Q & A — page 15 PEOPLE — page 9 WINNERS — page 18 Jeff Sanders Firehouse Subs Local Scores JACKSONVILLE GOLF FEBRUARY VOLUME 3 • ISSUE 2 FREE Underwood Cuppage 6 Tommy Aycock Billy Varn Professional captain Amateur captain LOCAL GOLF & SPORTS MAGAZINE a golf special fit for a king, but made for a Squire. Happy Birthday Gene! In honor of Gene Sarazen’s Birthday, the Slammer & Squire Golf Course is offering an exclusive 1-week special! It’s our way of saying thank you to one of our legendary co-designers and Hall of Fame Members. When you play a round of golf at the Slammer & Squire at World Golf Village Resort the week of The Squire’s birthday - February 23 - March 3, 2012 – you’ll receive a $10 merchandise gift card. Plus, play on February 27 and you’ll receive a complimentary admission ticket to the World Golf Hall of Fame, one round of golf on the 18-hole putting course and one shot at the Hall of Fame Challenge Hole. Call (904) 940-6088 to book your tee time today, or visit us online at www.Golf WGV.com. (904) 940-6088 : www.GolfWGV.com : St. Augustine, Florida Hello fellow Tweeps. Check us out at twitter.com/jaxgolfmag From the Publisher I asked my editor and he said yes, that was what a good Improving our game teacher should tell you, and that’s what a trained PGA professional will tell you. Getting to be a PGA pro, like Mary and like most pros you know, isn’t something to Golfers all share one thing: we don’t work hard enough achieve by sending in a check. It takes a lot of time and to improve our game. We think we do. Oh, yes, we all lis- effort, and more space to explain than I have here, so ten to Johnny Miller and read the monthly magazines, ask your pro how he got there. and it soaks in for a few minutes. Quick fixes are what To be a PGA pro, you pay more dues than the amount of we want, and that’s what the instructors are selling. any check you’ll ever write. That’s what I bought for a long time, until one day not No more about my game. You don’t care about it so I long ago when a friend — a good friend, or he wouldn’t won’t bore you except to say that I’m like you: not near- have said it — told me, “Brian, you play just like you ly as good as I think I am. did when I first met you.” In other words, I haven’t im- Neither do I care what you play like, but I do have a tip proved a bit, no matter how many balls I’ve banged and for you: go get a series of lessons. They aren’t expensive, how many magazine quick fixes I’ve taken. you’ll meet a nice person and you’ll be given every op- What should I do? Take a lesson, I was told. In fact, take portunity to learn how to play better at this game. a series, because one lesson won’t be enough. Let’s review that last sentence again: They aren’t expen- I’m doing that. While I still want a quick fix (and my sive, you’ll meet a nice person and you’ll be given every instructor told me not to expect one,) I see a little glim- opportunity to learn how to play better at this game. mer out there. Not expensive. My instructor is Mary Hafeman, a very nice person who Nice person. has been a pro in these parts for a number of years. She now runs her own academy, using the Windsor Parke and Up to you — if you trust your pro and do what he (in my Champions Club facilities, and she was recommended by case, “she”) says, you’ll be a lot better off. a friend who’s a much better golfer than me. And maybe your friends won’t tell you that you should We struck up a friendship and I offered her a spot in be playing better. our magazine — we’d like to have an instruction piece each month and she’s going to contribute starting next I’m at [email protected]. month. I think you’ll learn something, just like I did. She laid some mantras on me: No quick fixes, either for my game or in her writing. Nothing comes easily in this game. It takes understanding, and it takes practice. Don’t waste Brian Lamarre Publisher her time — she doesn’t need people who won’t do the in-between-lessons work. And, like a good teacher, she looked me dead in the eye and said, in effect, if you trust me, and if you do what I say, I’ll improve your game. Donate to the JAGA Scholarship Fund About two dozen area youth benefit each year from a JAGA Scholarship. Your club’s JAGA directors will tell you how to participate, or go to www.jaxareagolfassn.com. Jacksonville Golf Magazine • February 2012 • www.jaxgolfmag.com 3 Get a more interactive experience. AroundTown www.jaxgolfmag.com Players’ leaders gather Past chairs Ron Natherson and Hank Haynes with Players staffer Karen Davidson. Past chairs Gerry Hurst (seated) and Lynn Stoner. The past and present volunteer leadership of The Players had a golf and dinner outing last month at Timuquana to go over progress for the 2012 tournament. This year’s chair, Curtis Hazel (left,) is with past chairs Tommy Lee and (seated) Jim Past chairs Bobby Martin, Mike Hartley and Bob Past chairs Fred Robbins, Anne Nimnicht and Ed Marlier. Olsen. Nimnicht. Two Man Four-Ball Publisher Brian Lamarre Wednesday, March 21. [email protected] Editor Shotgun at 9 a.m. Fred Seely [email protected] Advertising Ameila National Ryan Gilbert $89 per man entry. [email protected] Includes golf, lunch, range balls and prizes PO Box 65536 Regular, Senior and Super Senior divisions Orange Park, FL 32065 p. 904.383.7587 f. 904.240.4487 Team will be assigned to flight determined by age of www.jaxgolfmag.com younger player. Older team member may play from [email protected] shorter tees based on his age. Must declare on entry form. Jacksonville Golf Magazine is published every month and distributed throughout Northeast Florida. Reproduction without express written authorization from Jacksonville Entry info at www.jaxareagolfassn.com Golf Magazine is strictly prohibited. Editorial content is not necessarily the view of the publisher. All information is from sources we believe to be creditable. Neither the Or send entry to: Lee Crowe, 10559 Innisbrook Dr., Jacksonville 32222 publisher nor the advertisers will be held responsible for any errors found in the publication. The publisher accepts “If you’re a member of a JAGA club, you’re eligible to participate in all JAGA activities.” no liability for the statements made by advertisers. 4 Jacksonville Golf Magazine • February 2012 • www.jaxgolfmag.com Get a more interactive experience. We keep the conversation going. www.jaxgolfmag.com Look for “Jacksonville Golf Magazine” on Facebook. From the Editor ers teetering, it’s nice to have a sto- The dates won’t be set until April ry about one that’s coming back, so but here are the Jaguars’ home Finchem gets cheers to Steve Joost and Scott Gla- games this fall: Houston, Indianapo- dysv for turning the battered Reyn- lis, Tennessee, New England, New 5 more years olds Park/Catttail Creek/whatever- York Jets, Cincinnati, Chicago and We’ll have Tim Finchem else-it-was-named into an emerging Detroit. Not an easy sell. <<< around for another River Bend down in Green Cove. They five years — at least, follow the lead of Mike Pullen, who If you’re planning a fall golf event, the that’s how long his new runs St. Augustine Shores: don’t get Gator road dates are the weekends of contract lasts — and greedy, set a reasonable price, give Sept. 9 and 15, Oct. 13 and Nov. 24. the customer a pleasant experience Georgia-Florida is Oct. 27. Fred Seely that’s good for North- <<< east Florida. He’s been and you’ll succeed. Most of all, don’t a strong proponent of our commu- get greedy. <<< The PGA Tour’s proposal to dump the nity and don’t take that lightly. qualifying school and run everyone While the threats of the Jaguars Bring an extra 20 bucks per team through the Triple-A Nationwide moving can be exposed as smoke, to the JAGA Four-Ball at Amelia Tour means a lot to us. Q-School it wouldn’t be difficult for the PGA National on March 21. We’ll kick meant next to nothing, of course, Tour to pack up and leave. On the in $100 for a Blind Bogey on the but the thought of more recogniz- Tour side, Finchem has been a much side with half to the JAGA Scholar- able players in the Winn-Dixie here better commissioner than any of us ship Fund and half to the winner. means something. The road to the thought. He had a hard act to follow No ties — we’ll draw a winner. And big dance will be through the Na- — Deane Beman, the best commis- don’t gripe at me about the lack of tionwide. And that’s here. sioner ever in any sport — and he’s competition if you don’t play in the Four-Ball. Good course, good lunch, handled it very, very well.