Divot Mix

'People who say golf is fun are probably the same people who rationalize the game by saying they play it for their health. What could be fun about a game in the entire history of which nobody has ever shot the score he thought he should have?" --Charles Price

Miniature golf to illustrate environmental concepts

This summer, the Science Museum of Minnesota is opening an exhibit that aims to teach visitors about the impact of rivers and rainfall on the landscape. And they've decided to use a nine-hole miniature golf course as the framework for the exhibit.

Set to open June 26, the Big Back Yard's riverfront putt-putt course is designed to put visitor's mini-golf--and science--skills to the test. According to the museum, even non-golfers will have fun experimenting with large, hands-on riverbeds and landscapes in the Big Back Yard.

Located on a 1.2-acre park area just outside the museum's back door, the course's holes twist, turn, and give new meaning to the term "water hazard." The course is along a meandering path dotted with large-scale exhibits that invite visitors to discover the scientific principles at work in shaping mountains, valleys, and riverbeds--and perhaps get a little wet.

Regarding the choice of a golf course as the basis of the exhibit, Pat Hamilton, director of environmental sciences at the museum, said "Miniature golf typically is played on fanciful landscapes, so it made sense to use miniature golf to inform people about real landscape processes shaping the world around them.

"The course is about landscapes, and about rivers, and about human interaction with both. We're focusing on how water shapes landscapes, how sediment is moved by rivers, and where the sediment ends up."

He said the idea came from several sources, including a team within the science museum that brainstormed several years ago about what could be done with the museum's outdoor park. One of the ideas was miniature golf, but no funding was available at the time.

Then, Putting Green Inc. , a private, nonprofit group, approached the museum about possible involvement in the development of an environmental education miniature golf course in New Ulm, Minn. Shortly afterward, the museum obtained funding for its outdoor park from The National Center for Earth Surface Dynamics, at the University of Minnesota.

Hamilton said that these two courses will be quite different from one another, but that the two organizations have benefited greatly by collaborating on concepts and design strategies.

Admission to the Big Back Yard is included in regular Science Museum admission, but an additional fee applies to miniature golf. After opening on June 26, the Big Back Yard will be a permanent seasonal feature of the Science Museum. http://www.smm.org/bigbackyard/.

Superintendents and GCSAA to be on The Golf Channel

The golf course superintendent and GCSAA will be prominent fixtures on The Golf Channel this year, thanks to a new initiative from the association.

“Great strides have been made in recent years in elevating the awareness and understanding of golf course superintendent and GCSAA,” GCSAA CEO Steve Mona, CAE, said. “But a missing piece has been a national television campaign that provides the necessary reach and frequency to avid golfers. It was a priority to invest resources in this area.”

The GCSAA board of directors made increasing the presence of the profession on national media a priority, and allocated funds generated by last year's membership dues increase to communicating with avid golfers.

The new campaign that will air on the Golf Channel will use a variety of tools to identify GCSAA as a leading golf organization and position the golf course superintendent as a key to the golfer's enjoyment of the game.

Among the things viewers will see are commercials, superintendent interviews during tournaments and in prime time news shows, billboard sponsorships and tournament feature graphics. The campaign began in April and will run through the PGA Tour Championship in early November.

There will be more than 400, 15-second commercial spots aired. Two separate vignettes will be produced and broadcast during the week preceding and the week of major golf events and high-profile tour competitions.

At least 200 billboard features will be broadcast during prime time in the eight-month period. A billboard is a five-second message and accompanying graphic. The billboard will include the four-color GCSAA logo and the message: “The Golf Course Superintendents Association of America — 21,000 members making your game more enjoyable.”

A tournament feature graphic will appear on a minimum of three Canadian and five LPGA tour telecasts. Known as the “course set-up feature,” this graphic listing of the superintendent's name, grass types and yardage will include the GCSAA logo and commentary by The Golf Channel broadcasters about the host superintendent and course management issues. These features last approximately one minute and will be played each day of the event. A minimum of 50 course set-up features will be aired.

A key feature of the package will be live superintendent interviews associated with various tournaments in the eight-month period. A superintendent will be a part of the highly rated “Sprint Pregame” show broadcast on Wednesdays during prime time and repeated later in the evening. The appearances are scheduled for The Masters, Colonial, U.S. Open, British Open, PGA Championship, Senior Tour Championship, Ryder Cup and PGA Tour Championship. In addition, live superintendent interviews will be conducted at a minimum of five Nationwide Tour telecasts.

“The package provides a good mixture of commercials, graphics and interviews,” Mona said. “It will not only create awareness of the profession and the association, but it will also serve to build an understanding of both. We see The Golf Channel as an effective and efficient means to reach the avid golfer.” 

R&A to limit drivers at all championships in 2005

The Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, organizers of the British Open, have announced the spring-like effect of drivers clubs will be restricted at all of its championships and international matches beginning next year.

The R&A first adopted a test for spring-like effect in January 2003 and introduced the driving club condition of competition for the first time at an R&A event at the 2003 Open Championship. In 2004 it continues to be applied only at The Open.

For most competitions and all recreational play, there will continue to be no limit on spring-like effect until January 1, 2008. However, the decision to extend the rule to top amateur events from 2005 is intended to remind to players of all abilities that the new rule limiting spring-like effect will be introduced in 2008.

David Rickman, director of rules and equipment standards, said, "The decision to introduce this condition at all R&A events is a recognition of the fact that we are moving ever closer to the introduction of this rule for everybody in 2008. As that date approaches, it makes sense to gradually start applying the condition to other players as well as those competing at the very highest level.

"In addition to this, the recent development and introduction of the Pendulum Test means that the application of the Condition is easier – given that the new test is portable, non-destructive and relatively quick to perform."

The R&A's interpretation of a "driving club" is that it is a club with a loft of 15 degrees or less. However, The R&A will continue to monitor design innovations of all clubs in respect of spring-like effect and, where appropriate, any club, regardless of loft, may be subjected to further testing prior to a conformance ruling.

2005 U.S. Open to set corporate village record

Officials at Pinehurst say that although the tournament is more than a year away, corporate hospitality sales for the 2005 U.S. Open Championship are well ahead of schedule.

The total number of corporate hospitality marquees (tents) for the U.S. Open at Pinehurst has been increased from 50 hosted by Pinehurst in 1999 to 65 for the 2005 Open. To accommodate what will be the largest single corporate village in U.S. Open history, Pinehurst will utilize their existing practice facility, commonly referred to as Maniac Hill.

A new contestant practice facility is currently under construction on the first holes of Pinehurst Nos. 3 and 5; however, both courses will remain open through 2005 Open with exception to their respective first holes.