Lots of Changes for Tour Championship East Lake Renovated; New Date; No Woods
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« GEORGIAPGA.COM GOLFFOREGEORGIA.COM « SEPTEMBER 2008 Lots of changes for Tour Championship East Lake renovated; new date; no Woods By Mike Blum G R record 23-under 257. Only three of 30 E B N I ust as in the Presidential race, the word D players were over par for the week, with E V E T 2-over 282 tying for last place. change will be closely associated with S the 2008 PGA Tour Championship “When you give these players soft presented by Coca-Cola. greens, they’re going to shoot lights out,” J Burton says. “It will be a lot different this Other than returning to East Lake for the fifth straight year – the eighth time year with greens that are firm and fast.” overall – with a field of 30 top PGA Tour East Lake closed for play March 1 and pros, there will be a lot of changes for this will not re-open until Tour Championship month’s event, with the tournament sched - week. Players and spectators will notice uled for Sept. 25-28. some changes to the course, which will still Since last year’s tournament, the course play to a par of 70 for the tournament has undergone renovations, stemming but has been lengthened to just over from the problems East Lake’s bent grass 7,300 yards. greens encountered from last summer’s Perhaps the most dramatic change is the hot, dry weather. addition of a new tee on the picturesque East Lake’s putting surfaces have been par-3 sixth hole, one of the first in golf to converted to mini-verde, an ultra-dwarf feature an island green. The hole has strain of Bermuda grass that is comparable played 168 yards over a finger of East to the quality of bent grass greens, but Lake, but can now play as long as 214 – all will provide a firmer surface in the carry over water – from the new tee. The summer heat. sixth played under par last year for the “They’re a lot firmer,” East Lake tournament, something not expected to be Director of Golf Rick Burton says. “You repeated this month. can cut them really close so the ball runs The par-4 seventh, which measured 395 out and it’s hard to suck the ball back. It yards and was responsible for only seven bounces forward.” bogeys in four rounds last year, will now East Lake’s bent grass greens suffered play around 435, as the green has been heat damage last year, and while they were moved back some 40 yards. in decent shape for the Tour The tee on the slightly uphill par-4 13th Championship, they were very soft and has been extended back more than 30 very vulnerable. As a result, the scores were With players like Sergio Garcia, the 2008 Tour Championship will be a blast extremely low, with the winning total a [ See Tour Championship courses, page 6 ] G R E B N I D E V E Georgia Golf Business T S E U S Georgia S I S Golf Course I H T Owners E D Association I S N I www.ggcoa.com Padraig Harrington leads Clark Spratlin captures Indian Creek includes Euro Ryder Cup team 12 Section Championship 14 unique design features 16 770-235-0735 3…2…1. There’s nothing in this world quite like the PGA TOUR Superstore. G services usually limited to the world’s best players. That ought to get you moving i Buckhead 404-364-6900 • Roswell 770-640-0933 • Kennesaw 770-422-4949 • Duluth 770-495-7100 2 GOLFFOREGEORGIA.COM SEPTEMBER 2008 Golfers of every level now have access to the technology, equipment, and s in the right direction. Isn’t it time you felt like a pro? pgatoursuperstore.com 2008 SEPTEMBER GOLFFOREGEORGIA.COM 3 Instruction Fore You 3021 Kalah Place, Marietta, GA 30067 770-933-04GA (Office) 770-953-6638 (Fax) golfforegeorgia.com swing on an angled plane. By allowing [email protected] your putter to swing on an arc or tilted plane, you can make a stroke that has a PUBLISHER To Be Straight Path one piece motion with few moving parts Golf Media, Inc. and a body that has no need for compen - John Barrett sating movements. The less movement your putting stroke has the more consis - Or To Be Arc Path EDITOR Mike Blum tent you will be able to be with direction and pace. CONTRIBUTORS The putting path must be on an arc Jason Coffin That Is the Question because our posture is dictated by our Jackie Cannizzo, Women’s Golf Editor body’s alignment and the putter is built on Lake-Finlay Image Group By Mike Perpich continues. I want to show you not only the an angle, allowing the putter to be swung Joseph Field PGA Director of Instruction proper method for putting but the reason on an angled plane, inside to inside arc. Steve Dinberg RiverPinesGolf why you should choose to putt that way. Now that you know why you should putt Georgia Golf Course Owners Association There are advantages to both putting on an inside to inside putting arc, let’s look Cindy Acree, Executive Director To be or not to be. That is the question. methods but there is only one method at five fundamentals which will make you a Well, actually the question is to putt with a which our body’s anatomy will allow us to better putter. MARKETING & ADVERTISING straight back and straight properly perform—the putting Below I have listed my 5 Points for J.R. Ross, Sales Representative through path or to putt with an on the inside to inside arc path. Putting which I use everyday to help Rick Holt, Corporate Sales inside to inside arc path. This First, the way our body is people become more consistent and question has stumped players, aligned will not permit a proficient putters. ART DIRECTOR teachers and coaches alike straight back and straight Lori Montgomery for years and the debate through motion without Perpich’s Points for Putting: [email protected] manipulation. When you are 1. Putter must be soled flat on the ground properly set up to putt, your GEORGIA SECTION , PGA OF AMERICA back and spine are on an angle, 2. Eyes should be over the ball and target PRESIDENT therefore allowing your shoul - line, more importantly your eyebrows Jim Arendt, Chicopee Woods Golf Course ders to rotate around that angle. If you are should be parallel to the ground attempting a straight back and straight VICE -PRESIDENT through putting arc, you will have to make 3. The shoulder line should be parallel Patrick Richardson, Wilmington Island Club compensations such as turning your to the target line shoulders like a see saw or even moving SECRETARY your wrists from the close to open posi - 4. The putter grip and shaft should run Brian Stubbs, Country Club of Columbus tion. This added movement will hinder parallel and in between both forearms your putting stroke. HONORARY PRESIDENT However, when you body is properly set 5. The shoulders provide the motion for Danny Elkins, Georgia Golf Center up to putt, your shoulders naturally turn the putting stroke on an angle and everything moves with BOARD OF DIRECTORS them on a tilted plane and the putter Now that you know your body and your Bud Robison, Callaway Gardens moves on an inside to inside arc path. In club are built to swing most efficiently in Marten Olsson, The Club at River Forest order to visualize this path in your mind, an inside to inside arc path, to be or not to Steve Godley, Jekyll Island Golf Club think of swinging a bolt on the end of a be should certainly be, inside to inside Bob Elmore, Bacon Park GC string as you move your arm it changes the arc path. Shawn McKinnon, Berkeley Hills CC Richard Hatcher, Ansley GC path of the bolt. Jeff Dunovant, First Tee of East Lake The second factor is the putter itself is Scott Mahr, Barnsley Gardens Resort built on an angle and therefore it must be Mike Perpich is a top 100 Golf Magazine Mike Perpich highlights 5 points Clark Spratlin, Blue Ridge Golf & River Club E P of set-up using Eye Line Golf’s I swung around you, your spine and your instructor and a Top 50 U.S. Kids T S Dan Mullins, Classic Golf Management P Professional Putting Plane. O back on an angle. The putter is designed to Golf teacher H Josh Williams, Savannah Golf Club Rodger Hogan, Royal Lakes Golf & CC EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Mike Paull TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR Pat Day E FedExCup Playoffs . 8 Does golf need the Olympics? . 20 U JUNIOR GOLF DIRECTOR Scott Gordon S t OPERATIONS MANAGER Jeff Ashby S Ryder Cup preview . 10 Chip shots: Tournament round-up . 24 s I SECTION ASSISTANT Traci Waters a S I Georgia PGA pro-file: Rick Burton . 12 Golf Fore Juniors . 26 c H FOREGeorgia is produced by Golf Media, Inc. e T Spratlin takes Section Championship . 14 Golf Fore Women . 28 r Copyright ©2008 with all rights reserved. E Reproduction or use, without permission, o D Indian Creek on the upswing . 16 Course reviews: Callaway Gardens, Griffin CC . 30 I of editorial or graphic content is prohibited. F S Georgia PGA web site: www.georgiapga.com N Georgians star on Nationwide Tour . 18 I 4 GOLFFOREGEORGIA.COM SEPTEMBER 2008 Six Georgia State Park Golf Courses were awarded 4 or more stars in the current issue of Golf Digest’s #### Places to Play.