NCGA Hall of Famer Wally Goodwin Dies Aged 94 July 21, 2021 Wally Goodwin, who left his mark in golf coaching at numerous institutions including Stanford University and was inducted into the NCGA Hall of Fame in 2014, died July 20 at the age of 94. Goodwin, who coached at Stanford from 1987-2000, led the…
Spirit of the Game: Morikawa’s Historic Win at The Open Championship July 19, 2021 By Ben Everill, PGA Tour Tiger’s killer irons and instinct. Phil’s courage, smile and warmth. Fellow Californian Collin Morikawa invoked thoughts of the two most successful Golden State-bred golfers who came before him as he became the first player to win…
Faces of the NCGA: Jim Valenti–Age Shooter July 8, 2021 Do you dream of shooting your age someday? Data suggests that the odds are less than 9 in 1,000,000. For comparison, the odds of making a hole-in-one are 9 in 112,500. Over at The Villages Golf and Country Club, a retirement community for those ages…
Spirit of the Game: Jon Rahm’s Spanish Breakthrough July 5, 2021 Torrey Pines delivered again. Seventy-second hole. Birdie putt. A delirious crowd going wild for one of the pre-championship favorites. Thirteen years ago, it was Tiger Woods who delivered the “Expect anything different” putt heard around the world. On a cool, overcast Sunday in…
People Who Play the Game—NCGA CEO Joe Huston Interview With Frank LaRosa July 2, 2021 Recently, NCGA CEO Joe Huston sat down with Northern California golf media icon Frank LaRosa to talk about the state of the game. Among the topics covered were the NCGA’s new Mission Statement, which focuses on diversity and inclusiveness. Huston…
Rule of the Month: Dropping July 1, 2021 Topic Overview: When taking relief, whether with penalty or without, you must drop a ball. The ball must be dropped straight down from knee height, must be dropped by you (or your partner), must first strike the ground within your relief area, and must remain within that…
Volunteering for the U.S. Women’s Open—A Top 10 Experience! By Audrey Cormier I had the opportunity to serve as a volunteer marshal for the 2021 U.S.Women’s Open Championship held June 3-6 at the Olympic Club in San Francisco. It was a “top 10” experience for sure! The spirit of teamwork, camaraderie and commitment to…
Yuka Saso Has Historic Win at U.S. Women’s Open June 7, 2021 The Olympic Club struck again. Just as in the five U.S. Opens contested on the club’s Lake Course, the first U.S. Women’s Open Championship played over this iconic Bay Area layout wasn’t kind to the favored final-round frontrunner. Olympic’s list of past victims…
Women’s Golf Day 2021 June 1, 2021 A group of 30 women was among those celebrating International Women’s Golf Day by getting in a round of golf at Poppy HIlls Golf Course in Pebble Beach. Up at Poppy Ridge GC in Livermore Wine Country, nearly 50 women got in holes to celebrate the day. The…
Spirit of the Game: Althea Gibson, A Multi-Talented Star June 1, 2021 From the LPGA archives In 1963, Althea Gibson, then age 35, became the first African American to play in a U.S. Women’s Open. She’d miss the cut by a stroke. But Gibson was already a star. On the tennis court, not only…