Central Texas Golf News

A Beautiful Addition to the Landscape of Brackenridge Park

Fresh on the heels of the renovation of the Japanese Tea Gardens and coinciding with the restoration of historic Brackenridge Golf Course, construction of a new Learning Center for The First Tee will add another jewel to Brackenridge Park in the heart of San Antonio. The existing eyesore of a building at the Polo Field Golf Center, home to The 1st Tee of San Antonio, will finally be leveled and replaced with a 6,000-square-foot building whose design borrows liberally from the architectural beauty that already exists in the park. 

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Some of golf’s most influential leaders and members of the game’s most prominent associations converged on the nation’s capitol to celebrate a bipartisan Congressional resolution which declared April 16, 2008 as National Golf Day.

The golf leaders discussed the game’s impact on society, in particular its role to the U.S. economy.

The golf industry is the sports and entertainment worlds’ largest contributor to our economy, generating $76 billion in direct economic impact according to a recent study, the 2005 Golf Economy Report, commissioned by World Golf Foundation’s GOLF 20/20 initiative completed earlier this year and released at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Fla. 

If you decided to attend this year’s NCAA basketball Final Four in San Antonio, Texas before the season started, regardless of which teams would be there, you’re in for a treat this weekend.

For the first time since the NCAA began seeding the teams in the tournament field, this weekend’s final four will feature all four No. 1 seeds for the first time in history.

More than ever the host city is in the spotlight as this historic event approaches. San Antonio the ball is in your court.

The second largest city in the state of Texas and seventh largest city in the United States is set to host its third Final Four this decade, having hosted the event in 1998 and 2004. With ideal weather expected, an estimated 35,000 hotel rooms and the expansive Alamodome, culturally spectacular San Antonio is an ideal location for the culmination of the Big Dance, which is estimated to bring in an economic impact of $76.6 million for the city.

For a number of acclaimed municipal golf courses and similar facilities that share same designation, things just don’t get much better.

This summer the south course at Torrey Pines in San Diego will become only the second municipal course in history to host a U.S. Open Championship. The first was Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, N.Y., which did so in 2002 and will repeat the feat in 2009.

A sparkling new municipal layout in Washington State, Chambers Bay, was recently awarded an upcoming U.S. Amateur and the big prize, the 2015 U.S. Open.

San Francisco’s Harding Park, widely considered a landmark public course, will host the President’s Cup competition in 2009.

But while these municipal layouts are experiencing unprecedented success, one course in particular finds itself preparing for yet another battle to keep its place in one of America’s most celebrated golf cities.

SAN ANTONIO, Texas - As March Madness builds toward a climax at this year’s Final Four collegiate men’s basketball championships in San Antonio, area golf courses are introducing Midweek Madness, an array of special golf packages and deals that extend beyond the big weekend.

A star-studded lineup of San Antonio golf courses has teamed up on Midweek Madness, offering reduced rates on greens fees and club rentals to make it more inviting for college basketball fans and golf enthusiasts to tee off before and after the big tip-off.

You could walk the grounds of Augusta National Golf Club for the Masters, if you’re lucky enough to get your hands on a badge that is, for years and never find a blade of grass out of place. The concession prices remain reasonable, its place on the golf calendar unchanged and the winner always wears green; some things about the Masters never change.

While the most sacred traditions remained preserved, Augusta National and Chairman Billy Payne have made a few changes for 2008 in an effort to become more fan friendly and promote the game of golf.

Last year, Golf Magazine and the National Golf Foundation joined forces to compile a countdown of America’s 10 Best Golf Cities. After receiving a slew of feedback, the magazine opened up the ballot boxes to its readers, who in turn produced their own list.

After more than 1,000 votes were tallied, Phoenix emerged as the new No. 1.

The Austin, TX Chapter of the Executive Women’s Golf Association Announces its Kick-Off and Women’s Golf Fair benefiting the LPGA-USGA Girls Golf of Austin

Austin,TX:
The Austin, TX Chapter of the EWGA will host their 6th Annual Kick-Off and Women’s Golf Fair on Saturday, March 29th at the Harvey Penick Golf Campus. The event is open to the public and will open with registration at 8:30am, followed by a four-station rotation of interactive golf instruction from the area’s top female instructors. Women will be grouped by ability (“never-ever’s”, beginner, intermediate and advance). Following the clinic, the participants will be treated to lunch from Romeo’s Italian Restaurant. In addition to the golf instruction and lunch, there will also be a Women’s Golf Fair, showcasing some of Austin’s local business’s (jewelry, clothing, golf equipment, nutrition, etc.). Women will have the opportunity to ask questions and purchase products directly from the various vendors and to bid on some great silent auction items.

Cleveland Golf has introduced the family of HiBORE® XLS drivers, fairway woods and hybrids. In utilizing Distance Driven GeometryTM, they have lowered the crown which, in turn, lowers the center of gravity (CG) to produce the only face-centered sweet spot in golf.

The HiBORE XLS driver has a 17% larger face and 13% higher MOI, compared to its HiBORE XL predecessor. The HiBORE XLS offers maximum size and increased stability for added confi dence and control off the tee.

Its dual alignment features, which include a crown plaque and stability foils, also make it much easier to properly align the club at address.

Rookie Scott Hoch, fired a finalround 68 at last year’s FedEx Kinko’s Classic. His 68 on Sunday was enough to capture his first Champions Tour victory, winning by two shots over D.A. Weibring. Not only did his final round secure his win, but it also made tournament history. Hoch’s 54-hole total of 15-under-par 201 on Sunday set a new FedEx Kinko’s Classic record, crushing the old mark of 11-under-par set by Jay Haas just a year earlier.

Though he made it look easy, Hoch might not be as lucky when he returns to The Hills Country Club to defend his title April 28-May 4, 2008. This year Hoch will be reunited with some of his friends from the PGA Tour, unbelievable names like Nick Price, Bernhard Langer, Jeff Sluman, John Cook, Hal Sutton and Sandy Lyle all hope to play for the famed bronze boot. Besides these newcomers, the field will continue to be strong with such Champion Tour standouts as Jay Haas, Loren Roberts, Tom Kite, Ben Crenshaw, Hale Irwin, Fred Funk, Peter Jacobsen, Curtis Strange, and many, many more!