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Chip
Shots
» Faldo leaves imprint
» OGA mounts comeback to win first PNGA
Cup
» Sign on for Dream Golf
» Don't let rain mess your score
» PacAm still growing
» Centennial welcomes all
» Shaughnessy set for PNGA
» PNGA Women head to WWCC
» USGA returns to Pumpkin Ridge
» AJGA Junior event back at Trophy Lake
» U.S. on U.S. Curtis Cup streak
» M.G. Davis re-elected
» PNW PGA honors Dale Johnson
» Tamarack's Osprey Meadows fully open
Faldo leaves
imprint
Nick Faldo is leaving his mark in the small northern Montana town
of Eureka, and touching some hearts along the way.
Faldo is designing the golf course at the Wilderness Club, an upscale
residential community covering 545 acres nestled against the Canadian
Rockies.
“Nick hadn’t done any design work in the Pacific Northwest
or the Rocky Mountains and we were looking for someone who was distinctive,”
said Barry Cole, president of Wilderness Development. “Nick
has had an outstanding playing career, his work in golf design is
attracting worldwide attention and with his engaging personality;
we thought it was a perfect fit.”
Faldo also is designing a hole for John’s Course, which is part
of a heart-warming story of a father helping his handicapped son enjoy
golf.
John’s Course is an 11-hole layout with shared greens that was
started 10 years ago by Steve Espinoza so his handicapped son John
wouldn’t feel rushed or harassed while playing. The modest course
has gained worldwide notice through Sports Illustrated and other media
outlets because of the story behind the family. John, 29, suffers
from Down’s Syndrome. He took up golf to honor his athletic
brother, Michael, who died in 1993 in a car crash. The course welcomes
handicapped golfers, and instead of green fees, guests are invited
to play a round with John.
“I was already excited about doing a course in such a spectacular
setting,” Faldo said about the Wilderness Club, “but having
the opportunity to be involved with John’s Course, for me, that
is absolutely thrilling,”
The Wilderness Club will cover all the costs associated with the hole
for John’s Course.
“When Steve told us the story behind
John’s Course, we were moved,” Cole said. “And since
our two courses will be only a few miles away, it made sense for us
to share whatever resources we have. One of those ‘resources’
happens to be Nick Faldo.
“We are certainly proud of Nick’s role at Wilderness Club,
but we’re even prouder of what he’s helping us do for
John’s Course.”
OGA mounts
comeback to win first PNGA Cup
The Oregon Golf Association showed off its dominance in the singles
competition to mount a second-day comeback and capture the inaugural
PNGA Cup Matches at Seattle Golf Club.
The OGA finished with 16 points in the match-play competition featuring
12-person teams from the state or provincial golf associations in
British Columbia, Idaho, Oregon and Washington.
Of its 12 singles matches the second day, the OGA won eight of the
matches and halved one to overcome the first-day lead posted by the
British Columbia Golf Association.
BCGA finished second with 14.5 points, followed by the Washington
State Golf Association at 11 points and the Idaho Golf Association
at 6.5 points.
Eric Fiskum of the OGA scored the decisive point on the 18th hole,
beating Brett Smith of the IGA, 2up, in their singles match.
Sign on for
Dream Golf
Three Northwest book-signing sessions have been scheduled for Stephen
Goodwin and his new book, Dream Golf, an examination of the creation
and success of the Bandon Dunes Golf Resort.
Goodwin traditionally is a novelist, but a writer who has a love for
classic golf course design, especially the famed Scottish and Irish
courses. Goodwin, who was part of a group that once developed a golf
course, takes readers through the decisions and thought processes
of owner Mike Keiser as the 54-hole resort was conceived and quickly
transformed into one of the world’s finest golf destination.
The book signing sessions will be June 14 at 7 p.m. at the University
Bookstore in Bellevue, Wash.; June 15 at 7 p.m. at Powell’s
Bookstore in Beaverton, Ore.; and June 16 at 3 p.m. at the University
of Oregon Bookstore in Eugene, Ore. At the signing at Powell’s,
a drawing will be held for a round of golf for a foursome and a one
night’s stay at the resort.
Don't let rain
mess your score
Just when you thought a good caddie has done everything possible to
make your round more enjoyable, two loopers at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort
came up with something new and innovative.
Todd Petrey and Rushel Reed developed and are marketing “Drycards”
– waterproof scorecards that remain usable even when they’re
drenched in rain.
In addition to the scorecards, Drycard, Inc., has developed tournament
markers for closest to the pin and long drive contests that remain
usable when wet. The scorecards have a slightly plastic feel to them,
but accept markings from a pencil when wet.
The two caddies send out examples of their product packed in water
to make sure customers can prove to themselves how well they work.
More information on the products is available by visiting www.drycardgolf.com.
Pac-Am still
growing
Celebrating its 10th year, the Pacific Amateur Golf Classic is set
to grow some more in 2006.
The Central Oregon tournament is adding more age divisions, more flights,
and, as a result, more champions.
A Mid-Senior Men’s division and a Senior Women’s division
will be added this year to create a total of seven different groups.
Competition will now be held in these divisions: Men (age 18-49),
Senior Men (age 50-59), Mid-Senior Men (age 60-69), Super Senior Men
(70 and older), Women (18-59), Senior Women (60 and older) and Open
(gross scores).
The number of flights will double, jumping from about 16 to somewhere
near 32 different flights.
The number of players in each flight will drop from roughly 40 down
to around 20, and those 20 players will now be more closely grouped
with less handicap variances.
For the championship round, traditionally held at the Crosswater Club
at Sunriver, the top two players from each flight will face off to
determine a flight champion as well as the overall champion based
on the low net score.
The tournament draws nearly 700 competitors to various courses in
Central Oregon. The tournament dates are Oct. 2-5 this year.
More information is available by visiting www.pacamgolf.com or calling
888-425-3976.
Centennial
welcomes all
The newest golf course in the Northwest has made its debut with great
fanfare.
The Centennial Golf Club in Medford, Ore., opened for public play
on May 20.
The site of the golf course is a former pear orchard that had been
there 100 years and is relatively flat and wide open.
Green fees will run $43 Monday through Thursday for residents and
$62 for non-residents. On Friday through Sunday, the rates will be
$50 and $72. Various cardholder packages are available.
John Fought designed the course that measures 7,323 yards from the
back tees.
Fought has been involved in the design of numerous Oregon courses,
including Pumpkin Ridge, Crosswater and Meadows at Sunriver, Langdon
Farms and The Reserve Vineyards and Golf Club.
“The golf course at Centennial will have spectacular views and
is being designed in a classic Donald Ross style,” Fought said.
Donald Ross’ most famous design might be Pinehurst No. 2, known
for its crowned greens.
More information on Centennial Golf Club is available by calling 541-773-GOLF
or visiting www.centennialgolfclub.com.
photo by Rob Perry
Shaughnessy
set for PNGA
Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club in Vancouver, B.C., will be the
site of the Pacific Northwest Golf Association’s premier men’s
championship.
The PNGA’s Men’s Amateur will be at Shaughnessy on July
10-15.
Jordan Madison, a junior on the Washington State University golf team,
captured the men’s title last year at Oakbrook Golf and Country
Club in Lakewood, Wash.
This year, the championship will be held on the same course that baffled
PGA Tour players last year during the Canadian Open. Mark Calcavecchia
was able to win at Shaughnessy despite not making a birdie on the
weekend. Shaughnessy, which overlooks the mouth of the Fraser River,
can be pushed back to 7,010 yards, and plays to a 74.5 Course Rating
with a 132 Slope.
Recent past champions include Tiger Woods, Jeff Quinney and Nick Flanagan,
each of whom went on to win the U.S. Amateur in the same summer.
The PNGA Men’s Amateur is open to players with a 4.4 handicap
index or less. The field of 168 players will go through two rounds
of qualifying to get down to a 64-player field for match play. Registration
ends June 12 and more information is available by visiting www.thepnga.org.
PNGA
Women head to WWCC
The 105th running of the Pacific Northwest Golf Association’s
Women’s Amateur is set for July 10-14 at Walla Walla (Wash.)
Country Club.
Taylor Leon of Dallas won the title last year, beating Paige Mackenzie
of Yakima, Wash., and the University of Washington, 2 and 1, in the
final at Twin Lakes Golf and Country Club in Federal Way, Wash. Mackenzie
had been the medalist in the 36-hole qualifier and was going for the
sweep before getting beat by Leon.
The tournament is open to amateur women in good standing at a PNGA
member club with a handicap index of 12.4 or less. The PNGA Women’s
Mid-Amateur will be held at the same time for players 25 and older.
They must have a handicap index of 16.4 or less. The total field will
be no more than 96 players.
More information is available by visiting www.thepnga.org.
USGA
returns to Pumpkin Ridge
Stan Leonard, who won three PGA Tour titles despite not taking his
golfing exploits to that circuit until he was 40 years old, died in
December at the age of 90 after a long and distinguished career.
Leonard was the celebrated former head golf professional at Marine Drive Golf Club, and actually visited the club earlier in the day before passing away from a heart attack in his home in Vancouver, B.C.
By winning the B.C. Amateur as a 17-year-old in 1932, Leonard showed his golfing prowess early. He went on to win 40 pro titles across Canada and decided at the age of 40 to take his 5-foot-6 frame to the PGA Tour.
There, he won the 1957 Greater Greensboro Open, the 1958 Tournament of Champions and the 1960 Western Open.
He was named the Canadian Athlete of the Year in 1950, and was inducted
into the BC Sports Hall of Fame in 1966, the Canadian Golf Hall of
Fame in 1972 and the B.C. Hall of Fame of Golf in 2001.
AJGA Junior event
back at Trophy Lake
Some of the top junior players across the land will hit the Northwest
for the Pacific Northwest International Junior presented by Jeff Troesch.
The American Junior Golf Association event will return to Trophy Lake
Golf and Casting Club in Port Orchard for the sixth time.
Past winners of this tournament include Ryan Moore, now on the PGA
Tour, and Paula Creamer, a young star on the LPGA Tour.
Eugene Wong of North Vancouver, B.C., won the boys title last year,
and Sydnee Michaels of Temecula, Calif., the girls’.
Tournament week will kick off June 19 with a Junior-Am, then the tournament
proper will be a 54-hole event June 20-22 with 84 top juniors from
ages 12 to 18.
Proceeds from the Junior-Am will go to the Washington Junior Golf
Association. The tournament will have a 1 p.m. shotgun. Entry fee
is $150 per person, or $600 for a team, and each team plays with one
of the junior players. More information on the Junior-Am is available
by calling Matt Stanley at 253-752-3040.
More information on the complete tournament is available by visiting
www.ajga.org.
U.S. on Curtis
Cup streak
The United States squad will take a four-match winning streak into
the Curtis Cup when it hits the shores of southern Oregon on July
29-30 at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort.
The bi-annual competition matches the best female amateur players
from the United States against a team from Great Britain and Ireland.
The U.S. won two years ago at the Formby Golf Club in Merseyside,
England. Led by Paula Creamer and Michelle Wie, the Americans dominated
singles with a 9-3 edge, more than offsetting the 1-5 deficit in foursomes
play. The U.S. leads the series 24-6-3.
Creamer and Wie now are in the professional ranks, but captain Carol
Semple Thompson, who has played in a record 12 Curtis Cup matches,
is expected to have another strong team of eight players.
Paige Mackenzie, a senior at the University of Washington and the
Pacific-10 Conference champion, is a strong contender to make the
squad.
The competition will be held on the Pacific Dunes course, designed
by Tom Doak. Each day there will be three foursome matches and six
singles matches.
M.G. Davis re-elected
as PNGA President
Celebrating its 10th year, the Pacific Amateur Golf Classic is set
to grow some more in 2006.
The Central Oregon tournament is adding more age divisions, more flights,
and, as a result, more champions.
A Mid-Senior Men’s division and a Senior Women’s division
will be added this year to create a total of seven different groups.
Competition will now be held in these divisions: Men (age 18-49),
Senior Men (age 50-59), Mid-Senior Men (age 60-69), Super Senior Men
(70 and older), Women (18-59), Senior Women (60 and older) and Open
(gross scores).
The number of flights will double, jumping from about 16 to somewhere
near 32 different flights.
The number of players in each flight will drop from roughly 40 down
to around 20, and those 20 players will now be more closely grouped
with less handicap variances.
For the championship round, traditionally held at the Crosswater Club
at Sunriver, the top two players from each flight will face off to
determine a flight champion as well as the overall champion based
on the low net score.
The tournament draws nearly 700 competitors to various courses in
Central Oregon. The tournament dates are Oct. 2-5 this year.
More information is available by visiting www.pacamgolf.com or calling
888-425-3976.
PNWPGA honors
Dale Johnson
Dale Johnson's contribution to golf in the Northwest certainly was
considerable enough to be remembered all on its own, but now it’s
getting a little boost.
The Board of Directors of the Pacific Northwest Section PGA, in its
spring meeting in Vancouver, Wash., honored the first executive director
of the Section by naming its current offices in Tumwater, Wash., the
PNW PGA Section/Dale Johnson Building
.
With the designation, Dale Johnson’s name will be included in
the Pacific Northwest Section PGA letterhead and all correspondence.
In addition to being the executive director of the PNW PGA, Johnson,
who died last year, also was a sportswriter at the Oregonian in Portland
and the executive director of the Oregon Golf Association.
Tamarack's
Osprey Meadows fully open
Tamarack Resort in Donnelly, Idaho, now is ready for complete public
play on its new Osprey Meadows course, designed by Robert Trent Jones,
Jr.
The Osprey Meadows course had all 18 holes open to limited play last
spring, but now that the long winter is over and the six feet of snow
is gone, the layout is ready for all-comers.
The par-72 course is at 4,800 feet elevation and features large greens,
more than 70 bunkers, and five par-5s and five par-3s.
“The natural terrain of the land used for this course provided
us a perfect design palette,” Jones said. “The dramatic
changes in landscape and majestic views of the mountains, the meadow
and Lake Cascade, qualify Osprey Meadows as one of the finest courses
in the Pacific Northwest.”
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