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SEPTEMBER 2008

Lots of changes for Tour Championship East Lake renovated; new date; no Woods STEVE DINBERG

By Mike Blum

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ust as in the Presidential race, the word change will be closely associated with the 2008 PGA Tour Championship presented by Coca-Cola. Other than returning to East Lake for the fifth straight year – the eighth time overall – with a field of 30 top PGA Tour pros, there will be a lot of changes for this month’s event, with the tournament scheduled for Sept. 25-28. Since last year’s tournament, the course has undergone renovations, stemming from the problems East Lake’s bent grass greens encountered from last summer’s hot, dry weather. East Lake’s putting surfaces have been converted to mini-verde, an ultra-dwarf strain of Bermuda grass that is comparable to the quality of bent grass greens, but will provide a firmer surface in the summer heat. “They’re a lot firmer,” East Lake Director of Golf Rick Burton says. “You can cut them really close so the ball runs out and it’s hard to suck the ball back. It bounces forward.” East Lake’s bent grass greens suffered heat damage last year, and while they were in decent shape for the Tour Championship, they were very soft and very vulnerable. As a result, the scores were extremely low, with the winning total a

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

STEVE DINBERG

With players like Sergio Garcia, the 2008 Tour Championship will be a blast

record 23-under 257. Only three of 30 players were over par for the week, with 2-over 282 tying for last place. “When you give these players soft greens, they’re going to shoot lights out,” Burton says. “It will be a lot different this year with greens that are firm and fast.” East Lake closed for play March 1 and will not re-open until Tour Championship week. Players and spectators will notice some changes to the course, which will still play to a par of 70 for the tournament but has been lengthened to just over 7,300 yards. Perhaps the most dramatic change is the addition of a new tee on the picturesque par-3 sixth hole, one of the first in golf to feature an island green. The hole has played 168 yards over a finger of East Lake, but can now play as long as 214 – all carry over water – from the new tee. The sixth played under par last year for the tournament, something not expected to be repeated this month. The par-4 seventh, which measured 395 yards and was responsible for only seven bogeys in four rounds last year, will now play around 435, as the green has been moved back some 40 yards. The tee on the slightly uphill par-4 13th has been extended back more than 30 [ See Tour Championship courses, page 6 ]

Georgia Golf Business

Georgia Golf Course Owners Association

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Padraig Harrington leads Euro Ryder Cup team

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Clark Spratlin captures Section Championship

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Indian Creek includes unique design features

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Instruction Fore You

To Be Straight Path Or To Be Arc Path That Is the Question By Mike Perpich PGA Director of Instruction RiverPinesGolf

Mike Perpich highlights 5 points of set-up using Eye Line Golf’s Professional Putting Plane.

HOP STIPE

To be or not to be. That is the question. Well, actually the question is to putt with a straight back and straight through path or to putt with an inside to inside arc path. This question has stumped players, teachers and coaches alike for years and the debate

continues. I want to show you not only the proper method for putting but the reason why you should choose to putt that way. There are advantages to both putting methods but there is only one method which our body’s anatomy will allow us to properly perform—the putting on the inside to inside arc path. First, the way our body is aligned will not permit a straight back and straight through motion without manipulation. When you are properly set up to putt, your back and spine are on an angle, therefore allowing your shoulders to rotate around that angle. If you are attempting a straight back and straight through putting arc, you will have to make compensations such as turning your shoulders like a see saw or even moving your wrists from the close to open position. This added movement will hinder your putting stroke. However, when you body is properly set up to putt, your shoulders naturally turn on an angle and everything moves with them on a tilted plane and the putter moves on an inside to inside arc path. In order to visualize this path in your mind, think of swinging a bolt on the end of a string as you move your arm it changes the path of the bolt. The second factor is the putter itself is built on an angle and therefore it must be swung around you, your spine and your back on an angle. The putter is designed to

swing on an angled plane. By allowing your putter to swing on an arc or tilted plane, you can make a stroke that has a one piece motion with few moving parts and a body that has no need for compensating movements. The less movement your putting stroke has the more consistent you will be able to be with direction and pace. The putting path must be on an arc because our posture is dictated by our body’s alignment and the putter is built on an angle, allowing the putter to be swung on an angled plane, inside to inside arc. Now that you know why you should putt on an inside to inside putting arc, let’s look at five fundamentals which will make you a better putter. Below I have listed my 5 Points for Putting which I use everyday to help people become more consistent and proficient putters. Perpich’s Points for Putting: 1. Putter must be soled flat on the ground

3021 Kalah Place, Marietta, GA 30067 770-933-04GA (Office) 770-953-6638 (Fax) golfforegeorgia.com [email protected] PUBLISHER

Golf Media, Inc. John Barrett EDITOR Mike Blum CONTRIBUTORS

Jason Coffin Jackie Cannizzo, Women’s Golf Editor Lake-Finlay Image Group Joseph Field Steve Dinberg Georgia Golf Course Owners Association Cindy Acree, Executive Director MARKETING & ADVERTISING J.R. Ross, Sales Representative Rick Holt, Corporate Sales ART DIRECTOR

Lori Montgomery [email protected] GEORGIA SECTION, PGA OF AMERICA

2. Eyes should be over the ball and target line, more importantly your eyebrows should be parallel to the ground

PRESIDENT

Jim Arendt, Chicopee Woods Golf Course VICE-PRESIDENT

3. The shoulder line should be parallel to the target line

Patrick Richardson, Wilmington Island Club SECRETARY

4. The putter grip and shaft should run parallel and in between both forearms

Brian Stubbs, Country Club of Columbus

5. The shoulders provide the motion for the putting stroke

Danny Elkins, Georgia Golf Center

HONORARY PRESIDENT

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Now that you know your body and your club are built to swing most efficiently in an inside to inside arc path, to be or not to be should certainly be, inside to inside arc path.

Mike Perpich is a top 100 Golf Magazine instructor and a Top 50 U.S. Kids Golf teacher

Bud Robison, Callaway Gardens Marten Olsson, The Club at River Forest Steve Godley, Jekyll Island Golf Club Bob Elmore, Bacon Park GC Shawn McKinnon, Berkeley Hills CC Richard Hatcher, Ansley GC Jeff Dunovant, First Tee of East Lake Scott Mahr, Barnsley Gardens Resort Clark Spratlin, Blue Ridge Golf & River Club Dan Mullins, Classic Golf Management Josh Williams, Savannah Golf Club Rodger Hogan, Royal Lakes Golf & CC

Forecast

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Mike Paull

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FedExCup Playoffs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Does golf need the Olympics? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Ryder Cup preview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Chip shots: Tournament round-up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Georgia PGA pro-file: Rick Burton. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Golf Fore Juniors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Spratlin takes Section Championship . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Golf Fore Women. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Indian Creek on the upswing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Course reviews: Callaway Gardens, Griffin CC . . . 30

TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR Pat Day JUNIOR GOLF DIRECTOR Scott Gordon OPERATIONS MANAGER Jeff Ashby SECTION ASSISTANT Traci Waters

Georgians star on Nationwide Tour . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

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FOREGeorgia is produced by Golf Media, Inc. Copyright ©2008 with all rights reserved. Reproduction or use, without permission, of editorial or graphic content is prohibited. Georgia PGA web site: www.georgiapga.com

SEPTEMBER 2008

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[ Continued from the cover ]

yards, and will play around 475. The 15th, one of the shortest and easiest par 5s on the PGA Tour, has added 30 yards to 525, with a new fairway bunker placing more of a premium on accuracy off the tee. The 480-yard 16th hasn’t increased in length, but has added a pair of bunkers, one along the fairway and another protecting the green. The hole with the most extensive changes is the 17th, which had previously added a back tee to push its length just over 450 yards. Both the fairway and green have been extended to the left to make the entire hole play along side the lake. There will also be three new fairway bunkers on a hole that played as the fourth most difficult last year and will be even tougher after the changes. The second change is a

STEVE DINBERG

Tiger Woods

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slightly different spot on the PGA Tour schedule. Last year’s tournament was played two weeks earlier, and immediately followed the first three weeks of the inaugural FedExCup playoffs. This time, there is a two-week gap between the third playoff event and the Tour Championship. After the tour takes a week off following the BMW Championship at Bellerive in St. Louis, the Ryder Cup will be played in Louisville, Ky., with the Tour Championship next on the schedule. That will give all the players except those competing in the Ryder Cup two weeks off, with the Ryder Cup participants who play on the PGA Tour competing for the fifth time in six weeks. Perhaps the biggest change is the absence of the defending champion and the game’s No. 1 player. This will be the second time in the last three years Tiger Woods will not be playing at East Lake, but this time he has a legitimate excuse from his doctor. Woods skipped the Tour Championship in 2006, lamely citing fatigue for his absence. Woods said he was “re-charging his batteries” for the 2007 season, but in actuality, was taking a month off in advance of a trip to the Far East and Hawaii that included some lucrative appearance fees. With last year’s Tour Championship marking the culmination of the inaugural FedExCup Playoffs, Woods returned to East Lake in grand style, shattering just about every tournament scoring record in the event’s relatively brief history. Woods posted rounds of 64-63-64-66 for a 23-under 257 total, leading by three strokes after the second and third rounds before finishing with an 8-stroke victory. Woods was denied a wireto-wire victory, as Tim Clark shot 62 to take the first round lead, with Padraig Harrington also leading Woods after 18 holes with a 63. A second round 63 gave Woods a 13-under 127 total after 36 holes, with Woody Austin three strokes off the lead and Clark, defending champion Adam Scott and Mark Calcavecchia third at 131. Another 64 preserved Woods’ lead after 54 holes, with Calcavecchia three back in second and Sergio Garcia five off the pace in third. Zach Johnson was six back after smashing the course record with a 10-under 60. For the fourth straight year, there was no final round suspense at East Lake. Woods coasted to his first win in six starts at the course, one of the few that he had played more than a few times and had denied him a victory. Woods broke away from

LAKE-FINLAY IMAGE GROUP

Tour Championship

Phil Mickelson

Calcavecchia and Johnson, the only players remotely close to him, with three birdies on the last four holes of the front nine. Leading by four with seven holes to play, Woods again ran off three birdies in a four-hole stretch to pad his lead to nine before a meaningless late bogey. Until his runaway victory last year, Woods’ record at East Lake was not quite up to his expected standards. His introduction to the course was less than pleasant, as he was dead last after 36 holes in the first Tour Championship in Atlanta in 1998. After opening with scores of 75-76, he closed with a pair of 69s to finish 20th at 9-over 289. After winning the event in Houston in 1999, Woods took the lead to the final round at East Lake in 2000, but was beaten by a charging Phil Mickelson, one of the few times Woods has lost after being on top after 54 holes. That happened again in 2004, with Woods sharing the 54-hole lead that year with Jay Haas. While Woods and Haas both stumbled the final day, Retief Goosen roared past both with a sizzling 64, coming from four behind after 54 holes to finish four ahead of Woods, who shot 72 after recording scores of 64 and 65 the previous two days. Woods placed second again in 2005, with unheralded Bart Bryant scoring a wire-to-wire triumph, beginning with what was an East Lake record of 62 in the opening round. Bryant’s 17-under 263 was a comfortable six strokes ahead of Woods, who was unable to mount a final round comeback after beginning the day four off the lead.

Woods and Mickelson were both absent from the 2006 Tour Championship, the last one played in early November, and the tournament came and went with little impact either locally or nationally. Scott scored a mostly bloodless victory with an 11-under score of 269, closing with a 66 to hold off Jim Furyk, who was second at 272 after a final round 65. Scott’s three-stroke margin of victory is the smallest for any of the last four Tour Championships, which has not had a suspenseful finish since 2001 in Houston. That year’s tournament ended in a fourway tie, with two other players one shot out of the playoff and three others within two strokes of the winning total. Mike Weir birdied the first extra hole, leaving Garcia, Ernie Els and David Toms to share the runner-up position. Vijay Singh, who all but locked up the FedExCup title with victories in the first two playoff events, has put together an outstanding record at East Lake. Singh lost in a playoff to Hal Sutton in the first Tour Championship in 1998, shooting a 63 in the first round that stood as the course record until 2005. He tied for third two years later behind Mickelson and Woods after sharing the 54-hole lead. Singh broke through in 2002, holding off a challenge from Augusta native Charles Howell, and has top 10s each of the last four years. In 28 rounds at East Lake, Singh’s scoring average is a shade over 68, and he has earned more than $2.5 million in his seven starts in Atlanta.

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2008 SEPTEMBER

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FedExCup changes can’t guarantee drama Singh wraps it up before arriving at East Lake

By Mike Blum

fter the inaugural FedExCup Playoffs in 2007, the PGA Tour tweaked the entire points system for this year’s four playoff events. The number of points awarded to the 144 competitors at the outset of the playoffs was changed slightly, and the points allocation for the four playoff events was altered to produce more volatility in the week-to-week standings. Players making the cut in the first two events were rewarded, those not showing up or missing the cut were penalized. Tiger Woods and Padraig Harrington finished the regular season first and fourth in the points standings. After two weeks of not playing or failing to make the cut, Woods was 32nd and Harrington 44th, with Harrington failing to post a top finish in the third playoffs event, knocking him out of the Tour Championship. After Woods’ dominance of the playoffs last year (two wins and a close second in his three starts), the PGA Tour was optimistic that the combination of a revamped points system and the absence of Woods would provide the drama missing from the Tour Championship last year.

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STEVE DINBERG

Vijay Singh

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Following some media carping at the conclusion of last year’s playoffs, it was pointed out in these pages that there is nothing the PGA Tour can do to ensure an exciting conclusion short of turning the first three playoffs events into lucrative qualifiers and making the Tour Championship a separate, essentially winner-take-all event. Thanks to his victories in the first two playoff events, Vijay Singh was 99.9 percent certain of winning the FedExCup even if he finished dead last in both the third playoff event as well as the Tour Championship. That’s what happens when the player who started the playoffs seventh in the standings wins the first two tournaments, and when Camilo Villegas won at Bellerive in St. Louis, Singh clinched the Cup. Other than going to a gimmicky format as the LPGA does with its version of the Tour Championship, the PGA Tour and its highly promoted FedExCup can’t guarantee an exciting conclusion as long as players like Woods and Singh dominate the playoffs. The 30 players who will be in the field for this month’s Tour Championship will be playing to win the tournament and its $1.26 million first prize, nothing more. The $10 million that will go to the winner of the FedExCup was earmarked for Singh’s bank account after his superb final round effort on Labor Day earned him an easy victory in the Deutsche Bank Championship, and what little suspense that was left disappeared thanks to the win by Villegas, who was not close enough to Singh to catch him even if he wins at East Lake. With a lead of almost $2 million over his closest active pursuer, the money title for 2008 is also in Singh’s pocket. As a result, the only outside impact the Tour Championship might have had was on Player of the Year honors, and that went out the window when Harrington was eliminated. There will likely be a call from some in the media to again make changes to the FedExCup points system and/or format. But there isn’t much of an alternative short of going to an LPGA-style finish, which would almost totally devalue the first three playoffs events, something the PGA Tour is not going to do. The changes to the points standings instituted by the PGA Tour have done what they were intended to do, but with an unintended consequence. There has been a considerable amount of

movement from top to bottom, obviously not as much at the top because of Singh. Last year, it was nearly impossible for players near the bottom of the standings at the end of the regular season to move up significantly short of winning a tournament. Only a handful of players outside the top 70 made it as far as the third of the three playoffs events, and 27 of the top 30 players after the regular season made it to East Lake. Villegas, who was 52nd at the end of the regular season, was the lowest-ranked player to move into the top 30 and qualify for the Tour Championship. The top 22 players going into the playoffs all made it to East Lake. There was little movement last year, largely due to the playoffs success of Woods, Steve Stricker, Phil Mickelson, Rory Sabbatini and K.J. Choi. Stricker, who was 12th, was the only one of the five not among the top six at the end of the regular season. When the players at the top gobble up most of the points, there isn’t much left for the rest of those at the table. With the changes this year, Kevin Sutherland jumped from 57th to 3rd after tying for second in the playoffs opener. Every player who made the cut in the first playoff event made it to the second tournament, and players who missed the cut plummeted in the standings. Players as highly ranked as Sean O’Hair (16), Jeff Quinney (25) and Rod Pampling (33) missed two cuts, dropped out of the top 70 and headed home after two weeks. Kevin Streelman, Tim Herron and Martin Laird started the playoffs outside the top 100, but all moved up after top-10 finishes. Among the changes was a “bonus” for making the cut in the cut, which has enabled players to make relatively big jumps in the standings without playing especially well. The bonus has also resulted in players like Harrington taking huge hits in the standings for missing a cut. Of the top 30 players in points at the end of the regular season, nine will not be in the field at East Lake. Joining Woods on the sidelines are Harrington; 2006 U.S. Open champion Geoff Ogilvy; Ryder Cupper and resident folk hero Boo Weekley; fellow Ryder Cupper J.B. Holmes, one of the game’s longest hitters; 2006 Tour Championship winner Adam Scott; and 2006 Players champion Stephen Ames. Villegas again cracked the top 30 after finishing the regular season on the outside looking in. He vaulted from 42nd to second with his win in the BMW Championship. Also making big moves were Mike Weir (43 to 5); Kevin

Sutherland (57 to 11); Dudley Hart (68 to 14); Ken Duke (51 to 22); Tim Clark (60 to 23) and Bubba Watson (56 to 29), who replaces Holmes as the tournament’s pre-eminent bomber. Hunter Mahan (31 to 16) and Billy Mayfair (37 to 28) also played their way in from close range. Hart, who finished second in St. Louis, and Mahan were the only players to move into the top 30 in their final shot, knocking out Brandt Snedeker and Ogilvy, who were 29th and 30th coming into the week. Chad Campbell, who withdrew from the tournament after the first round to be with his wife for the birth of their first child, held on to the last of the 30 spots after beginning the week in 14th. Ames was next in line, narrowly missing the top 30 after a tie for fifth in St. Louis. Among the 30 players who made it to East Lake were some who primarily owed their status to a victory during the 2008 season, among them Andres Romero, Ryuji Imada, D.J. Trahan, Carl Pettersson and Masters champion Trevor Immelman, who has contended exactly once since his surprise win in Augusta. Others, like Briny Baird, Stuart Appleby, Robert Allenby, Duke and Stricker, played consistently throughout the season, and were rewarded with both a trip to East Lake and an invite to Augusta for 2009. Watson was likely the most relieved player to finish in the top 30, as he comes into East Lake outside the top 60 on the money list. The top 30 at the end of the year earn Masters invitations, with Holmes and Quinney both in position to earn invitations if they play well during the Fall Series. Because of the absence of players like Harrington, Ogilvy, Scott, Weekley and Holmes, there will again be a call from the critics to change the system. Harrington, however, had no problem with his exclusion from the Tour Championship, and admitted to some puzzlement why he was still playing after missing two straight cuts. In the playoffs, some advance and some don’t. Rigging the points distribution to ensure that the big names move on despite playing poorly in the three weeks prior to East Lake is bogus, not to mention extremely hard to do. It’s also impossible to guarantee an exciting finish short of a winner-take-all showdown at East Lake, which might sound promising but would be very, very tricky to put together. The PGA Tour will explore that option. Whether the tour goes down that road next year is another matter, altogether. SEPTEMBER 2008

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Can U.S. end European control of Ryder Cup? By Mike Blum

ontrary to recent history, the Ryder Cup used to be a biennial competition that attracted scant attention as the American team dominated the squad from Great Britain and Ireland. The United States team was 17-1-1 from 1947 to 1983, with many of the victories by lopsided margins. In 1979, the Great Britain/Ireland team was expanded to include all of Europe, but the addition of Seve Ballesteros did little to immediately alter the balance of power. However, things began to change in 1983, when Bernhard Langer joined Ballesteros to give the Europeans two stalwarts from outside the British Isles.

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surgery, the Americans have a built-in excuse, but his record in the Ryder Cup is less than stellar. Woods has competed in the last five matches and the U.S. is 1-4 with Woods on the team. He has a losing record (10-13-2), including a 7-12-1 mark in team matches.

partnered with Garcia in the past, will be the leaders for a relatively inexperienced team that includes four Ryder Cup rookies. Ryder Cup neophytes Graeme McDowell, Oliver Wilson and Soren Hansen finished ahead of the likes of Ian Poulter, Paul Casey and Clarke in the standings, and are joined by U.S.-based Justin Rose, the fourth rookie. Poulter and Casey were added to the team, as captain Faldo went with youth over experience, bypassing Clarke, who has two wins this season and a history of Ryder Cup success. The selection of Poulter over Clarke was Sergio Garcia

Ryder Cup PREVIEW

The ‘83 Ryder Cup came down to the final singles match before the U.S. eked out a narrow win. The Euros drubbed the U.S. in ‘85 and scored their first ever victory on American soil at Muirfield Village in ‘87. A tie and two narrow U.S. wins followed, before the matches took another turn in 1995 at Oak Hill in Rochester, N.Y. The Americans kicked away a final day lead in singles, starting a run of six Ryder Cups that has tilted heavily in the European direction. Europe has won five of the last six, with the lone U.S. victory the near miracle comeback in Brookline, Mass., in 1999. The last two matches have been European routs, including a 2004 U.S. embarrassment at Oakland Hills, site of the recent PGA Championship, which was won by a European Ryder Cup team member with one of his teammates placing second. Padraig Harrington and Sergio Garcia lead a strong European team into this month’s Ryder Cup, which will be played at Valhalla in Louisville, Ky. The players who brought Europe to parity and beyond against the U.S. – Ballesteros, Langer, Nick Faldo, Ian Woosnam, Sandy Lyle, Jose Maria Olazabal, Colin Montgomerie and Darren Clarke – will not be on the 2008 squad, leaving a talented but not overly experienced group to take on a U.S. team that does not exactly look formidable on paper. With Tiger Woods rehabbing after knee

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While the U.S. has not fared particularly well in recent years in the Ryder Cup, the Americans have dominated the international squad in the Presidents Cup, losing only once in seven matches. Considering that the international team has consistently sported a more accomplished lineup than the European teams that have been beating up on the Americans, the question arises: Why is that? The answer: Who knows? For whatever reason, the European players have performed better in the Ryder Cup than they have in the major championships, although the recent play of Harrington, Garcia and Robert Karlsson may be changing that. With Montgomerie not a member of the European team for the first time since 1989, and Olazabal and Clarke also not competing, the Euros have a new look. Although Harrington has won three of the last six majors, the new leader of the European pack is Garcia, who is 14-4-2 in his five appearances, including a staggering 13-1-2 record in team matches. Harrington has a losing Ryder Cup record (7-8-2), but is 3-1-1 in singles. Without Olazabal and the injured Luke Donald, his 2006 partners, Garcia will have to break in some new teammates in best ball and alternate shot. Garcia, Harrington and Lee Westwood, who has

puzzling, as Poulter has had a very ordinary year other than his runner-up finish in the British Open. Clarke would have been the only player who has competed with Faldo on the team, and his absence leaving the Euros with only three players with more than two Ryder Cup appearances. Typically, Europe has ridden its horses in the team matches, leaving its lesser players to play the role of spectator for most of the first two days. It will be interesting to see how Faldo mixes and matches his squad without some of the usual suspects in the lineup. McDowell, Wilson and Hansen may see minimal action in team matches, as did Poulter, who played just once as a rookie in 2004. Look for Casey to join Garcia, Harrington and Westwood (14-8-3) as the team’s anchors, with the remaining eight players, including talented Swedes Karlsson and Henrik Stenson and Spanish veteran Miguel Angel Jiminez, splitting up the team matches. The Euros will miss Donald, who is 4-0 in alternate shot the last two matches, as well as the experience Clarke and Montgomerie would have provided. They are probably not as imposing on paper as they could have been, and once you get past their top three, this is not a team that compares to those that included the veteran players who helped make the Ryder Cup

Jim Furyk

the event it has become. While Faldo had an excess of worthy candidates for his two wild card picks, American captain Paul Azinger was awarded four selections by the PGA, and had only two relatively obvious choices – veterans Steve Stricker and Scott Verplank. Stricker would have made the team on points if the usual selection method had been in place, with 2007 Presidents Cup star Woody Austin the other player who would have made the team on points had the top 10 made the cut instead of the top 8. Despite Verplank’s record of success in the Ryder Cup (4-1) and Presidents Cup (6-2-1), Azinger bypassed him in favor of Hunter Mahan, Chad Campbell and J.B. Holmes. Given the thin resumes of the latter trio, it’s hard to understand how Azinger could have bypassed the most successful active American Ryder Cupper, and he will deservedly get second-guessed if any of the three stumbles in the matches. Campbell, who has played in the last two Ryder Cups, and Mahan, a member of last year’s winning team in the Presidents Cup, have both played pretty well of late, as has Stricker, who makes his first Ryder Cup start after two Presidents Cup appearances. Holmes, however, has done next to nothing in recent months, and did not help his cause when he shot 81 in the final round of the PGA Championship after being tied for second after 54 holes. Azinger evidently had long since made up his mind on Holmes, one of the longest but least accurate drivers in the game. Holmes’ game should be a good fit for Valhalla, which tends to favor longer hitters, and his Kentucky roots will make him a popular figure with the home state spectators. But in his three years on tour, he has done very little other than his two wins at TPC Scottsdale, and does not have a good record of playing well on Sunday. Of the eight who made the team on points, three will be making their first ever appearance in a Presidents/Ryder Cup. Anthony Kim, Ben Curtis and Boo [ See Ryder Cup, page 12 ]

SEPTEMBER 2008

PHOTOS BY STEVE DINBERG

American victory possible, but does not appear likely

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Club closed, but Burton has plenty to do By Mike Blum

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ast Lake Golf Club closed for course and clubhouse renovations on March 1 and will not re-open until Tour Championship week, which begins Sept. 22. Even though his club has been closed for more than six months, Rick Burton has not exactly been idle during that span. Far from it. Burton, who is East Lake’s General Manager as well as Director of Golf, has been busy since early March, both at the club and in his long time role as one of the top rules officials for the PGA of America, “I’m at the club every day,” Burton said

Pro-file GEORGIA PGA

about a month before 30 of golf’s top players arrive at East Lake for the PGA Tour Championship and the re-opening of the historic facility. “I watch what’s going on and help supervise things. We’ve still got bills coming in, so I have to approve invoices. And I’m checking on the employees.” East Lake has a sizeable staff of workers, and Burton points out, “Our first concern was what to do with our employees. Many of them have been here more than five years and we did not want to do anything to jeopardize them coming back to us.” The club decided to pay its workers full pay and benefits provided they agreed to return and give at least 100 hours of volunteer service to the association or cause of their choice. Burton says East Lake employees have built three Habitat for Humanity homes and done “a few other things as a group,” along with work for the Humane Society and church groups. “It’s been really exciting and everybody is coming back.” While he has spent a lot of time at East Lake paying the bills, keeping an eye on the work to the golf course and clubhouse, as well as keeping in contact with the employees, Burton has also done some traveling to further his long-time avocation as a rules official. This year, Burton’s travels took him overseas, as he plied his trade for several weeks in Great Britain, working at the BMW Championship in Wentworth, England, one of the top tournaments on European Tour,

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followed by back-to-back weeks at major championships – the British and Senior British Opens. “The British Open was the most fun I’ve ever had,” said Burton, who has been a member of the PGA of America Rules Committee for 27 years. “It’s a unique event.” Burton has plenty of experience working at majors in the U.S., having served as a rules official at both the Masters and PGA Championship. He is also a veteran of the Ryder Cup, and will be working in that capacity there this month, the week before East Lake re-opens. “The Ryder Cup is the most stressful because it’s match play and the referee can play a huge part. But I’ve done it enough times. It’s not as scary as it used to be.” During his previous Ryder Cup stints, Burton has not been involved in many high profile controversies, but did get caught up in the Paul Azinger/Chip Beck vs. Seve Ballesteros/Jose Maria Olazabal “one ball” dispute in 1991. Burton also had a unique perspective on the famous Justin Leonard putt at Brookline in 1999. He was refereeing the Colin Montgomerie-Payne Stewart match, the final one of the Sunday singles, with Leonard and Olazabal in the match ahead. “I was with Montgomerie and Stewart standing in the 17th fairway when Leonard made the putt.” The U.S. team, which was gathered around the 17th green watching their teammate, celebrated Leonard’s across-the-green bomb with uncharacteristic glee, which did not sit well with the dour Scot. Montgomerie marched over to Burton and demanded action, exactly what Burton had no idea. “He thought I should have done something,” Burton recalls, chalking the experience up to Montgomerie’s prickly personality. Burton has one request of PGA officials for this month’s matches. He would prefer not to referee a match involving Atlanta area resident Stewart Cink. “Stewart is a friend of mine and a member of the club at East Lake. I would want to avoid any appearance of conflict.” Burton got his start as a club professional in North Carolina, and has been a Class A PGA Professional for 34 years, achieving the distinction of Master Professional. His first head professional job was at Myers Park in Charlotte, and he moved to Alamance CC, a Donald Ross course in Burlington, before

a club ownership opportunity presented itself in Florida. The first Georgia stop for Burton came at Jennings Mill outside Athens in the 1990s. After a few years there, he was contacted by acclaimed golf course architect Rees Jones, who said he should look into a job at a course he had just renovated – East Lake. Burton had heard some less-than-flattering stories about East Lake in the years before Tom Cousins began the process of restoring the club to its former glory, but recognized the potential of the club and the surrounding area. “It’s the best place in the world to be a club professional. It’s a wonderful place to work.” Burton enjoys the fact that he doesn’t have to deal with the myriad committees that can make the life for a club professional at a private club a political minefield. At East Lake, Burton says the club’s direction flows from Cousins, “and he lets you do your job. I report to one person.”

East Lake is getting ready to host the Tour Championship for the eighth time, and Burton says having the tournament on an annual basis at an earlier date has probably ruled out the possibility of the club hosting a major USGA event like the 2001 U.S. Amateur. The marriage between the Tour Championship and East Lake has worked out nicely for both parties. East Lake has been a gracious host and the Tour Championship has helped fund the East Lake Foundation, which has made tremendous strides in improving the quality of life for people in and around the East Lake area. “The Tour Championship is a great way for us to do that,” Burton says of the event’s fund-raising impact. “From a publicity standpoint, people all over have heard about what’s gone on at East Lake, and we get a lot of guests who want to play here. “Our members are proud to have the Tour Championship here.”

Ryder Cup (Continued from Page 10)

Weekley are Ryder rookies, along with Stricker, Mahan and Holmes. Kenny Perry is playing in just his second Ryder Cup, and was basically ignored by Hal Sutton in 2004 at Oakland Hills. The American team will be anchored by the trio of Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk and Stewart Cink, who have the unenviable combined Ryder Cup record of 18-29-10. The three are 32-25-12 in the Presidents Cup, with Furyk and Cink both sporting excellent records in team matches and singles against international opponents. Mickelson will be without his two favorite partners (David Toms and Chris DiMarco), and unless he manages to play up the standards expected of the game’s No. 2-ranked player, it is unlikely the Americans can win. Mickelson has typically not played especially well in the latter stages of the season, and after playing a heavy – if not overly successful – stretch of golf recently, there is a question how much quality golf he has left. Furyk has been stout in singles (7-1-1 combined), but his 3-11-1 mark in Ryder Cup team matches is not encouraging. He will be a major player for the Americans along with Cink, who should benefit from Valhalla’s generous fairways. Cink was enjoying perhaps the best season in his career through June, but has not played well since his win in Hartford. Justin Leonard is playing in the Ryder Cup for the first time since his memorable putt that clinched the matches in 1999, but his record in the two competitions is

LAKE-FINLAY IMAGE GROUP

East Lake’s man in charge stays busy at home, abroad

Stewart Cink

abysmal. In 26 matches spanning seven events, his record is 6-13-7. He’s winless in the Ryder Cup (0-3-5) and has the worst record of any prominent American player in the Presidents Cup (6-10-2). Perry could emerge as a quiet leader of the American team, and will almost certainly be the most motivated player on either side. Like Holmes, Perry is a Kentucky native, and has been focused on the Ryder Cup for quite a while, shrugging off media criticism for his skipping the U.S. and British Opens. After his sensational stretch of golf this summer, he has struggled of late with some eye concerns, and Azinger will need him at the top of his game if the U.S, is going to reverse the recent European dominance. The play of rookies Kim, Curtis and Weekley will also be vital for the U.S. team, which is in the rare position of underdog. Curtis will likely be an alternate shot specialist, with Kim and Weekley expected to provide a boost on four-ball matches, which has been a surprising weakness for the U.S. in recent competitions. SEPTEMBER 2008

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Spratlin captures Georgia PGA Championship Veteran claims first victory in one of Section’s ‘majors’

By Mike Blum

uring his years as a member of the Georgia PGA, Clark Spratlin has been one of the Section’s most consistent and successful players. Spratlin’s tournament resume includes three wins in the Match Play Championship, two Griffin Classic titles, an Assistants’ Championship and a victory in one of the Georgia PGA’s team events. But until the recent Georgia PGA Championship, Spratlin had never won one of the three tournaments considered “majors” within the Section — the Georgia Open, Atlanta Open and the Georgia PGA Championship. That all changed with his recent win in the E-Z-GO Georgia PGA Championship at Sea Island Golf Club’s famed Seaside course. Spratlin shared the lead after 18 holes, led by two after 36 and won by three with a 6-under 204 total, recording three straight scores in the 60s. “Over the course of time I’ve played well and I’ve won some,” Spatlin said after his victory. “But I’ve never won one of the majors. This kind of legitimizes what you do in the Section.” It was Spratlin’s first win in the Section since 2004, when he won his third Match Play title in four years. He won the Match Play and the Griffin Classic back-to-back in 2001 and 2002, finishing second on the Georgia PGA’s points list both years, and has placed between fifth and 10th in points every year since.

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Stephen Keppler

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Spratlin, who is currently sixth in the Divots Player of the Year standings for 2008, has been among the top 10 at the end of the season every year since 2000. Spratlin is the head professional at the Blue Ridge Golf and River Club, which is under construction and is scheduled to open for play next year. During his years of playing in the Section Championship, Spratlin had rarely been a serious contender, although he did lead once after 18 holes. His best showing on Seaside came as an amateur, when he finished as runner-up to Danny Yates in the 1989 GSGA Championship, well before the course underwent extensive renovation. “I love the course and I love playing it,” Spratlin said. “The difference this year was that I made some putts.” Spratlin had every element of his game in good working order in the tournament. “I drove the ball exceptionally well,” he observed, missing only a handful of fairways for the week. He also hit 47 of 54 greens and limited his total of three-putts to three for the tournament. Spratlin got off to a fast start in the opening round with birdies on three of his first seven holes. He hit one of his few errant shots of the week on the demanding par-4 18th, his ninth hole of the day, but saved bogey with a 10-foot putt after driving into a hazard. He got back to 3-under with a birdie at the second hole and held his ground, largely thanks to a 20-foot par putt at the third. His opening 67 gave Spratlin a share of the lead with three-time Section champion Stephen Keppler, with Winston Trively and Brian Dixon next at 68. “That was as good as I’m going to play,” said Spratlin, who completed his round just before one of the typical weather delays that occur during summer tournaments on St. Simons Island. After a strong effort in the opening round, Spratlin did not want a repeat of the year when he led after the first round only to fall back the next day. “You’ve got to back it up. My goal was to hit as many greens as I could, and my only mistake was one three-putt.” Spratlin was first off the tee the following morning, and posted a 69 for a 4-under total after 36 holes. That gave him a twostroke lead over Keppler and two-time champion Chan Reeves, the only other players under par after 36 holes. Those three players were paired in the

Clark Spratlin

final grouping for the last round, and all three got off to shaky starts. Reeves, the Director of Instruction at Atlanta Athletic Club, was 5-over after eight holes before rallying to post a 73 and tie for sixth at 211. Keppler, the Director of Golf at Marietta Country Club, did not score his first birdie of the day until the 13th hole, but finished strong with three birdies coming in for a 69 and a 207 total, his fourth straight runner-up showing in the championship. Like his two playing partners, Spratlin took a bogey on the second hole thanks to a three-putt. But he quickly recovered with a birdie at the fifth before another weather delay of about 90 minutes. After the delay, Spratlin notched birdies at holes 7 and 8 to pad his lead, and was never seriously challenged down the stretch, missing only one green on the back nine. Spratlin’s victory earned him $6,000 and a spot in one of Georgia’s two Nationwide Tour events in 2009. Defending champion Matt Peterson, the head professional at the University course in Athens, closed with a 66 to finish third at 208. Todd Peterson (no relation), the Director of Instruction at Marietta CC, shot 69 to take fourth at 209, followed by Sonny Skinner at 210 after a 67. Former champions Reeves, Jeff Hull and Tim Weinhart were next at 211 along with Trively, the head professional at Crooked Oak in Colquitt. Keppler won the championship in 1990, ‘94 and ‘96, the latter two victories coming during his four-year run as the Georgia PGA’s Player of the Year. After his fourth straight runner-up finish, he said, “I don’t know how many more chances to win I’m going to have. It’s been a long time since I won this thing.” With two children heavily involved in sports and a busy work schedule, Keppler

has become an infrequent tournament participant, and is finding it harder and harder to make time for practice. One tournament he intends to play in is the upcoming Georgia PGA qualifier for the PGA Professional National Championship. Keppler missed out on the chance to play in the PNC in Georgia this year, as a rules violation regarding a range finder ended his attempt in last year’s Section qualifier. Finding the time to play and practice is not so much a concern for Spratlin as is where to play and practice. His club has been slow to get the construction of its golf course under way, but Spratlin says things “are moving along. “We’ve suffered through some permitting issues and one of them shut us down for six months. But now we’re rolling and we hope to have nine holes and a driving range by next summer or next fall.” Like Keppler, Spratlin is pointing to the upcoming PNC qualifier. One bad hole at Reynolds Plantation’s Great Waters course denied Spratlin a spot in last month’s PGA Championship, the second time he has narrowly missed a top 20 finish in the PNC, which guarantees a berth in one of golf ’s four majors. “At the last two national club pros I’ve been real close, and I’ve learned some lessons,” Spratlin said. With a chance to reach the par-5 15th in two in the final round, Spratlin elected to lay up and still made birdie to preserve his lead. “A year ago, I probably would have pulled out a 3-wood and blasted away,” said a slightly older and wiser Spratlin. “To win this means everything to me for my playing career in the state of Georgia. If you’re a pro, you’ve got to win the Section Championship, and I’m thankful I did.” The E-Z-Go Georgia PGA Championship was presented by Ashworth, Callaway Golf and the PGA Tour. SEPTEMBER 2008

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Indian Creek seeking to shed reputation After changes, upgrades Covington course rates high for conditions, playability

By Mike Blum

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hen Indian Creek Golf Club – then known as Covington Plantation – opened for play in the early 1990s, the course quickly acquired a two-fold reputation: the layout was very hard and very quirky. The late Desmond Muirhead, the course architect, included a number of unusual design elements that gave Covington Plantation some interesting visuals, but those flourishes did not exactly enhance the layout’s playability. As the years went on, several of Muirhead’s distinctive (but occasionally awkward) visual displays were removed, and the course began to suffer from a conditioning standpoint. Some last-ditch efforts to keep the club afloat failed, and it eventually was sold to a new ownership group that inherited a course that was in bad shape all around. The new ownership group has invested a considerable amount of money in upgrading the course conditions and improving the layout, and those efforts have succeeded on both counts. However, the early impressions left by Covington Plantation’s various problems are still impacting Indian Creek, the name given the semi-private club after its acquisition by the current owners. PGA professional Bryan Raines, who is part of the ownership group, says Indian

Creek “still has the reputation of being a hard course,” even though most of the design elements that made it a demanding layout more than a decade ago are long since gone. Over the years, a huge number of trees that made the course so demanding off the tee have been removed, allowing players to find errant tee shots and recover from them. Some of Muirhead’s odd design devices – the pot water hazard on the third hole, the eagle’s head bunker on the seventh – were removed some time ago. But there still a few of his unique design concepts that remain, including the appealing floral bunker design on the par-3 12th and the “Scarlett O’Hara” hole (No. 17), which resembles a woman’s face and torso when viewed from above, which may be beside the point unless you fly over the course in a helicopter. From a playability standpoint, Indian Creek is considerably more player-friendly than it was initially, although the fifth hole remains one of the tougher par 4s you’ll encounter, even with several significant improvements. You still have to drive the ball reasonably straight, but Indian Creek is not an overly tight course off the tee. If you are able to keep it in the fairway, you will

find plenty of scoring opportunities. The course is on the short side by modern standards (under 6,850 yards from the back tees, just over 6,400 from the blues), and with the exception of a hole or two, plays shorter than its yardage. Indian Creek is rated at 72.7/139 (back tees) and 69.8/133 (blues), with the white tees under 6,000 yards and the reds about 70 yards short of 5,000. From the blues, just par 4s are longer than 400 yards on the card, with the somewhat infamous fifth the lone two-shotter with serious length. Any tee shot to the right will plunge into a creek not far removed from the fairway, but the bunkers to the left are gone, providing more room to avoid trouble. The wetlands short of the green have been restored, but there is a little bailout room, although the multi-level green doesn’t make things much easier once you reach it. Although there are hazards in play on about half the holes, the fifth is the only seriously penal hole on the course. There are two scenic over-water par 3s (4 and 15), with a shallow green and a wrap-around hazard making the fourth a scary hole despite its absence of length. The blue tees at the 15th are considerably shorter than they were initially, but the new angle brings an overhanging tree into play for those who hit a fade from the tee. The triple tier green is intact and can make for some perplexing chips and putts.

The par-5 17th ‘Scarlet’ hole

The scenic par-3 15th

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The removal of the eagle’s head bunker and a shorter blue tee has made the seventh a much easier hole, but the pronounced ridge that divides the green will produce a lot of three-putts for those who putt for birdie from long range. Indian Creek is justifiably proud of its four par 3s, with the 12th the closest to Muirhead’s original concept. Seven bunkers surround the green in the shape of flower petals, with the visual appeal of the downhill hole not getting in the way of its playability. The par-5s average 490 yards from the blues and all offer excellent scoring opportunities along with a risk or two. The sixth simply requires accuracy, while the rolling ninth has a creek crossing the fairway short of the lay-up area that should not be a

serious concern, although a bunker zealously guarding the front of the green might be. Big hitters have to be aware of a creek bisecting the 10th fairway, but the hole is still easily reachable for those who get close to it off the tee. The most intriguing of the par 5s is the 17th, which requires carries over water on both the drive and second shot. With OB left and water right, accuracy is vital on the tee shot, and a pond guarding the green down the left side is not very accommodating to pulled or miss-hit attempts to reach it in two. For those wondering where the hole gets its name, observe the mounds short of the green and the bunker that surrounds the oval-shaped putting surface. It may be hard to discern from ground level, but the green represents a women’s face face, the bunker is the hair and the mounds are self-explanatory. Before they were reduced a bit, they bore more of a resemblance to Dolly Parton than Scarlett. Excluding the fifth, the par 4s are a mostly inviting bunch. At least half of them will be driver, short iron holes for most players, although several have some trouble attached, beginning with the third. The tiny pond just short of the green is gone, but the water that lurks inches off the back of the green remains, requiring considerable precision on the short approach to set up a birdie attempt, ar at the least, remain dry. A creek that crosses the fairway on the 13th is a hazard to shorter hitters, but if you clear it, all that’s left is a wedge and a chance to put a circle on the scorecard. Indian Creek’s greens are vastly better than they’ve been in the past, with a new strain of bent grass helping to revive them. They have some roll but offer the possibility of holing some putts thanks to their quality and absence of excessive speed or slope. The overall conditions are excellent, which may come as a surprise to those who have not made the trip east on 1-20 for a while. Muirhead was one of the major innovators in golf course design during his long career, but eccentricity is a word that was also associated with him. A few of his ideas in regards to Indian Creek were a little over the top, but the essence of his mostly excellent layout remains, with the tweaks that have been over the years improving the overall product, although they may have reduced its novelty somewhat. Indian Creek is still a more difficult course than some on the east side of metro Atlanta, but is not close to being the most difficult. “It’s a lot more player friendly,” Raines accurately points out. Indian Creek is a thoroughly enjoyable place to play, with the demand of the fifth hole and the presence of a few imposing hazards more than offset by the number of holes that are far more comfortable in nature. Take a ride out I-20 to exit 42 and see for yourself. SEPTEMBER 2008

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Blanks on target for 2009 PGA Tour By Mike Blum

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ith only a handful of weeks remaining on the 2008 Nationwide Tour schedule, a number of golfers with Georgia ties are in position to either earn a spot on the 2009 PGA Tour, or retain full playing privileges on the Nationwide Tour next year. Leading the way is Warner Robins native and former Georgia club professional Kris Blanks, who was 13th on the money list with six tournaments left before the Tour Championship in early November in Dallas. The top 25 earn spots on the ‘09 PGA Tour. Blanks, who won several Georgia PGA tournaments while he was an assistant at The Landings in Savannah, scored his first Nationwide Tour win earlier this year in Chicago, edging out Bob May, famous for his battle with Tiger Woods in the 2000 PGA Championship. This is Blanks’ third season on the Nationwide Tour after a stretch on the Hooters Tour, where he won three times, the first of them coming in Savannah. The victory in one of the Nationwide Tour’s top events is responsible for most of Blanks’ $229,300 in earnings, as he has just two other top 10s, largely due to some struggles on the weekend after some excellent play in the first two rounds of tournaments. Blanks, 35, lives just outside Savannah in Bluffton, S.C., with his wife Tami, a club professional at Sea Pines on Hilton Head Island. Also in the top 25 is former Georgia Tech golfer Matt Weibring, who was 18th

Kris Blanks

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in earnings thanks to four top 10s and nine top 25s in 15 starts. Weibring, 28, who had been sliding down the money list each of the previous two seasons, has enjoyed an outstanding season statistically, ranking in the top 10 in greens in regulation, birdies, scoring and the allaround category, and was first in scoring before the cut. Duluth’s Scott Dunlap won the seasonopening tournament in Panama, but has not finished higher than 14th since, and has fallen outside the top 20 to 28th. The veteran tour pro, who has played six years on the PGA Tour and is in his seventh Nationwide season, is among the leaders in hitting fairways and greens, but is ranked near the bottom in putting, his long time nemesis. Dunlap, 45, has two career Nationwide wins along with victories in Canada, South America and South Africa. Back-to-back finishes of fourth and sixth this summer in Springfield, Mo., and Columbus, Oh., boosted Albany’s Josh Broadaway into the top 30, but he missed his next three cuts to fall to 35th. Broadaway, 35, in his fourth Nationwide season and known for his unorthodox cross-handed swing, has struggled in the ball-striking categories, but is ranked third in putting and sixth in birdies. Former Georgia Tech great Bryce Molder is back on the Nationwide Tour after struggling last year on the PGA Tour. Molder was 37th in earnings, with almost half his total coming from a tie for second in the South Georgia Classic at Valdosta’s Kinderlou Forest. Molder, 29, has played respectably this season other than his T2 in Valdosta, but has not nearly achieved the success he enjoyed in college as a professional after some promising early results. Brendon Todd has enjoyed an excellent rookie season, with four top 10s and three other top 25s in 16 starts. Todd, a member of Georgia’s 2005 NCAA Championship team who enjoyed an outstanding career with the Bulldogs, won on the Tar Heel and Hooters Tours last year after turning pro, and has continued his strong play on the Nationwide Tour, coming into September just outside then top 50 on the money list. He ranks among the leaders in putting, birdies and scoring and was 12th in the all-around category. (Todd moved into the top 25 with a 6stroke victory in Utah, and is very close to locking up a spot on the 2009 PGA Tour.) Chris Kirk, Todd’s teammate for four years in Athens and a fellow multiple

Brendon Todd

ATHENS REGIONAL FOUNDATION CLASSIC

Leads Georgia contingent on 2008 Nationwide Tour

All-American, was 64th in earnings, just outside the top 60 required to remain exempt for next season. Kirk lost in a playoff in Knoxville, but has not finished better than 15th other than his near miss. Kirk, who grew up in Woodstock and has settled on St. Simons Island, has also made three PGA Tour starts in his first full season as a pro, and made the cut in Atlanta, the Colonial and the U.S. Open. Former Bulldog and PGA Tour veteran Tommy Tolles was right behind Kirk in 64th. Tolles, who has played nine seasons on both the PGA and Nationwide Tours, contended for wins in Chicago and Columbus, but has struggled to recapture the game that twice qualified him for the PGA Tour Championship in the late 1990s. Also just outside the top 60 was Augusta’s Scott Parel, who is playing his fifth season on the Nationwide Tour and has a chance to crack the top 60 for the first time. Parel, 43, ranks among the top ball-strikers on the tour, but has had mixed results in final rounds, preventing him from securing a spot in the top 60. His best finish this year was a fourth place showing in Valdosta. Despite having no status on the tour, Eatonton’s Blake Adams is among the top 90 on the money list in just seven starts, the highlight a tie for sixth in Valdosta. That finish got him into some of the Nationwide Tour’s top events, and he ran off a string of strong performances, including three straight top-20 finishes to enable him to keep playing. Adams, a career mini-tour player, has to finish in the top 25 in a tournament to earn a spot in the field in the next event. Snellville’s Jonathan Fricke is playing

his first season on the Nationwide Tour, and moved into the top 90 after a recent tie for third in Rochester. Prior to that tournament, Fricke had missed seven straight cuts, as he has struggled to hit fairways and greens, offsetting a ranking of 11th on tour in driving distance. Former Georgia Tech golfer Tripp Isenhour has a combined 13 years on the PGA and Nationwide Tours, and has finished in the top 10 on the Nationwide money list three times since 2000. But Isenhour, 40, who is eighth on the all-time Nationwide Tour money list, is outside the top 100 this year, missing 12 of 18 cuts with a best finish of 13th. Also outside the top 100 is Lafayette’s John Kimbell, a Nationwide Tour winner in Valdosta in his rookie season last year. Kimbell, 39, enjoyed some success as a mini-tour player before joining the Nationwide Tour player, but has not had a better finish than 18th this season, with his sub-standard stats reflecting his play. Reid Edstrom, who grew up in Norcross before playing on the golf team at Auburn and settling there, has made just 10 starts in his first Nationwide Tour season. Edstrom, 33, had a top-10 finish in Raleigh and a top-15 in Knoxville, but was outside the top 125 in earnings entering September, and needs to move into the top 100 to have some status on tour next year. Georgia PGA member Sonny Skinner has divided his time this year between his job at River Pointe in Albany and playing in Nationwide Tour and Georgia PGA events. Skinner, a veteran of both the PGA and Nationwide Tours from 1990-2004, has played a partial schedule this year after tying for 18th in Athens, but has made just two cuts since. Skinner’s PGA status limits the number of tour events he can play in, and he has already reached that number for the year. Skinner leads the Nationwide Tour in driving accuracy, but is right at the bottom in driving distance. Savannah’s Tim O’Neal, the 1997 Georgia Amateur champion, is playing his fifth season on the Nationwide Tour, and thus far it’s been his least successful. O’Neal, 35, the lone African-American player on either the PGA or Nationwide Tours, placed 44th and 36th on the money list in 2005 and ‘06, but is around 175 this year. In 12 starts, O’Neal has made only four cuts with a tie for 24th his best finish. One of the final Nationwide Tour events of 2008 will be played Oct. 16-19 at Black Creek Club in Chattanooga. Acworth’s Jason Bohn and Roswell’s Justin Bolli both won there on the way to the PGA Tour, and a victory this year could send another Georgian to golf ’s major leagues. SEPTEMBER 2008

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Should golf be added to Olympics? Conflicting schedule among reasons it probably won’t

By Mike Blum

T

he Summer Olympics have come and gone, and one of the leftovers from the Beijing Games is the possibility that golf will make its way onto the varied menu of sports for the 2016 extravaganza. Most, if not all, of the international golf community is behind the idea, which appears much more promising in theory than reality. Then there’s the matter of history, which has been conveniently absent from the discussion thus far, but should alone be sufficient to dissuade any efforts of making golf an Olympic sport.

Analysis Golf was supposed to be a part of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, but was KO’d by a 1-2 international/local punch that provided a painful lesson that has apparently been forgotten. The Olympics is rife with politics, hypocrisy, excess commercialism and bombast, all of which golf can do without. Fortunately, given the mindset of Olympic officials who will make the final decision and the scheduling conflicts that may ultimately be the most important factor, the likelihood that golf will be part of the 2016 Games is relatively remote. Golf was all set to be a part of the Atlanta Games, with Augusta National on board to serve as tournament host. Representatives of the sport had seemingly jumped through all the hoops required to add golf to the Olympic roster. But that was before then Atlanta mayor Bill Campbell and a disgruntled Australian IOC member teamed up to thwart the efforts of Billy Payne, who led the quest to bring the Olympics to Atlanta and was the president of the group that conducted the games before moving on to his current job as chairman of Augusta National. Some IOC officials did not take kindly to Atlanta’s selection as the 1996 Summer Games host. The move to prevent golf from being added to the roster of sports that year represented their most public success in exacting a little payback on Payne and the Atlanta Games, with the since-jailed Atlanta mayor playing the race card to ensure golf’s removal from the Olympic schedule.

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Campbell effectively portrayed Augusta National as an unfit host because of its history of exclusivity (the club had only recently welcomed its first minority member), and that was enough to provide the IOC with some cover to squash golf’s hopes. Ironically, and there’s almost always irony in such situations, the only party that actually suffered from the decision was the most prominent minority within the sport – female golfers. Playing on an equal footing with the men on arguably the most hallowed golf course in the world, the women’s game would have received a tremendous boost. But no one involved in the decision to remove golf gave that much thought. The PGA Tour’s representative to the current attempt to add golf to the Olympics is Ty Votaw, who was legal counsel for the LPGA during the Olympics debacle of the 1990s and went on to become the organization’s commissioner. More irony. The international golf federations are hoping to increase the game’s exposure with its inclusion in the Olympics, but how much more exposure does golf really need? And if it gets it, which is a question in itself, what will it matter? The likelihood that golf will draw much attention at the Olympics is debatable. With the sport’s top male and female players participating, tennis was essentially ignored in Beijing. How much media focus will be on golf, which will have to make some

significant adjustments to its schedule to ensure that the game’s top players will compete in the Olympics, assuming they would even want to. Golf has its own version of the Olympics. They’re called major championships. Unlike the Olympics, which are held once every four years, both the PGA Tour and LPGA feature four majors a year. One of them, the PGA Championship, is played in very close proximity to the Olympics. The LPGA schedule is more conducive to having its players compete in the Olympics, but the big prize for the Summer Games is men’s golf, more specifically Tiger Woods, who will turn 40 before the 2016 Games. The Olympics does not want golf as a sport unless it is guaranteed that the game’s top players will participate. Baseball has been booted from the schedule because the major leagues will not suspend play for several weeks and allow its star players to compete for their home countries, or those of their parents or grandparents. Golf’s best players from all over the world compete on a weekly basis. There are two high profile team competitions that alternate years and an annual Olympic-style event (the World Cup), in which two golfers representing their country play against twosomes representing other countries. Even when the likes of Davis Love-Fred Couples and Tiger Woods-David Duval represented the U.S., the World Cup did not exactly compel huge numbers of sports fans to watch the event. Other than Woods, no golfer attracts fans from outside the sport, with most viewers not already golf fans likely to watch only to see the representatives of their country, assuming they manage much TV time. Tennis, the sport most comparable to golf currently in the Olympics, was banished to

the minor league cable networks by NBC, even with the likes of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and the Williams sisters competing. Given that every Olympic sport that merits significant air time on the networks consists of competitors in leotards, form fitting swim suits, bare midriffs or tank tops, and the bikini babes of beach volleyball, what chance does golf have of earning more than highlight coverage? The Olympics may or may not want golf. They certainly want Woods, but he will be 40 by then and could be coming off his sixth knee operation and playing more like Willie Wood. Even if the Olympics want golf, does golf want the Olympics? Does golf want to be associated with an organization that awarded its Games to a repressive, anti-democratic country like China, and looked the other way as the host jailed or expelled dissidents and restricted the media’s access to information that portrayed China in a less than favorable light? Does golf want to be part of a spectacle that includes a multitude of events that many doubt whether they meet the definition of a sport, with accompanying fan bases that barely exceed the number of competitors? Does golf want to be part of an extravaganza that features blatant cheating (under age Chinese gymnasts), incompetent – possibly corrupt – judging (gymnastics and boxing) and still has to disqualify competitors for use of performance enhancing drugs? In order to fit in, maybe golf should request an amateur, handicap division and introduce the concept of sandbagging. The Olympics doesn’t really need golf. Golf doesn’t need the Olympics. Instead of golf, let the Games add more extreme sports or another event or two with competitors in swim suits or leotards.

Divot’s 2008 Georgia PGA points leaders 1. Matt Peterson, U.of Georgia GC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 600

16. Todd Peterson, Marietta CC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166

2. Sonny Skinner, River Pointe GC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 482.5

17. Don Williams, Chattahoochee GC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161.5

3. Jeff Hull, U. of Georgia GC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 475

18. Russ Davis, Cherokee CC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156.5

4. Craig Stevens, Fox Creek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332.5

19. Will Hutter, Sea Island GC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154

5. Tim Weinhart, St, Marlo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331

20. Tommy Brannen, Augusta CC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

6. Clark Spratlin, Blue Ridge GC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329

21. Stephen Keppler, Marietta CC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148

7. Brian Dixon, Fox Creek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276

22. Randy Brooks, Ansley GC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146.5

8. Winston Trively, Crooked Oak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273

23. Donn Perno, Capital City Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132

9. Greg Lee, Chicopee Woods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270

24. Jeff Frasier, Chicopee Woods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

10. John Duta, TPC Sugarloaf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232

25. Ted Fort, Marietta Golf Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

11. Shawn Koch, CC of the South . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220.5

26. Scott Curiel, Standard Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

12. Wyatt Detmer, Orchard Hills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219

27. Mike Cook, Sea Island GC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

13. Gary Cressend, Augusta CC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212

28. Jeff Gotham, Cateechee GC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115.5

14. Jordon Arnold, Achasta GC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202

29. Josh Williams, Savannah GC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

15. Chan Reeves, Atlanta AC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187

30. Brian Stock, Champions Retreat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

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Chip Shots Lee’s final round 65 takes Assistants’ title

B

Greg Lee won the Georgia PGA TaylorMade-adidas Golf Assistants Championship for the third time, firing a final round 65 at Jennings Mill Country Club to score a 3-stroke victory. Lee, a former assistant at Jennings Mill now at Chicopee Woods, trailed seven players after the morning round of the 36-hole event, posting an even par score of 72. His 7-birdie, no-bogey 65 was the low score of the afternoon by six strokes, with only one other player breaking par. Playing on his home course, Seth McCain placed second at 140 with rounds of 69 and 71. He led after the first round and shot the second lowest score in the afternoon, but could not keep pace with Lee. Andy Blanton of Country Club of Columbus was third at 143. The top three finishers qualify for the PGA Assistants Championship, which begins Oct. 30 at PGA GC in Port St. Lucie, Fla. Bill Murchison of Towne Lake Hills was

qualifying, won his opening match 1-up before losing 1-up in the second round. He led that match 1-up after 16, losing the last two holes to trail for the only time in the match.

fourth at 144, followed by Chris Dixon of Kinderlou Forest and Daniel Steele of Great Waters at 145. Daniel Potts of CC of the South was seventh at 146.

2 Bulldogs reach semis in U.S. Am

Two members of the Georgia golf team reached the semifinals of the 2008 U.S. Amateur Championship, played at the Pinehurst (N.C.) Resort. Senior Adam Mitchell from Chattanooga and Augusta’s Patrick Reed, an incoming freshman, both came within one win of reaching the finals, which would have earned them a spot in next year’s Masters. Both players narrowly qualified for match play, tying for 47th at 144. Mitchell was seeded 61st in the 64-player draw and Reed was 62nd. Mitchell defeated fourth seeded Corey Nagy 2-up in the first round after being 1-down after 15 holes, and drubbed Rickie Fowler, one of the tournament favorites,

Greg Lee

5&4 in the third round. He lost 4&2 in the semifinals to Florida State’s Drew Kittleson, losing five of the last eight holes. Reed, who recently moved to Augusta from Louisiana, had to go 19 holes to win his opening match against the No. 3 seed, and needed 23 holes to take his third round match. He was 1-down after 14 holes in the semifinals against eventual champion Danny Lee of New Zealand before losing 3&2. The only other Georgian to qualify for match play was Savannah’s Brian Harman, a senior member of the Georgia golf team. Harman, who tied for 10th in stroke play

Ploeger captures 4th GSGA Senior title

Bill Ploeger of Columbus won the GSGA Senior Championship for the fourth time, edging Atlanta’s Donald Crump by one stroke. At 68, Ploeger becomes the oldest GSGA Senior champion, winning the event for the first time since 1999. Ploeger trailed Crump by three strokes after 36 holes, but closed with a 70 at the Marshwood course at The Landings in Savannah to finish with a 3-under 213 total. Crump, who shot 69 the second day to take the lead, was tied with Ploeger heading to the final hole, but took a bogey for a 74 and a 214 total. Curt Knorr of Dunwoody, who trailed Crump by one stroke after a second round 68, was third at 216, with Macon’s Phil Pavoni fourth at 217.

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Golf FORE Juniors Quinn takes title at Stone Mountain Eric Quinn of Norcross closed with a 71 to nip Alpharetta’s Paul Bruckner by one shot and win the Georgia PGA’s Stone Mountain Junior Classic at the rugged Stonemont Course. Quinn, a rising senior, shot a 3-over 143 to edge Bruckner, who had consecutive rounds of 72. John Edge of Atlanta and Aaron George of Dahlonega tied for third at 6-over 146. Joel Sawyer of Elberton was fifth at 7 over. In the girls division, Melanie Pray of Mableton finished plus-23 to beat Atlantan Laura King by one shot. Lauren Court of Lawrenceville was third. Other division winners were: Girls 12-14 – Sally Morgan of Alpharetta; Boys 12-13 – Joshua Crews of Albany; Boys 14-15 – Aaron George.

Beck scores wins at Callaway Gardens Jimmy Beck of Columbus emerged from the 14-15 year-old division to best the older players in the field at the Georgia PGA’s

Callaway Gardens Junior Classic. Beck shot rounds of 68 and 71 to beat Josh Moore of Peachtree City, another 14-15 competitor, by one shot. Nate Gahman of Leesburg was third at 141, while Chris Rajek of Suwanee and Jonathan Klotz of Columbus tied for fourth at 143. Gahman won the 16-18 division. Kimberly Graff of Lilburn shot 167 to win the girls division, one shot ahead of Taylor Blair of Roswell and Lauren Court of Lawrenceville. Lauren Giambastiani of Cohutta was fourth. Buster Bruton of Dallas won the boys 12-13 division by a shot over Tommy Swearingen III of Marietta.

Noble takes second in U.S. Kids event Gavin Noble of Cartersville had a strong final round, but fell short of winning his division at the ninth annual U.S. Kids World Championships in Pinehurst, N.C. Noble had a 36 on the last day to finish second in the boys 7 division. Noble had rounds of 41, 37 and 36 to fall three shots short of Californian Alex Pak.

Kimberly Graff

Jimmy Beck

Thomson captures Atlanta Junior title

Others who finished in the top 20 were: Boys 6 and under – Connery Meyer of Kennesaw, 17th; Boys 7 – Thad Clark of Ellaville, T-10; Tyler Lipscomb of Carrollton, T-12; Boys 11 – Joe Philaphet of Riverdale and William Liu of Alpharetta, T-16; Girls 7 and under – Jenny Bae of Maysville, T-10; Girls 8 – Alexis Taylor of Loganville, T-8; Girls 10 – Paula Hong of Duluth, T-13; Girls 11 – Rinko Mitsunaga of Roswell, fourth; Michaela Owen of Alpharetta, seventh; Rachel Dai of Suwanee, T-16; Girls 12 – Ashlan Ramey of Martinez, third. There were 1,250 golfers from 36 countries at the tournament. All earned the right to participate through a series of state and local qualifiers. PGA Junior Championship: Drew Czuchry of Auburn finished 19th at the 33th Junior PGA Championship in Maineville, Ohio. Czuchry opened with a 70 and finished at 4-over 292. Kendall Wright of Duluth shot an 18-over 306 and tied for 26th in the girls division. They were the only Georgians in the field.

Ross Thomson closed with a 2-under 70 to win the 15-18 division of the Atlanta Junior Golf Association’s Grand Championship, played at Callaway Gardens. Thomson had rounds of 76, 73 and 70 to finish at 3-over 219. Ben Harris was second at 223, with Sean Folen fourth at 231 and Paul Bruckner fourth at 232. In the 13-14 boys division, Shea Sylvester struggled the final day with an 81, but he still prevailed at 7-over 223. Garrett Marschke closed with a 74 and finished one stroke behind. Will McFarlin was third and John Harman placed fourth. The 12-and-under division was claimed by Buster Bruton, whose final-round 69 left him at 6-over 222. He won by five shots over Kristopher Douglass. Nick Fazio was third and Jonathan Keppler fourth. The girls division was won by Blaire Minter, who shot 14-over 230 after rounds of 75, 79 and 76. She finished 37 shots ahead of Lauren Giambastiani.

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Golf FORE Women

Château Elan hosts Duramed Futures Tour DURAMED FUTURES TOUR

By Jackie Cannizzo Women’s Editor PGA Professional Country Club of Roswell The Duramed Future’s Tour, the LPGA’s developmental tour, will bring its show to Chateau Elan on October 16th – 19th, with the tour’s top 70 money winners vying for the richest purse of the season. The Georgia Invitational is the official name of the event and will benefit the local chapter of the Arthritis Foundation, where all proceeds from the admission price will be donated. This season ending event is the tour’s inaugural event at Chateau Elan in Braselton, one of the state’s premier resort destinations. The field will be playing for $150,000, the tour’s highest payout. The players will also be playing for bigger stakes as the top 10 money winners for the season will be awarded exemption cards to the 2009 LPGA Tour. That is an increase from years past, when the top 5 players received tour cards. The players are all aware of the importance of finishing well in an event this big, where the first place winner will receive $21,000. Vicky Hurst, the tour’s leading money

DURAMED FUTURES TOUR

Kim Welch

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Vicky Hurst

winner, has a solid lead over Mindy Kim, while behind them the players are bunched up with only a few thousand dollars separating 3rd to 10th place and beyond. This means many cards are up for grabs, which will bring an added excitement to the event. Jean Reynolds of Newnan and fellow UGA grad Whitney Wade are also in the event with an outside chance of gaining a tour card. Hurst, 18, is a four time winner this year on the Future’s Tour in her rookie season. She joined the tour at the beginning of the season fresh off an amazing career with the American Junior Golf Association. She has also played in two U.S. Women’s Opens. Her excellent play this year has assured her an LPGA card at the end of the season. The event will also feature four previous winners of the Golf Channel’s Big Break series including Kim Welch, Kristina Tucker, Ashley Prange and Briana Vega. Welch was last season’s winner and is currently seventh on the money list. The Golf Channel has been using Futures events to audition players for the show with the hopes of getting the best players on the show that do not have tour cards. The winner of the contest gets exemptions into two LPGA tour events. The tour, now in its 28th season, has over 300 alumnae with alums winning 330 times on the LPGA and 35 majors. In 2006, the Tour signed a multi-year agreement with Duramed Pharmaceuticals, which specializes in women’s healthcare products. In 2007, the tour was acquired by the LPGA and is its official second tour. The most notable alum of late is LPGA tour

superstar Lorena Ochoa. For more information or to participate in the Pro Am, go to LPGA.com or Duramedfuturestour.com. This is a great opportunity to come out and see the future stars of the LPGA up close.

Reynolds to play Georgia Invitational

Jean Reynolds is having a blast this year on the Duramed’s Future Tour. She and her brother have been traveling together since the season started in March in Lakeland, Fla. Reynolds has been very pleased with how things are going and her performance this year, feeling she has a good opportunity going into LPGA qualifying school. Reynolds knows that even if she wins the last two events of the year, it may still not be enough to get her card, but she’s OK with making the trek to Mission Hills for the first round of Q School. She has always played golf for the fun and doesn’t want to change that mind set going to qualifying. Reynolds played one year at the University of Georgia, not because she wasn’t good enough, but because she wanted to enjoy the real college experience. Enjoying her college experience meant joining a sorority, studying abroad in Austria and graduating with a degree in child and family development. Reynolds continued to compete and do well in summer amateur events keeping her game solid, but come fall would change her focus to school. She has never regretted her choice in

doing it that way. Reynolds feels now that she can focus all of her attention on golf without the distractions of school and feels she can succeed at the highest level. This year she qualified and played in the U.S. Women’s Open in Minnesota and although she missed the cut there, the experience further fueled her fire to contend on the LPGA. Her best finish on the Futures’ Tour is a tie for 5th in the Mercedes-Benz Championship in Kansas and followed that with a top 10 at the Michelob Championship.

GSGA Sr. Women crown new champion

Darlene Werhnyak and Mary Riley were tied after regulation and headed to a sudden-death playoff both hoping to capture the 11th annual GSGA Senior Women’s crown. The players carded solid rounds of 79 and 77 on a long track, Arrowhead Pointe at Richard B. Russell State Park in Elberton. The playoff saw both players hit the fairway with their drive. Both missed the green with approach shots and were faced with similar putts for par. Werhnyak made her 6 foot putt and Riley missed. Werhnyak, from Lawrenceville, started the second round trailing defending champion Brenda Pictor, of Marietta, by two shots. She played steady on the first nine with a birdie and just two bogeys to turn 1-over for the round, while Pictor was struggling a bit with a balky putter. Riley, from Perry, was on a roller coaster round starting with a double bogey on the first hole, and then birdied the third. She continued the ride on the back side with a double then a birdie, while Werhnyak played steady until she doubled the 14th. She and Riley bested Pictor and Claudeen Lindberg, of Atlanta, who tied for third overall. Phyllis Foisy of Stathem fired the low round of the championship with a 74 on the final day to tie for fifth overall with Mary Ellen McEleath of Augusta. Other flight winners: Carolyn Hooks, Augusta, 1st; Betsy Butler, Atlanta, 2nd; Helen Kirbo, Albany, 3rd; Jan Cross, Evans, 4th; Beatty Maffet, Atlanta, 5th; Patty Hudspeth, Midland, 6th; Julie Rayburn, Roswell, 7th; Julie Herbert, Marietta, 8th; Janet Richards, Kathleen, 9th; Brenda Evans, Fort Valley, 10th; Jean Glover, Gray, 11th. The GSGA had a record number of player’s this year event of 50 and older.

SEPTEMBER 2008

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Course Reviews Callaway Gardens – Mountain View (Public) Pine Mountain, Ga.; 706-663-5044; www.callawaygardens.com STAFF: Bud Robison is the Director of Golf; Matthew Harris is the General Manager. PAR/YARDAGE: The Mountain View course is a par 72 with four sets – Blue (7,057 yards); White (6,630); Green (5,783) and Red (4,883). COURSE RATING/SLOPE: 73.7/139 (Blue); 71.9/134 (White); 68.2/126 (Green); 69.4/120 (Red), ABOUT THE COURSE: The home for a decade of an annual PGA Tour event, Callaway Gardens’ Mountain View course remains a popular tournament site for the Georgia PGA, GSGA and junior golf organizations, with the PGA Tour returning in November for a second stage qualifying event. The Georgia PGA will again host its Match Play Championship on the Mountain View course later this month, with the state’s top club professionals taking on one of Georgia’s most respected layouts. Mountain View, the feature course of Callaway Gardens’ 45-hole golf complex, is a wonderful, traditional-style layout designed by Dick Wilson. Advances in modern technology have taken some of the teeth out of the 7,057-yard back tees for pros and top amateurs, but the 6,630-yard white tees remain a very strong test for the vast majority of the resort’s visitors. Mountain View is as straightforward as courses of its caliber come, with only two holes where water hazards are seriously in play and just two with significant doglegs. The keys to playing well at Mountain View are avoiding the pesky Bermuda rough that lines the fairways and hitting precise approach shots to the very well-guarded greens, which typically offer targets of modest size and can be testy to putt despite the absence of significant amounts of slope. With none of the par 4s having serious length, longer hitters will have a succession of short iron approaches, but two of the par 3s and several of the par 5s will provide opportunities for long irons, hybrids or fairway metals. Two of the par 3s are over 210 yards from the tips, with only one of the par 5s within easy range in two for the pros who will visit the course in the next few months. The dogleg right second is just over 500 yards, but a tiny green surrounded by sand and trees near the putting surface that must be negotiated make it a hole where a quality short game is as vital as prodigious length. The par-5 15th, one of the two featuring water in play, is the course’s most famous (or infamous) hole, with a real risk for those going for the green in two. Simply a solid, playable and thoroughly enjoyable test of golf in a pastoral, natural setting.

Griffin Country Club (Private)

430 Country Club Drive, Griffin; 770-228-0710 STAFF: Tom Neary is the Golf Professional; Gordon Dixon is the General Manager. PAR/YARDAGE: Griffin Country Club is a par 72 with four sets of tees – Blue (6,850 yards); White (6,448); Gold (5,635) and Red (5,424). COURSE RATING/SLOPE: 73.9/133 (Blue); 71.8/128 (White); 68.3/118 (Gold); 72.3/125 (Red).

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ABOUT THE COURSE: The host of the annual Georgia PGA Griffin Classic, the course is an underrated and understated test of golf, designed by the late Willard Byrd, one of golf’s most respected architects. The first nine holes opened in the 1960s, with the second nine added some years later. Byrd’s well-crafted design is on the short side by modern standards, and got a little shorter several years ago when the tees on one of the par 5s had to be moved forward. That has left the course with two easily reachable par 5s for the Georgia PGA members and amateurs who will play in the Griffin Classic next month, along with a 600-yarder that typically requires three shots and the rolling ninth, which includes some risk for those taking a rip with their approach shot. A reversal of the nines some years back has resulted in a par-3 18th, which provided a truly memorable finish to last year’s tournament. Jeff Hull, tied for the lead at the time, scored a hole-in-one, believed to be the first time someone has won a sanctioned tournament with an ace on the final hole. The tournament participants will tackle a tree-lined layout that demands accuracy as well as some strategic thinking from the tee. The absence of length and the narrow fairways, several of which have hazards within reach, will keep the driver in the bag on more than one occasion throughout the round. With no par 4s longer than 430 yards, three par 3s of modest difficulty and the reachable par 5s, Griffin Country Club offers a number of scoring opportunities for those who keep it in the short grass. But the mostly undersized putting surfaces have some slope and generally are on the quick side at tournament time, keeping scores from going extremely low. Many of the greens are wide and shallow, making them play considerably different based on pin position. Over the years, the Griffin Classic has produced a succession of worthy champions, with multiple winners Tim Weinhart and Clark Spratlin joining the likes of Stephen Keppler, Ed Everett, Tommy Brannen, Sonny Skinner, Craig Stevens, John Godwin and Kris Blanks, who is headed to the 2009 PGA Tour. GOLFFOREGEORGIA.COM

SEPTEMBER 2008

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SEPTEMBER 2008