Monthly Archives: April 2020
What Fans Love about Masters Week
The course. It’s absolutely beautiful. You know spring has arrive when you see all the flowers and greens. Everything starts here.
Knowing that, at the end of it, the #GreenJacket will be presented in the Butler Cabin and whoever gets the honor of receiving it will go down in Golf history as a #Master forever!
The atmosphere within the grounds where you’re wholly reliant on the scoreboards and roars to understand what’s happening. The discussion within the crowd guessing and postulating what’s happening then the confirmation from the scoreboard is an excitement you can’t get from the intense TV coverage.
I tried… I don’t have a favorite…I just love everything about Masters week.
My drive through the back roads of S.C. early every Friday of Masters week feeling the anticipation… and a big THANK YOU to the Masters members for allowing PGA members to attend!
Placing your chair in the perfect spot in the morning to watch all players in the afternoon with a Georgia peach ice cream sandwich in your hand.
Golf World Presents Revised Calendar of Events for 2020
USGA
THE R&A
PGA OF AMERICA
AUGUSTA NATIONAL GOLF CLUB
PGA TOUR
EUROPEAN TOUR
LPGA
SUMMARY
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TO BE CONFIRMED: June 15-21 (formerly U.S. Open week) – potential PGA TOUR event
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CANCELED: July 13-19, The Open Championship, Royal St. George’s GC, Sandwich, Kent, England
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TO BE CONFIRMED: July 13-19 (formerly The Open Championship week) – potential PGA TOUR event
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TO BE CONFIRMED: July 27-August 2 (formerly Men’s Olympic Competition week) – potential PGA TOUR event
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CONFIRMED: August 3-9 – PGA Championship, TPC Harding Park, San Francisco, California
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CONFIRMED: PGA TOUR’s season-ending event/FedExCup Playoffs
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August 10-16 – Wyndham Championship, Sedgefield Country Club, Greensboro, North Carolina
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August 17-23 – THE NORTHERN TRUST, TPC Boston, Norton, Massachusetts
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August 24-30 – BMW Championship, Olympia Fields CC, Olympia Fields, Illinois
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August 31-September 7 (Labor Day) – TOUR Championship, East Lake Golf Club, Atlanta, Georgia
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CONFIRMED: September 14-20 – U.S. Open, Winged Foot Golf Club, Mamaroneck, New York
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RECONFIRMED: September 22-27: Ryder Cup, Whistling Straits, Kohler, Wisconsin
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CONFIRMED: November 9-15: the Masters Tournament, Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, Georgia
NORDQVIST STOPS BY “A NEW BREED OF GOLF”
Eight-time LPGA Tour winner and two-time major champion Anna Nordqvist joined “A New Breed of Golf” today, a SiriusXM PGA TOUR radio show hosted by Michael Breed. The Swede discussed a variety of topics including her personal goals during this time away from competition, her attempts to stay busy and her hopes for getting back on the course.
“Being healthy has been a big goal of mine for the last couple years,” said Nordqvist. “I got mono the summer of 2017 and it has been a really rough stretch since. I probably should have taken time off when it happened. It has been hard not to have the same energy level. This offseason, I worked with a trainer and he’s helped me to gain strength and some athletic ability back. It has basically been nonstop since I left school in 2008 so as much as I want to play, this has been great for my health and to not have much stress. I’m embracing this break and [to] come out stronger is an important goal of mine.”
Breed also asked the Arizona State University alumna about her 2019 Tour season, which Nordqvist analyzed and talked about some of her work with Drew Steckel. She even added a fun tidbit about a spur-of-the-moment purchase that contributed to the list of good things going on in her life.
“My ball striking was good and he [Drew] really helped with consistency because in ’17 and ’18, I was hitting it basically everywhere,” Nordqvist said. “He’s been a good influence and I really started to feel like myself again. I didn’t putt very well in ’19 and making a few more putts throughout the year would have made a tremendous difference in results. It was a great year and I had thought about moving back to Arizona for a very long time. So I decided to go house shopping the week of our Phoenix event and sure enough, shortly after I owned a house. Deciding to move cross country in the middle of the season may not have been the best thing for my golf, but long-term it was the best decision for me.”
DANIELLE KANG LAUNCHES INSTAGRAM COVID-19 FUNDRAISER IN #CHALLENGEEACHOTHER
A simple declaration. Challenge each other, complete it and pledge, all for a good cause.
As the COVID-19 pandemic affected her Las Vegas community, Danielle Kang wanted to give back. The three-time LPGA Tour winner and major champion, along with her boyfriend, PGA Tour player Maverick McNealy, decided to utilize their golf skill set and put the world to the test with #ChallengeEachOther benefiting Three Square, a Las Vegas area food bank.
“During this time, I know it’s very frustrating for us golfers to not be able to practice or compete,” said Kang. “However, we all know that some of us are in a better situation than (others). I personally know that food is an issue for many people whether there is a pandemic or not, which got us to think the problem must’ve gotten worse.”
Kang began volunteering for Three Square for the first time earlier this year, where one dollar equates to three meals for those in need. According to Kang, the organization relies on funds, volunteers and donations to reach more than 164,000 hungry people each month. She said she has a strong passion for helping people in need of food after working with UNICEF USA and UNICEF Korea, and participating in the Birdies for a Brighter Future campaign that raised donations to support nutrition funding for UNICEF.
In her original video on the fundraiser’s Instagram page, Kang and McNealy explained the essence of the social media challenge. They issued the original challenge – juggling a golf ball with any club ten times and catching it in a pocket – and asked friends and followers to continue by completing, sharing and pledging. The response has gone global.
The responses have been unbelievably positive. More than anything we love seeing the smiles on everyone’s faces on Every. Single. Video,” said Kang. “We have had the opportunity to watch videos from all over the world. Malaysia, Korea, London, Scotland, Japan, Singapore, Canada… the list goes on!
“Social media has given us the platform to connect and we hope that people can see how impactful each person can be. When people come together, there is nothing we can’t accomplish.”
Other LPGA Tour players took their turn in the challenge as well:
Kang hopes her message carries through the unfortunate circumstances that keep her at home instead of out competing on the LPGA Tour. “Maverick and I are hoping to create a few more chain reactions of challenges where people can challenge their own friends and family with whatever they desire,” said Kang. “We’re hoping to make an impression that challenging each other in life is a way of learning from one another and to improve ourselves.”
Donations can be made through this link: https://pledgeit.org/threesquare
Improve Your Posture with Tips from Alison Curdt
Be sure to follow Alison on Instagram for coaching tips & more.
New Date Announced for 2020 PGA Championship
Escape to Golf: Best Golf Photos Part VII
Harbor Shores Looks Forward to KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship in 2022
The development of Harbor Shores as a Jack Nicklaus Signature Course and its hosting of the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship has had a tremendous economic impact on Benton Harbor and Southwest Michigan, and this positive narrative will continue well beyond the cancellation of the 2020 Championship. With future KitchenAid Senior PGA Championships slated for May of 2022 & 2024 and thousands of fun golf rounds for amateurs to enjoy as well, the next chapters of this epic are slated to be tremendous.
The story of Harbor Shores and the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship is one of partnership, ingenuity and community, and to truly appreciate it, one has to understand that it’s so much bigger than golf. Jack Nicklaus summed it up perfectly: “With Harbor Shores, we set out really to change a community. This wasn’t just about a golf course. This was a non-profit project. That’s the important part of it. When we started, we had a factory where the first tee is. We had to remove toxic waste and buildings. But in the end, the whole course looks beautiful and we hope it is enjoyable to play.”
And enjoyable it is… Harbor Shores is celebrating its 10th Anniversary this year, and it has been delighting golfers and golf fans since its grand-opening round with golf legends Jack Nicklaus, Johnny Miller, Tom Watson and Arnold Palmer. That special day at Harbor Shores in August of 2010 was headlined by Nicklaus sinking a double-breaking, 100+ foot putt, and the great shots and amazing moments at this Benton Harbor gem have just continued onward.
https://vimeo.com/403295902
https://vimeo.com/403114599
And rest assured, more big things are coming to Harbor Shores, the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship and Benton Harbor in the future.
Operation 36 Providing Family-Fun Coaching through #GolfatHome Program
With many families sticking close to home because of COVID-19, Operation 36 has created an at-home coaching program that can be used by coaches and families with what they already have at home.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-FcNt-AEBY/?utm_source=ig_embed
The #GolfAtHome Challenges are a one hour class lesson plan for families to follow at home. Families can have their kids watch the videos and set up activities with common household items. Families can begin the challenges by visiting – https://bit.ly/startgolfathome.
This program is being used by golf professionals as a “bridge” to their upcoming COVID-Response Plan for coaches. Shortly the Operation 36 team will roll out 4 new coaching programs which include a curriculum, lesson plans, structure and business model that any golf professional can use, no matter what their course or coaching restrictions may be during this time. Interested coaches are encouraged to go to: https://operation36.golf/coaches/ for more information.