Home Stay & Play Packages Real Estate Guide News & Events Blog Contact Us

SLO Directory

SLO Search

SLO Ads

Central Coast Golf, Wine & Real Estate

Golf, Wine & Real Estate News and Events

My first golf lesson - with Jim DeLaby

Friday, September 30, 2005

As I've mentioned in this blog before, I've taken up the game of golf 5 times in my life, each time lasting no more than 1 year. In each of these attempts at playing golf, I've never taken a lesson and always get stuck in the 79-88 range - this time included. I'm serious about sticking with the game this time around, so yesterday I decided to take my first lesson.

I've always resisted doing so, because it seems like everyone I see take lessons, gets worse instead of better. I've made decent progress on my own with a good natural swing by simply practicing my short game and by improving my mental and visualization skills. I've been afraid that taking a lesson would make me think too much - about swing mechanics and technique, etc. I'm very good at quieting my mind and focusing only on the target and on visualizing the ball taking the desired path. I don't want to loose that by having to think about my swing.

Regardless, this attitude hasn't ever helped me become a single handicapper - which I'm confident I can be - but only with a little help.

So, I headed over to Cypress Ridge Golf Course and talked to their Director of Instruction - Jim DeLaby, a two-time Teacher and Club Fitter of the Year awarded by the PGA of Southern California Northern Chapter. He got me in for a lesson in the afternoon.

After a quick look at one swing with my 7-iron and the resulting divot, he diagnosed that I was swinging outside in - as a result of an improper grip. He then told me to just let my hands hang naturally to my side and tell me how many knuckles I saw on each hand. Like Jim, we both see 4 knuckles. He says I should therefore see 4 knuckles when I grip the club. With my current grip, I was lucky to see 2 - which is how many I thought I was supposed to see. Anyway, he says we're both "4-knucklers".

He taught me how to correctly grip the club with both hands, to not only see 4 knuckles, but to get control from the pad of my left (upper) hand and power out of my little right index finger - the trigger finger. I have to admit, this grip felt so foreign and unconfortable at first, but by the end of the lesson, I was hitting my irons sooooo much further than before and with more accuracy!

Needless to say, Jim DeLaby made me a believer in lessons! I can't wait to go back for another. I realize it will take time to see improvement on the course while I get used to this new grip, but in a single hour lesson, I was amazed to see the potential results.

If you're like me, and are in need of a lesson, I highly recommend you take a trip over to the Cypress Ridge Golf Academy and setup a lesson with Jim DeLaby! If you're interested, check out our Feature on Jim DeLaby to learn more about Jim, his instructional themes, and available lessons, clinics and schools, along with contact information.

Nov 12 - The SLO Exchange Club 14th Annual Charity Golf Tournament

Thursday, September 29, 2005

Avila Beach Golf Resort will be hosting The SLO Exchange Club 14th Annual Charity Golf Tournament on Saturday, November 12th, 2005. The tournament benefits The Partnership for the Children of SLO County.

The Partnership for the Children is the not-for-profit component to the San Luis Obispo County Children's Services Network. Its goal is to facilitate ways the concerned adults of the County can meet the needs of children in ways that have not previously been available through direct services. Screened applicants needing assistance and goods will be referred to identified child-centered organizations or professionals. The Partnership can direct funds, services or mobilize volunteers where they are needed most.

The Entry Fee for this 4-person scramble is $125 per person. Contact Rick Cohan at ptcfoundation@sbcglobal.net for additional information.

Oct 22,23 - Atascadero City Men's Amateur Championship

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

Chalk Mountain Golf Course is hosting the 2005 Atascadero City Men's Amateur Championship on October 22nd & 23rd, 2005.

Entry Fee is $25, not including green fees or carts. Entry Deadline is October 14th. Limited to the first 100 Entries.

To sign up or get more information, visit www.chalkmountaingolf.com

Ups and Downs at Avila Beach Golf Resort

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

I experienced a strange round of ups and downs at Avila Beach Golf Resort today, resulting in an 87. After putting so poorly last week at Cypress Ridge Golf Course last week, I decided to spend a little more time chipping and putting before my round today at Avila Beach Golf Resort - which largely paid off.

I wasn't hitting many greens in regulation, but did put a lot of chips very close to the pin which I then 1-putted, but more often to save bogies instead of pars. I think I only 3-putted once - a big improvement over last week. I holed one of my chips for a birdie on 11 and made another birdie on 8, sinking a 20 foot putt.

But today, my problem was letting a few drives, fairway irons, and short wedges get away from me, resulting in 5 double bogies. Although I didn't have a single triple bogie, I can't remember a round with so many doubles. Argh!

As so many golfers know, it's so frustrating to have one part of your game working one day and on another day have the part of your game that failed you before be the best part of your game - at the expense of what worked the previous day.

Anyway, that was my experience today. Putting and chipping were on, fairway irons and short wedges were off.

But I did hit some amazing drives and felt so good over my chips and putts that I'll give this game another shot next week!

On another note, the highlight of the day for me occured after completing the 18th hole and returning to the parking lot, where I spotted an Osprey flying along San Luis Creek. The Osprey is a favorite bird of mine, one I've observed many times, but never before in San Luis Obispo County.

Another highlight of the round was the experience of gradually creating a foursome as we played - from 4 singles. As I was about to start the round, I joined up with Steve, another single, who was just finishing up a lesson. We then caught up to Clark, on the 6th tee, while he waited for a foursome in front of him to clear the par-3 green. Not long after, while teeing off on the 10th, Dave caught up to us and we finished the back 9 as a foursome. None of us shot especially good rounds, but we enjoyed each other's company and shared in our frustration.

Oct 16 - The YMCA "Sunday Scramble"

Monday, September 26, 2005

The YMCA "Sunday Scramble" will be held at Cypress Ridge Golf Course on October 16, 2005.

Entry Fees: $ 500 per foursome or $125 per person.

Entry forms available at the YMCA or www.cypressridge.com

Format: Team Scramble adjusted for handicaps. 22 Handicap maximum for men and 36 for women. Each team must use three tee-shots from each player .

Tournament Participant Benefits include: 18 holes of golf at Cypress Ridge Golf Course; a gift bag and entry into all on-course competitions; 2 drink tickets; 1 Entry to the Awards mixer at The Cypress Ridge Pavilion. All YMCA guests are welcome to the Awards Mixer at $15 per person.

Tournament Schedule
8:00am- Family Pancake Breakfast at the Clubhouse (Adults-$7.50/Kids-$5.00)
10:00am- Sunday worship service for all participants
10:30am- Tournament Registration
11:30am- Shotgun Start from the Blue Tees at Cypress Ridge
4:30pm- Awards mixer at The Cypress Ridge Pavilion

All entries must be received by October 11th at 5:00pm

EVERY GOLFER HAS TWO HOLE-IN-ONE CHANCES!!!

#17 Hole: BMW OF SANTA MARIA #11 Hole: GMAC OF SLO

Oct 10 - SLO Leaf Golf Tournament

Thursday, September 22, 2005

Join us at the SLO Leaf 5th Annual Golf Tournament at Cypress Ridge Golf Course on October 10th, 2005.

The tournament benefits local law enforcement personnel financially during emergency and crisis situations.

For more information, visit www.cypressridge.com

Working my way back down

Wednesday, September 21, 2005

After letting my score rise from 79 back up to 92 after infrequent play over the past 3 months due to my hand sprain injury, I'm working on whittling my score back down. Today at Cypress Ridge Golf Course in Arroyo Grande, I headed in the right direction by posting a score of 86.

Although I'm not particularly happy with an 86, it's beats a 92! I struck the ball well today, both off the tee and in the fairway, experiencing only a couple poor shots. I hit 13 fairways and 10 greens in regulation - 7 of those greens on the front 9! I birdied the 7th hole after attemting to drive the par 4 green, leaving myself a short chip and putt. An errant OB off the tee on 8 was my only serious mishap on the front nine.

The back nine started off well with 3 consecutive pars, but I triple bogied 13 after struggling from the front-side sand trap. I then bogied the remaining holes.

My biggest problem today was putting. I 3-putted 5 greens today! 3 of those 3-putts occured in the first 5 holes! Overall, I had 39 putts - perhaps my worst putting performance since returning to golf this year. Admitedly, I haven't been playing or practicing much, so this part of the game will expectedly suffer. The good news is that with improved putting, I should find myself breaking 80 again.

SLO County Golf Course Reviews

Monday, September 12, 2005

Golf Course Reviews by resident and visiting golfers are now available for all our San Luis Obispo County Golf Courses on our Courses page. These reviews are made available by golfreview.com.

Make sure to add your review comments for the SLO County golf courses you've played!

San Luis Obispo County Golf Course Reviews

You can find additional golf course reviews for San Luis Obispo County golf courses at golfcourse.com.

The Rules of Golf

Sunday, September 11, 2005

The USGA, in conjunction with the R&A; in St. Andrews, Scotland, writes, interprets and maintains the Rules of Golf to guard the tradition and integrity of the game. The two organizations are joint authors and owners of The Rules of Golf and Decisions on the Rules of Golf. Through an agreement with the R&A;, the Rules jurisdiction of the USGA includes only the United States, its possessions and Mexico.

Over at The Sand Trap, Erik J. Barzeski shares that "
The Rules of Golf are not terribly complex. The rules are fairly simple so long as some basic concepts are understood. Those basic concepts include what to do when your ball finds a few different areas (hazards, ground under repair, the green, through the green, etc.), the idea and definitions of equity, fairness, and intent, and the pervading rule to play the ball as it lies."

Unfortunately, there are a lot of people out there who insist that they're playing "golf" despite not playing by the rules of golf. Eric looks at some of the more misunderstood rules of the game we love so much in his recent post.

www.thestandtrap.com

Introducing Todd Eckenrode

Saturday, September 10, 2005

For some golf course architects, legendary course designer Alister MacKenzie is a major influence. To Todd Eckenrode of Origins Golf Design, studying the eccentric Scotsman's classic designs is a way of life.

Todd Eckenrode, who studied Landscape Architecure here at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, is the founder of Origins Golf Design in Irvine, California. They specialize in Golf Course Design services for golf resorts, golf communities, private country clubs, daily-fee golf clubs, renovations, re-designs and classic restorations. Their strong ability to apply the inherent qualities of classic and traditional architecture to the challenges of the modern development world, coupled with their unwavering desire to be a part of something great, enable them to design golf courses of the highest quality for their clients. Classic designs that reflect the time-honored traditions of the game of golf captures the philosophy of this respected firm.

Todd was involved in the design of what many consider to be one of the top ten courses in the state in Barona Creek. The course was ranked as one of Golf Magazine's "Top 10 You Can Play" in 2001, and the minimalist layout is being lauded for the way it blends with the surrounding landscape. Located 30 miles east of San Diego on a 1,500 foot plateau ringed by mountain peaks, Barona Creek is a major component in a $225 million hotel and ranch themed casino project funded by the Barona Band of Mission Indians.

The classic or minimalist design philosophy that is so evident at Barona Creek has become the cornerstone of Eckenrode's body of work. But the 36-year-old Cal Poly graduate says the enigmatic concept is often misinterpreted by recreational golfers.

Todd grew up learning the game at a course called Pasatiempo in Santa Cruz - an old Alister MacKenzie gem. He was ignorant to its history and who Alister MacKenzie was, but after traveling around to see other courses, he realized they didn't stack up. He tried to understand what made Pasatiempo special and why everyone loved it. That spurred an interest in why the design was unique and what made it good.

Todd then went on to play college golf, and around that time figured he wasn't going to make the PGA Tour. He then decided to embellish on his interest in golf course architecture while half way though college. While attending UC Santa Barbara, on track to earn a pre-law degree, Tood learned he'd need to major in landscape architecture in order to pursue his new goal. So, after fulfilling his degree from UC Santa Barbara and college golf commitment, Tood transferred to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, a great technical school, and went on to graduate with a degree in landscape architecture.

Todd landed in Nashville, Tenn., working for Gary Roger Baird, which launched his career in design. Working for Gary Roger Baird, Todd gained a lot of wonderful experience and knowledge about how the industry works and the natural progression of a project, from the beginning with the first plans to finishing the project in the field â€“ all facets of how a design office works. It was a tremendous experience.

But Tood had his own ideas and wanted to implement them and create unique golf courses around the world. Todd Eckenrode left work with Gary and founded Origins Golf Design with partner Charlie Davison.

Todd shares the following about designing golf courses in California. "There's so much that goes into building a golf course nowadays, especially in California, that golfers don't see. There are set-back issues that eat up acreage. There are mitigation measures, water quality standards in drainage ways that have to be met, and vegetative and species habitat controls. There are many levels of getting over these hurdles, and it takes a lot of diligence and creativity. You have to adjust because there will be hurdles you'll need to get over. It's not a simple process anymore. If you think your first routing plan is the one that's built, you're kidding yourself. Oftentimes it's the 20th routing plan that gets built. Trying to keep the 20th routing plan truly the best routing plan for the site is the challenge. But it's a fun ride. Fortunately, my design style, in working with the land and not against it, as well as our expertise in the environmental facets of the industry, enable us to achieve success as measured in the quality of the golf course and of the environment."

Tood Eckerrode - Origins Golf Design

Aiming for Minimal Impact on Golf Industry
Travel Golf, Shane Sharp

An eye for design
Golf Course News, John Walsh

Favorite Golf Course Photos

Friday, September 09, 2005

Arrowhead Country Club, Denver
Originally uploaded by capovak.

Although you'll find many beautiful golf courses right here on the California Central Coast, it's pretty inspiring to see what the rest of the country and world have to offer! Enjoy a little stroll over to flick.com to view thousands of golf photos taken by its members.

We've spent considerable time compiling a list of our favorites. Take a look here!

Sep 26 - Sea Pines Clubhouse Golf Tournament

Wednesday, September 07, 2005

Sea Pines Golf Resort is hosting a fun golf tournament on Monday, September 26th to celebrate the 11th anniversary of their Clubhouse Bar & Grill. The tournament is a 4 person scramble, shotgun start format including BBQ and Awards! Tournament will be limited to the first 20 paid teams of 4 players.

September 26, 2005
2:30pm Check in
3:30pm Shotgun Start

Fee: $30 per person.
Registration: Call (805) 528-2333.

For more information, contact Jason Hayes at the Golf Shop, (805) 528-4653.

Apr 4,5 - Central Coast Invitational

Tuesday, September 06, 2005

THE CENTRAL COAST INVITATIONAL (CCI) IS MOVING TO APRIL 4-5, 2006.

In light of the announcement from the PGA TOUR last month that the Nationwide Tour has secured a new 2006 site in Livermore, California next March, The CCI tournament committee has decided to move its 2 day Pro-am to April 4-5, 2006, the following week. The CCI was scheduled to launch this October 14 & 15, 2005, but will now move to the spring to attract players from the Nationwide Tour.

'Collectively, we just didn't get enough top golfers to commit to the October date this year. It now makes sense to run the CCI when the real opportunity exists to align the tournament with the Nationwide Tour schedule next April 2006. We will definitely attract a much stronger player field because golfers will be taking a three week break after the Livermore golf tournament concludes on April 2, 2006', says Joe Kolina, The CCI Executive Director.

Bonnie Lauer, General Manager adds, 'The Cypress Ridge Golf Course, a Peter Jacobsen/Jim Hardy Signature Design, will be in great condition in April. The awareness of golf will be heightened at that time by the media from The Masters at Augusta. The committee's goal has always been to bring the best available golfers to the Central Coast while raising the awareness of golf within the San Luis Obispo County and our surrounding cities. With more top names and a stronger player field we can accomplish that goal and bring a first-class golf event to the area'.

'The CCI has now secured a fine charity, The YMCA of San Luis Obispo County, and over 12 regional sponsors who are eager to take the tournament to the next level. The tournament committee will now begin discussions with all of our sponsors to put together a much bigger event for the community in April 2006 with attractive 'stay and play' packages designed to bring golfers to The Central Coast', says Kolina.

The YMCA Sunday Scramble, still very much intact this year for all amateur golfers, will run on October 16, 2006 at 11:30am at Cypress Ridge. The YMCA Scramble has only a limited amount of teams still available so players are encouraged to sign up by next week.

The Central Coast Invitational will feature a maximum of 72 Pro-Am teams of One Pro/One Amateur playing in a "Best Ball" format. The tournament helps launch new fund raising programs for the YMCA.

All professionals will be competing for a $38,000 prize fund based on a full field or 75% of all professional entries*. All Amateurs compete for the CCI Trophy, top-three gross & net awards, plus prizes.

For more details, please contact Joe Kolina, Executive Director, (805) 489-2781 ext. 1 or jkolina@cypressridge.com.

Entry Fees: $900 includes a BBQ lunch each day, excellent tee-prizes and clubhouse access.

*The suggested split is $500/$400 for all Pro/Am teams.

Entry Form: www.cypressridge.com

Sep 24 - Optimist Fall Classic at Chalk Mountain Golf Course

Monday, September 05, 2005

The Optimist 2005 Fall Classic will be held at Chalk Mountain Golf Course on Saturday, September 24th, 2005 (registration closes September 17th).

Entry Fee: $300 for a 3-person team or $100 per single player (teams will be paired with a Junior golfer!)

Tournament Contact: Jim Du Bois (805) 466-2524

Tournament Mailing Address For Entries: Atascadero Community Link, PO Box 3157, Atascadero, Ca. 93423-3157

Oct. 6 - Rally For A Cure at Cypress Ridge Golf Course

Sunday, September 04, 2005

Rally For A Cure - a Benefit for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation - is a Women's Four Person Scramble hosted by the Cypress Ridge Women's Golf Club at Cypress Ridge Golf Course on October 6th, 2005.

PLEASE WEAR PINK!

Entry fee: $100.00 per person ($25 late fee after 7/15). Limited to first 144 registrants.

Registration for CRWGC members starts May 15, 2005. Registration for the public starts June 1, 2005.

Fee includes: Green and cart fees, breakfast bar, box lunch, prizes, clinic by Cypress Ridge Academy, hors dâ€™ouerves and no-host bar following play at the Pavilion.

7:45 a.m. Registration
8:30 a.m. Stretching Clinic
9:00 a.m. Shotgun Start

Checks : Cypress Ridge Women's Golf Club
Mail to: Pat Cline, 2381 Curlew Court, Arroyo Grande, CA 93420
Contact: Pat: (805) 474-0350, Phyllis: (805) 473-2849

www.cypressridge.com

Sep. 17 - Public Safety Golf Challenge

Saturday, September 03, 2005

Don't miss the First Annual Public Safety Golf Challenge at River Oaks Golf Course, September 17 - 10am to 2pm. At this fun event the Paso Robles Police Department challenges the Paso Robles Fire Department to a game of golf. Local citizens may be part of the team. Spectators are welcome and will be treated to a BBQ while enjoying the game. Provides funding for the Paso Robles Police and Fire Departments.

Teams will be composed of three amateur players, and one Fire or Police Department player. They will be competing in a round of best ball for a heart defibrillator.

If you want to play, spots are still available at $100 each. Season's Restaurant at River Oaks Golf Course will be providing tasty gourmet appetizers during the game, and a lunch time barbecue. Prizes will be awarded for "Closest to the Pin" and "Longest Drive" for both men and women. Golf carts and caddies are both available for $50 each. Players must be pre-registered.

Spectator tickets are available for just $20 per person. In addition to witnessing the fierce competition, spectators get to enjoy a delicious barbecue lunch by Season's Restaurant beginning at 11:30 am. there will also be a no host bar. Spectator tickets will be available at the door beginning at 9 am.

Interested in promoting your business? How about sponsoring a hole or a tee? It is only $100, and you will get your name in the program too!

To reserve your spot or to obtain additional information contact Paso Robles Chamber of Commerce, (805) 238-0506.

Golf Rhythms

Friday, September 02, 2005

After such inconsistent play during my last 2 rounds, I decided to go check out my Biorhythm Chart for the dates I recently played. I figure if Tiger referenced biorhythms in an article for Golf Digest, it can't hurt to check them out.

Tiger shared, "I don't know whether our biorhythms get out of sync, some muscle memory is depleted or that computer between our ears suddenly crashes, but every player has days when consistent ball-striking is a foreign concept. I know I've had my share."

Biorhythm charts illustrate the principle that we are influenced by physical, emotional, and intellectual cycles. Many people report that they can improve the quality of their lives by monitoring the highs and lows of these cycles and acting accordingly. For example, you might try to schedule important exams during your intellectual highs, avoid talking to your significant other during your emotional lows, or arranging the lineup of your baseball team around their physical highs.

The Emotional cycle tracks the stability and positive energy of your psyche and outlook on life, as well as your capacity to empathize with and build rapport with other people.

The Intellectual cycle tracks your verbal, mathematical, symbolic, and creative abilities, as well as your capacity to apply reason and analysis to the world around you.

The Physical cycle tracks your strength, health, and raw physical vitality.

Combined, these attributes help determine your ability to succeed at tasks and to obtain what you desire, your motivation to act, and the drive that allows you to continue a difficult pursuit, and your presence of mind that you need to make crucial decisions.

In golf, these 3 attributes come into play on every shot. Your intellect helps in choosing the right club and target and taking wind and terrain into account. Your emotions influence your ability to react constructively to bad shots or bad luck. Your physical ability affects your strength and proper swing technique. In theory, if all your cycles are peaking, you're "in the zone."

I personally don't know how much credit these rhythmic cycles warrant, but I enjoy checking them every couple years on a particularly good or bad day just to see if the charts match the day's result. I've been surprised at how much the charts do mirror the outcome on those days.

I particularly remember the day I was introduced to biorhythms after Mark Spitz won his 7th Gold Metal swimming in the Olympics some 30 years ago, when all his cycles were at a peak. And I'll never forget the day I checked a friend's chart after learning he had committed suicide, and found that each of his cycles were at the rock bottom that day. I've had similar experiences of my own, although never to those extremes.

Having each cycle peak or bottom on the same day is quite rare, but when checking my biorhythms today, I learned that all three cycles had just peaked for me a couple days before playing so well at Cypress Ridge Golf Course last week. I played so effortlessly that day. I was relaxed yet focused. The ball just went where I wanted.

I then crashed and burned only a few days later at Blacklake Golf Resort, just days before all three cycles bottomed. I hit several balls out of bounds, I choked when playing through slower groups, I couldn't putt, I didn't even enjoy playing.

Anyway, I found it interesting to once again find these charts provide such an accurate visual representation for the results I've recently experienced on the course.

Regardless, I still don't have enough confidence in this "theory" to place much importance on it, but understanding that my physical, mental, and emotional strengths vary from day to day does help me better accept my inconsistent play on any given day at the golf course... Golf is not a game of perfect ;).

About Biorhythms
Free Biorhythm Charts
Golf Biorhythms Study