Tampa Bay Golf News

Amateur Mike Finster won the Bright House Networks Challenge Golf Series at TPC Tampa Bay sealing his spot in the 2010 Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am. Finster will now tee off in a $12,000 spot with the best golfers on the Champions Tour and celebrities like George Lopez, Vince Gill, Joe Theismann, Rondé Barber, Stone Phillips, Vinny Testaverde and Derrick Brooks.
 
“This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Finster. “I will be playing along side golf icons like Tom Watson. You can guarantee I will be practicing a lot of golf between now and April."

Youth Golf of America, the Premier Youth Membership Organization in the sport of golf is pleased to announce the appointment of local high school golf coach Tony Pasquine as the area director in the state of Florida. 

Pasquine is also the assistant manager at the Downs Golf Practice facility, which will become the home base for the YGOA in the Tampa Bay area. Pasquine and his staff will be handling the operations of the Yoga in Pinellas, Pasco, Manatee, Hillsborough, Polk and Orange Counties.

Heritage Golf Group is pleased to announce the appointment of Ricky Weber as the Tournament Sales Director at TPC Tampa Bay. TPC Tampa Bay is a high end daily-fee golf facility, operated by Heritage Golf Group, and is a member of the TPC Network of properties located nationwide. The club is also the home of the Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am, one of the most successful events on the Champions Tour.

"We are proud to welcome Ricky as the Tournament Sales Director at TPC Tampa Bay," said John Hungerford, executive vice president of Heritage Golf Group. "Ricky's experience as a golf professional and long time Tampa area resident will prove invaluable as we continually strive to attract groups and special events with unrivaled golf and uncompromising service."

HUDSON - Brooke Dalton needed to slow down.

Her powerful swing and youthful exuberance wasn't holding her back her golf game, but it was damaging her body.

Like many of the nearby Disney attractions, it’s tough to see everything the PGA Merchandise Show has to offer in one day. Filled with hundreds of vendors and booths lined up down numerous aisles assembled in the massive Orange County Convention Center, the PGA Merchandise Show brings in large and small golf businesses, showing all the new products for the 2010 season.

The three-day long event is so large, it has a huge catalog, along with a map, featuring each vendor. “Try not to get lost,” one show employee said jokingly to a guest.

How well do you know your golf instructional history? Most people think that golf instruction begins and ends with Ben Hogan’s “Five Lessons” written in 1957. Golf Instruction had been written for several hundred years before that and one of the best writers ever was Henry Cotton.

Cotton won the British Open in 1934, 1937 and 1948. He was a great teacher and wrote several books along with hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles.

Bill Gilkes was recently appointed golf tournament manager at Emerald Greens Golf Resort & Country Club in Tampa. Gilkes is also the marketing director for the West Central Chapter, North Florida PGA and comes to Emerald Greens Resort with more than 30 years of experience in organizing and promoting large golf tournaments.

Gilkes stated that he was very excited about coming on board at one of the most prestigious country clubs in the Tampa Bay area and looks forward to working under the direction of Jerry Couzynse, director of golf at Emerald Greens Resort & Country Club.

Steve’s World of Golf is a 2,400-square-foot retail golf shop located on U.S. Highway 19, just north of State Road 52 in Hudson. Owner Steve Pitts has been a player in the Tampa Bay market since 1989.

In recent years Pitts has expanded his presence in the market by stocking selected green grass pro shops with merchandise, including brand name clubs, men’s and ladies’ apparel and golf accessories.

Excitement is building for the 2010 Transitions Championship which will be held at Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club from March 15-21. Tampa Bay’s PGA Tour event is expected to be bigger than ever in the second year with Transitions Optical as the title sponsor.

Retief Goosen and Sean O’Hair, both currently ranked in the top 20 in the world, are the last two winners of the tournament, which will again be nationally televised by NBC. Goosen is the defending champion.

The First Annual Golfer’s Guide Amateur Team Championship is scheduled for Sunday May 16 and Monday May 17. This 36-hole event will be played over two of Tampa Bay’s finest golf courses: the Quarry Course at Black Diamond Ranch and The Dunes Golf Club. The event starts with a buffet lunch prior to a 1:30 p.m. shotgun start at Black Diamond Ranch in Lecanto. Day 1 format is Better Ball of the pair.

After the first round enjoy an outdoor cocktail party and accommodations at the beautiful Plantation Golf Resort & Spa in Crystal River. Following a box lunch, Day 2 features a 1 p.m. shotgun start at The Dunes Golf Club in Brooksville. Format for the second day of competition is a two-man scramble.