-In 1994 at the Vancouver Golf Club, a 77 year old player played a round of golf after presenting a rain check dated April 7th, 1948.

-The Guiness Book of Records records that the longest drive on a regulation course is 515 yards by Michael Hoke Austin in 1974.

-Approximately 1000 golf carts were in use in the 50’s. This had grown to more than 120,000 in the mid-sixties. Today the number of golf carts in use are over 1 million!

-The chances of making two holes-in-one in a round of golf are one in 67 million.

1. Most good short game players practice their short games….ALOT! Most players don’t practice their short games at all, but expect a lot. Like most things in life, what you get out corresponds usually in some fashion as to what you put in! 

2. Putting is about touch, pace and alignment. THINK PENDULUM. Good snooker players make great putters. Putting is all about moving arms rather than wrists. The body has little to do in the putting stroke. 

3. Chipping too is about touch, pace and alignment. Try to STUDY THE RELATIONSHIP as to how far the ball travels in the air, and how far on the ground; this factor determines club selection. Think about chipping the ball in the hole, not getting it close! The set-up should always be with an open stance, with both weight and hands forward. 

4. Sand play is about technique combined with COURAGE. That is all!

To improve your short game, try our Saturday short game clinics. It’s not too tough or ominous if you know how! 

HANDICAP SYSTEM NOW AVAILABLE!

These are all very valid questions. The reason why Ernie Els or Annika Sorenstam can hit the ball as far as they do is because their swing fundamentals are excellent, and they don’t have to make many compensations or manipulations to hit the ball solidly. When someone’s fundamentals are a little off, it puts a lot of pressure on their body which in turn creates a lot of tension in their swing, and kills any kind of fluidity which is vital to hitting the ball a long way. 

Here are some quick and simple tips that will help put your body in a position of power and lead to longer shots with the Driver or any club. 

STANCE: Widen your stance. The majority of people I teach have too narrow a stance. Widening your stance even a an inch or two ON ALL SHOTS, will lead to a more powerful, and stable swing. 

POSTURE: Make sure that your posture is good. That is, your back should be as straight as possible at address to ensure better shoulder rotation. 

KNEE FLEX: A little bit of knee flex is important to stabilizing your address position. From there, be sure to make a slow and smooth backswing, which will create fluidity and rhythm to your swing. 

Remember this: Good setup fundamentals and a fluid swing create POWER!!! 

-Failing to plan is planning to fail. 

Effie Jones

-Just like a turtle, we can only make progress if we stick our neck out 

James Bryant Conant

-Intelligence without ambition is like a bird without wings. 

C. Archie Danielson

-There is always a better way 

Thomas Edison

-Achieving life is not the equivalent of avoiding death. 

Ayn Rand

Island View celebrated its 50th member in the past month! Our membership package has been a runaway success, being a win for both the facility and the members. If you’re interested in becoming a member, talk to one of our friendly staff to hear about all the benefits of becoming and Island View Golf Centre Member.

Also in May, a number of Island View Golf Team members and regular customers competed in the Cedar Hill Open, one of the bigger golf tournaments held on the Island. Andrew, Hyo and myself ended up playing in the same group both days. Watching Andrew tear through the course on day 1 was amazing. He finished with a 3 under 64 (tied for the best round of the day) and hit 17 of 18 greens in regulation. Unfortunately, none of us had a good round on day 2 which kept us off the winners podium. Still a great outing for Team Island View!

May’s grass revitalization has been a little slower than we anticipated because we’ve been busy, which means more picks and more wear and tear on the grass. We’ll be top sanding the few remaining areas that require some grass growth, give it a few weeks and it’ll look like Augusta out there!

This June we’ll be having our first annual BIG KP Contest at Island View Golf Centre. This is not a hole in one contest; someone will be leaving with a BIG prize, which is a trip for 2 to the beautiful, glamorous, and exciting Las Vegas, Nevada. There’s a ton of other prizes, and NO ONE LEAVES EMPTY HANDED! The target green will be the first one on the left, approximately 100yrs out, from the top deck, which is a make able shot for anyone of every skill level. 

The BIG KP Contest will be held on June 24th, and the range will be shut down exclusively for this fun filled event. You can signup online or at the front desk at the range.

You don’t have to use real expensive balls like a Pro V1, but using the same ball consistently will help get you hitting shots that are more predictable and accurate. For example, in the Titleist line, a High-Handicapper would do well with a DT Solo, which is a two-piece distance ball, designed to hit much straighter and further with all clubs, but with a lot less feel in the shorter shots. For the mid- handicapper, a ball like the Titleist NXT combines a harder ball, with a little softer feel around the greens. As a golfer improves, his/her ball should change to benefit what they’re looking for in their games. 

Do some research, and find a ball that works for you!! 

CEDAR HILL OPEN - APRIL 21st + 22nd

Andrew Wintraub - Team Captain (andrew@islandviewgolf.com )

Sean McNulty - (seanmc@islandviewgolf.com )

Hyo Sang Yoon -  (hyo@islandviewgolf.com )