Phil Johnston Named Executive Director of Golf Industry Association of Arizona (GIA)

The Golf Industry Association of Arizona (GIA) announced today that Phillip M. Johnston, PGA, has been named Executive Director.

Johnston, a resident of Mesa, has worked in the golf industry since age 14.

In 1989, beginning a 12-year tenure with the Del Webb Corporation, he was named assistant golf professional at Hillcrest Golf Club in Sun City West. Johnston has also been a head golf professional (Desert Springs and Granite Falls in Surprise), director of golf (Anthem Golf & Country Club in Anthem), and general manager (Superstition Springs Golf Club in Mesa). In 2007, as regional manager for Eagle Golf Corporation, he oversaw the operations of six public golf courses in the Valley of the Sun.

A class “A” member of the PGA of America, Johnston has over 25 years of experience in the golf industry at public, private and semi-private facilities. According to Curt Hudek, the Southwest Section PGA executive director who was on the GIA hiring committee with Brent DeRaad (Scottsdale CVB) and Carmella Ruggerio (Cactus & Pine Golf Course Superintendents Association), Johnston showed great interest in growing the Golf Industry Association of Arizona. “He would like the position to grow in stature and influence,” Hudek said. “Phil is a leader and will increase the credibility and visibility of the GIA–and help raise money to support the organization.” The GIA also announced that Shawn Connors (President), Brent DeRaad (Vice President) and Clesson Hill (Treasurer) will comprise the GIA executive committee for 2010.

Key Roles of the GIA

• Establish and maintain an effective presence before the Arizona legislature, as well as state and federal regulatory agencies, in order to represent the interests of the industry.

 • Participate in rule-making and other regulatory processes affecting the industry, including sales and property tax regulations, the formation of “management plans” by the Arizona Department of Water Resources, effluent reuse and other regulations promulgated by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. • Annual monitoring of proposed legislation, which affects the golf course industry.

• Sponsorship of legislation for the betterment or protection of the industry.

Golf Industry Association, Inc. 10685 N. 69th Street Scottsdale, AZ 85254

www.azgia.com

Phone: (480) 367-0353

2010 RANKINGS POSITION KAI AS BEST

Forbes Travel Guide (formerly Mobil Travel Guide), recently announced their list of 2010 award winners. Kai restaurant at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa was awarded Forbes Travel Guide’s highest rating with the Five-Star Award. Kai now stands alone as one of only 17 Five-Star restaurants in all of North America and the sole restaurant in Arizona to receive this prestigious commendation. In addition, AAA last week announced their list of 2010 Five-Diamond Award winners and Kai was the only restaurant in Arizona to be named to this venerated list. These recent announcements mark Kai’s second Five-Star rating and fourth Five-Diamond designation. This dual recognition solidifies Kai’s position as the most celebrated and acclaimed dining experience in Arizona. Kai, the Pima word for seed, opened with the resort in October of 2002 with unique cuisine, coined “Native American with Global Accents” by the resort’s Michelin trained, Executive Chef, Michael O’Dowd, who considers it his privilege to be a thoughtful caretaker of the Gila River Indian Community’s culinary story. Working diligently to learn traditional recipes and present them in a new setting is O’Dowd’s way of paying homage to the past while weaving a new culinary future for Native American inspired cuisine. In so doing, Kai has won the hearts of Resort guests, local and national epicureans alike. “It is truly humbling and a distinct honor to again be deemed one of the finest dining establishments in the world,” said Bunty Ahamed, General Manager. “It is a tribute to the passionate and talented Kai team whose daily aspirations to deliver world-class experiences clearly do not go unnoticed.” It is with accolades like these and by exhibiting an appreciation for a culinary sense of place that the Kai team has brought an ancient cuisine to the forefront of epicurean dialogue with passion and has earned the attention of the culinary world.

Cactus & Pine Golf Course Superintendents Association Helping Feed the Less Fortunate this Thanksgiving

The Scottsdale-based Cactus & Pine Golf Course Superintendents Association is helping feed the less fortunate this Thanksgiving.

Through November 26 the organization is selling two small stuffed animals: Toni Can Can ($15) and Touchdown Tony ($20). Each sale will feed a family of four a holiday meal.

All proceeds from the fundraiser will go to St. Mary’s Food Bank of Arizona. Donations may also be made by going to the organization’s web site www.Cactusandpine.org  and clicking the St. Mary’s Food Bank logo. The link will send users to a St. Mary’s Food Bank donation page which has been created to tally all Cactus & Pine donations. Carmella Ruggerio, executive director of the Cactus & Pine GCSA, said the goal is to raise $5,000 for St. Mary’s Food Bank by Thanksgiving.

Ruggerio said there are three ways to participate:

1. Purchase a turkey stuffed animal.

2. Go to the Cactus & Pine’s web site, St. Mary’s Food Bank link to make a donation.

3. Call the Cactus & Pine GCSA to make a donation.

Contact: (480) 609-6778 cell: (480) 600-3786 or  e-mail: Carmella@cactusandpine.com

John W. Riggle, 99, Remembered

John W. Riggle, 99, of Phoenix, died October 31, 2009.

Born April 19, 1910 in Ottumwa, Iowa, John was a graduate of the University of Wyoming.

From 1930-1950 he was in the produce business in Washington and Oregon. A former 1st Sergeant with the U.S. Army, he saw extensive combat duty in the South Pacific, earning several combat medals. From 1950 to 1968 John was a produce broker in Arizona.

Co-founder the International Association of Golf Administrators (IAGA), and Pacific Coast Golf Association (PCGA), Riggle was involved in Arizona junior golf, the annual Bob Goldwater, Sr. Matches, Junior America’s Cup Matches, Pro-Junior Team Matches, State Seniors Championship and the Arizona Open.

He served as president of Jefferson Park Men’s Club (Seattle), West Seattle Men’s Club, Rose City Men’s Club (Portland), Encanto Men’s Club (Phoenix), Arizona Am-Pro, International Association of Golf Administrators, the Pacific Coast Golf Association, Arizona Golf Association (1967-1976) and was a member of the Arizona Golf Hall of Fame.

Other accomplishments include:

U.S.G.A. Rules Official for the U.S. Public Links Championship, U.S. Women’s Amateur, U.S. Women’s Open, U.S. Mid-Amateur, U.S. Amateur and U.S. Open. Appointed to Arizona Golf Association board of directors (1959) and named AGA Executive Director in 1968, Riggle founded the Arizona Golf Hall of Fame in 1971.

A Service celebrating Mr. Riggle’s life will be at 2 p.m. Friday, November 13th at Messinger Mortuary, 7601 E. Indian School Road, Scottsdale.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Arizona Humane Society, P.O. Box 90610, Phoenix, AZ 85066 or St. Jude Children’s Hospital, P.O. Box 50, Memphis, TN. 38101.

What’s white, skinny, has a hole in its head and hangs on trees?

Fore the Love of Golf, a Mesa-based company, has announced it is selling Christmas T’s, a unique golf-themed product made for the holidays. With a look similar to icicles hanging on the branches of the Christmas tree, Christmas T’s help holiday revelers express their “passion for the game during the holiday season.”

According to Dave Bond, president of Fore the Love of Golf, Christmas T’s have been used as ornaments by his family to decorate their Christmas trees for years. “We’re thrilled to launch a product that has been enjoyed by our family,” Bond, a low-handicap golfer, said of the specialty item, which is ideal for tree trimming golfers and lovers of the game.

Each package of 25 white Christmas T ornaments is presented with an attractive, descriptive header card, along with a hang hole stapled over the top of a re-sealable plastic bag. The retail price of each package is $9.95.

Orders are currently being accepted by calling Mr. Bond at (480) 338-5660 or by logging on to the Internet at www.foretheloveofgolf.com. Customers may also e-mail Bond at fore@foretheloveofgolf.com.

Web site: www.foretheloveofgolf.com

 

 

 

 

10 Tips for Trimming Christmas Trees

1. Set the tree up where it will remain throughout the season. You don’t want to have to move it once the decorations are on.

2. Make sure the branches are “fluffed.” Branches get flattened sometimes during transport and storage.

3. Keep the tree away from drafts or heat source.

4. Water and clean the tree before you begin decorating it.

5. Test the lights to verify that they are working. Make sure the plug can easily reach an outlet.

6. String up the lights. Begin at top of the tree and work your way down.

7. Decorate your tree with ornaments like garlands, tinsel, tin icicles or Christmas T’s (www.foretheloveofgolf.com). Homemade decorations can be fun to make and add an even more personal touch. Try stringing popcorn or cranberries into long garlands.

8. Place an ornament at the very top of the tree. Popular choices are angels or stars.

9. Sweep or vacuum up pine needles from under the tree.

10. Place a tree skirt around and under tree, if desired. Add wrapped presents.

Pinnacle Peak Country Club Announces Unbeatable Opportunity

Pinnacle Peak Country Club (PPCC), one of the top private golf experiences in North Scottsdale, announced today an unbeatable membership opportunity available through December 2009.

A one-year (completely commitment-free) trial membership requires new members to pay only monthly dues ($660 per month) and an annual food and beverage fee ($1,500). A deposit of $5,000 is due with an application for membership, but if members choose a full golf membership after the one-year trial membership period, the deposit becomes the first year’s payment.

According to Diane Gregg, membership director, the initiation fee of $50,000 (non-equity) is payable with a five-year interest-free payment plan with several payment options. However, if new members decide at the end of the trial membership period that the experience does not meet expectations, they are under no obligation to continue.

The $5,000 deposit is fully refundable. There is no promissory note or large lump sum investment for membership. About Pinnacle Peak CC Pinnacle Peak Country Club is a private, member-owned club conveniently contiguous to three, upscale residential communities. Membership is not tied to property ownership. With members from all over the U.S., Canada and foreign countries, many of whom are part-time residents, it’s one of the few private clubs in the Valley of the Sun that is member-owned. There are no uncertainties regarding the arrangements and cost of turnover from the developer. The Board of Directors operates in the best interests of the members and is elected by the members.

PPCC is also part of a mature and attractive community that is completely built out. The golf course is a spectacularly manicured and maintained bentgrass, par 72, 7,030-yard championship golf course that was originally designed by Dick Turner and redone by Dick Phelps.

Recognized as one of the premier layouts in the region, it was constructed and created in 1976. The course offers challenging play for golfers of all types, skill levels and handicaps. Wide-open, tree-lined fairways, tournament level course conditioning, walker-friendly landscape, and superior practice facilities are available. The clubhouse is a unique blend of comfort and formality. Special design elements include rusticated stone fireplaces, exposed wooden beam overhangs and low pitched, gabled roofs, with a Spanish Colonial-style exterior. Extensively upgraded and reopened in 2004, it includes fine dining and casual dining rooms, grill room, men’s and ladies’ locker rooms, a fitness center with state-of-the-art exercise equipment, golf shop, 19th hole cocktail lounge, meeting rooms and administrative offices.

A heated swimming pool and lighted tennis courts complete the amenities. Call 
Russ Christ at (480) 577-3698 for more information.

Web site: http://www.pp-cc.org/

Only 20, co-leader Fowler finds game at Grayhawk

by Russ Christ – Oct. 23, 2009

Special for The Arizona Republic

Rick Yutaka Fowler.

Remember the name.

He makes the game look easy. After a 6-under, bogey free 64, fresh-faced Rickie Fowler is the 36-hole co-leader with Greg Owen at the Frys.com Open at Grayhawk’s Raptor Course. They’ll play in the final group on Saturday with Justin Leonard, who is 10-under. Fowler, a Murrieta, Calif., native, made the most of a sponsor’s exemption last week, tying for seventh at the Justin Timberlake Shriners. He earned $113,000 in the tournament only a month after he turned professional. That followed a dominating 4-0 performance in the Walker Cup, which is essentially the Ryder Cup for amateurs.

This week could be even better. “I’m having fun,” the 20-year-old said. “Right now the game feels good.” Fowler was a key player on the winning 2007 and 2009 U.S. Walker Cup teams, but those accomplishments scrape the surface of what looks to be a promising professional career. The first freshman to win the Ben Hogan Award (given to the nation’s top collegiate golfer) at Oklahoma State, pressure is something the Southern California native is used to dealing with. “The most nervous I’ve been on a golf course was the 2007 Walker Cup,” he said. “I’ve played in two U.S. Opens so I feel like I’ve been through plenty of experiences to make me feel comfortable out here.”

If he wins Sunday in Scottsdale, Fowler is eligible to become 2009 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year and gain instant membership on Tour. But there’s too much golf left to even think about that. “That never crossed my mind,” he said. “I was looking forward to playing a couple Nationwide Tour events and playing in Las Vegas last week, then Q-School.” “I was just going out to play as well as I can, but I knew I could be in this position if I played my game. I’m looking forward to this weekend. There’s no reason to tee it up in a tournament if I don’t think I can win.”

Tour success is coming quickly for Fowler, who turns 21 on December 13, but it’s not unexpected. At 19, Fowler made the cut at the 108th U.S. Open at Torrey Pines. He tied for 58th at the 2009 FBR Open and missed the cut in the 109th U.S. Open again this year at Bethpage Black. This is his fifth PGA Tour event in 2009. An even-keeled disposition helps him deal with pressure. “I’ve been playing fairly stress free golf,” he said. “That’s the way I try and play.”

On Thursday, Fowler hit all 18 greens in regulation, including the 332-yard, par-4 15th in one. He drained the eight-footer for eagle. He eagled another reachable par 4, No. 6, on Friday. A birdie on the 36th hole left him tied for the lead with Owen. “My expectations were to have two fun weeks and play as well as I could,” he said. Now the Las Vegas resident is in the last group of the day. Not bad for a guy who doesn’t even have a swing coach. “I’ve been told by many players out here,” he said, “and people I look up to stick to what I’m doing and not let anyone mess with what I do.”

Rick Barry recalls playing days at Coliseum

Rick Barry recalls playing days at Coliseum

October 23, 2009 by MARK HERRMANN / mark.herrmann@newsday.com

Take it from one of the greatest basketball players who ever lived. Rick Barry remembers when poor, dear, old Nassau Coliseum was its own beacon. Long, long before the Lighthouse Project, the Coliseum was filled with hope, if not every imaginable amenity.

And while it never was a palace, it had potential. It sure was a massive upgrade.

“It definitely was better than the Island Garden,” Barry said the other day, thinking back to the time when he was the first great attraction at what was seen as a bold new venue.

Barry played for the Nets and stirred big dreams on opening night, Feb. 11, 1972, when he scored 45 points in a 129-121 American Basketball Association victory over the Pittsburgh Condors before 7,892—capacity at the time because about half the seats weren’t in yet.

The irony now is that Barry, 63, is in better shape than the Coliseum. He still is an intense and successful competitor. This weekend, he will be in Mesquite, Nevada, pounding out massive tee shots with his Krank Golf driver in the 2009 RE/MAX World Long Drive Championships.

“I’m anxious to go out and compete. This has really been great for me to experience that again,” he said from Denver, where he lives and works in TV and several other business ventures. “The thing I missed most in retirement was that I didn’t get those butterflies in my stomach. I like the feeling of really putting myself in front of people with the possibility of failure and embarrassment. It really gets the juices flowing.”

Barry, a Basketball Hall of Famer who played every game as if it were the only one he ever was going to play, doesn’t just compete for the sake of the juices. He plays to win. And he has won. He won the Grand Champion Division of the national long drive contest last year with shots that measured 373, 369, 361, 360. But that division isn’t in the competition this year, so Barry will have to step up to the Super Senior Division, against golfers who are 10 years younger.

It’s just another challenge, not unlike the one he had on his hands in the early 1970s, when he put the ABA Nets on the map and made the fledgling Coliseum a place to be. The Nets caught fire that first season in the new place, three miles east on Hempstead Turnpike from the ramshackle Island Garden. As more and more seats were added, the Nets grew better and better. They were within reach of the title, except they blew a lead late in Game 5 of the finals in Indiana and lost Game 6 in Uniondale.

In the process, the Nets caught people’s fancy in a way that they have rarely—if ever—done since. The Coliseum was the place to be, and it looked like it would stay that way for a long time, what with a hockey team coming in that fall.

Those are classic memories for those of us who witnessed those games and they are Long Island folklore for those who didn’t. It turned out that Barry, having signed a future contract with the National Basketball Association’s Warriors before he was traded to the Nets, reluctantly left New York and the Coliseum never did become a palace.

But it sure would be sad to lose it. No matter where you stand on the Lighthouse, a scaled-down Lighthouse, Charles Wang and Kate Murray, you have to admit that Long Island wouldn’t be the same without it. Heck, a rebuilt Coliseum finally could be the wonderful place that we all envisioned 37 years ago (although let’s hope no one says, as officials did in the Feb. 11, 1972 edition of the New York Times, that it has potential to be “the indoor equivalent of Shea Stadium”).

When he was prodded about that season, Barry remembered “We gave the game away” in Indianapolis and that at the end of warm-ups before Game 6, he “pulled something” and barely could move. “I had to get shot up, just to play,” he said.

Mostly, though, he isn’t sentimental. “I don’t look back. I focus on what I’m doing now,” he said.

That includes pursuing his new love for fishing and hosting fishing programs and other shows for the Outdoor Channel. He organizes fishing trips. His overall golf game isn’t so great—he’s up to a 10 handicap after having been a 1—because he is busy. But he still can hit it long. He is on the staff of Krank Golf, which specializes in drivers for average players.

When he was asked what makes the Krank driver so distinct, he said he really doesn’t want to know. “It’s like driving a car: I just want to get it in and have it go,” he said.

Barry always has been one of the most intriguing characters in American sports. Long Island was lucky to have him, at least for a while. The Coliseum stands as a reminder to that, a reminder that ought to be preserved and refurbished.

There are even some of us who will hold out hope that, until that new arena in Brooklyn actually takes shape, the Nets will someday come back to Long Island and finish what Barry started.

 *This article was placed in Newsday by Russ Christ PR.

http://www.newsday.com/columnists/mark-herrmann/rick-barry-recalls-playing-days-at-coliseum-1.1544006

Four earn spots in Frys.com field

Final sponsor’s exemptions handed out as well, filling field at Grayhawk

by Russ Christ – Oct. 19, 2009
Special for the Republic

Scottsdale’s Stan Utley has something to Twitter about.

Utley, 47, who recently joined social networking websites Twitter and Facebook, shot a 7-under 65 at the Frys.com Open Monday Qualifier at the Southern Dunes Golf Club in Maricopa.

Utley earned one of four spots competing against 76 other players. Also advancing Monday: Gateway Tour players Eric Meierdierks, 24, from Wilmette, Ill., Jake Younan-Wise, 22, from Australia’s Gold Coast and Brady Schnell, who survived a four-man playoff for the last spot.

Ben Fox, Bret Guetz, and Peter Tomasulo also shot 66s to make the sudden-death playoff, but Schnell, of Milford, Iowa, birdied the third extra hole to earn the final spot.

Meierdierks, who shot a 63, and Younan-Wise, who shot a 64, will compete for $5 million in their first PGA Tour event.

“It’s a dream come true,” Younan-Wise said. “I just went back to Australia two weeks ago, took my first lesson in four years and now everything is clicking. You could say I’m quietly confident.”

Meierdierks, who lives near Grayhawk while he’s competing on the mini-tours, said it helped to know Southern Dunes, a frequent host of Gateway Tour events. “I hit it well…made nine birdies,” he said.

The Chicago-area native is brimming with confidence. “My goal is to win,” he said. “That’s why we play, isn’t it?”

Utley, a putting guru who teaches out of the Grayhawk Learning Center, posted the first score of the day, then hung around for hours to see if it would qualify.

His post-round Tweet: “I just played a solid round… waiting to see if I make it.”

“I’ve been trying to enter golf’s social networking arena,” he said of Twitter, where he has about 300 followers.

Utley birdied five of his first six holes and needed only 23 putts. “I hit it to six inches on the first,” he said, “but also made a lot of 15 to 20 footers. Except for three holes I hit it well.”

Utley said the challenge at Southern Dunes was reading the grainy greens. “That was the tough part,” he said, “but I handled it well.”

A former PGA Tour player, Utley missed the cut in the Madrid Masters in Spain two weeks ago. He said playing in a big event was good for his game. “It helped that I just competed,” he said, “and knew what it would take to get a little better.”

Utley teaches about 80 days a year at Grayhawk, and attends 15 to 18 PGA Tour events, where he helps a “handful of players” hone their short games. He also travels to 20-to-25 corporate events every year.

“I’ve been away the last couple of years during this tournament, but this year I thought it would be fun to try and qualify on my hometown course. It’s kind of fun.”

Note

Rickie Fowler, who was given a sponsor’s exemption, won’t need it after posting a top ten finish in Las Vegas last week. Jason Gore was given that exemption. The final three went to Derek Fathauer, Colt Knost and Matt Jones.

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/golf/articles/2009/10/19/20091019spt-frysmonday.html

ABCTV (Phoenix) Airs Segment on KRANK GOLF

http://www.abc15.com/content/sports/stories/story/Krank-golfers-gearing-up-for-Long-Drive/R3FnYE2C2EuFtaMhrSGH6Q.cspx

By Jeff Heisner

The Krank Golf team won’t make you feel good about your golf game.

Lance Reader and his team routinely pound golf balls well over 400 yards, leaving on-lookers envious of their length.

Reader once held the world record in competition with a 526 yard drive.

Right now Reader and his team from Krank are gearing up to grab $150,000 and the first place prize at the Remax World Long Drive Championships in Mesquite, Nevada.

A big contingent from the Valley will be heading to Mesquite looking to capture the championship and the big pay day that goes along with it.

Reader says more than half the field will be using Krank drivers, including former NBA Hall of Famer Rick Barry.  Barry not only competes, but is the defending champion in the Grand Champions division.

Reader believes his new driver, The Rage, will help the Krank team dominate the competition.

While the Krank team hits those jaw-dropping drives, Reader says that his drivers will help golfers of all skill levels get extra yards off the tee.