Josh Riley, Curt Rohe, Scott Hovis and Dustin Ashby discuss how the golf industry can find new players.  Curt, Josh and Scott joined Dustin on The Back Nine Radio Show on 101.1 ESPN.

Jim Mason of Bridgestone Golf joined Dustin Ashby, Adam Frillman and Dr. Tobin Lingafelter to talk about last week’s Masters Tournament and the latest and greatest in the world of Bridgestone Golf.

It’s the 77th playing of the Masters and as expected, the Masters has delivered.

Kirkwood’s Ben Crancer entered the day a single shot behind 18 hole leader, Corey Connell of Cape Central in the Class 4A State Championship.  After near misses the past two seasons, Crancer will have to settle for a 2nd place finish in his final bid at a High School State Championship.  The Kirkwood senior will be teeing up for Texas A&M next year and likely in the mix for a NCAA Championship with a thriving Aggies golf program.

Entering the final round, Jason Huska of Rockhurst, was tied with Crancer one shot back of the 18 hole leader.  Unlike Crancer who couldn’t muster a better round on Tuesday, Huska was able to improve on his first round 71 by a shot for a 3 shot victory.  It was double the pleasure for Huska as Rockhurst High School also captured the team competition with scores of 301-299 for a 24 shot victory over Blue Springs South High School.

Poplar Bluff High School finished in 3rd place with a team score of 625.  2011 State Champion, Mike Wooten, led Francis Howell High School to a 4th place team finish.  Wooten improved on a first round 77 with a second round 73 to finish 11th individually.

DeSmet High School finished 6th with a team score of 641.  Making their first appearance in the State Championship, Rockwood Summit High School finished 7th at 642, followed by Timberland at 644 and Nixa at 674.

View the complete summary of scores from Silo Ridge Golf Club – HERE

St. Francis Borgia High School entered the final round at Rivercut Golf Club in the Missouri State Class 3A Championship trailing MICDS by 2 shots and Westminster Christian Academy by 1 shot.

Borgia posted four scores in the 70’s, led by Cameron Stahlman and Bryce Dolan who posted 74, 75 respectively in the final round.  Alex Buschman and Clayton Voss added 78’s allowing Borgia to drop an 80 posted by Alexander Rennick.  The result was a team score of 305, enough to edge MICDS by a single shot and Westminster Christian Academy by 3 shots to win the State Championship.

View the complete summary of scores from the Rivercut Golf Club – HERE

Mitchell Rutledge made it back-to-back State Championships in the Class 2A competition.  Not only did Rutledge defend the individual title, but so did his team at Whitfield High School. Rutledge posted scores of 71-70 at Twin Oaks Country Club in Springfield, MO to win by 6 shots over David Abolt of Cuba. Justin Wrozier of Lutheran (St. Peters) finished in 3rd at 149. Jake Andrews and Chase Kinder of Whitfield finished T6 at 154.

Lutheran (St. Peters) High School finished in 2nd place, 26 shots behind Whitfield. Mt. Vernon improved on their 4th place finish in 2011, with a 3rd place finish and a team total of 650.

View the complete summary of scores from Twin Oaks Country Club – HERE

Hit It Straighter Off The Tee
By Rob Sedorcek, PGA Professional

Sometimes the golf course architects feel especially wicked, a favorite bit of torture is to align tee boxes toward the rough or a hazard and other visual tricks to get you to hit your drives into trouble. Here is a few ways to help you hit it down the middle when the hole looks really narrow from the tee.

1.                  Stand behind your ball on the tee and pick out a 10 to 15 yard landing area, then picture an imaginary line from that spot to your golf ball.

2.                  As you address the ball, focus on an intermediate target a few feet in front of you that is on the imaginary line. Align your ball square to that point, don’t worry about hazards or anything.

3.                  Right before you pull the trigger, take one last look at the landing area. Take a cue from tour players, who by this point are only thinking about the target.

4.                  Make a confident swing, knowing that you’ve done what it takes to line up the shot. Practice this on the range, and you’ll be ready to conquer any intimidating visual tricks.

Try these tricks to hit more fairways.

Without being able to “catch the ball squarely” on the clubface, one has little chance of maximizing distance. A key to controlling the clubface and generating efficient power is found in rotating the lead forearm properly.

Drill

Extend the thumb on the hand of your lead arm and point it toward the top of your chest just below your Adam’s apple. Next, drop your hand until it is waist high allowing your hand to rotate outward so your thumb is pointing down the target line.

Extend your other arm to form a golfer’s grip, bend at the waist and extend your hands down the target line as if you were just past impact. This is a simple demonstration of proper forearm rotation – nothing more, nothing less.

Test

To confirm you are rotating your forearm properly, put your watch on so that the face is visible from the underside of your wrist. Now, take a normal swing.

When you complete your swing, you should be able to read the time on your watch.

Confirmation

The use of a ball flight monitor, or launch monitor, will confirm you are maximizing impact. By tracking clubhead speed, ball speed, launch angle and spin rates, the monitor will calculate a “smash factor” for each shot.

A smash factor of 1.5 is considered the industry standard for solid impact or the maximization of a square face at impact with a proper swing path and controlled clubhead speed – all essential components required to generate the maximum distance possible.

Other factors

In addition to a square face at impact and proper forearm rotation, the combination of clubhead design, loft, shaft flex and kick-point, and golf ball play a substantial role in the delivery of distance.

Better instruction facilities and golf shops that employ launch monitors as part of their teaching and equipment evaluation process can help match your swing style, clubhead speed and path, and impact tendencies with the ideal equipment combination that will add yards (and consistency) to your shots.

Here are a few tips that can help you become a better putter:

Start with a routine: Notice when you watch PGA Tour players, they have a routine for every shot, especially when it comes to putting. Better players know a routine is necessary for making consistent strokes.

First, start by looking at the putt from behind the ball, then halfway down the line and finally from behind the hole.

Next, step up to your ball, make a practice stroke or two, and then hit the putt.

You can modify this routine to develop your own but don’t waste too much time (the routine should take 30 to 40 seconds at most) and always be sure to do it before every putt.

Practice the Short Putts: Practicing 30- to 40-footers may be fun but you’re not going to have many of them during your round. On the course the majority of your putts will be from within 15 feet, so before playing practice the short putts.

Start by taking four balls, making a circle approximately 5 feet from the hole. When you make three out of four from that distance move your circle outward a foot or two.

Keep doing this until you get about 12 to 15 feet from the hole. This drill will improve your speed control, help you read putts and give you confidence in your stroke.

Your Alignment is bad: Trusting your alignment helps you focus on your stroke which leads to solid putts.

Next time you play, have one of your playing partners help line you up on your putts. Have him stand behind you looking down your line. Once he lets you know you are aligned properly just stroke the putt.

This should help you relax and make a good stroke because you are not thinking about your alignment.

If your playing partner is constantly changing your alignment you should focus your practice time on this area of your putting.

Try different things: If you have putting problems, try different solutions. The key to good putting is confidence, and there are several ways to improve your confidence.

Try a new grip. When you see a golfer who is a good putter watch how they grip the club. Some overlap, some interlock, some have a split-hand grip or the claw. It doesn’t matter how you grip the putter as long as it works, so experiment next time you practice.

Next, try a different length putter or a different style. Almost all golf shops let you “demo” putters. Take a few out to the putting green and see if one is right for you.

The University of Missouri-St. Louis men’s golf team shot a 300 on its final round of the Frito Lay-Taco Bell Intercollegiate hosted by Jackson State to finish in a tie for second place.

The Tritons, who carded an opening round of 308 yesterday, posted a team score of 608 to tie with Fairleigh Dickinson. Tennessee-Martin claimed the team title with a 576 (284-292).

Freshman David Abolt was the top UMSL finisher, tying for third place individually with a 144 (71-74). Ben Reeves of UT-Martin earned medalist honors with a three-under par 141 (68-73).

Junior Joe Atkisson placed 12th, shooting 151 (75-76), while freshman Anthony Cope tied for 13th place (78-74 – 162). Also for the Tritons, junior Justin Hyun, who was competing as an individual, tied for 25th place (76-80 – 156), while senior Chase Smith tied for 39th place (84-77 – 161). Freshman Colby Yates tied for 50th place (85-84 – 169) to round out the scoring.

UMSL returns to action March 3-4, when they host the Las Vegas Desert Classic.

Winding its way through the Verde Valley showcasing views of the Tonto National Forest, Four Peaks, the Superstition Moutains and Weavers Needle is a desert masterpiece every golfer must add to their list of “must play” layouts when visiting the Phoenix / Scottsdale area. Vista Verde Golf Club, opened in a 2006, is a Ken Kavanaugh design.

Kavanaugh balanced the strategic use of angles to afford golfers of all skill levels the opportunity to enjoy Vista Verde Golf Club. Low handicap players can tip out this par 72 at 7,219 yards, whereas the average golfer can enjoy a friendlier 6,363 test. A consistent theme throughout the golf course presents the low handicap player not only a longer shot, but also a more challenging angle into the desired landing area.

Vista Verde blends seamlessly into the native desert, a challenge for many of the newer golf courses in the Scottsdale golf scene. Also unique to desert golf, Kavanaugh’s use of contours and well maintained approach areas provides golfers the opportunity to play the game on the ground at times. It’s not all about “target” golf at Vista Verde, a refreshing experience to say the least.

An example of how Kavanaugh leveraged contours in lieu of traditional hazards (water or bunkers) is the par 4, 5th hole. Measuring 470 yards from the back tees, golfers are tempted to challenge the divided fairway to shorten the approach to the green. While the hole features no bunkers, the green complex is designed to funnel marginal approach shots into closely mown areas off the green, leaving a difficult up and down.

Generally speaking the fairway landing areas at Vista Verde are generous. Yet, the better player who desires to challange bunkers off the tee will find themselves flirting with the desert. Key to playing well at Vista Verde is picking the right spots to be aggressive, as Kavanaugh tempts you throughout the entire golf course.

The par 4, 7th hole, palying to a maximum 330 yards is a great example of an exciting risk / reward opportunity. The desert divides the fairway from the green, allowing players to hit a long iron or hybrid into a reasonably forgiving landing area. From the tee it appears as though you have less room than you actually do, making it somewhat deceiving and difficult to trust your eyes from the teeing ground. Longer hitters have the option to fire directly at the green, shortening the hole by probably 25 to 30 yards, however bringing substantial trouble into play in the form of desert, bunkers and trees.

Throughout the course, fairway bunkers must be taken into account when deciding how to attack the hole from the teeing area. Kavanaugh’s use of well placed bunkers provides definition at times, while also presenting a forced carry should the longer hitters want to push their tee ball up the fairway to get a shorter iron approach. Should your ball find one of these fairway bunkers, you’ll most often find yourself with an opportunity to advance your ball towards the green.

Vista Verde is one of those golf courses you could play numerous times and feel like you’ve played a different layout because of the ample hole locations available on the well contoured, large greens. The par 3, 11th hole offers a great example of how the hole location not only changes the angle and distance, but also the hazards to be dealt with. A back right hole location will max out the distance on this 193 yard par 3 and bring the desert right and bunkers short and long into play. A front left hole location will play as much as 35 yards shorter and offer desert short and bunkers left to challenge the players.

While the diversity of the layout and excellent routing make for an enjoyable golf experience, it was the high maintenance standard that left me marveling at Vista Verde. During a recent trip to Scottsdale where we played five of the highly ranked championship golf courses, it was Vista Verde that presented the most well maintained golf course – tee to green. The greens were firm and rolled at a good speed. The teeing areas meticulous and fairways reasonably firm and fast.

All things considered, Vista Verde is a “must play” on my return to the Arizona Desert and should definitely be added to your list of courses to play when visiting the Scottsdale area. For more information about Vista Verde visit the website at www.vistaverdegolf.com or check out www.standbygolf.com for golf specials and tee time reservations.

When I first realized I would be heading to Peoria, IL for a few days in October, my first thought was not about the great golf I have in front of me. First off, it is October in the Midwest so the weather can be suspect at best. Secondly, I have never had anyone tell me that I have to get up to Peoria to check out any particular course. However, after a little research on the web and contacting a few people I know from the area, it turns out that it was worth the effort.

Two courses were immediately recommended to me upon asking around, Weaver Ridge, a newer but established course in Peoria and Metamora Fields, a brand new, D.A. Weibring Design, about 15 minutes east of Peoria.

Weaver Ridge

For the St. Louis Golfer, Weaver Ridge will remind them of one of the top area layouts, Annbriar. That is because it was also designed by the Hurdzan-Fry group. Weaver Ridge features a ton of elevation changes which surprises most people coming to Central Illinois for the first time. Another aspect I love about going North to play golf, even if just 3 hours North, is playing on bent grass fairways, a rarity in St. Louis but a treat at Weaver Ridge. The course is well spread out through a residential community that only accentuates the golf course, not detracting from the course’s beauty.

Weaver Ridge features a great variety of golf holes to provide choices off of many of the tee boxes and a few risk/reward opportunities. Starting off with a par-5 you might assume it is going to be an easy day out there but the 2nd hole is a quick reminder that it is not going to be a walk in the park. Driving over a ravine and requiring a good tee ball to get a middle iron in your hand, the well protected green has a tone of slope and missing on the wrong side of the pin can easily lead to a 3-putt. One of the more picturesque holes is the Par-4, 5th hole. With water short of the fairway and bordering the entire left side through the green, picking the appropriate line for your tee shot is paramount. Thanks to the GPS on the carts, you can make an educated decision, but stray a little right or left and trouble is waiting.

The back nine features the elevation changes more significantly starting right at the 10th tee box. A fairway steeply below you runs to the right to a green protected by a deep creek short and bunkers and trees left. Then you climb up the hill for the Par-3, 12th hole, playing as long as 228 yards from the back tees, we wisely decided to play it forward during our round and had about 180 yards to the green, nearly 75 feet below us. After navigating 13 and 14 in the valley, you climb up the hill to play two tough Par-4’s. The Par-5, 18th is a great risk/reward hole. From a very elevated tee you can hit iron or hybrid off the tee to stay short of the creek, but an accurate and long hitter could challenge the creek and if successful can go for the green in two. If you waiver off line, a double bogey looms. A great finishing hole if your match is close.

Metamora Fields

What a treat the people of the Peoria area have now in another upscale public golf experience. Metamora Fields is just over a year old and looks as if it has been around much longer than that. Built on an old corn field, the architect, D.A. Weibring really used the natural terrain to design a beautiful piece of property for the golfers of Central Illinois. Playing hard and fast as new courses tend to do as they mature, drives a little longer than expected and approach shots that bounce a little more than usual is the norm, but presented a really fun and unique test.

The Par-3, 2nd hole is a short to middle iron over a small lake with water all the way up the left side and short. A bail out area to the right is placed well but if that pin is tucked close to the water, up and down is no easy task. The Par-4, 4th hole would normally provide a great risk reward, being reachable by long hitters on a down-wind day, unfortunately for us the wind was into our faces, making a usually easier hole, much more challenging. The 9th hole is a great finish to the front side with water protecting the entire left side. With a distance of up to 441 yards, you cannot afford to leave the driver in the bag if you expect to reach the green in two. My favorite hole on the entire golf course is the Par-4, 15th, a long hole that tees off slightly up hill and over a crest to a downhill approach. Normally you would just try to bomb two shots and hope you can get up and down, but on 15, the green is well protected by water left and long so playing a blind second shot is ever more challenging.

Metamora Fields was a great experience and having such a gem of a facility in such a remote part of the state is certainly a blessing to the golfers throughout the area, especially with such a dedicated family behind the project. Many thanks to Vickie for her hospitality and tour of the clubhouse, that provides a fantastic view of the entire property from banquet room on the 2nd floor including a huge balcony.

I would absolutely recommend a weekend trip to Peoria for a golf getaway and hope to return to the area during the 2013 golf season. The golf far exceeds expectations and the people are even nicer, making it an easy to get to destination for your next buddies trip or couples getaway.

Check out these sites for more information…

www.weaverridge.com

www.metamorafields.com