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Beds. Bargains, Birdies.
Want to get away for a few days of great golf in Saskatchewan . Consider holidaying at Harbor, Candle Lake , Elk Ridge, Katepwa, Golf Kenosee or White Bear. Check out the best bets for stay and play packages this summer on Hole #10 Travel deals. New listings are added monthly, so keep checking back. MORE >> |
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Weir to visit Saskatoon!
Mike Weir is scheduled to play one or two Saskatoon golf courses in June 2008, in a fundraising project designed to raise $1 million for the Children's Health and Hospital Foundation of Saskatchewan.
The 38-year-old is arguably Canada 's favourite golfer after winning the Master's in 2003. This year he's earned $900,000 on the PGA Tour with an eight-place finish at the British Open and the AT&T National. He is currently 45 th in World Golf rankings and has earned more than $19.9 million.
Weir and his wife Bricia started Mike Weir Miracle Golf Drive for Kids last year - $560,000 was raised for a new children's hospital in London , Ont. - and has chosen Saskatoon for his 2008 appearance. Stay tuned folks at www.chhf.sk.ca
Finding the magic
Playing better golf doesn't occur magically. You need to set up a plan that includes lessons, practice and tracking strengths and weaknesses. Read books, study good players and watch videos. Set goals and methodically work toward them to become a better golfer in 2008.
The Tiger Woods Dubai
The World's top golfer has started work on the Tiger Woods - Dubai " desert course in the United Arab Emirates . The world class venue will be a complex of 300 villas, a boutique hotel and the Al Ruwaya golf course which is the first Tiger Woods will personally design. The course will be a par 72 track of 7,700 yards with landscaping, water features and dramatic elevation changes. Mediterranean architecture, a state of the art clubhouse and a top-line gym are just a few of the features that will appeal to visitors.
Aspen Links Country Club launched
After major upgrades to the course and a complete clubhouse makeover during the summer, Emerald Park Golf and Country Club in White City has been renamed Aspen Links Country Club in time for its grand opening Sept. 7.
Designed in the links style by Cornish and Robinson Golf Course Designers, responsible for more than 100 courses in Canada and abroad, Aspen Links Country Club is a championship course with enough challenge to excite any golfer. MORE >>
Craik course honoured
Craik & District Golf Course has achieved designation as a “Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary” by the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses (ACSP), the educational division of Audubon International. Austin Eade, superintendent, has led the effort to obtain sanctuary status on this course and is being recognized for Environmental Stewardship by Audubon International. Craik & District golf course is the 1 st in Saskatchewan , 63 rd in Canada and the 644 th in the world to receive the honor . MORE >>
And the winner is!
Adam and Cathie Flood of 866 Schwarzfeld in Regina have won the free min vacation to Northern Meadows Golf Club near Meadow Lake . The prize included 4 rounds of golf, a power cart and two nights at the bed and breakfast. The contest is sponsored by SaskGolfer.com, Tourism Saskatchewan and of course, Northern Meadows, Saskatchewan 's newest 18-hole track. Congratulations Adam and Cathie. MORE >>
Amen Corner
“We are part-time scientist, part-time environmentalist, part-time public speaker, part-time arborist, part-time conflict manager, part-time negotiator, part-time business manager, part-time mechanic, part-time golfer, and part-time greenskeeper.”
- Donald Singlehurst on the nature of his job as course superintendent at Colwood GC in Victoria
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Around Saskatchewan Links
Graham DeLaet of Weyburn finished tied for sixth on the Canadian Tour this season. He earned $6,687 to finish 13 th on the Tour's Order of Merit with $35,774….Lindsay Bernakevitch finished his worst season in three to just earn a conditional card for the 2008 season. He was 96th on the Order of Merit with $4,348…. Sam Martz of Vancouver has donated his 4,730-volume library of golf books to the University of British Columbia. The $450,000 collection is the third largest in North America ….Official opening of the new Canadian golf box store Golf Town in Saskatoon is scheduled for spring 2008...
Disaster strikes Foam Lake
Golfers at Foam Lake Golf and Country Club aren't going to forget the 2007 season anytime soon. Severe spring floods forced the 2,913-yard, nine-hole track to close for the entire season.
“Our goal is to open again next summer,” says president Dale Reynolds, “but Mother Nature will dictate if that's possible.”
“It will take five years before we're back to normal and that's with normal water levels at Fishing Lake ,” says Reynolds.
Damages to the course are estimated at $600,000 and provincial government disaster relief amounts to about $160,000, he says. Green fee traffic from the campground and the cottages has been lost and the golf course greenskeeper has left the job, adds Reynolds.
Rated by those who know it as one of Saskatchewan 's best 9-hole courses, the Foam Lake Golf & Country Club is a jewel of a course well worth going out of your way to visit. It is located 22 kilometers north of the town of Foam Lake beside picturesque Fishing Lake .
The Fishing Lake area is ideal for a weekend getaway and boasts, along with a great golf course, Saskatchewan 's longest natural sand beach, full camping facilities, plus cabin and boat rentals. The regional park was established in 1967 and was flooded in 1997. See www.tee-off.ca/courses/sk057.htm
Editor's Note: To help Foam Lake get back on its feet, SaskGolfer.com will be providing free advertising for the course in 2008.
Golf Town in Saskatoon
Golf Town is one-step closer to being the pre-eminent golf store on the planet with its addition of a new megastore in Saskatoon .
Golf Town stores are “sanctuaries where devotees of golf come to try, buy, learn about and improve their game. “Each store is 14,000 to 25,000 square feet of brand name golf clubs, bags, apparel, shoes, accessories, gifts and pro services. The size of the store now under construction on the south-side of Saskatoon is unknown. MORE >>
Canada's Golf Province
Score Golf Magazine has ranked Saskatoon second and Regina fourth in the annual 20-city list of Best Canadian Golf City . Kelowna took first place honours and Kitchener-Waterloo placed third.
Score ranked cities based on number of public courses per capita, the percentage public venues, and the number of Top 100 Score Golf courses, adding bonus points for the number of golfers ever to play in the big leagues.
The magazine admits to not using a scientific method – Victoria is one of the cities with a population more than 150,000 not included – but we think Saskatchewan is Canada 's Golf Province . As you can judge by the November/December issue of SaskGolfer.com, Victoria has more than its share of great golf. |
The Skinny on Tiger
By Bob Hughes
I have been around for so long that it is rare when I am not referred to as “the old man.” This, I take as a compliment because it means, simply, I am still around. When you get to be my age, you will understand the meaning of that. Until then, just keep on truckin'.
This is how lucky I have been. I was lucky to have come out of high school and landed a job in the newspaper industry. I love to write, and where better to write than for a newspaper. I was even more lucky to become a columnist because then I could write as if I was an expert when really I knew very little about what I was writing about. There was once a great American sports columnist named Jim Murray, who who won a Pulitzer Prize for writing a sports column for the Los Angeles Times. Often, when he finished writing his column, he would lean back in his chair, and say, “I'm done this one. Fooled ‘em again.”
This is how lucky I have been. I saw Gordie Howe, the pride of Saskatchewan , play in the National Hockey League. I travelled to Edmonton for five Stanley Cup finals and I saw Wayne Gretzky play, in person. I even talked to him on a number of occasions. I was in the Montreal Forum the night Guy Lafleur was honoured for his remarkably flamboyant career. I spent a whole day with Muhammad Ali in Calgary when he came to town to star in a boxing exhibition. I have covered Stanley Cup finals, Grey Cups, the Olympics, Canada Cups, Memorial Cups and the Canadian Lawn Bowling Championships in Regina . That, I covered because my late Aunt, whose name was Hantie, was a lawn bowler and she made me come out and write about it. I covered Ron Lancaster, the greatest of Rider quarterbacks, for most of his career, and George Reed too.
And, perhaps in what has been one of the highlights of my life, I have watched in person Tiger Woods win a major championship. Because she knew it was one of my dreams, my wife Loretta, the Realtor, gave me as a retirement gift a trip to the 2006 British Open and it was there, at the Royal Liverpool Course in Hoylake , England , that Tiger Woods ran away from the field and won it. We watched him, followed him, for four straight rounds of awesome championship golf.
So, I think I am safe in saying that I qualify as somebody who is, ah, sort of qualified as picking who is the greatest athlete to ever grace the world of sport. After all, I've seen them all. And, none of them can quite compare with Tiger Woods, the golfer.
There has never been an athlete who can rise to the top as often as Tiger Woods has since he turned pro in 1997 and won the Masters. He has it all. Athletic ability, dedication, superb work ethics, stunning skill, and, most importantly of all, the ability to rise to the top when he has to. He is the whole package.
Take the FedEx Cup. He did. He dominated that season-ending PGA players' championship with the skill of the world's greatest surgeon. He shrugged off all the pretenders to his crown with such ease it was astounding. Heading into the final round, he was paired with the chubby Mark Calcavecchia, who himself admitted he was out of his league. “Tiger didn't get off to his usual fast start (in the final round),” said Calcavecchia, “but you knew it would only be a matter of time.”
There are two classes of golfers on the world map right now. Tiger Woods, and all the rest. Just think about it. Since he became pro, a number of golfers have lined up to take a run at him. Sergio Garcia, Vijay Singh, David Duval, Phil Mickelson to name a handful. Not one of them – not a single one – has been able to steal his claim as the world's best player. They all have fallen by the wayside in the wake of his smothering talent.
There's never been an athlete like him. And the scary part is, Tiger Woods is no where near his peak. He still can get better. And he will. That's what makes him Tiger Woods.
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Golf without pain
While golf equipment and advice proliferates, one of the most important success factors can't be found at the pro shop.
It's the physical condition of the golfer. After all, back pain and golfer's elbow are two of the most common injuries suffered by golfers, according to the Canadian Chiropractic Association.
When you consider the spinal rotation that goes into a golf swing and the fact that the speed of the club can reach 160 km/hour, it's easy to understand that golf puts significant biomechanical stress on the body.
Follow these tips to improve your game and prevent the pain:
1. Every golfer should include strength-training exercises in their routine. Strengthening all major muscle groups is essential to maximizing your performance. Core body strength and flexibility helps breathing and oxygen flow, as well as preventing injury to your back. Muscle is also an important shock absorber that helps prevent strains and sprains.
2. Warm-up and cool-down both before and after your game for a full 20 minutes. Include gentle stretching and range of motion exercises, as well as a brisk walk or gentle jog to loosen the muscles and joints.
3. Stay hydrated. Drink plenty of fluids before, during and after your game. Sorry, beer does not count. Remember that once you are thirsty, you are already starting to dehydrate. Dehydration affects your energy level and your physical functioning.
4. Use a wheeled golf cart for carrying heavy clubs. If you must carry your golf bag, use both shoulders straps. This will spread the weight across a greater area. If there is only one strap, alternate sides frequently. If you find that your bag is getting too heavy, put it down and take a break.
5. When wheeling your golf cart, push rather than pull.
6. Golf requires long periods of standing. Frequently alternate your weight from one foot to the other or rest one of them on your golf bag or cart.
7. Take care of your feet! Make sure you have the proper shoes for your type of feet. Golf shoes with short cleats are the best.
8. Use the right technique for your physical capacity and limits. Adopting a golf swing based on your physical and biomechanical capacity is important. Amateurs are usually better off adopting a classic golf swing, which enables the hips to turn nearly as much as the shoulders to minimize spinal twisting. If in doubt, consult a golf pro.
9. Lastly, have fun. The right attitude is good for your performance and your overall health! |
Preventing shoulder injuries
Shoulder injuries in golfers are common due to the repetitive nature of the swing. To reduce shoulder pain, try these two tips.
• Shorten the backswing slightly. Instead of ending the club head at the 3 o'clock position, stop at the 1 o'clock position.
• Strengthen your shoulder, scapular, chest , and back muscles. Your chest and back muscles are large and generate the power in the swing.
Preventing elbow, wrist and hand injuries
• Select larger and softer club grips and use a neutral grip.
• Select irons with large heads and graphite shafts to lessen vibration.
• Select the correct club length.
• Strengthen your forearm muscles.
Canada 's chiropractors – here to help
Chiropractors can help prevent backpack problems by showing you golf exercises and stretches. Should you suffer an injury from golf, a chiropractor can also provide treatment for your pain. Fact: 80 per cent of Canadians will suffer from back pain in their lifetime. If required, a chiropractor can treat your pain through a variety of methods. These can include: spinal and joint adjustment, modalities such as ultrasound or TENS, soft tissue therapy and therapeutic exercises.
Improve your game without the pain. For more information or to locate a chiropractor near you, please visit the Canadian Chiropractic Association website www.ccachiro.org .
Sherwood Forest opens year-round
Sherwood Forest Golf and Country Club, located just 15 minutes west of Regina , is blessed with a challenging nine-hole course in the treed setting of the beautiful Qu'Appelle Valley. As a result, it has become one of Regina 's favorite locations for a round of golf, a tournament or a special occasion in the new year-round clubhouse.
“It's a laid back, casual and fun atmosphere,” says general manager Ken Kovacs. “A lot of people prefer to play nine holes and then retreat to the restaurant, one of our picnic areas or the Red Barn facility to enjoy the relaxed atmosphere.”
In 2000, Sherwood Forest built a lovely, full-service Georgian-style clubhouse complete with three upscale meeting rooms on its second level. The facility can accommodate groups of up to 120. It is open 12 months a year to accommodate your meetings, conferences, banquets, weddings and Christmas parties and offers a full catering service. MORE >>
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