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COVER
FEATURE Clinics offered at Bent
Tree Golf Club this summer will include
short game clinics designed to improve
putting, chipping, pitching and bunker
play; clinics for women both new to the
game and not-so-new to the game, along
with more generalized clinics for any
golfer, which cover the full swing, rules
of the game, etiquette, etc. So that students will
be able to get the most out of the
instruction each clinic is limited to 8
students, with one PGA Professional
instructing each clinic. For a cost of $149 each
student will receive 8 hours of
instruction, on-course practice and/or
playing experiences, hand out
instructional materials, and discounts for
green fees and range balls for future
visits to Bent Tree Golf Club. Each clinic
will meet once weekly for two hours. Golf
clubs will also be provided free of charge
for any students who do not have their
own. To register for any of
the clinics at Bent Tree Golf Club this
summer you can visit
www.playgolfamerica.com, or call PGA
Professional Kevin Doby at
566-9441. FEATURE • The field is set
for the 2005 Nebraska Girls' Match Play
Championship. Play will commence Monday,
June 6, with 38 girls competing for the
title of Nebraska Girls' Match Play
Champion at Eagle Hills Golf Course in
Papillion. Following Monday's 18-hole
stroke-play qualifier, players will be
flighted for the match play portion of the
championship. Sixteen golfers will
comprise the championship division with
the remaining field paired in brackets of
eight • Rick Dusek of
Omaha shot a two-under par 70 in the final
round of the Nebraska Mid-Amateur to claim
a five stroke victory at Bellevue's 6,850
yard, Par-72 Willow Lakes Golf Course. He
finished with a two day total of two-under
par 142. • The Nebraska
Golf Association is now accepting entries
for its' Centennial Nebraska Amateur
Championship, scheduled for July 26-29 at
the Omaha Country Club. The deadline for
receiving entries is Wednesday, July 6.
For the first time in it's history, the
championship will conduct qualifying to
determine the non-exempt portion of the
144-player field • One of the
premier public golf facilities in
Southeast Nebraska is Table Creek Golf
Course in Nebraska City. This 18 hole
course consists of immaculate greens,
fairways, and tees. Strategically placed
bunkers and water hazards, combined with
the rolling countryside and existing
wooded areas, make for a challenging round
of golf for players of all abilities. A
driving range and practice green are also
available for any golfer looking to work
on their swing. A trip to Table Creek is
the perfect getaway that is guaranteed to
be an enjoyable and memorable one. The
course is located west of Nebraska City on
US Highway 2 and only 45 miles east of
Lincoln or 45 miles south of Omaha. Nearby
outlet shopping and historic sites are
some of the added attractions. • Pioneers Golf
Course in Lincoln, Nebraska has been
around since 1930 providing golfers with
languid walks over a rolling countryside,
with pines lining many of its lush
bluegrass fairways. A must play in
Lincoln. FEATURE By Troy Martin Three shots short last
fall at Q-school, and I'm back splitting
my time between caddying for Dave
Stockton, Sr., and playing any
professional tournament I can get into.
These events include tours sponsored by
golf companies, restaurants, and a few in
third world countries. Chances are, you know
enough about professional golf in the
United States, to know it is regimented,
serious &endash; and often times &endash;
strictly business. The players have
courtesy cars every week and eat like
kings for free in the players' lounge.
Golf companies fall
over each other trying to get their
product into a player's bag, then pay them
to use the equipment in the tournament.
Some players travel with a posse,
including a caddie, swing coach, trainer
and sports psychologist. Dave opens his locker
each week to see three dozen golf balls,
four new gloves, four hats, and often a
week's supply of new shirts. New Titleist
Pro VI's sit in piles on the driving
range. The golf courses are maintained so
meticulously, that it's hard to find a
blade of grass out of place. Golf south of the
border is much different. I recently teed
it up on the Tour de las Americas
(formerly known as the South American
Tour). Though it is one of the seven major
recognized tours worldwide, the atmosphere
is much different. Week One: The Venezuela
Open, played at Lagunita Country Club in
Caracas. There were no courtesy cars at
the airport. I took a taxi that did well
to hold me, the driver and my luggage
&endash; with the help of four bungee
cords. The drive to the course took about
an hour and it cost around $15.00. I
unpacked my clubs, and noticed I was
missing three sleeves of Titleist…
Likely the work of a low-handicap baggage
handler. Now, the course. There
were no Titleists on the range, in fact,
there was no grass either. World-class
golfers lined the tee hitting Pinnacles
off Astroturf mats, and seemed happy to
have the opportunity. Lagunita's fairways
were like carpet, the rough was deep and
greens were grainy Bermuda grass. I would
liken them to putting across a patch of
broccoli. If we had Bermuda
greens in the Midwest, I would have ended
up a bowler. I picked a local caddie
named Luciano Diaz. Unfortunately, Luciano
knew as much English as I did Spanish. Our
communication was limited to pointing,
drawing, hand gestures, high fives and
occasional groans. On the greens, Luciano
would make a circle with his hand,
simulating the hole. Then he would point
to an area around his hand (the hole),
indicating where I should start my putt.
To the gallery, some of these gestures
likely looked offensive. I improvised,
bringing a coaster from the bar for
Luciano to use. He carried it with him all
week. The field consisted of
128 players from 15 different countries.
Most of who were playing to put food on
the table. Now that is pressure! The
players were all cordial, yet extremely
competitive. In fact, the level of
competition was most impressive. Some had
played the PGA and European Tours. Some
were heroes in their home countries. They
all seemed grateful for the opportunity
they had to play golf for a living. I
absolutely enjoyed competing in that
environment. I made the cut…
barely… by shooting 70-68 on the
weekend to finish 15th. I was fortunate enough
to be the low American in the field. I
became a millionaire: $2.6 million
Bolivars to be exact! I will be back on the
bag with Mr. Stockton for the next six
weeks. Stops coming up include Des Moines
and Kansas City. The chance to see the
legends on the Champions Tour in-person is
well worth the drive. Come by and say,
"Hello." Troy is not only a
professional golfer and caddy for Dave
Stockton, Sr., but, is also President of
Bucket Boy Graphics. See his website at
Troy.martin@bucketboygraphics.com |
