Summer 2014 Departments Contents Kraft Nabisco Ends ON PAR GAME PLAY PUBLISHER’S NOTES CAN WATSON WIN ANOTHER RYDER CUP? .......................................................8 He did it as captain in 1993 at The Belfry in England, and the U.S. team would dearly ON COVER like a repeat .................................................................34 HIGH HONOR FOR A LIVING LEGEND THUNDERBIRD COUNTRY CLUB & THE RYDER CUP Mark Woodforde is honored for his lifetime The 11th Ryder Cup Matches are a piece of contributions to tennis ............................................12 of Thunderbird’s history ...............................................38 GAME PLAY BIGHORN, WE SALUTE YOU For this club it’s not about looking back at KRAFT NABISCO CHAMPIONSHIP ENDS accomplishment but about giving back ...............40 A story of world economics and an LPGA Major .............................................................16 GOLF INSTRUCTION SPOT LIGHT CHOOSING THE RIGHT CHIP SHOT It takes knowledge and practice to determine THE LPGA’S LEXI THOMPSON which club and setup to use ..................................42 A new era in golf .........................................................20 SAY HELLO TO KYLE BURTON MAPS, DIRECTORIES AND PRIVATE CLUBS One article doesn’t even begin to cover the life story of this Coachella Valley resident ...............22 TENNIS CLUBS ...........................................................72 GOLF CLUBS ............................................................80 PLAY WORTHY A COURSE FOR PRESIDENTS Desert Golf & Tennis ’ design expert takes us on a private tour of a very exclusive golf course ........24 TENNIS RESORTS TO LOVE Eat, play, love—shop, relax and save, too. Cover: Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge Tennis resorts have it all ..............................................28 Photo by: Luigi Serra DeSert Golf &tenniS •Summer 2014 5 Summer 2014 Lifestyle Contents Thailand DESERT GOLF & TENNIS REALTY LUXURY AUTOS THE 2014 JAGUAR F-TYPE ROADSTER Jaguar is back in the business of sports cars ..........64 THE GOOD LIFE HARNESS THE POWER OF THE SUN STYLE REPORT And put some green back into your wallet at the same time .........................................................46 SEEN ON THE GREENS: GOLF SHOES WITH A FOCUS ON FIT AND FASHION A new designer from the UK changes the DESERT GOLF & TENNIS LIFESTYLE game in golf-shoe design ..........................................68 LUXURY TRAVEL FINE JEWELRY GOLF IN THE KINGDOM HIGH-END JEWELRY TRENDS FOR FALL Thailand is Asia’s sweet spot for unforgettable The watchwords for jewelry this season 70 golf vacations ..............................................................52 are simple: elegance with an edge ....................... FINE DINING DINING IN THE DESERT The Desert Golf & Tennis guide to eating out in the Coachella Valley ..............................................58 DeSert Golf &tenniS •Summer 2014 7 Summer 2014 Publisher’s notes By timothy J. Pade • [email protected] We are pleased to feature local desert resident Mark Woodforde is a resident of Mission Hills Country Club in Woodforde and his doubles partner, Todd Woodbridge, aka Rancho Mirage, California. He continues to coach and is also the “Woodies,” on our cover. Both received the Philippe still involved in broadcasting. Learn more about this tennis Chatrier Award, highest honor of the International Tennis great starting on pg. 12. Federation (ITF), presented at the 2014 ITF World We would be remiss if we didn’t mention the latest on golf Champions Dinner on June 3. The award, named for the in the desert in this issue, most notably the lack of interest by former player and ITF president, was introduced in 1996 corporations in the sponsorship of the former Kraft Nabisco and is awarded each year for outstanding contributions to Championship. Word currently is that the LPGA and IMG tennis. Woodforde and Woodbridge become the first Media will split the expense for the 2015 event if they are not doubles team to receive the award, joining fellow Australian able to secure a new title sponsor. Many thought that Kia recipients Rod Laver, Margaret Court and Neale Fraser. Past Motors might step in; however, the company’s sponsorship U.S. winners include Martina Navratilova, John McEnroe, of the Kia Classic at Aviara Golf Club in Carlsbad, California, Billie Jean King and Chris Evert. will stay in place. There is still hope that the LPGA will find a The Woodies formed one of the greatest doubles sponsor to keep this event at Mission Hills Country Club for combinations in the history of tennis. Together they won 11 a long time to come. Grand Slam titles and five straight Wimbledon trophies. Additionally, many desert residents and golfers are upset They also won Olympic gold in Atlanta in 1996 and silver in by major changes to Tour events in the Coachella Valley. As Sydney in 2000. Woodforde retired in 2000 with 67 tournaments opt out of celeb-am formats, there’s a question doubles titles, 61 with Woodbridge. The only one of his 12 as to whether Tour professionals are a big enough draw on doubles majors that he didn’t win with Woodbridge was his their own. Lacking the glitz, glamor and entertainment first — the 1989 U.S. Open, which he won with John value supplied by celebrities, for example, is the $30,000 McEnroe. price tag for participating in the Humana Challenge too Woodforde’s left-handed baseline play with high? Woodbridge’s quick reflexes at the net led them to their Only time will tell if these events are shooting themselves induction in the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame in 2010. into oblivion. We all hope the celebs and the entertainment Accepting the Philippe Chatrier Award, Woodforde, come back! who called it an unexpected honor, said, “I’m moved so deeply that Todd and I will be joining such grand champions and following in the footsteps of the other Aussies to receive this accolade.” DeSert Golf &tenniS •Summer 2014 9 Summer 2014 18th Annual Vol.XViV, no.V Editor/Publisher: TIMOTHY J. PADE Marketing/Promotion: TIMOTHY J. PADE Deputy Articles Editor: CHRISTINE LOOMIS P.O. Box 1158, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270 Writers: AARON ATWOOD (760) 969-2392 • (800) 858-9677 [email protected] CLIVE CLARK DIANE MARLIN-DIRKX JOYCE HENRY ALISON ELSNER Account Executive JENELL FONTES (760) 219-1606 CHRIS LEWIS DUKE GREGORY CHRISTINE LOOMIS ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE MATT MCKAY 760-408-6402 JANET NEWCOMB [email protected] LISA PERRY FRANÇOISE RHODES CORINNE GARGAN JUDD SPICER ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE 760-619-6323 ROB STANGER [email protected] Art Director: MICHAEL UNGER INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL EDITOR SUSANNE KEMPER P.O. Box 2537, CH1211 Photography: LUIGI SERRA Geneva #2, Switzerland DANE ANDREW MARC GLASSMAN VICE PRESIDENT SALES & MARKETING, HAWAII DIVISION BILLIE WEISS KATHRYN HELLER DICK DURRANCE II 469 Ena Road #3507, KEN E. MAY Honolulu, HI 96815 JOHN HENEBRY Marketing Pacific Northwest Region: GREG FELSEN MARY CONDY (541) 390-9504 Bend, OR 97702 [email protected] Desert Golf & Tennis is published under ISSN No. 1522-9777 five times a year by Pade Publishing L.L.C., P.O. Box 1158, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270. All contents of this magazine are copyrighted 2014 by Pade Publishing L.L.C., all rights reserved. Reproduction or use of the editorial or graphic content of this magazine, without permis sion, in any manner, is prohibited.© To subscribe: 1yr. at $24.75, 2 yrs at $49.50 and 3 yrs. at $74.25. Send check to: P.O. Box 1158, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270 TO SUBSCRIBE call: 760-969-2392 or visit desertgolfandtennis.com Desert Golf & Tennis, LLC President, Timothy J. Pade In Memoriam, Executive Vice President, Ellen Meyer Secretary, Sherwood Steele Legal Counsel, Michael Henson Follow us on facebook at: facebook.com/golfmagazines Search “Desert Golf” on facebook and become a fan for updates and golf promos Desert Golf & Tennis is a division of Pade Publishing, L.L.C. Follow us on twitter at: S ASS’N R O E F T twitter.com/desertgolfguy I A R M W E R F I L C O A G National Photography Award 1st Place International Network of Golf Awards 2004, 2005 & 2008 10 DeSert Golf &tenniS •Summer 2014 By Chris Lewis Since retiring, tennis doubles legend and Rancho Mirage resident Mark Woodforde has served the industry as a commentator, coach and tournament director. In honor of his continuous commitment to the sport, the International Tennis Federation recently presented him the Philippe Chatrier Award. Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde on Cover very now and then a special occasion arises in a person’s life, leading him or her to pause momentarily, reflect on past achievements and reap the rewards of years of hard Ework. For 17-time Grand Slam champion Mark Woodforde, one half of “The Woodies,” arguably the greatest doubles partnership of all time, three occasions stand out in particular: the days in which he was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, the Sport Australia Hall of Fame and the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame. But his most recent recognition – the Philippe Chatrier Award, renowned as the International Tennis Federation’s highest honor – is held in the same regard as his Hall of Fame inductions. “When I was notified about the honor, it blew me off my feet,” says Woodforde. “To be recognized for my results on the tennis court, as well as my services to the game, led me to stop and think, ‘You’re kidding me, right?’” The 48-year-old Woodforde, along with his longstanding doubles partner, Todd Woodbridge, received the award on Tuesday, June 3 at the ITF World Champions Dinner, held at Paris’s Pavillon d’Armenonville, in the midst of the 2014 French Open. Woodbridge and Woodforde 1996 Japan Open “The Woodies” became the first doubles team in history to be acknowledged as Philippe Chatrier Award recipients. They also joined Rod Laver, Margaret Court and Neale Fraser as the only other Australians honored with the award, named after the former president of the International Tennis Federation and presented every year since 1996. “I have been to a number of World Champions Dinners in the past and watched as the Philippe Chatrier Award was handed out to some of tennis’s greatest players,” Woodforde continues.