Pelican Lakes Salute The Veterans!

Greens at Pelican Lakes Golf Course

Pelican Lakes Golf Course is honoring the veterans by giving two free rounds of golf (plus the use of a golf cart) between Oct. 11, 2011 and Nov. 11, 2011. The promotion ends with a tournament called Veteran’s Day Golf Tournament.

For all who is not familiar with the course, it is a beautiful semi-private golf course that opened in 1999. Golf Digest gave the golf-course a 4-star rating, while Colorado Golf Magazine as the top 5 semi-private course in Colorado.

Veterans who love to golf should take advantage of this promotion as the normal green fees (with the golf cart) for non-residents are $65 on the weekday and $85 on a weekend. It is their way of saying "Thank you for the service, we appreciate your sacrifice."

Marshals of City Park Nine

If you have golfed at City Park Nine, you would have met them. Volunteers who love the sport, they are there to assist players and make it enjoyable for them. Ladies and gentlemen, meet the Marshals of City Park Nine.

One Marshal (other golf courses might refer to them as Rangers or Player Assistants) is usually on-duty every day of the week from March to October. Their shift is about 6 hours a day, and for their effort, they get to play golf at a reduced rate at City Park Nine. Considering how often many of them play, it is an attractive benefit.

It is essential that these marshals have great people skill. Sometimes, they have to smooth out unpleasant incidents such as a drunken golfer who insists on driving the golf cart. Or they may encounter an angry driver whose windshield has just been hit by a golf ball.

Their knowledge is impressive too. Being in the golf cart for just fifteen minutes with Mike Krueger, one of the Marshals, I learned why pine needles are bad for the greens, how to inspect bridges (on the golf course) and how fast the city response is to clear a fallen tree.


Doug Perry, PGA Professional,
is in charge of the Marshals

From all the Marshals that I spoke to, it is easy to see that golf is their passion. When they talk about golf, their eyes light-up. Many of them played the game for many years. John Schmunk says he plays golf year-round. (Winter doesn’t stop him.) As long as the temperature is above 40F, he will consider being out there on the course.

If you love golf and have great people skill, then consider volunteering as a Marshal. You might not get a star-shaped badge like the old Wild West, but you get to help other golfers like these guys do and reduce the cost of playing golf.

---

Disclosure: Doug Perry, Frank Edgar and Steve Edgar are acquaintances of the writer.

---

Current Marshal

Former Marshal



Jim Susens

 John Schmunk

Mike Krueger

Steve Edgar

 Frank Edgar

Meet the Marshals

Golf Hazards … And I Mean Hazards

Golf courses usually mean green grass, awesome scenery and wide open space. But the number of golfers are increasing all over the world. What if a place does not have all the qualifications that most people attribute to a golf course? For some golf course designers, their answer is to build them anyway.

Take Greenland for example. Since 1997, the World Ice Golf Championship have the competitors play in frozen seascapes, icebergs and glaciers. My advice for golfers teeing off there? Dress warmly, use golf ball that is not white, and be prepared to walk as no golf carts are available.



Too cold? Prefer a warmer climate? Then Merapi Golf Course is probably your type of golf course. Situated in Indonesia, near Mount Merapi (an active volcano). As if that is not bad enough, the course is designed to make it challenging for golfers with its many uphill and downhill slopes. Unfortunately, golfers eager to try it out might have to delay their trip because Mount Merapi erupted October last year and some parts of the golf courses was badly affected.

If these two golf courses is still not challenging enough for you, than maybe Camp Bonifas Golf Course is your type. ESPN reporter Shelley Smith referred to it as the “most dangerous golf course in the world.” It is one-hole, par 3 course but it is surrounded by heavily armed Korean border and minefields.

Much rather a golf course that will let you play and play? Then Nullarbor Links Course is the place you have been looking for. Located from Western Australia to South Australia, the 1,365 kilometers course (about 848 miles) is dubbed the World's Longest Golf Course. Once you complete the whole course (and have your score card stamped at every hole) you will be awarded a certificate.

Besides receiving the certificate to mark your achievement, you also have a gallery consisting of kangaroos as an audience, a chance of watching migrating whales as you play, having people land-sail across the huge salt flat, or even aborigines doing a dance on the green as they play golf. Whatever catch your attention, please be watchful of your surroundings – within the golf course are areas where poisonous snakes (such as Mr. Brown Snakes) called home.

The crows are known to fly away with golf balls that they find. No one knows what the birds do with the golf balls as the balls disappear once the birds take off with it. The bright side of having a crow steal your ball is you have an interesting tale and no penalty strokes for it.

This golf course is so spectacular that Travel Channel posted a video on youtube on Nov. 1, 2010 (embed here for your viewing pleasure).

Ads Featuring Golf

Golf businesses is not the only ones reaching out to golfers. Advertisers wants to convinced golfers to consider them by creating advertisements with golf elements. By appealing to their passion, companies hope golfers will recall their brand and give them the advantage over their competitors.

Some of these companies are closely linked to their products to golf, which make their choice seem more natural.



Others, not so much. But that did not stop creative directors from coming up with great ads that incorporate golf into their advertisement. Take the VW ad for example. The car drove by a driving range and the caption at the end that singles out golf (and subtlety including the VW) as everyday living..



TV Channel Spike brought together elements of Star Wars and golf to create this hilarious advertisement. Which golfer hasn't wish they have some kind of super power that would help their game, to the detriment of the other players.



Who knows, maybe these ads will correct the misconception that golfers have no sense of humor, and inspire non-golfers to take up the sport.

Golf Gadgets for All Shapes and Sizes

The golf population is increasing and entrepreneurs have noticed that. There are great gadgets that protect your equipment (like the golf bag alarm) or improve your game. Gadgets for improving your swing or telling you the distances are common and different golfers favor different brands and models. They are the usual Christmas gifts to golfers, beside club covers, cups, t-shirts, hats that have some quotes or picture of golf on it.

Want to go the unbeaten path? How about the club with an adjustable head? This one club can change into 33 different clubs (two types of drivers, three types of fairway woods, nine wedges, five different putters, and 14 irons). With airlines charging a great deal for check-in, this might be a solution for golfers who fly a lot.

Too far off the beaten path? What about the Golf Bag Drink Dispenser. It is insulated and can hold 48 oz. of either hot or cold drinks. To make it attractive the manufacturers even make it to fit your golf bag.

However, my personal favorite unusual golf gadget is the Potty Putter. It is for people who multi-task. You get to practice your putting while doing you-know-what at the bathroom.



But in case this is read by my friend who happens to be wondering what gift to get for me, I would rather receive golf apparel.