The post Fairfield Four Ball, Senior Four Ball, Super Senior Four Ball & Women’s Four Ball appeared first on Northern California Golf Association.
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Golfing News & Blog Articles
Stay up-to-date on golfing news, products, and trends from around the world.
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USGA Names Mike Whan New CEO
February 17, 2021
The USGA announced today that Mike Whan will join the organization this summer as CEO, and will become the eighth top executive in USGA history.
Last month, Whan announced his intention to step down as LPGA Commissioner in 2021, after his organization completes a search for the next Commissioner. His transition follows an impressive 11 years at the helm of the LPGA, during which the organization experienced historic growth in virtually every aspect of the business.
As USGA CEO, Whan will be responsible for leading all aspects of the association’s operations, including its core functions, essential programs, and human and financial resources. He will also represent the USGA on a variety of national and international boards.
“Mike Whan is a proven, successful and transformative leader, not only in the golf industry but throughout his entire career,” said USGA President Stu Francis, who oversaw the CEO search process. “He has shown a unique ability to understand how the environment is changing in global golf and how to quickly and thoughtfully adapt an organization to meet those changes. Importantly, Mike is already a trusted peer for so many key stakeholders in the industry, and his existing relationships will not only help the USGA, but will also help advance the game.”
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YOC Partnership Etched to Increase Golf’s Exposure Among Minority Youth
February 16, 2021
Youth on Course, the non-profit organization dedicated to opening doors, supporting dreams and transforming the lives of young people through opportunities on and off the golf course – has partnered with United Golfers Association (UGA) to broaden awareness of the sport among communities of color.
Committed to making the game more appealing, inclusive and accessible to nurture the next generation of lifelong players and lovers of the game, the partnership will grant all UGA junior members a Youth on Course membership that provides the opportunity to play rounds of golf for $5 or less at more than 1,400 courses nationwide along with access to GolfPass’ library of over 4,000 instructional videos and the perks of booking YOC rounds online with GolfNow. Members also benefit from career opportunities through Youth on Course’s caddie and internship programs and college scholarships.
“We recognize that providing access to play golf affordably and opening doors of opportunity are important vehicles in creating a more inclusive space for young people of color, from the first time a kid steps foot on a course, to teeing it up against the world’s best,” says Michael Lowe, vice president of programs for Youth on Course. “Had the UGA not been created in 1925, the lack of diversity we see in golf today would be even greater, so we are thankful for UGA members and supporters, past, present and future, and are honored to be working collaboratively to make meaningful change.”
“We’re working to increase the diversity throughout the sport with more Black junior golfers nationwide, and a key part of that strategy is fostering relationships with mission-driven organizations that have established platforms like Youth on Course. This is a game-changer for our youth,” says Tarek “Ty” DeLavallade, executive director of UGA, “Accessibility and affordability have always been an issue for underserved youth in most urban communities. Together with Youth on Course, which has built a community of more than 100,000 junior golfers, we will get this done at a rate much faster than expected. We will work to diversify this sport today so that we can inspire and usher in our new generation of golfers for tomorrow. This is how we change golf.”
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2020 NCGA Hole-In-One Sweepstakes Winners
February 12, 2021
NCGA members Raymond Jeung and Eric Morgan were the grand prize winners of the 2020 NCGA Hole-In-One Sweepstakes.
Every year, the NCGA holds a Hole-In-One Sweepstakes where members can report their ace and be entered into a sweepstakes with the grand prize being a round of golf for four at Poppy Hills or Poppy Ridge (note: the courses rotate each year. In 2021 the two winners will receive a foursome at Poppy Ridge).
In addition, those lucky enough to get an ace receive a custom-designed coin to commemorate their shot.
Jeung, who lives in San Francisco, got his ace on the 162-yard 6th hole at Hiddenbrooke GC using a 5-wood. Morgan, a Walnut Creek resident, got his on the 130-yard 3rd hole at Oakhurst GC.
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Black History Month: Remembering Pearl Carey
February 9, 2021
The late Peal Carey was known not only for her dignity and grace, but also her courage.
In 2005, Carey, who passed away in 2009, was chosen as only the second woman to receive the prestigious USGA Joe Dey Award.
Annually given since 1996 in recognition of meritorious service to the game of golf as a volunteer, the award is named in honor of the late Joe Dey, who served as USGA executive director for 35 years, from 1934 to 1969 and was later commissioner of the PGA Tour (note: today her award is featured in the NCGA Headquarters lobby).
Said Carey upon hearing the news that she was being recognized, “The chairman [of the selection committee] called me a couple of weeks ago and I’ve been sick ever since. I can’t eat, I can’t sleep. Oh my … this is such an exciting thing I can’t believe it. I would have never thought I would get such a thing.”
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NCGA Alum Justin Suh Gives Back
February 5, 2021
San Jose native and two-time Junior Tour of Northern California Player of the Year Justin Suh literally paid it forward.Playing on a sponsor’s exemption, Suh finished tied for 37th at the Farmer’s Insurance Open, earning a check for $34,125. So what did Suh, who was playing in just his 17th career PGA Tour event do with his winnings?The 23-year-old donated half his winnings back to the tournamentSuh, who is waiting for the PGA Tour Latinoamerica season to start, said his decision came as a result of seeing the impact COVID-19 has had on his home state.
“It was a shock to see how many tents are out on the street and how many businesses have cardboard and wooden planks on the windows,” Suh said. “So it’s extremely sad going back home. I played [in the Farmers] last year and was lucky enough to get a spot again this year, and it just felt like the right thing to do. The tournament, the Century Club, they’re the ones who take care of us as players. And they’re the ones out there—from taking our COVID testing and making sure the security is right—just helping out and making the experience the best that they could for us as players.”
Joining Suh in giving back was his caddie, A.J. Montecinos, who also donated half his earnings from the week. The two had made the decision early on in the week before the tournament started.
It caught Marty Gorsich, the second-year tournament director and CEO of the Century Club completely by surprise, with Gorsich telling GolfChannel.com, which first reported Suh’s donation, that in his nine years with the organization he had never had or heard of a gesture like that from a player in the tournament.
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Women’s Golf
Most NCGA events are open to male & female players, but we have over 25 championship tournaments and qualifiers that are women-only!
The post NCGA Women’s Events appeared first on Northern California Golf Association.
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Getting the Hole-In-One Grand Slam
February 3, 2021
Rocklin resident and NCGA member Ben Menold has the ultimate score on each of his home course’s par-3s.
Back in November, Menold, 73, aced the par-4th hole at Whitney Oaks GC using a No.4 hybrid.
The hole-in-one was significant, as it marked the completion of a ‘Grand Slam Hole-In-One’ cycle on each of Whitney Oaks’ four par-3s—Nos. 4, 8, 12 and 16. It all started with an ace on No.16 in April 2012. In July 2013, he got his second ace, that coming on the 164-yard par-3 12th. Another year later in 2014 he had his third ace, getting on the 160-yard 8th using a 6-iron.
Al that had been left was an ace on No.4. Menold estimates he played the hole over 400 times in the last six years. He wouldn’t get the final elusive ace until he again struck gold last November.
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USGA and RandA Release Areas of Interest to Help Mitigate Continuing Distance Increases
February 2, 2021
The USGA and The R&A are re-engaging with the golf industry on the Distance Insights project, which aims to help achieve a more sustainable long-term future for golf.
The governing bodies are issuing specific Areas of Interest to help mitigate continuing distance increases and three proposed changes to the Equipment Rules to ensure their effectiveness in relation to distance limits.
The delivery of research topics related to hitting distances and golf’s sustainability was delayed in 2020 to allow the golf industry to focus on the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic.
The Areas of Interest notice, sent on Monday to golf equipment manufacturers, follows the conclusions of the Distance Insights Report delivered last February. It is the first step of the established Equipment Rulemaking Procedures, which give the opportunity for golf’s stakeholders to provide research and perspectives on topics that might lead to equipment Rules changes.
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Althea Gibson’s Second Act
Black History Month
February 1, 2021
Note: February is Black History Month. In celebrating, the NCGA will feature a number of articles on African-Americans who have had an impact on the game. This story was written by Rhonda Glenn and originally appeared on usga.org on Feb. 8, 2006.
Althea Gibson was famous for her amateur tennis career, during which she won one French, two Wimbledon and two U.S. singles titles in the pre-Open era, as well as doubles victories in all four Grand Slam events. Few remember that, in 1963, Gibson took up another challenge when she joined the Ladies Professional Golf Association.
As a young amateur who occasionally played in LPGA events, I first met Gibson in the snack bar of Delray Beach Country Club the day before the Louise Suggs Invitational began. I was introduced as a contestant and, accurately, as an announcer at a small Florida radio station.
“Oh, yeah?” Gibson said with a sunny grin.
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Rule of the Month—Unplayable Lie
February 1, 2021
If you are in a situation where you don’t want to or don’t think you can play your ball, you always have the option of taking relief under the unplayable ball Rule. The player is the only person who can decide that their ball is unplayable, and this can be done anywhere on the golf course except when your ball lies in a penalty area. If your ball is in a penalty area, your only relief option is to take relief under the penalty area Rule.
When you decide that your ball is unplayable, you have three relief options, all for one penalty stroke. Your first option is to go back to the spot of your previous stroke and play again (stroke and distance relief). Your second option is to go back as far as you’d like and drop on the line from the hole through the spot where the ball lies (back-on-the-line relief). Your third option is to drop anywhere within two club-lengths of where your ball lies, no closer to the hole (lateral relief).
If your ball lies in a bunker, you must remain inside the bunker under options two and three. You also have a fourth option for an extra penalty stroke (two penalty strokes total) which allows you to go back on the line and drop your ball outside the bunker.
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USGA Announces Local Qualifying Sites for 121st U.S. Open
January 28, 2021
The United States Golf Association (USGA) today announced local qualifying sites for the 121st U.S. Open Championship. The U.S. Open will be contested at Torrey Pines Golf Course (South Course), in San Diego, Calif., for the second time from June 17-20, 2021. Local qualifying, conducted over 18 holes at 109 sites in 43 U.S. states and Canada, will take place between April 26-May 18.
“Professional and amateur golfers worldwide have a pathway to emerge from the thousands who will attempt to earn a place in this year’s U.S. Open at Torrey Pines Golf Course by competing in this two-stage qualifying process that was established in 1959,” said John Bodenhamer, USGA senior managing director, Championships. “Allied Golf Associations and Golf Canada, with the cooperation of the USGA’s five regional offices, are joined in this collaborative effort for both stages. We appreciate their diligence in overcoming the challenging times we confront each day.”
In 2020, U.S. Open qualifying was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to an all-exempt field at Winged Foot Golf Club. The USGA accepted 9,125 entries for the 2019 championship at Pebble Beach (Calif.) Golf Links. The record of 10,127 entries was established for the 2014 championship on Pinehurst Resort & Country Club’s Course No. 2, in the Village of Pinehurst, N.C.
Those players who advance out of local qualifying will join a group of locally exempt players in final qualifying, which will be conducted over 36 holes. Dates and courses will be announced in February.
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USGA Announces 2021 U.S. Women’s Open Qualifying
2021 Event at Olympic Club
January 26, 2021
The United States Golf Association (USGA) today announced qualifying dates and sites for the 76th U.S. Women’s Open Championship, which will be contested June 3-6, 2021, at The Olympic Club in San Francisco, Calif.
Conducted over 36 holes, qualifying will be held at 22 courses between April 26 and May 13. The championship is open to female professionals and amateurs with a Handicap Index® not exceeding 2.4. Online entry applications open on Wednesday, Feb. 17 and continues through April 14 at champs.usga.org.
The return to qualifying comes after an unprecedented year in which the signature play-in opportunities were canceled due to COVID-19 health and safety concerns. A determination on the feasibility of international qualifying given the ongoing effects of the pandemic will be made in coming weeks. Since debuting in 2014, U.S. Women’s Open international qualifying has typically been held in England, Japan, China and Korea.
“Last year was a difficult one in many respects and the decision to cancel qualifying did not come easily,” said John Bodenhamer, senior managing director, Championships. “We are thankful to be able to safely bring back qualifying and the openness that embodies all our championships in 2021.”
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