Golfing News & Blog Articles

Spirit of the Game: Jon Rahm’s Spanish Breakthrough

July 5, 2021

Torrey Pines delivered again. Seventy-second hole. Birdie putt. A delirious crowd going wild for one of the pre-championship favorites.

Thirteen years ago, it was Tiger Woods who delivered the “Expect anything different” putt heard around the world.

On a cool, overcast Sunday in 2021, it was Jon Rahm hammering home the most memorable 24-foot birdie putt of his young career, one that gave the fiery Spaniard a one-stroke victory over Louis Oosthuizen in the 121st U.S. Open Championship.

People Who Play the Game—NCGA CEO Joe Huston Interview With Frank LaRosa

July 2, 2021

Recently, NCGA CEO Joe Huston sat down with Northern California golf media icon Frank LaRosa to talk about the state of the game. Among the topics covered were the NCGA’s new Mission Statement, which focuses on diversity and inclusiveness. Huston also talked about how the NCGA is helping its members to enjoy the game more. The interview appeared on LaRosa’s ‘Golf to Go” show on KHTK 1140 Sports Radio.



Rule of the Month: Dropping

July 1, 2021

Topic Overview:

When taking relief, whether with penalty or without, you must drop a ball. The ball must be dropped straight down from knee height, must be dropped by you (or your partner), must first strike the ground within your relief area, and must remain within that relief area. Your caddie is not allowed to drop your ball.

The relief area is always measured from a reference point. The reference point for an unplayable ball is simply the spot where the ball lies. For a ball in a penalty area, it is the spot where the ball crossed the edge of the penalty area. When taking relief from things like temporary water, ground under repair, cart paths, and sprinkler heads (abnormal course conditions), the reference point is called the nearest point of complete relief. This is the spot on the course nearest to where your ball lies, but not nearer the hole, where you could play your next stroke with no interference from the condition you’re taking relief from. Click here for more information on the nearest point of complete relief.

The size of the relief area is measured from the reference point and is determined by the type of relief you are taking (one club-length for things like cart paths and ground under repair, or two club-lengths for lateral relief for an unplayable ball or a ball in a red penalty area). If the ball doesn’t stay in the relief area after dropping it, simply drop it again. If it again doesn’t stay in the relief area, place a ball on the spot where it struck the ground on the second drop.

When taking relief, a club-length is always the length of the longest club in your bag (excluding your putter). For most players, this will be their driver. You may leave the headcover on when measuring, but the extra length doesn’t count – the club-length is still simply the length of the driver itself.

Volunteering for the U.S. Women’s Open—A Top 10 Experience!

By Audrey Cormier

I had the opportunity to serve as a volunteer marshal for the 2021 U.S.Women’s Open Championship held June 3-6 at the Olympic Club in San Francisco.   It was a “top 10” experience for sure!

The spirit of teamwork, camaraderie and commitment to provide an excellent experience for the players and fans was evident from the start.   Since I live in the East Bay and would have to cross a bridge to get to San Francisco, I decided to do back-to-back 4- hour shifts to be sure I fulfilled the time allotment required of the volunteers.

I arrived early each day – around 7 a.m.- in order to receive my instructions and be in place when the players arrived at my assigned hole. As I walked from the grassy parking area to the volunteer tent, I could sense the excitement of the day, viewing other volunteers and workers also busily preparing for their shifts.

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Yuka Saso Has Historic Win at U.S. Women’s Open

June 7, 2021

The Olympic Club struck again. Just as in the five U.S. Opens contested on the club’s Lake Course, the first U.S. Women’s Open Championship played over this iconic Bay Area layout wasn’t kind to the favored final-round frontrunner.

Olympic’s list of past victims includes Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson, Jim Furyk and Payne Stewart, and Lexi Thompson can now be added to the remarkable list of players who have come up short in championship bids here.

Thompson, the 54-hole leader, was five strokes ahead of her closest pursuers on a beautiful early June Sunday with 10 holes remaining, only to play the final eight in 5 over par, including consecutive bogeys on Nos. 17 and 18 that left the 26-year-old Floridian with a final-round 75, one agonizing stroke shy of the playoff between Yuka Saso and Nasa Hataoka at 4-under 280.

It took three holes to decide the outcome. Saso converted a 12-foot birdie putt on the first sudden-death playoff hole (No. 9) after both players made back-to-back pars in the two-hole aggregate playoff. At 19 years, 11 months, 17 days old, Saso joined World Golf Hall of Fame member and seven-time major winner Inbee Park as the youngest champion in U.S. Women’s Open history – to the day. She also becomes the first player from the Philippines to engrave her name on the Harton S. Semple Trophy. Princess Mary Superal (2014 U.S. Girls’ Junior) is the only other player from the Philippines to claim a USGA title.

Women’s Golf Day 2021

June 1, 2021

A group of 30 women was among those celebrating International Women’s Golf Day by getting in a round of golf at Poppy HIlls Golf Course in Pebble Beach. Up at Poppy Ridge GC in Livermore Wine Country, nearly 50 women got in holes to celebrate the day. The day was celebrated at a number of facilities in the NorCal region.

Founded in 2016, Women’s Golf Day is a collaborative effort by a dedicated team, golf management companies, retailers and golf organizations and governing bodies all working together to Engage, Empower and Support girls and women through golf. Since its inception, WGD has been engaging participants from around the globe irrespective of race, religion, language, ethnicity, or geography and continues to see an increase year after year. WGD encourages participating locations to have a charitable component. WGD has a global impact from collective grassroots local events.
The one-day, four-hour event is rypically held the first Tuesday in June each year. Women’s Golf Day offers a simple and accessible platform from which players can build or deepen a foundation interest in golf. WGD supports the creation of a network to support the continuation of golf no matter what skill level.

In past years, festivities at both Poppy Hills and Poppy Ridge have included clinics on everything from putting and driving to fitness. The clinics were scrapped this year due to COVID-19.

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Spirit of the Game: Althea Gibson, A Multi-Talented Star

June 1, 2021

From the LPGA archives

In 1963, Althea Gibson, then age 35, became the first African American to play in a U.S. Women’s Open.

She’d miss the cut by a stroke. But Gibson was already a star.

Rule of the Month: The Ball

June 1, 2021

Topic Overview:

Generally, you will hole out with the same ball you play from the teeing area. You can always use a new ball when starting a hole. You can also substitute a different ball any time you are taking relief, including both free and penalty relief. Unless the one-ball Local Rule is in effect, the substituted ball could be any brand. On the putting green however, when you mark and lift your ball, you must replace that same ball to finish out the hole.

When your ball is lifted, you can almost always clean it (except for a few specific circumstances). If you happen to run out of balls, you can borrow one from any other player, including a practice or X-Out ball (which are generally conforming balls).

If you play a wrong ball, you lose the hole in match play or get a two-stroke penalty in stroke play. In stroke play, you must correct your mistake by playing the right ball or otherwise playing under the Rules (for example, by playing under stroke and distance if your ball is lost).