Issue August

2009 Nevada State Net Amateur

Rio Secco Golf Club >>>

In This Issue >>>

Terry Ream shoots a final round Net 64 to win

Rio Secco Golf Club was designed and built in 1997 by golf course architect Rees Jones. When Rio Secco opened in 1997 Golf Digest and Golf Magazine voted it among the top ten new courses. In 2007 Golfweek named it one of America's 100 Greatest Resort Golf Courses. Voted the # 1 public access course in Nevada by the Las Vegas PGA membership poll along with many other awards.

The Nevada State Net Amateur was held at Paiute Resort Golf Club –Wolf Course August 7th - 9th. There were 53 players from all over the State competing for the coveted title.

The Grind The Official Newsletter of the Southern Nevada Golf Association

The Wolf Course at Paiute Golf Re-sort, site of the 2009 Nevada State Net Amateur, truly lived up to its bill-ing. Over the 3 days of competition, August 7th through 9th, only 10 rounds were recorded in red figures. 6 of these sub-par rounds were recorded on Day 3 when the strong winds of the first 2 days mercifully laid down. The gusty conditions, coupled with difficult course set-up provided a stern test of golf for all 53 competi-tors. When the dust settled, one man stood alone at the top – Terry Ream. Ream fired rounds of 81, 72, and 64 steadily improving and simultaneously climb-ing up the leader board. Ream’s final round gross 71 turned into a tourna-ment low net-64. “I have never bro-ken par before,” said the shocked and elated Ream.

Rounding out the top three were Leo May and Andy Vesco who both fired 3 day totals of 220 to finish at 4-over par and 3 strokes back of the winner. In sole possession of 4th place, Dave Spitler, who’s second round 68 helped

him to a 3 day total of 221. Rounding out the top 5 were John Rutan, Eric Conway, and George Yocum who all finished another shot back at 6-over par 222. The SNGA Staff would

like to sincerely thank our volunteers, the entire staff of the Paiute Golf Re-sort, and all 53 competitors who teed it up for the competition. The tradi-tions and spirit of the game were up-held and a worthy champion was crowned.

Terry Ream shot a per-

sonal best 64 Net to

come from behind and

win the Net Amateur

Title.

1. Nevada State Amateur 2. Misunderstood Rules 3. Course Spotlight - Highland Falls 4. What Are They Up To Now?

The Legacy Golf Club Site of the 2009 Southern Nevada Amateur

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Golf Headquarters has it all at a price you can afford. SNGA Members receive a 10%

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Course Spotlight >>>

Highland Falls is for Real! One of SNGA’s New Home Courses: Highland Falls Golf Club

Highland Falls is one of the sportiest layouts in the Valley. The par-72, 6,512-yard course lies at an elevation of 3,053 feet, which means it offers stunning panoramic views of the Las Vegas Valley. The front nine features rolling hills, which get steeper on the back nine. The four par 5s all play more than 520 yards. Two of the par 4s, the 4th and 6th holes, play 432 and 421 yards respectively, while the other eight all play less than 390 yards, but with the elevation changes, strategic fairway bunkering and well-bunkered greens, they all present fair challenges. Three of the four par 3s play less than 170 yards, while the 14th hole plays 206 yards. From the tee, one of the highest golfing points in the Valley, players can look down to the southeast and see the entire city.

The eighteenth hole is a great test for golfers. The par-4 dogleg right plays 387 yards. Water runs from tee to green on the right, while the left is guarded by native landscaping. The green is well protected by twin sloping bunkers on the left and lake on right.

What Are They Up To Now? >>> A peek into the world of the SNGA staff By Nicole Dutt-Roberts Since taking over as the Executive Director for the SNGA, one of my primary goals was to build our volunteer base so we could run our tournaments more efficiently. UNLV’s PGM (Professional Golf Management) Program seemed like a good fit to find the help we

needed. This program is filled with students who are pursu-ing a career in the golf business. The only problem, the PGM students had to volunteer on their weekends with no class credit available to them. Chris Cain, the Director of the PGM, and I had spoke a few times about the possibility

of SNGA and the PGM teaming up so we could receive the help we needed and the stu-dents could get real life experience with running golf tournaments. Because of Chris’s tenacity, he was able to convince the powers to be to allow our two organizations to join forces and create a curriculum that would grant his students class credit. Once the green light was given, Drew Smith (SNGA Assistant Executive Director) and I met with Chris and his staff to put together a plan of action. A presentation for the freshmen and sophomore classes was decided upon so the SNGA staff got to work in order to prepare for this exciting opportunity. On August 25th, with the help of Drew’s professional power point presentation, we were able to introduce the operations of the Southern Ne-vada Golf Association to the students and the opportunities available in the world of amateur golf to successful graduates of the PGM pro-gram. The presentation also informed the students of what would be required of them through the 4 major aspects of tournament operations including pre tournament preparation, course setup, tournament administration, and post tournament follow up. With this experience, the PGM Staff and the SNGA feel the students will gain a better understanding of the tasks involved in performing an efficient and successful golf tournament and they might even have some fun doing it! The SNGA graciously accepted the responsibility and will be mentoring the students during the Las Vegas City Amateur, Clark County Ama-teur, and SNGA Finale this fall. If you would like more information about the UNLV PGM Program as well as Christopher Cain and his staff, please visit hotel.unlv.edu/pga. If you are a tournament participant, we look forward to introducing you to some of the future stars in the golf course administration business at our events.

Ground under repair is something golfers run into nearly every time they tee it up for a round. The provision for ground under repair within the rules of golf allows players to take

relief from certain areas of the golf course. The Rules of Golf are vague on exactly what constitutes ground under repair saying only, “it is any part of the course so marked by order of the committee or so de-clared by its duly authorized representative.” Ground under repair in-cludes material piled for removal and a hole made by a greens keeper. Ground under repair is normally identified/defined by white stakes and white lines. Let’s now take a look at some areas of the golf course and the proper way to take relief from ground under repair. THROUGH THE GREEN: If the ball lies through the green in ground under repair, the player may lift the ball and drop it within one club length of and not nearer the hole than the nearest point of full re-lief (full relief means the ground under repair no longer affects your stance, lie, or area of intended swing.) The nearest point of relief MUST NOT be in a hazard or on the putting green. BUNKER: If the ball lies in ground under repair within a bunker, the player may lift the ball and drop it within one club length of the nearest point of full relief that is still in the bunker. If full relief within the bunker is impossible, the player may drop the ball within the bunker at the point of maximum relief. Also, under penalty of one stroke, the player may drop the ball outside the bunker keeping the line between where the ball original lay and the hole and going back as far as they want on that line. PUTTING GREEN: If the ball lies in ground under repair on the put-ting green or the player’s ball lies on the putting green and ground un-der repair on the putting green interferes with the line of putt, the player may lift and place the ball at the nearest point of relief, no closer to the hole and not in a hazard. Keep in mind this nearest point may be off the putting green. TEEING GROUND: If the ball lies in ground under repair on the tee-ing ground, the same provisions as those described in the “through the green” section apply. Always remember, the ball may be cleaned when taking relief from ground under repair; however, a new ball may not be substituted. By being aware of where the ball lies in ground under repair, you can be sure to always follow the proper relief procedures. Remember you always have the option of playing the ball as it lies within ground under repair, unless the committee has deemed otherwise. However, if you do decide to take relief make sure you follow the proper procedure to avoid penalties.

Lil Jordan's: 9 Holes of Fear By Johnny Eugenio

Lil' Jordan's: 9 Holes of Fear carefully examines the sport of golf from the perspective of an athletically-inclined child. Throughout his adventures, Lil' Jor-dan learns to face his fears. He tackles apprehen-sion about monsters lurking in unexpected places, overcomes mental obstacles related to sports, and discovers the rewards associated with working hard and staying focused. As the emergence of junior golfers continues to arise, this book appeals not only to children who develop an interest in sports at an early age, but to parents who have aspirations for their kids to one day excel at a particular athletic endeavor. The 9 Holes of Fear promotes character develop-ment and life enhancing values through the game of golf. The core values taught throughout the book are perseverance, sportsmanship, confidence, judg-ment, respect and being courteous. The book has been endorsed by MG Orender (Former President of The PGA Tour) and Lyn Nel-son President of Northern California Golf Associa-tion. The book has also been sponsored by Ping Golf, among other major organizations. Johnny Eugenio is the proud father of eight beauti-ful children. Eugenio wrote The Nine Holes of Fear upon being inspired by his son Jordan. Jordan started golfing at the tender age of two. Eugenio says "lil' Jordan" has been the reason he's wanted to encourage more children to play the game of golf. As Jordan has revealed to his father, golf can be a difficult sport because of all the mental pres-sures associated with the game. Another inspira-tion to Eugenio is his other son, Joshua, who has Down Syndrome. Joshua's smile motivates Eugenio to educate other children about youth who live with disabilities. Eugenio's desire is to share adventures like The Nine Holes of Fear which can be told over and over again to kids, and will inspire them to keep trying harder when challenges arise. Such a book will allow parents and grandpar-ents to share their positive and challenging memo-ries about life, sports, and all the lessons learned along the way. Eugenio resides in California. To Purchase Lil' Jordan's: 9 Holes of Fear, please contact the First Tee of Southern Nevada at 702-433-0626 ext. 204 or email Dannielle Gladd at dgladd@tftsn.org. 100% of the net proceeds for the sale of this book will be donated to the First Tee of Southern Nevada

Misunderstood Rules by Casey Mersch >>>

Proper Relief Procedure Ground Under Repair

Finding An Agent That’s Right For You

In The Next Issue>>>

SNGA Mojave Amateur

Did you Know?

Fix Its by Nicole Dutt-Roberts

Course Spotlight

“Reverse every natural instinct and do the opposite of what you are inclined to do, and you will probably come very close to having the perfect golf swing.” - Ben Hogan

thoughts... final

2625 N. Green Valley Pkwy. Suite 100 Henderson, NV 89014

Contact us at 702-458-4653 www.snga.org

Cleveland Golf Srixon is the official golf product sponsor of the Southern Nevada Golf Associa-

tion. As a leader in the golf product industry, Cleve-land Golf Srixon provides the highest quality golf

clubs, balls, and gear to SNGA members. Cleveland Golf Srixon is a major contributor to amateur golf in

the United States as well as the PGA, LPGA, and European PGA tours. Visit Cleveland Golf Srixon at

www.clevelandgolf.com for more information.

Nevada Representative Tim Shaver is available for all your needs

timshaver@clevelandgolf.com

Las Vegas National Golf Club Site of the 2009 SNGA Season Opener

What’s on Tap >>>

2009 SNGA Mojave Amateur Tradition continues in Laughlin, NV. One of the longest standing events in SNGA history is the SNGA Mojave Amateur in Laughlin Ne-vada. Formerly the Ruth’s Chris Golf Classic, this year the SNGA Mojave Amateur will be held at the Mojave Resort Golf Club September 12th and 13th. Registration for this event is open to any SNGA member and is being conducted for four Divisions including Scratch, Net, Seniors, and our newest division for men over the age of 60, Super Seniors. For more information visit www.snga.org or contact the SNGA offices at 702-458-4653 x 214.

Mojave Resort Golf Club Site of the 2009 SNGA Mojave Amateur