Sarasota Golf News

While you were either shivering in the January cold or (hopefully) out chasing around the little white ball in our warmer climate, the golf industry was trying to figure out what you want NEXT, and showing it off to retailers, golf shop owners, and our intrepid reporters at The Golfers Guide.

With over 10 square miles of show space hosting 1250 different golf-related companies, thousands of people in the golf industry from all over the world visited Orlando in mid-January. Our regional publishers have their Top 10 list of interesting products worth a look:

The 2008 golf tournament schedule for the Sarasota Golf Association has been completed. The Association will stage 22 tournaments on courses from Bradenton to Port Charlotte. Tournaments are conducted on alternate Saturday mornings throughout the year. Member handicaps range from single digit to about 30. Both men and women golfers are welcome. Association dues are $35 annually and a nominal amount for each tournament.

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Seven of the 10 winners of awards from the North Florida Section of the Professional Golfers Association are from the smallest chapter in the section, representing Sarasota, Manatee, Hardee and Desoto counties, the first time so many awards have ever been earned by one Chapter. The awards are earned by leading the way in areas such as junior golf, education, growth of the game, teaching, leadership, merchandising and outstanding representation of the great game of golf. The award winners, club, and the basic award criteria for each category are as follows:

Golf Professional of the Year – Michael Cummings, Golf Club at Capri Isles: Service to Section/Association, Members of his club and promotion of the game of golf. Elected by general membership, this is the highest honor earned by a PGA Professional.

ATLANTA, GA – LastMinuteGolfer.com has announced that it plans to step up its efforts to help each of its participating courses to reduce their fixed costs. The company, currently representing that nation’s largest community of golfers (413,284 members), is offering 500 dozen range balls to each new LastMinuteGolfer course that joins the program before March 15, 2008.

LastMinuteGolfer’s growing family of over 575 golf courses continue to benefit directly from this effort as well, receiving monthly range ball rebates of up to $167/ month. 

Ever since the first donation of $10,000 was made by the Palm Beach Invitational in 1938, giving to charity has become a philosophy of the world of golf. In 2005 the PGA Tour reached a milestone in all-time charitable donations totalling $1 billion.

At the grass roots level, the men and women of the North Florida Section of the PGA of America exemplify this philosophy by donating time and raising money for numerous charities, particularly those charities benefitting children.

Now all golfers have the chance to be affiliated with the golf pros by becoming a NFPGA Partner. With a membership of only $99, golfers can not only support the charitable efforts of their local PGA professionals, but also proudly wear the NFPGA logo, once reserved exclusively for PGA members to display, on a stylish golf shirt and hat, a bag tag and NFPGA Partner member card. Partners also receive a free 10-minute golf lesson with a PGA professional and invitations to NFPGA special events and tournaments.

PALM COAST, FL-– Club professionals from the South Florida PGA Section extended their unbeaten streak to eight years in the 27th annual Challenge Cup matches against their peers from the North Florida PGA Section.

The SFPGA won the last two singles matches to earn a 13-11 victory at The Conservatory at Hammock Beach. The NFPGA led by 4-2 after the four-ball stroke play matches on Day One but the SFPGA rallied to win the afternoon foursomes by the same 4-2 score for a 6-6 tie heading into the singles on Day Two.

With the singles matches tied at 5-5, and an 11-11 score overall, South Florida’s Chris Toulson beat Jim Garrison and Alan Morin defeated Tim Polce, both by 2 and 1 margins, in the 11th and 12th singles.

MELBOURNE, Fla. – Mo Guttman of Sarasota fired a closing round of three under par 69 on at Duran Golf Club to win the 26th annual North Florida PGA Seniors Championship.

At 139, Guttman, representing Evie’s Family Golf Center, finished one strok ahead of Vince Cali of Winter Park and Freddy Gibson of Orlando. Cali and Gibson tied for second among 46 starters at 140 on final round scores of 70 and 71.

Check out this article in the Bradenton Herald from writer Mike Henry featuring our own Golfer's Guide/Sarasota publisher Jean Couser!

http://www.bradenton.com/116/story/148708.html

TAMPA, FL – The First Tee of Miami came back from five strokes down to win the boys 13-15 age division by six shots at the Palm Course at Walt Disney World the weekend of August 12. Marcelo Huarte and Stefano Diaz each fired a 69 to contribute to the team’s second round total of 138. Along with teammate Jaime Rodriquez, The First Tee of Miami finished with a strong tournament total of 289 for the division title.

Playing the Magnolia Course, the Greater Orlando Junior Golf Tour maintained their first round lead to capture the girls 13-15 age division by four strokes. Team members Samantha Marks, Cindy Feng and Simin Feng played a part in the team’s success with totals of 146-149 for each round.

TAMPA, FL – Raj Nahal defeated Chris Kennedy 1- up in the final match to win the 16th Amateur Match Play Championship at Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra Beach on August 9-12.

After wining five matches each, Nahal, of Eustis, and Kennedy, from Bradenton, met in the finals of the 2007 Championship.

“I was excited to play Chris since I knew him from junior golf,” said Nahal. “I knew it was going to be a good match.” Nahal, 19, a University of South Florida sophomore, took an early lead after making birdie on the second hole. “I made double on that hole twice this week so I just played it safe and hit the ball in the middle of the green,” said Nahal. “That gave me a lot of confidence.” Kennedy, an incoming freshman at University of North Florida, brought the match back to even with a par on #3. Nahal birdied the 5th hole and made par on the 6th hole to go 2-up. “I was just hitting the ball well and putting it in the fairway,” said Nahal. The match was all square after Kennedy birdied holes seven and 11. Nahal then went 2-up after Kennedy couldn’t get up and down and made two consecutive bogeys on holes 15 and 16. Nahal stuck to his game plan of “making pars and letting my opponent make the mistakes.” Kennedy narrowed the gap to one winning the 17th hole. On 18, Kennedy’s 15-foot birdie putt lipped out to give Nahal his first State Championship.