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From the Editor by Scott Seward L In Search of Perfection


ike many golf fans, I remain somewhat obsessed with Tiger Woods’ summer of 2000, when he played at the highest level the


sport has ever witnessed in capturing the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, the British Open and the PGA Champi- onship. But shortly after winning his fourth straight major at the Masters in 2001, Woods decided to make wholesale changes to his golf swing for the second time. I’ve always been fascinated by


the changes the world’s best players make to their games. When it comes to equipment, you can understand (to a point) why they are tempted by a richer endorsement contract. But why make comprehensive changes to a swing that has brought that profes- sional to the apex of his or her game? I play a musical instrument semi-


professionally. Changing a golf swing is akin to changing a brass player’s embouchure. It’s something students and aspiring players do in an effort to get to the next level. It’s not some- thing professionals do, or they would quickly be out of work. So why do top golf profession-


als feel the need to alter their swing? Sports Illustrated’s Alan Shipnuck explores that topic on page 24.


The vicissitudes of scheduling made it awkward for us to cover the parade of major golf events taking place in San Francisco in late April and early May. As you read this, we are in the midst of a historic two-week stretch of important championships at Lake Merced, TPC Harding Park and The Olympic Club. The San Francisco Chronicle’s Ron Kroichick discusses how this confluence of events hap- pened (and look for complete coverage of the results in the summer edition of NCGA Golf, as well as recaps on NCGA.org’s Shag Bag Blog). Streamsong Resort in Florida is outside the usual area we like to feature for golf destinations—our rule of thumb is to stick to short flights from one of the three major airports in the region. But Streamsong’s inaugural two courses, designed by Tom Doak (Blue), Ben Crenshaw, and Bill Coore (Red), are of such quality that the resort should be on any golfer’s wish list. While the resort is located 60 miles from Tampa and 90 miles from Orlando, making it quite a trek for NCGA members, we think the golfer’s experience makes the trip worth the while. Our Kevin Merfeld chronicles his experience beginning on page 28.


The annual NCGA Hall of Fame


Induction, held in conjunction with the California Golf Writers and Broadcasters Association Dinner at Spanish Bay during the week of the Pebble Beach AT&T National Pro-Am, is always a highlight on our calendar. We asked James Hansen to profile this year’s inductees, Robert Trent Jones Sr., Robert Trent Jones Jr. and Rees Jones. There is no one more qualified to write this profile, as Hansen’s new comprehensive biogra- phy of Robert Trent Jones Sr. just won the prestigious Herbert Warren Wind Award from the United States Golf Association as the year’s best golf book. Two championships take place in June that we can preview—the Cali- fornia State Amateur at Lake Merced and the U.S. Senior Open at Del Paso—and both wrap up on the same weekend. Sacramento has been a golf- crazed market for years, and bringing the world’s best seniors to one of the region’s finest courses will make for a tremendous event. A cover story of Schaffer’s Mill in


Tahoe, the return of equipment cover- age provided by Tom Dellner, the for- mer editor-in-chief of Golf Tips maga- zine, and our usual departments and columns round out this issue. We are fortunate to feature the golf instruc- tion of Jeff Ritter in most of issues of NCGA Golf. Ritter recently joined the list of national instructors who are part of the Golf Channel Academy. See page 59 for more information. In March, the NCGA said so long


to one of its most popular employees. Assistant Director of Handicapping Tina Anguish and her husband Al moved back to their native Kansas after her distinguished 18-year career at the NCGA. Goodbye and good luck Tina!


Poppy Ridge architect Rees Jones was inducted into the NCGA Hall of Fame in February. Pictured: Zinfandel No. 2


SCOTT SEWARD 6 / NCGA.ORG / SPRING 2015


PHOTO: IMAGE LIGHT/TERRY VANDER HEIDEN


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