The Grind February 2010 Issue

2010 started off on the right foot for the staff of SNGA. Nicole Dutt-Roberts and Drew Smith were fortunate enough to spend Feb-ruary 19th - 21st at Angel Park Golf Club introducing the SNGA to over 4,000 visitors. The event was a big success with a lot of interest in Memberships, the 2010 Tournament Season, and SNGA Sponsors Cleveland Golf Srixon and MetLife. Golf Fest provided attendees the opportunity to meet all of the top golf club company reps direct

and receive great deals on new and last year’s models. Attendees were eligible for incredible pricing on clothing, golf resorts, golf courses and other golf company products and services as well. Free golf lessons, free driving range use, golf skill contests (closest to the pin, putting and hole in one) were also available to all attendees. There was also a variety of live stage presentations and driving range exhibitions with lessons specifically geared for juniors, and golfers of all levels. The SNGA, which is the local amateur body, used its presence at the show to promote golf in the Las Vegas Valley. Story continues on page 3

2010 Issue Feb.

What are They Up To Now?? Golf Fest Vegas 2010

In This Issue >>>

The Official Newsletter of the Southern Nevada Golf Association

1. What Are They Up To Now?? 2. Butch Harmon Golf School 3. Southwest Golf Club 4. Body Balance for Performance 5. WSNGA 6. Farewell Casey Mersch 7. MetLife Auto & Home®

The Grind

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Misunderstood Rules by Casey Mersch >>>

RULE 23 Loose Impediments

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The most famous golf event involving a loose impediment occurred at the 1999 Phoenix Open. Tiger Woods was faced with a long 2nd shot on the Par 5, 13th hole with a huge boulder directly in front of him. With the help of several marshals and gallery members, Mr. Woods was able to move the boulder, a “loose impediment” and proceeded to birdie the hole. Today, we will take an in depth look at some USGA Decisions regard-ing Rule 23 – Loose Impediments. DECISION 23/13 – CLOD OF EARTH: Is a clod of earth a loose impediment? Yes. Loose soil is not a loose impediment except on the put-ting green. However, a clod of earth is not loose soil. DECISION 23-1/1 – MEANS BY WHICH A LOOSE IMPEDIMENT MAY BE REMOVED: Loose impediments may be moved by any means, except that, in removing loose impediments on the line of putt, the player must not press anything down. This includes removing loose impediments with your hand, golf towel, golf glove, hat, golf club, etc. DECISION 23-1/4 – BREAKING OFF PART OF LARGE LOOSE IMPEDIMENT: If part of a large branch which has fallen from a tree (and thus is a loose impediment) interferes with a player’s swing, may the player break off the interfering part rather than move the whole tree. Yes, removing parts of a large loose impediment is permissible. DECISION 23-1/5.5 – STATUS OF INSECT ON BALL IN BUNKER: Since the ball lies in the hazard, the insect (defined as a loose impedi-ment) may NOT be removed. However, as the insect is animate and capable of moving on its own, the player may take action, such as waving his hand or a club or towel, to encourage the insect to move. DECISION 23-1/6 – REMOVAL OF LOOSE IMPEDIMENTS FROM AREA IN WHICH BALL TO BE DROPPED: Through the green, is it permissible for a player to remove loose impediments from the area in which he is preparing to drop his ball? Yes. DECISION 13-2/5 – REPLACING OR REMOVING UNDETACHED DIVOT: Though a completely detached divot is considered a loose impediment, a partially attached or otherwise replaced divot is NOT a loose impediment and cannot be removed without penalty. Be sure not to touch a repaired or partially attached divot prior to making a stroke at your golf ball, this includes stepping down on the divot. DEFINITIONS: NATURAL ICE vs. MANUFACTURED ICE: Natural ice is defined in the rules of golf as either casual water or a loose impediment at the option of the player. Manufactured ice is defined as an obstruction. Remember to take care in removing loose impediments, because if you cause the ball to move in an area other than on the putting green, you will incur a one stroke penalty (RULE 18-2a). For more information and decisions regarding Rule 23, please consult the Decisions on the Rules of Golf (pages 319-327).

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What are They Up To Now?? >> Continued from page 1 Golf Fest Vegas 2010

Attendees that visited the SNGA booth were given a USGA Rules Book and flyers explaining the benefits for joining the Association. SNGA also promoted the Southwest Golf Club Membership which includes a free round of golf at either Palm Valley Golf Club or Highland Falls Golf Club. The first 30 people to sign up with SGC received a free golf towel from Cleveland Golf Srixon. In

addition, any individual that signs up with SGC between February 19th and March 5th are entered in to win a night’s stay at Vacation Villas Lake Las Vegas and a round of golf for two at The Golf Club at Southshore. Besides offering great promotions to potential members, the SNGA staff were able to see many innovative companies looking to help the SNGA continue to provide new and exciting ideas and opportunities that will help SNGA grow and succeed. The SNGA would like to thank the attendees for participating in Golf Fest Vegas 2010 and the entire Golf Fest staff and volunteers for putting on a great event and allowing us to be a part of it. Through this new found relationship, we hope to help Golf Fest be even more successful in the years to come.

SNGA Employment Opportunity

(LPGA and PGA Members are not eligible for this internship)

START DATE: March 2, 2010

PAY: $1500/month DURATION: 1 year

The intern will work under the supervision of the association’s Executive Director and will be

exposed to all areas of the administration of amateur golf in

Southern Nevada.

Job Duties Include:

Tournament Administration Golf Course Rating

Marketing Office Administration

Member Services

CLICK HERE TO APPLY

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The Low Back – Injures in Golf By Arnel Gaspar of Body Balance for Performance Lower back injuries are prevalent in golf. The statistics are clear; if you stand on two feet and play golf there’s a high probability that your back will hurt. In this installment we will discuss the disorders of the lower back. While there are many more injuries than listed here, these are the most common. Disc Injuries: Bulge vs. Herniation

In the spine there are several important structures: bones (the vertebrae), liga-ments, nerves, and intervertebral discs. The main job of the discs is to act as a cushion or shock absorber. The intervertebral discs also give height and flexi-bility to the spine.

When you think of intervertebral discs you might visualize a jelly donut. There is a soft inner core and a tough outer structure. The outer structure, called the annulus fibrosis, is made of a ligament-like material. The inner mass, called the nucleus pulposus, is very much like the filling in the jelly donut.

A disc bulge is a weakening in the annulus disc. Because of improper loading over many years, the wall of the disc weakens and the nucleus moves into the over-stretched annulus. As the condition or degeneration progresses the annu-lus continues to stretch until we end up with disc herniations. The major dif-ference between a bulge and a herniation is the extent of the outer ring weak-ness. A herniated disc, or a ruptured disc, is a more severe problem. It is more difficult to treat and requires surgery more often than a bulging disc.

Most research indicates that disc bulges are not a major source of pain that radiates into the hips and lower extremities. If you are experiencing pain, numbness, weakness, and other symptoms in your lower extremities that is worse when sitting or standing still, with or without lower back pain, the problem might be a herniated disc. In a herniated disc the nucleus material of the disc bulges out beyond the vertebral body and into the canal and can press on the spinal nerves that run into the lower extremities.

Medical research indicates that a position of increased flexion (forward bending) combined with side bending and rotation all together can lead to disc problems. Under normal circumstances the discs in the lower back can withstand several times the body weight in stress without injury or disruption. How-ever, when the annulus is weakened by prolonged improper loading it is prone to injury, including bulges and herniations. Your mother was right when she told you to stand and sit straight. In that posi-tion there is normal loading on the discs. This prevents weakening of the annulus and maintains good health in the disc.

Disc injuries from golf seem to be related to excessive flexion of the spine at setup, reverse spine angles, lateral sways, and the like. These positions and movement patterns load the discs in flexion and then the swing superimposes high speed rotation and side bending…a recipe for disaster! Next issue we will look at different back injuries and symptoms affecting the golf swing.

Normal Disc

Herniated Disc

Calling all women golfers! We’ve been looking for you to come out and join us in these

great competitions. If you have a current handicap in Southern Nevada you are eligible for all of these events. We award

prizes in both gross and net divisions. If you need further in-formation, check out our website, www.wsnga.org, and the NV

State Women’s site, www.nevadawomensgolf.org.

2010 NEVADA WOMENS’ TOURNAMENTS

MAY 3-4 SOUTHERN NEVADA SENIOR AMATEUR-Boulder Creek

JUNE 14-15

SOUTHERN NEVADA AMATEUR-Bears Best (Silver Cup qualifying played concurrently)

JULY 19-20

STATE PARTNER TOURNAMENT-Wolf Run, Reno

AUGUST 7-8 STATE QUAD TOURNAMENT-Paiute

SEPTEMBER 6-7

STATE AMATEUR/SENIOR AMATEUR-D’Andrea, Reno

OCTOBER 24-27 SILVER CUP MATCHES-Primm Valley

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THE FIRST TEE OF SOUTHERN NEVADA 2009 ACHIEVEMENTS

Department of Defense / Nellis Air Force Base - clinics for children of active military personnel and civilian personnel.

Golf Marathon - joint fundraising venture with the Las Vegas Chapter of the PGA. Elite Team Challenge - new program including golf instructions to prepare our junior golfers for Division 1A College Golf.

Scholarships – funded 16 students who are attending college on a four year scholarship at $2,000 per year. Travel Teams - sent participants to Boys and Girls Jr Americas Cups, Hogan Cup, Mary Cave Cup and Western States Jr. Golf Championship.

Conducted the Partee for Kids Celebrity Pro-Am, Tommy Bahama and the Wal-Mart fundraising events. Conducted Danny Gans, Open Clinic and Middle School Clinics throughout the year.

Year long tournament calendar of 40 events including the Butch Harmon Series. Successful season with tournaments and clinics for the junior golfer the Mesquite area.

Community support for the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open PGA Tour event. Included in the exhibit at the new Las Vegas Golf Hall of Fame at the Las Vegas National Golf Club.

Cover story in the National First Tee Newsletter covering our chapter.

Farewell to Casey Mersch Written by Nicole Dutt-Roberts

We were looking for a P.J. Boatwright Intern back in the fall of 2008 when one of SNGA’s tournament players gave a high recommendation for another fellow golfer who he had played with in the Las Vegas City Amateur. That player was Casey Mersch who we hired after Drew and I put him through a grueling interview process. Casey has spent the last 16 months as the P.J. Boatwright Intern with the SNGA and as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. Casey’s internship will be completed on February 28th. With all of Casey’s newly acquired skills; office, handicap, and tournament administration, course rating, customer service, member signups, and contributing writer to our monthly e-newsletter with the misunder-stood rules section & articles highlighting the winners, it wont take him long to find another position. Casey’s willingness to learn and very positive attitude made him an asset to the SNGA. Anyone who has called the SNGA office and dealt with Casey will surely agree that his demeanor on the phone is excellent and his customer service skills are exceptional. Drew and I will miss his bubbly personality and we hope good things for his future.

Dear SNGA Members, I have thoroughly enjoyed my time as the Southern Nevada Golf Association’s PJ Boatwright Jr. Intern. I have been fortunate enough to meet many of you either on the links or in the office. February marks my final month of employ-ment with the SNGA, but I will always be a member for life. Thank you for all your kind support over the past 16 months, and I hope our paths may cross at some point in the future. If you know of any job prospects or employment contacts, I would be very interested. I have a Bachelors of Science Degree in Economics from UNLV with focused job experience in database and office administration. I can best be con-tacted by email at: [email protected]. Thank you again. Sincerely,

Casey Mersch

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“Golf is like a love affair. If you don't take it seriously, it's no fun; if you do take it seriously, it breaks your heart.” ~Arthur Daley

thoughts... final

Las Vegas National Golf Club Site of the 2009 SNGA Season Opener

What’s on Tap? >>>

Boulder City Team Amateur The tournament season is upon us and what better way to kick it off then with an old familiar course. Boulder City Golf Club is again the host of the 2010 Boulder City Team Amateur. The team event is one of the oldest and most anticipated events on the SNGA schedule every year. The historic course provides an old style layout with narrow landing zones and large treacherous tree lined fairways. Teams will compete in the Scratch, Net, Senior, and Super Senior Divisions March 27th - 28th in a better ball format. The entry varies whether the participant is a tour member or not. The registration deadline is March 21st by 5:00PM. Visit www.snga.org to register or call the SNGA offices at 702-458-4653 x 200

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2625 N. Green Valley Pkwy. Suite 100 Henderson, NV 89014

702-458-4653 www.snga.org

Boulder City Golf ClubHost of the 2010 Boulder City Team Amateur

Nicole Dutt-Roberts Executive Director of SNGA

I had MetLife Auto & Home price out my insurance, I will be saving 13.7% on my home and car insurance. Russ Gard Vice President of SNGA

I found their customer service representative to be very helpful and friendly and when it was all said and done, I had a quote that was over $2,600 less than what I am currently paying. I feel like I just found a $2,600 bill and I didn’t have to give up anything in return except a little bit of my time. Nicole Dutt Roberts Executive Director of SNGA

I just signed on with Met Life on the auto and saved $350.00 per year. Chris Redd SNGA Participant

A Big Thanks to SNGA’s Elite Corporate Sponsor

I just made the switch to MetLife Auto & Home and the num-bers are staggering. I got the exact same coverage I was re-ceiving from my long time insurance company (client for 14-15 years) for $1,241.80 less per year on my auto insurance alone. That is a savings of nearly 55%! Steve Zyla SNGA Handicap Committee

I saved myself $2173.00. A total savings just under 45%. I just wanted you to know that working with Met Life was ef-fortless and painless, and I recommend that everyone should check out Met Life Auto & Home for their insurance needs. Richard Walsh SNGA Board Member