Great Weather, a course in great condition, and a stellar field headlined the 2011 Southern Nevada Amateur at The Legacy Golf Club in Henderson, NV.

Rave reviews were given to the course from the field which included 10 of the top 25 Nevada Amateur golfers(scratchplayers.org world amateur rankings) for the first major of the 2011 SNGA Tournament Season. The four day event yielded a few red numbers, a lot of great golf shots, and 6 humble champions.

Story continued on page 4

In This Issue >>>

The Official Newsletter of the Southern Nevada Golf Association

1. Southern Nevada Amateur 2. Las Vegas Golf & Tennis 3. Nature Valley Amateur 4. SNA Continued 5. MetLife Auto and Home® 6. Misunderstood Rules 7. PJ’s Super Section 8. BCGC Charity Golf Classic 9. Community News 10. First Tee/Pebble Beach 11. What’s on Tap

The Grind

Page 1

SNGA Home Course Specials for Palm Valley Golf Club and Highland Falls Golf Club

SNGA members receive special rates on tee times with reservations up to 7 days

in advance with no restrictions

SPECIAL RATES: $39 Anytime

$29 after 11:00AM $25 after 2PM

Visit www.golfsummerlin.com for more information

Call 702-254-7010 for your tee time

2011 Issue May

Page 2

Taylormade technology can be tested by all at new Las Vegas Golf & Tennis Story by Brian Hurlburt of GolfLasVegasNow.com We will spare you the NASA scientific explanation of the technology on display at the TaylorMade Fitting Center at the new Las Vegas Golf and Tennis location at 1-15 and Tropicana (find the popular In-n-Out bur-ger; then go north two 300-yard drives), but suffice it to say, the bells and whistles on the Foresight fitting ma-chine could help take out the enemy in a real war. And, who knows, maybe this is what Navy Seal Team 6 used to take down Osama … Anyway, this Foresight technology does take some cues from military technology used to track snipers’ bullets, but what it does for golf is nearly as impressive. It measures ball speed, flight, height, launch angle, swing speed, and just about anything else you ever wanted to know about your clubs or swing. The technology is the same wizardry used at the Kingdom facility at the offi-cial TaylorMade headquarters in California. But the good news is that this facility is open to all Las Vegas golfers—and SNGA members are more than welcome, and encouraged—to come and give it a try. Officially manned by teaching professional Frank Blood, this Las Vegas facility offers all golfers the chance to bring in their own clubs and compare their current equipment to the new TaylorMade R11 and Burner drivers plus TaylorMade irons. Blood and Tay-lorMade are confident that the T-Made equipment will rule the day, but every once in a while that isn’t the case and Blood is happy to suggest other equipment or con-firm that what they are already using is good for them. “The numbers don’t lie with this technology and it allows golf-ers to make their own decisions on what they want,” says Blood. “Everything is right in front of them and I just help them make the best decision for their game; and what we can do is fit clubs to their swing rather than try to make their swing fit the club.” The new Las Vegas Golf and Tennis location is being met with a lot of excitement from both locals and tourists. And right now these club fitting sessions are free while some minor details are finalized. But once a fee is charged, that amount is put towards the purchase price of new clubs. So, is now the time for you to get fitted and see what Justin Rose, Natalie Gulbis, Sergio Garcia and local mini-tour player and former UNLV star Seema Sedeker have learned? Each boast adding anywhere from 18-30 yards in distance once switching to TaylorMade. Find out for yourself at Las Vegas Golf and Tennis. SNGA members receive 10% off equipment and 15% off soft goods. Call 702.892.9999 to get started. “TaylorMade drivers and irons are number one right now,” says Las Vegas Golf and Tennis General Manager Fred Nepa. “They have the product and we have the facility. It’s a perfect match because we have a reputation of providing the best service and selection and they offer this great technology.” Brian Hurlburt is the Founding Editor of www.GolfLasVegasNow.com.

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2011 Southern Nevada Amateur In the Scratch Division, Taylor Montgomery, 2011 Nevada State High School Champion, fired a first round 67 (-5) to take a two shot lead over SNGA veteran Kelly Knievel and Craig Erickson. On day two the wind picked up later in the day and scoring conditions faultered, but the leaders were able to grind out decent rounds. In the end, a 77 by Taylor (+5) and a 75 (+3) by Kelly would find them in a playoff for the championship. Erickson would finish one shot back with a second round 76 (+4). On the first playoff hole Montgomery would stuff his second shot to within 8 inches and tap in to defeat Knievel and become the 2011 Southern Nevada Amateur Champion. The 65 person field was one of the strongest in years includ-ing such names as two time defending champion Joseph Harrison, four time Southern Nevada Amateur Champion Doug Pool, Las Vegas Golf Hall of Famer Brady Exber, and the 2005 US Mid-Amateur Cham-pion and current Number 1 Nevada Amateur golfer (scratchplayers.org World Amateur Rankings) Kevin Marsh. The SNGA was also excited to announce the first women golfer to participate in an SNGA tourna-ment, Randi Lewis. Though Randi had to withdraw due to a wrist injury midway through the second round, she put up a good showing for her first SNGA event and we look forward to seeing her again soon. In the Net Division, defending champion Burke Cahill found his swing over the weekend and carded the

only under par tournament with a two day total Net of 143 (-1). This strong showing would give Burke the Net Championship defeating Andy Sessa by one shot. Rick Bergen and Dennis Moore would finish three shots back in a tie for 3rd at 146 (+2). Jim Massey, SNGA Veteran, and Charles Lucero, newcomer to the SNGA, would fire first round 68's (-4) put-ting the pressure on the field. The second day did not fair as well as they both would fall into a tie for 5th with Joe Rada at Net 147 (+3). The 31 person field yielded some very good players and made for a com-petitive major. The 37 person Senior field had some big names of its own and alot of good golf was played on Thursday and Friday. Brady Exber fired a first round 68 (-4) and a second round 70 (-2) to dominate the Scratch side of the Senior Division. Ex-ber's two day total bested the field by 7 shots. 2009 Las Vegas City Amateur Champion Steve Fink finished in second with a two day total of 145 (+1) and Mesquite native and 2011 Oliver Cup team member Kevin Parrish finished in third at 148 (+4). The Senior Net competition yielded some pretty familiar faces at the top of the leaderboard come Friday evening. Rick Bergen took home the Senior Net title

with a two day net total of 142 (-2) while Tony Caiazzo, Jim Massey, and Bill "Monte" Montgomery fin-ished tied for second at even par net 144 (E).

The Super Senior Division had the largest turnout in its short but decorated history with 26 players competing for the crown. In the Scratch portion of the event, John Corbin, SNGA tournament rookie, took home the low honors with a well manicured two day total of 149 (+5). Former Nevada State Amateur, Clark County Amateur, and Las Vegas City Amateur Champion Jim Allred finished in a tie for second place with Kyle Davis at 153 (+9). In the Net portion of the Super Senior Division, Ron Ramsey posted two solid rounds of net 68 (-4) and net 70 (-2) to take home the title. He fended off red hot Jim Burger whose two day net total of 140 (-4) finished two shots back. Jim Cail and long time SNGA advocate Dennis Gomez also finished under par and in a tie for 3rd at net 142 (-2). The SNGA would like to thank MetLife Auto and Home, Las Vegas Golf & Tennis, and Roy's Hawaiian Fusion Restaurants for their support throughout the 2011 SNGA Tournament Season. Their support and sponsorhip help make our events and our

Association what it is today. The SNGA would also like to thank the countless hours of volunteer work put in by our rules officials and pace of play monitors. They are truly the glue that keeps these events running smoothly. We are happy to have successfully completed the first major of 2011 and look forward to the next. Congratulations winners!

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Misunderstood Rules By Mike Kearns

An obstruction is defined as “anything artificial, including artificial surfaces and sides of roads and paths and manufac-tured ice, except: Objects defining out of bounds, such as walls, fences, stakes, and railings; Any part of an immovable artificial object that is out of bounds; and Any construction declared by the Committee to be an integral part of the course. An obstruction is a movable obstruction if it may be moved without unreasonable effort, without unduly delaying play and without causing damage. Otherwise, it is an immovable obstruction.” Under Rule 24-2 “Immovable Obstruction,” a player may take relief from an immovable obstruction if the obstruction interferes with stance, lie, or area of intended swing (or lie of play ONLY when the ball is on the putting green). If the ball lies in a water hazard or a lateral water hazard free relief MAY NOT be taken. The proper relief procedures are as follows: THROUGH THE GREEN: If the ball lies through the green, the player must lift the ball and drop it, without penalty, within one club-length of and not nearer the hole than the nearest point of relief. The nearest point of relief must not be in a hazard or on a putting green. When the ball is dropped within one club-length of the nearest point of relief, the ball must first strike a part of the course at a spot that avoids interference by the immovable obstruction and is not in a hazard and not on a putting green. IN A BUNKER: If the ball is in a bunker, the player must lift the ball and drop it either: Without penalty, in accor-dance with Clause (i) above, except that the nearest point of relief must be in the bunker and the ball must be dropped in the bunker; or Under penalty of one stroke, outside the bunker keeping the point ball lay directly between the hole and the spot on which the ball is dropped, with no limit to how far behind the bunker the ball may be dropped. ON THE PUTTING GREEN: If the ball lies on the putting green, the player must lift the ball and place it, without penalty, at the nearest point of relief that is not in a hazard. The nearest point of relief may be off the putting green. ON THE TEEING GROUND: If the ball lies on the teeing ground, the player must lift the ball and drop it, without penalty, in accordance with Clause (i) above. Whenever one invokes this rule, the ball may be cleaned. Some key points to remember about taking relief from an immovable obstruction: You may invoke this rule any-where on the golf course except when your ball lies in a water hazard or a lateral water hazard. If taking relief in a bunker, the ball must be dropped at the nearest point of full relief within the bunker; otherwise, the penalty is one stroke. When taking relief on the putting green, the ball must always be placed even if the nearest point of relief happens to be off the putting green. The ball may always be cleaned under Rule 24-2. The General Penalty for Breach of Rule 24-2 is 2 strokes in Stroke Play or loss of hole in Match Play, so be sure to follow the proper relief procedures.

Immovable Obstructions

Have a rules question? Contact the SNGA!

Page 7

PJ’s Super Section Information about Golf Course Maintenance

PJ McGuire, CGCS Nevada Golf Industry Alliance

“Sorry sir we just aerified the greens” One of the most important cultural practices a golf course superintendent uses to maintain great putting sur-faces is hollow tine aerification. This is the process in which holes are punched in the greens, the cores that are removed are hauled away and disposed of and the holes are filled with sand. This process generally hap-pens in late spring and in the fall at overseed in Las Vegas. Most golfers and Superintendents dislike this procedure. We wait for the greens to be actively growing and then take smooth, pretty greens, and turn them ugly and bumpy for a short period of time. It requires staff to take extra efforts both before aerification and after, to nurse the greens back to health and protect them during this damaging procedure. This is really one of the most important ways we keep greens rolling perfect throughout the year. When grass is cut to below 1/8” and has severe traffic on it day in and day out it obviously requires extra care. Every golf course must aerify greens at some point to maintain healthy greens. The process of aerification involves taking a hollow tine or hollow piece of sharpened pipe any where from ¼” inside diameter (I.D.) up to 5/8” I.D. and punching it into the ground. The plug of turf removed by this is usually discarded. This hole alleviates soil compaction, physically removes a predetermined % of the thatch, and makes a channel in the turf canopy that allows air, water and fertilizer to move down into the soil. Thatch is naturally produced by turfgrass and is the layer of decomposed and partially decomposed turf shoots, roots, and shed plant parts that gives turf its resilient structure. It is the reason that you can drive on your lawn at home and not do damage, and the reason we can drive greens mowers, and walk on the putting greens every day. When the thatch builds up to unhealthy levels however, the turf becomes more susceptible to disease and insect pressure, puffiness and scalping, poor putting surfaces, Poa annua encroachment, and it becomes much harder to allow water, fertilizer, and oxygen to pass through and down into the soil. Thatch can only be re-moved one of two ways, it can be eaten and broken down by micro-organisms or it can be physically re-moved. An average golf course aerification removes between 4 and 10% of the accumulated thatch. It is important to aerify all turf and a good landscaper will aerify your home lawn once a year at minimum. Golf courses when affordable try to Aerify Tees, Fairways, and roughs at least once a year. Golf greens gener-ally require punching at least twice a year and in some cases 3-4 times. If the thatch has built up or a frequent greens topdressing program is not adhered too it may be necessary to get the organic material percentage in the top few inches of the putting surface reduced quickly, before more serious problems are seen. So when you hear that dreaded statement above and you’re putting on bumpy greens that only a few weeks ago were nice and smooth remember that your Golf Course Superintendent is making the right decision to en-sure that your clubs greens will be smooth and healthy the rest of the year. It is a short term discomfort to your game for long term health of your clubs greens.

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Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open Pro-Am Qualifier Event New to the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in 2011 is the Las Vegas Pro-Am Challenge, a series of qualifying events aimed at offering an open opportunity to play your way in to the tourna-ments marquee Amateur event, the MGM Resorts International Champi-onship Pro-Am. The Challenge is open to every golfer and every golf course in the Southwest, where win-ners of satellite events will have the opportunity to play the tournament course, TPC Summerlin, on Tues-day, September 6th for a chance to win a threesome in the tournament Pro-Am to be held on Wednesday, September 28th. Additionally, all participants will receive a pair of tickets to attend the PGA TOUR event any day during the tournament, slated to be held September 26 – October 2, 2011. For more information on the event, including what clubs are participating and how you can sign up, please CLICK HERE to JTShrinersOpen.com. So SNGA members, ask your pro at your course to hold a qualifier and join the fun!

Now is your LAST CHANCE to get signed up for the 2011 S Nevada Amateur Championship and Silver

Cup qualifier. The tournament will be held at the magnificent Dragon Ridge CC, June 14-15. Entries must be postmarked by May 27! Applications are available at www.wsnga.org. Don’t miss out on a great

event and possibly qualify to represent the WSNGA in the 2011 Nevada State Silver Cup matches.

Summer is rapidly approaching and although many of you don’t like to play golf in the heat; the WSNGA will be offering a great Fun Day event at Coyote Springs in July. Keep an eye on the website for further

details. And if you are heading out of town for the summer months, we wish you a safe and joyful summer. We look forward to seeing you in the fall.

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Nature Valley First Tee Open at Pebble Beach set for July 8th - 10th

May 26, 2011 LAS VEGAS/HENDERSON, NV - Two members of The First Tee of Southern Nevada (TFTSN), Sarah Thomas, 16, and Julian Glasser, 15, along side Sixty-eight other participants representing 47 chapters of The First Tee have been selected to play in the Nature Valley First Tee Open at Pebble Beach, an official Champions event that will be conducted July 8-10 and televised nationally on Golf Channel.

This young woman and young man were selected through a process that evaluates participants' playing ability and comprehension of the life skills and character education learned through their involvement with The First Tee. More

than 250 applications were submitted. Of the 70 selected to play, 47 are junior boys and 23 are junior girls.

Monterey Peninsula Foundation, the event's host organization, will select eight more juniors next week to partici-pate in the event. Overall, 78 Champions players will be teamed with 78 juniors and 156 amateurs as they com-pete for the title at Pebble Beach Golf Links and Del Monte Golf Course.

"We are very proud of Sarah and Julian, as well as the four other members who were not selected. TFTSN has an amazing pool of talented junior golfers and this event gives them an opportunity to show off their skills, both golf skills and life skills." - Danielle Gladd, TFTSN Executive Director

The following people served on the local selection committee. Roy Cammack, General Mills/Nature Valley Nevada Retail Supervisor/POC for Mountain & Pacific Division, Aiza Torres, General Mills/Nature Valley, Scott Nash, Regional Manager-Walmart, Steve McCracken, TFTSN Board President, Danielle Gladd-TFTSN Executive Director, Jim Hart-TFTSN Director of Golf, Samantha Clawson-TFTSN SNJGA Jr. Golf Tour Program Coordinator and John Griston-TFTSN Program Coordinator. This committee interviewed all ap-plicants and submitted 6 names/applicants to The First Tee Home Office for final selection.

To see a full list of the participants selected to play, click the following link: https://ghserver/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://mailersite.memfirstweb.net/mail/mail_click.asp?CODE=GSIOOSORMTGGBASYNTYOBTRIM%26LID=2.

Champions players scheduled to play include World Golf Hall of Fame members Ben Crenshaw and Tom Kite, along with past champi-ons of this unique event, Craig Stadler, Scott Simpson and Jeff Sluman, who captured the title in 2008 and 2009. Chip Beck, John Cook and fan-favorite Fuzzy Zoeller have also committed.

Clint Eastwood is chairman of the event and Arnold Palmer is honorary co-chair. Play will be conducted on Pebble Beach Golf Links and Del Monte Golf Course on Friday and Saturday, and on only on Sunday.

Leading up to and during the event, participants-many of whom are playing for the first time-will blog about their experiences. To learn more about the Nature Valley First Tee Open at , visitwww.thefirstteeopen.com. To learn more about The First Tee, visit www.thefirsttee.org.

Roy's Hawaiian Fusion has become SNGA newest Sponsor. Roy’s Hawaiian Fusion® Cuisine promises to make for one of the most unique fine dining experiences available. Nowhere else will you find Roy’s Classic Hawaiian Martini, Yamaguchi Sushi®, Misoyaki Butterfish and Chocolate Soufflé all at the same table. So escape to paradise, and experience the world’s finest cuisine deliciously wrapped in a Hawaiian state of mind. SNGA Members received an email in April regarding the discounts pro-vided to SNGA Members by Roy's. Roy's has offered $20 off an entire bill for every SNGA Member. Just simply visit www.roysrestaurant.com or follow the instructions on the email to book your reservation and receive your discount. All you have to do is enter your SNGA Member # in the promo code section during reservations to receive the discount. If you have any questions, please contact the SNGA Offices.

thoughts... final

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

What’s on Tap >>>

Page 11

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

702-458-4653 www.snga.org

“It takes hundreds of good golf shots to gain confidence, but only one bad one to lose it.” ~ Jack Nicklaus

The Clark County Amateur returns to Boulder Creek Golf Club on June 23-26, 2011. Seniors, Super Seniors, Scratch, and Net competi-tors will have an opportunity to take home the trophy from the second major of 2011. The County Am was moved this year to earlier to accommodate more golfers and hopefully yield more accommodating weather. For more information please visit www.snga.org and click on the Tournament Information Page (TIP) for the Clark County Amateur.

2011 Clark County Amateur

Boulder Creek Golf Club