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LPS still tops state averages CDE releases some standardized-test results Staff report
The USGA adopted the “while we’re young” slogan to boost pace of play, and the message is on display near the first hole at South Suburban Golf Course in Centennial. Rose Carroll is on duty as the starter as a group gets set to tee off. Photo by Jim Benton
Golfers urged to get moving
Game’s etiquette calls for more than replacing divots By Jim Benton
jbenton@coloradocommunitymedia.com Two young men walk toward the starter’s booth at the Broken Tee Englewood golf course. One wears jeans and a tank top, the other basketball shorts, also sporting a sleeveless shirt. Neither wears golf shoes. Traditional etiquette would have required them to wear dress pants, or maybe dress shorts, and a collared shirt for the four-hour-plus endeavor ahead of them. While some country clubs still require such formal wear, at many courses, the times have changed — and to take a line from the “Caddyshack” soundtrack, Part 2 of 3 on finding it’s “all right.” ways to get better “In an industry that is oversupplied and is struggling for rounds, don’t we need to make at and get more it more friendly and less stodgy and relax enjoyment out of golf. dress codes?” said Ed Mate, executive director of the Colorado Golf Association. “I guarantee you, today there are very few courses that are going to turn customers away regardless of the way they are dressed. People are definitely less patient today. Maybe golf can be a part of the solution. The game is hard and takes a lot of discipline to be successful. That’s always been the case.” While patience is a virtue in the game, many believe the failure of golfers to pick up the pace during a round is the biggest violation of etiquette on today’s courses.
RAISING YOUR
GAME
A need for speed
Most golfers know, or should have been taught, that raking bunkers, replacing divots, not stepping in another player’s line on the putting green and repairing ball marks on the green are part of golf etiquette. But perhaps the biggest issue players should monitor is how well they are keeping up with the group ahead of them. “Pace of play is probably the hardest thing on a golf course to control,” said Broken Tee pro shop assistant Joe Pagnotta, who serves as a course ranger three or four times a week. “The easiest way to explain it is there is only one lane of traffic. If the speed limit is 60 and a car is going 40, the ones in front will all still go 60, but the ones behind will go 40. “That’s what happens on the golf course. One group can ruin it for the rest.” Golf continues on Page 6
Littleton Public Schools students, including low-income kids and those with disabilities, are still outperforming state averages on standardized tests by double digits, though several schools slipped from last year’s scores. The Colorado Department of Education on July 17 released results from the Colorado Measures of Academic Success, which tested fourth- and seventh-graders in social studies and fifth-and eighth-graders in science. In social studies, LPS fourth-graders scored 15 percentage points higher in the highest category, “Strong and Distinguished,” than the state average, and seventh-graders scored 10 percentage points higher. In science, LPS fifth-graders scored 20 percentage points higher in the highest category than the state average; eighth-graders scored 19 percentage points higher. “These scores are impressive by any measure,” said LPS Superintendent Brian Ewert in a statement. “It takes the commitment of students, teachers, parents and the larger community to help students achieve their individual best. This data also shows us when students need additional help, and when we have gaps in programs and services to meet student needs.” Fifth-graders in eight of the 11 elementary schools slipped in the “Strong and Distinguished” category in science, with only Littleton Academy, Hopkins and Sandburg climbing. Highland Elementary slipped by almost 20 percentage points. Goddard, Euclid and Littleton Academy gained ground, while the other three middle schools lost ground. State continues on Page 6
Stepping on the line of another player’s putt is a violation of golf etiquette. Photo illustration
NEED TO KNOW While you probably already know not to yell “miss it” or “Noonan” on the putting green, the following are some other golf-etiquette tips that could spare you the wrath of your playing partners: From the ‘King’ A sampling of what Arnold Palmer told Golf Digest in 2008: • Repair the ground you play on, be it the tee, putting green, bunker or fairway. Before you leave a bunker, for example, ask yourself, “Would I be upset if I had to play from that spot?” In other words, replace those divots, fix those ball marks and rake those sand traps. • Turn off the cell phone. Do whatever you have to do to keep the phone quiet. “If you absolutely have to make a call, move away from the other players. And keep the call brief so that they do not even know you made it.” From the PGA Tour A few tips that can be found on pga.com: • From the time you select your club until you actually hit your shot, you should take no more than 30 to 45 seconds. • Don’t step on your fellow players’ putting lines — the imaginary line that connects the ball to the hole. • Don’t hit if there’s a chance your shot might reach the group ahead of you. And if you think there’s even a slim chance the shot you just struck might hit another player, yell “fore” immediately.
Reichert ready for round two Narrowly missed being elected to school board in 2013 By Jennifer Smith
jsmith@coloradocommunitymedia.com
Robert Reichert is making a second attempt at being elected to the Littleton Public Schools Board of Education, having come in fourth out of five candidates in the very close 2013 election. “I wanted to run again because I see it as part of being a member of this community,” he said. “This is what I know. It’s a way to use my skills and knowledge to help the place I live and am Reichert raising my kids in.” Reichert earned his doctorate in public-policy analysis from the RAND Graduate School in Santa Monica, California, in 2000. Since then, he’s worked privately and for another company as an education-policy analyst. “The role of the school board is to have Reichert continues on Page 6