E-NEWSLETTER BRIAN CROWELL GOLF BRIANCOWELLGOLF.COM FEBRUARY 2016 EDITION

KEEP YOUR EYELINE LEVEL // COASTAL COURSES OF IRELAND // KEEP YOUR CHEST BEHIND THE BALL // HOST THE PERFECT OUTING

MY WAY BRIAN CROWELL GOLF

KEEP YOUR EYELINE LEVEL In this BONUS VIDEO, I will show you how to keep your eyeline level for crispers putts, chips and pitches t MY TOP TEN BRIAN CROWELL GOLF

ith its miles of dazzling coast- line, Ireland is a natural scenic wonder. Plant a golf course along that coastline and you have sheer magic. While the parkland courses BEST COASTAL COURSES OF ofW the Emerald Isle are tremendous in their own right and don’t need beaches and seas to inspire, there is no getting around how fabulous are the links courses in These need Ireland. Interestingly, one of the newest has perhaps as MUST-PLAY GEMS much inspirational punch as any that exists. That would to be considered when planning be Old Head Golf Club in the southwest, running along jagged cliffs and featuring an iconic lighthouse. a golf trip to the Emerald Isle. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Ireland is also IRELAND about history, and Royal County Down and Royal “Portrush — which is hosting the 2019 British Open — are hard to beat. Then there’s Ballybunion and Lahinch, legendary locales, though newer neighbors, Doonbeg Golf Club and Tralee Golf Club, are the equal of their legendary counterparts in the southwest. To be sure there are other worthy courses to explore. Some of the charm of a trip to Ireland is to wander and discover. We leave that to you.

Ú CLICK HERE TO VIEW Hole No. 14 —Ballyliffin Golf Club (Old Links), County Donegal

MY WAY BRIAN CROWELL GOLF KEEP YOUR “EYE IN YOUR CHEST” BEHIND THE BALL This BONUS VIDEO demonstrates keeping your chest behind the ball will also keep you in the fairway t BRUSHES WITH GREATNESS BRIAN CROWELL GOLF

WHAT I LEARNED FROM JIM NANTZ had always admired Jim Nantz’ style and composure in the broadcast booth. But I’m even more impressedby the way he acts off camera. I first met Jim at a First Tee ceremony more than 15 years ago in New York. He was very giving with his time, and he has Ialways given me encouragement, direction and wonderful advice – and he jokingly told me to “tip generously” at restaurants in case the wait staff thought I was he. Yeah, we do bear some resemblance to each other. Jim has a remarkable rapport with everyone he meets; he remem- bers everyone’s name, and among the people he works with he makes each member of the CBS crew feel important. It has been an honor to join the CBS team and broadcast the Masters and the PGA Cham- pionship along with Jim and the rest of the team. And I have learned a great deal from such a consummate broadcast professional, one who unquestionably is among the best in the busi- ness and proves it year in and year out with each sport that he covers.

EQUIPMENT BRIAN CROWELL GOLF

FAIRWAY WOODS Titleist 909F2 (18.5 degrees), with a DRIVER Mitsubishi Rayon Diamana Blue S+ 70 TX Titleist 909D2 (8.5 degrees), shaft; 913F (17 degrees), with a Fujikura Mo- with Mitsubishi Rayon Diamana tore VC 8.0 X shaft WHAT’S IN Blue Board 73 X shaft MY BAG? WHAT ZACH JOHNSON USED TO WIN THE 2015 BRITISH OPEN

he oldest club in Zach Johnson’s bag is his putter. As it has in his other carer victories, it played a huge role in his victory in the Open Champion- PUTTER ship at St. Andrews, in Scotland. SeeMore FGP Johnson made a critical 25-footer for birdie onT the closing hole that earned him a spot in a three-man playoff with Louis Oosthuizen and Marc Leishman and then he birdied the first two holes of the playoff with mid-length putts to grab a HYBRID lead he would never relinquish and win his second major champi- Titleist 909H onship to go with his 2007 Masters title. With the exception of the , where he exper- imented with a Scotty Cameron by Titleist Futura X5R, Johnson has used the same SeeMore FGP putter for more than a decade. Interestingly, its the same model Payne Stewart used to win the 1999 U.S. Open. The blade-style putter has played a part in all 12 of Johnson’s WEDGES IRONS PGA TOUR wins and features the company’s patented RifleScope Titleist Vokey Titleist AP2 710 (3), with a Mitsubishi Rayon Spin Milled Fubuki AX H500 X shaft; 714 AP1 (4) and 714 Technology — also known as the hidden red dot. When the red SM4 (48, 54, 60), AP2 (5-9), with True Temper Dynamic Gold dot, which is on top of the club head, is “hidden” behind the shaft with True Temper Tour Issue X100 shafts at address, a player knows he has the putter aligned. Dynamic Gold Tour PGA TODAY BRIAN CROWELL GOLF PGA ASSISTANT CHAMPIONSHIP STURGEON TO DEFEND TITLE

fter a record 7-under-par 65 last year at the Wanamaker Course at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Fla., Grant Sturgeon is the obvious favorite for the 39th PGA Assistant Championship that beginsA Oct. 29 on the same layout. Sturgeon, an assistant at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, N.Y., posted a seven-stroke victory in the 2014 championship in just his third appearance to beat 125 other contestants. He finished at 13-under 275. The 2015 National Car Rental PGA Assistant Cham- pionship offers a purse of $100,000, with first place worth $9,000 and a spot in the PGA National Profession- al Championship. The 72-hole event is open to all PGA assistant professionals with an A-8 membership classifi- cation and registered apprentices, who can earn a berth through their respective PGA Sections. Past competitors or champions who have gone on to careers on the PGA Tour or Nationwide Tour include: Loren Roberts (champion, 1979), (champion, 1984), Robert Thompson (champion, 1986), (third, 1998; winner 2002 PGA Championship), Jeff Freeman (T-7, 1998) and Tim Thelen (champion, 2009).

LIFESTYLE BRIAN CROWELL GOLF TIMELESS Rolex reintroduces a classic

here’s nothing like making what’s old new again. Something worth checking out is one of the most classic watches in the Rolex collection being reintroduced. That happened in 2014 with the vintageT Rolex Cellini. Haute Time ranked it among its five best golf watches. That was, well, a timely endorse- ment for a timely re-release. Originally introduced in the 1940s, the Cellini was the first model produced in large quantities to obtain chronometric certification. Rolex certainly made a splash when it re-introduced the Cellini collection at Baselworld 2014. Inspired by the Italian Renaissance artist Benvenuto Cellini, goldsmith and sculptor to the popes, this collection features 12 new classically-in- spired models. Among the golfers who like the watch are Phil Mick- elson, who actually was wearing a vintage Rolex Cellini when he hoisted the Claret Jug for his victory in the 2013 Open Championship at Muirfield, in Scotland. Retail prices start at about $18,000.00. This seems reasonable for a watch that feels like it was created by a manufacturer that understands its history and approaches it with reverence.

BEST PRACTICES BRIAN CROWELL GOLF

HOW TO HOST THE PERFECT OUTING Whether your hosting your friends from college or a corporate outing, your guests will get more out of their day with these tips

t might seem easy: invite a bunch of golfers to your course for an outing and let them play. But you have to be prepared, and these tips might help. First, know the skill level of the players who might participate. This is important for no other reason than to know how your su- Iperintendent should set up the golf course. Do you need easy pins or more challenging ones? Faster or slower greens? Should the rough get topped off? Along the same lines, plan a scoring format that everyone will enjoy. Most good players want to play their own ball and post a score. Many high handicappers enjoy scrambles, shambles and other team games. Make sure there is plenty of food and drink on hand during the out- ing. Go overboard on this. Well-hydrated and well-fed golfers tend to play better and, thus, have more fun. Splurge on extras. Players are spending their money to play golf, but see to it they get more out of the day with tee gifts and prizes from various contests, and not all of them have to be golf performance-related. Raffles and blind draws can be very popular. Finally, have an after-golf or rainy day plan. Especially important is the latter. A disappointed group of golfers will go away happier if they’re day is rained out if you have alternate entertainment plans. Do you have indoor contests to offer? Dinner and drinks? Show golfers you have thought of everything.