Hickory Golf — Page 10

Memories of the 2014 Masters Tournament won by Bubba Watson (2nd)!

April 8, 2014 By admin

A picture is worth a thousand words… and a million feelings, especially when they are of Augusta National!

Pictures and stories from Monday at the 2014 Masters:

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Pictures and stories from Tuesday at the 2014 Masters:

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Pictures and stories from Tuesday at the 2014 Masters:

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Filed Under: Hickory Golf, PGA TOUR Golf

2014 Puerto Rico Open presented by SeePuertoRico.com

March 30, 2014 By admin

With Sidney Wolf, Tournament Chairman of the Puerto Rico Open presented by SeePuertoRico.com.

I first came to the Puerto Rico Open three years ago in 2011 with The Golf Channel. This time I am back with a media credential as “Andy’s Golf & Travel Diary” to report on the tournament competition, tourism in Puerto Rico and the Island Chapter of the PGA of America (including the history of golf in Puerto Rico through the Puerto Rico Golf Association). This posting will focus on the tournament proper and who better to start with than the Tournament Chairman Sidney Wolf?

CLICK here for the VIDEO INTERVIEW with Sidney Wolf, Tournament Chairman.

Sidney Wolf, Tournament Chairman & President of the PRGA.

As the picture above shows we had a fun and entertaining interview. Sidney is involved with golf in Puerto Rico like no one else. In addition to being Tournament Chairman of as he puts it “where the PGA TOUR plays this week,” he has been the President of the Puerto Rico Golf Association (PRGA) since 1995. Interestingly, 2014 marks the 60th anniversary of the founding of the PRGA by Jim Teale and the 30th anniversary of Sidney starting to play the game of golf. In the interview Sidney touches all the bases as far as major stake holders in staging the Puerto Rico Open including himself and his committee, the Puerto Rico Tourism Company (www.SeePuertoRico.com), the Diaz family with their Grand Melia Golf Resort and of course Mr. Donald Trump whose name brands the Trump International Golf Club.

The Paella Pa’ellos Competition resulted in tasty mouth watering servings all for charity.

The award-winning fan-friendly event continues to out do itself again this year with a players’ fishing derby, a junior golf tournament, a Paella (recipe based rice cooked with other foods in a wide frying pan) cooking contest, and a performance by the El Grand Combo (“the most popular Salsa group that has existed for over 50 years”). All this for charity, including the golf tournament, which has raised over three million dollars in only six years of existence.

Five hundred years after Columbus discovered the Americas, the Government of Puerto Rico established The Puerto Rico Tourism Company to make Puerto Rico the first choice for world travelers and business in the Caribbean. As the presenting sponsor for the Puerto Rico Open they have brought Puerto Rico into the homes of 500 million Golf Channel subscribers around the world. This year the television broadcast was spectacular with aerial videos of the beautiful natural habitat that is Puerto Rico.

CLICK here for the VIDEO INTERVIEW with Ingrid Rivera Rocafort, Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company.

With Ingrid Rivera Rocafort, Executive Director fo the Puerto Rico Tourism Company.

I had the distinct privilege to interview Ingrid Rivera Rocafort, the Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company. With an extensive background in consumer marketing, she came out of retirement (sorry but it must have been a real early retirement as she looks quite young) to be appointed by Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla. I met a handful of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company folks and I can tell you this is not like any mainland government agency you have known. See the video for yourself but Ms. Rocafort is simply a native of Puerto Rico that loves her 5-star island and knows in her heart that Puerto Rico is the “best brand ever.” I counted 27 reasons stated by the head of tourism in the “Land of Enchantment.” The anchor reasons were ones like convenient travel requiring no passport, the people, the weather, the golf, the water, remember it is an island! The subtle and news ones for me were the dry forest, the desert climate in some areas and the paradors (quaint country inns) in the mountains where it can be a chilly 65 versus the automatic year-round 85-degree weather. How many reasons to visit Puerto Rico do you hear in Ingrid’s interview?

With Jorge Diaz,host of the Puerto Rico Open.

Every PGA TOUR event needs a host. With the Puerto Rico Open being contested at the Trump International Golf Club one might think that host is Donald Trump. Wrong would that person be. Actually the host is the “Donald Trump of Puerto Rico” but his name is Jorge Diaz. He, his brother Arturo and the Diaz family own the Trump International Golf Club (paying rights to the brand to the Donald), the Grand Melia Resort and a lot more in Puerto Rico. Though elusive in terms of a video interview, Mr. Jorge Diaz gave me plenty of time to get a sense of his family and their humble contribution to the betterment of Puerto Rico. The family business started with his father Arturo Sr. who was “100% Puerto Rican” and pursued a construction business “before, during and after” the 1952 transition from a Territory to a Commonwealth. He started with a truck and 75 dollars. The family’s Sunday drive was Jorge driving with Dad taking notes of the status of various construction sites. The Diaz family asphalt business literally paved most of Puerto Rico in addition to building bridges and hotels. The helicopter pad at Trump International is Jorge’s not Donald’s. After all even the Donald can’t be in two places at one time on the PGA TOUR.

CLICK here for the VIDEO INTERVIEW with Jim Teale, the founder of the Puerto Rico Golf Association (PRGA).

Jim Teal, who founded the PRGA in 1954 with his wife Consualo.

One cannot tell the story of the 2014 Puerto Rico Open without telling the story of the Puerto Rico Golf Association (PRGA) and its founder Jim Teale. Born in Ohio, Jim moved to Minnesota where he became a Big 10 Golf Champion and caught the eye of Gene Sarazen when, as a No. 64 seed he beat the No. 1 seed in the NCAAs. Jim served his country in the United States Navy in the South Pacific and liked the part about no snow in the tropics and palm trees. He came to Puerto Rico in 1949 to settle down and has never left. Back then they were putting on circular sand greens that were treated with coconut oil and had to be mopped with a burlap sack to smooth them out for putting. At nearly age 92, this Jimmy Stewart-look alike lets the memories take him back to friends of “all creeds and cultures” that he has made through the game of golf. He lies though when he says his “golf game is not very good.” I played with him at Dorado Beach East and his game is solid tee to green and on the 6th green I saw him make a nice 20-footer for par. I left a noninterview segment in at the start of his video interview. Now you see when he is so successful and why the PRGA has been all these sixty years… it all started with the right seed!

CLICK here for the VIDEO INTERVIEW with Gabriel Palerm, VP Sales, Media & Marketing for Liberty Business.

With Michele Maranges (Marketing & branding Director) and Gabriel Palerm (VP Sales, Media & Marketing) of Liberty Puerto Rico, a Liberty Global Company.

Another sponsor with the Puerto Rico Open since the start has been Liberty, the largest cable television company outside the United States. I met Gabriel Palerm, VP Sales, Media & Marketing and had to interview such a lively character. A native of Puerto Rico he was excited as anybody right after Rafael Campos finished playing the 18th hole on Sunday and posted a 9-under par score. Liberty sees this golf tournament as the “premier sporting event in Puerto Rico” and enthusiastically supports it like Sidney Wolf, the Diaz family, the Puerto Rico Tourism Company and the other sponsors. I liked Garbiel’s viewpoint of Olympic Golf- not understanding why it wasn’t in the Olympics and sees golf as an individual and team sport like any other Olympic Sport.

Chesson Hadley wins the 2014 Puerto Rico Open presented by SeePuertoRico.com

Every PGA TOUR event needs a champion golfer and the 2014 Puerto Rico Open received a fine one with Chesson Hadley finishing birdie-birdie to win for the first time on the PGA TOUR. I went out to see him finish the second round late on Friday. He made a nice up-and-down on the 9th green (his 18th) to save par and post a 65 and trail by only one stroke at the midway point. In the after-round interview I remember his empathetic use of the word “pathetic” when describing an early season streak of five missed cuts. His wife Amanda held the camera for my interview with Miguel “Junior” Colon for the Island Chapter of the PGA of America. Players Services volunteer Mayra Moreno helped out with Baby Hughes during the week. Chesson went out and shot a pair of 67s on the weekend to win in only his 13th PGA TOUR event.

Media day on Wednesday. Strong community support behind this golf tournament!

If there was ever a “feel good” week on the PGA TOUR this was it. The folks I was introduced to at the Wednesday Media conference became friends by Sunday as they shared their beautiful island home, their tournament and most thankfully themselves with me. Puerto Rico is definitely a five-star golf and tourist destination. Ditto that for the Puerto Rico Open and its 2014 Champion Chesson Hadley.

Enjoy the pictures and the rest of the stories from the 2014 Puerto Rico Open presented by SeePuertoRico.com

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Filed Under: Hickory Golf, PGA TOUR Golf

Olympic Spirit of Golf Starts at TPC Sawgrass! (2013 Web.com Tour Championship)

September 30, 2013 By admin

Clubhouse at TPC Sawgrass is all decked out for Military Tribute and Web.com Championship!

I first came to Ponte Vedra Beach in late January 2008. I left a corporate career to pursue a life in golf. Not sure exactly where in golf I was smart enough to choose Ponte Vedra, home of the PGA TOUR, TPC Sawgrass and of course THE PLAYERS Championship each year on the Stadium Course. Soon afterwards I discovered the World Golf Hall of Fame in nearby St. Augustine. In a way the spirit of golf drew me here and now I will take a bit of that spirit with me on a road trip to Rio de Janeiro, site of golf once again in the 2016 Summer Olympics after an absence of 112 years. I hope to discover and define the sense of the Olympic Spirit of Golf. I realized this week during the Web.com Championship on Dye’s Valley Course at TPC Sawgrass that for me that Olympic Spirit of Golf starts right here at TPC Sawgrass.

Web.com Tour Championship on Dye’s Valley Course at TPC Sawgrass.

What is the Olympic Spirit of Golf? I do not know nor does anyone since it has not existed for 109 years. It has been two or three generations since Olympic Golf was played at Glen Echo CC in St. Louis in the 1904 Olympics. No one on Earth has experienced it or knows someone that has. The concept intrigues me both personally and professionally. It has also motivated me to travel over 14,000 miles to begin to seek out the answer. The closest thing in my mind is somewhere between playing in a Major Championship or a Ryder Cup or a Presidents Cup (and I have been to 18 of them) and being inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame (I have been to the last 4 Induction Ceremonies). “Golf’s Highest Honor” on the World Stage. The golfing spirit I felt at this week’s Web.com Tour Championship seems like a good place to start so here is my thoughts and experiences from the week!

Jim Furyk with my new friends at the Web.com luncheon at the Clubhouse at TPC Sawgrass.

I like to think of THE PLAYERS and now the Web.com Tour Championship (this year was the first one ever with a combined Tour Championship and Q-School feel) as a golf tournament with Disneyland outside the ropes. Tournament Director Matt Rapp has figured out the secret formula to make these events a family and community experience. During the two professional golf tournaments at TPC Sawgrass this year I have attended an education conference, a women’s leadership conference and this week a small business conference put on by Web.com. Then there are the fundraisers for HEAL (Helping Every Autistic Life) and The First Tee of North Florida among others. Jim Furyk, Mr. 59 himself stopped by our table during lunch and a few minutes later David Brown, Web.com CEO came by and thanked US for attending the seminar!

Military Appreciation Day at the Web.com Tour Championship.

With my entrepreneurial spirit refreshed by Web.com earlier in the day I checked out what was going on outside the Clubhouse after play on Friday. I had a front row seat for the Military Appreciation Ceremony featuring remarks from Captain Wesley McCall, Commanding Officer of Naval Station Mayport, and a special presentation by Jim Furyk where he gave the key to a mortgage-free home to a deserving military man and his wife. Jacksonville is a huge military town and the sense of pride and patriotism was prevalent everywhere including American flags replacing the various national flags above the practice facility. Somewhere in that Olympic Spirit of Golf I am sure to find a bit of patriotism but in some sort of fourth dimension of peaceful coexistence?

John Popper, Blues Traveler…

How could I leave a front row seat on such a beautiful evening? I hung around for the free Blues Travelers concert. John Popper was brilliant on the harmonica with heartfelt vocals. Music surely activates our spirit in so many wonderful ways. Will golf inspire a new definition of the Olympic Spirit?

As I mentioned this week seemed to kick-off my “Journey to Olympic Golf.” While there are still 15 days until I tee-off at Glen Echo CC wearing knickers and playing my authentic and professionally

Yours truly Andy Reistetter with the “Funny Caddy” ESPN Reporter Michael Collins.

restored hickory-shafted clubs there are only 11 days left before I leave home for St. Louis. An unexpected gesture came from comedian-turned-caddie-turned-ESPN reporter Michael Collins who videotaped a feature interview of JTOG. We had a lot of fun, me sitting, him standing eye-to-eye laughing as I explained how I am trying to raise $100,000 for The First Tee. Simple math is 1,000 friends contributing $100 each but I only have like 10 friends (just kidding of course as we are off to a good start to having 100 donators by Tee-Off). I’ll let you know when the video is posted!

Jerry Foltz, Michael Collins and Andy Reistetter on the 17th tee, Stadium Course, TPC Sawgrass.

Michael and I happened to be paired with Golf Channel’s Jerry Foltz and his friend Frank, a.k.a “Triple F” (Foltzy’s Friend Frank). So many of the talented people at the Golf Channel whether in front of the camera or behind it or whether on the golf course or in the truck have given me so many great ideas on how to orchestrate this “Journey to Olympic Golf” that I want to thank them all! Hopefully I make it back from Rio de Janeiro for the PGA Show in Orlando in m id January and will buy you all a beer. If not then I am in Paradise South somewhere (Paradise North is Ponte Vedra Beach) and you will have to come find me. For the record Foltzy is eligible age and talent wise for the Champions Tour and I am thinking Michael and him would make a good player-caddie team. A double Lee Trevino walking down the fairway! I use to be able to hit this green when I aimed for the middle of it. I aimed at the back right Sunday hole location and pulled a ‘Goydos.’

Wedding at TPC Sawgrass during Web.com Tour Championship on “Marriage Day” (Saturday).

Where else but TPC Sawgrass do you see not one, but two, or any weddings on a Saturday during a professional golf tournament? Puts a whole new meaning to the term “Moving Day.” It was my first wedding (okay I was watching from the veranda within earshot) in six years at TPC Sawgrass. I was at Bea’s 90^th birthday party but never a wedding. The ceremony was fairly brief though I remember the priest sharing something about love being two souls finding one another and realizing how special and precious an occurrence that is. Of course I was thinking about golf and the Olympics finding one another after 112 years. Match made in Heaven and let the games begin… in a little over 1,000 days from now. All I need to do is find one new friend a day…

Chesson Hadley raises his hat to signal victory in the 2013 Web.com Tour Championship on Dye’s Valley Course at TPC Sawgrass.

Back to the Web.com Tour Championship. Chesson Hadley, a 26-year old Georgia Bulldog (which is sure to make Billy Kratzert happy) won the Tour Championship with a Sunday 1-under par 69. A rookie on the Web.com Tour this year he won the Rex Hospital Open in Raleigh, North Carolina which is the same hospital he was born in. Though he won the tournament he did not win the FINALS coveted Money Title. LSU’s John Peterson did by 567 dollars by virtue of his steady play in the four postseason events (T5,T3,3^rd, T2 finishes). Michael Putnam had won the Regular Season Money Title at the Cox Classic in Omaha, Nebraska on August 25^th.

Golf Channel’s Jerry Foltz was the Master of Ceremonies for the Trophy and Card Ceremonies.

The back veranda of the Clubhouse at TPC Sawgrass was the stage for the Trophy Presentation and Card Ceremony for 50 happy Web.com golfers headed to the 2013/2014 PGA TOUR season (the inaugural wrap-around season). Now we will forever be lost in golfing time. Like the millennium, was it really 2000 or 2001, when did golf go to a year-round schedule, in 2013 or 2014? Excited spectators, tournament volunteers and families of the players watched from the expansive back lawn. Golf’s Channel Jerry Foltz mc’d the affair with words well-spoken by Web.com’s CEO David Brown, Web.com Tour President Bill Calfee and PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem. Definitely not a graduation but a commencement of great things to come!

Welcome Class of 2013/2014! Play begins in one week at the Frys.com Open!

The 50 players who earned their 2013/14 tour cards are (in order of priority ranking) Michael Putnam, John Peterson, Chesson Hadley, Seung-Yul Noh, Andrew Svoboda, Trevor Immelman, Will MacKenzie, Scott Gardiner, Edward Loar, Ben Martin, Patrick Cantlay, Brendon Todd, Ryo Ishikawa, Brad Fritsch, Kevin Kisner, Sean O’Hair, Troy Matteson, Bud Cauley, Heath Slocum, Russell Knox, Hudson Swafford, Will Claxton, Brice Garnett, Tyrone Van Aswegen, Chad Collins, Billy Hurley III, Danny Lee, Jim Herman, Joe Durant, Troy Merritt, Lee Williams, Andrew Loupe, Ricky Barnes, Peter Malnati, Bobby Gates, Bronson La’Cassie, Alex Aragon, Tim Wilkinson, Jamie Lovemark, Wes Roach, Daniel Chopra, Alex Prugh, Miguel Angel Carballo, Jim Renner, Mark Anderson, Kevin Tway, Kevin Foley, Matt Bettencourt, Will Wilcox, and Benjamin Alvarado.

The sea of blue shirted volunteers for this week’s Web.com Tour Championship. A spirited team of friends that will accompany me on the “Journey to Olympic Golf.”

So what does this all mean in terms of the Olympic Spirit of Golf? Sometimes the spirit of an organization is found in the newcomers- there will be 14 rookies competing on PGA TOUR in the 2013/14 season. Who knows, perhaps one of them will be playing in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro? I met Argentina’s Miguel Angel Carballo and his caddie David Walker who lives in Panama. Maybe they will not only be on the way to the Olympics but there to compete in 2016? It was another great week at TPC Sawgrass, same as when Tiger Woods won his second PLAYERS Championship five months ago. Along with the ambience of the nearby World Golf Hall of Fame my seeking of the Olympic Spirit of Golf starts here. Come join me on an incredible journey!

Click here to donate to The First Tee, remember to select JTOG!

Here is more information on the “Journey to Olympic Golf”

I tee off in St. Louis with my hickory clubs where golf was last played in the Olympics in 1904 on October 15th and then drive 14,300 miles south through Mexico, Central & South America to Rio de Janeiro where golf will return to the Summer Olympics in 2016!

Part golf promotion, part personal journey to define the Olympic Spirit for Golf, something that has not been present for the last 112 years. After the 3-month journey I will return to Orlando for the 2014 PGA Show in Orlando.

The goal is to raise $100,000 for the First Tee.

Folks who donate before October 11^th will receive my personal and intimate behind the scenes journaling during the trip. It can be interactive so if want to tell me to jump off a cliff in Santiago, Chile that is what I will do. In addition you will be entered into a drawing for a set of professionally restored and playable hickory clubs.

But you have to do it before October 11^th, in less than 2 weeks. When you use the link below please select “Journey to Olympic Golf” from the drop-down menu for the question “What inspired you to make a gift today?” Please forward to me the ‘Thank You’ note received and I will enter you into the hickory clubs raffle

Will you please share with your golfing friends and folks who have a charitable budget yet to be spent this year?

On behalf of the kids in the First Tee, thank you so much for doing this!

My M30 Infiniti and I will be leaving TPC Sawgrass on October 18th heading to St. Louis to tee off on the 15th, then south through Mexico, Central and South America to Rio de Janeiro.

Filed Under: Hickory Golf, Journey to Olympic Golf, PGA TOUR Golf

Jaguar Jaxson a Big Hit at the Web.com Tour Championship Youth Golf Clinic!

September 24, 2013 By admin

Awesome Youth Golf Clinic at the Web.com Tour Championship at TPC Sawgrass… 8 tour players including Jacksonville’s own Russell Knox(Lt. blue) and Nick Rousey (Orange). That’s me with Jaxson the Jaguar mascot and that’s the American Flag flying over Champions Circle thanks to Tiger Woods win at the THE PLAYERS Championship! (Facebook Post with 5 Pics, Andy Reistetter, 9/24/13)

Filed Under: Featured People, Hickory Golf, People in Golf, PGA TOUR Golf

The First Tee of North Florida is Home at Brentwood GC in Jacksonville!

September 22, 2013 By admin

I had a great time at The First Tee of North Florida yesterday… great facility, great program and support team and most importantly great kids. Played 9 holes with Coach Tony, Blair, Charles & Chase. This is a good golf course that is OPEN TO THE PUBLIC with a great practice facility and inexpensive darn right cheap greens fees, walk for $10! Hope to see you Wednesday night at The Clubhouse at TPC Sawgrass for the Taste of Golf benefiting The First Tee of North Florida! (-: (Facebook Post with 3 Pics, Andy Reistetter, 9/22/13)

Filed Under: Featured People, Hickory Golf, Northeast Florida, People in Golf, PGA TOUR Golf

Esteban Toledo Wins the 2013 Montreal Championship on the Champions Tour!

September 8, 2013 By admin

Sad to be leaving Montreal tomorrow… from the Opening Ceremony with the Symphony playing Au Canada… to meeting great people like Paul… to knowing Canadians love to golf and WALK when they do… to seeing TPC Sawgrass in French… what a great week… congrats Esteban Toledo for winning the Champions Tour Montreal. (-: (Facebook Post with 5 Pics, Andy Reistetter, 9-8-13)

I have left the country… at Champions Tour Montreal… love this international style hotel Alt Hotel Dix 30, everything is in French… good thing I had 3 years French at Binghamton Central High School… small world running into my TPC Sawgrass buddy Donald Cross in the salon… no cell phone service here so if you call or text me I am not hearing you… (Facebook Post with 3 Pics, Andy Reistetter, 9-4-13)

Filed Under: Hickory Golf, PGA TOUR Golf

Jason Dufner Wins 2013 PGA Championship at Oak Hill CC

August 11, 2013 By admin

I love New York, my home state!

Happy to be back in my home state of New York for the PGA Championship at Oak Hill CC… I Love NY, Tom Watson honored on the Hill of Fame, Rory’s golf ball and a great night with my buddy Joe listening to Michael Bolton and seeing Lee Trevino receive the PGA of America’s highest honor- their Distinguished Service Award… WOW this will be an awesome PGA Championship for sure! (Facebook Post with 4 Pics, Andy Reistetter, 8/8/13)

Good to see some buddies on the road at the PGA Championship… introduced them to “Beef on Weck” from my college days in Buffalo… At Pittsford Pub with Frosty (no fish soup for you), Ike and bro Jerry EYE! (-: (Facebook Post with 1 Pic, Andy Reistetter, 8/10/13)

Jason Dufner, 2013 PGA Champion!

Congratulations Jason Dufner! 2013 PGA Championship (Facebook Post with 1 Pic; Andy Reistetter, 8/11/13)

Time to leave, guess I am 9 days late for the start of an awesome PGA Championship at Oak Hill CC, if u missed it Jason Dufner won it not Tiger or Phil, Rochester, hometown to The Haig is a great golf town! 🙂 (Facebook Post with 3 Pics, Andy Reistetter, 8/13/13)

Here are some more pics!

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Filed Under: Hickory Golf, PGA TOUR Golf

Prayers of THE PLAYERS Championship…

May 17, 2013 By admin

In 2013 before THE PLAYERS the 17th island green was truly an island!

After dropping 10 inches of rain on the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass, thank God the rain stopped over the weekend. The monsoon-like weather raised the level of water, cutting off the pathway, making the 17^th green truly an island green. There was talk at the volunteer party on Saturday night that the Clubhouse may become an Ark above rising waters if needed. Many thoughts, perspectives and prayers for this the 40^th edition of The Players were shared. Here is a synopsis of the community, professional golf and human spirit that is The Players 2013.

We think of the children that will benefit from the $50 million that is being donated by The Players Championship over a 10-year period. The Champions for Education Conference held at TPC Sawgrass last week enlightened many as to what a dynamic coalition of private and public leaders, headlined by former Governor Jeb Bush, can accomplish with good need, heartfelt commitment and steely determination.

The spirit of McKenzie Noelle Wilson, a vibrant and vivacious 15-year-old who passed away from a rare and sudden illness on August 17, 2010, is alive and well at her namesake foundation Kid Zone behind the 17^th tee. We celebrate in the joy, friendship and excitement of the children playing in the Game Truck, on the putt-putt course, and doing arts and crafts with the loving memory of McKenzie.

We think of the women who attended the Executive Women’s Day on Monday at the Clubhouse. The memories of two young Junior Achievement Girls, Brianna and her sister Brea who shared their story and reminded us of what a difference a mentor can make in the lives of young people. Leading with the honesty that she was nervous, brought a brief lightness and laughter and a lasting connection with the audience. Women helping girls develop into women. Knowing we can brighten each other’s day.

The spirit and excitement of the Executive Women’s Day is captured, preserved and to be shared all tournament week long in the Astella’s Women Pavilion near the tenth tee. A celebration of women and a reminder to maintain a lifelong focus on health this is a tournament experience for women and men alike.

Although The Players 5K with Donna was rained out on Saturday morning, the spirit was not dampened by even one of the million rain drops. All 1,250 runners will be back for the Pink Out on Sunday that benefits The 26.2 (marathon) with Donna. Sunday is Mother’s Day, wear pink and give your mom a hug if you can. If not, celebrate her in a special way.

We celebrated the military moms-to-be with an Operation Shower on Saturday in the Clubhouse. Their husbands are deployed and far away from home at a time when they are needed most. Dedicated service to God, Country and Family is difficult at these times and organizations like the PGA Tour and Birdies for the Brave make the unbearable more bearable.

We are thankful for the military and how they protect our democracy. Last year 20,612 complimentary tickets were issued to active duty, Reserve, military retirees and their dependents. The Players hosted a Military Job Fair with more than 50 companies present embracing job seekers. The Birdies for the Brave Patriots’ Outpost welcomes the military with complimentary food, beverages and activities. It is no coincidence that the Patriots’ Outpost is located on the highest point of land on the golf course adjacent to the 18^th fairway. Unlike a defensive position in battle, this is the bright light to shine the furthest in the peace of a golf tournament.

We are thankful for today, Military Appreciation Day, saluting the United States Navy. There will be military pageantry, a performance by a children’s choir and speeches by dignitaries. Dierks Bentley, a patriotic country music star will perform. In years past a pregnant wife was reunited with her military husband after being secretly flown home from the Arabian Sea and two Wounded Warriors were surprised with keys to a mortgage-free homes for their families.

We heard an uplifting message this morning at breakfast with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Webb Simpson, the 2012 U.S. Open Champion shared his journey and by doing so made our journey lighter. Golfers Stewart Cink and Kevin Streelman shared how their faith evens out the peaks and valleys of life on the PGA Tour. When too high one is reminded of God, when too low one is supported by Him. Artist Jared Emerson faced the canvas and created a painting of Simpson in 12 minutes while dancing to the music of musical guest Tenth Street North. Although kids outnumbered the adults almost ten-to-one, all in the audience were mesmerized by the spirit that we witnessed this morning.

This is a prayer for the agnostic or atheist as well as the believer. Whether you see the spirit in a religious, spiritual or simple human sense we all celebrate The Players 2013. This is a fun and meaningful event. Improved A1A traffic, free carpooling parking, a new Taste of Jacksonville hotspot near the 12^th tee, new permanent bathrooms, Lot Parties galore, embracing technology on the 17^th with video board displays of texting and tweeting audience participation in Closest-to-the-Pin contests and throughout the course with FanVision handheld televisions will all make the human experience better at this year’s Players.

Golf is a transformational game. Whether within one’s self or within one’s community, golf brings good things to pass. I can’t help but think golf played around the world and throughout the world will be a good thing in years to come. A dozen of the 39 Players to date have been won by an international player. May the spirit of golf be carried to all places in the world.

Other than the weather, there is much to be thankful for, at this time of the 40^th The Players Championship.

Filed Under: Hickory Golf, PGA TOUR Golf

Memories of the 2013 PLAYERS Championship won by Tiger Woods!

May 9, 2013 By admin

Tiger Woods marching to victory on Sunday… his 4th of 5 wins in 2013!

Tiger Woods won his second PLAYERS in 2013, twelve years after his first, to become the 5th golfer to win two along with Fred Couples (1996 & 1984), Steve Elkington (1997 & 1991), Hal Sutton (2000 & 1983, and Davis Love III (2003 & 1992). Of course they would all like to win one more to tie Jack Nicklaus at three for the all-time multiple victory record.

NBC Sports’ Gary Koch’s “better than most” call on Tiger’s long snake putt on the island 17th green on Saturday was epic and already etched into golf’s history.

With artist Suzanne Yost McCourt and her Venturi artwork.

On Players Monday, the World Golf Hall of Fame inducted Fred Couples, Ken Venturi, Willie Park, Jr., Colin Montgomerie and Ken Schofield. My friend Suzanne Yost McCourt, known as the “Lady Artist from Pebble Beach” (was the first woman to have her artwork on the cover of the tournament program) created a beautiful piece of Ken Venturi artwork and presented it to the Venturi family in St. Augustine.

CLICK here for more memories of the 2013 PLAYERS Championship!

Memorable Players after a very wet Spring as depicted in these 130+ photographs!

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Filed Under: Hickory Golf, People in Golf, PGA TOUR Golf

2013 PLAYERS & Ponte Vedra: THE Golf Capital of the World!

May 1, 2013 By admin

Five years ago, not knowing one soul here, Andy Reistetter came to Ponte Verda to embark on a new career in golf. Today with well over 100 tournaments of tour experience as a volunteer, broadcast assistant and golf writer, he calls Ponte Vedra home. Hopefully, you are already aware that Ponte Vedra is the Golf Capital of the World. If not, Reistetter, through Ponte Vedra Life’s new Golf Department, will not only make you aware, but convince you and others that it is so. Starting with this first article in the series “Out on Tour,” it is PLAYERS’ time all the time keeping you in touch with golf and our friends and neighbors who work and play out there on tour.

Coming to Ponte Vedra in early May to compete in THE PLAYERS Championship is all the validation that one needs to know they have achieved success as a professional golfer. Being in that field means you have earned a tour card and are one of only 125 golfers with the right and privilege to play on the PGA TOUR, the world’s premier peregrination in golf. All such professional golfers are “home” in Ponte Vedra as TPC Sawgrass belongs to and is the home club of PGA TOUR players.

Once a professional golfer, your hope and dream is to come home to Ponte Vedra more than once. You want to be like local residents Vijay Singh and Jim Furyk who have played 20 and 17 times respectively. You want to be like Bud Cauley who played in his first PLAYERS last year at age 22 after rocketing to the PGA TOUR, bypassing Q-School like Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods. You want to be like Ponte Vedra’s own Fred Funk who won THE PLAYERS in 2005 at 48 years old.

Ultimately, in one’s golfing career, your target shifts slightly southwest, 25 miles from the TPC Sawgrass Clubhouse in Ponte Vedra to a place where young and old legends receive what everyone calls “the highest honor in golf.” Instead of walking down and playing golf on the lush fairways of the Stadium Course, you want a bronze sculpture of your head in Shell Hall at the World Golf Hall of Fame in St. Augustine. From conception to destiny, all in golf is found, experienced and witnessed right here in Northeast Florida.

From the turn onto Championship Way, the distance to the Clubhouse is a walk of 700 or so paces, and it is worth the walk. First on the corner, etched in aluminum and hung on a lamppost is the mural of Jack Nicklaus, “the greatest golfer of all time.” His three triumphs in The PLAYERS, “the modern major,” 72 tour wins, including his 18 historic major titles are the merit upon which that title is bestowed.

The walk begins with a burst of beauty on the corner with the incredible landscaping of TPC Sawgrass. While truly exceptional during THE PLAYERS, it is amazing every day of the year. Soon after beginning to walk, one sees on the left and the right, the subtle corporate one-story home of the PGA TOUR. Commissioner Tim Finchem’s office is housed on the right in the West Building. While representing the interest of the players, the tour has raised over $1.7 billion for charity. “Together, Anything’s Possible,” begins right here in Ponte Vedra.

As your walk continues, the road meanders a bit as it gently rises to the high point of the TPC property, the Clubhouse. Before you get there, you will see portraits of all THE PLAYERS’ champions including the likes of Calvin Peete, 2013 Hall of Fame inductee Freddie Couples, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods. Through the pine trees one gets a glimpse of the first green, and as we follow the hole backwards to the tee, we make the final turn. There she is, the Clubhouse, the Home of THE PLAYERS, and TPC Sawgrass.

While the island green is where the dramatic game of golf takes place, the Clubhouse is where the excitement and entertainment occur for most people. Whether it is a drink in Nineteen or a dinner in Traditions, a wedding of hundreds or a small private gathering, it seems like there is always a new experience waiting for you when you arrive at the Clubhouse. Social Club and Golf Club memberships are available for even more access and fun here in Ponte Vedra and throughout the world at almost 30 TPC locations. Indeed, you can be treated like one of the 125 tour players at your home club, TPC Sawgrass.

An interesting historical event took place on the back lawn of the Clubhouse at the 2008 PLAYERS when Jack received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the PGA TOUR. Commissioner Finchem read a letter from Tiger who was absent from the ceremony and tournament due to his left knee injury.

Tiger’s words, in the letter, spoke to Nicklaus and the world of golf: “Your impact on golf has been incredible to say the least and I count myself among the millions of fans who consider you to be the greatest of all time.”

Coincidentally, in 2012 Tiger won Arnold Palmer’s tournament at Bay Hill. The 36-year old Woods (now 37 with a December 30^th birthday) then won Jack’s tournament at Muirfield Village to tie Jack in all-time tour wins at 72. He surpassed Jack by winning his own tournament in July to become second to Sam Snead’s record 82 victories.

If ‘V’ is for Victory, then ‘PV’ stands for Ponte Vedra, the Golf Capital of the World.

This year will be a great year in golf and in Ponte Vedra. Will Rory McIlroy become the new Tiger Woods? Or will the old Tiger reemerge to win majors after demonstrating his desire, commitment and ability in 2012? Tiger could tie the Golden Bear’s record with the ultimate Grand Slam this year.

Of course, we have THE 40^th PLAYERS to look forward to as well as the Induction Ceremony of Freddie Couples, Ken Venturi, Willie Park Jr., Ken Schofield and Colin Montgomerie at the Hall of Fame.

Whatever happens, look for the next issue of Ponte Vedra Life. I am out on tour and taking you with me, always longing to return home to Ponte Vedra.

Andy Reistetter is a freelance golf writer as well as a Spotter, Research and Broadcast Assistant for The Golf Channel, NBC and CBS Sports. He spends time on all four major American golf tours— the PGA TOUR, Champions, Nationwide and LPGA Tours— and is always looking to witness the excitement of junior or collegiate golf.

Reistetter resides within two miles of the PGA TOUR headquarters and home of The PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach.

A lifetime golfer, Reistetter enjoys volunteering at the World Golf Hall of Fame and THE PLAYERS while pursuing his passion for the game of golf and everything associated with it. He can be reached through email at AndyReistetter@gmail.com

Filed Under: Hickory Golf, PGA TOUR Golf