• Never put tees in your nose.
• Never sneeze into your glove.
• Never concede a chip shot.
• Never hold a ball for another player to hit.
• Never practice drives against a backboard.
• Never wear golf shoes to a dance.

Explosion Shot -  A shot in which, after a poorly swung sand wedge fails to contact enough sand the ball flies off the face of the club and the player flies off the handle.

Fade – 1. (Right-handed golfers) A shot that curves from left to right. 2. (Left-handed golfers)

Fairway Wood – A club with a medium loft that is used to get a ball out of a good lie on the fairway and into position for a shot from a slope, a bunker, a water hazard or in back of a tree.

5th & 15th Holes – See Rain

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First Tee – See Fluff, Hook, Sclaff, Shank, Slice, Top and Whiff.

Flagstick – Long, flexible metal pole with red-and-white markings along its length and a numbered flag at its top, which, had it not been left lying on the green by the previous foursome, would have indicated the position of the hole.

Flub – A shot that is too weak to register on conventional score-keeping equipment.

Fluff – A shot in which the clubhead strikes the ground behind the ball before hitting it, causing it to dribble forward one or two yards. A more widely used term for this type of stroke is “practice swing.” See Whiff.

Follow-through – The part of the swing that takes place after the ball has been hit but before the club has been thrown. See Swing.

Fore – The first of several four-letter words exchanged between golfers as one group of players hits balls toward another in front of them on the course.

Four-ball – A match in which two pairs of players each play their better ball against the other. Additional golf matches include: best-ball, in which one player plays against the better ball of two or the best ball of three players; three-ball, in which three players play against one another, each playing his or her own ball; and no-ball, in which two, three of four players, all of whom have lost all their balls, go to the clubhouse and play gin rummy.

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For some, the thought of spending hours every week trying to knock a little white ball into a not much larger hole from hundreds of yards away might appear a little silly. It may even seem downright mad to insist on going back day after day, chasing that nearly impossible dream of shooting a sub-par

While the above may be true, golf is also the ultimate individual game. The only person who affects the outcome of your round is the one swinging your clubs.

Having a good round of golf comes down to two things: technique and concentration. And sometimes luck.

A person will spend years practicing and honing their swing, taking lessons, getting pointers from others, even working on their stance without a club in hand. The pursuit of perfection (or even par) can become a life-long obsession. As frustrating as a shanked drive or missed tap-in can be, those moments only make that hole-in-one (I have two, by the way) or chip-in from the bunker that much sweeter.

Another beautiful thing about golf is it’s a perfect reason to get to hang out with your buddies for a few hours or even make new friends out on the course.

Golf can double as a business meeting, and for those of us lucky enough to have a significant other who enjoys the game, it also can serve as quality time spent with that special person in your life. Walking an entire 18 holes is more exercise than you might expect, and if you’re not in the market for some exercise, well, who doesn’t love to drive a golf cart?

And if you happen to get thirsty while you’re out there, you won’t be for long, because the drinks come to you!

Also, with the multitude of charity golf tournaments throughout the summer — there’s got to be at least one a week — you can also support your community while swinging the sticks.

So get out to your local driving range and go hit a bucket. You’ll thank me later.

http://www.winnipegsun.com/life/columnists/dave_wheeler/2010/07/01/14582591.html

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THE pitch shot is a must in your green side arsenal — the second most used shot around the green (first is a bump and run). Basically, you are hitting the ball about halfway to the target in the air and then letting it roll to the hole.

To hit this shot, put the ball just forward of centre of the stance, lean your spine slightly toward the target and lean the shaft slightly toward the target. Not you are set up in an excellent position to make great contact every time.

During the swing, we want the club to bottom out under the ball (or slightly after the ball) and the shaft to be returned to the same position at impact — leaning slightly forward. If you accomplish this you will become an excellent pitcher of the ball.

There is not a lot of wrist action in the pitch shot — keep the club head low to the ground on the way back and through. This will allow you to use the bounce of your sand wedge — ensuring the club head will skid, slide and brush nicely through the ground. As a result, even your bad shots will get close to the hole.

After getting set up properly, it is the smooth, flowing, tempo and rhythm of the shot that turn the “notes on the page into beautiful music.” The arms and body must be relaxed and soft to let that happen. Without it, you will not be able to be your best. With it, you will hit magical pitch shots.

Derek Ingram is the head coach of Golf Canada’s national women’s team and the teaching professional at the Elmhurst Golf and Country Club in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. He is the only two-time winner of the Canadian PGA’s Teacher of the Year and recognized as one of the top high performance golf coaches in the world.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/golf/from-the-tips-with-derek-ingram-97460069.html

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]]> http://wwww.golfthenarrows.com/2010/11/27/tips-derek-ingram/feed/ 0 http://wwww.golfthenarrows.com/2010/11/21/winnipeg-woos-worlds-top-10ranked-players-line-play-cn-womens-open/ http://wwww.golfthenarrows.com/2010/11/21/winnipeg-woos-worlds-top-10ranked-players-line-play-cn-womens-open/#comments Sun, 21 Nov 2010 14:05:48 +0000 admin http://golfthenarrows.com/?p=113 Eight weeks from showtime, the lineup is already deep.

CN Canadian Women’s Open tournament director Sean Van Kesteren revealed Monday what an easy sell our national championship is — already the Top 10 players in the Rolex World Women’s Rankings have confirmed their intention to enter the US $2.25 million LPGA event, Aug. 26-29 at St. Charles Country Club.

The fourth-highest purse of the season, combined with an elite, traditional golf course, will do that.

Van Kesteren’s list includes new world No. 1 Cristie Kerr, who won last week’s major, the LPGA Championship, by 12 shots.

Van Kesteren also said the 156-player field will also include a minimum of nine Canadians. Lorie Kane, Alena Sharp, Samantha Richdale, Lisa Meldrum, are exempt with their tour memberships and Jessica Shepley is the CPGA women’s champ. The Open has also extended exemptions to Canadians Adrienne White and Angela Buzminski, and will provide two entries for the Canadian national women’s amateur team, he said.

Expect the tour’s talent to shine, Kane said Monday during her trip to St. Charles for media day.

“At the beginning of the year when (former No. 1) Lorena (Ochoa) decided to take an early retirement, I was a little concerned, just because who Lorena is as a person and what she brings to the tour,” Kane said. “Having said that, we’re deep. I think the talent pool on tour is the best it’s ever been.

“Cristie winning last week by 12 shots, that woman can downright play. When her putter gets hot, watch out.”

Kane toured St. Charles on Monday and hit a few shots, an advantageous scouting mission on the MacKenzie and Ross Nines that will be used for the championship. The test is expected to be set at almost 6,600 yards.

“Touring around here, I was chuckling to myself because there are some areas where you can cut some distance off this golf course,” Kane said. “And Laura Davies is going to have a field day here.

“Yani Tseng is as long, and Suzann Pettersen is long and there are a ton of girls who are hitting it a long way. I think the fans here in Manitoba will get to see some exciting golf.”

LPGA players have until Aug. 17 to confirm their entries but Van Kesteren said he doesn’t figure to have many nervous days.

“It’s not as hard (a sell) as it used to be,” he said. “It’s because of the purse levels and a premier date and being a national championship and we do some things a little differently. We take care of these players. They know when they come to Canada, they’re going to be treated well.

“And obviously we have this golf course, but it’s also the fans, they’re so knowledgeable.

“And we get a lot of them. The players enjoy when they’re at their practice round on Tuesday and there are (thousands) of people around.”

Kane, 45, has four career victories and more than $6.7 million in career earnings. She has suffered through a stretch of injuries for the last three years but said Monday she’s feeling better than she’s felt in some time.

“I’m feeling really good and I’ve been working with (swing coach) Sean Foley and with (caddy) Danny Sharp, the three of us have gotten me back to where I was at the beginning of my career,” she declared. “I have had not a very good run in the last two and a half years, probably three, and I feel the best is ahead of me.”

Kane said she intends to keep at it right through the Open, and if her relaxation level Monday — on a half-day, out-of-the-way stop between Rochester, N.Y. and Toledo, Ohio — was any indication, she’s found something.

“I think I’m probably more comfortable playing at home than I ever have been,” Kane said. “It was Dawn Coe-Jones who told me about 10 years ago that you need to start enjoying coming to Canada to play, not feel like it’s a burden.

“Now I’m enjoying golf. If it’s a good shot, it’s a good shot and if it’s in the trees, I have to find a way to get it out.”

The list also includes Japan’s Ai Miyazato, whom Kerr supplanted, as well as defending champion Suzann Pettersen, Jiyai Shin, Yani Tseng and Michelle Wie.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/golf/winnipeg-woos-worlds-best-97371044.html

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Go to the Minnewasta Golf and Country Club in Morden, where you can go up and down, up and down. On the western edge of the Pembina escarpment, about a 70-minute drive from the west perimeter, Minnewasta offers relief from the usual prairie layout. Be warned, this is not a walking-friendly golf course.

“People who haven’t played here before walk off the 18th green saying ‘Wow. I can’t believe this place,’ ” says head pro Chris Worley. “They play it once and they’ll be back.”

Large, undulating greens, plenty of trees and the meandering Dead Horse Creek give the course even more character.

This is the first year members have had full use of the course since July 2008, when much of the front nine was ripped up to install an oil pipeline, which runs from Edmonton to Chicago. “There was a lot of disruption,” says Worley. “Our members got pretty good at playing the back nine. It’s good to have the full 18 back.”

Not everything about having your golf course torn apart by a big company is bad. It does have its long-term benefits. Compensation was due. The club lost members, pro shop sales went down, restaurant income dropped etc. And the oil men came through. The club used the down time to install a new irrigation system, pave the parking lot and move into a fancy new clubhouse. (see video of the move on the Minnewasta web page at http://www.golfminnewasta.com/

“People who haven’t played here in awhile are amazed when they drive up,” says Worley. “It’s completely different.”

The Les Furber-designed golf course, without doubt, is one of the best in Manitoba. It has played host to a couple of Rural Amateurs, the first two rounds of the 2007 Manitoba Amateur and last year was home for the annual Manitoba-Minnesota Junior Matches. Worley would like to see all four rounds of the Manitoba Amateur played there some year.

Signature hole

THE tee on the par-3 eighth offers a panoramic view. You can catch a glimpse of Lake Minnewasta to the west, the clubhouse and several holes. It’s about 80 feet down to the green. Sweet.

Birdie Time

HERE’S how to birdie the par-five, dogleg left 10th hole: Atomize a drive down the right-centre to gain the best angle to the green. Visualize then galvanize a soaring three-iron to the green. If you come up just short, theorize which way your chip will run when it hits the green. Don’t agonize over the resulting four-foot putt, but mesmerize your playing partners with a bold centre-cup stroke. A birdie will materialize. Proceed to the par-3 11th and accessorize your birdie with a par.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/golf/getting-up-and-down-in-morden-97254814.html

But to thousands of charitable groups across Canada – including scores of London groups – the game is golf is measured in dollars and cents. In the U.S., charity golf events raise more than $3 billion annually. Golf Canada recently estimated that there are over 25,000 charity golf tournaments in Canada that help raise $439 million annually.

London alone holds about 350 such charity tournaments.

If you are a businessperson, consider this: what other vehicle besides the charity golf tournament allows you to spend six to eight quality hours with a client? A round of golf should only consume at maximum of four and a half hours, you answer.

Yet, from the time of valet parking and buffet breakfast at a posh country club, right until post-dinner handshakes and “Let’s do lunch” promises, the charity golf tournament will consume an entire day.

To what point has the charity golf tournament evolved? Consider this humorous news item. A few years ago, the London Salvation Army staged the No Golf Golf Tournament. The registration form included a $65 entry fee; $10 putting contest, and hole in one; and $5 closest to the pin contest, and longest drive.

People donated $100 towards the silent auction, and paid good money to advertise the fact that they were not golfing with Tiger Woods. That’s right: not golfing. In fact, there was no golf tournament, no putting contest, and no auction table – only fundraising for Salvation Army through an imaginary golf tournament.

“The Salvation Army believes in good, wholesome competition on the golf course, but we also believe that you are busy and we respect that,” read the tourney brochure, “so instead of asking you to take one more day out of the office to support one more charity golf tournament, we are inviting you to relax, keep working or just spend some time with your family.”

All jokes aside, charity golf is a critical element of a multi-million-dollar fundraising engine, not to mention invaluable business tool. Take, for example, the recent 12th Annual high school tournament held at Fanshawe Golf Course, which raised a record $7,944 for the Canadian Cancer Society.

http://www.thelondoner.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2625986

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The man who currently owns the course record at Niakwa Country Club, thanks to a sparkling 4-under 68 he carded in May, is just over a year away from experiencing an opportunity of a lifetime.

“To play in a Canadian Amateur at my home track would be an absolute dream come true for sure,” said James, who is expected to be part of the field when Niakwa and Elmhurst host the 2011 Canadian Men’s Amateur golf championship. “I know we’ve had one here before, in 1974 but I wasn’t born yet. For me, I’ve played in a couple of Canadian juniors, a couple of Canadian mid-amateurs but I’ve never played in a Canadian Amateur. Having been to national events, it turns out being an important event, not only for the golf course but for the whole community.”

The 2010 men’s amateur in London, Ont. will be the first to feature the expanded field of 240 and that number continues in 2011.

Each player in the 2011 field will play one of the first two rounds at Niakwa and the other at Elmhurst, but those who survive the cut will play the final 36 holes at Niakwa.

During the past five years, Niakwa has invested nearly $3 million to incorporate many important course changes that have it looking good heading into the 2011 Canadian Men’s Amateur.

“It feels pretty good to see the project completed,” said Niakwa Country Club president Rob Sproule.

Aside from excellent improvements to the drainage system between 2005 and 2007, the course has been lengthened by roughly 300 yards, bunkers were rebuilt (42) and added (11) and three new bent-grass greens were constructed (holes six, 11 and 12) and opened in late May (roughly two weeks ahead of schedule).

“It’s interesting because golf has really changed over the last 10 years because of the advancement of technology,” said James. “Everybody wants to hit the ball a long ways. I was really growing up during that period and I went from playing a very difficult golf course when I was young to playing an easier golf course, though a beautiful golf course. It kind of became a driver and wedge-in type game.

“I really appreciate the efforts the membership’s made because the course absolutely needed it, with the state that golf is in today. It’s a completely different game. Now it’s a much more difficult golf course.”

The end result is that the Stanley Thompson-designed track is in fine form, as we witnessed during a visit on Thursday.

Despite all of the recent precipitation, playing conditions were nearly ideal, the greens were rolling true and the drainage system was doing its job as there were no real wet spots anywhere to be found.

“With the rain this year, the course is lush and the drainage has made a huge difference,” said Sproule. “Unless there’s a flood, the course is playable. We haven’t had to restrict cart usage or play on the course once this year. If there’s an inch or two of rain, you’re still on the course the next day and the conditions are outstanding.”

Later this summer, Niakwa hosts the premiers of Canada, along with charity tournaments for former Winnipeg Jets star Dale Hawerchuk and former Manitoba Moose forward Lee Goren.

“Having these events raises the profile of the club,” said Sproule, noting that the 2011 tournament will require 340 volunteers.

http://www.winnipegsun.com/sports/golf/2010/06/24/14508721.html

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]]> http://wwww.golfthenarrows.com/2010/11/10/niakwas-dream-true/feed/ 0 http://wwww.golfthenarrows.com/2010/11/02/marathon-weekend-golf-local-links/ http://wwww.golfthenarrows.com/2010/11/02/marathon-weekend-golf-local-links/#comments Tue, 02 Nov 2010 08:20:46 +0000 admin http://golfthenarrows.com/?p=94 For some, nothing builds friendship like three days of golf, and that is exactly what the 38th Annual International Golf Tournament will be July 25-27.

The weekend has often been a great chance for reunions between friends who haven?t seen each other for years, said Dave Miller of Minnewasta Golf and Country Club.

He also said the event builds great camaraderie between players from across the region and the states.

They have had upwards of 750 golfers in past years, and this year looks like well over 500 have signed up.

The golfers play four courses over three days – two in Manitoba at Winkler and Morden then another two courses across the border at Walhalla and Langdon.

The exhausted golfers are then treated to a steak supper Sunday night at Morden?s golf club, while prizes are handed out for the putting and driving contests and overall scores.

The International Golf Tournament got its start in 1972 by Herb Dick of Winkler and Dr. Dick Goertz of Morden to coincide with the Morden Corn & Apple Festival, and it attracted 300 golfers from the area and North Dakota.

With so much interest from south of the border, just three years later Walhalla Country Club was added with 360 golfers entered.

In 1977, with 416 participants, the Cavalier Golf and Country Club was added – making it the four course tournament it is today.

New for this year Friday night, the Morden club will host a beer tent, and Saturday?s baron of beef dinner will be at the Morden Recreation Centre.

Unfortunately, if you were still hoping on getting in on the action, the last entries were accepted June 30. For those looking at entering next year or for more information, you can got to www.internationalgolf.net

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The long-time president of the Riverview Golf and Country Club just outside of Morris has been battling floodwaters that have threatened to ruin one of Manitoba’s best nine-hole courses 12-14 times since 1996. Then came the fire lit by arsonists that burned the clubhouse to

the ground last October.

But, with the will of a town that refused to let the golf course die despite all the floods, a brand, spanking new clubhouse has been built while the course was kept open. An official re-opening will be held there on Wednesday at 4 p.m.

“It is about 45% bigger than the last one, has more open space and is user friendly,” said Driedger, who doubles as the local fire lieutenant and helped fight the fire for almost eight hours. “The (2,000 square-foot) decks outside have been put together and it has all the modern conveniences.

“It’s a fantastic new facility and we’ve gotten rave reviews about it. But we lost everything in the fire. We had clubs from the turn of century on display there and the pictures of deceased members are all gone. We have just once piece of steel left — the trophy from the Men’s Open because it was at the jewellers getting the last winner’s name engraved.”

That trophy will be up for grabs at this year’s Men’s Open, to be played July 1.

The arsonists — all minors — have been caught. One plead out and was ordered to do community service at the club.

“I told them that wouldn’t happen, but not in those words,” Driedger said.

Insurance did cover the $750,000 cost of the new club, he confirmed.

But, even without a clubhouse, the course was kept open.

The golf course is in fantastic shape,” Driedger assured. “But it was nip and tuck this year. We were about one inch from the whole course being flooded again. But we had employees and volunteers sandbagging the lower spots.”

Despite all of those problems, club membership is up 35%.

The course is also offering a week-day special of $10 green fees to golf all day until 4 p.m. Weekend green fees are $18 for 18 holes.

For more info, call the course at 204-746-2027.

TOP GUNNER: Shilo’s Matt Gunning belted a drive 338.5 yards to win the Manitoba Longest Drive Shootout at the Fast Golf and Driving Range on Sunday. Brandon’s Kyle Armour (319.5) was second, Alberta’s Glen Hutchinson (311) third, and Elm Creek’s Troy Esau (307) fourth.

Rob Engley, who hosted the event, said heavy air and wet ground limited the distances.

Engley will finance the top four finishers to compete at a ReMax local qualifier in Sylvan Lake, Alta., July 9 and 10. The top hitters there will advance to regional qualifier there on July 11. The best ones there will advance to the world championship in Mesquite, Nev., this fall.

ASSISTANTS CHAMPION: Dave Lavalee of Quarry Oaks fired a two-round total of two-under-par 142 to win the PGA opf Manitoba’s Golf Supply House Assistants Championship at Niakwa over the weekend. Glendale’s Andrew Steep and Carman’s Scott Borsa tied for second at 147.

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