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/ CALIFORNIA GOLF + TRAVEL MAGAZINE /

48

CONTENTS

32 10 12 16 18 20 22 24 28 32 36 40 42 44 46 48 50

Publisher’s Note History and Future of the PGA In the News What’s happening in California golf Local Winners Two California club pros in the PGA Championship An Unlikely Victory Bucey bounces back 119th State Open South African wins historic title Women’s State Open Aloha to a new champion Remembering Phil Rodgers An icon of Southern California Golf TPC Danzante Bay Golf the Sea of Cortez Obstacle to Opportunity The inspiring story of Ryan Melendez A Long Time Coming After a quarter century, the PGA returns to California The Best Off the Tee The top drivers of 2018 Starting in Reverse The search for the right golf ball begins greenside Getting a Grip Is your grip suited for your swing?

Prepping to Play Golf It starts between the ears The Ultimate Drive Off the racetrack and onto the first tee Cool Summer Cocktails Recipes to quench your thirst on golf days

24 JULY-AUGUST 2018 VOLUME 22, ISSUE 4 TOP DRIVER PICKS • PGA COMES TO TPC HARDING PARK • SUMMER COCKTAIL RECIPES

JUL/AUG 2018

TPC DANZANTE BAY

GOLF THE SEA OF CORTEZ

RYAN MELENDEZ

A TRUE CHAMPION

REMEMBERING PHIL RODGERS AN ICON OF CALIFORNIA GOLF

THE ULTIMATE DRIVE

BMW’S NEW WEST COAST FACILITY

On the cover: The 17th hole at TPC Danzante Bay Photo: Joann Dost

Visit us online at calgolfnews.com and be sure to LIKE us at facebook.com/calgolfnews.

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PUBLISHER’S NOTE

THE HISTORY AND FUTURE OF WHAT MAY BE GOLF’S LEAST KNOWN MAJOR CHAMPIONSHIP

F

rom the PGA of America bringing its most talented players from the club professional ranks to the PGA Professional Championship early this summer to the 100th PGA Championship scheduled to take place in August, we are dedicating much of this issue to the PGA. Historically, the PGA Championship has been known as “the season’s final major” as it rounds out golf’s most coveted championships. That all changes next year when the PGA moves its marquee event from August to May, making for what will surely be four dramatic, action-packed months of golf: The Masters, the PGA, the U.S. Open, and Open Championship. It will also set the stage for the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup to cap professional golf’s summer months.

This isn’t the first time the PGA has made significant changes to its major championship. From 1916, when the first championship was held at Siwanoy Country Club, until 1958, the event was contested in match play format. Many of history’s greats navigated the gauntlet en route to raising the Wanamaker Trophy, including Walter Hagen, Gene Sarazen, Byron Nelson, Sam Snead and Ben Hogan. The format was then changed to stroke play largely to fit TV schedules in the then-burgeoning world of golf broadcasting.

In 2020, the second year of its new calendar position, the PGA Championship will return to California for the first time since 1995, when it was held at Riviera. With TPC Harding Park set to host, we take a look at the storied history of one of Northern California’s most iconic publicaccess golf courses as it prepares to host a major championship for the first time.

But first thing’s first. This summer, the PGA Championship’s field will include two California club professionals: Michael Block will represent Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in Aliso Viejo, while Brian Smock carries the flag for Coronado Golf Course. Both qualified by finishing in the top 20 at the 2018 PGA Professional Championship at Bayonet Black Horse in Seaside, California.

Enjoy your walk,

Eric Woods California Golf + Travel

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Publisher Eric Woods Editor Mark Spinn Art Director Long Tran Associate Editors Mike Stubbs, Suzy Evans, Ed Travis Senior Writers Jim Dover, Tom LaMarre, Feisal Patel Contributors Ian Leggatt, Ed Vyeda, Leonard Finkel, Tom Stankowski, Ken Lane, Chris Lynch, Ryan Noll Photographers Michael Weinstein, Tom Neas, Mark Susson Travel Editor Larry Feldman Equipment Editor Scott Kramer, Ed Travis Wine + Golf John Finney, Dan Weldy Contributing Instructors Eric Lohman, Kris Moe, Perry Parker, Ted Norby, Scott Heyn, John Ortega, John Burckle Accounting Jep Pickett

California Golf + Travel is published by Golf Lab Media LLC 1224 Village Way, Ste. D, Santa Ana CA 92705 Phone: (714) 542-4653 website: www.CalGolfNews.com California Golf + Travel is published bimonthly and distributed to California golf courses, country clubs, practice facilities, golf retailers, hotels, and resorts Entire contents of this publication is copyrighted Golf Lab Media LLC 2015, all rights reserved and may not be reproduced in any manner in whole or in part without the written permission from the publisher.

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IN THE NEWS

W

ouldn’t it be great to play a team competition in Europe without having to qualify for the Ryder Cup? The prestigious Donald Ross Pro-Am is offering that opportunity, and applications for the 2019 event are now available.

A field of 16 pro-am teams will play the world’s No. 2 ranked Royal Dornoch Golf Club over the final two rounds of competitive play. The renowned course is the home club to Donald Ross.

Furthermore, participants will play a practice round at Brora Golf Club and one tournament round at Castle Stuart Golf Links. The teams are comprised of three amateurs and one professional, playing in a two best-ball match with a Stableford points system.

For professionals, the package is free when they bring an amateur team. A $20,000 prize fund will be on the line for participating PGA club professionals.

Pricing for amateurs is available upon request. For Royal Dornoch Golf Club more information, or to apply for the once-in-alifetime experience, go to www.carrgolf.com/travel/ CALIFORNIANS CRUISE IN GIRLS’ JUNIOR PGA tournament/donald-ross-tournament/.

A trio of Californians finished 1-2-3 at the 2018 Girls’ Junior PGA FORMER BRUIN EARNS FIRST TOUR WIN Championship July 9-12 at Kearney Hill Golf Links in Kentucky. They were Let’s just continue the Donald Ross theme. Stephanie Kono, who won led by victor Yealimi Noh of Concord, California, who finished with an eyefour tournaments and was a three-time All-American as a member of the popping total of 24-under-par after posting rounds of 66-65-64-69—264. women’s golf team UCLA, just won the Donald Ross Classic at French Noh collected 25 birdies and posted only one bogey all week.

Lick (Indiana) Resort. She carded rounds of 68-66-68—202 for a total of Rose Zhang, last year’s winner from Irvine, finished in second at 11-under-par and her first victory on the Symetra Tour – the official devel20-under-par for the week – matching her total from the prior year. opmental tour of the LPGA Tour.

Rounding out third was Alexa Pano from Covina at 19-under-par.

“It’s amazing and I still can’t believe I did that,” said Kono, who has been Both Noh and Zhang earned coveted spots on the U.S. Junior Ryder plagued by back injuries. “I was out for a while last year and just had some Cup Team, while Noh also qualified for the inaugural Augusta National bad times. I’ve had such a good group of people around me that kept me Women’s Amateur Championship to be held in April 2019. believing. This is unreal, and I’m so thankful.”

Stephanie Kono 12

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Yealimi Noh

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IN THE NEWS U.S. GIRLS’ JUNIOR COMES TO POPPY HILLS A week later, the best junior girls were on the west coast as the spotlight shone brightly on Poppy Hills for 70th USGA Girls’ Junior Championship.

The post-renovation Poppy Hills proved to be a true test of shot making, and provided creative thinkers with a unique advantage over the aim and hit it type player. Poppy was firm, and fast, with no rough and waste areas sneaking in throughout the property. Only the most precise shots were rewarded.

Players said that it reminded of the world famous Pinehurst No. 2 or, for anyone lucky enough to have seen or played it, hints of Augusta.

“Our goal at Poppy Hills was to take this event that is often overlooked by the majority of daily golfers and get them excited that it’s in their backyard,” said PGA Professional Cole Handley, Poppy’s Director of Revenue. “We did this by upping our digital presence and creating fun ways to teach the public the rich history the U.S. Girls’ Junior brings with it.”

They hosted fun and engaging promotions through easyofPoppy Hills ficepools.com and crosswordhobbyist.com.

Yealimi Noh continued her good play from the Girls’ Junior PGA Championship, posting an opening round of 5-underpar at Poppy Hills. She trailed fellow phenom Lucy Li by two strokes.

SCAVO SEIZES VICTORY Kathleen Scavo of Benicia, California, made a birdie on the final hole to win the 88th Women’s Trans National Amateur Championship by one stroke over Ziyi Wang of China at Peachtree Golf and Country Club in Marysville, just outside of Sacramento.

Scavo, a senior at the University of Oregon, posted a score of 68-72-70-70—280, 8-under-par, while Wang, who plays at Stanford and also closed with a birdie, finished at 69-73-6871—281, and Emilee Hoffman of Folsom and the University of Texas, who won the Women’s Western Amateur earlier this summer, was third at 71-74-70-67—282.

Previous winners of the tournament include Betty Jameson, Patty Berg, Babe Zaharias, Jo Ann Gunderson Carner, Nancy Lopez, Betsy Rawls, Sandra Haynie, Carole Semple Thompson, Brittany Lang, Vickie Goetze, Virada Nirapathpongporn, Grace Park, Ellen Port, Pearl Sinn, Jane Bastanchury Booth and her daughter, Kellee Booth.

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Kathleen Scavo HANSE DESIGNS CALLAWAY TESTING CENTER Gil Hanse is one of the hottest names in golf course design. He recently debuted the new Black Course at the acclaimed Streamsong Resort in Florida, and he renovated a little gem in Southern California called Los Angeles Country Club.

Recently, Callaway Golf enlisted Hanse to redesign the practice range and testing facility at the Ely Callaway Performance Center in Carlsbad. The new 11-acre facility, which sadly is only open to tour professionals and VIP guest, has an entirely refreshed look that barley resembles the old one.

“It was a two-month project we started at the end of August,” said Hanse, who collaborated on the project with golf architecture writer and occasional course design partner Geoff Shackelford. “The notion had been percolating. Then I came out to be a guest on the ‘Callaway Live’ program, and went down to do a clubfitting at the test center. They asked what I thought about the range and how I might improve its aesthetics. Geoff and I showed them how it could be a much more fun space and give people the opportunity to do more fun things. That combination was ultimately what caused (Callaway’s President and CEO) Chip Brewer and his staff to go forward with it.”

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TWO CLUB PROFESSIONALS TO REPRESENT CALIFORNIA AT 2018 PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

Michael Block, Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club, and son, Dylan

16 JUL/AUG 2018

Brian Smock, Coronado Golf Course

That chaotic playoff is where Michael Block found himself. Block, the PGA Head Professional at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in Mission Viejo, was a part of a nine-man playoff for five spots in the 2018 PGA Championship – successfully navigating his way through the frenzy to join Smock as is the only other California club professional to make it to Bellerive.

It’s unlikely that Block would have made the playoff were it not for a second round 66 and his 13-year-old son/caddie Dylan, who literally risked life and limb (well, limb at least) to save his dad’s scorecard. During that second round, spectators noticed Block’s ball roll into an animal hole near a tree. His son, fearlessly, stuck his arm into the hole and retrieved the ball. Block would go on to make birdie. That kid needs a raise in his allowance.

On August 9-12, Smock and Block will test their games against the best in the world at the 100th playing of the PGA Championship. They will represent themselves, their home clubs, their families and the state of California.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE PGA OF AMERICA

I

t wasn’t that long ago that club professionals and tour professionals were one in the same. World Golf Hall of Famer Paul Runyan, who won 37 times on the PGA Tour including two major championships from the 1930s-60s, once doubled as the head pro at La Jolla Country Club.

But along the way, they split. Club professionals spent less time between the ropes, and it’s a pretty much a guarantee that you’ll never see Tiger folding shirts in the golf shop or giving lessons on the practice tee. However, each year there are a few times where the worlds collide yet again.

The top 20 finishers in the PGA Professional Championship (PPC), an annual competition for club professionals, all earn a berth into that year’s PGA Championship. The PPC came to California in 2018, as Bayonet Black Horse in Seaside hosted the event for a second time. The eventual champion was Ryan Vermeer of Omaha, Nebraska. But two Californian club pros finished inside the top 20 and earned a spot in August’s PGA Championship at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis, Missouri.

Brian Smock, the PGA Head Professional at Coronado Golf Course, finished T9 with a four-day total of 1-over-par to stamp his ticket to Bellerive. He finished with an eagle on the 72nd hole to jump up five spots on the leaderboard.

Without that eagle, Smock would have been T16 with nine others and forced to battle it out in a Royal Rumble-style playoff for a spot at the PGA Championship.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE PGA OF AMERICA

eiver

/ CLUB PROFESSIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP /

MAY/JUN 2018

17

/ CALIFORNIA AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP /

T

he California Amateur Championship is one of the nation’s oldest state amateur golf championships. It originated in 1912 and was held at Pebble Beach Golf Links from 1919-2006. In 2007, the CGA broadened its scope by rotating the weeklong event to selected courses throughout the state, alternating between Northern California and Southern California every other year.

Qualifying is available statewide for both Northern California and Southern California Golf Association members with an index of 4.4 or less. Players may only attempt to qualify once. The championship consists of 156 players who will play 36-holes of stroke play to determine the 32 player match play field. The final match is played over 36 holes. During the stroke play portion of the tournament, a simultaneous team competition takes place with the NCGA and SCGA competing for the Roger Latham Cup. BOUNCE BACK BOBBY If there was a theme song for Bobby Bucey’s weekend run to the California Amateur Championship title, it would surely be “Won’t Back Down” by Tom Petty.

Faced with a 4-down deficit in Friday’s quarterfinal match against Noah Woolsey, Bucey rallied back to stay alive in the bracket. He lost three holes in a row with bogeys, but reached in deep, and found something. After birdies on Nos. 6 and 7, Bucey didn’t record a single bogey, and flipped his opponent, winning 3&2.

Against Hidetoshi Yoshihara in the final 36-hole match, things looked even bleaker. Yoshihara, a sophomore at UCLA, turned on the heat late in the first 18 holes, making birdies on three of the last four holes to go 3-up. His medal play score (with the usual concessions) was 67.

PHOTO SCGA/AMATEURGOLF.COM

eiver

La Costa Resort & Spa hosted this year’s California State Am.

18 JUL/AUG 2018

PHOTO SCGA/AMATEURGOLF.COM

RECAP: 2018 CALIFORNIA AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

Bobby Bucey of Concord, California came back from 4-down to win the California State Amateur.

On the second hole of afternoon play, Bucey had to re-hit his bunker shot after his first effort hit Yoshihara’s bag. Yoshihara took the hole, and a 4-up lead. But just like Friday’s match against Woolsey, Bucey birdied backto-back at Nos. 6 and 7, the latter hole playing 465-yards with a back-left hole location. Bucey played his approach to the center of the green, and holed a 20-footer.

He shrunk the lead to just one hole with a par on No. 9, when Yoshihara’s drive narrowly missed clearing the water on the right side of the tough dogleg-right par-4. A deft up-and-down chip on No. 10 brought Bucey back to square with Yoshihara, with the advantage of momentum on his side.

That’s where the 29-year-old former baseball player – he went with golf

JUL/AUG 2018

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PHOTO SCGA/AMATEURGOLF.COM PHOTO SCGA/AMATEURGOLF.COM

when forced to make a choice in high school – started to look like a man on a mission. His mom Karen called him a scrappy baseball player, and the kind of tenacity that he learned playing shortstop helped him avoid dropping holes at key moments on the back nine.

First there was an up-and-down from tight lie on No. 12, a long par-3 where Yoshihara was sitting pretty on the green with his driving iron tee shot. After almost holing his pitch, Bucey converted a 5-footer and the small crowed saw a little fist pump.

“I practice those chips all the time,” said Bucey, who works doing audits for an accounting firm. After a tree saved him from going OB on his second shot at the 519-yard par-4 14th hole, Bucey could only watch as Yoshihara nearly chipped in for birdie, as he failed to From left: The North-South Cup is awarded to the winning side of the NCGA vs. save par from the thick Kikuyu. He lost SCGA team match; Edward B. Tufts Trophy, awarded to California State Am winner; and Chandler H. Egan Trophy, awarded to Cal State Am Medalist. the hole and nearly lost momentum, but a bounce-back birdie on the next hole squared the match.

After a nicely positioned tee shot at the short par-4 16th, he pitched on to five feet and made birdie to square the match once again. This closing stretch at La Costa’s Champion Course has seen some legendary moments – remember when Tiger Woods birdied the final four holes in the closing round before seizing victory from Tom Lehman in the iconic 1997 Mercedes Championship?

While the crowds were much smaller that they were 21 years ago, there were just a handful of friends and family looking on, it was looking like one of the best finishes in the history of the State Amateur. It was apparent that both Bucey and Yoshihara knew the magnitude of the situation. On No. 17, Bucey stuffed his approach to 6-feet, while Yoshihara left himself with a treacherous 30-footer for birdie over a hump in the deep green. His first putt left him an unsettling 5-footer, but when Bucey failed to convert he had a chance. As Yoshihara’s par save slid by, he was left to wonder if his runner-up finish in 2016 was about to be repeated. Despite being one down with one to play, Yoshihara didn’t back down.

Both players hit perfect drives on the par-5 18th, finding the fairway in nearby positions. Their layup shots were even closer, and they were left to determine whose turn it was by using a laser.

“I’ve never seen that happen,” said the 3-time NCGA title winner Bucey. Yoshihara had the honor, and he hit a solid approach to 20 feet. Bucey followed, and once again the players were in close proximity – separated by just couple of feet away.

Bucey’s putt slid by the right side. Even though Yoshihara got a great read, his putt too missed the hole. Bucey celebrated with his father was on the bag for his 29-year-old son. It was a difficult loss for Yoshihara, who for consecutive years has made it the final. However, he’s just 19 years old and will certainly have more competitive opportunities down the road.

For Bucey, he looks forward to defending his title next year at Hidetoshi Yoshihara Monterey Peninsula Country Club.

/ MEN’S STATE OPEN /

THE 119th CALIFORNIA STATE OPEN ANDRE DE DECKER ADDS HIS NAME TO A HISTORIC LIST OF CHAMPIONS

By Bryce Seiver

20 JUL/AUG 2018

(holes 13-16). De Decker was back in the driver’s seat.

Elsewhere on the course, final round provided scoring opportunities for a slew of other competitors, with Mario Beltran of Miami, Florida, shooting an 8-under-par (64) to vault himself into lone second place with a total of 8-under-par (280). The bogeyfree closing round included 6 birdies and an eagle.

Justin De Los Santos of Chatsworth, California also went low and closed with a 7-under-par (65). Two finalround eagles helped catapult him into third place with a total of 281.

Even with all the low rounds, no one could catch De Decker. He holed a series of crucial putts down the stretch and ended Day Four with a 1-under par (71), which gave him a total of 11-under-par (277) and a three-shot win.

“The final round got interesting very quickly. Sam started hot out of the gates and I could feel the pressure coming from him, as we were all tied up with 10 to go,” the champion described. “I actually felt more comfortable versus having the big lead, because I knew exactly what I needed to do. I was able to hold it steady on the back nine, just one birdie and no dropped shots.”

In now it’s 119th year, the California State Open continues to add to its legacy with a new champion cemented next to many of the game’s greats.

“Just looking at the names on this trophy, this is some esteemed company to be in,” De Decker said. “There are some guys who went on to do very big things in golf, so I hope this is a good omen.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE SCPGA

T

he California State Open (CSO) has a lineage of champions that dates back more than a century to 1900, when the 1899 U.S. Open Champion Willie Smith first hoisted the trophy. Over the course of time that list of champions has grown to include the venerable Walter Hagen, first Masters winner Horton Smith, as well as PGA Tour golfers Jimmy Powell, Kirk Triplett, Jason Gore and many more. With a deep field at Maderas Golf Club in Poway for the 2018 CSO, it was 29 year-old South African Andre De Decker who added his name to the perennial list of champions with a dominant wire-to-wire victory.

De Decker got off to a fiery start in round one, tying the Maderas course record (63), which was set by PGA Tour standout Charlie Hoffman. De Decker’s scintillating performance included eight birdies, an eagle and just one bogey.

“It was one of those rounds where you go a little unconscious; you take those when they come,” said De Decker, who now resides in Menlo Park, California. “Things seemed to click and the birdies just kept coming, even in places where I didn’t expect it.”

For the other 155 players in the field the course provided a stern test over the first few days, as Maderas is generally viewed as one of the tougher tracks in Southern California. Headed into the final round, De Decker was fully in control and sitting at 10-under-par with a four-shot lead. However, Maderas showed its teeth on the last 18 holes of regulation, delivering a test of mental

Andre De Decker adds his name to a historic list of California State Open champions, which includes World Golf Hall of Famers Walter Hagen, Horton Smith, Gene Littler, Jim Barnes and Leo Diegel.

and physical stamina for the young South African.

He salvaged a slow start with a birdie at the eighth to got him back to even. Then a momentum-saving par putt dropped on the very next hole.

Meanwhile, Sam Cyr of La Jolla, California, was making a strong charge with seven birdies in his first 11 holes and stood well within striking distance.

After being tied with 10 holes to play, a series of bad breaks for Cyr resulted in back-to-back double bogies on one of Maderas’ most challenging stretches

JUL/AUG 2018

21

/ WOMEN’S STATE OPEN /

Aloha To A New Champion

HH

So I guess this is Chow’s hello to the California golf world, as she waved goodbye the field in her rearview.

Chow joins past champions Brianna Do (2017), who is currently on the LPGA Tour, and Alyaa Abdulghany (2016) of the women’s golf team at USC. Low amateur honors went to Southern California PGA Junior Tour alumni, Haley Moore of Escondido, who opened with an even-par round of 72.

Moore separated herself from the field of amateurs on day two with a 3-underpar 69 – which was good enough for solo second.

Fellow amateur Jamie Jacob, an Encinitas resident, also had a memorable week as she made her first career hole-in-one on the 168-yard 15th.

The Women’s California State Open is operated by the Southern California

awaiians are known for their laidback demeanor and relaxed island vibe. It’s a cultural trait simply known as “The Aloha Spirit” among the locals. Formally, it means a coordination of the true self’s mind, heart and soul, manifested by thinking good thoughts, emoting good feelings and sharing goodness with others.

Marissa Chow, of Honolulu, Hawaii, put The Aloha Spirit on full display en route to winning the third annual Women’s California State Open at Maderas Golf Club, July 11 and 12.

“What’s funny is I didn’t really realize what I was shooting until I hit that back nine stretch” said Chow of her final-round 70, which left her with a two-day total of 8-under-par (136).

“I wasn’t too comfortable on the first nine, but I just let it all go on the back nine and the ball just started rolling.”

Marissa Chow (above), 2018 Women’s California State Open Champion Haley Moore (right) finished with Low Amateur honors and solo second.

Hannah Kim (left) and Megan Thothong (below) finished T3 at 1-under-par.

Chow had a four-shot lead after round one of the two-day event, and carried her steady play over as she carded 10 consecutive pars in the final round before birdieing the 11th.

Megan Thothong of Dallas, Texas and Hannah Kim of Sana Ana each kept firing to make a charge, but the errorfree Chow never slipped heading down the stretch. Three birdies on the closing nine, including one at that par-5 18th, secured a five-shot wire-to-wire victory.

22 JUL/AUG 2018

“It feels amazing. There are some really good players in the field,” said Chow. “This is my second win as a pro and first one here. I will always remember the first.”

Aloha is also commonly used as a salutation when coming and going.

PGA Section, and made possible through the contributions of presenting partner, Carlsbad Golf Center and facility owner Susan Roll, PGA. Product partners included Pepsi and Haus of Grey. LPGA Member Christie Quinn collaborated with the SCPGA to promote and operate the championship in conjunction with the LPGA, while Maderas Golf Club General Manager Patrick Galloway and Director of Golf Corrie Sternquist were the host professionals.

/ PHIL RODGERS /

REMEMBERING PHIL RODGERS:

AN ICON OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GOLF

By Tom LaMarre hil Rodgers, one of the many outstanding golfers to come out of the San Diego area, died on Tuesday, June 26, at his home in La Jolla after a 15-year battle with leukemia. He was 80.

The man Sports Illustrated once dubbed “The Brashest Man In Golf” had a celebrated amateur career before going on to spend 20 years on the professional tours. In 1958 he won the NCAA Division I Championship while at the University of Houston. In a past interview with Golf Digest, Rodgers says he won the tournament by throwing his money clip on the on first tee and declaring that none of the competitors could be him. He earned the “brashest” title.

Yes, his talk was loud, but his play was even louder. Rodgers would go onto earn All-American honors as a collegiate, and proved to be all American in many other ways.

After he left college, he spent several years serving his country as a Marine.

He was a sensationally talented golfer and wasn’t afraid to tell you about it.

So needless to say, word of his playing ability quickly spread throughout the military ranks. It wasn’t long before he was pulled away from training exercises and onto the golf course. He’d win several military events, including the AllServices Championship.

This red-blooded American took his wine red and his steaks even redder.

As the story goes, he and Jack Nicklaus – who became friends after first being fierce competitors, shared the same fervent taste. In 1960, their insatiable appetites led Augusta National to change the menu following that year’s Masters – where they both competed

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Phil Rodgers struck a tee shot during the 1963 Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St. Annes. He would come up short to eventual champion Bob Charles after a 36-hole playoff.

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PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

/ PHIL RODGERS /

Phil Rodgers, Augusta National Golf Club, 1975 Masters. as amateurs. They’d order a filet for breakfast, a New York strip for lunch and a Chateaubriand for dinner. Finally Augusta came to them and said: “No, you can’t do that. You can only have one steak per day.”

Dietary preferences weren’t the only similarity between Phil and Jack. They both had blond hair and stout frames that would’ve made them equally as fit for middle linebacker as for golf.

While they became friends early in their careers, the relationship would span a lifetime. Nicklaus credited Rodgers for making him a better player around the green later in his career, especially after a lesson before the Golden Bear captured the 1980 U.S. Open. Nicklaus would go on to win two more majors.

While Rodgers never won a major, he fielded a stellar professional playing career. Unofficially, he secured a win at the 1961 Sahara Pro-Am in Las Vegas. However, his first formal win as a pro would come one year later at the 1962 Los Angeles Open at Rancho Park Golf Course, where he closed with a 62. The last came in the 1966 Buick Open Invitational at Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club in Grand Blanc, Michigan.

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Rodgers’ best finish in the major championships came when he lost a grueling 36-hole playoff to Bob Charles of New Zealand in the 1963 Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St. Annes in Lancashire, England.

After playing several years on what was then the Senior PGA Tour, he became a golf instructor specializing in the short game. Golf Digest listed him among its Top 100 teachers for several years. He would also engineer and design the Cobra Golf Trusty Rusty wedge, often taking the short journey north to Cobra’s Carlsbad headquarters from his home in La Jolla.

“Phil lived his life to the fullest. I have so many great memories from spending hours on the driving range. We went to a hockey game in San Diego and he showed up wearing a full fur coat. He was certainly a unique guy,” said Jamie Crow, son of Cobra Golf founder Tom Crow. “When he and my dad launched the Trusty Rusty wedges, people had never seen anything like it. It was cutting-edge, just like Phil.”

It was said in the San Diego Tribune that Rodgers’ wife of 33 years, Karen, was at his side when he died.

As it was Rodgers’ teachings that

helped Nicklaus towards the end of his career, we found it fitting to end with this heartfelt goodbye offered by Jack Nicklaus via social media: “We lost one of golf’s greats, one of its most colorful individuals and one of my dearest friends. Phil Rodgers had been battling leukemia for years. Thanks to the efforts of a close mutual friend, my wife, Barbara, and I had a chance to reunite with Phil in May at the Insperity Invitational. He was struggling greatly, but it meant the world to me to see him.

“I have known Phil for almost 65 years. We started out as young rivals.

I think we first competed in Columbus, Georgia, in 1955 at the U.S. National Jaycees. We tied for medalist honors and he won via a tiebreaker. But from that week on, we played a lot of golf together. We competed and played as partners.

In fact, my first PGA Tour tournament as a pro, the 1962 Los Angeles Open, Phil and I were both rookies. Phil won going away (nine shots) and I finished 50th and won $33.33.

“We have golfed, fished and socialized together. Phil was one of my dearest friends in the game and out. I will miss him dearly, just as golf will miss this very special man.”

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/ GOLF & TRAVEL /

TPC DANZANTE B

With a varied landscape that includes ocean views, mountainous terrain and desert flora, TPC Danzante Bay offers strikingly diverse scenery over the course of 18 holes.

REES JONES: “THIS IS MY MAUNA KEA” 28

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R

obert Trent Jones designed Mauna Kea in the early 1960s.

As the story is told, RTJ said to site developer Laurence S. Rockefeller in his proposal: “If you allow me to build a golf course here, this will be the most beautiful hole in golf.”

RTJ delivered on that promise. To this day, the third hole at Mauna Kea Beach Hotel is one of the most beloved and recognizable par 3s in the world.

So when course architect Rees Jones, RTJ’s son, stood in front of a small crowd of VIPs and golf writers at

a newly developed property in Loreto, Mexico and declared, “This is my Mauna Kea…” ears perked up.

The property is TPC Danzante Bay and it rests on the coastline of the Sea of Cortez – an oceanic wonder Jacques Cousteau once called “the world’s aquarium.”

There was a noticeable excitement among those traveling to Loreto for the course’s grand opening. Talk of the par-3 17th had everyone abuzz.

Often times when things are overhyped, they fail to deliver. This is not one of those times. RTJ would be

PHOTO: JOANN DOST

E BAY

Hole No. 16 overwhelming proud of his son. This is indeed, his Mauna Kea. Interestingly enough, the 17th hole was not part of the original layout. But after developer Owen Perry and Jones saw the jagged land they knew it would be worth the extra effort. After cresting a ridge beyond the 16th green, golfers are met with a view of the Sea of Cortez that sits 250 feet below the tee box. It can be played as long as 164 yards, and the shortest tee resides just 80 yards from the peninsula green.

The wonderment of the remaining holes is not to be lost in the magnifi-

PHOTO: JOANN DOST

PHOTO: JOANN DOST

Hole No. 9

The cliffside 17th hole resides 250 feet above the Sea of Cortez.

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PHOTO: JOANN DOST

/ GOLF & TRAVEL /

Hole No. 1

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or San Francisco.

“There are not many golf courses that can offer a setting as beautiful, diverse and dramatic as Danzante Bay,” said Jones. “The course winds its way up from the desert to the canyon and down through coastal dunes to the beach. This varying landscape allowed

PHOTO: JOANN DOST

cence of the 17th. There could be three or four signature holes if you counted them up. You’ll remember every shot you strike at the par-5 second, par-3 third and par-4 seventh.

The track meanders through cavernous canyons, treks across desert landscapes and offers breathtaking seaside golf – all accomplished within 18 holes.

Stunning views of the Sea of Cortez are sprinkled throughout, and during the right season you can see whales frolicking in the crystal blue waters.

The course is the crown jewel of the luxury master-planned community, with a variety of real estate plots that include a limited collection of Baja contemporary single-family estates (2 to 5 bedrooms), starting from $1.7 million.

Other residential offerings will soon include quarter share and full ownership condominiums and hillside villas offered from below $300,000.

The 188-suite resort faces the sea and offers three restaurants, five swimming pools, beautiful beaches, tennis courts, miles of hiking trails, glassbottom kayaks, sport fishing and a 40,000-square foot spa.

Direct flights to the quaint Loreto International Airport are available from Los Angeles, while you can expect short layovers coming out of San Diego

the creation of golf holes that are dramatically different from each other and combine to give the player a one-of-akind experience. It’s destined to become a flagship TPC facility.”

Perhaps what is more destined is for Danzante Bay to become Rees Jones’ Mauna Kea.

Hole No. 5

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/ THE RYAN MELENDEZ STORY /

OBSTACLE TO OPPORTUNITY

PHOTO MICHAEL WEINSTEIN

artners offman

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A YOUNG SAN DIEGO GOLFER RESPONDS TO HIS LIFE-CHANGING DIAGNOSIS been easy to shutdown or admit defeat when playing the course Ryan Melendez calls life, he took the same mentality he has on the course to his recovery room.

“Somehow, through it all, his attitude changed and he was determined to not let cancer define him,” says Raiger. “He began to develop relationships with fellow warriors, most of who were much younger than he was. He wanted to be a role model, he wanted to help other people.”

Ryan’s story began to circulate and support began rolling in. His Valley Center High School classmates had a Teddy Bear in the classroom, which sat in Ryan’s chair. It was a symbol of how much they were thinking of him.

While he was in the hospital, his favorite golfer, Rickie Ryan Melendez Fowler, called him to talk golf and offer encouragement.

Describing Ryan’s response as “super stoked” would be a major underIt was a couple days later, on September 10, 2015, that the bone mar- statement. Then, after hearing about Ryan’s dream of playing collegiate golf, row test returned and Ryan was told: Stanford University Golf Coach Conrad “You have cancer.” He was diagnosed Ray reached out. with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Those seemingly small gestures (ALL). It would have been the sixth day motivated Ryan to get out of bed and of his high school senior year. start fighting! His spirits were lifted.

Intensive chemotherapy began the He had a putting green mat set up in day after his diagnoses. His fever his hospital room, which he practiced spiked again, this time reaching a high on everyday. Later on he would pracof 107 degrees. On top of everything else, his pancreas was in trouble and he tice chipping outside in the oncology gardens. could only eat 20 grams of fat a day.

USING HIS FIGHT TO HELP OTHERS Later on he was upgraded to have Life since 2015 has been a roller Very High Risk ALL because he did not coaster ride for the Melendez family. reach remission within the first month Cancer can be devastating to everyone of treatment and his age. Through the involved with the battle, but in the unimaginable ordeals of those first darkest hours they continued to pray 30 days, his family never left his side. for God’s grace.

Ryan remained tough as he endured “If you keep your head up you can much pain, continuing to push on. witness some amazing blessings. I CHANGING HIS PERSPECTIVE know it seems kinda crazy, but I think Ryan is a scrappy golfer. Finding getting cancer has only had positive ways to salvage par, not getting upset impacts on my life as a whole,” Ryan by bogeys and digging deep on shots told the San Diego Tribune. “I’ve he really needs. While it would have PHOTO MICHAEL WEINSTEIN

T

he world seemed to be in Ryan Melendez’s palm as he headed into his senior year at Valley Center High School. He was a competitive junior golfer, a champion equestrian, held a 4.2 GPA and played guitar when his time would allow. He had his sights set on attending a Division I school and walking onto the golf team.

However, while competing in a junior golf tournament that summer in Santaluz, Melendez “hit a brick wall.” Fatigue overtook his body, and within the next few weeks he began to suffer severe body aches, weakness and nausea.

During that span his mother, Kristal Raiger, took him to the doctor several times. They first diagnosed it as a virus, gave him antibiotics and sent him on his way. But his fever never broke. It reached a peak of 103.5 degrees and his vomiting became so intense that the blood vessels in his eyes burst.

He was rushed to Rady’s Children’s Hospital in San Diego by ambulance and put into the Intensive Care Unit.

Doctors were unsure if he would live.

His blood pressure dropped to dangerous levels and his body was in septic shock as his organs started to shut down. His mother was told to make calls to family members, as the next few days, or even hours, were not guaranteed.

Ryan willed his way through that first night at Rady’s, and the next day doctors discovered leaking blood vessels in his lungs as they began to fill with fluid. Each passing hour seemed to bring more devastating news. Ryan could no longer breath on his own and had to rely on mechanical ventilation.

Doctors would need to perform a bone marrow test to confirm their suspicions. However, Ryan’s condition was too unstable. So they waited.

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PHOTO MICHAEL WEINSTEIN

/ THE RYAN MELENDEZ STORY /

Ryan Melendez competed in the 2018 Santa Barbara City Championship at Santa Barbara Golf Club. learned how valuable life is and it has changed who I am into a much more caring person who helps others.”

Through his journey, he has been fortunate to meet many extraordinary people. Among them are cancer warriors much younger than him. As much as he has become a mentor to them, they’ve left an indelible impact on Ryan’s life.

“Seeing them laugh and play in the hallways was so encouraging to me,” Ryan said. “Looking at them I felt: ‘If they can do this, I can do this!’”

With so many streams of inspiration pouring into his life – calls from Rickie Fowler and the Stanford golf coach, his classmates at Valley Center and his fellow warriors at Rady’s Children’s Hospital – Ryan felt empowered and ready to impact others.

As a candidate the San Diego Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Man of the Year, Ryan began to utilize his platform to give back and help future warriors have better treatments and safer drugs. To give them hope.

Through his ties to the international equestrian community, he developed at non-profit organization

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called Warrior Horses for Warrior Kids and raised over $320,000 in just five weeks. Every dollar went to pediatric cancer research. In 2017, he became the youngest person ever to be named Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Man of the Year.

Although Warrior Horses for Warrior Kids was intended to be a short-term fundraiser, it captured the attention of the global equestrian community. Ryan is now in the process of expanding the organization and sustaining the program, which pairs horses with children who are battling cancer for a therapeutic experience.

FIGHTING ON Today, Ryan remains in remission.

However, he continues a prescribed regimen to ensure the leukemia stays away. In addition to daily medication, he receives a supplemental dosage every Friday followed by monthly chemotherapy treatments and a spinal injection every three months. It’s been a long journey, but Ryan’s projected end of treatment is firmly set for December 31, 2018.

Ryan has a positive outlook on life and has used obstacles as stepping-

stones to get a better view of his future. He was able to graduate high school with his classmates because of homeschool. Then he continued his education at Mira Costa College and graduated with an associates degree and top honors. With great pride, Ryan was accepted as a transfer student into four different UCs (Universities of California) and the University of Southern California. He has committed to USC and looks forward to becoming a Trojan. His focus is walking onto the men’s golf team by next year. He recently competed in the Santa Barbara City Championship and the Make A Wish Charity Golf Classic, as he continues to build his strength and round him game into form.

There isn’t much Ryan has let cancer get in the way of. He just celebrated his 20th birthday and earned his pilot’s license. He still enjoys playing his guitar and performing at charity events.

All the while still fighting for awareness about pediatric cancer and raising funds for much needed research. To date, he has raised over $500,000, all of which has gone towards finding new treatments to battle childhood cancer.

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/ LOCAL KNOWLEDGE /

TPC HARDING PARK RETURNING TO THE SPOTLIGHT

By Tom LaMarre

T

PC Harding Park in San Francisco has been out of the world spotlight for a few years, but before long the course on the shores of Lake Merced will shine again.

Regarded as one of best municipal courses in the United States, Harding Park will play host to its first major championship, the 2020 PGA Championship, and also will be the site of the 2025 Presidents Cup. It will be the first PGA Championship contested in California in 25 years.

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“Great memories of Harding Park, and it’s good to see the PGA Championship played at a public golf course,” Tiger Woods said when he heard the news that the City by the Bay had landed another major in two years’ time.

“Significant renovations were made to the course, and it’s exciting that this is the (site of the) PGA Championship in San Francisco.”

The measure of a course’s challenge for the best players in the game can be quantified in the quality on its list of champions, and the

Hole N

93-year-old layout designed by Willie Watson and Sam Whiting matches up very well.

The course, which was named after golf enthusiast President Warren G. Harding when it opened two years after he died while visiting San Francisco in 1923, first was on the national stage when Bruce McCormick captured the U.S. Amateur Public Links there in 1937.

The pros arrived in 1944 and a trend of the cream rising to the top at Harding Park began when Byron Nelson outlasted Jug McSpaden

PHOTO COURTESY OF TPC HARDING PARK

Hole No. 18 to win the San Francisco Victory Open that celebrated the end of World War II in Europe.

When the PGA Tour’s Lucky International was played at Harding Park from 1961-68, the winners were all greats of the game – Gary Player, Gene Littler, Jack Burke Jr., Chi Chi Rodriguez, George Archer of nearby Gilroy, native San Franciscan Ken Venturi and Billy Casper.

Harding was in the rotation for the San Francisco City Championship and among the

A renovated and revitalized TPC Harding Park prepares to host the PGA Championship in 2020.

JUL/AUG 2018

PHOTO COURTESY OF TPC HARDING PARK

Hole No. 3

37

Hole No. 12 winners there were Venturi, Archer and amateur great E. Harvie Ward, while women champions included LPGA Tour great Juli (Simpson) Inkster of Santa Cruz and Dorothy Delasin of San Francisco, who went on to win four times on the women’s tour.

However, the PGA Tour eventually left because of deteriorating course conditions at Harding Park. The downturn lasted nearly three decades, in part because of city budget cuts, with the last straw for Harding Park fans coming when the course was utilized as a parking lot for the 1998 U.S. Open at the neighboring Olympic Club.

Sandy Tatum, a San Francisco attorney and former president of the United States Golf Association, came to the rescue and started a drive to renovate Harding Park. Mayor Willie Brown approved a plan to have Arnold Palmer Golf Management retool and operate the course.

The culmination came when Woods beat John Daly in a playoff to win the 2005 WGCAmerican Express Championship, and four years later Woods posted a 5-0 record as the United States defeated the International team 19½-15½ in the Presidents Cup. “It’s a lot different golf course than when I played it (as a youngster),” Woods said. “It’s certainly not the golf (it was). It’s unbelievable how much they’ve changed the golf course. It used to be kind of a basically clover field out here. The greens are unbelievable, perfectly

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smooth, and it’s just hard to believe what they’ve done here.”

The PGA Tour Champions held its seasonending Charles Schwab Championship at TPC Harding Park in 2010, 2011 and 2013, with the titles going to Fred Couples, John Cook and Jay Don Blake.

In 2015, top-ranked Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland captured the WGC-Cadillac Match Play Championship at TPC Harding Park, beating Gary Woodland in the final, 4 and 2.

“I never played Harding Park before, but as soon as I played the course, I liked it,” McIlroy said. “It’s a fair test of golf. You get rewarded for good shots. It suited my eye. I like big trees that frame holes and you’ve got a lot of definition to work the ball off stuff. I really enjoyed the golf course.”

Johnny Miller, who knows great courses having won the 1973 U.S. Open at Oakmont and the 1976 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, has a special place in his heart for TPC Harding Park.

Miller grew up in San Francisco and started playing the course at a young age.

“It’s where I learned the game,” said Miller, who is NBC’s No. 1 golf commentator. “I just loved going there. It was the prized gem that everyone could play. It’s been brought back to what it should be.”

And the world will see it again in two years.

PHOTO COURTESY OF TPC HARDING PARK

/ LOCAL KNOWLEDGE /

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JUL/AUG 2018

39

EQUIPMENT

Our Driver Picks

BY ED TRAVIS ver the last several months, California Golf staffers have tried and played with most of the current driver models, and we wanted to share our favorites with our readers. The list is based on four factors: design, materials, price and, of course, results.

We’d be remiss if we didn’t bring up the topic of clubfitting. Even though you have heard it many times, getting maximum performance and value from a new driver requires a fitting from a professional fitter. Retailers may have you take a few swings at no charge, measuring them on a TrackMan or another launch monitor paired with a simulator. While some of these locations have professional and knowledgeable fitters on staff, this is not a fitting.

A professional fitting will take up to an hour or more, and whether you go to a big box golf superstore, an independent fitting studio or a

O

local golf shop, be sure the fitter has the proper training and is up to date on the several dozen driver heads and hundreds of shafts on the market. The cost should be less than $150, and using launch monitor data they can identify your requirements, then match them precisely using heads and shafts with quick-change connectors The drivers we have chosen on our list range in price point and technology, but we believe they all have a place on your short list of potential new No. 1 woods.

Cleveland Golf Launcher HB – Cleveland made the Launcher HB driver ($300) without the adjustability found in most drivers to accomplish two goals: Be able to sell it in the lower middle of the price spectrum and measurably improve performance.

They started by building an ultra-lightweight non-adjustable hosel, which saved a significant amount of weight from the dial-a-loft hosels in other drivers. Cleveland also picked up a few more grams by redesigning the HiBore crown and repositioned all this saved weight lower and deeper to provide better launch conditions and more forgiveness. The Launcher cup face construction, Cleveland says, is the hottest they have ever made and the Flex-Fin Technology in the sole, which compress and decompress at impact, gives added ball speed for more distance.

Callaway Golf Rogue – The Rogue could be referred to as Epic 2.0 and indeed has the same basic design and construction. The original Epic took the driver category by storm last season and the Rogue is producing similar results. The unique Jailbreak technology (two rods connecting the crown and the sole) has been advanced by making the rods hourglass shaped to save weight. They reduce the flexing of the crown at impact, which means more stored energy in the face, and more energy means more ball speed and distance. Rogue also makes use of Callaway’s X-Face design with VFT (variable face thickness and raised ridges in the shape of an X) and a Speed Step in the crown for less aerodynamic drag on the downswing. The standard Rogue is $500 as are the anti-slice Draw model (with added heel weight) and the low-spin Sub Zero for those with higher swing speeds. An impressive choice of stock shafts is available at no upcharge.

3

Honma TW737 460 – Honma for several decades has been a leading premium brand in Japan, but until a couple of years ago was virtually unknown in the U.S. Now, the company is looking to expand its presence stateside with new high-quality offerings.

The Tour World TW737 series is a good example, and each of the four drivers in the series is designed with a particular type of swing in mind. All have titanium forged faces except the TW737 460, which uses a rolled titanium face to promote more yardage off the tee. At address, the crown has a traditional look with a pleasing taper from face to the rear of the head. The 460 is targeted for use by average players with an 8-gram weight in the sole that moves the center of gravity closer to the face in order to reduce spin. However, the face is still shallow enough to produce a high launch. The crown is very thin titanium and the saved weight has been relocated to increase both head stability and forgiveness. The Tour World TW737 460 is $500 with a Vizard Type-A or Vizard Type Z stock shaft.

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s for 2018 Tour Edge Golf Hot Launch 3 – In the Tour Edge HL3 gives the choice of two configurations – a straight version and an offset version and both have a forged titanium clubhead and cup face construction, which increases the amount of face flex for added ball speed. The face is design with a variable thickness to preserve ball speed when ball-to-club impact isn’t exactly in the center. This means the HL3 is very forgiving, while also producing more distance than the earlier models. The sole has what Tour Edge calls a Power Channel behind the clubface. It serves to lower spin and provide more forgiveness for shots struck low on the face. A redesigned rear sole weight moves the center of gravity deeper into the head for higher launch and improved distance. The Hot Launch 3 driver is available through the usual retail channels plus more than 1,000 custom fitting centers, while Tour Edge provides 48-hour delivery on custom orders. All this at a very golfer-friendly price of $200.

Ping G400 – This new driver series from Ping has an improved streamlined shape, which in addition to helping with aerodynamics increases head stability at impact.

The face is forged and thinner, making it hotter. According to company reports, it flexes 16 percent more than the previous model. The crown has Ping’s turbulators, vanes to direct airflow, and has been made thinner with their Dragonfly Technology, which mimics dragonfly wings and produces a great look at address. The tungsten back weight is heavier, promoting better launch characteristics and tighter dispersion. The impact sound is solid and confidence-building. The standard, the LST (lowspin) and the SFT (slice correcting) models are all 445cc and are priced at $400. An additional member of the series, the G400 MAX (also $400), is a 460cc model with added weighting for higher resistance to twisting at impact to give more distance.

Cobra Golf F8 and F8+ – The F8 and F8+ have the first-ever milled face on a driver.

As the company’s R&D team describes it, the CNC milling of the forged titanium face gives them an exceptional opportunity to make it the hottest and most precise on the market. The difference in the two stablemates is the F8+ is produces both lower spin and a lower trajectory, which higher swing speed better players demand. We liked the new, more aerodynamic, head shape. Both have Cobra’s MyFly8 Technology to adjust launch angle and spin. The company also offers premium custom shafts with no upcharge, which can be a major saving. Both models come with a sticker price of $400. From our viewpoint, the best thing Cobra did this year was to add at no extra charge Cobra Connect – which pairs Cobra drivers with Arccos technology to gather data on every swing and sends the results to your smartphone via a free app.

TaylorMade Golf M3 and M4 – The M3 and M4 are the successors to the M1 and M2, respectively, but offer a new and truly unique clubface design called “Twist Face.” The face is twisted to compensate for swing errors, with more loft in the toe and less in the heel, which straightens hooks and slices helping to get more tee shots in the fairway. Both have a redesigned Hammerhead Slot in the sole for added face flex and to help preserve ball speed when impact is low on the face. The M3 still has the two movable weights seen in M1, but now the track is Y-shaped. Price for either of two head sizes, 440cc or 460cc, is $500. M4 and companion draw bias model M4 D-Type are of similar construction but without movable weights for $430.

JUL/AUG 2018

41

EQUIPMENT

GOLF BALLS – RECAP OF A FEW THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

By Ed Travis

W

e are midway in the golf season and the staff at California Golf have come to some firm opinions about the new golf balls on the market and thought a recap of the properties of our favorites might help our readers looking for a new ball more suited to their games.

To many, selecting a new golf ball is all about distance. Back before the solid core ball took over the market, there was a big distance difference between wound (rub-

ber bands wrapped over a rubber center) and solid core golf balls because the solid cores had much less spin. Today’s golf balls, whether so-called distance balls or premium category balls, all have relatively similar distance with a driver but there are major differences in the spin rates, and therefore control, with the mid and short irons.

So that’s the part of the game you should concentrate on when selecting a new ball: those shots from 125 yards or less, including pitches and chips. The scoring shots. Invest

in a sleeve of two or three different brands that interest you and start by hitting short shots around the green, gradually moving out to at least 100 yards. See how each of the brands react: spin, bounce and roll out.

Differences will be readily apparent, and you should easily be able to zero in on your favorite. Then, and only then, hit several tee shots with each to confirm which is best suited to your game.

Keeping this in mind, here are the ball models from this year we like the most:

Callaway Chrome Soft and Chrome Soft X underwent a major upgrade by increasing the diameter of the inner core, lowering the compression and strengthening the outer and inner core by adding graphene, a super strong carbon-nano lattice.

The combination of the dual cores, a high response mantle and a thinner urethane cover help launch numbers from the tee but also provide spin control around the green. Chrome Soft has the softer feel and slightly more forgiveness, but Chrome Soft X is more workable. At $45, an increase from last year’s $40, both are in the premium category. As an added attraction, Chrome Soft and Chrome Soft X are available in white and yellow. Look for the Truvis (soccer ball pattern) in black and yellow, white and red, as well as stars and stripes.

The new Tour B XS from Bridgestone Golf is part of the update done to their entire premium ball lineup and it’s a winner.

Targeted at higher swing speed players and priced at $45, it replaces the old B330-S. The cover is a softer urethane than the previous model but still has SlipRes coating technology to generate lots of spin for those little shots near the green. An improved 330 Dual Dimple design allows better airflow over the ball and promotes added distance. Since partnering with Bridgestone, the Tour B XS has been the ball of choice for Tiger Woods.

There’s a lot to like in the Srixon Q-Star Tour, starting with the fact that it’s a urethane cover ball, which usually would place it in the premium price category.

However, it carries a retail price of $30 per dozen. Made for average golfers with driver swing speeds over 75 mph, the 324-dimple cover has Srixon’s third generation Spin Skin that helps to add spin for better control on short shots. The dimple design is made for a more penetrating trajectory and more yardage with every club, while the inner cover or mantle helps reduce shot dispersion. The Q-Star Tour has a gradational core – meaning it’s firmer towards the outside and softer in the middle – with overall compression decreased to 75 to produce a softer feel while aiding in better launch characteristics, such as lower spin off the driver.

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The TP5 and TP5x from TaylorMade are being used extensively on Tour, and the very thin urethane cover works with the semi-rigid inner cover for extra help spinning the ball on scoring shots around the green. The core is three layers, with each layer reacting to the driver, long irons and mid irons for distance and trajectory. Comparing the two, the 90-compression TP5x is slightly longer, offers a higher trajectory and lower spin off irons while the 83-compression TP5 has a mid trajectory flight and a softer feel. Both are constructed to give lots of spin control from wedges and both retail for $45 per dozen.

The new AVX from Titleist marks the first time the company has introduced a new ball in the premium category since the Pro V1x launched in in 2003. It’s an alternative for Pro V1 and Pro V1x players who want a soft-feel ball. With a compression of approximately 80, the AVX has a new softer core and a flexible mantle, both of which help produce higher ball speeds with lower spin than either of the Pro V1s. Around the green, performance is enhanced by the proprietary urethane elastomer cover that promotes spin and control. Because of the lower spin, the AVX is longer than the Pro V1 or Pro V1x plus it flies lower, both attributes recreational players may find useful.

Pricing is $48 per dozen.

Volvik Vivid is in one word vivid. The color selection between the Vivid ($33) and Vivid XT ($43) will suit any taste and each has a unique matte finish the company says improves airflow and makes them very easy to see. The Vivid is targeted for players with slow to medium swing speeds and has a larger 75 compression core and an inner cover for a mid to soft feel.

The 322-dimple ionomer cover is made to last round after round. The XT, for higher swing speed players, has a dual core for lower spin on the driver and a medium-to-high trajectory to help provide more shot shaping control.

With the Wilson Staff DUO, the company saw advantages early on with soft low compression golf balls, and the DUO Urethane is the lowest compression urethane cover ball around. It sports a low compression rate of 55. The new model gives a softer feel without sacrificing distance, and the multi-layer construction produces the spin needed to control trajectory and distance. The mantle is a special material that boosts ball speed for greater distance and the cast urethane cover is a new 362-dimple pattern. The DUO sells for $36 per dozen.

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INSTRUCTION

GET YOUR GRIP RIGHT

By John Burckle o you have a neutral, strong or weak grip of the golf club, and can you read the signs of each one? As an instructor, the first thing I look for is the way my student holds the golf club. If your hands don’t hold the grip the correct way, you’ll never reach your full potential as a player.

The trick: Get the creases right.

In Image 1, I have my hands set in a neutral position. Notice how the creases between my forefinger and thumb on both hands point just to the right of 12 o’clock. This neutral positioning of the hands can result in a straighter ball flight.

If you have your creases pointed further to the right, towards 10 o’clock, then you’ve got a strong grip (Image 2), which can help you hit a draw.

If your creases point left towards 2 o’clock (Image 3), your grip is weak. This usually means fore right!

Getting your hands on the club in a position that works for your swing is essential to improving your game. Remember, the golf swing starts with correct grip.

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JOHN BURCKLE has 27 years of professional playing experience, including the PGA Tour, Nationwide Tour, Asian Tour and local mini tour events. He has 20 years of teaching experience with students ranging from PGA Tour players to beginners. He is currently Director of Instruction at Golf Lab Academy in Santa Ana. Contact John at jburckle@cox.net

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McFadden Exit From 55 Village Way

McFadden Ave.

GOLF LAB

Ro ge rD un n

Wilshire

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INSTRUCTION

FEWER SWING THOUGHTS, GREATER FOCUS

By Bob Madsen here are many golf information sources in the modern world. YouTube, Google, hundreds of websites and even a 24-hour dedicated cable network. With all the information out there, golfers can easily suffer from data overload.

Paralysis by analysis can be the quickest way to poor performance on the golf course. In this article, I’ll spend some time helping you understand ways to play carefree golf filled with joy and trust.

1. Work On One Thing at a Time I know you want to implement everything all at once when you’re out on the range practicing or playing a round with your friends. Swing from the inside out, transition your weight, keep your head still – all the things you hear on TV or read on the Internet.

But to simplify the process, be sure you’re only working on one thing at a time. And I don’t mean for each swing…work on one thing for a couple weeks at a time until you feel like that part of your swing is engrained. Urgency is a killer in golf.

2. Focus on a Single Swing Thought A clouded mindset is no way to play golf. As you step into each swing, try to have one simple swing thought. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a technical swing thought either. It could be a song or a word that helps you find the rhythm of your golf swing.

3. Choose Your Instructor Wisely Beware of the over eager instructor who wants to fix everything all at once and loads you up with more information than you’re ready for. Golf lessons are certainly the best way to improve at the game, but when you’re searching for a coach find someone who fits your goals and communication style. The initial conversation, or even the first lesson, should be like an interview. It’s a first date, and it’s OK if they don’t offer what you’re looking for. There are plenty of fish in the sea.

4. Do Your Homework After you find an instructor that you’re comfortable with and who speaks your language, make sure you’re doing your due diligence. Have the one thing that you’re working on, and do it on your own.

Whether you’re at home, on the range practicing by yourself or playing a round with buddies, make time to work on the thing you covered in your lesson.

That way, you’ll be ready and prepared to move on to something new in the next lesson. Some things might take hours to learn – others days, weeks or even months. There are no quick fixes. Just good coaching, learning, and hard work.

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BOB MADSEN is the PGA Director of Instruction at Sycuan Golf Resort in San Diego. The three-time San Diego PGA Chapter Teacher of the Year is also the 2017 Southern California PGA Teacher of the Year and current San Diego PGA Professional of the Year. He’s the author of “Easy Bogey: How to Break 90” and has given more than 30,000 golf lessons in a career that spans more than 40 years.

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/ DRIVING SCHOOL /

BMW Brings Performance Center to California

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olfers always want to improve their driving skills, right? While the new BMW Performance Center West may not help you find more fairways, it’s a luxury driving experience that you won’t want to miss.

The permanent performance driver training facility is located in Thermal, California, near Palm Springs, and is open to the public. It offers a wide range of driving schools for people of all ages and abilities, as well as special programs for private and corporate groups.

Using a private course set amongst a backdrop of breathtaking mountain views (what golfer doesn’t like a private course with great scenery?), BMW professional instructors teach Performance Driving Schools for those who sign up. The classes provide the opportunity to get behind the wheel of the “Ultimate Driving Machine” and learn proper vision, basic car control, panic braking, handling, last-minute emergency lane changing, distracted driving, high-speed control and precision driving.

A breakdown of classes they offer is below: Car Control School: Drivers take the wheel of a BMW and head out to the track, where professional instructors will hone their driving skills.

Understanding stability control, knowing what to do when a vehicle starts to slide on the wet skid pad and practicing proper vision through the lanechange course prepares drivers on how anticipate and react to similar situations on a real road. It’s available as a one- or two-day course.

Teen School: There’s a lot for brand-new drivers to keep in mind, and the BMW Teen School will allow them to experience how a vehicle feels at the

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limit in the safety of a closed environment. From wet skid pad exercises and panic braking to performing a double lane change, teens will leave with a solid foundation of vehicle control and a big smile.

It’s available as either a one- or two-day curriculum.

M School: Drivers take the wheel of a highperformance BMW M series vehicle and do their best to keep the power of 400 horses under control while drifting around a wet skid pad. The day caps off with a hot lap in an instructor-driven M vehicle.

It’s available as a one-day, or for even more pulsepounding excitement, a full two-day course.

M Track Drive: Featuring BMW’s most powerful and responsive vehicles, the M Track Drive will puts drivers behind the wheel of an M car for six exhilarating laps. Follow an instructor’s car for a warmup lap and learn the proper line for achieving the best time. Then, try to keep their car in your sights as speeds and g-forces increase, pushing your M car to its considerable limits.

MINI Motoring School: Take a John Cooper Works MINI Cooper and run it through an autocross course, lead/follow session, and some stunt driving techniques, all under the watchful eye of a professional instructor.

Furthermore, the facility features include a brand new, luxurious modern building, up to 5.1 miles of expansive track layouts, meeting space, a gourmet café, gift shops and a truly unique experience. The BMW Performance Center West opened in April 2015, and then moved into the new, purpose-built facility in November 2016.

To reserve your driving experience, visit www. bmwperformancecenter.com or call 888-345-4269.

JUL/AUG 2018

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LIFESTYLE

Summer Spirits

COOLING COCKTAIL RECIPES FOR THE SUMMER MONTHS

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ith the summer months fully upon us, let’s explore a few cocktail recipes that are sure to cool you off and keep you refreshed on the golf course. We’ve put them in order of a normal golf day: Something to the start the round, something to keep it going and finally something to cap it off. We hope you enjoy trying these as much as we enjoyed researching them.

Island Mojito

Ever been in the middle of a round of golf and felt like you’re alone on a island? Your game has deserted you, it’s nowhere in sight and you’re left to fend for yourself in a vast ocean of green. Whelp, sometimes the best thing you can do is just kickback and enjoy the beautiful scenery with a cold drink in your hand. The Island Mojito is perfect for those times.

Ingredients 2 ounces Bacoo 5-year Rum 9-12 mint leaves 2 lime wedges 1 tablespoon raw sugar or agave syrup Soda water Recipe: In the glass you will serve the drink, muddle the rum, mint leaves, lime wedges and raw sugar together.

Top with ice and fill remaining glass with soda water. Garnish with mint leaves and lime wedge.

Banana Stand

Bananas are one of the best on-course snacks. They’re rich in potassium and help keep your muscles from cramping.

Well, having a Banana Stand cocktail before your round can help get your muscles loose and free swinging before you even head to the first tee. Not mention, it’s extra tasty.

Ingredients 2 ounces Bacoo 5-year Rum 2 ounces pineapple juice 2 ounces orange juice 1 ounce coconut water 1 ounce banana liqueur Recipe: In a shaker filled with ice, shake all ingredients. Strain over a glass filled with ice. Garnish with a pineapple leaf, pineapple wedge and orange slice.

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You can purchase Bacoo Rum and COA Tequila at Hi-Time Wine Cellars, either in-store or at www.hitimewine.net.

250 Ogle Street Costa Mesa, CA 92627 (949) 650-8463

COA Paloma Jarita

The taste of victory is like the sweet nectar of the Gods. So when you head to the 19th hole after beating up on your golf buddies, have them pony up for a COA Paloma Jarita. It’s made with agave nectar and offers the perfect touch of sweetness. Just like that putt you sank on 18 and that feeling of collecting your friends’ hard-earned cash.

Ingredients 2 ounces COA Blanco 100% Agave Tequila 1 ounce fresh lime juice 2 ounces pink grapefruit juice 1.5 ounce agave nectar 2 ounces soda water Lime wheel and grapefruit peel for garnish Recipe: In a shaker, add the COA Blanco tequila, lime juice, grapefruit juice, agave nectar and fill with ice.

Shake vigorously and then strain into an ice filled Mason jar rimmed with salt. Top off with soda water and garnish with a lime wheel and grapefruit peel.

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FORE.

2018 Tacoma With a powerful blend of high performance and efficiency, the Tacoma outdrives the competition in every direction.