June Topics Newsletter

Ft. Lauderdale Open

Foundation Pro-Am

Topics Newsletter Volume 25 Number 4

June, 2014

Habitat for Humanity Sign Unveiling

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TOPICS NEWSLETTER CONTACT US

NEW APPRENTICES

The South Florida PGA would like to welcome the following new apprentices to the Section: APPRENTICE CLASSIFICATION Christopher Hawley B-8 Miami Shores Country Club Ariel Jagmin B-8 TPC @ Treviso Bay Michael Angarano B-6 GolfTEC - Hollywood Jared Shank B-8 Pine Tree Golf Club Nicholas Vendittiq B-8 Pelican Sound Golf & River Club Benjamin Walsh B-8 Emerald Dunes Golf Club Eric Salomatoff B-8 Biltmore Golf Course Jim Sowerwine B-6 Pelican’s Nest Golf Club David Benjamin B-8 Shadow Wood Country Club Robert Stolting B-8 The Quarry

PROS ON THE GO PROFESSIONAL Dustin McCabe, PGA

Ted Eleftherion, PGA Greg Martzolf, PGA David Eby Christopher Stanko, PGA TK Matthews, PGA John Barrett, PGA Mike Bronkema, PGA H. Wheeler Stewart, PGA Lee Puddefoot, PGA Jason Brown, PGA James Gascoigne Jr., PGA Michael LaMere, APP Blake Dickenson, PGA

TO Inactive A-11 - PGA of America A-1 - The Tesoro Club A-4 - Banyan GC A-1 - Banyan GC A-4 - Heritage Bay G & CC A-4 - Parkalnd G & CC A-1 - Parkland G & CC Tri-State Section unattached A-4 - Atlantis Golf Club A-1 Boca Raton Resort B-1 - Highlands Ridge GC

FROM A-13 - Lake Worth Golf Club North Florida Section A-13 - Pompano Beach CC A-1 - Banyan GC A-8 - Banyan GC A-4 - Countryside G & CC A-1 - Parkland G & CC A-8 - Parkland G & CC A-1 - Binks Forest GC A-1 - Estero CC at The Vines A-1 - Atlantis Golf Club A-8 Boca Raton Resort B-8 - Highlands Ridge GC

A-4 - Seven Bridges at SpringtreeA-1 Seven Bridges at Springtree

QUARTER CENTURY CLUB

Congratulations to PGA Professionals Todd Brown, Joel King, Michael O’Brien, John Scott and Chris Wyant who have been elected to the Quarter Century Club of the PGA of America, an elite group of members who have served the PGA with honor and pride for 25 years.

HALF CENTURY CLUB

Congratulations to Robert Le Bel, PGA and Earl Puckett Jr., PGA who were elected to the Half Century Club of the PGA of America, an elite group of members who have served the PGA with honor and pride for 50 years.

IN REMEMBRANCE

We offer our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of South Florida PGA Professional, Richard Diego, Jr.

SOUTH FLORIDA SECTION 186 ATLANTIS BOULEVARD ATLANTIS, FL / 33462 PHONE / FAX

561-729-0544 / 561-729-0914 EMAIL

sflorida@pgahq.com WEBSITE

www.sfpgagolf.com PRESIDENT

Warren Bottke, PGA VICE PRESIDENT

Mark VanDyck, PGA SECRETARY

Don Meadows, PGA IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT

Brian Peaper, PGA SOUTHERN CHAPTER PRESIDENT

Bob Mallek, PGA SOUTHEAST CHAPTER PRESIDENT

Jim Leary, PGA SOUTHWEST CHAPTER PRESIDENT

Dan Gawronski, PGA ISLAND CHAPTER PRESIDENT

Aaron West, PGA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Geoff Lofstead ADVISORY BOARD

Paul Anderson Rick Bayliss Steve Sponder Ken Kennerly Matt Lambert Peter Lund Joe Steranka

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TOPICS NEWSLETTER

SOUTHWEST CHAPTER NEWS On Monday, May 7, during the Southwest Chapter meeting, $59,000 was granted to: SalusCare, First Tee Naples/Collier County, Southwest Florida Junior Golf, FGCU Women’s and Men’s Golf Teams, FGCU PGA Golf Management University Program, and nine scholarships. In addition to these grants the following individuals were presented with annual awards: • Golf Professional of the Year - Tim Miller • Jeremy New Assistant of the Year - Paul Fitzpatrick • Bill Strausbaugh - Tom Metzger • Player of the Year - Jay Westerlund • Teacher of the Year - Tom O’Brien • Junior Golf Leader - Ben Kitts • Education - Marty Hall • Merchandiser (Private) - Josh Hershoff • Merchandiser (Resort) - Ed Weber • Merchandiser (Public) - Allen Mangusson • Henry B. Watkins - Tracy Moffatt

MEMBER BENEFIT: PING ON-LINE SCHEDULER

The PGA of America has announced the launch of another digital tool - a digital complement to the printed PGA Appointment Calendar, the PING On-Line Scheduler. This new tool is live on PGALinks.com and enable members to insert National and Section events and programs into their personal digital schedules. Click here to utilize the new tool.

The printed PING calendar will continue to exist, but this tool will provide Members the ability to add these events directly to personal Outlook, Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, or iCal calendars. The goal is to save time and energy for PGA Professionals.

This is the first step for this tool. Future enhancements will include mobile optimization and additional features, but the primary objective is simplicity.

BABY WATCH Congratulations to SFPGA Professional, Richard Terga and his wife Sarah on welcoming their baby girl, Elizabeth on May 30!

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TOPICS NEWSLETTER PGA PROFESSIONALS HOST CLINIC FOR BLIND GOLFERS

A few months ago, Joyce Gugel, Founder of the Beyond Blind Institute approached John Webster, PGA Director of Instruction at the John Webster Golf Academy with a unique idea. Gugel was interested in creating a fundraising event for the Beyond Blind Institute and getting their members involved with golf. As a result, the John Webster Golf Academy has begun hosting clinics for members of the Beyond Blind Institute twice per month.

“For the John Webster Golf Academy, this is an opportunity to grow the game in a direction we would have never known or considered,” says John Webster, PGA. In January of 2015, there will be a fundraising tournament held at The Breakers Ocean Course to benefit the Beyond Blind Institute.

SFPGA WELCOMES NEW TOURNAMENT OPERATIONS INTERN The South Florida PGA recently welcomed Sam Smolen as the Tournament Operations Intern for the summer. A Lake Worth native, Sam comes to the section with a wealth of golf knowledge as she plays on the Lynn University Women’s Golf Team.

Her team recently won the D-2 National Championship for the second year in a row and Sam placed tenth as an individual.

Sam is a former South Florida PGA Junior Tour member and Ed Ficker Sportsmanship award winner.

TRACEY JACKSON JOINS SFPGA STAFF AS OFFICE MANAGER Tracey Jackson, a Florida native will join the SFPGA staff on June 6th as the new Office Manager. Tracey comes to the Section from the PGA Golf Management University Program at Florida Gulf Coast University, where she served as the administrative assistant for the past 2 years. Tracey will be joined by her husband Paul and her two daughters Avery and Emma in their move to Florida’s East Coast. Having worked with many of our PGA Professionals already, Tracey is looking forward to jumping right in. We appreciate your support in welcoming Tracey to our staff. Tjackson@pgahq.com

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chip shots GCSAA TO HOST ROUNDS 4 RESEARCH AUCTION The Golf Course Superintendents Association of America will host its annual Rounds 4 Research auction. Bidding will begin June 9. During the week of the US Open, they will auction off tee times at a variety of courses. Please visit www.gcsaa.org and click the Rounds 4 Research tab to view the auction site. Funds raised in the auction will support local chapters and directly benefit the game of golf in South Florida.

TOPICS NEWSLETTER PAT PASSERS

Congratulations to all SFPGA Apprentices and aspiring Apprentices who successfully passed their Playing Ability Test.

Royal Palm Country Club - Naples, Fla. Thursday, May 22, 2014 Chris Allen Dante Casola Kevin Dennehy Jonas Blake DeWitte Robert Famiglietti Robert Jordan Craig Merlin

Steven O’Reilly Gerard Onacki Joel Rasho Tovie St Louis Daniel Strool Derek Tudela-Wilcox

foundation news PGA GOLF DAY

For the second consecutive year the SFPGA Foundation is participating in PGA Golf Day as a means of raising funds to support the countless programs operating and being supported by the Foundation. Programs include but are not limited to Junior Golf, Team Golf, charitable gifting, scholarships, Smiling Fore Life and Habitat for Humanity.

PGA Golf Day is a great way to get involved by playing 100 holes of golf in one day while receiving pledges from members, family and friends.

Funds raised will not only benefit the SFPGA Foundation but a charity of the Professionals choice. For more details click here.

DEADLINE FOR SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS: JUNE 15

SFPGA FOUNDATION CHARITABLE GIFTING

The South Florida PGA Foundation is now excepting applications for its annual scholarships. The Don E. Beattie Scholarship and Bobby Goodman Scholarships are grants of $2,500 awarded to high school seniors or college students enrolled in their freshmen or sophomore classes of undergraduate studies who are currently employed in the golf industry, or whose parents or grandparents are employed in or retired from the golf industry. Eligibility for both of these scholarships varies and details along with applications can be found by clicking here. The deadline to apply for these scholarships is June 15th.

The South Florida PGA Foundation recently granted $11,500 of charitable gifting to the following organizations: The First Tee Naples/Collier-Gulf Coast Junior Tour, Dade Amateur Golf Association, Junior Golf Association of Broward County, Indian River Golf Foundation, Southwest Florida Junior Golf Association, Gold Coast Junior Golf Foundation, Junior Golf Foundation of America, Palm Beach Junior Golf Association, The First Tee of the Palm Beaches, and Nicholas R. Chiera Dinner/Auction and Golf Classic

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HELP US BUILD A HOME!

Our 3rd home build is now underway and we need Professionals to volunteer their time to help build a deserving family a home in Broward County. The home is located in East Ft. Lauderdale and volunteer dates are as follows: • June 6, 25 & 26 • July 9, 15, 16 & 29 Address: 271 NE 34th / Oakland Park, FL Time Commitment: 7:45 AM – 12:30 PM For more details here or contact Meredith Schuler at mschuler@pgahq. com.

foundation news

TOPICS NEWSLETTER

SFPGA FOUNDATION KICKS OFF HOME BUILD WITH HABITAT FOR HUMANITY OF BROWARD WITH SIGN UNVEILING ATLANTIS, Fla. — Habitat for Humanity, in partnership with the South Florida PGA Foundation, celebrated the sign unveiling on Friday, May 16th. For the third consecutive year the South Florida PGA Foundation has contributed $50,000 in support of a home build in south Florida with this year’s build taking place in Oakland Park.

Members of the SFPGA and SFPGA Foundation Board of Directors alongside the future homeowners, Rohema and Brian Cortijo-Witten were onsite for the sign unveiling. During the ceremony, Rohema and Brian spoke to the representatives of the SFPGA Foundation and expressed their gratitude.

Along with Rohema and Brian, their three children AJ (20), Matese (16), and Amari (11) will be moving into the home and helping with construction.

“We have always valued education and hard work and have taught our boys to do the same,” Rohema said.

Habitat for Humanity requires future homeowners to dedicate at least 400 volunteers hours throughout the entire home build. The Cortijo-Witten family has already spent over 500 hours and the build is still in the early stages.

Along with the Cortijo-Witten family, the South Florida PGA Foundation will be heavily involved in the project, recruiting PGA Professionals and Apprentices from all across South Florida to assist throughout the building process.

Executive Director, Geoff Lostead states, “our partnership with Habitat for Humanity has been wonderful in providing our members with an opportunity to fulfill their desire to give back to the community and creating camaraderie working aside one another to build homes that provide deserving families with opportunities to own their own home.”

Thank you to all our facilities that donate annually to assist with the South Florida PGA Foundation, including Foxfire Golf Club who donated $2,000.

“The Foxfire Country Club membership is proud to support local charities in South Florida through the efforts of their annual golf outing.”

-Don Shea, PGA General Manager of Foxfire Country Club

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tournament news

TOPICS NEWSLETTER

HRYNKIW IS THE 2014 FT. LAUDERDALE OPEN CHAMPION FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Jason Hrynkiw of Gleneagles Country Club held off former champion Richard Terga of the John Webster Golf Academy in the final round to win the 15th annual Fort Lauderdale Open at Coral Ridge Country Club supported by Global Golf Sales, FlightScope and The PGA Tour.

Carrying a three-stroke lead into the final round after opening with 67 in round 1, Hrynkiw edged Terga by 138 to 139 on a final round of 71. Terga matched the low round of the day, closing with 69. Chris Trout of Fort Myers was one shot back at 140 with a pair of 70s.

In the senior division, Naples veterans Gene Fieger and John Calabria shared honors at 148, tied for 15th overall among 147 entrants, each with rounds of 76-72.

The head professional at Gleneagles Country Club, Hrynkiw had five birdies and four bogeys. “I knew where I stood coming in,” he said after finishing about 20 minutes after Terga. “I birdied the 17th hole but then I bogeyed the 18th.” Earlier, he birdied Nos. 2, 4, 11 and Jason Hrynkiw & Scott Fox 13, bogeying the first, ninth and 12th holes. Terga had an erratic front nine with four birdies, three bogeys and two pars. But he settled down and birdied 11 and 13 to go with seven pars on the inward half. “I played pretty well,” he said. “I’m very pleased.” An instructor at the John Webster Golf Academy at the Breakers Hotel, Terga won the Fort Lauderdale Open here in 2012.

Credit: Larry Bush

BALMER & WEGMANN TAKE TITLES IN THE 27TH SOUTH FLORIDA SENIOR OPEN PRESENTED BY ADAMS GOLF

JUPITER, Fla. – Tim Balmer of North Lauderdale claimed top honors at the 27th annual South Florida Senior Open presented by Adams Golf on the Fazio course at Jonathan’s Landing Golf Club at Old Trail on May 8-9.

Balmer, who turned 50 last June, shot 70-69—139 to set the pace among pros in the 50-59 age group. He made five birdies the first round, six the final round, and overall he had four bogeys and a double bogey, at the par4 10th hole Friday. “All my bogeys were three-putts, and normally I’m a good putter,” he said, adding “I can’t remember the last time I won a golf tournament, maybe in 1997 or ’98.”

The low amateur of the event was John Wegmann, who tied for seventh place carding 74-73--147.

John Wegmann, Tim Balmer & Victor Tortorici

Other age group winners included Jerry Tucker of Stuart who won the 60-69 age group by 6 strokes by shooting 67-71--138.

On the adjacent Hills course, Roger Kennedy shot 69-75—144 to win by two strokes in the 70-74 flight; and among 75-and-olders, tied at 148 were Earl Puckett, 76-72, and Jim King, 75-73, both of Palm Beach Gardens.The field of 98 included 17 amateurs.

Credit: Larry Bush

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tournament news

TOPICS NEWSLETTER

5TH ANNUAL SFPGA FOUNDATION PRO-AM RAISES OVER $36,000 Over 60 individuals, including sixteen PGA Professionals, participated in the 2014 South Florida PGA Foundation Pro-Am presented by Hertz and supported by The Old Collier Golf Club, Tire Kingdom, Fairway & Greene and Heritage Creations. This marked the fifth year that this event has served as a primary fund raiser for the SFPGA Foundation grossing just over $36,000.

The team from West Bay Club comprised of PGA Professional Jeff Raimer, Tom Welsh, Kathy Hughes and Len Reid fired a 130 (four under par) to capture first place by two. The format for the event was two best balls (one gross one net). Proceeds from this event will benefit proTom Welsh, Len Reid, Jeff Raimer, PGA & Kathy Hughes grams that the Foundation conducts including but not limited to Habitat for Humanity, Smiling Fore Life, the SFPGA Junior Tours, charitable gifting and scholarships.

Special thanks to the entire staff at The Old Collier Golf Club especially their PGA General Manager, Iain Mossman and their PGA Director of Golf Steve Waugh.

THREE SFPGA PROFESSIONALS COMPETE IN SENIOR PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

Three South Florida PGA Professionals competed in the 2014 Senior PGA Championship presented by KitchedAid at The Golf Club at Harbor Shores in Benton Harbor, Mich. Gene Fieger, Jerry Impellittiere and Lee Rinker finished in the top-35 of the 25th Southworth Senior PGA Professional National Championship presented by Mercedes-Benz which earned them a spot in the Senior PGA Championship.

Gene Fieger, PGA Director of Golf at the Hideout Golf Club recently won the 25th Southworth Senior PGA Professional Championship, finishing the event at 13 under par, six strokes ahead of his nearest competitor.

As champion of the Senior PGA Professional Championship, Fieger earned a spot to compete in his second Senior PGA Championship. Lee Rinker, PGA Director of Golf at Emerald Dunes Golf Club, made his fourth appearance Senior PGA Championship. Finally, Jerry Impellittiere, PGA Director of Instruction at The Evergreen Club competed in his third Senior PGA Championship.

Congratulations to all three for their representation of the South Florida PGA at the Senior PGA Championship presented by KitchenAid.

Fieger Impellittiere

Rinker 9

KEVIN HOLT (SW Florida)

phone: 727-639-4652 e-mail: KEVIN@KEVINHOLT.COM

MARIANNE DEIBEL (SE Florida)

phone: 954-344-1365 e-mail: MARIANNE.DEIBEL@GMAIL.COM

sfpga junior tour

TOPICS NEWSLETTER

SUTCLIFFE AND NEWBROUGH TAKE TOP HONORS AT VINEYARDS COUNTRY CLUB ATLANTIS, Fla. – The SFPGA Junior Challenge Tour presented by The Honda Classic held event #3 at the Vineyards Country Club in Naples. A weekend filled with unpredictable weather didn’t stop 76 of South Florida’s top junior golfers from putting on a great show.

For the third straight Challenge Tour event, Jupiter native Ryder Sutcliffe proved why he is one of the top junior golfers in South Florida. Sutcliffe opened up round one with a 1-under par 71 during a rain filled day that stopped play for over two hours. Sutcliffe would take a one shot lead over Coral Springs native Justin Shiao heading into round two. Shiao carded a stellar even par 72 during round one in which he birdied 3 of the final 6 holes. Sutcliffe’s experience with holding a lead during the final round showed on Sunday. Sutcliffe would go on to fire off a 3 over par 75 in a windy final round to capture his third straight Ryder Sutcliffe, Tom Metzger, PGA & Kelly Newbrough Challenge Tour Victory. Pembroke Pines native Jeremy Chaiser would take home the Boys 16-18 age division, while Shiao would go on to claim the boys 13-15 age division title.

Naples native Kelly Newbrough put together a very impressive tournament in the Girls Overall Division. Newbrough started off round one with a 7-over par 79 to give her a share of the lead with Wellington native Bridget Green entering round 2. Newbrough was able to fire off an impressive 6-over par 78 in round two to claim the Girls Overall Title. Miami native Phoebe Beber-Frankel would take home the girls 13-15 age division, while Green would go on to claim the Girls 16-18 age division title.

The boys 11-12 age division featured some of the best play of the weekend. Carter Dalili of Vero Beach opened up round one with an outstanding 2-under par 70 to take the round 1 lead. Plantation native Kade Cannon fired off an opening round even par 72. Cannon arrived for round 2 wearing the famous “Sunday Red” attire, ready to contest Dalili for the title. Cannon was able to make up the two stroke deficit and finish tied with Dalili after the final round leaving the winner to be decided by a scorecard playoff. Cannons even par back 9 was enough to give him the title in the boys 11-12 age division.

In the Girls 11-12 age division, Ellie Nachmann opened up round one with a 2-over par 74 and managed to fire a 3-over par 75 to finish well clear of the rest of the field and take home the title. Nachmann may have taken the title, but Wellington native Jenna Fonda had the shot of the tournament. Fonda had a hole in one on the 110 yard par 3 8th hole.

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sfpga junior tour

TOPICS NEWSLETTER

SUTCLIFFE AND HILLER CLOSE OUT SPRING SERIES WITH CHALLENGE TOUR WINS ATLANTIS, Fla. – The SFPGA Junior Challenge Tour presented by The Honda Classic held event #4 at PGA Golf Club in Port St Lucie. The sold out 84 player field featured many of South Florida’s rising junior golfers. This event marked the end of the Spring Series for the SFPGA Junior Tour and some of the Challenge Tour’s biggest stars have earned exempt status on the Championship Tour entering the Summer Series.

Saturday and Sunday were clear and sunny days at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, but the wind made its presence known. The weekend featured steady winds of 15-20 mph with gusts hitting up to 25 mph. The Wanamaker course at PGA Golf Club features some of the most challenging greens in South Florida and gave the juniors a true test.

Jupiter native Ryder Sutcliffe ended his challenge tour career the same way he has the first 3 Challenge Tour events this year, by winning the Overall Boys Division. Spencer Stillman of Coconut Creek took the lead after round one with an opening round 77. Sutcliffe would start the day 3 shots behind Stillman but would find a way to narrow the gap and ultimately win the boys division. Stillman would go on to claim 2nd place in the boys 1618 age division, while Vero Beach native Blake Schmalenberger would claim first place in the division. Alexander Vogelsong of Palm City would go on to claim the boys 13-15 age division.

Vero Beach native Mary Kate Hiller put together two solid rounds on the weekend to claim the Overall Girls Division. Hiller shot an opening round 84 that left her two shots off the lead entering Sunday. Hiller’s stable play on Sunday would help her go on to claim the overall title by two strokes over Hobe Sound native Hannah Foster.

Foster would go on the claim the girls 13-15 age division title. Bridget Green of Wellington claimed the girls 16-18 age division title.

Ryder Sutcliffe, Nate Manis, PGA & Mary Kate Hiller

The 11-12 year old age divisions featured some of the most exciting golf of the weekend. Vero Beach native Carter Dalili opened things up on Saturday by firing a remarkable opening round 3-under par 69. Despite firing a second round 75, it was not enough to hold off Leopoldo Herrera of Doral. Herrera, who shot an opening round even par 72, managed to shoot a final round 69 to take the Boys 11-12 year old age division. Dalili would go on to take 2nd, while Palm Beach native Alan Kournikova would take 3rd place. Taylor Roberts of Boca Raton took top honors in the girls 11-12 age division. Roberts fired back to back 81’s to take the division by 3 strokes over Miramar native Laura Lou.

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junior golf

TOPICS NEWSLETTER

TEAM GOLF WILL KICK OFF 2014 SEASON THIS SUMMER Team Golf is a few short weeks away from kicking off the 2nd season in South Florida. More teams, kids, and opportunities to grow the game of golf are ahead for this summer. We have doubled the amount of teams from last year now to 40 teams and have expanded into a total of six regions across the Section. Over 30 individual, 9-hole tournaments are scheduled to be played during the summer months.

There is still time for you to get involved. PGA Professionals are encouraged to create teams and participate in this Section wide program.

Team Golf is a great opportunity for PGA members and apprentices to help grow the game and generate additional revenue during the summer months. Plus, new to the program this year, coaches will receive 3 MSR credits in the required category for hosting a team.

For more information about Team Golf, please contact Tyler Wolford at twolford@pgahq.com or click here to learn more.

DRIVE, CHIP & PUTT WILL BEGIN JUNE 13 The first Drive, Chip and Putt Local Qualifier will take place on June 13 at PGA Center for Golf Learning & Performance. The Drive, Chip, and Putt Championship is a youth golf development initiative for boys and girls ages 7-15. Participants will compete against one another in three skill challenges: driving, chipping, and putting. There are three levels of qualifiers: local, sub-regional and regional. The top 80 performers from the regional qualifier – 40 boys and 40 girls – will earn an invitation to the National Finals at Augusta National Golf Club on Sunday, April 5, the eve of the 2015 Masters. We encourage you to share this information with juniors at your facility. Click here for more information on Drive, Chip and Putt or click here to view the schedule of all local qualifiers in South Florida. For questions, please contact Tori Stock at tstock@pgahq.com.

MSR CREDIT OPPORTUNITIES

Volunteer your time with the SFPGA Junior Championship and Challenge Tours. PGA Professionals will earn 1 MSR credit/hour they volunteer. On course responsibilites include monitoring pace of play, assisting with rulings and starting. To volunteer please call Jake Weir at the section office at 561.729.0544 or email jweir@pgahq.com Upcoming volunteer opportunities include: SFPGA Jr Championship - Boca GroveGolf & Tennis Club - June 17-18 Jr Challenge Tour #5 - June 26-27 In addition the Junior Tour volunteers are needed for our upcoming Drive, Chip & Putt Qualifiers. PGA Professionals will earn 2 PGA Required MSR credits for five to eight hours participation, 1 PGA Required credit for four hours participation. To volunteer please call Tori Stock at the section office at 561.729.0544 or email at tstock@pgahq.com Upcoming Qualifiers include: June 13 - PGA Center for Golf & Learning Performance - Port St. Lucie June 25 - Osprey Point Golf Course - Boca Raton July 2 - Stoneybrook GC of Estero - Estero July 22 - Plantation Preserve - Plantation August 7 - PGA Center for Golf & Learning Performance - Port St. Lucie

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rules with drew

TOPICS NEWSLETTER

EMERGENCY

This past month I was invited to work the BMW Charity Pro-Am, a Web.com Tour event in Greenville, South Carolina. For the most part it was a pretty uneventful week in regards to rulings. The weather on the other hand was a completely different story. I went up to South Carolina hoping for some mild temperatures; to get away from the South Florida heat and humidity for a couple days. You know what they say, “Be careful what you wish for.” A very large storm cell swept across the state Wednesday night and into Thursday morning resulting in round one being delayed four hours. Following the cell were some very unseasonably cool temperatures. The mean temperature for the rest of the week was in the mid to upper 50’s. Other than the weather being a minor nuisance, it was great a great experience and a pleasure to work with the best officials in the country.

During the final round of the event I did have one interesting situation that occurred and coincidently I had a similar situation occur during a Player Ability Test a few weeks prior. About an hour and a half into the final round I saw a caddie frantically waiving at me trying to get my attention. I got in my cart and started to drive toward him only to then see a player walking rather hurriedly in my direction. As I arrived at the player he sat down in my cart and said he wasn’t feeling well and needed some medical attention. I simply said ok and I raced to get him some help.

A few weeks prior to the BMW event, I was overseeing a Player Ability Test. I got a call on my cell from the PGA Head Professional letting me know that a player had been struck in the head by a golf ball and he was taking him to the clubhouse. Apparently the player had just completed play of a hole and was walking off the green when an errant shot from another hole struck him in the back of the head.

In both of these situations the player had to quickly exit the course. Do the Rules of Golf cover emergency type situations?

Rules 6-8 states that a player must not discontinue play unless (1) The committee has suspended play, (2) He believes there is danger from lightning, (3) He is seeking a decision from the committee, or (4) there is some other good reason such as sudden illness. So, in both these cases the player was permitted to discontinue play due to sudden illness, however the Rules doesn’t state how long the player may be sidelined. Can the player be down for as long as it takes for him to recover?

Decision 6-8a/3 states, “During a round, a player is incapacitated by heat exhaustion, a bee sting or because he has been struck by a golf ball. The player reports his problem to the committee and requests the committee to allow him some time to recuperate.” Should the committee comply with the request? The matter is up to the committee. Rule 6-8a(iv) permits a player to discontinue play because of sudden illness and the player incurs no penalty if he reports to the committee as soon as practicable and the committee considers his reason satisfactory. It would seem reasonable for a committee to allow a player 10-15 minutes to recuperate from such a physical problem but ordinarily allowing more time than that would be inadvisable.

Luckily we were able to get the player from the Web.com event some medical attention and back on the course within ten minutes so that he could continue his round. Unfortunately, the gentleman who got struck by a golf ball at the PAT wasn’t as lucky. His injury required a good amount of stiches and some time away from the course.

There are no time outs in golf. I think we would all agree that the pace of play is slow enough as it is, fortunately though the Rules do allow the committee some flexibility in allowing the player some time to recuperate from a minor injury or illness.

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news & upcoming UPCOMING SECTION EVENTS South Florida Open The Club at Renaissance/ Gateway Golf & CC June 9-11 SFPGA Junior PGA Championship BOca Grove Golf & Tennis Club June 18-19 Jr Tour Challenge #5 Ocean Reef Club June 26-27 Pro Assistant Ballen Isles CC June 30 Pro Junior Breakers Rees Jones July 1

UPCOMING CHAPTER EVENTS

The ForeTees Jupiter Classic Jupiter CC/Jonathan’s Landing @ Old Trail June 16-17 The Par 3 Pro-Pro Town of Palm Beach Golf Club June 27

Pro Only #3 Grand Palms June 16 Pro-Scratch Woodmont CC June 23

TOPICS NEWSLETTER

UPCOMING CHAPTER EVENTS

Global Golf Sales Chapter Series #1 Imperial Golf Club June 18

PRGA Island Championship Trump International June 5-8

UPCOMING NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

Pro-Am #3 Rio Mar June 18 Pros v. Ams TBD June 29

2014 South Florida PGA Professional Championship presented by Club Car, Mercedes-Benz and OMEGA

August 25-27, 2014 Orchid Island Golf & Beach Club/Hawks Nest Golf Club *This event is combined with the SFPGA Section Championship.

Entries Close: Tuesday, July 8, 2014 at 5:00 pm EST

2014 South Florida Senior PGA Professional Championship supported by: Southworth Development and Mercedes-Benz

August 14-15, 2014 Turtle Creek Club This event is combined with the SFPGA Senior Section Championship. Two separate entries need to be filed.

Entries Close: Tuesday, July 15, 2014 at 5:00 pm EST

2014 National Car Rental South Florida PGA Assistant Championship presented by: National Rental Car

September 18-19, 2014 Verandah Golf Club Entries Close: Tuesday, July 22, 2014 at 5:00 pm EST

To register for any of the above events, call 1-800-474-2776 or visit www.pgatournaments.com

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