From the Editor by Scott Seward
hard to ensure your membership is even more valuable in 2016. The 2016 Bluebook edition of
W
NCGA Golf is the first of many benefits of this year’s membership, and we think you will really enjoy this issue. Besides the usual listings and maps
of all NCGA golf clubs in the back of the magazine, we have a terrific lineup of features. Our Jerry Stewart visited Cabo San Lucas’ Quivira Golf Club, a site that inspired designer Jack Nicklaus to create what he called “one of the most spectacular courses in the world.” Sometimes a golf course’s setting does not translate well to photos. Not in this case. Stewart’s piece and the accom- panying pictures will have you quickly making plans to head south. Sports Illustrated’s Alan Shipnuck takes us into the mindset of Lodi bomber Ryan Winther, who won the 2012 RE/MAX Long Drive Champi- onship. I’ve always marveled at golfers who hit such prodigious drives. All of us love making a long birdie putt, especially if it means a skin, or to win a match. But there’s nothing like the feeling of busting a big drive. But why doesn’t the ability to
drive the ball nearly 400 yards—like Winther can—translate into PGA Tour success? While most of us can probably guess—putting, delicate short-game shots, etc.—Shipnuck provides us with the other steps Winther takes to build a swing that pulverizes golf balls. We also enlisted Poppy Hills Director of Instruction Jeff Ritter to analyze Winther’s swing to uncover the secrets to his tremendous power. Our Kevin Merfeld takes us inside the gates of Augusta National for the final round of the Masters. Merfeld was fortunate enough to attend the 2015 Masters, and his piece goes a long way
Off to a Great Start
elcome to another year of NCGA membership. We’re grateful you are
back and we’ve been working
toward explaining the mystique of the year’s first major, now only a short two- and-a-half months away. Our Q&A is with Sacramento
native Natalie Gulbis, who remains one of the game’s nicest people. As we had our conversation at the Inn at Spanish Bay last November, Gulbis commanded the attention of almost everyone who passed by. But the 33-year-old seemed completely at ease, talking about her good health, television work and future plans. While she will have to qualify for the CordeValle U.S. Women’s Open this year, don’t bet against seeing her in the field. As tradition dictates, the NCGA
president’s home club graces the cover of the winter edition of NCGA Golf— in this case, John Ronca’s San Luis Obispo Country Club. But we go fur- ther than just providing a club profile. The central coast—the NCGA’s south- ernmost point—is a traveler’s delight with terrific wineries, public courses and a vibrant college town at the center. The photos of Poppy Hills through- out this magazine come from the lens of the great Joann Dost—golf ’s preeminent photographer. Dost’s mentor was Ansel Adams, perhaps his- tory’s greatest landscape photographer. Dost recently released “The Ultimate Round—Pebble Beach Golf Links,” which reads like a super-sized yard- age book on America’s greatest public course. The book is available through
JoannDost.com. Resolve to play more golf in 2016.
You can get started by picking up a new wedge, putter or driver—taking advan- tage of your $15 Golf Mart gift card on page 12, and use your 20% member discount at Poppy Hills or Ridge. Your membership is already paying dividends to kick off the new year.
SCOTT SEWARD
NCGA GOLF
The official publication of the Northern California Golf Association Volume 36, Number 1
Editorial & Business Office Northern California Golf Association 3200 Lopez Road, Pebble Beach, CA 93953 P: (831) 625-4653; F: (831) 625-0150
NCGA.org;
ncgainfo@ncga.org
Editorial Staff Scott Seward – Editor & Publisher
Richard J. Cerame, Laurie Lee, Kevin Merfeld, Jerry Stewart
Advertising Managers Tom Black, Jim Whittemore
Contributing Writers Tom Dellner, Brian Murphy, Jeff Ritter, Alan Shipnuck, Jay Stuller
Contributing Photographers Joann Dost, Lindsey Novitzke, Aaron Olson, Terry VanderHeiden
NCGA Staff Joe Huston – Executive Director, NCGA Adam Heieck – Executive Director, NCGA Foundation
Alex Anderson, Toivo Betancourt, Jim Brady, Richard J. Cerame, Kelly Cimino, Jamie Cordova, Ben Coronado, Jim Cowan, Ryan Dunham, Ryan Farb, Mark Fitch, Aana Fitzgerald, Lenny Fudenna, Martin Fuentes, Svetlana Gavrilenko, Jason Gilbert, Evelyn Gomez, Otis Goodwin, Jeremy Gray, Ryan Gregg, Aaron Hartesveld, Maryjane Hatch, Vaughn Kezirian, Rick Leoncio, Michael Lowe, Jillian MacDonald, Kevin Merfeld, Helen Nicolayev, Lindsey Novitzke, Malinda Oliver, Jean Quismundo, Rick Rangel, Sam Staton, Scott Seward, Jerry Stewart
NCGA Board of Directors John A. Ronca (President), Patrick N. Quinn (Vice President), Thomas E. Bone (Secretary/Treasurer), Lee Gidney (Immediate Past President)
Stacey Baba, Thomas H. Carter, Raymond M. Coates, John A. Dodsworth, Terry L. Fitzwater, Gary Fox, Scott W. Gebhardt, Robert J. Goldstein, Samuel A. Gross, Susan S. Morse, David L. Pearson, Gail A. Rogers, Michael W. Weeks, Richard M. Wise, Paul F. Yost, Jr.
Golf Courses Owned by the Northern California Golf Association Poppy Hills Golf Course P: (831) 622-8239; F: (831) 626-5421
PoppyHillsGolf.com;
info@poppyhillsgolf.com 3200 Lopez Rd. Pebble Beach, CA 93953
Poppy Ridge Golf Course P: (925) 456-8202; F: (925) 455-2020
PoppyRidgeGolf.com;
info@poppyridgegolf.com 4280 Greenville Rd. Livermore, CA 94550
NCGA Golf (ISSN-1524-4385) is published quarterly by the Northern California Golf Association, 3200 Lopez Road, Pebble Beach, 93953. All rights reserved, including right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. Members pay an annual subscription fee of $1. Printed in U.S.A. Please send change of address notice on Member Change form (available at your club). Periodical postage paid at Pebble Beach, CA and additional mailing offices. Advertising contained herein does not constitute endorsement by the Northern California Golf Association. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to NCGA Golf, P. O. Box NCGA, Pebble Beach, CA. 93953-1157.
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NCGA.ORG / WINTER 2016
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