November 14, 2003, Vol. 3, No. 46

Sponsored by:

-------------------------------------------------------------------

MGN NOW IN HTML FORMAT-CLICK ON TO http://webgolfer.com/news.html

-------------------------------------------------------------------

***
MHSAA MULLIING CHANGES ON STATE PREP GOLF FINALS
By Terry Moore

If one were a smart aleck, you could say this about the 2003 State Boys
Golf Finals: they held a golf tournament but instead an ultra-marathon
broke out. Due to the size of the fields during the first day of the golf
finals, the rounds at some sites lasted almost seven hours long. And
this is for a sport that sees a four-hour round as a standard for 18 holes.

To their credit, both the Michigan High School Athletic Association
(MHSAA) and the Michigan Interscholastic Golf Coaches Association
(MIGCA) are aware of the problem at the state finals and are already
studying ways to improve it for next year. "It was evident, given the
size of the field on the first day of the boys state finals, that it was
awkward and the rounds were lengthy," said Randy Allen of the MHSAA.
"It was not a good experience for the participants." Echoing these
comments was Bob Lober, Executive Director of the MIGCA: "We are
concerned, as coaches, with the state golf finals format and the length
of the rounds that occurred this year. The MIGCA wants to make the
state golf finals a positive learning experience. It's doubtful much positive
learning is gained from a seven- hour round of golf," said Lober who also
serves as golf coach of the Traverse City H.S. boys team.

Allen says two major questions are being studied: 1) How many schools
and individuals should end up qualifying for the state finals? 2) Should the
state finals be 36 holes with a cut or no-cut format?
This year during the first round of competition, there were as many as 141
golfers at one of the courses. As any golf pro who has conducted
competitions will attest, that number is simply unworkable for medal play
competition and a reasonable time limit for players. More importantly, such
a cumbersome, unwieldy field is unfair to the spirit of the game which ought
to be played with some dispatch and undue delay.

Of course, one reason behind such a large field is the tradition of having
each regional qualify the top three teams and three individuals. Most
coaches don't want to reduce the size of the qualifying fields fearing
that their team will be left out of the state finals. So one possible
solution is to implement a district and regional format similar to other
high schools sports. Such a district-and-regional format could send 96
players (top four teams plus top four individuals from a reduced number
of regional venues) to the state finals. In this scenario, the MHSAA could
even conduct a "no-cut" state finals. Yet some could argue that even 96
players, in foursomes, will end up with five hour plus rounds and not really
address the issue of slow play. A better formula would be a
district/regional format resulting in only 72 players (top three teams and
top three individuals) qualifying for a no-cut state finals. A 72-player
field is much more workable, especially if a no-cut finals format is sought.

On a related note, one college coach who witnessed the onerous and slow
play at one of the finals this year suggested a change in the pairings
make-up. In this coach's opinion, it would be better (given a 72-player field)
to have the field divided into threesomes rather than foursomes. Although
foursomes would allow a single group on every hole, threesomes (with a
group on every hole and two groups on six others) will be faster and
more conducive to overall play and concentration. In fact, most college
tournaments are conducted in threesomes. Also, coaches should explore
ways to speed play and make players more aware of pace of play. One
simple tip that can save minutes in a round: remind players that on the
green, "the first one in (the cup), grabs the pin."

The state finals format and qualifying issue will also touch upon other
important matters in the discussion, such as "time away from school"
and cost considerations for both local teams and the MHSAA. Certainly,
these issues must be part of the overall deliberation. Both the MHSAA
and the MIGCA should be applauded for tackling an issue that is in the
best interest of the competitors and the game of golf. A state golf finals,
the hallmark of a player's high school golf experience, should not be a
survival test of patience, mental strength and endurance over a six or
seven hour crucible. Instead, it should reflect the highest standards of a
championship test of golf for the benefit of players, coaches and parents
alike.

***
THE MICHIGAN GOLFER TELEVISION SHOW

"THE ARTHUR HILLS MICHIGAN GOLF TRAIL"
The Michigan Golfer and our reporter, Phyllis Barone, visited Eastern
Michigan University to chat with, Quentin Lutz, V.P. Global Business
Development, Marketing and Media Relations of Arthur Hills/Steve Forrest
and Associates. Quentin was a Guest Speaker at an EMU Sports Marketing
undergraduate class and one of his topics was on the upcoming launch of
the Arthur Hills Michigan Golf Trail. Join Phyllis Barone and the students of
Eastern Michigan University as they find all about the trail.
http://michigangolfer.tv Trivia: Can you name at least 15 courses that Art Hills/Steve Forrest
have designed in Michigan?
Answer, later on in the newsletter.

HOLIDAY BOOK BUYING-FEATURING "CRAIG BRASS AND 'HOW TO QUIT GOLF'"

This week we bring back Bill Shelters to chat with Craig Brass about
his book, "How to Quit Golf" And again, check out all the writers on last
week's show:

Last week, we brought you:
Don Wade - "Take Dead Aim"
Bradley Klein-"Discovering Donald Ross: The Architect and his Golf Courses"
David Joy -"Scrapbook of Old Tom Morris"
Dennis Walters-"In My Dreams I Walk With You
Ron Garland -"Golf Nuts: You've Got To Be Committed"
Sidney L. Matthew -"The Life and Times of Bobby Jones"

These authors all get a chance to pitch their books
http://michigangolfer.tv ***
TIGER TAKETH

Tiger Woods ended the 2003 professional golf season without a major
championship, but headed to the "off-season" with two additional records
in his pocket.

Woods captured an unprecedented fifth straight PGA Player of the Year
Award and Vardon Trophy following last weekend's Tour Championship at
Champions Golf Club in Houston, Texas.

Woods concluded the year with 88 points, while Vijay Singh - the season's
top money-winner - finished in a tie for second with Masters Champion
Mike Weir with 78 points each.

Woods' winning total was based on five tournament wins worth 50 points,
20 points for capturing the Vardon Trophy and 18 points for finishing second
in money earnings.

Four-event winner Davis Love III finished fourth in the PGA Player of the
Year race - which originated in 1948 - with 74 points. U.S. Open Champion
Jim Furyk was fifth with 66.

Woods tied Tom Watson with a record six career PGA Player of the Year
titles. Woods also tied Billy Casper and Lee Trevino with five career Vardon
Trophies. Woods completed his season with a 68.41 adjusted scoring
average through 68 rounds, his second lowest adjusted average since
finishing with a record 67.79 in 2000.

Singh was runner-up at 68.65 based on 102 rounds, while Weir was third
at 68.97 based on 75 rounds, and Ernie Els fourth at 68.99 through 60
rounds.

Since joining the PGA Tour in 1996, Woods has won PGA Player of the Year
honors in 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 and this year. He has won the
Vardon Trophy - which showcases a player's adjusted scoring average -
every year since 1999.

Since 1937, the Vardon Trophy, named in honor of famed British golfer
Harry Vardon, is awarded annually to the touring professional with the
lowest adjusted scoring average. It is based on a minimum of 60 rounds,
with no incomplete rounds, in events co-sponsored or designated by the
PGA Tour.

Media Contact:
Julius Mason
561-624-8444
jmason@pgahq.com
***
CRYSTAL BREAKS GROUND ON LATEST DEVELOPMENT

Work had barely been completed on Crystal Mountain's eleven new North
Face slopes when the resort broke ground last month on its next project,
the Water's Edge development, further illustrating Crystal Mountain's
forward momentum despite difficult economic times across the state and
nationwide.

The new Water's Edge development, which is comprised of an outdoor
water park and 22 two- and three-bedroom cottages, is the third step
in Crystal's master plan, *Vision 2010*. Just last year, the resort
completed the plan's first step, the new 48,000 square-foot Kinlochen
lodge, which houses a restaurant and lounge, lodging units and the Nordic
and golf pro shops. This fall marked the completion of the second step
in this $60-million plan with the eleven new North Face ski slopes. In addition
to Water's Edge, Vision 2010 also includes a pedestrian village, a third golf
course, a tubing area and additional lodging.

Water's Edge is one of the largest components of Crystal's Vision 2010. It
represents a $13 million investment by the resort and is comprised of two
elements: The Park at Water's Edge and The Cottages at Water's Edge:

Taken and edited from a release from Crystal Mountain.

***
RYDER CUP CAPTAINS CHALLENGE AND RYDER CUP CHAMPIONS INVITATIONAL

The PGA of America recently announced the creation of two new Ryder Cup
sanctioned events designed to benefit local charities-the Ryder Cup
Captains Challenge and the Ryder Cup Champions Invitational. All net
proceeds from the 2004 events will be donated directly to local Michigan
area charities.

The Ryder Cup Captains Challenge presented by Cadillac will be held at The
Detroit Golf Club, in Detroit, Mich., on Wed., Sept. 15, 2004. The event will
feature several U.S. Ryder Cup Captains serving as the hosts for the day.
Participants in the event will have the opportunity to win prizes by
competing against up to four different Ryder Cup Captains during their
round. There is also a team competition for prizes in the scramble format
event.

The Ryder Cup Champions Invitational presented by the MGM Grand will be
held at Oakland University Golf and Learning Center, in Rochester Mich., on
Thursday, Sept. 16, 2004. The event will feature 50 athletes and celebrities
from the sports and entertainment industry. Participants will play all
eighteen holes with the celebrity. Each team will be competing against each
other for prizes in the scramble format event.

The 35th Ryder Cup Matches will be held at Oakland Hills Country Club
in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. Sept. 14-19, 2004.

Media Contact:
Julius Mason
561-624-8444
jmason@pgahq.com
Taken and edited from a PR release from Julius Mason

***
IN 2003, GOLF DID NOT WEATHER THE WEATHER VERY WELL

The number of rounds played in the U.S. declined five percent year-to-date
in 2003, according to data collected by NGF (National Golf Foundation) from
1,500 golf facilities.

"The weather is clearly the primary factor in the decrease," says NGF
president Joe Beditz. "The data show that among facilities located in places
where the number of closed days due to weather was unchanged, rounds
were actually up 0.7 percent and where weather improved, rounds were up
10 percent.

In most months, a majority (50-75 percent) of facilities reported worse
weather in 2003 vs. 2002, particularly along the eastern seaboard. For
example, in the Northeast (including New England and the Mid Atlantic
states), the average number of closed days for the first nine months of
2003 was 122 vs. 94 in 2002, an additional month of closures. A group of
23 states in the eastern and central regions accounting for 55 percent of
total rounds played had a 26 percent increase in precipitation year-to-date
vs. 2001, the last relatively dry year.
Download your free copy of the complete rounds report at
http://www.ngf.org

***
NATIONWIDE ANNOUNCES 2004 TOUR

The Nationwide Tour today announced a 30-tournament schedule for the
2004 season that will offer prize money in excess of $15 million.

The domestic portion of the schedule will commence on Mar. 22-28 with
the Chitimacha Louisiana Open in Broussard, LA, and concludes with the
Nationwide Tour Championship (Oct. 25-31).

The Golf Channel will again be the exclusive broadcast partner of the
Nationwide Tour and will telecast 16 tournaments, 14 domestic and two
international events.

Click here for the full schedule:
http://www.golfweb.com/tournaments/2004_htour.html
Media Contact:
Allison Vogt
Allison_Vogt@pgatourhq.com
***
LOOKING BACK-BERRY AND THE BEAR

"The Bear" by Jack Berry

"I remember vividly early in the design, walking the center lines with
Nicklaus, Cupp and Paul Nine (the developer)," said Doug Grove, then the
golf professional at Grand Traverse. "We were walking the third hole and
Jack told Paul he'd give him 'a great resort course.'

Paul said, "I've got a resort course. I want a hard, championship course.'
Jack didn't say anything and we walked on. He told Paul again he'd give him
a great resort course and Paul again said he had a resort course and he
wanted a hard, championship course.

"Jack's eyes were burning, even more burning than they get now. I could see
him make up his mind that if that was what Paul wanted, he'd give it to him.
And he did. It was a marketing ploy and some people hate it but I think it's a
great course, I love it. It's one of my top five," said Grove who has opened
three Nicklaus courses as the head professional -- the Bear, Country Club
of the South in Atlanta and Glenmoor, south of Cleveland.

"On the 18th Nicklaus and Cupp talked about going left of the tree or right
of it with the fairway and then decided to create a double fairway and give
players an option. I think it's one of the greatest finishing holes in golf,"
Grove said.

More http://webgolfer.com/june97/bear.html

***
COMPUTER HUMOR
Here are 16 actual error messages seen on the computer screens in Japan
where they are written in Haiku. Aren't these better than "your computer
has performed an illegal operation"?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

* The Web site you seek cannot be located, but countless more exist.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

* Chaos reigns within. Reflect, repent, and reboot. Order shall
return.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

* Program aborting: Close all that you have worked on. You ask far
too much.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

* Windows NT crashed. I am the Blue Screen of Death. No one hears
your screams.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

* Yesterday it worked. Today it is not working. Windows is like that.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

* Your file was so big. It might be very useful. But now it is gone.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

* Stay the patient course. Of little worth is your ire. The network
is down.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

* A crash reduces your expensive computer to a simple stone.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

* Three things are certain: Death, taxes and lost data. Guess which
has occurred.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

* You step in the stream, but the water has moved on. This page is
not here.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

* Out of memory. We wish to hold the whole sky, but we never will.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

> * Having been erased, The document you're seeking must now be
retyped.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

* Serious error. All shortcuts have disappeared. Screen. Mind. Both
are blank.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Computer Humor is courtesy of The Internet Advisor Newsletter
http://internetadvisor.net

***
Trivia Question: Art Hills Golf Courses

MICHIGAN

Bay Harbor Petoskey 27 holes 1998
The Arthur Hills Course at Boyne Highlands Harbor Springs 18 holes 2000
Egypt Valley Country Club Grand Rapids 36 holes 1989
Fieldstone Golf Club Auburn Hills 18 holes 1998
Fox Hills Country Club (Golden Fox) Plymouth 18 holes 1988
HawksHead South Haven 18 holes 1996
Country Club of Jackson Jackson 3rd nine 1989
Lakes of Taylor Golf Course Taylor 18 holes 1995
The Legacy Ottawa Lake 18 holes 1997
Lyon Oaks Golf Course Wixom 18 holes 2002
The Moors Portage 18 holes 1978
Oak Pointe (Honors) Brighton 18 holes 1992
Oakhurst Country Club Clarkston 18 holes 1998
Pheasant Run Golf Course Canton 18 holes 1994
Pheasant Run Golf Course Canton 9 holes 2002
Pine Trace Rochester Hills 18 holes 1988
Red Hawk Golf Club East Tawas 18 holes 1998
Riverview Highlands (Blue Nine) Riverview 9 holes 1980
Shepherd's Hollow Golf Club Clarkston 27 holes 2000
Stonebridge Ann Arbor 18 holes 1990
Taylor Meadows Golf Course Taylor 18 holes 1988
The Thoroughbred Rothbury 18 holes 1992
***
QUOTES OF THE WEEK

"The biggest problem is a hugh churn rate: Roughly three million people
take up the game each year, and another three million give it up. There
are many reasons for this-notably time and expense-but clearly a lot of
people aren't enjoying their golfing experience." Golfweek Editorial
11:08:2003 on a report from the Golf 20/20 Conference.

Golf balls are attracted to water as unerringly as the eye of a middle-aged
man to a female bosom. ~Michael Green, The Art of Coarse Golf

"I was not much of a practice tee fellow. That was no good for me, because
on the golf course you have to make that first shot, not the eighth one. On
a practice tee you do not that sense of responsibility."

Bobby Jones in "The Wit and Wisdom of Bobby Jones", edited by Sidney
Matthew. Clock Tower Press http://clocktowerpress.com
http://www.quotegarden.com/golf.html

***
MICHIGAN GOLF NEWS ASSOCIATION SUBSCRIBERS

Golf Association of Michigan
http://www.gam.org

Michigan Golf Course Owners Association
http://mgcoa.org

Michigan PGA
http://michigan.pga.com

Michigan Women's Publinx Golf Association
http://mwpga.com

Michigan State Amateur Golf Association
skillplay@aol.com

Upper Peninsula Golf Association
http://upga.org

***
GOLF CALENDAR

September

09/13-14 Michigan Net Amateur Championship, Pilgrim's Run
09/20-21 Atlas Matches, The Loon, Gaylord
http://www.theloongolfclub.com/
09/28-30 Pepsi Fall Charity Invitational, Treetops, Gaylord
http://treetops.com
09/30 Tournament of Club Champions (Men and Women) Egypt Valley, Ada

October

10/17-18 Fall Golf, Ski and Travel Show- Novi Expo
http://michigangolfshow.com
10/19-21 The GOLF 20/20 Conference, World Golf Village, Florida
http://wgv.com

November

11/14-16 The International Golf Show is November 14-16, 2003 at the Toronto Congress Centre.
http://golf-show.com
11/30-12/02 MGCOA Annual Conference Lansing

2004

January

01/23-25 Atlanta Golf Show
01/29-02/02 PGA Merchandise Show-Orlando, Florida
Web:http://www.pgamerchandiseshow.com
Video: http://michigangolfer.tv/2003shows/show1/index.html

February

02/06-8 West Michigan Golf Show, DeVos Place
http://showspan.com
02/13-15 London Golf and Travel Expo at the Western Fair Event Centre
Web: http://golf-show.com
Video: http://michigangolfer.tv/2003shows/show5/index.html

March

03/05-07 12th Annual Michigan Golf Show- Novi Expo
Web: http://michigangolfshow.com
03/19-21 6th Annual Lansing Golf Show- Lansing
http://michigangolfshow.com
03/19-21 Chicago Golf Show
http://golf2020.com

***
Tour and Association Calendars

Associations

Golf Association of Michigan
http://www.gam.org/champ/schedule.cgi
Michigan Section PGA
http://www.Michigan.PGA.com
Michigan Golf Course Owners Association
http://mgcoa.org
Golf Course Superintendents Association of America
http://www.gcsaa.org

Tours

Canadian Tour- http://www.cantour.com/schedule.php
European Tour- http://www.europeantour.com
Hooters Tour- http://www.ngahooterstour.com
Futures Tour - http://www.futurestour.com/Schedules.html
PGA - http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/pgatour.html
---