Dear Parents & Junior Golfers,

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1 Volume 1 Issue 8 October 2011 Gateway PGA Wild Horse Creek Rd. Suite 110 Chesterfield, MO Phone: Kelly Newland, Junior Golf Director Page Content 2 Holiday Gift Certificates 3-6 Results 7 Fitness Tips 8 Choosing Clubs 9 Family Fun Dear Parents & Junior Golfers, It is hard to believe that the 2011 season will finish up this week at Tapawingo Golf Course on October 30 th! We have had great turnouts for all of our fall events and Tapawingo will be the perfect venue to finish our season strong. We have had close to 600 juniors compete in our first ever Fall Series this year! The fields have been strong and many new juniors have been introduced to a game they can play for a lifetime. In this month s newsletter, be sure to check out all the pictures and results from the past few fall tournaments. Barb Michael gives us 5 tips to improve our performance on the course in her article. Stay up to date with the Gateway Junior PGA through the website and newsletters during the coming off season. Junior Golf Gift Certificates for 2012 will be made available for purchase in the coming weeks. This past season Ryan Stites was the lucky recipient of a full free season of tournament golf. Gateway PGA will draw a 2012 winner once the gift certificate deadline closes! This has been a very rewarding year for me personally and I want to thank all our juniors and parents for your support of the Gateway Junior PGA Program. It has been amazing to watch these young players develop on and off the course this year. Golf is a unique game that builds character and tests our physical and emotional makeup. I am proud of all of you for your work ethic and the hours put in working on your golf games! Keep those games sharp over the winter months and remember to enjoy yourselves on the course this next week! All the best, Kelly Newland, PGA There are no shortcuts in the quest for perfection." -Ben Hogan Page 1

2 Even though the weather is cooling off and golf is less on our minds, the Gateway Junior PGA has been busy pulling together the 2012 Season. Please find below an update on what is currently going on with the Gateway Junior PGA. We hope that our parents and juniors have a happy rest of the fall and a warm holiday season. Holiday Gift Certificates Purchase and be registered to win a year of free golf! The Gateway Junior PGA is happy to offer holiday gift certificates for our junior participants. This is a perfect gift idea for that grandparent, relative, or friend of the family would like to help out with the upcoming junior golf season. Purchase your certificates by contacting Melina at Mrinehart@pgahq.com or (561) Additionally, we will put all of our juniors, who have a purchased gift certificate, into a drawing for a chance to win a summer season of free golf through the Gateway Junior PGA! Gift certificates can be purchased in any denomination and the details of our program costs are below: Full Season Membership: $100 New to 2012, a full year membership allows you access to all spring, summer, and fall events. In addition, your junior will receive an early registration period and discount on spring and fall events. Your junior will also receive a junior pass book and membership gifts. Summer Membership: $75 Summer membership includes access to all of the spring, summer, and fall events. Summer members will receive a junior pass book and membership gifts. Tournament Pricing 2012 *Must be a member. Membership fee includes tee gifts Registration Dates 2012 Page 2

3 Fall #5 The Falls The Falls Golf Club October 2, Hole Boys 15 & Up 18 Hole Boys 14 & Under 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th T6 T6 8th T9 T9 Christopher Ferris Aaron Drese Justin Wrozier Cody Pingleton Austin Peters Taylor Laurentius Ricky Barrett Sam Simon Jr. Zach Cutler Daniel Trost 1st Matt Echelmeier 2nd Austin Schettler 3rd Davis Soderberg T4 Jack Litzelfelner III T4 Connor Bogue T6 Eric Meindl T6 Connor Eghigian 8th Caleb Picker 9th Blaine Sinak 10th Crimson Callahan 9 Hole Boys 13& Up 1st Jake Buss 2nd Christopher Rehagen T3 Mayur Khanna T3 Kevin Westermann T3 Patrick Davanzo, Jr 6th Brady Morrow 7th John Lenox 18 Hole Girls 12 & Under 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Grace Aromando Isabel Marten Shannon Gould Mia Schroeder 9 Hole Girls 12& Under 1st Allison Bray T2 Elizabeth Hawkins T2 Kylah Gore 4th Henry Ellie 9 Hole Boys 12& Under T1 Austin Fleming T1 Logan Harris 3rd Kurt Matheney T4 Maxwell Floyd T4 Kolten Bauer T6 Robert Foshage T6 Adam Robbins 8th Colin Stolze 9th Jarrett Buss 10th Shakir Martin 18 Hole Girls 13 & Up T1 Stephanie Hulett T1 Abby Schroeder 3rd Katie Scheffer 9 Hole Girls 13& Up 1st Drew Bolster 2nd Whitney Corcoran Page 3

4 Fall #6 Annbriar Annbriar Golf Club October 9, Hole Boys 15 & Up 1st Ryan Haxel T2 Justin Wrozier T2 Cameron Crouthers 4th Kyle Szyhowski 5th Christopher Ferris 6th Jay Lee 7th Satchel Conroy T8 Michael Kanan T8 Ryan Rawlings T10 Aaron Drese T10 Christopher Schmid 9 Hole Boys 13 & Up 1st Logan Harris 2nd Jake Buss 3rd David Crosby 4th Spencer Cox 5th Christian Terrill 6th Daniel Silva 18 Hole Girls 14 & Under 1st Grace Aromando 2nd Emma Solovic 3rd Mindy Hennrich 18 Hole Boys 14 & Under T1 Crimson Callahan T1 Austin Schettler 3rd Jack Litzelfelner III 4th Cale Ambuehl 5th Davis Soderberg 6th Ryan Martin 7th Brendan Lewis 8th Connor Eghigian T9 Carter Doll T9 Nicholas Barks 9 Hole Boys 12 & Under 1st Samuel Harrison 2nd Brennan Dolnick T3 Alex White T3 Colin Stolze 5th Jack Cronin 6th Nicholas Messinger 7th Austin Fleming 8th Owen Rohm T9 MacRyan Biever T9 Jonathan Turner T9 Tom Flickinger 9 Hole Girls 12 & Under 1st Allison Bray 2nd Karlie Kremer 3rd Claire Shadowens 4th Sofia Gamayo 5th Sophia Graack 6th Chandler Estes Page 4

5 Fall #7 CC of St. Albans Country Club of St. Albans October 16, Hole Boys 14 & Under T1 Frankie Thomas T1 Eric Meindl 3rd Matthew McCarthy 4th Austin Schettler 5th Zachary Cliatt 6th Dylan Davidson 7th Connor Eghigian 8th Cole Hayes 9th Kaleb Counts 10th Mason Smith 18 Hole Boys 15 & Up 1st Ryan Haxel 2nd Christopher Ferris T3 Andrew Jang T3 Justin Wrozier T5 Michael Kanan T5 Jason Sobelman T7 Sean Vashi T7 Austin Peters T7 Daniel Trost T10 Satchel Conroy T10 Cameron Crouthers 9 Hole Boys 12 & Under 1st Chandler Estes 2nd Henry Ellie 3rd Sophia Graack 18 Hole Girls 13 & Up 1st Stephanie Hulett 2nd Mindy Hennrich 18 Hole Girls 12 & Up 1st Isabel Marten 2nd Shannon Gould 3rd Grace Aromando 4th Emma Solovic 9 Hole Girls 13 & Up 1st Whitney Corcoran 9 Hole Girls 12 & Under 1st Jonathan Turner 2nd Jack Cronin 3rd Colin Stolze T4 Kurt Matheney T4 Austin Fleming T4 Andrew Sherrill T7 Connor Bogue T7 Caleb Buehrle 9th Joshua Leary T10 Nick Ziegler T10 Adam Robbins 18 Hole Boys 13 & Up 1st Jake Buss T2 Christian Terrill T2 Joseph Herget 4th Spencer Cox 5th Zach Hartwig 6th Matthew Jansen T7 Christopher Rehagen T7 Mayur Khanna Page 5

6 Fall #8 WingHaven WingHaven October 23, Hole Boys 14 & Under 1st Eric Meindl 2nd Frankie Thomas 3rd Jack Klingel 4th Connor Eghigian 5th Austin Schettler 6th Mason Smith 7th Connor Bogue 8th Matthew Hood 9th Ben Martin 18 Hole Boys 15 & Up 1st Zach Cutler 2nd Christopher Ferris 3rd Sean Vashi 4th Justin Wrozier 5th Joe Schwartz 6th Austin Peters T7 Michael Kanan T7 Andrew Jang 9th Josh Willbrand 10th Daniel Trost 18 Hole Boys 13 & Up T1 Zach Hartwig T1 Jake Buss T3 Spencer Cox T3 Christopher Rehagen 5th Joseph Herget 6th Christian Terrill 7th Mayur Khanna 18 Hole Girls 14 & Under 1st Grace Aromando 18 Hole Girls 15 & Up 1st Nikka Bazzetta 9 Hole Girls 12 & Under 1st Elizabeth Hawkins 2nd Kylah Gore 3rd Sophia Graack 4th Chandler Estes 9 Hole Boys 12 & Under 1st Colin Stolze 2nd Jack Hood 3rd Jack Cronin T4 Shakir Martin T4 Austin Fleming T6 Steven Wendling T6 Blake Fields T8 Kurt Matheney T8 Cole O'Laughlin T8 Carson Miles Page 6

7 Barb Michaels Optimal Lifestyles, Inc Five Tips for Fall Golf Fitness Although cooler weather is upon us, there s no need to give up your golf game just yet. Keep your clubs out and enjoy the brisk days! Just make sure you take care of your body so it s prepared for play. Five fitness tips to help improve your golf performance: 1. Warm up. This is a must-do this time of year. Warm muscles move and stretch better. Get your body heat up by moving around swing your arms, move your legs. Then hit balls slowly, at 50 percent strength; in crease your effort as appropriate. 2. Hydrate. Hydration is important, and so is taking in the right kind of fluid. Water or water-based liquids will help you concentrate and stay focused on your game. Don t let the cooler weather fool you! Dehydration is still possible, especially if you re not drinking proper fluids. 3. Breathe. Use steady, slow breaths that you draw through the nose by expanding your abdomen (not your chest). Inhale and exhale through your nose to stay relaxed and reduce stress over tough shots. Proper breathing can put you in a state of mental balance and helps bring you back to that mental balance when you fall out. 4. Move. When you re not playing golf, make sure you stay in shape by including cardiovascular and strength training in your weekly fitness plan. 5. Stay flexible. Flexibility is a key component to your golf game. Include stretching in your daily routine, or at least two to three days a week. Yoga for golfers is a great way to build strength and stay flexible. Contact Barb at Optimal Lifestyles ( ) for a schedule of convenient, weekly yoga classes. If you need fitness coach or other fitness resources to help you stay on track, contact Barb at Optimal Lifestyles at Brought to You By Optimal Lifestyles, Inc. wwwoptimallifestylesinc.com Optimal Lifestyles, Inc. provides personal training, golf fitness and yoga for golfers. The owner, Barb Michael is the fitness education sponsor for the Gateway PGA. The information provided by Optimal Lifestyles is for education purposes and should not replace care or advice from your physician. Please consult with your physician before beginning an exercise program or suspect you are ill. Page 7

8 A Guide to Buying Junior Golf Clubs What to Look for in Junior Golf Clubs when Shopping for your Child From Frank Mantua, Director of Golf, US Golf Camps Junior golf equipment has come a long way in recent years. Gone are the days when young golfers had to use adult clubs that had been cut down to size. It's fine to get a very young child started with a cut down 7-iron and putter, but as kids get older, they need a set of golf clubs that are made with their bodies in mind. Today there is a good selection of manufacturers making clubs specifically for juniors. But with all the different types of clubs to choose from, there are a few things to remember when buying junior clubs. Length Length is the first consideration. The trick is to find a set of clubs that is the right length for the junior golfer, but also a set that the junior can grow with. Remember that it is OK for the junior to choke down or grip down on the club. You just don't want them to move their hands down the grip too much. The basic rule is this: if the junior is choking down more than 1½ to 2 inches, he or she is choking down too much. Choking down more than two inches can change their whole swing, requiring them to manipulate the swing to get the club around their body. A set of clubs whose length requires the junior to grip down only one inch allows them to make a normal swing at the ball, while probably have enough length to get a second year out of the set. Shaft Flex The next consideration is shaft flex. The main problem with cut-down clubs for juniors is the stiffness of the shafts. When you take 4-5 inches of length off a golf club, you make the shaft extremely stiff. And this explains why juniors using cut-down clubs are unable to get any height on their shots. One good thing with new sets is that the manufacturers are now making shafts that are the right flex for kids' swing speeds. Using light-weight steel and graphite have made junior golf clubs more playable. The shafts of junior clubs today are so flexible that you can bend them with your hands. So check to make sure that your child's set of clubs has a nice, flexible shaft. Weight The weight of the golf club is also very important to junior golfers. If the club is overly heavy, the child will struggle to take the club to the top of the backswing. The struggle to get the club back causes a manipulation of the swing that results in inconsistency. A lighter club will help the junior get the club in the correct position at the top of the swing, and lead to an easily repeatable swing. Just like with shaft flex, most club companies make junior clubs with lighter heads and shafts. So before you buy, just make sure to check the overall weight of the clubs. You want clubs that are light enough to fit your child's age. Grip Size The last consideration is grip size. Paying attention to grip size for young golfers is a new thought in the last few years. In the past, clubs were cut down and any grip that fit the shaft was put on. But oversized grips cause the same problems for juniors as they do for adult golfers. If the grip feels like a baseball bat, it's going to change the swing mechanics. So when buying a set of junior clubs, make sure they are fitted with junior grips. If you're changing grips, ask for junior grips with a core size of.50. These thinner grips will make a difference in your child's game. As adults, we realize how tough golf can be some days and how much the right equipment can help our games. By keeping these considerations in mind when buying junior golf clubs, you can help your junior play better golf, and more importantly, have a better time on the golf course. About the Author Frank Mantua is a Class A PGA Professional and Director of Golf at US Golf Camps. Frank has taught golf to thousands of juniors from more than 25 countries. More than 60 of his students have gone on to play at Division I colleges. Mantua has also published five books and numerous articles on junior golf and junior golf programs. He was one of the founding members of the National Association of Junior Golfers, and is one of the few golf professionals in the country that is also a member of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America. Frank also serves as the Junior Golf Specialist on ESPN Radio's "On Par with the Philadelphia PGA". Page 8

9 Courtesy of Family Fun Magazine As the weather gets cooler try creating this indoor golf game with your friends. This golf game, which features hazards such as sand traps, a pond, and trees, creating the hole can be as much fun as playing it. What You Need Small box (ours is a tea box) Small plastic tub (we used an empty cream cheese tub with a drinking straw flag taped inside) Assorted hazards (a plastic plate full of salt for a sandtrap, a pie tin with water for a pond, small potted plants for trees) Instructions 1. SETUP: Place the tea box - the tee - at one end of the table, the plastic tub - the cup - at the other end and strategically locate the hazards between them. We outlined our hole with a rope boundary. 2. HOW TO PLAY: Tee off by squeezing a quarter between your thumbs, setting your hands on the tee box,and flipping the quarter toward the cup, as shown. As with real golf, you want to get your "ball" in the cube in the fewest "strokes." But because your ball can roll beyond the rope (out of bounds) or off the table, playing conservatively is the best strategy. Players continue flipping from where the coins land, with the person farthest from the hole going first. 3. REF SAYS: If your ball lands in a hazard, you get one penalty stroke (place your ball beside it for your next shot). If it lands out of bounds, you get two penalty strokes (move it just inside the rope). If it lands off the table, you get three penalty strokes and must tee off again. Page 9