National Team Coach Resigns

After 10 years as head coach of the women’s national amateur golf team for both the Royal Canadian Golf Association and Canadian Ladies’ Golf Association, Dean Spriddle is stepping down,

Spriddle said in a release that he planned to focus on family commitments in Lethbridge, Alta., and pursue personal business and coaching ventures.

“While it’s time for me to move in a new direction in my own coaching journey, I know that Team Canada will continue to get better and I wish them all the best. I am now looking forward to working with young golfers as well spending more time with my own kids teaching and playing the game that I love,” said Spriddle.

Jeff Thompson, chief sport development officer for the RCGA, said Spriddle will be missed.

“Dean has been a valued member of our coaching staff and major contributor to the growing success of Team Canada over the years and we wish him the very best as he moves on to the next stage of his career.”

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Steve Carroll Steps Away Quietly

I was starting to feel a little slighted as Steve Carroll seemed to be ducking me the past week or so as time wound down on his tenure as executive director of the Canadian PGA.

I briefly spoke with him on Wednesday at the Ontario PGA show, but he said he had a meeting to get to with Jeff Calderwood, executive director of the National Golf Course Owners Association and would call me on Thursday.

There’s no reason to believe that Carroll wasn’t a busy guy in his final week on the job, but I got a sneaking suspicion he didn’t want to do a guest blog that I had asked him to write for GNN today. On Thursday, I got an e-mail from him, saying he wouldn’t be able to do the blog.

A smile crossed my face because that e-mail confirmed what I already knew. Carroll has been a big supporter of GNN since it began as the original website devoted to news from the Canadian golf industry, so I knew it had nothing to do with that. Read more

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Kyle’s Blog: Notes From the Show

GNN blogger Kyle German got a chance to check out new products at the recent PGA of British Columbia show in Penticton and says he likes some of the trends he’s seeing in both apparel and golf clubs.

It seems like every year or two, apparel seems to switch it up and go from really brights to khakis to pastels, but this year, there’s a lot of the same brightness, maybe with different colours than last year, but still bright.

I thought a lot of the clothing looked really good. I’m seeing a lot of greens, still some oranges, but the greens are a lot of different shades than before.

When you’re doing your ordering, you’re looking at different colour combinations and it seems to me that a lot of companies are doing a better job now of helping match tops and bottoms for men.

They’ve always done a really good job with the ladies, but they’re now positioning them as outfits for men in many cases, which I think is great. It’s always been outfits for ladies, but for men, it’s been, “Here’s a shirt.”

I’m a cotton guy for shirts. For me, I’m not a huge fan of all the tech stuff out there these days, but a lot of it now has some really nice hand to it and really good colours. I found that there’s a lot of really nice stuff out there.

Historically, in equipment, it’s been, “This is either a players’ club or a game-improvement club. We’ve got two and you can choose.”

A lot of the manufacturers seem to be offering one club that appeals to everybody. I didn’t see as much of the square driver – they had the triangle a couple of years back – but it seems like there’s a little more traditional in clubs again.

I think the advances in clubfitting are playing a role in the products that companies can offer to consumers.

Each company now has such a detailed, clubfitting station. They can really dial you in and it’s impressive what’s happened over the last five years.

Clubfitting has been around for quite awhile, but they’re getting you dialed in so well now. If you go and just watch a clufitting take a guy for 45 minutes and absolutely change what’s happening with his ball flight, it’s pretty amazing.

I think all of the companies are doing a great job of focusing in on this and training their employees, their reps and their staff custom fitters.

It’s great for the game. It’s going to allow people to have more fun at a game they already love. Who isn’t going to want to shave four or five shots off their games just by getting a clubfitting?

To be honest, the game hasn’t really been growing a lot lately and there’s conflict for golf’s governing bodies. Do we roll back the ball? Do we stop the golf club from doing this or that?

It’s a tough one. They have to protect the game, but I think they also have to grow the game and I think clubfitting goes a long way towards doing that.

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Janes Named Ontario Club Pro Of The Year

Ron Janes, head professional at Toronto Hunt, has been named the 2009 Ontario PGA Club Professional of the Year after a career that began under the renowned Pat Fletcher at Royal Montreal.

Janes has been head professional at Toronto Hunt since 1996.

“At my age to win this award means a lot, I mean, there are so many qualified individuals for this award and to be chosen was a complete surprise but a welcome one,” said Janes.

After becoming a Class A member in 1974, Janes moved from Royal Montreal to Barrie Country Club in Ontario and eventually on the St. Charles Golf & Country Club in Winnipeg.

He met his most important mentor, Jim Collins, then head professional at St. Charles. Collins’, who was one of the country’s top club professionals from a managerial, playing and teaching standpoint.

“I was extremely lucky to work with Jim Collins,” said Janes. “He was the guy who helped me get on in life and in the business and I am very grateful for that.”

Now 60, Janes doesn’t have any retirement plans. In fact, he is looking forward to completing a number of projects at Toronto Hunt.

“I’m at a magnificent facility and I plan to keep working to improve what we’ve started,” said Janes, who has been instrumental in a number of course changes that have occurred at the nine-hole course over the last few years.

“I’ve never woke up feeling down about going to work, I absolutely love this business and it keeps me going everyday,” he said.

This year’s Teaching Professional of the Year presented by FlightScope was awarded to Sean Casey from the Clublink Academy, which is located at Glen Abbey in Oakville, Ont.

Teacher of the Year nominees are judged on a wide array of criteria ranging from innovative teaching techniques to instructional articles, videos or promotions.

Casey, who began his career in New Brunswick in 1998, has been published both nationally and internationally, including his own instructional book entitled Casey’s Golf Tips.

“It’s a great honour just to be nominated with all of theses fine individuals,” said Casey, who has been nominated twice before in this category.

This year’s Teacher of the Year for Juniors is Henry Brunton of Henry Brunton Golf.

Brunton’s year was highlighted with the introduction of his first book entitled Journey to Excellence – The Young Golfers Complete Guide to Achievement and Personal Growth.

The book was designed to assist young golfers maximize their potential on and off the course, was released in September.

“The book was the highlight of my year and I’m grateful for the opportunity to share my positive experiences with parents, players and all golfers not only juniors,” added Brunton, the national men’s coach for the Royal Canadian Golf Association.

“It’s great to be recognized with my peers,” said Brunton, the only Canadian among Golf Magazine’s Top 100 instructors.

Colin Imrie, the head professional at Weston Golf and Country Club, was named this year’s Merchandiser of the Year.

“Just to be mentioned in the same sentence as some of the past winners is a privilege and an honour,” said Imrie. “Our team at Weston has made a commitment to making our shop a world-class operation and offering our members top quality service.”

Justin O’Leary, associate professional at Deer Ridge Golf Club in Kitchener was named this year’s Assistant of the Year.

“I’ve been working in golf since I was 11 years old and this is the highlight of my career,” said O’Leary who grew up at Westfield Golf Club in Saint John, NB.

“To win this award on the same night as Sean (Casey) is truly awesome and I can guarantee we will do some celebrating tonight,” added O’Leary.

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Islington To Serve As Open’s Practice Facility

The nearby Islington Golf Club will serve as the practice facility for the 2010 RBC Canadian Open at St. George’s Golf and Country Club.

The private club with a Stanley Thompson design is located about two kilometers away from St. George’s. The practice facility will be constructed on Islington’s first and second holes.

Nearby practice facilities were one of the major problems faced by the RCGA in hosting the Open at the venerable St. George’s club, located in an established area in west-end Toronto, where Islington Avenue, which separates the clubhouse from the course, will be closed during Open week in July.

The first plan for the practice facility was to build one at Eglinton Flats, a community area located roughly seven kilometers from St. George’s. However, Islington offers a closer solution to the lack of practice facilities at St. George’s.

Construction will begin immediately and the offsite practice facilities will be available to spectators during Open week.

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Putting In Paradise In Maui

Claude Brousseau smiles with confidence as an earlier prediction he made comes true with the first hint of a trade wind around 9:30 a.m. Brosseau may be a native of Montreal, but he knows his stuff about Maui.

Now a teaching professional at the Kapalua Golf Academy, Brosseau, who was named Golf Professional of the Year in 2008 by the PGA Aloha section, is offering local knowledge to another Canadian about to take on the nearby Plantation course.

Designed by Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore the Plantation is home to the SBS Championship, the season-opening PGA Tour event that features the champions of tournaments from the previous year.

It’s hardly a champion who heads out this day to a course that is a par 73 for men and par 75 for women and stretches to 7,411 yards, while offering offering spectacular tropical backdrops for both memorable and forgettable shots.

The wide fairways of the Plantation can be deceiving due to the trade winds that can either get behind a memorable shot, or do everything possible to put the ball in a precarious situation.

Usually, the breezes have done both by the time you’ve reached the par five 18th hole which, at 663 yards from the tips, is one of the longest on tour, but not as menacing as its appearance.

The trick is to keep the ball low, so the gusts don’t control your shot as Brosseau demonstrates in a drill with a shortened follow-though and a club with less loft. It proves to be a helpful hint, not only in Kapalua, but also on other courses in this island paradise.

About 15 minutes down Hwy. 30 from Kapalua, the Kaanapali Golf Courses have hosted the Senior PGA Kaanapali Classic, the LPGA Tour’s Kemper Open, Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf and the Canada Cup, now known as the World Cup.

The Kaanapali Royal course is the work of Robert Trent Jones, Sr., and opened in 1962, but recently underwent a major renovation. We played the Kaanapali Kai South Course, which also underwent a facelift in 2005.

The Resort course lives up to its name. Stretching to 6,400 yards, it can be a fun day for all levels of golfers on land that once was the site of a plantation. A sugar cane train still chugs through at times as a tourist attraction on this picturesque course with magnificent mountain and ocean vistas.

Nearby, there is a distinct taste of Hawaii on a vibrant beachfront that buzzes in the evening near a collection of waterfront hotels, offering a taste of Hawaii that begins on the ride out along Hwy. 30, with soaring mountain peaks disappearing into low-hanging, misty clouds on one side and Pacific waves lapping onto the beach on the other.

Whether your drive is from behind a steering wheel or off the tee, you’re sure to be surrounded by spectacular scenery.

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Srixon Introduces Its Z-TX Family

Srixon Sports is introducing its new Z-TX driver, fairway woods and irons, as well as its latest hybrid.

Srixon Z-TX Driver

Starburst variable face technology in the new Z-TX driver is designed to enlarge the driver’s COR by five per cent to add distance, consistency and forgiveness on the tee, as well as decreased power loss on off-centre hits.

The larger sweetspot is in place to allow mis-hits to benefit from the higher trampoline effect for more ball speed leading to added distance.

The Z-TX driver is made with a new low-density, highly-elastic, rolled titanium face material called Super Ti-X51.

The clubhead body is made with a proprietary, low-density titanium that, when combined with the driver’s Twin Cam sole design, allows for the redistribution of 11 grams of clubhead weight to the extreme perimeter of the clubhead for increased moment of inertia.

The six-part bulge and roll on the driver’s clubface is designed to reduce side spin and increase launch angles for better control on mis-hits.

The Z-TX driver has a 460 c.c. clubhead, while the straight top-line shape allows for better alignment and added consistency. It’s available in lofts of 8.5, 9.5 and 10.5 degrees.

Srixon Z-TX Fairway Woods

Made with a custom 455 Maraging Steel face, the Z-TX fairway woods also have Starburst variable face technology and a Twin Cam sole. Its aggressive leading edge is designed to pick balls from tight lies and rough turf conditions.

They are available in lofts of 15 and 19 degrees.

Srixon Z-TX Irons

Designed for the low to mid-handicapper, the Z-TX irons have a slight cavity back design for added playability and increased accuracy, while providing forgiveness.

Forged from 1025 soft stainless steel, the proprietary heat treatment and chrome finish are in place to offer a soft, responsive feel for better control and predictability of shots.

Five grams of tungsten weighting are positioned on the heel and toe of the sole for increased MOI and added stability at impact, while the lower and deeper centre of gravity helps promote a higher ball flight.

The stepped sole design allows the longer blade to be played like a shorter one, while offering more versatility in rough turf conditions. A thinner face centre has expanded the sweetspot by 20 per cent.

Srixon Hybrid

The latest hybrid from Srixon has a custom 450 Maraging Steel face with Starburst variable face technology.

Heel and toe tungsten sole weights have been strategically positioned to place added weight lower and deeper in the clubhead for increased stability.

The new Srixon hybrid is available in lofts of 16, 19 and 22 degrees.

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Tehama Enhances Girl Power

Tehama is introducing the new Golfer Girl Grouping, featuring lady golfers embellished with rhinestones, chain detail, bugle and seed beads on the front of a t-shirt.

The t-shirts are created with a blend of pima cotton, modal and spandex designed to offer a comfortable, lightweight shirt for the golf course and other casual, social functions. The three Golfer Girl tees range in colours and designs.

A hoodie is also available to coordinate with the tees, featuring rhinestones embellishments lining the sleeves and hood. It’s available in black and white.

For more information, visit the website, www.tehamainc.com.

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