Planning for gold and red tees at golf club
The use of the new shorter and hopefully more enjoyable gold tees has been fairly substantial this season. The board of directors decided to institute the plan for new gold tees and then to monitor utilization before embarking on a plan to actually construct new tees.
As it stands now the club will have golf course architect John Stiedel visit the course and begin the planning process for new forward tees. We anticipate this process will involve some new red and gold tees as the plan evolves.
Our red tees are slightly longer than is typical and therefore we can make some adjustments there to make their length more appropriate for players. More than likely the construction phase will take place next spring on the new tees once the planning is approved and budgeted.
Junior golf
Whitefish Lake Golf Club’s junior golf program gets underway this week. These sessions are open to all interested juniors. Equipment will be provided, but if the player has their own gear they are welcome to bring it with them.
The junior golf program is designed to introduce the younger players to the game and to enjoy some physical activities related to the golf swing. Call the Golf Shop (862-5960) to get specific times and to register.
Couple’s event
The next couple’s event is scheduled for Sunday, June 22. Contact the Golf Shop (862-5960) to register a team. These events are always fun and have a variety of interesting formats used.
U.S. Open
It will be interesting to see how the USGA manages the course set up for the U.S. Womens Open Championship after the men finish their play on the Pinehurst No. 2 course. I would hope the landing areas will not be close to the same to prevent the chances of balls resting in divots.
The renovations to Pinehurst are interesting and represent a remarkable change in course conditions for the U.S. Open considering no ankle deep rough to catch the errant shots. It appeared to me that players did not have much difficulty playing from the “natural areas,” and probably preferred the sandy lies to the thick rough that required a pitch out to the fairway at best.
The 40-yard-wide landing areas in the fairways did drastically increase the percent of players hitting the fairway with their tee shots. How will the USGA staff manage the scoring so the winning numbers are somewhat consistent for men and women? This is the first time the two championships have been played at the same venue and only one week apart.