PGA TOUR Golf — Page 11

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

Memories of the 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, & 2013 Masters Tournaments!

April 1, 2013 By admin

Scoreboard at entrance right of first fairway in 2013 Masters.

My first visit to Augusta National and The Masters was on a family pilgrimage via a Hilton Head vacation in 1999. I returned in 2005 as a guest of my dear friend and the renown golf bibliographer Richard E. Donovan (The Game of Golf & the Printed Word). I remember how much I felt at home when Dick and I attended the Golf Writers Association of America dinner honoring Dan Jenkins. Then came tw0 more visits with friends and golfing buddies. Since 2009 I have been present at the Masters for the entire week arriving early and leaving late each day. The Augusta National Golf Club is a very special place and The Masters Tournament is an extraordinary golfing competition. Here are some of my pictures, stories and memories from the last five Masters.

Memories of the 2013 Masters Tournament won by Adam Scott:

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Memories of the 2012 Masters Tournament won by Bubba Watson (1st):

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Memories of the 2011 Masters Tournament won by Charl Schwartzel:

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Memories of the 2010 Masters Tournament won by Phil Mickelson (3rd):

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Memories of the 2009 Masters Tournament won by Angel Cabrera:

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

World Record 179,022 at TPC Scottsdale in 2013 WMPO!

February 18, 2013 By admin

Phil Mickelson tees off on the 16th in the Stadium enroute to victory at the 2013 Waste Management Phoenix Open. Photo Credit: Hunter Martin Getty Images

The number 179,022 will always be etched in my mind. That’s how many people came out to watch the Waste Management Phoenix Open on Saturday this year. On Saturday, one day alone. It was a record for the tournament and in the history of golf as far as anyone knows.

If you explore the Guinness World Record website there are 82 results for ‘golf’ but no category for the ‘most people to watch a single-day golf event in person.’ There are records for the ‘largest one-day golf tournament,’ the ‘largest golf facility,’ and the ‘most people playing golf walking on a single golf course in 24 hours.’ But none for the largest gallery ever to watch golf in person.

Legendary Thunderbird Bob Wasser can be found on the 16th tee every year at the WMPO. Great guy!

Of course, there is a strong community charity consciousness in the Phoenix-Scottsdale metropolis. The Thunderbirds, hosts of the WMPO, are a charitable organization that has been around since 1937. There is a cadre of sales and marketing professionals associated with TPC Scottsdale golf course, the Waste Management Phoenix Open golf tournament and the PGA TOUR. The tournament predates even The Masters with its roots in the 1932 Arizona Open and has been contested 74 times since then. Over 80 million dollars has been donated to Arizona charities with 5.5 million coming in 2012 alone.

These folks know what they are doing leveraging a lot of history and tradition. But still, 179,022 golf spectators on one golf course on one day! More than America’s other top sports- baseball, basketball and football. More than a record 115,300 at the Dodgers-Red Sox game in L.A. in 2008; more than a record 108,713 at the N.B.A. All-Star game in Dallas in 2010 and certainly more than can fit in any football stadium in America.

The numbers speak for themselves… 179,022 on Saturday and more than $80 million to charity!

There was never a doubt watching Phil Mickelson open with a 60 this year, then adding rounds of 65-64-67 to win by four strokes for a record-tying third time (with Mark Calcavecchia, Gene Littler and Arnold Palmer). Thursday’s attendance was 79,532, Friday’s at 121,901 with Saturday the peak at 179,022—a total of 525,821 for the week! Amazing!

Other than the golf, the most amazing sight of the week was to stand on a hillside off to the right of the 18^th green and see the people flood in beneath an overpass coming from the main entrance. Seas of people, imagine the sidewalks of Manhattan at lunch hour and the entire width of 5^th Avenue as well. Non-stop for as long as you wanted to watch.

Where do these people go on an 18-hole golf course that has ample room, certainly no Merion but nonetheless there are 179,022 people! The hospitality areas surrounding the 17^th and 18^th holes are legendary and swallow up a big chunk of the masses. Then there is the Stadium in golf encompassing the par-3 16^th hole. Nearly 20,000 right there.

Coming back to play the Stadium Course at TPC Scottsdale a few weeks after the tournament on the way to the WGC Accenture Match Play, the wintery wonderland we now know as Dove Mountain, was a real treat. Gone were the 179,022 Saturday patrons yet the majority of the Stadium on the 17^th remained.

TPC Scottsdale is an awesome golf course to play in its own right. A Tom Weiskopf & Jay Morrish design this golf course is fun to play. While it looks hard but plays easier don’t expect to go to a record low 29-under par like Phil did this year or Mark Calcavecchia did in 2001. If you knew what I knew and an opportunity to play TPC Scottsdale comes along you would do what I did. Love Weiskopf’s thinking and his golf design talents! Remember he did win a British Open though his four runner-up finishes at the Masters and comments on Jack Nicklaus do come to mind.

Another piece of golfing history at TPC Scottsdale. The rock or loose impediment that the gallery moved for Tiger Woods in the 1999 WMPO.

My favorite hole is the short par-4 17^th which is 332 yards from the tips and only 254 yards from the whites. I hope you are “playing it forward” like I am these days and having a ton of fun on the golf course. Like Phil I hit it way left off the tee, so far left it stayed dry. Unlike Phil I pitched it up onto the green and 3-putted for bogey. I didn’t shoot 60, in fact I didn’t even shoot 1-under par on any hole. I guess I was too excited from my experience at the tournament. For me on that day the golf course looked hard and played hard too.

It was still cool to tee it up on the 16^th with most of the Stadium still surrounding the hole. I thought I could imagine what it would be like doing so during the tournament but honestly I can’t say that I could. It did lead to one charity fund-raising idea. On Saturday let the biggest charity donors tee it up and hit tee shots on the 17^th Stadium hole when time allows between the professionals. There is trouble on the water-logged par-5 15^th and sometimes there is a gap in play. What a thrill, what a rush it would be. Sort of a modern day coliseum swing and make contact or be consumed by the thirsty crowd. Even if they can get the club back I doubt anyone will hit it on or even close to the green. TPC and the PGA TOUR new ultimate Stadium Golf experience all for charity!

Even the chairs are BIG at the WMPO!

There were only 22 people, including Bobby Jones, who saw Gene Sarazen’s double eagle on the par-5 15^th in the 1935 Masters. Quite a few more saw Tiger Woods’ ace on the 16^th at TPC Scottsdale in 1997. About 20,000 of the 179,022 present saw James Hahn double-bogey the 16^th on Saturday. But 20,000 saw him birdie it on Sunday and then dance his way off the green ‘Gangnam Style.’ What excitement at TPC Scottsdale!

I have to say I am a big proponent of TPC Sawgrass as the ‘Crown Jewel’ TPC Network of 30 prestigious courses. I live nearby, it is the ‘Home of THE PLAYERS Championship’ and we all know there are four majors but only one PLAYERS. Tiger Woods style this year. But I have to say that maybe TPC Scottsdale, ‘Home of the Largest Galleries in Golf’ is the ‘Western Crown Jewel’ of the TPC Network.

Play it if you can, soon!

By the way, as far as Guinness records go… the largest one day golf tournament consisted of 1,562 participants at the Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzhen, China, on June 25^th, 2010, which is also the largest golf facility with twelve 18-hole courses. The greatest number of walking golfers to complete a full round on the same course within 24 hours is 632 and was achieved by The First Tee of Ireland, at Faithlegg Golf Club in Waterford, Ireland in June 2009.

But the number 179,022 will stick in my mind until at least next year. Who knows, maybe 200,000 plus at the 2014 Waste Management Phoenix Open?

Filed Under: "Play-Write" Golf Courses, Hickory Golf, PGA TOUR Golf

2013 Week 5: Waste Mgmt Phoenix Open; Outside The Ropes Entertainment!

February 6, 2013 By admin

Merri Daniel and Andy Reistetter are partnering in 2013 to document their experiences on tour. Through our “Outside the Ropes Entertainment” website we will cover a variety of story lines including growing the game of golf, travel golf, the people we meet, and the adventures we have along the way. Here is our chronicle for Week 5 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. We missed Tiger’s win at Torrey Pines for the PGA Show but could not miss our first visit to TPC Scottsdale and the Coliseum 16^th hole, a breakthrough head over shoulders for Stadium Golf. Enjoy the game; it’s the game for life!

Highlights of Week 5; photographs below, videos coming to the OTRE web soon:

Record of 179,022 people in attendance on Saturday.

Interview and video with LPGA founder and World Golf Hall of Fame member Marilynn Smith.

Interview and video with our host Frank, an aficionado of golf courses around the world.

Interview and video with Thunderbird Jock Holiman, announcer on the 16^th hole.

Merri & Andy recap video of our experiences at the 2013 WMPO.

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

TPC Scottsdale World Record 179,022

February 2, 2013 By admin

Thunderbird Bob Wasser in position on the 16th tee.

Tracking board in the media center shows the record 179,022 for Saturday and total of 525,821 for the week!

Everything is BIG at the WMPO even the chairs!

http://www.pgatour.com/tourreport/2013/02/05/hahn-s-dance-new-youtube-hit.html

Play it if you can, soon!

But the number 179,022 will stick in my mind until at least next year. Who knows, maybe 200,000 plus at the 2014 Waste Management Phoenix Open?

This is the 48^th edition of Golf Writer Andy Reistetter’s series of “Play-Write” golf travel articles.

Andy Reistetter is a freelance golf writer and a broadcast assistant for the various golf networks. He spends time on all four major American golf tours- the PGA TOUR, Champions, Web.com and LPGA.

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

A lifetime golfer, Andy 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.

Embark on a “Journey to Olympic Golf” with Reistetter in the Fall of 2013 as he travels from St. Louis, Missouri where golf was played in the 1904 Olympics to Rio de Janiero where it will be played again in the 2016 Olympics.

http://www.journeytoolympicgolf.com/

Or read more articles in Andy’s Golf & Travel Diary:

http://andygolftraveldiary.com/

Friend Andy Reistetter on Facebook or touch base with him by e-mail at AndyReistetter@gmail.com

Filed Under: Hickory Golf, PGA TOUR Golf, Travel Golf

2013 PGA Show: Outside the Ropes Entertainment!

January 25, 2013 By admin

Merri Daniel and Andy Reistetter are partnering in 2013 to document their experiences on tour. Through our “Outside the Ropes Entertainment” website we will cover a variety of story lines including growing the game of golf, travel golf, the people we meet, and the adventures we have along the way. Here is our chronicle for Week 4 at the PGA Show in Orlando. Taking a one week break from being out on tour at the Hyundai, Sony and Humana tournaments. We can’t miss the biggest show in golf! Enjoy the game; it’s the game for life!

Photograph: Bridgett Brennan (standing with microphone), CEO Female Factor and Author of Why She Buys and Stina Sternberg (seated), Global Golf Director and Columnist for Golf Digest teamed up at the 2013 PGA Show to present “How to Grow your Business with Women Golfers.”

What is interesting about Bridgett is that she is a newcomer to golf, seeking instruction for the first time in October 2012. Her expert opinion, supported by industry studies, is that women influence and spend comparably less in golf than other sports. This is occurring even though on paper golf is perfect for them from a lot of perspectives: has finesse versus brute strength as a sport, very social & co-ed, peaceful, natural setting, fashion is great and there are drinks and conversation afterwards. Golf needs to adapt and show women we want their business.

One striking thing occurred at her first lesson, the pro Billy Knilans at Willow Hill tossed her the keys to the golf cart and said let’s go play. Now she was in control, more comfortable and experienced the magic of golf out on the golf course. In a short period of time (remember she lives in Chicago), Bridgett gets golf and loves it because “what it is teaching me” and is locked into constantly improving her game. She wants to come back to the golf course for “more of that feeling.”

Women are natural recruiters of people, pied pipers to recruit family and friends in activities they love to do. Women can help grow the game of golf. It is literally not what golf can do for women but what women can do for golf. Though, unlike the Pied Piper of Hamelin, women in golf will lead us men to a brighter, better future, not doom and gloom.

We had the pleasure of interviewing Bobby Clampett in his Impact Zone booth. Before Merri went to Golf Academy of America a mentor friend of hers had just read Bobby’s book and told her that “he had been teaching golf wrong for 15 years and focusing on all the wrong things and that Bobby’s Impact Zone is the right way.” Andy has assisted Bobby during Masters golf broadcasts and received his first on-air credit from him.

Clampett, a private pilot, is a great guy all the way around and really has two tigers by the tail. With a million dollars in winnings on the Champions Tour in his pocket and golf instructors lining up to be certified in the Impact Zone, the young golfing prodigy is no longer young or a prodigy, he is the real deal today.

Style-based teaching is out of style as there are as many styles as there are golfers and all that matters to the ball and you and me is the Impact Zone. TMI, there is too much information out there and we need to get back to basics if we want to improve in golf. The genesis of Bobby’s Impact Zone is really his work over a 15-year period watching the game’s greats and analyzing their swings via slow motion cameras.

Consider it a “think tank” sort of sabbatical where the realization is that the low point of Tiger’s swing is 4 inches in front of the ball whereas us mere amateurs make contact with the ground or thin a shot on average 2 to 4 inches behind the ball. It’s not complicated, there is no mystery and the golfer, as well as instructors are now empowered to simplify the golf swing.

Bobby Clampett seems surprised as anyone with his dual success though in golf, like life, time after time it is proven that those with the passion and willingness to do the work will over time succeed. We wish Bobby all the success in the world and every golfer to take the opportunity to get it right and easy with the Impact Zone.

http://bobbyclampett.com/impact-zone/

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

This is the 48th edition of Golf Writer Andy Reistetter’s series of “Play-Write” golf travel articles.

This is the 48^th edition of Golf Writer Andy Reistetter’s series of “Play-Write” golf travel articles.