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Monday, November 28, 2011

A Better Chance To Play The Old Course

Here's some welcome news from St Andrews. Effective next year, the ballot for tee times on the world famous Old Course will be drawn two days ahead effective in January 2012. The ballot has been drawn one day ahead for many years but St Andrews Links Trust, which manages the seven public courses in the town, is making the change to help players plan their golf more effectively.

On Saturday, January 7, 2012, the ballot will be drawn for Monday, January 9 and will continue to be drawn two days ahead from then onwards.

The 48 hour ballot will dovetail with the one-day ahead booking system on the Castle, Jubilee, Eden and Strathtyrum courses and will enable golfers who have been unsuccessful in the ballot to book an alternative course for the day they want to play. The earlier draw will make it easier for visiting golfers to plan accommodation and travel arrangements and will encourage them to stay longer in St Andrews and play more golf in and around the town.

Euan Loudon, Chief Executive of St Andrews Links Trust, said, “The ballot is designed to ensure that golfers who haven’t been able to book in advance still have a chance to play the Old Course. It has been drawn one day ahead for many years but we conducted an extensive consultation exercise with a range of different stakeholders and the feedback was that people felt drawing it two days ahead would make it much easier for people to plan their golf. We believe the change will help to improve the experience of playing in St Andrews and to ensure that people have more opportunity to book golf on the other courses.”

To enter the ballot requires at least two golfers and they will have to enter their names, home clubs and handicaps by 2pm. The ballot will take place every day of the week with the exception of Friday as there is no play on the Old Course on Sundays. The entries can be made by phone on 01334 466666 or in person at any of the three clubhouses at the Links.

In addition to writing about golf, Dave Donelson distills the experiences of hundreds of entrepreneurs into practical advice for small business owners and managers in the Dynamic Manager's Guides, a series of how-to books about marketing and advertising, sales techniques, motivating personnel, financial management, and business strategy.

Friday, November 18, 2011

Great Golf Art On Line

Collectors and admirers of the finest golf art have a new online resource, St. Andrews Golf Art, where they can find work from highly regarded contemporary artists who have memorialized the game’s legends, historic courses and iconic competitive moments on canvas, in sculptures, illustrations or other media.

Renowned international artists were selected for the online launch of St. Andrews Golf Art, including Walt Spitzmiller, Joe Austen, Adriano Manocchia and Simon Russell. Their sought-after work is exhibited in museums, galleries and clubhouses, as well as held in private and corporate collections around the world. Each artist has a distinctive style that showcases aspects and interpretations of the game’s rich heritage and vital spirit.

Walt Spitzmiller

Walt is one of the world’s foremost sporting artists and his work is widely held by private and corporate collectors, including many golf legends such as Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson as well as the PGA TOUR. For many years, Walt’s art regularly illustrated stories in Sports Illustrated and GOLF Magazine, and he was the chief contributing artist to Senior Golfer Magazine.

Joe Austen

Joe is one of the world’s foremost painters of sports portraits. His oil paintings are exhibited in clubhouses and hotels in the United States, Japan and Europe and in prestigious private and corporate collections throughout the world. The Austen Gallery in the Macdonald Rusacks Hotel in St. Andrews, Scotland houses many of Joe’s impressive works, including the ambitious “World of Golf” (16’ x 10’) and the mesmerizing multiple swing action sequence portrait of Jack Nicklaus.

Adriano Manocchia

Adriano began his career as a photojournalist and traveled the world covering news events. In 1984, he started painting and quickly received the attention of collectors and art critics worldwide. Many of his early works concentrated on landscapes and the great outdoors. In 1992, Adriano was introduced to golf when the USGA commissioned him to paint a series of oils of famous courses. The PGA TOUR recently commissioned Adriano to create a major painting of the Tour’s new clubhouse at Sawgrass, with the 18th hole in the foreground, and the work is on display in the clubhouse’s Champions Room.

Simon Russell

Simon Russell is the pseudonym of a hyper-realist artist from the former Soviet Republic and is now resident in one of the new states surrounding Russia. He has a very fine eye for detail, having honed his talent in the etching of photography for gravestones. His depiction of golfers such as Seve Ballesteros, Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Greg Norman, Payne Stewart, Colin Montgomerie and others is captivating, as is his interpretation of The Old Course’s famous Swilcan Bridge.

St. Andrews Golf Art also welcomes inquiries for special commissions from golf clubs, corporate clients or individuals who appreciate the appeal of acquiring a significant piece(s) of art from one of the world’s foremost golf artists. This could include incorporating a series of relevant pieces for a themed area, room or corridor of a clubhouse or private residence. For further information, contact Alasdair Busby at www.standrewsgolfart.com or by telephone 0044 (0)7757 358918.

In addition to writing about golf, Dave Donelson distills the experiences of hundreds of entrepreneurs into practical advice for small business owners and managers in the Dynamic Manager's Guides, a series of how-to books about marketing and advertising, sales techniques, motivating personnel, financial management, and business strategy.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Bensel Notches Back-To-Back Wins At PGA Assistant Championship


Century Country Club's Frank Bensel laid down a scorching final round six-under-par 66 to grab the trophy for the 2011 Callaway Golf PGA Assistant Championship this last weekend. Bensel's come-from-behind win also made him only the second player to hoist the trophy two years in a row. The Purchase, NY, assistant pro also won the tournament in 2010.

At the beginning of the final round, Bensel was eight big strokes off the pace in a tie for 24th. Then he poured it on in a round that saw an eagle and five birdies to post a 283 total, a stroke ahead of a group of six players that included Aaron Clark of Springfield, MO, Scott Berliner of Albany, NY, Jamie Broce of Clayton, IN, Tyler Hitchcock of Orlando, FL, Ryan Sikora of Greensburg, PA, and Richard Terga of Palm Beach Gardens, FL. The tournament was played at the PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, FL.

Bensel's win earned him a coveted spot in the 45th PGA Professional National Championship at Bayonet and Black Horse in Seaside, CA, next June, and a $9,000 first-place check. It makes him the fourth player in Championship history to win more than one title. He joins Darrell Kestner (1982, '87), Jim Schuman (1996, '97) and Kyle Flinton (2002, '03, '05) in the small group with multiple titles.

In addition to writing about golf, Dave Donelson distills the experiences of hundreds of entrepreneurs into practical advice for small business owners and managers in the Dynamic Manager's Guides, a series of how-to books about marketing and advertising, sales techniques, motivating personnel, financial management, and business strategy.