A PUBLICATION OF THE ARIZONA WOMEN S GOLF ASSOCIATION 2004 ISSUE 8

Transcription

1 In This Issue: Stroke Play Highlights State Medallion Championships! Spotlight s On... Club Corner Rules Tip Ask the Pro New Clubs Tournament Schedule Nationwide Holes in One Seniors Results Stroke Results Think Good Thoughts Getting to Good Enough Election Results AWGA NewsLinks A PUBLICATION OF THE ARIZONA WOMEN S GOLF ASSOCIATION 2004 ISSUE 8 Stroke Play Highlights Diversity Among Players Young players, old players... Humble players, bold players By Mary Ann Souter Vash Matlon and Kim Haddow In a championship tournament, the age range is usually not newsworthy information; however, this year s AWGA Stroke Play Championship was anything but the usual mix of talent and ages. The main headline was that 14 year old, Kayla Mortellaro, from Ahwatukee Country Club, won the state title with a three-day total of 220. That, in itself, is something to celebrate. She is also the youngest golfer to ever win the title. Heather Farr, who went on to become an LPGA Champion, won it as a 15 year old in 1980 and since then, over twenty years have passed with the winner staying in the expected age category. Prodigies in the world of golf seem to be arising more and more lately, but having a home-grown young lady with so much potential is very exciting for Arizona. Kayla, a member of the AWGA and the Junior Golf Association of Arizona, has had a very good year. She played in four JGAA events in 2004 and won 1 st place in three of them. She also won the Southwest Section PGA Junior Championship in Prescott this year. Her scoring average in JGAA events was 71.88, and she finished in 8 th place for their Player of the Year. The noteworthy fact about placing 8 th is that she only competed in five of the fifteen events where points were available for this award. Who knows where she would have placed had she participated in more events? Right alongside of this 14 year old, playing in the championship was a long time AWGA member and legend in her own time. Her name is Vash Matlon, an 87 year old from Prescott, who is also the President of NAWGA (Northern Arizona Women s Golf Association). Playing in a championship competition at her age and holding a high-level position in a golf association should be considered grand achievements on their own. But the amazing reality about Vash is that she is nearly blind. Not being able to see well enough to play unattended, she asked Kim Haddow, a class A LPGA Teaching Professional from Chino Valley, to be her Coach and walk with her to give her directional advice and yardage. (Kim was the women s golf coach at U of A from Annika Sorrenstam played for her for two years.) This team effort required a modification of the Rules of Golf to allow a coach to give her this assistance. But the arrangement seemed to work effortlessly, and Vash finished with a three-day total of 316. Prescott Golf and Country Club was the center of excitement as Kayla began the final round four strokes ahead of defending champion of four years, Tui Selvaratnam. Tui, an active member of the AWGA and winner of several championships, is another great in this year s Stroke Play finishing with a three-day score of 222. There s no shortage of talent in the AWGA membership. The AWGA is proud of the diversity of its members, embracing differences in age, ethnicity and handicap index equally. We exist to promote the game of golf for women. Our purpose, as an advocate and governing body for women golfers, is paramount in the decisions we make for our members all of our members. We value each and every one of you, whether you play every day or once a month and whether you are a teen or a senior. Our strength lies in the diversity of our membership. This year s Stroke Play Championship accurately describes our organization an all-inclusive, innovative group of women golfers dedicated to the true spirit of the game of golf and each other. AWGA State Medallion Championships Coming Soon New Rules Mean Everyone Can Participate! By Kathryn Ridlehoover Attention: State Reps and Medallion Winners READ ME! READ ME! With December 6 th some 65 days away and the entry date of November 1 st even closer, do not be caught napping in that you have not determined your individual club s State Medallion Gross and Net Winners. The perfect culmination of the year for AWGA would be to have each club represented by two players in this, the final AWGA event of the year. By playing in 2 days of a club s 4 day competition sometime during the year, the low gross and low net winners will have qualified to participate this year-end competition against all the club winners for 4 AWGA titles AWGA State Medallion 18 Hole Club Team Champions, AWGA State Medallion 9 Hole Club Team Champions, continued on page 2

2 AWGA State Medallion, continued AWGA State Medallion 18 Hole Gross Champion, and AWGA State Medallion 18 Hole Net Champion. There will also be winners within the flights, which will be established according to Handicap Index. There have been some major modifications to this competition in The tournament committee has dedicated itself to enabling all qualifiers to participate. Three separate courses have been secured at Desert Springs and Granite Falls South in Surprise, Arizona for this tournament. With three courses, there will be room for everyone. No one will be placed on a waiting list. The Gross Medallion winners will play on one course, the Net Medallion winners will play on another course, and the 9-hole club team will play on a third course. Each club is asked to send both their net and gross winners to this competition so that the club may compete for the club team title. If any medallion winner is not able to participate, it is requested that the person with the next lowest score represent your club. In essence you may have your 3 rd gross and 2 nd net players representing you. Having two members representing your club is the preferred entry. If it is impossible to have both of your winners participate due to illness or an emergency, then one may participate as an individual. The change will enable all who qualify to participate. The one exception to this is that the 9-hole winners must still come as a team. They may not come as individuals. So... STATE REPS be on the look out for the entry forms for this tournament. You are to give them to the persons who will make up the team from your club. MEDALLION WINNERS... if you have not received an invitation/entry form by November 1, contact your State Rep or contact AWGA. To accomplish what we would like for this year s tournament, we will need 200+ players. No medallion winner will be turned away. SEE YOU ON DECEMBER 6, 2004 IN SURPRISE. AWGA NEWSLINKS is an official publication of the Arizona Women s Golf Association 141 E. Palm Lane, Suite 210, Phoenix, AZ (602) AWGA Fax: (602) awga@awga.org Website: BOARD OF DIRECTORS Katherine Olson... President Chris Giza... Vice President Sandy Jacobson... Secretary Barbara Byrnes... Treasurer Kathryn Ridlehoover... Director of Communications Maryann Conner... Director of Handicaps Linda Dalsin... Director of Rules Rosemary Beale... Director of Sites Betsy Paul... Director of Tournaments Barbara Simmons... Course Rating Committee Chair Norma Scuri... Membership Committee Chair STAFF Mary Long... Executive Director Annette Wurgler... Golf Coordinator Kathryn Zatzke... Operations Coordinator Nikki Lanham... Administrative Assistant Mary Ann Souter...Marketing Manager Tim Kufel... USGA PJ Boatwright, Jr. Intern The Spotlight s On.... Janet Wietersen By Mary Ann Souter Janet s history in golf made her the perfect choice as the AWGA s first Area Rep, a pilot program initiated to enhance communications with women s clubs throughout the state. She will serve as a liaison between the Southern region and AWGA headquarters to provide state reps information to carry out their duties and assist new clubs in getting the information they need to run successful clubs. As a member of the AWGA for over 11 years, Janet is well aware of the role of the AWGA and its advocacy for women s golf. Her enthusiasm for the game of golf and her diverse knowledge has made her a valuable asset to both the AWGA and the Pueblo Del Sol Women s Club in Sierra Vista, where she has served as President, Treasurer, Tournament Chair, and Rules Chair. In 1995, she spearheaded the Cochise County Team Play by organizing it for the first time. It has continued in popularity and is still an annual event in Cochise County. With a background of responsible positions coupled with her energy and desire for volunteering, Janet has been a source of stability and reliability for the organizations she supports. Before moving to Sierra Vista in 1993, Janet lived in San Jose, CA and was an integral part of the Pacific Women s Golf Association. In her seven-year tenure on their Board, she served as Treasurer for six years and Vice President for one year. One of her most memorable and exciting assignments as a member of the PWGA was her participation in conducting the Bing Crosby and AT&T PGA Championships at Pebble Beach. As a walking scorer, she not only met many famous professional golfers but also contributed to supporting a sport, which she believes is unique in its ability to offer so many benefits to people of all ages. During this same time period, she was also President of the Santa Clara County Women s Golf Association, where her duties included setting up team play and an annual county championship tournament for both public and private courses. Originally from Illinois, Janet attended the University of Illinois at Champaign- Urbana and took a summer job at a country club near Chicago. Her position there allowed her to meet golf greats such as Sam Sneed and Patty Berg and introduced her to the game of golf. The caddy master put together a set of clubs for her, gave her a few tips and the rest is history. For over fifty years, Janet has enjoyed the game. Golf is a wonderful way to keep yourself mentally on track and physically fit too, she says. I ve made some lifelong friendships and have found that my golf group has been a great support over the years. Janet is a bogey golfer and plays about three times a week. She enjoys outings at her own Pueblo Del Sol Club as well as being a regular participant in Southern District and AWGA tournaments. Janet s spare time is filled with not only volunteer positions within golf organizations but also in her community, where she regularly gives her time at the Fort Huachuca Museum. She s also involved in a local investment club and finds watching the stock market on a daily basis to be both exhilarating and mentally challenging. She adds, I am interested in stocks, enjoy listening to top financial professionals on CNBC, and do whatever I can to bring better returns to our portfolio. Sometimes I do better than others, but it s always a job I take seriously for our future. Janet met her husband, Fred, in Chicago while she worked for a publishing firm there, and they have been married for 47 years. They have three children; two in California and one in Seattle and feel lucky to have seven grandchildren. They recently hosted a family reunion in Sierra Vista, enjoying many activities together and making memories to last until the next time they can all be together. Janet explains, In today s transient world, we look forward to time spent with our family since they often live too far away for regular visits. Many of us are in similar situations with family members living in other states, but as Janet so aptly put it, Having my golfing friends is the next best thing to family. And I think most of us would agree that associations like the AWGA are becoming more and more important in providing the venue for developing close relationships that act as extended family throughout the year. So it seems that golf has many advantages as Janet has experienced and she has given back a great deal to the golfing community as we have experienced. The AWGA thanks Janet Wietersen for her valuable contributions over the past eleven years and looks forward to her continued involvement as our first Area Rep. W E L C O M E To our newest AWGA Member Clubs Canoa Ranch WGA Bunker Babes

3 Nestled in the streets near downtown Phoenix, Encanto Golf Course was built in 1938 before you could view high rise buildings from many of the fairways. It is the third oldest course in the Valley, only San Marcos in Chandler and Phoenix Country Club are older. Encanto, a public city course, is one of the few traditional courses remaining. Its length of 5,731 yards from the women s tees and the 66 bunkers make it challenging even though it is a very flat tract. Over the years, Encanto has hosted many tournaments, including the Phoenix Metropolitan Women s Golf Championship this past April. Each year they have a golf day to support breast cancer and many of the members volunteer their time with Junior Golf, The Phoenix Open, Toys for Tots and other charity events. This year the Encanto Women s Golf Association celebrates its 60 th anniversary. Rumors have it that it might be the first women s league formed in the Valley. The membership has handicaps ranging from 6 to 40 and has a wide range of ages. Encanto WGA also has two ladies teams that compete against Club Corner Encanto Women s Golf Association By Dee Tartaglio Rules Tip Clarification of Playing a Wrong Ball and Playing a Ball from the Wrong Place By Judi Lorenzen What is the difference between a Wrong Ball and Playing a Ball from the Wrong Place? Wrong Ball: A player makes a stroke at a ball not in play. (see definition of Wrong Ball.) Wrong Place: A player makes a stroke at her ball in play where the rules do not permit a stroke to be played. Wrong Ball: USGA Rule 15-3 Q: After playing from a bunker onto the putting green, player A asked her fellow competitor, player B, to mark and lift A s ball on the putting green while she raked the bunker. B marked, lifted and dropped A s ball on the green some distance away. A approached the green and putted from the location where B dropped the ball. What is the ruling? PLAYING A WRONG BALL (DECISION 15/4) A: A has played a wrong ball. In match play, A would lose the hole. In stroke play, A incurs a two-stroke penalty and must correct the error before playing from the next teeing ground, or in the case of the last hole of the round, fails to declare her intention to correct the mistake, she is disqualified. When a ball is lifted under Rule 20-1, it is out of play. When the player played a stroke with her ball while it was out of play, she played a wrong ball. Playing a Ball from the Wrong Place: USGA Rule 20-7 Q: In stroke play, a player drives her tee shot into a lateral hazard. The player determines that her ball last crossed the margin fifty yards closer to the hole, drops a ball two club lengths and plays the shot. What is the ruling? PLAYING THE BALL FROM A WRONG PLACE (DECISION 26-1/21) A: The player is guilty of a serious breach of Rule 26-1c. She incurs an additional penalty of two strokes and, before playing from the next teeing ground, must drop another ball in accordance with Rule 26-1c and play out the hole; otherwise the player is disqualified for playing from a wrong place. CONGRATULATIONS TO AWGA MEMBERS TUI SELVARATNAM AND CHRIS GIZA ON THEIR NATIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS! Congratulations to Tui Selvaratnam for making it all the way to the semifinals in the U.S. Women s Mid Amateur Championship at Holston Hills CC in Knoxville, TN. Tui defeated Carol Semple Thompson (4&2) to reach the quarterfinals, and she defeated Sally Krueger (1 up) to reach the semifinals. There she came up short when she was defeated by Corey Weworski on the final hole. Weworski went on to win the Championship. GREAT JOB TUI! Congratulations to Chris Giza on winning the 2004 Executive Women s Golf Association s National Championship at The Hermitage GC in Old Hickory, TN. Chris, Vice President of the AWGA, is a member of the EWGA through the Phoenix Valley of the Sun Chapter. This isn t the first time she ll have her name on the trophy Chris also won this Championship in 1999! GREAT JOB CHRIS! ASK THE PRO Steve Rudd, PGA Head Golf Professional Pueblo del Sol Country Club Sierra Vista other ladies leagues around the Valley. The A Team, which consists of members with lower than 20 handicaps, compete in the Valley Team twice a month. As the only City course in this league, they compete against many area country clubs and other ladies leagues. And although the competition is tough, they have done very well over the years. The B team plays once a month in competition with the other City course ladies leagues as well. This competition isn t quite as stressful as the A team and is a fun way to meet other women golfers around the Valley. The ladies tee up every Thursday at 8:30 AM and invite anyone who would like to play to join them. Because their first Guest Day turned out to be such a huge success, the Encanto WGA is planning their second annual Guest Day on January 13 th. Come and discover for yourself the magic of the Encanto Golf Course and the great ladies who make up its women s club AWGA TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE STATE MEDALLION CLUB TEAM TOURNAMENT Desert Springs/Granite Falls - Surprise December 6, AWGA TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE SHORT COURSE TOURNAMENT Augusta Ranch Golf Course, Mesa March 12, 2005 FOUR-BALL CHAMPIONSHIP Heritage Highlands Golf Club, Marana April 25-26, 2005 STATE AMATEUR MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP TBA STATE AMATEUR STROKE PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP Moon Valley Country Club, Phoenix August 23-25, 2005 STATE SCOTCH PLAY TOURNAMENT Yuma Golf and Country Club,Yuma November 14-15, 2005 Phoenix Golf Show Nov , 2004 Rawhide Sports Pavilion, Scottdale, will once again be the site of the Phoenix Golf Show, November 13-14, This year, tennis and skiing will be added to the mix as a good deal of cross-over interest exists with all three sports. Members of the AWGA will be admitted free of charge to this year s show. Parking will also be free. Look for more information in upcoming NewsBlasts, and on our web page at about how to get your free admission to this day of fun at the Rawhide Sports Pavilion. Q: How do I get more consistent with my pitch shots? I seem to hit behind the ball quite often. A: The key to these shots is acceleration and the key to acceleration is the follow through. I see a lot of amateurs who take the club back too far and then slow down as the club reaches the ball. This usually results in contacting the ground before the ball or the leading edge of the club striking the mid-point of the ball sending it screaming across the green. The general rule is that the follow through should be longer than the backswing. The easiest way to picture this is to imagine that you are standing next to a clock. If you take the club back to the 9 o clock position you should follow through to the 2 o clock position. Have fun and good luck!

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5 State Amateur Stroke Play Championship Prescott Golf and C.C. August 21-23, Seniors Championship Kayla Mortellaro Mary Falso OVERALL WINNERS Kayla Mortellaro Mary Falso FIRST FLIGHT 1st Tui Selvaratnam st Wallace Hamerton nd Brooke Todare nd Barbara Byrnes SECOND FLIGHT 1st Mary Fink st Cheryl Miller nd Cheryl Jones nd LeeAnn Morgan THIRD FLIGHT 1st Becky Sun st Helen Grassbaugh nd Jill Herbert nd Janie Denmark FOURTH FLIGHT 1st Mary Snowden st Veronica Matthews nd Bobbi McDonald nd Luanne Lea FIFTH FLIGHT 1st Jan Dietrich st Cyndy Kapci nd Rose Reynolds nd Judy St. Arnold SIXTH FLIGHT 1st Vicki Keeffe st Norma Scuri nd Irene Miller nd Rosalie Dressler SEVENTH FLIGHT 1st Kathy Barrett st Paula Langrock nd Marilyn Koory nd Mary Byrd CONGRATULATIONS To The Following Ladies on Their HOLES IN ONE!! Delores Norton 8/10/04 Catalina Dell Urich Patricia Tujo 8/15/04 Executive Women Old Pueblo Bobbie Waltz 8/19/04 Willowcreek Sun City WGA Andrea Vega 8/24/04 Rolling Hills Women Connie Osborn 8/27/04 Granite Falls Ladies 18 Janice Burns 9/07/04 Payson Golf Club WGA Mary Cooper 9/07/04 Sun City North Women s Please report all holes-in-one as they occur. Holesin-one occurring prior to the previous newsletter publication date may be excluded from publication. THINK GOOD THOUGHTS May you have enough happiness to make you sweet; enough trials to make you strong; enough sorrow to keep you human; and enough hope to make you happy. Barbara Byrnes Olga Alcaraz Fierce competition was mixed with outrageous fun as the AWGA State Seniors Championship culminated September 14 th at Tubac Golf Resort in Southern Arizona. Barbara Byrnes emerged as the Champion, winning on the second hole of a sudden death playoff against 2001 Senior Champion Tina Huiskamp SENIOR CHAMPION BYRNES, BARBARA OVERALL LOW NET WINNER ALCARAZ, OLGA FRESHMAN DIVISION WINNER HEWES, NANCY FRESHMAN A GROSS BASSO, SUSAN MORGAN, BARBIE FRESHMAN A NET MCCABE, DEE DEE CIRONE, JANET FRESHMAN B GROSS VAN BEEK, ROSIE ST. ARNOLD, JUDY FRESHMAN B NET BYRD, MARY TAYLOR, LEE ANNE SOPHOMORE DIVISION WINNER HUISKAMP, TINA SOPHOMORE A GROSS FINK, MARY PARK, PAT SOPHOMORE A NET PATROW, BARBARA DENMARK, JANIE SOPHOMORE B GROSS KING, PAULA PARKIN, LEIGH DIETRICH, JAN SOPHOMORE B NET SUTTLES, CAROLYN MIDDENDORF, CHRIS MITCHELL, RAE JUNIOR DIVISION WINNER SUZUKI, ETSU JUNIOR A GROSS LEWIS, TEDDI VANDENBOS, ARDIS JUNIOR A NET GRASSBAUGH, HELEN DYKE, ALICE JUNIOR B GROSS RUBIO, ROSE GORMAN, JUDI LEHMAN, NANCY Monday night Karaoke fun at Seniors Championship! JUNIOR B NET KOORY, MARILYN HEE, JANE RIDLEHOOVER,KATHRYN SENIOR DIVISION WINNER HILL, NORMA SENIOR A GROSS MCCUTCHEON, SALLIE SENIOR A NET FALSO, MARY SENIOR B GROSS STOECKEL, BONNIE KALCSITS, HELEN SENIOR B NET MCNIFF, PATRICIA OURSLAND, ELAINE POST GRAD DIVISION WINNER AUCOTT, RUTH POST GRAD A GROSS SARGENT, GWEN POST GRAD A NET PATEK, DONNA POST GRAD B GROSS LINDQUIST, EMMA POST GRAD B NET KOCH, FLORENCE SUPER SENIORS DIVISION WINNER HINES, MARY SUPER SENIORS GROSS GRIMSLEY, ESTHER SUPER SENIORS NET DAWSON, JAN MASTERS DIVISION WINNER GRIMMER, ELOUISE MASTERS GROSS SHORTLIDGE, SHIRLEY MASTERS NET BONINI, MARGIE

6 Getting to Good Enough Dr. Paula King Stop. Go get a pencil or pen and a piece of paper! You will appreciate this information much more if you take the time to do this exercise before reading the article. Experience is worth a thousand words! Begin with the paper in front of you and a pen or pencil in your hand, prepared to write. Move your writing hand to the bottom of the paper. Now, simply sign your name. Just sign it as you would when signing a check. Now, put the pen or pencil in your other hand. Then moving to the very top of the page of paper, once again simply sign your name. Allow yourself to simply sign your name with as much freedom from thought as possible. There will be a large space between the two signatures you have completed. In the space just below the signature at the top of the page, and with the pen or pencil still in your Other hand, do your best to copy the signature at the bottom of the page (the very first signature you made) Still with me? One last step Put the pen or pencil back in your preferred hand (Whew feels good doesn t it!). Then in the space just above the bottom signature, and using your preferred hand, do your best to again copy the first signature. OK, Let s talk about what you just did. These four signatures represent the four stages of learning any new golf skill (or any new performance skill). The signature at the very top of the page, in which you signed your name using your non-preferred hand, which for most of us is pretty uncomfortable, represents the first stage of learning a new skill. Remember back to when you picked up a golf club for the first time (especially if you were a child) and you felt free to just let it happen to experiment. The performance was guided by your unconscious and it was not particularly skillful, but it was free. This first stage is called: unconscious incompetence. Your performance is not very skilled but you don t care you re just enjoying the freedom to experiment and let things happen. You don t have a plan or model in mind. Most adults do not allow this first stage to take place they are too embarrassed to just experiment they won t try something new unless they already have an idea of what they re supposed to do. So, for most adults the learning process really starts at step two. The second signature represents the second stage of learning: conscious incompetence. This is the stage of learning where you have a plan, a model, or an idea of what you want to do and you are trying hard to replicate that model in your performance. You are quite conscious of what you want to achieve, however, you are not yet skillful in the performance. Your performance is dominated by trying hard, thinking a lot about what you want to do. You enter, or re-enter, this stage after each lesson you take from your teaching pro, or after reading an article in a golf magazine, or watching a teaching segment on the Golf Channel, or even after reading one of my articles By the time you reach the third signature on the paper, the third stage of learning, you have moved into competency, but the performance of the skill is still dominated by your conscious mind. In golf, this is the person with swing thoughts, or mechanics in their mind as they still try hard to hit the ball. They will hear how they are trying to control it, or guide it, rather than letting their body simply perform what it knows. At this stage you can play fairly well you even have times when you are able to just be, and let it happen. You are now at the level of: conscious competence. The final stage, and the one we all seek, is of course, unconscious competence, represented by the very first signature you placed on the paper. It is represented by how you approach the common experience of simply signing your name. You have a thought of the performance: I want to sign my name, and automatically, through long practiced habit, you simply trust your brain and body to perform the requested skill. Your minds part in the process is simply to put your attention on the target where you want the signature to be placed. There is no thought about the form of the letters, or the spacing, or how tight you should hold the pen, or how far away from your body it should be, or how much to curve your fingers, or in what way you should grip it. Most adults decided a long time ago on a signature that was good enough and have not tried to improve their handwriting in many years. Golf is different in that we want to improve, however, it is important to remember that the ultimate goal is to play from the fourth stage to play with unconscious competence. That, to play with the belief that your game is good enough. This is also called playing in the zone, and is experienced as a state of inner trust. Each time you step on the course remind yourself that your game is good enough for today, and your job is simply to trust your brain and body to perform, and to use your mind simply to provide information concerning the environment and the target. Happy Golfing! Questions or comments can be directed to Dr. King via her website: or by phone at Election Results By Chris Giza - Vice President Each year the AWGA conducts an election to replace Board members who have fulfilled their terms of office. Board members are eligible for re-election to a second three-year term. Nomination forms were sent to State Representatives in March, with a nomination deadline of June 20 th. As of that date, each seat up for election had only one qualified applicant. When this occurs, the qualified applicant is considered elected. The 2004 election is closed. Help us welcome the following Board Members for their second terms. Barbara Byrnes Sandy Jacobson Maryann Conner These women will complete their current terms and begin their new three-year terms immediately following the Association s Annual Meeting, which has been scheduled for January 26, MARK YOUR CALENDARS ARIZONA WOMEN S GOLF ASSOCIATION 141 EAST PALM LANE, SUITE 210 PHOENIX, ARIZONA PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE P AID PERMIT #744 PHOENIX, AZ