Nebraska Section PGA | 610 J Street., Ste 10 | Lincoln, NE 68508 | Ph: (402) 489-7760 | Fax: (402) 489-1785 | www.nebraskapga.com
Officers President Tony Pesavento, PGA Omaha Country Club tpesavento@pga.com Vice President Nathan Kalin, PGA Fremont Golf Club nathan.kalin@fremontgolfclub.org Secretary Gil Russell, PGA ArborLinks Golf grussell@arborlinks.com Honorary President Mike Antonio, PGA Happy Hollow Club mikea@happyhollowclub.com
Staff Executive Director David Honnens, PGA dhonnens@pgahq.com Tournament Director Sean O’Neill, PGA soneill@pgahq.com Director of NJGT/ Player Development Seth Scollard, PGA sscollard@pgahq.com Operations Manager Renee Tyson rtyson@pgahq.com Development Officer Bob Danenhauer bdanenhauer@pgahq.com Junior Golf Coordinator Cassie Trumbley ctrumbley@pgahq.com
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AUSTIN, Texas – The PGA of America’s 101st Annual Meeting, Nov. 1-3, focused on the PGA Member and the benefits of growing the game of golf to diverse audiences. A total of 427 delegates gathered at the Hilton Austin, as they furthered the path for the Association’s future on a global scale, while emphasizing the two key pillars of employment and education. Read More Watch presentations from the 101st PGA Annual Meeting. PGA Members Honored at the 2017 PGA of America National Awards Ceremony
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The recent round of hurricanes and wildfires have severely impacted numerous people throughout the golf industry who need our help in a time of crisis. We would like to announce the creation of a new industry relief fund. Golf Relief and Assistance Fund: In response to this series of tragic weather events, the PGA of America has formed the new Golf Relief and Assistance Fund, which will help provide relief to individuals in the golf industry who have suffered as a result of a current or future qualified disaster. The Golf Relief and Assistance Fund enables the PGA and other industry participants to provide support for PGA Members and golf industry personnel in declared disaster situations. The PGA launched this fund with a contribution of $250,000, which will be administered by the largest community foundation in the world, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, of Mountain View, California. We view the Golf Recovery and Assistance Fund as a model of how the PGA Member can help show the positive role the PGA plays in the golf industry, and we look to you to spread the word about the availability of this fund to fellow Members and other people in your golf industry communities who may be in need. Please encourage anyone in the industry affected by a qualified disaster dating back to Hurricane Harvey, Irma, Maria and the California wildfires, as well as going forward, to apply for assistance by visiting GolfReliefFund.org. You can also make a tax-deductible contribution to the Golf Relief and Assistance Fund by clicking here. PGA Disaster Relief Fund: The Golf Relief and Assistance Fund is completely separate from the PGA Disaster Relief Fund. The PGA Disaster Relief Fund is the Association’s longstanding way for PGA Members to provide more general relief to other PGA Members. Because of legal restrictions, the PGA of America is unable to contribute to the PGA Disaster Relief Fund. Instead, it is funded solely by PGA Member contributions. PGA Members can continue to make non-tax deductible contributions in support of their fellow Members through the PGA Disaster Relief Fund. For more information on the new Golf Relief and Assistance Fund, please click here. Sincerely,
Paul Levy, PGA
Pete Bevacqua
President
Chief Executive Officer
PGA of America
PGA of America 11
2016 Patriot Award Cliff Yohe, PGA College Heights Country Club My introduction to the game of golf came at an opportune time in my life. I didn’t start playing golf until I was 40 years old. Like a lot of people we know, I immediately fell for the game. This was at a time in my life when I was contemplating a change of careers, after a number of years in the restaurant industry. I had narrowed it down to two careers. Fly fishing guide and, my newest passion, golf. Well, golf won out. I have enjoyed every aspect of the game. Going through the different levels at my age proved to be challenging and one that imparted in me an appreciation of what it entails to be a golf professional. I started my career in Bend, OR, moved to Palm Desert, CA to be able to play and teach more. This is where I first learned that I could do something in golf to raise money for local charities. It is there that I organized a day that I played 300 holes (with a cart) and raised $3,000 for the Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center. Another move later took me to Las Vegas where I earned my PGA Membership card. After a couple of years I found myself as the Head Professional at Sedona Golf Resort in Arizona. It is there and Las Vegas where I hit 5,000 golf balls on the range. The Arizona challenge was the first association I had with the Folds of Honor. A sale of Sedona Golf Resort found me visiting family in Lincoln, NE. I was on my way back to Oregon and decided to stay here for 1 year. Well, that was 8 years ago. I have been fortunate to be the Head Golf Professional at College Heights CC in Crete, NE. With the support of the members, I have been able to further my challenges in association with the Folds of Honor. Starting out with 200 holes in one day led to walking 60 holes on my 60th birthday, walking 100 holes a year later and then 108 holes the following year. This past October, I played 400 holes. I planned on doing this in a 24 hour period, but early morning showers and lightening forced me to finish it in about 27 hours. Raising money for the Folds of Honor has been very special to me. It also showed how I can participate in helping others not as fortunate as myself. I was awarded the Nebraska Section’s Patriot Award for 2016. This was a special award that has been the springboard to do even more. Starting last January, I received the go ahead from the Nebraska-Iowa VA to conduct clinics at the Lincoln VA for veterans in the Mental Health Department. We have a SkyTrak simulator at our club and with members support I took that down to the Lincoln VA once a week to conduct indoor clinics. I was able to conduct about 36 clinics before the realities of running a club and major surgery this summer forced me to curtail the clinics. We are working on getting those started again in December. We are also in the preliminary stages of applying for 501 (c) 3 status for a foundation to aide veterans, through the VA, with increased access to play this wonderful game. The foundation is called Fairways Fore Heroes, and we hope to have similar simulators in the Grand Island and Omaha VA facilities. Once established, my goal is to have local PGA members in those areas that could do a similar program that we have in Lincoln. I will also be calling on our section members to participate in a program that will give veterans, signed up with Fairway Fore Heroes, a discount on green fees and range use. There have been 2 organizations that I am proud to have been a member of. The first one was the US Air Force where I was a combat veteran in SE Asia. The second one is being a member of the PGA. I am truly blessed to be able to utilize one to benefit the other. Thank you all who give back to the game.
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Call Corey Landrie, Executive Director clandrie@janikingks.com / 913-232-0883, to get started today with a free cleaning quote for your facility.
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The purpose of this article is to review the relief options that are available to you when you find your ball in, on, or near a pile of ice that has been accidentally spilled on the course by someone, such as a maintenance worker, a spectator, or even another player. We all know that ice is frozen water, but what exactly are ice cubes under the Rules? It may surprise you to know that the Rules treat natural ice and man-made ice quite differently! According to the Definitions of “Casual Water” and “Loose Impediments,” natural ice is either casual water or loose impediments at the option of the player. On the other hand, manufactured, i.e., man-made, ice is an obstruction per the Definition of “Obstructions”! Since ice cubes may be moved without unreasonable effort, without unduly delaying play and without causing damage, they are movable obstructions. See Definition of “Obstructions.” Accordingly, the applicable Rule concerning ice cubes is Rule 24-1 [Movable Obstruction]. If you were to substitute the words “ice cubes” for “movable obstruction” in Rule 24-1, this Rule would read as follows: A player may take relief, without penalty, from ice cubes as follows: a. If the ball does not lie in or on the ice cubes, the ice cubes may be removed. If the ball moves, it must be replaced and there is no penalty, provided that the movement of the ball is directly attributable to the removal of the ice cubes. Otherwise, Rule 18-2 applies. b. If the ball lies in or on the ice cubes, the ball may be lifted and the ice cubes removed. The ball must through the green or in a hazard be dropped, or on a putting green be placed, as near as possible to the spot directly under the place where the ball lay in or on the ice cubes, but not nearer the hole. That all seems fairly straight-forward, but what are you supposed to do when you are confronted by the puddle of water that resulted from the partial melting of the ice cubes prior to their removal? Carefully note the Definition of “Casual Water” which states, in part, ““Casual water” is any temporary accumulation of water on the course that is not in a hazard and is visible before or after the player takes his stance.” [Emphasis added]. Therefore, if such a puddle (on the course, but not in a water hazard) interferes with the lie of your ball, your stance, or the area of your intended swing, then you are entitled to take relief from the puddle pursuant to Rule 25-1 [Abnormal Ground Conditions]. Just remember that you are not permitted to mop up that puddle of water unless it happens to be situated within the teeing ground. See Rule 13-2 [Improving Lie, Area of Intended Stance or Swing, or Line of Play] and Decision 16-1a/1 [Brushing Aside or Mopping Up Casual Water on Line of Putt]. If the puddle of casual water is on the putting green and it intervenes on your line of putt, then you would be entitled to intervention relief because both your ball and the intervening puddle are on the putting green. When your ball is not on the putting green, there is no intervention relief for a puddle of casual water, even if the puddle is on the putting green. See Rule 25-1a [Abnormal Ground Conditions: Interference] and Decision 25-1a/2 [Casual Water on Putting Green Intervenes Between Ball Off Green and Hole] which confirms that Rule 13-2 prohibits the player from removing casual water from his line of play. 14
Have you ever tried to devour an entire pumpkin pie in one sitting? It’s not that easy, is it? Well, here’s a no-calorie, True/False Rules quiz, with each question representing a slice of the pie. Just like eating multiple slices of a pie, each successive question just might be a little more difficult to get through than the previous one. See if you can you make it through this entire 8-slice pie without making any mistakes. Bon appétit! 1.
If you are standing close enough to the flagstick so that you may touch it; you are deemed to be attending the flagstick
2.
In repairing an old hole plug, you are not permitted to tamp down a spike mark that happens to be within the hole plug.
3.
A ball lying on a leaf in a bunker is not considered to lie in the bunker since the margin of the bunker does not extend vertically upwards.
4.
If you start your round with only 12 clubs, and you lose your putter and then break your pitching wedge over your knee after missing a short putt, you are permitted to replace those clubs.
5.
You are not permitted to back into a low-hanging branch of a tree causing it to move out of the way if that is the only way that you can take your stance.
6.
“Through the green” includes the teeing ground and the putting green of the hole that you are playing.
7.
If you are playing in a four-ball or foursomes event, you may never share clubs with your partner.
8.
A dropped ball must be re-dropped if it rolls into and comes to rest in a hazard.
Answers: 1. True
Note 1 to Rule 17-1 [Flagstick Attended, Removed or Held Up] states, “If the flagstick is in the hole and anyone stands near it while a stroke is being made, he is deemed to be attending the flagstick.” Decision 17-1/1 [Meaning of “Stands Near the Hole”] clarifies that if a person is close enough to touch the flagstick, then he is considered to be “standing near the hole.”
2. False
Rule 16-1/c [Repair of Hole Plugs, Ball Marks and Other Damage] points out that you may repair an old hole plug or damage to the putting green caused by the impact of a ball. Any other damage to the putting green must not be repaired if it might assist you in your subsequent play of the hole. However, Decision 16-1a/16.5 [Spike Mark on Line of Putt Pressed Down When Player Repairs Old Hole Plug] indicates that, in repairing an old hole plug, there is no penalty for repairing a spike mark that happens to be within the old hole plug.
3. False
The Definition of “Bunker” confirms that the margin of a bunker extends vertically downwards, but not upwards. This Definition also states, “A ball is in a bunker when it lies in or any part of it touches the bunker.” Decision 13/5 [Ball Lying on Obstruction in Bunker] advises, “Although the margin of a bunker does not extend upwards, a ball lying on an obstruction in a bunker is in the bunker.” It follows that a ball lying on a loose impediment in a bunker is in the bunker.
4. True
Rule 4-4a [Selection and Addition of Clubs] states, “The player must not start a stipulated round with more than fourteen clubs. He is limited to the clubs thus selected for that round, except that if he started with fewer than fourteen clubs, he may add any number, provided his total number does not exceed fourteen.” If you had started the round with fourteen clubs, then you would not have been permitted to replace either your lost putter or your pitching wedge which was not damaged in the normal course of play. See Decision 4-3/10 [Replacement of Club Lost During Round] and Decision 4-3/8 [Player Starting with 13 Clubs Breaks Putter in Anger and Replaces It].
5. False
Rule 13-2 [Improving Lie, Area of Intended Stance or Swing, or Line of Play] specifies, in part, that you must not improve the area of your intended swing by moving anything that is growing. However, you incur no penalty if this action occurs in fairly taking your stance.
6. False
The Definition of “Through the Green” states, in part, “”Through the green” is the whole area of the course except: a. The teeing ground and the putting green of the hole being played.”
7. False
Rule 4-4b [Partners May Share Clubs] states, “Partners may share clubs, provided that the total number of clubs carried by the partners so sharing does not exceed fourteen.”
8. True
According to Rule 20-2c(i) [When to Re-Drop], a dropped ball must be re-dropped, without penalty, if it rolls into and comes to rest in a hazard.
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Name
Class
Current Facility
Previous Facility
Previous Class
None
Name
Day
Russell E. Jensen, PGA
1
Larry L. Wheeler, PGA
1
Cody J. Herald, PGA
2
Richard R. Delfs, PGA
5
Chad D. Lydiatt, PGA
5
Dave Malone, PGA
5
Brandon C Sladek
7
Sherman L Adkins Jr., PGA
9
Alex B. Carper, PGA
9
Mike Fiddelke, PGA
10
Jared M. Frost, PGA
13
Ricky Reynoldson, PGA
15
Jason E. Shock, PGA
17
Gerald L. Fisher, PGA
22
Mel D. Baker, PGA
23
Mark H. Baumann, PGA
24
Paul R. Swirzinski, PGA
28
Dawn N. Neujahr, PGA
30
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