Medigas Celebrity Classic 2014

July 13, 2014 / The Grateful Golfer / 4 Comments

What a day! Yesterday, I participated in the Medigas Celebrity Classic 2014 Golf Tournament. From the moment I arrived at Trillium Wood Golf Club, I was treated like a king. This tournament raises money for local charities and helps spread hope and joy in our community! The turn out was amazing and a fantastic time was had by all.

The Medigas Celebrity Classic is a non-profit charitable organization. Proceeds from this annual event support children that face physical challenges. It also assists young students in the advancement of their health care studies, during their pursuit of post secondary education. Previously this annual event was operated as the Rick Meagher Charity Golf Classic and it was originally established in 1988.

After 26 years and thanks to generous donations and money raised from the annual tournament, over $1,500,000 has been raised. Helping to support the needs of children with physical challenges in the Quinte area.

Additionally, it provides scholarships in support of local high school students in the advancement of their health care studies in post-secondary education. We also continue to support families with children facing physical challenges in the Quinte area.

Upon my arrival at the course, I was met by big smiles and hardy hellos from all the volunteers. Many of the young workers are recipients of the scholarships, but the more seasoned volunteers were affiliated with Medigas, the multitude of sponsors, or just willing helpers believing in a great cause. They doled out food and water, helped everyone find their way and hosted a putting competition where 3 balls for 5 dollars gave you a chance to win $500! Winning score was 90 points….it was not me!

Tough downhill hard-breaking putt!

Kelly Gruber – Toronto Blue Jays

Stephane Richer – Montreal Canadians

Before heading to the links for a great round of golf, all the celebrities were introduced. It was outstanding to see some young and upcoming hockey stars, however the walk down memory lane with the old veterans was the best part. It was amazing to see so many celebrities willingly step forward to support this worthy cause! Their participation made the event a huge success and memorable for all participants.

As we snaked our way to the starting hole, 5A, we saw much of the front nine at Trillium Wood Golf Course. It is in fantastic shape and we were excited to start hitting the ball. The men played from the Blue tees, 6100 yards, and women from the Red tees. The course was set up extremely well for a scramble format. Depending on your team, scoring low may have been a challenge. Overall, I thought the combination of pin placements and tee box location was outstanding.

There was an opportunity to win many prizes! The two cars up for grabs was definitely the highlight of the treasures. As well, there was two more closest to the pin challenges and two longest drive opportunities. In the latter two cases, the entire team won a prize, not just the individual who made the miracle shot. This was a very nice touch! The speed of play was expected for 5 players on the team and the skill level of most players. Nobody minded because the weather was fantastic, company outstanding and facility top-notch!

Norm, Jim, and Dave

I was fortunate enough to play with one of the major sponsors of this charity event. Mr Print is a locally built company that meets all needs for printing, graphic design and more throughout all of Canada! Norm Clifton and David Pepper, owner-operators, are two outstanding guys. The entire day was a pleasure! With plenty of laughs, stories, and teaching moments, I am grateful to have met them and look forward to playing another round of golf with them sometime in the near future. Thanks Norm and Dave for the outstanding day!

Jim and Charlie

The celebrity player in our group was Charlie Graham. He is a soon to be hockey superstar who plays nets for the Belleville Bulls. A super nice young man, he entertained us with some stories of life on the rink, explained the rigorous training routine and his desire to play in the National Hockey League. Although he had a tough time stopping a TimBit thrown his way, he is obviously a gifted athlete and we wish him all the best as he pursues his dreams! Thanks Charlie!

Jim and Duffy shooting for a car!

The last member of our group was the long hitting Duffy McGuire. Duffy invited me to play in this event and I am grateful he thought to do so. In true “boys-will-be-boys” style, we heckled, cajoled, and jabbed each other for the entire round. It was as if we had our own internal game as neither would give an inch to the other. It was all in good fun and made the day even more memorable! Thanks Duffy!

After playing 18 holes in the hot sun, trying to score low, and making new friends, it was time for the meal and prizes. After putting our clubs away, we sauntered towards the club house where much to our surprise a volunteer was waiting with an ice-cold bowl of water, face clothes and drying towels! This was an outstanding idea as we cooled down and cleaned our face! Feeling totally refreshed, we walked in to the event tent for a delicious steak dinner! What a great way to finish the day.

At the end of the meal, the prizes were given out and the winners paraded around the room with their trophies held high. Lastly, there as an auction for memorabilia donated by the celebrities. This was a perfect way to cap off an outstanding charity event.

The Medigas Celebrity Classic 2014 was a tremendous success. Everyone walked around with smiles as they recounted their round. After 27 years, this event is as strong as ever due to the volunteers, sponsors and celebrities! More importantly, the real winners are the local charities who rely on events such as these to make their lives better. Thank you to the Medigas team and sponsors for showing true leadership within our community!

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!

Scramble or Best Ball Golf Tournament

July 11, 2014 / The Grateful Golfer / 15 Comments

On Saturday, 12 July 14, I am playing in the Medigas Celebrity Classic 2014 at Trillium Wood Golf Club. This event is very popular in my area and to make things more exciting, the celebrities are professional hockey players! One celebrity will play with each group of four, making each team a total of five players. It is going be very exciting and I am looking forward to hitting the links.

The Medigas Celebrity Classic is a non profit charitable organization. Proceeds from this annual event support children that face physical challenges. It also assists young students in the advancement of their health care studies, during their pursuit of post secondary education. Previously this annual event was operated as the Rick Meagher Charity Golf Classic and it was originally established in 1988.

After 26 years and thanks to generous donations and money raised from the annual tournament, over $1,500,000 has been raised. Helping to support the needs of children with physical challenges in the Quinte area.

The advertisement for this event states that the Best Ball tournament will have a shotgun start at 10:30 am. For all the avid golfers out there, I bet you are scratching your head at the “Best Ball” format. I have doubts about the format myself and here is why.

Scramble – Everyone lines up the putt!

The difference between a Scramble and Best Ball tournament are two of the most confused terms in golf. Most novice players have difficulty because the names do not follow any logic.

The four-man scramble features teams of four players competing against one another. In this format, each team’s players hit from the teebox, then the team members choose the best of the four shots for the next shot. All team members then play the second shot from that location, and again choose the best shot. Play continues in this manner until the hole is completed. The team then records its score and maintains that format for all 18 holes. (Golfsmith.com)

Best ball can be played using 2-, 3- or 4-person teams. Each player on the team plays his or her own golf ball throughout the round, and on each hole the low score – or “best ball” – of the group serves as the team score. For example: On the first hole, Player A gets a 5, B gets a 4, C gets a 6, D gets a 6, so the team score for that hole is 4, because the low score of the group was B’s 4. (about.com)

Given that about 180 players will be teeing off at roughly the same time, it is unlikely we are playing the Best Ball format. Although, this format would be great for me, most participates at charity events are not single digit handicappers. The Scramble format is what most players will expect. They will be out to enjoy the day and donate money to a good cause.

Regardless of the format, I am going to enjoy myself and share many laughs with the friend who invited me. It is going to be a fantastic event that supports a local charity and besides if golf is involved, how could we go wrong!

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!

Cool Facts About Golf

July 9, 2014 / The Grateful Golfer / Leave a comment

I came across this interesting golf info-graphic. Of note, this graphic was created by Penina Hotel & Golf Resort and I have no affiliation with them. I just like the graphic and wanted to share it.

Tricks on the Range

July 7, 2014 / The Grateful Golfer / 13 Comments

To most golfers, the practice range is a sacred place. It is a place where players like Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, Michelle Wie, Vijay Singh or Grateful Golfers regularly hone their skills. A major difference between a professional golfer and an amateur is their intention as the approach the practice range. It is this intention that helps focus their practice to accomplish their goals.

After hours on the practice range, there is no question they have developed some tricks to help make the most out of their practice time. Here are some sites to check out:

Each of these offer good advice on developing a routine and a great starting place for anyone trying to improve their game through focused practice.

Through the years, I have used many of the above suggestions and the following tricks that helped fix my woes.

When fixing a slice or a hook, I stand on the far side of the range. As a right-handed player with a slice problem, I stand on the far left side. This may seem strange, but it forces me use a different swing plane and aiming point. I am so focused on not hitting the ball out of bounds, that it helped me straighten my slice.

It is important to use aiming sticks. At the very least, use two clubs. These training aides help align your swing and your aiming point. I use them to determine my ball position in relation to my stance, determine my swing plan by the relation of my divot to the aiming sticks, and my alignment of my feet in comparison to how I am aimed. Check out toursticks.com for a complete guide on how to use alignment sticks.

My last tip deals with using the flag sticks out in the range. On my course, it is possible to line up all the sticks until they are one behind each other. I use this visual aid to help identify a poor swing, whether I am fading or drawing the ball that day and to help with my aiming points. If I am on a different range, I will try to line up at least two flags and use them as my aiming point!

There are plenty of tips and tricks to use on the practice range. Today I have mentioned just a few that worked for me.

Golf is all about sharing, so do you have any tips or tricks to use on the practice range?

I am grateful golfer! See you on the links.

Loyalist Country Club – Review

July 6, 2014July 13, 2014 / The Grateful Golfer / 2 Comments

Ready to Tee off! Congrats to Pete on his retirement!

On Friday, 06 Jul 14, I had the privilege of celebrating the retirement of a friend who dedicated 35 loyal years of service to the Canadian Armed Forces. As part of the celebration, about 30 of us congregated for a round of golf and to swap stories at the Loyalist Country Club in Bath, Ontario, Canada.

This jewel of a course has played host to many prominent Ontario amateur championships that include the Ontario Senior Men’s Amateur (August 2011), the Ontario Women’s Mid-Amateur (August 2010), the Ontario Men’s Mid-Amateur (June 2009), the GAO Senior Women’s Amateur (July 2008), and the Women’s Amateur (2012) championships.

Par 5 second shot over water!

This 6584 yard track provided all amenities expected from a top-tier course. The staff was outstanding and portrayed a positive customer-service attitude that was very refreshing. My dealings with Jordan Babcock in the Pro Shop, Geoff James (CPGA Head Professional) and the staff in the lounge would warrant a trip back to the Loyalist Golf and Country Club. All the prices were reasonable, the food was fantastic and the ambiance was great. Overall, before even playing, I was very happy with my experience.

Warming up on the Range.

The practice facility was good. The driving range was very large and provided plenty of room for at least 20 players to hit balls. The practice green was a bit small and there was no place to pitch; only chip. However, the green rolled exactly the same as those on the course and this feature alone made up for the smaller putting/chipping green. Another bonus was the practice facility was located right beside the first tee. Personally, this is a great feature because a player can continue to practice until called forward by the starter. Overall, the practice facility was well suited for the Loyalist Country Club.

Approach shot to the first green.

The course played like two different courses. The front nine provided a rolling, meandering layout that was challenging and yet playable. Most of the greens were elevated and had many hidden breaks that provided a level of difficulty that I appreciated. As we made our way around the first nine holes, the water hazards, sand traps, and dog-legs were well placed so course management was an important factor to score low.

Approaching over water!

The back-nine was less adventurous as it weaved through a subdivision of expensive homes. It was level and the greens were less interesting, but still posed a decent challenge. The fairways were flatter and good lies could be found everywhere. To score low, each player still needed to manage their shots and stay focused on their yardage to set up the next shot. Overall, the back-nine was still fun to play.

Great place to rest and talk!

The condition of the course was outstanding. The fairways were plush and well maintained. The greens rolled true. The hazards were well-marked and the grass was mowed in all areas. There was a washroom facility after the 13th hole. There was plenty of dirt to replace divots on the par 3 tee boxes (more of an issue on most courses than one would think) and there were many yardage markers on the sprinkler heads. Additionally, there were a couple of table and chair sets located throughout the clubhouse area which greatly enhanced my experience.

Korean Beef Salad! Delicious!

We arrived early to have lunch and sat in the lounge. The service was outstanding, the food delicious and the atmosphere perfect. The price of my meal, and the other selections on the menu, were very reasonable and worthy of another visit.

Overall, I would rate this course a 4.0 out of 5. My entire golfing experience was excellent and I would highly recommend this course to anyone in the Bath, Ontario, area looking for a game. Thanks to the entire Loyalist Country Club team for my outstanding golf outing.

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!