September 06, 2009
Golf Practice-zine Newsletter for July/August 2009
Thanks for signing up to receive the July/August 2009 issue of the Newsletter. I'm late putting this one out but hey, it's golf season and there has been a record streak of good golf weather out here on Vancouver Island. So, I appreciate you hanging in there for this one.
Here is the lineup this issue:
- The Cliffs at Maple Bay
- HatPOD - iPOD as Practice Aid
- Hank Haney Webisodes
- Sir Nicholas Alexander FALDO, MBE
- Vancouver Island Golf
The Cliffs Over Maple Bay may have gained a new life. This golf course has been "potentially famous" here in the Cowichan Valley of Vancouver Island since 2004.
Local developer, Warren Paulin engaged Greg Norman to design and oversee development of this picture-perfect golf course site. Initial confidence dissolved to foreclosure proceedings, however despite a roster of amenities that looked very impressive:
- the Municipality of North Cowichan was to supply water for the non-golf course portion of the development.
- The Cliffs would include 349 single-family lots, 345 condo units and a hotel
- The Greg Norman designed golf course would be 18 holes
- Golf course irrigation requirements were estimated between 275,000 and 350,000 gallons daily.
- In July 2008, golf course construction was reported to cost about $10.3 million
- Water access to be arranged from "possible sources" were estimated to cost an additional $4.5 million, including infrastructure
- Creditors began demanding payment of $28.4 million in April, 2008 but held back, awaiting outcome of the results from the "possible sources" for water. None were forthcoming.
- Without water, potential buyers for the Cliffs assets also evaporated
- Court granted a stay of proceedings under the Companies Creditors Arrangement Act against actions and creditors. The original developer was struggling to find new financing for the Cliffs project.
- In the October 2008, the residential development and golf resort project went into receivership. Court-appointed managers began going over project details toward the preparation of a go-forward plan.
- With the depressed state of world-wide real estate and financial markets during this period, planning and re-assessment of property/asset values would provide a comprehensive financial picture for investors.
Update, as of August, 2009:
- In June, 2009 a new (numbered; #0844246 BC Ltd) company purchased the assets of the Cliffs.
- The company has resumed talks with potential water suppliers and have talked with course designer Greg Norman.
- Future development is governed by the Cliffs Comprehensive Development Plan
- A Covenant is in place to prevent building until all municipal services are in place (i.e.,hydro, pump station, final paving)
- the site is to be managed to minimize storm water and run-off/drainage issues
This is too good to let spoil. The site is a winner. It begs for developers worthy of its potential. It begs even more for water -- 275,000 to 350,000 gallons daily. That is an ocean, with an infrastructure all its own to manage. North Cowichan residents are under watering restrictions each year and so is much of Southern Vancouver Island. You'd think that developers would have dealt with the water issue FIRST. The Cliffs team will have to rely on an independent third party to solve their puzzle. No water, no golf course.
The new owners are re-visiting using wastewater as a potential source for irrigation. That will raise environmental issues and inspection requirements, but this is a potentially viable choice.
2.HatPOD - The iPOD as Practice Aid
Not that I think practice is dull. Ever.
However, there are ways to enhance the practice experience. We aim to help you in your quest to find the perfect practice aid(s). The newsletter aims to serve.
The iPOD as Practice Tool
The iPOD is a way to gather new golf instruction media. It is portable, well-designed, inexpensive and ubiquitous. From the mini Shuffle, to the Classic, the various models do an excellent job of making audio and video mobile, hiqh-quality and practical.
Podcast is now the generic name for programs that portray audio and video multi-media information. Golfers can take custom-tailored instructions to the range, the practice area or the golf course. Golf accessory manufacturers have lost no time in producing gizmos to facilitate this mobility.
iXoundWear's iPOD Hat
I call it the HatPOD. Its a golf hat with two side pockets; one for the iPOD, the other for the rolled-up ear-bud wires to streamline cabling to your ears. I have discussed this before (see Gotta Have Gadgets in the May Newsletter, Issue#13). Hat-equipped, you are now ready to stock the iPOD with instructional material from a range of sources.
Golf Video Podcasts
Available via iTunes, Apple Inc.s outstanding tool for discovery and retrieval of audio and video information resources. Golf is well-covered with podcasts, but for golf tips, video instruction is definitely the way to go. For video, be careful to choose an iPOD that is video-capable. I use an iPOD Classic with 120gigabyte hard disk, but the new Nanos are all video-ready as well. A sample of the videocasts available:
- Bionic Gloves Hands-On Golf Podcast:
This podcast is perfect for golfers who really want to improve their game. You get weekly tips from PGA teaching professionals on all aspects of the game - from driving it long, to putting and everything in between. - Golf Academy:
Golf Academy, sponsored by Mutual of Omaha, is hosted by Matt Gogel, a member of the PGA Tour and the 2002 Pebble Beach National Pro-Am winner. Gogel provides the video tips himself; they are nicely formatted and well-suited to carrying on your iPod for quick reference on the range. - Golf Tips:
Golf Tips is a show that will make your drive longer, your putts more accurate, and your game better. PGA Professional Golf Instructor Joe Beck drives home tips and advice on the links with humor and a determined eye to make viewers' games better. From Hooks to Slices, from Draws to Fades, Joe can help. - Protips Golf:
Protips Golf features award winning PGA instructors from around the country. Video golf tips focus on improving the mental and physical aspects of your game. Learn advanced techniques, skill enhancing drills, and various keys to success on the course. Discover how pros avoid the most common mistakes and how to successfully play difficult lies. Increase your control and decrease your score with the Protips Golf podcast.
3. Hank Haney Webisodes
Hank Haney has signed a deal with the PGA of America to enhance their instructional video catalogue. The deal, will involve production of an exclusive set of instructional videos to be posted on PGA.com, the Official Site of The PGA of America.
The videos will be branded as part of a series of Hank Haney instructional webisodes. The webisode series is expected to begin production in the summer/fall months of 2009 and will include golf tips on all aspects of the game.
Haney is represented by Octagon Sports and is well-known to the golf world as Tiger Woods' and Charles Barkley's golf instructor. His video credentials are also impeccable as having played to the Golf Channel's The Hank Haney Project and School of Golf.
Though Haney improved Charles Barkley's swing fundamentals and understanding of his swing, performance on the golf course (especially under the pressure of Celebrity golf venues) reverted to the unwatchable swing of old. Despite the fact that the show ended, Charles and Hank continue to work together in private. There is no doubt that on the range, at least, Charles' performs much better. Improvement will come once Barkley learns to take his confidence and skills to the course.
In handling Barkley as he did, Handy demonstrated his unquestioned coaching skills. The webisodes will no doubt enhance the PGA.com collection of instructional videos. Haney's online lessons will hopefully reach your iPod and your computer screen soon.
4. Sir Nicholas Alexander Faldo, MBE
Nick Faldo, winner of 6 majors (3 British Opens, 3 Masters), former world number one, course designer/builder, and broadcaster for the Golfchannel and CBS Sports was granted a knighthood. The honour(Knights Bachelor, or Kt. for short) was bestowed by Queen Elizabeth II as part of her 2009 Birthday Honours List in June, 2009.
The knighthood adds to the MBE he received from Her Majesty in 1998.
Nick is the only other golfer, besides Sir Henry Cotton to be granted such an honour. In addition to Cotton, Faldo joins Sean Connery, Mick Jagger, Bono and Elton John (among others).
What's In It For Nick?
MBE means "Member of the British Empire". What the knighthood grants him, since he is a citizen of the Commonwealth, is the right to write his name as, Sir Nicholas Alexander Faldo, MBE. For the "Sir", it is the honour bestowed upon one that is the prize. That's basically it, no money, just recognition and the pride of being acknowledged, "For services to Golf". There is also a ceremony -- Queen Elizabeth II taps him on the shoulder with a sword.
As accolades go, this is right up there. His MBE is actually the lowest level of the British Empire order. From MBE, next up is OBE (Order of the British Empire) and then CBE (Commander of the British Empire --e.g. Elton John). Next up, and the highest, would be to become a Baron. As Baron, you'd be "Lord so-and -so", sit in the House of Lords as a voting member.
For Services to Golf
Nobody doubts Faldo's worthiness of the honour. He seems truly surprised, honoured and humbled by the experience. Reaction from his peers have garnered Nick a lot of congratulations with some good-natured ribbing. I like David Feherty's suggestion that he be referred to as "Snick".
Faldo is indeed highly involved in giving back to golf. Faldo has leveraged his fame and reputation into an impressive roster of game development activities. His contacts, reputation and influence have contributed substantially to the creation to the Faldo Series, a world class, worldwide development tour for elite level players (male and female) throughout Europe, Russia, South America and Southeast Asia. The Series has produced notable professional golfers such as Nick Dougherty and Rory McIlroy.
Course Design
Faldo's design portfolio comprises 19 completed courses with another 14 under development worldwide. His philosophy targets golfers of all abilities, but they all say that. Though I have not played a Faldo course, I am aware of The Rock in the Muskoka region of Southern Ontario. I was passing through that area during my Golf Tour in 2008 when the local paper ran an article of re-design work on this course. It turns out that the course, worked into an area defined by the rocky Canadian Shield, was so tough that local golfers refused to play it.
The owner, Ken Fowler, closed the course for a year and had Nick return and re-route the layout into a more lenient course for the average player. A $2.0 million hit to a course cost that already invested $25 million into the project. The course was ranked Best New Course in Canada by Golf Digest magazine in 2004 before the closing. Turns out, the renovations involved blasting and rock removal -- natural elements that Nick had (with due environmental sensitivity) left in place. Post remodeling, The Rock had wider landing areas off the tee and still plenty of challenges to test the elite golfer. Fowler saw Faldo's design as an indispensable contribution to the creation of his Red Leaves Resort, in Minnett, Ontario:
"Everybody in this industry believes that you'll put a name on your golf course like a Nick Faldo that all you are doing is buying a name, that is absolutely not true of Nick Faldo. He has other people around him of course, but Nick Faldo took a lot of interest in The Rock. He walked and he studied the course. Frankly, he was concerned about some of the things that we have just changed. He could see that it could be a problem, but we thought let's try it and give it a whirl."
Corporate Alliances
At the heart of Nick Faldo's post-playing career is his desire to teach. One of his first moves in this direction was to associate with Marriott Hotels in the creation of the Faldo Golf Institute. The golf school provides lessons on the golf swing, tournament play, event organization and club fitting. Partnering with the resort provides a link to travel, clothing lines, accessories, training camps and golf as a destination/vacation activity for individuals and corporate groups.
The links have been profitable. After starting with an extraordinary facility at the Marriott Grande Vista Resort in Orlando, FLA, the Faldo Golf Institute has expanded to a facility in Palm Desrt, CA (Marriott Shadow Ridge Resort).
I toured the Orlando facility during a business trip in 2004. It was and is spectacular. The Marriott property is a large acreage -- enough to fit a 9-hole course plus range and short game practice area to accompany the institute. Everything there was lush, first class and to die for. My dream would be to attend the 3-Day School sometime in November.
Nick Faldo is probably the best non-playing representative golf has to offer. His qualifications as promoter and spokesperson for the game are impeccable. His contribution really is outstanding. Yes, Sir.
5. Vancouver Island Golf
The Vancouver Sun newspaper recently ranked the 10 best Public and/or Resort Courses in British Columbia. Since B.C. is ranked as the number one golf destination in Canada, it is notable that the list includes three courses from Vancouver Island, more than from any other region in the province:
The Vancouver Sun List:
- Big Sky (Pemberton)
- Predator Ridge (Vernon)
- Storey Creek (Campbell River)
- Tobiano (Kamloops)
- Morgan Creek (Surrey)
- Salmon Arm
- Nicklaus North (Whistler)
- Crown Isle (Courtney)
- Grey Wolf (Invermere)
- Cordova Bay (Victoria)
The Best of B.C. list was chosen by a panel of 12 members of the golf community in the province( a selection of players, golf industry reps, golf writers and administrators).
The list excludes Bear Mountain's Valley Course but to be fair it did not open until June 2009. Score Golf's ranking of the top five new public courses consist of four B.C. courses and this list does include the Valley Course.
The Score Magazine List:
- Sagebrush Golf and Sporting Club (Merritt)
- Bear Mountain - Valley Course (Victoria)
- The Club at Tower Ranch (Kelowna)
- Otter Creek GC (Otterville, ON)
- The Rise GC(Vernon)
Despite the slow economy most courses have fared pretty well on the list. Bear Mountain, the resort is in trouble, but the golf course enterprises are still going strong. The original Mountain Course will become private at the end of this season which means members only; the Valley course will continue to welcome the public.
Of course, The Cliffs at Maple Bay continues to struggle (as indicated above), but new owners have taken over to seek solvency.
Otherwise, Vancouver Island continues to be a golf destination worthy of investigation and an ongoing paradise for locals. Since my retirement and return to Chemainus I've re-discovered the V.I. courses and continue to be amazed and rejoice at these newfound gems.