May newlsetter

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Volume 25 Number 3

Gene Fieger, PGA wins Senior PGA Professional National Championship

May, 2014

TOPICS NEWSLETTER

CHIP SHOTS

CONTACT US

NEW APPRENTICES The South Florida PGA would like to welcome the following new apprentices to the Section: Zachary Buschner B-8 The Loxahatchee Club Nathan Downs B-8 PGA Golf Club Brian Herring B-6 Osprey Point Golf Course Curtis Newbanks B-8 Royal Palm Yacht & CC Seth Pearman B-8 Crandon Golf Key Biscayne Joshua Rybak B-8 Gateway Golf & CC Keith Weachter B-8 Okeeheelee Golf Course Brian Karman B-8 Atlantic National Golf Club Bridget Ackley B-8 Palm Aire CC - Oaks & Cypress

NEW MEMBERS

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

561-729-0544 / 561-7290914 EMAIL

sflorida@pgahq.com WEBSITE

www.sfpgagolf.com

The South Florida PGA would like to welcome the following new members to the Section: Joseph Fleming, PGA A-6 GolfTEC - Ft. Myers Brett Graf, PGA A-8 Pelican Sound Golf & River Club Nicholas Haudek, PGA A-8 Old Marsh Golf Club Charles Mallo, PGA A-8 Parkland Golf & Country Club Jared Marschall, PGA A-8 Medalist Golf Club Perry Mullins, PGA A-8 Old Marsh Golf Club Nicholas Phillips, PGA A-8 The Forest Country Club Jacob Whitehouse, PGA A-8 The Quarry Douglas O’Neal II, PGA A-6 Don Law Golf Academy @ Ocean Breeze

PRESIDENT

PROS ON THE GO

Bob Mallek, PGA

PROFESSIONAL Michael Fischbeck, PGA Matthew Boyd, PGA Brian Gilchrist, PGA Jeffrey Willenberg, PGA Christopher Fletcher, PGA Kevin Kuehl, PGA Mark Doss, PGA David Feightner, PGA Christopher Duquette, PGA

TO FROM A-1 - Sandpiper GC A-1 - Middle Atlantic Sect A-4 - Martin Downs GC A-1 The Tesoro Club A-1 - Flamingo Lakes CC unattached unattached A-4 - Rio Mar CC B-1 - Lake Worth GC B-8 - Lake Worth GC A-1 - Gulf Harbour Y & CC A-8 - Gulf Harbour Y & CC A-4 - Gulf Harbour Y & CC A-1 - Gulf Harbour Y & CC unattached A-1 - The Club at Mediterra A-1 - TPC Eagle Trace A-8 - TPC Eagle Trace

QUARTER CENTURY CLUB

Congratulations to Gregory Long who was 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 25 years.

IN REMEMBRANCE

We offer our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of South Florida PGA Member Steve Hill. Steve successfully managed Osprey Point Golf Course since it’s opening in 2010 and will be dearly missed by all who knew him.

Warren Bottke, PGA VICE PRESIDENT

Mark VanDyck, PGA SECRETARY

Don Meadows, PGA IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT

Brian Peaper, PGA

SOUTHERN CHAPTER PRESIDENT 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 Kenn erly Matt Lambert Peter Lund Joe Steranka

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RESOURCES

TOPICS NEWSLETTER

IS YOUR PGA CAREERLINKS PROFILE CURRENT?

Now with the end of the season upon us, is your PGA CareerLinks Profile current? This is a perfect time to review your PGA CareerLinks Profile and be sure your skills and experiences are reflected accurately.

The information you provide is the information the PGA Employment Consultants use to create the searches requested by employers when new employment opportunities become available. It is important that every PGA Member visit their Profile on a regular basis as their skills are constantly evolving.

Also, I am sure each of you is aware of the seasonality associated with employment opportunities based on the location of the facility. It is a good idea to review your relocation preferences on a seasonal basis if you are interested in employment opportunities in other locations that have a different “high� season than your current PGA Section. So, take the time now to visit your PGA CareerLinks Profile to make sure it is providing the best service for you.

Mike McCollum, PGA PGA Employment Consultant

REQUIRED MSR CREDITS NOW AVAILABLE THROUGH ONLINE EDUCATION

The PGA of America is now offering eleven online video seminars worth 1 or 2 MSR credits in the PGA required category upon successful completion (70%) of the assessment at the end of each seminar session. Each seminar may only be taken once and there is just one assessment retake opportunity allowed. The topics include but are not limited to: Player Development, PerformanceTrak, CPP2.0, Connecting with Her, Staff Sales & Service Training, Knowing your Customer and more. These online courses are being offered in order to supplement the in-person opportunities available through Section meetings, Section education and Player Development/Golf 2.0 programming. Click here to view the online seminars.

2014 SFPGA ANNUAL AWARDS NOMINATIONS Each year the South Florida PGA awards thirteen deserving individuals with the following awards: Golf Professional of the Year, Teacher of the Year, Assistant of the Year, Merchandiser of the Year (Private, Public, Resort), Bill Strausbaugh, Horton Smith, Youth Player Development Award, PGA Player Development, Salesperson of the Year, Player of the Year, and Senior Player of the Year.

Individuals are nominated by their peers and honorees are chosen by a majority vote of the Awards Committee of the South Florida PGA. Nominations are now being accepted in each of the categories listed above. If you are an active PGA member in good standing please click here to complete an online nomination form.

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TOPICS NEWSLETTER

FOUNDATION NEWS

SPRING FLING AT THE CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA

PGA Professionals, Andy Scott and Mark Hamstra volunteer every week at the Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida for the South Florida PGA Foundation’s Smiling Fore Life Program. The Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida hosted the “Spring Fling”, a special event for kids who stay in the hospital or have recently been discharged. Scott and Hamstra were on-site during the event providing lessons and interacting with over 50 kids. Thank you to Andy Scott and Mark Hamstra for helping grow the game!

SOUTH FLORIDA PGA FOUNDATION TO CELEBRATE SIGN UNVEIL WITH HABITAT FOR HUMANITY OF BROWARD COUNTY WHAT:

Sign Unveil, sponsored by the South Florida PGA Foundation

WHEN:

WHERE:

Friday, May 16th at 9:30 a.m.

271 NE 34th St / Oakland Park

Atlantis, Fla. - Habitat for Humanity of Broward County, in partnership with the South Florida PGA Foundation, will have a sign unveiling on Friday, May 16th at 9:30 AM. 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.

The family that will be moving into this house and assisting with construction is the Cortijo-Witten family, parents Rohema and Brian and their three children Aj (18), Matese (15) and Amari (9). Rohema is a Pharmacy Technician for United Healthcare and Brian is the head of facilities at Plantation Elementary.

The goal for the family is to “have sons who grow up to become hard workers, honest and God fearing men”. The family is currently living in an insufficient run-down apartment and this new home will give them “a certain sense of accomplishment and stability.”

Following our sign unveil 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.”

For more details on how you can get involved and help with this project click here.

2013 Home Build

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CHIP SHOTS

TOPICS NEWSLETTER

SOUTHEAST CHAPTER AWARDS AND ELECTION The Southeast Chapter held their Spring Meeting on April 22, at Jonathan’s Landing Golf Club. This Spring began a new 2 year term for the Chapter Officers. Neil Lockie, PGA stepped down as Chapter President. Jim Leary, PGA was elected Chapter President, Rich Waage, PGA was elected Vice President, Paul Clivio, PGA was elected Secretary and Steve Hudson, PGA was elected Member at Large. In addition to the election, twelve individuals received awards at the Annual Awards Ceremony. Congratulations to the award winners!

Golf Professional of the Year: Don Meadows Teacher of the Year: Don Law Bill Strausbaugh Award: Neil Lockie Horton Smith Award: Cameron Wiebe Merchandiser of the Year (Public): Brian Symonds Merchandiser of the Year (Private): Sean Burke McDermott Merchandiser of the Year (Resort): Tim Collins Junior Golf Leader Award: Lee Stroever Assistant Golf Professional of the Year Award: Michael Ortega Player Development Award: Dave McNulty Distinguished Service Award: Kevin Compare Player of the Year Award: Brett McCurdy Assistant Professional Player of the Year Award: Brett McCurdy

New Southeast Chapter President, Jim Leary, PGA

Kevin Compare, Brian Symonds, Tim Collins, Neil Lockie, Lee Stroever, Don Meadows, Michael Ortega, Don Law, Dave McNulty, Cameron Wiebe, Sean Burke McDermott

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TOPICS NEWSLETTER

CHIP SHOTS

DRIVE, CHIP & PUTT QUALIFIERS IN SOUTH FLORIDA This summer, Drive, Chip and Putt qualifiers are coming to South Florida! 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 on Sunday, April 5, the eve of the 2015 Masters. Be sure to sign up your juniors for one of South Florida’s four local qualifiers! Click here to register. For more information, contact Tori Stock at tstock@pgahq.com.

Local Qualifiers: June 13 PGA Center for Golf Learning & Performance June 25 Osprey Point Golf Course July 2 Stoneybrook GC of Estero July 22 Plantation Preserve Golf Course

Port St. Lucie Boca Raton Estero Plantation

Sub-Regional Qualifier: August 7 PGA Center for Golf Learning & Performance

Port St. Lucie

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

Country Club of Coral Springs - Coral Springs, Fla. April 7, 2014 Shawn Adamczyk Michael Angarano James Bombard Jr Mark Brueggeman Timothy Cahill Jonah Delvillar Ellen Dunne Armando Echeverria

Seth Francis Jacob Gabel Michael DeGriff Michael Meisenzahl Jorge Monteagudo Alexander Park Lara Pavloff

ADMIRALS COVE RAISES MONEY FOR SFPGA FOUNDATION Admirals Cove hosted its 13th PGA /LPGA Shootout to raise money for the South Florida PGA Foundation. This event featured 15 PGA Professionals and Assistants playing four holes, with the top-6 moving into the shootout portion of the event on holes 5-9. Over 300 members came out to watch the event and were able to bet on who would win, place or show in $10 increments with $5 going towards the foundation and $5 going towards the payout.

The event raised over $3,500 for the South Florida PGA Foundation. Thank you to PGA Professionals Sean McDermott and Matt King for organizing the successful event!

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TOPICS NEWSLETTER

CHIP SHOTS

PGA PROFESSIONAL, JOE KERN DONATES KIDNEY TO CLUB MEMBER

Joe Kern, PGA, Head Professional at Indian River Club went on a fishing trip with one of his club members to Lake Okeechobee a few months ago.

The club member informed Kern that this would be their last fishing trip together because he was in kidney failure and would soon be going on dialysis. Without hesitation, Kern asked the member what his blood type was. Upon hearing they had the same blood type; Kern told the member that he had would donate his kidney to him.

Once the fishing trip was over, Kern gave blood and went through a few tests to ensure his kidney would be a good match. They decided to perform the procedure in April so that Kern could spend the winter months at the club during the busy golf season. On April 1, Kern and the club member traveled to the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville to have the transplant. Though the first few days took a toll on Kern, he says that he is feeling great now.

The Club member is doing well in his recovery.

Kern played in his first event since the procedure on April 28 at the Nelson Cup Matches. He was a member of the victorious Southeast Chapter Team.

TOURNAMENT NEWS NELSON CUP MATCHES NAPLES, Fla. – Southeast Chapter professionals pulled out a five-point victory Monday at The Club at Pelican Bay in the 20th annual Nelson Cup matches conducted by the South Florida PGA Section.

The Southeast Chapter, which stretches from Boca Raton to Vero Beach, edged the Southwest Chapter, 71 ½ to 66 ½. The Southern Chapter was third with 24 points. The Southwest includes the Naples-Fort Myers area, the Southern primarily Broward and Miami-Dade counties.

It was the seventh win for the Southeast Chapter since Nelson Cup play began in 1992. The Southwest has 10, the Southern 3.

The Southeast Team included the following PGA Professionals: Mike Berger, Tom Cleaver, Jason Hrynkiw, Jerry Impellittierre, Chris Kaufman, Joe Kern, Brett McCurdy, Alan Morin, Matt Newman, Chris Stanko, Richard Terga, and Jeff Waber.

Alan Morin, Joe Kern, Richard Terga, Jason Hrynkiw, John Nelson, Matt Newman, Jeff Waber, Chris Kaufman and Chris Stanko; not pictured Mike Berger, Tom Clever, Jerry Impellittierre and Brett McCurdy

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TOURNAMENT NEWS

TOPICS NEWSLETTER

MCKENNA & KEAN ARE VICTORIOUS AT BONITA BAY CLUB NAPLES

NAPLES, Fla. – Sunday, April 6, twenty-two PGA and LPGA Professionals teed off in the 4th annual South Florida PGA Women’s Pro-Pro Championship supported by Inspired Style by Spanner and The PGA Tour. This event was contested on the Sabal course at Bonita Bay Club Naples.

Claiming victory in this eighteen hole better ball team event was PGA Professional Tara McKenna of the PGA Golf Management Univeristy Program at Florida Gulf Coast University and LPGA Professional Laurel Kean of LaPlaya Beach and Golf Club. Team McKenna and Kean fired an impressive 68, four under par to finish two shots ahead of their nearest competition PGA Professional Eileen Kraemer of Lost Tree Club and LPGA Professional Michelle McGann.

Elliott McDonnell, PGA, Tara McKenna, PGA, Laurel Kean, LPGA, and Brian Glasco, PGA

MIKE DERO & MICHAEL REILLY WIN PRO-OFFICIAL CHAMPIONSHIP PLANTATION, Fla. – Mike Dero, PGA and Michael Reilly of Quail Creek Country Club in Naples played a spectacular round of golf together at Plantation Preserve Golf Course during the 2014 Pro-Official Championship presented by: Club Car & Weather Bug and supported by Club Glove, TravisMathew and Agricredit. Dero and Reilly finished their round with a team score of eleven under par, 61, just edging out their nearest competitors PGA Professional Tim Collins and Danielle Skorski of The Breakers Ocean Course in a scorecard playoff. Finishing alone in third place with a score of 62 was the team of Jason Hrynkiw, PGA and Bruce Allman from Gleneagles Country Club.

Ryan Zug, PGA and Bernie Carballo of Admiral’s Cove won the low gross division, also by scorecard playoff, over Nathan Johnson, PGA and Brian Melton of Quail Creek Country Club after shooting a combined score of 66.

In addition to the Net and Gross Divisions, four PGA professionals tied for low pro. Jason Hrynkiw of Gleneagles Country Club, Brett McCurdy of the Breakers Rees Jones Course, Chad Kurmel of Boca Grove Golf and Tennis and Brad McCollum of Ibis Golf & Country Club each shot five under par rounds of 67.

Lastly, congratulatoins to Brad McCollum on his hole-in-one on hole number 2 from 141 yards.

The event consisted of 40 teams, comprised of one South Florida PGA Professional and one official from the Professional’s place of employment, playing in a best ball competition.

Michael Reilly, Mike Dero, PGA, Ryan Zug, PGA and Bernie Carballo

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TOURNAMENT NEWS

TOPICS NEWSLETTER

GENE FIEGER WINS THE 25TH SOUTHWORTH SENIOR PGA PROFESSIONAL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP Gene Fieger, PGA Director of Golf at the Hideout Golf Club, won the 25th Southworth Senior PGA Professional National Championship presented by Mercedes-Benz. Fieger won by six strokes by finishing with a 72-hole total of 13-under par 275. Fieger is the fifth South Florida PGA Section member to win the event.

The Championship took place in Port St. Lucie at PGA Golf Club. Originally, it was supposed to be held in northern Virginia, but was postponed due to a week of heavy rain last October.

“I don’t play too many four-round tournaments, but this was a thrill,” said Fieger, whose best previous Championship performance was a tie for 15th in 2010. “I broke 70 all four rounds. In this wind, that’s really an accomplishment. I felt at home all four days, and I’ve played here a lot. You get the lead and you just try to get the ball in the fairway and on the green. That’s what I tried to do most of the day. Except for a little stumble in the middle, I hit some great chip shots. It was thrilling.”

Twelve SFPGA PGA Professionals competed in the Senior PGA Professional National Championship: Peter Beringer, Chris Campbell, Gene Fieger, Jerry Impellittiere, Jim Karr, Ken Martin, Ric Nalyd, Pete Oakley, Brian Peaper, Lee Rinker, Jim Traub and Jerry Tucker.

Fieger, along with Lee Rinker and Jerry Impellittiere, finished in the top-35 and will move onto the 75th Senior PGA Championship, May 22-25, at Harbor Shores in Benton Harbor, Mich.

NAYLD & SCALETTA FIRE 59 IN THE JUNIOR SENIOR Rick Nalyd of Naples and Paul Scaletta of Jupiter teamed up Thursday to win the South Florida PGA Senior-Junior Championship presented by Yamaha and supported by Global Golf Sales, The PGA Tour and The Links of Boynton Beach. This was the 13th consecutive year that this event was played at The Links at Boynton Beach.

Beginning at No. 16 in a shotgun start, Nalyd and Scaletta birdied Nos. 18, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 and 8 before closing the front side with an eagle at the par-4 ninth hole. They added birdies at 11 and 14 for a 12 under par 59, winning by two shots. It was the first victory in the Senior-Junior for Nalyd, an assistant professional at Bonita Bay Club East, Naples, and Scaletta, a teaching professional at The Bear’s Club, Jupiter.

They received $1,657.89 apiece, including $1,046.56 from the purse, $418 from the bonus pool and $193.33 in the skins game. It was the first senior-junior win for either player. Nalyd now has two SFPGA titles, Scaletta three.

There were 59 teams in the mixed format event: holes 1-6, scramble; 7-12, four-ball stroke play; and 13-18, modified Pinehurst.

Paul Scaletta, PGA, Ron Tapper, PGA, Tommy Dee and Ric Nayld, PGA

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SFPGA JUNIOR TOUR

TOPICS NEWSLETTER

SUTCLIFFE AND FOSTER VICTORIOUS AT MARTIN DOWNS GOLF CLUB

ATLANTIS, Fla. – April 5-6, the SFPGA Junior Challenge Tour presented by The Honda Classic held event #2 at Martin Downs Golf Club in Stuart.

The Boys 11-12 division featured some tremendous play from the weekend. Plantation native, Kade Cannon fired an opening round 2-under par 70 to take the lead entering round two. Jake Beber-Frankel, who won Challenge Event #2, made a strong charge at Cannon’s lead during round two by shooting a 3-under par 69. Despite Beber-Frankel’s efforts, Cannon finished round two with a 76 to win the Boys 11-12 division by 1 shot. Miami native Phoebe Beber-Frankel continued her superb play by winning the Girls 11-12 age division for the second straight tournament.

Ryder Sutcliffe, who won Challenge Event #1 in a two hole playoff, would need only 1 playoff hole this time around to secure the win. Sutcliffe Hannah Foster, Chris Cravotta,, Ryder Sutcliffe drained a 17 foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole over Joseph Lewis of Coral Springs to capture the Overall Boys title. Lewis would go on to win the boys 13-15 age division. Blake Schmalenberger of Vero Beach took home the boys 16-18 age division.

In the Girls Overall division, Hobe Sound native Hannah Foster entered the second round with a 3 shoot lead over Gabrielle Soares and Taylor Caradonna. Foster won the Overall Girls title by 6 strokes and captured her first victory of the year. Caradonna would go on to win the Girls 13-15 age division. Vero Beach native Cassidy Stepanek would take home the girls 16-18 age division.

GABRIELE AND DURKIN TAKE TOP HONORS AT INDIAN SPRING COUNTRY CLUB

ATLANTIS, Fla. - April 12-13, the SFPGA Junior Championship Tour presented by The Honda Classic held event #4 at Indian Spring Country Club in Boynton Beach.

Anthony Gabriele, of Wellington, managed to continue his outstanding play and take home the boys overall division title. Gabriele, who has won the last two Championship Tour events, entered the second round two shots behind Port St. Lucie native Hiro Minakawa. Gabriele managed to fire a final round 2 under par 70 to capture the boys division by 1 shot over Matt Newman of Parkland. Newman would go on to win the boys 16-18 age division title.

Miami native Jack Fumagalli took home the boys 13-15 age division title.

Julia Durkin of Miramar, opened up round one with a 2 under par 70 in extremely windy conditions. Wellington native Mary Janiga would mount a strong charge at Durkin’s lead during round two, but fell short of capturing the title. Durkin would go on to shoot a final round 78 and take the girls overall title by 1 stroke over Janiga. Janiga went on to win the girls 16-18 age division, while Palm City native Emily Faulkner would take home the girls 13-15 age division title.

Anthony Gabriele, Mike McClellan PGA, Julia Durkin

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TOPICS NEWSLETTER

RULES WITH DREW BEETLE BALL

The other day a friend of mine shared a rules situation he encountered that was so rare and interesting I had to write about it in this month’s segment of Rules with Drew. So a player hits his drive down the middle of the fairway. When he finally arrived at his ball he noticed the ball was moving ever so slightly back and forth. There wasn’t a presence of a strong wind that day so you can only imagine the player’s confusion. As luck would have it, a rules official was riding by just at that moment, so the player flagged him down. When the official asked how he could help, the player just pointed to his ball. The official looked at the ball, glanced at the player and then looked again, more closely at the ball this time and said, “Well, that’s interesting.” After a few more seconds of watching the ball oscillate back and forth, the official got down on his hands and knees to get a view of the ball from ground level. To his surprised he saw a Japanese beetle pinned on his back between the ball and ground. The beetle was moving his legs frantically; trying to free itself from the weight of the ball and in doing so was moving the ball ever so slightly.

The official stood up and told the player what was causing the movement. The player, not believing his ears, bent down to see for himself. The player stood up and asked, “What do we do now?”

A beetle is a loose impediment by definition which states, “worms, insects and the like are loose impediments provided they are not fixed or growing, solidly embedded or adhering to the ball.” Since the ball was located on top of the beetle (loose impediment) it would be no different than had the ball come to rest atop a leaf. Decision 23-1/5 states that an insect crawling on a ball is not considered to be adhering to the ball, thus the insect does not lose its status as a loose impediment. Rule 23 allows for removal of the loose impediment, however given that the ball lies through the green (fairway), if the balls moves as a result of removing the loose impediment, the player would be penalized one stroke under Rule 18-2a for moving his ball in play. Had the ball been on the putting green, the situation would be different as the player would be permitted to remove the loose impediment without restriction and if the ball moved it could be replaced without penalty.

So, the player would have to play his ball at it lie or declare it unplayable under Rule 28 and proceed under one of those relief options incurring a penalty of one stroke. But, I know what you’re thinking…Drew, Rule 14-5 prohibits a player from making a stroke at the ball while it’s moving. And you would be correct. However, according the definitions, a ball is deemed to have moved, “if it leaves its position and comes to rest in any other place.” In this situation the ball was not moving, it was merely oscillating. Furthermore, Decision 14-5/2 states, “an oscillating ball is not moving as defined by the Rules of Golf, there is no penalty for making a stroke at an oscillating ball.”

What would have been the ruling had the beetle been successful in moving the ball? For arguments sake, let’s say as both the player and official were hovering over the ball trying to determine what was causing the oscillation, the ball suddenly rolled about an inch and a half revealing the no longer trapped beetle. Would the player have to play the ball as it lie or replace it? Under this circumstance, the beetle would be considered an outside agency and Rule 18-1 applies. Rule 18-1 tells us that when it is known or virtually certain an outside agency has caused the ball to move, it must be replaced. Assuming the beetle didn’t quickly fly away after being freed, the player would be permitted to remove the beetle before replacing his ball as the beetle didn’t lose his status as a loose impediment. Had the player failed to replace the ball, unfortunately he would have been on the hook for a penalty of two strokes for breach of Rule 20-7, playing from a wrong place.

One of the things that makes golf so unique is that it’s played outdoors bringing into play all sorts of different elements like; sun, rain, wind, animals, insects, etc. When these elements get involved with the game it can lead to some very interesting rules situations. If you encounter a unique ruling, I would like to hear about it. Please contact me at amiller@pgahq.com.

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TOPICS NEWSLETTER

NEWS & UPCOMING UPCOMING SECTION EVENTS

UPCOMING CHAPTER EVENTS

Assistant, Head Pro, Senior Championship Santa Lucia River Club May 20

Jr. Tour Challenge #3 The Vineyards May 3-4 SF Senior Open Pro-Am Jonathan’s Landing at Old Trail May 7

Pro Only #2 Bonaventure Country Club May 19

Titleist Footjoy Vero Beach Shootout Hawk’s Nest Golf Club May 27

SF Senior Open Jonathan’s Landing at Old Trail May 8-9

Spring Meeting The Quarry May 5

Ft. Lauderdale Open Coral Ridge Country Club May 12-13 Jr. Tour Challenge #4 PGA Golf Club May 17-18 Foundation Pro-Am Old Collier May 19

Puerto Rico Classic Dorado Beach Resort & Club May 8-10

Chapter Pro-Pro Naples National Golf Club May 20

Dominican Republic Open Casa de Campo Resort May 15-18

Stableford Championship The Club at Olde Cypress May 28-29

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: Jr Challenge Tour #4 - PGA Golf Club -May 17-18 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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