Tee to Green: Whitefish Lake Golf Club to host senior championships
Montana Senior Amateur Championship
About every eight years, the Men’s Senior State Amateur tournament returns to the Flathead Valley as the hosts of the three-day event. Whitefish Lake Golf Club takes its turn to host along with Buffalo Hills and Meadow Lake golf courses. This year’s tournament is scheduled for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, Aug. 2, 3 and 4. A shotgun start will initiate play each of the three days on the North Course at 8:45 a.m. The South Course is open for play all three days and the North will open after the tournament each day.
Club Championship in August
The annual Whitefish Lake Golf Club championship is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 13 and 14. All members are invited to participate in the variety of flights including, men’s, ladies, seniors, juniors and super senior divisions. This is an event that requires an established handicap to qualify for the various flights. Register online at golfwhitefish.com.
Tee times at WLGC
The Whitefish Lake Golf Club is one of the best and busiest golf destinations in the state. The total number of tee times available each day allows for over 600 players to enjoy one of our two great courses, but with 1850 seasonal memberships, as well as a limited number of green fee guests, the most popular times go quickly each morning.
The tee time policy at WLGC allows for tee times to be made two days in advance by calling 862-4000 (the phone lines currently open at 6:30 a.m.), or members can also use our online booking at www.golfwhitefish.com. (Online bookings are open at the same time the phone goes live each day.) You can also come to the course early in the morning and get in line to make a tee time in person at the starter shack. Note that the number of outside green fee play is limited each day to protect the member’s access to tee times. Members are allowed to book two tee times when they are making their tee time requests each day. The popularity of the WLGC makes it extremely busy this time of year, so we appreciate your patience, persistence and flexibility – traits that also help you enjoy a round of golf.
We do track “no shows” via our computer and notify players that make times and are a “no show”, which is a rare event. All players can help us be as efficient as possible by checking in with the starter at least 15 minutes before your tee time. Reporting in early allows us to in fill with singles and pairs to maximize our available times.
I’ve always equated the demand for times like a dozen donuts and not everyone gets the chocolate one. So be patient, know how the system works and be flexible.
High hands in your backswing
Many times we see a slow motion or stop action of touring pro’s swing with their hands high above their head in the backswing. The pros make exceptional turns, and the high hands position would be disastrous for most golfers to emulate. For many players, it would cause a reverse pivot, where the weight shift would go from the front foot to the back and remain there during the downswing. During my coaching career, the players that scored best had rather short backswings.