo, winning always brings on plenty of smiles.

SCPGA Women Sock It to the Women’s Council

In the first-ever Women’s Cup Matches played here in the desert

at Mission Hills Country Club, the Southern California PGA pro-

fessional team beat the Women’s Southern California Golf Council

amateur team 7 ½ to 4 ½.

The score is not indicative of how the matches were fiercely fought

by the Women’s Council amateurs. The famous par-5 island green 18th

hole on the Desmond Muirhead-designed Dinah Shore Course

turned out to be the waterloo (no pun intended) for the amateur team.

Playing on the victorious SCPGA team were Carol Hogan, Tracy

Lane, Jane Rosenberg, Patty Schram, Dale Shaw, Junko Suzuki,

Mardell Wilkins, Lehua Wise, and Captain Susan Roll. For the am-

ateur team, the competitors were Penny Bazuik, Angela Collins, Joan

Higgins, Kathy Kurata, Fran Macomber, Sheila McCain, Ran Oh,

Cheryl Wohlgemut and Captain Judy Nickel.

LPGA Tour Loses 1 But Gains 4In last month’s issue, GolfNews reported that the LPGA Tour lost

its 36-yr-old Central Illinois Charity Golf Classic due to lack of spon-

sorship. We’ve got good news this month. The LPGA has added four

full-field events for 2012, plus the return of the Jamie Farr Toledo Clas-

sic. The total number of tournaments for 2012 have increased from 23

to 27. The new tournaments are: ISPS Handa Women’s Australian

Open in Melbourne, LPGA Classic in Canada, LPGA LOTTE Cham-

pionship in Hawaii, and Kingsmill Championship in Virginia.

And the bucks for the ladies are a lot better, too. Compared to a

total purse of $40.4 million in 2011, LPGA Tour tournaments in 2012

will shell out $47 million. There is no doubt that the LPGA Tour is

showing strong gains in corporate support as well as its fan base. Ac-

cording to the LPGA Tour, in 2011 viewership on Golf Channel in-

creased 29 percent across all tournaments and 38 percent for North

American events versus 2010.

Excellence on the CourseKen Forster & Howard Broun were low gross winners in the

Mission Hills Country Club annual Sidewinder Tournament. Austin

Burt & Greg Dewar took low net honors in Flight 1. Chuck

Wingarten & Tom Hamlin won low net in Flt 2, Joe Mecklenberg

& Jim Wegge won Flt 3.

The team of Brad Campbell, Raj Sinha, PGA Tour pro Russell Knox,Robert O’Keefe and Greg Bay tied for 1st in the Humana ChallengePro-Am.

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Ted Bettwy reports that Mission Hills nudged out its rival PGA

West in Ryder Cup competition, 40 1/2 to 39 1/2. Bud Goldshine &

Carrington Clark won the final match for Mission Hills earning the

two points necessary for their team’s victory. Twenty-eight different

players participated for Mission Hills. “The annual Ryder Cup is highly

competitive,” said Bettwy. “There were no happy faces for the PGA

West participants.” Watch out for PGA West next year. They will, no

doubt, try to wipe off any smiles that might be remaining on Mission

Hills players from this season’s victory.

John Cook and Curtis Strange Defend Tiger

The Tiger Woods scandal shocked the world and a lot of dis-

paraging remarks have been made about Tiger. But two former

PGA Tour pros (one currently staring on the Champions Tour)

have a lot of positive things to say about Tiger. In a recent issue of

GOLFWEEK, Curtis Strange stated, “You know how good Tiger

Woods was? He made us forget about Jack Nicklaus. He won half

his majors by lapping the field.”

John Cook added, “That was a Hall of Fame career in itself.

There was nobody like him. No question in my mind that Tiger’s

confidence is higher. You saw it in the President’s Cup. That was

the guy we used to see. The players out here who might have

stopped thinking that this guy could come back; well, they might

see what can happen.”

Cook, who usually comes across mild-mannered, is anything

but when it comes to topics he’s passionate about. Cook is a sen-

sitive, aware and outspoken person who won’t hesitate to give his

opinion on controversial topics. And, clearly, he is a loyal friend

of Tiger’s. When it comes to the media that has been bashing

Tiger, Cook says, “I watch it and listen to it on TV and I cringe. I

say, ‘I cannot believe this guy is saying this; it just doesn’t make

sense at all. That there’s only one way to swing a club, that you fall

for a year-and-a-half and next thing you know, you’re done and

out.’ Not only does it frustrate me; sometimes it disgusts me that

people just give up on a guy like that so fast.”

Pete Carlson’s A Good Sport in Promoting His Coming Golf Expo

Golf legend Pete Carlson has been on the desert golf scene

for going on 30 years and the respect he has earned from cus-

tomers is highly regarded. For those that know him, along with

his excellent business sense comes a sincere concern for peo-

ple…and a sense of humor (as shown in the photo).

Pete Carlson’s 8th Annual Golf Expo, the largest golf event of

its kind in the desert, takes place February 10-11, this month at

College of the Desert Driving Range (Fred Waring & San Pablo

in Palm Desert), 9 a.m.-4 p.m., free admission. If you want to par-

ticipate in golf action, you have to attend one or both Expo days.

In the convenience of one location, virtually all the name-brand

manufacturers are featuring their newest 2012 innovative equip-

ment. Golf clinics, demos, live Music, custom club fitting and a lot

more is on tap—all free.

Last year’s attendance was estimated to be over 5,000. Don’t

miss out on the biggest desert golf event of its kind!

Scott Scoots One In—Third Career AceScott KIner, one heck of a tennis player at one time and still a

formidable amateur golfer, made his third career hole-in-one at the

right time—in this

year’s Humana

Challenge Monday

Pro-Am. On the 17th

hole of the PGA

West Palmer Pri-

vate course, Kiner

feathered in his ace

from 110 yards using

9-iron. With his ace

came a first-rate

prize—one year’s

membership to PGA

West compliments of

PGA West.

Kiner’s ace was

historic within his family because as Yogi Berra would say, “It was

déjà vu all over again.” In 1988, Scott aced the same exact hole for his

second career hole-in-one playing with his legendary father, Ralph

Kiner. The only difference is 23 years ago, Scott fired in his ace from

120 yards using wedge.

GolfNews Publisher Dan Poppers asked Kiner, “So, what did

that ace cost you? Did you buy all the drinks?”

“Absolutely,” Kiner said with a chuckle. “I told everyone that the

drinks were on me. After a pause, Kiner added, “It was an open bar and

the drinks were free!” However, he’s not getting off “Scott-free.” Kiner

said some time in the future he would make it up to those who were

FROM PAGE 4

PLEASE SEE PAGE 8

Those that know Pete Carlsonknow he’s a good sport and isup to having some fun. Herehe poses with all kinds of golfstuff as if he is rushing off toprepare for Pete Carlson’s 8thAnnual Golf Expo scheduledthis month February 10-11.

GOLFNEW

S

Scott KIner made his third careerace at the right time.

SCOTT

AVRA

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FROM PAGE 6

PLEASE SEE PAGE 22


there and remind him of his hole-in-one obli-

gations.

Invitation from BermudaDunes CC

“In all private clubs today, membership

seems to be of top concern and interest,” says

Lila Langsford, membership director of

Bermuda Dunes Country Club. “Ranging

from recruitment to retention, clubs have to

be more creative, innovating, and proactive in

their efforts to attract new members and to

keep the ones they have.

“Bermuda Dunes Country Club is one of

the many clubs in the desert facing these is-

sues; however, Bermuda Dunes has recog-

nized the key to membership success is

positioning them in the market place.

Bermuda Dunes Country Club has developed

affordable membership categories including

a Non-Equity category, Young Executive and

even a Non-Resident membership. To ad-

dress member retention Bermuda Dunes

Country Club has developed a creative op-

portunity for their existing and new members

to earn substantial dues credits; a win-win for

all who are involved and choose to partici-

pate.

“Through the various organizations and

businesses throughout this valley, including

Bermuda Dunes Country Club, opportunity

avails itself that will continue to make the

Desert a favorable place to spend enjoyable

time with family and friends alike.”

You can find out more about the mem-

berships at Bermuda Dunes Country Club by

visiting the club’s website at www.bermu-

dadunescc.org.

More GolfNews Makers…Courage and PGA Tour players are one

in the same when it comes to certain individ-

uals. Ken Green’s comeback after losing a

leg, Stacy Lewis becoming a champion after

spending 7 ½ years in a back brace and, most

recently, J.B. Holmes returning to the PGA

Tour after undergoing brain surgery. Holmes

hopes to play about 25 tournaments in 2012.

Hats off to these courageous golfers…

The Texas Longhorns enter the 2011-

2012 college season ranked No. 1 in the

GOLFWEEK/Sagarin College Rankings. The

other four teams ranked No. 2 thru 5 include

Oregon, Auburn, UCLA and North Florida,

respectively…

The SCPGA has announced its annual


FROM PAGE 8

Disasters Can and Do Happenon the Golf Course

Sharing my-slipping-in-the-canal experience inlast month’s GolfNews Magazine generated a lot of re-sponse from readers appreciating the implied ‘warn-ing’ about how all of us golfers need to be careful onthe golf course. I don’t want to be negative or evenghoulish, but I feel it is important to share three othertragic episodes I am aware of that happened on thegolf course that killed two golfers and seriously in-jured another…and lightening wasn’t the culprit. Ishare these tragedies for the sole purpose of educatinghow disasters can happen on the golf course in theblink-of-an-eye.I played golf the other day at a local desert course

joining a charming older couple from Toronto. Thelady’s ball landed very close to a tree with a large treetrunk and her husband immediately said, “Honey,move the ball. Don’t take a chance. Move it so youhave plenty of room to hit it. Remember what hap-pened in Toronto.” She agreed, moved her ball and hita nice shot. As we walked toward the green, her husband

shared this story: “Hitting a ball next to a tree can bedeadly. A member of our golf club in Toronto hit ashot that landed close to a tree. He hit the ball, theshaft of his club struck the tree, and, due to the forceof his follow-through, the shattered edge of the shaftcut his throat end-to-end, and he died on the spot.”The older couple I was playing with was sophisticatedand honorable, and I have no reason to believe thatthe tragic story is not true.I have snapped my club against trees more than

once breaking the shaft but never realizing until Iheard that story that a broken shaft due to striking atree can be a deadly weapon (in the Toronto man’scase unintended suicide). I will never again take a full-swing next to a large tree, no matter what the circum-stances. I hope you think twice about it, too.The second tragedy I am aware of is very grue-

some, so I will try to seek the right words withoutbeing too graphic. Not sure if I can but I will try. Acouple was getting married the next day at one of ourdesert golf courses. The night before there was a bach-elor’s party at the club and apparently the booze wasflowing. Two fellows at the party, reportedly intoxi-cated, decided to take a ride in a golf car. It’s night, pitch black. Going over a mound on the

golf course, the passenger, unbeknownst to the driver,falls out of the car, and the driver without knowing itruns over the other man’s head and the man dies. Re-member, it was pitch black; they virtually couldn’t seea thing.The third incident wasn’t fatal but seriously dam-

aged a golfer’s legs. A golfer was in the staging areaready to go out and start his round. He was standingbetween two golf cars and a drover in one of cars hitthe accelerator and the golfer’s legs were crushed be-tween the two golf cars. One of the legs suffered ir-reparable damage.Again, I share these three incidents for one reason

only: let’s learn from them. In each case, it was ahuman error. None were intentional but they hap-pened. Let’s all enjoy our golf and use common sense.There are dangers that don’t seem apparent but underthe wrong conditions can be damaging and even fatal.

Signals From SinegalGive me any excuse and I’ll write about one of my

favorite places—Costco. Costco founder and CEO,Jim Sinegal, is retiring, however, his legacy is im-planted in thousands of retailers and billions of con-sumers throughout the world.Sinegal and his partner Jeff Brotman started

Costco in 1983, with its first warehouse in Seattle.Today the company has grown to be the third-largestretailer in America and the seventh-largest retailer inthe world. Add to its resume 161,000 employees, 595warehouses in eight countries, more than 64,000,000cardholders annually with annual sales of$89,000,000,000.So, Costco? Golf? What’s the connection?In addition to selling a few golf products such as

Titleist balls, TaylorMade clubs, Kirkland golf glovesand a few other golf items, Jim Sinegal’s vision andphilosophy of doing business is applicable to the golfbusiness and golfers at large.Sinegal’s insistence on high standards of ethics

and consumers’ interests come first is directly trans-ferable to the golf industry. When you go into theclubhouse to check in with the starter, what you ex-pect is kindness and respect. You’re the consumer; youare the reason golf courses and country clubs exist.No need to be arrogant or snotty about it, but youhave the right to feel that you will be treated withfriendliness and courtesy. Fortunately, in nearly 30

Editor Speaks Up! by Dan Poppers

COURSE TRAGEDIES, COSTCO, TIGER WOODS What are your thoughts?

Golf News Magazine February 2012 11golfnewsmag.com

years of publishing and editing GolfNewsMagazine and visiting desert golf coursesthousands of times, I can count on one handthe number of times I’ve seen staff treat apublic golfer or private member rudely.Desert golf staffs are to be commended foran exemplary record.Here are four signal Sinegal quotes that

ring true:

• If you don’t have the right merchandisein the right place at the right time you can for-get about everything else. All the satellites inthe world aren’t going to help you.

• We only have one bullet in our gun, theright product at the right price.

• The one constant is value. Value is ap-preciated no matter where you go.

• If you’re a big-picture guy, you’re not inthe picture. Retail is detail.

Tiger Has Paid His Dues,Lay Off“Tiger Woods has paid his price, lay off

him,” is the input I’ve been receiving fromseveral readers. This seems to be the con-sensus among golf fans. Though I don’t nec-essarily agree he has “paid the price,” Iaccept the argument that the price he haspaid is a broken marriage and a tarnishedlegacy.Therefore, listening to readers’ wishes,

I will try my best to lay off Tiger.

I am very interested in yourthoughts and feelings about thethree topics I’ve covered.• Share with me other tragedies or

near-tragedies that you’ve seen, ex-perienced yourself or heard aboutthat have happened on the golfcourse and/or• Comment on Costco and the

Costco-style of doing business. Whatdo you think of one or more of theJim Sinegal quotes and/or• Has Tiger ‘Paid the Price’?

Email me, Dan Poppers, [email protected]

Tell me what you think. I reallywant to know.

letters to the editor

Your Hatred of Tiger Demeans Your Publication

Your hatred of Tiger is mean—beneath you—and demeans your publication.

—Anonymous

I do not hate Tiger Woods and, to the best of my memory, I have never said or written

that I hate Tiger. What I do say is I respect Tiger Woods as a golfer, but I have lost respect

for him as a person. There is reason to believe that if he weren’t “caught,” he would have

continued his personal behavior while married with young children, behavior that was to-

tally counter to his golf image being portrayed and created by him and his handlers as an

impeccable role model for adults and children.

One argument is that an athlete’s personal life should have nothing to with his pro-

fessional life; they are totally separate. I don’t buy it. Professional athletes are role models

whether they like it or not. They are public figures whether they like it or not. That’s why

there are ‘ethics clauses’ and ‘moral clauses’ in their endorsement contracts. Tiger was

“sold” to the public and made hundreds of millions of dollars based on the persona that

he—Tiger—was an ethical, honest person with integrity, while all the while for many years

his behavior was just the opposite.

It’s the hypocrisy that bothers me the most.

—Dan Poppers, Editor-in-Chief

Warm-Up Areas On Golf CoursesWhen you reach 80 years old, I wonder if your thinking changes regarding golf ball

suckers on putters (Should Special Warm-Up Areas Be Built on Golf Courses?, Dec. 2011).

—James Lalla, Palm Desert, CA

I enjoyed your commentary. As a chiropractor and golf specific/personal trainer, I could

not agree with you more about the need for golfers of all abilities to spend some quality time

warming-up properly before teeing it up. I work at several country clubs in the valley and

have instructed hundred’s of golfers on the necessity of a quality pre-game warm-up.

Each year, at the beginning of the season at Morningside CC and the Palms CC, I teach

a dynamic pre-golf stretch routine to members that can be done in less than 10 minutes (see

my website for a print out of the exercises). It has always been well received and usually I

hear comments such as, ‘I’ve always known it was important to warm-up/stretch before I

played, I just didn’t know what to do.’

I work with several tour players and trust me, they wouldn’t think of not doing a qual-

ity warm-up before they practice or play.

A “designated warm-up” area would be great as long as people had an idea what a

proper warm-up consisted of.

—Paul Davis, D.C, Palm Desert, CA

Yes, I am in favor of warm-up areas at golf courses. GREAT IDEA..

—Eileen Flexer, via email

Thanks For Sharing Canal ExperienceI thought you had a very interesting and educational article about your experience in

the canal (Don’t Ever Do What I Did: It Could Kill You, Jan. 2012). I have almost done the

same thing and now can imagine how dangerous that can be. I shared your story with my

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Southern California’s Premier Golf Magazine

ON THE COVER

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF & PUBLISHERDan Poppers

CO-PUBLISHERJoan Poppers

ADVERTISING CONSULTANTSSteve VineNatalie Curtis

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERSGolf GraphicsDKPoppers

PLAYING EDITORSJohn Cook, Al Geiberger, Ken Venturi, Bryan Geiberger

STAFF GOLF INSTRUCTOREd OwenCONTRIBUTING WRITERSRied Holien, Fred Elliott,Jack Gibson, Willie Maples

GOLF NEWS Magazine is published 9times per year. Contents of thispublication cannot be reproducedwithout written permission from thepublisher. All correspondence shouldbe addressed to GOLF NEWS,P.O. Box 1040, Rancho Mirage CA92270 or [email protected]. Thecontents of GOLF NEWS Magazine arefully protected under copyright law.Opinions of contributing writers arenot necessarily the views of GOLFNEWS Magazine.

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FORE THE RECORD: CorrectionsWe correct errors promptly. If you have correctionsor clarifications, please contact Editor-in-Chief DanPoppers at (760) 321-8800 or [email protected].

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If you are a golfer that hasn’t re-

searched the importance of shaft length

and putting, then you’re at a disadvan-

tage and the chances are your putting

is hurting. Unfortunately, in many

cases, poor performance has nothing to

do with a lack of skill. Golfers have

been given the wrong equipment and

the manufacturers are to blame.

When putting, your arms should

hang loosely without unnecessary

elbow and wrist angles. For a nice

smooth stroke, your arms should hang

relatively straight, but not rigid. Here’s

the problem: manufacturers make put-

ting shafts longer than they should be

absolutely for the wrong reason. They

make them long so they can fit in golf

bags and stick out from the top. If they

made them shorter, which most golfers

need (unless you’re using a long or

belly putter), then the putter would rest

below the top of the bag. Obviously

what manufacturers need to do is de-

sign golf bags so the putting slot is

shorter than the other slots, so the put-

ter can emerge out from the top of the

bag. Putters that are 34 and 35

inches—the “standard” sizes—are too

long for many golfers.

It’s unfortunate that because of the

size of the golf bag, golf manufactur-

ers are giving you the shaft! The wrong

shaft! For the wrong reason!

An informative website worth

reading that covers the topic of putter

fitting is http://www.better-golf-by-

putting-better.com/putter-fitting.html.

By Dan Poppers

One Reason YourPutts Aren’t Going In

Manufacturers AreGiving You the Shaft

16 Golf News Magazine February 2012 golfnewsmag.com

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IN THE HOLE WITH HOLIEN by Reid Holien

The Other Side of the Handicap CoinCorrupt Sandbaggers

Last month, my column celebrated the

centennial anniversary and abounding merits

of golf’s handicap system. Unfortunately, all

coins have two sides, and the corrupt under-

belly of handicaps is, of course, the dreaded

sandbagger.

Sandbaggers purposely inflate their hand-

icap index through various tricks such as in-

tentionally missing meaningless putts,

purposely playing one bad hole to puff up an

18-hole score, not reporting all rounds, or sim-

ply by reporting an incorrect number. They do

this to gain an edge in matches and tourna-

ments where money is at stake.

Thieves Among Us In other words, sandbaggers are thieves.

The term itself originated from British gangs

who used rolled-up bags of sand to pummel

innocents and steal their money. Today’s

sandbaggers use drivers and wedges to ac-

complish the same thing.

Given their felonious intent, some golfers

reject the term “sandbagger,” contending it

sanitizes the crime. Call a spade a spade they

say, or a cheater a cheater.

Others claim to do so would be ungentle-

manly in this most gentlemanly of sports. I’ll

leave that up to you, good reader, to decide.

If you wanted to call it cheating, however,

you’d certainly have corroborating evidence.

Inflating one’s handicap has been going on for

hundreds of years, but it took a huge gambling

scandal in post-World War II America to

make it general knowledge.

Calcutta Scandal In 1955, Deepdale Golf Club in Great

Neck, New York, hosted a handicapped

tournament. As was, and often still is, the

custom the club held a Calcutta (auction-

ing off teams that then pay out according

to how well they score) that raised $45,000

(the equivalent of nearly $250,000 today).

The winning team earned $16,016.

Two New England golfers each carry-

ing a 3-handicap, Bill Roberts and Charles

Helmar, shot a net 58-57 to win by five

strokes. For the tournament, Roberts

claimed a 17-handicap and Helmar an 18.

“I don’t absolve myself of guilt, but I

was 26,” Roberts said years later. “I did

wrong, but I knew that around here every-

body cheats.”

The scandal made national headlines,

in part because one Deepdale member was

President Eisenhower. The USGA warned

all clubs against gambling. The Bing

Crosby Pro-Am became the highest profile

PGA Tour event out of many to cancel Cal-

cuttas altogether.

Only that didn’t stop sandbaggers. An-

other high-profile sandbagging took place

in 1995 at the modern version of the

Crosby, the AT&T National Pro-Am. Am-

ateur Masashi Yamada claimed a 15-hand-

icap when teamed with professional Bruce

Vaughan. Yamada nearly beat Vaughan

scratch, playing every round in the 70s.

Come to find out, Yamada carried three

“official” handicaps back in Japan, and his

15 came from a club that his business

group owned. Tournament officials

stripped him of his title.

Besides other questionable outcomes at

celebrity Pro-Ams over the years, probably

every avid golfer has participated in at least

one tournament won by someone shooting

remarkably better than his reported handi-

cap. It happens often and everywhere.

Yet it shouldn’t. According to former

USGA Senior Director of Handicapping

Dean Knuth, such scores are unattainable

for honest golfers. For over 16-years,

Knuth examined literally millions of re-

ported scores. What he discovered shat-

tered the sandbaggers’ claim that they

scored well because they: 1) got lucky; 2)

enjoyed their best day; or 3) practiced hard

to get ready.

The Sandbagger ProfileInstead, Knuth found these winners

with dubious credentials fit a certain “sand-

bagger” profile. On average, these people

claimed a 20-handicap, posted 8 rounds an-

nually (the norm is 21), and shot 6-strokes

below their handicap in tournaments.

Knuth further discovered that only 9%

of golfers EVER best their handicap by six

strokes in any round, let alone regularly

and in tournaments. In fact, the personal

best for a typical honest golfer is three

strokes below his handicap.

Keep in mind that handicaps tabulate

only the ten best scores out of the last

twenty and therefore are meant to reflect

potential, not average score.

“Beating your handicap by three

strokes or more twice in tournaments be-

comes such a rare event that Section 10-3

of the USGA handicap system automati-

cally reduces the player’s USGA handicap

index,” writes Knuth from his website,

popeofslope.com. “Less than 1 percent of

the golfers are reduced under that proce-

dure, so it is an uncommon event, except

by the sandbaggers of the links.”

According to the data, the odds any de-

cent player can score eight strokes lower

than his handicap is 1 in 1,138. Doing so

twice in 20 rounds makes the odds sky-

rocket to 1 in 14,912. Again, that number

includes casual rounds, not pressure-

packed tournaments.

As Knuth said: “Statistically speaking,

it’s impossible.”

Handicapping in the Old DaysOddly, handicaps were more reliable

farther back in time. Today, sandbaggers

can drive to different courses, play in vari-

ous tournaments where their handicap is

verified only by an easily-scammed com-

puter program. Clubs, however, used to de-

pend upon a vibrant peer review system.

Historically, British clubs hosted din-

ners prior to tournaments where the offi-

cial, with help from the crowd, appointed

handicaps for each player. There you’d get

such ‘liar-liar-pants-on-fire’ comments

like: “How can Malcolm be given a 12? He

shot a 77 last week in high wind to take

two quid off me!”

This is why golf’s governing bodies

have always claimed peer review to be an

essential component of an honest handicap

system. Only other people who have actu-

ally seen another golfer play can attest to

someone’s true ability.

Or, as Sam Snead advised long ago:

“You should never gamble with a stranger,

and consider everyone a stranger until

you’ve played with him at least a dozen

times.”

Fortunately, there are weapons to fight

sandbaggers. First is Rule 10-3 that auto-

matically reduces a player’s handicap after

carding two remarkable tournament scores

in a calendar year. Second, the Tournament

Points System compiles tournament rank-

ings. For instance, a golfer winning first in

any net event receives 5 TPS points. Sec-

ond place gets 4, third gets 3, and so on

down the line. If a player accumulates

seven or more TPS points inside a two-year

window his handicap is automatically low-

ered.

Some clubs find they don’t even need

to enforce Rule 10-3 to achieve results.

Southward Ho Country Club in Bayshore,

New York, found success just by publicly

posting results. Of 198 handicap events the

club hosted in a short time frame, 82 were

won by the same 9 people. Those 9 also

claimed top-5 spots with startling regular-

ity in all tournaments.

Fellow members saw this and, in a

form of peer review, let those golfers know

they were being watched. After that, South-

ward Ho experienced what one club offi-

cial described as a “noticeable drop off” in

participation from those golfers/sandbag-

gers/cheaters—take your pick.

Sandbagger Sues Use whatever term you want because

the law will protect you. In 1986, a banker

in Montana got his handicap lowered by

Green Meadow C.C. because, they said, he

was not posting his low scores. The impli-

cation, of course, was that he was a sand-

bagger. The banker sued. Montana’s

Supreme Court ruled in favor of the club,

declaring it “not only had the right, but the

responsibility under the USGA Handicap

System to do so.”

I can’t help but wonder if some mem-

bers of that esteemed court were golfers

with some unpleasant firsthand experience

on the subject of sandbaggers. GNM


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The term itself originated from Britishgangs who used rolled-up bags of sandto pummel innocents and steal their

money.


awards. Recipients include Tom Addis III

(SCPGA), Lehua Wise (Mesa Verde C.C.),

Jon Fielder (Las Posas C.C.), Chris

Starkjohann, Bobby Nickell (Monarch

Beach Golf Links), DR. JERRY ELWELL

(TAHQUITZ CREEK GOLF RESORT),

Mark Wilson (North Ranch C.C.), Erik

Horve (Tustin Ranch G.C.), and Jeff Run-

yan in honor of his legendary father Paul

Runyan a.k.a. “Little Poison.”

More winners D.J. Limardi (Sandpiper

G.C.), TERRY BEARDSLEY (ELDO-

RADO C.C.), JOHN BIRCHARD (IRON-

WOOD C.C.), Dustin Davidson (Los

Angeles C.C.), Chris Smeal (Stadium Golf

Center), Jason & Patti Taylor, and Susan

Roll (Carlsbad Golf Center). More recipi-

ents include Bob Husband. Emil Scodeller

accepted Hall of Fame designation on behalf

of his brother Eric Monti (deceased)…

Incoming SCPGA Chapter presidents for

2012 are for the Desert Chapter Craig Free-

man of Citrus Club at La Quinta Resort,

PGA member for 19 years; Inland Empire

Chapter Mike Pearson of Oak Valley G.C.,

PGA member for 17 years; Metropolitan

Chapter Scott Scozzola of DeBell G.C., 12-

year PGA member; Northern Chapter Mark

Wison of North Ranch C.C., 12-year PGA

member; and San Diego Chapter Renny

Brown, Aviara G.C., member of the PGA for

14 years…

Congratulations to the following desert

SCPGA members for achieving their status in

the PGA of America: Brian Garlington of

Indian Palms G.C. for achieving A-4 status;

Evan Murphy of Rancho La Quinta C.C.

A-8; Charles Sundahl of Springs C.C. for

earning A-1; David Bartholomew of Palm

FROM PAGE 8

Anndee Laskoe joins Fantasy SpringsResort Casino.

Desert Resort C.C. A-1; Todd Connelly of Indian Canyons A-13; Geoff Dean of Es-

cena A-4; Evan and David Zickau of Palm Desert C.C. A-4. For a complete descrip-

tion of what the status numbers mean, log on to the PGA of America website:

http://tinyurl.com/7rpo2yu…

Kayla Hamel reports that Stan Smith made a hole-in-at Desert Princess (Cielo),

hole #7, 134 yards, using 5-hybrid…

Award-winning TV reporter and broadcast journalist Anndee Laskoe has joined

Fantasy Springs Resort Casino as its public relations manager. Laskoe for 16 years an-

chored the news at both local ABC and CBS affiliate television stations…

Jeff Johnson is the new incoming president of the SCPGA. Outgoing president,

Jason Taylor, addressing the SCPGA membership, welcomed Johnson and said, “Serv-

ing as president of the SCPGA has been an amazing experience. Thank you to all.” Then

he added poking a little fun at himself, “You will see a striking difference over the next

two years with the much more refined President Jeff Johnson.” GNM


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good for twilight, o�er good for 1-4 golfers.Expires February 29, 2012

Golf Memberships AvailableStarting at $575 per month

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36 holes of championship golf.

$25 O� *North Course

To book your tee time, call 760-833-8725 1100 E. Murray Canyon Drive, Palm Springs

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good for twilight, o�er good for 1-4 golfers.Expires February 29, 2012

www.GolferAID.com

GolferAID is not an energy drink. Instead, we call GolferAID a “Synergy Drink,” as it has honest and effective doses of vitamins and supplements to promote your body and mind to work in perfect synergy during a round of golf. It

consistent energy. What is noticeably absent is all the stuff that golfers don’t want. It has no caffeine, is 100% natural and contains a mere 45 calories per

feel better both on and off the course.

Ask for GolferAID at your favorite course and AID your Game!

Contact us at [email protected].

FOCUS | BALANCE | POWER | ENDURANCE | FLEXIBILITY


Mark Twain wrote there are three kinds

of lies: lies, damn lies, and putting statis-

tics.

Okay, the man who called golf “a good

walk spoiled” did not actually say

“putting” in front of statistics, but he

should have considering how false they’ve

been. For decades the PGA Tour ranked

golfers on Putts-Per-Round (total putts for

18-holes averaged out) or on Putting Aver-

age (average number of putts per green).

Both were horribly flawed. Neither

putting stat accounted for proximity to the

hole. For example, golfers could be ranked

high when they were in reality missing

greens and chipping it close. Great iron

players could also skew results by hitting

approach shots tight.

Some tried correcting this by advocat-

ing for Total Distance of Putts Made. That

too failed to reflect reality because one

long putt could distort results.

Strokes Gained: Putting (SG:P)The PGA Tour finally seems to have

gotten it right with Strokes Gained: Putting

(SG:P).

SG:P measures the percentage chance

of holing any given putt. It’s based on years

of data accumulated by the Tour’s

ShotLink system, which recorded every

shot in every event for several years.

Those numbers revealed, for example,

the average number of putts a pro took

from seven feet was 1.50. SG: P therefore

illustrates that anybody sinking his first

putt from that distance gained .5 strokes on

the field. Conversely, a golfer who missed

lost .5 to other players.

The average from 15-feet is 1.790, and

from thirty it’s 1.934. From 3-feet, 5% of

putts are missed, illustrating the impor-

tance of knee-knockers because a miss

gives away a stroke to 95% of your com-

petitors.

The baseline percentage is .000, which

means golfers with a positive number are

better than average putters, and those with

negative percentages are worse.

For anyone who subscribes to the say-

ing “Drive for show, putt for dough,” it is not

surprising that SG:P’s leader is the Tour’s

leading money winner, Luke Donald.

Tiger’s SG:P Examining the rankings provides more

proof. Tiger Woods ranked near the top of

SG:P when he ruled the golf world. Woods av-

eraged .518 between 2008-2011, good enough

for 10th best overall. (Data from previous years

are not yet available.) He was probably way

better than that in his winning days, however,

because since the beginning of 2010 he’s

achieved only a .048 percentage.

So while many fault Tiger’s wayward

driver for his slump, his putter deserves part of

the blame. While he’s still above the Tour av-

erage, he’s essentially two-strokes per tourna-

ment worse now than he was. Likewise,

notoriously shaky putter Vijay Singh (-.130)

ranked on the plus side of SG:P years ago

when he was the world #1.

In other words, it seems the PGA Tour has

finally found a statistic that defies Mark

Twain’s description.

Kudos to ShotLink Credit ShotLink for creating this valu-

able new way to analyze golf. It compiled

an astounding amount of raw data. Better

still, the PGA Tour released this informa-

tion to universities hoping some professors

could invent something useful. It worked.

Strokes Gained: Putting originated with a

Columbia teacher then was polished by a

team from MIT.

The system does have some limita-

tions, however. For instance, not all 10-foot

putts are equal. A curvy, downhill 10-footer

is more difficult than a straight, uphill one.

Still, the tour pros who helped implement

SG:P agreed that length was the most im-

portant factor in gauging a putt’s difficulty.

They also agreed the difficult/easy putts

would even out over a full season.

There’s no greater endorsement than

that pros love it. Rory McIlroy, among oth-

ers, expressed his enthusiasm, and men-

tioned he wanted the European Tour to

implement their own version. That won’t

be soon because the European Tour does

not have a laser-measuring device like

ShotLink.

Because ShotLink measures all

swings, not just putts, it’s likely there will

be more innovative statistics coming soon.

There are already rankings for “Wedge

Proximity: 100-125 Yards” (Steve Stricker

leads, averaging 15-feet), “Birdie From

Rough” (Graeme McDowell accomplishes

that 24.53% of the time), and “Birdie From

Fairway” (Webb Simpson leads at

28.74%).

These potential statistics face prob-

lems, however. ShotLink cannot, for in-

stance, take into effect factors like wind,

trees, pin positions, and good versus bad

lies.

Strokes Gained: Putting succeeds be-

cause all players putt the same greens, and

they’re measured from identical distances.

Amateurs should embrace Strokes

Gained: Putting for the same reason pro-

fessionals do, because it will improve your

game. This stat provides a clear-eyed as-

sessment of your putting, and therefore re-

veals strengths and weaknesses.

Boo Weekley, for instance, ranks dead

A Golf Stat That Finally Makes SenseBy Ried Holien

Bob Weekley— Dead last inSG: P on the PGA Tour butfirst in Greens in Regulation.

GOLFNEW

S


Marty McSorleyGrant Fuhr

Craig SimpsonCharlie Simmer

Jim HughsonMarshall Faulk

Ozzie SmithVince Coleman

Rick Rhoden Adam Hadwin

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last in SG:P, coming in at -1.102. He sur-

vives on tour because he’s 1st in Greens In

Regulation. Similar disparities are evident

with Joe Durant and Dustin Johnson, com-

ing in at -.829 (184th overall) and -.497

(171st) respectively. Both succeed because

they thrive off the tee. Durant ranks first in

driving accuracy, so he almost never gets

in trouble. Johnson simply overpowers

courses tee-to-green, being 3rd overall in

driving distance and equally prodigious in

length with his irons (a stat not measured).

In short, these three should spend more

time on the practice green than on the

range.

Perhaps they should even consider

switching putters. For years, Adam Scott

struggled to make cuts mainly because of

his weakness with the flat blade. It’s no

surprise his SG:P was terrible. He turned to

a long putter and is now at least serviceable

(-.172 rating) on the greens. Not coinci-

dentally, he found the winner’s circle

again.

While amateurs cannot tabulate a com-

plete Strokes Gained: Putting statistic, (no-

body can measure tens of thousands of

putts from other amateurs, let alone your

own putts), but it would nonetheless help

applying its principles to your game.

Factor in percentages when analyzing

your putting. Ten feet is the magic number

where PGA Tour players stop making putts

more than half the time. Therefore, you

should focus on improving from inside that

distance. If you can drop putts from 5-10

feet even close to half the time you’ll be

beating your buddies regularly.

From between 20-40 feet, pros are just

trying to two-putt. Follow their lead, and

work on lag putting.

Accumulate some of your own

ShotLink data by recording the distance of

your putts, and whether you made it or

missed. You probably won’t need to mark

many rounds before seeing a pattern.

You’ll undoubtedly identify the distance at

which your putting needs work, and prob-

ably learn more about your approach shots

and short game too. In all these regards, in-

formation is power—power to improve

your game. GNM

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Golf News Magazine December 2010 43��

TIGER WOODS—An easy target to heckle even at Augusta. At the 2010Masters, responding to Tiger’s public “apology” wherein he referencedhis desire to return to his roots in Buddhism, an anonymous pilot flew aplane over the course pulling a banner: “Tiger: Did you mean Bootyism?”

GO

LFN

EWS

GO

LFN

EWS

ROBERT ALLENBY—Heckled unmercifully including taunts about hisdying mother.

Tiger’s SG:P was very high inhis heyday and low when hisputting achievements dimin-ished and his wins nonexistent.

GOLFNEW

S


GOLF AS I SEE IT INSTRUCTION • spirit of the gameby John Cook

Lesson Learned

I have played on the PGA and Champions

Tours for a combined total of nearly 35 years

and some unusual things have happened. One

memorable and unfortunate event was when I

withdrew from the 1993 Canadian Open.

I withdrew during the middle of my sec-

ond round. I shot 82 the first round, which was

unusual in itself; fortunately, rounds in the 80s

for me are few and far between. I was not pre-

pared to play. Many times I have said if I don’t

want to be there, I shouldn’t be there in the

first place. Not because it was Toronto, a city

I hadn’t ventured to very often. I had a great

time in Toronto. I just should have been home

working on my game instead of playing.

The first day I played terribly; the second

day I started to play better. It’s Friday morn-

ing. I’m going to fly out in the afternoon after

my round. Suddenly we get a rain delay. The

sky clears and then we get a second rain delay.

We’re only on the 12th hole. It’s getting close

to noon and I’ve got a 3:30 afternoon flight. I

can be home by 6 p.m. Though I was even-

par for the day, I was still going to miss the

cut by a mile. Being realistic, I’m not going

to get up there and birdie the last seven holes

and make the cut. Get real! I was ready to

come home, get to work and get my game in

shape for the Ryder Cup.

My playing partner is Fred Couples. Fred

is playing beautifully, leading the tournament.

After the second rain delay, Fred and I are sit-

ting in the locker room having a sandwich

with our travel agent.

I asked the agent if I couldn’t make the

flight that I was scheduled to be on, what were

my options. “The next flight is tomorrow af-

ternoon,” he said. Fred then looked at me,

“Get out of here, John, go home and I’ll see

you in Palm Springs.” So I did.

I withdrew and caught my scheduled

flight. I don’t beat myself up about it, but I

won’t withdraw again from a tournament in

order to make a flight. Though I was probably

the only guy on Tour who had never before

withdrawn from a tournament, afterwards I

just didn’t feel right about it. Finishing a tour-

nament regardless of your score is consistent

with the spirit of the game. Lesson learned.

John Cook won 3 Champions Tour events

in 2011, finished 3rd on the money list with

over $1.7 million in earnings. His 11 PGA

Tour victories include the 1992 & 1997 Bob

Hope Classic (now named the Humana Chal-

lenge)

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GOLF WITH GEIBERGER INSTRUCTION • alignmentby Al Geiberger

Alignment Is In Your Face

A PREMIER GOLF EXPERIENCE

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A PREMIER DINING EXPERIENCE

During setup, taking the correct

aim is crucial in executing a success-

ful shot. To hit the ball in the right di-

rection, you have to aim it. Simple as

that sounds—and it really is simple—

it probably gives golfers more trou-

ble than any other phase of the game.

To have any chance of getting

the ball started on the line you want,

you must first get the clubface

straight with that line, then get the

parts of your body straight with the

clubface. Let’s start with the club-

face.

In fact, that’s the first thing you

do—aim the clubface. Most golfers’

aiming problems are the result of lin-

ing up their bodies first, then trying

to get the clubface aimed. Because

they probably have lined their bodies

up at the target, their clubfaces are

going to be aimed to the right of the

target, which means trouble.

So first aim the clubface on the

line on which you want the ball to

start. Work in practice toward acquir-

ing a sense of what a squarely aimed

clubface looks like. There are some

devices you can use.

Scratch a line in the turf in the

direction of your target. Or place a

club or a board parallel to your target

line. Then be sure your clubface is set

square or perpendicular to the line

when you address the ball. Always

relate the position of the clubface to

the target as well as the line, so you

can learn to identify a square clubface

when you get on the course without

the use of artificial aids.

One “device” you can use on the

course is the intermediate spot, which

is simply some identifiable mark or

object on your target line a few feet

in front of your ball. From behind

your ball, pick out the spot, and then

aim your clubface square to the spot

instead of your target. The theory is

that it’s easier to aim at a close-by ob-

ject than one in the distance. You also

get a better idea of the line on which

you want to swing the club.

From Al Geiberger’s book

TEMPO, available at your favorite

book outlet. Geiberger has 22 com-

bined wins on the PGA and Champi-

ons tours.


VENTURI’S VIEW INSTRUCTION • puttingby Ken Venturi

Improve your Putting With These Two Tips

Putting ImageryHere’s a tip that will help you develop a better

feel for the proper speed on both uphill and downhill

putts.

• With an uphill putt, imagine that you are ac-

tually putting to imaginary hole just beyond the

cup.

• When you have a downhill putt, strike the

ball as if you were trying to get it to die at the lip

of an imaginary hole cut just in front of the cup.

Targeting Breaking Putts

My other tip has to do with the alignment and ex-

ecution of you putt. I’ll watch a golfer line up a long

breaking putt, then set up to the ball and get ready to

give it a roll. Just before the ball is struck, I’ll tell you

whether it’s going to be a good putt. It’s one of the

safest bets I can make, and I don’t even have to see

where the putt is aimed. All I have to do is watch

the player’s eyes.

Usually a player reads the putt, chooses the line,

and picks an intermediate target to aim at. Now, he’s

ready to go, but at the last second he steals a glance at

the hole. Bingo! He’s just sent a scrambled signal to

his brain. He wants to roll the ball at one target,

but now his brain is focusing on another.

The lesson is this: Once you’ve judged the speed

of the putt and the line, focus on one and only one

target and have the confidence to go at it.

Ken Venturi, 1964 U.S. Open champion and winner of

14 PGA Tour events, is the author of three books in-

cluding his autobiography GETTING UP & DOWN:

MY 60 YEARS IN GOLF, available though your fa-

vorite book outlet.

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Managed by the Woodhaven Homeowners Association

Call for our Excellent Rates and Promotions(760) 345-7636www.woodhavencc.com

41555 Woodhaven Dr. Palm Desert, CA 92211

“The Best Place to Play”Golf Rates: $65

Includes:green fees, cart, range and a 2 for 1 lunch coupon

Save $10 per round with Players Card

Restaurant & Bar, Open Daily 10:30 - 6:00Happy Hour 3-6 pm daily

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SELF-HELP LESSONS INSTRUCTION • Accuracyby Fred Elliott

Straight is Great

It’s been said that the only thing tennis

and golf have in common is that it’s very im-

portant to get your first serve in and to keep

your tee shot in play. A tee shot properly

placed can put the golfer on the offensive on

easier holes and allow him or her to have

choices on the more difficult holes. Most of

us fall into two categories: The short straight

golfer who is quite often in play but at a dis-

advantage on long par fours and par fives;

or the longer hitter who has enough fire-

power, but finds that they are “out of the hole

from the start” because of accuracy issues.

Here are a couple of suggestions for

both types of golfer.

The Short Straight Hitter. This golfer

usually has a sound swing but for one reason

or another is stuck in 2nd gear distance wise.

A suggestion for more clubhead speed with

minimal or no mechanical complications—

allot at least 25 practice balls a day with a

driver swinging as aggressively as possible

while holding one’s finish until the ball hits

the ground. Experiment visualizing achiev-

ing maximum clubhead speed just past im-

pact. Make this part of your warm-up or

practice routine, be patient, and you will reap

the practical and psychological reward of

hitting 2 to 3 clubs less into greens.

The Long Hitter With Accuracy Prob-

lems. Experiment playing your home course

or another familiar course and only hitting

a lofted fairway wood or hybrid off the tee.

You may find that being “in the hole” from

the beginning may change your approach to

scoring. You will also get to enjoy the ad-

vantage your power gives you on a number

of second shots that require and reward a

higher and longer shot. A trip to your local

PGA professional for a driver “check-up” is

an additional thought.

What do you think? Many of these re-

cent high speed camera shots seem to indi-

cate that “releasing” the club at and just past

impact does not involve any supination or

pronation of the forearms, but is only the un-

hinging (radial and ulnar deviation in kine-

siological terms) of the wrists. This could

indicate that trying to induce wrist rolling is

counterproductive, and should only happen

naturally as a reaction as the club goes up

and left after impact. Just a thought!

Fred Elliott, PGA, is Director of In-

struction, Rosewood Lakes GC, Reno, Ne-

vada. Fred’s email: [email protected].

Mark Wilson Won the 2012

Humana Challenge, Mickelson Won, Too

Amicable 37-year-old Mark Wilson, who joined the PGA

Tour in 1997, won the 2012 Humana Challenge, his fifth PGA

Tour victory, by shooting 24-under-par 264…and Phil Mickel-

son won, too, even though he finished with a score of 278 (10-

under). With no chance of winning the tournament at -9 on

the final day when the leaders were tied at -19, thousands of

fans in the gallery were following Mickelson on his front nine

(which was actually the PGA West Palmer Private’s back nine

because Mickelson started on hole #10).

In any tournament no matter who wins, in the eyes of mil-

lions of fans, Mickelson will always be the winner and here is

why:

“Do you like Phil? Why are you following him?” are the

two questions GolfNews Magazine asked some of the fans in

the gallery following Michelson, here are their answers:

“I love Phil. He’s a class act. I like him because he’s a great

family man. Even when he messes up on the course, he has a

smile on his face and never gets down on himself”

—Sheri Kapp, Pleasanton, CA

“He’s never boring. Good family man with good tempera-

ment.”

—Judy Blackwood, Boise, Idaho & La Quinta, CA

“He’s good for golf. Because he’s a guy that ‘goes for it.’ Just

to clarify, I think he plays the percentages when he is in the hunt.

Because ‘going for it’ is part of his golfing style, weekend golfers

can identify with him because so many of them also ‘go for it.’

“Mickelson has an engaging personality. Men and women

that are fans of golf relate to him. He’s engaging because he hu-

manizes the game. He smiles whether he has a great shot or poor

shot.

“Warmth is part of his character—his warmth is evident on

the course and via the media including television.”

—Allan Cooper, Newport Coast, CA

“I love to watch him. Phil’s exciting to watch. He’s been doing

it so long and he’s still so good! And…I’m left-handed.”

—Linda Doom, Indio

Michelson was definitely No. 1 at the Humana Challenge in

popularity though he finished No. T49 when his final putt

dropped.

Being that tournament winner Mark Wilson is a graduate in

mathematics from the University of North Carolina, it seems fit-

ting to take a look a some key numbers related to this year’s tour-

nament and next year’s.

3, 4, 90, 264 were this year’s significant numbers.

3 out of 4 four days the weather was perfect.

On Saturday, 90-mph gusts at hurricane levels swept

through courses. Scoreboards blew over instantly becoming

sinking ships in lakes, the press tent was evacuated, and the tour-

nament was suspended for the rest of the day. No one in the field

finished the third round leaving doubt that the tournament

would be able to be completed by the end of Sunday. (Miracu-

lously, the tournament was completed on Sunday.)

264 was the score Mark Wilson shot to win the tournament.

Tournament officials, players and fans hope next year, the

numbers will be 4, 4, 5 and 258.

4 of the 4 days perfect weather.

Mild 5-mph breezes.

258: an historic performance (30-under-par) by the winner

of the Humana Challenge, setting a new four-day-format record.

By Dan Poppers

32 Golf News Magazine February 2012

GOLFNEW

S PH

OTO

S

No matter where PhilMickelson is on the course,fans are attracted to him.


Finest Realtors Representing Finest Properties

JENNIE ROBINSON“Let me Swing a Deal for you”

Windermere Real Estate(760) 413-5209

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SANDI PHILLIPSLuxury Golf Course PropertiesHK Lane Real estate760.567.5506Sandi@SandiPhillips.comwww.SandiPhillips.comwww.desertarealuxuryhomes.com

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PublicDESERT DUNES GC

19300 Palm Dr., Desert Hot Springs

(760) 251-5370

18 Regulation, Par 72; SL142

See ad page 25

CIMARRON GOLF RESORT

67-603 30th Ave., Cathedral City

(760) 770-6060

18 Regulation, Par 71; SL 123

18 Exec. Par 56; SL 83

See ad page 47

CLASSIC CLUB

75200 Northstar Resort Pkwy,

Palm Desert

(760) 601-3600


See ad page 27

DESERT WILLOW GOLF RESORT

38995 Desert Willow Dr, Palm Desert

(760) 346-7060

18 Reg, Par 72; SL129 Mt. View

18 Reg, Par 72; SL138 Firecliff

ESCENA GOLF CLUB

1100 Clubhouse View, Palm Springs

(760) 778-2737


See ad page 5

INDIAN CANYONS GOLF RESORT

1097 E. Murray Canyon, Palm Springs

(760) 327-6550

18 Reg, Par 72; SL 118 So. Course

18 Reg, Par 72; SL 128 No. Course

See ad page 23

INDIAN SPRINGS GOLF CLUB

79-940 Westward Ho Dr, La Quinta

(760) 200-8988


See ad page 26

INDIO MUNICIPAL GOLF COURSE

83-040 Avenue 42, Indio

(760) 391-4049; 18 Exec. Par 54; SL77

MESQUITE GOLF & CC

2700 E. Mesquite Ave., Palm Springs

(760) 323-9377


SUN CITY SHADOW HILLS

80-875 Ave. 40, Indio

(760) 200-3375

18 Regulation, Par 71

TAHQUITZ CREEK

1885 Golf Club Drive, Palm Springs

(760) 328-1005

36 Reg, Par 72; SL 120-125

Semi Privateavailable to the public

CATHEDRAL CANYON GOLF & TENNIS

68311 Paseo Real., Cathedral City.

(760) 328-6571

27 Regulation, Par 72; SL 125-140

DESERT FALLS CC

1111 Desert Falls Pkwy Palm Desert

(760) 340-4653


DESERT PRINCESS

28555 Landau, Cathedral City

(760) 322-2280

27 Regulation, Par 72; SL 121-126

HERITAGE PALMS GC

80-055 Fred Waring Dr., Indio

(760) 772-7334


INDIAN PALMS CC

48-630 Monroe, Indio

(760) 347-2326

27 Regulation, Par 72; SL 127/131

See ad page 39

MISSION LAKES CC

8484 Clubhouse Bl., D. Hot Springs

(760) 329-8061


MOUNTAIN VISTA GC at SUN CITY

38180 Del Webb Blvd.. Palm Desert

(760) 200-2200

36 Reg., Par 72; SL 125

PALM DESERT RESORT CC

77-333 Country Club, Palm Desert

(760) 345-2791


PGA WEST RESORT Nicklaus Course

56-150 PGA Boulevard, La Quinta

(760) 564-5729


See ad page 12

PGA WEST RESORT Norman Course

81-405 Kingston Heath, La Quinta

(760) 564-5729


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PGA WEST RESORT Stadium Course

56-150 PGA Boulevard, La Quinta

(760) 564-5729


See ad page 12

WOODHAVEN CC

41-555 Woodhaven Dr, Palm Desert

(760) 345-7636


See ad page 31

Resortsavailable to the public

EAGLE FALLS GC, FANTASY SPRINGS

84-245 Indio Springs Pkwy, Indio

(760) 238-5633


See ad page 28

INDIAN WELLS GOLF RESORT

44-500 Indian Wells Ln., Indian Wells

(760) 346-4653

36 Regulation, Par 72; SL 120-/122

LA QUINTA RESORT (DUNES)

50-200 Ave. Vista Bonita, La Quinta

(760) 564-5729


See ad page 12

LA QUINTA RESORT (MT)

50-200 Ave. Vista Bonita, La Quinta

(760) 564-5729


See ad page 12

MARRIOTT’S DESERT SPRINGS

74-855 Country Club, Palm Desert

(760) 341-1756

36 Regulation, Par 72; SL 127/130

MARRIOTT’S SHADOWRIDGE

RESORT

9002 Shadow Ridge Rd, Palm Desert

(760) 674-2700


MISSION HILLS NORTH GC

70-705 Ramon Rd., Rancho Mirage

(760) 770-9496

18 Reg., Par 72; SL 131

SILVERROCK RESORT

79179 Ahmanson Ln, La Quinta

(888) 600-7272

18 Regulation, Par 72

See ad page 8

THE WESTIN MISSION HILLS

RESORT

71-501 Dinah Shore, Rancho Mirage

(760) 328-3198

18 Reg., Par 70; SL 131

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GOLF GUIDE


You just can’t beat Pete!

DON’T MISS PETE’S 8TH ANNUAL GOLF EXPO!

February 10th and 11th at the College Golf Center Driving Range on Fred Waring in Palm Desert. The biggest names in Golf Equipment all at thebiggest golf expo in the desert!

Free Club Demo Free Golf Clinics Special Pricing

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Strange Lawsuit Filed You’re in a golf tournament and

your playing partner cheats. He turnsin his scorecard and wins the tourna-ment. You report his cheating to therules committee and he’s disqualified.He sues you for the value of the firstplace prizes he would have won andthe psychological harm it caused himbased on breach of contract becausebefore the round the cheater shook yourhand and said, “Hey, good luck but any-thing goes, right?” You, thinking the guywas making a joke, said, “Sure!” Ah, averbal contract claims the Plaintiff.

Farfetched, you say? Maybe. Butlisten to this one. In Kansas, a manwho held a couple hostage sued themfor breach of contract for turning him in.

Jesse Dimmick contended he hada contract with Jared and LindsayRowley that they would hide him frompolice in return for money. Dimmickwas a fugitive facing a murder chargewhen he invaded the Rowleys’ homeand threatened them at knifepoint. TheRowleys escaped when the fugitive fellasleep. Dimmick was convicted of kid-napping and other charges.

How did Dimmick’s lawsuit againstthe couple turn out? The judge dis-missed the case realizing that Dimmickwas totally out of bounds.

Alzheimer’s EpidemicOne of the most devastating dis-

eases of our time is Alzheimer’s. Whatit does to the individual, her family andfriends is beyond comprehension; per-fectly healthy people become immobi-lized with loss of memory, confusionand fear.

“Alzheimer’s, which is a form of de-mentia that causes progressive loss ofintellectual and social skills,” statesJanice Lloyd in a recent USA Todayarticle, “is the only disease among thetop killers for which there is no preven-tion, cure or treatment that will slow itsprogression.” And, tragically, a “topkiller” is an appropriate title forAlzheimer’s.

Beyondthe Course


Sedona

Play golf and explore thebeauty and magic of

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Alzheimer’s is ranked 6th among thetop 10 annual killers in the UnitedStates based on 2010 statistics; first isheart disease with 595,444 deaths.Next cancer (573,855 deaths), thenchronic lower respiratory diseases(137,789), 4th is cerebrovascular dis-ease (129,180), then accidents(129,943), 6th Alzheimer’s (118,043),followed by diabetes (83,308), kidneydisease (68,905), influenza/pneumonia(50,472), and suicide (37,793).

But there is hope. Congress passedthe National Alzheimer’s Project Actand President Obama has signed thehistoric law to eradicate Alzheimer’s bythe year 2005. For those suffering fromthe disease and for their loved onesand friends, the cure can’t happen fastenough.

Alzheimer’s is nothing to joke about,but if you’re a senior citizen “memoryloss” can be a great excuse whenyou’ve played a horrible round of golf.When someone asks you how well didyou play, you can simply respond, “Um,I just don’t remember. I play so muchgolf, the scores seem to blend into oneanother.” Then give them a big smile inthe hopes that they’re satisfied withyour answer.

Pig and Hog Manure to Cool andHeat Clubhouses?

Renewable energy has gone hogwild! We all know that today’s largeclubhouses on golf course propertiesuse a tremendous amount of electric-ity with monthly bills in the multi-thou-sands of dollars. Someday golf courseoperators might be able to “pig out” onelectricity at much lower prices. Andthis is not a lot of crap…well, it really is,here’s why.

Hog farmer Loyd Bryant in NorthCarolina accumulates manure for his8,640 hogs and has discovered some-thing useful for all the waste productsproduced from those hogs. With thehelp of Duke University and $1.2 mil-lion, a new waste processing system—basically a small power-plant—hasbeen installed on Bryant’s 154-acrefarm that uses bacteria to digest thewaste and burns methane to produceelectricity. Duke University claimsBryant’s system is the cleanest alter-


native energy system of its kind in ex-istence.

The system is highly efficient. “It’scut my electric bill in half,” says 71-year-old Bryant, “and it’s going to makeit so I can grow corn and wheat andbeans.”

Furthermore, Bryant’s neighborsare a lot happier. “People tell me thesmells are a lot better now,” concludesBryant. “To tell you the truth, the smellnever bothered me. I just love hogs.”

So, clubhouses and homes some-day air-conditioned and heated fromthe waste products of hogs? GolfNewssuggests that we all keep an openmind and not get pig headed—any in-telligent way to reduce our dependencyon oil should be considered and sup-ported.

Speaking of Manure…Without manure or its surrogate,

most flowers would not exist. Fromgrungy animal waste come the mostbeautiful specimens in the world—flow-ers—that not only add beauty to virtu-ally every golf course in the world, butis the key ingredient and attraction forone of the world’s most glamorouspageants—the annual Rose Parade inPasadena. Over 18 million flowers areused in the parade and over 700,000spectators line the streets and grand-stands to watch.

With the beauty comes the beast—trash. The equivalent to human waste,other than the obvious, is trash. Ciga-rette butts and empty crumbled beercans can blemish a golf course takingaway from its beauty but, at least, theyare relatively easy to pick up and dis-card appropriately. But how aboutthese trash statistics from the 2012Rose Parade (extrapolated from lastyear’s figures): 50 tons of trash, 5 tonsof cardboard, and 3,500 beverage con-tainers, and from the 2012 Rose Bowlgame, an additional 50 tons of trash,30 tons of cardboard, and 100,000beverage containers.

Fortunately, the Pasadena PublicWorks Department has years of expe-rience cleaning up the mess. A team of80 workers swept through the streetsand stadium area with 10 dump trucks, SERVICE... PARTS... ACCESSORIES...

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48-630 Monroe Street, IndioMust present this Golf News coupon to receive discount and sleeve of golf balls.Not valid with other offers or promotions. Rates valid until March 31, 2012.

TEE TIMES: 760-347-2326

PLEASE SEE PAGE 41


New GARIA 2+2 GOLF CAR SPECIAL!!! SPECIAL

PURCHASE = $5,000 OFF!! Sometimes there is that once in a

lifetime special that comes out that is too good to pass up. This is

one of them. We have made a special purchase of a limited num-

ber of NEW Garia Golf Cars 4 passenger vehicles. We are offer-

ing them at a special price.

We are offering a $5,000 discount. With MSRP’s of $19,696

to $20,145, this is an amazing opportunity. Tax and shipping are

extra.

Garia is manufactured at the same factory as the Porsche

Boxster and Cayman, the Garia is the ultimate luxury European

golf car in the world. Equally fit for the course and the road, the

Garia is the ultimate multi-purpose vehicle. And these Garia’s are

offered with the rear facing 2+2 option. Golf bag attachment is

also available to finish out the package.

Garia offers unique features like refrigerator, air scoop/sun

roof and 4 wheel brakes. They are powered by an AC drive sys-

tem second to none. Front disc brakes, front storage compartment,

double A-arm front suspension, seat belts and 10” standard wheels

make this much more than just a golf car. It is an automobile set

for the golf course.

Don’t take our word for it. Stop by for a test drive and expe-

Golf is a unique sport and now golfers have a unique bever-

age to call their own – GolferAID. GolferAID is neither a “one-

size-fits-all” sports drink nor an energy drink. Instead, GolferAID

is the first in a new product category we call “Synergy Drinks.” Its

ingredients are targeted at enhancing the skill set utilized while

playing golf: Focus, Balance, Power, Endurance and Flexibility.

GolferAID is at the forefront of the functional health and fit-

ness movement in golf. Our product was doctor developed, is

100% natural and contains no artificial sweeteners, HFCS, artifi-

cial colors, or caffeine. GolferAID is lightly sweetened with or-

ganic blue agave and each 12 oz can contains a mere 45 calories

and only nine grams of sugar. What’s more, it is refreshing and

delicious.

GolferAID contains effective doses of well known vitamins

and supplements, such as Glucosamine for joint health, MSM,

Turmeric, and Magnesium for muscle fatigue, and B Vitamins for

sustainable energy, as well as lesser known but equally important

ingredients including Co-Q10, Epimedium, 5-HTP, and Bilberry.

(For a full ingredient listing, please visit www.golferaid.com)

Of course, we don’t claim that GolferAID will instantly trans-

form you into a scratch golfer. We do

guarantee that our powerful, healthy prod-

uct will provide you with the nutritional

elements that a round of golf demands of

your body and mind, so that you are play-

ing up to your potential.

GolferAID is rapidly expanding into

the Coachella Valley. Select courses will

be hosting GolferAID days where our

team will be present to provide free prod-

uct and answer your questions. Please

visit www.facebook.com/golferaid for

upcoming dates and locations.

For more information, please visit www.golferaid.com or call

(888) 558-1113. Find GolferAID at Facebook.com/golferaid or

Twitter.com/golferaid and join us today.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This

product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Not recommended for

children or women while nursing or pregnant.

GolferAIDThe New 100% Natural Drink for Golfers

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$5,000 OFF a New GARIAThe Ultimate Luxury Golf Car

rience the finest vehicle made for the course and the road. Available ex-

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Costco Center at 79-785 Highway 111, La Quinta, CA 92253. Stop by or

call 760-775-5000.


8 backhoes, 8 street sweepers, 3 pack-ers and 6 pickup trucks, and the entirecleanup was accomplished starting 10p.m. Monday night and was finished by7 a.m. Tuesday morning. The magicalmetamorphosis took place in only 9hours!

If workers can take 9 hours to cleanup debris from the Rose Bowl paradeand game, every golfer should be ableto take 15 to 30 seconds to throw hisor her trash in a proper container.Keeping our golf courses beautiful freeof litter is one reason why we love toplay. Do your part. To hitchhike off anold phrase, “Don’t be a litter hacker!”

Male Golfers—Don’t Duplicate ThisTemper Tantrum

Golfers can get very competitive. Attimes, even physical fights have brokenout on a golf course. But men, pleasedon’t duplicate this way to resolve youranger. An Australian Rules footballplayer, Peter Filania, was suspendedfor 10 games after admitting he bit anopponent’s scrotum during a match.Male golfers, no matter how mad youget at your fellow competitors, don’tyou dare use Filania as a role model!

Warning to PGA and LPGA Tour Pros

If the PGA and LPGA Tours followsuit and start levying fines as stiff asthe NFL, we’re going to see some golftour pros go broke. In the recent regu-lar season game between the NewYork Jets and New England Patriots,Jets Coach Rex Ryan lost his temperand swore at a fan during the game.The NFL fined Ryan $75,000. What inthe hell he said that warranted thatlarge of a fine, who in &%*#@ knows!

LPGA and PGA Tour players be-ware. If you swear at a heckler in thegallery, it might not cost you $75,000,but the fine might be big enough to puta dent in your wallet. If you need tovent, do it after your round in the pri-vacy of the locker room. Slam yourlocker door back and forth in unisonwith every cuss word you know. It’scalled primal therapy. It hasn’t quiteworked for John Daly but that doesn’tmean it won’t work for you. GNM

FROM PAGE 39

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(Part 1) Plastic surgery and our desert are nearly

synonymous. A large number of women and

some men choose plastic surgery to improve

their appearance and self-esteem.

Women golfers that I see want to look good

on the golf course more ways than one. They

want to play well and look attractive—and both

are very worthwhile goals.

I found Dr. Sofonio, who has had a long-

standing practice in the Coachella Valley, to be

sincere, sensitive, intelligent, and very knowl-

edgeable about his chosen profession and the pa-

tients he serves.

GolfNews Magazine: Plastic surgery ver-

sus cosmetic surgery? What’s the difference?

Dr. Sofonio: In today’s society, many con-

sider plastic surgery the same thing as cosmetic

surgery. Plastic means ‘to form’ or ‘to change.’

Cosmetic surgery is considered ‘making the

change for the [sole] purpose of cosmetics,’ not

for reconstructive

purposes. Whereas,

plastic surgery en-

compasses recon-

structive surgery as

well as cosmetic

surgery.

Plastic surgery

is a field that’s been

around for almost

100 years. To be a

plastic surgeon,

there is a tremen-

dous amount of

training you have to

go through, includ-

ing a separate residency. There are only about

6,000 board certified plastic surgeons in the

United States. They have to complete medical

school, which is four years. They have to do an

internship; and usually a general surgery resi-

dency which is two to five years. And then an-

other plastic surgery residency for at least two

years. So, a plastic surgeon will train for 12 to 14

years.

Since the 1980s, there have been a lot of peo-

ple that for a lot of reasons didn’t want to go

through plastic surgery residency or couldn’t get

in, and they wanted to do procedures on people,

and called them cosmetic procedures. So what

happened was there was a group of people who

identified themselves and their practice with the

name ‘cosmetic surgery’ to basically justify what

they were doing. They wanted to separate cos-

metic surgery from plastic surgery. Cosmetic sur-

gery is what any M.D. can attach to their name

if they wish, even if it’s only for removing a small

cyst from a patient.

GNM: Of all the different fields of medicine,

what attracted you to the field of plastic surgery?

Dr. Sofonio: I started as a general surgeon. I

was at Cornell in the burn unit and I actually ran

a burn unit in New York for a year for Westch-

ester County Medical Center at Valhalla. While

I was there I became very interested in patients

with serious disfiguring injuries, and reconstruc-

tion for those patients. I became very interested

in tissue, moving tissue around and skin surgery.

I liked the challenge of seeing the results im-

mediately. I realized the result can’t wait; the re-

sult has to look good on the operating table. For

me, there was an intellectual and artistic chal-

lenge that I was drawn to, and that’s the reason I

chose plastic surgery over general surgery. Sur-

geons tend to gravitate to the field that fits their

personality.

GNM: How do you separate the viewing of

extreme deformity, when a person’s appearance

has changed so far from the norm? How do you

separate that from doing your job? The emo-

tional component. I believe it’s a question every

doctor through his or her training deals with,

not getting emotionally involved?

Dr. Sofonio: You always do have some

emotional involvement. It’s impossible to sep-

arate it like that, at least for me. Most physi-

cians want to help people, so if you want to

help people and you care about people, then

you are going to have some emotional in-

volvement with each and every patient. And I

think that would be the norm for all physicians

and certainly for me. You just do get emotion-

ally involved. When I operate on someone, I

want it to be the best result.

GNM: There is an emotional involvement

in relationship to wanting the best results and

caring about your patient, but when you see a

deformed person that you are trying to enhance

and, no doubt, do enhance, do you actually see

the deformity, because for a lot of people that see

a person that has had a tragic accident, it’s hard

for them to even look at…

Dr. Sofonio: Oh, I understand what you’re

saying. The average person would be shocked to

see these things…

GNM: Right, and they couldn’t work on a

person like that.

Dr. Sofonio: There is a component as a

physician in where you look at the individual as

a person but of course you also look at the de-

formity. So when you’re looking at the deformity

itself, you are not looking at it in an emotional

way. You look at the deformity just as somebody

who works on roads and sees a big hole in the

road.

If I saw a big hole in the road, I would say,

‘Oh my god, look at that pothole.’ I’d stop and

look and say, ‘It looks really bad,’ whereas some-

one who works on road repair would look at it as

a hole that needs this and that and this to fix that

type of hole.

In Big Bear when part of a mountain slid a

while back, I said, ‘Oh, no, part of the road’s

gone.’ To the architects and civil engineers

looking at it, they just look at it as a challenge

to fix the road back to where it was. To the

layperson, the damage looks encompassing

and enormous, but the civil engineer under-

stands the complexity of the damage and he

understands how to fix it.

When I see an individual who has a signifi-

cant deformity, I look at that deformity and try

to think in an intellectual fashion how am I going

to fix that deformity. The deformity itself, I don’t

have an emotional relationship with. I have an

emotional involvement with the patient but not

the deformity.

I have to think what is the best way to deal

with the deformity. Can we do certain procedures

depending on where it is, how it’s been scarred,

and a lot of factors have to be taken into account.

There are things we can fix and there are things

we can’t fix.

GNM: Thank you, Dr. Sofonio. The topic of

“universal beauty” is something that intrigues

me. You have enhanced the appearance of

women for several years in you’re plastic and

cosmetic surgery practice. Can we take up the

issue of universal beauty when it comes to

women the next time we chat?

Dr. Sofonio: Absolutely, Dan, it will be my

pleasure.

In Part 2 in next month’s issue of GolfNews

Magazine, Dr. Sofonio, along with other topics,

tackles the question, “Is there such thing as uni-

versal beauty when it comes to women?

Insights From A Highly Regarded Plastic SurgeonAn Interview with Mark Sofonio, M.D.

By Dan Poppers

Dr. Mark Sofonio


There may be hundreds of golf courses to choose from inthe Coachella Valley, but there’s only one that was voted as hav-ing the best playing conditions in all of Southern California. Eagle Falls Golf Course, part of Fantasy Springs Resort

Casino, was given the high honor by Greenskeeper.org, the WestCoast’s largest and fastest growing golf social network. TheGreenskeeper Award holds a great amount of credibility amonggolfers and the industry. It was derived from analyzing the last12 months of online survey ratings submitted by the websites’users.Eagle Falls, Director of Golf Willie Maples says, “I’ve been

in the golf business for more than 40 years and never have Ibeen at an establishment where more compliments are paid onthe condition of the course, the architecture and the service ofour employees.” The staff at Eagle Falls is gearing up for the 24th annual

Frank Sinatra Starkey Hearing Foundation Celebrity Invita-tional which will be held at the Indio course for the 3rd straight

year. The popular two day, celebrity amateur golf tournamentis dedicated to the memory of Frank Sinatra and benefits thenon-profit Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center. You can catch allthe golf action at Eagle Falls March 1st through the 3rd. The 18-hole, Clive Clark-designed public course, opened

in 2007, in addition to the Greenskeeper.org award, was votedone of the “Best Courses You Can Play” by GOLFWEEK maga-zine.Eagle Falls Golf Course is part of Fantasy Springs Resort

Casino, located just outside of Palm Springs, California. Theresort features a 250-room and suite luxury hotel, seven restau-rants, rooftop wine bar, world class casino with 2,000 slots and40 table games, bowling center, nightclub and A-list entertain-ment nearly every weekend. For tee times at Eagle Falls Golf Course, or to make reser-

vations at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, call (800) 827-2946or log onto www.FantasySpringsResort.com.The resort offersvalue added hotel and golf packages throughout the year.

When Above Par is Very GoodEagle Falls Golf Course, Home of the Frank Sinatra

Invitational, Soars High Above Par for Playing Conditions

Advertorial


2012 Calendar of EventsWhat to see. Where to go. What to do.

FEBRUARY

9 Women’s Guest Day, Ironwood

C.C., Palm Desert.

10-11 Pete Carlson’s 8th Annual

Golf Expo, College of the Desert

Driving range, Palm Desert,

9 a.m.- 4 p.m. Free admission.

10-12 Men’s Club Championship

& Senior Club Championship at

Mission Hills C.C., Rancho Mirage.

11 Jazz Concert Series: Vocalist

Janis Mann & Trio, Palm Desert

High School Performing Center, 7 pm

15 Women’s Guest Day, Ironwood

C.C., Palm Desert

18 Terry Fator in Concert, Fantasy

Springs Resort Casino, Indio

16-26 Modernism Week 7th

Annual. 11-day festival featuring

more than 75 activities, dedicated to

preserving and appreciating

modernism, Palm Springs, CA.

16-19 Northern Trust Open, PGA

TOUR, Riviera C.C., Pacific

Palisades.

17 Jazz Concert Series: Peter

Erskine’s Ensemble at Pete

Carlson’s Golf & Tennis, Palm

Desert, 7 p.m.

17-18 Mission Hills Employee

Scholarship Fund Festival at

Mission Hills C.C.

19 Share the Power of a Wish

Golf Tournament at Porcupine

Creek, Rancho Mirage, $950 entry

fee. Benefits Make A Wish

Foundation of Orange County.

19 Jazzoo Concert Series at The

Living Desert, Palm Desert, 4-5:30

p.m. & 6:15-7:45 p.m.

MARCH

2 Havana Nights with Cigars &

Salsa at Desert Falls C.C., Palm

Desert.

4 Zoobilee! at The Renaissance

Esmeralda, Indian Wells, 5 p.m.

Benefits The Living Desert.

4 Paul Anka in Concert, Fantasy

Springs Resort Casino.

9 Willie Nelson in Concert,

Fantasy Springs Resort Casino.

7-10 Men’s Member-Member Golf

Tournament, Ironwood C.C.

8-10 Fiesta Member-Guest

Tournament, Mission Hills C.C.

9 Jazz Concert Series: Tom Scott

Quartet at Pete Carlson’s Golf &

Tennis. 7 p.m.

10 Peter Frampton in Concert,



Living Desert, 4-5:30 p.m. & 6:15-

7:45 p.m.

16-18 Toshiba Classic,

Champions Tour at Newport

Beach C.C., Newport Beach, CA.

17 Frankie Valli & The Four

Seasons in Concert, Fantasy

Springs Resort Casino.

22-25 Kia Classic, LPGA Tour at

La Costa Resort, Carlsbad, CA.


Living Desert 4-5:30 p.m. & 6:15-

7:45 p.m.

29- Apr 1 Kraft Nabisco

Championship, Mission Hills C.C.

31 Trans Siberian Orchestra,



HEALTH MATTERS Conference Activating Wellness in Every Generation Kicked Off the 2012 HUMANA CHALLENGE Golf Tournament

One innovation in this year’s Humana Challenge was restructuring the former Bob Hope Classicto include the health conference that attracted participants from all over the country.

ON THE TEE

“Be informed. Every person can improve theirhealth without spending a penny. Viable healthinformation is available. Information is power,”emphasized fitness expert Jillian Michaels.

PGA TOUR Commissioner TimFinchem, friend of President Clinton’sfor 35 years, participated in theconference.

Conference attendees from all over the nation traveled to the desert toparticipate in this historic inaugural event.

President Clinton with Billie Jean King and Richard Gephardt—“A key problem iswe’ve become a nation of spectators rather actors,” said President Clinton.“Physical movement has become similar to music; the majority of people sit backand listen rather than participate. This needs to change.”

Dr. David Satcher said, “Unfortunately,many of us adults are addicted to foodsfilled with sugar and salt, but there’shope for kids. Kids who grow up eatingfruits and vegetables like them; they likethe taste!”

Richard Gephardt said, “The big prob-lem with healthcare in this nation ishow we pay for it. Healthcare right nowis delivered in a chaotic, unpredictableway. This needs to be changed.”

A surprise guest, Barbra Streisand, was in the audience being very low key and attentive. Post conference, PresidentClinton chatted with the legendary singer.

Chelsea Clinton added her intelligence andyouthful charm to the conference.

President Clinton said one reason people in his age groupneed to take care of themselves better is because the na-tional expense related to caring for older citizens is put-ting a burden on the nation’s economy and iscontributing to our health system crisis.

All Photos by GolfNews Magazine

Bob Marra— innovatively conceptu-alized the conference and was thecatalyst for making the conferencecome to fruition.

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7

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60.37

nc.nc.nc.nc.,I,IDistributorsDistributors nc.nc.,I,I,I,I,I,I,Inc.,Inc.,Inc.,Inc.DistributorsDistributorsDistributorsDistributorsDistributorsDistributors.com

DistributorsDistributorsDistributorsDistributorsDistributorsDistributors,I,Inc.nc.nc.,I,Inc.,Inc.iccariccar.com

146.56660.3

golf news magazine feb 2012

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