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Chip Shots
» Richards learns from USGA stint
» BCGA loses its Rules leader
» Prepare now for U.S. Publinks
» A helpful way to get fit
» Its service nets WSGA an award
» Golfers tee it up to aid Red Cross
» Moore follows big footsteps
» Pros claim Hudson Cup
» Andalusia unveiled
» No need to fret over border travel just yet
» Argentina-Chile trip planned for April
» Lowe/Destination take over Skamania
Richards learns from USGA stint
 Come February, and the annual meeting of the United States Golf Association, a four-year joy ride will come to an end for Bruce Richards.
The resident of Bellevue, Wash., will have completed his fourth consecutive one-year term on the Executive Committee of the USGA.
"Overall it was very enjoyable and very rewarding, and it was an opportunity to give back to a game that's a big part of my life and has given me a lot," Richards said. "I hope that I made a contribution and I think that I did."
Richards also said the completely voluntary position on the governing board of golf in the U.S. certainly has been time-consuming and a lot of work, but worth every minute.
"You become aware of some of the real challenges the game faces, including equipment, and what's the best course of action to take there," he said.
"Just a higher awareness of what a great game it is," Richards said of what he'll take with him from the USGA, "and how it positively impacts so many people's lives."
BCGA loses its Rules leader
Lawrie Kerr, who set standards of greatness and loyalty at Royal Colwood Golf Club that might never be matched, died on Sept. 12 at the age of 75.
Kerr started caddying at the club in Victoria as a 10-year-old, and through the next 65 years left an incredible legacy on the golf community in Victoria and throughout British Columbia.
He won the Victoria Open eight times, and the Royal Colwood club championship six times. He was the club president from 1980 to 1983 and its club captain in 1969 and 1977.
Kerr won the British Columbia Men's Amateur in 1960 and played on the BCGA's Willingdon team in 1958 and 1960.
He was a director with the British Columbia Golf Association from 1993 to 2004, and named an honorary director earlier this year.
Kerr also frequently volunteered his time to assist tournaments throughout the region and served as a Rules Official for countless championships. He served as the Rules Chair for the BCGA from 1997 to 2004.
Prepare now for U.S. Publinks
When the amateur golf world turns its attention to Gold Mountain Golf Complex in Bremerton, Wash., next July for the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championships, it will be enticing for local players to test their mettle against some of the nation's best amateurs.
To do that, however, several eligibility requirements will need to be met, and Jan. 1, 2006, is a key date for the biggest requirement.
In order to compete in the U.S. Amateur Public Links, a contestant must be a bona fide public course player as of Jan. 1, and not have privileges, as of Jan. 1, at any course or club that does not extend playing privileges to the general public.
A bona fide public course player may hold incidental privileges at a private club when those privileges are provided by an educational institution at which the contestant is a student, a federal armed service of which the contestant is a member, or an industry by which the applicant is employed.
Also, the USGA handicap index or the RCGA Handicap Factor of the contestant cannot exceed 8.4.
More information on the U.S. Amateur Public Links and its restrictions and qualifying format is available by visiting www.usga.org.
A helpful way to get fit
 Pacific Northwest Golf Association members and the association itself can benefit from a new golf fitness and healthy lifestyle book that's being offered through the PNGA web site.
Synergistic Golf - One Day at a Time is a book that details a complete approach to improving your golf game through exercise, nutrition, motivation and golf tips.
Mindi Boysen a golf fitness specialist, and Mary Ann Souter, a freelance golf writer, collaborated on the book.
The book is available through the PNGA web site, www.thepnga.org, for $22.95.
For each book sold through its web site, the PNGA will be rewarded with a $5 donation from the $22.95 price.
Its service nets WSGA an award
Congratulations are in store for the Washington State Golf Association for being awarded the Best Customer Service Award for 2005 at the recent GHIN User's Meeting in Austin, Texas.
The Best Service Award is based upon responses to surveys sent to each member club of the more than 60 amateur golf associations that use GHIN as their handicap computational service.
The GHIN User's Meeting is held annually and includes presentations and training sessions on current and future GHIN software and products. Attending the meeting from the WSGA staff were Kate Marshall, Director of Handicapping, and Karen Gibbs, Director of Information Systems. They accepted the award on behalf of the WSGA Membership Services Department, which is led by Senior Director of Membership Services John Saegner, Jr., Director of Field Services Colleen Zilmer, and Administrative Assistant of Membership Services Lee Summerfield.
In acknowledging this honor, Saegner said, "It would not have been possible without the continued support of our member clubs, WSGA Board of Directors and the entire staffs of the WSGA and GHIN."
Golfers tee it up to aid Red Cross
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| Golfers gather at Black Butte Ranch to raise money in support of Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. |
When an obvious need arose, golfers in the Northwest contributed to the worthy cause.
Of the numerous tournaments to raise funds for the victims of Hurricane Katrina, a couple stood out.
At Meridian Valley Country Club in Kent, Wash., $42,565 was raised through a nine-hole scramble tournament and a dinner auction.
Lorna Joers got the ball rolling at MVCC and with the help of Candy McFarland and Marci Brennan they rounded up all the items for both the live and silent auctions. All the proceeds went to the Red Cross Hurricane Relief Fund.
At Black Butte Ranch in Sisters, Ore., $15,000 was raised for the American Red Cross through a scramble tournament, numerous raffles and a silent auction.
"The community and golf industry really stepped to the plate for this one," said Shawna Nelson, a golf professional at Black Butte Ranch and the event organizer.
More than two dozen businesses contributed to the tournament, which drew a full field of 144 players to the Glaze Meadow Course at Black Butte Ranch.
In a fund-raising effort to help needy families in Central Oregon, Awbrey Glen Golf Club generated more than $40,000 through its volunteer group.
The money was raised through donations from members as well as a chili cook-off and a live auction.
Moore follows big footsteps
Once Ryan Moore of Puyallup, Wash., found his groove on the PGA Tour last summer, he accomplished something that hasn't been done since Tiger Woods first turned professional.
Moore walked off the campus of the University of Nevada-Las Vegas and earned his PGA Tour card without having to go through the normal process of the Tour's Qualifying School.
Moore earned $686,250 on the PGA Tour last year, easily placing himself among the top 125 money winners for the year. That's the magic number for securing full playing privileges on the Tour for 2006.
Moore did it during a torrid six-week stretch, starting with the Canadian Open at Shaughnessy in Vancouver. He tied for second place in that tournament and earned $440,000.
He made the next five cuts as well, with one paycheck at $88,000, and two others at more than $50,000.
Woods did the same thing in 1996 in avoiding Q-School and Justin Leonard did it in 1994.
"For how I've been playing, for how I've felt the last few months on the golf course, yes, I'm very proud of myself," Moore told reporters after winning $88,000 in the Funai Classic to secure his card for next year. "This is, probably if not the best, one of the best accomplishments I've ever done. I definitely didn't have my A-game out there. I was just able to get it around the best I could."
While Moore said he was proud of himself, he still had his sights set higher. He was hoping to make enough to place in the top 30 on the PGA Tour and qualify for the Tour Championship.
While that didn't happen in 2005, don't bet against him in 2006 when he has a full season under his belt.
Pros claim Hudson Cup
It took a second-day rally by the golf professionals from Oregon and Washington to capture the 57th edition of the Hudson Cup team matches.
The pros posted a 10.5-9.5 victory over the amateurs from the same two states after taking a 6-4 edge in the singles during the second day of competition at Sahalee Country Club in Sammamish, Wash.
The pros now have a 48-6-3 series edge over the amateurs. Jeff Coston of Semiahmoo Resort was named the top pro in the competition and Scott Hval of Columbia Edgewater Country Club the top amateur.
In the 14th Senior Hudson Cup, the professionals posted an easy 13-7 victory, thanks to their 8-2 edge in singles. The pros now hold an 8-5-1 series edge in the senior competition.
Mike Early of Port Townsend Golf Club was named the top senior pro for the two-day competition and Erik Myrmo of Eugene Country Club the top amateur.
Andalusia unveiled
The first of two Rees Jones golf courses at Andalusia Country Club in La Quinta, Calif., is completed, and the course already has impressed representatives of the Southern California Golf Association.
The East Course at Andalusia Country Club, which is all a part of the Andalusia at Coral Mountain residential development, was given a 76.0 Course Rating and a 140 SLOPE from its Black tees at 7,521 yards.
"The East Course at Andalusia at Coral Mountain is a beautiful design," said Mark Dusbabek, the director of Course Rating for the SCGA. "Rees did a great job. I especially like his placement of bunkers. No matter which tee you play from or how far back you play, he strategically placed the bunkers to affect every level of player."
Jones also will design the West Course at Andalusia, with construction set to begin in March of 2006.
More information on golf memberships is available by calling Kurt Dempster, Membership Director, at 760-578-2294, or visiting www.andalusiaatcoralmountain.com.
No need to fret over border travel just yet
Travel between Canada and the United States has dropped to its lowest level in years, and a simple misconception about crossing the border could be part of the reason.
The Council of Tourism Associations of British Columbia wants to emphasize that American citizens do not need passports at this time when returning home from Canada.
"Due to miscommunications in the U.S. media and other sources, it is possible that many potential travelers have decided not to travel, thinking that the need for a secure document was immediate," said Michael Campbell, the president of the Council of Tourism Associations of British Columbia. "This has contributed to and exasperated the decline in U.S. visitation to B.C."
According to Statistics Canada, travel from the U.S. to Canada dropped 2.9 percent in June 2005 as compared to the previous year. Same-day U.S. travelers are down to some of the lowest levels in recent history.
Passports, or some form of secure documents, will be needed in the future, but not at this time. Air and sea travel starting in January of 2007 will require proper documents and all travel starting in January 2008.
Argentina-Chile trip planned for April
For those intrigued by golfing in non-typical golf travel destinations, Golf Getaways, Ltd., of Bend, Ore., has something on its menu to offer next April.
A two-week golf excursion to Argentina and Chile has been set for April 14-28.
The trip includes stops in Buenos Aires, Iguazu and Mendoza in Argentina and Santiago, Chile. Along the way, dozens of wineries will be on the itinerary, as well as at least six rounds of golf. One of the golf stops will be at the Jockey Club in Buenos Aires, which was designed by legendary Alister MacKenzie.
The cost of the trip is $3,700 per person. It includes transportation within Argentina and Chile, but not the airfare from the U.S. and back.
More information is available by calling 541-388-1944 or visiting www.golfgetaways.com.
Lowe/Destination take over Skamania
Lowe Enterprises Investors and Destination Hotels and Resorts have now hooked up together for a third golf property in the Northwest.
Lowe Enterprises has acquired Skamania Lodge overlooking the Columbia River Gorge in Stevenson, Wash., and will have Destination Hotels manage the 254-room lodge and 18-hole golf course.
Lowe Enterprises and Destination also work together at Sunriver Resort in Oregon and Suncadia in Roslyn, Wash.
"Skamania Lodge is a well-located and accessible year-round destination with activities and amenities that attract both leisure travelers and business groups," said Bleecker Seaman, managing director of Lowe Enterprises Investors.
Skamania is on 175 acres and features a full-service spa and 22,000 square feet of meeting space just 40 minutes from Portland. The Lodge was built in 1993 and includes tennis, volleyball and a fitness center.
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