My Two Cents
by Cameron Healey
We have a Winner!
Golf Today extends a hearty congratulations to Gene Gilbertson from Seaside, OR who correctly guessed and matched the names of the Washington and Oregon private and public golf courses featured on Golf Today’s December cover. Gene and three of his golfing buddies have chosen to tee it up at Chambers Bay later this month on Golf Today Magazine’s dime. No slouch on the greens, Gene currently plays to a 12 handicap and practices his craft at the Gearhart Links in Oregon 2-3 times a week; however, he is thrilled to have an opportunity to test his mettle on a track that will play host to the 2010 U.S. Amateur and 2015 U.S. Open. Let us know how you fare, Gene, and congratulations again from the Golf Today team!
Seattle, Portland, & Spokane Golf Show
Rain, rain, rain! The wet stuff… and lots of it! Yes, based on the 5 inches more rain that fell on Seattleites last month compared to the same time last year, I feared that I would teeter on the edge of insanity. Of course, it is a safe bet that the Northwest winter will not result in a Vitamin D overdose anytime soon and the short dreary, wet, and often frozen days makes golfing best reserved for the hardy few. Kudos to the hardy few! While I have not put my clubs in hibernation, I would hardly declare that I have been a playing fiend either. Is that shameful? But, with the promise of better playing days ahead, I confess that I have readily jumped on the excitement band-wagon and began preparing for the upcoming Seattle, Portland, and Spokane Golf Shows. While Seattle Golf Show producers Owen Hoskinson and John Tipping have brought forward the show by one month to early February and have earmarked it as the “official” kick-off to the golf season in the Northwest, I’m simply looking forward to the anticipation of warmer days and better golfing conditions to come! And based on the 17% jump in attendees last year, I’m sure Tipping and Hoskinson are anticipating another great turnout for 2010.
You only have to consider what is coming down the pipeline this year for the Northwest region such as the 2010 U.S. Amateur at Chambers and the 2010 Boeing Classic at TPC Snoqualmie or the much anticipated 2010 U.S. Senior Open scheduled for late July at the Sahalee Country Club with Freddy Couples in tow and it all makes me a little giddy. To that end, Golf Today invites you to put on your thermals, don the Gortex, and visit us at our double booth at the Seattle Golf Show February 12-14, pick up copies of Golf Today at the Portland Golf Show, or visit us at the Spokane Golf Show Feb 20-21 where you can win a ton of prizes, including brand spanking new drivers, Stay-and-Play trips, and of course, take a shot at guessing how many pink tees are in our popular “Guess the number of Pink Tees” competition. Guess correctly and you’ll go home with either a brand new Cleveland or TaylorMade R9 Driver!
Heron Lakes Spring Classic
While response to our 2010 Heron Lakes Golf Classic, a fun one-day, play your own ball event Monday, April 26 at Heron Lakes Golf Course’s Great Blue Course has been great, we still have a few remaining foursomes available, so don’t wait. Yes, this event is open to ALL of our readers in WA and OR and you do not need to have a handicap; in fact, all players, regardless of their score, will take home goody bags worth $100 in value PLUS have an opportunity to win great raffle prizes such as stay-and-play packages, tickets to the 2010 U.S. Senior Open, 2010 Boeing Classic, two-somes to the highly acclaimed Tetherow, Wine Valley, and Pumpkin Ridge Golf Clubs, and free or discounted golf certificates at other great Portland and Oregon courses. Please see page 36 for more details.
What’s New?
Jorgensen Golf Club
While you may be familiar with local retail golf store Jorgensen Golf located in Mukilteo, WA, you may not be aware that the Jorgensens also run a men’s and women’s amateur golf club. Yes, Diana and Julius Jorgensen organize over 80 tournaments a year played at various Northwest tracks that include Chambers Bay, Langdon Farms, and Bandon Dunes. New this year is the opportunity for golfers to play at selected country club venues, so be sure to check out www.jorgensengolf.com for more information. The Jorgensen Golf Tour is open to players based on handicap index and all players have the opportunity, based on gross and net scores, to earn payouts equal to 40% of the field to win in-store credits for merchandise at Jorgensen Golf. Based on the number of balls I lose each round, I love this idea! Other membership benefits include a USGA GHIN handicap, PNGA Membership, Western WA Chapter PGA Pro-Ams, 20% off private video lessons, and free full swing simulator use for custom fitting. Look to their ad on page 5 for details.
Riverside Golf Club
The next time you are driving on I5 between Seattle and Portland and find yourself with the golfing itch that you just have to scratch, make sure you make a slight detour to play the Riverside Golf Club located just 5 minutes off the Interstate near Chehalis. Built in 1927 as a 9-hole track that eventually developed to the full 18 in the 1950’s, Riverside is one of those local tracks popular with the locals, but deserving of a much closer look from the region’s golfers. The golf is challenging for both weekend duffer and scratch golfer alike and the tree-lined surroundings are just delightful. It doesn’t hurt that the amenities and clubhouse (rooftop bar included!) are top notch and the restaurant menu is great-sure to satisfy the biggest post-game appetite. Yes, come spring I suspect the new rooftop bar will be a popular place for golfers while they bask in the afternoon sun reflecting on yet another quality round of golf. If you are somewhat of a traveling golfer, Riverside makes it easy to stay and play with a dedicated RV park containing 26 sites both 40′ and 50′ w/ full hookups, water and septic hook ups w/ 50/30/20 amp service. As mentioned, they have stay and play packages available. In summary, Riverside is worth the trip where you can play golf at an affordable price in a relaxed atmosphere and maybe even enjoy a few laughs with the locals. For more information, check out their two-for-one specials on page 8 for more information.
Semiahmoo Resort Golf & Spa
Is offering Northwest golfers a terrific opportunity to buy Pre-Season Golf Cards and save some coin. This is simply a great deal that will save you both time and money on the links with the Semiahmoo Pre-Season Rounds Card. All you need to do is pick the days and the number of rounds you want to play and you save a ton of money. Simple as that, but don’t delay as there are only a limited number remaining! For more information call 800-231-4425!
POW Gloves
If you are like me you probably have 3-4 gloves sitting in your bag in various states of disrepair. To me a glove is a glove. However, when I met the folks at POW gloves last year at the PGA Show in Vegas, I’ll admit I changed my tune. Designed by a team of young guns who have made a name for themselves designing and making ski, snowboard, and mountain bike gloves, POW gloves are a combination of superior function, top notch quality, and frankly, are just plain cool! Each product is made from the finest quality materials and will find favor with both men and women with style. Made with Japanese Grain Cut Cabretta Leather, POW gloves feature air ports on and between fingers to help your hand breathe and are engineered with a pre-curved design that makes taking the glove on and off a cinch. In addition, the glove has Follow Thru Stretch Paneling that maximizes both comfort and ‘feel’. Yes, they are a firm fit initially but after a few holes POW gloves loosen sufficiently to comfortably mould to your hand, even in damp conditions, allowing golfers to truly “feel the contact” of the club during the swing. When it comes to function, POW gloves offer both the traditional adjustable hook and loop fastener and the more innovative zipper cuff which allows for quieter operation-important when your partner is lining up a 3 footer! With names such as “Townie” and “Noonan”, and colors and designs such as pink, pearl white, and blue/green argyle, you’re sure to find a style and color to fit your individuality. For more information, please visit www.powgloves.com or call 888-POW GLVS.
Spherical Blade Putters
Ok, hands up from all those that want fewer putts in a round! Hmm. No brainer, really. While there are seemingly endless variations of putter designs and nuances of what constitutes a solid putter, one company that is beginning to make some noise in the industry is Spherical Blade putters. Golf Today had the good fortune of meeting the S-Blade team at the PGA Show last year and was impressed by their technology. How so? S-Blade Black Eye Series Putters have a spherical shaped face, which means the putter face is designed with gentle curves both top to bottom and side to side, and engineered so that the contact is just above the mid-point of the ball. This promotes top over bottom roll and a wider sweet spot for better alignment during the putting stroke. The end result of this technology is that it creates no skid or bobble when the ball leaves the face, and coupled with accurate alignment, equals more holed putts. New in 2010 is the new putter Line called Black Eye Series with model names like Emperor Classic, Emperor Blade, Sabretooth, Crescent, and Arrowhead! With a street price of $190 they are not cheap, but you get what you pay for, right? If you want to demo a S-Blade putter, make sure you sign up for our Golf Today tournament in Portland, OR April 26th and try your hand at the long putt competition. Top two winners each win an S-Blade Putter to add to their bag! For more information, please visit www.sbladeputters.com.
Enjoy the issue and we’ll see you on the links! Oh, and if you have something to say or are you interested in having your product featured in Golf Today, please drop me a note at cameron@golftodaynw.com.
