Rule 1-1 My group allows “Gimmies”

QUESTION:

Dave’s group allows players to pick up the ball, without holing it, when it is “inside” the leather. What is the rule for allowing “gimmies”? Are they allowed under the rules of golf?

ANSWER:

The rules of golf do not permit the use of “gimmies.” Rule 1-1 states the game of golf consists in playing a ball from the teeing ground into the hole by a stroke or successive strokes in accordance with the rules. Additionally, in stroke play, if a player fails to hole out and does not correct the error prior to playing a stroke from the next teeing ground, he shall be disqualified – see Rule 3-2. In match play, if the putt has not been conceded, (Rule 2-4) the player shall lose the hole.

In recreational play, this process happens every day. It only takes a couple of seconds to tap it in the hole. Remember, even the professionals have missed a six inch putt.

Tap it in and reward yourself with the satisfactory sound. Don’t be like Dave!

Regina’s Brooke Hill will be considered one of the favourites heading into this weekend’s Saskatchewan Women’s Amateur Championship, the Wascana Country Club member is the defending champion.

A little bit of a self proclaimed late bloomer, Hill spent plenty of time at the course with her father who was a teaching professional when she was young. She didn’t know up until high school if golf was something she would pursue. Eventually the game landed her at the University of Illinois Springfield, even then she wasn’t sure if competitive golf was in her future.

“It took a while for me to feel comfortable in a competitive setting,” Hill admitted. “Even when I went away to college I wasn’t quite convinced, but eventually you get into a groove and I realized I could compete with the best.”

In her junior year of college Hill played a tournament in 1 degree Celsius with 60 kilometre per hour wind and rain. In a field of over 100, one golfer finished sub-80 while Hill shot an 80 with nothing over a bogey dotting her scorecard. She said that was when she realized she could handle just about anything on the course. Winning last year’s Amateur Championship was a “life-long” goal of Hill’s and she said it assisted in her final year of university golf experience wise. She said going into the 100^th anniversary event this year will have a different touch.

“I just graduated in Illinois and am now done with collegiate golf. I will always try to come back to Saskatchewan and play competitive golf in the summer but, I feel like my focus has shifted. That being said, I can rely on my competitive experience and can’t wait to get out there and compete,” she said.

The 54-hole event begins Friday at Harbor Golf Club and Resort. The historic tournament will finish on Canada Day. Hill said to be involved in the centennial version of the championship will have a defined feel.

“The 100th anniversary will be very special and I’m greatly looking forward to the little things Golf Saskatchewan may do to make it feel that way. It’s a representation of how far women’s golf has come in this province, and hopefully we can continue to grow our great championship for many years to come,” she said.

Saskatoon’s Roman Timmerman is making an early case for Saskatchewan’s best Amateur golfer right now. The 19-year-old won the Great Western Brewing Saskatoon Amateur Championship on Monday at the Riverside Country Club.

The Riverside member pulled ahead of the 28-player field with an opening round of 69 at the Saskatoon Golf and Country Club. Liam Courtney, also a Riverside golfer posted a 69 in round one as well but at Holiday Park on Sunday Timmerman rattled off a 67, Courtney dropped back with a 72. Saskatoon GCC player Taylor Afseth climbed into the conversation also posting a 67 in the second of three rounds. The weather conditions at the Riverside turned the final round into a battle but Timmerman safely shot 75 staying seven strokes up on Afseth for the victory. Timmerman is coming off a win at the Lobstick, he said nothing changed in his game from event to event.

“Really nothing was different, I hit the ball good, hit a lot of greens, minimized my mistakes. I putted decent, basically it was a continuation from Waskesiu,” he said.

Defending champion Justin Wood finished in third place firing 219 (71,74,71), eight strokes back of Timmerman. He said the weather helped him hold off the field on day three. Timmerman said he was a little shocked at the wide margin of victory.

“Conditions were pretty tough the last day, not a whole lot of low scores,” he said. “With the strength of the field the gap was a little surprising but I’m not complaining.”

Timmerman, who leads the Men’s Order of Merit Tour standings won’t be in the field for the upcoming Mine Supply Central Amateur from June 30 – July 2 at the Saskatoon GCC. Ty Campbell, the sixth-place finisher along with Timmerman are travelling to North Dakota for a United States Amateur qualifier event. He said he is playing his best golf going into the tournament.

“I couldn’t be too much happier, I’m playing really good I guess. I couldn’t ask for anything more,” he said.

Beginning Friday at the Harbor Golf Club and Resort, Golf Saskatchewan will crown a champion in the 100^th Women’s Amateur Championship but one golfer is hoping the winner is 12-years-old.

Grade 6 student Ella Kozak, the current U15 Junior Women’s Order of Merit (OOM) leader will play in the 54-hole competition. Kozak started the game young with her dad, not always wanting to go to the course, she was bribed with a bag of chips that “always worked.” Eventually her love for the sport evolved, Kozak said she likes meeting new people and playing in tournaments such as the Future Links and Maple Leaf Junior Tour (MJT). She’s had success at those events, however the humble Kozak feels older competition is the best for her development.

“I don’t know about being a gifted golfer, but I started to play against older players and was able to keep up and I played a couple tournaments in Alberta and Manitoba and was able to play well against tough competition,” she said.

She has a first and second place showing on the MJT tour and a pair of 18^th place finishes on the Future Links tour this season. Most of her events she plays against girls up to 15-years-old, she said playing the Women’s Amateur doesn’t make her nervous.

“I am used to being the youngest, most of the time girls I play with can’t believe I am only in Grade 6 and I know some of the younger ladies in this tournament so that will help me be more relaxed. My dad is caddying for me and he gets really nervous, so I will have to keep him calm,” she laughed.

Kozak said her game is averaging in the 80’s this season and she hopes to continue that pace through the three-round event. With a bright future in the sport ahead of her she said playing golf in college is in her sights despite six more years of school in Yorkton.

“Right now, the goal is to play as many tournaments as I can to get experience and then hopefully I have the opportunity to play college golf and get an education somewhere hot,” she said.

Kozak credits the work of coaches Jason Schneider, Jeff Chambers, and Amanda Minchin as well as Deer Park professional Allan Sauser for her development.

“We are there a lot and Deer Park is a great course to play everyday.”

Thanks to some local volunteers and an initiative through Eagle Point Resort owners Lolita and Wade Mohr; the game of golf’s popularity in the North is growing. This year the course in La Ronge is offering free golf to anyone under the age of 18. The course has clubs, balls, and tees free to use to assist kids getting on the facility after numbers dropped overt the past decade. On June 24 the club hosted a junior golf “warm up” tournament with 24 kids taking part. Organizer Devin Bernatchez said the event went well.

“We had a great turnout of kids who just had a lot of fun,” he said. “We don’t keep score or anything like that, it’s just about keeping the kids busy and getting them out on the course.”

Last year Bernatchez organized a local “open” tournament, over 50 golfers took part across three different age groups. He has a second annual tournament planned for Sept. 15. Bernatchez’s son Dade plays on the Maple Leaf Junior Tour (MJT), Parker Layton, another La Ronge golfer also competes on the Tour. Bernatchez said with the number of players increasing and the work of newly certified coaches Darcy McPhail and Steve Hopper conducting weekly clinics the talent is improving. A few locals took part in the Lobstick at Waskesiu and will enter the Junior Lobstick later this summer. He said the focus isn’t about putting up low scores.

“The kids just love to golf, we have had such great support from the parents and kids, it’s so much fun for them,” Bernatchez said.

The next MJT event is June 30 and July 1 in Saskatoon at Moon Lake.

100 years in the making, the Harbor Golf Club and Resort is prepared to host a monumental tournament in Saskatchewan. The course at Elbow, on the banks of Lake Diefenbaker will welcome the province’s best amateur golfers for the 100^th annual Amateur Women’s Championship and the 55^th annual Senior Women’s Championship. Head professional and pro shop manager Mark Patterson said the staff has worked hard to bring the course back from a tough winter, a late start in growth due to the cold spring, and the malfunction of one of their pumps.

“The conditions with all that being said are in pretty good shape. I think when the ladies get here they are going to enjoy the facilities. They will enjoy the course and the set up,” Patterson said.

As of 1 p.m. Tuesday 17 golfers (eight/amateur; nine/seniors) were entered in the event. The deadline to register is 5 p.m. Both tournaments feature the returning champions from last year. Regina’s Brooke Hill is the Amateur winner, Jo-Anne Schiller of Lloydminster is the reigning Senior champion. Also, in the field is last year’s Junior Women’s winner Chloe Sies of Melville, 12-year-old Ella Kozak of Yorkton will compete as well. Patterson said hosting the prestigious event is an honour.

“Harbor is really excited to have the opportunity to host the province,” he said. “Hopefully out of this we get return business and to spread the word about what we have here in Elbow.”

The amateurs will play 5,720 yards, the seniors tournament will play 5,439 yards long. The tournament will begin at 10 a.m. om Friday. The championship is 54 holes and the winners will be crowned on Canada Day. Patterson is the President of PGA of Canada said it’s great for a small-town club to be selected for the centennial event.

“From that position with the PGA of Canada and having the event like this is a feather in the facility’s staff and ownership. We’re going to brag about this for a very long time,” he said.

You can follow along with the scoring online, click here for the amateurs, the senior’s results are here.

For the first time since being a junior golfer, Kipling’s Carson Harcourt is a tournament champion.

The 20-year-old Minot State University student was the lone golfer to finish under par (one under) during the 36-hole event at the Tor Hill Golf Club in Regina on the weekend. Harcourt stroked a two over par during round one, sitting two shots back of Tyler Zaba after the opening round, Harcourt had the low round of 69 over the final 18 holes to edge Yorkton’s Kade Johnson by a single shot. Zaba shot 75 on day two leaving him in third place at three over. Johnson was even for the event. Harcourt said he hit two bad shots off the tee over the two days but battled through the miscues.

“On the first day I hit one out of bounds and that resulted in a quadruple bogey,” he told Golf Saskatchewan. “That was tough to come back from. On the final day I hit one in the bush and that resulted in a bogey, I was able to minimize the damage. It seemed whenever I was on the green putting for birdie I was making it. That really helped, after you take a quadruple it’s tough to come back from.”

Harcourt grew up playing at the Kipling Golf Course before becoming a member at nearby Golf Kenosee. When he was 12-years-old he joined a Golf Saskatchewan team led by Phil Gross. Several tournament wins followed during his junior career including his last ever event. He said being victorious on the Men’s Order of Merit Tour (OOM) was a big confidence boost.

“It feels pretty good, I haven’t won since my last junior event at the Wascana Country Club, that was a couple years ago. It was a good field and it makes me realize I can play with these guys and win tournaments in the future and win college tournaments in my future too,” he said.

The win earns Harcourt 500 OOM points, Johnson picked up 400 points. Zaba collected 350 for his third-place finish.

The full results can be found here along with the OOM standings.

The Senior Publinx champion was Rob Schneider, the Tor Hill member shot 146 (72, 74) for a four-stroke victory over Ken Rodgers, also of the Tor Hill. Mike Hammer, another Tor Hill member placed third with a nine over 151 (76, 75). The win was Schneider’s first OOM event of the season, he picked up 500 OOM points with the win, he sits in sixth place overall. Lionel Fauchoux sits in top spot.

The results from the senior’s event and OOM standings can be seen here.

The next OOM event for both the men and seniors is the Mine Supply Central Amateur Senior Men’s Division from June 30 – July 2 at Saskatoon Golf and Country Club.

Golfers battled the elements as well as breast cancer at the Rosetown Golf Club on June 10 during the course’s Golf for a Cure event.

Courses across Saskatchewan and Canada have been hosting the fundraising tournaments for 15 years. This year 40 women took part in the Rosetown event. The attendees raised just over $5,600 through donations, a silent auction and the registration fees. Event organizer Sue Skinner said 60 kilometre per hour winds played a part in the golf, however the gusts didn’t damper the spirits of the women that took part.

“The weather was not perfect, but the enthusiasm was vibrant and heartwarming throughout the day,” she said.

The theme of the event was, “together let’s tee off on breast cancer.”

Participating courses are eligible for an invite to the national GOLF fore a CURE event in Thornhill, Ont. on Sept. 24. Invites are based on dollars raised, last year Elkridge Golf Course was the top Saskatchewan club. They will host their event on July 5. Deer Park Golf Course in Yorkton will hold their event on July 14. Both the Melville Golf and Country Club and Meadow Lake Golf Club will host events on July 18.

More information on the initiative can be found here.

After being closed for a season the golf course at Sandy Beach Regional Park is open for business and business is good.

Officially named a regional park in 1966, a nine-hole sand green course was built shortly thereafter. Although the facility was well used according to board president Howard Mehain, he said the group operating the course had a decision to make. The group pondered expanding to 18 holes with nine new grass greens about five years ago, but the final decision was made to revamp the current layout and change the greens to grass. Mehain said the outcome is better than the committee envisioned.

“We started doing some work in the fall two years ago, we had the course closed last year and reopened this year. We are happier than we could ever be,” he said.

On June 23, the club celebrated a grand re-opening inviting sponsors, volunteers, staff and contractors to the course located just North of Lloydminster. Mehain said recognizing the people that contributed to the renovations was important to the board.

“We were really fortunate that we found local people at great rates,” he said. “Lots of people expected we’d take our 30-foot diameter sand greens, dig them up, put dirt in and seed them to grass. We ended up reshaping them, 4,500 square feet with lots of modulations. The course is way better than we ever thought,” he said.

The crews working on the course focused on other aspects as well, trees were relocated or removed, and a new irrigation system was installed. The course is equipped to expand to 18-holes but Mehain said the committee feels focusing on nine holes at this point is the proper venture. He said the group wants to provide the best experience possible for golfers and visitors to the park.

“We’re really happy with how it worked, so far we’ve been really busy. We have a few more things we’d like to do but so far we are thrilled with how it turned out,” he said.

Sandy Beach’s annual open tournament will return this year, that is scheduled for Aug. 11.

Delisle’s Colin Coben is the 2018 Auto Clearing Senior Men’s Golf Champion.

Coben fired 207 (71, 68, 68) over 54-holes at Moon Lake Golf and Country Club to be crowned the winner on Thursday. Rick Hallberg of Weyburn placed second with a score of 219 (76, 74, 69). Moon Lake member Lionel Fauchoux placed third with a score of 222 (76,73,73).

With the victory, Coben earns 750 points on the Saskatchewan Senior Men’s Order of Merit Tour (OOM). He sits second overall behind Fauchoux.

The up to date OOM standings and complete results of the Auto Clearing Championship can be seen here.

The next OOM event is the Men’s Publinx Championship at Tor Hill Golf Course in Regina on Friday and Saturday.