Scottsdale, Arizona – Golf For Cause, 85 Broads Phoenix and NAWMBA are hosting “Understanding Golf for Your Business,” a seminar for professional women who want to develop business relationships through golf.
The seminar includes a casual golf experience with a mentor in each foursome, designed especially for newer golfers to help them feel at ease on the tees, as well as a presentation on capitalizing on the business success to be had on the golf course
The event takes at Talking Stick Golf Club in Scottsdale on Thursday, March 29, 2012 from 3-5:30pm. There is also an optional skills clinic from 1:30 – 2:15pm. Seminar cost is $75 per person and an additional $15 if you take part in the skills clinic.
Carefree, Arizona – The Boulders, a Waldorf Astoria Resort, is providing the perfect reason to wake up and smell the roses – or the fresh double-cut greens – as Scottsdale/Carefree welcomes world-class springtime golf.
The Resort’s One for All package lets you enjoy golf daily on the resort’s two award-winning, 18-hole golf courses designed by Jay Morrish. Nestled in the heart of the Sonoran Desert, the demanding courses provide golfers with panoramic views of the breathtaking scenery unique to the greater Scottsdale area, including the 12 million-year-old granite boulders scattered about the Boulders desert setting.
In addition to unlimited golf, enjoy luxurious accommodations in one of several accommodation offerings, range privileges and unlimited access to tennis facilities, access to the spa facilities, and one 50-minute Golden Door massage per night.
If a beautiful and tranquil setting, amazing golf and lots of pampering sound like what you need, just telephone 888.579.2631 or visit www.theboulders.com.
PEORIA, ARIZ. – The Antigua Group, Inc.- one of the nation’s leading designers and marketers of genuine golf and sports apparel under the distinguished Antigua brand-has been named the official apparel of the 2nd Annual RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup.
Antigua Group
Antigua apparel and headwear will be used in all aspects of the 72-hole tournament, whose field of players will compete March 12-18 at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort and Spa in Phoenix, Ariz.
Players in the Founders Cup will be competing for a $1.5 million dollar purse as well as a promise of $500,000 to be donated to the LPGA-USGA Girls Golf Program.
“We are excited and honored by the chance to be an official supplier for the RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup,” says Ron McPherson, President and CEO of Antigua. “The inaugural event was great, and the new 72-hole event for 2012 will be fantastic!”
About the RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup
RR Donnelley, the LPGA and its players truly confirmed ’Why It’s Different Out Here’ in 2011, making golf history by not only remembering the women that made the LPGA a reality, but also by “paying-it-forward” and playing entirely for charity and the expansion of the Girls Golf program,” LPGA Commissioner Michael Whan said. “Next season, with RR Donnelley’s vision, we will prove that the Founders Cup sequel is even better than the original.”
Tickets can be purchased online at www.LPGAFounders.com or by calling1-888-LPGATIX (574-2849). Children 17 and under will receive free tournament admission with a ticketed adult. Active military members and their immediate families can receive free tournament admission when showing a valid active military ID at the main admission gate.
Huff’s Stuff Arizona Golf Blog – Arizona Golf Authority
2012 Waste Management Phoenix Open
It took Kyle Stanley just one week – seven long days – to erase the darkest moment of his career with the brightest. His first-ever win at the Waste Management Phoenix Open didn’t come easy, but as the resilient Stanley can attest, they hardly ever do.
Or just look to Spencer Levin, the latest casualty of a major meltdown on Sunday. Unbelievably, while Stanley had blown a five-shot lead in the final round to lose the Farmers Insurance Open, Levin one-upped him this time around by tossing away a six-shot advantage at the TPC Scottsdale.
Welcome to the gut-wrenching world of the PGA Tour, where Stanley emerged from under a cactus and out of a party tent on his last two holes to record one of game’s great reversals of fortune.
“That’s golf. It’s a crazy game,” said the 24-year-old Stanley, a second-year pro from the small town of Gig Harbor, Wash., who came from eight shots off the pace to equal the third-largest comeback in Tour history.
“I think you need to accept the fact that there’s going to be highs and there’s going to be lows. I’m just fortunate I have such a great team around me, especially my mom and dad. I don’t know what I would have done without them.”
Stanley grabbed the lead early on the back nine of this sunny Sunday, and ended up pouring in six birdies without a bogey for a 65 and winning total of 15-under par 269. Just as key, he made five straight pars to finish out his round and hold off a hard-charging Ben Crane, who ended up in second place, one shot back after a 66.
“I hit a couple of squirrel-ly tee shots, but my recovery shots were fantastic,” said Stanley, who miraculously chipped out from under a cactus and onto the green at No. 17, and then took a free drop before curling a pitching wedge onto the green at No. 18.
“I think the biggest challenge was seeing if I could put last week behind me, and I think I did.”
So did his moment in the sun erase the recent past? Stanley shook his head and said: “Not really. I’m never going to forget that, but I think it does make this one a lot sweeter.”
Thus the onus of the biggest demise of 2012 falls on Levin, a 27-year-old Californian who also was after his first victory in his third year on Tour. Unlike Stanley, who collapsed on the final hole at Torrey Pines with a triple bogey, Levin’s fall was slow and steady, as he birdied the third hole of the day to get to 1-under before three bogeys and a double spelled 75 and third place.
“You have a six-shot lead and lose, you gave it away. My hat’s off to Kyle, he played a great round,” conceded Levin, who followed up his 62 at Torrey Pines with a 63 in the second round at the TPC Scottsdale – the two best scores on Tour the past two weeks – but still couldn’t win.
Asked what he takes from the experience, both his and Stanley’s, Levin just shrugged in disbelief.
“That’s pretty awesome from what happened last week, to come back and win the very next week,” he said. “That shows he’s a hell of a player, obviously. “I guess it shows that you can recover from it. I think I will.”
Adding to the weirdness of the day, since the start of the 2010 season, no player has more rounds in the 60s on Tour than Levin, with 111. But when he needed one the most, the number was nowhere to be found.
ZONA Hotel & Suites Offers Arizona Golf “TOUR PACKAGE”
Home of the Waste Management Phoenix Open
Scottsdale Arizona – The golf planning professionals at Zona Hotel & Suites in Scottsdale know one round just isn’t enough. That’s why they have created the Zona Tour Package featuring two of Scottsdale’s best golf courses – Grayhawk and TPC Scottsdale.
The Tour Package includes four rounds of golf including one each on Grayhawk’s two great tracks, Raptor and Talon, as well as 18-hole loops at both the TPC Scottsdale Stadium and the TPC Champions course. Plus you’ll get to enjoy the great accommodations at Zona in a one-, two-, three- or four-bedroom suite.
Grayhawk Golf Club – Raptor Course
Should you have flexible travel plans, Zona will sweeten the deal by throwing in your fourth night accommodations at no charge if you arrive on Sunday. Pricing starts from $1,245 for single occupancy and $1,020 for double occupancy. For more information, call Tedd or Steve at 800-903-4057, or email golf@zonascottsdale.com
Champions Tour’s Finale To Be Contested at Cochise Course
From the Arizona Golf Authority AZGA Golf News Desk
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The Champions Tour and the Desert Mountain Club announced today that its season-ending event, the Charles Schwab Cup Championship, will be hosted next year by the Desert Mountain Club in Scottsdale, Arizona. The Cochise Course, one of six at the facility designed by golf legend Jack Nicklaus, will be the venue for the championship.
The top-30 players on the Champions Tour money-list at the conclusion of the 2012 season are eligible to compete in the limited-field event, to be played October 29 – November 4, 2012.
“The Champions Tour has a lot of history at Desert Mountain and we want to continue making history by bringing one of our premier tournaments to this quality venue,” said Champions Tour President Mike Stevens. “Our players are enthusiastic to return.”
Built in 1987, the 7,019 yard Cochise Course was the host venue for The Tradition, one of five major championships on the Champions Tour, for 13 consecutive years from 1989 to 2001. During that period, the Cochise Course was voted by Champions Tour professionals as the “Best Maintained Golf Course” on Tour and was consistently ranked in the national golf magazines’ top-100 lists.
Cochise Course – Desert Mountain Golf Club
Desert Mountain offers its members six private Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Courses, the most in one location anywhere in the world. The Cochise Course features rolling fairways surrounded by water and desert rock outcroppings. The hallmark of the course is the par-3 seventh hole and par-5 fifteenth hole where the double green for these two holes sits on a picturesque island, approached from two different directions.
“Desert Mountain has such a strong history not only in club and residential golf but in tournament golf,” said Nicklaus, a four-time winner of The Tradition on the Cochise Course. “The years during which Desert Mountain hosted The Tradition are an important part of the club’s first 25 years and its legacy, and the opportunity to host such a significant event as the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship is an ideal way to celebrate the start of the next 25 years in the Desert Mountain story.”
“Cochise is a great example of the variety of golf the members at Desert Mountain get to enjoy and among the reasons the club is so unique. It was a challenge to do six different golf courses on six different properties, and I believe we did a good job in creating courses and golf experiences that play in diverse ways. Of the six distinctive design approaches, Geronimo and Cochise were meant to be golf parks, with the sportier course being Cochise. Variety is the beauty of the overall golf experience there. I have said before, you would be hard-pressed to find a better golf complex in the world than Desert Mountain.” Visit Nicklaus Design at www.nicklaus.com and read the Cochise Course Overview.
Bob Jones, Chief Operating Officer and General Manager for Desert Mountain Club, shares the Club’s excitement in hosting the prestigious Schwab Cup event: “The anticipation of the Champions Tour professionals returning to Desert Mountain is exciting for the Club’s members and the community. What a fantastic way for us to showcase our Club and begin celebrating our 25th anniversary.”
John Cook is the two-time defending champion of the Charles Schwab Cup Championship, winning at Sonoma Golf Club in 2009 and TPC Harding Park last year. Cook is seeking to become the first player in Champions Tour history to win the event three consecutive years.
The complete Champions Tour schedule for the 2012 season is expected to be finalized later this year, visit www.pgatour.com.
From the Arizona Golf Authority AZGA Golf News Desk
Don Rea – Augusta Ranch Golf Club – 100 Holes in 1 Day
Mesa AZ – Don Rea, General Manager at Augusta Ranch Golf Club, located in Mesa AZ, believes it’s important to give back to the game that has provided him with so much; and he turns that belief into action. “That’s why I’m an annual participant in the 100-Holes In 1 Day golf event”, Don shared.
The 100-Holes event benefits the Southwest Section PGA. Don recently completed the challenge and provided some interesting details about his day.
Don Rea’s 100-Holes in 1 Day Stats
Total Score: 354 – 15 over for the 100 holes
Course Played: Augusta Ranch Golf Club
Course Length: The 100 holes measured 21,032 yards, 11.95 miles
Temperature: 103 degrees Fahrenheit
Tee Time: Start 6:30am – Finish 7:02pm
Birdies: 10
Hole-in Ones: Don remains 0 for 44 (years); 2 near-misses today
Number of Flagsticks Hit: 1
Hydration: 288 ounces of PowerAde consumed during the round, some mixed with water
Swing Thought for the Day: Electrolytes
Fuel: Short break for breakfast and lunch
Pairing: Don’s friend, Doug Powell, came out and played alongside for 82 holes
Golf Coach: Wife and daughter both told him “you’re crazy”, and then supported him all day
Extended Family: Augusta Ranch staff members supported Don, dawn to dusk
Injuries: “The hip was hurting at the end, but my shoulder felt great.”
Donations: Don raised $3,450 for the SWPGA Foundation
Way to go, Don! Good cause, good job, good man.
Click Don Rea – Baseball’s Loss is Arizona Golf’s Gain for the complete story on Don’s major league baseball days, and his choice to accept the role of Managing Partner at the Augusta Ranch Golf Club, located in Mesa, Arizona.
Don Rea, PGA – Managing Partner – Augusta Ranch Golf Club
Choosing Don Rea, managing partner at Augusta Ranch Golf Club, as the 2nd recipient of the AZGA Golf Star award was easy. You won’t meet another golf industry person more enthusiastic about growing the game and making sure customers are happy than Don.
Interestingly enough, Don’s first love was not golf, it was baseball. Not pitching, hitting or catching, but rather, calling the games. He was a professional baseball umpire from 1991-98, working 3 years in the Triple A Pacific Coast League. But after 8 years of calling balls and strikes and working many Major League Spring Training games, he didn’t know if he would make it to the Big Leagues.
“It’s really tough to move up, and I couldn’t catch a break.” said Rea. “As a Triple A umpire, you have a very short window to be assessed for promotion to the Major Leagues as the ruling panel may only see you once or twice a year. So I started to look for Plan B.” Via an off-season gig with UPS during the holiday season, the new plan came clearly into focus.His route included downtown Mesa with a stop at Riverview Golf Course.
It was there he met and became friends with General Manager Jim Mooney who suggested he consider becoming a member of the PGA. Don liked the idea so much he took his clubs on the road the following baseball season and played whenever and wherever he could. He studied through the wee hours and passed his PGA exam on his first attempt the very next year. “In golf, I could not be more blessed; if you can get to where God wants you to be, the doors seem to open,” commented Rea.
The first door opened in 1999 at Augusta Ranch, where he was one of the first employees to be hired. He worked part time in the cart barn and measured yardage for all the sprinkler heads. It wasn’t long before he realized golf looked more promising than baseball and he took the plunge full time. Over the next 8 years, he held a variety of positions, eventually becoming a Vice President for the management company managing the two courses.
Don Behind the Plate for MLB Spring Training
July 2008 brought another milestone in Don’s golf career when he and a group of investors bought Augusta Ranch and he became the managing partner. “Owning a course is challenging and rewarding,” said Rea. “But the best thing is being able to do whatever you want to do without multiple layers of approval. We can try all sorts of ideas and see what happens. We make some mistakes, but we learn from them.”
The team at Augusta Ranch is all about being anti-cookie-cutter. Take movie night, which happens twice a year on the driving range, allowing families to enjoy an outdoor picnic on the golf course. How about setting up the practice range as the gathering place for the annual community picnic? “It’s important to be a good neighbor, and it gets people out to the course,” commented Rea. “They may not play golf the first time, but after the movies and picnics, many of them come back to take up the game later.”
The creativity doesn’t stop there. There’s the $5 lesson gathering for kids every Saturday, the after-school golf program, the monthly play-all-you-want pass, weekly golf leagues, tournaments and the Green Jacket Club.
While all of this creativity has driven more rounds and revenue to Augusta Ranch, Don believes the one thing that really makes the course different is his team and their commitment to welcome and appreciate each guest. Every new employee must read ‘Raving Fans’ within the first 3 weeks of employment. Then they take a 10-question test and if they fail, they risk losing their job.
Don and the Augusta Ranch Staff
“I believe bad habits are ingrained, so we review everyone within 3 weeks of their start date, give them a little test, talk about our service philosophy and ask a lot of questions about their job,” explained Rea. “It not only helps the employees, it helps us improve our internal communications.”
While Augusta Ranch takes the bulk of his time, Don still finds the hours to volunteer. He is currently secretary of the Southwest Section PGA and on the Board of Directors of the Arizona Tourism Alliance. “My family and I depend on golf for our livelihood, so you have to get involved,” said Don. “You must be in a seat at the table or everyone eats without you.”
We have no doubt professional baseball’s loss is our golf community’s gain. Don’s a creative professional who works hard at our game for the benefit of those around him, which is why we call him an “Arizona Golf Star”.
