Golfing News & Blog Articles

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The NCGA Mourns the Loss of Past President Frank Brunk

December 21, 2021

The NCGA mourns the loss of Past President Frank Brunk, who passed away yesterday.

Brunk, who served as NCGA president in 1991, was the recipient of the first Hall of Fame Service Award at Cal-Berkeley, an honor that recognizes a former student-athlete, coach, administrator or friend of Cal Athletics who has made an outstanding long-term contribution to ideals of the Athletic Department.

The award is presented to a deserving individual for demonstrating exemplary leadership and setting a standard for excellence in enhancing the Cal student-athlete experience. A three-year letterman for the Golden Bears football team from 1947-49, Brunk once returned a kickoff 102 yards for a touchdown against USC that helped secure Cal’s spot in the 1950 Rose Bowl.

Spirit of the Game—Babe Zaharias

December 21, 2021

Olympic gold medal winner in track and field. All-American basketball player in college. Champion golfer. If there was a Jim Thorpe among women athletes, it was Mildred “Babe” Didrikson Zaharias. As a professional golfer, she won 31 tournaments, including three U.S. Women’s Opens, and helped found the Ladies Professional Golf Association. “Babe changed the game of golf for women,” said Patty Berg.

Didrikson didn’t even take up golf seriously until she was 21. She was introduced to the game by Grantland Rice in Los Angeles during the 1932 Olympics. Somewhere in between winning gold medals in the javelin and hurdles-she might have won the high jump, too, had she not been disqualified-Didrikson joined Rice and three other sportswriters for a round of golf at Brentwood C.C. According to Rice, the Babe shot 91 that day and regularly hit drives measuring 250 yards.

The following year, while she was touring the country with the House of David baseball team, Didrikson traveled back to Los Angeles and took golf lessons from pro Stan Kertes at Brentwood. Two years later, she won the Texas Women’s Amateur Championship with an eagle on the 34th hole. The United States Golf Association ruled the following day that as a professional athlete Didrikson could no longer compete in amateur events.

Junior Legacy–Most Improved Junior Golfer

December 20, 2021

Last Friday, Eva Denten was presented the Junior Legacy–Most Improved Junior Golfer Award at Green Hills Country Club in Fairfield.

Denten is a member of The Olympic Club and Green Hills CC. How did she win the award?  Data was taken from a range of scores from 1/1/21 to 10/31/21.
Her starting handicap was 54.0 and her ending handicap was 19.2 Her ending handicap as of 12/17/21 was even lower at 18.1
There were 6,600 golfers in the pool for the determination.

Pairings/Results 

December 14, 2021

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NCGA Opposes Assembly Bill 672

December 13, 2021

The NCGA is aligned with other opponents of AB 672 [Conversion of Publicly Owned Golf Courses to Affordable Housing].

For background, AB 672 (Public Golf Endangerment Act) provides $50 million in developer subsidies to redevelop California’s municipal golf courses into housing complexes.

This bill singles out golf and only golf for residential redevelopment among the state’s abundance of park, recreation, and open space activities. This bill  proposes to only affect golf rather than putting ALL park, recreation and open space activities in play for redevelopment.

Municipal golf courses are part of the same park systems that provide soccer, baseball, swimming, picnicking, biking, pickleball, tennis, walking/riding trails and numerous other recreational amenities, the one difference being golf is generally more utilized than the rest. The one commonality being their indispensability in making possible high school and junior golf programs.

Golf courses preserve open space, sequester carbon, provide habitat, promote biodiversity and allow rainwater to get into groundwater basins. And in times of global warming and record high temperatures, golf courses reduce temperatures in their surrounding areas. Municipal golf courses provide these benefits almost entirely in densely packed urban environments where they are most needed, and in communities disproportionately identified as “park poor.” Converting them to hardscape exacerbates both problems.

2021 NCGA Annual Meeting

December 9, 2021

Gary Fox was officially named the 95th President of the Northern California Golf Association at Wednesday’s NCGA Annual Meeting, which was held at Poppy Hills Golf Course.  Other board members for the 2020 NCGA golf season were also confirmed at the meeting. The 2020 Annual Meeting was held virtually due to COVID-19.

Fox, a member at Spring Creek Golf and Country Club in Ripon, has been a member of the Board of Directors since 2014. Fox, whose wife is Darlene, is a retired executive in food services distribution and warehousing industries.

Fox succeeds Bob Goldstein, a member at Sequoyah Country Club. Also seated were Vice President David Pearson (eighth year) and Secretary/Treasurer Edward Quinn (fifth year). Current NCGA Board members that were re-nominated for 2022 were Kevin Peyton of San Jose CC (fifth year), Lance Parker (fourth year), Preston Pinkney (third year), Bill Carle (third year), Cathy Stroh (third year), Dana Carrigan (second year), Bob Miller (fourth year), Karl Rodefer (second year), Bill Self (second year) and Lynn Harvey (third year).

NCGA Board members who are either retiring or have met board term limits are Raymond Coates, Terry Fitzwater and Scott Gebhardt.

Architect Robert Trent Jones, Jr. Visits Poppy Hills For Refinements Project

December 3, 2021

Poppy Hills Golf Course in Pebble Beach had a special visitor earlier this week.

Architect Robert Trent Jones, Jr., who originally designed Poppy Hills when it first opened in 1986, was there to review progress on a current refinements project.

The project primarily involves modifying the greens on the par-3 2nd and par-4 7th holes and the installation of a new practice green. Some modest teeing ground enhancements are also being implemented.

The course is owned and operated by the Northern California Golf Association, whose headquarters are located at Poppy Hills.

USGA Unveils New National Championship for Disabled Players

December 3, 2021

The United States Golf Association (USGA) today announced the U.S. Adaptive Open Championship, a new national championship that will showcase the world’s best golfers with disabilities. The inaugural competition will be conducted on Course No. 6 at historic Pinehurst Resort & Country Club on July 18-20, 2022. The 2nd U.S. Adaptive Open will also be held on Pinehurst No. 6, and will be conducted from July 17-19, 2023.

The U.S. Adaptive Open Championship will serve as the association’s 15th national championship, joining such iconic events as the U.S. Open, U.S. Women’s Open, U.S. Amateur and U.S. Women’s Amateur. Champions of this new event will see their names recorded in the annals of golf history alongside many of the game’s storied figures.

The announcement of the championship follows through on a 2017 pledge by the USGA to establish this championship for the adaptive golf community.

“Since 1895, our championships have provided the world’s best players with an opportunity to showcase their skills on a global stage, compete for a national championship and achieve their dreams,” said John Bodenhamer, USGA senior managing director, Championships. “After years of planning and delays caused by the global pandemic, we are proud to bring that same opportunity to the adaptive golf community through this championship, and to do so at Pinehurst, our second home. We believe this effort will spur participation for golfers with disabilities and hope it inspires others in the industry to make the game and its competitions more welcoming to all.”

Rule of the Month: Loose Impediments and Movable Obstructions

December 1, 2021

Loose impediments and movable obstructions are two categories of items that the Rules do not consider part of the challenge of playing the game, and therefore they can be moved. Loose impediments are unattached natural objects such as sticks, leaves, twigs, and blades of grass so long as they are not fixed or growing, solidly embedded in the ground, or sticking to the ball. Movable obstructions are artificial objects that can be moved with reasonable effort such as a water bottle, scorecard, broken tee, trash can, bench, etc. Click here to learn more about movable obstructions.

Loose impediments and movable obstructions can be moved anywhere on the golf course, including in bunkers and penalty areas, even when your ball also lies in the bunker or penalty area. If your ball moves when moving a movable obstruction, there is not penalty and you simply replace the ball. However, you will need to be careful when moving loose impediments because if that causes your ball to move, you will get a one-stroke penalty and must replace your ball. The only time a penalty does not apply is if your ball lay on the putting green when moving a loose impediment caused it to move.

FAQs:

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Spirit of the Game: Remembering Lee Elder

Nov. 29, 2021

The USGA contributed to this report

In 2019, during the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links, the USGA honored Lee Elder with its highest honor, the Bob Jones Award.

Elder, who passed away this past evening at the age of 87, was the first African-American to receive the prestigious award, which recognizes an individual who demonstrates the spirit, personal character and respect for the game exhibited by Jones, winner of nine USGA championships.

NCGA Alum Brandon Harkins Wins TaylorMade Pebble Beach Invitational

Nov. 22, 2021

Lafayette native and Chico State alum Brandon Harkins can call himself a Pebble Beach champion.

On Sunday, the 35-year-old Harkins, who honed his game competing in NCGA tournaments and was profiled in the 2018 Fall issue of NCGA Golf Magazine, carded a final round 6-under 66 that included a back-nine 28 at Pebble Beach Golf Links to win the 50th annual TaylorMade Pebble Beach Invitational. The Invitational is the world’s only tournament that pits players from the PGA, LPGA, PGA Tour Champions and Korn Ferry Tours against each other.

Harkins would finish the 72-hole event, held at The Links at Spanish Bay, Spyglass Hill and Pebble Beach, with a total of 21-under 267 to edge co-runners-up Harry Hall and Alex Cejka by two strokes.

NCGA alums Justin Suh, a former No.1-world ranked amateur, and Isaiah Salinda, the 2018 Pacific Coast Amateur champion, finished 4th and T-5, respectively.

NCGA Member Scores Elusive Albatross

November 16, 2021

NCGA Member Debra Baker had one of golfs rare accomplishments recently at the Plantation Golf Course at Kapalua, Maui. She scored an Albatross on the 7th hole, a 460-yard downhill par 5, which was also down wind. This scoring term, which represents three strokes under par on a single hole, is extremely difficult to achieve.

The Albatross is a more elusive accomplishment than a Hole in One! We’ve seen reports of the odds of such an accomplishment set between 1 and 6 million to 1.

So, we asked Debra how she did it.  “I hit my driver to the middle of the fairway and had 160 yards to the pin. I hit my 6 iron, just clearing the fairway bunkers. The ball trundled down toward the front right of the green where the pin was placed, rolled onto the green and, in what seemed slow motion, rolled into the hole for an albatross! Everyone just stood there for a moment (I was in shock) and then the yelling and jumping around started. Luckily, no one got hurt!  The other good news was that the after-round bar bill was not too bad for Mai Tai’s and appetizers for my new best friends. It was a great and memorable day”.

Memorable indeed – congratulations Debra!!!

Spirit of the Game: Yang Yong-Eun’s Big Win at the PGA Championship

November 16, 2021

The U.S. PGA Championship has thrown up some surprise winners and produced some stunning upsets over the ages but few can match the drama of 2009.

For some players, such as David Toms, Rich Beem and Wayne Grady, the PGA Championship was their lone major title. But for others, including John Daly and Vijay Singh, it served as a launchpad to greater success.

If South Korea’s Yang Yong-eun never wins another major, he will be hard-pressed topping the drama and significance of his win in 2009.

Not only did the 37-year-old claim his first major, he became the first Asian-born male to win one of golf’s big four titles. He did it in a way no other professional had before, coming from behind in the final round to beat the seemingly-invincible Tiger Woods in a head-to-head battle.

Dr. Condoleezza Rice to be Named 2022 Ambassador of Golf

November 16, 2021

Dr. Condoleezza Rice, the 66th U.S. Secretary of State who’s now a professor at Stanford University, will be named the 2022 recipient of the Ambassador of Golf Award presented by FirstEnergy Foundation.

Secretary Rice will be recognized July 7 at the 2022 Bridgestone SENIOR PLAYERS Championship at Firestone Country Club. The Ambassador of Golf Award honors a person who has fostered the ideals of the game on an international level and whose concerns for others extends beyond the golf course.

“Condoleezza Rice’s service to our country is well-documented, as is the leadership and character she has displayed throughout her decorated career,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “Needless to say, we are fortunate and grateful to have someone of such standing show a continued passion for and dedication to growing the game we all love.”

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Aces: Back-to-Back

November 8, 2021

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Faces of the NCGA: Yealimi Noh

By Barry Salberg

NCGA correspondent Barry Salberg recently caught up with Concord native Yealimi Noh, who in addition to a highly successful, busy 2021 season on the LPGA (including a triumphant 2-1-0 showing at the Solheim Cup), just relocated with her family to Dallas.

You’re now in Dallas?

It happened literally a month or so ago, I didn’t even get to go back home and do anything, I just went straight from the European swing to my new home.

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