SNGA Home Course Specials for Palm Valley Golf Club and Highland Falls Golf Club SNGA members receive special rates on tee times with reservations up to 7 days in advance with no restrictions
Special Rates $50 Anytime / $36 after 1:00PM
Feb.
$39 EVERY FRIDAY until May 18, 2012
2012 Issue
Visit www.golfsummerlin.com for more information Call 702-254-7010 for your tee time
The Official Newsletter of the Southern Nevada Golf Association
The Grind In This Issue >>>
When I started my term as President of the SNGA, the furthest thought from my mind was that a day would come within the next 2 years that the SNGA would need to find a new Executive Director. Nicole Dutt-Roberts has worked tirelessly for the SNGA over the last four years to keep our organization moving forward in what has been a very difficult operating environment. Her hours have been long and tiring in the quest to keep the SNGA at the forefront of golf in Nevada, and she has succeeded in that endeavor.
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Presidents Corner Callaway Golf Center Presidents Corner (Cont.) Danielle Gladd Farewell To A Friend Bring Golf to a Child WSNGA Update Spirit of Golf Clinic Callaway Razr Job Opportunities Michael Jordan Celebrity Cl. Misunderstood Rules What’s On Tap?
Full Article on page 4 Page 1
KUDOS TO SNGA MEMBERS “FORE� STEPPING UP TO THE PLATE Dear SNGA Member, I sent out a letter to you in December asking for your help with the 2,012 for 2012 campaign. In this letter you were able to read the hear felt sentiments from the youth who The First Tee of Southern Nevada serves. I am grateful to all of you who were able to step up to the plate and donate way beyond the $8,500 matching goal. To date, this campaign has brought in close to $35,000!!!
Thanks again for your support to help keep kids off the street, Nicole Dutt-Roberts Page 2
PRESIDENT’S CORNER When I started my term as President of the SNGA, the furthest thought from my mind was that a day would come within the next 2 years that the SNGA would need to find a new Executive Director. Nicole Dutt-Roberts has worked tirelessly for the SNGA over the last four years to keep our organization moving forward in what has been a very difficult operating environment. Her hours have been long and tiring in the quest to keep the SNGA at the forefront of golf in Nevada, and she has succeeded in that endeavor. However, due to the tough economic conditions that we have all been facing over the last 4 years, the SNGA’s Executive Board recently approved an organizational restructuring. This restructuring includes the hiring of an additional employee to focus on Sales and Marketing for the organization, eliminating the Assistant Executive Director position, and developing a new Tournament Director position. The expected result is a more efficient allocation of tasks, with an organizational focus to continue the role of the SNGA being the regional affiliate for the United States Golf Association in Southern Nevada, continuing to represent the amateur golf community in the region by providing services to individual members, member clubs, and other local and regional golf associations and to preserve and promote the game of golf. Although we were hoping that we could utilize Nicole’s talents in our reformatted organizational structure, this moment became an appropriate time for Nicole and the SNGA to part ways. All of us thank Nicole for all of her efforts, for her dedication to the job and her success in keeping the SNGA moving forward in a very positive manner. We wish Nicole only the best in all that she may pursue. With Nicole’s departure, we were hopeful that Drew Smith, our current Assistant Executive Director, would move into the role of Executive Director. However, although Mr. Smith was appreciative of the offer, Drew is making some personal and career moves that preclude him from continuing with the SNGA. We are very grateful for Drew’s service and wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors. Drew will help us in the transition that is required at this time and we are thankful for his assistance as we move to restaff our offices. In fact, we have just moved into our new offices, located at 8020 W Sahara, Suite 200. Thus, as we work to put our new office in place, while also working to attract and engage new staff employees, I ask for our Members’ patience as systems and procedures may not run as smoothly as normal in the very short term. However, the Executive Committee and the Executive Board are committed to moving our transition through to completion and normal operations in a very short time frame. Once again, we all thank Nicole and Drew for their dedicated service to the SNGA and wish them the best, always. Sincerely, Steven Fink, President Southern Nevada Golf Association
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Danielle Gladd Will Be Missed! It is with a heavy heart I share with you that I am leaving my position of Executive Director of The First Tee of Southern Nevada. My last day will be Monday, February 13, 2012. I have enjoyed working here and I sincerely appreciate having had the chance to work for the youth of Southern Nevada. I cannot say enough wonderful things about TFTSN, about the amazing staff, coaches and volunteers with whom I have worked, about you, the community and especially about the kids and families who make what I have been able to accomplish have meaning. My main thoughts have been to work as hard as possible to wrap up my projects here and turn over my responsibilities as smoothly as possible. Working for TFTSN has been a great learning experience. My work with TFTSN, as the representative on the Nevada Golf Industry Alliance Board and Southern Nevada Golf Association Board has been rewarding. I have grown in many ways and appreciate the opportunities. Thank you for the support and encouragement that has been provided me during my last six years at The First Tee of Southern Nevada. Please keep in touch. I can be reached on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/pub/danielle-gladd/9/499/424 Again, thanks so much for your support. Kind regards, Danielle Gladd
June 21, 2012 Revere @ Anthem Golf Club 1 Day 2 Courses 55,000 Kids Say 'Thank You!' For more information go to www.TFTSN.org or contact Trina Moody at weremoody@embarqmail.com or via cell phone at 702-203-0513
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Farewell To a Long-Time Friend and Loyal Volunteer! It is with sadness that I am telling you the news that Jimmy Alexander, a long-time friend of the WWMGA and the SNGA has passed away. Mike Bridges was quoted as saying “Jimmy was a father figure to me. He is the one who got me involved with the Winter Woods Men’s Golf Association (WWMGA) when I first moved to town many years ago. He encouraged me to learn the rules of golf after he penalized me for raking footprints in a bunker before I hit my shot. He was a mentor to me and I will never forget”. Jimmy persuaded Mike to become a board member of the WWMGA and Jimmy’s alternate on the SNGA Board in order to give back to the golf community and support amateur golf in Southern Nevada. To date, Jimmy and Mike and have been the only two WWMGA Board members to serve on the SNGA Board. Jimmy was so respected by his peers that they named an award after him, the Jim Alexander Award. This is awarded to a person for personifying the ideals of golf, sportsmanship, knowledge of the rules of the game and promotion of golf to the young and for meritorious service to Winter Wood Men’s Golf Association, the SNGA and the Nevada State Golf Association. Eric Dutt, Former Executive Director of the SNGA and Director of Golf operations for Caesars was quoted as saying, "I was fortunate to meet Jimmy Alexander in the late 1960’s when I was ten years old and the entire Dutt family played golf at Winterwood Golf Club. My brother Mark and I worked there for a number of years as we grew older and played many rounds of golf with Jimmy and some of the other members of the Winterwood Men’s Golf Association. I can honestly say that I was privileged enough to have known Jimmy for some 43 years of my life. He was a long time volunteer and supporter of golf in Southern Nevada through the SNGA and the Winterwood Men’s Golf Association and a driving force in the charity golf event conducted by the Winterwood Association that raised funds for scholarships. I and the entire Dutt family will cherish our memories of time with him and will miss him dearly." Fellow WWMGA member, Kevin Keegan was quoted as saying “Jimmy was a wonderful member of the WWMGA since the early 1970s who kept us informed on the rules of golf and encouraged us to participate in tournaments and events of the SNGA. He was an ambassador of both the WWMGA and the SNGA to the Nevada golf community”. Jimmy’s lifelong service to the golf community was undeniable when he was instrumental in organizing the WWMGA Charity Classic in 1988. Since its inception, over $100,000 has been donated in scholarship aid to graduating members of the Boulder City High School Boys and Girls golf teams. Jimmy used his connections in the community to acquire many of the items used for prizes and after 24 years, many of his contacts still contribute to the event out of respect and love for Jimmy. Dan Cooney, another WWMGA member and lifetime friend of Jimmy’s said “Jimmy was always the perfect gentlemen on the golf course. He had a special way of solving problems or disputes when they arose with his calming influence. We were very close and I miss him”.
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February 2012 Welcome to the 2012 Golf Season! The first Team Play event of the season took place on February 13, at the Anthem Revere Course (we hope those of you who were there have thawed out by now!). Our next Team Play match takes place on March 5, 2012, at the Las Vegas Country Club. For results and more information about Team Play matches, please check the WSNGA web site: www.wsnga.org. Speaking of the web site, we are very excited about our new and improved, “user-friendly” web site. All upcoming WSNGA events are listed on the site with direct links to entry forms and other relevant information about each event! While there are lots of great events coming up, a couple that we’d like to call your attention to are the Southern Nevada Senior Amateur tournament that will take place at Painted Desert on May 7 – 8, 2012, followed by the USGA Women’s Amateur Public Links Qualifier, also at painted Desert, on May 28, 2012. Check out our web site for entry forms and more information about these exciting tournaments. Finally, since this page is dedicated to information of interest to all golfers and WSNGA members, we’d like to remind you that there have been some significant and interesting USGA Rules changes this year (the issue of the ball being moved by the wind after it’s been addressed came up quite a few times during the last Team Play event at Anthem). Knowing the Rules of Golf can help you or hurt you, so please consider familiarizing yourself with the 2012 changes by attending a Rules Clinic or having your Club or Facility sponsor a Clinic. Contact us if you need more information about Rules Clinics.
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One of the most basic principles in our lives that becomes important to understand is that we cannot have anything until we first imagine it through the mind. This is as true with a golf shot as it is with anything else. It is how we internally activate an idea through imagination, emotion, and belief that either brings the experience closer to us or pushes it further away. Join Tim N. Kremer, M.A., president and founder of Spirit of Golf, for an exceptionally powerful daylong workshop/clinic as you learn to tap into the power of the mind to improve every aspect of your golf game. You’ll experience first-hand how the inner world of thought and emotion precedes every golf shot you hit, and you’ll learn to access a calm, focused, and confident state you can carry with you onto the golf course or anywhere else you go. This daylong event, brought to you by the Southern Nevada Golf Association (SNGA), includes a morning workshop in which you will learn new mental and emotional skills, followed by an early afternoon clinic on the practice range (limited to 35 participants). Following the workshop, Tim will conduct a 9-hole playing clinic for up to nine players. Attendance in the morning and mid-day sessions is a prerequisite to this playing lesson. If there is enough interest, Tim will conduct similar events the following day. “Tim has taken some of the latest and most advanced concepts in the field of mind/body development and made them available to golfers and others through Spirit of Golf. He offers a pioneering and leading-edge approach to peak athletic performance that will serve anyone extremely well. I believe that the information he shares will become the new standard for improvement in golf, and I encourage those who are interested in taking their games to a higher level to attend one of his events.”
SPIRIT OF GOLF Tim N. Kremer, Founder Spirit of Golf, LLC 236 SW Coconut Key Way St. Lucie West, FL 34986 Phone: 772-879-1978 E-mail: info@myspiritofgolf.com www.myspiritofgolf.com
- Linda Vollstedt, Arizona State University Golf Coach 1980-2011, 6 NCAA Championships, mentored 22 LPGA Tour Players, NGCA Hall of Fame along with 4 other halls of fame.
CLICK HERE to view an sample of one of the Spirit of Golf Clinics. "When You Really want to Improve." Date: Saturday, May 5 Time: 8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. (morning and mid-day workshop/range clinic); 2:15 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. (9-Hole playing clinic)(Three 3-somes) Location: Boulder Creek Golf Club 1501 Veterans Memorial Drive Boulder City, NV 89005 SNGA Member Cost: $100, which includes the workshop, continental breakfast and lunch, and the early afternoon range clinic; $150, which includes the workshop, continental breakfast and lunch, the early afternoon range clinic, and a 9-Hole playing clinic (maximum of 9 players)(Three 3-somes) Non SNGA Member Cost: $150, which includes the workshop, continental breakfast and lunch, and the early afternoon range clinic; $200, which includes the workshop, continental breakfast and lunch, the early afternoon range clinic, and a 9-Hole playing clinic (maximum of 9 players)(Three 3-somes) Info: SNGA must have 35 committed attendees by March 1, 2012 and payment by March 14, 2012 in order for this amazing clinic to take place.
CLICK HERE for more information and to register.
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Callaway RAZR Fit Now Available at Callaway Golf Center and Las Vegas Golf and Tennis! Callaway Golf let the world play the new RAZR Fit driver and fairway woods on February 17. All over, every day golfers had the chance to purchase the next generation of adjustable drivers and woods and golf equipment. Las Vegas served as the location for the marketing spots behind the launch of the club with Phil Mickelson, Alvaro Quiros, Annika Sorenstam, and many others spending a week here in late 2011 filming. The biggest Las Vegas launch event took place at Callaway Golf Center on the Las Vegas Strip February 18. But the RAZR series and HEX golf balls are available there or at the two Las Vegas Golf and Tennis locations. SNGA members should call Callaway Golf Center (897.9500) or LVGT (892.9999) for details and custom fitting appointments. --By Brian Hurlburt In spots airing seemingly during every major golf tournament--and other sporting events--long-hitting Alvaro Quiros can be seen driving a ball over the famed Bellagio Fountains. Thousands of spectators watch along the Las Vegas Strip watch as the fountains burst to life, trailing the ball as it screams over the water. Ultimately the ball splashes down 310 yards from launch, into the water with fireworks exploding. Click now to watch theQuiros/Bellagio video. From the official Callaway press release: "Building on 29 years of clubmaking excellence, Callaway's much-anticipated RAZR Fit line of woods represents the Company's most advanced products to date. By combining the performance benefits gained from several proprietary technologies with an easy-tounderstand, adjustable hosel—plus moveable weights to promote draw or neutral ball flight—Callaway is empowering players around the world to dial in their game with RAZR Fit. Marking a new standard in performance customization, RAZR Fit's straightforward adjustability delivers optimum performance and real results for every golf swing." The Callaway Golf Center is a prolific practice and golf experience located at the south end of the Las Vegas Strip. Visitors and locals enjoy the two-tiered practice range, lighted par 3 course, pro shop, restaurant and short game areas. Click now to view the official website for Callaway Golf Center. "We are particularly proud of the RAZR Fit products because of the performance gains we have achieved for golfers while adding the benefits of adjustability," said Dr. Alan Hocknell, Sr. Vice President of Research & Development, Callaway Golf, in a statement. "Callaway is not just entering the adjustability race with the introduction of RAZR Fit, we are taking the pole position. The adjustable features and other proprietary technologies allow golfers to play a more meaningful role than ever before in their journey to optimized performance." The RAZR Fit Driver and RAZR Fit Fairway Woods both feature Callaway's renowned OptiFit® adjustability system—designed for easy use and noticeable changes in trajectory for each of the settings. The system allows golfers to adjust the club's face angle to three address positions: Open, Square and Closed. This adjustment is controlled within the "cog," a rotatable element of the hosel that changes the angle of the shaft axis relative to the head. Rotating the cog enables golfers to choose a preferred look at address while also minimizing a slice or hook generated by the club's delivery to the ball. Because the shaft does not rotate with the cog, shaft graphics and grip reminders remain consistent to the player's eye when they adjust the face angle. In the driverhead, OptiFit weights (12 grams and 2 grams) are included in the clubhead's sole and are also adjustable, allowing golfers to shift the center of gravity to promote a perceivable draw or neutral ball flight. Brian Hurlburt is the founding editor of http://www.GolfLasVegasNow.com. Page 8
SNGA Job Opportunities JOB TITLE: Executive Director (ED) REPORTS TO: Executive Committee (EC) WORKS WITH: Staff, volunteers, golf course staff, and tournament players GENERAL DEFINITION OF POSITION: This “at-will” Executive Director position is the chief executive officer and administrative agent of Southern Nevada Golf Association. The Executive Director is responsible for carrying out the policies and directions of the President, the Executive Committee, the Board of Directors; the by-laws of The Southern Nevada Golf Association doing business as Southern Nevada Golf Association. This position is responsible for the overall vision, leadership, management, community relations, general communications, budget, and all staff relations of the organization. In addition, the Executive Director is also responsible for oversight of the SNGA Tournaments operated and managed by Southern Nevada Golf Association.
CLICK HERE for a full job description
________________________________________________________________________ JOB TITLE: Tournament Coordinator REPORTS TO: Executive Director (ED) WORKS WITH: Staff, volunteers, golf course staff, and tournament players GENERAL DEFINITION OF POSITION: Primary responsibility is to administer the SNGA Tour as well as other Special Events as created. This position will also assist in the administration of some of the SNGA’s Championships and USGA Qualifiers as well as serve as the SNGA’s Volunteer Coordinator and provide support to other departments with regards to overall membership initiatives.
CLICK HERE for a full job description
________________________________________________________________________ JOB TITLE: PJ Boatwright Jr. Intern REPORTS TO: Executive Director (ED) WORKS WITH: Staff, volunteers, golf course staff, and tournament players GENERAL DEFINITION OF POSITION: The intern will work under the supervision of the association’s Executive Director, Tournament Director and Department Heads and will be exposed to all areas of the administration of amateur golf in Southern Nevada. START DATE: TBD PAY: $2000/month DURATION: 8 months
CLICK HERE for a full job description
________________________________________________________________________ Please submit resumes to info@snga.org
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Be a part of the 11th Annual Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitational
THURSDAY, MARCH 29 through SUNDAY, APRIL 1 SHADOW CREEK GOLF COURSE To register to volunteer, please email mjvolunteer@mgmresorts.com by Friday, March 9 and include the followinginformation: l l l l l l
Name Contact Number Email address Referral source - How did you learn about the volunteer opportunity Golf knowledge, if any Scheduling Option(s) from below: Option 1 2 3 4
Date Thursday, March 29 and Friday, March 30 Thursday, March 29 and Friday, March 30 Thursday, March 29 and Friday, March 30 Saturday, March 31 and Sunday, April 1
Shift All Day Morning Afternoon All Day
Misunderstood Rules Provided by SNGA
IMPORTANT!! New and Updated Rules for 2012! Information provided by the USGA. For more information please visit www.usga.org Definitions Addressing the Ball: The Definition is amended so that a player has addressed the ball simply by grounding his club immediately in front of or behind the ball, regardless of whether or not he has taken his stance. Therefore, the Rules generally no longer provide for a player addressing the ball in a hazard. (See also related change to Rule 18-2b)
Rules Rule 1-2. Exerting Influence on Movement of Ball or Altering Physical Conditions. The Rule is amended to establish more clearly that, if a player intentionally takes an action to influence the movement of a ball or to alter physical conditions affecting the playing of a hole in a way that is not permitted by the Rules, Rule 1-2 applies only when the action is not already covered in another Rule. For example, a player improving the lie of his ball is in breach of Rule 13-2 and therefore that Rule would apply, whereas a player intentionally improving the lie of a fellow-competitor’s ball is not a situation covered by Rule 13-2 and, therefore, is governed by Rule 1-2. Rule 6-3a. Time of Starting. Rule 6-3a is amended to provide that the penalty for starting late, but within five minutes of the starting time, is reduced from disqualification to loss of the first hole in match play or two strokes at the first hole in stroke play. Previously this penalty reduction could be introduced as a condition of competition. Rule 12-1. Seeing Ball; Searching for Ball. Rule 12-1 is reformatted for clarity. In addition, it is amended to (i) permit a player to search for his ball anywhere on the course when it may be covered by sand and to clarify that there is no penalty if the ball is moved in these circumstances, and (ii) apply a penalty of one stroke under Rule 18-2a if a player moves his ball in a hazard when searching for it when it is believed to be covered by loose impediments. Rule 13-4. Ball in Hazard; Prohibited Actions. Exception 2 to Rule 13-4 is amended to permit a player to smooth sand or soil in a hazard at any time, including before playing from that hazard, provided it is for the sole purpose of caring for the course and Rule 13-2 is not breached. Rule 18-2b. Ball Moving After Address. A new Exception is added that exonerates the player from penalty if his ball moves after it has been addressed when it is known or virtually certain that he did not cause the ball to move. For example, if it is a gust of wind that moves the ball after it has been addressed, there is no penalty and the ball is played from its new position. Rule 19-1. Ball in Motion Deflected or Stopped; By Outside Agency. The note is expanded to prescribe the various outcomes when a ball in motion has been deliberately deflected or stopped by an outside agency. Rule 20-7c. Playing from Wrong Place; Stroke Play. Note 3 is amended so that if a player is to be penalized for playing from a wrong place, in most cases the penalty will be limited to two strokes, even if another Rule has been breached prior to his making the stroke. Appendix IV. A new Appendix is added to prescribe general regulations for the design of devices and other equipment, such as tees, gloves and distance measuring devices.
Have a rules question? Contact the SNGA! Page 12
Las Vegas Country Club book captures historic Club and story of Las Vegas The recently released coffee table book, The Las Vegas Country Club: Chronicle of an Icon, authored by longtime Las Vegas golf writer Brian Hurlburt, captures everything that the Club and Las Vegas are about. The first private, equity Club in Las Vegas was the home of the movers and shakers (Irwin Molasky, Steve Wynn, Kirk Kerkorian, Carolyn and Oscar Goodman, etc.). Also a part of the Club history is the presence of members of organized crime—the Club was the real-life back drop for the movie Casino as the main characters (Frank Rosenthal, Tony Spilotro) were Las Vegas Country Club members. Also, celebrities, politicians, and athletes from all over the world played and partied at the Club. Among them were Gerald Ford, Dean Martin, Bill Clinton, Jim Brown, Joe Dimaggio, and many, many more. Legendary Las Vegas Country Club tennis pro Johnny Lane captures what many are saying about the book: “I have been fortunate to have been the tennis pro at The Las Vegas Country Club for the last 30 years, and I know a lot about this wonderful place, but after reading this book, I know even more of the story. It seems like with every page there were more and new interesting details and information about the members and the Club. I stayed up very late when I first got the book and read it cover to cover.” The Las Vegas Country Club: Chronicle of an Icon is available for purchase at The Las Vegas Country Club (734-1122) or at Stephens Press (387.5260). More info: www.LVCountryClubBook.com
Nominations Open for 2012 Class of the Las Vegas Golf Hall of Fame The public is welcome to nominate potential inductees into the 2012 Class of the Las Vegas Golf Hall of Fame. The deadline is March 1, 2012. Please visit www.LasVegasGolfHOF.com for more information and how to nominate worthy golfers. Also at the site are the guidelines under which people can be nominated. You can also learn about previous inductees at the official website.
final thoughts... 2625 N. Green Valley Pkwy. Suite 100 Henderson, NV 89014 702-458-4653 www.snga.org
“It is almost impossible to remember how tragic a place this world is when one is playing golf.“ -Robert Lynd
What’s on Tap >>> 2012 Sun City Summerlin Amateur The Sun City Summerlin Amateur will be held at both Highland Falls Golf Club and Palm Valley Golf Club on March 10-11. Four different divisions will be represented including Scratch, Net, Senior, and Super Senior. Entry is still available at www.snga.org and the deadline is Sunday March 4th at 11:59PM. For more information about the SNGA and its affiliates, please visit www.snga.org. Page 13